Silverlake Dress Treasure

This sweet little sundress from the Silverlake Flea Market was my reward yesterday for surviving unscathed (except mentally) 2 very close-call near-miss car crashes (someone ran a red on Robertson-almost hitting pedestrians and us and a bus almost turned into us) AND then experienced (but actually didn't witness - heard it then looked up to see the aftermath) a crash on Fountain... all within a 30 minute period. My absolute strangest and unsettling driving day in the 10 years I've been driving here.

But Sweetie-pie and I made it and joined friend Julia and her Steve, first for Kogi (our friend's first time!) then for a little treasure hunting therapy. I was expecting a larger event, but it had a good showing of vintage clothes vendors. Sweetie-pie first saw the dress and pointed it out (love it when he does that) and I returned the favor by finding him a great navy wool cardigan, both priced at $15

It appears to be handmade and I'm contemplating shortening it a bit, without messing with the too groovy scene and I'll wear it with a vintage leather belt.

This is my first vintage treasure find of the year!!! Great start if you ask me...

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

Magical Ten of Clubs

As I was walking past the lawn of the Magic Castle in Hollywood (visited friends staying at the hotel), I spotted this single and slightly beat-up (gnawed perhaps) playing card, all by its lonesome self, as if rejected from the magician's pack for a mysterious infraction... or maybe it was just making a break for it.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Quickie Post - Shrimp Tacos and Sex in Los Feliz

After spending a lovely afternoon with friend Julia and her beau at their groovy new pad in the Los Feliz hills (OMG the view), Sweetie-pie and I went for some shrimp tacos at Best Shrimp Taco in Ensenada (and I ordered in Spanish-yay!) where we were in for a show with our dinner...

We parked on the side street, off Hillhurst, and as I was preparing to exit the car, a hot-and-heavy couple (in a Dodge... really?) making out caught my eye, and I caught theirs, apparently. What is it about "caught" couples acting indignant and staring back? Like I cared... but I did get a chuckle. It's been a long time since I've seen that level of PDA, especially from people who looked 30ish.

On to two yummy shrimp tacos and then back to the car, where it was difficult NOT to notice, the Dodge still there, steamy windows AND a zebra-print blanket rigged to give "some" privacy. Zebra print? Really? There has GOT to be a story here...

4 shrimp tacos and 1 shared Diet Coke - $9

Noticing taudry sex in a Dodge on a Los Feliz sidestreet, in front of a taco stand, with a classy zebra-print blanket - PRICELESS

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Gemini Dream

My first foray into in-camera double exposure yielded an interesting result with the shadows intersecting instead of being bisected by the street sign. Chaos is the sauce of art...

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

At Least It All Matches... part 1

Repeat after me... Always wear shoes when gardening! Always wear shoes when gardening!

I haven't written in so long, merci for being patient!!! In the interest of catching up I will be semi-brief:

1. The second week of July, I totally lost my mojo. No photos taken, no new gardening, no writing, no blogging, no inspiration, dealing with noisy douchebag neighbor... you get the idea. According to certain esoteric traditions, the time of Leo (mid-July/mid-August) has some of the most negative energy of the year, and honestly I have found this to be true year after year after year. Most of my life's most negative events have taken place during this part of summer.
2. One glorious exception (to be blogged soon) to all this ennui were three transcendent dinners at Ludobites. Oh Mon Dieu.
3. 18 days ago (still in Leo) I was having a perfect day... Sweetie-pie took a day off and we were preparing to spend an overnight in Ojai, had a great lunch at Baby Blues BBQ, then shopping at Crossroads Trader (found gorgeous Donald Pliner cork wedges with the softest black leather upper and a cute Marimekko top that I'll nip/tuck), followed by hour-long $25 reflexology at JB Natural and then frozen yogurt right down the street (Robertson) at Toppings. Pretty nice day I must say.
4. We also picked up some gardening supplies (dirt/organic fertilizer/shovel) for some late afternoon gardening needing to be done before the trip. I had seedlings and plants that needed repotting and some general tidying up that I had put off. The sun was going down, my ipod was playing Rise by Herb Alpert, I was almost finished, moving a new plant (named Molly cause she's pink and pretty) to the plant stand in the corner of the yard and when I went to put the pot down... I missed and dropped/shattered the pot, causing a large shard to drop and pierce the top of my bare foot. Good thing for me, I don't panic and I grab my foot tightly, already bleeding more than a small cut and oddly leaving two identical marks on the pavement that won't wash away, forever leaving my mark (see kids, pain can be artful!) and here's the funny part (yeah real funny), the color of the pot matched my toenail color and matches the color of the bloodstain (see kids, pain can be stylish!). I then raised my foot above my heart to lower the pressure and called (between swearing up a storm) up to SP to bring down something to stop the bleeding (and I was a bit woozy by now, the initial adrenaline wearing off).

In the next installment, I will regale you with how I didn't go to the hospital/doctor and healed this on my own (no infection whatsoever) with nothing more than Tumeric, Lavender Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, lots of cut-up socks and patience.

So my mojo has returned and we've entered Virgo, sigh of relief.

Until next time... Miss Absinthe

Hot Toes in the City

After years of azure being my summer toe color, a violet phase begins.

Not much happening these days... summers have that effect on me. Brain just... what's the word? My point exactly.

Too hot/bright for photo wandering (or any wandering), as I literally gave myself a hot ass last week when I sat down (on Formosa again) to take a pic of a dead bumblebee (yep I brought it home) on the sidewalk. Hopefully I'll get the 12-shot roll finished off by the end of this week.

Been removing more dirt from the backyard in the early evenings, that I'll replace with good soil, then plant sunflower seeds. I can't wait for the garden grotto to bloom, as it will also provide some privacy from the ugly condo next door.

There's a pair of birds, swallows I think, that are protecting a nest in the trees behind the apt. from anything that gets remotely close, namely Mr. Squirrel, with whom they have numerous and LOUD skirmishes that the birds always win. Who needs tv?

No acting work in the immediate future... so if Mr. De Mille is out there... I'm still ready for my close-up!

Had lovely air-conditioned lunch with friend Julia at Le Pain Quotidien last Saturday, followed by heavenly $25 hour-long reflexology foot massages at my latest pampering discovery, JB Natural Foot Massage on Robertson, just north of Olympic. The $25 is a special rate that lasts until August 10th, though I suspect the price won't jump too high after that, since they're surrounded by very inexpensive nail places that do massages for cheap. Though the focus of the massage is the feet, it starts (as feet are soaking in hot water tub) with temples/head/arms, then feet (and really not sure of details cause I was THAT relaxed), then you turn over as the chair converts into a massage bed (this was way cool) for neck/upper back. Yes, I call this a deal.

• They take walk-ins, though there seems to be only 8 massage chairs, so you may want to call ahead.
• They take credit cards, though they didn't include a place for tip, and I had no cash, so I felt like a heel (can't help a good pun), but I will find a way to make up for the karma and bring cash next time for tip.
• They give you a punch value card, after 10 massages, you get 2 free!

Sweetie-pie wants to go with me next time, this weekend perhaps?

Stay cool until next time... Miss Absinthe

JB Natural Foot Massage

329 S. Robertson Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

310-657-3888

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

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

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

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