capitol.

saturday was a good day.

I'm a little behind with this but I still wanted to make a note of it.
1. Hiked the wilds of Silverlake with Else and Clara--Nicki was out of town. It was great to be back in my lovely old 'hood and stomp up and down the hills. I could walk all day.

2. Got some writing done. Reading Revolutionary Road, which is awesome and I can't wait for the movie.
3. Hooked back up with Else and we went to--what I found has been coined--the Hel Mel area of town. This is the little intersection where Melrose and Heliotrope meet and is mostly known as the location of Scoops ice cream. But it's really blossoming and there are a bunch of cool places now. Else and stopped in the Buddhist center and took a few breaths of serenity. Then we crossed the street and went Pure Luck, a new vegan restaurant. I ate. Else watched. Delicious! There are so many great little vegan holes in the wall--I'm going to eat my way through them all. Mark my words!
4. Saw the new Indiana Jones. Ugh. I was so excited for the return of Karen Allen. I was disappointed. It sucked. I can't really go into it or I'll be here all day. But Cate Blanchett was awesome.

windshield.

Saturday, 8 a.m., Toluca Lake. It rained.

friday was a good day.

1. I went to The best Fish Taco in Ensenada for lunch--so right there it was a good day. Then over to Skylight Books. Then I walked down the street and noticed the canopies of jacaranda, which were so gorgeous, even though it was cold, gray and drizzling.

2. Got off work early for the holiday weekend.

3. Went to the opening of the Puppet Show exhibit at the Santa Monica Museum of Art with Tori. Still not convinced that puppets = art and the exhibit felt a little disjointed, too many tvs too close to each other competing for your attention. I got that feeling I always get when I see modern art--a few things are really freaking cool, a few I'm supposed to think are cool but don't really get and a few that are just straight up b.s. But I loved these little cats in tuxedos--they could really shake it on the dance floor. I could have watched them all night.


Then there was this installation by a South African artist named William Kentridge. A projector on the ceiling projected images of charcoal drawings morphing into different forms on a spinning light table. It was really cool and Tori's favorite. She even planned to go back after hours and steal it Mission Impossible style, noting that the museum didn't really have a crack security outfit. We weren't sure it had anything to do with puppetry, but then again, maybe that's why we loved it so much.

4. Late night snack at Cafe Urth, which is so tired and L.A., I know, but as Tori noted, the waiters are all freakishly happy. It's always comforting.

el numero uno.

This is a little Salvadoran restaurant right next to Bliss Cafe at Vine and Fountain. Sadly, it is always empty. Unbelievable because the food is so good. Infante and I went there for lunch last week and I had one of the best pupusas ever, along with two green chile tamales. God knows, if there's anything I love as much as a good taco, it's a good pupusa. Plus, one of those icy blended lemon waters Spanish-speaking waiters always bring you when you ask for water with lemon, and you can never send them back because they went to all the trouble to make them and they are delicious.

10 signs that you are aging (somewhat gracefully).

1. When you find a piece a clothing you love, you buy it in multiples because it "works."
2. Your favorite designer is Vera Wang.
3. Your brain ceases to function after 9 p.m.
4. You need to be home and in bed by 11:30 p.m. (absolute latest).
5. You thumb through tabloids and realize you don't know who half of these people are and don't care.
6. You have to ask your younger co-worker what this show "The Hills" is all about.
7. PBS programs start to look exciting (but you still tivo the occasional reality show--and I don't mean "Project Runway but rather "Rock of Love").
8. You go to a rock show only when you really, really, really like the band--and even then you wonder if you'll be home in bed by 11:30.
9. You start going to classical music concerts more than rock concerts, notice that you're the only person under 50 at them--and you don't really mind.
10. You see hot boys you know you would have come close to committing suicide over in your 20's, and they really just don't do it for you anymore.

north hollywood.

Sunday morning, 10:30 a.m., 90 degrees.

home.

It's an oleander tree.

deep in the rainforest.

About 3/4-mile in, we discovered why it's called the Rainforest Loop. It was lush and beautiful, and still, we were the only people on it. There were a few forks in the road and we weren't sure where to go, plus the brush and the undergrowth was super thick. But thank God--no snakes and no sprained ankles. I'm sure we'll go back and explore this some more.


Else and Nicki forge a creek.

There is a palm tree in this photo. Do you see it?


The money shot.

rainforest.

On Saturday, Nicki, Else, Clara and I hiked the Rainforest Loop at Fryman Canyon. I read about this "secret" trail in an LA Times article and my friend Jennifer staked it out for me. I say "secret" because not a soul was on it aside from us, while the main loop at Fryman is bustling with hikers, even at 7:30 a.m. We went early because it was so freaking hot this weekend. These photos are from the beginnings of the trail, which doesn't look particularly rainforest-y, but was still beautiful enough to warrant a few pics. But wait! There's more.

frolic.

goodnight hollywood boulevard.

Hollywood & Vine.

locksmith.

I'm currently fascinated with all the buildings that are disappearing--being demolished or abandoned--during this reconstruction phase and "revitalization" of Hollywood. This is the locksmith/florist on the corner of Vine and Selma, right next to Molly's, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and across from the new W Hotel/Whole Foods complex.

lunch.

Molly's @ Vine and Selma.

angel/devil.

Tansen @ work.

brother.

From golden God to indie God.

still life with dumpster.

Selma & Argyle.

usc.

panic attack.

The Revlon Run/Walk for Breast Cancer was today. I walked.


Jordan.

Steve.

Finish line.

gray may

morgan camera.

Sunset and Argyle, Hollywood.

under construction.

my first polaroid.

This morning I decided to buy a Polaroid camera. After five minutes of intense Consumer Reports-style research, I found a reasonably priced one on ebay. I was just about to hit the "Buy It Now" button, when I turned and looked behind me. Lo and behold there was Polaroid camera on the shelf behind my desk. That sucker has just been sitting there ever since I moved into this spot and I didn't even know it. There was film in it, too! I was so excited I snapped my first shot of our ceiling. Nothing special but I enjoy the composition. Infante gave me permission to use the camera, so I bought some more film at the Rite Aid. It's not cheap. I'm going to have so much fun.

kitchen.

bourgainvillea.

Did I spell it right? I'm too lazy to check.