Retox moved

I moved my site...retoxinla.com or retoxinla.onsugar.com. Either one works, but for rss feeds, the address is http://retoxinla.onsugar.com/posts/feed.

Bye bye.

Kinda f**ked?

I finally have time to catch up on catching up with life. It's really motivating.

1. The LA Times reports that according to a new UN Report carbon dioxide output increased 3% from 2006 to 2007 despite expectations that the economic downtown turn would have a slowing effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Some scientists described the numbers as "scary" while Richard Moss, vice president and managing director for climate change at the World Wildlife Fund said "we should worried--really worried".

2. The state budget cuts for LA County were $34 million more than expected. The Daily News reports:

The budget will cut $33 million from Medi-Cal, $8 million from probation camps, $10 million from mental health and $6 million from alcohol and drug programs, according to a memo by county Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka. "Each and every item will have a significant impact on our social programs and will hit the underserved," Fujioka said.

from: LAist: Man Gets Shot in Hollywood, Witnesses Watch, Do Nothing

If you saw someone get shot in Hollywood, what would you do?

Like the title says, a man got shot in Hollywood. No one did anything and he had to call 911 himself. Read his personal account of the story over at LAist. I guess this is a reminder not to assume "someone else is going to do it", because they probably won't either.

LAist: Man Gets Shot in Hollywood, Witnesses Watch, Do Nothing

Fortunately the guy is doing ok.

More phiLAnthropists...

Apparently I have been busy...here are my most recently LAist articles:

PhiLAnthropist: Give Back to LA with Food & Paddleboats (8/6/08)
PhiLAnthropist: Give Back to LA (7/29/08)

The Girl Effect

Watching this gave me goosebumps...call me cheesy, I think it's pretty amazing.

3OH!3 is coming to your party

This is a screen shot of the top 5 new releases on itunes.

3OH!3 HOLLA BACK.

Sophia from the Golden Girls - Rest in Peace

Our favorite Sophia Petrillo lines

Estelle Getty, aka Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls, passed away today.

The Kansas City Star put together this great list of Sophia lines from imdb....

Sophia: Picture it: Sicily…

Dorothy (Sophia’s daughter, played by Beatrice Arthur): Hi, Ma. Where are you going?

Sophia: To the boardwalk. I like to watch the old guys rearrange themselves when they come out of the water.

Blanche (Rue McClanahan): I treat my body like a temple.

Sophia: Yeah, open to everyone, day or night.

Blanche: What do you think of my new dress? Is it me?

Sophia: It’s too tight, it’s too short and shows too much cleavage for a woman your age.

Dorothy: Yes, Blanche. It’s you.

Blanche: We just rented that movie “Aliens.” It scared us half to death.

Sophia: I found it scary, too. That Sigourney Weaver is a sweet girl but she really shouldn’t go without makeup.

Rose (Betty White): Everybody likes me.

Sophia: I don’t!

Rose: Oh, you just say that, Sophia.

Sophia: REPEATEDLY!

Stan (Dorothy’s ex, played by Herbert Edelman): Hello, Sophia, you’re looking younger every day.

Sophia: Hi Stan, and that’s a beautiful toupee you’re wearing. Great, now we’re both liars.

Dorothy: Well, Blanche is certainly taking her sister’s novel better than I would. I would kill my sister Gloria if she ever wrote about my sex life.

Sophia: You would kill your sister over a pamphlet?

Contractor: Do you want it fast or do you want it good?

Sophia: Before you answer that, Blanche, the man’s talking about a guest room.

Miles Webber (one of Rose’s boyfriends): Rose, I’ve never met anyone quite like you.

Sophia: Check the corn field on “Hee-Haw.”

Sophia: Come on, Blanche.

Rose: I’m Rose.

Sophia: Simple mistake. Means nothing.

Dorothy: Ma, Rose isn’t talking to me.

Sophia: Enjoy it while it lasts.

Blanche: Oh girls ... I’m just in ecstasy. My body is tingling all over. You will never guess what just happened.

Sophia: We know what happened. Let us just guess what part of the Middle East he’s from.

Sophia: Ow.

Dorothy: What is it, Ma?

Sophia: Pain.

Dorothy: What kind of pain?

Sophia: The kind that hurts.

Blanche: I have writer’s block. It’s the worst feeling in the world.

