At My Desk With Coffee (#4)

1.) "Scarface". I've never seen it but its on Bravo right now...chainsaw scene...a bit hard to take. Let's go with "Napoleon Dynamite", especially after an afternoon of reading "Assassin's Gate." If there was any serious commitment to the political and economic reconstruction of Iraq, George Packard (who described himself as formerly being pro-war) did not see it in any of his trips there.
2.) I was up taking photos early this morning and saw a lost dog wandering in the middle of the intersection of Doheny and Santa Monica Blvd. Wait - that was no dog - that was a coyote. I tried to get a photo but it went trotting off to the west in the eastbound lane of Santa Monica Blvd. So I turned around and took the above photo. (Does it look familiar?)
3.) Buy a mason jar, buy cheesecloth and buy a selection of seeds - alfalfa, mung, lentil and wheatberry. Soak them overnight, drain them and seal them in the mason jar with the cloth. Keep them in the dark. Rinse them twice a day. In about 72 hours you'll have something edible and oh-so healthy. [But don't get the wrong idea. Right now I've got more chicken in the slow cooker with more BBQ sauce and apricot preserves mixed in. ]
4.) Lay on your back on the floor. Hold an 8 lb. handweight in each hand, arms stretched above your head. Lift the weights up off the floor. You'll feel your stomach muscles working and this is not a bad thing.
5.) "Napoleon Dynamite" - I can see why it was so popular. The ending, beginning with Napoleon's dance, was so upbeat, almost sweet, and preceding it was a 'Wes Anderson in the Midwest and on a very low budget' story. For some strange reason it's left me with the desire to see "Raising Arizona."
6.) Prior to the war, the White House estimated that $2.5 billion would be needed to rebuild Iraq's infrastucture. Today, it is past the $200 billion mark.

it's a mason jar, full of sprouts

And they're good for you and what you're looking at now I've already partially eaten with cottage cheese and italian dressing but without "Cortez the Killer" by Neil Young playing. Is this not the greatest rock song ever? So the plan is to buy another copy of "Zuma" from the record store I hate most and then go across the street to "Book Soup" and buy a copy of "Assassins At The Gate" by George Packer. I've got a somewhat irrational fantasy of debating Christopher Hitchens on coast-to-coast tv about the Iraq war and I must be properly informed. (By the way, how many of you have not looked at the "Happy Couple" link?)

Because...

...it doesn't always look like this.

(As I was uploading, cropping and posting this photo I was also re-heating some soup for breakfast. Absorbed in this process, I burned the soup and the pan is now in the sink. This, as we know, is my life.)

***Win A Shiny New Dime!***

In some respects, it hasn't been a great day. I stayed home from work with what may or may not turn out to be the first cold of the season. The hot water heater broke before I could take a shower. Early into nap #1 repairmen came to tear off the building's old gutters and put new ones into their place. I asked them (politely) if they would use rubber hammers but was repeatedly ignored. Lousy movies all day on TMC. However, between nap #2 and nap #3 I did venture out into the beautiful California weather to take some photos.

Identify the location of the above photo
and a shiny new dime can be yours!

There's other good news as well. Tonight I cooked some delicious BBQ chicken in my slow cooker. Adding apricot preserves to the sauce was a good move. Early tomorrow morning I intend to go Lake Hollywood to take some more photos. Later in the afternoon the Netflix people tell me I will be receiving "Napoleon Dynamite", a movie I've never seen but am looking forward to.

And let's not forget what Thich Nhat Hanh says:

Be yourself.
Life is precious as it is.
All the elements
for your happiness
are already here.
There is no need
to run, to strive, search or struggle.
Just be.

Arlington West On Veterans Weekend

I was in no way prepared for such an overwhelmingly sad yet totally respectful experience. This morning there was nothing shrill, no politican was mocked or accused of lies or incompetence. There was only the simple presentation of names, many with flowers or personal messages from friends and family.

Los Angeles should be proud that Arlington West is here.

Peanut Butter Machine At Farmers Market

Yesterday, for no reason whatsoever, I took this picture of the Farmers Market peanut butter machine. This evening Caroline told me this is the same machine that she remembers from more than thirty years ago when she and her father would wait for Denise and her mom to return from Denise's doctors appointments.

You never know where your next blog entry will come from.

Homage To Matisse

By Mark Rothko

(You're looking at $22.4 million)

$70 Million Later

It now seems that at least three of the four major propositions of Gov. Schwarzneggr will be defeated.

This is the first time I've been on the winning side of an election in ten years.

At My Desk With Coffee (#3)

_x_ Take early morning photos on Sunset
_x_ plant carrots
_x_ laundry and vacuum
_x_ read John Ashbery article in New Yorker
__ post office
_x_ tutor
__ figure out this damn cell phone

Okay, now I've got about 80 Danver Half Long carrot seeds planted on the roof. They should sprout within 3 weeks (around Thanksgiving; mark your calendars) and be ready to eat in 60 to 80 days. It feels good to be planting something again.

For tomorrow, roasted chicken with maple syrup and sweet potatoes.

Sunday Under Grand Street

At this point, I don't quite remember what I had in mind when I started The Jimson Weed Gazette but I don't think it included ending up underneath Grand Street at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning. In the past two months I've taken myself to places in L.A. - Alvardao Terrace and Echo Park and Little Tokyo to name a few - that I would not have gone to in order to find photos for The J-Weed . To see close-up what a diverse place Los Angeles is has really renewed my appreciation for everything that's here.

Did I forget to mention that John Houston is another director that makes better movies than Hitchcock?Are any of Hitchcock's characters in any of his movies as vivid as what I'm now seeing in "The Asphalt Jungle"? Twenty minutes into it and everyone is stepping into or out of the shadows and ready to betray everyone else to get the girl, to get the jewels or, in Sterling Hayden's case, to get back home to Kentucky. Next time you're tired of watching a blond-woman-in-distress movie, watch this movie if only for the cinematography.

Gone, But Not Forgotten...