Spaghetti For Breakfast?!

Dang I love cold, overcast winter days in LA.  Especially if those days are between Christmas and New Year. Lots of hot drinks, flannel, and comfort food. Work is non existent so time is spent relaxing and rejuvenating.

It's not  even 10am and I'm devouring some tasty leftover pasta for breakfast. A wonderful reminder of college mornings and a student's limited food budget. 

45 degrees when I awoke before dawn. For SoCal that's cold. I make no excuses. In an area of the world where the sun shines brightly 99 per cent of the year and temps hover in the low 70's, 45 brings out, gloves, scarves, a beanie and fleece. At least it does for me. 

Breakfast is done. Sipping tea. Jazz piano via iTunes radio playing softly. My iBook mystery awaits my full attention. Signing off, Roger, Wilko. 

The Real Truth

Sitting in my apartment and brought a smile to my face by accepting a reality of my lifestyle. I hate pantyhose!!!  That mantra has made me who I am. A worker  bee who refuses to conform to a mundane existence.  Never played girlie dress up with dolls as a child. Nope, wanted to be a cowboy.  That explains a lot doesn't it?  Hi Ho Silver!

Mouse House Adventure

Survived it. Thanks to laughter, friendship, Aleve and booze. 14 miles in 2 days.   Saw the meese, Mickey and Minnie, Donald, Chip and Dale, Goofy, et al. Hands down the best ride is California Soaring, followed by Indiana Jones. Didn't get to    

to Peter Pan or Mr. Toad. Nothing in Fantasy land actually and dang the tea cup ride is so much smaller than I remember. Good food, very nice rooms, and loads of people watching. Sensory overload. Finished our visit by seeing the Aladdin Musical. Perfect ending. 

Dream Job

As I sit here waiting for laundry to dry I'm listening to the CBS Sunday Morning show.  Reminded the dream job would be the producer of the last segment of the show. The part where Charles Osgood says an "now we take you to".....and for the briefest of moments there are images and/or sounds of water falling, birds singing, snow glistening, reeds blowing in the wind, waves crashing, desert blooms, etc. Nature scenes for some where in the States. The Great Plains, Rockies, National Parks, forests, beaches, rivers, streams, lakes, dunes, deserts.  This morning it was mist, water and snow images from volcanic Yellowstone. 

Audio picture postcards to sooth the soul.  Would give anything to be that segment producer. Sadly, that ship has passed.

Thus I use my photographic skills to snap images that I take pride in and generate a calmness with in. Do so with hopes that my work will catch a publisher's eye. Took these yesterday whilst scouting for Criminal Minds.
I see it I capture it if I can.

Light a Fire

Been horribly dismissive regarding this blog all year. Flat out lazy is the description that should be used to define my attitude. Not proud of it. 

Self generating a fire re light.  

I've been focusing time to my photography. Given the original intent of this blog was to include images, makes sense to exercise that option. So here are a few to contemplate. :-)

2010, 2012, 2014

I must say the World Series was one for the ages.  Most of the country didn't watch it but I don't care.  True baseball fans did and what they saw was TEAM ball.  Both KC and SF showed how the game should be played.  Hats off to Kansas City for a valiant effort and their cinderella season. 

However, we scratched, clawed and pitched our way to victory. Unbeleiveable moments of key hits, fielding and pitching. 

 The SF Chronicle issued a commemorative edition. On the 3rd page were  thanks from the Giants organization. 15 simple sentences. 

When I read them a week after we'd won I started crying like a baby. Tears of pure joy.  Here are the ones that set me off.

To Brian Saban and his scouts who signed rookie sensations Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Andre Susac, who all started the season just hoping to make the bug club.

To The Beast who pulled a Willis Reed to save the NLCS Game 5 in the 8th.

To Angel Pagan whose wings we rode to get here.

To The Panda, Mr. Rocktober, rocketing balls all over the park from both sides of the plate and snagging everything that came near his den.

To Madison Bumgarner, the big kid left hander, who picked up the whole team, the whole city, the whole Giants nation, put em on his massive shoulders and carried us all home.

And to the 43 thousand in The Park and millions around the globe who would not stop believing.

