Friday's Photo Of The Week #6

(Bridget Johnson, 4 years old) ;)

This past Sunday, my beautiful sister stopped by for breakfast on Sunday (Auntie Em's!!) with her 3 friends and one of her friend's son, Cameron. He is also 4 and they had all gone to Disneyland. Rita did really well with Cameron. However, Klaus apparently doesn't like kids and we had some drama. He bit Cameron in the face and the skin tore under his eye! :( It was very scary and we had to give Klaus back to our friend Nick. Everything worked out ok, but wow, what a day...

The week didn't get much better. We had a plumbing issue which ultimately ended up with raw sewage exploding underneath the house and all over cousin Brian. So disgusting. I don't know how to make it up to him. Not worth the pay for a problem like that to happen.

I conveniently ditched the situation... that night I had a ladies craft night and Genna helped me with a doggie crochet pattern. I didn't get too far, but it's looking more like a squid than a dog. I may have to adjust accordingly. I'm sure the little creature, whatever it turns out to be, will show up on a post soon.

The good news? Well, this week I took a morning hike in the hills behind my house, which was just beautiful. I also learned on Sunday how to properly prep and mud drywall. It's been a lot of fun. Last night I worked on the mudding in the living room for 3 hours while listening to the Killers and Metallica. Pretty hardcore, right?

Well, that's the week. This weekend is busy as always with my brother Robbie visiting, house work, a college mini reunion I'm going to try to make, and the Rose Bowl swap meet on Sunday. I'm sure it will fly by. This coming week I leave for SXSW! Can't wait to get away...

One more photo for you all: playing with my new HDR software:

Weekend fun with the 14mm lens

Nice weekend show at the Stronghold: beautiful cozy venue in Venice on Abbot Kinney. The Idyllists were fantastic as always...
I rented a 14mm lens for a weekend photo shoot for a friend's music studio, and was able to use it at the show as well. This lens is $2300, so renting it for $35 for the weekend was well worth it! Sam and I had a great time in Ventura. Here is a picture of my friend's studio:
...and I got to play with HDR because he bought me the new program to adjust some of the pictures from the shoot. Here is a picture of his house in HDR:

Sweet, huh?

Friday's Photo Of The Week #5

This is my photo of the week. I love the composition, lighting and subject. Everything feels very real. Meg and I are planning our road trip to Austin, TX. My first time to SXSW (South By Southwest, a huge music festival), and I'm super excited... can't stop thinking about it. We're going to stop in Santa Fe on the way there, spend a couple days with the Idyllists in Austin, then stop in Tucson on the way back, where I am eagerly looking forward to revisiting my favorite joint: Bison Witches, a sandwich and soup place near the University of AZ, where I went to school my first year of college. It's been fun planning the trip. Meg's place is such a cute little haven in the Laurel Canyon hills. Here's some more photos from her house:

Have a good weekend my friends.

The Ritz

The Ritz Carlton/Marriott, near the Staples Center, is the newest building added to the downtown Los Angeles skyline. It is amazing! I've been intrigued by it since I saw it from a distance during construction about a year ago. The shape of the building and how it adds to the skyline, from most vantage points, is stunning. The reason I say MOST vantage points is because I personally don't like the southwest (looking northeast) view from the 10 fwy. The building seems to block the unity of downtown's previous skyline. However the reason it seems to be blocking the skyline also adds to the building's uniqueness: They add lights to the outside of the building to create a definite outline and a texture to the building's front.
I was curious how they get this multi-colored tetris look with the windows and such. It's mind-blowing to me.

I read this article about it and here's what they had to say: "The façade’s visibility graduates from opaque to transparent as it rises vertically, while simultaneously maximizing energy efficiency. The resulting curtain wall uses numerous glass types—both in color, transparency, reflectivity, and frit pattern—to refine the façade for optimum performance."

Here's another interesting review:
"To keep the many height differentials from cluttering the facade, Gensler designed a unifying glass mosaic. This skin, or “veil,” is composed of alternating transparent, translucent, and fritted glass, along with units colored in blue, silver, and gray, all accented with metal panels." -Sam Lubell, The Architect's Newspaper
Beautiful overall shape. Apparently it opened Feb 16th, just a couple weeks ago, and was designed by an architectural company named Gensler. You can find the article here, with some clearer pictures.
Sort of looks like a cobra, right?

Music Videos

These are two really awesome music videos, both featuring continuous video (no cuts, very well planned out). Hope you enjoy:

Spoon's "The Underdog"



OK GO's "This Too Shall Pass"

Quilt #4: Anet's Baby Ella

This is my most recent project, finally finished after about 8 months. Baby quilts always take so long. I think this may be the last one I do for a while. I'm not too diligent about using my extra time to finish them in time. Thankfully, I'll be able to give this to the proud mother sometime this week.My coworker and friend, Anet, is in labor as I type! Her baby girl Ella should be here soon! Hooray!I got the pink fabric in NY last year and was hoping to use it for something cool. And then I found the elephant felt fabric and decided it had to be for Anet's baby's quilt, so when I found out it was a girl, I tried to think of something I could do to use both fabrics.The sun rays quilt was a last minute decision, but I think it turned out pretty great. :)

Cell phone pics of my morning exploration.

