... D n A +

Protest at 7th and Fig

2011-10-06T16:15:00.001-07:00

reALIze

2011-03-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Now at LA Live. Don't miss it. It's pretty awesome.

DnA NOT on Broadway

2010-12-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

And…we’re back.

Not really though.

DNA and the family are no longer on Broadway, so the title of this blog is now a bit misleading.

Our time in the Historic Core has been great (mostly), but it was time for us to move on. After looking at a few places in and around DTLA, DNA, Mara and Dakota have decided to take our talents to South Park, where the living arrangements are larger, quieter, cheaper and include attached 24-hour secured parking.

Some of pros of the moves include:

• Mara now has her own play room. Woo-hoo!

• The new DNA HQ faces East (which is key) and offers a quieter (and seemingly safer) area to take Mara out for walks, whether it be in our courtyard and throughout our neighborhood.

• There’s not nearly as much vehicle or pedestrian traffic, less (human) urine soaked streets and almost no chance of oppressively loud, pointless marches and protests happening just outside our window.

• Parking is included in an attached, 24-hour secured structure.

• As an added bonus, we no longer have to look at the eye-sore of a building on the NE corner of 4th and Broadway. That thing burned down in 2006 and nothing has been done to even kind of repair it. The scaffolding around that building is a haven for vomit and urine.

• I think ATL likes the local sushi place at the new place better than the local sushi place at the old place. And she has direct walkable access to Lawry’s Carvery.

• But the real payoff is that we don’t have to deal with any loud, annoying music from business located on the street level that operate with complete disregard for both the established LA Noise Ordinance and the residents in the area.

• Nor do we have to deal with building management/ownership who elect to do absolutely nothing to help their residents with getting the loud obnoxious music to stop.

Some of the cons are:

• Can no longer walk to (i) Art Walk or (ii) the battery of food trucks during Art Walk. I mean, I guess we could still walk there, but really?

• No longer have walkable access to fast food, which was really convenient. Also farther from Cole’s and Nickel Diner. I liked those places.

• Can no longer walk Dakota to the large patch of grass on 2nd and Spring within 10 minutes, but Dakota seems to like the semi-grassy area on Fig and Pico, so this might be a wash.

• Far less likely to run into some of the Dakota’s friends, particularly Sunisa, which sucks. Speaking of which, best of luck to Phillip and Mike on their move.

• I’m a lot farther from my barbers.

• I’m farther away from the usual bus routes I’d take to work (when I take the bus to work).

But as some things change, some things stay the same, because we still have to deal with traffic disruptions, specifically from film crews and awards shows/special events at Staples/Nokia Theater/LA Live. I’m actually ok with disruptions caused by special events/shows compared to random protests outside the state buildings that tie up traffic in every direction for a 4 block radius.

However, most film crews are still a-holes and actually enjoy doing what I can to disrupt their day as much as I can whenever I can.

On a much more somber note, it seems that the timing of our move was meaningful, as it coincided with the closure of the Yoshinoya on the NW corner of 4th and Broadway. Shame. RIP Beefbowl. It seems that whenever we move, places that we eat shut down. First, Meltdown, Etc. and now Yoshinoya.

But at least Club Fantasy lives on…

Dakota seems to be adjusting to the new HQ nicely. We’re still exploring different routes for her walks but for the most part, I think she likes it. And, of course, Tamara of Bark and Clark, has been awesome with Dakota and getting her acclimated to the new area. Speaking of Tamara, check out this article in the Blog Downtown . That’s Dakota with her in the pic.

Regarding the name of this blog, I’m now sure how we’re gonna handle it. If we keep the same name and web address, we’d be lying, because we’re not on Broadway anymore (thankfully). I’ll leave that decision to ATL.

...

ATL here. That was D up there.

DnA on Flower Street just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. We’ll keep the blog as it is. For now, I just titled it DnAplus. That’s to make room for any other future addition to the household. Not saying that’s any time soon, but you never know.

I will post a picture of the newest addition later, for those in the neighborhood who hasn't seen her yet.

Changing Landscape

2010-09-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of sitting and waiting involved with jury duty. Thank God (and geeks) for technological advances that I can now blog while I serve time.

... ... ...

When I walked to the courthouse this morning, I realized how much our streetscape has changed since we moved here 2 years ago. Broadway always had a lot foot traffic because of all the bus stops and little shops on the street. In the past year, we've seen businesses close and new ones open. Just across the street from our building, they've open a bike shop. And the clothing store next to it got a new name. The American Mart also had a grand re-opening, which I just recently found out was part of Fallas Paredes. The building in between the bike shop and American Mart got a little make-over. They repainted the facade and removed the huge awning that used to belong to Sam's- that DJ/music store that used to blast their music and had their speakers facing the street.

D was so happy when Sam's move out. They didn't leave without a small farewell though. The week they were moving, they made sure to crank up the volume. D called the cops to complain and that's when we found out they were packing up. They just wanted to make sure to annoy us one last time. No one has occupied their space since then. And hopefully, it won't be another music store for as long as we live here.

Just next door, half of the storefronts have also shut its doors. I used to walk down the street and be greeted by someone standing in front of each shop. Now there are gaps along the line. One of which is the gray-haired guy in the suit store. He loved Suzy. After Suzy moved out of Downtown, he used to always ask about her when he saw me walking Dakota. So now half of the front of his old store is taken up by display boxes of flat screen TVs from the adjacent electronic shop. On the other half, the tiny shop on the other side spills out its toy goods and other random items.

A couple steps down, another clothing store have also closed down. For over a year, that store would have a going out of business sale. A couple days later they would take the banner down and rearrange the store. Then a couple weeks later, they'd have another going out of business sale. I thought it was just some kind of gimmick. One night, I saw them moving boxes into a pick-up truck and that was the last I saw of them.

Even though there are less businesses on our half of the street, there hasn't been a consistent homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk like before. Our friend Dollah hasn't been in his usual spot for months now. It wasn't until 2 nights ago that we saw him across street, pushing his shopping cart and yelling at some lady about eating dog poop. His actual words were a lot more vulgar, but I'll just leave it that.

Some things haven't changed. The burned down building is still there on the corner of 4th and Broadway. I really hate having to walk through the scaffolding in front of it. I hate being stuck behind slow walking people, especially when I can't get around them because they take up the whole width of the walkway, or they walk in a zig zag, or the walk right smack in the middle oblivious of the stack of people behind them. If they're old or handicapped, you give a little break. But when they're just lolligagging, crazy, drunk or crazy and drunk, that's the worst. And for some reason, all the drunks that stumble out of Casa India either pee, puke or pass out (or maybe all of the above) under that scaffolding. I wish that thing would go away. I don't want to have to step over another drunk guy laying on the sidewalk. That and every time I roll the baby stroller on that portion of the sidewalk, I started thinking about what the wheels roll over, and those same wheels will roll into the apartment...I'm disgusted.

... ... ...

I've been in this courthouse since 730 am and have done a whole lot of nothing. It's time for our lunch break now. Oh but the cool thing is we get free admission to MOCA with our juror badge. yay.

Accident on 4th & Broadway

2010-07-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

The cops closed off Broadway between 4th & 5th because of this car accident. I think someone might have gotten hurt. There was a car facing the wrong way earlier. But that guy drove off. Now the fire dept, an ambulance and whole bunch of cops are figuring it out...while my whole family sticks their necks out the window.

This reminds me of that one Christmas when a car hit our apartment building. At least this time, the car didn't hit any buildings.

Another one

2010-07-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Seems like there's a protest in front of this building everyday...

baby in traffic

2010-05-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that babycakes over here love car rides. Remember that
car commercial where the baby cries when the car isn't moving and
stops immediately when the car starts moving? That's my girl!

Today, I drove to Playa del Rey to pick-up more Suzy food from my
brother's place. Suzy's staying with us again since my brother and his
wife just had their baby. I didnt mind driving there coz as soon as I
leave the parking garage, I know babycakes would be fine. Most of the
time, she falls asleep.

So I took the carpool lane all the way there. No problem. Picked up
the special Suzy food and headed back. I was on the 105 carpool lane
and 2 police cars get right behind me and signals me to pull over. I
thought twice...babies do count as a person in the carpool lane! As
soon as I veered to the right, both police cars sped by. So I got back
in the carpool lane, crossing all those double yellow lines and cat
eyes.

At least 4 more police cars did the same thing. I was beginning to
think there's an accident up ahead. I saw 3 helicopters swirling
around and I was pretty sure traffic was going to come to stop soon.
Oh crap. That would be bad. All I could think of was babycakes
screaming her ear off, while we sit in a freeway parking lot, and all
my shushing would be futile!

We were slowing down as traffic began to backup. And sure enough right
when I hit the brakes, the crying started. My only hope was that this
traffic was on the 105, not the 110. I kept looking ahead. Seems like
the 110 ramp is clear. Should I drive on the shoulder and pass all
these cars? Oh dammit...here comes two more police cars with the same
idea. They sped by. Babycake's still screaming. Ok whatever breaking
the law...drove on the shoulder to pass the traffic...got on the 110
ramp and we're in the clear. As soon as I picked up speed...silence.

I was looking at her through the backseat view mirror and she was
literally in mid-cry then she realized we were moving and she stopped.
Her mouth was still open, but she opened her eyes and abruptly stopped
crying. That was incredible! Gawd I hate traffic!!!

New bike shop?

2010-05-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

They're putting this up across the street today...

More of May Day....

2010-05-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Protest on Broadway

2010-05-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

The view from our window...

ferris wheel

2010-04-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

At Vermont and Olympic...
something you don't see everyday by downtown...

Re Hi

2010-04-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

Hi…it’s been a while. I know, we suck.

A few weeks back, I was in the elevator when I ran into our neighbor Ronnie, who totally called me out about not posting on the blog anymore. Damn you Ronnie…peer pressure…

On a far more interesting side note, Ronnie and Paolo run (Sub)Urban on 5th and Main. You should check it out. Cool guys, cool furniture spot…

So, ATL and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary this past Saturday. It’s been quite a year since that fateful day in Olot, Spain, with lots of goings on including the birth of our daughter, who totally rocks.

Let me take this opportunity to thank my best friend and wife for a great year. Knowing that I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today without you, I look forward to many, many more years together.

With that, I bring you: Things That Happened In The Past Year, a retrospective.

April – May 2009: JOGAHS and ATL get married in Olot, Spain and spend a month in Europe. Word.

June 2009: Los Angeles wedding reception. I hear it was fun. I kinda got hammered. But we did have a bunch of doughnut holes from Nickel Diner for desert and they were a huge hit, so thanks to everyone at the Nickel!

July 2009: ATL figures out that she’s pregnant. Yay!

August – December 2009: The USC Trojans start a true freshman at QB and finish the season at a disappointing 9-4. Single tear…

October 2009: my office is moved from DTLA back to Beverly Hills, which totally sucks balls. I enjoyed not having my car around and being able to walk to work. For the first 2 month, I took public transportation to work, but then I got really sick and I think caught it on the bus. Fearing that I would get ATL sick, which was unacceptable considering she was pregnant, brought my car back to DTLA and started driving to work.

