Where The Hell Have I Been?

Sorry folks! I’m working on a new blog. I’ll update you when it’s finished!

Ye Coach and Horses Is Closing…Fecking Actors!

Los Angeles

There is all kinds of depressing news going on in LA this week. One tidbit is that Ye Coach & Horses is closing down after 74 years in business. It seems it’s neighbor Samuel French Bookshop owns the property and is taking it over on Nov. 16th. I’m picturing actors picking up their copy of The Glass Menagerie for scene study class on a shelf right about where the bar used to be. Ugh. Bartender, can I have one last Jameson please?

I Gussied Up My Hello Kitty Bike Basket!

Los Angeles

Junko Mizuno Art Opening This Weekend

Los Angeles

MERRY KARNOWSKY GALLERY
170 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.933.4408

A Picnic With Tom Waits’ Ex-Girlfriend!

Los Angeles

OK. That headline may sound like some kind of diss but I have in fact been a fan of Rickie Lee Jones since I was a kid. Wait…did that sound like a diss too? Well, I swear that it isn’t. I simply had great taste in music as a child. I’ve seen her live a half-dozen times, I own all of her records and I love her to bits. And she knows it. No really. She does.

I told her one time in the grocery store a few years back. I turned down the freezer aisle and there was Rickie Lee Jones in all her cool cat glory looking at frozen vegetables. She opened the frosty glass freezer door and I mustered up enough courage to roll past her with my shopping cart as she was bent over digging for peas on the back of a low shelf and I softly said, “I love you Rickie Lee” to what was essentially her bum coming out the freezer. I didn’t stop. I didn’t make any kind of eye contact. I just kept rolling down aisle seven. But I’m pretty sure the ‘Duchess of Coolville’ heard me.

For those of you who have not been to the Twilight Dance Series, it really has nothing to do with dancing so don’t fear. It’s actually a free live concert that they set up on the pier. However, those in the know actually pack a picnic and settle down in the sand just south of the pier where you can still enjoy the music but don’t have to deal with standing in the crowd.

The Twilight Dance Series is one of my favorite summer events and even if you live on the eastside, I think it’s worth it to head west on a work night and have the experience at least one time during the summer. And if you don’t have time to pack a picnic just grab some funnel cakes and cotton candy from the amusement park and call it a sugar picnic!

Twilight Dance Series
August 5 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Santa Monica Pier

http://www.santamonicapier.org/twilight/

The Best Way To Change A Light Bulb

Los Angeles

The year was 1979. I was six years old and fast asleep in the bottom bunk on a school night when my parents woke me up with news. I had to get out of bed. It was urgent! It was critical! Life or death! Grease was being aired on primetime TV and my father carried me out of slumber into the living room to curl up on the couch and watch Grease with them for the first time as a family.

If you ever met my parents, you would never guess in a million years that they would be obsessed with musicals, both on film and in theater. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was on regular rotation in our Beta Max. We saw Yul Brynner perform live in the King And I on Broadway…more than once. And no trip to London was complete without a trip to the Apollo Victoria to see Starlight Express or The Sound of Music.

But with Grease…they should have been careful what they wished for. Before long not only was I asking about hickeys. But I was also dancing on the front stoop for the neighbors in my mothers negligee while singing the lyric ‘look at me I’m Sandra Dee, lousy West Virginityyyyy’ over and over again. You see, my paternal grandmother was from West Virginia and I strongly disliked her and really thought she was lousy, so I could totally relate to what Rizzo was singing about.

And then came the sequel. I have found throughout my life that one of the best ways to judge a someone’s sense of humor is not by whether they are a fan of Grease or not, but by whether or not they like Grease 2. Because seriously while it does not compare to the original, I’ll be the first to admit that I own a copy of Grease 2 as well as the soundtrack. And if I were to be brutally honest I would have to admit that I really do enjoy putting on the song ‘Cool Rider’ whenever I have to change a lightbulb, just so that I can straddle the top of the ladder and make jazz hands when I’m finished. Hey, at least I’m not doing it on the front porch for the neighbors while wearing my mothers negligee.

Grease 2 will be playing at the Devil’s Night Drive In on Saturday August 14th. Gates at 7:00PM, Show at 8:30PM.

Buy your tickets here~

http://www.devilsnight.com

I’m Back! And Tweeting!

http://twitter.com/AandAP

Ronnie James Dio Memorial

The Hall of Liberty, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles; May 30, 2 p.m.; free

For Those Who Have Been Asking Where I Have Been…

I have not abandoned you. I’ve just been on a very very long vacation. I’ll be back soon. I promise! Here are a few photos I’ve taken to tide you over…

Guns N’ Baseballs

If you have not heard, Slash will be playing the National Anthem at the Dodgers game tonight!

Happy Tuesday!

Today Is Going To Be Like This…

Art For A Good Cause!

Los Angeles

Square Dancing is Sexy!

Los Angeles

Start shopping for your gingham frill dresses and pull out your boots cause there are some serious square dancing sessions going down here in Los Angeles in the next month or so! Including the annual Los Angeles Old Time Social!

This year is the 5th Ever Los Angeles Old-Time Social. May 13, 14, 15 will see concerts, workshops, parties, jams and a big square dance! May 16th is the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest to top off the wkend! Full day by day calendar and details below. If you need more info, email info@oldtimeisagoodtime.com

Thurs. 5/13, 9pm, Free: Kick Off Party!

The Hyperion Tavern, 1941 Hyperion Ave, 90027

Olentangy John
Cat Tracks
The Mosby Raiders
Full Kick Off details and band bios here

Fri. 5/14, 8pm, $15: Concert!**

The Velaslavasay Panorama, 1122 West 24th St., 90007

**Pre-sale tix available here.

Frank Fairfield
Joe Wack & Friends
Triple Chicken Foot
Full Concert details and band bio’s here

Sat. 5/15, 2-10pm, Free: Workshops & Square Dance!

Farmlab.org, 1745 N. Spring St, Unit 4, 90012

Workshops: details here.

Intermediate Old-Time Fiddle with Tom Sauber

Advanced Old-Time Fiddle with Dave Braegger
West Virginia Fiddle with Joe Wack
Guitar with Chris Berry
Beginning Claw Hammer Banjo with Steve Lewis
Advanced Claw Hammer Banjo with Steve Lewis
Square Dance Calling
Click link here for details, times & registration (coming soon)
Square Dance & Kid’s Dance & Cakewalk: Kids Dance-6:30, Cake Walk-7:30, Square Dance 8pm

Callers: Susan Michaels (L.A.) & Maggie Lind (Portland)

Cake Walk Cake Baking Sign Up: Contact Katy kttheflowerlady@sbcglobal.net

Square Dance Bands: Sausage Grinder & Black Crown Stringband!

Amanda Visell Tonight Only At The Natural History Museum!

Los Angeles

I love, love, love this idea of an artist showing at the Natural History Museum! If for only one night. Art is more often than not inspired by nature and a marriage of the two sounds like a wonderful evening to me. I’m very curious to see this tonight!

http://www.amandavisell.com/

I Hope I Spot A Nubrella Today!

Mister can you spare a drop?

Can You Guess Which One I Want To See?

It’s about that time! Look over the schedule and pick which one you want to see most. Go to the bottom of the page to see what my pick is! Can you guess?

Los Angeles Conservancy Last Remaining Seats

Ticket Sales Start:
Conservancy members: March 31, 10 a.m. PST
General public: April 14, 10 a.m. PST

Advance tickets are $16 each for Conservancy members and $20 each for the general public. A limited number of series tickets are available, and discounts are available for groups of ten or more.

Preliminary Schedule
Wednesdays at 8 p.m., all in the movie palaces of downtown L.A.’s Broadway Historic Theatre District!

May 26
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
(1967)

Los Angeles Theatre
June 2
Strangers on a Train (1951)

Million Dollar Theatre
June 9
American Graffiti (1973)

Orpheum Theatre
June 16
The Graduate (1967)

Los Angeles Theatre
June 23
Flor silvestre (Wild Flower)
(1943) — co-presented by the Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles

Million Dollar Theatre
June 30 Peter Pan (1924) Orpheum Theatre
All performances are general seating.
Doors open at 7 p.m. – Program starts at 8 p.m. – Program ends between 10 and 11 p.m.

http://www.laconservancy.org

It’s Always Good To Have An Easter Bunny Back-Up Plan

Spend Easter Sunday with the Echo Park Ornithology Club!

-Giant Egg Pinata
-Egg Lectures
-Duck Meet and Greet
-FOOD
-Bird Feeder Craft Corner
-Easter Swim Stunt Performed by Carlos
-Croquet

Sunday, April 4, 2010
2:00pm – 7:00pm
Echo Park Lake

You Might Wanna Plug Your Ears

I’m going koo-koo for 50′s era songs that I’ve never heard before. Please forgive me.

