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 single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener...

Thoreau may have waxed poetic about the rain, but personally, I find it annoying and inconvenient. I have acclimated to the normally sunny Southern California weather and am having trouble dealing with our current deluge. I don't know how folks living in the Pacific Northwest do it. I'm not sure I'd survive.

It's true that the rain does make the grass greener. In fact, it produces grass in our back yard, which spends a good part of the year being brown and dusty.

This photo of our sweet Cosette was taken in November of 2006, before the rainy season. Notice the "yard" behind her (and Rusty and Little Guy!) Pretty desolate.

I took this photo yesterday during a brief break in the rain after convincing Little Guy to take a potty break. I imagine that once this rain is done, we'll have twice as much green back there as we do right now. Luckily, I cut it a few days ago as it was growing pretty well from some other recent rain. The dogs and I will be thrilled when the storms are gone though, just as Cosette always was. Damn, I miss her.

Signs That It's Summer In L.A.

• The L.A. Film Festival has opened. Wanted opened the fest and I *wanted* to really like it, but meh, not so much. Oh well.
  

• Thomas Wilkins debuted as the Principle Guest Condutor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. We enjoyed opening night, where Sir James Galway, B.B. King, and Liza Minelli all performed as they were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.

• It's hot. Africa hot. And everyone, including myself, is complaining about it. I'm glad I have air conditioning, but shudder to think of the upcoming electric bills. I do know the extreme temperatures are temporary and we'll be back to lovely weather soon.
  

Happy Summer!

Some Like It Hot And Some Sweat When The Heat Is On

5 signs that it was hot (and dry) in Los Angeles earlier this week*:

• 817 acres of our beloved Griffith Park burned.

• Long lines formed at the pinkberry on Vermont.
  

• At times, I have felt like I just could not consume enough water.

• Mowing my back yard this afternoon stirred up huge dust clouds.

• I received confirmation that Ami is indeed a male hamster.

*It has cooled off, even in the Valley, and is quite pleasant.

Scenes From A SoCal Morning

Okay, so I know it looks like nothing compared to the major ice and snow photos I've seen from other places, but remember...this is Los Angeles! I decided to spare you the photos of my finger that turned completely white and numb--a cold-induced circulation issue I've been dealing with lately.

Coming Soon: My moment with Kiefer Sutherland (almost 4 years ago).

This photo of Ami* makes me smile.

I'm still bitter about the weather and will later post photos of the ICE that was on my car and driveway this morning. ICE. Call me a wimp, I don't care, but this is unacceptable for Los Angeles. I will also explain, possibly with photos, why I'm having such a hard time in the cold right now.

*Yes, Mom, I washed my hands after handling the filthy little rodent!

It's Hard To Type While Wearing Gloves

I don't know what's different this winter. Is it really that much colder than it has been the previous 11 years in Southern California or has my blood finally finished thinning out? I even broke down and turned the heat on last night, but still had to sleep in, and am currently wearing, gloves. My house is very old and drafty, but this is ridiculous. What would I do if I lived in Oklahoma or Seattle? More importantly, what am I going to do when I get to Utah in a little over a week? I've done okay the past two years, but am a little concerned about tolerating the cold this time. Wish me luck.

On the sunny side, while tomorrow is a "holiday" for many people, I will be enjoying the lighter traffic on my drive to work for the first day of my last week before vacation. In spite of not traveling somewhere warm and tropical, I am completely looking forward to my two weeks off. We'll be making our annual trip to the second week of the Sundance Film Festival. I had such a good time the past couple of years, so I'm really looking forward to it. Except for the cold air and snow thing. I will also have some days before and after the trip at home, which will be very nice.

I have had a good weekend. I've done a lot of sleeping, reading, and seeing some good friends I haven't seen for a long time. I plan to cap it all off with the season premiere of 24. Well, once E gets home in a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I think I'll go crawl under the covers for a while.

The digital thermometer on my patio reads 107.9. In the shade.

Blah Blah Blah

It probably feels a lot hotter than it actually is since our a/c is broken.

I'm probably a lot more irritated than I seem since I'll be going in to work for several hours tomorrow. (I am usually off on Fridays and tomorrow is also the first day of "vacation" for me).

How Hot Is It?

Our reprieve from very hot weather is clearly over. There are several ways you can tell that the temperature is rising, just by my household alone.

• I had horrible night sweats last night.
  
• The a/c is running once again.
  
• The dogs are quite lethargic, lying as still as possible.
  
• E and I have each consumed several Otter Pops today.
• There is absolutely no uncertainty of my hamster's gender today.