December 2009: JOGAHS and ATL have to miss the wedding of some dear friends in NY. Sorry Dub-R and Laura.

January 10, 2010: Pete Carroll leaves USC to take the head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks. Single tear…

January 12, 2010: USC names Lane Kiffin as the new head coach…and Kiffin brings Coach O and Monty with him. Word.

March 2010: Our daughter is born. Woo Hoo!!

Our daughter was born at Cedars Sinai and I gotta say, the people there are awesome. All of the doctors, nurses and attendants were really nice and made then the whole process really awesome for ATL and me. Our dear friend Kathleen is one of the doctors there and she was invaluable to us during the experience with her advice and support. Thanks Katie!

And thanks to the Filipino nurse mafia for hooking us up with all kinds of necessities when ATL was discharged from the hospital.

Other random stuff:
- Dakota seems to be adjusting nicely to having a baby around the house. She seems to be protective of the baby now and totally follows ATL around the house when she’s carrying our daughter around. According to my parents, Dakota didn’t leave our daughter’s side when my parents were babysitting for us a few weeks back.

- When bringing Dakota to the grassy area near the parking structure on Hill and 3rd, I’ve noticed that there are some birds that totally dive-bomb people as they’re passing by. When Dakota and I are in the grassy area, these birds will totally dive straight at me and/or Dakota before breaking off at the last minute. Usually they end up buzzing my arms but sometimes they’ll fly straight at my head only to break off around 4 feet from me. It’s kinda cool, but it freaks Dakota out sometimes. I think the birds are swifts, but don’t quote me on that.

- We use a dog walker for Dakota once a day (http://www.barkandclark.com/) and Tamara has been great with her. I highly recommend.

- The grassy area at 2nd and Spring has yet to be repaired following it’s destruction at the hands of the city due to the formal event that was thrown there 2 weeks after putting the lawn in. It doesn’t bother me either way, because Dakota will still run around like a madman whenever she gets the chance, but green grass is always nice. And contrary to what some ignorant folks may say, it’s not the resident dogs that are ruining some of the grassy areas around DTLA.

- Angel’s Flight is up and running again. But if you’re reading this you probably already knew that.

- ATL and I went to the Grilled Cheese Invitational on Saturday. Good times all around. It was kind of a shitstorm in the competition area with everyone jockeying for position to get the next sample, but the samples we did get to try to quite good. Mer-Dog and Ransom missed out.

- I now have something in common with Bret Michaels. I mean, aside of the rockstar lifestyle, selling out concert venues, seeing a million faces and rocking them all…Bret Michaels and I have both suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. In all respects, I consider myself quite lucky and I hope that Bret Michaels is just as lucky and will be able to continue to have nothing but a good time. What can I say, I’m a huge Poison fan….and ATL LOVES Rock of Love. I mean LOVES it. Bret, call me. I know a great neurosurgeon.

- Someone who wasn’t that lucky was Guru…truly a loss to the musical world.
R.I.P. Gifted. Unlimited. Rhymes. Universal.

- So, I was watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine a few days back and I got to thinking, if I can have 1 (and only 1) mutant power from the Marvel Universe, which one would I want? Now, I’ve limited myself to mutant powers only, so no god/alien/scientific-type powers (and no Celestials-type powers) and definitely no powers like Franklin Richards, because that just wouldn’t be all that fair. This was a tough one. My favorite X-Men is Colossus and, while his power is definitely awesome, if given a choice, I don’t think it’s one I’d personally choose. So I came to the conclusion that I would want the powers of Sebastian Shaw. I’ve always been a fan of his since I was a kid. What about you guys?

- Coming soon: a cousin for our daughter to play with. Woo Hoo!! Here's to a safe and smooth delivery for Trini and Bords!

Protest on Spring Street

2010-03-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

January 21

2010-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today, we were disappointed at an unsuccessful first attempt with D's brain surgery. We were then left to wait for the second hospital visit to have surgery again. Here's D's blog entry last year.

This year, we're waiting for another hospital visit for the arrival of our baby girl. Just as before, we hope for the best. We've learned from experience that together we make each other stronger. And one day, we can look back and tell our daughter how we as a family can overcome any of life's tribulations.

Things I've been meaning to blog about...

2009-12-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Finally, work flow has slowed down enough in our office that I can take the time to blog. Here is a collection of note-worthy incidents from the past couple of weeks, in no particular order:

Pole Dancing Practice
There really are no words that would do this justice, but I can only try to describe what D and I witnessed. While Dakota sniffed around the grassy area by the Metro Station, D noticed the peculiar yet familiar movement of figure standing by the bottom of the steps next to Angel’s Flight. We were naturally intrigued. Sure enough, this woman had one arm outstretched in front of her grasping an imaginary pole as she swung her hips, and made graceful ballet movements with the other arm. For the next move, she kept both hands on the “pole”, while squatting at a fast pace and rising to a standing position ever so slowly, making sure to accentuate the curve of her butt.

D had speculated that she was early for her shift at the Fantasy Club, and wanted to practice her moves beforehand. Wait, did I say “she” ? I thought I saw an adam’s apple.

Size Matters in an Car Accident
A couple weeks ago, I was involved in a small fender bender inside the parking structure. I was backing out of my parking stall when I noticed that the car directly across the drive aisle from me was also doing the same. My car was about 3 feet out of the stall when I stopped to wait for the other car. It was backing up and continued to back up until I realized that this car may actually keep going. So I honked my horn several times, but that didn’t do any good. This other car hit me anyway. Unbelievable!

I get out of my car and an older lady got out of the other car. By this time, she moved her car all the way into her spot again. But when she hit me her whole car was in the middle of the driveway.

Needless to say, I was pretty pissed off. I asked her if she heard me honking. She said no. I asked her if she saw me behind her. She said no. I asked if she even LOOKED behind her when she was backing up. Her response was (and this is the BEST PART...) if I didn’t have such a small car, she would have seen me.

Yes. That is what she said. Read that again and tell me if that makes any sense.

A child is smaller than my car. Is this idiot of a woman really blaming the size of my mini cooper for her obvious negligence? I wanted to kick her in the face. But she was old and she parked in a handicapped stall. Perhaps this contributed to her stupidity.

On top of all this, she also advised me that driving such a small car is dangerous. I then imagined my fist punching a hole through her forehead. Instead, I told her that I could be driving a bus, but if people like her fail to watch where they’re going, I’ll always be in danger of getting hit.

Just Because You’re Expecting
At the last art walk…which had a really big turn-out, btw…I was looking at knitted caps. I saw an orange one with a fuzzy ball on top and long sides that double as a scarf. I was about to pick it up when this other girl snagged it. Booo! I gave her a mad face. But she didn’t see me coz I was standing behind her. Luckily, she put it back down.

I immediately grabbed it and put it on. I asked the lady selling it how much. $25. I turned to D for some cash. He asked the lady if we can have it for 20. Pause. She looked at me. D opened his wallet and showed the lady he really only had a 20-dollar bill in there. Then she said OK, just because you’re expecting. Thank you, lady! She took the cash, then rubbed my belly. It cost her 5 bucks to rub my belly.

Just Dance
We did some shopping at Culver City Mall (aka Fox Hills). It looks different, but some things haven’t changed. Anyway, there was a set-up where you can try out the “Just Dance” game for Wii. Whoever wants to dance in public gets a sweat band with the Just Dance logo on it. And they were giving away $10 off coupons when you buy the game at Best Buy.

Hells yeah I bought the game! Then I asked one of the promo guys if I can get a sweatband. He said if I dance. I was like, dude, look at me. He looked down and finally noticed my belly under my coat and scarf. So I showed him that I bought the game. And he gave me a head band.

Now, there’s a super silly picture of me playing the game and wearing that awesome sweatband floating around on facebook.

Year 2

2009-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my subarachnoid hemmorage.

A bunch of stuff has happened since that day, so I've lots to be thankful for.

FIGHT ON TROJANS! BEAT THE WILDCATS!

happy shopping!

2009-11-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

On this black friday, I am staying home. I am a big fan of on-line shopping and most sites usually has free shipping anyway. From the looks of it, Broadway isn't unusually crowded with shoppers. It's actually pretty quiet, which is weird...the guy across the street isn't on his PA system promoting his awesome bargains and the DJ store isn't blasting any music. Hope I didn't jinx it.

---

On other topics, i was in the elevator at the parking garage the other day and a woman turned to me and said, "hey we're matching!" I looked at her and she was wearing a pink shirt. I was wearing blue. Then I noticed her bulging belly. Oh you're preggers too! Cool. Every time I see another pregnant woman I feel the need to give them a little belly bump. Like a belly high-five. No need for words.. Just a simple gesture of acknowledgement, saying hey I feel you. I do it to my friends. Maybe it won't go over so well with strangers.

---

Do dogs know that you're pregnant? Dakota seems to be extra clingy to me lately. She follows me eveywhere in the house. In fact, she's laying on the floor next to me right now. She even sits right outside the bathroom when I'm in there. Is it the beginning of jealousy or more protectiveness?

Buck the Fruins!

2009-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

This article was published in the Daily Trojan before the fucla game in 1994 and I think it sums things up nicely.

Have a great thanksgiving everyone!

________________________________________________

Have Code, Beat UCLA
By: Jeff Wong

Alone at last.

Every year the week before the USC-UCLA game, I feel like I'm in a prison cell, just me and my worst enemy. It's so dark his features are hidden, and he can't see what I look like, either. But we just sit there across from each other, cross - legged on the hard floor of the cold, damp cell. A small peephole lets in the only trickle of light this damned place ever sees. I know he hates me, and he knows I hate him, but neither one of us dares to make the first move. We just sit there, watching each other breathe.

We can't stand to be in the same cell together, but that's just the way things worked out. I was here first, but they brought him in a few years later. We have to share the cell and we don't like it. Finally, he breaks the silence. "So," he says, "do I have to whip you're a$$ like I have the last three years? Beat you up, make you bleed. You're my b!tch and you better like it." I reply with...silence. "What are you gonna say about that, boy?" he asks. I say nothing. "Aren't you gonna say something, boy?" By now he's getting a little agitated, but I say nothing. "I'm gonna kick you're a$$ again, boy. Don't you have something to say?"

Silence.

Sometimes it can be more frightening than the loudest noise. Then the door swings open, as it does once a year. The light from outside blinds both of us momentarily before we recover in time to hate each other once again. It's almost time to fight, and the winner gets to leave this most despicable of places. He gets to leave this dank cell for the warmth of the light, but he must get past the other first. No weapons, no audience, no judges, no referees. Hand - to - hand, just the two of us. I must resist the pain he inflicts on me, no matter how severe, and continue to beat him. I must ram my fist into his body until he submits, until he bruises, until I feel his bones crack and until he bleeds. Then I must beat him until he no longer breathes, until he lies there, in pain, waiting for death.

To the winner - glory.

