Super duper retro Friday Photo

From Help Me Help You, circa 2006.

I know it’s old, but this is one of my favorite photos.

Besides the flats leaning up against the walls, those black square things at the left of the photo are spacelite* accessory bags.

Each spacelite comes with extra stuff that one may or may not use, but is inadvisable to lose, so the bags containing said stuff must be put in a safe place. Like stapled to the wall.

That’s pretty safe, right?

*When I do an image search of certain lighting items, the only results I get are photos I’ve taken. Dammit, people, I’m not the only juicer with a blog. Step it up. I’m not sure how much longer I can carry you motherfuckers.

Filed under: Uncategorized, flats, old, Paramount, sets, spacelite, television

Springtime flowers!

This is, by far, my favorite time of year to ride my bicycle. It’s not horribly hot (yet), the threat of rain has mostly passed, and the city has sprung into bloom.

Although it’s a bit too early in the year for the night-blooming jasmine (something I still really miss about Hollywood. There’s not nearly as much of it on the west side), the honeysuckle is flowering, so the city smells pretty good in places (in other places, not so much), and the hibiscus flowers hide the graffiti-covered walls.

Even my neighbor’s unpruned rose bushes are producing some spectacular flowers, waving in the wind like thorny antennae.

My favorite though, are the Jacaranda trees.

Most of the year, these trees are only remarkable for the terrible mess they make, but in the spring they’re transformed into Seussian purple clouds that make a very colorful terrible mess.

Sadly, the Jacaranda bloom for a very short time and  it’s just about over, so I’ve been trying to enjoy it while I can.

Also, gas is really expensive (for America) and I’m unemployed, so more biking is better.

Filed under: camera, life in LA, Los Angeles, Non-Work, Off-Topic, Photos, flowers, jacaranda, nature, night blooming jasmine, plants, purple, purple clouds, springtime, trees

Friday Photo

Something strange has happened in my neighborhood.

All of the electronic billboards have gone black. Every single one of them.

No explanation has been given.

I’m scared.

Filed under: Los Angeles, Non-Work, Photos, billboard, eerie, electronic, electronic billboards, neighborhood, scary

And now, for a moment, something serious

As many of you know, I have a cat.

A very adorable, yet very elderly (16 as of this coming November) cat. I adopted her as a 6 week old kitten and have provided the only home she’s ever known.

Were something unfortunate to happen to me, my well-meaning yet clueless family would probably send her straight to the LA County animal shelter.

The problem with elderly cats (and dogs) is that if they end up at a shelter, they’re very likely to be euthanized immediately as homes for geriatric animals are few and far between.

For quite some time, I’ve had an agreement with a very good friend of mine that, in the event of my demise or incapacitation, said friend would double down on the allergy meds and take said cat. Preferably before my sister throws the cat in a pillowcase and drop-kicks her into the in-box at the pound (I’m joking, of course – my sister would never soil a perfectly good pillowcase).

Said friend is now moving out-of-town.

So, I now ask one of you wonderful readers if you would be able, if needed, to provide a home for a sweet yet princess-like cat (healthy, no special needs other than horribly expensive raw food and organic treats).

Tiara not included.

NOTE: Of course I’m not expecting anything to happen to me, but since I’m not a spring chicken either, I feel the need to have a plan.

It’s sort of like a will. None of us really think we’re going to need one, but then that bus comes out of nowhere and your great aunts spend 18 months in probate court fighting over your comic collection while sending the autographed first edition Dickens novel to Goodwill.

Filed under: Non-Work

The Big Yellow Joint* lands in Beverly Hills

As a promo for the new episodes of Arrested Development, Netflix has sent the Bluth Banana Stand on tour.

After missing the first two days (The Grove and somewhere in Culver City) due to not checking twitter upon rising in the morning, today I logged on first thing and found the location: The Paley Center in Beverly Hills.

Sweet. The Paley Center is super cool (and they were screening the entire series in the theater) and is, as a bonus, on the way to the garden.

This location featured a Never Nude convention.

The security guard handed out stickers and greeted each person with “hello, Mr. Manager!” regardless of gender. Sweet.

As I’d so desperately hoped, they were giving out actual frozen bananas.

I thought about getting in line again to get another one (to save), but then I realized it would melt before I got home so I went inside and watched a couple of episodes and then went to the garden.

My grapevine’s making grapes. They’d be bigger if I ever fed or watered the thing, but since the birds get most of the grapes I don’t see the point.

* The Big Yellow Joint

Filed under: life in LA, Los Angeles, Non-Work, Off-Topic, Photos, Arrested Development, banana, Beverly Hills, culver city, frozen bananas, fruit, grapes, netflix, Paley Center, security guard, television, twitter

Almost Saturday Photo

The red carpet at the Hammer Museum‘s annual Bike Night.

 

Filed under: camera, life in LA, Los Angeles, Non-Work, Off-Topic, Photos, art, bike, bike night, culture, hammer, hammer museum, museum, red carpet, UCLA

Technology Wigs Me Out

One of the most horrible feelings in the world is the nausea-inducing panic of losing something that’s necessary to function and is a pain in the ass to replace.