Sophia: Try 10 days without a bowel movement sometime.

Rose: Here you are, Sophia. The perfect after-dinner treat, a nice dish of Jell-O.

Sophia: I hate Jell-O. If God wanted peaches suspended in midair, he would have filled them with helium.

Blanche: Sophia, I need you.

Sophia: Blanche, you were strong and independent long before I got here.

Rose: I need you too, Sophia.

Sophia: Rose, you need the Wizard of Oz.

Blanche: I don’t really mind (my brother) Clayton being homosexual, I just don’t like him dating men.

Dorothy: You really haven’t grasped the concept of this gay thing yet, have you, Blanche?

Blanche: Well there must be homosexuals who date women.

Sophia: Yeah. They’re called lesbians.

Sophia: Hey, Sicilians can always recognize two things: when someone is telling the truth, and when they’ve had their fingerprints changed.

Blanche: Well, we have two choices: go and beg Ernie’s forgiveness, or hire another contractor.

Sophia: Or we could use the Sicilian method. We burn down the house, collect the fire insurance money and move to a beautiful beachside house in California. Personally, I vote for choice three.

phiLAnthropist on LAist.com

Check out my phiLAnthropist article on LAist.com. Hopefully this will be the first in a series of upcoming posts for my favorite LA blog...

Twitter and Trazzler

Since I clearly need more distractions, I found myself exploring twitter. At first I thought it was kind of stupid, but I think I am starting to get it. Anyway, I started "following" (or what in pre-twitter times we might call stalking) Evan Williams, Twitter's co-founder and CFO and his "twitter-feed" lead me to this new site, Trazzler. The site helps user's "answer one question, 'Where should I go?' by recommending trips unique to your location." I've been playing around on it for a little while and have already doubled my list of "things to do". I'm really impressed by the suggestions. While some don't apply (i.e. I'm not going to any 5-star hotels in Laguna Beach), many recommendations include various resources, so it helps to lead you to other ideas.

The Underwear Affair

People I don't know from last years run. (phot0: la08.uncoverthecure.com/)

I recently signed up for City of Hope's The Underwear Affair, a 10-K run (and 5-K walk) to "to raise funds and unleash a voice for devastating yet “hidden” cancers like prostate, colorectal, ovarian, testicular, bladder, cervical, and uterine that may affect you or someone you know". The race takes place on August 2nd and the course begins and ends at the La Brea Tar Pits, taking runners down 6th Street and around Hancock Park. Unlike most runs that begin early in the morning, this race starts at 6pm on Saturday night and participants are encouraged (and do) dress up. So the good cause aside, that right there obviously sold me on the race. Then there is a big party after after, with live music and drinks. So there are three reasons why it sounds super fun. So go sign up or if you are feeling generous you can help me reach my fundraising goal by donating via my personal page.

Sesame Street and Feist

I am going to see Feist play at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday and coincidentally just came across this video over at the GOOD magazine blog. Sesame Street kicks ass (it's in it's 39th season!), what a cool adaptation of her song and the original video (still one of my favorites). Enjoy.

Just Shrew It...

It's really July?

• Wednesday July 16th
• Twilight at the Club in Griffith Park - Cheap-ish drinks, food and "downtempo 70's beats". All over looking the golf course at Griffith Park. And prizes for the best Caddyshack costume.

• Thursday, July 17th
• The Future at the Silverlake Lounge - 8pm - I saw them play tonight at The Airliner. They were great, and I'm not just saying that because they are my friends. Solid keyboard melodies and vocals. I'm a fan.

• The Duke Spirit and IO Echo at the Hammer - 8pm - I'd like to check this out if I have time. I visited the Hammer a few weeks ago and attended a forum/discussion about current pitfalls in the public education system. While very informative, I left feeling helpless, sort of like "ok, so the system at the elementary - high school level is messed up, and now I'm learning that the higher education system is dominated by corporate interests. So what can we do?" One of the speakers, Sir Ken Robinson, was particularly entertaining and insightful. Anyway, I got to see the space in the middle and its a cool outdoor atrium; definitely a cool place to see a show.

• A Club Called Rhonda - 10pm - Guantelinda's - Every time I read about this weekly party, specifically the part that says "Rhonda likes to party so hard she'll be handing out shots at the door", I think to myself "that sounds amazing, I want to go". So this Thursday it will finally happen, thanks to its extremely close proximity to the Silverlake Lounge. Not to mention they will be celebrating the 2008 LA Bicycle Film Fest. Looks like I'll have to hit the Hammer next week...

