The Weather Is Here. Wish You Were Beautiful!

I love being in the mountains. There's nothing like the tall evergreen trees, the clean crisp air and that wooziness you feel for the first day or so while you adjust to the altitude. Rusty and I are enjoying ourselves at camp. We've met a lot of nice people and dogs. After this and last Fall's trip up here to Big Bear Lake, we may just have to make this a yearly getaway.

Today we've been on a hike, gone out to breakfast (yes, with the dogs in tow), and done a craft project. Soon, we leave for a lakeside romp and lunch, which will be followed by an evening hike, dog-friendly dinner outing, and s'mores around the campfire. We will be sleeping well tonight.

Duhn Duhn Duuuuuhhhhhnnn!

Tonight I got to pet* a very dramatic prairie dog. Photos will be posted to my flickr site someday. I will post a link.

*Yes, I washed my hands.

All The Boys With Their Homemade Microphones...

...have very interesting sounds.

It's kind of bad when I get this behind in blogging*. I go for days being really busy and/or thinking I have nothing to say and then all of sudden, I want to share what is almost now a week's worth of stuff. And mostly just the good things. However, I don't want to write one of those long and winding posts that I have trouble finishing in one sitting. (Let's hear it for ADD!) So, here are some highlights**, in reverse chronological order (sort of):

• After having a fairly crappy start to the week and having things almost not work out, not only did I get to see one of my favorite bands, The New Pornographers, play last night for free***, but I also got free ice cream and met Jemaine from my new favorite show Flight of the Conchords!!! Oh, and I bought the last live-and-only-sold-at-shows cd. It was the one taped to the merch counter. Oh, and did I mention that I MET JEMAINE!!!???
  

• I was able to score some half-price tickets, for pretty decent seats, to Ave. Q, which I loved! I'd read some shaky reviews and it's not for everyone, for various reasons (some people just don't get puppets), but it worked for me and really, that's what's important. At least to me. It's all about me.
  

• Wired NextFest was pretty cool. All sorts of new-fangled technologies were on display that will hopefully come to be used in health care, energy efficiency, entertainment, design, education, etc. Favorite exhibits of mine included the video game you play with your live pet hamster (!) and meeting a former soldier who is using two C-Legs. I took photos at the event, but have yet to post them.
  

• Pink Martini always puts on a great show and closing night at the Hollywood Bowl was no exception, even if the show went on a bit long. I blame Carol Channing for that though. Thomas Wilkins conducted and I confirmed that he is my choice to take over as the new director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Like I have a say in the matter. Oh, I wish I did!
  

• I only had to wait six months to see Ira Glass speak in person again. As usual, he was a joy to listen to and we got free t-shirts and tote bags from USC when the show ended!
  

• Due to the above event, we missed the actual performance of Puppets After Hours, which took place under a bridge downtown. We stopped by anyway to chat with the myriad of puppeteers we know who were either in or watching the show.
  

• Again, we missed a party some friends had, but they told to come over anyway for some midnight hot-tubbing and swimming in their gorgeous hillside Gilligan's Island-esque pool. We enjoyed the view of The Valley, which is much like the one E.T. saw.
  

• I was home alone for a night and decided to bake. It was from a box, but got good reviews when I shared it with friends the next day.
  

• Even though I'm not much of a baseball fan it was fun to take in a free Dodgers game with friends. Too bad the home team sucked (bases loaded, no outs, yet managed to strike out...come on!).
  

• We to a test screening of a horror film, which isn't a genre I enjoy. We did get to hang out with some friends for a late dinner and that was a good time and the best part of the night for me.
  

Wow, I actually do a lot and realize I keep complaining about not having a vacation in a long time. My life is often like perpetual summer vacation. I was also supposed to go to a film fest in the mountains among all that, but stayed in town to support a friend. I love my city and all it has to offer. Maybe I don't need to leave it to appreciate it after all.

*You can follow me on Twitter if you want more frequent (and far more nonsensical) updates.

