day 269: another delicious evening

My usual desolate inbox was graced with the following message a few days ago, "It's booked! Yay!" It was in reference to a Wednesday night reservation at Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's Mozza Pizzeria in Hollywood. This locale is the hip and delectable restaurant-of-the-moment. Reservations are scarce. It was a bustling scene filled with a varied group of young patrons. With the high ceilings and dim lighting, conversations resonated in the space. Tables were composed to accommodate large parties and intimate couples. Our seat was along the bench at the rear of the dining room, but welcomed the observation of the whole. Although our table was 6 inches from neighbors, it was intimate.

The dinner was another gift of deliciousness from my friend, neighbor, fellow Pisces, Nate, and his girlfriend, Giulia. Nate is a researcher and fine food lover. He will travel to Bell or Arcadia, CA, in search of the perfect Mexican restaurant or Chinese dumpling. So when he recommends a restaurant, be rest assured that you're in for a savory meal.

Mozza did not disappoint. Antpasti included Arancini alla bolognese and Meatballs al forno, compliments of the house. We paired it with a Furore Wine, a full-body white wine. Unfortunately the signature pizza, Squash blossoms, tomato & burrata, was unavailable which meant the antipasti dish, Fried squash blossoms with ricotta, was also not to be devoured. We were a little forlorn, but it encourages another visit. The menu is one to be relished. With words like panna, taleggio, guanciale, bagna cauda, it stimulates your taste buds. I would have been lost, if not, for Giulia. She's fluent in Italian and was able to translate for us.

We chose three pizzas:
-Fennel sausage, panna, red onion & scallions : sweet and a little spicy
-Tomato, mozzarella, sausage, salami, bacon & guanciale : the meat lovers, the right proportions of meat for perfect bite. All three of these meats were discernable in their taste.
-Prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato & mozzarella: my choice, I cannot express my love for prosciutto and arugula. The saltiness of the cured meat with the bitterness of the arugula is a lovely pairing. As soon as I read it, I knew it was the dish I would order.

The combination of toppings is amazing, but I have yet to mention the crust. The dough is sweet and bitter. Its the perfect combination of chewy and crispy. The crusts are a little blackened around the edges from the oven. Pizzas are cut into four slices allowing a fold to capture all of the ingredients into a bite.  Mozza is good. Mind-bogglingly good.

Intriguing conversation is par for the course with Nate and Giulia. I'm so fortunate to have met Nate and to have been introduced to Giulia. It was lovely evening capped with a mystical fog that had rolled in. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

day 200: intent

I've been reading/researching various ideas, people and projects. I've realized that I have not focused on one area. I've notice that people who are successful give their all (heart and soul) to one project. From hear on out I'm doing that, and I realize with this photo-a-day blog that I'm not letting you in on the bad times: allowing myself to be vulnerable. I thought, "who wants to read about a depressing day where I'm stressed out?" Who wants to know that "Inconsistencies on your form" is such a vague statement on the f-ing unemployment notice?

Being unemployed sucks. It sucks ass. It's fun for about a week. After a month there's one major meltdown. You've strategized, punched the numbers, but life happens and you can't predict it. You question all of the choices you've made. There's doubt that creeps into your mind about your talent and abilities. It sucks. Some days are better than others, and sometimes it comes down to a few good hours. I will say that it brings out a good human trait, and that's taking care of each other, whether it's financial or emotional. So many people are willing to open their hearts to you. It's absolutely amazing.

I keep thinking that when I look back on this time, I want to say that I accomplished so many personal goals, but sometimes those goals are clouded by living day-to-day. It's hard to look long term. A year from now seems faraway and ten years? I can't even fathom it. As each day passes you hope that you're inching closer to the end of this chapter in your life, but then the news reminds you that this will be longer than anyone expected.

The good part, if you can call it that, is that there are others out there in the same boat. It's comforting and discomforting. At least you have people to confide in and go places with. Talking to friends who have jobs is awkward. They want to bitch about their jobs, but are quickly reminded to be thankful they have a job. Employers are pushing them to the limit and employees are doing it in fear of losing their job.