Craigslist Philly ~ Unique couch sofa with grow room installed

Unique couch sofa with grow room installed (the piazza)

Date: 2010-03-24, 3:18PM EDT

Unique couch upholstered with blue tarp with a grow room (for growing plants) underneath the seats. Very Comfortable
The couch is on casters so it’s easy to move. It’s in the Print Liberation store at The Piazza.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/zip/1659405902.html

If You Don’t Like Clifton’s, Then We Can’t Be Friends

Los Angeles

My love of Clifton’s Cafeteria in downtown LA runs deep. I happen to be Clifton’s number one biggest fan for all of time. If they were to hire a docent, it should be me. I know the entire history of Clifton’s, that it was started by Salvation Army missionaries and inspired by The Brookdale Lodge. When I take friends there, I point out the area where the live band used to play and mention that they used to have white linen tablecloths back in the day. They also happened to once have had a sherbert mine where you reached into a frosty cave and pulled out a cup of sherbert from a rotating conveyer belt. Yes, this is the place where I know it all.

I like to dress to the nines when I go to eat Clifton’s and I’ve even been known to dress as Robin Hood. The employees know me well enough that they even let me bring people up to the third floor, even if the velvet rope states that the third floor is closed. Oh, let’s be honest. All you have to do is smile and say please and they will almost always give you the nod to go ahead and take a peek.

After going on The Price Is Right, I celebrated my birthday 31st birthday on the railing with free cake and a table that they had decorated for me with complimentary balloons. I even have my very own Clifton’s Cafeteria tray at home. When I go to Clifton’s, I eat my entree in one spot and then go back down to the cafeteria and get desert and eat that at a table in a different section. I prefer to sit in the tiered area in the center of the main floor or in what I call the ‘lovers nook’ by the chapel. If I ever get hitched, I wouldn’t even mind being married in it one day!

I recommend breakfast to newbies and tell them to steer clear of the pineapple cheese Jell-O, as the cheese seems to be actual squirts of Easy Cheese. The baked desserts are the best and I love the vintage metal press cream dispenser that they use to put the perfect amount of cream in your cup of coffee before you check out at the register.

I enjoy Sunday’s at Clifton’s because that is when you can usually spot the man whom I call the ‘Jesus Pimp’ who I am slightly obsessed with but too shy to approach. He wears brightly colored zoot suits with flashing pins and cowboy hats covered in feathers. He is the definition of dapper and always carries a bible.

I’m not sure who is in charge of the music that they play in the dining area but I am always amused that they might be playing Josephine Baker one minute and Dexy’s Midnight Runners the next.

Clifton’s is also a secret initiation that I have for new friends. In most cases, I really only judge people by whether they are nice or not nice. I don’t really care so much about what they do, what they wear or what they believe in. As long as they are nice. But I will fully admit that I do judge people by their reactions to Clifton’s. I wish I could say that I was joking about that, but I’m not. Because really, if you can’t understand Clifton’s, you couldn’t possibly understand me. And you are surely not going to be invited to the wedding.

Here is a little photo tour I took for you…

www.cliftonscafeteria.com

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Too Far

Los Angeles

I grew up in a house full of crazy toys and junk that did not belong to me. My parents are collectors and every weekend of my childhood was spent trolling yard sales on Saturdays and flea markets on Sundays in my dad’s big yellow Chrysler.

They collected a lot of things the 60′s and 70′s including novelties and toys, back when adults with a house full old toys was not quite as cool as it is now. Shine Gallery brings me back to that time. I can spot dozens of things in the store that sat in my parents curio cabinets back in the day. And it’s a great joy that most things in the store are reasonably priced.

While I swore I would be a minimalist when I grew up, I have become much like my parents. Trolling yard sales and flea markets on the weekends and living in a house full of crazy toys and junk. The apple doesn’t fall too far. And neither does the alligator pear.

Event for LA Conservancy Modern Committee, April 1, 2010, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Picture
A HISTORICAL AND HYSTERICAL CELEBRATION OF VINTAGE
NOTIONS, NOVELTIES & NONSENSE
Presented by Bernie Shine of Shine Gallery

Join ModCom for a visit to a truly unique store in a historic location. SHINE GALLERY in the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.

Owner Bernie Shine is an eclectic and eccentric collector, a treasure hunter of sorts. But he does not seek sunken ships, buried treasures, or archeological ruins. Rather he recovers GENUINE VINTAGE MEMORABILIA from dusty warehouses, old factories, and closed stores. He searches the world over for quantity finds from bygone eras, all in unused condition.

Shine Gallery is a collector’s paradise for bona fide period items mostly from the 1910s through the 1950s, all guaranteed to be AUTHENTIC & VINTAGE. Named by Los Angeles Magazine as Best of LA® 2009.

Bernie will be presenting an amusing look at the history of joyful junk, featuring vintage jokes, novelties, tricks, pranks, prizes, trinkets & treasures from the incredible inventory of Shine Gallery.

Please join us at Shine Gallery on Thursday, April 1, 2010, between 7 PM and 9:00 PM for this special meet and greet.

SHINE GALLERY will donate 30% of gross sales made during this event to the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee. It’s a FUN FUNDRAISER! BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE . . .they have a FREE gift for the first 50 guests, a mystery GRAB BAG containing a genuine vintage item from Shine Gallery! Lots of FUN and SURPRISES!

SHINE GALLERY
IN THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET
6333 W. 3rd St., #134
At 3rd & Fairfax in Los Angeles!
Telephone: (323) 954-4700
www.shinegallery.com and modcom.org

Cheap Beach Vittles!

Santa Monica

If He’s The Big Boss And You’re The Hot Sauce

Los Angeles

Last month I met an artist named Lola at the Farmers Market over breakfast with friends. She was very sweet and handed me a postcard as I was leaving and asked me to come to her show. I told her I would and I’ve kept that postcard at the bottom of my purse so I wouldn’t forget. I just looked at her website and I think I’m gonna like it! You should go too. The End.

I Love Pickled Frog Balls!

Over the past week I’ve been taking trips out to the desert to pick up some things at my storage unit in Victorville. But to be honest, the real reason I head out there is so that I can make a pit stop at one of my favorite roadside attractions called Charlie Brown Farms to grab some pickled frogs balls!

Faux taxidermy!

Lemon flavored chocolate?

A variety of flesh!

Soda for days!

Guns for the kiddies!

Silly desert jokes that only a father could love!

Rurl fancee vino!

Places to eat bbq in the retail store!

Toilet paper on the dining tables to wipe all the sauce off!

http://www.charliebrownfarms.com/

Tonga Hut Parking Lot Sale

Los Angeles

Comedy Is Dead With Sarah Silverman

Los Angeles

It’s a lazy copy and paste kinda Saturday~

COMEDY IS DEAD with SARAH SILVERMAN and special musical guest LOU BARLOW

Thursday, April 1st, 2010 – Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Duncan Trussell present :
the 10th installment of Comedy is Dead in the historic Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

A Special APRIL FOOLS DAY Edition

Admission is $25 and drinks (beer and wine) are $5. PARKING IS FREE

LINE UP: Thursday, April 1st, 2010 (April Fools Day)

LOU BARLOW- Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh
Sarah Silverman – The Sarah Silverman Show
Al Madrigal –Gary Unmarried, the Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Garfunkel and Oats – Jay Leno Show, Scrubs
Steve Agee – The Sarah Silverman Show
Natasha Leggero- Chelsea Lately, Reno 911
Duncan Trussell- Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO’s Funny Or Die

Doors open at 8:00 PM – Show starts at 9:00 PM sharp

For more information the public can visit www.comedyisdead.info
or send an email to comedyisdead@gmail.com or call 310.909.7965

Tickets are available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com

Location Address:
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Warning! Don’t Go Near Santa Monica Tomorrow!

Santa Monica

Yes. Yes. The fact that the LA Marathon is running from Dodgers Stadium to Santa Monica is great for local business and tourism and all. I get it. But let’s be honest, if you planned on enjoying your first Sunday of spring in Santa Monica…think again. It’s going to be hell out here. Road closures everywhere. Insane traffic. Runners pooping their pants. It ain’t gonna be pretty or relaxing. And quite frankly, I have not run anywhere since I was seventeen and I was being chased by the cops through Crows Woods in South Jersey with a bottle of Jack Daniels in my purse.

Bet I Can Roger Rabbit Better Than You!

Los Angeles

It’s time to Bust a Move! Throw on your freshest kicks, your funkiest leg warmers, your tightest pair of spandex and get ready to learn your favorite throwback grooves. Tuesday, March 30th Heidi Llovet returns to YNS to teach her popular Old School Hip Hop class from 7:15pm-8:30pm. It’s gonna be an 80’s dance party!

