fancy burgers

Burgers are all the rage. They have been for me for years, because yes, they are my favorite food. But I'm very particular about my burgers. I like a simple one with quality meat (grass-fed Angus is my preferred), onions (raw, grilled, or caramelized), lettuce, tomato, and some sort of sauce (not too much, just a touch to mingle with the juice from the burger to lubricate the whole experience). Notice I did not include cheese.

The restaurant burger rage is all about making it fancy. Putting all sorts of stuff on it. I just had the Umami Burger finally. I had been to the Los Feliz Umami months ago for their happy-hour only $5 Smash burger, which is closer to my kind of burger (though it does have house-made? American cheese) with caramelized onions. I went back tonight, craving a burger, and deciding between the Smash and the Umami. I decided to go with the Kombo #1 with the Umami burger, fries, and house Nakhor beer ($15, $2.50 savings over individual prices). The burger is seasoned with the umami fifth taste stuff that I barely understand. Then on top there were caramelized onions and shiitake mushrooms, oven-dried tomatoes (which I couldn't taste), and a fried crepe of Parmesan, which totally overpowered the whole thing. But then again, I think Parmesan cheese tastes like a fart. I'm standing by that. The burger wasn't bad, it was just too much going on. The brioche bun was very good and the fries were exceptionally crisp (the way I like them). The garlic aoli dip for the fries was good, but it's no Oinkster aoli. The texture was a little rubbery, in fact. Next time I want a local, quick-fix high quality burger, I'll go with the Smash. The gentleman sitting next me had it and it smelled a lot better than mine did.

Another fancy burger people go nuts over that I just had to try was Father's Office. I went to the Culver City post nearly two months ago so forgive my memory. Again, another fancy-ass burger loaded with so much you can't taste it all. And this place will not let you substitute or remove. I can understand the no substitution bit, but the fact that they won't remove anything at your request is going a bit overboard. Another excellent brioche bun and perfectly crisp fries with tasty aoli. On this burger I do remember there was blue cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, and possibly mushrooms. There could be something else, but like I said, you couldn't taste it. I swear I never tasted the bacon.

They are gourmet burgers to be sure, but just not my thing.

The Oinkster

This is why The Oinkster has been so busy for two months that more than once, I've parked, got to the door to see the line straggle past it, and left. I love this place, but I am unwilling to stand in such a line.



What I can't believe is that they show everything except the burger! Come on, it's the best burger in L.A.! I also love the pulled pork, the rotisserie chicken, the fried plantains, and the beet salad. The fries are a must, too, of course. And they aren't kidding about the garlic aoli. I could put that on everything.

The house-made ketchup, on the other hand, I find disgusting. It tastes like apples and cinnamon, and I don't mix sweet with savory. Actually, eating my burger regularly at The Oinkster weened me off ketchup. You should have seen how much I used to put on burgers (actually I would cut them into quarters and dip them in ketchup) and fries. But decide for yourself. I know plenty of other people like it.

gastrobus

I think I mentioned that I'm obsessed with the food trucks (see where some of them are Tuesday-Saturday here). In the beginning I thought, oh I'll just try all the ones I can and I'll be satisfied. Why would I need to stalk them and repeatedly visit the same ones over and over again? How naive, really, because of course I'm a creature of habit. It's not as if I go around trying a different burger every week, rarely repeating the same place. No, of course, you're likely to find me at The Oinkster once a week for a burger. Sometimes that doesn't happen, especially since I've been researching in Beverly Hills, and it's a long drive between them. But I am dying to try The Patty Wagon. Anyway, I digress...

My favorite truck is The Gastrobus. Its concept may not be as kitchy as some, but the consistently high quality of the food is more than enough for me. Plus, it is yellow and looks like a school bus. That makes it very easy to spot on a busy street, actually. You can look at the basic menu on the website, but watch the tweets for specials for the day (usually lasting the week). That's where they really showcase the seasonal organic produce they source from the Los Feliz Farmers Market, where they serve brunch every Sunday. I haven't done that yet, but I will soon enough.

