Jumped the Shark

If it wasn't our future on the line you'd think this presidential election was a reality show that's begging to be canceled. It seems as though we are in an endless loop of election coverage and niggling analysis. It's difficult to distinguish if this is a contest or a circus. The political theater and the apes playing their respective roles is so entertaining that it reminds me of the Orangutan exhibit at the zoo. I guess it doesn't matter anymore what's in the country's best interest so long as you one up your opponent with political strategizing.

Let me start at the beginning of the DNC and Michelle Obama's glimpse of my-husband-the-man shill. While a very eloquent reiteration of Obama's message of hope, all I learned is that they are trying to distance themselves from any perception of privilege by trotting out familial tribulations and looking for ways to relate to the masses. Moving on to Hillary. Wow! Certainly the most heartfelt, articulate and self-serving as I've ever seen her. The underlying tone of her delivery being "I don't think Obama can win this thing so I'll set myself up to take another stab in 4 years and take my 18 million supporters with me." The only time during the speech that I felt she was even remotely in support of Obama was when she said if you voted for me AND my ideals then you should cast your vote for him in November. And then there's Bill. Arousing is his specialty. He seemed more genuine than his wife did though there was barely enough room for his ego in the hall. What a total bore Biden is. Yawn. How does 35 years of Washington entrenchment spell change? Obama himself is wonderfully inspirational and mesmerizing. I found when I read his book that he is very thoughtful and intellectual, easily able to understand and respect opposing viewpoints - all respectable traits of leadership. And I like that he thinks the people's government should work for the people not against them. But in working for some it has to work against others under his model. His fresh, idyllic energy and willingness to combat injustice is intoxicating but expensive and didn't he say we were in debt up to our eyeballs? His optimism is all-American through and through I'm just suspect about how realistic he is with respect to the litany of pressing work to be done.

Awakening this morning to the overshadowing news of another under-qualified, yet female, VP pick elicits a response of sheer exasperation. Is the goal to make history or secure the country's future? I know I'm supposed to feel less cynical but my naive hopes and dreamy idealism have rapidly and sadly evaporated. Tune in for the baboons exhibit next week at the RNC.

Pass the Fun

Started off last night to Sunset Junction, a street fair in Hollywood where for two days various bands close down the streets and attract enormous crowds. Activities also include eating, drinking and carnival rides. We arrived much later than expected and decided we were too cheap to pay the admittance for a couple of hours to endure obnoxious, drunk crowds who'd been at it since noon. While pondering our planned outing and questioning whether to bag it or not, there was plenty of good people watching. There was the guy who tried to scalp $15 event tickets saying he'd failed to get through the gates several times. Gee, phony tickets perhaps? Did we look like we'd just gotten off the Kansas bus with the modelesque Kansas 10, LA 8 girl peddling water Melinda described as having "made it" in Hollywood?

For me, the best part of the festival was outside the barricades behind the bandstand. There was this scrawny guy - squinting for the smoke billowing into his eyes from the cigarette burning between his pursed lips & Louis Armstrong crackling on the phonograph in the background - dexterously manipulating a haggard marionette held by flimsy strings. Imagine a self-destructive bohemian French actress, punished by years of sacrificing nourishment for absinthe and cigarettes, her spirit and dignity broken by sleezy men in dowdy underground clubs promising to deliver her from sub-stardom. An artistically tortured act worn out, unfortunately, by a scant repertoire but it was worth a buck.

And so the cavalcade begins, powered by Red Bull. With so many cool and hipsty spots in Los Feliz/Silverlake to choose from you just follow the wind and winding road (and enter the ones without a queue - we're in our forties, ya know). So passing on Akbar which is a certain good time given the mass outside, we stumbled onto Tiki Ti (tea-key-tea), a teeny tiny little cabana no bigger than my living room that looks like it belongs on an island in the South Pacific. Serving up 86 tropical concoctions it's been a place to whet your whistle in LA for nearly 50 years.

Moving on to Good Luck where Damon had the good fortune to eye a Kevin Spacey look-alike looking like he's just come from the Tiki Ti donning a hideous Hawaiian shirt. Pull back the heavy velvet drape and enter what I imagine a Chinese Tea House to look like - a dark, swank, den illuminated only by red lanterns as if to conceal illicit activity (pass the opium, please). House drinks pictured and described on glossy menus giving no inkling what's in them, are named things like Hong Kong Bong, Enter the Dragon, and Fist of Fury. Comfy lounges, if you can score one, make for a good place to kick back and enjoy the eclectic music mix.

Now that it's midnight we should think about having dinner! So we take the German guy and the rest of us Heinz 57s to The Red Lion. Here you can have authentic German fare - schnitzel, bratwurst - and wash it down in the beer garden. For those who refer a more traditional experience check out the piano man on the main floor; sorry no room to polka.

Today commences with a savory English breakfast, exceptionally good after a night like last and ends in a whimsical finale. Years ago we made the acquaintance of a shop owner in El Segundo who invited us to a party. It happened to be the best party I have ever attended. After a lively evening started to wind down a few of us die hards remained. The host collects antiques and had an overflow of percussion instruments - maracas, tambourines, triangles, cow bells, etc. - and passed them out. We all sat around 'til the wee hours "jamming" having a gay ol' time. This afternoon we quite serendipitously attended a backyard BBQ there where a live, professional band entertained. Definitely more fun making your own music.

