On Summer Night Walks

 I like to take walks. Family walks. Solo walks. Girl talk walks. My parents take a walk every night after dinner to the end of our dirt road and back. Prime time for a walk is when the sun is setting and when the day is coming to a close--especially in the summer. There is this golden hour that I always like to witness.  Some shots from around the neighborhood (2).

On Kitsch

I like to make good use of space.  As an Urban Planner and an organizer, it is in my nature. Therefore, when living in a studio apt even the 2 inch wooden trim finds a home to my kitsch collection, various photos, mini paintings, earrings, and necklaces.  

On Being Back in an Office

I knew this day would come. The day I got a job working in an office once again. My three year stint in the legal firm was long forgotten with a two year hiatus of part time gigs and student life.  Now what better time than the summer to sport the suit and slip on some executive heels? Office chic looks to emulate are pictured here (courtesy of J. Crew but of course!): 

On Going Above the Clouds

Post-Easter the MK and I ran through orange groves and avocado farms.  Up, up, and away we climbed until we were short of breath and in the high heavens. 2 1/2 hours up and about 1 1/2 hours down. You could smell orange blossoms and hear bees. The sky was so blue it looked like it had come out of a paint tube. I am glowing with a pink sunburn, but I am blissfully content. 

On Remedy.

Last week was so discouraging. It was finals week for school so already things were less than comfortable and then my car broke. Straight up made a horrible noise and then stopped functioning.  There were other minor setbacks thrown into the mix. My Iphone camera stopped working.  It went all purple and dark. After a few bad days right in a row, I needed to put a stop to my woes.  So, as the nerd that I am,  I decided the perfect remedy would be a museum visit. I took the Metro straight to the Grand Ave MOCA and then onwards to the Geffen.  An established art institution displaying counter-culture (I was at the Art in the Streets exhibit) brings out more people in LA than a Monet or Van Gogh or Picasso.  Half the time I didn't know what I was looking at since I am not up on my street artists.  But by getting lost in the moment; I felt better. 

On Neighbors

I currently live in one of the densest neighborhoods in all of Los Angeles. Which means, I am getting to know my neighbors. The boys living on the bottom floor across the alley never tire from playing checkers night after night. I am almost positive they have seen me naked. The woman directly across the alley has her walls painted blue and a lot of knicky-knacks strewn about her house. Sometimes people come over to visit.  One neighbor showers for so long that I think it is raining until I look outside and see the bright sun.  My favorite hacks up so much phlegm throughout the day, it should be illegal. This guy has issues. The whole building can hear him. I know this because my boyfriend was getting his laundry one night and another tenant asked him if he ever heard 'the phlegm guy'. How would you like to be known in your neighborhood as the phlegm guy?  

On the Joy of the Sandwich.

Sometimes you just need a hearty meal in the middle of the day. It is finals time at school so "brain food" is in high-demand.  When I search for lunch satisfaction, I go straight for the sandwich.  It is perfect! It is so versatile as far as contents and side-options. It never fails! 
Soup and sandwich. 
Salad and sandwich. 
Chips and sandwich. 

Today I wanted my homemade turkey, spinach, and asiago melt to last forever. 

On Dictionary Usage.

The URL that I most often have in my web browser is not what you might think (it is not Facebook, my personal email, the link to this blog or even to my favorite blog for that matter).  Besides myusc.edu, I most often have websters.com open.  I like words, but more so I like how words are used. If in casual conversation, in lecture, or in an article I come across a word I like, I jot it down for future use.  Finding a good word that captures exactly what it is you are trying to say is like finding buried treasure or. . . or. . .  exactly what I am doing right now, which is sipping on a peanut butter milk shake while basking in the afternoon sun with Merriam-Webster's minimized on my desktop and let me tell you,   life is good.

On The Girl Next Door.

American Apparel. LA-based. Its products are made domestically and they are undeniably hip. Plain and simple yet always pushing the envelope with an array of brilliant colors and cuts. Half of the brand is not the products BUT the ads. One of my friends aptly refers to it as girl next store porn.  The models are so provocative (hypersexual), yet so palatable ("she looks just like . . . . . ". . . . my neighbor ? one can only hope).  Somehow the brand manages to make the objectification of women empowering.  For that alone, I buy the clothes.