today reached 99 degrees!! (and some say global warming is a hoax...) the mystery of the closed-library has been solved. rick and i drove to the library only to discover it was closed. this is the third time this has happened to us. once was on president's day tho... apparently, as we discovered today, the library is closed on mondays. DOH!!
i am loving daylight savings time... the extra hour of sunlight has already proven to be useful today when rick and i played tennis. we got there late, when the sun was just shy of setting and stayed until about 7:00. i haven't played tennis is over a year and rick hasn't played since sixth grade... so needless to say we were a bit rusty. regardless, we managed to have fun. i wouldn't let us leave until we successfully hit the ball back and forth ten times. we got twelve!! we plan on playing again tomorrow if we aren't too sore. if i want to play again, i will also have to pop this lovely blister i got from hanging on the monkey bars yesterday when rick and i walked through the park. ye-ouch.
we finally finished watching Sybil. it seemed like a long movie (i can't believe it was originally a made-for-tv movie!!) but it was REALLY GOOD. sally field is one of my favorites. for those of you who aren't familiar with the movie, Sybil is based on a true story of a woman suffering from multiple-personality disorder. while we were watching the movie, rick noticed a scene was shot in the Ambassador Hotel which happens to be where 311 shot their album cover for "Evolver." the sad part is The Ambassador Hotel, a historic 500-room hollywood resort in its heyday, was torn in february 2006. los angeles seems to be infamous for reinventing itself and renovating, but unfortunately the city has no respect for the preservation of historical sites. despite protests, the city opted to demolish the hotel in order to build more schools although there is ample space in the surrounding areas. while destroying the site, the builders discovered methane gas, so the schools can't even open. this will only add to the $270 million budget. and so this discovery inspired me to create...
FIVE REASONS WHY I DISLIKE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
(beside the fact that it is far from my family).
1. smog/pollution.
2. TRAFFIC.
3. constant contruction and building/lack of respect to historical sites. A LOT of kewl places simply don't exisit anymore :(
4. THE HEAT. the sun is nice and all but not when it's burning your skin off while you are sitting in traffic.
5. overall wastefulness. (ie. sprinklers that face the pavement/street that are actually only wetting the cars that pass by).
FIVE REASONS WHY I LIKE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
1. the weather. as rick says, "california has two seasons: summer and not-so-summer."
2. LOTS to see and do.
3. career opportunities, especially in the creative industry.
4. palm trees. no lie... i am obsessed with those gangly trees!!
5. my strong, indescribable affinity to the area... perhaps a magnetic force at work?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
the rest of my mother's visit...
thursday: went to malibu. my mom saw martin sheen (with his grandchildren) in that little plaza with ralph's. (i missed him because i was driving). we bought some snacks/lunch and ate them at the beach. it was pretty cold near the water so after lounging there for a little while, we headed back to the apartment and sunbathed near the pool until the sun set. but first we stopped at jamba juice!! after the pool, we went to a paint-your-own-ceramics place and we painted mugs for each other. it usually takes about 3-4 days to get them back (you glaze them then they fire them) but we had ours expediated so my mom could take hers home with her. they came out pretty awesome!! i made my mom a coffee mug with little designs all over it and my mom made me a large mug with a gnome on it (she even painted roxie next to the gnome!!) they both came out reeeally cute.
friday: my mom and i drove to carson to pick up my car. that took a few hours due to traffic and poor directions. my mom and i told rick we got tattoos and he believed us until i told him mine was a gnome. we finally got new cell phones (that we hate) and picked up our mugs. we stopped at albertson's and bought some more food, then we made cornflake chicken!! (rick couldn't eat it though, because was a friday during Lent). tim stopped by to pick up the communal ipod. my mother and rick passed out in the living room EARLY... like 10 pm. i tried my hardest to keep them awake by suggesting we go for a walk and by reading trivial pursuit questions aloud, but my attempts were futile. even roxie fell asleep on me... so i went online, hehe.
saturday: my mom, rick and i took a tour of the adamson house in malibu. the house was built in 1930 and the interiors and exteriors are adorned in beautiful malibu tiles. unfortunately you aren't allowed to take photos inside the house (i snuck one) but there are plenty of opportunities to take photos from the balcony of the home. after the tour, we ate thai food... Mmm!! we drove to michael landon's former home, but rick wouldn't drive up the driveway!! :( ugh. after stalking dead celebrities, we went over rick's parent's house. poor little roxie stayed home, locked in her crate until we got back around 10-10:30!!
