Runners may be distracted by the Marina Harbor views

The 13.1 Los Angeles half marathon (13.1 miles) takes place next Sunday, January 15, against “a new scenic backdrop.” The half marathon, part of the “13.1″ series of races in major U.S. cities, starts at 7 a.m. at the Venice Boardwalk (Rose Ave. intersection), winds around the Marina del Rey Harbor, and ends in Playa del Rey. Area drivers should plan accordingly.

In addition to the half marathon, there will be a separate “Karhu 5k” race along Dockweiler Beach, in which racers will compete against — insert joke here — a runner dressed as the Karhu Bear. Runners who “Beat the Bear” will win a pair of Karhu brand running shoes.

Marina Harbor with Burton Chace Park, a prime viewing location, on the far side

Good news for many area residents: the annual Marina del Rey New Year’s Eve fireworks show is a go.

After L.A. County canceled this year’s July 4 fireworks show at the Marina due to budget tightening, private interests stepped up to assist with funding to put on the New Year’s Eve display. That’s cause for a double celebration.

The fireworks show gets warmed up at 11:55 p.m., but, given the public parking and traffic challenges during Marina del Rey events, I’d plan to get there quite a bit earlier.

Marina Boat Channel by day

If you’re an L.A. lover of the life aquatic, you’re in luck: this weekend, we’ve got two boat parades in a row.

First up, on Saturday, December 10, is the Marina Holiday Boat Parade at the Boat Channel in Marina del Rey. The boat parade, where the vessels are decked out in lit holiday splendor, begins at 6 p.m., preceded by a fireworks show at 5:55, which some people may be eager to see after the annual July 4 fireworks display was canceled due to budget cuts. There will be judging in various categories for the boats. See the first link above for all details.

Then on Sunday, December 11, the Venice Canals right down the street will play host to their own boat parade. This parade, which starts at 4:30 p.m. (boat lineup at 4), will feature decidedly smaller boats due to the smaller waterways, but the intimate setting is sure to provide your monthly dosage of quaintness. Awards will be given for the best-decorated boats, and the fine print in the flyer (see link) indicates that the bridge and home decorations will be judged the day before at 4 p.m., so you could check that out before the Marina Boat Parade on Saturday if you’re really ambitious. Some of those homes along the canals are famous for their amazing Christmas light displays, which may be up, or at least in the process of going up, by now. Who says quaint can’t be a bit blingy too?

Marky Ramone getting some California Sun

East Coast vs. West Coast rivals laid down their Glocks and picked up spoons last Saturday, as Marky Ramone, former drummer of the Ramones, flew in from Brooklyn to the Venice Whole Foods to promote his new pasta sauce. The sauce is called Marky Ramone’s Brooklyn’s Own Pasta Sauce, a fittingly complicated name from someone whose job it was to keep time for the rapid Ramones.

Marky sat down while a small line formed to have him autograph each purchased jar (including smiley faces on the lid and bottom). The sauce sells for $6.99 per jar, which isn’t bad considering (a) it’s Whole Foods; (b) Rao’s sauce sells for $8.99 a jar there, and what band was he ever in?; and (c) you could probably sell your autographed jar for quite a bit more on eBay. There were a couple of tasting stations nearby, and this former New Yorker can attest that the sauce is excellent, with a simple list of ingredients, ending with the words “Drums not included.”

Marky was very friendly, down-to-earth, and happy to talk to each of us for as long as we wanted. In fact, there was a young boy on line in front of us who told us that he plays the drums (yes, a little drummer boy), and who had dragged his mom there so he could meet Marky Ramone. Marky engaged the boy in conversation for a few minutes. Who knows, perhaps the boy will become a famous drummer and this cycle will repeat itself in 30 or 40 years.

Bizarre? Sure, but that’s what I call rock ‘n roll.

Future dog houses on Santa Monica beach?

Will Santa Monica’s sand castles turn into dog houses? Will dogs kick sand in the faces of 98-pound weaklings on Santa Monica’s beaches? Or will the dogs end up in the pound? Those are some of the questions Santa Monica residents may be asking, after the Santa Monica City Council voted yesterday to come up with a pilot program for designating a dog beach, and to present the program to state officials in Sacramento.

In dog-crazy Santa Monica, some locals, including the folks at Unleash the Beach, have been pushing the dog beach idea for years. However, you’re likely to find just as many people who think it’s a bad move, primarily for sanitary reasons. This is one issue where “step in it” is used literally rather than figuratively.

Additionally, the legal thicket involved in creating a beach for dogs in Santa Monica is one that most dogs wouldn’t even want to enter. In addition to trying to convince the folks in Sacramento, dog beach advocates must overcome opposition from, er, well-heeled groups such as Heal the Bay, whose members are concerned about those who would poison the atmosphere (again, literally not figuratively). And if the Coastal Commission wants to get involved? Just ask Venice homeowners or The Edge how accommodating the Commissioners are.

So, I would caution Santa Monica dog beach advocates: don’t hold your dog breath just yet, as this may take a while.

Rally event poster, used with permission

Admission to the rally is free. If you want to enter a vintage bike in the judging, the cost is $10 and includes VIP parking. Others arriving by motorcycle can park for $5. According to The Argonaut newspaper, proceeds from the rally will benefit the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA). I plan to arrive on foot, but if there are bikes for sale, then who knows, I may be leaving in a different manner.

Pair of Chevy Volts at 2011 Alt Car Expo in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a Ground Zero for hybrid, electric, and other alternative fuel vehicles in the U.S. It’s nearly impossible to open your eyes while there and not notice at least a Prius or two. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the flagship event for this Sunday‘s National Plug-In Day will be a gathering and parade of electric and plug-in vehicles in Santa Monica.

National Plug-In Day is a combined effort by Plug-In America, Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association, and comprises some 24 events nationwide, from New York City to Honolulu. The events will include parades, “tailpipe-free tailgate parties”, test drives and other activities.

At the flagship event in Santa Monica on Sunday, owners of “highway-capable plug-in vehicles” (meaning electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids) are invited to bring their vehicles to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium parking lot between 8 and 9:30 a.m. Following a 9:30 press conference, the vehicle parade will begin at 10 and will roll down Main Street. The public is invited to meet with the vehicle owners at the Civic Auditorium before the parade, to talk to them about their experiences owning and driving these vehicles.

Presumably, we won’t see any fire engines in Sunday’s parade, but I’d bet that we will have some of those in the not-too-distant future.

Back of Whole Foods

Los Angeles area folks do not have a reputation for subtlety. Perhaps that’s one reason why this mural which doubles as a pictogram, hiding in plain sight on the back of the Venice Whole Foods, is none too subtle. Hint: the Whole Foods is at the corner of Lincoln … and Rose … get it?

Bonus points if you look weaker than a small child.

A lot of people in LA are looking for jobs, and today Jezebel picked up on an opportunity right here in our own back yard for any anorexics seeking gainful employment. Well, not “intentional” anorexics, according to the ad. But you know, if you just happened to stumble into your eating disorder by chance, then maybe this gig’s for you.

Probably the most helpful aspect of the ad, in my humble opinion, is handy height/weight chart, lest you be confused about what it takes to be considered adequately “fragile.” From the ad:

for a height of 5’7″ – 90-100lb, 5’8″- 110lb, 5’9″ – 115lb and 5’10″ – 120lb

It’s like one of those charts hanging by the scale in the doctor’s office. Science!