To the loser - further misery in this dark place, a fate worse than suffering in the lowest depths of Hell.
Yes, it's almost time to fight, but not yet. Saturday is the chosen day for The Reckoning, and it is a day that will live in the minds of all for a very long time to come.

Fellow members of the Class of 1995, we run the risk of being the first group of graduates to have never beaten UCLA in football during our four years here. It must never happen. It cannot. And my illogical, moronic, three-year loyalty to Oregon State just might pay off at last. The Beavers must beat Oregon, and the Trojans must beat the heathen for a rendezvous on Jan. 2 in the Rose Bowl, where destiny awaits. It's finally all coming together and I can't quite believe it.

***

Jog to the center of campus and what do you see? It's Tommy Trojan, wrapped up about a 1,000 times around. Even the most ambitious vandal wouldn't be able to penetrate this armor of plastic and duct tape. On the other side of town the obese, hairy mammal the heathen call a mascot is covered with a large tarp. I'm talking about the Bruin, not Joe McDonnell. A colleague here brought up a good point about wrapping up Tommy Trojan - why should we even have to do it?

Are we afraid? Are we scared of what the heathen will do to Tommy Trojan? No, wrapping Tommy Trojan is not the answer. Whenever we do, we show we're afraid of the heathen when we really are not. We should not wrap our symbol of greatness up with a sign that says, "PLEASE REFRAIN FROM VANDALIZING TOMMY TROJAN. THANK YOU!"

Instead, free Tommy Trojan from its unnecessary garb and scream, "Bring it on!" The solution is so simple: Choose 20 members of USC's senior class and give them weapons training. They should be students with unflinching loyalty, honor and Code. On the week before The Reckoning, a circle will be drawn around Tommy Trojan in cardinal paint. The heavily armed men and women will guard the statue around the clock. Anyone who steps inside of the circle will be shot.

A sign will warn the following: "ATTENTION INFERIOR BRUIN MAGGOTS: ANY PERSON OR ANIMAL THAT ENTERS THIS CIRCLE WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT. HAVE A NICE DAY."

Shoot first, ask questions later. Terminate, with extreme prejudice. No mercy. Sweep the leg. Yes sensei!

"Isn't this a bit harsh?" someone asks. Well, you pathetic, bed-wetting liberal, should I powder your butt while I change your diapers?

War is hell. No apologies.

"Dear Sir/Madam: On behalf of the University of Southern California, we offer our condolences."
"Your child is dead, and that is a tragedy."
"But he is dead because he had no Code."
"He is dead because he had no Honor."
"And God was watching."

1991: USC 20, UCLA 24.
1992: USC 37, UCLA 38.
1993: USC 21, UCLA 27.
1994: HAVE CODE.

The Trojans are coming, and hell's coming with them.

LAPD dog park

2009-11-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Dakota takes full advantage of the lawn at the LAPD building. She loves to run on that grass! It's one of the few nice open spaces in the neighborhood. It'll probably stay nice for a while seeing as how there are cameras everywhere, and the building immediately adjacent probably has a lot of cops in it. But as with any grassy jewel in Downtown, I just hope non-poop-scooping dog owners don't ruin it for everyone.

I know it's not officially a dog park, but we've met a lot of other neighborhood dogs there. And Dakota has had the pleasure of chasing them around. We weren't the only ones that were bummed when a huge tent took over the whole lawn last week. It seemed a little weird to spend a lot of money on landscaping only to kill the grass for a one day event. In any case, we're really hoping this place stays open to the community, and stays dog-friendly.

on our way to lunch

2009-11-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

D and I had lunch at Pete's Cafe today. On our way to lunch, we saw...

man walking dog... Man was a pretty big guy, wearing a hawaiian shirt. Dog was a small black poodle, wearing a pink plaid dress. Big guys with small dogs are always funny.
two girls walking... Girl A was wearing a black cape. Girl B then said to Girl A as they passed, "If you're down for ecstasy, let me know."

pink baby?

2009-11-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

First, hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween weekend.

Now in the past, I’ve never really paid attention to this, but now that I have a little girl in my belly, it is amazing to me how most of the little girls I see walking down the street wears pink. I would say 95%, if not more. I’m talking about babies, toddlers and elementary school girls. They all wear pink. And it makes me cringe.

Obviously, I’m not usually a pink-wearing kind of girl...unless I'm walking a marathon for breast cancer awareness. But I’m really concerned that my house will end up looking like a bottle of pepto-bismol once this child is born. Am I doing disservice to my daughter by not wanting to subscribe to the convention of pink is for girls? So naturally, I call upon the powers of the internet for some answers: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=238733

So basically someone commercialized this whole “think pink” movement after WWII. If there was some scientific study that not dressing a girl in pink would adversely affect her psychological development or something, then maybe I might consider it slightly. But I’ve decided that I’m not color-coding my child just so it’s easier for strangers to distinguish its gender.

But how do I tell everyone else that when there’s a baby shower in a couple of months? Is it rude or inappropriate to say “Easy on the pink please”? Or simply “Please NO Pink”? In all the baby showers I’ve been to, I’ve never seen anything like that mentioned. I guess I wouldn’t mind some pinkness thrown in there (I definitely like my steak cooked that way), but I would just prefer a variety.

kogi dinner

2009-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

For staying at work late, we get kogi truck food. Finally, after all
the hype, I get to taste it. Hope it doesn't disappoint.

It's here in front of the Japanese museum. And check out the Filipino
flag on the truck.

well...hello again!

2009-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

This is my real attempt at reviving the blog. If you noticed, I'm testing out this new look. To get things up to speed, here's what's been going on in the past 6 months:

In April, we finally had our wedding in Spain. After months of planning and anticipation, it couldn’t have gone any smoother than it did. Everything went according to plan and things left unplanned got easily sorted out. It was perfect! Some images from the wedding and reception venue at Les Cols…

After the wedding, we had our honeymoon tour of Paris, Venice, Florence, with the final stop in Rome. We were back in LA by the first week of May. It took us quite a while to get over vacation mode. At least for me, I didn’t want to get back to the grind. But I was forced to make up for all the time I took off from work. Argh!

Besides work-related obligations, we were preparing for our local wedding celebration. In mid-June, we had our second reception, held at the Smogshoppe. This was a much bigger production than the 22 guests we had in Spain. It was an awesome party and to be honest, the last few hours were pretty blurry. That’s why we have photography to remember it by. The day after the reception I was frantically looking for my wedding dress. I spent the next 3 days in search of it, until I finally noticed that it was hanging behind our bedroom door. Who put that there?! Apparently, a drunk bride did.

On a side note, I really tried to look for a reception venue in downtown that would hold 250 people and is not in a hotel. I thought the Farmers and Merchant’s Bank Building would be perfect, since D is a banker and I like old buildings. It would have been so convenient, but they told us the space has no air conditioning and it would be really bad to have it there in June. So weird that they were turning us away.

As July rolls around, we’re finally recovering from all the wedding festivities. And we’ve finally joined the masses in Facebook. I must be one of the last few people that got on that thing. Of course, as a newbie, I couldn’t stop looking at the stupid thing at least every hour. But I’ve managed to ease off of it quite a bit since then. I can’t really write as much as I can on a blog. Some things just need or deserve more wordage than others.

Such a case is when you find out you’re pregnant. In mid-July, I started having abdominal pains in the middle of the night. Jogahs took me to the ER at Good Sam. We got there a round 530 AM on a Sunday, and didn’t get to see a doctor till around 1PM. After a couple tests, I was diagnosed with normal pregnancy growing pains. That was the beginning of the First Trimester full of morning and afternoon and evening sickness.

Now that I’m in my Second Trimester, I feel soooooo much better. And just a couple of weeks ago, we found out we’re having a girl!

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I’ve notice a lot of things in my surroundings. In the ensuing posts, that’s what I’ll be talking about…like my new favorite game of “pregnant or just fat”.

Now we’re all caught up!

oh wait...somewhere in the middle of all this, Suzy Bear moved closer to the beach. She lives with my brother now. Not that we didn't want her, but technically, she's really his dog. So if you see us walking around with just Dakota, don't worry...Suzy is chillin in cooler climates in a less urban setting.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend

2009-06-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an email conversation with my sister about events this weekend:

A: Do you want to go with me to the Dwell on Design conference?
It’s free for students. You just have to register with your student ID.
http://www.dwellondesign.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=463&Itemid=247

N: sure. what day are we gonna go? should i register now?

A: Yeah register now. The ticket should be good for both sat & sun anyway. But I think I can only go on Sunday. We’re going to explosions in the sky concert and I have my stupid architecture test on Saturday.

I really want to check this out though;
http://www.dwellondesign.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=466&Itemid=230

N: hell yes to food trucks! explosions in the sky is on saturday too? busy weekend.
also, Michael Jackson =( you know the food trucks are on saturday night, right?

A: Yeah...but the concert doesn’t start till 7. There’s a SPRINKLES truck!!!

N: it said it's not free because it's after june 24. it was free for students before june 24. i'm a day too late.

A: Sonnuvah….!!!! Well I just bought I ticket. I will buy you one.

N: COOL BEANS!

Ghetto birds?

2009-06-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

What is up with all the helicopters tonite? We've seen several
landing on the AON building, one right after the other. Is there a party
over there?

Live music at nickel

2009-06-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we're having dinner at Nickel. I don't know if
this is a regular thing but there's a long-haired dude playing guitar.
He's just siting on one of the tables in the back, jammin on some
Spanish sounding music. Reminds of me being in Spain. Ah....

Friday Randomness…

2009-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

This post is for HKH...

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here…we’ve been back from our vacation since May 8th, but we’ve either been too busy (ATL) or too lazy (probably me) to post some stuff…

We are a sucks.

As inspired by our friends B&H over at Carter’s Blog, in an effort to ease my way back into the blogsphere, here’s some Friday randomness:

Walking Dakota down Spring St. one day, I noticed that the stores in the Alexandria all got new signs and then I noticed this one:

“Internet + Art Gallery + Karaoke” can only = Awesome…

I was abducted last weekend by some friends and was forced to endure a weekend at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I’m not really going anywhere with this…I just wanted to let you know that I was in Vegas last weekend. Good times. Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

Here’s a pic of the view from our room at Mandalay. Big ups to Ransom for making that happen. Sorry, I took the pic with my blackberry.

Not only was I forced to endure a weekend in Vegas last week, but my friends also forced me to patronize a gentlemen’s club…I know, I know, but what could I do? I didn’t know what was going on, they threw a bag over my head and dragged me in…so I HAD to go. But I do know that using my flash in the club would have been a bad idea…

About a week ago, the film shoot for the film Date Night shut down Broadway between 4th and 7th in the evenings. Is it a prerequisite for all of the people involved with the shoot to be a-holes? I mean, really? There were times where they tried to prevent me from walking into my home. These a-holes were filming 200 yards away at the corner of 5th and Broadway and somehow, my walking from 4th and Broadway to my building 30 yards away was going to disrupt their shoot? They even had someone station in front of my building in order to prevent anyone from coming or going in an direction that was inconvenient for the shoot. As I understand it, we were not the only residents who thought this way. F those a-holes….F them up their stupid asses…

And WTF is up with the management of my building signing off on a late night shoot that disrupts their residents? Knowing my building management, I shouldn’t be surprised, but seriously?

