IT'S FEBRUARY Gloomy Day 1565 by Pieter Bruegel, the Elder As with all of the months of the year, even short February is packed with its share month-long observances. There are well-known observances, obscure ones and frankly some ridiculous ones whose very existence annoys me. If you live somewhere with a temperate climate in the Northern … Continue reading Happy February — here’s your line-up of month-long observances and ways to celebrate with music, movies and games
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Irvine, Orange County’s City of Innovation
INTRODUCTION Irvine skyline For a while now Irvine has shared the top spot on my poll (see the end of the post to vote) but I’ve put it off because of the time required to explore such a sprawling, distant city. There was also a time when most of my blog’s non-Los Angeles fans … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Irvine, Orange County’s City of Innovation
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That’s not amazing — California’s Gold, Huell Howser, has passed away
I am utterly gutted to hear that Huell Howser has passed away. I heard the news as I was writing about my exploration of Irvine for this blog, and simultaneously planning on exploring the route of the Expo Line Phase II tomorrow. If it weren’t for Huell, I may not have had the idea of … Continue reading That’s not amazing — California’s Gold, Huell Howser, has passed away
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And drouthy neibors, neibors meet – Drinking and dining and drinking at the Tam o’ Shanter Inn
Tomorrow I'm dining at the Tam o' Shanter Inn in the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Atwater Village. I needed to write about something and haven't yet been able to finish my piece about Irvine so here you go... A tam o' shanter is a 19th century nickname for a traditional sort of brimless, usually wool, … Continue reading And drouthy neibors, neibors meet – Drinking and dining and drinking at the Tam o’ Shanter Inn
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Happy birthday, Edvard Munch
Today is the 149th birthday of Norwegian painter and printmaker, Edvard Munch. Munch was born 12 December in the village of Ådalsbruk in Løten, in 1863. His father was a doctor named Christian Munch and his mother was Laura Catherine Bjølstad. He was often ill as a child and reportedly drew to occupy his considerable … Continue reading Happy birthday, Edvard Munch
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Piko Piko – A look at Picopop on the 34th birthday of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s debut
Back in 1978, on 25 November, pioneering Japanese group, Yellow Magic Orchestra released their influential, eponymous, debut full-length. The album and group are widely credited with being very influential on the development of several music genres, including ambient, chiptune, electro, hip hop, house, J-pop, synthpop, and techno, to name a few. The band (also known as YMO) were … Continue reading Piko Piko – A look at Picopop on the 34th birthday of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s debut
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Nature’s a language, can’t you read? — Seasons in the Southland
A FEW GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT ANGELENOS While I caution anyone attempting to make generalizations about a group as diverse and large as the 13 million or so people known as “Angelenos,” I have nonetheless made a couple of observations about a much smaller subsection, my Los Angeles friends, that I have to assume share more widely-held views with … Continue reading Nature’s a language, can’t you read? — Seasons in the Southland
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My maiden voyage on the RMS Queen Mary
The other day I went to the RMS Queen Mary for birthday drinks for Lynn Garrett’s birthday. Lynn is the founder and head honcho at Hidden Los Angeles. As the name suggests, Hidden Los Angeles is a highly useful guide to Los Angeles for Angelenos and visitors who presumably have no interest in (or interests … Continue reading My maiden voyage on the RMS Queen Mary
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Happy birthday, Hokusai!
This post originally appeared on the Amoeblog. Today is the date traditionally recognized as the birthday of one of my favorite Japanese artists, 葛飾 北斎 (Katsushika Hokusai). Without a doubt, he is one of (if not the) most famous Japanese artists of all time. His best-known work is the ukiyo-e woodblock print series 富嶽三十六景 (Thirty-six … Continue reading Happy birthday, Hokusai!
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Gower Gulch and the sort of beginning of Hollywood
The Hollywood neighborhood emerged as a small village in the late 19th century and was incorporated as its own municipality in 1903. But for most people in the world, “Hollywood” is synonymous with the commercial American film, which established itself there first in an area that came to be known as "Gower Gulch." Before Hollywood … Continue reading Gower Gulch and the sort of beginning of Hollywood
Eric Brightwell 