This week’s hot topic regarding the future of L.A.’s Metro Rail network is the fabled Downtown Connector. The Connector will enable you to travel from Pasadena to Long Beach, without ever making a transfer. You see, someone thought it might be a good idea to have the Gold Line terminate at Union Station, and the Blue Line end at 7th Street Station. Which means if you want to keep riding, you have to get on the Red Line. Brilliant.

Blogdowntown and Angelenic have been covering the Connector meetings, along with renderings and possible routes. What baffles the mind, is that Metro is actually considering above ground options through Downtown. BDT is on the money when it says the only option is underground.
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On a walk to a friend’s last night and on my morning constitutional today this flower’s fragrance stopped me in my tracks and made me go back and breath deep.

What is this flower? A kind of Jasmine? Mock Orange?

No matter what, I call it heaven to my nose.

(Click for more detail. Photo by me this morning.)

It seems that NBC/Universal is trying to stop a bike path from being built along the LA River near Universal Studios. Their reason? They don’t want aspiring screenwriters to throw their scripts over the wall onto the lot.

Um…what?

I personally only know one screenwriter who actually exercises, and she is only doing it in case of the zombie apocalypse. And I don’t know any writers who are stupid enough to think their script will be plucked from the ground and subsequently end up anywhere but the trash can (maybe the recycling bin if they are SUPER LUCKY).

But maybe the aspiring and fledgling screenwriters I hang out with are mentally superior to the ones who ride bicycles. That doesn’t make any sense (see also blogging.la’s brilliant cyclists), but neither does Universal’s “logic.”

Via the cat’s meow.

When I spotted this fearsome sight on the Baum Bicycle Bridge this morning, a nasty chill ran down my spine. I almost dared go no further.

But, summoning the last shreds of my tattered courage, I pressed on. If we give in to fear of roving bicycle gangs armed with spray paint, then the roving bicycle gangs armed with spraypaint will have won.

Mercifully, I was allowed to complete my morning ride unmolested. This time.

A friend of ours dropped a big bombshell on us today. Her husband of 13 years just dumped her. All this a few days after VDay where she gets nice diamond earrings, he professes his love… It happening just before her 49th Birthday so it feels like a double whammy.

She has all her friends for emotional support but knows she needs more. All this came down 5 days ago, so she’s still shell shocked, not sleeping etc.,. Kaiser got her in for a psyche visit, meds to help sleep but she knows she needs more. The groups she can find don’t fit her needs and asked me to help her find a better group.

What she asked for in her own words: “In your blogosphere, have you noticed any blogs or support groups for dumpees ? I’d like to find a nice one. Any one?”

So LA…do you know such a group for some one in her position? Obviously here in Far East LA would be nice but we’ll take what you give us. Drop us a note in the comments if you have a group she can contact.

Pic from my trusty office suite clipart.

O.K. Seriously, if you’re not hip to The Kids of Widney High, you should be.

They are, in fact, Ten Kinds of Awesome.
(That’s right, Ten.)

Check it:
“The Kids of Widney High are a group of students from Widney High School, a special ed. high school in Los Angeles, who write and perform original songs. The group started in 1988 as a song writing class and changes as the students come and go from Widney. The students perform with a band consisting of Vince Licassi-guitar, Judy Rudin-harmonica, Tony Bollas-drums, Spero Anthony-bass, and Michael Monagan-guitar.”

O.K. Great, buncha handicapped kids, so I’m obviously tryin’ to be a do-gooder and plug the Kids’ Show, ’cause we all know what a nice guy I am, right?

Yeeeaaahhh. Right. You must have me confused with that other RobNoxious.

The Kids of Widney High Kick Ass. Period. I ain’t doin’ charity here. They’re doing you a good deed kickin’ your ass with awesome tunes, that’s what.

Plus, it’s a free gig.

7PM
Tonight
February 28, ’08
Amoeba Music
6400 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

(I really am a pretty nice guy, actually. At least that’s what I’m told…. Don’t let it get out though, will yeh?)

Help nominate the worst this city has to offer.

Damn you, Los Angeles Magazine. Your concept for a tournament style competition to decide the one greatest thing about Los Angeles is freakin’ brilliant. Or, at the very least, brilliant in a bloggy sort of way. (see L.A. Observed for a summary of the project.)

In short, I’m jealous I didn’t think of it first. So, I’m stealing the idea. Well, for the most part. And making it a little bit bloggier: instead of the best, we’re going to nail down The 64 Worst Things About Los Angeles.

I’m thinking “the paparazzi,” or “Pinkberry,” or “LADOT,” or “drivers who try and turn left out of corner gas stations or strip malls, in spite of frustrated cross traffic trying to make it through the light signal.”

Once we’ve assembled a list of proper length (I like to call it the “shit list”), we’ll reveal it to the public through a series of polls that will determine the lesser of evils, and narrow down the worst of the worst, until only one thing can be claimed to be “the worst thing about L.A.”

Yeah, just like Los Angeles Magazine does for the greatest, but without the expense account. And the winner/loser will be determined much, much sooner (LA Mag won’t reveal their greatest until the August issue hits newsstands).

So, readers, let us know what you think: what are the worst things about Los Angeles? The worst restaurants, the worst streets, the worst celebrities or pseudo celebrities, or even the worst kind of people in the city (we’re brainstorming here – think outside of the octagonal box).

