Monday, July 18, 2011

It'sa Me-ah! Maaario!

Well, CARmageddon was a complete bust, just like the Y2K bug, the rapture and 7-Eleven's free slurpee day (I couldn't find parking at 7-Eleven!).  Since nobody was driving on the freeways, I assume/hope all of you took the time to get to know your neighborhood a little better.

My latest gem of a discovery is a pizza bar in Santa Monica called Stella Rossa.  It's a wine bar (they also have some craft beers) that serves some fantastic artisan style pizzas, "highlighting a range of sustainable, locally grown ingredients found at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market and sourced by nearby purveyors."  If you like your pizza crusts crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside, you're going to be in heaven here!

I'm a night owl so I was really happy to learn that the kitchen stays open until midnight, Monday through Saturday, and 11 pm on Sunday.  They also have a late night happy hour boasting $4 beers and $5 glasses of wine!

This is a perfect place to take a date (you'll appear well-cultured with all the wines and artisan style pizzas around) before you go galavanting around town at one of the nightclubs on Main St.

What did you discover this weekend?  Share your neighborhood finds in the comments below!

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

CARmageddon Survival Kit

CARmageddon will descend upon Los Angeles this weekend, closing a considerable stretch of the 405 freeway, the busiest freeway in the nation, for TWO WHOLE DAYS!!  Hide your wife, hide your kids and hide your husbands too because closing down the 405 freeway is just short of making the earth explode.

If you thought L.A. drivers were bad with a little bit of rain, wait until they're all forced to use the side streets for two days.  This will leave many drivers stranded as they have never bothered to figure out how to get around town using the local roads.  It's "the highway or no way."

What will we do without the ability to travel to the other side of Los Angeles for two days?!  Have no fear.  I've put together a CARmageddon survival kit so that we can successfully overcome this crippling inconvenience.

Here is a list, in no particular order, of important items that you should have in your survival kit to prevent premature death from the inability to drive across town.

1.) A book.  For those born in the internet generation, a book is a collection of pages containing words, that are bound together.  People used to read books to gain knowledge or entertain themselves for hours on end.  This is how knowledge and entertainment was spread before the invention of radio, television and the internet.  You can find a book at many local establishments called bookstores or libraries.  There, you will find many books that you can read over the CARmageddon weekend.

2.) A pair of sneakers.  This leather and rubber contraption goes around your feet to protect them from the harsh environment while you step outside for an activity called "a walk".  There are many places that you can "walk" to.  One of my favorite examples is the local park, where you can gather with friends and "play".

3.) A ziplock bag.  This plastic bag can be used to carry many things, including chips, pretzels or a sandwich, to be used when you go on your "walk" to the local park.  Before the invention of the internet, people used to bring food to a park and have what is called a "picnic".  You can use your ziplock bag to try out the archaic practice of "picnicking in the park".

4.) A BBQ grill.  You can use a BBQ grill to make food in your backyard or at a block party.  It can be used in a similar fashion to when you stay home for a holiday weekend such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day or Labor Day, to name a few.

5.) A remote control.  A remote control can be used to manipulate the television so that you can watch something that you enjoy, just like you do for hours on end on any other weekend.

If you're not able to assemble the CARmageddon survival kit in time, you can always resort to doing what you do every day at work: troll Facebook for 8 hours, assuming that the closing of the 405 freeway didn't destroy the power grids too.

Please don't be like children this weekend and feel like you have to go across town just because you're told you can't.  Take the time to relax and spend quality time with your family or get to know your local neighborhood better.  I wish they would shut down the 405 freeway once a month.  I've never before seen more people want to get together for dinner parties or gatherings.  It takes the closing of a major freeway to shock people into interacting with their fellow human beings the old fashioned way: face to face.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

First Time's The Charm!

Congratulations to L.A. Graffiti reader Jennifer Lynn on her very first art show!  Jennifer exhibited five examples of her photography at "1st Thursdays", San Pedro's monthly art walk.  Her photographs were received with praise and one art enthusiast even said that it was the best piece of artwork he's ever seen in San Pedro!

I caught up with Jennifer at the art walk and asked how she was feeling about her first show.  She told me that she had no idea what she was doing and there were a few things she wished she had done in regards to the display, but overall, it turned out well.  In my opinion, I would consider that to be a huge success!

Very few people know what they are doing on their first time out; even fewer people pull it off perfectly the first time, so there's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't know what you're doing.  Jennifer learned a great deal from her first art show and now has "show experience" and can apply them to her second art show.  It only gets better from there.

Honestly, I thought her exhibit was perfect.  I really liked how the photos seemed to float effortlessly in the air.  I later found out that Jennifer was planning to hang them on the wall via nails, but the wall wouldn't accept nails so she had to improvise with some fishing wire.  Having the photos float wasn't the original plan at all, but that's the beauty of art!  You just go with the flow!  The only reason I knew it was her first show was because she told me.  I couldn't tell otherwise.

The artist, her work and a red cup.
I want to give kudos to Jennifer for just going out and doing it.  I asked her how she went about getting her art into the show/gallery.  She said that she just talked to someone on Facebook about wanting to show her art and was then directed to the appropriate person, which got things going and before she knew it, she was deciding on which wall  in the gallery to hang her art!  It's really that simple!

I hope Jennifer's story inspires you to create or display your art for fans to enjoy.  The hardest part is starting.  Success begets success, but you can't have success unless you start.

