Baby It’s Cold Outside

I hate it when people say there is no winter in Southern California.  Pretty sure I almost froze my balls off two nights ago in Anaheim when I met some friends for dinner and a little gift exchange fun at Downtown Disney. Today, I ventured out to do some Christmas shopping in Belmont Shore (2nd Street) and it was 40 degrees!!!  I had on a beanie, fingerless gloves, a scarf, boots- full on glacial mode.  Its totally Christmas in L.A. evident by the guy who looks like Cee Lo Green in a Santa Suit standing on the corner of Crenshaw and Venice, but I digress…

If you are like me and still need to finish some shopping, here are some of my favorite malls for your best bet to find what you need:

The Grove where it snows nightly- (yes, “snow” in L.A.).  Plus they just opened Sprinkles there so check that out for sure

Century City Plaza (has been one of my favorite malls since the 90′s)

The Beverly Center (has the best Macy’s in Southern California in my opinion)

South Coast Plaza (Sak’s, Nordstrom and Bloomies in the same mall)

However, if you don’t want to battle the messy malls and ridiculous parking situation happening out there, here are my favorite boutique shopping suggestions found in neighborhoods around the city.  I like to shop independent stores whenever I can.  These business owners, artists, and entrepreneurs need us:

Silver Lake- East Sunset Blvd has some of the most eclectic and artsy stores in the city.  I love this area that includes Los Feliz, Echo Park and boarders DTLA.  If you can handle the hipster population, you wil love it too.  Find the collection of interesting boutiques, gift stores, and restaurants near the Sunset Junction (E. Sunset Blvd).

Montana Ave. in Santa Monica- this row of lovely shops and boutiques is for you ballers not on a budget.  Find plenty of fabulous home stores, gift shops, stylish boutiques and salons.  Prepare to spend and possibly spot some celebs as well.  I’ve seen some A listers here for sure.  Makes for great people watching too.

Little Tokyo- DTLA has been evolving for years now.  It used to be all dangerous and littered with homeless vagrants.  Ok, I guess it still kind of is, but it has come a long way and I heart it!  Now its rocks a sort of Hipster/Hobo culture that I actually enjoy frequently.   Some of the dopest bars in the city are in DTLA as are many foodie approved restaurants. Art, culture and creativity are abound here.  There are lots of places to shop too but I especially enjoy Little Tokyo and the stores within and surrounding the Japanese Village on 2nd.  I got some great gifts here last week.

Long Beach- 2nd St. (Belmont Shore), 4th St (Vintage Row), Downtown, and Main St. off of PCH in Seal Beach are all great places to treasure hunt.  Find book stores, record shops, card/gift stores, vintage stuff, commercial stores, high end stuff, low end stuff.  Something for everyone in the LBC

Some of my favorite gift shops: Espionage, Pergolina, Pulp (on S. La Brea), Popkiller, & Blue Windows, just to name a few.  Happy Shopping friends! xo Dre

Stroke Of Luck?

Last week I received this email:

Dear EV Applicant,

Thank you for applying for the 2012 Fellowship.  We regret we are unable to offer you a place in the 2012 Fellowship.

There were an overwhelming number of applicants and unfortunately, a very limited number of spots available for fellows.  We wish you the best of luck in the future.

Thank you,

Libby Flores, Program Manager

So that happened.

Rejection stings even when you expect it and even when you know you are better off in the long run.  Still, my ego goes into defensive mode over how they could pass over my genius!  And I can’t help but wonder, did Libs over there even read my material? I mean she couldn’t even be bothered with using my name in the generic mass email she sent out!  Excuse me while I go and rock myself in the corner for a few minutes.

Ok, I’m back.  It is actually easy for me to channel my homie the Dalai Lama and remember that sometimes, not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.  Life has taught me that lesson many times, believe me.  Right now this graduate program takes up most of my time. If I were to be completely honest, its a good thing I was not accepted because I would have probably been a flakey fellow and a flakey student, which is not doing myself or either program service.  In addition, schoolwork takes up about 90% of my free time, leaving 10% to be divided between me-time, family, friends, and fun.  Being accepted would have really squeezed me…

** I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to my loved ones for my absence.  I promise I’ll see you after Dec. 5th!

