Cause Three Out of Four Ain't Bad...

1. Saw Star Trek again - check (first time I've been to a movie twice since I was a kid and still loved it!)
2. Ate two fried shrimp taco's at Best Fish Taco in Ensenada - check (and the owner was soo charming)
3. Took three pics - check
4. and BH Farmer's Market - yeah well... felt like sleeping in, so next week for sure - uh huh. ;)
5. BUT I did spend two hours today in the back yard removing more dirt, planting some mint, lavender and spider plants, and one of my neighbors' threw out a small particle-board bistro table that will be perfect for having my morning coffee at, so I took it and moved it to our side of the yard, having to feng shui/re-arrange yet again the motley crew of old furniture. I've scored so much from what my neighbors throw out!
6. Did I mention the pain au chocolat from Breadbar? Simple pastry heaven.

Was sitting in the living room today, watching Born Yesterday w/ Judy Holliday & William Holden (major crush), feet up on coffee table and afternoon sunlight streaming though the windows and vintage wood screen, casting shadows on my toes, so I asked Sweetie-pie to take a pic...

It turned out better that I had anticipated!!! My toes look like candy and my feet are bird-esque, perhaps a peacock's pedicure?

Five points to anyone who gets what today's blog-title is a reference to. Prizes to be determined... uh huh.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Loving My Golden Birthday Month

Sweetie-pie wonderfully struck again with another golden birthday surprise... a vintage gold purse sold by one of my favorite flickr/etsy photographer/bloggers, Elle Moss. She sells some of her used props on Etsy and not only is the purse what the French call, Super Cool (imagine the accent s'il vous plait), BUT she included one of her beautiful pictures and wrapped the whole package in the prettiest paper!!! And her prices are beyond reasonable, so please check her out.

June is almost over and I have one more birthday gift to share with you, but I'm awaiting its arrival... I bought it for myself with $ my grandma sends me every year for my birthday (I'm her only/the only grandchild). Stay tuned.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Red Bird with Shadow

Afternoon light casts a lovely lattice-work of shadows on my red bird pillow, that graces a vintage 50's/60's rocking chaise in the living room.

Ah, the weekend is here...

Planning to:

• See Star Trek for the 2nd time (yeah it's that good) with friend Amy.
• Have 1 or 2 fried shrimp tacos at The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada, which is actually on Hillhurst in Los Feliz.
• Really make it to the BH Farmer's Market Sunday, instead of flaking out, like the past 5 weeks (no joking).
• Take a pic or two or three...

Have a great weekend darlings!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Dirtlife Diptych

Items found in the backyard dirt + dead tree + rusty iron grate = art meets archeology.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Fairfax Reflection

Have been craving Animal on Fairfax (namely their lettuces salad w/ beets & OMG pork belly sliders), and so Sweetie-pie and I decided to cruise on over to Fairfax around 5pm to take some pics of the 'hood, then meandered over to Animal at 6, because you can eat at the bar without a reservation and the bar filled up in 7 minutes.

We left enough room to cross Fairfax and indulge our sweet-tooth by sharing some bacon/caramel ice cream made by Scoops at the Golden State Cafe. Oh that magical pig...

The graffiti on this reflective surface caught my eye, so I thought I might get a self-portrait from it.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

You Would Nap Too

Here are two more pics for my "Unmade Bed" series.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Grilled Cheese From Nowhere

My dreams of living a life worthy of being a heroine in a Tom Robbins novel are coming true...

I recently decided to stop whining about my lousy backyard (cause I rent and my landlord doesn't care) and just do something about it, so last week I embarked on my great backyard beautification project by dislodging and removing a ton of impacted dirt (which yielded some great finds and pics are coming) and re-arranging the odd bits of semi-furniture (which I plan to sand and paint). It's already an improvement and so nice to have that stale energy gone (I'm very sensitive that way).

So there I am, minding my own business, doing some watering with the new eco-friendly hose I bought, facing south, looking around to see what I want to photograph and how, such as the vines on the back of my neighbor's garage that forms part of our yard...

or how two bikes, that have been chained for years to my neighbor's window, are slowly becoming part of the scenery as the grasses and weeds grow and intertwine the wheels and frames, becoming a new organic sculpture...

I turn around, facing north... and there's a grilled cheese sandwich in the middle of the walkway, between my apt building and the apt building north of ours. That was NOT there 2 minutes prior... and I was quite dumbfounded at the discovery.

Then I remembered the Tom Robbins novel, Skinny Legs and All... where amongst a lot of other groovy, mystical, political, historical plotlines (can you tell he's my FAVORITE author), there's a group of "inanimate" objects (a sock, a beancan, a conch shell and a stick) trekking across America to get to the middle east to save the world.

I wonder where the sandwich is going...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

The Gatekeeper on Alden

This windowed door is just around the corner from Robertson and this mesmerizing beagle caught my eye, sitting there, looking right through me. He/she just sat there, giving me the time to take the shot... then another dog walked by and the beagle had more important barking to do.

