One case in which I support capital punishment

This guy deserves it (along with the other 700 dudes on CA's death row).

That's what he said

I strongly disagree with his postscript.

Man and dog shot in home invasion

Aslan!

Pitbulls and Parolees

Has anyone else seen this show? It offers a fascinating peek into the life of a woman who hires parolees to help her rehab pitbulls and find new homes for them. A woman who describes her three weaknesses as "my husband covered in tattoos, my kids covered in tattoos, and my dogs."

Her husband (Aren!?!?), who helps her run the place (in Canyon Country), is currently in jail.

When she's not looking after dogs, Tia does a great Stevie Nicks:

Umami Burger and Street

Last Friday I ate lunch at Umami Burger (Hollywood location) and dinner at Street.

My assessment of Umami Burger is in line with the LAT review; everything was tasty but the prices are high and portions are small. I would rather go to 8 oz.

I liked Street; the menu is broad and allows you to order many plates. Their signature dish is the Kaya Toast, "toasted bread spread thick with coconut jam; served with a soft fried egg drizzled in dark soy and white pepper." It may sound wacky but the end result (once you dip the bread in teh egg) is like spruced up French toast. Yummy!

We also had the New Jerusalem Bread Salad (very tasty though the bread pieces were too crunchy), Moroccan Spiced Winter Squash (good, sweet, lots of cinnamon), and the Indonesian Peanut Noodles (my favorite, sauce was the right amount of spicy and I liked the greens).

Our waiter was very good, the ambience was ok (layout is a little weird), and decor could use improvement. What I imagine is supposed to look like cute graffiti outside just looks like bad stick figures.

Then Mike claimed to be too full for dessert, but stopped at the Yum Yum Donuts down the street for a couple glazed on the way home.

Long Beach wants to be most bike-friendly city in the US?

Cool!

Also, I would buy that shirt.

Everything that's wrong with America

A website about candy is called "Healthy Living."

Happeepness

I have read a lot of sad news lately:

A respected judge dies and the comments section can only talk about gun rights and if the Constitution is anti-God. I also saw this which was a view into a world I don't want to know.

Kids are dying (sometimes at home) and being mean, and the most recent This American Life is about what to do after your parent is murdered.

BUT this story about the first Peeps store and the link to the WaPo diorama competition photos made me smile, and I don't even like Peeps!

Bike power

Cars are officially superfluous.

Related: I want to see this but the gallery is only open during business hours. Throw me a bone!

White dreadlocks

Thank you LAT, for posting the picture with a story about protesters at the international climate summit in Copenhagen. Of course there is a white person with dreadlocks. Of course.

For worse, no husband

I liked this short profile on Evan Kleiman, and really admire how involved she is in so many aspects of the LA food/dining community.

But, this quote made me sad: "For worse? No husband, she says."

Not as sad as the final paragraph of Ariel Levys' discussion of two recently published books on feminism.

"So close. And now so far. The amazing journey of American women is easier to take pride in if you banish thoughts about the roads not taken. When you consider all those women struggling to earn a paycheck while rearing their children, and start to imagine what might have been, it’s enough to make you want to burn something."

P.S. Everyone should read Levy's piece on Caster Semeya.

VS Fashion Show 2009

Last night, as part of Mike's Purple Belt victory party, I watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

I have never been a huge Miranda Kerr fan but I have to declare her the winner.



I am also sad to report that Alessandra Ambrosio, who used to be my favorite, looks weird.




And, I am dying to know if Marisa Miller's breasts are real. Something about they way her cleavage comes together is suspect. But, what do I know about real cleavage?

Caramelized Onions

I like anything caramelized; however, I am surprised at how labor-intensive (and high-calorie) this is. I will probably give it a go anyway.

Good Grief

Terrifying murder in Venice on Tuesday night (here and here).

I guess the moral is never attempt to bring anything from your car into your residence.

Update here.

Nightmare Material

Call me culturally insensitive, but I find these products terrifying:

Weaves for babies


Fully-covered with only a mesh eyehole for ventilation and visibility Barbie

Jay-Z still rapping about pushing weight

Thanks to The Awl, I now understand what Jay-Z is talking about when he says "If Jeezy’s payin’ LeBron, I’m paying Dwyane Wade."



I thought I was cool enough to catch all drug references! I am officially old.

Kermit in Denim

Stood behind this guy at the Girls show at the Troubadour on Saturday night.

My job is boring

I mess around with MS Excel all day, while this guy makes hand-blown honey pots for Michelle Obama!?!

Ways to get the swine flu

You could hang out around sick people and swear that the vaccine will kill you, or go surfing on the first day of rain in months.

