On Pasadena Ave.

I’m not so curious about why the fork is there or even who put it there. I love the whimsy of it all. Reminds of that scene in The Muppet Movie. I hope it withstands all this wind.

Here’s a closer look:

It's a big fork

There are many rallies happening throughout Southern California, should you wish to lend your voice in support:

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL MARCH/RALLY
4 pm Assemble at Pershing Square (5th & Hill) in downtown L.A. March to the Governor’s office (300 Spring St.) for 5 pm Rally.  Contact: Marla Edy (UTLA) 213-305-9310 or Blanca Castaneda (CFA) 626-379-7380.

“Unite for Public Education: Stop Layoffs, Fee Hikes, Cuts to Education & Community Services.”
3:45 pm gather at CSU Northridge Sierra Quad • 4:15 pm March • 5 pm Hands around CSUN • 5:30 pm Rally at Sierra Quad.

LONG BEACH – “Long Beach Unite for Education” rally, 4:15 pm at Wilson High School Gymnasium, 4400 E. 10th St., Long Beach. Speakers from CFA, Teachers Association of Long Beach (K-12), Long Beach City College. Music by Tom Morello, The Nightwatchman.

CSU NORTHRIDGE — CFA faculty plus student groups will host a regional march. 3:45-5 pm. Sierra Quad. See details in regional listing above.

UCLA – 4:30pm Rally at Bruin Plaza

Organizers also ask that you call your state legistlator (1-888-268-4334) to voice your concerns about these budget cuts

I’m often reminded that many things in Los Angeles are specialized, but it took ducking down a side alley in Pasadena to make me realize just how specialized things had gotten.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the BrowHaus.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was next. Perhaps a spa specializing in massages for your elbow. The right one.

Yes. That is 3 (THREE) signs ensuring you get that they do Fluff & Fold. I love this.

Waiting for the Gold Line from Union Station, I heard sounds of shock through the crowd. It was Santa Claus!

Santa Claus with my kids

Needless to say, they were both thrilled beyond imagination. Santa asked them if they liked the gifts he got them. They both showed him their new watches. My daughter asked him why he didn’t eat the gingerbread house and he said it was because it was too pretty. Great response as earlier in the day she said it he didn’t eat it because it was ugly.

Thank you, Mr. Claus for capping a perfect day for my kids.

Heading into the parking lot of the Food4Less on Huntington Drive, I spied one enterprising guy selling Christmas trees out of a U-Haul. The truck, as you can see, is half full, so he must be doing brisk business assuming a full truck this morning.

Congratulations, sir!

What I’m saying, is that it had been eons since I’ve hit the boards. I took my family on the Friday after Thanksgiving. To this day, I’m still trying to figure out how that happened. All I know is that I was having a nice conversation with my 6 year old daughter and next thing I heard coming from my mouth was, “So, we should go skating tomorrow.” Wait? Why did I say that? What the hell were we talking about?

Unfortunately, my daughter can fixate on a ‘maybe’ or a ‘should’ like nobody’s business. Yes. That meant we were definitely going. Fine. I could use the exercise. Right?

Well, we went and while I was still rusty; not trusting myself to skate backwards like I used to, it was a ton of fun. I got home, still sweaty and exhilarated and posted to Facebook something like, “OMGOMGOMG I just went roller skating and it was, like, totally a lot of fun. WOW!”

Most of the people who responded to my post went to school with me. We all grew up in La Puente, Walnut or West Covina. We all remember our days spent at Skate Junction. It was imperative we relive that as soon as possible. So a meetup with quickly cobbled together.

December 4th. 8pm. Moonlight Rollerway. Glendale, CA.

Why Moonlight Rollerway? Oh, only because most of the skating rinks we grew up with were closed down forever. *sniff* Oh, and only because the few skating rinks that are still around are either run down or of the “Did that guy just sell drugs while skating?” sort and, you know…we got kids. Besides…if I had my choice of roller skating rinks, I would have chosen one with a lot less rules.

Let’s just say the people who work at Moonlight Rollerway have a long way to go in the customer service department. The lady who gives you the tickets is nice and personable and gives you a false sense of normalcy. Then she presses the button and that prison buzz sounds off just as you hear a click of the door and you think, “Oh, my God. That’s just to let me in.” You wonder what madness you just got yourself into.

Skaters

What we walked in on last night was something out of a Lynch movie. There was the Peter Scolari look-alike referee who was having a little too much fun on his whistle. He stalked slower skaters, waiting for them to touch the wall or fall down, just so he can blow his whistle at them. When the kids fell and the parent stopped to help, he swooped down “Move along! There’s no stopping on the wall.” Yet, he spent approximately 37 minutes stopped along the wall just chit-chatting with the rink’s owner.

This little old lady in her Christmas sweater looked like a sweet, grandma type who’d probably give you homemade cookies if the Dept. of Health would let her. Instead, she choose to make my friend’s little girl cry. See, the girl wasn’t comfortable in her skates. So she took them off and put on her shoes. The lady said that everyone must wear skates…unless they didn’t pay to skate. If you paid to skate you can not take off your skates. If you’re a kid, then you must wear skates because it’s safer.

Yeah. It didn’t make sense to us either.

There there was The Strange Drama of the Fallen Soda; or Let’s Put This Huge Yellow Warning Cone on Carpet and Give Dirty Looks to Customers As I Clean Up a Small Bit of Soda in which the older lady above was the writer, producer, director and star of said drama.

Another really odd thing, was that they kicked us off the boards twice for Advanced Backwards Skating ONLY. This was only weird becase 1) it was just for 7 people out of the 100 in attendance and 2) they have a peculiar rule that to participate you had to have your own skates.

But despite all of this or maybe a little because of it, we all still had lot of fun. I saw people I hadn’t seen in over 20 years and met new people. We’ve all spawned some adorable and insanly polite children. My kids, who were scared of going on the rink when we arrived, had gained some confidence by the time we left.  I only fell down once and it wasn’t even my fault.

Oh yes. We’ll be back.  Crazy refs and drama-queen owners be damned!

*****
Moonlinght Rollerway
5110 San Fernando Road
Glendale, CA 91204
Phone: (818) 241-3630

Image via Wikipedia

In just a few short days, the annual LADWP Festival of Lights will kick off. with Bike Night. On December 3rd from 5 – 10pm, bike riders will have the streets to themselves.

New this year will be walking only nights. With the stated purpose of  ‘going green’, these nights run Dec. 4th – 17th.  Walking festival-goers can park in the LA Zoo parking lot. On Dec. 11 – 13th,  a Family Mini Fair intended to educate and celebrate the eco-friendly evenings.

The regular drive-thru nights begin on Dec. 18th and run until Dec. 30th. It’s free and is open 5 – 10 pm.

If you finish up at the lights early, Travel Town has Train Rides to Santa on December 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, and 16 through 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The train rides are $7 per person.

*****

Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Dr., Los Angeles CA 90027

Travel Town
5200 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles CA 90027

The installation will showcase art work from over 200 artists with the years 1940 – 1980 displayed at MOCA Grand Avenue and 1980 to the present at The Geffen Contemporary gallery.

On November 19th, you can hear Two Artists Perspectives of Los Angeles in the 70s.

Join William Leavitt and Allen Ruppersberg, both of whom are featured in Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years, for a conversation with independent curator Carole Ann Klonarides about the experience of making and presenting work in the 1970s. This event is hosted by X-TRA, Los Angeles’s longest running contemporary art journal.

The talk is free to attend.

Class sizes are limited, so you must RSVP immediately.