• Friday, July 18th
• Skid Row History Museum presents Live From Skid Row - The Lamp Communuty Art Project Gallery - 6-9pm - This exhibit, at The Box Theater, "explores Skid Row through the stories of those who live, work and inspire others there". On Friday, The Lamp Community Art Project Gallery will host "Live from Skid Row" a community discussion with Pete White and Becky Dennison of LA Community Action Network. There will be a live musical performance as well as food and drinks. The actual museum exhibit, which is at The Box Gallery, has been well received by the LA Times amongst others. Speaking of Skid Row, two weeks ago marked the 3rd Anniversary of the monthly Skid Row Walk, a community effort to bring positive change and improvements to the people and neighborhood of Skid Row while increasing awareness. So far, it sounds like the walk has made an impact; walkers have observed a decrease in the number of people sleeping on the streets. Still, it sounds like the walk has a profound effect on both "first-time" and "veteran" walkers. For more, check out Ed Fuentes' coverage of the walks at blogdowtown.
  

• Saturday, July 19th
• Party Favors: Game Day - Bonelli Contemporary - 12 - 5 - I caught this in the Weekly and it sounded cool...an exhibit in Chinatown dedicated to exploring the party as a subject, idea and state of mind. Saturday's theme is Games. It starts with Board games, Bloody Marys and mimosa's at noon and wraps up with the "Name Game" and cocktails around 3:30. Don't worry, cheap wine and beer are on the itinerary as well.
  

• The Taming of the Shrew - The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels - 8pm - After "game day", head downtown to see a modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's play as part of the LA Shakespeare Festival. The best part? Seeing the debut of the fabulous Amy Handleman. Check out what defamer had to say about it...holla!

• GLOW Santa Monica - SM Pier & Beach - 7am-7pm. An all-night/dusk-till-dawn art experience inspired by the Nuit Blanche in Paris. This is the first time they have done this, so I am eager to see how it comes together.
  

I think that's it for now...

I made you a mixtape.

screen shot from muxtape.com

retoxinla.muxtape.com

Bringing back the mixtape.

Go make one.

Rothbury! Monkeys!

These monkeys were so damn cool. Basically it went like this...there was a DJ in the middle of the monkey wheel, or whatever its called, and he was playing music. Surrounding the base were giant drums. Hippies beat on the drums until there was enough banging to make the monkey wheel start moving...so then the music picked up, the lights got crazy and this paired with the spinning monkey wheel created the illusion that the monkeys were moving...specifically, swinging from branch to branch. It was so cool. I watched with my friend David. It was probably 3am and at the end of every monkey dance song, I kept saying "ok, one more song! I promise this is the last one!" Just call me a hippie.

Rothbury! Photos...

Rothbury was an incredible event. Amazing on so many levels - the people, the place, the music, the sustainability aspect - the whole vibe just came together so well. I must admit, I'm not usually a huge fan of the jam band scene, but I was loving it this past weekend when I was watching Widespread Panic jam on the 4th of July. Speaking of hippies, best line I heard:
Fan of Widespread Panic during drum solo: "Dude, it's drums. Don't dance man. People will make fun of you."
My friend, another WSP fan, during drum solo: "This is when hippies pass out."
With that, here are a few pictures, for more see my flickr album.

Festival Grounds

Widespread Panic 7/4/08

The Sherwood Forest...magic...

Primus 7/4/08

Primus 7/4/08

WSP 7/4/08

Of Montreal 7/4/08

Of Montreal 7/4/08

Trees in the Sherwood Forest 7/4/08

Yes, fireworks on 7/4/08

Other highlights include the almost zero-waste and sustainability aspect. Even Snoop took the time to separate out his compost and recyclables and put them in the appropriate bins. Michael Franti led yoga sessions each morning (although I did not make it to them, thanks jager). There was an energy fair, farmers market and some great art...stay tuned for pictures of the monkeys.

Full Rothbury coverage and more at Rolling Stone

I like pictures...