If you need to brush up on your “running man” or your “Roger Rabbit,” maybe even your “happy feet,” “MC Hammer,” or best Bobby Brown “freak” dance moves, this is the class for you! In this 75 min. class you will groove to the best old school jams while refreshing your favorite house party moves from the 80’s and early 90’s. You will work up a serious sweat as well as a smile. Feel free to dress the part, too! Let’s make this an official Old School Party!

Old School Hip Hop with Heidi Llovet:
Tuesday, March 30th – 7:15pm-8:30pm
Your Neighborhood Studio
3625 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232

http://yourneighborhoodstudio.blogspot.com/2010/03/get-ready-to-get-old-school.html

You Know How It Is…

You know how it is when you hear a band that you never heard before and you really like their music and you tell yourself that you are going to buy all of their records and then you see a deer eating daisies on the side of the road and that band that you never heard before whose music you really like completely slips your mind? Well, that keeps happening with me and Gram Rabbit.

Every time I’m in my friend’s car back home in Philly, he plays them and I get all excited and ask who they are? And then he gets all irritated because he knows that I asked him the same question on my last trip home to Philly, as well as the trip before that. What can I say? There are deers eating daisies on the side of the road all over that city!

April 2nd, 2010 at the Echoplex
GRAM RABBIT/ANDY CLOCKWISE / CROOKED COWBOY AND THE FRESHWATER INDIANS
DOORS @ 8:30PM 18+ $10 ADV
http://www.attheecho.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gramrabbit

Vintage Santa Monica Pier

How Not To Vomit While Watching Alice In 3-D

I have anxiously been waiting for Alice to be released in theaters since last year and just when it finally arrives at the local IMAX, I go all chicken. You see, I suffer from motion sickness and driving in the backseat of cars and 3-D projections are the worst of the worst for me. The last time I even recall seeing a film in 3-D was when I went to see Jaws with my older brother when I was nine and I vomited in his lap.

At the very last-minute yesterday, after the tickets were purchased and everybody was gathering at my house to head for the theater, I panicked and backed out. I wanted to go so bad but didn’t want to get sick. But my friends hemmed and hawed, so I quickly did some research online as to how to avoid this dilemma. This is what worked for me.

1. If you can purchase assigned seats ahead of time…do so. If not, get to the theater early. You want to sit as close to the center of the aisle as you can and in the very last rows of the theater.

2. Don’t take the glasses off. Your friends will act like that is the easy solution but from everything I read, this will only make things worse.

3. Try to focus on the main visual or character in the scene as opposed to the entire screen. It kind of stinks that you might need to do this and miss something else going on but it did help me from getting a headache.

4. If a quick motion begins such as Alice falling down the rabbit hole or running, just close your eyes. Listen to the film and wait for the motion to stop. You can hear it. And you won’t be missing much more than some visual effects. Visual effects that might make you sick and make you have to leave the theater while your friends have all the fun.

I was really surprised that I made it through without so much as a butterfly in my belly or an aching in my head. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try the Mad Hatter Tea Cup ride at Disneyland next! NOT!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot!

Los Angeles

Yes, I was actually standing in the crowd when this shot was taken of the worlds largest pinata in Philadelphia. I am a sucker for any game that involves blindfolds, spinning, sticks and brightly colored hanging boxes full of candy.

Sadly, this event included a wrecking ball and the planners underestimated the rough Philly crowd who had no fear of getting in the way of said wrecking ball, if it meant they might be able to stuff handfuls of free candy down their pants.

When I grew bored and left, the pinata stood unbroken. PA’s were screaming about safety and ‘being cool’ over megaphones and police in riot gear were on their way up Broad St. towards a 60 ft. high rainbow colored paper donkey.

Hopefully there will not be quite as much drama at next weeks pinata making lecture at Machine Project.

Pinatas: A Lecture with Sarah Bay Williams
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
8pm

Please join Sarah Bay Williams as she presents a talk about the short history, process, materials, resources, human nature, and meanings behind piñata-making. With live demonstration of a piñata in use (and full of candy).

http://machineproject.com

House Industries Eames Exhibit Opening Tonight In Santa Monica

Opening Reception: March 11, 2010, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Where: The Eames Office, 850 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA
Free and open to the public

Meet and greet with the Eames family and House Industries designers
Presentation about the Eames Century Modern Collection
Live music from The Mattson 2
Screen printing on site with David Dodde and Fresh Pressed
Exhibition Runs from March 12 through April 1, 2010

Please join us as we introduce the illustrative beauty and cumulative functionality of Eames Century Modern with a three-dimensional tactile typographic experience at the Eames Office Gallery in Santa Monica. A cornucopia of free-standing dimensional letterforms and hand-printed installations celebrate the intricate curves and stunning stroke contrast that are the building blocks of this new font collection.

Larvae Tastes Like Bacon?

Los Angeles

Come on over to a CRITTER Salon at Machine Project on March 12th to try out some edible insects, featuring the delectable wax moth larvae, which have the flavor and texture of crispy fried bacon!!! At this event we’ll be serving wax moth larvae in the form of gourmet tacos, with fresh pressed tortillas, cream, and spicy green salsa. Wash it down with a sip of sweet, cold mead, a refreshing wine that is made from honey, and check out our other insect edibles! Come on over to try a low trophic treat, and find out just exactly what your life has been missing.

$5 workshop fee covers all bug-eating supplies including mead and taco fixin’s.

Eat Bug Eat
Friday March 12th, 2010
8pm

Sorry, spaces are sold out! If there’s extra room on the night of the event though, we’ll let more people in (bring $5 cash to the door).

This event is ‘sold out’ but we all know that LA folks are flakier than the dandruff on my eighth grade history teachers shoulders. And since it’s only five bucks, I’ll bet some folks will bail. Which means admission and more bugs for you and I! One for you. Two for me. One for you. Three for me.

http://crittersalon.blogspot.com/

Go To The Paris Flea Market At Nitespa In Venice This Saturday!

Los Angeles

Vintage clothes, rock t-shirts, bake sale and more!

Paris Flea Market @ NITESPA
This Saturday Only! March 13 from 11-4
Corner of Abbot Kinney on Santa Clara Ave. in Venice

And book an appointment for a mani/pedi while you are at it!
http://www.nitespa.com

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

I’m losing track of the numbers so I’m just going to make them up now.

32. Hire A Synchronized Swim Team To Perform In Your Swimming Pool!

http://www.meraquas.org

First Cinespia Cemetery Screening Of 2010 Announced!

Los Angeles

Hot off the presses as of two minutes ago! The date of the first Cinespia Hollywood Forever Cemetery screening of the summer has been announced and it is Saturday, May 15th. I love cemetery picnics!

And the movie is…

Sometimes Revenge Is Sweet Like Honey

My house was invaded by a bee swarm this week. Little did they know that I have a windowsill filled with hungry pink and green pets.

This One Eats Toilet Paper And Doorknobs

I’m currently babysitting some octopus chandeliers for my friend along with the spear gun that he uses to kill them. I’ve started to lock my bedroom door because I can hear them scurrying around the walls like giant spiders in the middle of the night and I’m afraid they might get a bright idea and decide to make me into a chandelier.

This octopus hangs out at the Mishka store in Japan and is the sister to the one I posted last month.

http://monstersizemonsters.blogspot.com

A Little Ruth Brown To Kick Off Your Rainy Day

Los Angeles

Alice In Tiki Drive-In Wonderland

Los Angeles

This is where I will be watching Alice In Wonderland. And I’m really hoping that it’s not in 3-D at the drive-in since 3-D makes me projectile vomit.

http://www.missiontiki.com/

The Runaways Benefit Screening For The Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles

Los Angeles

OK. I think I may have food poisoning and I’m lying on the floor with my laptop while my head rests on the carpet. But I wanted to post a few things coming up. So copy and paste it is!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010
7:00pm – 10:30pm
Los Angeles Film School
6363 West Sunset Boulevard

See “The Runaways” before it hits theaters, and donate to a great cause! All proceeds from this event benefit Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles, an exciting new non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls through music education.

Doors open at 7pm, movie starts at 8pm sharp. Seating is limited and tickets will not be sold at the door. Bring photo ID and a printed receipt. Also bring cash for purchasing raffle tickets! Bags will be checked for video cameras so leave them at home! Please check our website on the day of the screening for the most up-to-date information and announcements regarding this event.

http://www.rockcampforgirlsla.org

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/102852

I Love Untamed Menagerie!

A little over a year ago I found a mother/daughter artisan team on Etsy that in my opinion makes the best silhouetted acrylic jewelry pieces around. While this jewelry technique is becoming increasingly popular, I have loved silhouettes since I was a little girl when my mom collected antique two and three-dimensional reverse painted silhouette pictures. Not to mention that she always took me to the silhouette studio when we visited Disneyland.