More reasons I am glad I don't live in a trailer

There are many, many reasons I am glad I don't live in a trailer in Venice. The likelihood of explosions during attempts at heating is one of them.

Also on the list, the fact that everyone hates you, and you live in a trailer (though better than no home at all I guess?).

Dinner last night

Balsamic braised brussels with pancetta and cauliflower gratin. Both were very tasty, though next time I might add a more fragrant cheese to the cauliflower dish to give it a little more flavor.

Amy brought cupcakes and ice cream for dessert; I finished most of the ice cream for breakfast. Thanks!

Local Natives

See them Tuesday Dec. 22 at the Echo.

Axe opens back patio!

I never even knew they had one. Now it is open for dining.

Heaven or Las Vegas

The Jerry Fuchs tribute Beats in Space podcast injected this song into my brain.



I thought they were singing in a foreign language, but it's just strange English.

Labor strike widens, shuts Louvre museum and Versailles

F'ing France.

Tip to travellers: If you go to Versailles, go directly to the gardens. Do not waste time in line for the palace itself.

Sample Sale, victory and regrets

Thanks you to Sarah for forwarding me the Daily Candy e-mail with this gem inside:


Grabbed these for $80 (allegedly $385 retail)


Passed on this for $100 (allegedly $398 retail)
And now am furious with myself, even though I own too many party dresses (though not all of them fit me due to thigh expansion).

Related: Maybe that money would be better spent on a package at Swerve

Stress fractures and the cervix in NYT health

So maybe I really should be running barefoot? That may never happen, despite what my spirit animal says.



Fewer Pap smears for younger girls seems ok to me based on their reasoning, but I wonder how many girls who should get Pap smears never do.

Ugly or cute?

For placemats and tablecloths?

Why am I reading about marriage?

And is being close to your parents a form of infidelity to your spouse!?!?

The old ex-udders

Oh really?

Thanksgiving Traffic

Thanks, official LAX website.

Baja Fresh Frequent Diner Card

See you there!

p.s. A moment of silent for the long-dead Coffee Bean pink card.

Maybe I won't see The Road

I was looking forward to it, but maybe I should revise my expectations.

Die, Baby on an airplane, die?

Well this is another take on the complaining about mothers angle.

"Parents like Root and others who selfishly force the rest of us to pay the cost of their choices in life aren't just bothering us; they're stealing from us."

HARSH

But I do agree with her point that all kinds of people are inconsiderate all the time, and it is exhausting.

I think small children should be given a mild, safe sedative (Benadryl?) before boarding airplane for flights of more than 1 hour.

Wednesday night

Unlike some other people, I am happy to report that I actually look forward to going out the night before Thanksgiving.

Die Mommy Die

An article complaining about people who complain about mothers is begging for some backlash, but I was surprised at the level of vitriol in these comments.

Threats:
if you're a mother, be extra sure to be somewhat self-effacing and hyper-considerate when you're with your kid in public, we don't want to hate you, but we will if you deserve it.

A shout-out to Santa Monica:
i live off of trendy montana ave in santa monica, california. if this place isn't the land of entitled people ( young and not so young), then make your way to this neck of the woods and attempt to walk past not only gazillion dollar strollers and their ever so talkative, but unaware mommies congregating in front of overpriced children's stores and coffee houses, but gazillion dollar dogs (some on a leash some not), bikes that cost more than a 3 bedroom apartment, and packs of young, inflated women and their malignantely narcissistic boyfriends walking side by side who never bother to step out of the way so you can pass between them, rather than forcing you to walk by in the gutter. give me new york any day.

And political critique as thinly-veiled racism:
Look you are a white liberal. You are not supposed to reproduce, you are supposed to die and atone for your racial sins.

Only Mexicans and Somalis get to reproduce in America. And it is YOUR job to pay the taxes necessary to take care of them -- medical care, welfare, housing, education,etc. -- as your racial atonement.

Do something productive. Learn to speak Spanish. Make yourself useful. And get your tubes tied while you are at it. The New America doesn't need any more of your kind.

And, No, ObamaCare cannot afford to pay for wizened, dried up, thirty-something white feminists to get hormone treatments and IVF. There are just too many of you greedy white people. Die, for heaven's sake. Just die. OK?

RIP Jerry Fuchs

I'm a little late on this one. Pissed I never took advantage of previous Juan Maclean and !!! opportunities.

Oink Oink

Laura introduced me to Zooborns. Even if you aren't interested in all things cute, this site is a fasinating peek into the variety of species kept in zoos.

I imagine Ishmael would not be pleased. Too bad telepathic gorilla! I like it.