Good dog.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Happy Accident/Sad Little House

Unintentional double exposure, with some cool color shifts at top right, while taking pics of an nearby alleyway and burned-out house on my block. Isn't it chaotically wonderful how two slightly off exposures morphed into something so symmetrical and the unintentional added imagery is still relevant to the shot?

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Snail Party on My Lawn

On the way out to dinner at Tender Greens Weho when I spotted several snails hanging out on the front lawn of my apartment building enjoying some tender greens themselves... SP had his camera and took these shots.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Marriage of Convenience

Another alleyway pic...

Latex gloves, a battery, cigarette butts and a tampon warning pamphlet in the alley behind Kitson on Robertson. Must of been some party!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Blue Toes in the Getty Fountain

Fountains are one of my favorite things (when the dog bites, when the bee stings...) and the very accessible fountain at the Getty Museum is no exception. I kicked off my gold sandals, rolled up my jeans and grabbed my camera. The floral pattern you see is my new dress, made from a 1970's pillowcase.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Study in Textures - White

Found this exploded cotton-y tree seedpod on the sidewalk next to a white stucco wall and I knew I had something. Took seedpod home, of course.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Shoulder Surreal

Taking all sorts of shots as my learning curve with my Diana F+ continues... This is taken over Sweetie-pie's shoulder, looking into my bedroom.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

The Little Flea Market Foxes

The perfect pet... no feeding or litterbox required and great for channeling your inner Bette Davis. I may just buy these guys some day.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Not making the bed today...

Here's the first of my "Unmade Bed" series, something I've been thinking about for years, but finally have the right camera to bring it to fruition.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Left Foot and Chanel - Color Redux

Voila Cheris! Here's the color version of my alleyway Chanel amongst the flowers. Have to say I'm very pleased since the bright fuschia of the foliage is what caught my eye in the first place. And I'm only using expired film, adding another layer of delicious chaos to my artistic baklava...

Went to the Getty today with darling friend Julia (another birthday adventure!) and between freezing my derriere, a yummy lunch and taking in the Jo Ann Callis and Peter Outerbridge photography exhibits, I shot a roll during the few moments the sun graced us... and put my feet in the fountain!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

All the Way From Singapore - Maya & Ruhi Artisan Jewelry

I actually squealed when these golden pearly beauties arrived in the mail yesterday, they are that pretty!!! And I owe it all to one of my absolute favorite bloggers, This is Glamorous.

The day before my birthday (last week), she posted a give-away for a gorgeous purple agate cuff bracelet from etsy jewelry line, Maya & Ruhi, which I promptly entered into (keeping fingers crossed) and as I was checking out the rest of the jewelry line, fell into serious bauble-lust. Sweetie-pie wondered what I was oohing and ahhing about, so I showed him and wonderful sneak that he is, made a mental note and ordered them as a late birthday surprise. I couldn't be more tickled.

Merci TIG for all your inspiration and for leading me to my favorite new bauble(s)!

Merci Pearl at Maya & Ruhi for creating beautiful, natural and affordable wearable art!

Merci Sweetie-pie for being the best Sweetie-pie.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Somebody Really Hates Gucci

Was doing laundry at laundry-mat yesterday (ah yes, the glamour) and spied the opposite side of this postcard advertising Gucci's spring/summer sale poking out of the trash, so of course I fished it out, turned it over and discovered somebody's artwork expressing some very strong feelings about the fashion house. It was just too good not to take home and share with you.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Left Foot and Chanel in the Alley

Saw this discarded in the alley behind the Chanel store on Robertson, so I sat down and took this pic. Originally shot with expired color film, then converted to b&w due to severe overexposure. I'm having the lab develop the color version, and keeping my fingers crossed, because those are pink flowers the bag is sitting in and covered with.

Oh and if you ever see a girly-girl sitting in an alley or stooping in the gutter with a camera... oui, c'est moi!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Shameful Blight on Swall

Once a beautiful little house built in the 1930's, then sold and left empty for years (due to owner unable to get permits to tear down and put up condos), put up for sale again, then caught fire (hmm) last December 2008 and has been in this sorry and very sad state since. And it's still for sale! This may sound pie-in-the-sky, but since it needs to be torn down anyway and it's made no $$$ for years, why not turn it into a pocket park for a neighborhood who could use a little "greening" and take the tax break for donating the land to West Hollywood?