It sucks, but this is what I’m doing right now, and even though I feel like this:

I know that nothing worth doing is easy, good things happen in their own time and in the words of Nelson Mandela, “it always seems impossible until it’s done.”  When I finish grad school in two years, maybe I will apply for the fellowship again.  By then my writing should have significantly improved and I’ll be better prepared in more ways than one.  For now I’m still proud of myself for putting it out there.  Getting turned down wasn’t so bad! Plus it solidifies my place as a struggling artist, putting me in some really great company.  Yay.

Despite my current circumstances, I have managed to fit in a little fun this month.  The Hollywood Bowl is one of my favorite music venues and I heart Florence and the Machine, so when my friend and fellow artist sent me a text the day before the concert asking me if I wanted to go, I blew off my school work and said hell yes!  What can I say? Old habits die hard.  It was awesome.  Florence Welch is beyond beautiful…

The music of Florence and the Machine has an ethereal quality to it, a sort of bravery that pulses through to the audience. Her songs are like a shot of courage and I believe this is why I find her music so healing.  Her band rocked it.  Songs were performed from both albums, Lungs and Ceremonials.  There were no costume changes, just her gorgeous art deco style dress that looked stunning on her.  She dazzled the crowd with her sprinting and spinning, her bright red hair dancing right along with her.  She was like poetry and that night, the entire Hollywood Bowl was under her spell.  At the end of the show I was left clutching my heart feeling high and valiant.  My friend and I both had tears in our eyes.  She said it best when she turned to me and said,  ”That was epic.”

For you culture vultures, I have a VERY worthy recommendation.  Seminar is a hilarious and inspiring play showing now at the Ahmanson.  I have two friends (not related) who went to New York just to see this play earlier this year.  Luckily, it’s on tour now and is visiting LA until November 18th.  The play is about four young writers taking a seminar with a master writer who is actually a douche bag professor type, brilliantly played by Jeff Goldblum.  I can’t say enough good things about this show.  I love love loved it!  But then again, I’m a writer, and every writer will love this play.  But don’t get me wrong, it’s not just for writers! Everyone can appreciate the funny twists the story takes and relate to the struggles of finding affordable housing in New York, dealing with unemployment, facing fears, vulnerability, love, loneliness, mentorship, finding your self and following your dreams.  If you are in LA, go see this play.  Find discount tickets at Goldstar. You will love it.  Trust.

Ok, back to my mid-terms…  xo Dre

Los Fixie Riders

A trend for latino kids around LA are these brakeless bikes known as “fixes”.  If you didn’t know, now you know.  I find this fast bike trend among these inspired teens awesome and uniquely LA.   In Mid-city, Huntington Park and other heavy latino populated areas, fixies dominate the streets as a fun, fast way to get around town and are also used as a form of expression.  The culture and creativity of these young latinos has cultivated this trend that is catching fire around the US.  Perhaps initiated here in LA- where trends are often born, and soon coming to a city near you.  I gotta get me fixie…

LAist published a post called “Los Fixie Riders“ written by Loren Loyd about these bikes.  I had to share it here on my own LA inspired blog.  Watch the 6 minutes video to hear their voices and get inspired.  The muse is always awake in LA.  xo Dre

Jorge Rivas, a Koreatown resident, has produced a video dedicated to fixed-gear bicycles. Hipsters, we know, you can barely contain yourselves.

Rivas’ curiosity surrounding the popular, often brakeless bikes sparked when he saw his 13-year-old neighbor saddle up on one, so he did the following: “I decided to go out with my camera and ask teens all over town why they prefer fixies,” Rivas writes to us in an email today.

With Latino teens ages 14 to 18 as his subjects, Rivas captures local fixie riders describing their active hobby via the following words: “fun,” “easier,” “adrenaline,” “faster,” “tricks,” “different style of riding,” “form of expression,” “creative,” “colors,” “save a lot of money,” “freedom,” “clears up my mind” and “flavor.”