The Boston Globe has a great blog called "The Big Picture". The pictures are fantastic and cover current world affairs. Bookmark it. The Big Picture

A couple reacts immediately after an earthquake struck during their wedding photo shoot at a deserted catholic seminary in Pengzhou in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday May 12, 2008. Five couples were having wedding photos taken when the earthquake struck, and all escaped without injury. The century-old seminary was destroyed in the quake, which left tens of thousands dead in Sichuan. (AP Photo) (Source: The Big Picture)

Go to The Future...tonight!

If you like any of the following...Television, Supergrass, The Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, Suicide, Brian Wilson, Serge Gainsbourg, David Bowie, Juan Atkins, The Beatles, The Pixies, Underground Resistance, Trent Reznor, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine...you will appreciate the sounds of The Future, playing tonight at the Cat Club on Sunset. Full disclosure: They are my friends but they also kick ass. So go.

Airlines suck

I am stuck at LAX right now. My flight on mean-Spirit Airlines was canceled. For no reason. So now I am wishing and hoping and praying that I get on this Northwest flight in an hour. Otherwise, I'm out of luck for the night. Awesome. So I'm going to try and think of what I've done or where I have been lately that I recommend...

most recently...

• The Hammer Museum and Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood
• Little Radio's Summer Camp Downtown (went twice - amazing)
• GoGA bike ride (also went twice for both the Westside Ride and Eastside Ride)
• Nikka Costa @ the El Ray
• Thievery Corp @ Hollywood Bowl
• 3OH!3 pre-Warped Tour show at the Non-Stop Riot Headquaters
• Lucent Dossier @ the Edison Downtown
• Hiko Sushi on National Blvd and Sawtelle (I think...)
• Hollywood Park Racetrack ($1 Beers, $1 Hotdogs Friday night -mmmhmm)

Now I must go face the pleasant airline staff. More later.

What are you doing July 5th?

Free jello shots (!!!!), champagne and the Standard Downtown...if I were in LA this weekend, I can tell you where I'd be on Saturday

Doctor's Without Borders "The Top Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises"

I intended to post about all the great stuff that has been keeping me busy during my first summer in LA, however, I just read this article and feel that it's worth a read. MSF-USA: Special Report: The 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises

Medecine Sans Frontiers/Doctors without borders is always looking for donations and support. Their website offers a tremendous amount of information as well.

8-minute Special

In case you weren't paying attention (and I must admit, I was not paying attention enough), here is the Democratic primary stripped down to an 8-minute video.
(via kottke.org)

Detroit Sprinkles...and the weekend

Action-packed little Sunday...

• Hit the ocean for some "surfing"...I don't think laying on your board and getting your ass-kicked counts as surfing, so...
• Brentwood Farmer's Market is full of such amazing fruits and vegetables right now...tons of delicious cherries, strawberries, peaches, cauliflower, celery, ginger, apricots...and my personal favorite, the Persian cucumbers.
• Dwell on Design Conference and Expo: Los Angeles was the fortunate host of the 3rd Annual Dwell on Design Conference and I had the chance to check out the design expo at the LA Convention center. It kind of reminded me of the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, except instead of beer and drunk people in a giant room, it was 55,000 sq feet of progressive people, ideas and sustainable and cutting edge design. Like I said, just like Beer Fest. I was overwhelmed with all of the different vendors, everything from solar panels, cork flooring and kitchen appliances to a variety of prefab homes. Those were the coolest, as you could walk inside the bedrooms, bathrooms and included outdoor landscaping. I'm thankful for all those smart people out there that come up with and design these things. At right is a picture of my favorite prefab house, it's HOM's Shotgun Style home.
• The Los Feliz Village Street Fair was the next stop on the Sunday tour. I love this area of town and had yet to really visit during the day. It was awesome, lots of different booths with vendors selling cool clothes, art, jewelry and food. The best booth, however, was thanks to the three guys from Farmington Hills, Michigan who are reppin' the D (that's Detroit for you novices) with their line of insanely cool t-shirts and hoodies called Detroit Sprinkles. Each shirt is individually designed and screened by hand. Not to mention the three guys are super nice as well and I know David, the man behind the designs, from my days as a camper at Camp Tanuga. It's a small world in a big city. I'm a fan of all the Michigan connections. My favorite was the Charlevoix-inspired design pictured at right. The sweatshirts are incredibly soft and comfortable too. I'll be buying lots more! Make sure to check them out and show off your Detroit pride. Believe me, if you want to be cool in LA (and the world) and you want people recognize you, wear these t-shirts. Just do it.

