So That Happened...

This Story Makes Me Cry

Please read the story of Jamiel Shaw, a young man taken senselessly at the age of 17. I have worked in news for several years now and have worked on (sadly) many stories like his, but this one just breaks my heart. I think it is because his parents did everything they were supposed to do and could have done to keep their children safe, and yet something inexplicable and inexcusable and that was beyond their control happened, and now they have lost a son. What can you do? What else can you do? I...just don't know. I do not know the Shaw family, but I extend my condolences to them all the same.

Suggestions, Please

I need to pose a question to my Los Angeles-based readers: can anyone recommend an auto body shop to me? (It's a long story, but this request is not for me.) One where the workmanship is solid, the customer service courteous, and the prices not crippling? If there is a body shop you love, please let me know! I'll take any and all suggestions but I'd love to hear of any places west of La Cienega.

Thank you!

A Banner Day

I don't have too much time to write as I have to get ready for the day, but please allow me to tell you why yesterday was one of the best days EVER (with the exception of one glitch).

I think the celebrity sighting gods heard my conversation with Jenna Thursday night at SnB about how we never see any celebrities at the Grove, because yesterday afternoon as I was leaving Victoria's Secret (I bought the Spice Girls' greatest hits CD!), I saw...wait for it...

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise!  In person!  I KNOW!

I don't usually geek out about celebrity sightings, but that one really took me by surprise.  I ended up calling everyone I knew to tell them of my great fortune, and then promptly kind of hated myself for being one of Those People, but then soon got over it and kept calling others.  For the record, Suri is ADORABLE in person.  Aw. 

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As for the Spice Girls concert, let me use these three words: BEST. SHOW. EVER!  It was everything I expected and more.  The people-watching (unfortunate and otherwise) was worth the price of admission alone.  Heather, Carol (who showed an inspiring level of commitment to the Girl Power cause by flying across the country for the show) and I saw, in no particular order: leggings aplenty; lots of leopard-print hosiery; girls with feathers in their hair (did they think this was a Manilow concert?); chartreuse hot pants; neon, neon, NEON!; sequins; cute high heels with a fetching bow detail (must find out who makes them); and - because this is L.A. - lots and lots of Uggs.  At a Spice Girls concert.  STOP IT WITH THE UGGS, PEOPLE.  It's not 2004.

Celebrity Sightings: Nicole Richie at the CPK stand getting pizza; Robin Antin and the Pussycat Dolls going to the bathroom (more than a little frightening up close and in person); Nicole Scherzinger outside the venue after the show, and...did I forget somebody?  I don't think so.  Nothing tops my Katie and Suri sighting, though, right?

The concert?  Was AMAZING.  Our seats were on the floor and maybe 50 feet from the stage!  EEEE!  I don't think I stopped cheering and/or singing along.  Speaking of, the Girls did sing live and were great.  The choreography was top-notch: I fell in love with the back-up dancers even more once I discovered that they were the male versions of each Spice Girl - LOVE IT.  Seriously.  (Need I mention how fabulous the Roberto Cavalli-designed costumes were?  I am coveting Emma's black-and-white geometric print shift dress.  And her cascading hair.) 

Oh, yes - the one glitch: my stupid little camera - the one I ditched for my pretty Nikon D80 - DIED on me right before the show started.  I KNOW.  How RUDE.  I was SO sad.  What, me with no pictures from the concert?!  Inconceivable!  I tried taking camera phone photos but they didn't turn out so great.  Sniffle.  Here's one horribly blurry shot of the end of the show:

Yes, that says "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: SPICE."  Love love love it!

Technical difficulty aside, I am not entirely too sad.  I made off with a ridiculous amount of merchandise, including:

- a mug
- an official program (there are Cavalli sketches in it!)
- a t-shirt with one of the "retro" logos (does nine years count as retro?)
- this onesie (I'm not saying who it's for, but she knows who it is)

- and the piece de resistance, this t-shirt (available in teal online but in black at the concerts)

I am SO wearing that shirt today.

P.S. Dear Anyone: If there is any way I can get the remix of "The Humpty Dance" used by the back-up dancers during the show, I would be eternally grateful.  I would also very much like a recording of the new version of "Too Much."  Please and thank you.  Love, Me.

ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention the following bits from the concert: Fan dancing, with big, beautiful white ostrich feather fans!  Poles, along with some sort of pole dancing (my fellow S girls will recognize it as being very Level 1)!   The bonus of meeting Dave, a young man going to every American date on the Spice Girls tour!  He was GREAT, by the way; we all wanted to take him home.

You're Charging HOW Much For A Scarf?!

