Once In A Blue Moon - December 2009

For any who think I am just commenting on current events...I researched this post back in October (when I realized that the moon was full around my son's Halloween Birthday) and wrote it back on December 2nd.

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See you all tonight, when the Moon goes Blue. :-)

It doesn't happen often, but tonight is the night it will. We had our first full moon back on December 2nd. This one will be the second one of the month and thus, it's a Blue Moon. Of course it won't be blue in color, but it will be unusual, none the less.

Next one will be in August of 2012. Mark your calendars.

Pork Loin With Cranberry Sauce

I made this Pork Roast for our Christmas Dinner. The Pioneer Woman had it showcased on her website a few weeks ago and I kept it in the back of my mind, for a future special meal.
I had a roast chicken, too, so I covered the bases, but I would like to state for the record, that this roast seriously rocks!
I make pork roast many weeks, to give me a change from constantly having chicken and most times the pork is very hard to chew.
Not so with this recipe, it was almost fall apart tender.
I don't know if it was the braising before cooking, or what, but it was easy to cut and yummy to eat.
The onions were almost caramelized and the cranberry sauce gives it a tartness and sweetness, all at the same time.
Oh and if possible, the left overs are even better. What's not to like? :-)

Try it sometime.

Christmas, Los Angeles Style

Our visitors who came into Los Angeles this holiday season, got greeted, upon their arrival, by this beautiful tree.

I give the people in charge of such things credit, it's always beautiful and it's always different.

It's got to be the thing I miss the most, commuting via the bus this season. I rarely get to the station anymore.

No carolers, either, which is good and bad.





This decoration is attached to a string of reindeer. A very nice touch.



I hope you enjoy the photos and had a peaceful Christmas, with family or friends.

From The Flight Deck Of The Midway

My Water Post For Today.

We are in San Diego today, visiting with friends, so I thought I would give you a peak at what we can see while down there.

San Diego is probably one of the most under rated cities in California. It's a beautiful place, without so much of the traffic, that makes LA...well, LA.
San Francisco, by choice, is also full of traffic, trying desperately to keep people from coming to the City By the Bay. They fail, by the way.




San Diego has beautiful weather, a coast to die for and a Navy Base. What's not to like. :-)

In the spirit of that, here are 2 views from the flight deck of the Aircraft Carrier, Midway. One looking toward Coronado, where the Navy ships are berthed and the other looking at the downtown skyline.

I hope you enjoy.

Melrose Ave. - Then And Now

A Sunset on Melrose Ave. 30 years ago.

This building, was my first job in Los Angeles. Melrose Avenue wasn't trendy, it was full of many things, including that body shop on the corner.
I worked in a photo lab. Atkinson Stedco. We did prints from slides.
The front had the counter, where people came and dropped off and picked up stuff and then over to the left, was where my boss would color correct the slides, before we put them into the machine and made the print. The back of the place was where the chemicals were that we used to run the exposed film through to be developed. Big rolls of film, that then were cut into individual prints and packaged for the client. I did not make much money, but I loved working with the photographs, for there were lots of talented photographers who used our services. There was also the seamier side of Hollywood, which was an eye opener to this pretty sheltered 24 year old, but I did survive seeing that, too. All part of that LA Education, I guess. ;-)




I haven't been back to that area for decades and definitely only on a drive by.
The other day I went to a storefront a block away and couldn't resist seeing what had happened to the place where it all began for me. Melrose Ave. is obviously the trendy capital now days and why was I totally not surprised to see that my photo lab was now a place selling high end, fashion jeans. lol

I walked into the place and yeah, they gutted it...but you could still feel some of what was there. I asked the sales girl if they still had the door that led out into the alley in the back and she said yeah. They must have their stock back there.

A real blast to the past, for me.

Jethro Finds A Home

If you remember a few months ago, my work friend lost a fish named Alphie. We had a funeral and were very sad.

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours at work posted the fact that she had a cat that she had been feeding, and that it needed a forever home. Amazingly, my work partner decided that he was ready to share his life with a cat and thought they might be a good fit.
So she got the cat fixed and then brought him in on a Thursday afternoon.
She figured the cat would still be partially under from the drugs that the vet used and would be quiet on the way to his new home in Santa Monica.



