we went to the opening game of the season for the LA Galaxy yesterday - this photo was in the program and i find it hilarious.
Monday, March 23, 2009
from the LA Galaxy program
we went to the opening game of the season for the LA Galaxy yesterday - this photo was in the program and i find it hilarious.
Monday, March 16, 2009
are kittens to blame for THIS too?
(thanks to emmy for turning me on to d-listed who turned me on to this molten hot lava tranny video mess)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
how to make a grand opening even grander
about two years ago, a realtor holding an open house in our building told ben and me that a trader joe's was coming to 8000 sunset - a plaza 2 blocks from us where crunch gym is located. at the time i thought he was creating rumors trying to make our neighborhood seem even better. then about a year ago, the rumors were inflated by chatter on the internets. about 8 months ago one tiny sign went up at 8000 sunset. in the past 4 months there has been visible construction. in the past 2 weeks there has been a lot of activity in the storefront.
and this morning, it happened. (well, it happened for me. the actual opening was yesterday). THE NEW TRADER JOE'S IS OPEN! it's a wonderland. wide aisles, nice sample station, even my favorite checker was there - she must have been transferred from the store on santa monica.
yes, there are now 3 trader joe's within a two mile radius of our apartment, but i can walk to this one. this one feels like mine.
to celebrate the grand opening i trotted down to BB and B in order to buy one of those granny shopping carts like the ladies in nyc have. and while the wire 2-wheeled varieties were readily available, it was this little gem that caught my eye. we also had a delightful test drive around the store.
since i had my 20% off coupon handy, i splurged and went for it. so far, the versacart has been a big hit. while walking up to TJs, two people stopped me on the street to ask where i got it. while in the store, two employees were mightily impressed. after our trip to TJs, versacart and i did the laundry.
if only versacart could be here with me visiting the family at their newport beach timeshare.
true love
and this morning, it happened. (well, it happened for me. the actual opening was yesterday). THE NEW TRADER JOE'S IS OPEN! it's a wonderland. wide aisles, nice sample station, even my favorite checker was there - she must have been transferred from the store on santa monica.
yes, there are now 3 trader joe's within a two mile radius of our apartment, but i can walk to this one. this one feels like mine.
to celebrate the grand opening i trotted down to BB and B in order to buy one of those granny shopping carts like the ladies in nyc have. and while the wire 2-wheeled varieties were readily available, it was this little gem that caught my eye. we also had a delightful test drive around the store.
since i had my 20% off coupon handy, i splurged and went for it. so far, the versacart has been a big hit. while walking up to TJs, two people stopped me on the street to ask where i got it. while in the store, two employees were mightily impressed. after our trip to TJs, versacart and i did the laundry.
if only versacart could be here with me visiting the family at their newport beach timeshare.
true love
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Kogi - literally it means 'meat'
there's a new fad sweeping the hipsters and foodies of LA, and after reading about it on my various food sites including Eater LA and Yelp, i figured it was time to pursue the Kogi Taco Truck myself.
the Kogi Taco Truck is, in theory, like your standard Mexican taco truck which you can find parked three-deep at night most anywhere in LA east of Highland Avenue. But the Kogi Taco Truck offers something special - it's a Korean BBQ Taco Truck! That's right!! Kalbi tacos! Bulgogi tacos! Kimchee quesadillas!
when Kogi first started rolling around LA, you never knew where it would be, so if it pulled up outside the club, or maybe even in your neighborhood, you were in luck. it was like a secret concert if you found it. but lately Kogi has stepped it up - they added a second truck and they've been posting on Twitter and on their website where they will be and when. however, as i learned last night, this is not always reliable information.
my hunt for Kogi began at around 8pm Friday night - their site said they would be in the Miracle Mile section of LA, giving a specific intersection, at 6pm. then they planned to be in Venice at 10pm. ben and i packed up a couple of beers and a water bottle, having read that their drinks are super expensive, while their tacos are cheap. $2/taco. we got to the location and sadly...no taco truck! not even forlorn and disappointed taco lovers standing on the sidewalk in dismay.
i knew that the OTHER truck was planning to be at a Downtown LA bar, the Golden Gopher, at 830pm. By the time we drove all the way downtown, and arrived at the Gopher, it was almost 9pm. NO TACO TRUCK! we found a parking spot and decided to go up to the bar anyway, just to have a look-see.
what we saw when we got to the bar was the bouncer standing at the front door, and a line of approximately 40 very attractive, young, mostly asian people. however, not a single one of these people was waiting to get into the bar. they were all waiting for the taco truck to arrive! i felt for the bouncer who looked like a bozo standing guard in front of a line of people who had no interest in coming inside. about 10 minutes later, a spark of energy surged through the crowd as someone yelled out "I SEE IT! HERE IT COMES!!". and here it came. and there it went. there was not a legal parking space for the truck, so it kept driving past the bar.
we patient patrons followed it, keeping our line mostly in tact, for about a block. it parked and then the party really began. we made friends in line (we were in line about 40 minutes) with various people, a group of 4 young ladies out on the town, a pair of babes who'd been waiting for an hour for the truck to show.
