A.M.E. Zion (West Adams)

The Cork on West Adams

Carniceria (West Adams)

Dining Room (West Adams)

Ward A.M.E. Church (West Adams)

Taco Truck In West Adams

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Night In West Adams

Chinatown

Last Days

Wood And Sunlight

Glistening Torso

"Wren"

Late night clarification: This is a guy and he's smiling because he was just given a half dozen cigarettes.

MacArthur Park
January 2, 2009

February

February
James Schuyler

A chimney, breathing a little smoke.
The sun, I can't see
making a bit of pink
I can't quite see in the blue.
The pink of five tulips
at five p.m. on the day before March first.
The green of the tulip stems and leaves
like something I can't remember,
finding a jack-in-the-pulpit
a long time ago and far away.
Why it was December then
and the sun was on the sea
by the temples we'd gone to see.
One green wave moved in the violet sea
like the UN Building on big evenings,
green and wet
while the sky turns violet.
A few almond trees
had a few flowers, like a few snowflakes
out of the blue looking pink in the light.
A gray hush
in which the boxy trucks roll up Second Avenue
into the sky. They're just
going over the hill.
The green leaves of the tulips on my desk
like grass light on flesh,
and a green-copper steeple
and streaks of cloud beginning to glow.
I can't get over
how it all works in together
like a woman who just came to her window
and stands there filling it
jogging her baby in her arms.
She's so far off. Is it the light
that makes the baby pink?
I can see the little fists
and the rocking-horse motion of her breasts.
It's getting grayer and gold and chilly.
Two dog-size lions face each other
at the corners of a roof.
It's the yellow dust inside the tulips.
It's the shape of a tulip.
It's the water in the drinking glass the tulips are in.
It's a day like any other.

Venice Pier

Calla Lily

Most Important Academy Award

Smile Pinki is an Academy Award nominee for this years Best Short Documentary. It's the story of a young girl in southern India born with a cleft palate and the work of surgeons from Smile Train who repair her face.

Although I haven't seen it or any Oscar nominated film (I haven't been in a movie theater in years), its hard to imagine any other movie having more of an impact on the real world.

Truck

Kitchen Orchid

Man In Union Station

Empty Office

I Told You I was Sick

Yesterday the doctor confirmed what I had suspected:

Bronchitis.

I'll be posting older photos until I'm back on my feet. Meantime, I'm prescribing lots of tamales and Trader Joes pineapple salsa. Try and stay healthy. This is no fun.

Boathouse, Echo Park Lake

Santa Monica Pier

Venice Canal

East Hollywood

Neighborhood Altar

A fifteen minute walk from both the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Stage 8

Old Man, Abandoned Building

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Roberto Lopez, Jr. (2005-2009)

It was nothing but rudimentary self-help psychology that had me go to yesterday's memorial for Robert Lopez, Jr. A noontime service was conducted in Spanish, attended by the parents and about fifty neighbors. The parents wore colorful bandannas folded like headbands which I took to be a cultural sign of grief.

There was no anger, just stunned murmurs in response to the prayers. "Santa Maria" was invoked countless times. Absolutely heartbreaking.

A slight case of insomnia had me go back very early this morning.

(Roberto's story, by Esmeralda Bermudez and Andrew Blankstein, is here. Some good photos too.)

Webster Is, I Think, Dying

Webster, who never liked to have a camera pointed at him, is in what has been described as "hibernation mode" since midnight. I took him to the vet yesterday for tests but I don't need to know what they're going to say. The only time he appeared to be in pain was just now when I tried to pet him and talk to him. So I guess we're beyond that point now. He has one of my shirts next to him so he knows he's not alone.

9:25 am - The vet called with the lab results and it's as bad as can be.

Webster's not going to make it.

9:35 am - Fourteen years ago, when the animal rescue people brought Webster to my house he immediately jumped up on the sofa next to me and went into his first of many naps. A Ben Webster ballad was playing so giving him a name was easy. Now, the same cd just came on the stereo. Seems like fourteen minutes ago.

11:10 am - I just found out its a lot easier to write "Webster's Dying" than it is to say it out loud to a neighbor.

1:02 pm - Webster's gone.

Red Rose On White Marble

January

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The J-Weed Needs A Little Color

Mural by Jon Wolff (1986?)

Foggy Night In Echo Park

First Congregational

Jesucristo Es El Senor

Christmas Eve Morning (Under An Overpass)

Recipe of the Night: Mashed Avocado with Cream (a little garlic & lemon juice) over Pasta

Quote of the Night - "Don't believe everything you think."

My Facebook Page

Brick Building

Santa Monica Pier, Ferris Wheel

3:30 am. Can't sleep so I'll post a photo.

Santa Monica Pier

On Friday, LA Observed made a nice comment about Thursday's photo "Downtown L.A." which resulted in more than 2,000 views. This I like.

Now I'd like to thank everyone who in the past year has put in a nice word about the J-Weed on their blogs. In no particular order they are Eclectic Boogaloo, Glimpses of South Pasadena, Man Talk Now, Chicken Corner, The Teacher's View, MortVark-O-Rama, Debi Cates Photo A Day, Lally's Alley and Don't Look Here For Answers.

If I'm forgetting someone, I'm sorry. Let me know and I'll add your site.

Downtown LA

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Headlights Headed East

Venice Doorway

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Masoleum At Sundown

Bus Stop On Pico Blvd.

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There's still time to vote for "Sidewalk in East L.A."

Olvera Street

Friendly Statue

Recipe of the Night Whole Wheat Coucous cooked in 1 cup chicken broth with 1/4 cup Thai Yellow Curry Sauce. Add Slivered almonds and green onions. (From "Cooking With All Things Trader Joes")

Song of the Night - John Lee Hooker

There's still time to vote for "Sidewalk in East L.A."

Another Dark Night

Soon It's Gonna Be Dark ("I Love You")

Two Chairs

Looking forward to my 60,000th visitor...

"If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty. If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer. Your heart must be large."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Voting?

Yes, I'm going to get my free cup of Starbucks but, goddam, people got shot, beaten and blown up to make this day happen.

Day Of The Dead (Midnight)

Dia De Los Muertos

The Day of The Dead. As usual, Our Lady Queen of Angels had a very subdued, very sincere collection of altars to remember those who had "crossed over." The above altar (partial photo) was for the Los Angeles soldiers that had died in Iraq. There wasn't anything political about it but it had obviously been put together by family members - one corner was "For Joselito."