leftovers

Mom by our front door on Christmas Day. I may have mentioned this before, but technically the Twelve Days of Christmas begins on December 25th. In this day in age, most people are so relieved once Christmas is over, it's unfathomable that you would want to then celebrate the holiday for 11 more days! That's why I decided to end mine, rather than starting it, on Christmas Day. We woke up in the morning and immediately I had to start getting everything ready. Dylan had set his alarm to wake me at 7am so I could put the breakfast casserole on in the crockpot, and luckily I got to go back to sleep for a couple more hours. Once I woke up, I had stockings to stuff and cookies to bake! Mom, Dad, Adrienne, Brandon and Angie came over shortly thereafter and joined Dylan, Robbie and I. We all finished up our last minute stocking stuffing and gift wrapping and had brunch together. Then we all started our Secret Santa opening. Borrowing from the method we used at my work's Secr...

It was a really fun day! It was raining, but Dylan and I love the rain - and we are both always so thankful that neither one of us is the type to complain about rain or gloomy weather - so we went to the Grove to do some holiday shopping, thinking that the rain would keep the crowds away, which it did for the most part. We ate at the Farmer's Market there, at the Gumbo Pot, which is one of my favorite places to eat in all of LA! I had gumbo and fried oysters, with cornbread and collard greens - delish! We did quite a bit of shopping, got presents for nephew Connor and then went to Cost Plus World Market where I got some presents for Brandon and Angie. It was so much fun being at the Grove in the rain! Then after we got home, Marc and Dan came and met us so we could ride together to El Capitan Theatre for Tron: Legacy. I've been pretty excited to see the movie, since I first heard about it quite some time ago. I've always love the idea of Tron, and I know I had one o...

We had a Sunset Vine BID Board meeting today and at the end it got a little heated regarding the situation with the Farmers Market and the Film School. I won't go into much details here in this blog but everyone who knows me knows that I've been really disappointed to witness the media spin and the lemming mentality that this situations has displayed. Obviously (it would seem obvious) no one has it out for the Farmers Market, no one is "against" farmers, or against people having access to healthy foods. But the fact is, unlike most Farmers Markets, the one in Hollywood takes places on public streets, blocking access for many businesses and creating issues for property owners in the immediate vicinity. Rather than working with these businesses and property owners, the Farmers Market just cries "victim" and tries to smear the Film School for daring to want to use their own property. Through my job, I have found myself on the unpopular side of arguments se...

I have to give a 'happy birthday' shout-out to my mom today! I miss her so much and wish I could tell her so in person today, but a phone call will have to do. (I'm not really very good at figuring out the whole video chat thing.) The Film Group at the TV Academy was screening "Black Swan" today so we had a group of us who went to see it, including Marc, Robert, Brandon, Angie, Ben, Dylan and I. I didn't know much about the movie before we saw it, which is the way I like to go into movies, because I was simply blown away! The movie had a really big effect on me, it was mesmerizing from the beginning to end and stayed in my mind afterward. I think for me it may have been the 'movie of the year.' Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis were both amazing in it, as was Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder. I just can't say how much I loved this film! Afterward, we were supposed to have an Invisible Material show in Bellflower at a sports bar called Spikes, b...

Since Thanksgiving is this weekend, we only had a half-day at work. I had found a guy on Craigslist selling a Sabian ride cymbal for $60, which I have been desperately needing, so after work I drove down to our old neighborhood near Beverly and Vermont and picked it up. The guy was a very young Latino looking guy with long, straight hair, who looked like he was from the movie "Wassup Rockers" (fun movie to check out if you haven't seen it). Then I went back up to Hollywood to do my now-annual Thanksgiving run to Food-4-Less. I don't usually shop there but to get the mass quantities of food I need for my pies and everything I make, it really is worth it to save the money and go there. I got home and started cooking away. Invisible Material had rehearsal tonight at the studio on 6th St., but when we got there it was not as usual - the whole place was under construction, with the wall ripped out and the floor tiles all broken up in pieces. It seriously looked like w...

