sha in LA

adios

Today is my last day at a job I've held for over 6 years. Yes, that's right, 6 years. Most people are shocked and amazed that I've been somewhere for that long. I guess in this day and age longevity in the workplace is rare with one company. As you may have noticed, I have an unwritten rule for myself regarding blogging about work matters. I simply don't do it. OK, I lied. I did post something once, but it was really funny and made me laugh and I had to share with someone.

For the next few days I will have sporadic computer access and next weekend I will be in the Washington, D.C. metro area for a swing dance event/mini-vacation. Actually there will be very little rest so "vacation" is not necessarily the correct description. That being said, things may be a bit quiet around here. I do have some topics rolling around in my pretty little head so there could be some activity here before next Wednesday. I'm just warning the masses in case that doesn't happen.

I start my new job on Monday April 10th, the morning after I arrive back in town from my big weekend trip. Needless to say I'm super excited about my new place of employment and that's the last you'll hear about it on this forum.

x

you light up my life

I'm fortunate enough to live a mere 45 minute hike from the flatlands to Griffith Observatory. It's essentially a walk directly up a big hill. For the past few years, during construction, the hill has been dark. A few months ago a floodlight appeared at night, partially illuminating the structure. Then a few days ago I noticed something quite different...

Last night I grabbed my cheapie digital camera and headed up a few hills looking for a good vantage point. I captured a few rough shots of the new nighttime lights on the Observatory. It's a stunning sight, not quite captured in all it's glory by me.

This is where I enlist someone with a decent camera to go take some night shots and post them.

x

The San Francisco Treat (pt. 2)

Since I promised a more thorough breakdown of my San Francisco holiday, and someone isn't letting me off the hook that easily with my original post, here's the (nearly) hour-by-hour events that took place. Times are an estimate:

FRIDAY

1:30pm - on the way to Long Beach International Airport. I notice traffic on the 5 South is fierce. Time to make a phone call to Greta at the office and ask her to check SigAlert.com because 980 & 1070 are having no mention of this potential muck-up. She says the 110 South looks like a much better option, just in the nick of time I transition to the 110.

2:00pm - call Greta to give her a big THANK YOU for saving my ass. I'm in the LBC with more than enough time to spare.

3:30pm - board plane. I HEART Jet Blue. I HEART Long Beach Airport.

5:30pm - land at OAK. $2 gets me to the Oakland Airport BART Station where I grab a train to Downtown Berkeley.

7:00pm - arrive in room at Hotel Shattuck Plaza, quite literally steps from the BART station exit and 2 blocks from my destination for the evening...Berkeley Rep. A quick change of clothes, powder my nose and I'm off.

10:30pm - "oh this Downtown!" Adrianna, Herbert, Carlos and I arrive at the RESTAURANT called Downtown for drinks, food and lively conversation.

12:30am - drop off H & A and C & I go grab a drink at a more "neighborhoodie" bar.

2:00am+ - goodnight

SATURDAY (OK, technically Saturday has already happened, play along with me)

8:00am - "gee, I'm hungry and thirsty..." I get up, put pink rubber boots on and head downstairs and ask front deskman on recommendation for breakfast. He says same place Herbert recommends the night before. It's settled. I can't remember the name of it now...it was good though.

9:15am - nap until 11:20

12:00pm - checkout

1:00pm - arrive at Chriss' apartment in Pacific Heights.

2:00pm - walk downtown, laughing hysterically the entire way

3:30pm - time to refuel. we had spotted Red Door Cafe on the walk to downtown and decided to try it on the way back. They make a mean cup of coffee (latte) and have great salads. we eat and chill out, taking it all in.

5:00pm - arrive back at Chriss' and watch "chick flick" Ever After. hey, it's Drew Barrymore.

8:00pm - walk to dinner. great Vietnamese restaurant Chriss' goes to often. I agree on it's greatness.

9:00pm - bus it to Pop's 3rd Anniversary party where Carlos is awaiting our arrival with a spot by the door.

12:00am - change of scenery is needed, we head to another bar in Nob Hill. Forgive me, I can't remember all the names of the places we went...

2:00am - goodnight

SUNDAY

8:30am - "I'm hungry." good thing Chriss is too.

9:15am - Crepes it is, for Chriss. I get eggs.

10:15am - vegetate and begin digestion process.

12:30pm - Carlos picks me up and we take the scenic route to OAK. I got a fantastic tour of parts south of "the City" I'd only heard of in songs from the '60's. "Do you know the way to San Jose." Chillin' in the car, listening to good chill out music and enjoying the sights.

3:30pm - arrive at OAK for flight home.

There you have it. My super splendid weekend in a nutshell!!!

x

blood, sweat and beers

OK, maybe there's no sweat involved...unless you have to take the stairs to the Penthouse.

Sorry this re-posting is coming so late, but that may be a blessing in disguise as Angelenos are notorious for never planning anything in advance. If you find that it's Wednesday and you (gasp) have no plans whatsoever for Friday I have the perfect answer. Donate Blood! And get free beer and great gifts in the process.