More to come on the following later...lots going on this week:

• 6/10: Green Business Networking at the Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica
• 6/10: The first Westside GoGA bike, beginning at the Bikrowave in Santa Monica
• 6/11: "Tokyo Tremors" talk at Royal T in Culver City
• 6/11: My own personal 90's volleyball/bar tour invitational.
• 6/12: Downtown Artwalk and Comedy Walk, yes, Downtown - and West Indian Girl will be playing a party at the 533 Studios.
• 6/13: Steel Pulse at Hollywood Park Race Track's "Hot Friday Nights" series.
• 6/14: Reading To Kids Monthly Reading Clubs - SIGN UP! They are always looking for volunteers!
• 6/14: Ting Tings @ Zero One Gallery CANCELLED!
• 6/15: W Westwood Summer Poolside Screenings - full schedule
• 6/15: Dosh and Anathallo @ Spaceland

China and Burma

I finally had a chance to spend some time getting up to speed with the aid and relief efforts in China and Burma. It's a tragedy that I could not even begin to comprehend or put into perspective. It is heart-wrenching to think that people who had very little to begin with now suffer an even greater loss. And now they struggle to find their families and rebuild their lives, amid the repercussions like disease and hunger that have only just begun.

Here are some quick and easy resources for news and information on how to donate:
NPR's Special Report on Myanmar and China
BBC's Special Report on Burma
BBC's Special Report on China

Google has made it very easy to donate money to help. Additionally, they will be donating $2 million to China and $1 million to Burma.
Google: China Quake
Google: Burma Cyclone
Doctor's Without Borders

source: AFP, bbc.co.uk

Moveon.org is a co-founder of Avaaz.org, a "global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want."

Check out these two sites for specific information for evaluating not-for-profits:
guidestar.org - provides detailed performance reports on not-for-profits
Charity Navigator - evaluates and ranks (most American) charities.

THE WEEKEND

Ton's of good stuff going on here this weekend...none of which I will be around to partake in since I will be with the Jamaican Bay to Breakers Bobsled TEAM mon!
Off the top of my head...

Saturday

Cupcake Challenge If you have an extra $60 to spend on some healthy food, why not! (thx carolineoncrack).

(Untitled) Gallery: A great gallery downtown in the Toy Lofts. I stopped in after I went to the Dress Right event a few weeks ago (read: hipster parade-off). They had two great Wesley Willis pieces in there. The guys who own it seemed super nice.

Untitled (Gallery) is pleased to present their inaugural
show, Simon Haas’ Drawings, on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The reception will
be from 7-11pm at the gallery. There will be an open vodka & champagne bar
courtesy of Sixth Street Bar & Grill.
Untitled (Gallery)
1855
Industrial Street, #109
LA, CA 90021
310-980-0905/213-415-1822
http://www.untitledgallery.net/

Crank Mob -Midnight Ridazzzzz ride.

LACMA Art Walk and after party.

Planet Blue and Only Hearts on Montana Ave in Santa Monica are having biiiiggg sales (via carolineoncrack and dailycandy).

"Full House" Reunion Show at UCB. I wanted to see this the other night, but I couldn't make it happen. I'm assuming it was great as they added another show.

Sunday

Venice Art Walk - Art, drinks, auctions, help people. Cool.

From venicefamilyclinic.org:

Explore artists’ studios, bid on original art, tour spectacular homes, sample
great food, drink, dance, watch, and enjoy – all proceeds benefit Venice Family
Clinic, providing free, quality health care to people in need.

Raconteurs are playing the Fonda. Tickets may be gone for this one... (thanks losanjealous).

Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club: Prom - Another weekly even that has been on the radar for a while. LA know's how to make Sunday a FUN day.

Like I said, I'll be at ZERO of these events. I have my own prom in SF tonight and a bobsled race to win on Sunday. And some retox. Soooo anybody out there, report back and let me know.

Ummmm....

TG - thanks for the great posts!

As usual, I am very distracted and unfocused. Here's what I do know:

ArtSeen 3 kicks off with their opening party tomorrow night downtown on Gallery Row. The galleries will be open from 6-10 and showcasing special exhibits for ArtSeen 3, all part of AIDS Research Alliance's effort to raise money for AIDS research. While the event is free, it sounds like many pieces will be up for auction. Oh, and Absolut Vodka is sponsoring an open bar. And the Standard Downtown will be hosting the after party. With more Absolut.

