I was mortified at the number of unused Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce jars I had (6), jars of Hearts of Palms (5), cans of organic black beans (6) and containers of olives I had (can’t even count em).
Forget about tallying up the gross amounts and varieties of pasta, rice, and quinoa stacked in my cupboard. It’s as if I expected that the world was gonna end and I had to have a stockpile of food to hold me over until spring vegetables could grow.
So now, part of my New Year’s agenda is to make every meal use some of the canned, jarred, dried or packaged food I have lurking in my cupboards. I should be able to cook til April.
I googled Trader Joes Recipes and found some on their site, chow hound and several more. Any ideas welcomed!

I’m also planning a trip to a shelter to share some of this discovered bounty!
I guess getting out the old broom is good every once in a while cuz we all win!

Divine. Going to a Beats Antique concert is always an experience, kind of psychedelic, kinda dreamy…always fun.
If you want to get in on the action for FREE just give us your description of what describes their vibe onstage. Best four descriptions get free tickets for this Friday nights show on the 30th at the Club Nokia.
Do it now, cuz we have to make a decision and give these tickets away! Make sure when you sign in you leave us your email so we can contact you if you win (it’s not published!)

If you don’t win, you can buy tickets here.
Along with Beats Antique, Emancipator, Random Rab and Lynx are hitting the stage.
Beats Antique was formed by two rad musicians Tommy “Sidecar” Cappeland, David Satori and a hip-hop belly dancer named Zoe Jakes. Their performances defy description! But give it your best shot!

It’s a pretty smokin’ deal at $45 per day or $80 for the weekend. There is something about the golden hills of Ojai that always gets me going… it really is a magical place so just getting out of town and hanging there is sure to be a cool experience.
The idea for Ecotopia revolves around community building & holistic workshops… kind of a Burning Man meets Bhaktifest meets something new. You can go for the weekend or the day. There will be lots of local organic food vendors (Cafe Gratitude is one of the sponsors) and beautiful tent or RV camping. Good way to welcome the change of seasons at this very special conscious gathering.

It’s located at the Mystic Ranch: 10338 Ojai Santa Paula Rd Ojai, CA 93023.

I just drove to Ojai for the day and I zipped up the 101 right past the 405.  Not even a slowdown!

And last night and this morning, the city of LA is quiet, quiet, quiet.  Seems everyone really IS out of town or hibernating.  It’s kind of nice.  Seems like a normal city.

Perhaps we are the most normal city in the world! Everyone emulates us.  And personally, I think we have the best life-style on the planet! Viva Los Angeles!
And hell, Viva Carmegeddon! It’s tamed this puppy!

Hmmm. I questioned him intensely. He checked out. And he seemed straight up.
But then again, I’ve read nothing in the news that backs this up. They would have announced it by now. Right?

Or maybe they are just messin’ with us and waiting til the last minute so traffic is a breeze. Who knows?

Rumors like this could just be wishes to the Gods. Just thought I’d pass this little nugget on.

Rootsimple is run by ‘the homegrowns’ Erik and Kelly, a couple in Silverlake who have also written several books about urban homesteading, “The Urban Homestead: and “Making It: Radical Home Ec in a Post-Consumer World”.
I particularly love that they talk a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in growing things to eat in Los Angeles.
There are all sorts of tips for eating, growing, raising, making and baking just about everything you can think of.

I also like that through their projects, I can fantasize about what it would be like to live on a farm (albeit in LA). I’m a city girl with a garden, so almost all of their projects call out to me!
Reading about their chickens, I yearn for a chicken coop so I can have fresh eggs. But alas, no one in my household (including queen me) wants to clean up their poop or battle the coyotes!
Ahh to dream!

First, the thing I heard a lot from my girlfriends is that part of the problem is that men who seem attracted to you don’t initiate. If you see her, go talk to her. Believe me, you will eventually hit the jackpot. Women like attention. So if there is a flicker, go make contact! It’s how my honey Dan lassoed me in. (That and his dazzling smile).
Yes, you will be rejected a lot…. not necessarily because she doesn’t like you; she might be married, in a relationship, recovering from losing a parent, who knows! But if she’s free and has that tingle too… It could be magic!
#2: Go to a yoga class! Every single yoga class I’ve every taken, the ratio of women to men is at least 3 to 1. Sometimes there are no men there at all, so you will be the only guy in a room of 30 women. And most women who take yoga have decent (if not awesome) bodies, have some sense of spirituality and are open to new experiences. All pluses as far as relationships go.
#2: Hit the Dog Park. Even if you don’t have a dog, you will make a friend. For some reason, whenever I take my canine out for a run, there’s tons of really groovy women (and men too!) at the park. And they are talking up a storm, playing with their mutts, generally in a great mood. Must be all that sunshine, fresh air and playful energy.
#4: Weekend Festivals & Workshops: I go to a lot of music festivals, yoga workshops, art stuff…. and invariably one of Dan the Man’s single friends who hangs with us, ends up meeting a neat girl. Seriously. At Bhaktifest a couple of weeks ago, I had some friends, both whom I knew from different worlds, meet. They ended up really liking each other. Voila. Love is born!
Another time at Lightning in a Bottle, (coming up this weekend!) a good friend met a girl and they ended up living together!
#5: At a sushi bar… or any restaurant bar.
My sweetie and I love “The Hungry Cat”. We always eat at the bar and we invariably meet someone pretty interesting! The last two times we met single women. One was eating alone before she met her friends for a night on the town. The other time, we met two women loading up before a night of partying. They were all gorgeous and smart. And most importantly, single and looking!
#6: Get your ass out to every dinner party, event, etc that you are invited to. Seriously. If you are hanging with the people you relate to best, they have friends! Let them know you are looking. Although most of them already will… the desire to match-make is almost instinctual.
#7: Yup. Online Dating. I know, I know. It can be dreadful. But two couples I know who are happily married met on the internet in LA. The great thing about online dating is that you meet people you would NEVER meet in your own circle! The worst thing about online dating is that you meet people you would NEVER meet in your own circle! That said, when I was trying it, I looked at it as an adventure in social expansion. My advice is to talk several times on the phone first… if there is chemistry, it will come out. If you feel nothing and you meet them anyway, just to try and second guess yourself…. it will be ugly! Online, you’ll definitely have some crazy adventures. I have some of my best dating stories (including one with a guy who had a full blown dungeon! Stop! You don’t want to know…) from online dating.
So Happy Hunting! And if you have your own suggestions: Please! Chime in!

It all started 10 years ago when Jesse moved out West from small town Pennslyvania. His brothers Josh and Dede soon followed.
Lightning in a Bottle has it’s roots in a small birthday party they used to throw for themselves (Jesse and Josh are twins). Every year the party got bigger and bigger until in 2004 it was a one night event that 700 people showed up for.
After 2004, they made it into a bona fide music festival and in 2006, held it in Live Oak Park near Santa Ynez, where it became a 3 day event with 4500 or so participants.
Last year they moved it to Oak Canyon Ranch and by then, their numbers grew to around 7000 art seekers.
I’ve been to at least five of their events and all I can say is…it’s a really fabulous time. They all have a great eye for art and create really cool structures (if you’ve been to Coachella, you know some of their tents and areas).
Every year I camp with my friends and end up meeting lots of new ones. Every year I dance to some old faves in the music department and discover someone new who blows my mind. Every year I hear a lecture that really enlightens me.
And it all came about because these three groovy guys living in Venice combined their familial talent to create The Do LaB. They brainstormed to make cool art installations with their friends (and now legions of crafty volunteers) and to discover great beats and in general make their life as an on going art piece.
It works. And the LA is a cooler place because of them!