(TURNED CLOCKS BACK!!)
sunday: my mom and i played scrabble until roxie trampled all over the board. temperatures reached 94 degrees!! my mom and roxie went home :( rick and i went for a walk (around sunset... the weather was beautiful then). we stopped at a playground and hurt our hands on the monkey bars (we'll probably have blisters tomorrow). then we watched sybil while we ate dinner. i never saw the movie, but always hear of it. i really like sally field. she's good.
friday: my mom and i drove to carson to pick up my car. that took a few hours due to traffic and poor directions. my mom and i told rick we got tattoos and he believed us until i told him mine was a gnome. we finally got new cell phones (that we hate) and picked up our mugs. we stopped at albertson's and bought some more food, then we made cornflake chicken!! (rick couldn't eat it though, because was a friday during Lent). tim stopped by to pick up the communal ipod. my mother and rick passed out in the living room EARLY... like 10 pm. i tried my hardest to keep them awake by suggesting we go for a walk and by reading trivial pursuit questions aloud, but my attempts were futile. even roxie fell asleep on me... so i went online, hehe.
saturday: my mom, rick and i took a tour of the adamson house in malibu. the house was built in 1930 and the interiors and exteriors are adorned in beautiful malibu tiles. unfortunately you aren't allowed to take photos inside the house (i snuck one) but there are plenty of opportunities to take photos from the balcony of the home. after the tour, we ate thai food... Mmm!! we drove to michael landon's former home, but rick wouldn't drive up the driveway!! :( ugh. after stalking dead celebrities, we went over rick's parent's house. poor little roxie stayed home, locked in her crate until we got back around 10-10:30!!
(TURNED CLOCKS BACK!!)
sunday: my mom and i played scrabble until roxie trampled all over the board. temperatures reached 94 degrees!! my mom and roxie went home :( rick and i went for a walk (around sunset... the weather was beautiful then). we stopped at a playground and hurt our hands on the monkey bars (we'll probably have blisters tomorrow). then we watched sybil while we ate dinner. i never saw the movie, but always hear of it. i really like sally field. she's good.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
i didn't get my picture taken with chris rock!!
today my mom and i lounged by the pool/went swimming. we had tickets to see the late late show with craig ferguson. the guest was andy garcia!! we got there on time but had to park in the parking garage at the grove because the security guy told us the CBS lot was full (or so we thought). so we stood in line, got numbers on our hands and were told to sit on a bench. the taping of the price of right must have just ended because we saw dozens of audience members/contestants. about 80% of the price is right crew bought something in the gift store after the show and ALL OF THEM looked like they had just visited disney world for the first time... i never saw a happier bunch of people, hehe. so we're finally about to be called into the show... there were about 30 of us still waiting and one of the five intern girls comes out and tells us they've reached capacity. we were pretty pissed because their audience wrangling method SUCKS. people were RANDOMLY assigned bench numbers (1, 2, 3 or 5). we were 2's. the girl called bench 1, bench 3, THEN 2... they didn't get to bench 5 at all. some of the people left over were among the first thirty people there!! (REALLY sucked to be them!!) it was ridiculous. they KNOW there's only 150 seats, yet they let more people in. they didn't bother to number us according to the order we arrived. we even had to sit through two lame prep guys trying to pump us up for the audience. the part that really sucks is that we originally sat on bench 1, but then moved to bench 2 after we realized that we were on the "wrong" bench. (not like anyone checked). it was all just a bunch of BS. we were given a number to call that guarantees us "VIP" seats to another taping. "VIP" only meaning they will let us like they were supposed to the first time. sooo my mom and i headed back to the grove and went into a few shops there. i bought a big, clunky heart necklace and redeemed my free pair of chones at victoria's secret. we saw CHRIS ROCK just standing by the door in barnes and nobles. i wouldn't have even noticed him if two guys didn't go up to him and ask to have their pictures taken with him. my mom and i weren't even sure if it was him at first... he looks REALLY skinny and YOUNG (until you approach him, then you can see his gray whiskers). he wasn't nice or approachable, he just was standing there like he didn't want to be there. i think he was just [begrudgingly] out in public to spark attention to his new movie. my mom and debated whether we should ask for a photo because we aren't really fans of his, but it seemed like the thing to do. afterall, you don't see chris rock just standing in every bookstore. having just exited the craig ferguson fiasco, i didn't have a camera on me (shocking, i know... but they weren't allowed in the studio that we didn't even get to go in) so my mom takes the photo of me and chris rock with her camera phone. at the moment she is taking the photo: rick calls and, mom hangs up on him AND the phone battery is dying. my mom takes the photo and says... "i don't even want to admit what just happened." the photo couldn't be saved because her photo capacity was at 100%. story of the day. it soooo figures!! hahaha!! i blame everything on my blue eyeliner... last time i wore it rick, tim, aldo and i weren't able to see incubus on jimmy kimmel. ugh. so i took some polaroids on hollywood and highland and we called it a day. we got back to the apartment(after sitting in some traffic) then rick, my mom and i enjoyed a nice dinner at the cheesecake factory. at least that went well.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
my mom is visiting!!
