sha in LA

etched in stone...

...and future L.A. history.

Earlier today the cupola of the stunning St. Vibiana Catedral was rightly replaced after a lengthy renovation.

I remember seeing a Cornerstone Theatre production at St. Vibiana's years ago, post-quake/pre-construction. In the corner of the parking lot sat the cupola, damaged and unloved. Now it’s been returned to the top of the building. Fellow blogger and friend Ed (View From A Loft) spent this afternoon at the re-dedication ceremony and has posted a fabulous flickr slideshow.

He also tagged the inside of the cupola with the names of just a few of those who chronicle Downtown, the 3rd bloggiest neighborhood in the US. Yes I said neighborhood and yes I somehow made the list with others that I highly respect. I’m honored to be a part of this odd L.A. History.

[photo by Ed Fuentes, View From a Loft]

Last minute update: Ed (again) has posted this link to the LA Times compete with a video of the event...it kind of reminds me of a life size game of Operation.

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nice night for a walk to the park

EA & I celebrated our 3rd game together this season at the ballyard with a nicely played victory by the boys in Blue. It was much more exciting than the previous game I attended a few weeks ago. At least we had some semblance of an offense. We met at the Short Stop prior to walking up the hill to the stadium, thereby allowing us to drink the $15 we’d normally spend on parking. As convenient as it is to meet there, pray no one in your party needs to communicate the fact that they are running late as the place is a black hole....especially if you carry Sprint as your cell service provider. We had none of those problems though, all was fine and dandy in the meet up.

The tickets I had for the game were sort of a gift from the Dodgers organization. Last year I was a True Blue member, receiving points and perks if I spent money at certain places and showed my “card.” It was a short lived promotion and those who actually took part received a consolation prize this year of vouchers for certain games. The stipulation that it had to be a Monday – Thursday game with certain blackout dates. I finally got around to finding a date that worked with our schedules and since the Nats were in town and I’m originally from the D.C. Metropolitan area I thought it’d be a good game to choose. Granted the Nats weren’t in D.C. when I grew up but no mind, one also assumed that it might be an easy win for the Dodgers. Thankfully the stars aligned as the moon shone brightly over the stadium illuminating us with the glorious glow of said win.

If my luck holds out I just may get to another game this season....Go Blue.

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cat tag

My new favorite non-human blog run by Wonton Winstead has meme tagged other dogs. Here's the meme but altered for cats, kinda of. All answers are from Frankie:

1. Your age?
Hey I have a birthday coming up. Sometime in September I think...it was many years ago...10, 11??? Hell, I'm old.

2. Your age when came to live with your people?
I was definitely a kitten, maybe 8 weeks?

3.What color is the collar you’re wearing right now?
I don't do collars.

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?
I'm not really fond of humans other than my mama but I'd definitely have to say Chuckles is just about the only person I will let touch me. She's cool, she comes in and feeds me when mama goes off on her little dancing trips. Huy is also kinda cool too.

5. How much do you weigh?
20 pounds of lovin' fun yo'.

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever clawed?
I usually claw at the 2 chairs in the living room, luckily mama only gets thrift store furniture, you know, like the kind of chairs your grandma has in her place...I've torn up 4 so far. oh and she had some couches a few years ago....yeah, i like to claw the furniture....

7. Do you like other cats?
Not fond of any other cat other than my regal self.

8. Who is your best non-human friend?
I "dealt" with Lizard when he was around. Now it's just me. See Question #7.

9. Cat Nip Toys or Fake Mice?
I liked fake mice when I was a kitten but they freak my mama out so she wont buy them anymore for me. I must say though that the cat nip toys are rather nice...I have quite a collection.

10. Do you like to be brushed?
I don't mind it. But stay away from my tail area or you'll lose a limb.

11. Tuna or Milk?
Dry cat food only please. Nothing else does it for me.

12. Do your people cut your toenails?
If she came anywhere near my toenails I'd have to hurt her, badly.

13. Any formal education?
You're kidding right?

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny?
I'm 10+ years and 20 pounds, what do you think?

15. What are some nicknames your people call you?
Bubby
Pumpkin
FrankFrank
Mama's Little Boy (i can't believe i just revealed that...)