I own the pendant of the circus elephant holding the umbrella and walking the tight rope of pearls and I get endless compliments on it. Sadly it recently busted in my luggage but you can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to buy another one. Plus, the best thing about Untamed Menagerie is that their prices are all reasonable! Maybe I should listen to my mother’s age old advice and just buy two this time?

http://www.etsy.com/people/UntamedMenagerie

Get Ready For Alice Up The Ying Yang

Los Angeles

Me and Alice go way back to the days when I alternated between a Snow White dress and Alice In Wonderland dress each and every day that I could. Not the cheap modern-day Disney store kind but the really nice high quality dresses that they only sold in one specific store in Disneyland back then, which I still happen to have in my closet. Maybe I’ll pull out the apron for the Camille Rose Garcia Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland Down The Rabbit Hole book release and exhibit this weekend at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery. I love that Camille and her books are my favorite gift to give to my friends!

Sometimes Art Makes Me Want To Eat My Eyeballs

What the fraggle?

http://www.etsy.com

BYOBeehive!

One of those things most people don’t know about me is that my brother and I are the only known offspring of two dancers from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. It’s true. My parents met on the show in Philadelphia in 1963. And like I always say…if it wasn’t for Dick, I wouldn’t exist!

My mom was a regular, had her own fan club and was featured in 16 Magazine. They were even on the show when the Ronettes sang Be My Baby! And the thing that my mother was most popular for on the show was her gigantic beehive hair do’s, as her sister happened to be in beauty school and knew how to do em’ up. My mom swears that at least an inch of the hole in the ozone layer was created by the amount of Aqua Net that she used in her Bandstand years.

Some guy and my mom on set

So I can’t help but have a soft spot for anything having to do with 60′s era dance shows. Sigh. And I am really happy to hear that the Devil’s Night Drive-In will be showing John Waters Hairspray on March 13th!

Saturday, March 13, 2010
6:30pm – 10:30pm
240 W. 4th St. (at Broadway) – 2nd Floor

If you’re watching from your car… Advance Tickets STRONGLY Recommended http://devilsnight.com

Chasing Waterfalls

Los Angeles

One of the best things you can do after it rains in Los Angeles is hike up to one of the local parks that has a waterfall. Always double-check flash flood conditions but it’s not hard to find beautiful loud rushing waterfall and creek along a local trail not too far from home. One of my favorite places to go is to the Temescal Canyon park trail.

One of the best things about Temescal Canyon is that ends at Will Rogers State Beach. This means that after a long hike you can roll down to the sand, soak in a little sun and maybe a nap before heading home.

I like to park on Temescal as well. There is a $7 parking fee in the park that I can’t always afford. If you do park in the provided parking lot, be sure to pay and also to come to a full stop at the stop signs. There is a camera there and you will get a ticket in the mail if you do not come to a complete stop. No joke.

I love these mid-century modern park benches on the side of the road. They really need some TLC.

This guy stole my parking spot and my dream car. A 1950′s pink Fleetwood station wagon!

He did not steal my license plate however.

General store inside the park.

The grounds at the base of the park used to be a spirtual center in the early 1900′s. There are loads of cabins and facilities that you can rent out for weddings and conferences. I’ve had friends who have gotten married here and then all the guests stayed in the cabins after the wedding reception!

There used to be a school in here that was built to look like a colorful train. The building still exists but the school is gone.

This guy had some kind of crazy stroller that when the hill got to steep and rocky, transformed into a backpack. That is a really good dad!

Waterfalls!

When you reach the top you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the ocean and Los Angeles!

http://www.lamountains.com/planning_temescal.html

Possible Stinkers Truck Stop Remodel Spoiler Alert

Los Angeles

Saw this on Craigslist this morning. It made me think it might be the new remodel theme for the bar formerly known as Stinkers Truck Stop in Silver Lake. Maybe? Maybe not?

Rookie Racing Wiener Dogs Wanted

Huntington Beach

Calling all rookie racing wiener dogs! There are wiener dog races this Sunday at the Old World Village in Huntington Beach!

Jan – May 2010
Races every 3rd Sunday of the month.
Check in at 2 pm, race begins at 3 pm
Admission is one dollar and parking is free!

Feb 21,2010 is our once a year “For ROOKIES Only” Doxi Races at Old World. Only dogs who have never won a trophy for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place can participate, so all of you who complain that the same dogs win all of the time, this is your BIG CHANCE!!!!!! Please let me know if you are thinking of joining us.

http://www.wienerdogstore.coml

http://www.oldworld.ws

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

6. Rent a moonbounce for your backyard!

My friend recently had a pajama party and rented a moonbounce castle for his backyard. We had a blast!

http://www.vistapartyrentals.com/id1.html

My Dream Picnic Blanket

Los Angeles

All this rain in the forecast is making me look forward to my first spring picnic.

Calling All Portlanders! N’ You Seattle Folks Too!

Portland

One of my oldest and best friends from New Jersey is one of the head designers of Owl Haus and is showing her ‘rock n’ roll art to wear’ fashions at the Sweet F.A. show in Portland, Oregon this weekend. I got a sneak preview of some of her new pieces and they are out of this world!

Art-to-Wear Cube Quilt Coat by Owl Haus

Art-to-Wear dress with quilted Chinese water-bar sleeves by Owl Haus

Sometimes I have to wear black pants to work. I pretty much hate to wear pants and I never wear just plain black anything. So Jessie made me some awesome Owl Haus pants for this reason a few years ago. We had a silly make-believe photo shoot in them. I love them!

(the one above is not me but you can see the pants much better)

Jessie has been my best friend since the 6th grade. She is going to hate me for posting this picture. It’s the one year that I can ever recall her dressing anything close to normal. But this is us before the 7th grade dance and I am only posting it because it humiliates me a whole lot more than it could possibly humiliate her. I was going through my awkward pre-teen phase and I totally understand now why my mother threw a fit when I cut all of my hair off. I can only look at it with one eye open. Painful! I do still have that Jessica McClintock dress in my closet though.

I believed in her so much back then that I used to take her art out of the trash after art classes. And I still have them!

A recent photo of our shoes side by side. Guess which ones are mine…

Now go!

Shop here! http://www.etsy.com/shop/owlhaus

And check out Jessie’s Portland Metal Bowling League too!
http://www.myspace.com/portlandmetalbowling

DO NOT DISTURB!

Los Angeles

Whoa. You don’t understand. I have a thing for closets. I mean, besides the fact that it’s my favorite part of my room because it holds my beloved threads, I actually used to live in one. No, not like that. It’s a long story that I guess I should clarify before anybody gets the wrong idea.

My brother and I lived in what was basically a glorified (it had windows) closet in my parents one bedroom apartment above a bank in Camden, New Jersey until I was eight and he was sixteen. Which meant that if we ever went on vacation, I went straight to the closet upon entering the hotel room and made believe it was my own private bedroom since I didn’t really have one on of my own at home and well…I thought that was where children slept. Why else would there be a blanket and pillow in there?

My mother would have panic attacks if I ever closed the door of my hotel closet bedroom thinking I would suffocate to death. It so annoyed me when she came in my hotel closet bedroom every five minutes to make sure I was alive! DO NOT DISTURB!

These people totally get it~

In a small coat room under and inside the stairs in the front lobby of the Hammer is the Little William Theatre. On Saturday from 1-4 Alex Noice and Brian Walsh will be performing short concerts for up to two people at a time. Brian and Alex will be bring their original compositions as a mixture of rock, folk, and improvised forms. They condense the visceral quality and intellectual intensity of an art rock band into their duo of clarinet and guitar.

Microconcerts in the Little William Theater
Please join us Saturday Feb 20th, 2010 in the lobby of the Hammer Museum, from 1-4pm
http://hammer.ucla.edu/

Just In Case You Gave Up Bingo For Lent

Los Angeles

Sometimes copy and paste is really nice….

PJ Ponie and Gorilla Suit Records invite you to join us for a special celebration. Safari S’Goody is back for another exciting adventure at our favorite Victorian, HM 157.

It’s a nite of music and movies that you won’t soon forget. Our playdate this fine eve will be Family Album. They will titillate the ears with their incestuous stylings that only a real family can provide.

Not only will you be treated to two astounding musical acts, we will also be screening two vital, yet overlooked films. “Bless the Beasts and Children”, starring Billy Mumy… and… “For Your Height Only”, starring the 3’9″ secret agent WengWeng. Not to be missed or believed.

Party games and prizes!!!

And all this will be MC’d by the dynamic Monkey from Seattle!

Schedule of events
8:03 pm “Bless the Beasts and Children”
10:22 pm Safari S’Goody
11:37 pm Family Album
12:43 pm “For Your Height Only”

Suggested donation of $5 at door

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 8:00pm

HM157
3110 N. Broadway

www.myspace.com/hm157

Babe Would Have Been All Over This Buddhist Bingo

Los Angeles

By total coincidence, three generations of women in my family have ended up with family nicknames that start with the letter B. I’m Bree, my mom is Boo and my maternal grandmother was Babe.