The Los Angeles Times ran an article yesterday on the connected scarf and how a store owner's grandmother is knitting them herself to keep up with demand.  The article also has a knitting pattern, and it's just about the easiest thing ever.  A scarf made up of ribbing with a color change?  Cake.

Craft-minded folks (and anyone else who cares), why don't you click on the link and see how much the scarves go for?  Go ahead.  I'll wait.  DID YOU SEE THE PRICE?!  I KNOW.  I'm just sayin'.

Speaking of knitting, I have been on a streak but late last week I started feeling some minor pain in my forearms, and I took that as a sign that I had better put the needles down and take a break.  Of course, this means I have more to catch up on later, but it was nice taking some time off.  I know my hands will thank me later.

Food Photo Friday: Little Hong Kong Cafe

I take a lot of pictures.  I take a lot of pictures of my food.  I thought I'd share some of those pictures with you in this new blog segment I'd like to call 'Food Photo Friday.'  (Yeah, I could use 'Foto' and be alliterative, but my overly critical self will not permit me to do so.)

• Name of Photo: Fried Shrimp with Garlic
• Location: Little Hong Kong Cafe
• Date of Photo: November 6, 2007
• Taken by: Me

I will stab anyone who dares to come between me and my Fried Shrimp with Garlic.

Thank goodness for Little Hong Kong Cafe.  The one Chinese restaurant in a sea of Japanese eateries (seriously, did I just use the word 'eateries'?) in a mini-mall on Sawtelle just north of Olympic in West L.A., it has exceptionally good Cantonese food for very decent prices.  I am a fan of everything on the menu (oh my GOD, the pan-fried noodles), but this dish above holds a special place in my heart.  The fragrant scent of sauteed garlic makes my mouth water, and the heat (and this dish can be HOT - you've been warned - just try to avoid eating the sliced pieces of pepper) will kick you in the ass in a good way.  If you're at all squeamish about eating unpeeled shrimp from head to tail, well, suck it up, because this is so good that you'll be too busy scarfing it down to realize that you've eaten the shrimp whole until your plate is half-empty.  (FYI, you get your choice of soup or salad [I always like the hot and sour soup], and dishes are served with white rice, but you can get brown rice for an extra $1.50.)

Bonus: this entree (as well as several other dishes on the menu) serves two easily (or one, providing more than enough food for lunch the next day) costs under ten dollars!  How great is that? 

If you are a fan of spicy hot, crunchy, garlicky goodness, this is the dish for you.  Hope to see you there!  I'll be the one in the corner with the shrimp, the camera and a smile.

Little Hong Kong Cafe
2129 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 478-7329

Parking: The mini-mall has its own lot and parking is free during the day; valet service is provided at night.  There are a few metered parking spaces on Sawtelle plus unmetered street parking in the immediate neighborhood.  If you are turning north onto Sawtelle from Olympic, the mini-mall will be on your left side.  Make a left on Mississippi (the first left available off Sawtelle) and then an immediate left into the parking lot. 

Knitting and Doughnuts

One of the things I look forward to most at Thursday night SnB at the Farmers Market - other than getting together with my lovely friends for food, drinks, conversation and maybe even some knitting - is buying a doughnut at Bob's. Located between Bennett's Ice Cream and a pizza place, Bob's is the place to go to for a little snack when you want to get your parking ticket validated but you don't want to spend more than a dollar. (Yeah, I admit it. It's not like a state secret or anything.) But don't let the price fool you into thinking the doughnuts are skimping on flavor - the plain cake doughnut is tasty with just the right amount of sweetness, and not so huge as to make you feel bad about buying it, plus it can be yours for a mere eighty-five cents!

However, there are times when I must stray from my cake doughtnut fixation and get one of Bob's cute holiday or animal doughnuts. (These cost $1.35, by the way - a real bank-breaker, I know.) Following is a collection of baked goods from SnBs past:

The Christmas Tree Doughnut of 2006

The Easter Bunny Doughnut

The Kitty Doughnut

The Dinosaur Doughnut

Last night's treat: the Pumpkin Doughnut!

This post is for Gwen!

Avenue Q

Last night I had the great pleasure of going to see Avenue Q at the Ahmanson - yay!  It was my third time seeing the Tony Award-winning musical and I would absolutely see it a fourth - no kidding.  The Los Angeles cast is terrific and you will walk away singing the songs - the highest compliment one could pay to a musical.  My only quibble with the production is that the drop-down monitors used at the Ahmanson could be a shade bigger, but don't let that stop you from going!

If you're in Los Angeles and you haven't seen it yet, I say make haste to downtown!  You have until October 14th.  It'll be worth your while, I promise.  Click here to buy tickets!

