Favorite Pastime of the Unemployed

Enjoying coffee at various cafes with friends, especially ones who are also unemployed or have flexible work schedules...

This delicious latte and hot chocolate were from Amandine, a place also with delicious croissants!

Rockin' With the Folks

When my brother asked if it would be worth it to shell out some bucks for the Paul McCartney concert, I told him it was the closest we'd ever come to hearing the Beatles perform live. Of course YES!

Knowing that the Beatles were our parents' favorite band, we decided to treat them to the concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Somehow we all managed to make it there on time, amidst the horrific traffic and congestion at the Bowl entrance itself. (Over a decade of attending events at the Hollywood Bowl, and yet they still haven't figured out a solution to the gridlock in the area?!)

Sir Paul was so spectacular, he needed no opening band. The man played nearly 3 hours straight, with more than half of the songs from the Beatles repertoire. Wheeeee! At 67, he's older than my dad and in better shape than any of us. He either played the guitar or piano for every song he sang. Did I mention the awesome pyrotechnics?

The former hippies were also all out in full arm swaying glory for his 70's Wings stuff. The best part? When my parents asked my brother, "Why does it smell like skunk out here?"
Replied my brother, "That's not skunk. It's marijuana."

A fun family outing indeed.

Driving Encounters

As I drove to yet another doctor's appointment this morning, I was stuck behind this behemoth of a vehicle. This Mercedes Sprinter was the height of two sedans stacked on top of one another, but the length was still about van sized. I kept wondering how it doesn't just tip right over every time it makes a turn. Dumb looking car. It also managed to block my view of everything in front of me, but just short enough to not block out the sun. Grrrr....

Swine flu masks and you

Really? Surgical masks preventing you from infectious diseases as fashion statements now? Why not, right? The other day as I drove down Sawtelle for lunch, I spotted two businessmen in suits walking down the street wearing surgical masks. Only one of them had his pulled down a little bit so that he could SMOKE his cigarette. I really really wanted to pull out a camera and take a picture of those two loons but alas, a traffic jam would would have ensued.

On another swine flu related note, this has been my favorite quote so far. I'll be attending a wedding in Mexico later in July and here is a lovely update from the bride-to-be.

"Hi everyone!

I hope this email finds you all excited for Mexico!! Seems like our destination area has been in the news lately, but I have spoken with my wedding coordinator and she says that no one in the area has gotten sick and that the risk is very low. I'm sure you were thinking the same thing but just to reassure you. My dad says everyone in Mexico will either be dead by July or the virus will be gone, so there is nothing to worry about. Spoken like a true doctor."

Babies and Bunnies

We’re just at that age now, but every time I suddenly hear “I have news!” or something along those lines, another friend has up and gotten themselves preggers. The latest victim, er blessed friend is someone I’ve known since we were twelve. TWELVE! That’s nearly prepubescent times!

I have a harder time containing the shock and strangeness when it’s friends from high school and pre-high school having kids. Maybe because we knew each other when we were kids ourselves. But I guess it’s bound to happen and I have yet to resort to rocking in a corner to comfort myself.

The other day, while at the auto mechanic with the bf, the particularly chatty owner decided to tell us his life story as an immigrant and ended up extolling the virtues of America and having his two daughters. Then he placed his hand on the bf’s arm and said “YOU should have two kids. It’s the best thing.” To which the bf responded with “She’s going to be the mother of my children!” while pointing at me. Odd response. And I didn’t even freak out and run!

That darned clichéd clock is probably ticking but I am in no way ready any time soon. If I’m lucky, I’ll be ready before my body closes up shop on that idea. For now, I’m leaning much more toward giant bunnies than a kid. I mean, how can you not love this?

Spontaneous Combustion

Lots of ups and downs in the last few months and boy have I missed writing. I actually feel a little less sane lately, probably because of the lack of writing among other reasons.

Of all the things to inspire me to write again, it was the spontaneous combustion of my Ipod Nano that prompted me to think "Now that is something worth sharing about!"
It was a Friday evening around 6pm about a week and a half ago. Charging the ipod at my work computer per usual, I heard a snap, a pop, a sizzle... kinda like Rice Crispies in milk. Except not as tasty. Nor fragrant. Then a large poof of smoke went up and that geyser of smelliness flew right toward me. Half the studio ran over to see what was going on.

Boy was I popular with the IT department that evening.
"Can we sue Apple?!" they gleefully asked.
"Can we blog about it on Digg?" another one asked.

I brought it over to the Apple store last week in a box. I showed them the button that flew off the middle of the ipod when the smoke came pouring out from it, as well as the charred cord. They were equally incredulous. And some of the younger Apple guys came over to gawk.

"Dude, were you listening to some death metal music or something?" they joked.
"No," I should have said. "Actually Yanni."

At first, I got the whole, "um well, it's technically not under warranty."
Are you kidding me?
"You can participate in the Ipod recycling program and donate this Ipod for recycling to get 10% off a new one!" one of the sprightly sales reps informed me.