Laura Esguerra Adams Foundation
Blood Drive
March 31, 2006
12:00pm - 8:00 pm
533 South Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Appointments [email protected]
Walk-in donations welcome!

In memory of Laura Esguerra Adams, Cole’s P.E. Buffet, the newly-formed Laura Esguerra Adams Foundation (LEAF) and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center will host a Community Blood Drive on March 31st in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Friends from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center will be drawing blood at the 7th Floor Martin Penthouse, home of the best unobstructed views of the downtown Los Angeles skyline and just half a block from the legendary Cole’s in the Pacific Electric Loft Building. The first community blood drive for Ms. Adams, which was held last summer at the same venue, toppled all Kaiser Permanente records for the most blood donated at a single Kaiser event.

A longtime downtown resident and the former Director of Internet Communications for Senator Barbara Boxer, Laura Esguerra Adams passed away last year in her downtown Los Angeles loft, at the age of 36, after a 14-month battle with cancer. She recorded her experiences on her widely-read blog, kevin’s dead cat. The blog, which details her courageous battle, has become an inspiration for all who knew her and those who came to know her through it. Co-founder of NewDowntown.com, a popular discussion forum for downtown residents and boosters, Laura Esguerra Adams was a firm believer in a revitalized downtown Los Angeles who also volunteered her time teaching adult literacy classes at the Central Library.

Senator Boxer wrote in a letter to the President of the U.S. Senate, “Laura was a highly skilled and devoted public servant who believed that technology can and should add to our understanding of Government and give more people the opportunity to participate in our democracy. I deeply appreciate her service to the Senate and the people of California.”

Laura’s family and friends formed LEAF to carry on Laura’s spirit of generosity. Please join them on March 31st for the blood drive and help them reach the goal of 100 pints. Lunch will be provided for all donors, along with a goodie bag featuring copies of Dr. Phil’s new book, Love Smart: Find the One You Want, Fix the One You Got, and raffles for $50 gas cards, a $100 gift certificate for Patina at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and many more prizes will be held throughout the day.

After the Blood Drive, Cole’s will host a party for all donors and friends (you don’t have to donate blood to come) with local favorites, I See Hawks in LA, playing in the back room. All donors will receive a coupon for two free pints of lager, redeemable at the after-party. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended to cut down on the wait time. Please email [email protected] or call 714-715-1685 for an appointment.

Blood Drive Location:

Adam’s Penthouse
533 South Los Angeles Street
Between 5th Street & 6th Street
7th floor

After Party:

Cole’s PE Buffet
118 East 6th Street
Between Main Street & Los Angeles Street
213-622-4090

About LEAF:

The Laura Esguerra Adams Foundation is dedicated to supporting research and healthcare for patients facing cancer and to expanding the cultural resources of urban Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, in memory of a woman whose vitality, generosity and kindness remains an inspiration to her family and friends.

Media Contact:

Celia Esguerra of LEAF
Phone (213) 784-0898 or email [email protected]

Make your appointment now!!!

x

a TPiR to remember

Yesterday I fulfilled a life long dream of having the ultimate Los Angeles experience. Yes, a group of us went to The Price is Right!! The SpyAnts, a theatre company I work for/am friends with, decided to organize a group excursion to the historic game show. Needing 20-25 bodies is a difficult task to coordinate for any event especially one where taking a day off work is involved. Luckily enough I was able to obtain a replacement for myself at the office and go with them to the taping.

Being a part of a group affords such conveniences as not having to show up at the crack of dawn to get a guaranteed spot for the day. That's nice. I don't wake up at 4:30am for no one. We met at CBS at 11:45am because they threatened to take our spot away if we weren't there by noon. Good thing, because they didn't even line us up in any official order until about 2pm. An hour and a half later we were finally on our way to the Producers meeting. A quick session involving you and 11 of your closest friends whereby you state your name, where you live, what you do for work and what you do for fun. This is where they make all the decisions, so make sure you have a good answer and fantastic personality. It also helps to have a southern accent or be there for a major birthday/anniversary/etc. I'm just sayin'.

Finally, after claim checking our cell phones and going through a metal detector we make it into the studio. It's obviously smaller than it looks on TV and oddly enough brighter. It kinda reminded me of a children's show or something with the rainbow colored curtains and glittery scenery. We were seated in the back (left hand side when you watch on TV). Things got started shortly thereafter with Rich Fields warming the audience up and stating that every time someone said "Bob Barker" we were to go nuts screaming and yelling. He also gave us tips on how to be good audience members.

Finally it was time to begin the show. On cue, Bob comes out to wild applause and they start naming contestants to "Come on Down!!" They end up having cue cards with the contestants name on them because the decibel level is so loud you can't hear the announcer. The 3rd contestant was Anastacia, a girl in our group. We went ballistic. Holy shit, one of ours was in contestant row!!!

During all the commercial breaks Bob talks candidly to the audience and he is just fabulous, very personable and funny to boot. At one point he started asking where all the groups were from. We had decided earlier that we couldn't admit we were a theatre group as they frown on actors and such so we decided to be a writing group. At one point Bob asked Anastacia about the group and she said we were a writing group that also enjoyed wine tasting. Yeah, she called us out to be lushes on national TV. Actually, I don't think that was caught on tape. I can't remember.

