broadcasting from the san gabriel valley

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Sephora. Ouch. Amazing.

I have not stepped foot into a Sephora in over 12 months. And it has been well over at least 16 months since I have made a purchase. Perhaps it was my post-migraine grouchy mood, or maybe just the fact that I will soon be joining the ranks of the employed...either way...today I both stepped foot into a Sephora AND made a purchase.


In the world of skin care, I gave into the hyped up Ole Henriksen truth serum. It can never be too soon to fight some pesky wrinkles. While browsing some beauty sites last night, I read one positive review after another about this magic-y, citrus-y anti-aging-y serum. While an accurate assessment may be premature, I have to say I enjoyed the scent and the glow the serum left on my face.



In make-up land, I upgraded from NARS Orgasm to NARS Super Orgasm. The super seems to have a bit more pizazz. I have been a loyal patron to the original NARS Orgasm and after watching my blusher slowly run low, decided to replenish...with a kick.



I actually stayed in make-up land a bit too long and got suckered into purchasing a delicious lip color from the NARS 2010 Fall Line, Rouge Basque. I saw it and was immediately drawn to the crimson-y hue. After trying it on and declaring that yes I will be using my credit card for this purchase, I put the little black box into the little black Sephora basket on my arm.

I then went to the checkout but not without first adding some Bare Minerals to my already overpriced basket of goodies. For my troubles, I got some free samples of some Phyto Hair care products. Oh Sephora....I am glad you and I are back on good terms again.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Fun with 28mm


I finally got my first roll of film developed from my newly purchased 28 mm lens. I bought the lens a couple months ago off of eBay, but hadn't dropped off the film 'til last week. I am super fond of this image of little Frito on the porch. Can't wait to go out and shoot some more!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Randoms for the road.......

I am going to be taking a leave of absence for the next few days. Here are a few randoms to tide you over until then:

I am loving this Mayan play set. Would I buy it for kids? Yes. Would I buy it for me? Hell yes!


When reading some online articles about an old time favorite of mine, MST3K, I came across a movie poster for a film that was once narrated by a man and his team of robots. I never saw this episode, but will look
into purchasing the DVD set that houses the film once work starts up.


Super Mario Brother 3 Manicure. Enough said.

And just where would we be with out a picture of Ryan Gosling? His band, Dead Man's Bones, is surprisingly great. He utilizes a children's chorus in a way that somehow fits with the mildly eerie aesthetic of the band. The band will be appearing at the FYF Fest here in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. I am hoping to go if finances work out. If not, I will just continue to enjoy the vinyl that my good friend Kathy gave to me.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

thesis: before/after


The picture above is the mess of a binder which housed all of the articles pulled from the online library guides at LMU. For an entry level researcher like myself, LMU was pretty great. The LibGuides were awesome. The research librarian, Jaimie, was a life saver. The library itself was quite comfortable. And a big plus....the first floor was open 24/7 so anytime was research time! At first, I found myself using the library building to write in. However, as the year of the project progressed, I became more and more ready to graduate and less and less excited to type up my conclusion. I had to shift gears and write on my laptop at places sans wireless internet in order to eliminate the opportunity to procrastinate by refreshing my email. The only downside to this was in addition to my laptop, I was also toting the above binder around as well as Sophie Calle's ginormous book, 'Take Care of Yourself.'


The pictures below are of the final, bound copy. I received word in early July that the little bugger was ready for me to pick up and the first day I could, I drove across town to pick him up. Due to the high cost of printing doubled with the fact that I was required to purchase a copy for the university library and another for the Art Therapy department library, I was reduced to only getting one copy for me. Well, one is enough I suppose. I wrote the damn thing.....how much reminding do I need?



All in all, the research process was rewarding. I really cant believe that I designed and completed the project! But the real question...do I want to do it again? Hmmmmm............not really. At lest not now.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Now Reading


Pot Luck by Emile Zola. Or Pot-Bouille for those who prefer the tile in the native language. Actually, apparently some of the sexual undertones of the title are lost in translation. A 'pot-bouille' is much more an apt description of the happenings in the French building that is the setting for the story. I am only about a hundred pages in, but the story is good so far. I still haven't been able to suss out who, if any, of these folks are genuine and nice. I will keep you posted.......