Note that anything necessary to function is usually a pain in the ass to replace, although the key to the shed in the back where you keep the ladder that you only need once a year is an exception.

Since gas prices are rising (again) here in Southern California, I’ve opted to commute on my bicycle whenever possible in order to avoid pump-induced nausea and anger.

I really do enjoy riding the bike. Not only is it more economical, but I see a lot more interesting stuff when I’m not sealed in the car singing along to a certain teenybopper pop icon who keeps putting his feet into his adorable almost post-adolescent mouth.

The downside of bike commuting is that, in a way, it’s not as easy as driving. Instead of picking up the purse and locking the doors, I have to dig the locks (plural, since I’d like to keep said bike) out of my panniers, find a place to secure the bike, make sure anything that can be stolen is removed (bike computer, water bottle, super expensive blinky headlight that can blind astronauts in space), and then schlep the whole mess into wherever it is I’m going.

Sometimes I forget a step and leave something on the bike. Usually it’s the computer, but sometimes it’s the water bottle – call me paranoid but I feel weird about drinking from it after it’s been out in the world unsupervised – and sometimes it’s something more important.

The other day, I ran errands for most of the day, making numerous stops to pay bills, grocery up,  work in the garden, plot the demise of those goddamn squirrels, etc..

When I got home and discovered that I needed olives (hey, it’s not a martini without one), I dug in said panniers for my wallet.

Nothing. I dug again.

Still nothing.

I did that thing where I slapped my pockets.

Nothing.

Fuck.

So,  since I’m a sensible adult, I did the right thing and immediately called and cancelled my debit card.

I then sat a moment, thought about where I’d been and decided to retrace my steps.

First stop, the Whole Foods in Westwood.

Where the very nice lady at the customer service desk handed me the wallet that some kind person had turned in. Including the cards.

Awesome.

The worst part is that, since I technically did the right thing by cancelling the card, I couldn’t even be mad at myself. Just sheepish and grateful that there are still a few honest folks left in the cold, cruel world.

This morning, I went to the credit union and enquired about a replacement debit card, expecting to get the thing about waiting 10 days while they mailed it, etc.. Also, I wondered if they’d give me a refresher course in how to write a check, since it’s been so long I think I forgot.

“Sure thing!” the teller responded. “Fill out some paperwork and I’ll print one out right now.”

Wait. Print?

Turns out, they can print cards now. Actual credit cards. That work.

They didn’t even charge me a service fee.

Freaky.

Filed under: life in LA, Los Angeles, mishaps, Non-Work, Off-Topic, Photos, bank, bike commute, bike computer, cars, debit card, garden, lost, panniers, transportation

Slightly delayed Friday photo

This is from CicLAvia a couple of weeks back, and I just didn’t get around to posting it.

This guy rode the whole course in a cow suit. I almost fell off my bike laughing while I took this photo. Good laughing, though, not bad laughing.

Filed under: Los Angeles, Non-Work, Photos, bicycle, CicLAvia, cow, cow suit, transportation, urban assault bovine

Oh, ouch.

When I’m working and have cash, I buy Groupons for restaurants and services which I normally can’t afford (massages, facials, etc..). Then, when I’m unemployed, I can go and relax (or eat) for the price of a tip.

Today’s expedition was for a sports/deep tissue massage at one of my favorite places to get sports massages – a medical place.

Don’t get me wrong, the chic spas are super nice and I do enjoy the ambience and cucumber water, but I find the best ‘lean in and make it stop hurting’ therapists at the doctors’ offices and sports clinics.

So today, the therapist looked at me and said:

“Oh, yeah. That shoulder’s not quite right, and your hips are spun in a way that makes me think the (unintelligible) is tight”.

I didn’t even know I had an (unintelligible), much less that it could tighten up.

He then spent the next hour digging his knuckles into my back and hips so hard at one point I really did think I was going to pass out. He kept reminding me to breathe, but I think my diaphragm had stopped working.

But at some point in the fog of pain, everything started to loosen up, even the muscles that normally can’t be de-knotted, even with that crazy foam roller thing at the gym.

Right now, I feel great. The only problem is he’s suggesting I come back once a week (since I’m apparently too tense to loosen up in one session) and right now there’s no way in hell I can afford that.

Next up,  dinner at a swanky fish place in Santa Monica!

Filed under: Non-Work, deep tissue massage, health, healthy-living, stretching

Friday Photo

Facade with oak tree

One of the movie ranches* in the desert have spent the past few years building some really, really nice facades on their land.

Said facades are mostly metal (excellent for not catching on fire) and have outlets so one can power small lamps without having to run cable.

They’re also relatively new, which means they’re relatively clean inside, too.

Awesome.

Shiny!

*”Movie ranch” means exactly what one would think. It’s a ranch which is there to serve as a movie location.

Filed under: locations, long long drives, Photos, Work, buildings, desert, facade, facades, filming, Golden Oak Ranch, movie ranch, oak tree