Babe was a notorious bingo player. If there was a church, school, club or home putting on a bingo night within a two-mile radius of her South Philly home, you could bet that Babe would be there.

The thing about Babe though was that she was some kind of bingo shark. No really! According to my mother, my grandmother had a knack for picking cards with certain numbers in the corners that always seemed to win. Combined with the fact that she could play more cards at once than anybody you have ever seen, Babe always came home with the prize.

Here is hoping I have as much luck at the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple Bingo Night on Friday. Sadly I never learned the numbers trick from good ol’ Babe so I guess I’ll have to rub ol’ Buddha’s belly and hope for the best.

So if I have a little girl one day…what do you think about the nickname Bingo?

Friday, February 19 at 7pm and every 3rd Friday of the year except December and July

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
2003 Corinth Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(Not far from Olympic Blvd. and the 405)

www.wlabt.org

Hide All Of Your Pencils And Champagne Glasses

Los Angeles

My friend Adam makes stuff. It’s really cool stuff. The only thing that sucks about the stuff he makes is that in the middle of the night when you are asleep, it runs around the house and eats all of your pencils and champagne glasses.

His latest chandelier will be hanging out at the new Mishka store in Echo Park. I hope they have security cameras to catch all the crazy things that the really cool stuff Adam makes does in the middle of the night when everybody is asleep. Hopefully Mishka doesn’t sell champagne glasses.

I Know (I Know) You Belong To Somebody New

Los Angeles

I know (I know)
You belong to somebody new
But tonight you belong to me
Although (although) we’re apart
Your part of my heart
And tonight you belong to me

Way down by the stream
How sweet it will seem
Once more just to dream
In the moonlight
My honey I know (I know)
With the dawn that you will be gone
But tonight you belong to me

Way down, way down along the stream
How very, very sweet it will seem
Once more just to dream
In the silvery moonlight
My honey, I know (I know)
With the dawn that you will be gone
But tonight you belong to me
Just to little old me

I have been in tears for well over twelve hours now. Give or take some shut-eye. Yesterday I sold the car I’ve driven for twenty years. The only car I’ve ever had. And I am heartbroken.

We have driven 186,117 miles together. She was the first car I ever put gas into. We’ve been in two car accidents. We’ve lived in four different states. We’ve driven across country six times.

We hid her in the backyard behind the house under tarp when my dad was having a rough year and the repo man came to get her in the middle of the night. All of my boyfriends have driven her. She’s taken endless trips down desert roads with me where the streets have no name. I’ve thrown a futon in her trunk on a whim in the middle of the night and woken looking at a sky of tall trees through her tinted windows. We were jumped by kids from a rival South Jersey neighborhood once and she’s been punched by a crazy person with road rage.

She’s taken me to the Jersey shore, Canada, Disneyworld, Mexico, Dollywood, Graceland (twice), Laura Ingalls Wilder’s dugout in Walnut Grove, Devils Tower monument, the Grand Canyon (twice), Sequoia National Forest, Yellowstone, Golden Arches, Sedona, Mt. Rushmore, Niagra Falls. Just to name a few.

Last night, a few hours after she was towed away by the mechanic who bought her, I decided to silently drive by the garage where she is being given new life and saw that he was already working on her in the dark. I’m happy for her. Now I need to learn to play the ukulele so I can go visit the garage in the middle of the night and sing her this in the silvery moonlight.

If you are looking for ukulele lessons too, try the Venice Japanese Community Center.

The end.

Uh-Oh. What The Fraggle Did They Do To My Bar?

Los Angeles

I’ve been wanting to do a ‘Rainy Day LA’ piece on what I consider to be one of the best bars in Santa Monica. It’s a small little bar tucked in the AMF Bowling Alley on Pico. It is far from popular and kind of annoying “Jones. Your lane is ready. Jones!” and the drinks are not as cheap as you might think for a bowling alley. But. The big but…

The decor is or shall I say was, a dream. Old red leather booths and red velvet flocked wallpaper. I ran into the bowling alley to use the loo the other day and almost fell to the floor when I ran by the bar. This shot is all out of focus because I was so shaken and scared. Oh dear God in heaven! Please tell me they are putting up new flocked wall paper in the same exact color. Please!

Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner At Audrey’s

Hollywood

So do you hate Hollywood and Highland as much I do? Thought so. Sadly, sometimes I can’t escape it. Whether I’m meeting up with my family who happen to live at Franklin and Highland or I’m going to a show at The Kodak, sometimes it needs to be done. But once I’ve said my Hail Mary’s ten times and I’ve pull my mouth out of a paper bag after having to park seven levels underground, I prefer to get away from that monstrosity. And this is where Cafe Audrey comes in.

Painted behind the bathroom mirror.

Tucked away just two blocks east of Hollywood and Highland on Las Palmas, Cafe Audrey is a darling and might I add, affordable little cafe (coffee, food and free wi-fi) dedicated to Audrey Hepburn. I only recently discovered it and fell in love with its Parisian black and white Audrey themed decor accented with faux zebra painted rugs, cheetah print chairs and sky-high ceilings. If you find yourself in the area and need to escape the madness for a moment, I highly recommend it. Oh! And they have a ‘happy hour’ that consists of cookies and milk. Yep!

Cafe Audrey
6701-B Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90068
(323) 465-5359
www.cafeaudrey.com

Good Goin’ Stranger!

Santa Monica

One of my all time favorite movies, Desperately Seeking Susan, is playing as part of a Rosanna Arquette double feature with Martin Scorcese’s After Hours at the Aero in Santa Monica on Thursday. I’m a sucker for the lean in shoulder ‘Get Into The Groove’ dance and the idea of being a professional magicians assistant in a pink dress.

Rosanna Arquette will be a special guest and have a discussion between films. What I really want to do is ask her the age-old burning question. Was Toto’s Rosanna really written about her or not?

Thursday, February 18th at 7:30 pm
Aero Theater
1328 Montana Avenue at 14th Street
Santa Monica , Ca

Do You Know Isabel Seid By Any Chance?

Santa Monica

Today was one of those perfect Southern California days where it is warm and sunny but there is also an electricity in the air that kind of makes you feel like you took some sort of illegal drug. Colors are brighter. The air feels fresher. People are happier.

My Valentine’s plan was to do one simple thing. Go to ZenBunni on Main St. in Santa Monica and pick up a chocolate bar for myself. Then come home and read Vogue India in the backyard in my bathing suit. Perfect. Half hour trip tops. Well my half hour trip turned into five hours of complete and total unplanned bliss, where I followed my ruby-red slippers and let my heart lead the way. Love was everywhere for the taking. I almost didn’t even have to look for it. Today, California was my love.

Here we go!

OK. I know I said I was just going to ZenBunni but I happened to pass the 99 Cents Only Store and couldn’t resist buying myself a new Venus flytrap for Valentine’s day. Who needs roses?

I parked behind the library on Main St. and realized that today was the Santa Monica Farmers Market. I could hear laughter from a block away and decided to make another detour and check it out.

This is a great Farmers Market and in my opinion so much better than the huge one off the 3rd St. Promenade. They have pony rides, live music and loads of stands with freshly prepared food that you can eat on the grass. The place was buzzing!

Yes, bike valet is common in Santa Monica. We try our best to be green.

Even the ponies are green. They plug them in at night to recharge!

Fresh coconut water!

I loved that this girl had a sequin purse at the farmers market. I wanted to ask her if she has sequin tomatoes and asparagus in there.

Matching mama and baby aprons!

So at this point I began to cry. My mother is the love of my life and all the way in Jersey today. She has always told me since I was a little girl to think of her whenever I see a dandelion, blow on it and make a wish. I had not seen one in ages.

And then I looked up in the sky for no reason and saw this…

And this…

I started walking on Main St. towards ZenBunni and soaked in the scenery.

And then I was here.

ZenBunni is cozy little chocolatier and curio shop where you can find their homemade raw organic chocolate bars amongst taxidermy, furniture and jewelry.

I choose the ‘Gypsy Bar’ which is made of chai, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

You have to unwrap the gold foil and eat this stuff super quick because it melts fast. Yum!

Happy Heart Day From A&AP!

They Don’t Sell Rose Flavored Ice-Cream Where I Come From

Los Angeles

In 1986 when I was twelve going on thirteen, my family moved from South Jersey to Beverly Hills. While our zip code was 90210, it wasn’t the fancy kind of Beverly Hills you would imagine. My parents actually found a magical little storybook Tudor cottage built into a steep narrow hillside up in Benedict Canyon. My dads Econoline van could barely turn around on our street and it took well over sixty steps to get to our front door.

The contrast of life in the burbs of Philly to the hills of Beverly was radical. We traded a large backyard with wild bunnies, lightning bugs and mosquitoes for a hillside of rattlesnakes, a large buck that loved to stick his head in our windows, scorpions that nested in our sock drawers and packs of coyotes that paroled our narrow winding one lane street at night.