As you may or may not have read, there was also a fire in my building last weekend. I was out of town on the aforementioned Vegas trip, but fortunately ATL was alright. Check out her post about it below. The unit that suffered the incident was located right below us. On Monday, they started to repair the water damage that results from the fire. On Monday night at around 11pm, the repairmen started hammering loudly. Really? At 11pm on a Monday? Thankfully, ATL went downstairs and they stopped immediately.

Another result of the fire is that the huge air blowers have been going 24 hours a day for the last week…and it kinda freaks Dakota out.

On Wednesday, my friend Salo was nice enough to invite me to the Dodger game against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won 1-0, btw. But the seats were ridiculous…field level behind home plate…and we got to rub elbow with the legends such as Paul Moyer, Larry King and Jose “Lima Time” Lima. Thanks Salo!

After the Dodger game, Salo and Al wanted to get a drink and the only place that they wanted to go was…
Now, if you haven’t been to Sam’s Hof Brau then let me just tell you that you have yet to experience downtown Los Angeles…

That's all for now, but we"ll make sure to update later with pics from the Flight of the Conchords show and Good Microbrewery.

Go Lakers!

Fire Drill

2009-05-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile. But ever since we got back, I've been
swamped with work. It's like they waited for me to get back to have
all this work to do.

Anyway, yes it is 230 in the morning. There was a fire in the unit
below me. D is out of town, so me and my BFF are trying to polish of
this box of Franzia. The fire alarm went off. I grab my purse,
Dakota, and told LO to grab our wine glasses.

Party on the sidewalk while the firemen do their thing. The sad part
was when the FD brought out the doggie that as in the unit where the
fire was. They had to give it some oxygen. Poor puppy. No one else
was home. Apparently, the fridge overheated in that unit. But luckily,
we had our wine to comfort us.

I was talking to our neighbors and we're not the only ones that's
being harrassed by the film crew. I have to go more in depth about
this tomorrow. This film shoot, the crew & the rent-a-cops have proven
to be a nuisance for many of the residents here.

Here we go...

2009-04-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

So while we're on vacation, let us leave you with some tasty images from our dinner at Animal:

And speaking of Animal, here's a look back at Suzy's TV debut on Animal Planet's Groomer Has It. I have clips of the show but I don't think I'm allowed to upload it on youtube. So here's pictures:

BTYL, Downtown! (blog to you later...)

All my bags are packed...
I'm ready to go...
I'm standin here outside your door...
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye...
But the dawn is breakin'...
It's early morn...
The taxis waitin'...
He's blowin' his horn...
Already I'm so lonesome...
I could die...

So kiss me and smile for me...
Tell me that you'll wait for me...
Hold me like you'll never let me go...

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane...
Don't know when I'll be back again...

Chaya

2009-04-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

Don't remember too much about the food at Chaya from last Monday's
dinner with the girls, except for the excellent fallen chocolate
cake. I was too enthralled with tales of proposals and engagements.

There were two things I just remembered: one, the cool chandelier made
of random plastic toys. And two, after dinner, I looked at the table
behind me and recognized one of the guys on Lost. Not any of the main
characters, but the Asian Dharma guy who's in all the orientation
videos. Who we also just found out in tonite's episode is also Miles'
dad. Miles who was pretty useless in the show I guess until now.

"A" is for Clifton's...

2009-04-15T18:13:00.001-07:00

Well, well...

After partially obscuring their "C" rating last week, it looks like Clifton's was re-assessed and it seems like their damn proud of their new rating...

Clifton's Update

2009-04-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

A few days after posting about Clifton's "C" rating, I walked by there again and noticed that they had moved their rating signage. It's still there for the public to see, but instead of being front and center, it was moved off to the side and was partially obscured.

Eh...as I said in my previous post, I'm indifferent about Clifton's, but their rating must have offended someone...

Live band at Mega Toys

2009-04-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

Yup. This band is playing on the sidewalk, right in front of Mega
Toys. I don't know who the band is. I don't know the song either.
But they've been playing the same song over and over again. Sometimes
just a small part of it. Sometimes a longer version. I can hear it
from my desk at work. It's a little distracting...so I'm going home.

Update: just got a glimpse of the video shoot and I wish I had my camera.
You know how some guy stands on the street corner flipping around advertising signs?
As part of the shoot, they had ninjas flipping around those signs. I saw at least 3 ninjas. Ninjas are cool.

Spa Day for the girls...

2009-04-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

And by spa day, I mean that Suzy and Dakota are getting groomed at Muttropolitan Pet Grooming.

The people here are great with the girls and they're especially patient with Dakota (who can be a raging pain in the ass with groomers). In the few times we've brought them here, both Suzy and Dakota have come out looking great.

Muttropolitan Pet Grooming
408 East 2nd St.
Los Angeles, Ca 90012
213-62-MUTTS

Speaking of groomers, season 2 of Groomer Has It starts tonight on Animal Planet. The only reason I even know the show is because Suzy was cast in one of the episodes last season. She got a free professional grooming from a really skilled groomer and looked awesome afterwards. But it was a taxing day for her, as she was at the shoot all day.

Morning Run...

2009-04-11T08:02:00.001-07:00

Animal was almost all it was hyped up to be...definitely worth a return trip.

Dakota is out and about for her Saturday morning run...Suzy, as usual, is just hanging out.

Speaking of out and about, ATL and I have a bunch of errands to run this weekend in preparation of our trip next week, so we'll be running around all weekend. We accomplished our Target and Best Buy runs last evening and Animal was sort of a celebratory dinner for checking off a bunch of stuff on our "to-do" list before we head to Europe.

Today is a spa day for Suzy and Dakota and their 9am appointment is quickly approaching.

Animal...

2009-04-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, so far...

They have pretty good beer.

Dinner at Animal...

2009-04-10T22:01:00.001-07:00

435 N. Fairfax
Los Angeles, Ca

This place has been hyped to death, so we're looking forward to this...

To be continued...

Morning (bad) news

2009-04-07T07:16:00.001-07:00

D and I are stunned. We just came back from our morning walk with the
girls, and one of the neighborhood homeless guys told us he witnessed
a guy falling off the Grand Central Market parking structure and land
on the sidewalk.

Across the street from the parking structure is a patch of grass where
we take the girls to do their business. While they were busy, all the
sirens were wailing. Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks all
convened on the southeast corner of 3rd and Hill. We watched the
police roll out the yellow tape along the sidewalk. That's when we
noticed a body laying on the sidewalk, covered in plastic with his
shoes sticking out. I asked D why they would just leave a guy laying
there and not put him in the ambulance. Not a minute later, the
homeless guy came and said, "now my brain's all messed up." He just
saw a guy fall off the building. He didn't know whether he jumped or
was pushed or what. All he knew was the guy is dead.

Highlights from the Beerfest

2009-04-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

It was like a kid in a candy store. The kid being Jogahs, and the candy being beer. Although we didn't have to wait long or at all, in some cases, to get beer, the line for the food and the restrooms were pretty damn long.

As a sideshow, you can spin the wheel and win a random prize. The most awesome prize being a chalice. But they only gave one out every hour. There was Spam. But not too many of those either. As for music, a cover band called Petty Cash (as in Tom Petty and Johnny Cash) took to the stage.

For 3 hours of unlimited tasting, Big D found some good beers and had his fill. I was already nursing a hangover from the night before. I was there mainly for moral support.

LA Beerfest

2009-04-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

Sony Studios...

Nice crowd...

Good beers...

San Miguel is in the house...

ATL has some good pics to come...

"C" is for Clifton's...

2009-04-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Most mornings, I usually walk to work. When it rains, I walk a block to the Pershing Square station and take the train...but sometimes, randomly, just for a change of pace, I walk 2 blocks down Broadway and pick up the Dash to the office...

Today was a Dash day...

As I was nearing the corner of 7th and Broadway, I notice that Clifton's Cafe was assigned a "C" rating from the Health Department...and I thought that I rarely see anything below a "B", so this must be bad.

But then I thought: "Wait...do these things really matter anymore?"

Actually, they probably do for most people, but for me...if I really like eating somewhere, I don't really think a "C" rating would get me to stop going there. If the late Meltdown, Etc. got a "C" rating, it probably wouldn't have stopped me from eating there on Saturday mornings after taking the girls to the dog park...unfortunately, the economic downturn is far more powerful than any health rating and Meltdown recent closed its doors (R.I.P.).

Fortunately, I'm completely indifferent when it comes to Clifton's. I've eaten there 3 or 4 times in my life and each time, it was exactly the same. I mean, it's a cafeteria, so it's bound to be more vulnerable to health code violations than a standard restaurant just by the fact that there are so many more people around the food as it's being served.

Oh well, hopefully this rating doesn't start a downward spiral for Clifton's that causes it to close down. The place really is an institution in downtown.

In other news, ATL and I are going to the LA Beerfest tomorrow and, I'll be honest, I'm pretty f'n excited. I like good beer and there are some pretty good breweries attending this weekend's festivities...and attendees get unlimited tastings

Unlimited. Tastings.

I tried getting Mer-Dog and Ransom to come with, seeing as they live within a 10 minute walk of the venue. Alas, I failed...shame. This is right in their wheelhouse...

Big ups to Tim Floyd for keeping his word, turning down the UofA head coaching job and staying with the Trojans. Admittedly, I have my issues with Coach Floyd's offense, particularly against the zone, but he's done some great things with the USC basketball team (relatively speaking) given the circumstances. When he was initially hired, Coach Floyd went on and on about how USC would be his last coaching job...hell, he even said it to all of us alums at the charity dinner and tour of the Galen Center when it first opened. To see him even flirting with another job felt like a betrayal on his part, especially because it was with an in-conference foe.

Not that I would have blamed him for taking the UofA job. It's an upgrade to a name program with national recognition, an established name in recruiting and an established history of basketball accomplishments. As loyal as I am to the University of Southern California, can I really blame a coach for leaving for what they might feel was a better opportunity? Wouldn't I do the exact same thing in my career? Of course I would...and that's why I'm glad that Coach Floyd stayed. He's had a tremendous positive impact on the program. I think that Coach Floyd staying with USC will do a lot for the basketball program, and USC athletics, and it will definitely help that the kids have an opportunity to see his commitment to the program and University.

FIGHT ON Coach Floyd!

And finally, some USC football notes:
- Now that Denver has shipped Cutler to Chicago (congrats B, H & Carter on the QB upgrade...), does this open the door for the Broncos to make a run at drafting Mark Sanchez? It seems like the offensive style would suit Sanchez, but with no real running game, it would make for a long, long season for a rookie QB on the Broncos. At least they now have Kyle Orton. Yay!

- The rumors floating around about Cush and Matthews testing positive for banned substances at the NFL Combine are false.