You can see more of Jennifer Lynn's photography on her Facebook page, DoubleVision.

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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Public Service Announcement #1

With summer in full swing, I wanted to make a quick Public Service Announcement (PSA) to help everyone have a safe and fun summer.

Knowledge is Power.


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Friday, July 8, 2011

Bumblebee In (Stop-Motion) Action!

Image courtesy Transformersmovie.com
I got a new toy and his name is Skittles. We decided to do a stop-motion animation flick together. Don't mind the girlfriend repeatedly going to the microwave in the background. ;)


This was made with a digital camera and Windows Live Movie Maker, a free movie editing program.  It took all of about 1 hour to make.  Turn off the tv for a bit and do something creative!  It does a body good!

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

All-American Addendum

My latest attempt at making art was inspired by my love for our great country, the United States of America.  I grew up always hearing the term "All-American" being said in reference to high school jocks, hot dogs and a good ol' barbeque.  But what exactly makes something "All-American"?  I wanted to explore some items that are definitely American in essence and creation, but not perceived to be American.  I wanted to add to the definition of "All-American".

I present to you four digital images in a series titled: "All-American Addendum"

"All-American Take-Out"
























The Chinese take-out box is instantly recognizable by millions in America.  We've all seen it on TV and most of us default to ordering Chinese food in these unique containers on a rainy or lazy day.  But the Chinese take-out box is not Chinese at all.  It's an American invention that was originally known as the oyster pail.  It was an inexpensive and sanitary way to take home fresh oysters that were shucked by the seller.  After World War II, there was a large increase in the number of people who began purchasing foods from restaurants that could be finished or heated up at home.  Chinese food became a popular choice since it was tasty, inexpensive and traveled well.  The oyster pail was quickly adopted for Chinese take-out, and the rest is history.  Chinese take-out boxes are only found in America and are manufactured by Fold-Pak, a company based out of Georgia.

"All-American Cookie"
























Ah... the Chinese fortune cookie.  The crunchy, semi-sweet, message toting cookie that is served at the end of every Chinese meal... in America!  Fortune cookies are nowhere to be found in Asia (much to my surprise on my first visit to Taiwan) because they are an American creation.  There are competing claims as to who created the fortune cookie, but all the claims come from California.  If fortune cookies are found in China, they are sold as "genuine American fortune cookies".  Fortune cookies used to be made by hand, but once a fortune cookie making machine was invented in Oakland, California, it dropped the price of the cookies dramatically, giving birth to the novelty and courtesy dessert that we are all familiar with today.

"All-American Goods"
























Made in China, consumed in America.  Having products inexpensively produced in China to maximize profit margins has become an American way of life.  Almost everything is made in China these days.  It's often a treat to pick up a product, flip it over and find "Made in USA" stamped on the bottom.  Most of our household items, from your beloved iPhone to the shoes that you wear, are all made/assembled in China.  That "Made in China" stamp allows all of us to afford our "All-American", consumer driven lifestyle.

"All-American Me"
























What do I see when I look in the mirror?  An "All-American" boy who grew up on McDonald's when they still had dark meat in their Chicken McNuggets and when you could "Humongo-size" your value meal; a red-blooded American who appreciates a nicely chromed Harley-Davidson and a perfectly cooked steak; a car enthusiast who would choose a 1969 Camaro SS over a Toyota Supra.

What do other people (some, not all) see when they look at me?  A foreigner.  I once had a lady tell me that she expected an accent from me, upon our first meeting.

An all too common piece of dialogue:
Man: "Where are you from?"
Me: "Texas."
Man: "No, I mean, where are you REALLY from?"
Me: "I'm REALLY from Texas.  I was born and raised there."
Man: "Oh."

One of my personal goals in life is to update the definition of "All-American" to include everything that makes this country so great.  Help me pass on this "All-American Addendum".

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Monday, July 4, 2011

What Is Beauty?

Is this beauty?















Or is this beauty?















This is the topic that "Beauty CULTure", the current exhibit at The Annenberg Space for Photography, asks its viewers.  The exhibit features photographs from many famous photographers, all with a different take on beauty.  Some of my favorites are a diagram that dissects what makes a pin-up model a pin-up model and a collection of different celebrities' takes on the Marilyn Monroe look.

A description from the website:
"Through different lenses focused on the body beautiful, the exhibition examines both traditional and unconventional definitions of beauty, challenging stereotypes of gender, race and age.  It explores the links between beauty and violence, glamour and sexuality and the cost (in its multiple meanings) of beauty."

This exhibit is really interesting as it shows the change over time in what society deems to be beautiful and not beautiful.  There is also a documentary that plays throughout the day that shows the cult-like glorification and pursuit of female "beauty".  It's fascinating to see what the mass media and advertising is shoving down our throats as "beautiful", all for the sake of selling us more beauty products.

The Annenberg Space for Photography is located on the campus of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), home to some of the most powerful agents in Hollywood.  You'll park in CAA's parking structure and walk through its lobby to access the Annenberg Space for Photography.  You might even spot a celebrity having a cup of coffee on the lawn as you ascend the steps to the museum.  Admission to the Annenberg is always free.

If you arrive in the parking structure after 4:31 pm (yes, the sign actually says 4:31 pm) then parking is only $1 for the evening.  Make it a date night as the Century City Mall is just down the street and is filled with shopping, dining and possibly a free outdoor summer movie.

Go see Beauty CULTure and post your thoughts in the comments below!

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