This weekend, the LA 3-D Club (Stereo Club of Southern California) is hosting the 8th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival at the Downtown Independent Theater. The festivities begin at 1pm on Saturday with two blocks of short film competitions, followed by an evening feature screening. On Sunday, you can attend free 3-D demos and presentations and see local student 3-D films. The festival wraps up with an award ceremony and screening, followed by a rooftop reception.

If you buy a pass to the festival, you could be the lucky winner of a FujiFilm FinePix REAL 3D W3 digital camera. A Festival Pass is $30 and gets you into all screenings and events during the weekend and enters you into a drawing to be held at the awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Come out and support a great local organization, a fantastic independent theater and see some amazing indie 3-D films and music videos from all over the world.

The 8th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival
May 14th and 15th, 2011
Downtown Independent Theater
251 S. Main Street, Los Angeles 90012

Since 2002, the first Saturday of May has been a special day for comic book fans everywhere. Free Comic Book Day is a worldwide event in which participating independent comic book specialty shops do what the name implies and give you free comic books. No, this does not mean that you can take any book off the shelf. There are designated titles up for grabs. Some locations also have special guests, signing, giveaways and other activities throughout the day. Not surprisingly, food trucks seem to be a popular addition this year!

There are many participating comic book shops in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. A few of my personal favorites are:

House of Secrets, 1930 W Olive St. Burbank, CA 91506. Appearances by Tom Kenny and Walter Koenig.

Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90046. Original statues from The Dark Crystal will be on display and The Grilled Cheese Truck will be making a special appearance.

Golden Apple, 7018 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038. Lots of special guests, sales, giveaways, free food and even a bounce house for the kids.

Check out the Free Comic Book Day Store Locator to find out if your favorite shop is participating. Insider tip: Go early if you want to choose from a good selection of books.

If you live in Southern California and have dogs, you are probably aware of foxtails. But, in case you are new to the area, have a new pet or are walking or hiking in a different area, I’d like to share a little information. This occurred to me over the past week when I noticed the nasty weeds popping up in my own back yard. Spring has sprung, indeed.

Foxtails are a feature of many grasses that grow locally. The distribution in my yard is fairly sporadic, but it’s common to see areas along sidewalks that get overrun. I snapped the above photo on Alvarado near Sunset in Echo Park earlier this evening.

The plant becomes problematic when it dries out (see photo below) and the seeds break off.

The danger of foxtail seeds is that they are barbed, so when they get stuck in a dog’s coat, they work their way in and get stuck. Paws, ears and nostrils are particularly vulnerable. They can embed under the skin and have been known to get under eyelids, in throats, etc. The bottom line is these nasty things can cause pain, bleeding, infection and rather substantial vet bills. If you have foxtails on your property or walk your dog(s) in area where they grow, inspect the paws, ears and fur daily. They are difficult to eradicate, especially if you don’t want to use harsh chemicals. During the spring, summer and fall, I pull the plants out of the ground by hand on a daily basis. Even with my vigilance, my dogs have had a couple of instances of needing some minor vet attention due to a foxtail lodged in a paw or an ear.

P.S. I read that outdoor cats are also at risk, it is much lower due to their grooming habits.

Experience a live visual music sensation on Friday, April 22nd courtesy of The USC School of Cinematic Arts and Visions and Voices: The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative for FREE! Rhythms+Visions-Expanded+Live! is an exciting outdoor event with performances spanning animation, experimental documentary, social commentary and abstract visual music. UK audiovisual collective D-Fuse and Los Angeles artist Scott Pagano will perform live. Additionally, giant 3-D stereoscopic animations will be projected onto the building facade, interacting with the audience and the architecture. 3-D glasses will be provided.

Rhythms+Visions-Expanded+Live! is this Friday, April 22nd from 7:30-11pm at the USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex. Admission is Free. A lively panel discussion will follow the performances. Facebook event page here.

L.A. Animal Services issued a press release today stating that they are canvassing Los Angeles City neighborhoods checking for current dog licenses. Not only is it the law, but being in the system may increase your chances of a reunion with your dog should it ever get out. I know first hand that your dog that you are sure will never get out WILL.

