sha in LA

5, 6, 7, 8

It's no secret that when swing dancers get together in a decidedly non-swing dancing situation, and there is alcohol involved, at some point in the evening the inevitable will happen....

Last Friday night a few dancers found themselves at the Golden Gopher in Downtown. Two drinks later with a song from the jukebox that had a danceable beat, do I dare say it was Livin' on a Prayer, and the lindy bombing commenced. I think the scene may have a few more USC undergrads interested in taking some lessons. I'm just sayin'.

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wild and wacky wednesday

Dinner at Shin with Joe & Gina, first Act of Swan Lake with Lindsay & Kimmie then roller skating at World on Wheels for Kerry and Connor's birthday. Hey, can you blame a girl? I grew up in the 80's. Visual confirmation can be found here.

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start at square one

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of being the very first customer at a new restaurant in the neighborhood (Los Feliz) called Square One. To those of you who live here and are thinking "I haven't seen this so called new restaurant, where in the heck is it?" I have the answer. It's located on Fountain directly across from the big blue Scientology building. (oooh, I can't wait to see how my google numbers rise due to that mention.)

Back to the food. Square One is a wonderful alternative to the other breakfast options in Los Feliz on a weekend morning...or any given morning for that matter. Compared to the alternates the food is inventive and yummy and (for now) the wait for a table is nominal. I've been there the past 2 weekends and have sampled a few dishes, the pressed egg sandwich and eggs benedict. Both were ordered altered from the regular menu because I tend to create my own dishes whenever I eat out and both were delicious. The pressed egg sandwich is served on brioche which is a nice alternative to sourdough bread (which I normally choose) and the eggs benedict was sinfully delightful and served on a potato pancake. The next item of choice to try is one of the baked egg dishes served in an individual cast iron skillet. Maybe one day I'll make my way to the lunch items but for now I'm happy with the breakfast options.

I have a standing date there with myself most Sunday mornings. Anyone wanna join me? Not too early though. Saturday night is usually a bear.

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i wanna be a derby doll

Your quick thinking and skill in extreme
circumstances would make you a perfect
addition to the unfriendly skies ruled by our
FIGHT CREW. Not since Hollywood's blacklist
has there been such a Red Scare looming over
Los Angeles. Sneak tactics, precision
operations, and well-timed blindsiding
penalties are the order of the day for your
new band of soaring aces. Your loyalty will
be ingrained, because remember: while some
Derby Dolls have chosen their alter-egos,
others have earned their names. Your Captain
is Tara Armov, so note the latter.

Which LA Derby Doll team fits you best?
brought to you by Quizilla

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bowling tips

Last night I was hanging with some theatre geeks watching some awards show on TV when all of a sudden this voice in the corner says "Let's go bowling." My ears perked up a bit and I was smitten. After much ado about nothing a few of us finally made it to a bowling alley nearby - Mar Vista Lanes, where they close promptly at 10:30 and don't care about refunding money for frames not played but will gladly sell them to you with no hesitation. We (Q, Dick, Sweet Onions and Der Berzerk) were unstoppable. Actually Dick was the big weiner winner bowling a sweet 172, consisting of approximately 9 spares. As the bowling attendant said "it's not about the strikes, it's about cleaning up the mess you left behind." Well said my friend, well said. My only revelation for the night was that you should hold your beer in your left hand so as to cut down on the clammy hand syndrome with the ball. I also sustained a slight injury, a strained left buttock. It's OK though, I received prompt medical attention.

Afterwards we decided to switch out big balls for smaller ones, heading back over to our side of town for some pool at The Whitehorse.

What I thought was going to be a so-so day turned out to be one insane blast with an old friend and 2 new ones alike. One wonders, is this what happens every time this trio of kids hang out?? Too bad they all live in separate states. Or maybe that's a good thing. Thanks for the memories.

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freedom

Fish Out of Water in Shark City closed on Saturday night after a quick 4 week run. The requisite closing night party ensued complete with sushi, 7 layer dip, alcohol, dancing and of course drama. I documented the evening to some extent. Have a look.

It's difficult for me to fathom the fact that I have the next 6 weekends free from the theatre....sort of. There are a few shows I have to go see and Love Bites is having a big closing night bash on March 18th with both Vol. III & IV playing on the same night. But other than that, no theatre commitments until late April. It'll go by quick. Two of those weekends will be spent out of town, in San Francisco and D.C. respectively.

For now, Love will continue to Bite me in the tushie every Tuesday and Thursday night at 8pm.

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tag! you're it!!!

Jim has tagged me with a meme/chain letter that has been goign around to the local bloggers. Here's my rushed list. Enjoy!

Four Jobs I’ve Had In My Life in LA:
PBX Operator at Bullocks (RIP)
PA
Office Manager

Four Movies About LA I Could Watch Over And Over:
Crash
Chinatown
LA Story

Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A.:
Long Bitch
nebulous West L.A.
Los Feliz

Four LA-Themed Shows I Love(d) To Watch:
It's a Living
Three's Company

Four Places I Would Vacation At In LA:
Hotel Figueroa
my apartment

Four LA-Based Websites I Visit Daily:
only 4?
blogging.la
LA Curbed
Franklin Avenue
blogdowntown
trained monkey
5th & Spring

Four Of My Favorite Foods Found In LA:
Iced Latte at Sabor y Cultura
turkey meatloaf at Comfort Cafe
Eggwich at Home
Zankou Chicken

Four Places In LA I Would Rather Be Right Now:
Bradbury Building
Griffith Observatory
Patio at Hotel Figueroa
Bergins

Tagged:
Mike at Franklin Avenue
eecue
Jillian Tate
the boys at Curbed LA

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a peek inside the lofts

On Saturday and Sunday March 25th and 26th, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District is having it's 2nd annual Downtown Living Weekend. The public gets to see 14 different potential living opportunities in the Downtown area. Most buildings have units for sale, 3 buildings have units for lease. The buildings are in various stages of completion meaning some will have full-on models and others will have sales trailers with computer renderings of what potential units will look like. The link above will take you to the DCBID website which has much more detailed information. This is a GREAT opportunity to see numerous buildings in one fell swoop, if you are considering a move downtown you should definitely sign-up.

This year I will be in San Francisco and unable to attend the event. Last year I did go and wrote about my adventures which you can read about here if you wish. Most of the places I am already familiar with although there are a few that I need to go investigate further.

The following is a breakdown of the tour highlights:

FOR SALE:
Artisan on Second
Axis at Union Station
Eastern Columbia
El Dorado Lofts
Evo
Library Court
Little Tokyo Lofts
Market Lofts
Rowan Lofts
Savoy
Sky

FOR LEASE:
Met Lofts
Metro 417
Packard Lofts

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