The video reinforces how greatly neighborhood trends can affect—in this case positively—youths. One thing per the video is certain: Latino teens like to get places fast.
“Everybody’s riding ‘em, especially Mexican, well, Latino kids,” says Roger, 17, of Mid City

Adieu Foie Gras

Foie Gras is a pricey delicacy often featured at elegant and high-end restaurants.  This fatty goose or duck liver, savored for its buttery richness and often enjoyed as a starter with toasted bread and jelly will be banned in California starting July 1st,  sending many foodies into a frenzy. Not this foodie, but others…

As a self-described foodie and wino myself, I am a regular at fabulous restaurants around the city. I love any trendy spot with a scene and reputation for expensive extravagant food.  I often joke I have the heart of a vegan with the palate of a carnivore.  I find that if I really consider where my food comes from and how it is treated and handled before entering the giant farm heaven in the sky, well, it’s hard to enjoy while ignoring my conscience.  I shamefully admit that ignorance is bliss where food is concerned and I choose to not seek too many details about what happened to my dinner prior to it being basted, roasted, fried, grilled or braised, then delivered to my table in perfect presentation.

   foie gras rice pudding

Hence my reluctant but complete support for the ban on foie gras, originally signed into law by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004. Given a seven and a half year delay before enforcement this July 1, 2012, the law will fine a restaurant up to $1,000 for violation.  I used to absolutely LOVE foie gras pâté and actually went to Animal just to order the foie gras loco moco.

Foie gras used to be my idea of the perfect pre-meal treat paired with a lovely crisp French wine (red or white), until I was having lunch with my friend James last year.  We were at a business meeting at The Lobster in Santa Monica on a gorgeous April afternoon when he told me that this was the cruelest and most inhumane practice in factory animal farming.  He explained in horrifying detail how a tube is crammed down the birds throat so that it can be force-fed via this funnel to speed up the process of fatty liver disease.  The bird is force-fed until it is so sick from liver disease it dies or is killed.  Sometimes their tiny little duck liver can weigh up to four pounds.  Once dead, the liver is extracted to make the silky smooth foie gras pâté I used to crave.

See how that puts a damper on my enjoyment of said delicacy?  I recall being equal parts annoyed with James and the food industry.  Annoyed with James for sharing this information with me because now I could never eat it again, and annoyed with the food industry and chefs everywhere who insist on using foie gras and feeding it to ignorant consumers like me! I was ashamed to be a part of the demand that kept this torturous practice in place.  There are many other delicious things to order that do not include torturing a duck or any animal for that matter…

Foie gras production is banned in such countries as Italy, Argentina, Germany and the United Kingdom.  Once again I am a proud Californian, happy to be in state where the collective conscienceness says that a practice such as this one is not ok.  Because it’s not.

If you are not convinced, no judgment.  You have a few more days left to find your pleasure.  In LA, some of the places I’ve been to for my culinary sin are:

Providence

Animal

The Little Door 

Church and State

Bouchon

Umami Burger

This homie says “Thanks California!”

When L.A. is a man…

An Ode to the City of Angels…

Los Angeles is the featured city and second installment in a series of short films created by French filmmaker Jean-Claude Thribaut together with Louis Vuitton, featuring various world cities as gender.  Sarah St. Lifer of Refiner 29 humorously and truthfully says, “Leave it to a foreigner to accurately define our city.”  In this two minute film, he essentially defines LA in a way only someone who has lived here, loves it, and really gets it, could.

The writing is poetic with lines like ”L.A. has a vague, cool restlessness–a mystery running through its veins.”, and “LA is a loner, stretched under the sun, its luxuries are time and water.”  Images of film lots, the LA river, Melrose Ave., DTLA, LAX, and the Sunset Strip just to name a few, flash as you watch and hear the most accurate and beautifully written piece about LA I’ve seen in a while.  Its a love letter to my city and frankly, I’m flattered.   Enjoy… xo

Art in the city…

Some of the reasons to love LA are the endless options for art in the city. As an L.A. culture vulture, I’m often found in the audience of a concert, show, private screening, performance or whatever piques my interests. Lately, I’ve seen some really great stuff…

My friend T. is from Boston. She is a television writer by trade and wine snob by hobby. I love her company and the clever things she says that give me plenty to giggle about long after I’ve gone home or hung up the phone. Last month, she invited me to see a play called Good People, written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, David-Lindsay Abaire. The play was about a woman from South Boston (played by Jane Kaczmarek, the mom from Malcolm in the Middle) who can’t catch a break. Good People was playing at Santa Monica’s Geffen Theater. We caught one the last shows. It was phenomenal. The acting and the writing were genius in this play about whether opportunity is granted or earned. It was funny and totally brill. I loved it, and even noticed T’s Boston accent made an appearance on the drive home.

