Why are you here? And I don’t mean in a philosophical way. If you were not born here, why did you come here? If you were born here, why did you stay or what keeps you here? Have you lived other places and just had to move back? Or did you live other places only temporarily and then come back? Are you happy with your decision?

I moved here to go to film school and work in the movies. I grew up in a small town and when thinking about college, I wanted to go as far away from home as I could and considered University of Virginia to study history. I thought if I ended up at a California school it would be a cop out to be so close to home (even though it was still a five hour flight away.) Then I realized I could study film and work in the movies and all that changed and I came to LA and to LMU. It took me a long time (20 years?) and a year away (Seattle) to realize that LA is really for me. Los Angeles was never my first choice for a city to live in, but slowly, slowly, I fell in love.

But what about you? Why are you here? What keeps you here? If you wish you were somewhere else, where would that be and why aren’t you there? If I’m getting too personal, all the more reason for you to share…

Photo by Thomas Pintaric and used with permission under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

“Opportunity Green 2007 at UCLA is an unprecedented gathering of the prime movers and shakers in the world of green business.” By “Green” they aren’t talking about the color or a stack of dillas, they are talking about “Green 2.0; Opportunities for Green Investment Capital, Green Consumer Trends, Business Blogging, The Green Tech/Clean Tech Revolution and more.” Hows that for a while stack of info? My good friend Jose Caballer of The Groop is speaking about Green Branding which should be interesting as all get out. This all goes down on Saturday, Nov 17th at UCLA. Lots more info about the conference is here and you can register using this link if you want to check it out. As a bonus if you enter the promo code “Metblogs” you’ll get 50% off the posted registration fee (which ranges from $250 for the full conference and parties and all that to $75 for students). If are are at all into the current hot topics of sustainability and all things green, this is going to be well worth your time to check out.

Perhaps in an effort to maintain enthusiasm and/or conserve resources, the WGA has eliminated four studios from its list of picket lines,* but has added a few events to encourage participation in the remaining ten, mainly a Bring-Your-Kids-To-The-Picket-Line event tomorrow, convenient since its a non-school day for most (Veterans Day). And Tuesday may be Bring-A-Star-To-Picket-With-You at Universal Studios starting at noon. (via Nikki Finke)

On the flip side, the hours for picketing have been moved up, beginning at 6am at all but NBC Burbank, which begins at 9am. While tactically smart – early picket lines may keep Teamsters from rolling in – I’m not sure how many picketers are willing to brave that wee start time. Especially during a three day weekend.

Outside of the studios, however, Wired reminds everyone of Dave Bullock’s excellent Downtown Filming Map which lists a number of network shows and studio films being shot around city’s core, which the magazine dubs the “Picketers’ Pal.” WGA strikers can easily find upcoming locations for “Numbers,” “CSI,” or other shoots where they can shame anyone non-deterred by the picket line.

*Culver Studios, Hollywood Center, Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios, and, surprisingly, Sunset Gower.
photo by myyearofnewthings, used under Creative Commons.

Recently, the fiance and I had a small change in plans for our wedding. Instead of getting married in Victoria, BC, we’re now getting married in L.A. And instead of a July wedding, it’s now March. It may be time to panic.

Fortunately, I remembered something that Mack told me at the last BarCamp before this one, about a little building in Elysian Park that he had been to a wedding at recently. So after some fairly simple Googling (“elysian park” +wedding) we found Grace Simons Lodge, an adorable little building in a quiet corner of Elysian Park, complete with gardens and pavilions and all chairs and tables included. Score. We went down there on a Saturday and took some pictures (link goes to Flickr photoset) and, for the price, it seems eminently serviceable.

So, here’s the question: what is the crime like in Elysian Park? My hopelessly out of date relatives insist it isn’t safe that close to downtown; I say they’re ridiculously outdated. The LAPD Crimemap didn’t have anything deterring in the last few days in or around the park. We could only turn up one shooting in the park-adjacent neighborhood for 2007. Am I right in insisting that my family are being completely ridiculous in insisting that I hold my wedding on the nice, safe (and much more expensive and boring) Westside?

It caught my eye, cute parking lot graphics at the Fresh & Easy in Arcadia. It took me a second as one of the stick figures didn’t have all the classic indicators like hour glass shape or boobies even to identify it as female. It’s a family with a kid in a stroller.

Next too it was the equally cheeky “hybrid parking only”. I can’t wait for those beastly Hybrid Chevy Trucks and Tahoe’s start using those spaces when they hit the market soon. (Yes, they are going hybrid and instead of 14 mpg they will get 16…big friggen whoop in saving the nations air and fuel supply that will be).

Pic by me with my new cell phone cam…the other bit the dust when it went flying some 200 feet off of Extreme Scream at Snots Boogey Farm yesterday afternoon.

Yes, it is possible to make lemonade without being of disservice to the writers. In no particular order:

5) Start sending out that feature script of yours ASAP. I don’t advocate scabbing, but producers assistants and development staff will likely have less scripts coming in than regularly, and may actually be more open to reading unsolicited submissions. Agents will also be looking to rep fresh talent and stockpile great material to send out when the strike is over. (update: just don’t send it to these WGA signatory companies, as it would violate strike rules for even non-members.)

4) Have a business? Extend free or discounted services to anyone presenting a WGA membership card and relish in the good karma along with the good faith promotion. (The Roxy is already on it.)

3) Go celebrity spotting on the picket lines. Yeah – it may seem cheap, but I don’t think anyone will be offended (besides the producers) if you swing by to show your support of the strikers.