I am thankful there are unemployment benefits, one doesn't start the job force to think that they'll be unemployed. I am happy that this nation takes care of the unemployed, if not our health.

day 175: meltdown 2.0

Not having a job: SUX. I wish I could ctrl-z some things in my life.

day 172: my apt

I love my little apartment complex. You're welcomed by a little goldfish pond covered by an umbrella. It's so quaint.

day 160: futbol, beach & hollywood bowl

Another packed day. This morning I joined Nate and Ken to watch the USA v Brazil soccer game. They are huge futbol fans and keep me up-to-date with the happenings in USA Soccer. USA fans came out to represent, and we held our own for the first half, but as my friend, Nate, said, "so much of the game is mental, and you can't play on the defense for 45 mins." True, true. I'm so happy that it wasn't a complete blow out and we scared them a bit, or rather pissed them off.

After Ritch picked me up to go to the beach. It was a beautiful day in SoCal for the beach. The sun was out, it was beautiful and so are you... :) It was not too hot, there was a nice breeze that kept you cool and the beach wasn't crowded.

I, then, rushed home to shower and change for the Hollywood Bowl with Chris. Jonelle Rae, Chaka Khan and Adele performed. It was an absolute perfect day. The Bowl is always wonderful and a beacon of summer in LA.

day 136: game 1

We went to Busby's for game 1 of the NBA Championship series between Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers dominated this game...let's hope that this continues. GO LAKERS!!
I wanted to save this somewhere, so I decided to upload it to this page.

day 122: kitchen

I had to catch up on some personal stuff today and clean my apt. Here is a picture of my jalousie kitchen window. I love that southern California has these windows. :)

day 077: series of intersecting lives and incidents

I'm reminded by my friend, Amy, that bad things happen in threes. one: lost job, two: identity fraud, three: hit & run. I do hope this is the end of it.

Today feels like that scene from Benjamin Button, when Daisy was hit by the car. Everything had to happen in order for me to be hit by that red car, accident or design, it had to happen. I don't know the particulars about the other people involved: the guy in the car, the guy in the Dooley truck, the 10-year-old girl on the Razor scooter, or the two EMTs. I know that for me, I had to have an extra cup of tea this morning. I usually only have one cup, but opted for two. Firefox crashed and I had to reopen all the windows again. I forgot to put on sunscreen and ran back upstairs to lather it on. I decided to read one more chapter in my book at the park. Waiting in line at the Post Office, the AC forced me to put on my sweat jacket which protected me from more scrapes. The Dooley Truck that took up most of the road made me slow down. The ambulance had to be stuck in traffic just a few cars back from where the collision occurred. I had to notice the girl on the Razor scooter whisking down the sidewalk as I passed her and that red car had to make that left hand turn as I was about to ride straight.

And if only one thing had happened differently: If that Dooley truck was in the other lane or that girl on the Razor left 2 minutes earlier, I could've been under the car, the little girl could've been hit by that car or the red car could've made a left turn without hitting anyone. "But life being what it is - a series of intersecting lives and incidents, out of anyone's control:" I was hit by that car and fell to the ground with the little girl on the Razor scooter coming to my side and asking if I was ok. The EMTs quickly tending to my scrapes and the that guy in the red car rolling down his window to ask if I was ok, only to drive away without an answer.

It's strange what you think of during an accident. The first thought that came to my mind when the EMTs asked to clean the wound was "I should have shaved my legs this morning." For some reason everything else was a blur, but that thought is vivid.

day 074: lcdqla

I'm always amazed when I find out that I live in an area that I wasn't aware of....like my previous post, today I found out that I live in the La Cienega Design Quarter.

day 067: latisse

This photo is technically from yesterday, but I had to post it. I live close to some trendy/swanky clubs and restaurants. One block away are Area, Koi, STK, and Nobu. Paparazzi are usually camped out near all of these in the hopes of catching someone famous. What it means for someone who lives in the neighborhood is that: traffic is backed up from the valet lanes, parking sux because said valet uses the neighborhood for their parking lot and everything is expensive. haha :)

Tonight we went to Stone Fire Pizza Co. which is not as swanky as the aformentioned locales, but is still nice. They have a great Chicago-style deep dish pizza. We went primarily for March Madness. This is where I noticed Sala Baker, the Uruk from LOTR. He was at the table next to us. Honestly though, he was kinda annoying. I asked Nate and Ken to take a mental picture of him and we would look him up when we got home. We soon left after Duke and Memphis both bit the big one.

