day 047: watchmen

I went to Century City to see Watchmen in IMAX. A few years ago, it was suggested that I read Sin City, before the movie came out, which is brilliant. After I read Sin City, the other suggestions were 300, V for Vendetta, Ronin, Watchmen, and Old Boy. Old boy is another post, and I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. haha.

Chadonna and I have found ourselves in this situation before. Chadonna, along with my other friend Heather, are among the few girls who keep up with sports. One night, we were out with the guys, and Chadonna and I were watching the Lakers game, talking about the players while the guys were talking about art and design. hahaha... Tonight, Chadonna and I were the ones who had read the graphic novel, were filling in the guys on the story and answering their questions. :)

This picture is in the parking lot, because I forgot to take pictures and remembered on my way back to the car. I appreciate when all of the minutia of building infrastructure is organized. :)

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 045:emptiness is form

I've been getting some flack for not posting...sorry, sorry...don't worry, you'll get a three updates today.

Golf and Donuts
Henry and I went to MOCA Grand Ave for this ... installation.

The popular game of miniature golf is recast as a community social event as Knifeandfork installs a custom course that appropriates the museum's unique architecture, utilizing both interior and exterior spaces and following multiple paths through MOCA's Grand Avenue campus. Visitors are encouraged to team up and utilize balls outfitted with RFID tags to show off their skills. Other interactive surprises are also planned for the evening

The line to play golf was too long and the wind was blowing, so we opted to take advantage of donuts that were produced by the people playing "putt-putt" (as I like to call it). We walked the golf course. The point of the installation was to experience the bowels of MOCA Grand Ave with a new perspective, which was successful. Above is picture of the donuts before they met their fate in the vat of oil, mmmmmm. Below is a picture of Steven, a co-worker of Henry's, soon after he made the hole. He shared the interactive recording connected to his iPhone after making a hole.

day 044: same-sex marriage vigil

Wednesday nights are usually reserved for my run with Nike at the Grove followed by LOST. It was cold and sprinkling tonight, and instead of running in the rain, I was marching downtown in support of overturning Proposition 8. Tomorrow the California Supreme Court prepares to hear legal arguments against the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, and a ruling will be decided in 90 days.

Why do I march? Other than the fact that it's a basic fundamental right and is protected by the Declaration of Independence...yeah other than those two minor details... let's see, I try to speak out against discrimination. In my twenty-five random things, I told the story of a lady telling me, “You f-ing Navajo. Go back to the reservation.” because I tripped over her little kid. She did not give me a chance to say anything. She judged me by the color of my skin. She probably has no recollection of that incident, but it stayed with me. It's a strange thing when people judge you for being yourself.

November 5 was supposed to be a glorious day, but I could see in my friends' eyes that they were hurt by the voters of California. They expressed that they had not been subjected to blatant discrimination, and I thought how wonderful that must have been: To live most of your life without the thought that people are not judging you or think that you should be a second class citizen. Wow. If you haven't been the subject of discrimination, you are very fortunate.

I hope in 90 days we will "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

day 043: election day

Did you get out and vote yesterday? Voting in your local elections is just as important, if not more, than voting in the presidential election. Los Angeles issues affect us more than national issues as illustrated in the video below from Young Progressive Minority

I admit that I didn't always vote in my local elections, but it was a young undergraduate on the Santa Monica Blue Bus who changed my opinion. It was 2003 and the day of the California gubernatorial recall election of Gray Davis. Two guys were talking to each other and one asked, "Did you vote today?" and the other answered, "Yeah, I voted for Ah-nold" "What? You voted for an actor to run our state?" "Yeah man, he's the Terminator." With that statement, there on Westwood Blvd. I decided I would vote whenever possible and educate myself about the issues. Check out early election results. Next election: May 19, 2009.

day 042: the tow truck guy

When it rains, it pours. This weekend my car was having problems starting. I took it to the mechanic. They checked the battery, the alternator, and said everything was fine. We turned it off and then back on: no problems. Of course! That's how it always works, right? So, I brought it home and on Sunday more problems, but this time the mechanic was closed. I called the tow truck this morning and had it taken in. :( I will find out what the problem is tomorrow. Please think positive thoughts for me. I think it's the starter.

The tow truck guy: I wish I could remember his name. I will ask my mechanic tomorrow. He was awesome. First off, he was very courteous on the phone and offered a definite time to be at my apartment. Can you imagine? Yes, in LA, he gave me a time, and was spot on. I guess if you're towing cars all day you know the ebbs and flow of traffic. Secondly, on the way to the mechanic we had an a-mazing conversation, amazing. You know those people who come into your life, and for no apparent reason, they open up to you and you feel like there was some purpose to meeting them. This guy was that person today. We talked about the failing economy, the housing crisis and his family.

Honestly, the trip was about twenty minutes, but in those twenty minutes I could tell that he was a dear soul. I'm scared about our economy and the powers (banks) that are in charge, but I'm confident in the people of this country. We're resilient. He offered to cut the tow rate for me, but I could see the stress in his eyes behind the sentiment. I don't have three mouths to feed, so I declined his sweet offer. I know I will be ok, but I don't want him to cut me a deal if it's gonna make his life harder. I just said, "what's fair is fair, you towed my car at a great rate (which it was...I called around), how can I not pay you for your services." And with that we hugged. Yes, a twenty minute ride and I felt comfortable enough to give this guy a hug. If our paths should cross again I hope that we have happier stories to share.

day 041: griffith park

Today, I rode my bike to Griffith Park to meet Mark, Kristy, Steven, Joanna and Bianca. It was such a beautiful day in LA and jasmine is in full bloom so the streets are filled with it's sweet scent. I arrived super sweaty and super late: the stupid hills. wow! I thought it would be a fairly flat ride, but climbing up Western was a chore. Remember, I'm just getting back into cycling..post op.

We enjoyed watching the donkeys and took a train ride around the park, it was such a beautiful day. Kristy & Steven are the most well-mannered kids I've met. They are so sweet.

And Amy, I did manage to wear my riding clothes under my afternoon dress. That's a spin on the running clothes under the dress. :)