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.

=================

Max sent a message back to us fans.

You can see it here.
Max Martini Birthday Message.

------------------------------------------------

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.

Two Old People

A couple of old photos :-)









I don't know why the sepia color effect did not change the white of my Husband's jacket. I found that interesting. The background was in the Museum of American History. I thought it was cool and we took photos in front of it. I think it is turn of the Century New York, but I could be wrong.

The Mac vs PS Debate - EAF Style

My Magic Son ("Other" Son #2) had to make a video for College and he enlisted my real son to help him. You see a lot of who they are in this video and just a hint of what it's like here at the Angel house, when some of them get together. My husband and I watched it and couldn't stop laughing.

If you can't watch it all, please get past about the half way point, when they flip sides. I got quite a kick out of that. :-)

Mac vs PC...please, no contest.

My "Other" Son Without A Number Graduates Boot

My Dad was Navy.

So to say the least, when these photos of my "other" son without a number turned up on Facebook, I was impressed. There he is, in his Dress Blues, looking just as wonderful as my Dad did, all those years ago.

His real Mom and his sister managed to fly to Chicago for his graduation from Boot.

He got through it well and even has people under his command. Say what? Sorry, it's a frightening thought. I remember when he would do nothing but act like a Ninja. :-)



His first post is Pensacola, Florida.

That sound familiar? Yes, it's where "Other" Son # 1 is located. They hope to get to see each other occasionally.

Congratulations "Other" Son without a number.

May great things come your way.