Love

"The hardest-learned lesson:  that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind."


~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

The Apple's full of speed

Oh my freaking GAWD! Came across this on channel 5.2 here in L.A. or "This."

The Movie is Called The Apple, 1980, directed by Menahem Golan, chorographed by, get this: Nigel Lythgoe! (from So You Think You Can Dance. I dance, so I watch.) Set in the distant future year of 1994! 1994 people! No one actually dressed like Jem in 1994! That was all over by like, 1986....

So for the now really late Saturday Happy Song, just in time for 4th of July, America is on Speed! Yippeee, we're all gonna die!

Happy 4th of July, Friday faves

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★  ★ ★★ ★★

(PHOTO)

Hello, Happy Friday!

How was everyone's week? Ready for the long weekend? I sure am! I have no real plans other than helping a friend move, trying to find someplace to watch the race (if we're finished moving), and figuring out what to do for the 4th on sunday. We will be with friends of course, just not sure what else yet. What are you gonna go do? I love 4th of July, I love summer. Barbecue and beer and fireworks, how can you beat that? I suppose I should add how wonderful it's been to be an independent country, how amazing America is and how proud I am to be American. All those things are true, I have never lived anywhere else, have very little travel experience and truly love living here. Without much to compare it too, how could I say anything bad right?

Well...our great country has had a few...struggles over the last, 40 or so years and right now it's in an awful slump. I am not going to explain all the details of how I feel, this is not about the politics side of America this weekend. It's celebrating the best part, of the U.S.A. in all American style, with large portions of grilled meat, copious amounts of alcohol and setting stuff on fire and releasing it into the heavens!

So what has kept me entertained, enlightened, and inspired this week?

★The Consumerist. I know, where the hell have I been eh? Well, I didn't really spend any time at the consumerist till I was stuck in an edit bay in Burbank yesterday waiting for The Man to finish up a session with a client. I googled "cutting sugar out of your life" cause I'm fat and need to do that and this great story about a woman suing over Fruit Roll Ups not being healthy came up. I was hooked, this whole site has some of the best weird news stories!

★Historic Lolz are amazing!

★ Also on the amazing just because it has funny funny things and anything that makes me laugh belongs here because laughter is the best thing in the world to make me feel better category is: Hyperbole and a Half!

Go, read, now. Then, laugh till it hurts. Also a blog that has been around for a bit, so maybe you have already seen it. I'm alway out of the loop but that's what makes my links so crazy fun!

★ Great Tee shirts designed by real people.

★ Do you need ANYTHING belly dance related? L.A. Raqs (pronounced Rocks, get it?) is THE place. Love this site!

★ Also, in case your not sure what Raqs means, I found THIS handy glossary of belly dance terms!

★Small Swords Magazine's Salute to the Greatest Crotches in Rock History smade me laugh out loud, litterly. Who's #1 on this list? That's right, my secret agent lover man, Robert Plant. YES!

"The crotch of Robert Plant should be considered the fifth instrument of Zeppelin."

♥ AMEN! ♥

★Artist and Sexologist Annie Sprinkle's site is informative, inspiring, hilarious, thought provoking and BRIGHT PINK! I can't wait for her Love Art Lab's purple wedding to the moon in October! (NSFW)

★This Photo (also NSFW)

★ Gypsy Lady Hats Etsy shop RULES! I want a tiny top hat! Eeeep! 

★ Last but definitely not least, last weekend Jillian took me to The Annenberg Space for Photography for the opening of Pictures of the Year International. Breath taking. Absolutely amazing photographs. If you are in Los Angeles you must go, closes on October 10th, but I wouldn't wait that long!

Ok, have a great 4th of July everyone, be safe, don't drink and drive, don't burn your hands off. 

Peace!

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Happy 100!

It's my 100th post!
Yay! I can't believe I have stuck with this silly little blog for 100 posts. It's turning out to be a pretty great little outlet actually. It's still a little all over the place, but, it's turning into a tiny shrine of all the things I love.

To those that read this, thanks for sticking with me. It's one long commentary on my life, all the things that make it so great. I started here, a year and a half ago, and I gotta tell you looking back on this I have a much brighter outlook on life! I remember this day, but, I don't remember many like it lately. Starting during that same time back in November I also started reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, Happiness Project, Think Simple Now, and The Positive Life. I actively started looking for the best part of every day and focusing on that. Counting the blessings each day holds is a very powerful mood enhancer. I have of course followed amazing people like:  Gala Darling, Nubby Twiglet, Richard Castaneda, Hunter S. Thompson, and Violet Blue for awhile. People doing what they want with their lives and loving it can teach you a lot.

A year and a half, and 100 posts in I am having a great time and loving my life a lot more than when I started. I still have off days, but we all do. I have resolved to learn from it and do better in the future, creating a stronger, wiser person each day.

Here's to the next 100 posts!

Zucchini Bread @ Midnight!

I figured since I was on a posting roll I'd get one more in before I hit the ol' hay. Almost 2 weeks ago Jillian brought over a bunch of food that she wasn't going to be eating while she couch surfed. This plethora for the senses included 6 squash, 3 zucchini and 3 yellow patty pan. We don't really eat squash. It's good and all, but I prefer the big butternut squash, or pumpkin to summer squash. So, I had to use it up, can't let food go to waste right? So of course that means...Zucchini Bread!!

