Blogger Prom 2009 pictures

[Ha! I was still tired from blogger prom that I totally wrote the title as Blogger Porm. Good thing I didn't write that with a 'N"]

A big thank you to the Blogger Prom Committee, all the generous vendors who participated in the event, and of course the Andaz West Hollywood for such a great location.

Just a quick recap in pictures before I breakdown the night in a later post. The swag bag is a post in itself.


Free Drinks  (there is a happy face in my flower btw)


Pretty sure this was a winning ticket...ahem



But B won!   (photo from Caroline On Crack's flickr)

Mini cupcakes to die for


Rooftop Pool to gaze into -only one blogger swam


And of course a wonderful view of Los Angeles


Can't wait for next year!?!

Things I learned from Alice Cooper

While standing in line for Harry Potter at the Vista Theatre, Alice Cooper comes strolling up to meet his family standing right behind us.

This is what I learned ok, mostly overhead:

That he is working on some project that includes the likes of Ozzie Osborne and Gwen from No Doubt. "I'm in good company on this "

That when he was a kid he stood in line for triple features of cheesy 1950 sci-fi horror flicks for only 35 cents.

Somehow while recording that day he hit some notes that haven't been heard in years from his throat.

He parked illegally in the Von's parking lot and was aware of said illegality.

That the girl in front of him had really red hair, like a true natural red.

Was cool enough to acknowledge fans (@ponceman and @rainderr) that gave hims props in passing cars.

When corrected that I was actually a guy with really red hair, he acquiesced that fact but also stated that if so, I was quite effeminate. *

I did learn Alice Cooper has to carefully walk up and down the aisles looking for his family without spilling popcorn - just like you and me!




*B is pretty sure he was talking about me which is sort of rude considering I was was 5 inches away from him and seriously my hair isn't long at all.

my blogger prom wtf accessory

It's blurry, zoomed in and over-exposed on purpose. Nothing too wacky but I love how it completes my outfit.

Click the pic and check out all the attending bloggers and all the great swag from some cool and generous companies. It's going to be hella cool with the free drinks, food, and prizes among much cooler people than I could ever be. :)

Less than 2 days to Blogger Prom 2009! Um, now I'm nervous meeting some of these folks!

one more place taken off my list to visit

Thanks to the two folks sleeping on my couch last week I was able to experience my first show at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday. The scheduled event Bravo Beethoven! with the LA Philharmonic which was the perfect remedy to a crazy, stressful week with new bosses and corporate drama.



After LA.Metblogs post about proper bowl etiquette I kept an watchful eye on the audience looking of people texting and being inconsiderate. Only spotted a couple glowing screens on the lower levels but a few rows back were the most obnoxious Germans unfortunately. During the Egmont Overture they yapped, shared a camera to flip through pictures, and with the beep beep of a text could be made over the music. Despite numerous death glares it wasn't until a couple moved a few rows away from them was the hint was finally understood.

Anyhow this was the last night our friends would be around before heading out to the Midwest and annoying audience members couldn't dampen my relaxed mood. Great friends, great music, a great venue made it an perfect evening in Hollywood.

old faces of my recent past

After B's parents left (yes Corey I'll finish those posts soon) we gladly rolled out the welcome mat to B's old classmate who just happens to be our mutual friend's partner in crime (ie they're dating). Friends in town means more nights out and less sleep so we started out with sushi at Noshi's on Beverly.  Get the the spicy tuna rolls!



Unfortunately the rest of the night was spent at the emergency pet clinic in Eagle Rock with the cat who wasn't doing so well. Thanks to Yelp again we knew the place was good but also knew to expect a little attitude during check in. We did -yay to spot on user generated peer reviews.  (the cat is alright)



Night two was at El Cid, the place where B and I met almost two years ago. Rob Z was booking another great night of music at one of my favorite bars and Matt Southwell from Bang Sugar Bang was playing. Love seeing him again in particular plus mix that with old faces of my recent past and I had this moment where the music was loud, faces were smiling and everything seem right.