While in Jersey our block was filled with families who we interacted with on a daily basis, in Beverly Hills the only neighbors that we ever conversed with lived across the road in a decrepit home that once belonged to Dave Mason. They were a group of young musicians who had some band nobody had heard of and rehearsed all hours of the day and night. Their band name was Concrete Blonde. Their hit album Bloodletting came out a few years later.

Finding a new school where I would attend the 8th grade was a big undertaking. My parents could not afford the Catholic school that I begged them to enroll me in. And they were weary of putting me in any school in the Beverly Hills school district as they had been warned that all BH schools were riddled with drugs. So I ended up in a public school in Westwood called Emerson that sat quite literally in the shadow of the iconic Mormon Temple. Our house was so remote that public buses didn’t even come within walking distance. And since my mother didn’t drive, when my dad was out of town on business for months on end, I had to take a cab to and from school.

Adjusting to life in a new school, in a new state and on a new coast was rough. I went from a middle school of four hundred students to a middle school of well over two thousand. We had earthquakes drills along with some actual earthquakes in the middle of our school day. I had a brunette bowl cut bob and wore a bolo tie. ‘They’ had long blond hair and wore natural crystal necklaces. I could not quite grasp the idea that everybody greeted each other with hugs. And the fact that everybody wore parkas if temps reached a low of sixty-eight degrees put me in a fit of laughter.

Back then we all listened to Depeche Mode on KROQ at the donut shop before school and tried not to act like we cared about the fact that some actor we went to school with, like Jason Hervey, was sitting next to us sipping a Slurpee. In all honesty, I had to look his name up just now to remember what his name was.

One name I do remember is Maureen McCormick (Marsha Brady). My best friend Inga moved from Poland the year before 8th grade and learned to speak English by watching TV. She lived in a high-rise apartment building on Wilshire Blvd. and we would always offer to do her aunts laundry in hopes that we might run into Marsha Brady in the laundry room, who was then a budding country star. Ahem. But Marsha was really nice.

Life after school consisted of hangs in Westwood which was incredibly hip in the 80’s, cheese fries at the All American Burger, bus rides west on Santa Monica Blvd. to the beach and trips to the Persian shops on Westwood Blvd.

I recently headed back to Westwood Blvd. for a peek into my past and remembered a great Persian market that sells homemade ice-cream. Formerly the Rose Market, the Super Sun is a grocery store with everything you would expect from lavash to produce and then some.

They have a great selection of dried fruits and nuts and eardrum tickling sweets like deep fried honey. But it’s really all about the ice-cream. Mind you, this is not for your four-year old Baskin-Robbins loving baby. These flavors are unique and more often than not have a hint of rose flavor. You will find ice-cream sandwiches made with paper-thin wafers in the freezer or you can choose one of the few fresh ice-creams from the counter which on the day I went included orange blossom, cucumber and a yellow saffron-pistachio.

I have to say that while Persian ice-cream does not stand up to Philly Italian water-ice, much like Los Angeles, it can grow on you if you just give it a chance.

Super Sun
1922 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 474-0101

I Break For Animal Topiaries!

Los Angeles

I accidently turned down a dead-end street driving a Ford Econoline van yesterday. But this topiary hedge made it all worth while.

Follow Me To Green Clean Public Restrooms On The Beach

Santa Monica

I remember the day they put up the new traffic light on PCH for Annenberg Community Beach House. I suddenly envisioned already rage inducing beach traffic on weekends growing considerably worse. But I was wrong. The beach house, which is the only public beach house on the West Coast, has been open for over a year now and it’s all smooth sailing.

I took a trek down to check it out today and I have to say, it’s amazing! If you haven’t heard the story already, this place is built on the former property of Marion Davies by her boyfriend William Randolph Hearst in 1929. The house where they threw lavish themed parties is long gone but the guest house still remains and is open for tours. And where the old main house used to stand now lies a public pool, lavish decks and picnic areas with views of the ocean, volleyball courts, a children’s playground and splash pad, beach rentals and Back On The Beach restaurant.

The story of Marion and William is really interesting and there are a lot of myths weaved into it. I highly recommend watching Eliana Archer’s ‘The True Story of Marion Davies” before checking it out. But the docent tour is good too. Gotta love a seventy- year old docent that says things like “ass over tea kettle” on a tour!

Tony private beach club. Not the Annenberg.

Snobby members only beach club. I bet they hate the Annenberg.

Cause the Annenberg is just next door and look how beautiful it is!

Marion Davies guest house.

Uh yeah. This was just the guest house.

This is what the 118 room, 34 bedroom, 55 bath, $7 million dollar (in 1929) main house looked like before it was torn down in the 1950′s.

I have no idea what the Fraggle this was all about. Please tell me it’s not art.

Inside the guest house.

Yes it’s free and yes they will let you hang on the porch and soak in the beach view.

Original fireplace mantel? I had to ask. Hearst approved! I don’t think he approved the Pottery Barn furniture though.

Original light fixtures? I was the only geek asking questions. Not only Hearst approved but made by Tiffany!

Marion Davies was well known for her lavish themed costume parties that were thrown at her beach house. This carousel was brought in from Warner Brothers Studios and placed on the tennis court at the beach.

Randolph and Barbara Stanwyck.

Gloria Swanson, Marion Davies, Constance Bennett, and Jean Harlow in the early 1930′s.

Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Director Mervyn Le Roy and Hearst

Eileen Percy, Kay English, Adrian, Richard Boleslawski, Howard Hughes, Marion Davies and Jack Warner

I’m not so sure about the sheer weave images. Come on! It’s a little Apartment Therapy for a William Randolph Hearst home.

Tiffany lighting saves the decor!

The best thing about the upstairs were the original bathrooms. The two front bedrooms were closed for a private party.

Jealous?

My Little Monster

Los Angeles

My little monster caught a moth today!

Holy Cow In A Basket Casket!

Los Angeles

I went to the prop rental shop on my lunch break to look for some things. It was as good as a visit to the museum and I didn’t hate it at all!

Faux sides of beef!

Fish that doesn’t stink.

The most amazing picnic basket/suitcase that I have ever seen in my life!

Fancy stuff.

Luggage made from dinosaur skin!!!

Blow dryers for giants.

Cute chalkware.

Creepy ventriloquist dummy.

Rainbow assortment of vintage telephones.

I collect parasols so this made me super duper happy.

Vegan turkey.

Faux food.

Crazy animals hanging from ceiling.

Caskets.

And basket caskets!

Pretty bible.

Canes for days.

Heads and giant telephones.

Vintage Lunch Box Heaven!

Cigarette girl boxes.

Elegant luggage for isles of smiles.

Antique steamer trunks.

Waz up Doc?

Vintage Samsonite! I faint!

I used to have this Samsonite luggage set when I was a kid. I loved it so much and I am sickened that I don’t have it anymore.

Fool’s gold.

Don’t eat the candy.

Glitter seahorsies!

The most amazing magifying glass I’ve ever seen!

Drive-By

Los Angeles

Photos I shoot from the car

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine

Los Angeles

In a nutshell, the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is a former movie set purchased by Paramahansa Yogananda in the 1950′s where he lived on a houseboat and honored the five principal religions of the world. The ten- acre property includes a spring-fed lake, luscious floral and fauna, a windmill, Gandhi’s ashes and Koi fish that are almost as big as the swans.

You don’t have to be a believer to enjoy the beauty of this place. And did I mention that it is free?

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/temples/lakeshrine

One Day I’m Gonna Have Me A Double Cheeseburger Garden

Los Angeles

My friend just asked me where my header photo came from and it reminded me that I’ve never explained that I took my header photo in one of my favorite Los Angeles gift shops.

Have you ever dreamed of having a double cheeseburger garden? If so, I know how you feel because I have too. And I could actually have one if I only had a garden. You see, there is this wonderous store on Olvera Street in Downtown LA called Casa California that sells double cheeseburger banks and I want them all!

They sell lots of things at Casa California. But among those things are some of the oddest and largest clay piggy banks I have ever seen. For instance, there is the two foot tall pig dressed as a sheriff with cowboy hat and gun. Yes, I want him too. Except he will greet visitors at my door and keep the Hamburgler at bay.

They also carry bull banks, ass (mule) banks, piggy banks and my beloved double cheeseburger banks. A whole shelf of fifteen inch high hamburgers at only ten dollars a pop! I’ll take twenty and line them up in the dirt with a little stake next to them that says…Double Cheeseburger. It might be even better if I put them between some real live tomato and lettuce plants.

And that’s not all they have here. No, no, no. They have a large inventory of rosaries just across from the tarot cards. Wait. What? Rosaries and tarot cards in the same store? Yeppers.

Are you in the market for a baby Jesus? Seriously, they have every size of baby Jesus you could ever need. The largest ones are priced at over $400. But at the same time you can find one of those two foot tall mother Mary vibrantly painted statues for 14.95, which I think is great. Cause I can foresee that mother Mary statues are the Buddha statues of 2010. Mark my words, they are gonna be all over La Brea next time you drive by.