- Speaking of Matthews, it's really amazing to see Matthews excel during his NFL workouts. This kid was a walk-on at USC, earned his ride, started his senior year and will be drafted into the NFL, most likely in the 1st round, and possible drafted ahead of Maualuga and Cushing. While I think it's safe to say that his genetics helped, make no mistake about it: 99% of his success is due to his hard work and perseverance. This kid just wanted it. I'm hopeful that he excels in the NFL as well.

- I think Coach Bates will have a positive affect on the offense. It seems like the kids are picking up the O nicely and things seem to be going a lot more smoothly.

154 days until kick off!! (at least according to HKH).

Oh and BTW: UNLIMITED. TASTINGS.

Thursday night...

2009-04-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

What's behind door number 1?

Bike cops have been honking every time they pass by with this movie filming truck (i don't know the scientific name for it), towing a limo. They even watered the street for this.

Hangin' at Angel's Knoll Park

2009-03-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dakota (not pictured) is currently running around in circles like a mad-man...

Suzy just likes being outside...

moped convention at la cita

2009-03-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

A gang of mopeds are parked right outside La Cita. Some are even across the street. Puch seems to be the moped brand of choice. From the looks of it, the party just started. There were smaller groups here and there still coming in and parking their rides by the curb.

It reminded me of the summers my family went to the bike races at Laguna Seca. During that weekend, Cannery Row would be lined with motorcyles on both sides of the streets. It was such a loud and exciting scene. Motorcycles would be revving all the time. There were some riders that even try to race in the streets.

We were actually hoping to see these mopeds drag race. That would have been kinda cool, and a little funny. The sound these mopeds make just aren't as intimidating as a big bike. They sound like an amplified kazoo. No offense to the modped army.

p.s. Broadway will be closed tomorrow between 9 AM - 1:30 PM for another march to City Hall.

el tepeyac

2009-03-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

This is only my second time at El Tepeyac. The first time I went was with 2 of my co-workers for lunch. That was over 3 years ago. The 3 of us had a hard time finishing Manuel's Special. We got really close to finishing it, but wasn't completety successful. And that was when I was still eating like a hefer.

Jogahs and I ordered the Manuel's Special tonite. He said he was hungry. The before and after pictures tell a much better story. I forgot how monstrous this burrito is.

The right side is the side Big D ate from. I only made a small dent on the left corner. Weak.

El Tepeyac
812 N Evergreen Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033

meltdown shut down

2009-03-26T16:48:00.001-07:00

I am so sad to hear that Meltdown in Culver City is gone. A moment of silence please.

Story here: The Shutter: Meltdown Down; Grilled Cheese Trend Suffers

* single tear *

Good Night Neverland!

2009-03-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

more about the lab

2009-03-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Tonite was a special USC Alumni tasting event at The Lab. It's exactly what I imagined in a laboratory themed restaurant. I had mixed feelings about the décor since I'm currently in the process of designing an actual science building. It was partly because I was already thinking about using some these design elements in our building (especially the hexagonal shapes), but they did it first. Dammit! But I do like it.

Chalk boards on the wall with random scientic equations. Even the table top surface is chaklboard-esque. Beakers for vases, naturally. A poem on the wall entitled, an ode to pi. Menus on a clipboard. Test tubes, leather bound books and an abacus...
I think my mom would get a kick out of this place. She's a chemist.

The best part is that we're sharing a table with two Asian guys that are totally nerdy. They were commenting on how the pendants over the tables look like the lights in their lab, and the correct atomic structure of benzene. It certainly added to the realism of the ambiance.

We were hoping its not the same food we used to get at EVK (the dorm cafeteria at SC). And for the most part, it's not. But it was still college food, only presented nicer. Definitely better than the Sizzler that used to be in that space. Would we still hangout there on game day? Yeah. And everytime we see another new thing at SC, jogahs always says, why didn't they have this when we were in school. This was another one of those moments.

The Lab Gastropub
3500 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90089

The Lab

2009-03-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Dinner at The Lab.

Gastropub.

Nice beer selection.

D-town Burger Bar

2009-03-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hi. ATL here. I finally caught up with this man after his St. Patty's day drinking tour. He doesn't even look drunk. Now we're trying to catch some grub.

Right off the bat, the mixed regular and sweet potato fries is a pleasant surprise. With a 50's diner theme, I couldn't help but hope that Marty McFly would show up. More after I eat...

St. Patrick's Day Mariachis...

2009-03-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

At Casa...

Because, Mariachis are what St. Patricks Day is all about.

Even Suzy's into St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Jamar

2009-03-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Bag Piper

2009-03-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Wurstkuche

2009-03-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Purveyor of Exotic Grilled Sausages

But this is a pic of their beer taps.

I like beer.

Westside Rentals!

2009-03-17T12:57:00.001-07:00

The Bishop Don Magic Juan?

2009-03-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Monay

2009-03-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

As expected, The Monay is in the house...

Casey's

2009-03-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's much more lively here...

This place is dead anyway...

2009-03-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

McCormick's is frickin' dead...

D-E-D

Dead...

McCormicks

2009-03-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Breakfast time...

Time to get started...

2009-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Pershing Square

2009-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

So...the fountain in Pershing Square runs green with the blood of leprechauns...

Or something like that.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Continuing along the lines of ATL's post below, I'd like to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today, I'll be trolling around the local bars with a few friends. We were supposed to get started at 7am this morning, but they all wussed out, so tip-off has been pushed back to 9am at McCormick and Schmicks.

Our plan is to get one particular friend of ours semi-wasted before he heads into the office for the day. We were successful last year, but this year, I think he's onto our ruse. After getting some breakfast, I'm sure we'll just hop from place to place...or not. We'll see how it goes.

So, if you're in the area, feel free to join us.

And I know that my buddy The Monay is in the area, so he'd better show up.

noisy neighbors

2009-03-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

the noise factor is a unavoidable part of urban living. with a good amount of people in such close proximity, of course, it'll be noisy at times. there used to be a yappy dog in the building. i don't know if it jumped off the balcony and plunged to its death or what, but we don't hear it anymore. thank God. last saturday at around 5 in the morning, we were treated to a drunken rendition of an eagle's classic. it sounded as if they were standing right outside our bedroom window.

i know that there are many residential buildings in downtown that has a central light well or a courtyard. i consider ours a light well. and both living rooms and bedrooms share access to this light well. on one side, there is a blank wall from the adjacent building. i'm sure everyone can understand the concept that sound reflects off hard surfaces. our light well condition is a prime example. once you're within the light well, sound bounces off all the walls and everyone can hear it.

that morning, i was so freakin pissed off. jogahs went out into our balcony to figure out who was causing the raucous. as he stood out there, a couple of the neighbors from above and below us came out too. they're all out there bewildered, silently gesturing to each other, "where the f is that coming from?" the guy who lives above us then told him that his wife was already on her way up to the 10th floor to put an end to this.

today being st. patty's day, i'm afraid this might happen again tonight. so here's the thing:
- if you have a light well or a courtyard and other people's windows face it, they can definitely hear you when you're outside talking.
- if you want to party till the break of dawn, that's your deal, but remember that other people might like to sleep in. i like sleep.
- if, within the time you're partying till the break of dawn, you have an urge to belt out hotel california (coz really who doesn't?), then by all means express yourself. but please do it in the confines of your own apt with all windows and doors tightly shut.
- if you want to take a cigarette break or take a breather from the drunken stench in your apt caused by belting out said song, and you step out into the light well, please remember to keep it down. when you think you're whispering, you're not. it would probably be best if you enjoy your cigarette in complete silence. but you probably can't do that coz you're too drunk. so just stay inside. don't go outside at all. better yet, go to sleep.

Car accident on 4th and spring

2009-03-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

The cops just showed up. We were walking the doggies on 4th when we heard a short car screech then a loud bang. Someone definitely got tagged. So we rushed to the scene, being the nosy...I mean, concerned neighbors that we are. A pick-up truck has its front end pretty banged up and a red car is facing the wrong way on 4th. Looks like no one is badly hurt since everyone is standing around, talking on their cell phones. We're walking away now coz not much we can do here. And the dogs are getting antsy. Reporting live, I'm atl.

lost souls

2009-03-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Lost Souls is having a fundraiser today to help keep their doors open. We're a big fan of this place, especially D. He loves loves loves their Ube Shake. To get it so close to home is an added bonus. The baristas there already know what he's going to order right when he walks through the door. For the ube shake alone, we'll be there to support. But of course, we're there mainly to support friends. You guys should go too.

It's from noon-10pm. At 7pm, there's a barista auction. Fun Mike, we know who you're bidding on. Don't worry, we'll help you win him.

angel's flight painting

2009-03-14T18:30:00.001-07:00

We just noticed this mosaic tile painting of angel's flight hanging on the right side of the track. It's kind of in an odd place. If you're actually riding angel's flight, it would be below the tracks as you pass it. If you come up the stairs from Hill street, you can see it from the top landing by Olive street, but it's on the other side of the track. I think it's a cool painting. I wish it was in a more prominent place.

sushi + bb + sc

2009-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Eating sushi, grooving to Backstreet Boys and watching SC basketball
at Origami on a Friday night...

"...'cause I want it that way"

bad boys bad boys

2009-03-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

No wonder my daily commute route was blocked off all day...

This morning 4th Street was closed off with police blocking every intersection on Skidrow. Before we left the house, D said there was a police chase that ended in Downtown, but he wasn't sure where. When we passed by the police line, I was pretty sure this is where it ended. It's still blocked off when I was on my way home.

Story in the LA Times:
Downtown L.A. police chase ends with suspect's death

a tub of bacon at Mendocino farms

2009-03-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful...

Pigeons and stuff

2009-03-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

These poor birds don't stand a chance against Dakota. I've seen her within less than an inch of catching a pigeon with her mouth. Today,she started creeping towards them, and when I pulled her back, she crouched down. She stayed down, just staring at them. She must really think she's so stealth.

In other news...the crab survived the trip to LA from the Bay. Despite rain and airport security wanting to eat the sourdough crab, I was still able to bring it home for jogahs to see. There was a slight casualty with one of its legs breaking off. A couple nights ago, I carved out the top of the crab and filled it in with some Campbells Chunky Clam Chowder. Not quite the same as you'd get from Fisherman's Wharf, but it'll do.

I wanted to post some pictures from SF since my fellow blogger from the Bay, meekorouse, wanted to see it. My camera broke when I was there. So I used my cousin's camera, but she hasn't sent me the pictures yet.

I've been sick for the past two weeks now, and I think I'm finally starting to get better. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and cough medicine with codeine. It knocks me out. Hooray for drugs.

And I finally joined the club of iPhoners. This is the first entry using Brahbrah ---> that's the name of my iPhone.

Rain in SF

2009-03-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law just sent me a picture of the dogs at the park. It's sunny and warm in LA. It's raining and cold in San Francisco. Time to go back to warm weather.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Crab

2009-02-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm in san Francisco at union square at a crab festival. I got this crab sourdough bread bowl. Best thing ever.

By the way, this is what a public square should be. That is why pershing square sucks.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Ramblings...

2009-02-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

More ramblings on or about Broadway.