Yay!

It's actually summer squash bread since I used all the squash in it. I used this recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I reduced the curry to 1 teaspoon instead of the tablespoon, got sick of chopping crystalized ginger and added a teaspoon of ground to make up for the last bit I didn't chop and added a teaspoon of cardamom cause I didn't have any lemon to zest.

It's Soooo Goood!

The depth and complexity of flavor is amazing. I wish I had more nuts than just the little sprinkle on the top, and really I can't wait to try it with actual lemon zest cause I really love lemon. But it's gonna rock my breakfast world in about 5 hours.
Goodnight!

Rush, Rush!

Friday we went and stood in the hot sun to watch one of The Man's favorite bands, Rush receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! I have never been to a star dedication before, now I know why...so many people! 




I never did find Jason Segal, so either he wasn't there or...I don't know I couldn't see anything!!

Thank the goddess for a 300mm lens 'eh?

ESPN, Must Bar, Father's Day

I love the weekend. I know I am either out of work or working from home lately, but, magical things happen on the weekends. This past weekend rocked just as much as any have this last month, but this time my dad was in tow and that always makes things more interesting.

Saturday night I belly danced at The Key Club in Hollywood! I had a great time, even though the crowd was expecting a different night...I danced for Rebelle Jacobs, a punk witch thrown into a rap showcase at the Key Club. She and her band made the best of it though, I closed the set with a dance and we all had a great time!

I have one crappy picture because I parked several blocks away and wasn't sure if I could bring in a camera. Apparently I want to be the queen of horrible cell phone pictures on my blog. Or maybe, deep down I want to confuse the fuck out of all of you because either I pay no attention to if the pictures are good, or I put so much damn work into creating a magnificent photograph that it's all I post. Either way, it keeps you on your toes, no? Also, Viza played on the main stage that night and even though I only got to hear 2 songs they both rocked!

Sunday we got up way late cause we're lazy, and went to ESPN Zone in the Nokia Center downtown. It's...loud. They were all really nice people, but the NASCAR race we wanted to see was on one of the super small screens across the room. We did drop a hefty dime on beer (because I didn't know they were quarts, he just said "large") so during the last 10 laps the bar tender switched it to a screen closer to us, but we still didn't get any audio. Jimmy Johnson won in case ya missed it.

We then walked like, 14 blocks to The Must Bar. We passed through The Biltmore Hotel, and if you have never walked through you totally have to! It was breathtaking! No photos, cause I knew I would just frustrate  myself and I was gonna do that anyway at dinner.

I won a Citysearch raffle at The Grilled Cheese Innovational for a free dinner at The Must Bar and went to see if it was still good. After a call to the owner they said they would honor it and we were off! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we ordered a ton of food. And several Raging Bitch Ale's (we didn't know till I just looked it up that it was special 20th anniversary issue...no wonder it was so pricy....), everything amazed and delighted. We chose Connect Four out of the large stack of board games by the door and had a seat.

We started with a lovely wine and cheese plate, Fiscalini Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar and Roaring '40's blue accompanied prosciutto, bread, grapes, walnuts and dried fruit. IT all went really well with our beer choice, and really I would come back just for this portion of the meal. That cheddar was amazing! We then had the tater-tots ( I neglected to photograph these), they come with a creamy melted cheese sauce and a smoky ranch. Really good, not...heavy or greasy, these were light and tatery. I also ordered the happy hour portion of grilled cheese, (which was delicious but unnecessary after the cheese plate and tot sauce) and the Green Goddess Salad. The salad was very good also, my only lament being there is some sort of mustard in the dressing I was not aware of from the description and I don't really care for it. It was not offensive, but I would have chosen something else. Have I mentioned I am a weirdly picky eater? Yeah, there's that too.

The Man had the Steak Frits and loved every bite, I can't comment as i didn't taste it (in addition to being all picky about what I eat I am also vegetarian due to some deep guilt laid on me in my youth). Dad had the Mac & Cheese and the Portobello Sliders. His only complaint being the portions were too small, but he doesn't understand gourmet dining, which is exactly what it was but at a much more reasonable price. Had we not ordered the fancy beer we would have had money left over!

We finished our meal based solely on the Yelp recommendations and got the Fluffernutter, a grilled peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and banana sandwich with melted chocolate dipping sauce. Oh! Eeep! Soooo good! Over the top, totally unnecessary, I was SO full! But, I had to try it....

And now, here's a really bad picture! 

Then, cause we were all busy being drunk gluttons (except for dad, he doesn't drink) we completely lost track of time and came back to our car to find this: 

They had locked the gate! This is my father trying to pick the lock. After about a half hour and all kinds of crazy ideas about how we could get the car out that didn't work we...took the bus home! 

Happy Father's Day Dad! Aren't you so glad you hang out with your crazy daughter and her crazy boyfriend? 

(I am working hard to get post about my weekend up before the following weekend! Wish me luck on that and all those other things that pile up all over my life!)