I spent a really lovely Mother’s Day afternoon at The Pasadena Playhouse. My mom, sister, brother-in-law, and I went to see a play called The Heiress, starring Richard Chamberlin (the priest from The Thorn Birds), and Young and the Restless star, Heather Tom. Set in the 1850s, The Heiress is a story that proves even back then, revenge is a dish best served cold. In my opinion, the hopeless romantic and matchmaking aunt stole the show from the head-lining stars, but everyone executed their part well. I loved this play, even with its predictable but still delicious ending.

Next, my friend R. invited me to a play put on by Corner Stone Theater Company called Café Vida. We met up in downtown LA for this play about a chola / addict / x-con trying to restart her newly sober life after prison and addiction. It was honest and horrifying, yet really funny in the way humor offers comfort and softens the face of abuse, scarcity and the pain of rebirth. The best part of the play for me was the amazing singer who accompanied the heroine on her journey, narrating her thoughts and feelings by belting out songs like 18 with a bullet and Daddy’s Home. Orale homes, this was a great show…

In LA, seeing art by accident is easy and always a pleasant surprise. The other day in Silverlake, attached to a little gift shop called Dust Muffin, my friend S. and I found The Gallery at 3517 W. Sunset Blvd, a cute hidden little art gallery tucked in a nook at the back of the shop. On display was the morbid yet enchanting tiny replica world of Catherine Coan’s Canary Suicides. Her website explains, “Catherine Coan’s Canary Suicides are meditations on captivity, miniature embodiment, the pet as fetish, and the relationship between death and delight.” Each little cage is a miniature replica of a suicide scene complete with a real dead canary, some tiny money, a tiny suicide note, a pet owned by the canary, and other unique surprises. It was magical and gross, beautiful and horrifying, and definitely delightful all at once. For the record, all canaries used died of natural causes. This exhibit is highly recommended for anyone with a dark sense of humor and appreciation for the amazing skill, vision, and talent it took to create this teensy and creative exhibition.

Finally, I attended the LA Opera to see La Boheme. I have to say that I’ve wanted to see La Boheme since the mid 90s when I saw RENT for the first time and learned that Giacomo Puccini’s romantic masterpiece set in Paris around 1830, was the original inspiration for the show . I loved Rent and put La Boheme on my ‘to see’ list way back then, however it was better than I could have dreamed. Poetic, timeless and romantic, it literally made my heart flutter. It was dazzling. By the end I was balling. While I didn’t exactly do the ugly cry, I had to muffle my sobs for sure. Cheers to the Music Center and LA Opera for bringing such a jewel to our city. Now La Boheme is on my ‘to see again’ list.

While I’m happy to share my experiences with you, the real reason for this post is to inspire you to experience all of the art that is within your reach. This includes those of you not in LA. Where ever you are, keep your eye out for summer concerts, community theater, large-scale productions, art exhibits, and various performances going on in your city. Support the arts in your community and don’t let finances be an excuse to limit your culture seeking. Many exhibits and shows are free or by donation. This summer venture out and celebrate the Muse. She is alive all around you…

For the culture seekers in LA, I leave you with a small list to inspire your quest… Enjoy! xo

DTLA Art Walk

First Fridays on Abbot Kinney

LACMA

The Getty

The Hollywood Bowl

Sawdust Festival

The Greek Theater

The Pasadena Play House

The Art Crawl

Los Angeles Summer Festivals

Los Angeles Art Gallery Guide

This Charming Man…

Today is the birthday of Steven Patrick Morrissey, the last of the famous international playboys…

 Happy Birthday Moz, its still you I love…  Cheers and best wishes to the most charming man and handsome devil I can think of… Thank you for the inspiration.  May your light shine on 4-ever!