It's been a couple of weeks and my work partner came in the other day with photos.

I think he was right, they are a good fit together. :-)

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Check out the cat
bed in the second photo.
It called a Sleepypod and
has a cover for
transporting the cat,
when my friend visits
his parents.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas.

Here is the Nativity at our Church last night. 4PM Mass. I was surprised that the baby Jesus made his appearance already, but as you see, there he is. :-)

It was very nice to see the Nativity spread out this year. Our other years, in the old Church, it was quite cramped quarters for the baby and his family.

It took 25 minutes to give out Holy Communion and our estimates were that we had something like 1,800 people in attendance. There were 2 more Masses scheduled last night and 3 on Christmas Day. That's a lot of people.

The 50 member Children's Choir did an excellent job, even to singing Happy Birthday to the Baby Jesus, when the Priest suddenly asked them too.



My guy running the audio board, with his partner.

It was perfect.


I am so glad it's over.

Big Bear 2009

My other "son" #1 is here on 2 week leave from the Marines. He asked the California crew if they wanted to spend a few days up in Big Bear, which is a local ski area. He rented a cabin and got together 8 people and they filled 2 cars with stuff. Basically your grand adventure type thing.


They left on Sunday morning.





From what my son said, they got up there early (their cabin wasn't available until 3PM) so they got something to eat and took a look around.


Monday was ski day. My son skied, while my "other" 2 sons did some snowboarding.
No one ended up with broken bones, so I guess it was a good day.






On Tuesday morning it snowed, so they had a bit of a hairy trip down the mountain...but again, they made it without mishap.

God watches over fools and young children. :-)





Glad they went...glad that my son is home, safe and sound.


Skydiving next week. =:0

Lights: The Next Generation

I broke down this year and bought the newest lights on the market.

LED lights are supposed to use something like 90% less electricity then conventional outdoor lights.

Well, I just spent a fortune on them, so I had better see some savings on my electric bill next month. :-)

They were about $10 a string...but it took double the amount of strings of lights, to cover my house. In good news, I intend to say goodbye to the lights that have been on my home for many years. It's about time and I am glad to not have to keep changing the lights as the bulbs burn out. These will also not lose the color on the lights, like the old ones.
Of course, as one who has lived on this earth a bit, I know that whatever won't happen, will be replaced with something we never had to deal with before.
I will just have to wait, to find out what that is.

Trees Of Remembrance

We have a new Church, with a lovely patio area, between the old and the new.


They usually have refreshments and tables for some of our ministries out there.


This year, they decided to try a new tradition, people could remember their loved ones, with an ornament on the holiday tree that they put out on the patio. I have seen things like this before, but I have never participated...until now.









I decided to buy one for my Mom and my Dad. People who, of course, mean so much to me.


They made me who I am, for better or for worse and I love them and miss them so much.










They also decided to dedicate a tree, to our beloved pets.


This year is particularly poignant, because as much as Makenna makes me happy, it also brings back 15 Christmas' in the past that we shared with our Jessica and then later, our only Christmas with our Flower.








I have ornaments for both cats at my home, but I decided to give a donation and get one, for this tree.

I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but I did manage to go to the dedication evening, the other day. They had hot chocolate and desserts there.

Then the priest came and first talked of our loved ones and how the holidays are the time we remember them the most.
With people, we believe that we will be reunited with our loved ones, but then when he went on to speak of our pets.
He said that a pet teaches us to care for something besides ourselves.
We take care of them and our reward for that, is their unconditional love of us.

That much love, the love between a pet and an owner, can't just disappear.

Hopefully on that final day, we will be reunited with them, too.

I cried. I admit it. :-)

The Land Of Oz In Winter

My Water Post For Today.

I went to school in the cold and snow capital of the Country.