Run! Don't walk ...

... to the Hammer Museum in Westwood and tour the John Lautner (architect) Between Earth and Heaven exhibit now on view through October. There are so many fascinating elements to his work it's tough to know where to begin. Take, for example, the famous Elrod house in Palm Springs, Calif. Situated above the skyline, it is literally built into the desert crust where boulders form walls and structural strength all the while adding detail to this surprisingly warm concrete haven. During construction Lautner experienced a typical desert windstorm causing him to adapt his original plan to the inevitability of the elements. This anecdote causes me to wonder about geological forces as I gazed upon the model and accompanying video clip of this house and others. A "feeling of freedom" and lack of spacial separation make Lautner's work so special and beautiful. His designs aim to incorporate the dwelling into it's natural surroundings drawing inspiration from the topography; ultimately creating a building that takes full advantage of nature's beauty while quite literally becoming a part of it.

All of them obviously Lautner, each of his designs are unique in their own way given landscape and other constraints. Some might think he takes himself too seriously or that the houses are self aggrandizing in some way but I think what is so appealing about him is that he is a problem solver - 40% grade on your 2000 square foot hillside lot? no problem, we'll just build it on concrete stilts high above the tree line as he did with the chemosphere. They are all open and free-flowing with limited obstructions and seek to enhance the environment- inside and out. A couple of houses have exteriors walls that open to the atmosphere at the touch of a button. My favorites are right here in the LA area: The Carling residence and the Walstrom residence. Marbrisa in Acapulco is a masterpiece too. Which one is your favorite?

Thanks for the turn on, Lil.

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Joining company with other greats like I.M. Pei, Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright - incidentally Lautner was Wright's understudy - many of Lautner's gems light up Los Angeles architecture. LA is a mecca of converging styles and artistic vision. On display in its vastness are bygone eras of various influences - including social and political with art and design being the nucleus. Architecture Tours LA, guided by an architecture expert, orchestrates neighborhood tours to laud some of these masterpieces.

The dark ages in the city of enlightenment

This bankrupt city o' mine never ceases... to amaze. I'm a voracious reader and I do A LOT of it. I get most of my books from the LA Public Library a) because I don't have enough space in my house to store them all and b) it can be awfully expensive adding everything I read to my collection. It used to be that you could borrow a book for 3 weeks renewing up to 3 times unless that title was on hold in the queue. Three weeks was short enough when you have other things going on in your life but now they've abbreviated check out to 2 weeks. When I inquired on this new policy I was informed that, " LA is in a budget crisis and we are not allowed to purchase new books, so as a result we have to increase circulation by reducing the check-out period." This city government is so atrociously inept robbing us blind taking with its booty our quality of life at every opportunity. LA's citizens are merely ATM machines to these pilferers. They've already managed to butcher 'ritin' and 'rithmitic' in our schools, why not parlay readin' out of our libraries? I guess I should be grateful they didn't ask me to pay for the book :]

Isn't it obvious?

This is too funny not to share. I listen to the greatest radio talk show host in LA, Doug McIntyre. He is so funny, smart and ALWAYS enlightened on the issues. He is obviously Irish and his ethnicity is fodor for many jokes and epithets during the show. Somebody, purporting to be Irish, wrote to the show with the following observation. I can't recall it verbatim but the gist is that the Irish in the homeland are confused about our confusion for President in the upcoming election. Firstly, a female lawyer wearing the pants is married to a lawyer who can't keep his pants on. Another lawyer not really from this country is married to another lawyer who seemingly doesn't like the country he's hoping to govern. And lastly, a war hero, N.B. a fellow Irishman with a good Mc in his name, is married to a weathly woman who owns a brewery. Where's the confusion?

Day Trippin'

Sometimes it's fun to be a tourist in the town you live in and it doesn't have to be tacky. You inevitably see things you take for granted - like the striking way the sun makes its urgent decent behind russet hills promising a new day in its silhouette. Or seeing the same performers on Venice Beach beach do their "final show" all day every weekend for decades. The joy is seeing it from a new perspective and making the journey as eventful as the destination. I had visitors over the weekend so we ran the circuit of must see LA landmarks. Rather than gazing upon the hillside to view the H O L L Y W O O D sign from the madness that is Hollywood Bl., make the extra effort to meander Griffith Park and end up at the newly remodeled observatory where expansive city views are nothing short of spectacular. On a clear day (usually in winter) you can see Catalina Island to the west and snow-capped Big Bear to the east. The program and planetarium show at Griffith observatory is informative and nicely executed. Some exhibits are even interactive; for example, you can jump up and down in front of the seismograph and try to create an earthquake. And look out for the ring of Uranus!

Whilst in Venice, better than the famed boardwalk is Abbott Kinney. It's fun to leisurely promenade the boulevard deking into artisan work spaces or comb musty old buildings for vintage finds. Aside from the best and cheapest burger in town grilled Sunday afternoons at the Rooster Fish, my favorite thing about Abbott Kinney is the Meditrina cafe. Delicious meals is the least of its allure. Make sure to get a table on the patio where afterward you can take the garden path around the sculpture gardens. Everything is for sale and tenderly cared for. And whatever you do don't miss the gelato! My favorite is pistachio but coconut and mango are also refreshing and scrumptious.

Happy trails!