Moving and Me

No, I'm not moving. Thank goodness, what a terrible ordeal. Some friends of mine are moving, closer to us, actually, which is pretty awesome. But it has made me think about all the times I've had to move. It's never been fun. Sure, there have been fun moments (although they're all escaping me at the moment) but overall it's a rough experience.

The first time I remember moving was in between elementary and grade school. My dad's back was in bad shape at the time, so we got a lot of friends to help us. I mostly remember being very excited that the house we were moving into was going to be ours, we were going to own it instead of renting. Why this is important to a nine-year-old, I'm not sure, but it was.

We moved again three years later, before I entered high school. We bought the house of some people we sort of knew, and I don't know what the reason was, but they left a ton of their stuff in the house. In this way, we inherited jackets, small furniture and even a car (it was old - but who leaves a car?). The move itself wasn't traumatizing, I'm sure they didn't have me do too much manual labor, but this time I was a teenager and moving far away from my friends. Heartbreaking.

Then, of course, I had to move for college. And then back home for the summer. And then back to school. The next summer I spent living with friends in LA. Back to school. Then in LA again, this time at an apartment where I sublet a room. Back to school. Then back to the same apartment (getting that call to tell me I could move back there again was so awesome). Then I moved in with my boyfriend at the time about a year after that. Lived there for three years before we broke up and I moved in with a friend. That move was one of the hardest. I had no furniture, save for a desk, which my new roommate did help me move. But everything else I did on my own. No one to help, a recently broken heart and it was so hot, I remember. And there was a fire burning in LA nearby. So sitting in an un-air conditioned car with a ton of belongings, with smoke in the air. Rough. But once I was settled in my apartment, starting over felt really good.

And then my last move, into an apartment with my now husband. Not terrible. I do remember trying to lodge my mattress into the top of the truck and yelling at my then-boyfriend and people passing by and him being embarrassed, plus it was starting to rain. But I knew that they'd shrug it off and agree that moving is hard. It's stressful. But in the end, it's nice to find a place for everything, finally get everything up on the walls and sleep in a new room that's going to be yours for (hopefully) a long time.

Libraries and Me

These are the darling little chairs from the Central Los Angeles Library. In the children's area, they have a theater, with something like 50-60 seats (the exact number is the average number of children that can fit on a school bus) (I love logic).

I've seen them twice - once, when I took this picture. A friend of mine and I were showing ourselves around the library, including the children's area. I snuck past a little velvet rope, because interesting things are always behind those, and found this room. I later learned the little-known fact about school buses, because last November, I took an actual tour of the library with my mom.

I wrote a post about my relationship with books a couple of years ago, and I mention libraries some in there. But I don't go into detail about them exactly ... like the fact that I am the current holder of over ten library cards. Why? Because I used to live in the Bay Area, and that gave me access to the San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara County, Mountain View, and Palo Alto libraries. The nice thing about being in a community with so many squished together cities is that you have so many options. The Palo Alto libraries had charm, the floors squeaked when you walked and everything was made out of wood. And although San Francisco's was of course impressive, my pick for most elegant was the main Mountain View library, with its dome and marble floors.

Down here in Southern California, I have a card from my college town, Los Angeles city, Los Angeles County, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Burbank. Although, my Santa Monica card has expired, and since I do not live there, starting last year, out-of-towners now have to pay $25 to keep their card. I love libraries, but I can't get with the idea of paying to belong. Oh well.

So now I focus on LA city, mostly. And they treat me well. I can say I really am quite please with the service, the options, the programs. I'm into it.

Shel Silverstein and Me

I definitely read Silverstein when I was a kid. I would check his books out from the library, or we may have even owned a couple. In middle school, I checked out an audio version of own of his poetry collections - one that he read himself. I remember being surprised that an adult could be so earnest about such silly things.

Recently, I have been methodically going through as many works of his as the Los Angeles City Library systems has. It's been an interesting journey. After finishing most of his children's books, I moved on to what he'd written/drawn for adults. There were the cartoons for playboy, his book Different Dances and a play called "The Devil and Billy Markham." And just today I finished Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book. Despite the fact that the book cover advertises him as the author of A Light in the Attic and despite the fact that the library has cataloged this as a children's book (XZ), it really isn't for kids. At least not young kids, or gullible kids, or kids without a bit of a demented sense of humor. I think this is a book we owned when I was younger, and I remember reading and knowing that all thing things in the book (drinking lye, pulling on a lion's tail, asking everyone where babies come from) were jokes and meant to poke fun at kids. I'm not sure at what age I would give a child this book. If they were cool, maybe eight?