To me you are a work of art, &

 Whatever happens, I love you.

Your faithful fan always,  

Dre

P.S. Just in case you’re wondering, I’m still ill…

Since this is Project Dre LA, please enjoy Morrissey at the Hollywood Bowl- iconic as ever! xo

Be the change…

One of my resolutions for 2012 was to put my time and energy into a cause I believe in.  A few months ago I started volunteering as a mentor to a group of assigned middle school girls for a non-profit organization called EmpowHer Institute.

 

EmpowHer’s goal is to reduce the high school dropout rate for low-income middle and high school girls who are at risk of educational failure due to teen pregnancy, truancy, and juvenile delinquency. The strategy is to:

• provide sisterhood through mentoring
• give relevant training like choice and decision-making skills
• demonstrate resiliency as a means to overcome poverty
• help young women meaningfully serve their communities

Grim statistics from 2009 show that pregnancy is the number one reason for the female drop out rate.  More than 40% of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s black students and 35% of Latino students will not complete high school. Those numbers are much higher in the low-income communities, which are served by EmpowHer.  Armed with this information, the organization designed a program that addresses these issues.

EmpowHer girls learn respect and develop self-confidence, attain life skills such as health and hygiene, and are taught goal setting and the importance of making good choices. They are nurtured and encouraged to learn. The program’s purpose is to inspire the girls to dream big for their own future and discover the power of education. This is accomplished through specific class curriculum, cultural exposure through learning field trips, and mentoring.

Mentoring has given me an appreciation for my own acquired knowledge and desire to share my hard-won wisdom. I absolutely love it and truly had no idea how much I would enjoy the students. I am astounded by their foresight, tenacity, inquisitive minds and sweet nature. The benevolent spirit and energy of the girls is contagious. These 13 and 14 years old rising stars are bright-eyed, smart and ambitious. It is satisfying to know we are influencing them at a time in their life when habits and outside influence weigh so much in how they will proceed in the world.

Wont you help me make a difference? Click here to donate to this worthy organization. It doesn’t take much to make an impact.  If you donate just in terms of what you spend at Starbucks coffee, say the amount you would pay for a venti sugar-free vanilla Earl Grey tea latte with soy (about $5 or $10 if you’re like me and buy 2), you will help fund a program that gives hope and opportunity to an underprivileged Los Angeles girl. The impact is immeasurable, but we need your help…

For more information about EmpowHer Institute click here.

For information on being an EmpowHer mentor and other volunteer opportunities, click here.

Find EmpowHer on Facebook here.

Gandhi famously said, Be the change you wish to see in the world.  Live it.  Thank you. xo Dre

P.S. How are you serving in your community? Go to volunteermatch.org to find a cause you can get behind.

VegWeek 2012

Earth Day was last Thursday, April 20th, AKA 4/20. What did you do? If your only participation in an Earth Day celebration involved listening to Bob Marley while passing a spliff, perhaps you will participate in what some would consider a more noble endevure in the name of our dear Mother Earth. How about changing your diet for week?  A group called Compassion Over Killing, or COL first launched VegWeek in honor of Earth Day in 2009 in Maryland.  Today, Vegweek is a national campaign taking place April 23 to 29.  Its purpose is to celebrate and highlight the many benefits of eating vegetarian for health, the planet and the animals. Here are a few facts I took from the Vegweek website: 

• 10 billion land animals animals and billions more aquatic animals are raised and killed every year in the U.S. for food.   That’s more than one million animals every hour!
• Hypertension, obesity, cancer and diabetes rates are increasing each year.  A vegetarian diet is good for your health and may even reverse some diseases including America’s top killer, Heart Disease.
• Factory farming contributes significantly to Earth’s three most climate change-effecting gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—all produced in excess through the simple respiration and digestive processes of billions of farmed animals.