2) Get those headshots ready! Just about everyone can have their 15 minutes of fame as networks are supposedly rushing reality shows into production.

1) Make that short film or independent feature now that equipment rates will be heavily discounted. With series productions shutting down, and features slowing a bit, rental houses will be more keen on extending lower rates so everything from dolly track to camera packages aren’t just collecting dust.

I just moved to Encino relatively recently (well, within the last six months anyway) and I have to drive by the Galleria pretty much every day on my way to or from work now. Every time I do I toy with the idea of getting my hair cut at the Paul Mitchell school there. It’s a frighteningly cheap $10, but the catch is that it’s a school so your locks are being shorn by a student. When blogging.la announced the $20 project it seemed a great excuse to finally check it out. Plus I was super overdue for a cut anyway.

I knew I was in trouble when my “future professional” didn’t know what a pixie cut was. “Kind of like Winona Rider,” I tried. Blank stare. “Let me go get a look book,” she said. Certainly she was earnest and careful. So careful in fact that every thing she did needed checking by and guidance from her “learning leader” who was in charge of a bazillion other future professionals, which meant lots of waiting for guidance and checking.

In the end, the haircut took three hours.

Let me say that again: THREE HOURS!!

I now refer to it as the Gilligan’s Island haircut because it was a three hour tour.

Before and after pictures after the break.
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My mother told me that if I have nothing nice to say, than I shouldn’t say anything at all, so this one is going to be short.
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[gets bigger]

Knitting can be a pretty expensive hobby, what with all the cashmeres and the hand-dyed yarns and such, so I wanted to find a project I could knit with $20 worth of yarn.

I found this great yarn at UNWIND in Burbank – Optimum dk weight, which even not on sale is only 5 bucks a ball. Four balls = $20. Lovely.

(Of course this presumes you have the needles already.)

So what can I make with it? I’ve chosen a small lace blanket/wrap – perfect for in front of the tv or on a plane. It’s wool so it’s warm but it’s light so it’s not oppressive.

I may not finish it by the end of the $20 Project, but here’s what I have so far and it’s turning out well. The cats love it too and it’s not even done yet.

[click for huge-osity]

Blocking (when it’s all done) will stretch it out a bit and make it a lot wider and the lace will be more open.

Last week the “sea salt” flavors at Scoops were fantastic. On Saturday the GF and I stopped by to enjoy a Salt Caramel/Walnut Horchata combination (me) and a Sea Salt White Chocolate and Lemon/Pistachio combo (she).

This weekend, Tai is brewing up a batch of tea-flavored ice creams for your enjoyment. I can’t stress enough how good his coconut ice creams are. You simply have to try one.

Earl Gray and Lemongrass
Green Tea and Coconut
Jasmine Tea and Ginger
Chocolate and Lapsang Tea
Lung Ching Tea and Dates
Chai tea and Egg Nog

No suggestion board suggestion of the week this week. Instead, I’d like to open up the comments for your Thanksgiving flavor suggestions. I’ll pass the best ones on to Tai.

Ready… Go!

A little levity about the strike.

You’re too big, NBC. Around here, size matters.

A couple of local politicians have gotten their feelings hurt because NBC didn’t ask for their expert opinions when they announced plans to build their new West Coast digs at the Universal City Red Line Station. The Studio City Chamber of Commerce board also withdrew support. “Oh, wait.. you meant THERE?”

Tom LaBonge and Zev Yaroslavsky think it will be too big and make people actually want to live and work in the Valley. As a result, there would be more people, more traffic, and more development. Before you know it, there will be cries for a Ventura Boulevard subway, and a Red Line extension to Burbank. People will want safer neighborhoods and cleaner, more walkable streets. The demands of local citizenry will forever alter the quaint blah-ness that is the 818. Oh, the madness!
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A few weeks ago, before the fires forced evacuation, I went on an overnight trip at my favorite zoo, the San Diego WIld Animal Park. I’m not much of a zoo guy, since most of them get me bummed out by the confinement of the animals. The Wild Animal Park is a joyous exception.

But this time, I had a recurring experience which was unsettling. And once I noticed it, its frequency became increasingly disturbing. I’m curious to hear if anyone has made similar observations at the L.A. Zoo. I’m especially want to hear Will’s take, as he used to work there. More after the jump.

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Pump it up, when you don’t really need it

So, Wednesday I did what has been becoming something of a weekly habit; I put 20 bucks in my gas tank.

I used to fill it up every couple of weeks, but it started getting too damn depressing seeing just how much that really is. Thus, it’s become $20 roughly every week. This gets me about half a tank; a little over, actually.

Now, that particular $20 bucks in gas is still sitting in my tank. It’d be kind of crappy to just say, “Uh, yeah $20 bucks gets me a little over half a tank in my car. Entry done. Goodnight Barstow.” As it happens, I know I also put twenty in the week before. So, lets see where $20 Dollars worth of gas gets you in one of the most expensive gas markets in the country around a city known for its Car Culture.

We’ll give it a look after the jump.
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A nation lived in fear. There was no trust between neighbors. One group was singled out. Targeted for isolation. At-risk communities identified and movements tracked. Trains took them away. Far from the reaches of Los Angeles. Places called Manzanar and Tule Lake. We later promised to never do it again. After all, they were Americans, too.

The year was 1942.

65 years before Los Angeles began tracking Muslims.

Photo from the National Archives Registry