As we all know by now the air quality blows and as the Station Fires burn nearby my weekend was all about watching movies with the air conditioning on 24/7.
This was early Saturday taken from the Glendale Galleria parking garage @ 5 miles from my place. It looked quite ominous on this morning and the cloud of smoke only grew bigger from this point on. Thankfully without the winds the fire went straight up which made the air quality only moderately bad vs. scary bad.
Besides movies we also wasted time indoors making our own pizza dough. This one isn't mine as I actually like pizza that doesn't give me a complex before eating it.
We had imagined desserts on Planet Sprinkle.
Come Sunday afternoon we had left the apartment only once for Target - cabin fever was starting to spread so we went to the only place that can cure all ills:
It was only for a few hours but yeah, it did help a lot with our sanity.
I wasn't expecting Sonia's latest blog post to conclude in the way it did despite her first ominous sentence:
Yeah, so, I found a lump.
I'm so terribly optimistic to a fault that it didn't occur to me that her lump would be anything but as a run of the mill cyst. She's so cool and funny, so sweet and beautiful, but I have to be honest here: Sonia is sadly a bit boring when to comes to major illnesses. In fact I can't recall her being even bother by the common flu...Hell, she's so boring her white cell reaction can lull even Malaria into dormancy.
You see, Sonia is someone who makes not being serious in serious situations an art form as her post demonstrates with this snippet of conversation with her doctor about the ultrasound:
Two weeks later at the ultrasound, I asked the tech for a print out of my lump: “I don’t have any kids. It sure would be nice if I could have a print out of my lump to show people.” The tech politely laughed … She never did give me a print out.
Unfortunately her post did not end as I expected and I my distant well wishes and thoughts of support go out to her. (I'm frustrated that this is all I can do).
Please jump over to The Sonia Show if you have the time as she has been given as optimistic of a diagnosis as one could hope for due to the type of cancer and catching it so early.
This girl is funny and a great person, so please go over and say hi to my friend Sonia.
I drove a brand new 2010 Prius last night - the first time I ever drove a real hybrid. My previous experience with an alternative-powered "green" vehicle was pedaling this baby around:
As for the Prius, the ride was sweet but have to say it's hella weird when the motor turns off at intersections (so quiet!). Sadly this wasn't my car to keep.
...Well not so sad as my GF bought it, I just won't be able to drive it much. Am I envious? No, she was raised by savers to be a saver and this is her reward for doing so and besides her old jetta was costing more in repairs than it was worth.
Fortunately I have my car which I have to thank my family for their help obtaining it...It wasn't all that long ago when I lived a negative lifestyle with daily meals that alternated between spaghetti and ground beef bought at the value size price. My hard work at my old shitty job paid off when I landed my current gig and now I enjoy little things like vegetables, clothes, health insurance and the ability to buy a new pair of glasses since 2002.
So I went with funky Converse brand frames from Costco ($60!). Not the exact style or color (yellow interior) but close.
One of my favorite bands locally Great Northern play a free show as part of the summer series of concerts Downtown. Wednesday's show fell on the last weeknight produced by good ole Spaceland Productions and GN was an excellent finale.
This is not a review. Don't get me wrong I have loved GN for years now but it's hard to be in Pershing Square watching a band and wonder if the attraction is the band or the city itself. Most buildings sparkled with energy but only hinted at life upon closer inspection; an office ceiling glowed with indirect monitor light, a curtain blew about 14 floors up by the under window fans found often in hotel rooms. Were they here? I'd argue the air down here is better, with the couples in chairs and beautiful-girl-occupied benches. My placement was far back on the concrete framing blocks loving every sound, my arm as support, the other around my support and her warmth.
All the break ups of the past were worth the admission.
But sometimes the band ends before you're ready to call it a night, that stupid kinder couple talks through most of the set until leaving for a bathroom and sometimes that bathroom in the parking garage is decorated with wallpaper of toilet paper and blood and/or feces (or all three) and you're thankful home is a five minute drive away.
Despite all that I wanted to stay longer. I like Downtown.
Great Northern played off with an acoustic version of "Home" from their first album, easing the crowd into the night, into arms, into the city paved corridors. Here's the video to jar some memories.
I've been looking for a good video version of this song by Jessica Dobson as most do not do her justice. This was taken from an acoustic set at Open bookstore in Long Beach about a week ago if I'm not mistaken.
I've been around the internets lately, leaving a comment here or there; just not blogging due to far more work and trip planning than I could handle all at one time.
We will now be exiting Summer Blogging Hours (previously unannounced).
I heart Garfunkel and Oates and this new little song of theirs. Also they have a show coming up!
AUG 7, 2009: It's the GARFUNKEL AND OATES HOUR!!!!!!! A full hour of songs, special guests and surprises. Upright Citizen’s Brigade at 8:00 PM. 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood Cost: $8 losangeles.ucbtheatre.com
On a related note Kate Micucci, one half of Garfunkel and Oates, is playing a weekly gig at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Feliz throughout August and goldstar.com has discounted tickets for one of the nights. The other amazing half of the group Riki Lindhome has her own stuff going - B loved her recent role on the television show The Big Bang Theory.
The Steve Allen Theater presents Playin' With Micucci, a show featuring ukulele-wielding comedian and songwriter Kate Micucci. Kate will present a variety of whimsical songs, stories, sketches, and surprises. Directed by acclaimed veteran comic Ron Lynch (The Sarah Silverman Program, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job)