I'm always impressed with the flavors and combinations. Today was no exception. I had the new tuna melt with dill, caramelized onions, and swiss with a side of fried shamrocks (flash-fried broccoli) with the most incredible mustard vinaigrette I've ever tasted. Actually, it is their sauces or dips that stand out the most for me. The lime aoli with the roasted cauliflower I had a couple weeks ago made my day--and spurred me to roast my own cauliflower, but not attempt the aoli. The garlic aoli on the pulled pork is also something to write home about. As is the chumichurri on the tender steak sandwich (my plan for today until they unveiled the tuna melt). I was also inspired to buy beets, roast the roots and sautee the greens, after they served sauteed beet greens. And I have to say, that was the best broccoli I've ever had. Who knows, maybe I'll buy a crown this weekend. And by the way, their sweet potato fries are crisp and served with a tasty honey mustard dip. I'd get them, but their vegetable options beckon to me (both for creativity and healthfulness). Oh, I almost forgot about the sweet potato hash I had last week. A fragrant mix of seasonings, caramelized onions, and spice yogurt. Absolutely incredible.

You should stalk them too.

chocolate in the air

I love it. Every time I've entered my apartment today, I'm greeted with a strong fragrance of chocolate with a hint of earl grey. It sticks around while I sit here, too. Yum.

All because I'm in the process of making a chocolate earl grey sorbet from this recipe. I used organic raw agave instead of sugar. Trader Joe's supplied the cocoa powder (it doesn't say Dutch process, but it has its own spiel about its rich, uniqueness) and a tiny portion of the enormous Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar (instead of bittersweet chocolate). It's chilling in the fridge, to be frozen in the ice cream maker later today. The whisk tells me it tastes incredible. I think it's going to be even better frozen.

I know I've promised to blog more, and I will. I have a huge backlog of stuff I've been cooking (with photos). I know, me cooking, who would have thought?!

i want to eat lunch at a French school

The column from Time says it all.

frankie and tiny's pies

Courtesy of a TastingTableLA email, I discovered Frankie and Tiny's pies in October, sold at the Silver Lake Farmers Market on Saturdays 8-1. Since then I've gone on a near-weekly basis for a pie or two. The BBQ pulled pork pie drew me in at first. The steak and ale (Newcastle) and steak and stout (Guiness) pies are my favorite. The pie crust is the same for all savory pies. It has the perfect texture and buttery taste the compliments the meat so perfectly. Carrie's whoopie pies are incredible (I've tried Belgian chocolate chip cookies with vanilla buttercream and chocolate cookies with mocha buttercream). And her blueberry pie? The best I've ever had. The chicken pot pie and beef pot roast pies are weekly staples. For non-meat eaters, there are quiche and vegan shephard's pie.

before i forget

I want to interrupt the previously scheduled post to promote some excellent food-related emails I receive that fuel my foodie adventures. I get a lot of food and film mailings, but here are two of the most useful.

Tasting Table. Sign up here through the end of March and they will donate $2 to the Whole Planet Foundation, which helps microcredit programs for the poor in the industrializing world.

Blackboard Eats. If you live in LA or NYC and you love to eat out, this is the email for you. They will send you multiple discounts per week for restaurants. I've tried some amazing places through this, including Mozza2Go (Pizzeria Mozza). Oh my god, that was the best pizza I've had in my life.

south philly experience

More like Total Grease Experience.

Let me back up a bit first. I'm obsessed with the ever-growing crop of gourmet food trucks. Before tonight I can't say that I've had a bad experience with any of these trucks, and by now I've tried more than ten. Some I've been to more than once (Buttermilk, Border Grill, and Dosa) and others I certainly would eat again as well (Gastrobus), among others.

When South Philly Experience announced its arrival some months back I was excited, because like so many other things, I can't find a good cheesesteak in Los Angeles. The creators are from Philly so you think it's going to be good.

