Looking Back and Moving Forward

What 2009 brought me... in no particular order...

• This blog! My major goal was/is to inspire a glamorous/pampering/adventurous/slightly eccentric/creative life without it being about money or status. And share the occasional star-sighting... AND to share my genius wit and artistic prowess... ;) Merci to all you wonderful readers and bloggers who inspire me in return!
• The Sounds of Silence, a UC Northridge film in which I had a fun role written for me by the director(after I auditioned for another role!), and the friendships made on the set.
• A first edition/hardcover of Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume, one of my favorite books by my favorite author, won on Ebay for $3!
• Four marvelous meals (3 this summer, 1 on 12/21) at Ludobites... my faves were the chorizo/cantaloupe/cornichorn ice soup (had every time this summer), lobster medallions (omg that gelee), the tomato salad with feta mousse and both versions of fried chicken, though the version on 12/21 with the cantal polenta and mole took me to a transcendent place. If Maestro Ludo (or anyone who knows him) sees this, please consider a Ludo Comforts U truck, selling your soups and fried chicken with polenta to a happy happy public!!!
• Crossroads Trader treasures (all under $50!)... most notably, a navy Gucci dress that fits me like a glove, black Donald Pliner cork wedges, Chip and Pepper wide-leg jeans (softest denim omg), Sonia Rykiel gold platform sandals, some pretty Marc Jacobs tops and a super-soft turquoise cashmere sweater.
• I perfected my pig candy recipe and recently made candied bacon balls that were rich/sweet porcine heaven.
• Butterflies and gemstones at the Natural History Museum this summer.

• My first film camera, a plastic Diana F+ Nightcap, and expired film now give me another outlet for my storytelling.
• My two groovy Goodwill.com finds... the champagne mink jacket of my dreams (seen in pic above, as I was leaving Ludobites on 12/21) and a heavy gold Egyptian necklace that reminded me of one of my favorite bloggers, The Glamourai.
• Umami Burger's SoCal Burger
• The Golden State Cafe - the friendly neighborhood cafe I wish there were more of. It's so nice to walk into a place and be recognized and talked to. Merci Jason!
• Animal Restaurant - great inventive food and no attitude
• My new favorite go-to restaurant - The Veggie Grill on Sunset at Crescent Heights. Vegan fast-ish food that will satisfy non-vegans... healthy, delicious and good for the environment. My fave is the chicken ceasar salad and I sub fried chicken for the blackened. Best faux-chicken I've had. They have a burger I will try sometime soon, but I keep ordering that salad!
• O-burger in Weho... organic, grass-fed burgers
• Kogi Kogi Kogi!!!
• My favorite Mexican peasant top ($5!) from Out of the Closet.
• Lulu Organics hair powder - for that perfect messy bedhead and not having to wet-wash my hair too often.
• Exchanged the office with the bedroom and now get to wake up to trees and a few crazy squirrels.

• Finished the re-write of my pilot script, The Day Shift. All I need now is a producer with vision!!!
• Gold this, gold that and the gold other thing...
• My first foray into backyard gardening that led to my foot meets pottery shard adventure. Without any doctors. stiches or drugs, I prevented infection and promoted healing with lavender oil, apple cider vinegar, tumeric, manuka honey and hand-made bandages (and boosted my immune system internally). Five months later and no regrets, the area is still tender, and I figure it will be a full year before it's 100%. Natural healing isn't speedy, but I prefer to work with my body, not against it. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
• I checked a life goal off the list in November by learning how to properly handle and shoot a handgun. As an actress, I want to look like I know what I'm doing (cause I want to be cast as a badass, of course!) and it's another skill that's worth learning well. Merci to friend Richard, who's an expert in this field (felt like I was watching the Terminator when he was shooting), for being patient with me and for loading the clips when my fingers started to hurt (yeah I'm such a girl sometimes).