All of this and in the corner of the store I found a five foot high pile of pinatas. Just kinda thrown in the corner up against a glass display case of holy knick knacks. Cool.

I love this store. I’d give it ten stars if I could. Or better yet, twenty double cheeseburgers!

Casa California
23 Olvera St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-4391

Cat’s Eye Cottage

I have this book in my collection that is a UK preteen annual called Debbie 1981. It’s really strange and I’ve been trying to scan pages to post for you. But I don’t know how to make is so that you can click on the image on my page and make it bigger so that you that can actually read the comics. So I have to settle for clips of pages.

This is my favorite comic in the book. It’s about a hot chick in a wheelchair with really awesome hair and clothes who is healed by a magic black cat named Puss.

Drive-By

Drive-by
Photographs I shoot from the car

Snow in the mountains above the Hollywood sign this morning

If You Like Goldstar, You Will Love Groupon

Los Angeles

Groupon is a great sight that e-mails deep discounts offered exclusively through Groupon each day from all different kinds of local businesses including local travel, food, spa and fitness and more.

You can even keep even get daily updates via Facebook and Twitter!

http://www.groupon.com/welcome_to_groupon

Hobo Parties Are Sooo Wrong, Yet Sooo Right!

Los Angeles

Please note that I try to give you a heads up on things way ahead of time so you can make plans. Because I don’t know about you but for me, dressing like a hobo takes planning.

“Hooverville” Picnic at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park
FEB 27th 2010
12 noon-till sunset
The Hooverville dustbowl BBQ in the old zoo picnic area

Time for a copy and paste~

A special tribute to Palmdale Johnnie! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DRESS like a pre 1930s HOBO… do not show up or bring anyone wearing super modern clothing.. lets try to emulate the past with as 1930s or before people… only exception is food

THIS EVENT IS FREE FREE FREE so bring your vintage people

Cooking With Glass

I always think it’s a little strange when living people wish dead people happy birthday.

Stinkers Famous Skunk Butts Are Going On The Auction Block!

Los Angeles

From The Good Folks At Stinkers Truckstop in Silverlake~

If you are a fan of all things Burt Reynolds, Trans Am and Peterbilt, you can dry your tears. We’re auctioning off the bar’s ’70s-themed decor (along with its lovable skunks-drinking-Schlitz-beer dioramas) on Feb. 9th. This includes a replica of the hood of the Pontiac Trans Am from “Smokey and the Bandit,” loads of Burt Reynolds posters and a life-size cutout of the man, the smoking skunk butts, plenty of 1970s movie posters and the cologne machine from the bathroom.

A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the Santé D’Or Foundation, a local animal rescue and adoption agency.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 8:00pm
Viewing begins at 8 p.m. and the live auction kicks off at 9pm
Stinkers Truckstop
2939 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

We will be reopening the March 2010 with a new theme!

Images are from Stinkers Myspace page

Man Eating Desert Spider Warning!

Yes, that’s me. What can I say except that I’m a sucker for a roadside attraction. Especially when they don’t charge admission and are located off the highway in the middle of the desert.

While I’ve never been one to squirm at the sight of a house spider or daddy long legs, this arachnid is a bit on the scarier side. We’re talking a GIANT spider reminiscent of a 1950′s sci-fi film made from a VW bug.

It stands at the entrance of this welding shop and really is something to see. Check it. But maybe leave the Raid at home.

Hole In The Wall Welding
Palm Springs
Highway 10 at Indian Canyon Drive

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

5. Buy a dead horse prop! Only $3,000!

http://www.dappercadaver.com/dead-horse-p-1878.html

Graveyard Sledding!

It seems that all my friends back east are snowed in right now. Which brings me back to my holiday vacation at my parents house in New Jersey this past December.

First thing I think of when it snows this much is…graveyard sledding! This is kind of an unspoken tradition in my old neighborhood and we all grew up happily waking up with the sun on snow days and dragging our sleds through the streets to the graveyard instead of the classroom. The coolest kids had parents who let them go to the the graveyard at 2am or 3am.

This particular cemetery has great hills and headstones that are only an inch or so high so if you hit one by accident, you are usually no worse for the wear. It goes on all day and night and I’m lucky enough that the cemetery is right across the street from our house. Watch out belowwwww!

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

4. Buy a swing from Myburgh Designs. The pumpkin one comes with a hidden music box!

Big Mama Jama Hair

Los Angeles

I am my mother’s daughter. And whether I’m going to a costume party or I just want to transform myself without having to make a permanent hair style commitment, I have to have some wig options. And I’m not talking about stuff that comes in plastic bags on walls at Halloween stores. I’m talking the real deal. With real human hair. Yeah.

My mother has a thick full mass of hair but I remember when I was little seeing her giant wigs floating in the tub a few days before a party. She had an endless array and I couldn’t wait to grow up and have my own! Every girl should at least have a supply of falls for dress up. Wilshire Wigs is where I go to get mine.

On a back road in North Hollywood, they are the be all and end all in the business and supply wigs for movies and film. Often times when you come in you can see somebody hand sewing a mustache or a fall together. They have the cheapy stuff as well. But I go here for the big mama jama hair. And it ain’t cheap. The only thing that sucks a little about the place is that the salespeople are not always attentive. So just be patient and flag em down. Excuseeee me! Can I get some of that big mama jama hair?

Wilshire Wigs
5241 Craner Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(800) 927-0874

Free Apples And Alligator Pears!

On Saturday and Sunday, Fallen Fruit will hand out 150 trees each day along with planting instructions and ideas for transforming your neighborhood with the simple act of planting one tree. Fruit tree adoptions begin at 12 pm and quantities are limited so come early! Today they will be at Watts Towers and tomorrow at LACMA.

FallenFruit.org

Strange Fruit and She-Wolves Tonight!

Los Angeles

VICTOR CASTILLO: Strange Fruit & MISS VAN: She-Wolves
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 6th, 8-11pm
February 6 – March 6, 2010

http://www.mkgallery.com

Shopping Mall of My Youth

Old vintage postcards of the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Oh how I loved that giant birdcage. The just don’t make em’ like they used to!

Alice Up The Jing Jang

If you don’t know already, we are all about to get our fill of Lewis Carroll. Which is mighty fine by me. However what I’m really hoping will come out of all of this rabbit hole merriment is a little more recognition for a fantastic filmmaker who made a truly haunting film about Alice, Jan Svankmajer. I’m really not sure that anybody will be able to make a better version of Alice than he did. Sorry Tim. Sorry Walt.

Czech Your Head

Los Angeles

With another day of rain left to fall in Los Angeles you might want to get out to the Silent Movie Theater for a screening of the classic Daisies tonight. Be sure to get your tickets on-line as I think it’s going to sell out before the day is through.

www.cinefamily.com

Drive-By

Drive-By
Random photos I shoot from the car

Stuck in traffic on PCH

My Creepy Doll Bar

Rainy Day LA

I have a favorite local bar. It’s full of creepy dolls. And secret rooms all over that you never know are there until random doors are unlocked in the middle of the night with no announcement. And it has a courtyard that makes me feel like I’m in a back alley joint in Saigon where my smoker friends can smoke without choking or abandoning me. They serve everything from Guinness to absinthe and if their food doesn’t sober me up, I can always leave my car and walk home at the end of the evening.

I always describe the place as it’s as if Snow White And The Seven Dwarves went to the dark side and opened a bar in their home. The only thing that stinks about it is that sometimes they have random horrible DJ’s that attract a college crowd that is creepier than the creepy dolls. I hear it’s owned by an 80 something year old woman from Russia. I want to meet her. I bet she thinks the college crowd is creepy too.

I think tonight would be a good night to go because it’s raining and people won’t be able to hang out in the courtyard and one of the two rooms I’ve never been into might be open. Plus the DJ plays in the courtyard so he’d be washed out tonight and hopefully the college crowd will stay home too. If you go and you are wondering where I am, just ask for Grumpy.

Renee’s Courtyard Cafe
522 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Oh Give Me A Home, Where The Flamingo’s Roam

I was in my mid-twenties and searching for student housing in Massachusetts when I first declared to my parents that I wanted to live in a trailer park. The photography school I was attending happened to be located directly next to a trailer park and I figured it was time that I make my ‘The Long, Long Trailer’ dream come true. While my parents were amused, they were not about to let me move into a trailer park in a hick town in Western Massachusetts.

Since then I’ve gotten my trailer fix any which way I can. I try to drive through every trailer park I ever come upon. I’ve stayed at Kate’s Lazy Meadow in the Catskills and the Starlux in Wildwood, New Jersey. Both of which offer airstream trailer accommodations. One day I hope to stay at the Shady Dell in Arizona and my big dream is to make it to one of the designer penthouse trailers at the Grand Daddy in Cape Town, South Africa. I’m also really looking forward to Hicksville Trailer Palace opening in Joshua Tree in the spring.