I looked at her blankly. I don't want to buy a new ipod. I just want to replace this one. It blew up. Not like I dropped it or put it near fire. What if I had left it at home charging and it lit my whole place on fire? All my personal items... en fuego! Apple items are magical but I assume spontaneous combustion is not on the list of things that they should triumph over PC's.
Luckily one of members of the "Genius Bar" came over and assessed the situation.
"Yeah that's a safety issue. Let's replace this one for her. Stat!"

Well she didn't exactly say "stat!" but it seemed appropriate. Two days later, they got me a brand spanking new 1st generation Ipod Nano. I didn't even know they make them anymore.

I wonder if I should have made a bigger stink and got a new Ipod Nano. I wonder if this one will meet its fiery end in another three years. Only time will tell. I would however, still like an Iphone.

Old Friend

You know how when you go a long time without talking to certain close friends, you keep putting it off until you can set aside a good chunk of time to REALLY catch up and focus on that endeavor? It's kinda what's happening here. Poor neglected blog. I just need to post and nurture it a little more consistently, even if it's smaller posts and random bits of info. Even if it's not really proofread or polished, slightly incoherent and insane.

And with that, here's a picture of the latest resident on my couch, won by the bf at Legoland because he loves carnival games oh so much, regardless of what the prize is.

My Vacuum Cleaner Ate My Sofa

Apparently, vacuum cleaners don't belong on sofas. And apparently, sofas are one of the most highly flammable things in your living room. Sigh... If I had only known. Chalk it up to one more thing that people don't tell you about in day to day conversations and one more thing that should be common sense.


Luckily, no one was hurt, nothing burst into flames and only poor Oscar the Couch suffered some cosmetic damages when I dragged the vacuum up on the seat. I was using the attachments to vacuum up as much cat hair as possible along the top of the couch and windowsill. (So that my poor allergic college roomie visiting from out of town wouldn't asphyxiate) Unfortunately the hose wasn't long enough so I had to pull the entire vacuum up. I didn't think the bottom part still had suction since I was using the attachment, but boy was I wrong!

Year End Travel

For some reason, of all the pictures I took in Seattle, this is one of my favorites. Probably because it looks so ominous and so unlike the fabulous weather and mood of the whole weekend up there. But on this particular night, we were also denied entrance to the Space Needle on account of some private holiday party. Pooh. I took this picture as we walked away from it and slunk back towards the hotel. Well we made it up there the next day anyway...

In Vegas over the holidays, I managed to drag my friends out looking for old neon signs. Here are the letters 'A' and 'R' from the old Sahara hotel, now residing at the Old Mormon Fort visitor center (yeah it sounds weird... but apparently it's where the city of Las Vegas started) until the brand new Neon Sign Museum is built later this year. Can't wait to go back and see the rest of these fabulous signs! Yeah, I'm a geek...

View From the Griffith Observatory

I read somewhere long ago that one of the best views of the Hollywood sign is from the Observatory, so I always took care to point it out to the friends I take up there and catch a picture for myself. This one came out surprisingly sepia toned as the sun was setting, fittingly old world glamorous.

Things To Do Until October, When the Fall Season Starts On TV

1) Read. I just finished another book. Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep which is so well-written and captures the mind of a high school girl so eerily, I physically cringed at certain angst filled parts. Not always likable, the protagonist Lee Fiora is the perfect stew of insecurity, confusion, extreme self-awareness, and hopeful yearning to be discovered and loved teenage girl. I don't like the super long chapter format but maybe that's what makes it a page turner. No good places to take a break!

2) Internet stalking. Silly coworkers. They all have personal websites, mainly to advertise their artwork and skills for potential jobs. And they all link their sites to each other. Some even put their blogs and myspaces pages on there. Can't. Stop. Reading. Too fun to snoop....

3) Become a gym rat. Never in a million years did I think that would happen. I've started embracing my trainer's mandate to go in at least four times a week. I think last week, I exercised like six times a week. If I'm not having dinner with friends or have other plans to run at the track or play tennis, I'm at the gym. I don't seem to get home before 9 anymore. Yikes. Sadly, I've lost nary a pound. Nor have clothes magically loosened on me this past month.

4) Sketch my cat. Darn thing never sits still unless I sneakily draw her from behind.

Simpsons Me

On the Simpsons movie site, you can create the Simpsons version of yourself. Or of anyone else you like. Almost as fun as creating Miis on the Wii!

Wavy says that she's seen this exact expression on my face before. Oh, and yes I definitely own red shoes.

We'll see if some of the artists can sneak in the Simpsons versions of ourselves as background characters into our latest project.

Now We Know Why Homer Is So Fat. Doh!

I finally made it inside the Kwik-E-Mart yesterday but all they had left were squishees and brightly colored pink donuts. Frosting upon frosting - ingenius. I bought twenty of them to share with my coworkers for breakfast. And we promptly all went into sugar shock. Thank goodness I only had half of one.

Thank You, Come Again!