When they talk of Lake Effect snow...it has it's roots in the Great Lakes and specifically, the Eastern end of any of those lakes.
In New York, cities like Buffalo, Oswego and Watertown, are all on the eastern shore and they get dumped on, royally, due to cold air from the West moving over those warmer lakes and then dumping onto the first land they hit.
I spent 2 years in that climate and frankly, I loved it.
Don't ask, I know I am crazy. :-)





The other day it was snowing up at my old school and someone mentioned it on Facebook, with a link to the webcam. I have not managed to get the webcam to work recently and so I was amazed when it actually did. They have obviously updated it, because I had a real time feed, not just a still image. I could see the snow fall, the cars drive and the people move around campus. Also the lights blinking on those 2 towers off in the distance, which belong to the Niagara Mohawk Power Plant.
It brought back so many memories, of a fabulous time of my life. I still say that the fact that I survived and thrived in that environment, was the reason I made it in LA.

Enjoy a few shots of early evening on the campus webcam.

An Update, I guess... And A Welcome Home

Almost a year ago, I wrote a post about my "Other" son #1 who is in the Marines. He and a girl had started going out together for the Christmas Holiday and then almost as soon as he returned to his post, they broke up. You can read my thoughts and a message to my "Other" son at this post: They Say You Bleed For Your Children.

The other day, I finally got an update and some of the reason for the break up, at my "Other" son's blog. You can read what he wrote, Here. Always and Forever.

I am not an expert on love and relationships, but I was (I don't think glad is the word I want) impressed that most of what I said, seems to have been correct, or at least partially correct. My friend Cindy was too and she had only met him one time.

I look forward to seeing my "Other" son this weekend, when he returns to us for 2 weeks. The kids have lots of things planned and hopefully that friendship thing might kick in for the two involved with this relationship.

Or maybe they have indeed both moved on from this. We shall see.

EAF In Silk Screening

If you belong to Facebook, you already saw these photos, but for the rest, here they are.

Remember a few weeks ago, my son and his friend bought these work coveralls for a trip to Big Bear. Well, they decided to customize them with a logo and their EAF names. So off they went to their old High School to use the silk screen machine.

My son's coverall seems quite good...but my other son decided to put his on in pink. So you have an orange coverall with a pink logo.

It's a bit jarring. :-)






It amazes me when they do things like this. So much time and energy...but they are young and have the time.


They obviously have the talent, too.

Scenes of Hanukkah 2009

The final days of Hanukkah are coming up.

These photos were taken the first weekend.

I did try to keep things low key this year, in honor of the fact that Makenna is around and very kittenish, yet. So things are high and not too many.






I remember electric Menorahs, from when I was young and growing up in NY. They did not have them here in LA, until a few years ago.

This one I found at a half price sale at the drug store.

It's sleek and I love it.

Holiday Greetings From Me

A bit of the holiday spirit, Angel Style.


I am wearing my signed Max Martini "Mack Daddy CAN Walk 2007" tee shirt.

I have on my dog tag from 30 Seconds to Mars.

I am standing by my decorated doorway at work.

Enjoy the magic of the season.

Women's Guild - Where Is That Time Turner When I Need It

The Women's Guild at their November meeting.

I have belonged to the organization for a year and a half and have never managed to get out to one of their meetings. Which bothers me, no end...but that's my life, right this minute. I have so much I could add to it, if I only had more time.

That said, I went to George's Bistro for a casual brunch after Church and was immediately filled with belonging. People I knew by sight, were there. One of our Deacons, too. He gave the blessing before our meal and what a nice meal it was. The conversation at my table was lovely and when I mentioned my "Magic" son, one lady at the table shared the comment that she had been at that very restaurant where he works and saw him in action. Yay!

All too soon, it was over, but they took a picture to remember it by and when I got their news letter this month, it brought back nothing but good memories.

Now if only I can make their December Meeting tonight...sigh

Adventsljusstakar - Advent Candle Holder

This is the Third week of Advent. Or as I call it, Pink Candle Week. ;-)

I picked up this lovely Advent Candle Holder back in the early 80's. It's not traditional by American standards, we basically make an Advent Wreath of evergreens, but I loved how simple and yet beautiful it was. I believe it's Scandinavian in origin and from what I found on the Internet, called an Adventsljusstakar. From what I read, the houses have 5 or 7 candled holders in their windows at night, to celebrate the Christmas Season. No idea why some have 7 candles, instead of 5, but I thought I would mention it.

Speaking of which...I really need a new "Pink" candle. Mine is definitely losing it's color.

For any who don't know (like me) my friend finally explained what the pink candle symbolizes...Joy.

I like that.