Mom and I on our Starlux airstream vacation get-away

Just as I begin to wonder if it is just me…I have noticed another new trailer trend. Trailer rentals on Craigslist both as living accommodations and vacation rentals!

$1200 / 1br – 2004, 28′ Airstream for Residential RENTAL (Topanga)

Entirely redesigned 2004 Airstream “International CCD” model, located in Topanga’s “Post Office Loop,” next to State Park, inside property with ocean view (21503 Colina Drive). Immaculate conditions inside and outside. Amazing owner-redesigned interior for maximum living comfort…see pictures to believe it! Besides standard equipment (electricity, gas stove, oven, refrigerator, running water, septic tank, shower), comes with great amenities: Satellite Dish and TV hook-up, Ethernet wired, High-Fi radio-CD system, 18″ Flat screen, DVD player, Solar panels. Refurbished couches in leather. Re-designed blue shower. Aluminum Venetian blinds and suede curtains. Completely equipped with high quality bedding, towels, cookery, gas barbecue, even a portable laundry machine!

Utilities and once-a-week cleaning and laundry included.

ONLY single or double occupancy; no pets.
Available for monthly rental (month to month): 1,200 $
Weekly rental: 500 $
Weekend rental (depending on availability): 250 $

Available from March 1.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/apa/1579450093.html

$79 / 2br – Airstream Trailer for Rent – Vacation, Special Event, Movies etc (California)

FUN FUN FUN IN THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SILVER BULLET Classic 1964 Airstream Trailer – 22′ Single axle. Delivered to your location. It has 2 beds, bathroom, full kitchen, hot & cold water, heater, lots of storage. all you need is a power cord. FULLY FUNCTIONAL – WE DELIVER AND PICK UP!!!!!! WE ALSO OFFER VACATION PACKAGES!!!
Commerials Special wedding Photo shoot Have family over and need extra room Want to take a vacation over the holidays business meeting.
http://airstream.home.mindspring.com/

$900 / 1br – Airstream in the Mountains (Malibu) (map)

1 bedroom, 1 full bath with tub, airstream trailer in the beautiful hills of Malibu. This is the largest, most luxurious home ever built by airstream.
It has a full kitchen and bath with separate living room, den and bedroom. The inside is all original birch veneer and tile floor. It is 12 feet wide by 42 feet long.

It has canyon views and sits creekside. It is wired for fios high speed internet, has a stove, refrigerator, electricity, water, trash service all included. Home is on 2.5 acres in the Malibu Mountains. Owner lives on site. It’s less than a 10 minute drive to the beach and 20 minutes to Westlake Village.

Need 1 year lease to move in. Looking for one great person who likes the country setting and a quiet life. Available immediately.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/apa/1577664110.html

A Real Bloody Valentine

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Dapper Cadaver and I’m kinda sad that they are not in Hollywood anymore. If you have never been, they are horror prop masters who make and supply props for film, museums and parties and also sell to the public. Last time I was in they were working on a cadaver in the back! If you are looking for something bloody for your Valentine and can’t get out to Sun Valley, be sure to take a peek at their website.
Mummified MermaidPunk Rock Taxidermy Mouse
Vintage Fortune Teller In A BoxDiaphonized Bat Syringe Cookie Cutter Beast From BeyondChicken Skeleton

Please note that there are some things on this link that will be offensive or disturbing to some people. These folks deal in horror after all.

http://www.dappercadaver.com

Haberdasher Heaven!

Have you ever measured your skull for a hat size? I have and my noggin is huge. As a matter of fact it is 23.5 inches around. Yeah, almost two feet. So it’s really difficult for me to find a woman’s hat that fits me. However, I’ve learned a little trick. You know the old vintage hats that you see in the thrift store? The kind that movie stars used to wear in the 40′s and Lucy used to wear to go grocery shopping in? Well, considering that they are more of a head decoration then a taut band around your forehead type hat, I can wear them. And I have a great collection!

California Millinery Supply Co. is one of those hidden gems that every time I go downtown, I pray will still be there. They are a hat making supply company that has obviously been there long before you or I were a twinkle in our parents eye. The front of the store is unassuming but if you go during the day you will see that the front door is open and the place is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered.

It’s like walking into a time capsule when you enter the door of the California Millinery Supply Co. You will find old dusty shelf after old dusty shelf of fading cardboard boxes filled with everything from feather plumes, to high quality velvet ribbons to vintage notions. For those of you who don’t know what a notion is, that’s a little decoration like a velvet flower or plastic berry that you might use to decorate a hat or a dress like a precious bijou.

This isn’t like all the other dime a dozen notion stores that you will find in the fabric district either. This place is filled with new old stock. On a good day you can even find little vintage paper accordion ducks or pipe cleaner people which are my favorites! You can rummage through the boxes when you are feeling creative and need some inspiration, just be sure to keep it tidy. Above the counter you will see a clothes line hanging with all the old metal wires twisted and molded into the styles that they made the old millinery hats from. They even carry top hat frames!

I’ve brought friends in here who have no interest in vintage hats and not a creative bone in their body but even they have been wowed by the place. I’m tempted not to even tell anybody about it but quite honestly that would be selfish and my bad juju might make the place going under. So please, please, please, go and take a peek!

www.californiamillinery.net

Will Kewpie My Valentine?

When I was a little girl my favorite toy was a Kewpie doll that I named Tommy after my grandfather. I’d had it since I was a baby and I took it almost everywhere with me. One day while I was at school my mother cleaned my room and put Tommy in the wrong pile and accidently donated him to the Goodwill. While I long ago forgave her, it is something that thirty years later she still randomly apologizes to me for. And to be totally honest, I still miss him something awful.

This is why I have a soft spot for Adam Wallacavage’s glow in the dark Alyona print that is being sold through Poster Child Prints website. I own this glowing sweetness and it always makes me smile!

If you are looking for something really special for your Valentine this year, might I suggest you check out Poster Child Prints. It’s a great way to buy affordable limited edition and signed and numbered pieces by artists like Friends With You, Jim Houser, Claw Money, Saber and many more.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite LA Things

Los Angeles

At the cross-section of the 10 freeway and Lincoln Blvd. is an antique mart that I travel to when I’m in need for a little inspiration, a unique gift or a window shopping fix.

And by the by, the telephone purse can actually be plugged in to work.

http://wertzbrothers.com/storesm.html

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

Buy a…

2. Commercial Grade See-Saw

and throw in a…

3. Elephant Spring Rider for good measure!

www.outdoorfunstore.com

101 Fantastic Ways To Waste Your Tax Return

1. Buy A Mermaid Tail!

Thom Shouse aka ‘The Tailman’ has made mermaid tails for everything from commericals, print ads, tv shows and music videos. Charmed? Yes! Annie Leibovitz? Yes! Foo Fighters video? Yuh-huh!

While heaven only knows how much it costs to rent his fancy scale tails, he does have an affordable waterproof line available for only three hundred and fifty smackers! These fabric swim tails come in gold, teal and emerald and are fitted with monofins to make them easier to swim in.

I’ve been considering buying one for five years now. I think 2010 just might be the year of the mermaid!

http://www.mermaidrentals.com/commerce.htm

Uhh…

I’m just going to copy and paste on this one and let Craigslist do the talking.

UNIQUE PERSIAN PORTRAIT RUG OF KATE WINSLET $1950

We are selling one of a kind Persian Rug portrait depicting Kate Winslet, famous for her leading role in the epic movie “Titanic”, starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Woven after a portrait photograph with Kate wearing the famous Diamond Heart Necklace.

This exquisite handmade wool & silk carpet was commissioned in Tabriz, Iran for a wealthy admirer of Kate Winslet. It shows the incredible skill and craftsmanship that was put into this very fine piece of art. It is a masterpiece in is own right and one can only imagine how much time and dedication the artist invested in creating such a superb yet delicate depiction of Kate Winslet.

Framed in an ornament black and gold frame this work of art captures the beauty of Kate Winslet and a sense of timelessness as it almost looks like a black and white photography. In reality, the colors looked upon closely, are more black, beige, yellow and green. (The pictures were taken with daylight with and without flash)

Dimensions: Frame W 24” x H 31 ½” with an inside measure of W 13 ¼” x 20 ½”. The actual carpet measures W 14” x 21 ½”.

Whether you are a fan of Kate Winslet or just can appreciate the unique beauty of this piece of art, you will not be disappointed. We had this carpet displayed in a public area and hardly anyone would go by without mentioning the “painting” and the reaction to being told that it is not a painting or photography, but a hand woven carpet, was always the same, it had everybody stunned.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/art/1584541587.html

Darn You Hollywood Forever!

Now I’m on a Masonic furniture kick…

One For The Truckies

Los Angeles