Should we talk about the weather?

The weather was really odd this past Sunday. I took these two photos a few seconds apart, turning to either side while standing in the same spot near Downtown L.A. It struck me as I was waiting to get let into a building that the sky to the left (northeast) and the sky to the right (southwest) were very different. The day ended up with the entire sky being like the bright blue one with fluffy clouds and it became extremely windy. It was an odd day.

A Smart Move

I'm really enjoying the L.A. Film Festival's move from Westwood to Downtown Los Angeles for 2010. It seems to be running smoothly and I've been able to use the free shuttles to travel between venues. And how awesome is it to see this view when you come out of a screening at the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live? I think it was a wise move. I hope it stays there.

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

I love L.A., which is no big surprise if you know me. I've lived here far longer than any other place in my life and in spite of all family being really far away, it feels like home. I'm a little too sun tired to expound on my affection for the city right now. I guess I was thinking about it earlier today when spending a few hours in the glorious weather by the lake in Echo Park.

Echo Park Lake* looking toward Downtown Los Angeles

I never thought I could add "pigeon wrangler" to my resumé, but apparently I can. This morning, I was part of a team tasked with luring in as many pigeons and seagulls as we could. We had them surround us as much as possible and then when told to do so, we spooked them so they flew off in a glorious spectacle. The things you'll do to help out some friends shooting a music video!

It's just been one of those weekends that makes my feel lucky to live in such an amazing city.

*I almost fell in the lake when taking this photo with my cell phone. I have it on good authority that if you go into this body of water, you instantly get TB, so thank goodness I didn't.

Maybe I'll See You There, We Can Forget All Our Troubles, Forget All Our Cares & Go Downtown

Taken with low tech cell phone camera from the rooftop of the Downtown Independent

I've been falling more and more in love with Downtown L.A. lately. Maybe it's because I've been spending a lot of time there. It's been undergoing a revitalization for years now and truthfully, still has a long way to go, but there is plenty to enjoy.

Freefall On A Windy Morning

I started this post in October...I swear...and now suddenly it's November!

In some ways, I can't believe this last month is almost over. It's gone went by incredibly fast, but I shouldn't be surprised as it's been was one busy month. It started, literally on the 1st, with my free birthday excursion to Disneyland. What a fantastic way to kick off October! Among the many fun and exciting things we did, there were also taxes to finish and work presentations to prep, but those things are behind us now.
I could probably dedicate a stand-alone post to many of our activities, but no. Perhaps I'll expound on one or two in the near future, but not now.

Music. We got to hear some pretty cool live music. Fountains of Wayne and Aimee Mann at the Wiltern. I love, love, love those boys and my only complaint is that they were not the headliner and had a shorter set. I'm not sure any of my three readers are fans, but if you are check out this video of a 70's medley version of "Radiation Vibe" they've been doing on the road. Aimee was also wonderful and performed a nearly all-request show that last two and a half hours! Highlight: She sang my favorite 'Til Tuesday song "Coming Up Close." I cried.

The Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and my favorite conductor, John Mauceri, premiered the fantastic Disney Symphonic Legacy at downtown's Walt Disney Concert Hall for We got "cheap" seats behind the orchestra, but that was fine because we could watch the maestro at work and he was the main reason we went.

We enjoyed more music at W00tstock at Largo from the dynamic duo Paul and Storm, Hard and Phirm, Felicia Day and others. The night included a very amusing slideshow of 100 Things Mythbusters' Adam Savage would like to do/have. Sheer nerd brilliance and entertainment. I laughed a lot.

Other good October times included one of Johannes Grenzfurthner's outstanding lectures, a rant about failing, at Machine Project, a quick couple of hours at The Brewery's ArtWalk, finally posting my Comic-Con photos from July, a one-year old's birthday party, a couple of plays including Nevermore and Steve Allen's Meeting of Minds, a picnic in a lovely canyon park with lots of friends and dogs (and a few strangers), and an outdoor Laurel and Hardy movie at Heritage Square Museum. Our 3-D Club participated in Pasadena's ArtNight and hosted an evening of Halloween themed 3-D short films at the Downtown Independent. We went to the same venue the following night for Kogi BBQ and NoiseFeratu, which thanks to E, was also shown in 3-D. Tired yet? I am.

I was quite excited to finally make it to a live taping of The Big Bang Theory! It was a lot of fun to see the cast in action and yes, as they've said in panels I've attended, Jim Parsons definitely flubs the most lines! Katee Sackhoff was a special guest, but unfortunately, her scene was done the day before and we only saw it on playback. I have a one word mini-spoiler: bathtub. It was a really funny episode and I can't wait to see the final version.