Los Angeles is a wonderful place to be a vegetarian, even if its just for a week.  Some of LA’s most popular restaurants such as Hugo’s, The Veggie Grill, Evo Kitchen, Masa of Echo Park and more will be holding events, offering discounts and creating special menus around VegWeek.  If you need support participating in VegWeek, you won’t be alone.  Many of our elected officials have signed the “7 Day Veg Pledge” including CA State Controller John Chiang, Congressperson Barbara Lee (CA-9), CA Assembly members Betsy Butler (CA-53) and Das Williams (CA-35), Candidate for CA Assembly Brian Johnson (CA-46), Pepperdine University Assistant Professor of Education Dr. Tony Collatos, Discovery Channel Writer Jerry James Stone, and more.

“VegWeek is a great opportunity to support healthier eating habits,” said CA Senator Ted Lieu (CA-28). “As a state policymaker, I have authored and supported numerous bills to improve the humane treatment of animals. Compassion Over Killing deserves commendation for helping improve public awareness of animal treatment.”

Are you in? You can hold yourself accountable by signing the Veg Pledge on line…

City Slang

Some of you are going to think I’m def (definitely) redic (ridiculous) for saying this, but there is a subtle shift happening right now in the English language. I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed, but I felt compelled to mention this little vocablution (vocabulary evolution) when recently a friend invited me to pizza, but called it “Za”. Um, I guess “pizza” was too long of a word, so in the name of tifficiency (time efficiency) he had to cut it down, but I have a question. When did we start calling pizza “za”? Now you might be saying, “Dre, we don’t call it za, your friend is just a douche”, which may or may not be true but he in fact said it not just to me, but to a whole group of East Sunset Blvd. hipsters. No one made fun of him or even made eye contact with me to make fun of him privately. I thought to myself, “WTH (what the hell) dude.” It reminded me of a recent convo (conversation) I had with my cuz (cousin) in which she referred to her boss as cray and her man as cray cray (crazy). I’ve been asked for the deets (details) on several occasions and even recently got word my bestie (best friend) added Suburgatory to her show rotashe (rotation). Hmmm. Are we so epically cool, pressed for time, or lazy that we are now cutting or merging and in some cases cutting and merging our words together? Not since the whole valley girl slang movement have I seen such a caj (casual) indoctrination of slang into everyday life in Los Angeles…

I theorize that this evolution in the language can be attributed to the texting revolution. No, not sexting, texting. Who would have ever guessed that OMG would actually become not an acronym for Oh My God, but an actual saying on its own, as in Oh Em Gee. I freely admit to texting “prolly” instead of the word “probably” but I don’t say it… well, until now!

This whole shortening of words isn’t really new to me though. I’ve done it with names for the longest… My friend Racquel is Rac, Stephanie is Nel (her name evolution goes from Stephanelious, to Nelious, to Nelli to Nel), Elaine is E. And even my friends with one syllable names like Chad for example, have been shortened to an initial. I call Chad “C”. The other thing I find myself doing with names is making them plural like my friend Roland who I call Rolls, or Michelle who I call Smells. No one ever corrects me or is offended by the liberties I take with their names, prolly (probably) cuz (because) it genuinely comes from my heart space. When I give a nickname it’s a sign of intimacy. It says I know this person and we have a close relationship. A nickname between friends means we are cool like that. The media only encourages this labeling process with their cleaver merging of names like Brangelina (Brad and Angelina), Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez), or LiLo (Lindsey Lohan) just to name a few.

Given that this is now a quasi new way of speaking for the understatedly cool in LA, when I see my BFF’s (best friend forever’s) new baby girl all dolled up in a pink tutu and I exclaim how presh (precious) she looks, am I cool or lame? If you said lame, I think you’re prolly (probably) just jelly (jealous) cuz (because) I’m so dope. I mean, all things considered, you do have to be a little bit brill (brilliant) to be able to adjust the English lang (language) using made up words, and not only get everyone to understand what you mean, but also add them to their own slang rotashe (rotation).

So no worries yo! Make your din din (dinner) reservations at your fave spot and grub some delish (delicious) sustenance with your peeps (people), bros (brothers), or BFFL (best friend for life). It’s all good. Chillax (chill and relax) and enjoy some cockies (cocktails). Ok, maybe I took it too far with the cockies, but hey- I’m not making this stuff up. I’ve totes (totally) heard cocktails referred to as cockies! Just saying.

Have you noticed this shift in our vocab? What abbreviations, half words, compound words or singular words made plural do you love or drive you crazy?