Conversations with my Mother

During her brief visit to Southern California, I was able to tour her around my beachside neighborhood inbetween her classes at CalTech.

Conversation topics included:
- The nature of conformity
- How science can, indeed, be a waste of time
- Her new adventure excursion idea: Hunting wild boar in Tanzania, then cooking it. "A safari cookout! It's doable!"

oh, mother...

Latest Inspiration: Arthur Rackham

Rackham was an English book illustrator.

My dear Santa list of unrealistic proportions

1. A taxidermy albino pheasant
2. Goyard Jeanne gm in black or green or blue
3. A big toenail since ive lost because of my stupid sidi bike shoes.

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Rasta good Samaritan

This morning in front of my local coffeeshop in Venice, a hippy rasta who smelled homeless, helped me flag a bus for an old lady who was late to the bus stop.

Good to start the day with some good Karma rasta man!


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I'm famous!

Melissa Etheridge was interviewed in front of my production desk.

Finally - a post about Mikey's Surprise Race Finish (photos by Lorenzo De Guia)

For Mikey's 30th birthday, I decided I wanted to make it special. But how? With a few co-conspirators, I was able to surprise him with a grand bicycle tour finish on one of his routine training rides. Here is a rough timeline and pictorial in order to prove to you that I pulled this off.

It all began with some vegans...

After a bicycle ride to PV, my bike buddies, Meghan, Gary and Roxy were all at Real Food Daily talking about this great prank we saw online. The one with the fake Tour de France finish. Then Roxy had a brilliant revelation... Mikey's birthday was coming up.
So the weeks passed. I emailed all of Mike's closest friends scheming. With the support of my good buddies, professional fun makers of Group STD, we were able to fine tune details such as a banner and props. With the help of Mikey's teammate, Spase (who was more than eager to be the token naked guy), I was able to coordinate a ride to "lure" Mikey into the finish, complete with video footage.

The night before, Spase made me a map:

Podium girls?

The Prize

Here are the Group STD boys windproofing the banner...

Yes, there is a Kalamazoo! (Mike's hometown) and here is our dapper photographer, Lorenzo.

Gumby made an appearance! (secret: it's Jason). We had some downtime before Mikey showed up. (Aram was text messaging me along the ride to let me know how far they were... 20 mins away...) So Gumby provided us (and others passing by) with some entertainment!

Do some cartwheels!

Climb the tree!

For added entertainment, take the bullhorn!

Text message from Aram: 2 minutes away!

Get into position!

Waiting patiently. Why are you guys holding hands?

He's coming! Naked Spase (with an appropriate 30 written on his butt) alerts the support truck and then us and Gumby!

The post race interview

The obligatory champagne & silly string celebration

Mikey admitted to not know a thing. Despite the fact that EVERYONE knew. Success.

CREDITS: Thanks to Group STD (Rudy, Bongo, Marcus, Dario, Elaine, Melly), The Cyclists (Aram, Joe, Dedrick, Skylar), The Naked Guy (Spase), The guy who had to write "30" on Naked Guy's Butt (Daniel), Gumby (Jason), Action Face Poster (Meespace), Pikachu (Nathan), Podium girls (Cher & Lauren), Banner Boys (Pat & Brian), Eastsiders who woke up early to drive (Alxis & Newton, Jodi), Amazing photography (Lorenzo), the residents of Ocean Ave & San Vicente in Santa Monica, and Mikey for being such a sucker.

roller hobos

I'm happy to observe the growing amount of homeless people wearing rollerskates in the metropolitan los angeles area.

to the people who have blown someone's cover

intentional or unintentional, you have made a contribution to the world's wealth of knowledge. to unravel is to teach and i am more all knowing than i was a moment ago. this had come to me upon my recent feedback on zo's script, my late night attendance of the Hello Kitty goth masquerade ball, and well my recent discovery of my friend's super sleuth alterego.