On the 3rd "Item up for Bid" she was the bidder closest to the actual retail price and won her way onstage. Again, we went ballistic. The prize she was able to win: an electric cart. The game: the balance game. With our assistance she won! Wahoo!!! The prize was worth $7695. Next up: Spinning the Wheel. Unfortunately a pimply faced brat from USC spun .90¢ so that was it for her TV debut. We had fun cheering on all the other people, especially the person who ended up winning the Showcase Showdown.

When it was all said and done I had a headache from all the yelling but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. To see Bob Barker in person and to be at The Price is Right was too much fun, even through all the waiting. It's in it's 34th year on TV and Bob is a ripe young age of 82. Go while you can.

The air date for our show is Wednesday April 12th. Check it out for a good laugh!!!

x

The San Francisco Treat

Just got back from my whirlwind weekend in San Francisco and am a bit brain dead to summarize right now however I wanted to share a bit of my trip via pictures. I'll have limited computer time this week. Make up your own fantastic story. However make sure it involves lugging luggage around, friends, the drink, other accoutrements, walking up steep hills, sirius satellite radio, eating, shopping and most importantly chillin'. Oh hell, I guess I did just summarize the weekend.

No really, I had such a nice time by not having any set plans (except for Friday night) and letting life dictate what would happen.

Yes, we broke out the cam-er-a on Saturday night. Here is the photographic evidence along with a special video treat.

x

zorro in hell

The other day I heard a song on the radio, San Francisco (You've Got Me) by yes, The Village People and I've been unable to get the song out of my head. It's simply addicting...the San Francisco lyric part. Have a listen if you're not familiar with it. Yes, I'm kind of a disco nut. But the catchiness of it isn't what's really attracting me to the song, it's the fact that in 2 days I will be flying up to the bay area and spending a quickie weekend in San Francisco.

Actually on Friday night I'll be in Berkeley watching my favorite Latino theatrical group, Culture Clash, perform their newest piece Zorro in Hell at Berkeley Rep. I'm so flippin' excited I can't stand it.

On Saturday I'll take the train into the city proper and hang out with some friends for the next day and a half. I fly back on Sunday night, hence the "quickie" reference earlier.

It'll be nice to get up north and have a mini-vacation. San Francisco is a city that I love beyond belief and whenever I'm there I have grand illusions of dropping everything and moving there. Until reality settles in and I realize I've got it pretty good down here. Plus "sha in S.F." doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "sha(y) in L.A." - have you read the very first post yet???

x

i survived...

With a name like Shannon it's almost a given that I should celebrate St. Patrick's Day in true Irish style, however I've never been one for all the hoopla. Maybe it's because I'm part Italian AND Irish and the Italian blood runs closer to the surface. As in I can trace that side of my family easier because they came to the United States in the early 1900's, whereas the Irish side has been here since the beginning of time and is quite literally a mutt at this point. Essentially I'm Irish in name more than blood.

This past Friday night I was a busy little worker bee at Tom Bergin's. I showed up at 6:30pm and after settling into all the confusion finally made my way to the back entrance where I was slated to assist Big D in the seating of customers for the restaurant. All was going relatively well until Big D handed me the clipboard and said "You take over, I'm needed up front." That of course was primetime for hungry revelers to decide they wanted to make dinner reservations and for the following hour and a half I had my hands full. Why is it that people think on St. Pat's Day, in an Irish pub, things will happen in a normal time frame?

After the insanity had died down in the restaurant, I went inside and alternately manned the managers nook with Corine and chatted up some boys from NY.

Overall it wasn't as bad as I had expected. Granted I didn't try to go anywhere near the bar and I was stationed outside for a good 3 hours so maybe my assessment of the madness is a bit skewed. Whatever the case, I had a great time and hope to be asked back again next year where I will emphatically say "yes!"

x

luck o' the irish

Tomorrow night I will be fulfilling a year-long dream of wanting to work at Tom Bergin's. My self proclaimed title as of late is the "assistant manager that doesn't get paid." Whenever I go there I always keep an eye on the place as I do when I'm at the theatre. I'll tidy up the ladies room, give directions to patrons looking for a bite to eat after the kitchen has closed or put a $5 bill in the jukebox if the song list has run out. In return I get an enjoyable evening of making eyes with boys at the other end of the bar and socializing with friends. At the theatre I get a set of keys, the headaches involved with such blessings and a small fee for my services. The two are strikingly similar. Hopefully I will not regret my decision to help out my fellow comrades in the service industry. Wish me luck.

x

the best deal in town

Love Bites closes this weekend and your last chance to catch both Volume III & IV (that's 3 & 4 to you non-crossword people) is on Saturday March 18th at 7pm.

2 shows, food, drink, raffle and as much partying as you can handle all for a mere $20. That, and you're supporting the arts. Feel warm and fuzzy for the rest of the weekend. You know you wanna.

x