Since 2008, the city has required dogs, and cats, over the age of four months to be spayed or neutered. Therefore, to get your $20 dog license, your pet must be altered. There are a few exemptions and if you qualify, you pay $100 (plus a possible $235 breeder’s fee if applicable) for the license. A current rabies vaccine is also required. The various applications can be found here.

Your dog will not actually go to jail if caught without a license. You won’t be fined, but you will be asked to bring any licenses current. Little Guy, pictured above, isn’t really behind bars. He just fell asleep that way in my dining room. (Rescued from East Valley shelter over 10 year ago. Neutered and licensed).

Spotted heading north on the 5 this afternoon. Is Sarah Palin in town?

Head over to the Downtown Independent this Wednesday night for a unique comedy experience. The Man With F.E.E.E.T. is described as a “new comedy-adventure for View-Master viewers” by Eric Drysdale, an Emmy-winning comedian and writer (The Daily Show, The Colbert Report). The “view-along” staged reading will feature a live soundtrack as audience members follow the action in their own View-Master viewers, which are included in the ticket price. The show will be narrated by Ron Lynch and feature Matt Walsh, Adam Felber, Eddie Pepitone, Amber Nelson and Andree Vermeulen. Alex Burke will improvise a live musical score.

The Man With F.E.E.E.T. LA Launch Event  will be at the Downtown Independent Theater at 251 S. Main Street on Wednesday, March 16th at 8pm and 9:30pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. Read more information about the show here.

At a recent blogging.la author meet-up, we discussed some of our favorite “secret” parking spots, etc. around L.A. Everyone knows that parking in Los Feliz can be tricky, especially on a weekend night. A favorite not-so-secret place to park has always been the post office lot on Vermont, just south of Franklin.

Well, I should say was. I’m not sure when the change occurred, but when I stopped at the post office on my way to work this morning to drop off some mail, I spotted a sign for $2.00/hour and a pre-pay parking box.

Say it isn’t so! I was already running a little behind, so I just snapped the one photo with my cell phone, but the signs on the side of the building indicate that you must pay anytime outside of post office hours. Bummer.

It was nearly a Christmas without toys for the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Overall, toy donations to CHLA have been down 70 percent this year. Thanks to recent coverage in the media, it’s picking up.

Even though lots more toys are being dropped off, there is still a great need. Christmas is only one day out of an entire year of sick children getting toys to occupy and distract them while they are hospitalized. If you can’t donate right now, consider doing so at another time. Maybe your kids will receive a toy they don’t want or need that can be passed along to someone else!

Details on what types of toys can be accepted for the hospital can be found here. Most importantly, they must be new and in original packaging. Currently, the greatest need is for items for infants and teenagers. Please call Volunteer Services at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to make arrangements to drop off your donations at (323) 361-2371.

One of the things I love about living in Los Angeles is the constant discovery of new-to-me things. I recently visited a friend in Silver Lake. I parked on St. George Street near Rowena, as I almost always had, but saw something I’d never seen before. (I think it was always dark). What caught my eye was the Rowena Reservoir, referred to as “Fantasy Island” by locals. It’s beautiful! I drove around it to see where to enter and found the gate. It was locked as the public is not allowed into this oasis.

OK Go's suits from their "This Too Shall Pass" Rube-Goldberg Machine video. Photo by Jodi.

Three Pairs of Tickets! OK Go at Club Nokia on Saturday, November 27th!

You probably know OK Go for their sensational music videos. The band is seriously much more than just their videos and they put on a really energetic, fun live show. I just went to their concert at UCSB this past weekend and it was a blast!

An OK Go show is never just four guys on stage playing their songs. There’s confetti, LOTS of confetti, 3-D glasses, and several more fun surprises. Not to mention the solid musical performance they give. So much fun!

YOU MUST ACT NOW! The first three (3) people to comment will win a pair of tickets. OK Go will be performing at Club Nokia on Saturday, November 27th with A Fine Frenzy and Summer Darling. This is a show not to be missed, so comment now!

And just because it’s super fun, check out  OK Go’s video for their song “White Knuckles.”

Special thanks to Goldenvoice for making this ticket giveaway possible.