• Fantastic and inexpensive reflexology massages at JB Natural Foot Massage on Robertson. I'm going again next week with friend Julia!
• My energy-healer Maggie who has made me healthier, both mentally and physically. I met her as a result of my foot injury (indirectly), so you never know what positive will emerge from a perceived negative event. I try to be grateful for everything, because life can be crazy wonderful...

Adieu 2009!!!

Bienvenue 2010!!!

May the adventures begin...

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

Flavor of the Day is...

Strawberry/Lychee ice cream made by Scoops and served at the Golden State Cafe on Fairfax. Yes Yes Yes.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Sexy Meaty Goodness at the Golden State Cafe

I've had the Golden State Cafe on Fairfax on my foodie (term used LOOSELY) radar for a couple of weeks. In one convenient location they have two foods that I have been wanting to try for year(s) but have lamely (term used STRONGLY) been unable: Let's Be Frank hotdogs and Scoops gelato. I once got to the hotdog cart and had no cash and once went there just missing it's close-time. Then about a month ago, my guy and me wanted to try Scoops after seeing a play at Sacred Fools (Forever, the Musical!) and were unable due to some street fair blocking all the streets... so we went to Whole Foods and I bought Mashti Malone icecream (tidbit for another day). Point being, I was excited and ready. Now the funny thing... last week when we tried to go (Sunday around 2ish) there was no parking, none, not for blocks on either side of Fairfax... once again I was seemingly THWARTED from hotdogs and gelato, the gods having a right good laugh at my hungry expense. So today, rightly determined, again around 2ish, the quest for more grown-up versions of my childhood favorites was made complete, for now. I was encouraged by our ability to snag a parking spot right in front of the restaurant with 20 minutes left on the meter. Was it worth the wait? Yes.

Fra Mani Italian pork sausage w/ roasted red peppers & caramelized onions

sweet potato wedges with garlic aioli

Let's Be Frank beef hotdog w/ relish & caramelized onions

jalapeno cabbage slaw

We were made to feel instantly welcome (by both the counter staff and one of the owners, Jason), which is something I do not take for granted, even though the recession seems to have brought the customer service bar up a few notches. Only minor snafu is that they were out of the chicken apple sausage my guy wanted, but being an Italian (him) I suggested the Italian sausage ;) hey I take the jokes where I can get them! I love love love hotdogs, so I went the more traditional route and got the beef hotdog. We were both pleased with what we got and hopefully the food porny shots (by him) will convey just how satisfying our meals were.

My hotdog was flavorful, had a nice bite/texture and while having hints of more "conventional" hotdogs, had a subtle difference, brighter if that makes sense. I'm not bothered by it being larger than the bun. That way I got a first bite of simple hotdog before it married with the house-made relish, caramelized onions, mustard and lightly toasted bun. Paired with the not-too-hot jalapeno cabbage slaw which utilizes their garlic aioli ever so lightly, I was able to finish it all without any feeling of heaviness. Oh yeah, I'm already thinking about the next time.

He liked his sausage (well, but not overly seasoned) w/ roasted red peppers and some of my caramelized onions, served with the sweet potato wedges, which he actually ate with the aioli served with them, a miracle since he has this mayo thing that goes back 20 years. It's good stuff. At $7 & $8, which includes tax, 2 toppings and 1 side, for food that is more ethical, local, and sustainable... everybody wins.

We then took a stroll around Fairfax where I snagged a Mexican peasant top and 2 glass bottle thingies (have a project in mind) at Out of the Closet. After making a circuit we went back to GS for a scoop of gelato to share (one way we stay thin). We chose the Salty Chocolate (girl with pms chooses!) and how good was it? It didn't last long enough for a picture. Reminded us a little of fudgecicles we ate as kids... with just the right amount of salt to make it a different take on decadent.

Definitely adding this place to my regular haunts.

Golden State Cafe

426 N. Fairfax

LA CA 90036

Until next time... Miss Absinthe