Well... I ordered a cheesteak with onions and provolone and a side of sauteed broccoli rabe. The meat itself was incredibly dry yet the sandwich was leaking oil like an old car. Thank god I brought the food back to my car; had I attempted to eat this on the street I would have completely ruined everything I was wearing with grease. Instead, I covered my emergency break in grease before I managed to get it under control with the aluminum foil that covered my greens. That's also when I discovered that they were bathed in a thick pool of oil too. Once I finished the sandwich, which completely lacked the flavor and satisfaction that should come with so many calories, I took a couple bites of the broccoli rabe and declared them inedible. Only salt rivaled the oil for the distaste award.

Ugh. There's a reason they don't venture farther east than the western edges of Hollywood. People over here have taste.

after more than 13 months

I'm back. I'm a year older. I'm slightly less intent on procrastinating. I've also been locked up in my apartment for the last two days, sick with strep throat (which fully ballooned on my 27th birthday). But now I'm about to leave to check out a new restaurant a couple blocks from me (Forage). I am also now an insane foodie, chasing food trucks and everything else. So now I suspect I will be blogging about food more than anything else.* I haven't decided if I'm going to become that person that takes photos of everything she eats yet, however.


* Who knows, but Al's been telling me to blog about food (mostly so I don't have to talk about it so much with her) and figure let's just reactive Ridiculous Authenticity.

what to do while avoiding writing fellowship applications

1. Watch movies you wouldn't pay to rent via Netflix's watch now feature.
2. Watch movies you used to own on VHS via Netflix's watch now feature.
3. Constantly check all email accounts and news feeds. Notice how almost nothing changes over the course of a day.
4. Comb through OkCupid and never find what you're looking for.
5. Watch PBS cooking, nature, history, and science programs you've probably seen before.

What the hell is wrong with me? Does any of that really sound that exciting to anyone? None of what I just listed even sounds interesting to me, and I'm the one doing it day after day instead of writing. What the hell is wrong with me? And why do I hate to write (productive things) so damn much?

It's as if I've worked my whole life to get to the point where I get paid to research, write, learn, and teach about what really interests me, and now that I'm there, I don't want to do it. That's exactly what it is. This is highly problematic since I'm supposed to do this for the rest of my life.

People bitch and moan about how horrible school is, especially that it's too restrictive and crushes creativity. I've been in school my whole life. I've thrived in it...until I burned out I guess. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to transition from class-taker to dissertation-writer. Grad school doesn't really prepare you for some of the hardest things you have to do. And I still can't manage unstructured time effectively (that's an understatement).

What's even more ridiculous is that I'm really excited about my dissertation topic. But it's also very scary to be left to your own devices with such a big project. I've written theses before, but this is much bigger and much more important. This project is going to define my professional life for at least ten years. It's a lot of pressure, but I need to suck it up and just get on with it already.

i don't know why, but it's time to blog again

It's not like I have anything particularly interesting to report. Al is still living with me, and I guess since she was one of my primary readers I have not been blogging. What do I need to blog about to someone who spends most of her time with me?!

There were times I thought about blogging about the election. I'm a total political junkie. Hell, I'm information junkie, period. Politics is only part of that, but damn it was really exciting. And so weird to be on the west coast so I didn't have to stay up all night.

I can even tell you, regarding my last blog nearly six months ago, the CW didn't stream 90210, but replayed it enough. I stopped watching because its novelty wore off. The farther I get away from high school, the less and less I want to watch anything having to do with it. I'm currently revisiting Freaks and Geeks on DVD via Netflix. Even that has lost the glow I had of it in my memory. But it's still one of the best TV shows. They always cancel stuff I like, such as Arrested Development and Pushing Daisies.

Anyway, I don't know what else to say. Except I'm back. I think.