More art this weekend...the LACMA's Mid-Wilshire ArtWalk is happening on Saturday followed by an after party at the LACMA.

My Bloody Valentine is on sale now. They are playing at the SM Civic Auditorium October 1st and 2nd. I don't think they have played in the US in 17 years. Yeah, kind of a big deal.

Bay-to-Breakers is this weekend in SF. I'm quite excited for this wonderful gathering. It sounds like a bigger, badder and legal-er Urban Iditorad. Times a million. Geoffrey, Hubert, Gerkin and Diane von Hoodman.

Pinkberry has crack in it and it's deliciously addictive. "$5 for a small yogurt with one topping? Well of course, here is my money!" Today I discovered Yogurtberry at Wilshire and Western. They let you create your own fro-yo novelty. Then they weigh it. I'm glad I have more ways to waste my money. But it's just so good. Seriously, who am I?

Your Un-Guide to Hollywood

For the last few months, I've been getting these messages on Facebook from some dude who evidently is the "man" when it comes to the Hollywood club and party scene. I'm not sure how I ended up on his list. Just as I was ready to figure out how to make the messages stop coming, I decided to read one and it turns out they are extremely entertaining. At least I think so. Here are some excerpts:

What a week we have coming up.Tonight: Villa (the last few Monday nights have been off the charts hot) "Quality over Quantity" - see ya tonight.
Tuesday: Grand Opening of STK's "Coco Deville Lounge" super tight list to get inside. see ya tomorrow kids
Wednesday: Crown Bar has been killing it.
Thursday: Foxtail - that's SBE celeb night (every table sold out)
Friday: Les Deux everyone called & texted me telling me that they were there.
***THIS SATURDAY NIGHT....The most exclusive event this year....at an undisclose location...open bar all night...GUEST LIST ONLY: THE WHITE PARTY. *You MUST wear all white in order to get in and the location has been rented out. They are being extremely tight at the door this saturday night.If you got the text a few hours ago...you know this party is going to be one for the record books (until my summertime kick party lol).Hit me for deals.See you at Villa tonight.~ p.s.,The Grand Opening tomorrow night...is going to be packed with celebs and the list is going to be tight....please don't get pissed at me if you don't make it inside
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night in Hollywood blew major chunks...translation...it straight-up sucked!!! Went to Les Deux for a red carpet event there last night...very urban there on Tuesday nights now. Bartabz.com was there taking photos.. you be the judge folks. Left Les Deux and headed over to Crimson only to find out..it was a special Opera/Crimson "French Tuesday" night...yuck! French Tuesday events are for those who are 45 yrs old and can't get into a regular club on any given night...the worst looking people ever. If you don't believe me go take a look at the pics they post of their events in LA...see for yourself. Left Opera/Crimson and went to S Bar (Dean May's going away party)..it was cool..(if people would have came by...aka..it was D.E.A.D..and I stayed until 12:05am). Bounced from there and went to Area..I figured..after Kanye & Common killed it last week it had to be poppin off this week. Drove up...no one out front waiting to get in...but the lot was packed with cars. Walked up and walked right inside...it was cool..it wasn't packed, but it was cool...Sam Ronson was DJing in the middle of the dance floor. Walked around the corner to Villa and I have to tell yeah...they are straight letting anyone and everyone in the door at Villa because it looked worst than the French Tuesday crowd at Opera/Crimson..we did an aboutface and left after 5 mins. Villa is now a C-List venue to me. Left Villa and went to Hyde..walked inside and there was 15 people there..yikes!!! Talked to my door peeps and bounced. Winston's...now I must admit...Richie Summer's did a good job last night..it was sexy, but it was kinda light..but in
all fairness we walked in the door at 1:15ish. But it was the best place by far last night. From now on...stay home Tuesday nights folks. If you were out in Hollywood last night...let me know what your experiences were. ~A

So there. Now you know where to go and what to do for some off-the-charts HOT. Don't thank me...really.

The Duke Spirit 5/10

It did not take me long to figure out I would be a huge fan of The Duke Spirit when I listened to Neptune for the first time. This London based band's hypnotic, dramatic tone haunted and captivated me. Their sound reminds me of something similar to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs meshed with The Kills and Sonic Youth, perhaps deeply inspired by the Patti Smith Group and Velvet Undergound. I'd been trying to branch into more strong, female-led, contemporary music and here I'd found it.