To all those we, with delight at being repetitive say;

TOGETHER WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!!

Told my friend Christa we are going to opening day next year, no matter what the tickets costs.  My boys, my team! Simply love them!!!

October is Baseball

My Giants OWN October. 

Yes we lost the NL West championship to the Dodgers BUT they got their asses handed to them by St. Louis. HA!!!  

All the money in the world can't overcome a disruptive locker room and egos. Not to mention the belief that Kershaw was God.  How good as he been in post season Dodgers lovers?  0-2.  I rest my case. 

Baseball is a TEAM sport. Dodgers are not a team, merely a collective of egos who masquerade as one. They were finally exposed when it counted. 

We are battling the St. Louis Cards for the NLCS title. NOT them. A moment of glee. 

Giants OWN October.

My scratch and claw Gigantes are 1-1 vs the Cards as we fight for the honor to play in the World Series.  Game 2 in St. Louie were were down 2-0 early. Fought back and tied. Cards went up. We fought back and tied ( a passed ball helped) and went into the 10th tied 4-4. Alas a walk off home run vs. Romo and we lost 5-4. A bit disheartening but also a game that showed our collective resilience. Heads held high. 

Traveled home from St. Louis yesterday and play a day game at beautiful PacBell this afternoon. (It should either be PacBell or Willie Mays Field. Don't 
like calling AT&T). 

Honestly, nothing better than Giants baseball in the Fall.  Nothing!!! 

Batter up!

Friday

Random rambles. Have poison oak. Not fun. Rarely get it but my luck ran out.
Vacuumed about 2 hours ago.  Emma just down from her perch in the closest. She's forgiven me. Coop was out and about 10 mins after I put the Hoover beast away.  Played with the toy mouse I'd discovered when I moved the couch.
Weather has cooled a bit. Thankfully. The humidity, a rarity for LA, has been exhausting. Some great days of work for two different shows, Stalker and Criminal Minds.  Pleased with what I found and offered.  Grating to have the Dodgers 3.5 games up on my boys.  GRATING!!!!  Bill has had some a fib issues.Had to cancel his flight back to see his Mom. They zapped him at Cedar's but it didn't take. 2 days later the heart, on it's own, returned to a normal rhythm. Phew.  Weekend will be uneventful. Just how I like them. Quiet and subdued.

Fun on The Job

It is possible for me to have fun on the job. Honestly.  Take today for example.  Thought about renewing the orange cone blog posts.  Entitled this one Stage Fright.

Then this image made me laugh aloud.  Pretty much sizes up life in the big scheme of things.  Garbage.

Yep, silliness and some smiles today.

July 1

3 mile jaunt this morning following 8 days of sloth. A bit sluggish in my climb but nothing I couldn't overcome.  Presently enjoying coffee and the cross breeze as I sit in my Ikea reading chair. June gloom continues weatherwise. Excellent. In denial knowing the Dodgers won last night. My Gboys were idle. Dodgers won which means they are in 1st place. Giants have imploded and their 9 and 1/2 game lead evaporated. Wouldn't be so bad if it were the Padres or Diamondbacks in first, but its the Dodgers, the frigging Dodgers!!! Great, I've depressed myself. I'll talk about Emma and Cooper instead. That will make me smile. Emma has surprised me and enjoys early A.M. mini excursions out in the hall. In fact Ms. Peculiar leaps out into the hall when I open the door for her.  Cooper, call me Bwana, treks as far as the open window to the fire scape at the end of the hall. He's mesmerized by the vast expanse he sees when he looks out the window. He won't go any farther. Nearly had a stroke when a bird flew by. Dashing back down the hall meowing in terror. Emma's sojourns are more nuanced. Slow and precise steps. However,  the other day she went down the stairs. Alas, a neighbor exited her apartment, which startled Emma, who froze momentarily and then became airborne in her desire to return to the safety of our apartment. Looked as though a large grey and white presto log had been haphazardly chucked in the air and then bounced to a stop. Quite a site to behold. Took her a couple of hours to come out from beneath the bed. Each has enjoyed the sights and sounds of the hall whilst I've read my emails and enjoyed my coffee this morning. Both explorers are now sound asleep. Cooper under the bed. Emma, curled up atop the scratcher. Don't tell anyone but she's a catnip addict. The scratcher is riddled with it. In fact as her pusher I need to buy a new one today. Along with more cat food and litter. PETCO here I come. 