when it was time to place our order, i had done my research and was ready to go. our order:
4 short rib (kalbi) tacos
2 spicy pork (bulgogi) tacos
1 SPAM taco (the night's special)
1 kimchee quesadilla (another special)
total was $19. we took our grub and tailgated in my mini. each taco was tastier than the next, they top them with (from their website - i'd never be able to tell you what it is) sesame-chili salsa roja, julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, sea salt and they're garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge. the toppings definitely overpower the sweet sweet korean meat, but it is oh so good. the kimchee quesadilla was hot and spicy, but those short rib tacos were simply divine. the spam was like the long lost taste of childhood, and the spicy pork was good too, but kind of drowned by the sharp flavor of the toppings.
here are some photos from the experience:
Ben and me in line, waiting with our new best friends
here's the menu
this is the kogi man - he told us that 'kogi' literally means 'meat' in Korean. YUM!
thank you kogi man
ben and his tacos
now i've got my tacos!
the Kogi Taco Truck is, in theory, like your standard Mexican taco truck which you can find parked three-deep at night most anywhere in LA east of Highland Avenue. But the Kogi Taco Truck offers something special - it's a Korean BBQ Taco Truck! That's right!! Kalbi tacos! Bulgogi tacos! Kimchee quesadillas!
when Kogi first started rolling around LA, you never knew where it would be, so if it pulled up outside the club, or maybe even in your neighborhood, you were in luck. it was like a secret concert if you found it. but lately Kogi has stepped it up - they added a second truck and they've been posting on Twitter and on their website where they will be and when. however, as i learned last night, this is not always reliable information.
my hunt for Kogi began at around 8pm Friday night - their site said they would be in the Miracle Mile section of LA, giving a specific intersection, at 6pm. then they planned to be in Venice at 10pm. ben and i packed up a couple of beers and a water bottle, having read that their drinks are super expensive, while their tacos are cheap. $2/taco. we got to the location and sadly...no taco truck! not even forlorn and disappointed taco lovers standing on the sidewalk in dismay.
i knew that the OTHER truck was planning to be at a Downtown LA bar, the Golden Gopher, at 830pm. By the time we drove all the way downtown, and arrived at the Gopher, it was almost 9pm. NO TACO TRUCK! we found a parking spot and decided to go up to the bar anyway, just to have a look-see.
what we saw when we got to the bar was the bouncer standing at the front door, and a line of approximately 40 very attractive, young, mostly asian people. however, not a single one of these people was waiting to get into the bar. they were all waiting for the taco truck to arrive! i felt for the bouncer who looked like a bozo standing guard in front of a line of people who had no interest in coming inside. about 10 minutes later, a spark of energy surged through the crowd as someone yelled out "I SEE IT! HERE IT COMES!!". and here it came. and there it went. there was not a legal parking space for the truck, so it kept driving past the bar.
we patient patrons followed it, keeping our line mostly in tact, for about a block. it parked and then the party really began. we made friends in line (we were in line about 40 minutes) with various people, a group of 4 young ladies out on the town, a pair of babes who'd been waiting for an hour for the truck to show.
when it was time to place our order, i had done my research and was ready to go. our order:
4 short rib (kalbi) tacos
2 spicy pork (bulgogi) tacos
1 SPAM taco (the night's special)
1 kimchee quesadilla (another special)
total was $19. we took our grub and tailgated in my mini. each taco was tastier than the next, they top them with (from their website - i'd never be able to tell you what it is) sesame-chili salsa roja, julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, sea salt and they're garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge. the toppings definitely overpower the sweet sweet korean meat, but it is oh so good. the kimchee quesadilla was hot and spicy, but those short rib tacos were simply divine. the spam was like the long lost taste of childhood, and the spicy pork was good too, but kind of drowned by the sharp flavor of the toppings.
here are some photos from the experience:
Ben and me in line, waiting with our new best friends
here's the menu
this is the kogi man - he told us that 'kogi' literally means 'meat' in Korean. YUM!
thank you kogi man
ben and his tacos
now i've got my tacos!
Friday, February 20, 2009
video response to 'Kittens inspired by Kittens'
this is a video my coworker mollie and i made in tribute to that youtube classic (see below). the cat is our office pet, greta garbo.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
exciting (not really a) celebrity sighting
i have lived in la for over 10 years and have had a whole bunch of celebrity sightings in my day. but this morning while leaving crunch gym i was extremely excited to spot AND recognize a personality from one of my current top shows, The Biggest Loser: Couples.
when i saw him i knew immediately who he was, and the neon yellow brita water bottle that all the contestants have on the show reinforced the sighting. but i was sad because if he was at crunch today, that means he got kicked off the show. but then i was happy because he looked like he had lost a lot of weight, and he was at the gym afterall!
so good for you, Mike from the Brown Team! (and good for me because i got my ass to the gym too)
this is mike before - i think he's lost about 100 pounds as of today
when i saw him i knew immediately who he was, and the neon yellow brita water bottle that all the contestants have on the show reinforced the sighting. but i was sad because if he was at crunch today, that means he got kicked off the show. but then i was happy because he looked like he had lost a lot of weight, and he was at the gym afterall!
so good for you, Mike from the Brown Team! (and good for me because i got my ass to the gym too)
this is mike before - i think he's lost about 100 pounds as of today
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