One Roll of Film - Four Photos - Five Months

My favorite self-portrait thus far,using a parking mirror

on Laurel Ave,West Hollywood.

I love the serendipitous red triangle created by the light leak/parking sign/car driving by and the picture within a picture/juxtaposition of the trees.

I'm a sucker for a pink octopus!

This weathered and rusty trunk had an old military address and was sitting unguarded in the back of a strange truck that was made from parts of different vehicles... I call it a Franken-truck. I really wanted to know what was inside, but I didn't tempt fate that day.

Who says you can't be an artist AND liberal AND bad ass?

From my first day ever at a shooting range, learning the responsible/right way

to handle a weapon. Still a pacifist though...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Ojai Impressions Thru My Diana Lens

Store-window self-portrait reflection

Horses patiently waiting outside the Ojai Cafe Emporium while their riders have Sunday brunch.

A metal sculpture that reminds me of Gaudi. I love public art.

This vintage mint convertible Renault was for sale!!! Very tempting...

I've never before seen dead fruit still hanging in a winter-dormant tree.

This lonely lock patiently waits for a purpose.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Three Thrown-Away Tales

In the gutter, a mis-matched pair of shoes wonders what became of their mates.

Yet another used latex glove, kept company by two shoe inserts and a used cigarette.

The liquor store window seems the perfect place to find a used mini-vodka bottle.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Messy Bed in Abstract

Experimenting with my Messy Bed series in the new bedroom.

Loving the colors and light, the varying focus and the odd 12 in the upper right.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

A Tale of Two Bedrooms

New view from the bed - pure heaven.

When a noisy douchebag moves into the building next door, one can either continue to get angrier and angrier by the day (which is what happened first) OR accept the situation for what it is (AFTER threatening them at 4am with HOLY FUCKING HELL) by switching the bedroom with the much-quieter office. A blessing in disguise, this much cozier space has beautiful afternoon light that filters through my neighbor's trees and better lends itself to naps, reading in bed and taking photographs. Wish now I had done this years ago... Merci Mr. Douchebag.

When a douchebag developer makes your life a noisy and dirty affair for the last 18 months, with no end in imminent sight, one can either... WHATEVER!!! Having a well-known penchant for bringing home "found" treasure, I absolutely could not resist picking up this sign that was laying in the gutter at the end of my street. As I was carting my disobedience home (hey, I'm not the one who wrecked the thing in the first place), a woman who lives right next to the construction site, saw me and cheered. Felt good. Now it lives in the new office space and inspires the artistic outlaw I aspire to be...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

BBQ and Fuck You...

Some moments cannot be ignored and this one just screamed out for immortality...

This pic turned out even better than anticipated, with the frame within frame and the male counterpoints.

Love it when this happens!!!

Strangely enough AND I"M NOT JOKING, when Sweetie-pie and I left the restaurant (Baby Blues BBQ in Weho), another guy walked by us in a different shirt that just said Fuck You on the back.

I took this pic the day of my foot accident... Were the gods trying to tell me something???

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Virginity Down the Drain

Celebrated July 4th with Sweetie-pie by seeing Public Enemies (suited for the rebel in me), followed by late lunch at Umami Burger (where we witnessed a group of stoners toking up in the parking lot as they waited for their food), for one of my favorite burgers, the SoCal (no tomato). After satisfying my primal and nostalgic carnivore cravings, I found this strange crown-shaped pic of one of the virginal Jonas Brothers (Nick) looking up from the disintegrating gutter/street. I leave it up to you to interpret the message.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Squirrel on the Move

The backyard wall is sort of a highway for squirrels, possums, and raccoons. Whenever there's a rustle in the trees, I usually jump up to see who's traveling where. Can't help it, I'm a geek for nature, especially when it comes to wild creatures in my trees!

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Found on Formosa Street

Walking on Formosa, just north of Santa Monica Blvd, I discovered this abandoned black knit hat, with a bright red eye-catching tag, upside down in such a way as to suggest it fell so hard it cracked the asphalt. I sat and took this pic, then crossed to my car and got in. Not one minute later, an older (say 60's-ish), stout and burly-looking gentleman, riding a bicycle south on Formosa, stopped at the hat. I, in my car across the street, grabbed the camera and tried to focus, unsuccessfully (cause he kept looking over at me!) as he bent over and looked at the hat, lost then regained balance on his bike, took off his shirt to reveal quite the gray fir coat on both sides and then rode off. I was sure he was going to take the hat with him! You'll just have to take my word for it... it was funny and sublime and real.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Portrait of Irie

Met Irie the dogess and her owner as I was wandering the neighborhood near my laundromat with my camera, and I asked and was given permission to photograph this very noble and beautiful, yet rarely still creature.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Michael Jackson Reflection, a Beer and a Cigarette on Fairfax

Walking down Fairfax Avenue (for lunch at Golden State Cafe) the day after MJ died, I found the strangest (like my life would have it any other way) poster equating MJ's death with Christ (no comment), so I took this reflective self-portrait to mark this surreal and historical (hysterical) occasion.

Further down the street I found the remains of someone taking a moment for themselves...

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Portrait of Phil

Sunshine + Santa Monica Blvd + Seated Phil = Second Portrait

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Still Life with Beer and Litter

My favorite taco in town is the fried shrimp taco from Best Fish Taco in Ensenada, which is actually on Hillhurst, just north of Sunset in Los Feliz. For $5 I get two tacos and fantastic fresh salsas, a can of diet coke, and the most charming owner Joseph or his lovely mother, at the register. Last week I took friend Amy for the first (not the last she says) time, and I implored Joseph (not exaggerating) to set up a shop somewhere within walking distance of my apt... there is an open space on W.3rd, across from Cedars!

On the way back to the car I saw this nearly-full beer and pinkish wrapper, keeping each other company on the curb in front of the auto repair shop next to BFTIE, sat down in the gutter and took the shot.

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

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