You can tell when someone famous is around because the camera flashes are abundant. What was a former gallery space turned into a launch party for Latisse, an eyelash growth pharmaceutical. By the time we arrived most of the celebs had left, but we saw Jewel, Angie Harmon, and Mrs. Ari (the actress who plays Ari's wife on Entourage).

day 065: dinner guest

It's always nice when you have an unexpected guest join you for dinner. After my run with Nike tonight, I came home starving and parched. My apt complex is a-little-Melrose-Place-like, we have a courtyard that we speak across. It's very quaint. Nate came by and we enjoyed a nice dinner and conversation.

It looks like a lot of carbs, but I ran a total of 6 miles today, not all at once, but throughout the day. I had just completed 3 miles with Nike, so it's justified. :)

My goal is to complete an Olympic Triathlon one day. I figure I can just do it with my pool, my bike and my two legs. hahaha I may need some friends to meet me with water and refueling items. We'll see. I still need to work on my swimming. I can only swim for 18 min straight, and then I have to take a break. It sucks.

I started this blog so that I can remember special days, and today was a special day. Thanks, Nate. :)

day 046: classmate/neighbor/friend

Nate: I've known Nate for 8 years now, and for the last 4-5 years, he's been my neighbor. I'm fortunate enough to have networked with classmates from UCLA, co-workers and friends of friends. Through that I was able to score my wonderful apartment. Nate's current apartment was my old apartment when I was going to UCLA. It's a cute studio with hardwood floors, crown molding, and double hung windows. I inherited it from Bianca, who was recommended by Joanna who lived in one of the front apartments. When I moved out I offered it to Nate(It's all in the family). Now I live in a two-bedroom in the front apartments and I love the complex that we live in.

Lately though I haven't seen/talked to Nate, we did celebrate our birthdays together, but that was filled with mingling and not much face-to-face time. Friday night was catch-up time for us.

Sorry for the blurry picture, I didn't take too many pix as I was engulfed in wonderful conversation which is always par for the course with Nate.

day 040: memories

I'm scared of what people are going to write. I could never run for public office and I know that. In fact some of the memories created recently are enough to ruin anyone's career. hahaha

Leave one memory that you and I share, the first thing that pops into your mind will do. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Don't send an e-mail message, but leave a comment here. Next, re-post this in your notes and see who leaves a memory for you..

day 039: I've a feeling we're not in WeHo any more

I've always said that I live in West Hollywood, but technically it's Los Angeles, call it "West Hollywood Adjacent." There is literally a line on the sidewalk up the street that denotes Los Angeles/West Hollywood, but never did I think I lived in Fairfax (Miracle Mile/Park La Brea)??

I like the comment about living in "Melrose" or "Melrose Place" which is right down the street and opens up to a nice Farmer's Market on Sundays. :)

day 035: The gift & 34 km

Since I've been laid-off I've been trimming the excess fat off of my bills, and that meant my gym membership. :( It's ironic to think that at a time where I have so much time to go to the gym I can't, because of the sacrifice. Well one of my birthday gifts was two months of my gym membership. This is the best gift. I love it and love my friend, Fish, for doing this for me.

My birthday has been a three day celebration, and I love it. It's also been three days of dehydration, so I've been trying to keep up with replenishing my body. I woke up kinda late this morning. Went to the gym late, but was pleasantly surprised by the hot trainer. He kept me on the treadmill for 40min and at the gym for an hour and a half, and he's not even my trainer. He's just good eye candy. hahaha

The gym was followed by an enjoyable lunch with two phenomenal women where I remembered that back in December I made a goal that I would ride 34km on my birthday. So I rushed home, checked the pressure in my tires, filled my water bottles and went out for a ride along the beach. It was so beautiful, but I haven't been on my bike since I got sick right before Thanksgiving, and this coupled with the gym: my legs feel like jelly. I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight, but for now, I have to prep for dinner. :)

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR MAKING MY BIRTHDAY EXTRA SPECIAL THIS YEAR!!!

