Pillowig

Looking for just the right accessory for your afternoon, under the desk, cat naps?

This might be what you're looking for.

Oh, and if you should fall, you should be careful not to get a concushion.

Golden (Shower) Boys

Deep End Dining

Eddie Lin recently "enjoyed" the taste of grasshoppers and something often referred to as "raven's shit". Would you fare as well?

Read the story and digest it. You'll probably be sorry.

Little Britain

(via TalkingPointsMemo)

Barney Frank on Larry Craig

No, not in that way. (Hat tip, Tom.)

FOX 1988

Atwater Village PSA

I just really hope I can help reunite this beloved chicken with his worried owner. (As seen on my morning walk through Atwater Village.) (Oh, hell, additional side note: a few years ago, I help round up some loose chickens that I think were just literally crossing the road to get to the other side.) I love Atwater Village! (Click the pic for a larger and more amusing view.)

PS If you are the chicken's owner, I do have the unredacted phone number.

Outtake

Don't know how I missed this one...

Los Angeles Red Cars

(via Militant Angeleno)

Beverly Hills Continues to Waste Water

Some months ago, during another hot spell, I found on an afternoon constitutional outside of the office that the Beverly Hills city government found it ok to water their vast city hall lawns in the middle of the blazing day. Seems like the city still doesn't get it.



While most southwestern cities actually impose fines for homeowners who water their lawns in mid-day, the City of Beverly Hills apparently believes it can water its lawns whenever the hell it likes.

Shame on the City of Beverly Hills!

Portos or My Birthday Project #18

For months,if not years, I've been meaning to go to Portos and the last two days, I found myself working within if not spitting distance, totally on the way. So, this mornning, I stopped in and waited in an enormous yet efficient line and bought two coconut macarooons, two potato pastries and two meat pies.

Oh. My. Fuckin. God. Everything was spectacular. I nearly crashed my car over the crumbs of the macaroon.

I can't wait to try everything else on the menu!

Jeeebus, it's good.

Jenna Bush is Pregnant

or she's Chris Farley. No, she's pregnant. Will she abort?

Oh, and the daddy is...

Remembering Merv Griffin

(hat tip, here in van nuys)
Merv Griffin was a gay man -- an open secret in Hollywood and the international gay community -- and his being in the closet, Signorile argues, hurt a lot of people. Hard to argue with that.

L.A. Times

Congratulations Jamie Cardenas. Jim Murray was a brilliant writer. That he moved you would probably both humble Mr. Murray and make him proud. Make him proud.

Happy Birthday to Me or My Birthday Project #17

I turned 40 yesterday. 4 fucking 0. And you know what, it wasn't so bad. In fact it was good. I got up early, was sung to by Carl, lavished with fantastic gifts and hysterical cards and presentations by Carl, went for a fabulous hike in Runyon Canyon and had a lovely brunch with family and friends at Edendale. After which, a few us sat around Brian's pool and soaked up the rest of the day. Thanks to my friends and family who made the day so much fun (The half a xanax before didn't hurt either.).

End This War

Small Town Celebrates Gay Shame

via Here in Van Nuys

"Everyone loves a parade," PTA chairwoman Agatha Buell said. "But it's about a lot more than the clowns, the decorations, and those Shriner fellows in their tiny cars. It's about making folks feel sickened by the deviant homosexual lifestyle, like God wants us to."

Southern California Earthquakes

I didn't feel the one yesterday morning, but I've certainly been thru many including Northridge and Sylmar and Northridge scared the shit out of me. I thought we were gonna die in our little apartment in the sky, West Hollywood-adjacent, just below the hills. Ken Levine, I think, has the best take so far on the whole lotta of shaking. Franklin Avenue also had some good points.

Walkscore

Well, it seems that a lot of local blogs are doing it, so like a lemming, here I go. First I plunged in earlier in the week when it seemed all the rage, but the site was down. Tell me something I don't know about...

Then, tonight, I stumbled across it again at Here in Van Nuys and I punched in the address of our home. Well, we live in Atwater Village but are almost on a suburban style street, inbetween Glendale and Fletcher and thus, our walkable score hovered at a mere 60.

Now I walk in our little village of Atwater all the time. If I have to go the bank, or get a breakfast burrito or a coffee or, even now, a chochke, I get off my ass, forego the car and hoof it. So, I know Atwater does not deserve a 60. So, I plugged in an address on Glendale Blvd and, lo and behold, our little Village of Atwater is quite walkable.

Come on, neighbors, join me and take to the sidewalks. We'll all be better for it. Nothing like a good constitutional.

The Pacific Surfliner or My Birthday Project #16

Ok, I admit, I haven't exactly been barnstorming on the weekly new events the last month or so, but I'm still plugging away. Just the other weekend, I had to go to near San Diego for work and I decided to meet my cowokers there a day later and take the train -- we all took the train, but I took it a day later.

The beauty of the Pacific Surfliner is that you debark from L.A.'s beautiful Union Station, pass through the bowels of industrial Los Angeles and end up along the Ocean heading into San Diego. The train is not fast, but it is comfortable. And if you order a bottle of wine from the Club Car, it's a lot bigger than an airplane bottle at the same price.

Oh, and when you really consider the real time and cost of air or car travel, it takes the same amount of time and is so much more relaxing. Here are some pics.

Southern California Gardner

The retired gardener reporter of the L.A. Times is moving up North, but not before penning a lovely last column about what it has been to garden in L.A. When we moved back to L.A. and bought a house, one of the first things we did was start planting fruit trees and vines and fragrant bushes. L.A. soil is great for that and this column brings it home.

ATT Censorers

The ATT Blue room site that was "broadcasting" Pearl Jam performing at Lollapalooza decided to not broadcast portions of Pearl Jam's "Daughter" song as they had ab libbed some anti-Bush commentary. Simply put, ATT must apologize and we must insist that this kind of censorship does not continue. For myself, I am seriously considering dropping all of my affiliations with the company. And, I encourage everyone to support Net Neutrality!

Hal Fishman

I grew up with you and, maybe, in some ways, outgrew you. But, partly because of you, I have a fondness for following the news. Rest in Peace.

Jack Benny & Groucho Marx

via ken levine

The Times Select

Thank God, I can invite Paul Krugman back into my life!

Dicks

Bike Culture

Bicycle Kitchen's been around for a while and as the Militant Angeleno (when you think of it, who isn't a Militant Angeleno, really? I kid, MA, I kid.) rightly reminds me of the Kitchen in comments below. I used to be a more avid bike rider and I occasionally dream of riding my bike to work (Atwater to Beverly Hills), I just haven't motivated. Maybe the Bicycle Kitchen can help.

The Saddest Picture in the World

Monthly L.A. Bike Rides

Both the Militant Angeleno and Will Campbell rode the monthly RIDE-Arc ride this past Friday and, I'll be damned, if I don't want to try this myself next month. Sounds like a great Friday night and a great way to experience L.A.

No. More. Executive. Power.

The title is from Digby's post, but the feeling is more "what the fuck is congress thinking"? If there is a real problem with FISA, why wait until the day before the recess to push for a change? If there's a real threat, don't leave the capital until you, as Digby says, figure out a freakin' solution that doesn't trample our constitutional rights.

Crikey (as Kevin Drum would say)!