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Red Cadillac El Dorado Reflections

Came across a gorgeous and pristine cherry-red vintage Cadillac El Dorado parked on Beverly Blvd this past Sunday, so I sat on the curb to take this rosy self portrait.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Amy With Parasol

My first portrait with my Diana F+ of my darling friend Amy, holding my parasol as we stood in the middle of a soccer field after an afternoon of flea marketing at Fairfax High.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Monday Monday

This pic (by Sweetie-pie) of us fulfills my aspirations of looking like part of a groovy sixties folk group a la the Mamas and the Papas, whom I absolutely adore...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Mean Bitch in my Hood

Spent lovely and breezy day taking my Diana F+ to the Fairfax Flea Market (where darling friend Amy bought me a groovy dress re-worked from a vintage pillowcase for my birthday!) and after returning home, picked up Sweetie-pie and his camera(s) to stroll around the neighborhood. My street is closed today due to crane work and parked to the side was this charming and colorful 18 wheel semi. Really, it was just begging to be photographed! That's three rolls now to be developed!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

1st Self Portrait with Diana F+

Wondering what adventures are on the horizon...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Gas Station Roses

Must resist temptation to stop and photograph every flower I come across...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Oh... El Coyote

I have some very mixed feelings towards this old and strange LA Mexican (yes loosely phrased) restaurant on Beverly Blvd, which I realize is rare, because most people have very STRONG feelings for many various reasons. I'm not kidding, people either love it or hate it and nobody, but nobody says they ever go for the food.

Let me go back a few years (2000 yikes) when Sweetie-Pie and I moved here and were broke broke broke (SP would say now we're just broke lol) and we knew nothing/nobody and spent 2 months surfing our one friend's couch and various cheap motels (ah yes it builds character). Good times. El Coyote was the first place we ate at, because I remembered Sharon Tate had her last meal there (ok, so I have a macabre tilt from time to time). I have to admit it (and no snarks, please) I enjoyed my meal and the chips and the funky colorful waitstaff and the extremely eclectic clientele. It was dinner and a show for two people for under $20 and for years we went once/twice a month, usually in the late afternoon to avoid crowds.

Then Prop 8 happened (staunchly AGAINST) and one of the owner's (Marjorie) donated $200 and listed the restaurant on her donation form. As a Mormon, apparently she feared for her soul not to donate, but not enough to stop her from making $$$ off selling lots of margaritas (what most people go there for I hear) to a large gay clientele for years on end, or hiring gay waitstaff (who not only lost their rights, but now perhaps their jobs). The ensuing boycott forced Marjorie into hiding and I'm assuming she no longer goes there. I hear business has never been the same.

It's six months later now and curiosity beckoned me to visit and see if there was a discernible difference and... yeah... it was different. Now I realize this particular time may have been a fluke, but even though it was fairly full, it was quieter, full of families and we couldn't see anyone drinking and only a couple people in the bar. Even the patio seemed a bit... tame. Not that this is bad, just different, but I wonder if they've suffered due to lack of alcohol sales, which I suspect was their main source of income. Now I think it's actually karma if they lose those sales, because it's hypocritical to make money off something your dogma stipulates as "vice", especially if it's money from people you view as inferior. Really, how can you pray that sin away?

However, I really don't want the restaurant to go under, nor want anyone to lose their jobs. It's one of the last few old/strange/funky/divey places that I think LA needs to retain some character. I just wish the owners would get their priorities straight.

SP took this pic on our way back to the parking lot. I liked them on the negative side by side, so he made a diptych for me.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

My First Ever Diana F+ Pic!

Birthday lunch at Breadbar (addicted, oui!) and the manager was so sweet and created an incredible mini-dessert sampler (chocolate souffle, creme brulee and bread pudding) for me to share.

As you can see, I had difficulty advancing the frame and a double exposure occurred. That's what I love about this camera, a marriage of creativity and chaos.

I just finished shooting the second roll today, mainly in my neighborhood alleyways and keeping fingers crossed, will have something groovy to post next week!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Almost Summer on Fairfax

Channeling the Cote d' Azur with a colorful floral 60's ebay dress (re-worked by changing neckline), my favorite vintage Italian rattan purse (fully lined in fabric that almost matches my dress) and gold sandals (quel surprise)... life's too short to be drab.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

One Tired Birthday Girl

After dinner, on the steps leading to my apartment...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

A Jar-ring Birthday Experience

Sweetie-pie took me to Jar for the first time for my birthday (6/3) and a lovely time was had by all... Divine Kobe steak (my first), mashed potatoes and sauteed pea tendrils (both shared) and then... oh yes... butterscotch pudding with salted caramel sauce that we shared and couldn't finish, despite really wanting too.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

http://www.thejar.com/

Birthday Haul - Gemini's Rule!

Diana F+ Nightcap plastic camera from husband for the artist side and a 1930's French hand-beaded evening bag from my dearest darling friends & neighbors (Camille and Lisa!) for the vintage girly girl side! The butterfly was part of the wrapping and is now part of my bedroom decor. Everything accented with gold... ah yes, I love my birthday!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

ps. Is it wrong to brag that I share my birthday with Josephine Baker and Tony Curtis? I aspire to their cool...

Strawberry/Lemon Secondhand Treasure

My latest Crossroads field trip brought these two macaroon-colored beauties into my life for less than $16 combined. The bow details (tres Marie) caught my eye on the strawberry Moschino (my first) that was marked 1/2 off for $8 and I just couldn't say no to the lemon Lucky top for $6. Summer can be yummy in so many ways!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe