float like jellies

Jellyfish at the aquarium...I could watch them for hours! So delicate and beautiful. That scene with the jellyfish forest in Finding Nemo was dead-on. Anyway, leaving for a train soon, and not getting off for 34 hours. Time to explore the Midwest.!

Edge of Darkness (2010)

Hmm... Edge of Darkness is like Taken meets Lethal Weapon 2. It's not as slick and entertaining as Taken, though Mel Gibson's badassery shines in key moments throughout the film, and you definitely get the good old 'crazy Mel' flavor, which is utterly worth watching in my opinion. Mel Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a Boston police detective whose daughter gets gunned down on his own front porch on the first night of her visit back home. Craven, with nothing to lose, refuses to take a leave of absence and instead works on figuring out who was behind his daughter's murder. The cast overall was pretty good, and I was especially intrigued with Ray Winstone's character - the English hitman who goes by his own rules and operates on what he sees fit. Overall this was a pretty standard revenge thriller, with good moments of bad guys getting their shit fucked up and what-have-you; good moments, but it was missing just enough of that extra something for it to be more of an underwhelming return to the screen for Gibson. Otherwise, watching this just made me even more paranoid of corporations, politicians, and the government. Fear mongering? Maybe. In any case, it kept my interest up the entire way, which is good enough for me.

mint + chocolate

This is like a thin mint in cupcake form, only prettier and more rewarding. This was my favorite from the box of Dots cupcakes my mom and sister got. The dark chocolate balls topping it are crunchy inside, surprise! The added crunch completes the sensory experience! mmm...

brunch at tacos baja

Early lunch and no breakfast, hence LUNCH today at Tacos Baja Ensenada in East L.A.! Went with Y, Mom & Tawm. Haven't gone in a while, and today there was no crazy line (when we were there), and the experience was amaaazing.

1. Amazing 'chiles gueros' - roasted yellow peppers coated with cayenne/chili powder. packs a lot of heat!
2. Yuri's miniature, portable version of 'Spiral Jetty.'
3. The 'baja taco' - we each had one! Best fish taco in L.A.!
4. Some of the mixed seafood soup...delicious.

And later on, dessert adventures at 21 Choices and Dots Cupcakes. Yes, today was a fat, fat day. Speaking of which, I feel like I should get on Yelp. Lazy/intimidated...

anemones!

Pictures from the Monterey Bay Aquarium one week ago, featuring sea anemones! Beautiful creatures... like the flowers of the sea. This visit to the aquarium was my first in YEARS, so it was amazing to go again. Except going on a Saturday was a bad call. Still it was tons of fun!

too cool

Dear Sister,

These are scans of some photographs that TC brought here to show you. Since they were sitting around I thought I'd show you myself! I couldn't find a date on these photos... looks like the late eighties/early nineties, maybe. Cool huh! Check out that swing...woosh!

excerpt - in praise of shadows

we find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against other creates.

-- Jun' ichiro Tanizaki, 'In Praise of Shadows'

The quote above is probably the most famous one in this essay by the Japanese novelist Tanizaki, but looking beyond the pleasing aesthetics of a modestly-lit Japanese room versus the 'tragedy' of integrating modern electrical lighting into old spaces, Tanizaki explores nuances of the Japanese culture and how the quality of light and interplay of shadow is crucial to understanding the approach of the Japanese to their way of life. I wish I had read this book before I went to Japan - it certainly lent me a faint glimpse of knowledge that a whole semester of pre-Asia trip studies sort of failed to do.

stable & steady

I like to think I'm in firm control of my mind, but inevitably I fall into moments of weakness where I'll be seized with a panic because of some words uttered by someone else that triggers irrational fear or worry to gnaw at me for an extended period of time. It is truly irritating because while outwardly to people who don't know me too well I would seem cool & level-headed- a person who doesn't get fazed easily, the people I do know well then experience the brunt of the fear and anxiety that will be pestering me at any given moment. This is why I'm drawn to people with mental and emotional strength, ones with a steady hand, a steady head, a steady bearing, who don't sweat over small things but live for simple pleasures that keep them high and dry. To put it in other terms, I feel like at times I'm an unstable element waiting or working for that last electron to get me stable (the image of buzzing electrons set off this analogy). Or in terms of sturdy things - I have many rocks and pillars in my life to be there for me and to keep me up, but I would also like to be that rock for people, a sturdy, reliable rock. I'm getting there, I think.

city lights books

I was way too in awe and amazed to document in detail the entirety of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, but suffice it to say this is high on my list of favorite places in my life thus far. City Lights holds such a rich history, and had the support of some of the most amazing authors/artists/people in existence ... it made me want to go back and try to finish On The Road and give the Beat poets and authors another try because, I won't lie - I think I get what they want to say but it tires me to sift through it, haha. I've jokingly asserted that if I had to be holed up in one place other than home for a while I'd choose Costco, or Trader Joe's. But now it would have to be City Lights. Perhaps I would physically starve, but my mind and soul would never be more nourished or free from want in such a place.