revelations are interesting because of their instamatic double edged nature. for example, take former president bill clinton and his now infamous "i did not have sexual relations" chant to his then public remorse for the affairs with miss intern-of-the-90's monica lewinsky. the literal reveal = yes he was having sexual relations. the actual reveal = you already knew that! but wow did that suck for billy c. but come on, billy (no pun intended or was it), you have to admit that it was a burden off your shoulders.

now lets discuss unraveling of information when someone else does it for you. i've been watching tons of reality tv and talk shows recently. boy are they all about the "big reveal" and we most certainly are too. and these truths really pack a punch of drama! i too was rooting for gretchen and hating tamra after their internet blog fueled catfight (real housewives of oc). or even in top chef when the judges finally say who lost despite the fact that we ALREADY knew who would get the boot.

or when your teacher taught you that the sun was hot in science class, or that 1+1 +2, or within the process of writing a script, you learn so much about yourself it almost hurts. it's like a self-mutilation of sorts. at the goth party, it was just good to learn that behind the masks are probably freakier people, or just sweet ones. and as for my friend the art thief, there's just so much pride. so thank you, revealers/teachers, for letting me know my instincts are intact and performing perfectly.

84 Year Old Eiko rides 150 mile MS Ride on a singlespeed in a dress and heels!

Read more here: Go Eiko Go!

Oh that crazy Pacquiao!

Pumpkins!



Sometimes when we touch ...

Halloween In Hollyweird

We actually got into the Halloween spirit this year. We kicked off the weekend with a pumpkin party. Pumpkin carving, pumpkn beer, and pumpkin pie.

Note: Our friend from Macedonia, was new to Halloween. He didn't know where to get a pumpkin, so he brought a watermelon to carve. The melon was then coined the "Macedonian Pumpkin". It's 3rd from the right.


Here are Mike and I getting ready for the 6th Annual Demonic Duplex Affair. He is a zombie and I am a creepy ghost girl. You know like the ones in all those horror movies.


Here I am with maximum creepiness.


I've included Lorenzo's Joaquin Phoenix costume because it was just that cool.

With Lorenzo, his costumes are only part of a performance. Here he is in the height of his method performance as Phoenix at the DDA party. Passed out. Stanislavsky would have been proud. Other partygoers took photos with his unconscious, but well dressed, self.

Here are our gracious DDA hosts. This year's theme was Street Fighter. The entire duplex was turned into the video game.

Brain Barf Worthy of Twitter

Latest unexpected office: La Cita Bar at 4am on a Sunday (for Daughtry video)

Newest Halloween costume idea: "Where do I get a gun for a leg?"

Favorite Snack of the Moment: Dried cranberries

Actual Favorite Snack of the Moment: Vegan Chocolate Rugula and Taco Bell. Tied

Newest Halloween costume idea: (Related to previous statement) Santa

My 3rd Best Bike: My Old road bike better known as "El Dirto"

Most Recent Favorite New Rainy Day Activity: Running in place next to Mike on his bike trainer pretending to be a crazy fan in the Tour De France

Pep's Quote of the Day: "Thoughts Become Things!"

Movie I would Like to Watch: Where the Wild Things Are, but right now.

Somewhere out there I believe that there is a man named Barack on Facebook thinking the same thing I am: Which Friends character am I? What?! Ross?!

3rd ++ Bike Life

Living on the Westside (of LA) has a huge benefit to me and Mike. BIKING IS EVERYWHERE.

Southern California just happens to have the most competitive and best cycling racing resources in the nation. Most likely due to our endless perfect weather. Here on the westside we have the benefit of being able to ride along the beach uninterrupted and car free, so needless to say but I will say anyway, Mike and I ride all the time.

I've become more aggressive about my training. I hope to not only improve as a rider, but to also compete in the 2010 racing season as a Cat 4 racer. It's taken quite a bit of effort: getting up at 5:30am, sleeping early (it's harder than you think!), riding roughly 20 miles everyday (with some days off) and watching what I eat*

* I eat closely to the Paleo diet. Lots of natural foods with as little processing as possible. Lots of proteins and lots of vegetables. Avoid dairy and starches. Don't worry, I get carbs from vegetables. When I have a good long ride, I allow myself to enjoy some bread.