A win on many levels? A good start? I say pffft. But that’s what I’m reading in reaction to Mayor Villaraigosa signing mandatory pet sterilization into law yesterday, scheduled to go into effect next October.

Sure the intentions are good and sound: to reduce the stray/feral animal population in a far more humane and perhaps efficient manner than capturing them, incarcerating them and killing them, but how effective can it really be?

Of the law, its initiator Councilman Richard Alarcon said:

“The problem in our city is not the animals but the human owners, and this ordinance will allow the Department of Animal services to target resources towards the worst offenders whose irresponsibility threaten public safety and fills our shelters with unwanted dogs and cats.”

I agree with you Mr. Alarcon that it’s the humans who are the problem. We are pretty much and always will be The Problem. But I disagree with your belief that Animal Services is raringly capable of the new law’s enforcement. Like many city agencies, Animal Services resources and personnel are already strained and to take them away from the animals in they’re custody that they’re having to kill every day and instead send ‘em out on wild nut hunts to target the so-called worst offenders seems a little short sighted.

Especially when you consider what the offenders will get nailed with initially. A citation? Even a fix-it ticket? Nope, just some paperwork and a couple months to comply. Then the ball brigade will have to inevitably go back out to the suspects when they haven’t complied. Except funny how the dog’s at the vet’s that day. Or it died. Got hit by a car or a baseball bat, poor thing. Or maybe it’s indoors with the perp who’s demanding a search warrant be presented, which might be something the ball brigade would execute if they had the time. And the resources. And that’s just for the males of the species. There’s obviously a little more involved than a peekaboo in determining the fertility status of female canines and felines.
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At 3:15 pm, 7 people were shot at the corner of Vernon and Central.

While the details are still developing, local news stations are reporting that at least one of the shooting victims is in critical condition.

The younger victims ran to nearby George Washington Carver Middle School, which resulted in the lockdown of that, and surrounding schools.

Preliminary reports that the shooting occurred at the school were, according to KNBC, inaccurate.

According to ABC 7,

Initial reports stated there were two African-American suspects. That report has been revised to state one person is suspected of being the gunman. The suspect is only being described as a young male, who reportedly walked up to the crowd and started shooting, then ran into the surrounding neighborhood. The suspect remains at large.

Click to enlarge, but it ain’t gettin’ much better.

It might be difficult to make out thanks my craptastic camera phone, but I spotted this tiny bee decal killing time in the bottom of a urinal at the men’s room at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station a few weeks ago and couldn’t help but snap a photo. That went over swimmingly with my fellow restroom occupants, let me tell you. Anyway, if it’s not obvious, that poor fella’s duty is to help use males, notoriously lazy aimers that we are, to keep all the fluids in the designated fluid-receiving accoutrements. I know these have been in use in Europe for awhile, but this is first time I’ve seen on in Los Angeles.

This Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 28th, 29th and
March 1st, and 2nd – a giant sale at The Little Knittery. Julie’s gone crazy! She is putting all yarns in the shop on sale.

30% to 50% off ALL YARNS!

For those who speak such language, the sale includes Malabrigo, Misti Alpaca, AND cashmere! (Yikes!)

The Little Knittery
3042 Glendale Blvd
Atwater 90039

Having successfully solved problems with traffic, gangs, schools, smog, politicians, foreclosures, and homelessness, Los Angeles has officially enacted a law to control the pet population.

If you don’t have your pets spayed or neutered, and if you’re a first-time offender, you will be forced to receive information on subsidized sterilization services and be given an additional 60 days to comply! After that, a fine. After that, another fine.

City Council will now hear motions on a taco truck reduction program, and a city-wide skinny jeans ban.

There are a lot of reasons to hate Los Angeles: endless traffic jams, worthless public transportation, underachieving sports teams, the Westside (I keed! I keed!) . . . but whenever I think about leaving, I remember that I can spend an entire day on my patio reading a book — dressed only in my shorts and a T-shirt — in February.

While searching for the end of the Internet yesterday, I came across another reason to love our fair city: The Echo Park Time Travel Mart, which is one of the most beautiful and awesome art installations I think I’ve ever seen.

Randy Newman, sing me a song, because I love L.A.

I find it interesting that two upcoming shows (technically three) in Los Angeles deal with gravity as a theme/medium: Gravity Art at TELIC opening on March 1 and Jimenez Lai Phalanstery Module at Materials and Applications opening on April 4…continue reading on art.blogging.la

Image: Jimenez Lai

Photo from this party’s big brother – a shot of Paul Fieg and Will Wrights (SIMS) robot – click to embiggify

Did you miss the first supersmall?

Did you tell yourself, “Gee whiz, I’d better get my act together and not miss the next one?”

If so, you can thank your lucky stars and secure your place in the new history now.

The second supersmall will be held on 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15th, at the wildly accommodating Steve Allen Theater. It’s a fundraiser, but you’ll see so much cool stuff and hobnob with so many celebritroids that you’ll never even know the good you do.

Great space, great big FREE parking lot in back, online ticket sales, and even clean bathrooms!

Think of it as the world’s smallest world’s fair, that takes place one night only, and you only get bragging rights if you’re savvy enough to have been there.

Check the site for the skinny on the many and varied entertainment, and buy a ticket while you can right from their site – the first one sold out and there are only a few tickets left!

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m.