We gained and hour last night so I actually got up fairly early and felt well-rested. But the day was pretty boring at work and when I got home, I meant to do a bunch of chores and laundry but instead Angie came over to watch “Sid and Nancy” because she had gotten it on Net Flix to watch with me since I had never seen it, and we hadn’t been able to watch it for awhile and she was about to send it back. She, Dylan and I all walked over to Los Tacos to get dinner and then we watched the movie, which I really enjoyed. It’s embarrassing to say that I really didn’t know much about the Sex Pistols; only after moving to LA did I ever even hear any of their music. The movie was fascinating and made me want to learn more about them. I especially loved Sid Vicious.

I got up really early and loaded up my car with the stuff for the Alien Nation video shoot. I drove up Laurel Canyon and picked Elene up on my way, and then we met Brandon and Angie, and Shawn, at a Starbucks up in Santa Clarita, near where Dylan’s mom lives. I got a cup of coffee and we talked briefly about what the plan was. I wanted to get a video tape for my camera in case Shawn wanted to use it, so after a brief wild goose chase we finally found a Walgreens that had them. Then we drove up to Vasquez Rocks, the filming location. We knew it was going to be a guerilla style shoot because we didn’t have permission or any kind of permit to film there, and anywhere near LA it’s always difficult to film things illegally. Also, Vasquez Rock is a very popular filming site - it’s been used in tons of sci-fi movies and television shows. I know it from Roswell, the show about alien high school students that was on the air back when I first moved to LA. It’s a county park,...

It’s rainy and grey here still, which as you know, I love. A whole bunch of people brought treats into the office. First, Joe brought cinnamon rolls, then Thad brought donuts (I had an apple fritter) and then Kerry brought in homemade scones! It was ridiculous. Kerry and I met with a representative from a couple big buildings in the Entertainment District who is looking for tennants. We told him a restaurant probably wouldn’t be the best thing at the moment as so many of them have opened recently. After work, I tried to finish putting up the Halloween decorations but I didn’t end up finishing it. Instead, Dylan and I watched the movie “Whip It,” Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut about Roller Derby girls, wherein Ellen Paige (Juno) becomes the nemesis of Juliette Lewis. Great flick that got panned undeservedly.

"Grown Man Cries" was featured on another blog today - again, through my promotional efforts! It was on the Paradise Educated blog, ran by a lady named Onnalee who I have become friends with, even though I never knew her when she lived in Paradise because she left before I was born. It was nice to get some recognition there for my hometown folks to see. I rode the subway up to North Hollywood after work to meet Dylan, Brandon and Angie at the TV Academy to see “Let Me In,” which is an American remake of “Let the Right One In,” a Swedish film Dylan and I had gotten from NetFlix a year ago or more. I really liked the original film, although the version we saw was dubbed in English, which didn’t bother me that much but was a little distracting at times. I was really happy with the new version, despite my initial misgivings. The lead actress, Chloe Moretz, had also played “Hitgirl” in the movie “Kick Ass” and I really loved her in that, so I was excited to see her i...

I was very excited to have Angie and Brandon coming over for dinner and a movie. Specifically, the movie "Spiceworld." A few months or so ago, Angie said something about needing to watch "Spiceworld," to which I said, "you mean watch it again!" It turned out that somehow she had never witnessed this cinematic masterpiece! So I of course arranged a time for us to have a little viewing party. Now, I guess I forget that not everyone is as huge of a Spice Girls fan as I am. I saw the movie on opening day, back in the Fox Theater in downtown Hays, Kansas... my cousin Andrea was nice enough to accompany me. Since then, I've probably watched it another 25 times or so on VHS and then later on DVD. So I've pretty much memorized all the lines - the good ones, at least. Anyway, I think Angie has grown to appreciate the Spice Girls a little more since knowing me, especially since I've sort of introduced the individual members (particularly Victoria...

