sha in LA

mac baby

Come to momma....

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drinkin' Pabst, eatin' cheese puffs

7 Redneck Cheerleaders has been extended thru the end of September.

This is part of the reason why I'll be so busy for the next month. If you have access to the LA Times you can read our fantastic review the old fashioned way...or you could just click here and be done with it. I like this one as well.

Here's the other reason why, starting next week, I will be crazy busy. Accounting class at PCC.

Somewhere betweeen 40 hours a week at work, 2 nights a week at class, 4 nights a week at the theatre and Sundays dedicated to football I will find time for a life...and laundry. I can't wait for December 23rd.

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crickets...

Sorry for the large gaps between posts. As soon as I can get "connected" at home the words and thoughts will start flying again at a more consistent pace. For now, please bear with me.

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Library Livin'

On Saturday the newly opened Library Court had an open house and yours truly went to check things out. I’m still kicking myself for failing to remember to bring along a camera to document the occasion so words will have to do.

Library Court slightly resembles a nicely appointed beach side hotel. The building is rectangular in shape and has an interior courtyard with a zen-like theme. It’s actually a nice oasis in the city that makes you feel as if you’re not really in Downtown. The color scheme for the exterior furniture and some of the exterior walls in the elevator area are shades of Red, Blue and Yellow that are primary in the most absolute form. Somehow “zen” and “crayola primaries” don’t work well in the same sentence. More subdued colors may have been a better choice.

Most units are exterior facing with the exception of the 06, 08, 10 & 12 numbered units. All of those face the interior courtyard which is never my preferred choice, however those units on the top 2 floors do get a good amount of natural light during the day.

The open house was self touring and they started us off on the odd numbered side of the building where the view is of an obtrusive, massive office structure that looked as if it were vacant. The units numbered 14, 15 & 16 were definitely the primo spots with fantastic views of the Standard and the Jonathon Club. 15 & 16 have walls of windows for an even more spectacular effect. 01, 02, 03 & 04 have decent views as well, mainly of another office building however this one is at least located across 6th street so it doesn’t feel as imposing as the opposite side of the building.

Now onto the interiors: layout, design, etc. Most units were in the 600-700+ sq ft. range with a few at 900 and at least one at 1100+. Likewise there were a few in the 500+ range however the bedrooms in those units were tiny! There was one 2 bedroom unit that I felt would have worked nicer as a one bedroom (14). My favorites were 15 & 16 (obviously) and 03; all of which are near the 700 sq. ft. size with marked difference in pricing if you are on the primo view side and choose a unit higher in the building. Note to those who are interested: all 15 & 16 numbered units are sold already with the exception of 215 which after Saturdays’ sales event may not be the case. The units have some sort of hardwood flooring except for the bedrooms which are carpeted. The bathrooms are oddly large and a few of us speculated that perhaps it was a requirement they be so spacious for wheelchair access. The cabinetry in the kitchen area wasn’t anything the write home about however I did like the overall clean feel of the kitchens. The only downer…the dreaded electric stove of which I apparently have some serious deep seeded issues with. Just call me a child of the 70’s.

Overall I think I’m on the fence about this building. Having close friends who recently have taken up residence in the Molino Street Lofts and being one who prefers an older, rawer structure I find these units a little too apartment-ish. Then again, for what they are bringing to the neighborhood – a nicely appointed building which seems to be priced fairly in this market & lots of new ground floor dining (Wolfgang Puck, Juice It Up, Subway, Loose Leaf and a Japanese Restaurant – I left my notes at home) – they seem to have succeeded.

The Daily Grill opened up a year ago in the neighborhood and became an instant hit with the Downtown work force and we all know what The Standard has done towards creating a nightlife “scene” on this particular portion of 6th Street. With The Gas Company Lofts a block away and another adaptive reuse project underway on the same block as the Library Court, this little section of Downtown has the potential to be a nice connecting point between South Park and the Historic Core.

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tofulicious

What happens when you think you may have lost your drivers license and ATM card? You cancel said ATM card and go directly to the Tofu Festival, which is what I did on Sunday. No use fretting over something you can't control right? So off I went to Little Tokyo.

Upon my arrival I did some shopping to really work up my appetite. I got a new tofu bunny shirt..."do you like my tofu bunnies?" and a splendid silk skirt. Try saying that 3 times fast. Then I went into the madness. Tons of people were there as per usual and the seating was very limited in the ONE dining tent they had set-up. There were masses if people huddling around every single inch of shade possible downing various forms of tofu. Personally I would have liked to see the tent that was erected for the cooking demonstration be used as more seating for the eating. The organizers of this event know it draws more and more people each year...so why not take that into consideration? Just curious.

After doing a once over of the food vendors I headed straight to my favorite...the Church of Perfect Liberty Tofu Tostadas. Perfect as usual. Then somehow I found myself at the Downtown News information booth professing my love (again) for the newspaper when I happened to meet Jon Regardie, editor at large. We've exchanged e-mails in the past and it was nice to finally meet him and his beautiful wife, Julia, in person. I then embarked upon a food vendor that was nearby that had BBQ Tofu. I was all set to get the BBQ tofu until I got closer and read the menu...apparently their Tofu Pad Thai was a "must try." I thought, "OK, why not get this pad thai and compare it to the other I had earlier." Hands down the 2nd one was the best, I'm glad I went with their recommendation. Afterwards I took another trip to the Church of Perfect Liberty and followed it up with a little slice of heaven known as Serious Coffee Chip ice Cream from Woo City. Oh. My. God.

The funny thing is, usually when I tell people that I've gone to the Tofu Festival I get all sorts of weird faces that resemble "ewww" but Sunday evening I had 2 people express interest in joining me next year. And a note for the meat eaters....I saw plenty of chicken (the real kind) so don't be so quick to assume there's "nothing" for you to eat.

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i love my tofu bunnies

As I originally mentioned earlier this year (Cinco de Mayo to be exact), the Tofu Festival is happening this weekend in Little Tokyo and it is NOT to be missed. If only for the tofu tostadas alone. It is however my goal to find at least one other dish that I covet as much as those darn tostadas. Wish me luck. My journey will take place on Sunday as Saturday morning will be spent giving a USC Walking Tour.

Should be a fun weekend.

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7 Redneck Cheerleaders

Yes kids, the rumors are true. From the Producers that brought you 7 Redneck Cheerleaders they present again...7 Redneck Cheerleaders!

It was one year ago that my theatre company embarked on a wild ride with the above referenced production and in a fitting tribute to the soon-to-be-dismantled Elephant Asylum we've decided to re-mount our epic tour de force.

I've seen this show more than anyone else and still laugh heartily on a nightly basis. The key? A double, rotating cast. It's never the same show twice, that's for sure.

There are certain places where one can obtain 1/2 price tickets: goldstarevents, plays411 & LA Stage Tix. I believe my readers to be a smart bunch so I'll just leave you with that. However if you have any difficulty navigating those websites then e-mail me and I will assist...and possibly snicker at you behind your back. Just kidding.

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shake your money maker

I spent last weekend at the LAX Marriott attending the now infamous Camp Hollywood. In a nutshell here’s how the weekend went starting at around 10pm Friday evening: ate, drank, danced, socialized (wash, rinse, repeat).

Non-dancing photos can be viewed here.

Thanks to the following leads, in no particular order: Mickey, Andy, Tip, Morgan, Charlie, Steve, Shane, Jason, Neil & I’m positive there are others, I just can’t think straight right now. It’s been a busy week.

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