An L.A. Story, Or, Goodwill Hunting and Encounters With Famous People

Y'all?  I had the most unexpected and hilarious celebrity sighting EVER last night at the Farmers Market.  However, my computer is acting up right now, so please stay tuned as I get things squared away, and keep an eye out on this post as it will soon feature the following: thrift store follies, yards of polyester, and a famous athlete.  No, really.

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And we're back.  So last night at the Farmers Market I was having drinks with Abby and we were having altogether too much fun in our '70s attire (it was a Philadelphia Freedom '76 SnB party thrown by the fabulous Natalie in honor of our dear Gwen, who is leaving L.A. today for law school on the east coast - sniff!)

 

Abby and I looking fierce.  Well, she is.  I am trying to look as fierce as I can in my '70s Garden Party Hostess Dress (which was the most successful Goodwill purchase I have ever made - $3.99!  And there's enough polyester in it to cover Staples Center!  The sunglasses were a Goodwill find, too.  Win-win!)

Soooo...we finished our drinks and headed over to SnB, and as we wound our way through the fruit stand we walked in front of three people.  I said "Excuse me" as I passed in front of them, looked up briefly to see who it was, and almost lost my mind. 

It was MIKE TYSON.  MIKE. TYSON.

Now, I'm not a fan of the man, but when you see him and his tattooed face (and it totally looks like facial kudzu, I'm not kidding) in person, it's quite a surprise to say the least.  I immediately ran to Abby and loud-whispered, "Oh my GOD, did you see who that was?" 

"No," she replied.  "Who?" 

"MIKE TYSON!" I said in another loud whisper.

Abby stopped in her tracks and said, "I'VE GOT TO GET A PICTURE WITH HIM."

We hustled back to the fruit stand where he was posing for photos and Abby asked him if he wouldn't mind taking one with her.  (Before you ask, I did not take one with him as my new camera isn't the easiest to whip out for a quick shot like this.)  He obliged and I took the photo on her camera!  Hee!  No kidding.  (And now that I'm at this point of the story, I'd like to make a shout-out to Abby and say WHERE THE HELL IS THE PICTURE?!  YOU NEED TO POST THAT THING ON YOUR BLOG NOW!!)

Ahem.

But that's not the best part!  After I took Abby's picture with Mike, you won't believe what happened: Mike then took out his camera and said, "Let me get a picture of you!"

And there you have it: Mike Tyson took a picture of Abby and me in our '70s attire ON HIS CAMERA.  For REALS.  Isn't that hilarious?

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Here are some shots from SnB:

Here I am in my awesome dress with its empire waist and bell sleeves.  It just screams Garden Party Hostess, does it not?  I'm holding an imaginary cigarette as I would like to think that's what those ladies did back then.

Ellen wearing an excellent wig and her original Class of '70 pin.  Sweet.

Everyone.  We were bumped out of our usual spot by a certain group and we were none too pleased, but this little area worked out quite well.

The guest of honor and me.  Good luck in Philly, Gwen!  We'll miss you!

Hotcakes Bakery

After driving by it for what seems like months, I finally paid a visit to Hotcakes Bakery in Los Angeles.  I'm a big fan of baked goods and love to try out new places, so it was high time I tried Hotcakes out. 

Man, I wish I came here sooner - my first cupcakes (seen above) were delicious!  Hotcakes sells a variety of these tasty portable treats, so I started off with the Red Velvet and Vanilla Chocolate numbers.  It made me so happy to discover how moist both cupcakes were: the cakes were wonderfully moist and not at all like the dry cupcakes from Sprinkles.  I also very much liked the vanilla frosting: it wasn't piled on two inches thick so as to compensate for the dry cupcakes (ahem, SPRINKLES), plus it kind of reminded me of cream cheese, which I don't mind at all. 

A close-up of the Red Velvet cupcake...

...and the Vanilla Chocolate one.

I will definitely go back to Hotcakes for some yumminess.  They carry beautiful cookies, cakes and sweets like eclairs, plus there is a small seating area in case you aren't in a hurry like I was and want to be leisurely with your dining.  Hope to see you there!

• The place: Hotcakes Bakery
• The location: Centinela and Washington on the cusp of Culver City.  It's just south of Washington and on the west side of Centinela, so you can get to it more easily if you're heading south down that street. 
• The parking: One spot behind the bakery plus street parking.
• The cash situation: They take cash plus credit cards, so don't feel bad if you absolutely must use your debit card to pay for your eclair.

Little Bird Birth

If you are pregnant, looking for a doula, and live in the Los Angeles area, look no further than Little Bird Birth.  Local SnB member Peggy Robinson - knitter extraordinaire and one of the nicest and most supportive people I know - is switching careers and following her heart to where she needs to be: helping expectant mothers through the birth process.  I may not be a mother or even in that motherly way, but I cannot think of a better person to have at your side.