Now is it any wonder why I never got around to coming up with a Halloween costume or make plans to celebrate? I often have at least 3 costumes for various happenings and places to go. I was kind of bummed, but realized Thursday and Friday downtown were geared toward the holiday, even if we didn't wear costumes. I did wear my Hamtaro hat, which I've never worn outside of Comic-Con, to work yesterday. In the spirit of doing something festive, we did ride the Ghost Train that was running at Live Steamers in Griffith Park. It was kind of like a Disneyland laugh-in-the-dark ride, but four times as long and a quarter of the wait! It was a nice way to cap off a hectic, but really fun month!

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over, wise or naked in Secret Oktober...

FYI

...because

Eight Nights A Week

No, this isn't an early Hannukah post...

A lot of our friends always say things like, "You guys do SO much." I often downplay it and insist that sometimes we do sit at home and drool in front of the tv, but come to think of it, that is more the exception. This past week leaves me defenseless as we did something every single night.*

Monday: Neil Finn @ Largo, who was joined by his son on the drums and Largo's favorite son, Jon Brion, on all sorts of instruments. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the show was amazing.

Tuesday: As part of the Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles, E and several members of the L.A. 3D Club , put on a special screening of independent 3-D short films at the Downtown Independent, a really cool, fairly new film and event center. We had a great turnout and a reception on the roof. (I had to go back to work from 11:30pm to 1:30am).

View from roof of Downtown Independent

Wednesday: VisionFest is the annual Filmmakers Alliance (FA) event which gives an award to a prominent figure in the world of independent film (this year's recipient was producer Ted Hope), a presentation of short films, followed by a party with food, booze, and mingling. During the festivities, E ran a video theater to show other shorts by various FA members.

Thursday: Of course we attended the 3-D Club's annual officer installation and awards banquet. Not only are we members, but E is the VP and usually the projectionist. One of our members was quite boisterous this year, making it a unique occasion, but that's neither here nor there. The important thing of it all is that I not only got my participation ribbon for entering each , but I also got a 3rd place medal for the newbie group!

Friday: It was Avatar Day and by the time we remembered to request tickets, the only place left in the L.A. area to go was Long Beach. That was fine since some friends who are also into 3-D live there and joined us. We made the trip worth our while and had some Peruvian food with them after the sneak preview. We stopped at Scoops once back in L.A. & I got the last of the Brown Bread for the day! P.S. Avatar looks pretty effin' cool.

Saturday: After a long, exhausting day at work, we went to closing night of the DFFLA. We got a very rare glimpse at a dated, but fascinating, documentary called The Jackson 5 in Africa. The footage from 1974 had only screened once before in New York and it's unknown when or if it will ever be seen again. Unfortunately, the after-party was a bust, but we ended up going to Wurstküche, an exotic sausage restaurant in the Arts District. We'd heard wonderful things about the place and they were all true!

Sunday: After sleeping in a little, we decided to drive down to Laguna Beach to catch the soon-closing Sawdust Art Festival. We strolled around the art galleries along the ocean first and then took in the arts and crafts. There was also a lot of candy, but I don't want to talk about that.

Laguna Beach, my favorite place in the O.C.

Monday: Now we're up to last night. We met up with an old friend from college, who will soon be moving back to L.A., and a couple of his friends. It was a good time and even though some business-type stuff was discussed, the hours flew by as we indulged in good food and conversation.

*You may have heard me complain about being broke and that hasn't changed. We're very fortunate in that a lot of these fun things we do often cost very little to nothing, for a variety of reasons. We did pay full price for the sausage, though, and it was worth it.

Drive-In Tonight!

Come on downtown for a drive-in! Hollywood Mobile Movie is screening Mock Up On Mu in conjunction with the Downtown Film Festival LA. Come check it out! More details, in case you are too lazy to click:

From the DFFLA program:

We've put together an evening of programming made for film fans who embrace the cutting edge. The evening revolves around a special drive-in preview screening of celebrated San Francisco avant-garde filmmaker Craig Baldwin's latest feature, Mock Up On Mu.

Just roll up to the giant SCI-Arc parking lot in the Arts District (near 4th Street and the Los Angeles River) and we'll take it from there. Note: All kinds of vehicles are welcomed; the only requisite is that whatever you're driving, must have a working radio.

The evening begins with a complimentary cocktail reception, followed by a presentation of new works by students at SCI-Arc, the experimental architecture school in downtown L.A. Immediately following with be a showcase of shorts from the just completed Los Angeles Digital Arts Festival.

Location: 960 E. Third Street, Los Angeles 90013
Schedule of Events:
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Reception
5:30 - 6:30 pm - SCI-arc shorts
6:45 - 8:00 pm - Digital Arts Festival shorts
8:30 - 10:00 pm - Mock Up On Mu

Tickets are $10, and are available here.

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Location
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SCI-Arc Parking Lot
Map: http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/exhibitions/locations/index.html You will need a ticket to get past the security gate at the SCI-Arc lot. To buy your ticket, click the link above.

The entrance to SCI-Arc's parking lot is at 350 Merrick Street, Los Angeles 90013, between Traction Avenue and 4th St in downtown Los Angeles.