my mom is visiting me!! :) here are some of the things we've done so far:
saturday: my mom and roxie arrived!! we sat in traffic. i took some photos of the kewl apartment complex/metro station in los feliz. (polaroids to come). we ate at the delightfully retro fred 62. rick went home to visit his brother (who was home for the weekend). i showed my mom around town and she somehow managed to score not ONE... but TWO free coffees at starbucks. she says they gave it to her because she had to wait for them to make a new pot of the coffee she wanted... i say the guys working there liked her. we got some groceries and after dinner we played scrabble and made some plans for the week.
sunday: i planned on taking my mom to Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley where they filmed A LOT of shows including Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza (my mom looves michael landon), but unfortunately it doesn't exsist anymore. the ranch endured an earthquake and a fire, but was no match to a housing development in 2005. the part that sucks is... who the hell wants to live in simi valley?!! nobody is going to buy these homes. simi valley is contaminated. so my mother and i went food shopping/food sampling food at costco instead. they always have good samples on the weekends... this visit included tortilla soup, homemade smoothies, clam chowder and chicken salad!! all supermarkets should be so generous, hehe. then my mom and i went hiking and i took some photos. my dog is LOVIN all the walks!! tim and aldrin stopped by during dinner time. my mom made some jalapeno poppers for them to eat while they played video games.
monday: my mom and i went to the verizon store because our cell phones are WAAAY overdue for upgrades. we didn't wind up getting new phones because we are still debating between two models. we went searching for a few antique stores, but wound up getting jamba juice and eating a quick lunch instead. then we relaxed by the pool. we took some really kewl polaroids. my mom, rick and i played scrabble. i won. naturally. : P
tuesday: my mom and i got up early and drove to santa barbara. we wandered in and out shops on state street. my mom bought two pairs of funky sneakers. i took some photos and tried on a really kewl sequin dress in a costume shop. we drove to the harbor and went kayaking in the ocean. we saw seals!! they were just chillin, sunning themselves on a buoy. we also saw A LOT of giant starfish, clinging onto the pier. we held one. i thought starfish were more compliable, but these suckers were stiff. we stopped at a little, hidden beach on our way home but by then the sun was going down and it was getting a little chilly outside. when we got back to the apartment, rick drove us to the library. we got a bunch of movies, including sybil (always wanted to see that), saved (because rick never saw it) and the original ocean's eleven. after dinner, we played scrabble and my mother won. after all the point deductions, rick wound up in second place... yes, that's right... for the first time EVER rick beat me in scrabble.
saturday: my mom and roxie arrived!! we sat in traffic. i took some photos of the kewl apartment complex/metro station in los feliz. (polaroids to come). we ate at the delightfully retro fred 62. rick went home to visit his brother (who was home for the weekend). i showed my mom around town and she somehow managed to score not ONE... but TWO free coffees at starbucks. she says they gave it to her because she had to wait for them to make a new pot of the coffee she wanted... i say the guys working there liked her. we got some groceries and after dinner we played scrabble and made some plans for the week.
sunday: i planned on taking my mom to Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley where they filmed A LOT of shows including Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza (my mom looves michael landon), but unfortunately it doesn't exsist anymore. the ranch endured an earthquake and a fire, but was no match to a housing development in 2005. the part that sucks is... who the hell wants to live in simi valley?!! nobody is going to buy these homes. simi valley is contaminated. so my mother and i went food shopping/food sampling food at costco instead. they always have good samples on the weekends... this visit included tortilla soup, homemade smoothies, clam chowder and chicken salad!! all supermarkets should be so generous, hehe. then my mom and i went hiking and i took some photos. my dog is LOVIN all the walks!! tim and aldrin stopped by during dinner time. my mom made some jalapeno poppers for them to eat while they played video games.