Wow, this was such a pleasant surprise to my Saturday morning. I decided to go exploring a bit and found the local neighborhood trail. Sometimes I still can't believe I live in such a cool place. Behind the amphitheater at Occidental College is a beautiful trail that leads to a phenomenal view: Downtown, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Pasadena.
I love taking the pups with me.
Found another little amphitheater near the Yosemite Recreation Center.
That's Downtown LA to the right there...
Everything is so very green after the shower this morning.
Beautiful start to the weekend.

Photo of the Week #4

My niece, Audrey, at Disneyland

Rita ate my glasses

I couldn't help get a few photos before punishing her. Maybe not the best discipline technique, but...

Rita and Klaus

Klaus (rhymes with house) is a friend's dog that we are housing for the mean time. Our friend had to move unexpectedly to a place that didn't allow dogs, so we're watching him for a bit. He is an amazing dog and Rita is more than thrilled. They are good playmates. Although it can be a little crazy at times, it is nice having a second dog around.
Here is a video of Rita with her new chew toy:

The Bathroom

So the original bathroom had to have the tub cut in order to fit in the small space. The sink was also overlapping the tub and the toilet was too close to the doorway.
Here's some pics of the demo work. I did a lot of the demo in the bathroom. Using a crowbar and ripping tiles off is a whole lot of fun:
There was no way around it, we had to expand the space somehow. Here are some pictures from the same angle: demo (A) to replacing termite-infested floor boards (B) to the basic set up (C):My friend Meg, testing out the toilet... sort of...We chose to build a shower. Here's our contractor (Sam's cousin) Brian, in the frame of the shower:...and get a clawfoot tub. I'm really stoked about how it turned out.
We are hoping to get a glass door for the shower, but it is quite pricy. So for now, a shower curtain will do...
Kitchen should be coming next, but not for a few weeks. Still working on getting it set-up, but most of it is in place. And we finally have a fridge! Yes!!

Photo of the Week #3 and Defining Life Moments

(does this amazing photo of the week need any explanation?)

It's amazing how life can take it's various turns: I feel like a chapter is ending, and a new chapter beginning. It's always been interesting to me that a handful of people and a handful of moments determine our future and play such a huge part in who we are.

Last week, during the hour I was waiting to see if I still had a job, so many thoughts were going through my head. My husband and I had decided to embark on an adventurous project together: we bought a fixer home at the end of November and have been... well, fixing it up. Putting in days of labor ourselves, we're working with his cousin as our contractor and learning about every inch of our house. Electrical, plumbing, drywall, and the little things that I never thought of: where you want those outlets, what kind of switches, moulding, doorknobs, lighting... There's so much to think about. But all I could think of was IF I was laid off: finish up fixing the home, sell the house, and pay off debt with the equity, then get that next job... But especially the possibility of needing to move, when I finally feel like Los Angeles is my home, made me uneasy. I'm glad I still have a job, and a home, but it's interesting how that one phone call has the possibility to send you to the other side of the country, and start a whole new chapter of life.

It has been a tragic week for many and I am deeply sorrowed by knowing all these people who are out of a job with their particular situations. But I need to remind myself of the positives. Most of these friends are looking forward to new beginnings, new opportunities. For me, I am happy in life and relieved to know that I still have a job. For me, it is time to exercise my passion for interior design and architecture and see how it unfolds. Sam and I get to continue to build our future together.

The bathroom and bedroom are mostly finished, and it's on to the kitchen and living/dining room. I've been holding off on posts about the project because I was waiting for before-and-after pictures. And now I have a few, so let's start with the bedroom:

The Process:

The floor plan of this house was the worst design and probably the biggest thing to fix. I still don't understand how it was originally, but we're basically trying to bring it back to it's origins.
The front bedroom(s) consisted of a tight hallway with 2 closet-size rooms that were 6'x7'. We had to combine these to make one normal size room. So these interior walls were the first to go.
We stripped everything to the guts and added walls for the new closet and new bathroom entrance, then added drywall. We have had a lot of help from our wonderful friends. In the picture below, Justin and Dallas came over to help Sam with the drywall: We put in new flooring as well. And from the same angle, here is the bedroom, mostly finished (we still need to put up the trim for the windows):

Can you believe it? Just wait til you see the finished bathroom pics! I'll put those up sometime next week. Stay tuned.

Umami Burger, Part 2

Just had to post a picture: Umami Burger! Go enjoy! For the vegetarians out there.... sorry, you're really missin' out this time.

The Day Time and the Night Time

The Day Time:
(Jonny, Rita, and Klaus: new, yet temporary, member of the family)

While my brother was visiting this weekend, I got to go back to one of my favorite hikes: Chantry Flats. It's a beautiful drive up Santa Anita Canyon through the foothills (Santa Anita exit off the 210, go north about 15 minutes and follow the road til it ends. Parking pass is $5, available at the top or at REI). This is also where you would park if you wanted to do the 14 mile hike to Mt. Wilson. However, with all the rain we've had lately, a lot of the trails were covered with water (not too much, but expect to get your feet wet if you're going sometime soon). Made for some beautiful water pictures, though:

The Night Time:

Sam's band, The Idyllists, had two amazing shows this weekend: At the Hotel Cafe for their successful release show, they had about 200 people there. And then they got to play the Echoplex for the Hear Gallery. It sounded amazing!
Here are a few pics:

My amazing man Sam!

And at the Echoplex:

And in other music news, I saw the Henry Clay People and We Are Dios at the Troubadour last night. Both great bands. The Henry Clay People put on a great live show. We Are Dios were an impressive band. The show was a bit slow at times, but they definitely made an impression. Couldn't bring my camera in, but a great time was had by all.