Penelope Cruz

Yoga Competitions

I will never compete in a yoga competiton (see here and here) because:

• My legs are too long to complete a lot of arm balances (or my core is too weak)


• My lower back will not tolerate this:



• I hear Bikram is a real asshole.

The Tweed, Moxie & Mustache Ride

This is real.

Related.

Bike Locks in Flemish

This video proves two things I already know:
1) Most bike locks I see are ineffective against the determined thief.
2) Flemish sounds more like gibberish than any other language on Earth.

Dry Brine!

I am really trying to eat less meat but this sounds like so much tasty fun!

Story of My Life

A big thumbs-down

These headlines have been up at LAT.com almost all day.

Bad Idea

RIP Phil Hartman.

$4 Iced Tea

At Magnolia, iced tea is $4!

Is this tea made from gold? Adderall? Diamonds?

Was it served in a large glass?

Did it have an exceptionally delicious flavor?

No, no, no, no, and no. It was just overpriced, as is their food, and service is mediocre and they can't accept more than 3 transactions per table, and cash counts as a transaction.

Eating here was a bad idea.

Nauseating

Another guy is executed as part of a nonsensical beurocracy (he was in VA not CA but I am looking at the big picture) in a morally and Constitutionally* questionable process that makes China appear to be in the mainstream as far as human rights are concerned.

On the upside, veterans that cannot receive benefits for their combat injuried are offered free legal help. Pullquote: "Nearly one out of every four homeless individuals we see on the streets of Los Angeles wore the uniform protecting our country."

Can that be right?

* Chief Justice Roberts says lethal injection as we practice today is just fine!

Paramore fans

I work across the street from the Hollywood Palladium. Often, fans line up for shows in the early afternoon to secure a premium spot in the venue.

More Paramore fans lines up earlier than any other group I have seen! Fans spent the night, and by noon the line was halfway around the block.

These fans are more committed than people who wanted to see legends like Bob Dylan and the Pixies. Are Paramore fans more committed or just younger?

Meta teartown

The latest thing to make me cry is a list of books that make other people cry!

Get a grip, Erin.

Obvi

Like Mozza2Go was going to be bad?

How much can one man eat and not die?

Jonathan Gold appears to be testing that limit every day! I found this profile to be an amusing read, though I didn't feel like I learned much.

Updated: Read the whole profile here.

I would like to see a battle of the New Yorker food-related Jonathans of late.

Related: I maintain that Jitlada is overrated!

A man lives inside Big Bird?

This made me smile.

Humpty Dumpty

As a newcomer to the casual cycling community in LA, I rejoice in this conviction of a guy who tried to kill a couple cyclists with his car.

I do not rejoice in being called a "Humpty Dumpty" but a lady who biked past me (as I, admittedly, lingered when a red light turned green) in Santa Monica last night. Is that a threat? Lady, we are all in the fight against cars together! Five fingers unite to make a great fist.

bearded-tschorn

I would be remiss in my dedication to facial hair if I did not link to everything this guy has posted on the LAT site.

He even has the hook-up for the above moustache earrings!?!?!?

Movember

Don't tell my boyfriend about this.

I am, however, open to a discussion about the Fingerstache.

Bye Bye Bayou

New LCD Soundsystem. New album in March 2010?

the most approachable, down to earth, girl next door candidate

Those Sarah Palin fans! Can't nobody hold them down!

Tracy Morgan On Being 'The New Black'

If you can find 39 minutes and 15 seconds to listen to a podcast, make it this one.

You will laugh, cry, and stare at the radio, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, in total amazement of the mystery that is Tracy Jordan's thought process (though some people do not agree with me).

Levi Johnston: Patriot in the Buff

I will buy this.

Happy Women

There has been quite a bit in the news lately about why women are unhappy (see here and here, or a more critical look here), and now we learn why some women are not unhappy: they live in Sweden.

See you there!

Green Fish

A blurb in the LAT about sustainable fishing practices brings out the crazy commenters!

If you're concerned about eating the right fish, this is a decent guide.

No Awkward Call to your friend

Great idea!

Though I am concerned that the girl they feature in the first picture is too young for this service.

I will say that many of the places I go to to get drunk do not have decent parking availability, so I don't know how applicable this is to my drunk like.

Retaliation Tragedy

Do you want to cry today? Then please read this two-part story.

Junior Boys at the El Rey Wed. Oct. 14

I thought the show was a lot of fun, though some complained that their music doesn't have quite enough energy to merit real dancing (that didn't stop a couple in front of me from truly breaking it down for the duration of the show). Also, why do so many serious dancers at concerts wear bad hats?