I love those moments.

I would normally not wear orange

In a short time I'll be decked out in this sweet, shiny blue vintage-y suit (actually maybe just retro in style now that I think about it) for the upcoming Blogger Prom.

B and I were worried that this weekend would be spent searching through rack after rack of almost good outfits and the lust-worthy, perfect combination seemingly never in our price range. Thanks to the wonder that is Yelp we narrowed down a list of clothing shops starting in Los Feliz, working down through Silver Lake and Echo Park, and if need be, the fashion district in Downtown tomorrow. Luckily our second stop was Luxe De Ville where the owner Oskar warmly greeted us upon entering.

This store had a great selection of dresses for B and some wonderful suits that met my straightforward needs: something colorful and retro fun. With Oskar's help I found a suit that fitted off the rack and he helped add a  good shirt and tie to complete the look. B had a little more trouble finding anything until Oskar, looking for a suit bag, found one dress in the back that was perfectly purple mixed with betsy johnson shoes that B totally loved.

I hate shopping and this was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Definitely add Luxe De Ville to your to check out list if your looking from some cool, well conditioned threads in Echo Park.

Some people like this green shirt on me. I'm still not sure.

(flash thingy might not show up in some RSS feeds)

being a tour guide: day 1

Within days of B's return her parents flew into LAX for a vacation. This means B and I will be acting tour guides, taking them around town for some sightseeing.

First the empty streets of Downtown and Disney Concert Hall



The gardens on the roof - actually a free, public park that anyone can use up to 10pm each night.


This is part of a cool bar in the lobby of Disney Hall. I want to use glass like this for a wall if I ever own a house.


then we attempted to find the French Garden restaurant way down by the greyhound station (7th and Mateo) which is very sketchy in general. I've spent time down there for a ton of Ashely's warehouse parties so I wasn't so phased by it all but it did freak out our midwestern guests a bit.  Sadly the restaurant had finished lunch service so we trekked back to an equally sketchy place: Americana at Brand in Glendale for the Cheesecake Factory.

what is this burning sensation in my mouth?

www.toothpastefordinner.com

I came home early yesterday sick with only a half day at work completed. Dizzy, unfocused eyes and when I brought it up, that almost fever beat my co-workers would reflexively step back to.

You like crap Robert
I'm sick...
[left foot back]
I think I'm getting a fever
[right foot back]
dosey do

I hate being sick. Born with one of those weaker constitutions that women like to mock us men for, I might not whine but I definitely let it be known that I'm diseased and how my body is now corrupted with five soon to be discovered illnesses and maybe the CDC should be called as a precaution.

My B ignored all this as she poured me a glass of OJ, placed me on the couch and warmed up the Indian food leftovers to make sure I ate something. [Garlic chicken tikka from Electric Lotus to be exact - unevenly cooked but this is not surprising as their dishes are normally served as such. Hit or miss presentation, but hey, it's close by]. When B cam back from Michigan she brought back some extra strong black pepper for our grinder and I cheerfully added this to my chicken.

All was well: I took a nap. I woke up and watched TV. I ate dinner [salad with lots of veggies and soy bacon]. I read your blog again. I brushed my teeth, swallowed two Motrins and plopped into bed for the night at 10:30 PM.

@12:45 AM

WTF?!? My mouth was filled with burning mixture of saliva and trace of black pepper dust. I jump out of bed waving my arms, cheeks ballooned with what felt like an electrified light bulb in my mouth but it was a actually a hot syrup of pain brought forth by the tooth fairy spited by my lack of flossing that night. B is of course startled awake asking what was wrong (she thought I was having a heart attack at first which we now both agree now seems like unlikely for a man jumping up and down in pajamas doing a mean Jar Jar Binks impersonation) as I ran around the bed, down the hallway to the bathroom sink in an attempt to flush out the spices out.

Needless to say I flossed before attempting to sleep again.


Now I feel like this today:

www.toothpastefordinner.com