What's impressive to me about Silverstein is that he was able to live in both worlds. He had his books and cartoons for adults and his books and cartoons for children and no one got in an uproar about how in addition to cute poems about polka dots, he'd also been known to draw naked women. True, maybe there were people who were mad about that, but I feel like we have a harder time separating such things today. Like, it seems like you have to pick one or the other and being creative and inspiring in both the adult world and the children's world is not an option. Maybe it's because of the internet. Knowledge is so readily available and we love to pass judgement.

Anyway, even if I do find his drawings just on the wrong side of creepy (always have, not sure why ... too accurate? too grotesque?) this is a man I respect and enjoy the work of.

"The Simpsons" and Me

When "The Simpsons" started, my parents let me stay up an extra half hour late on Sundays to watch it. Which I am still thankful for. Getting to watch a series like this from the beginning means that I feel a very close connection to the show, a connection that means a lot to me.

I found out later that my mom's dad hated the show and was appalled that she let me watch it. She explained that while the animation was awful (which, as we now know, was not Groening's intention), the show had a lot of morality to it (at least at the time). I'm glad she was able to recognize that.

While I don't remember discussing the show a lot with friends in elementary and middle school, it seems likely I must have - all kids discuss the tv shows they watched. When I really remember it coming handy was high school, especially the last two years, when my friends and I would endlessly quote it to each other. I even recall sitting at home on a Sunday night (after they'd moved it from Sundays to Thursdays back to Sundays) and writing down all the best lines from that episode so I could quote them at school the next day.

Unfortunately, by the time I was in the later part of high school, the series had started to wane. It was still funny, still entertaining, still occasionally heartwarming, but not the extent it used to be.

So in college, when I didn't have tv in my dorm and I often found myself doing homework on Sunday nights and I missed some episodes, it wasn't the end of the world. After all, they'd rerun, right?

And then my boyfriend at the time wasn't that into them, so I missed a lot then. But after we broke up, I found myself watching the new episodes, and the reruns and being so happy to have them back. I'm still watching the rerurns, and the new episodes with my husband.

The above picture was taken a couple years ago at Hollywood and Highland, where, during the celebration of the show's 500th episode, they had a challenge where they'd invited fifty or so people to watch all seasons of "The Simpsons" without falling asleep. When I dropped by before getting on the subway, they were about eight or nine seasons in. Now, I myself couldn't do that (sleep and I are very dear friends) but I applauded their commitment to the show (and the cash prize).

In some ways, I want the show to end. It can't quite go out on a high note anymore, but it can go out with dignity. In other ways, I'm proud that something I loved so fiercely from the start is still going. This show is a huge part of my life and my childhood. I'm glad I can share that with so many others.

2013 Films and Me

This may not look like anything that has to do with the films that were released in 2013 - but its a tiny bottle of olive oil and vinegar that came with my meal on a plane where I watched "Monsters University" - a 2013 film, but not one I saw in the theater. Below is a list of the ones I saw in the cinema:

"Oz, the Great and Powerful"
"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone"
"Jurassic Park 3D"
"42"
"Thor: The Dark World"
"Nebraska"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"August: Osage County"

Eight films, which is actually about my average. I'm surprised I saw that many, what with planning a wedding, but the last four were seen after our honeymoon anyway. My favorite film this year? Besides the easy answer of "Jurassic Park", which really counts more as my favorite film of 1993? Probably "Nebraska".

"Oz" was just ... okay. It was mostly predictable, often times confusing, other times just boring. How often do we have to remind Hollywood that just because they can make things with fancy effects, it doesn't take the place of the story? Also, I really don't like Rachel Weisz, because of "The Shape of Things."

"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" was one we'd been meaning to see in the regular theater, because my husband likes Jim Carrey, but it just never happened, so we saw it in the second-run theater not far from our house. I don't really see why it bombed, I found it rather enjoyable.

The 3D that "Jurassic Park" displayed this go 'round wasn't actually spectacular at all - but it was great to see it on the big screen again, and I found that the movie really holds up after all this time. You can't say that about most twenty year-old films.

"42" was another one that we'd meant to see before it hit the second-run theater, but that's where we saw it. For me, it was about Harrison Ford with this film, although I am interested in both history and baseball. I enjoyed it for sure.

"Thor: The Dark World" was the first movie that I saw at iPic, a fancy movie theater in Pasadena with recliners for seats. We went for my husbands birthday, and it was the only film currently playing that he, me, his sister and her fiance were interested in seeing. I didn't see the first one, but I did see "The Avengers." It was pretty funny.

"Nebraska" - I had no idea what this film was about, just that Will Forte was in it not being a comedian. I was pleasantly surprised. I like "Sideways," another of Alexander Payne's films, but I hadn't seen any of his other work. What made this my favorite film of the year? Its subtly. Its humor. Its not being afraid to go for the cheese sometimes.

"The Hobbit" 2, as it were, was again viewed at the iPic. This viewing was quite different from when I saw the first of the trilogy last year, in my husband's small hometown on a screen not much larger than what most people in LA have at home. This time, though, I was much closer to the action, as we were in the front row (which isn't so bad in this fancy movie theater). Man, this film was crazy long, though. Fun and full of action, but super-duper long.