I've passed by this 7-11 transformed Kwik-E-Mart everyday to work and finally remembered to take a picture of it. Tomorrow I might try to actually go in it and buy some Springfield goodies too. I love it when make-believe comes to life. Sometimes I need more of that in my life.

Rockin Out With the Old Folks

Back in March, I forked out an obscene amount of money for the first and only show for the Police reunion tour in LA, at Dodgers stadium. It was so expensive, it physically hurt but I thought "hey, once in a lifetime opportunity!"

Everyone told me to sell the tickets on Ebay, use the profit to finance my trip to Africa. I waffled and weeks later, they added two more arena dates in LA. By the time I decided I could live without seeing the Police play live and tried selling the tickets for face value, it was too late. People were selling below cost! Luckily, my good ole college roommate, the singer, agreed to go, making it so appropriate since I had also seen Sting in concert twice with her years ago.

The concert was scheduled to start on Saturday at 6:30. We figured we could miss part of the first opening band and just watch Foo Fighters and Police. I left home at 5:30 to meet up with her and leave one of our cars. At 6:30, I managed to crawl through about 17 miles of traffic to meet her in Los Feliz. Leaving a little before 7, we inched forward to the stadium, a mere 5 miles away, at 2 miles an hour.

By the time we were at the base of the hill, I had to go to the bathroom so badly, I was near tears. Guys were leaping out of their respective cars and running up the hill to pee in the bushes or behind trees as traffic came to a near standstill trying to get into the parking lot. I briefly contemplated running up the hill too but realized it could only end with me falling on my ass and rolling down the hill with my pants down. Not something I wanted to chance.

When I couldn't stand it any longer, I handed singer her ticket, jumped out of the car and ran up the hill all the way to the stadium, begging security to let me in for the bathroom. Of course there was a line. And it was close to 8:30 already. I squinted down at the stage and realized that Foo Fighters was nearly done with their set. ARGH!

By the time, singer and I met up at our awesome seats on the field, Foo Fighters wrapped up their last song, and we were left standing next to a whole lot of old smelly people, frazzled and astounded at how painful it had been to get in. I took the opportunity to take a picture of how close we were to the stage with my cell (my tiny cellphone camera has no zoom), but it doesn't do it justice. Took this 5 seconds before the lights went out and the show started.


When the band finally came on, I was brought back to my high school and college days, when I listened to their greatest hits CD so much that I broke the first one and had to buy another. Not only was it refreshing to be one of the younger folks in the crowds, it was amazing to see how great these guys were. The Police now, could blow any of the popular younger bands I've seen out of the water.

Stewart Copeland hit the drums with so much vigor and smiles, I wanted to make him my new drumming idol. Right up there with Dave Grohl, Larry Mullen Jr, and Taylor Hawkins. Andy Summers had some minor technical difficulties with his guitar so he had a perpetual scowl on his face, but Sting's beautiful voice singing and playing songs I never thought I'd get to hear live in my lifetime eased away most of the pre-concert trauma.

Why I'd Be A Poor Candidate For Grad School

My dad always wanted me to get an MBA. Not that I had any aptitude in business. He just felt like an MBA degree equated financial and job security for me. My parents finally gave up the harassment after 3 straight years of nagging. I can be quite stubborn to say the least.

Luckily my brother accomplished that dream. And several of my friends. Graduations have been my thing lately. Two in one week. Some people crash weddings. I attend graduations. And promptly ignore all the long-winded speeches by daydreaming and doodling because I have the attention span of a six year old.

Here's what I did at Wavy's graduation last week. The kid on the right didn't think much of the keynote speaker's speech either. He plugged his fingers in his ears the whole time.Ran out of blank space on the program and resorted to sketching these kids in my little notebook that I carry around everywhere. It was nice to sketch again, even if prompted by the strangest time and place to do so.

Rainbows Make Me Happy

One of my favorite photos from the trip. This is only the second full rainbow I've ever seen. First one is from Kona, Hawaii on the side of this blog. This second one is from Cape Town, South Africa, on our way for brunch on the last day.

New Addiction

Thanks to Wavy, not only is the song "Pop, Goes My Heart!" still stuck in my head, I'm also addicted to Pinkberry, the latest frozen yogurt craze here in LA. Supposedly, it's healthier at only 20 calories each and I AM eating it with fruit. The first time I had it, I hated it. It was too tart for my humongous sweet tooth. Now, I want it EVERYDAY. It's all part of my grand "diet." Hmmm, maybe the diet thing isn't so bad...

Nonscary Flowers

Tulips from SC Homey's house on V-Day. The camera flash didn't do these justice but they were gorgeous. One of the few kinds of flowers that don't freak me out.

V-Day

Got into a bit of a baking frenzy for V-Day. Chocolate cupcakes for my friends, and a bundt cake for the coworkers.



Icing cupcakes and adding the sprinkles is the best part. I had leftovers so I gave some of them to people I like at work. Ah, the joy of playing favorites... Guess who didn't get one?