the week in review: loti, fast food,

and stoned canines. last weekend peggy and i went to the lotus festival in lovely echo park. i had a snowcone. lotus fest has become this distinctively summer ritual that reminds me of, well--summer. it's one of those things that reminds me that being home is really not as bad as i sometimes make it out to be. up and coming are the tofu fest and sunset junction street fair. let me know if i'm forgetting anything.

these photos are from last year's (or two years ago) lotus fest--i left my camera at home and was in no mood to drive all the way back to westwood in my airconditionless car to get it.




to celebrate bastille day last tuesday, i watched a very long engagement despite that a) i don't celebrate bastille day, and b) the film has absolutely nothing to do with bastille day. whatever. an incredible plot, colorful characters and their real flaws, emotions and quirks & stunning cinematography reminded me of why jean-pierre jeunet is one of my favorite directors.


on sunday i had fast food for the first time this whole summer, which according to my calendar has been about 6 weeks. you might say, "wtf?! your previous post says that you ate at in n out (arguably the greatest west coast fast food burger)? what's the deal?" let me explain. there's a difference between simply eating fast food and actively seeking it. i mean, your roommate offering you a jack in the box taco is clearly different than going out and getting one yourself. i guess i'm trying to distinguish between eating fast food inadvertently and eating it deliberately. i just lost myself. anyway, there's also a difference between drive-thru and dine-in; when i had that double double i went in, waited in line to order it, and enjoyed it while seated. regardless, if you want to count that with the recent wendy's drive-thru trip, that makes a grand total of two fast food trips this summer. which which is pretty fucking remarkable considering that my last year of college i was kept alive by jack in the box.


the other day tony pierce linked me on the busblog. this was most unexpected and flattering, to say the least. definitely an honor to grace the busblog frontpage. from one tony to another, thank you, and to first time readers, welcome.


i was at my favorite diner in good company when all of a sudden this brunette in a black sundress with no volume control (and apparently no control over her LOOK-AT-ME-I'M-THE-LIFE-OF-THE-PARTY!-syndrome) storms in and makes small talk with the two guys enjoying butterscotch ice cream by the window,

"Funny seeing you here, i suppose i'll grace you with my presence."
She turns to the waitress, "Tina, it's been a while, shall i help you with that table for old times sake?"
"That won't be necessary," Tina responds, trying her best to disguise her embarrassment and annoyance with politeness. "What have you been up to these days?"
"Same old, still working at Zales..."
okay we get it. you know everyone here. you used to work here and now you work at zales. go home already.


the other night one of the girls from my building comes home with her dog, and says to one of the guys across the hall,
"i think my dog's high."
he goes over to her and pets the dog. "holy shit. this dog is high. what's his name?"
"ziggy stardust."

let's close with the question of the day: where does accumulating karma points end and being a spineless son of a bitch begin? i.e. there's a fine line between nice guy and pushover. if only i could tell which side i'm on.

the week in review part deux: powerouts, geeks,

and thai town adventures. it seems that my blogging schedule has developed into some sort of weekly thing, for the time being at least. i roll (read: fall) out of bed saturday morning, check the fridge for something to make even though i know it's empty, plop down in the spinny chair left by the person who lived in the apartment before i did, upload whatever photos i took during the week and get to typing.

there have been several power outages on my block lately, which taught me that if you just moved into a new place and decide to unpack one thing, it should be your flashlight. rummaging for an effin flashlight through closets, bags and boxes in total darkness is not fun. scary, but not fun.


i've been averaging one celebrity sighting a week, which is, oddly enough, somewhat normal for a los angelino. don't get me wrong, they have been (arguably) b-list, maybe even c-list celebrities: first it was the rza (wu-tang), then jason mewes, then on tuesday at the in n out in venice adjacent to the costco peggy and i spotted none other than martin starr of freaks and geeks fame. he was mohawked and enjoying a burger with a lady friend.

at work on friday i was talking to my kids about scary stories and one of them had a clever moment. he's six.

"i know the SCARIEST story EVER!"
"let's hear it."
"okay! once upon a time," insert suspenseful pause here...then he screeches, "THE END!!!"
then i think aloud, "oooh, how postmodern!"
blank stares all around. i won't make any excuses for being an ass. it's been a long week.

to start the weekend right the roommates and i rolled to thai town for dinner.






palms is the only place to my knowledge where you will be serenaded by thai elvis. click to see him in action. kitsch? of course, but fuck that, this man is talented. bless his heart. and the food is excellent--perhaps the only restaurant i've EVER been to that holds true to the menu's spicy warning. quality atmosphere and cuisine. a winning combination.


sitting next to us was a party of thirty-somethings celebrating a birthday; one of my roommates is his coworker at the ucla biomed library and told us about the previous day's office party. then i got to thinking, "what do thirty-somethings talk about? is this any indication of what's in store? " if so, i better stock up on khakis, hawaiian and plaid shirts early.

time for a haircut.

the week in review: living out of a suitcase

is really not that bad. i don't actually know that, but i do know that living out of a duffle bag is not that bad. but i must say that doing so makes finding matching socks significantly more challenging.

matt joined the 22 years young club last weekend. we celebrated appropriately at casablanca in venice, followed by more silliness at the guys' new apartment, zanzibar. whenever i'm on my way out to visit them and someone asks where i'm going, i now say "ZANZIBAR!" with much gusto (emphasis on the last syllable) and exotic flair. there is no other way to say it.





at the grocery i picked up the latest issue of los angeles magazine featuring "25 under $25," 25 fine dining establishments that are wallet friendly. this summer my roommates and i plan to eat at all 25 of them; as of this evening i have two down, dona rosa in pasadena and tacomiendo in good old culver city, my old stomping grounds, (where mom and dad live). i no longer need to drive to glendale for mexican food; it seems that tacomiendo and el tapatio are tied for first-place-hole-in-the-wall-mexican-food.


watched my summer of love. in many ways reminiscient of swimming pool, in that european erotic (pseudo) thriller fashion. and except with more religious/philosophical undertones. also saw me and you and everyone we know. a beautiful story about people desperately trying to connect with other people. one of those rare films that brilliantly captures the imperfections and quirks and behaviors of the human disposition that we are all too embarassed to realize and embrace.



i'm looking forward to the three-day (five day, rather) weekend; enjoy it, blogosphere. cheers!