Three Days Of Rain

My Water Post For Today.

There is nothing quite as dramatic as the view from the Los Feliz Bridge, during a rain storm. It's probably the most photographed section of the river, by news crews looking for...well, news.

I was driving to work on Saturday in the pouring rain and came to the bridge. I couldn't resist and so here it is. The Los Angeles River in it's full Majesty.

Enjoy.

Why Is There A Menorah On The Altar?

Good Catholic that I am, when my friend Fran mentioned reading Why is there a Menorah On The Altar, it interested me enough, to buy it.

I finally got around to reading the book and found that even though I consider myself enlightened in regard to Judaism, since my Husband is Jewish, I had no clue how much of Catholic worship is directly connected to Judaism.

Meredith is not adverse to quoting scripture and her opinions toward tolerance between Christians and Jews, mirrors my own (thanks to my Mom).

A good read for any who wonder why discrimination, antisemitism and things like the Holocaust continue to occur, Centuries later.

Peace, my Brothers and Sisters in Worship.

Let us try to find common ground, instead of dissension.

Sweet Fire Chicken Breast

Other son came over last week, to show off his Beat It video to me.

He had just finished his shift at work and so he still had on his Panda Express shirt.
He is a walking ad for their new dish, which I just happened to eat when I was on vacation in Washington, DC last month.

Sweet Fire Chicken Breast is the dish.

It's quite good and I am not a Panda Express fan. :-)





Oh and check out the cute tee shirt.

It says "Why am I the sweet one?"

"Because I'm hotter."

I guess that says it all...

Max Martini Turns 40 Today!

Happy 40th Birthday Max Martini!

We have been counting down the days to his 40th. Why? I don't know. When it comes to me and Max Martini, I don't quite understand the whole thing, but I respect him and love his acting and will quite literally do almost anything he asks of me, that is not illegal...or go against my wedding vows. ;-)

So on the occasion of his 40th, I decided to mention a few fast facts on the man.

He was born 40 years ago today in Woodstock, NY. The year was 1969. Must have been a hoppin' hippy place in those days. :-)

He is a citizen of 3 Countries, Italy, Canada and the United States.
His Father is Italian (duh, Martini).

He has a Texas Connection which comes through in his acting. He always looks so comfortable in jeans and boots.

He owns a ranch in Central California.

He comes from a "show biz" artistic family and his own family is also that way. His wife is Actress Kim Restell, who he has played against at different times in his career. They have 2 sons, Sean Carlo and Leo. The Star tats he carries on each bicep are for them.
Kimmy on his arm, is for his wife.






I have met Max on 3 occasions.

We walked for Autism in a group in April of 2007.

We met on the set of the movie Redbelt in June of 2007.

We met on the set of The Unit in February of 2009.
(This photo was taken that day.)






Good luck Max, in all you do.

Always, Your Trusty Angel Girl.

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Max sent a message back to us fans.

You can see it here.
Max Martini Birthday Message.

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Sigh, sigh, sigh...


Just because my good friend Gina requested it.

The photo of Max and I at the CAN Walk.

The man is SUCH a ham...

30 Seconds To Mars - A Trip To The Hive

30 Seconds To Mars are an Alt Band, headed by actor Jared Leto.

Their new CD, just came out yesterday, titled The Is War. I have been a fan for 2 years now and as I mentioned in a previous post, I was eagerly anticipating their latest.
I still don't have it, but I tracked my preorder to Chino on Wednesday...so I think it's almost here. :-)

Thank goodness for friends...
My friend Kevin gave me a link to an AOL Music streaming version of the entire CD, so at least I have heard it a few times. I like it...totally!

The band will be in concert tonight and they are on the bill with something like 6 other bands. A weeknight, lots of bands I don't know, $70...uh, no thanks.

Well, yesterday they mentioned that people could stop by their storefront called The Hive and see the band do an acoustic set. I LOVE the acoustic versions of the songs and I decided that since I had my car, I would skip work for an hour and check out the scene. I didn't expect to get anything...so of course, I got everything I wanted and more!