day 033: Any Man of Mine & Seis Leches

I love Karaoke, and I love celebrating my birthday, because then I can make my friends sing Karaoke. :) Nate and I are so fortunate to have birthdays one day apart. The fact that we have the same friends, it makes for a huge celebration. It was a crazy mixture of hip-hop, rap, 80's, love ballads, and heavy metal. I had a wonderful time, but forgot my camera!!! :O Oh well, everything happens for a reason, and everyone is probably happy that I forgot it. ;) Thank you to everyone, the potluck was delicious and we had more main dishes than sides, which never happens with potlucks, so THANK YOU!!! AMAZINGLY we had two Tres Leches cakes...so it was Seis Leches...mmm delicious. I still have the "Pru" slice in my fridge. I think I'll enjoy it for lunch. :) muah xoxoxo

songs were:
American Boy
Peaceful easy feeling
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Blue Bayou
Summer Lovin
Sweet Child o mine
Any Man of Mine
A Little Less Conversation

Please help me... :)

day 017: twenty-five

Ha! By George, I’ve got it! I knew I did this before!!
Here are 10 random things about me....well, I will try to delve deeper into randomness.

1. I learned to drive when I was 10 years old on a stick shift. It was in my dad’s old white truck with a pillow behind me on dirt road.
2. I love scary movies, but always regret going to them when I’m in the theater. I can make an entire theater scream.
3. I believe in Astrology. Sun: Pisces, Moon: Leo, Ascending: Leo, Chinese: Wood Rabbit
4. I studied Architecture extensively, but now realize that I strongly dislike the profession. I love proportions, materials and experiencing space, but hate waterproofing, nominal sizes of structural members, and codes, etc.
5. I’m getting laid off. My last day of work will be 02.13.2009. If you didn’t know anyone affected by the tanking economy, now you do. It’s another reason for my dislike of architecture. The construction industry is the first hit when there is a recession. I see it as an opportunity to find out what it is that I want to do with my life. I’m thankful for all my friends and family who have been supportive.
6. I’m scared to get on the escalator without holding onto the rail. I know. I discovered this at a Clippers’ game. With food and a drink in my hands, I halted at the bottom as a line of people mounted up behind me. I had to ask the guy behind me to hold my drink. My friend was laughing. I’m scared that I’m gonna loose my balance and fall on my a$$, strange I know.
7. I’ve been to some amazing Hollywood Parties and will maybe document them some day. The best was with Owen Wilson, of what I remember...
8. Through the years I have acquired many “cheesy prom poses” pics. Thank you, Clara.
9. I randomly donate money to people training for philanthropic endurance events, because I know how difficult it is to fundraise. I leave the simple message “pay it forward, please.”
10. I stood up to my boss when I saw injustice, even when I was on the fortunate side, but I don’t know if I would do it again. It was too draining.
11. I’ve planned two weddings and overseen three wedding days. I would like wedding planning if it weren’t for the brides. hahaha
12. I always have to look-up the definitions for conscious and conscience. I can never remember which is which.
13. When I was young my friend and I went to the mall. We quickly changed direction and I tripped over a little kid. The mom immediately said, “You f-ing Navajo. Go back to the reservation.” That memory has stuck with me my entire life. I think about that little kid who grew up with that belief, and wonder if he has the same belief as his mom. It taught me to speak out against discrimination.
14. I love the midnight screenings of movies. It’s the true fans who show up. Some of my favorite memories are Attack of the Clones (when the lights turned off it was a sea of blue lightsabers) and Spider-man 2 & 3 (Tobey Maguire showed up for both of them)
15. I’ve been known to watch a football game with the guys and then watch a chick flick with the girls on the same day.
16. My favorite karaoke songs are “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Love is a Battlefield”...oh and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
17. I ran a marathon, cycled a half century (actually my longest ride is 80 miles) and I hope to ride a full century and participate in an olympic length triathlon soon.
18. I come from a large family, well, not my immediate family. I have one brother and two sisters. My dad had four brothers and five sisters. My mom has four brothers and three sisters. I grew up with many cousins who I call my brothers and sisters.
19. I gave up coffee two years ago and it was the hardest habit to break: the headaches, withdrawals, and irritability. I give thanks to my friends and co-workers for understanding.
20. I had my tonsils taken out when I was 7.
21. My dad passed away when I was 20, too young for both of us.
22. I’m usually laughing and have had friends seek me out after a movie, because they heard me laughing.
23. I studied the history of the gaze and how perspective has changed from antiquity. I love finding devices that affect perception: the camera obscura, dioramas, spectacles, etc.
24. I learned how to find myself in India.
25. I love my relationship with my mom right now. I see her as more than my mom, and I think she sees me as more than her daughter.