It was a blessing to be able to see them at such an intimate venue such as the Troubadour, where I could just easily walk right up to the front of the stage and be right in front of the beautiful Liela Moss.

She just absorbed the energy of the crowd and sent it straight back with her expressive face and animated movements. I couldn't get a wide enough shot of the entire band but what was striking is how much she contrasts with the rest of the band. Sure the lead singer will often stand out but here she was, the only female among the group and the only one with startlingly blond hair while the rest of the group consists of similar looking guys with brown hair.



So even though I consider myself primarily a fan of male-centric, Los Angeles based punk rock, I can confidently throw The Duke Spirit high up on my list of favorite bands, perhaps my very favorite among modern-day female-fronted bands. I left with the impression that in the near future I'd be bragging about getting to see this band at a smaller venue for really not that much money.

This was an excellent start of a series of about 10 more concerts I got coming up, most of them being with the primary author of this wonderful blog. Apparently we first attended an epic National concert at the same time at the Wiltern in October of 2007 before we even met, then later we meet at work and eventually see Cat Power in February 2008 and from then we meet another die-hard concert goer and before I know it most of all my income seems to goes to Ticketmaster.com. While I don't exactly love Ticketmaster, I don't think I'll be regretting any of these awesome experiences and I will keep at until I'm on the brink of bankruptcy.

Next concert coming up for me: REM with The National and Modest Mouse on 5/29 at the Bowl.

Awesome Post

Your host, Emily, has vanished, lost in an abyss between CPA exam crash course and a trip out of town. Oh no! Who will tell you out there what crazy stuff is going on in Los Angeles now! Don't worry, TG will step in and fix this.

My Monday became amazing as I jump-started my week with an evening of the Tim and Eric Awesome Tour at the Echoplex. The first thing I am thinking as I am waiting in line is how horrifying it is to be around so many fans of Tim and Eric’s avant-garde humor. It is scary enough if I meet someone who is a bigger fan of the show than I am, so I was quite terrified at being at a venue packed full of them. Want me to describe it or place it into context for you? I can’t, there is no such thing as context for Tim and Eric humor. Any of you who are fans of the show would understand exactly what I mean by this, if you love the Tim and Eric Awesome Show you are probably quite an unstable individual. This is both speaking from my own self-awareness and by observing other fans.

The show opens with DJ Dogg Pound, a self-parody of all things DJ who spouts of Neil Hamburger style jokes and then “remixes” them. He spastically warms up the crowd and then we find out apparently the Awesome Tour has been cancelled. A crew member at the Echoplex comes out to humbly apologize that Tim and Eric ditched the show. Of course the audience can’t take this Echoplex staff seriously because he is Bob Odenkirk, and he then suggests that a special Tim and Eric audience chant might revive the Awesome Tour – and the audience chant was apparently successful.

The rest of the show was a horrifyingly entertaining blur of recognizable characters from the Awesome Show, including (but not limited to) David Liebe Hardt and his horrifying puppets, Pierre who reminds all of us to keep our meat ice cold, James Quall and his enchanting singing and charming stand up-routine, pizza, hotdogs, and merchandise thrown forcefully at the audience, and impossibly deranged sketch comedy.

I could have stopped going outside for at least the whole week and considered myself satisfied, but Tuesday followed up with Comedy Death Ray at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood. I was expecting to see Dana Gould of The Simpson’s, Ed Helms of The Office, Andrew Daly, and other hilarious people and UCB delivered – except they also unexpectedly threw in a David Cross! I’d seen Helms and Gould’s acts before at various other UCB nights, and they were as great as before but what stole the show for me Andy Daly’s caricature comedian. I’d seen Andrew Daly countless times at Asscat, the Saturday improve show at UCB, but here he pulled off this hilarious bit part of a comedian who never quite gets to the punchline. How could that be funny? Again, don’t ask me to place it into context! Go to the next Comedy Death Ray yourself and find out.

David Cross blew me away too; I’d seen every episode of Mr. Show, every episode of Arrested Development, and even some of the horrible movies he’s been in (Scary Movie 2, Run Ronnie Run) and some of the better movies (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Let’s not forget his role as a hardcore, gadget-expert nerd in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And here he was live, unannounced, and right before me.

