Summertime in the City

So, summer in LA has its pro's and con's. The con's are things like traffic jams on the 405 (which are always there, but in the summer your car is approximately one million degrees), throngs of tourists, and hot hot weather.

But then, there are the pro's. And, one of my all time top favorites is this... (taken from my cellphone, of course, which explains the fuzziness)... the Hollywood Bowl. It has been there since 1922, and there is definitely a reason.
Why is it so awesome? let me count the ways:
1. if you take one of the shuttles that leave from all over the place, getting in and out is almost ridiculously easy, enabling you to smugly ride past the vast lines of misguided people who decided to drive.
2. sitting in the late afternoon sun picnicking with your friends is strongly encouraged
3. bringing in bottles of wine and glassware is not only acceptable, it is also strongly encouraged
4. you're in the middle of the city, but it is in such a quiet spot, you feel like you've gone somewhere special
5. then of course there is the music (this show was Feist). although, I really think it could be almost anything, and you'd still be glad you went...

Tragedy Strikes

This is... very sad. I went out to my balcony, and what did I see? My poor little lime, who I have charted from his early planting babyhood to his penny sized adolescence, to this... the final demise :(

R.I.P. Little Lime

Mmmm... now that tastes gouda...

This was my dinner a few nights ago, and it was so good looking I took a picture. Because, I'm weird like that. Anyhow, the base is this incredibly awesome super soft and thick and delicious pita bread from the farmers market. There may actually be crack in it, its that good. On top of it is olive oil, a mixture of fresh spinach and fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and smoked gouda all baked until melty and topped with slices of pear. Yum!

LA Type Girlfriend

This is the last remnant of my series of cell phone pictures. You know, a lot of people spend a lot of time and money doing the internet dating thing, or speed dating, or blind-dating... but really, not enough people just go ahead and post signs on telephone poles. It works for finding lost pets, why not for finding a girlfriend? I saw this on a trip to San Diego...

Now the interesting thing is, I am from LA, and I could be considered computer smart. But somehow, I never called. Who knows, this could have been a tragic missed opportunity to find my soulmate... at least he gets points for creativity!

Granolalicious

So, I have this hankering to make things myself that are not particularly complicated or expensive and are easily available at the grocery store. I don't know why. The latest attempt is... granola! I wanted some low-fat, not ridiculously sugary, granola with only things I like in it. I'm also on a good-fatty-acids kick, so included mostly nuts that have good stuff in them. Anyhow, after perusing the internets and my grocery store, this is what I came up with...

4 cups regular oatmeal
chopped almonds (I just chopped up the almonds myself so the chunks would be big)
chopped hazelnuts (the grocery store chopped them)
shelled sunflower seeds, a decent sized bag
orange zest
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup OJ
some vanilla
some cinnammon

This is what you do... mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the wet ingredients on the stove, just so the honey gets fully liquidy and mixed with the OJ. Pour the liquid over the dry stuff and stir it in so it is all damp.

Then spread it on a cookie sheet (I actually had to spread it over 2 sheets). When you spread it, kind of squeeze it in to clumps so there are clusters. Bake it at 325 for about 30 min, or until it seems brownish- stir once or twice. Then let it cool all the way and put it in something airtight.

Let me tell you. This stuff is AWESOME. I have been eating it on yogurt multiple times a day. It also makes a ton, so apparently I'm going to be eating it for a while. You should try it!

Hammer Time, Part Deux

So, I previously posted about my growing obsession with hammered sterling, maybe because at the end of a long day its nice to come home and disturb all my neighbors by flattening things on my teeny anvil. Its the little things, really.

Anyhow, I really like how the pieces that come out are still sort of organic looking, but have the shine and durability of sterling. Anyhow, I've been doing some more of that lately, and here is whats come out...




Additional pictures and such of many of them are available at my shop.

Additional Fanciness

So, a while ago I added my fancy blog list over on the right, thanks to seeing it first over at The Greatest Best Journal in the World (which is indeed great). Then today, I noticed additional fanciness over at bananaheadpancake (who is having a give-away), and had to try my hand at that as well... so, now on the left (scroll down...) is a very exciting bookshelf, which I will now have to remember to update.

At any rate, hurray for fancy widgets and for the people who find them before I do!