monday: my mom and i went to the verizon store because our cell phones are WAAAY overdue for upgrades. we didn't wind up getting new phones because we are still debating between two models. we went searching for a few antique stores, but wound up getting jamba juice and eating a quick lunch instead. then we relaxed by the pool. we took some really kewl polaroids. my mom, rick and i played scrabble. i won. naturally. : P
tuesday: my mom and i got up early and drove to santa barbara. we wandered in and out shops on state street. my mom bought two pairs of funky sneakers. i took some photos and tried on a really kewl sequin dress in a costume shop. we drove to the harbor and went kayaking in the ocean. we saw seals!! they were just chillin, sunning themselves on a buoy. we also saw A LOT of giant starfish, clinging onto the pier. we held one. i thought starfish were more compliable, but these suckers were stiff. we stopped at a little, hidden beach on our way home but by then the sun was going down and it was getting a little chilly outside. when we got back to the apartment, rick drove us to the library. we got a bunch of movies, including sybil (always wanted to see that), saved (because rick never saw it) and the original ocean's eleven. after dinner, we played scrabble and my mother won. after all the point deductions, rick wound up in second place... yes, that's right... for the first time EVER rick beat me in scrabble.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
strange find
"First of all, I must say it feels a bit weird to be sending pics of my poo to complete strangers...but all in the name of good sportsmanship! It felt even stranger to TAKE pics of my poo..." ~testimonial on blessedherbs.com
i was checking my gmail today and needed to open a new window so i clicked on whatever advertisement link was above my inbox. well, it turned out to be a link for this disgusting website. i've never seen anything like it. i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want a photo of myself and what came out of my colon on the internet. the even WEIRDER part is how some people went about taking the photos. it looks like most people used chopsticks to uh... dangle their crap in the air. one lady's photo looks like she might be holding her strand. other people used a coat hanger, tongs and a stick. one person even put their "results" in A COLANDER!!!! ewwwwwww!!!! so if curiousity hasn't gotten you to already, you have to check it out.
"Your product is truly amazing. I don't care if you use the pics on your site, but could you change my name or something. I don't want my pooh to make me famous...ha-ha. Thanks guys." ~another testimonial
i was checking my gmail today and needed to open a new window so i clicked on whatever advertisement link was above my inbox. well, it turned out to be a link for this disgusting website. i've never seen anything like it. i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want a photo of myself and what came out of my colon on the internet. the even WEIRDER part is how some people went about taking the photos. it looks like most people used chopsticks to uh... dangle their crap in the air. one lady's photo looks like she might be holding her strand. other people used a coat hanger, tongs and a stick. one person even put their "results" in A COLANDER!!!! ewwwwwww!!!! so if curiousity hasn't gotten you to already, you have to check it out.
"Your product is truly amazing. I don't care if you use the pics on your site, but could you change my name or something. I don't want my pooh to make me famous...ha-ha. Thanks guys." ~another testimonial
Friday, March 2, 2007
priceless.
9:25 pm: my grandmother calls (that's 12:25 am her time) all excited about her new discovery:
"how come nobody told me i could play music cds on my computer?!!!!" she wants to know.
i didn't even think to explain the CD-ROM feature because i figured she wasn't going to be using it that often. my cousin gave her a laptop over the summer and i taught her how to email, google and check my flickr -- y'know, all the important stuff. ;) since then, my grandmother has become pretty good at using the computer. (i'm so proud!!) she'll send me funny e-mails and comment on everything i post online. (i'm sure she'll have something to say about THIS post!!!! hehehe). i also got her hooked on text twist, a word game she refers to as "twix" for short. "well it's easier than saying "text twist," she'll say.
but anyway, back to my story...
"i never knew that all this time we could have played this cd in the player and it would come up on the tv with all these colors!! it must be a video too," she says.
"huh????" I ask.
"i put this soothing sounds cd in the computer and the music played and there were all these beautiful colors and designs and it played along to the music. one was called 'battery' and it looks like..."
YUP, that's when i realize what she is talking about: the default shapes that form on windows media player. hahaha.
she gets mad when i start laughing, but i assure her it is only because i thought it was cute. i love my grandmother!! xoxo
"how come nobody told me i could play music cds on my computer?!!!!" she wants to know.
i didn't even think to explain the CD-ROM feature because i figured she wasn't going to be using it that often. my cousin gave her a laptop over the summer and i taught her how to email, google and check my flickr -- y'know, all the important stuff. ;) since then, my grandmother has become pretty good at using the computer. (i'm so proud!!) she'll send me funny e-mails and comment on everything i post online. (i'm sure she'll have something to say about THIS post!!!! hehehe). i also got her hooked on text twist, a word game she refers to as "twix" for short. "well it's easier than saying "text twist," she'll say.
but anyway, back to my story...
"i never knew that all this time we could have played this cd in the player and it would come up on the tv with all these colors!! it must be a video too," she says.
"huh????" I ask.
"i put this soothing sounds cd in the computer and the music played and there were all these beautiful colors and designs and it played along to the music. one was called 'battery' and it looks like..."
YUP, that's when i realize what she is talking about: the default shapes that form on windows media player. hahaha.
she gets mad when i start laughing, but i assure her it is only because i thought it was cute. i love my grandmother!! xoxo
Thursday, March 1, 2007
first poem i've written in a LOOONG time.
conversation of shadows
on the patio
chairs converse,
symbolic shapes
form on walls.
talk of work,
weather and sports.
"what's there to do
in beverly hills
on a day like today?"
asks the one in ratan.
"nothing short of everything,"
the white chair replies.
and so they sit
stationary in shade,
dreaming big
in beverly hills.
~jena ardell~
...and i'm feeling pretty inspired.
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