- I’ve already commented on the monotony of retailers on Broadway, but one thing I’ve seen and have always wondered about is: What is Hip-Hop jewelry?

- Club Fantasy. On 4th between Hill and Broadway. ATL and I walk this place almost every night on our evening dog walk. I know it’s a taxi bar, but when we pass by the entrance, it sure as hell smells like a strip club.

- ATL recently discovered the greatness that is Mendocino Farms.

- On a recent email about what currently intrigues him, here’s a great quote from my friend Eurosnake:

“The lack of a national serial killer to scare the nation. To me they're like earthquakes...I get scared if we don't have one every so often cause that means they'll just be huge when we do get them.”

Wow…that actually makes a lot of sense to me for some reason. Eurosnake is all about the serial killers.

- In response to Eurosnake’s comment above, HKH says:

“1. The serial killers are out there, they're just getting better in evading authorities.
2. Wait till the troops get back from Iraq...You'll have a few Serial killers.”

Alrighty…

- Does ASU get royalties for any sales related to the “Shocker”?

- Looking back, I think it’s safe to say that Tron was decades ahead of its time...and so was The Last Starfighter.

- I recently learned that there in an entire underground tunnel system that runs through the historic core in DTLA that was once used by bootleggers to transport and sell alcohol during the prohibition era. The tunnel system is centralized underneath the King Eddy’s Saloon on 5th and Los Angeles and branches out from there, but it is separate from the tunnel system that is currently in use underneath LA City Hall. Situated along these underground tunnels are a series of small rooms that were used as speakeasies and gambling dens. You’d think that with his apparent obsession with that era, Cedd Moses would have found a way to buy the tunnels and exploit them somehow.

- Some other movies that I’ll watch anytime I catch them on the TV:
Wall Street – "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good."
Excalibur – "Anahl nathrach, oothvas bethuud, dothiel dienveh."
Die Hard – "Shoot…the glass."
Tron – "Greetings program!"
Kickboxer - "Nok Su Kow!"
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back – "You are the ones who are the ball lickers!"
The 13th Warrior – "Hurry to meet death before your place is taken."
The Boondock Saints – "Destroy all that which is evil…So that which is good may flourish."
Any Star Wars film…

- This past Monday’s Heroes episode was lame. Completely and unequivocally lame. When Daphne got shot, Parkman was able to use his mental powers to make one of the soldiers shoot the other soldier, but when he is captured in the hotel room, he just gives up? What’s with the inconsistency? I think the writers for the show have bitten off more than they can chew and ended up with too many characters with too many abilities and now they’re scrambling trying to rein it all in…and the show and its fans are suffering for it.

- One of the things that bother me the most about the current storyline in Heroes is that Nathan seems to have this irrational desire to control everyone with abilities. Why? Because his late-father went on a power trip? Really? Because your dad went off the reservation in one direction, you do the same in the opposite direction? That doesn’t really make sense to me and, personally, I think that this wasn’t properly conveyed on the show.

- I’m a fan of Bill Simmons and his columns and I listen to his podcasts when I walk to and from work. One thing I noticed is that Bill Simmons has quite the lisp and it’s even more pronounced when you listen to his podcasts with earbuds. I mean…it’s loud and clear. This isn’t a good or bad thing, it’s just an observation.

- Some popular movies I have never seen and I’m not sure that I ever will: Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List, Castaway, Dirty Dancing, Field of Dreams and Pretty Woman

- I’m still a little hazy on the whole “Advanced vs. Overt” debate…can someone provide a little insight? At what point does someone who is considered Advanced become Overt? Overt to Advanced?

- Season finale of Top Chef tonight. I don’t care who wins as long as it’s not Stefan, but he clearly seems to be most skilled of the remaining chefs, so it will probably be him.

With that, I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite films:

"...Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal…
These are principles which every man of every faith can embrace…
These are not polite suggestions…
There are codes of behavior…"

the varnish

2009-02-24T19:49:00.001-08:00

It's like opening a back door to a secret bar. A vested gentleman opened the door as we approached, and closed it behind us. Now we're in a dimly lit, wood paneled room, probably about 30 feet square. The bar is on the left, standing room only, no stools. Benches occupy the rest of the space for seating, except for the area right behind the piano with the 2 small cocktail tables. Yes, there is a working piano. I was told there is a pianist on some nights. That is classy. Even the jazzy music playing is nostalgic and classy.

Enter Huell Howser. His voice is so...distinctive, I didn't even need to see him to know it's him. He's commenting on the industrial lighting and "wow...it's like a speak easy! Look at this place." If you've ever seen any of his shows on downtown, you know just how he talks.

Back to the libations. The palma fizz was a refreshing start. It has a big block of ice. The hot buttered rum is exactly how you'd expect it to taste. It's like comfort drink, if there is such a thing. I don't even like rum, but this is really good.

Our server asked jogahs what he likes in terms of cocktails. What he got is a custom made off the menu concoction called the Brooklyn cocktail. Tailored to his taste, jogahs loves it.

Regardless of this blog, I know the masses will soon find out about this place. If I could, I would keep this place as classy, as intimate, as personally attentive...I would keep it our secret.

random thoughts by jogahs

2009-02-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

I’m pretty swamped at work, but a lot of my current deal-flow has that “hurry-up and wait” thing going on, so…inspired by Bill Simmons, here are some random thoughts and comments.

- I was working out of the Beverly Hills office earlier this week. It was near the end of the day and people were leaving the office. Our assistant informs me that one of my co-workers is getting ready to leave and wanted to check if I needed a ride home, since I usually take the bus to BH. Unfortunately, I had some stuff to finish, so I couldn’t take advantage of the offer, so I said something to the effect of “Thanks, but I have to finish up a deal, so if they are getting ready to bounce, then it’s cool, I’ll just catch the bus.” After she hung up the phone, our assistant comes into my office and says “Did you just say bounce? I like that, that’s gangster.”

Look, our assistant is really cool, but that’s not something I expected to hear from a middle-aged white female.

- BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!

- I walk down Broadway everyday (not surprising considering we live on Broadway) and I just don’t understand why people throw their trash in the planters when the trash cans are usually 20 yards away in either direction. Really? You can’t make the 20 yard walk to throw out your trash? In the end, I guess it doesn’t really matter because the trash cans are emptied on to the sidewalk every night by homeless folks looking for food/recyclables.

- Speaking of Broadway, I wonder how many more bridal shops can be crammed into the 2 block area between 5th and 3rd streets. There must be at least 5 or 6 of them already, and if it weren’t for the economy, I’d think they can get to double digits. The same can be said for stores that sell bundles of socks for $2, women’s underwear for $1, knock-off clothes or latino music. On that 2 block stretch of Broadway, they are literally everywhere.

- The grass area on the west side of Hill St. between 3rd St. and The Angels Flight should put up some signs to remind people to curb their dogs. Hell, maybe ATL and I should put them up. We use this area everyday and we always pick up after our girls, but some people leave some huge piles sitting there. I’m sure it’s a similar situation for many of the other grassy patches in DTLA. C’mon people, accessible grassy areas are already a premium in DTLA, don’t f*ck it up for everyone by not being responsible for your pet. That being said, there’s a pretty good chance that some of the piles left on the grass are not being deposited by animals.

- I’m curious to know how long they’re gonna rope off the grass area in Pershing Square. Hopefully, the city will move forward with the idea of converting the south end of Pershing Square into an off-leash dog park.

- Speaking of grass areas and dog parks, I would love for the city to convert the Upper Angels Knoll park into a dog park. It will get 100% more use that way and will serve as a focal point for many of DTLA’s residents. This is, of course, assuming that people will actually be responsible for their pets.

- At some point, we’re gonna have to make it to one of the Angel City Drive-Inn screenings.

- Here’s a partial list of movies (in no particular order) that, if I happen to see them on TV, 9 times out of 10, I will stop what I’m doing to watch them or at least leave the TV on that channel while I go about my business: Red Dawn, Ronin, Roadhouse, Predator, Iron Eagle, The Last Dragon, The Warriors, Zoolander, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Trading Places, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Big Trouble in Little China, Real Genius, Wayne’s World, Xanadu, Megaforce, Independence Day, Godfather I and II and Heat.

- WTF is the deal with Heroes? Did Tim Kring not learn his lesson from last season? It seems like things are moving slower than ever…and what the hell is the deal with Parkman gaining Isaac’s powers? Did the writers realize that they shouldn’t have killed off Isaac’s character and decide the Matt Parkman would be the lucky dude to get a secondary mutation?

- And did they make a conscious decision to make Peter less powerful? Why didn’t they go with a big confrontation between a full power Sylar and a full power Peter? If they are trying to make this a character driven show, please know that I have a hard time relating to the emotional issues of someone who can’t feel physical pain and is essentially immortal. If Claire were emo, would she cut herself? Would that even matter since she can’t feel it anyway and she’d heal immediately? I’ll keep watching it for now, but the show is toeing a fine line with me at the moment…

- I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall, John has a long mustache, John has a long mustache.

- A good friend on mine, HKH, asked an interesting question yesterday: Who would win in a fight, Rocky or Rambo? I went with Rambo, as he carries a hunting knife and has no problem with taking lives…however, another one of my friends, Eurosnake, contends that while Rambo is quite skilled at taking multiple lives, we haven’t seen how skilled he is at one on one combat, a la Rocky. Per Eurosnake, they are completely different skill sets, akin to a mass murderer vs. a serial killer. Touche, Eurosnake.

- If they really do remake The Warriors, how much of a bastardization of the original will the remake be? Can this concept even work today? I mean, wouldn’t everyone have a cell phone w/ a camera? Wouldn’t the Warriors be able to just call for help?

- CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN YOU DIG IT?

- Speaking of The Warriors, is The Baseball Furies the greatest fictional gang name and concept of all time? I say yes.

- I was thinking about it last night and I think the names of the gangs that the Warriors encounter on the way back to Coney Island are: Turnbull AC’s, the Orphans, the Baseball Furies, the Lizzies and the Punks. And once they get to Coney, they deal with The Rogues and the Riffs. Is this correct?

- Continuing along The Warriors theme, after Michael Beck played Swan he went on to play Sonny Malone in Xanadu and then played Dallas in Megaforce. At the time, did that make him overt or advanced? Does that make me a member of the Michael Beck fan club?

- If Bruce LeRoy was a member of The Warriors, would they have even had to run?

- Who wins in a fight: “Bruce” LeRoy Green or Daniel LaRusso?

- Considering the recent budget issues in California, how would you rank the Governator’s Top 5 films? I think I would go with Terminator, Predator, Commando, Conan, Total Recall. I don’t know where Hercules in New York would fall on the list.

- Along the Rocky vs. Rambo theme, who would win in a fight: Dutch or John Matrix?

- Speaking of Commando, David Patrick Kelly plays Sully from Commando and he also plays Luther from The Warriors, so I guess I’m a member of the David Patrick Kelly fan club.

- I really don’t like Jack or Kate on Lost and I wish they would die. And what’s the deal with Sawyer’s change in attitude? Speaking of dying, Hurley and Ben need to die too.

