do something for my child

Go see "The 11th Hour". And, then, take some action.

http://www.11thhourfilm.com/

http://www.11thhouraction.com/

The film opened this weekend in LA and NYC, but it will be opening nationwide very soon.

rock climbing

Finally, I think I found a sport I am good at besides walking (well, I guess walking isn't really a sport).

Yesterday, we went to the rock climbing center, Rockreation, with my sister-in-law and her fiance. I was not feeling particularly excited about the adventure, but decided to give it a try. As it turns out, I happen to be quite a natural at it - Go figure. It was fun to try to navigate your way to the top of a maze of man-made crevices and outcroppings. If you do things correctly, you should be following the color coding on the outcroppings, but that was a little above my level at this point. Besides, making it to the top is the fun part. And, there aren't any color coded outcroppings out in the real world, now are there? (By the way, I did not do any of those fancy advanced moves shown at the left. . . photo courtesy of the Rockreation website.)

There were quite a few little kids there and they were just little spitfires clamoring up those walls like there was nothing to it. I seriously think my nieces (at least the little one) would love to try this. Maybe the next time they come out to visit we will have to talk "Uncle Ed" (my sister-in-law's fiance) to take us climbing again. And, how fun would it be to have a kid's birthday party here?

I am not ready to take this new found skill on the road to the real thing yet, but it sure was a fun Saturday afternoon.

angeleno summer nights

[updated July 22 - my sister, the teacher, noticed I misspelled the word "two" in the first sentence - Thanks Ms. Freiberg]

Summer combines two of my favorite things about Los Angeles - KCRW (the local NPR and alternative music station) and The Hollywood Bowl (absolutely my favorite place to be in the summer).







Last Sunday, July 15, we went to our first show of the summer at the Bowl. KCRW hosts a "World Festival" series every year and we usually go to a few of the shows. This week, Cafe Tacuba was headlining with Groove Armada. The show was fantastic, one of the best we have been to yet. The crowd was, of course, a Latin majority. Cafe Tacuba, a band based in Mexico City, sang and spoke only in Spanish. There was a lot of laughing and hooting between sets, I WISH I UNDERSTOOD MORE SPANISH! Must LEARN SPANISH. They had an amazing range of music and a brilliant energy. Really Fun. But, my favorite for the night was definitely Groove Armada - they opened the show and really set it on fire.

Aahhh, summer nights at the Bowl. We always sit up high in the bleachers (this is on purpose, by the way). From that height, you can see right over the roof of the Bowl and get a glimpse of the The Hollywood Sign between the mountain peaks. An iconic sight. Oh yeah, and the bleacher seats are cheap - $6 - $15 each - a bargain for the LA market. We bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and settle in for the night.

These are such fun evenings and they attract a wide range of people from the very young (there was a six year old groovester sitting in our row) to the very old. Our little one will definitely be getting a taste of the Bowl at a young age.

Here is the line-up for the rest of our tickets this year:

August 26, 2007
Macy Gray - Artists: Macy Gray; Zap Mama; Brazilian Girls; Chris Douridas, host

September 9, 2007
Underworld - Artists: Underworld; Paul Oakenfold with special guest Carmen Rizzo; Jason Bentley, host
(Hey Mom - remember Paul Oakenfold a few years ago? Wanna join?)

September 20, 2007
Arcade Fire with LCD Soundsystem

cb's new toy

bowling

(5) tacos, chips & salsa, (2) sodas at Tito's - $13.50
(6) pairs of bowling shoes - $24.00

(1) game of bowling for six - $18.00

bowling with my nieces . . . PRICELESS!

"the little bookshop around the corner"

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was held this weekend on the UCLA campus. This has become one of our favorite things to do in LA. UCLA is only a couple of miles from our place, so I took advantage of the great weather (I know, always great weather in LA) to walk over and indulge. This festival is probably the largest book festival in the country - an more than likely, the most CROWDED outdoor event I have ever been to. But, all you need is some time, a backpack and some lemonade and you have a really nice afternoon.

I am experimenting with a new feature I found - a photo slideshow thingy. The campus at UCLA is really beautiful and I took some shots around the festival. Hopefully it will work. I ended up coming home with (5) books - all new and all for $27 total. (by the way, mom, I am taking six books from my shelf to the thrift store for someone else to enjoy to make room for the new finds).

tub

in our living room . . . to be continued . . .

like my new shoes???

couldn't leave that BLAH post at the top - so I thought I would show off my new shoes . . .

[mine are in brown]

start your engines

[DISCLAIMER: This blog is not and will not be a forum for my specific political views except as a vehicle to encourage you to participate and vote!]

I went to my first presidential (or for that matter, political) campaign rally yesterday. I have always been interested in politics [read: disgusted], but lately, I find myself even more tuned in to the system. I suppose it is a manifestation of "nesting".

I am glad I went. It is one of those experiences I think everyone should have, in some form. So, Barack Obama breezed through LA yesterday, and I was there. Cool.

(My friend took some pics while we were there, but I don't have them yet - this was downloaded from www.latimes.com)

Even more COOL: My friend from work, brought her daughter and grandson (3 yrs. old). He learned how to say "Barack" and just kept chanting it. Today, she mentioned to me that they heard some clips on the radio on the way to work, and he started saying "Barack" - he remembered.

I am one of those "Every Vote Counts" kind of people. And, I want to teach my children this philosphy. I don't care who you are, what you believe in or why, (well, I sorta do, but that is irrelevant here). HOWEVER, I do care and EMPHASIZE that you should take the time to participate in our political system, take the time to decide what you believe in, and TAKE THE TIME to do something about it. So, I encourage you all to "Exercise Your Right" during the next year and a half (and beyond). . . if not for yourself, do it for my KID!

PS. Teach Peace :)

(sorry, couldn't help myself)

UPDATED: FYI, I haven't made my decision yet.