South Beach

Naw, never been.  However, have for the past two weeks been on the South Beach diet. Tired of having a basketball shaped head and ass.  Never wavered as my body craved sugar and unhealthy carbs and have lost a chin because of my diligence.  Very pleased.  Pat on the back, thank you very much.  Did have a bout of lightheadedness which lasted longer than I wanted, nearly 5 days but it only precluded me from hiking the trail in pre dawn hours.  Fearful I'd topple over the edge.  Cause was the body rebelling against the loss of sugar etc.  All good now so back up early and out the door.  Fog was along the trail this morning. 

This woman exhausts me. Does she drive up to the Observatory to run up the trail?  Hell no!! She bikes up, then runs the trail.  

Anyway, pleasant outing.  I'm calling this one Marina in the Mist.

Memorial Whatever

As a loner stuck in LA, I rarely spend holiday weekends out and about. For me they are endless hours of sloth hidden from view.  Good, bad or indifferent, the time is mine to spend how I please.  TV marathons are often enjoyed, along with good reads, sinful calories and the pleasure of napping.  What's not to like?

I Was 9

when the disappointment of life literally shattered at my feet. I was fascinated by such things as dinosaur fossils, Northern Lights and The Painted Desert at that age.  Once, when my grandmother visited, she'd brought me a small paper weight filled with the colored sands of the Painted Desert. I loved that paper weight and proudly placed it in the inkwell of my school desk for all my classmates to admire. (Dang, makes me sound ancient but we still had wooden desks in 3rd grade.) Loved admiring the muted colored sand layers. It was a treasure. For reasons I can't recall the paperweight toppled to the floor one day and shattered. The heart break wasn't in the breakage, the heart break was discovering it had all been a lie. The glass had been painted from the interior to give the illusion of layers of colored sands. The weight contained plain old beach sand.  To this day I recall the hurt. The disappointment. It was all a bold face lie.  The shock never went away. Skepticism took hold. 

Hi Ho

January huh?!? Last time I've posted. Wish I could say I've been extremely busy but the sad reality is that I've been extremely lazy. Why lie?  That, and not anything of note to comment on. Have been reading a lot which has been enjoyable. Some great reads and some major disappointments. The highly touted The Goldfinch falling into that category. Started off great but mid story line it all fell apart for me. Devil in the White City and The Museum Of Extraordinary Things, kept my interest through out. Reading a murder mystery set in Dublin now, In the Woods by Tana French. So, time for me to pour a second cup of coffee, and turn some pages. It's early, it's quiet, it's time. 

Simple Complexity

Sitting here in my reading chair I've glanced over to watch Cooper and Emma. It's nap time. Then again when isn't it nap time for gatos?  Emma is hard at work cleaning her back white paws though. One hind leg stretched out at full length garnering all of her attention. Bath time for Cooper as well, he's focusing on front paws and nails. Cats are amazing creatures. Could watch them for hours, even when they are asleep. I especially enjoy watching them trying to fight off falling asleep, eventually succumbing to it.  A valiant effort until they gracefully ease into REM. Bath time is complete. Nap time has commenced.

Nebraska

Best movie of the year.  

Sigh

We lost. 23-17. If I was living back in the Bay Area the sense of the 49ers loss would permeate the atmosphere.  Heart breaker.  Ahead 3 quarters, driving for a winining TD, in the last few seconds, long pass into the end zone and a tipped ball which missed Crabb's outstretched hands by inches, only to fall into the defender's arms. Interception.  BRUTAL and then that loud mouthed, selfish Stanfuck, Richard Sherman, who had tipped the ball, does his "look at me, I'm special, you're shit, post game interview."  Most ungracious, disrespectful punk in the game and as Hall Famer Cris Carter and Coach Dikta said later, "what goes around, comes around."  Here's hoping Peyton Manning makes a fool out of him. 