- GET HIM A BODY BAG!!! YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

- After seeing the recent TV spots for the Wolverine film, I’m glad they tackle the whole “bone claws” thing early…but I still think the film is gonna suck balls.

- Speaking of Megaforce, I wonder of the U.S. Government (or any Government for that matter) ever did try to develop Megaforce-type weapons. That would be cool.

- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen = even more blatant bastardization of my childhood. Jury is still out on the G.I. Joe film, but I’ve got a pretty good feeling that it will fall into the same category.

- Speaking of G.I. Joe, I’ve already told ATL that if we have identical twins, regardless of gender, they will be named Tomax and Xamot. End. Of. Discussion.

- Naturally, if we end up having identical twins, I’ll have to give Xamot a scar on his/her right cheek. No big deal.

- But if we have fraternal twins with 1 boy and 1 girl, then they will be named either: (a) Jacen and Jaina or (b) Zan and Jayna.

- If they are so intent on making films about toy lines from my childhood, can they at least do a film on M.A.S.K.? If any toy line worked with lots of explosions and special effects, it would be that one. My favorite M.A.S.K. vehicle was Condor, the motorcycle that turned into a helicopter.

- FYI, it stands for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand

- SWEET SASSY MOLASSY!!!

- Speaking of Red Dawn, how many people at the University of Michigan dressed as characters from Red Dawn for Halloween since that film was released? Do you think some of those people are planning to attack Rich Rodriguez in the offseason? More importantly, when are they going to invade Columbus?

- Does Val Kilmer not get any high-profile roles because he’s underrated or overrated? I think underrated. My favorite quote from Val Kilmer came prior to the release of Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, in which he plays a gay detective: “"Some people have observed that maybe this wasn't my first gay role. Maybe that was `Top Gun.'"

- That’s right, Ice…Man. I’m dangerous…

- Along those same lines, would The Karate Kid fall into the same category as Top Gun in the eyes of N.A.M.B.L.A.? Focus Daniel-san, Focus!! Look eye!! Always look eye!!

- Who would win in a gang fight: The Tri-Lams from Adams College or the geeks from Pacific Tech? I think the Pacific Tech kids were way more dangerous…

- Mark/Mike, if you’re reading this, you should throw another Revenge of the Nerds BBQ.

- Something I was not aware of until recently: apparently Big Trouble in Little China was supposed to be a sequel to The Adventure of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension, which is yet another great film.

- Who’s more man: Lincoln Hawk or Jack Burton?

- Moving on to Top Chef: New York…does Carla really deserve to be in the finals? Four weeks ago, I would have said hell no, but she’s won 3-4 consecutive elimination challenges now and seems to be on a roll.

- Sucks that Fabio is gone. I kinda wanted him to win it all…Stefan, on the other hand, is a douche-bag and I would fight him if I saw him on the street.

- Lonely Island: Incredibad – decent album, funny songs. Get it…or don’t.

- Speaking of lonely island, a good friend of ours, Dima, just moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m really curious to find out if the towns around Lincoln are much different from our friend Ransom’s hometown of Weiser, Idaho.

- On Wednesday’s Man vs. Food, there were in LA and the host went to Philippe’s, El Tepeyac and Orochon. He had Manny’s Special (which is huge) at El Tepeyac and finished Special #2 at Orochon. This means that he has at least 2 more things checked off on his life “to-do” list than I do.

- This just in: received an email from our friend Mer-Dog and she said that her bf, the aforementioned Ransom, just bought her a bottle of champagne so that she can practice burping tonight. Wow, that’s love man…

- Ransom and Mer-Dog, aside from being quite the couple, actually share the same exact birthday, which is coming up soon. So, here's an early happy birthday wish to my former roommates!

- Ransom, if you’re reading this, the Monay is correct, you are lame for not making a scouting trip to DTLA to find a venue for your upcoming birthday bash.

- Fun Mike recently asked me what I thought about the Crocker Club and would I go back. I think ATL’s summary below pretty much sums it up. While I like the space, the vault with the stripper pole is the biggest attraction for me, but there is no bar in the that area, so even if one was able to reserve the vault area, it doesn’t seem to make that big a difference. That being said, I would go back to the Crocker Club, but to me the place doesn’t feel like a destination, but more like a place to meet for drinks before starting the evening. But even then, the drinks seems a bit on the pricey side.

- Apparently, our friend, the Monay, is very much anti-Bar C in J-Town. Shame, I thought the place was entertaining. But I think we both agree that the Backdoor Pub is quite the venue for drinks during the week.

- Word that needs to be worked into everyday dialogue: SCRUMTRULESCENT!!!!!

crocker club

2009-02-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

We've heard so much about the crocker club and finally we got a chance to go down there for a drink on Valentine's day. Here are some random thoughts and observations as we sat on a pair of big black pleather croc chairs:

Big D doesn't get the theme of the cocktail servers outfits- grey vests and shorts with ankle length boots. Are they supposed to be bank tellers? I don't know, but they have big boobs ( . )( . )

The doorman, however, was polite and friendly. He even thanked D for dressing appropriately.

Dress code is strictly enforced. They rejected two guys wearing jeans. Those guys even pulled the "do you know who I am?", but still got denied. 'Cause that line always works.

Spatially, I think there are some areas that need improvement. The area right when you come down the stairs is empty. Perhaps this was to allow for more space for queuing at the bar. But no one really stood around the bar to get drinks since the servers have their little remote devices to take your order and your tab. Going back to this empty space, maybe some free-standing cocktail tables or something of the like is in order?

Noticeably, there's a lot of cougars here, and Asian chicks. Maybe it's related to the fact that it's valentine's day. The ratio leaned heavily on the female side. We have to go here on a regular weekend to see if it was a one-night deal.

Jogahs said they don't have a great beer list. They are also still formulating their cocktail menu. I was given the "Golden Yen" to try. Lychee vodka, St. Germaine Liquer and ginger chunks, with a floating orchid for beautification. Super sweet drink and the ginger chunks gave it a suprising kick. Suprising since I didn't know it had ginger until I bit into it. For me, it wasn't such a pleasant suprise.

The best part about this place is the vault with its heavy circular steel doors, showing off all the intricacies of the locking system. The wall treatment is meant to resemble the safety deposit boxes. They look like large scale keyboard buttons with a metalic finish. I think the 3-dimensional quality works well. And of course, there's a stripper pole at the end of the room. Although the ceiling is not nearly high enough to see some real awesome pole action, it'll do for entertainment purposes. Nothing beats seeing a drunken girl twirl on a pole and land on her ass! whoo partay!

grill me

2009-02-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

If there's anything i miss in the west side, it's the grilled sandwiches. The grilled cheese sandwich at Bottle Rock in Culver City is simple yet extraordinarily tasty. For that alone, I'm looking forward to the opening of the Downtown Bottle Rock.

The one joint that downtown really needs to have is MeltDown. I mean, really. Everytime we go there, we always try to mention that they would make a killing in Downtown. If this place had franchise opportunities, we would be so down. Occassionally, we'd take the dogs to the Bone Yard and wait it out until Meltdown opens at 11am.

A few weeks before we moved to downtown, I went on a "meltdown farewell tour". My goal was to try all the grilled sandwiches, at least the ones on the front side of the menu. Yes, I did succeed. The market melt is my favorite...

Dear Meltdown,

Please bring your gooey melty grilled sammiches and all its deliciousness to Downtown Los Angeles. I eagerly await your arrival.

Sincerely,
DnA on Broadway

p.s. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

T T F N

2009-02-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

We didn't make it to the street fighter party, but some of our friends did and waited 2 hours to get in. So instead we headed out to pink taco in century city for a little bon voyage soiree...

What would make someone leave the awesomeness of Southern California weather to tackle the chill of Nebraska? Oh yeah...the economy sucks. One would have to go where there's a job to be had. We totally understand, Rey.

I don't know anything about Lincoln, Nebraska except that they have the Cornhuskers. That might be good for you...single guy, college town...college chicks...heeey! We hope you come back with a cornfed girl who's heir to a corn farm. Besides that, we wish you all the best out there. We will definitely visit you when it's warm. And we can't wait for you to start your Lincoln bLog...

Tata for now, Rey!

street fighter

2009-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Remember back in the days when every 7-eleven was packed with a bunch of dudes waiting to play Street Fighter. One of those dudes was Jogahs. From what he tells me, he was pretty good at it. But he could have been just saying that to impress me. So how stoked is he that this Street Fighter Event is coming to Downtown? VERY.

I can just see the sparkle in his eyes. He might even put a quarter down to challenge someone.

And apparently, DJ Q-Bert is spinning at this event. This guy used to DJ our high school dances at Salesian in the Bay Area. Richmond, to be exact. That was my old ‘hood. There was Cybelle’s Pizza on the corner and a lot of the guys used to go there to play Street Fighter. I think we might be reliving our high school days tonite.

I just remembered that my mentee from USC will be joining us for the art walk. I wonder what she’ll think of this.

More after the event (if we actually get in there)…

why cole's why?

2009-02-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

We were yearning for hot french dip on a cold day. But why did Cole's have to change on us? This new bread they've imposed on us not only shrank in size, but was also tooth-breaking. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But instead of dipping, I would have to marinate my bread in the au jus to soften it a little. I'm sorry, Cole's. We have to take you off our active dining list and put you on probation. One more strike and we might have to put you on the suspension list. Bring back the bread that was perfect for dipping...the one that's firm yet soft and spongy to soak up the juice. Please?

Bacon: The Salad of the Animal Kingdom

2009-02-07T16:39:00.001-08:00

click me to enlarge.

urth cafe, rain and shine

2009-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Just got back from having lunch with my co-worker at Urth Cafe. It's surprising to me how many people were there. Somehow I’m still in the mindset that this part of town is uninhabited and fairly isolated. But no. There was all kinds of people there...suits, fashion victims, artsies, hipsters, and people not easily categorized.

It’s warm outside. There’s a nice breeze. I have my refreshingly cold Arnold palmer. It’s perfect weather…for breaking up? What a total downer to be sitting next to a couple who’s on the verge on breaking up! The chick is whining about how she spent 2 years in a relationship that was all about him. The dude says he doesn’t need this. The girl starts crying while the guy is finishing dessert. Geez…what a waste of a nice day!

Aside from the drama, Urth Café seems like a little oasis. The food is Urth Café food. Same as the other Urth Cafes. $12 for a panini is a bit much, but I guess I’m paying for the ambiance. We did get a free fruit tart though!

Another part of downtown is not so sunny. After going home to walk the dogs, I passed by yet another film shoot on 4th Street. It’s funny to see people all bundled up with umbrellas. There was a crane in the middle of the street and the sidewalk was wet. I was hoping to actually see them dump water. Make it rain.

Rain and shine all in one day. Hooray for LA.

pepsi commercial

2009-02-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of you are also gearing up for the Super Bowl, and watching all the pre-game coverage. We just saw this Pepsi commercial and realized that we caught them filming one of the scenes at a parking lot on Main Street, right behind the Rowan.