Ben and James came and picked me up and we went to the Grove to see "Easy A," a comedy movie with Emma Stone (from Zombieland ) which turned out to be really good. The plot revolves around Olive (Stone) making up a white lie to explain why she didn't want to hang out with her girlfriend one weekend, by saying she had been hanging out with a guy and when her friend presses her, pretends that she lost her virginity to the guy. The whole thing takes a very "Scarlet Letter" turn as the entire school instantly spreads the rumour, via text messaging, that Olive has become a big ol' slut. Due to this, she then agrees to help out a fellow student, a gay kid, who is relentlessly bullied, by pretending to have sex with him. This leads to many losers seeking her out and making deals with her, usually involving money, to pretend to have sex with her. Of course the whole thing escalates to comic proportions until something really bad happens and it all blows up, lea...

Today is my uncle Ronnie's birthday! Happy birthday! I went across the street to Dillon's Irish Pub to meet the manager there, she had e-mailed me and wanted to say 'hi' since she knew Katie before me. I took a copy of the Visitor's Map and Guide, hoping that I could get them to advertise, but she said they were not interested. After work, Dylan was going to meet me at Bodega Wine Bar, a new place in the Sunset & Vine BID, in the Sunset Vine Tower. As I was waiting for him, I stopped in the Borders books and perused the Belinda Carlisle autobiography, "Lips Unsealed," which I am sure I'll have to read someday soon. Then, Dylan was right across the street so we went to Bodega, which was really nice. Their whole philosophy is making wine accessible to everyone without any snobbery. Almost all their wines are priced the same (the house wine being a bit cheaper, and the premium wines a bit more, but still all the same price) and they let you sampl...

I had to be at the Street Closure Committee meeting at 9am over on Western and Hollywood Blvd. at the CD 13 field office. It was my first time at the committee so I was just kind of getting the hang of it. It's a monthly meeting where we review all the applications for full street closures of Hollywood Blvd., a response to the increasingly overwhelming amount of requests in recent years for movie premieres, filming, marches and protests, etc. I was really excited about the proposed premiere party for Tron: Legacy, scheduled for December at the El Capitan. More on that later. I had gotten an e-mail at work about some real estate in Hollywood here in the District, and upon clicking through, I saw some other residential listings, one in particular that caught my eye was a house down near Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilcox. Of course I got completely obsessed with it and ended up driving by after work. I called my mom a couple of times, and Dylan, to tell them about it and try and see...

We got up and then Brandon, Angie and Tiger came over for brunch, like we had planned last night. Angie was making pumpkin pancakes, and I made eggs with parsley, cilantro, tomato, cheese and almonds. We had mimosas also (of course). After brunch, we watched this movie "Off the Charts: The Song Poem Story" that Brandon had gotten from Netflix. Several months ago, while exploring on Wikipedia, I had come across this phenomenon of 'song poems,' which is where people would respond to an ad in the back of a magazine that would say the company was looking for 'songwriters.' The person would send in their lyrics, and then for a fee, a company would set the words to music and make it a song. Usually the ad would make some claims that they would also distribute the song and try to make it a 'hit,' but in reality they were just churning out these songs non-stop and making money from the poor saps who thought they were going to be the next big songwriter. ...

Dylan called me at work to see if I wanted to go see the new movie, Inception , tonight with him and our friend Josep. It's an advance screening and Josep had an extra pass - he writes for a local newspaper, and this was a press screening. I was so excited! After work, I just walked down to the ArcLight and met them - they were already at the Arclight Bar with one of Josep's friends. Dylan bought me a Ketel One Gimlet - that's what he always likes to drink at the ArcLight before a movie. I bought a hot dog and some raisinettes for the show. It was SUCH a good film! Very complex, surreal, and fascinating. It was one of those movies where you really have to pay attention to every detail, because you really want to understand everything that is going on - there was a lot to think about and keep track of, but it was amazing. I definitely recommend it, and I'll probably want to go see it again at some point. Hello 2010, goodbye junk! NEW YEARS RESOLUTION LOG ENTRY...