16. What is your best trick?
Tricks are for kids, I'm an old man.

17. Do you like doggies?
I'd have to say, probably not.

18. What did you have for breakfast?
Dry food, I'm boring that way.

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)?
The list is long. Since I'm only indoors these days it's your usual crickets, ants and odds bugs here and there.

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.?
I don't remember it too well, mama has to give me valium before putting me in the carrier or else I will rip her arms off (literally). I think it was a few months ago for some routine maintenance.

21. Where do you sleep at night?
I usually start out in the living room but at some point in the middle of the night I transition to the bottom of the bed, left side.

22. Do you like to swim?
What have you been smokin'? I'm a CAT!

23. Can you make kitties?
Nope, got 'em chopped a looooong time ago.

24. Your favorite place to visit?
The litter box after mama cleans it.

25. Do you purr?
Sometimes.

Consider yourself tagged if you have an animal and are reading this!

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the ice cream anti-social in pictures

The anti-social was quite social, crazy that.

A decent amount of bloggers and readers thereof showed up at the Ice Cream Anti-Social held today in front of Piccomolo in Little Tokyo. Eric and Ed of blogdowntown, Rico from Angelenic, Jim and Celia, Bert Green, Joseph Mailander and Ed Padgett were in attendance, just to name a few...or all.

[when Don talks, DanInLA listens]

[Ed and Jim]

[readers DanInLA and Gabrielle talking, blogger Ed standing]

Lots of cold creamy foods were enjoyed.

[Mochi]

P and I had some extra food scrips from the Tofu Festival that we needed to use...three guesses as to what we chose...

[half eaten Tofu Tostada]

[Phil, a newly converted fan of the TT]

Things didn't get as crazy as some of the experiences Celia has had in the past (maybe it's because she's a mommy now) but there were moments of relative insanity.

[Celia enjoying her Piccomolo, Jim enjoying Celia enjoying her Piccomolo]

After about an hour and a half I had to depart. Hmmm, I wonder what the next outing will be???

[bye bye]

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los doyers

Big Al and I went to the ballyard on Monday night and had a lovely time catching up....watching the Doyers anemic offense though was brutal. Luckily we had lots of other things to sway our attention....surly fans getting tossed by a swarm of security guards, gazing at "Berky" Blue Eyes thru the binoculars, Hello Kitty hair clips, 23 calls from assorted NY friends and Dodger Dogs!

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The Downtown Blogger Ice Cream Anti-Social

Join various bloggers this Sunday for the ultimate in Ice Cream (anti) Socials. Dreamed up originally by Celia then shot down by some dude named Tim in the comments section of the post heralding the event on blogdowntown, a haphazard group of bloggers and blogger friendly people (I hope) will be gathering at 3pm at Weller Court in Little Tokyo to enjoy some icy cold dessert on a hot Southern California day.

Earlier the same day I will be enjoying Tofu Tostadas at the Tofu Festival. Anyone interested in making a day of it?

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*yes Ed, I ran with it......

frankie and me

Surprisingly, Frankie is pretty accurate:

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since you asked

One Fell Swoop is currently playing at The Elephant Theatre. Discount tickets can be found in the usual places: Plays 411 (use promo code 008), Goldstar Events and Theatre LA. The shows run Thursday - Saturday until August 18th, then for the final 2 weeks of August we are on Friday and Saturday only, closing for reals yo on September 1st. Really. No REALLY. Mama has plans in September which involve dancing. No mas working in the theatre unless you're a very special person or working on a very special show.

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reviews and previews

Y’all probably don’t want to hear about the rip roaring good times that were had at the LAX Marriott this past weekend at Camp Hollywood. The staying up late, the sleeping in, the lounging by the pool and having drinks brought to me by various sources, the dances, the socializing, the laughs and the drama of it all are boring stories for those not in the know. Suffice to say, we had fun.

Upcoming events on the horizon include a possible appearance at National Night Out on Tuesday and most definitely an appearance at the Tofu Festival in 2 Sundays where I will consume many a Tofu Tostada.

Other than that I’ll be spending 3 nights of the week at the theatre running lights and sound for a show that the LA Times, LA Weekly, Variety and Backstage West all found intriguing. Will you?

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