Damian Kulash & Tim Nordwind of OK Go

Maybe not everyone loves a parade, but if you are like me and do, Los Angeles is a great place for one. Not only do we have the annual Rose Parade, but the city is also known for its Doo-Dah Parade, Hollywood Christmas Parade, those Lakers parades whenever they win championships and many, many more.

This past Wednesday, the band OK Go teamed up with Range Rover for an amazing event called “Dance Through Your City.” Essentially, they held a parade for many hours through the streets of the Los Feliz/Hollywood area. Using GPS, the route spelled out the band’s name, which could be visualized on the Range Rover Pulse of the City app. A mobile, musical work of art utilizing the streets and people of Los Angeles. How cool is that?

When I first heard about this event, I was saddened to know I’d be at work and not able to participate. What I didn’t know was that this parade was planned to go on for HOURS, meaning that I did get to take part in the evening. Since the route wasn’t published ahead of time, I was also surprised to learn it was going right by my workplace. I heard it go by, yet failed at finding a good excuse to run outside.

I was able to join up with paraders when they had stopped for a dinner break. The band changed from the brightly colored suits they wore during the day to the black suits covered with changing-color LEDs. Others were wrapping drums, trombones, guitars and themselves with electroluminescent wire. Everyone was encouraged to accessorize with glow sticks and all sorts of other blinking objects.

The experience of parading through the L.A. streets after dark, singing and dancing with other enthusiastic people is something I highly recommend. Part of the fun was the various folks running out of their houses, shops, etc. with quizzical looks or cameras. Some people shook their head, some people danced, and a few even joined in the parade. We saw lots of kids in pajamas. As I marched along, I couldn’t help but think that this was exactly the kind of experience that makes me love L.A.

For more parade goodness, check out the write-ups at LAist and Billboard.com.

Every October, my inner Linus gets the urge to find the most sincere pumpkin patch. Not so much to wait for The Great Pumpkin, but to see, photograph, and perhaps even select a fabulous pumpkin to display.

In the past I’ve visited Lombardi Ranch in Saugus, Pierce College’s Halloween Harvest Festival, the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, and even a lovely farm in Ventura County. All of these places had marvelous pumpkin patches, but the most sincere? Hard to say.

This year, I stuck closer to home and checked out Forneris Farms in Mission Hills. The pumpkins there were okay, but what they really have going for them is their fantastic corn maze. You can see an aerial view of it on their website and it’s pretty impressive. It’s large, family friendly and has an optional scavenger hunt. If I didn’t have a navigator, I’d still be wandering around the stalks of corn. While most of the pumpkin patches and farms that are still open close tomorrow, the corn maze at Forneris Farms is open through November 7th.

What are your favorite local pumpkin patches to visit? It doesn’t hurt to start planning for next year!

Potato Balls & Rellenitos

I was first introduced to Porto’s Bakery & Café through co-workers who occasionally brought pastries from the Glendale storefront to work. They were different and delicious, unlike any other sweets I’d had before. It wasn’t until the second location opened in Burbank in January of 2006 that I actually went into a Porto’s and discovered what a wide and varied menu they offer. In addition to the popular tres leches cake, cheese rolls, and guava strudel, you can indulge in a number of sandwiches and salads.

While I’m quite fond of the steak torta, I usually gravitate toward the café’s “house specialties,” especially the potato balls and rellenitos. The potato ball, or papa rellena, is mashed potato filled with seasoned ground beef that is lightly breaded and fried. The meat reminds me of sloppy joe meat. It’s comfort food you can hold in your hand. They are so good that I didn’t mind eating them when it was over 100 degrees.

Black Beans & Ground Beef Inside

The rellenito pairs nicely with the savory potato ball. It is sweet plantain filled with black beans and coated in sugar. The flavors work so well together. While not technically a “meal,” you can make one out of these. They are dense and filling and oh so scrumptious. Also, a potato ball or rellenito will set you back only 90 cents. A true bargain.

The family-run Cuban bakery and café currently has two locations, one at 315 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale and the other at 3614 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank. A third location in Downey is slated to open sometime this year. The establishments are quite popular, especially on weekends, so be prepared to stand in line while waiting to place your order. The staff at the Burbank location are fast and very friendly and the food is worth the wait.