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Scone-Head

Because of the mild heat today, David and I decided to take Frito for a walk in a location that was somewhat protected from the mid-day sun. Thinking of shady places had me remembering an LAist article on Fern Dell, a tree lined path in Griffith Park. The path, while crowded on a Sunday at 2:00 in the afternoon, was a treat from the hustle and flow of the city. An even greater treat was had at the nearby Trails Cafe.......Cheddar and Chive Scones. Well, let me clarify. One Cheddar and Chive Scone. Not knowing what to expect from the outdoor cafe, we just opted for some much needed drinks and decided to split the scone. And yes...Frito did get a chance to eat some crumbs. The scones were so good that as soon as we got home, I found a recipe on Epicurious and decided to replicate the afternoon food snack for dinner. Cooking and baking has never been my forte, but these little guys turned out ok.




Cheddar Chive Scones


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
5 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups heavy cream plus additional for brushing

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add chives and Cheddar, tossing to combine. Stir in cream with a fork until a sticky dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8 times with floured hands. Halve dough and form each half into a 7-inch round. Brush tops of rounds with additional cream and cut each into 8 wedges.
Arrange wedges about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Collection






While I do not identify as a cat person, I couldn't help but be intrigued by these pictures of wet cats. Giving a dog a bath is a relatively painless process, but a cat bath must be a different story all together. Anyone have any experience in trying to bath a cat? Is it as crazy as it looks?

Because it rolls like a ball......

The past two days Frito has taken some ripe tomatoes from the garden that have fallen from the plant. I have to admit, I have riled him up a bit first by taking the tiny tomato and then by throwing it like a ball. He ran around the yard, tomato like a tennis ball in the mouth, trying to keep the fruit away from me. I opened the door to the house and he bounced in and took refuge on the rug. I don't know why I found this so funny, but well, I did. I need to keep my eye on him outside in the yard. This dog will eat anything.

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Littlest Railway.....

It has already been established on Modern Day Bullfight that walking is a free activity here in Los Angeles. And since Free is my current hobby, walking has been a daily activity. These walks have led me up and down stairs, to libraries, parks, downtown and back and forth on Sunset more times than I can count. Last week however, I decided to venture back downtown and add a couple of free (and extremely low cost) visits on my already free walk.

The Bradbury Building is one that I have been wanting to check out for quite some time. Having been featured on the big screen in "Blade Runner" the building has achieved an iconic status of sorts here in L.A. And guess what? There is no entry fee and patrons on the first floor are there to answer and questions AND to ensure that you don't leave the first floor. Sorry....no old school elevator rides for you.......

After the trip inside, we headed out across the street, through the Grand Central Market and out to the Angels Flight. The Angels Flight is a small funicular railroad that take passengers up and down Angels Bluff. Basically from the bottom of Hill to the bottom of Grand. For 25 cents (wait...is there really no cents icon on a Mac these days?) you can ride the funicular one way. David and I, despite talking out loud about an accident with the cars a few years back in which a man was killed, decided that the train was safe and hopped on. After waiting 2 or 3 minutes, we began our ascent. The trolly rides safely and slowly on a short track next to a staircase......which is honestly, the faster yet not as historically satisfying to get from the bottom to top. After the ride was through, we paid our fee to the operator who was waiting at the top and began our walk back home.




Monday, August 2, 2010

Bringing back a bit of the bullfight......

After watching Dudamel direct the LA Phil and their performance of Carmen, I felt like watching some more visual clips of the opera before bed. This one really struck my fancy:

I hope you enjoyed the clip! I sure did. I just may watch it again before I doze off. I will post pictures of the Hollywood Bowl experience tomorrow. It was amazing with the exception of the whole 'stacked parking' thing, which as a person who had never been to the bowl, was a time consuming shock! More on that tomorrow. Google image search 'stacked parking hollywood bowl' and you may pull up photos of a sea of vehicles....most with some angry captains!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Chihuahua picture of the week....

While perusing a bunch of google images after inputting the term 'vintage chihuahua', this gem came up:

I leave you, reader, with that image on a Sunday night. I am off to see Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. Will post about it tomorrow.....