"August: Osage County" - I had no idea it was a play, I'd never heard of it. I knew vaguely who was in it, but I didn't know what it was about. As it turned out, it was my least liked movie of the year. Everyone overacts. The drama is over the top. I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at this film.

Anywho, overall, a good year. It'd be nice to get to more this year, but we'll just have to wait and see. I'm definitely watching a lot of films at home this year. So far we've watched "Super Troopers" (been sitting on the DVR since 2012), "American Hustle" (screener) and "Swing Time" (part of my effort with friends to watch all the AFI list movies).

Dinosaurs and Me

This picture is so interesting to me. It was taken earlier this year, on the way back to LA from Palm Springs. These are the dinosaurs from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." And that is a fire in the mountains. The juxtaposition is the best part.

Dinosaurs, despite Ellie Sattler from "Jurassic Park", are still dominated by boys. Can't blame 'em. Dinosaurs are the closest thing to real monsters. But I was still pretty into them as a kid. I mean, I didn't spend all my time on them, but I did follow the whole "brontosaurs" / "brachiosauras" pretty closely.

When I was in second grade and we were learning about dinosaurs, our teacher told us that while scientists have fossils of dinosaur bones, they don't have any knowledge of what their skin looked like. She asked us what colors the skin could be. A couple of other kids shouted out "brown" and "green." I raised my hand and said "perhaps polka-dots or stripes!" My teacher said no, the dinosaurs didn't look like that. I remember that to this day because I was so disheartened to be shot down. Now, of course, with better technology, we have discovered that dinosaurs were much more colorful than we first believed. So I was right. But what's really awful is a teacher just shutting a student down like that. She was a terrible teacher, I think she had just been at it for longer than her heart was in it. Oh well. I had other teachers who were much more supportive of children's imaginations.

One of my favorite books is called The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley. It's illustrated by Brian Selznick, who wrote/illustrated the book "Hugo" is based on. It's about one of the first men to really bring dinos to the attention of western society, and it's fantastically illustrated. It's a super sad tale because of what happens, which is all true, but still a great book.

And of course I love "Jurassic Park."

Mardi Gras 2013 and Me

After two years of attending Mardi Gras at the Farmer's Market at the Grove (which you can read more about here) I spent Fat Tuesday in 2012 at a bar in Hollywood. It was not as enjoyable or authentic as the Farmer's Market (you can read more about that experience here). So I went back to the Farmer's Market this year and plan to do so again next year.

What is it about this place? Well, for one thing, as you can see,  it's the food. At The Gumbo Pot, the restaurant that is the reason for all the Mardi Gras activity, eggplant mufalettas are available in half and full sizes. A mufaletta is a rounded sandwich made on sesame bread that came to New Orleans by way of Italy. It distinguishes itself by its olive spread. I love olives, but I don't eat red meat, which is what this sandwich is normally full of, so it's so nice that the restaurant makes these. I'm pretty sure these are offered year round (I really only come to this restaurant on Mardi Gras). The King Cake is a one time a year deal, though. King Cake's are made out of un-sugared bread, and covered in icing and colored sugar. Inside is a small plastic baby that has been made specifically to handle oven temperatures. The baby represents the baby Jesus, and the deal is that whomever finds the baby in their cake has to bring or bake the cake next year. Of course, ordering pieces like I did this year means that no one is necessarily going to find a baby in their cake. Which is fine, we'll be coming back here next year anyway.

Then there's the band. Flown in from New Orleans, they can't be beat. There's somewhere around six of them, and there's a small dance floor in front of the slightly raised stage. There's no room on that dance floor, everyone's out there.

There's also a nearby wine and beer bar, perfect for just grabbing a glass of wine to have with one's sandwich or gumbo. No Hurricanes, obviously, but I like it better that way, everyone is focused on the spirit of things instead of the drinking of things.

This year I got there later than I wanted to, but was still able to eat and enjoy the entertainment. But suddenly the end of the night was approaching and the band started to play "When the Saints Go Marching In" which is the final song of the night and the one that everyone parades in. But no one was parading yet. After having already started one myself the last time I had attended, I was reluctant to do so again. But somehow, I wound up talking to a woman who said she'd forgotten her umbrella or she would start the parade. So I lent her mine and started parading behind her, followed by my friends. Not having the umbrella to hold was different, but this year I'd remembered to bring a white handkerchief (my grandfather's) which I waved around while we paraded, as I had seen others do in years past. This stems from funeral parades, but has grown to include pretty much every New Orleans parade. I was so happy I remembered mine!

Just a few more months before I head back to the Farmer's Market. Maybe this year I can arrive early enough for a table with a view of the band!