I've signed up for the velo club, La Grange. I am very excited to join their team and come close to keeling over during their group rides. Mike signed me up for their last team race of the season- Piuma. It is an 8 mile climb with 2250 of elevation gain. OUCH! We'll see how I do.

Mike's a cat 4 racer with a stringent routine. It worked, so now he's too fast to bring me along on his training rides. We ride together when he's recovering (aka forced to go slow). During these rides, he leads me out and lets me practice sprints and makes me chase him on attacks. It's another form of torture, but I enjoy the results. My sprints started at a humorous 20mph but are now improving to 27mph. We'll see how much I improve over time.

Tomorrow, I will be working while thousands from the southland go ride with Lance Armstrong. I will be jealous. But then, so will Lance because he will miss out on my new triangle skills (*see post on production)

2nd -- A move to the beach

I've moved from the busy hills of Hollywood to Venice, CA and I can't complain.

I've got the Pacific Ocean as a neighbor and we're on very good terms.

The weirdos that reside here manage to make me feel more normal.

First off -- my return to production

You know that feeling of coming home and plopping onto the couch to watch tv after a long day? That was what it felt like to jump back into commercial/music video production. So far so good, LA is picking up from a long and difficult slump and I'm enjoying every moment.

In the few weeks I've spent laughing and hustling at work, I've collected a few moments that I will probably never forget. So meaningful to me that I'll tell you twice, unknowingly. (I do that a lot)

1. Under only the 100+ degree heat of the sun, I manage to get lost in a Cadillac graveyard just outside Devils Punchbowl in the desert. I managed to follow the giant ants to their anthill that happened to be right next to my car. The size of the ant hill was near the size of my tire!

2. SNL alum, Jim Breuer, sang a bar of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" in my presence with accompanied double fist pumps. Highlight of the night, really! (note: he's extremely cool. i wish he came to my bbqs)

3. I learned how to play the triangle in a "cool Latin way" from DMB's Carter Beauford. (the happiest nicest man alive!) And offered my services if ever they needed another triangle player.

I can only hope that it keeps on going!

I'm baaaaaack

with lots to talk about. Join me with your slippers.

Solar Eclipse = Change

In this economic climate, I can't help but look to less scientific explanations for certain hardships. In this case, it's astrology. Susan Miller 's astrology.

During the solar eclipse, or eclipses in general, astrologers believe that huge changes are made in our lives.

Certain changes did occur. And now I just have to have faith that these changes have done for the better. After all, the moon was just passing through following its own path..just happened to get in the way for a little.

Introducing my new fixie, the Ultimately Girly Gidget Bike

It may be smaller than other bikes, but it's loved just as much!

Built by Mike, it's my new toy that been in the making for months (thanks to Orange 20 and LA Brakeless). Ready to roll!

Have you seen this bird?

This bird attacked me and I'm convinced he's out for my blood.

Etienne! The Hamster Movie!

Etienne!, 2009
dir. Jeff Mizushima
comedy, 90 mins


So when I saw the trailer for this movie, I was very excited. After all, it's quite exciting to have my hamster-centric cinematic dreams fulfilled, or so I thought.

The film was screened as portion of the touring CineVegas festival whose LA stop was at the very charming Silent Movie Theater. This only complimented the hipster crowd that filled the seats.

So the film begins and we're presented with a lovable protagonist and his best friend, Etienne, a hamster. Being the free spirited musician hipster, he decides to take his adorable mammal on a bike trip from San Francisco to Santa Cruz (my home and alma mater!) . Shot beautifully on video with minimal dialogue, this movie had a charm and warmth all its own. Lovely.

My problem arises when this movie's agenda shifts from telling a story about friends to Mizushima's guide on "how to be cool" and even worse, his wordy guide to life. He makes sure to dress his characters in the latest unlaundered clothing trends.He also brings focus to the protagonist's obnoxious ironic mustache that happens to be the choice facial hair failure of todays young men. The indie music soundtrack bring resemblance to a Wes Anderson movie, but musician cameos (The Great Northern) counter any sort of effortless style. Sadly, all of these hip details only dated what could've been a timeless story about friends.