**If you want more details, let me know.

***Thanks, Metroblogging Los Angeles!!!

I Took A Plane, I Took A Train...

...Ah, who cares, you always end up in the city...

Long overdue update in the works. I'm trying to squeeze a lot into today, which is my day off this week. I've done three of the five 10-hour (at least) days I'm working this week. No overtime, but I'm making up for it next week by only working two and a half days. It all works out in the end.

Deprived

Sunday: 4
Monday: 3.75
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 4.5
Thursday: 12

Number of hours I've slept each night this week.

Eastern Promises

I'm typically not a fan of violence, but...Viggo...naked!...tattoos!!...blood...I may have to peek through my fingers, but I am so there.

Cruisin' On The Scion Superhighway

I've posted my photos from Sunday on flickr. The event was really fun. I knew there'd be SWAG and was pretty confident I'd come away with a new t-shirt or something. I had no idea that I'd get rims, a cargo liner, a rear spoiler, and multiple other things I can use to trick out my car, if I so choose. The jury is still out on the rims. I may get them put on or I may give them to E for his xB. Scion rocks and throws a great party for owners.*




*Even if I had to resort to peeing behind a bush at Elysian Park, while waiting around for over two hours to get on the road.

Mr. Blue Sky Is Living Here Today...Hey, Hey

I fully intended to share some of my weekend. However, I am too exhausted, too sunburned*, and way too behind on some household chores that must be done tonight. Instead, I'll leave you with a few photos and the possibility of explanation in the not too distant future.

*Yes, even after being lectured, just today, by my mother to go to a dermatologist after she told me about various friends and family who have or who are dealing with skin cancer, I got burned. But, not on my nose.

Jump Ami Jump!

Ami is set to compete in his 4th Hamster Ball Derby today. We actually didn't train at all this time, so I'm not sure how it will go. It can't be worse than the last one. Yeppers, that's the one where he didn't even try. Silly hamster. If only it was a jumping contest, we might have a chance.


****Update: Ami won his first heat, but lost in the semi-final.

Fact:

Hall & Oates fans get really pissed & boo loudly when there is no encore.

Maybe It's The Heat

I can't seem to formulate more than a sentence or two lately, so here's a list of things ruminating in my dusty brain:

• I saw two FANTASTIC concerts at the Greek Theatre recently. Squeeze and Crowded House. I wrote a little about Neil Finn, but not about how great Difford & Tilbrook were.

• As awesome as the shows at the Greek were, I'm truly baffled that they were selling Kettle corn at one and not the other. Way to get my hopes up. Damn.
  

• I'm really behind in seeing movies. I think the L.A. Film Fest burned me out. I'm hoping to catch Superbad this week though.

• The last couple of Saturday nights have been interesting. They included things like midnight swimming overlooking The Valley and hanging in an underground lair in Chinatown. Both included "late night" frozen treats (although I contend 8:3o is not late!)

• I've hung out with lots of friends recently for concerts, frozen yogurt, birthday lunches, swimming, and puppet shows. Good times.

• E and I did the standby line thing for the closing performances of the two summer shows of the Troubadour Theater Company: Alice in One-Hit-Wonderland and OthE.L.O. I highly recommend seeing them to anyone in the area. They do a holiday show every year. And they sell out very quickly.
  

• I'm dying for a vacation, but have accepted that I won't be having a real one for quite sometime. I'm going to look into planning some weekend getaways. Better than nothing and it will keep me going.

• Ami, my hamster for those of you who don't know, may be competing in his 4th Hamster Ball Derby this coming weekend. I'm going to see what the weather does because I don't think I want to take him out in 100+ degree heat. Not at his age.
  

• I'm kind of sad the "summer" is officially over (although, it won't be 'over' for a while yet here in SoCal) and I didn't go to the beach.
  

• I am looking forward to things I love in autumn, such as my birthday, candy corn, and Halloween.
  

• Life has been quite stressful lately, so I might have wished for a reprieve on that shooting star I saw the other night. But, I can't really say or I'd have to kill you it wouldn't come true.