Having seen both Bob Odenkirk and David Cross unplanned, unannounced, one night after another, at completely different venues for completely unrelated events really made my week. It was only Tuesday and I was hit hard with the feeling that my week simply can not possibly get any better… but perhaps it will because I am seeing The Duke Spirit at the Troubador on Saturday.

There’s room for the following week to be on par with awesomeness too as there is the Crank Mob bicycle ride on the following Saturday, plus whatever inevitable craziness comes my way. Let’s pray I get a chance to fix the rear bicycle wheel I destroyed on my last Ride-Arc before 5/17. On the topic of bicycling, don’t forget to check out the Bikerowave in Santa Monica. Just $5 an hour and the awesome volunteer bike specialists will happily advise you on how to fix your bike and show you what to do so in the end, you end up fixing your bike cheaply and while learning a ton about your bike. I’ve been there twice last week and with all I learned about truing a wheel, adjusting brakes, and removing a non-quick-release rear wheel I considered the bike problem to be a blessing in disguise.

That’s all for now but perhaps I’ll return because this blog will not write itself, nor will Emily because of the horrific CPA exam she has around the corner that has held her hostage from her continued Los Angeles adventures.

(I neither own nor took any of these pictures in this post).

Robot-Todd Special

Busy last few weeks...

My friend Todd had a fantastic week that included some great comedy and biking...doing lots of stuff I would have enjoyed had things not been so hectic.

I decided that he should be the first special guest contributor on retox. Stay tuned...

Scribe Skid Row

I came across this blog, Scribeskidrow, a month or two ago. The "scribe", Walter Melton blogs about his experiences living on Skid Row for the last year, his battle to overcome a drug addiction, the people he has encountered on the way that have helped him grow and develop as a person as well as many other things. He is a talented writer who offers intelligent and thought-provoking insight. For the last year-and-a-half or so he has posted almost every day, if not more, taking the time to reflect on a tough, uphill battle. It is definitely worth a read. Here is an excerpt from his intro:

Living in downtown Los Angeles on a new adventure, I landed on Skid Row in the month of February,2007, shell shocked and traumatized by the events of the previous months. I entered a world full of many contrasts. Kind, caring supportive individuals. Cruel, blood sucking predators. Men and women who walk the streets with courageous dignity and those whose job it is to strip them of that dignity every day. A place of quaint warmth and beauty, and at the same time a harsh, cold and vicious jungle. I have experienced the toughest streets of Philadelphia and Harlem, New York as well as the shanty towns and favelas of Brazil. Yet nothing compares to what you feel when you are in Skid Row. Social Scientists from around the world come here to study it. Every social illness has its place in Skid Row. They come to learn about its effect on people. They leave learning more about themselves- their prejudices and the fear of what they do not know. There is nothing like it. This journal is about my experiences at the University of Skid Row.

I just found another similar site, Central City East: "Living and Writing from the heart of skid row since 1999. Blogging since 2004", which has been around for a bit longer. Written by Don Garza, this is definitely worth a read as well.

Outside Lands Fest Presale - Starts at 10!

If you own a Visa Signature card and happen to be a fan of notable acts such as, oh, you know, Radiohead, Beck and Manu Chao, then you are in luck. The presale begins this morning and given the ridiculous lineup for Friday alone, and the fact that Radiohead's entire North America tour sold out in the matter of hours (maybe even minutes) I have a feeling this is a hotttt ticket. I am not a lucky Visa Signature cardholder, but maybe you are.
Visa Presale

South Toward Home Benefit

Saturday's show was great. I always love seeing my idol (Sarah) in action. I must say, it was interesting seeing a show at a place other than UCB, where for the most part, people are always respectful and know what's up. This annoying fuptacular lady kept yelling out during everyone's set. Sarah and the other comedians had to keep asking her to stop. Dumbass.

Sarah did her usual stuff and added in some new bits about doing impressions. Bob was charmingly hilarious as usual. I love him. Really. Janeane went off on some rants, also as usual. This time about Wachovia. I find her very entertaining, although I recently learned she freaks most guys out. Tim and Eric showed some very funny clips from a video they made with Zach G for Absolut Vodka. Tig Notaro and Tom Lennon (Reno 911) were great as well. And Foreign Born broke it up with a nice little set in the middle.