A guy walking to his car said he gave the show a 7, and wished it were more hardcore like MSTRKRFT. His friend brought him to the show because he likes electronic music. Junior Boys are never going to be a 10 if MSTRKRFT is your yardstick, and I don't even think they qualify as electronic anymore. They're more like industrial college rave trance rap (I say that as someone who really liked The Looks.

The sound was very good for the El Rey, though I missed opening act Circlesquare so I don't know how things went for them (him?). The venue was certainly not at capacity, and I was surprised to learn that Junior Boys fanbase is not entirely comprised of gay Canadian men. I don't know why I assumed this in the first place.

Junior Boys went on a little after 10 and played for over an hour. I would be able to report on the setlist if some blond guy didn't swipe it (read: ask for it) before I had a chance! I recall (in no particular order):
In the Morning
Hazel
Work (I know that was the second song they played)
Parallel Lines
Equalizer
Double Shadow
Birthday

GurglePot

Dilemma: how to pick just one?

Thanks to Sarah for the tip.

Easy Lover

I like this song.

Miley Cyrus

This is what happens when you spend a weekend being a college student in Nashville.

RIP Gracie Catberger

Katt Williams Pimpadelic

Diamond in the Rough

Last night I ate at Agra Indian Kitchen on Lincoln just north of Washington. It was very good, probably the best moderately-priced Indian west of Culver City/Palms. They are exceedingly proud of their description as "a diamond in the rough," and I chuckled at the implication that Lincoln (or, most of Venice?) is rough.

Zeitoun

I finished this over the weekend. Was a very quick read, and also an immediate journey to teartown!

Recommended for: planes.
Not recommended for: bedtime. Too anxiety-provoking to sleep.

Immersion Blender

How much is too much to spend on kitchen supplies that are not made by Le Creuset?

Omnivore's Dilemma

Who's afriad of Michael Pollan? These guys! Other people too, I presume.

Are you afraid of vaccines?

Read this, or this, or this.

The first and most important step to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated.

Or, you could follow the medical advice of Rush Limbaugh.

Gordon Ramsay at the London reopens as VaginaErectpenis

I went to Gordon Ramsay at the London hotel last night with some girlfriends as part of the dineLA promotion. It was easily one of the worst (if not the worst) dining experiences I have had in calendar year 2009. Service was poor, food was mediocre, and management was minimally apologetic and accommodating.

Most upsetting to me was the discovery that though we had made our reservation at Gordon Ramsay (and had to put down a card because we would be charged if we cancelled less than 48 hours in advance), we were seated at Boxwood, the “hotel restaurant” at the London. We couldn’t look at the Gordon Ramsay menu because we were not actually at Gordon Ramsay. We could order off of the Boxwood menu, which was effectively the room service menu for the London.

This is the equivalent of marketing your new novel as Great Expectations, selling copies of Everybody Poops, and assuming your readers won’t know the difference.

Conveniently, all of the items on the dineLA menu were found on the Boxwood menu, at a lower price point (i.e. the dineLA menu was set at $44, but any of the dineLA combinations ordered off the Boxwood menu were less than $44). When I asked the manager about this, he chuckled and said, “Well, everyone orders the dineLA menu.” I pressed further, and he explained that the higher price was due to larger portion size.

I still had a good time because it was nice to be out with my friends on a Tuesday night, and we got a chuckle from Lisa’s observation that Boxwood is another way of saying VanginaPenis, or more specifically, VaginaErectpenis. It is also a boring shrub. Way to go, corporate branding team!

UPDATE:

Two days after eating at the Gordon Ramsay (and writing the people at dineLA to let them know about my experience), I receieved this email:

Dear Ms. Crapser,

I am most concerned to read your comments regarding your experience at Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood.

I sincerely apologize that you were mislead regarding the Dine LA program. The menu that our Executive Chef Andy Cook decided for the DineLA weeks is a combination of dishes that have been created solely for this event and some dishes that are in our current menus. We are currently offering this menu in the front and the back dining room.

We have addressed this with our staff to ensure that they are all clear as we certainly do not want to mislead out guests in anyway.

On your next visit to Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood I would be delighted to offer you complimentary Champagne on arrival.

Please contact any of the team mentioned in this email to make the necessary arrangements.

If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Chiara

Chiara Tirapelle
Private Dining and Reservation Manager

Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood

That's your idea of customer service? Unbelievable!

The Supreme Court should def. spend time on Jeff Skilling

Hey, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, maybe he really didn't seek to benefit personally from his actions at Enron.

Sausages: A Party in the Mouth of a Genius

"The other day he said to me, 'Mummy, sausages are like a party in my mouth'."

Start the party at home!

Is the big one coming?

We may know in a few months.

Less money, more problems

Sometimes I feel poor, but then I read about the state of California, and I don't feel so bad.