I had another early meeting at the Chamber for the Walk of Fame 50th, and after that I had to head straight to my dentist appointment to have my cavity filled. I don't know why, but they never seem to give me enough anesthetic at first. Well this time, it was just that he didn't wait quite long enough, because once he started drilling I got the weirdest pain shooting through my body. He waited awhile and then when he started again it seemed to be fine, although I just always have having my teeth worked on, especially when drills are involved. It was pretty quick and I was out of there in less than an hour. In the afternoon, Kerry and I had a conference call with Katie because she is handing the visitor's guide over to me now that I've been here a little while. Then, we all helped Brian with a mailing for the nominating committee. Kerry's daughter was there to help to, so we all had fun chatting while we stuffed envelopes. At the end of the day, I left and for...

If I was still working for the Media District, I'd be at work today. Just one of the perks of my new jobs is that we get holidays off, even if it's the day after, so for the first time I got to stay home with Dylan one such holiday. It was a really non-eventful day, we just lazied around the house and I played with my iPad for a long while (downloaded SimCity and Clue). Then I finally got around and went grocery shopping. I had found a few simple recipes I wanted to try this week, and I also needed to get food for today. I ended up spending over $80 - way more than I had meant to. I just got sandwiches to eat right when I got home so we ate those and then I put all the groceries away. Later for dinner, I made a mandarin chicken stir fry with quinoa, and then I started some bread. We watched "Speed Racer" which Dylan had DVR'ed from our free weekend of HBO last weekend, and I baked the bread while we watched it. Dylan had seen it in the theatre but he wanted ...

We made it back from Canada late last night so I was very tired when I woke up today, but I had that song stuck in my head still so I ended up working on it a little bit in the morning before work, thus I was a little bit late getting to the office. The song is called "Winnipeg Beach." Laura posted a bunch of pics from Canada on Facebook. I am definitely having Canada withdrawals, it sounds so weird to say that I missed Winnipeg so much. I just had such a great time there and met so many amazing people. I was really bummed though cause LA Pride is coming up this weekend, and Dylan and I were so excited about Kevin coming down from Portland to stay with us, and he had called yesterday while we were at the Minneapolis airport to say he couldn't come after all (don't remember if I mentioned that already). Now I'm not even sure if I'm looking forward to LA Pride. I had my first little 'toe in the water' moment today with my new job when I went to the S...

For a Sunday it was a pretty full day. We woke up and I had to get around pretty quickly to be up to Ben's for Invisible Material rehearsal. On the way, I stopped at 7-11 to get some beers, and got a 12 pack of "Game Day Light," which became somewhat of a punchline. We ripped through our set for Las Vegas a couple times and it was sounding pretty good. We still could tighten up the endings of some of the songs but overall it seemed that we're pretty much ready. Ben picked out the set list and he did a great job. After we rehearsed, Brandon and Robin left but I stayed for awhile to hang out because I was going to meet Robin and Michelle at the TV Academy to watch the new Ridley Scott Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe. Dylan didn't really want to see it, so he rode his bike all the way over to Brandon and Angie's, so I was going to meet them after the movie. As I was driving from Ben's to the Academy, it occurred to me that I was driving across t...

We went to see the movie MacGruber at the TV Academy today. I was going to go by myself, but luckily, Dylan decided to join me, and then we called Angie and Brandon and they decided to come too since Brandon didn't have to work today after all. Then we decided to see if Ben would go and he said he would meet us at the theatre, and then go to Brad's birthday party with us. So, Dylan and I took the bus to Hollywood and Highland to find a present for Brad, then we rode the subway up to North Hollywood and met Brandon and Angie at Big Wangs for a beer before going to the theatre. The movie was actually really funny, we all really enjoyed it. It was basically a lampoon of 80's action movies but there were lots of good one liners and jokes. Kristen Wiig was the highlight, of course. After the movie, Ben drove us home and he walked with us to Hamburger Mary's for Brad's birthday. We got there a little early so we could get a good seat, and Ron was the only one there...