It has been a good year

Sometimes simple things need to be said (blogged) out loud.

Onward to 2012!

Gemma Hayes - Keep Running

Artist: Gemma Hayes  
Song: Keep Running 
Why:  One my favorite singers for years now. She's a sometime Los Angeles resident though still mostly Irish in all the good ways one can be. The voice, maybe always the words when simply placed in the right order. She is one of my favorite artists.

As to why now. We get older and get wiser and second chances happen and life diverts in way we don't plan and I've stood there, on both sides of the room. This video reminds of that.

Right now I'm in a new place figuratively and literally (and oft said liter-ley because I still jumble the sounds of words); the difference now is that I'm getting it more right more often than not.


vid link

who throws a balloon away?

Like birds and packets of taco sauce at Del Taco all balloons should be free. Free to drift along ocean breezes and bring joy to little kids. What evil being would do this?

At the Del Taco @ La Cienega and Cadillac on 12.21.10. Sorry for the grainy video.

we are sick

we are sick.



December in LA means one week of popsicle cold
one week of crazy winds
one week of record heat
one week of rain.





We are overloaded in sweets and family and sickness and work and love.

I haven't felt luckier and blessed any more so than I do right now.

Paul Gross changed my life

So yesterday Will Campbell wrote about his experience having an old pair of sunglasses fixed in his post  The Epic Saga Of How It Took 10 Years To Get My Favorite Sunglasses Fixed In An Hour By The Greatest Eyeglass Repair Shop In The History Of History on Blogging.LA

A simple repair sometimes can be more meaningful when the damaged item is a symbol of your past, your present and in my case, my future. I too had a pair of glasses fixed by the best eye glass repair shop in the metro LA metro region:  Paul Gross Eyeglass Repair in Glendale, CA  (yelp reviews)

Below is the comment I left on his post summing up how my life changed with that eyeglass repair. Okay maybe Paul Gross the person didn't directly change my life with that one business transaction but I do believe it played a role in my future

I'm so glad you wrote about Paul Gross Eyeglass Repair!!! 

There was a point when I was so poor that when my only pair of glasses broke I didn't think I could afford to get them fixed (My prescription is extremely mild, mostly to make night driving easier). So I went without for 2 years until I was looking for a job and knew emotionally that I would feel better (interview better) with glasses whatever the cost. Found Paul Gross and just like you within an hour and only $20 later I had my glasses again.

My jaw dropped in relief at that price. I would've thrown more money at him and honestly cried after I left his shop. Seriously so happy.

Then I meet the girl of my dreams a week later who moved from Michigan to LA for me - She loved how I pushed my glasses up with my finger during our first conversation. Then I landed a great job a few weeks later.

This is all true.  Thank you Paul Gross.

For the backstory read the following posts:


My sad post when I decided to get my glasses fixed 

My happy post after I got them fixed

The first time I meet B a week after getting my glasses fixed


Paul Gross Eyeglass Repair
805 E. Wilson Ave., Unit B, Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 243-3975 // Mon-Tue, Thu: 10 am – 7 pm  // Fri-Sat: 10 am – 5 pm  Cash only

17 years ago today

Going through some boxes looking for something or another I found my stack of concert ticket stubs from back in the day. Back in the day meaning before I moved to SoCal, still aimlessly in the Bay Area catching whatever shows I could afford. I kept to the the small bars and venues so I'm thinking my best friend Corey bought this for my birthday  ::cough:: this thursday the 21st:: cough. $15 was a bit too rich for my blood.



This was just as Smashing Pumpkins were exploding nationwide, pre SNL show, and before they went arena rock. (For you LA folks the Warfield is similar to the Wiltern.)

Because the internerds are amazing you can stream/DL that actual concert here if the embed doesn't work below this sentence.

The Joy Formidable - I Don't Want To See You Like This

Band: The Joy Formidable   (myspace, facebook)

Song: I Don't Want To See You Like This

Why: This video doesn't make sense to me.




And that is besides the point - this band is great live. Here are some pictures and words on Joy Formidable's first show in Los Angeles on August 11th 2010 after the jump (click link below the video).

(vid link)