A good try, but just a touch too much naive hipster vomit for me.

Privacy break

Hello,

I'm back from a brief break.

After Michael Jackson's death, I began to realize how much we take privacy for granted. From Facebook to Twitter to other media, we are beginning to be such extroverted creatures that we are beginning to give our privacy up willingly. So in order to respect my own and that of others, I took some time to myself. Now, however, I'm ready to get my writing shoes back on.

It's good to be back!

My Favorite Michael Jackson Album

sending my prayers

Skydiving, a trip for those of us who need to be reminded that we're alive

Within the tiny plane...

Tempting fate

An IPhone 3G - Exploded View

From Apple Insider

Girl in Training

My life has increasingly become more and more bicycle-centric. Truly, from weekend trips just for bikes, to spending afternoon in bike shops, and the fact that nearly all of my friends have bikes, every day has charged onto a new plane of bike geekdom.

This morning, I went on a "training ride" with Mike. Since he trains much harder than me, I can only ride with him on his "recovery rides" where he TRIES to go slow.

We biked down to the marina on the bikepath that is already scattered with cyclists.

On one particular stretch, Mike advises that I go "as fast as I can." I do this. His encouraging "pedal! pedal! pedal!" are reciprocated with my panting "I'm going as fast!"

He only says "If you can still talk, you're not going fast enough!" At which point the empty parking lot we were in seemed like the tallest steepest hills.

It was a good torture ride.

Who Is You? #17

Because of you, I returned the jeans, the shirt, and the purse to American Rag.



You = Pinarello FP3 in pink

Channeling Gidget

Oh, Gidget, you trendsetter. From sailor chic to boyfriend clothing, you've effortlessly fashioned your tomboy classification into an ultra girly timeless style.

Who Is You? #17

You get me upset for no reason at all.



You = The Lakers because they just do.

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CA is everything you have heard it was and more. Middle America is in the air here with farming and petroleum being the largest industries. Meth addicts, XXL shorts, hardworking farmers all find home here. For the most part, people drive through while traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This past weekend, it was the location of Mike and Jason's most recent road races. Muscle-y racers from across California met to prove who was the fastest in spandex.



However, these races are early in the morning leaving much of Saturday to our own devices. I decided that I wanted to go to thrift stores.



With a couple internet searches on my trusty EyePhone, I was able to locate the 3 best thrift stores in the area. My favorite being R.A.D. Such an appropriate name for a wonderful store that not only sells everything less than $2, but also marks them 30-50% off on Saturdays. With just $3, I was able to score a couple vintage-y tanks and some shorts.

Afterwards we were advised to explore the "downtown" area. We passed maybe 4 more thrift stores, but we wanted sandwiches instead. We went to the Sequoia Sandwich shop which had sponsored Mike's race. There we were joined by other bike aficionados and their hairless legs. There weren't that many locals besides most of the bike racers that were in for the event.

From there, we walked to a pawn shop where they sold some quality electronics and then to a vintage consignment store. We were greeted with many talkative shopowners which was pleasant. However, we couldn't help but notice that the residents of Bakersfield were very eager to sell their possessions. It seemed that the only thriving businesses were secondhand shops. Sad, actually.



Once again, we wake up at 5:30a to head out to the race course. While Mike raced 31 miles around the scenic oil rigs and cattle of Bakersfield, I hung out with bike buddies, Gary and Megan as Gary prepped for his race. Bike small talk all around as we can't help but see the 40 or so other riders also getting ready: pinning numbers to their jerseys, snacking, putting on their spandex, warming up, rubbing their BUTT BUTTER onto their lower region (to prevent chafing supposedly)... ugh. I could do without having to see that. Soon enough, Mike crossed the finish line in a sprinting pack to conclude his days in Cat 5. Woo!



Now that we were both hungry, we went to Zingo's Cafe, the breakfast choice for the locals. Plenty of big rigs, Harleys and minivan filled with overweight families. This was the place. We enjoyed our breakfast with pie and the wait staff was extremely friendly.

Tummies filled, we drove back to LA, in traffic.