They decided to change the way the afternoon went, so they bumped the acoustic set up to the top and then the signing of things. Since I still don't have my CD, this was just fine with me. So they herd us into this little storefront and tell us to move close together and sit on the floor. No room for feet and that was going to be a bit of an issue for this fan...but I managed to make it through the 3 song set. with only mildly asleep feet. :-)

They went with one of the new songs first...which you can hear part of right here.
This is War Acoustic

Then they asked us what we wanted to hear and seemed sad when most mentioned old stuff. Well, Jared talked a bit more and then broke into Capricorn: Brand New Name, which I adore. The opening cut from their first CD. A real rocker that goes acoustic so well.
Then he talked some more, asking us what we thought the 2ND song from the new one should be. My humble opinion was This Is War, but most went with another cut, which I hadn't heard enough to have an opinion on.
Then Jared breaks into The Kill from their second CD and this acoustic version has a killer bridge that Tomo does on guitar. I absolutely am in love with it!

All too soon, we were herded back out and I headed back to work and my responsibilities. Sigh...

Red And Green And Blue Berries

I have no idea what these plants are...but the green and red reminds me of holly and the blue ones, of blueberries.

I thought the contrast was pretty and worth photographing.

They Stabbed It With Their Steely Knives, But They Just Can't Kill The Beast

I always liked the fact that Steely Dan was referenced in the Eagles most famous song, Hotel California. Here is part of the story, from one of the principals.

Boardwalk Waterscape

My Water Post For Today.

This image is straight out of the camera. Check out the detail, the boardwalk of Atlantic City is out the window in the rear and what makes this waterscape so interesting is that it is out on a pier!

Water above and water below, I guess.

It is the entrance to the pier mall at Atlantic City. Very interesting to look at and appreciate.

I hope that you do.

Union Station In The 1940's?

I was walking through Union Station last week and decided to visit the Christmas Tree, up at the front.

When I finished, I walked through the main concourse and what do I see?
These people dressed in period costumes, standing around.

So being the strange person I am, I approach them and ask if I could take a photo of them. They said yes, and you are seeing the result of that.

It's cool...but weird, all at the same time.

Like I was transported to a different era.

Enjoy.

Beat It!

The kids were at it again...

Videos to Michael Jackson's Beat It.



One in Color.

One in Vintage Black and White.

Just an FYI, the principals prefer it in Black and White...but you decide for yourself. :-)

Enjoy!

Gold Line Extension To East LA

The long awaited Gold Line Extension to East LA, finally opened November 15th. I was not able to get there the first weekend, but I did manage to make a quick run on the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend.
My monthly pass works for almost everything, so it cost me nothing...a good thing.

It starts at Union Station, where I spent so many years watching it getting built. The train came in from the Pasadena section of the Gold line and pulled into the station on Track 1. I boarded the train and we immediately were up and over the San Bernardino Freeway and then making a hard turn in between buildings. There was Little Tokyo Station, right off the bat. Not a quarter mile from Union. It's the same thing with Chinatown, on the Pasadena Gold Line. They are both right there, but it gives the residents the chance to get somewhere far away and it gives the riders the chance to safely get to both of these sections of the downtown area.

Since I was in a hurry, I did not get off at any stop.


As soon as we left the Little Tokyo/Downtown area of Los Angeles, we crossed the LA River and almost immediately went into a tunnel that crossed under the area called Boyle Heights. This area is where the original Jewish settlement of Los Angeles was founded. In later years it moved over to the Fairfax District, but I remember airing a movie called Meet me at Brooklyn and Soto about that long ago settlement. One of the stops that are within the tunnel is the Soto Street Station, which is about a block or two south of what used to be Brooklyn (Now Cesar Chavez Ave). The other station is Mariachi Plaza.


After our two underground stops, we came out on 1st Street in East LA. It is basically as you would expect. Lots of car repair shops, lots of car customizing shops and car washes and shops. The train made a turn and next thing I knew, we were traveling down 3rd Street.
We passed a few churches and came within a block or so of the infamous Garfield High School where Jaime Escalante taught many students to Stand and Deliver.

The prettiest station of the 8 was the one for East LA Civic Center. It has a California Poppy motif, that I really liked. See the top photo for one of the poppies.
Shortly after we went through Civic Center, we got to the final station of our journey, Atlantic Avenue.

As with all things public transportation, it doesn't go far enough...but at least it is a start.