Here was the picture I took on my phone from a previous post:

You can see this same wall about 40 seconds into this commercial. Here's a snapshot of it with the whole effect:

HAPPY SUPERBOWL WATCHING!...AND COMMERCIAL WATCHING!

January 30

2009-01-30T07:31:00.000-08:00

One Year Ago Today - Volume IV

One year ago today, January 30, was the date of my 2nd craniotomy.

I'll spare the gory details, because, to be honest, there aren't many. Although one major difference this time around was they type of anesthesia that was used. I don't know what type it was exactly, but the result was the same: I was completely passed out.

I distinctly remember being WAY more freaked out for this surgery than I was for the first one...due in part to the fact that the pre-op area was WAY more hectic than it was for my first surgery, as well as the fact that this was my second go around.

But in the end, Dr. Martin and his staff came through and they were able to successfully clip the aneurysm. Yay!

prime rib at cole's

2009-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Something special for dinner at Cole's...Prime Rib. It sounded good, but is it special? Big D couldn't resist and ordered it. Big disappointment. He said the meat itself was horrible. The sides were good though. Don't know if the dinner special is permanent on the menu, but for now, we'll stick to what we know is good...the french dip sandwiches and the bacon potato salad.

scaffolding

2009-01-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Renovation in the Fallas Paredes building on Broadway is well under way, but something about these guys in their red shirts and hard hats, lined up on the scaffolding, reminded me of Donkey Kong...

Save the Princess, Mario!

hope?

2009-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a lot of time making obamicons. Fun for all ages! Now you too can have an iconic portrait. I wonder if Mr. Fairey is getting anything out of this...for the world to bite off his style.

Nonetheless, it's just so easy and so much fun. I made a couple of the doggies. They're running for office in Downtown. They've already marked their territory.

From obamicons

bonjour

2009-01-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

On rare occasions like today, the block long walk from our building to the parking structure was filled with exchanges of pleasantries. I reminded me of this scene from Beauty and the Beast:

…except my version has a cast of characters that include:

• My neighbor, who was just coming back from walking his dog- said Hi!
• The guy who rides the sidewalk sweeper zamboni-
gave me a head throw back and a hand up…not a wave, but just a hand up.
• A guy in a suit dragging a roller with a basket full of files heading
towards the State Building- gave me a head nod and a smile
• A guy that works at parking structure sweeping up the driveway-
said Good Morning!
• Some bum that sits at Biddy Mason almost every day and greets me
with a Good Morning, Ma!

So despite all the crises in the world and even our personal crises, it’s nice to see people be nice even if it is just for one morning.

January 22

2009-01-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

One Year Ago - Volume III
(don't worry, it's a short one today)

One year ago today, January 22, while I was in the ICU following the first surgery, I learned about Heath Ledger's death by overhearing one of the nurses on duty telling the rest of the staff that he had committed suicide that morning.

January 21

2009-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

One Year Ago - Volume II
(strap in and get comfortable, this is another long one)

One year ago today, January 21, 2009, I checked into the UCLA Medical Center for what would be the 1st of 2 craniotomies.

It was actually a Monday, MLK Day 2008 (January 21). My mother, father, ATL and I arrived at the hospital around 6am and, since it was a holiday, the hospital lobby was empty. I checked in and was down in pre-op by around 7:15.

Since they were gonna cut open the left side of my head, they were gonna have to shave my head. So, the day before, my friend Kevin came over and gave me a mohawk, as I figured that I might as well have as much fun with this thing as I can, right? (thanks Kev!)

Anyway, so ATL and I are down in pre-op and it’s pretty quiet down there as well. At the time, I think there was only 1 other patient down there. Before the surgery, they stick me with the IVs and stuff and they mark the left side of my head with the word “YES,” because, according to the pre-op nurse, they have to mark my head to make sure that they operate on the correct part…awesome.

A few minutes later, the chief resident, Dr. Raifu, came down to introduce himself and go over the procedure and answer any questions. I ask him if my mohawk gave them enough room to cut, or if they will have to shave my head more. He said that it looked ok, but if they needed to shave more hair off, he’ll do his best to at least make it look decent. They ended up having to shave a bit more of my hair off, but, as he said he would, Dr. Raifu did what he could to save the mohawk. Thanks…

So…a few minutes later, I am wheeled out of pre-op and into the operating room. Interestingly enough, when I was wheeled out of the pre-op area into the operating room, I wasn't too scared. I was definitely nervous...but, looking back, the emptiness and calmness of the hospital and pre-op area really did a lot to help settle me, if that makes any sense.

I only remember a few things about the operating room:

- it was white and there were a lot of lights
- there were about 5-7 people moving around the room
- when they administered the anesthesia to me, they said to count down from 100
- I remember making it to 97…now, I’m sure that I was still conscious for a bit after I hit 97, but that is the last number I remember saying out loud

Hours later, I wake up in recovery and my head is wrapped heavily…which is to be expected, considering that my head was just cut open. I also remember that my nostrils were taped closed and I had a breathing tube down my throat, so it was a bit difficult to breathe when I regained consciousness. But once the tape and tube were removed, everything was fine…I was groggy initially, but it didn’t last very long (thankfully). The first thing I remember seeing was ATL standing next to me, which was quite a relief. When I saw her, the first thing I asked her was “Did they get it?”…and by “it” I was referring to the successful clipping of the aneurysm, to which she replied “No.”

Naturally, I thought she was joking, so I said “No really…did they get it?” and again, she said “No.”

Great...

So…once I was passed out on the operating table, Dr. Martin started the procedure by making an incision down the left side of my head just behind the hairline. He then removed a circular piece of my skull in order to get access to my brain. After removing the piece of skull, he found that my brain was, in fact, swelling, for whatever reason. The swelling made it difficult for him to get to the aneurysm. Per Dr. Martin, he could still get to the aneurysm and clip it, but at increased risk to me, so he decided to abort the operation at that point, let the swelling subside and give it another try later.

Uh…needless to say, I was a bit disappointed that they weren’t able to successfully complete the surgery. Dr. Martin decided to take the cautionary route and avoid any additional risk, which is a good thing, but my first reaction to hearing the news was “I gotta go through all of this again?”

So, the piece of my skull that he removed was placed into their freezer/safe thing where hospitals keep pieces of skull that they’ll need later and I hung out in ICU for a day or so before being sent to a regular room for the next few days.

Regarding the swelling, Dr. Martin believes that I had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, which caused the swelling. He would obviously know more than I, so I believe him on this one.

When the bandages were removed from my head, i was able to see that the incision down the left side of my head was stapled closed…very frankenstein-ey.

As you can see from the picture above, Dr. Raifu had to shave a bit off of the front of the mohawk, making it off center, but what can you do?

After being monitored for a few days, I was able to go home on the 25th (I think) and waited to hear from Dr. Martin as to when the follow up surgery would happen.

So I got to hang out at home…taking meds, with a piece of my skull missing and with 53 staples running down the left side of my head…waiting to do it all over again.

Important Safety Tip #1: Do not have a cerebral aneurysm.

On a lighter note, in lieu of going into surgery again this year, ATL, Bords, Trini, Josh Dale's gf and I took Suzy and Dakota to the Dog Beach at the Belmont Shore. I'm sure that ATL will post pictures and blog about it at some point.

Historic day inspires many

2009-01-20T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today, an elementary school teacher, Mr. B, said to his students and their parents: you can be whatever you want be. As long as you get good grades, doesn't matter if you're Black, Asian, Latino or a woman...you can be whatever you want to be. You can even be the president of the United States of America, as he points to his Obama t-shirt.

Mr. B is African-American and he also happens to be gay. Occassionally, he comes by the office to visit his partner, one of my bosses. We have had many brief conversations, but by far, this has been the most inspiring.
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Dash A drivers suck

2009-01-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

…Well maybe not all Dash drivers, but definitely one of them is a complete idiot. Since Monday I’ve been walking to work. But today I decided to take the Dash instead, since I’m wearing a dress. As I’m walking up to the stop at 1st and Broadway, the bus was already approaching. I saw it stop at the designated area under the Dash A sign, and open its doors to let passengers in. I knew I wouldn’t able to catch up so I just waited for the next one.

Eight minutes later, another one was coming down 1st Street. I waited right at the curb so the driver can see me. But before the bus crossed Broadway, it stopped to let people off. That’s weird. That’s not the stop. When the bus crossed Broadway, I waved at the driver. He looked at me, shook his head, then drove off. What in the hell just happened?! Someone tell me why one bus driver stops at the designated stop, and another decides to just pass me by! I hate that guy!

I looked around and saw a sign saying that this stop will be eliminated on 1/13/09, so go 2 blocks down at the stop on 1st and Main. I checked the date, just to make sure I’m not the stupid one. Today is not the 13th. It’s the 15th. So again, WTF?!

It’s not that I mind walking, but it’s just upsetting that the bus driver left me hanging. And to make matters worse, when I got to Little Tokyo, I saw the same Dash cross in front me and the same f’n driver waved at me! What else could I do but flip him off…

Bacon brings people together

2009-01-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

We are at Pete's.
My sister ordered the Mac and cheese.
She asked for bacon with the Mac and cheese.
Our server brings the Mac and cheese chef back to our table.
The chef says, "Who ordered the bacon with their Mac and cheese?"
My sister raised her hand.
The chef says, "You are a good woman. Everyone should have bacon with their Mac and cheese."

And so it is...bacon brings everyone together. My sister is now enjoying her custom made bacon Mac and cheese.

If Pete's Cafe changes their menu, it is because of this.

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New year, new office

2009-01-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Our office moved into a new space in the arts district and it is not cute. It's a lot bigger though and gets more light. But in the middle of the space there's a covered up koi pond that now serves as a runway. We already had several walk-offs this morning, strutting our stuff. 'Cause i'm a model, if you know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the catwalk. Yeah on the catwalk...

I can't wait till we remodel this place. But until then, I shake my little toosh on the catwalk...

i'm too sexy for this office.
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suzy and the cabby

2009-01-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

We were crossing the street with doggies in tow, when a cab driver stuck his head out his window as he was making a left. He looked down at Suzy and with kind of an Italian, guido-ish accent, he said:
"Hey chow chow...how you doin?!"
I did a double-take and asked D, was that a chinese guy?

around the neighborhood

2009-01-03T16:56:00.001-08:00

Heard a crowd cheering and checked it out. They're filming on Main Street today. Green screen...cool.

This banner for the Crocker Club probably just went up today. At least I don't remember seeing it yesterday. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

They took the blue christmas lights down on 4th Street, and with it, all the wreaths and ribbons on the Continental and F&M Bank buildings.

Right before Christmas, Broadway finally got trees in its planters. Although, I still don't understand why people throw trash in it, especially when there's a trash can not less than 3 feet away.

Speaking of trees, I always thought this tree hanging on to the side of the building is pretty neat. I bet this thing will live longer since people can't throw trash on it.

And to start the year off right, my first box full of maple bacon donuts from today's brunch at Nickel Diner!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! May all your dreams come true...

Beat the Nittany Lions...
FIGHT ON!!!

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