Hot In The City

Damn, it's hot. Africa hot. For financial and conservation reasons, I'd really hoped to not turn on my air conditioner yet. I believe I held out until almost July last year. Well, I broke down today and did it. Once the temperature passed 90 in the house, I couldn't take it any more. The windows were open and the fans were blowing, but it just kept getting worse. The dogs were panting and the hamster was sleeping on his back, minus the usual nest he makes with his bedding. I honestly thought he was dead, so I woke him up (and then regretted not photographing the cute sleeping-on-his-back pose!)

We went to the Hollywood Bowl last night for our first of many summer nights there. Garrison Keillor performed his A Prairie Home Companion radio show with special guest stars Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, and Meryl Streep, who are all in the upcoming movie of the same name. It was fun, but not quite as good as his show last year. I would have preferred another skit or two (there was no Guy Noir) and one or two fewer bluegrass or Jesus songs. It was kind of fun, in an oh, so dorky way, to catch snippets of the show on KPCC today.

Walkabout

Tuesday was one of those gorgeous day-after-rain days in Southern California. We had a brilliant, clear blue, cloudless sky. I was fortunate to have the day off. After sleeping in, I stepped outside and was inspired to go on a bit of a photography walkabout in and around my neighborhood. It was great fun and if interested, you can check out the photos I took.

I ended up being gone for a little over two hours. I rehung my comfy Air Chair, that I had brought in from the rain, from our big carob tree in the back yard. I sat in it and promptly drifted off for about an hour. That wasn't my original intention, but it wasn't a bad way to transition into the evening.

What's With Today, Today?

I'm getting sick of myself and these lame posts about my crappy days. It is something about this week. I set my alarms for 5:30 and 5:40 am last night. I have to get out of bed and cross my room to snooze/turn them off. Apparently I turned both of them off at some point, but I have no recollection of doing so. When my eyes popped open this morning, it was 8:44 (I'm supposed to be at work at 7:30). Ugh! Not a great start to my Wednesday.

However, I must say that my drive to work was rather pleasant. It was a quintessential Southern California morning after a rain with blue sky, puffy clouds, and clean air. There are some dark clouds rolling in again, but I enjoyed the nice morning. I realize that it's somewhat trite to blog about the rain in L.A., but it is a big deal here. One of those things that you only truly understand once you live in this city.

Maybe I should glue some quarters to the floor.

It's Cold In Utah!

I have really acclimated to Southern California "weather." I've lived in cold areas and went to college in Ithaca, NY which is known for its own special brand of winter hell.

We arrived in Park City for Sundance last night. We are crammed into a condo with a lot of cool people. None of us slept much. Eric and I saw one screening this morning of TV Junkie. It was great.

That's it for my first update from Sundance. I'm tired, I have a headache from the altitude, and I need to go get in a wait list line for the next film I want to see.

Looks Like We Made It

We arrived safely in Philadelphia. It is very, very cold. 34 degrees (F) was the last I heard. Apparently it will feel like 20 degrees with the wind chill on Wednesday. I am curious to get a look around in daylight and see if there is any foliage left. I have a feeling most of it has fallen as I saw huge leaf piles on curbs as we drove into my mother-in-law's neighborhood.

No good celebrity sightings at LAX while waiting to board our plane. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I did however notice Mike, the Southwest Customer Service Supervisor who is often featured on Airline, at a desk in our terminal. I hesitated quite a bit, but then went up and told him I really enjoyed the show. He seemed really happy about that and was quite friendly. He said they just wrapped their third season and are trying to get picked up for a fourth.

On another subject, we got to truly test our new Slingbox, a device that allows us to watch anything on our Tivo through a high-speed internet connection. So, we just watched tonight's My Name is Earl, which was hilarious as usual. It seems that almost every episode has a supporting actor who I know. Tonight it was "the guy with the robot legs," as Randy called him. I knew Cameron Clapp shortly after his accident. I don't even know if he remembers me and that really isn't important. I remember him and am inspired by what he has accomplished.

This post is made up of such unrelated thoughts. My brain feels jumbled. I only had an hour so sleep very early Tuesday morning and then raced around to get to the airport. I did sleep some on the plane, but feel like I'd better get some more.

Hot In The City

It was 85 degrees again today in Southern California. I, for one, am not complaining. I know there are some very pregnant people who are uncomfortable and others who just want it a bit cooler to get into the whole "holiday spirit" thing. I'm okay with it though. My system's in for a shock.

I will arrive in Philadelphia late Tuesday night, a night where the low is predicted to be 30 degrees! The high temperatures are predicted to be in the 40's until next Monday when they go up to the low 50's. I'll take the weather here, dry as it is, any day.