Another Saturday Morning

Didn't work this week, well not much. Did a day and was supposed to work yesterday as well but Mother Nature intervened.  Fire. Raging fire near the area I was going to scout. Yikes. This year is going to be horrific fire wise as CA is experiencing it's worse drought yet. Scary and given global warming I suspect this is only the beginning of tough water rationing.

The NFL Championship games occur tomorrow. Peyton vs Brady in the AFC game and Niners vs SeaHawks in the NFC game. I'm nervous yet look forward to watching both games and screaming my head off.  Rapture.

Have seen a number of the Oscar nominated films via DVD. Fabulous. No a fan of American Hustle although Amy Adams and Christian Bale were outstanding.

Cate Blanchett was marvelous in Blue Jasmine and I think my choice for the AA.
Also loved the fact that my all time favorite SF haunt, The Ramp, was used as a location in the film.  Been going to The Ramp for over 25 years and it made me grin ear to ear to see it in the film. I also love Dame Dench in Philomena and Meryl in Osage County. Then again both of these women amaze each time they are on the screen. Simply brilliant actors!

Watched 12 Years a Slave last night and at this point it is my favorite film. Thought the storyline interesting, acting superb, and it was well crafted. 

Of the nominees I've seen, must say Jared Leto is amazing in Dallas Buyer's Club. My favorite performance so far. Followed by Barkhad Abdi is Captain Phillips. Excellent acting debut. Excellent. 

Anxious to see Nebraska with Bruce Dern.  

Sun still has peaked over the horizon but darkness has given way to pre dawn light. Time to pay bills and start my laundry. Yep, another Saturday morning.

TGIF

Worked this week. More health and welfare hours. Yea! However, not working today so catching up on things. Bills, laundry, reading, dvd watching.  Have "The Butler" to watch. Viewed "American Hustle."  Don't get the buzz. Too much  dialogue. Characters not really developed enough for my taste. So I didn't have an opinion about them. Bale brilliant per usual. Amy Adams outstanding. Lawrence something to behold. Bradley Cooper? Meh.  Nothing else to share really.  GO NINERS!!!  Bring it on home again this Sunday!

Earl Grey

My favorite tea. Enjoying some as I type. Jack hammers are clamoring. Thought the building across the street was done. Apparently not. Or maybe the noise is coming from Bronson which they FINALLY paved. Over a decade of complaints regarding the kidney jarring potholes.  Who knows where the work is taking place?  Lord knows I'm not leaving my abode to find out!! I'll merely lower the window and turn on the boob tube. Resolution. 

Football weekend. 49ers play Green Bay tomorrow afternoon. Sub zero temps.  Both coaches are conservative with their play calling so I suspect the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. I respect the Packers and adore Aaron Rodgers.  A little concerned about him getting sacked given the recent collarbone break. Won't like it if he's injured. Opposing quarterback or not, not what one wishes to see. Still my loyalty is to Kap and the boys. GO NINERS!

Boiling some eggs at the moment. Out of nowhere the craving for a deviled  egg sandwich has cracked my psyche. A craving for chocolate I can fathom but deviled eggs? Odd. 

The town kicks back into gear on Monday. I'll be looking for work. Fingers crossed something good comes my way.

And so it begins.....

2014

Pre dawn trudged up the Charlie Turner Trail to assure myself a good spot to people watch and photograph.  It's January 1 and hundreds of Angelenos make the trek to watch the sunrise and give prayer for health and prosperity in the New Year.

Here's what I spied;

Pre dawn noodles

Flags

Prayers

More people More Food

Festivities about to begin

Oh My Aching Head!

And we wait

And There It Is

Day Has Begun. Time to go.

Hazy Dawn

Happy New Year!!!

The Shadow Knows!

My only concern and it is still bothering me, is I didn't see Marina.  In fact haven't seen her since Christmas Day.  

Not like her not to be there especially since she'd the one who encouraged me to go early.  Did see Mona and asked if she'd seen Marina. She couldn't recall.

At this point I have no last name, only a general idea of where she lives and no phone number. I do know she had friends who had invited her over for Christmas dinner. All I can do is keep good thoughts and hope those people watch out for her. Call her, and check on her.  

BTW you can call me pockets.