Greyfriars Bobby (2005)

A tale about the faithful Skye terrier who wouldn't leave his master's side, even after his death, in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 19th century, until the dog Bobby passed on after 14 years. A cute family film, one I Netflix-ed for my mom (Bobby is played by a Westie!) and that we watched with our own Westies. With Christopher Lee making a cameo, some decent child actors, a great Westie & some beautiful atmospheric cinematography it was definitely worth watching!

polaroid land 350

Scored this camera last weekend for a sweet, sweet deal and I'm excited to use it! It's in superb condition, I just need to get some new batteries for it and some pack film. As much as the instant gratification of digital cameras is something I can't live without, I can't resist good old 35mm film & the instant but 'crunchier' quality of Polaroids. Now I need an awesome scanner. It never ends...

1/50

1 shot out of 50 other potential Polaroids. Just a test to make sure the packs I got weren't duds. So far so good. I'd almost forgotten the thrill of watching the image develop right in front of your eyes, dramatic as I'm being! Patiently awaiting the re-release of the 600 film series...

Dan's taking me to LAX in about an hour! I managed to pack what I need for the weekend in one backpack and a purse, yess. Which means some clothes, toiletries & cameras. It's been exactly one year since I was last in San Francisco and I'm excited. My sister comes back from her trip on Saturday, but I think we might miss each other... that's okay I'll see her again soon enough. Have a great weekend everybody!

chomp

Woke up hungry and a little less cranky (I'm so NOT a wine person, at least not at the moment) so here now is a shot of lunch from The Counter (in Pasadena not Santa Monica). 1/3 lb. beef with the corn and black bean salsa, roasted red peppers, pepperoncinis, grilled onions and I thought the cheese was provolone but I think it was something else, on a honey wheat bun. I could've been more creative - should've added sprouts and/or avocado and something more...savory. It was still good.

splooge

Today equaled unproductivity at its best. I worked for two hours this morning, then drove out to Pasadena with my boss for lunch with another architect whose two interns are fellow classmates. I feel lucky because my boss is, in my humble opinion, a more interesting person (architect?) with less passive-aggressive tendencies, and to put an irrelevant spin on it, better-looking too. He doesn't have the amount of work this other dude does but I like his style more anyway. uh huh...

Then we come back to the office and the others have uncorked a few bottles of wine... my first time having a bit of 'Turley' which is smooth and wonderfully drinkable... at $50 a bottle it's probably one of the nicest wines I've ever had. The asian glow sets in and everyone laughs at me, and since I'm terrible at holding my alcohol I stop and drink water instead. Then I listen to these old dudes (not OLD, but relatively) talk about how the profession's going down the tubes, how the business model is so fucked up, how the US entry for the Shanghai Expo is utter shit (and not even designed by an American!) and then there's a pause and I just utter "Fuck." They laugh and one of them pats me on the back and I say Jeez I have a year and a half left and what the fuck I have to finish but this is what I'm getting into?

I talk to my boss about the fear that has set in, how I feel dumb and ignorant when listening to architects architecting. I get back to work, then talk a little more, say something like I wish we'd gotten high instead of tipsy and he laughs. I shake off the feeling, I pack up my things, I get ready to go. I leave, I walk to my car, I find my first parking ticket ever. Sixty bucks. Fuck it, I'm gonna pay it. It's like I paid the day for not getting any work done. Does that even make sense? No matter. I came home, had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for dinner, I'm packing for SF, and getting out of here for a weekend. Take everything with a grain of salt, and appreciate what you've got.

erin go bragh

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here is a four leaf clover I found in my lawn for you. If all goes well, I'll be scarfing corned beef & cabbage & taters for supper today. Either with me mam or with one of my friends, if I don't work too late tonight. And if I were at home I'd be watching The Departed and the Boondock Saints while reading Finnegan's Wake on the side. Jealous of my sister being in Boston for St. Paddy's! Yeah I'm just being obnoxious now. I'm listening to Celtic punk a la The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, & The Young Dubliners as well as some 'real' Irish tunes while doing my 9 to 5. Hurrah!

while you were out...

A few things I would have liked to spot with you next to me:

1. Armadillo leather purse. Mom kept going "Omg. is that real?" Me: "Yes it's a real armadillo. I've seen purses made from cane toads." "OMG, really??" hahahaha.
2. Black & White. Scottie + Westie statue! Not the greatest condition, but look at how cheerful it is!
3. Cairn Terrier! A vendor got up to take this poopie to potty and when she came back Ma asked if it was a Westie or a Cairn. Doesn't it look like a browner BB?!

round and round and round we go

My favorite member of the "pure" geometric solids/Palladian forms is the sphere.

1 & 2 - sweet little metal globes at the Rose Bowl.
3 - a glass jar I filled with my marble collection
4 - my giant bouncy ball!

at last I have found you.

With the unusually windy days L.A. had this past week (are they the Santa Anas? they seemed a little cold...), especially on Tuesday, I was so glad that I had this leather jacket to keep me protected and toasty! What a difference from faux leather - my sister did tell me she read somewhere that leather is the only material that is totally windproof, or something like that. So Dan and I were strolling around the stalls at PCC, and I saw this sweet little thing hanging up at the front of a vintage stall. I looked at the tag... $35. Not bad. The leather in good condition, no big rips, cracks or scuffs. I tried it on. Dan said it looked good! I liked the feel of it. And the best part is it has that belt around the waist...perfect! So in one fell swoop I'd spent all the money I had on me that day but I couldn't have been happier! And I have to say, the next morning when I put it on before I left the house I felt like a Ramones groupie from the 70's, and I hummed "Jackie is a Punk" to myself on my way out. Coveted fashion item #3, fulfilled.

The Departed (2006)

I regret being 3 years late on watching The Departed.