P.S. I passed my doctoral exams. I'm officially a Ph.D. candidate. I just have to write that little dissertation. You don't want to know what I'm procrastinating on right now.

high vs. low culture?

I know what you're thinking: what the hell have you been doing that you haven't blogged in more than two months?! It's neither as boring as you might imagine nor as exciting as you might either. I just haven't felt like blogging. I've seen celebrities, I've seen movies, I've made all sorts of random observations. Allie has been here during that time, and I have been procrastinating majorly on preparation for my doctoral exams. We even went to Disneyland for Al's birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, what the hell finally inspired me to write? Something pretty odd. Something pretty embarrassing if I was actually ashamed of my long-ago obsession with Beverly Hills 90210.

Huh? Let me explain.

I don't know if I blogged about this before, and I'm not going to bother looking through my archives because it's just not worth it. But they are remaking 90210 (with the new shorter title), and it premieres on Tuesday. There are billboards all over Los Angeles promoting it, I've read stuff about it, and Allie keeps asking if we're going to watch the show. I always tell her "Of course!"

I almost blogged a couple of weeks ago when I was driving east on Beverly going home from somewhere and spotted some filming going on. I got excited when I noticed that a corner building displayed a new, shiny label of "The Peach Pit." 90210!!

This morning when I woke up, I realized something. Yesterday we picked up one of those invite-pass thingies for advance movie screenings. I've been here three years and I've never actually been to one before. Usually they aren't interesting to me, but this one is The Soloist, Joe Wright's latest film. I'm really looking forward to this movie, and it might actually be a work-in-progress one since the film hasn't been rated and it's not due out until mid-November. And this screening is on Tuesday night, directly conflicting with my 90210 plans. I don't have Tivo and apparently my VCR doesn't work with my HDTV. I can only hope that the CW streams full episodes after they air.

I went to the website, and it appears they do stream episodes. (Apparently they are making big-time references to the original show in the TV promotional spots that I've never seen since I have never ever watched the CW; they've got the music and the same photo shot promo thing of the cast.) Hopefully they'll do this one, but I probably won't know until it's over. And I'm going to have to risk it, unless Al can't go because she's working late on Tuesday, because I'm not obsessed enough to actually stay home and watch TV. That would be embarrassing!

Maybe one day I'll blog about how interesting it is that they are remaking a show that had a ten year run that only ended eight years ago. In the meantime, I'll just say it's some cool postmodern shit (and nostalgia).

when people marry

You might find this to be an odd post. Just warning you.

I hate social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. I find them to be vanity projects, destroyers of the English language and people's ability to communicate in person, and huge time suckers.* But, alas, I have accounts for specific purposes (I joined for other reasons but eventually came to my current state of opinion). I joined Facebook when it was only available to students at certain universities, so it's been a long time. I only keep a membership to periodically check on the status of people I grew up with but don't really keep in contact with. And that's what prompts me to blog this morning.

I got a friend request and a message from people I know, so I figured I should log in. While I was there I glanced at people's updates and clicked on specific people I wanted to peek into the lives of. That is how I discovered that one of my childhood friends (we've known each other more than twenty years) is engaged and comments on her page seem to indicate she is getting married this summer.

Don't worry, I'm not griping about not being invited to the wedding--I would have never have expected that. We have kept in touch only sporadically, and the last time I saw her was nearly three years ago (though that's, honestly, a lot more recently than anyone else I grew up with) when I first moved to L.A.

This hit me in a way that is hard for me to really understand. What I think it is, is that I've finally hit an age where people from my cohort are really going to start doing this. 25 isn't that young to get married by most of society's standards, but it certainly is to me!

I have plenty of friends that are married. In fact, I probably have more friends that are or have been married than aren't, but that's because I've never quite fit in with my own peers and have always had older friends (my recent friend request was from my high school English teacher). So it's not the idea of marriage that is sticking me either.

I also know other people from growing up that are married and married younger (I haven't talked to them since before the nuptials), but I wouldn't really call them friends. I doubt my name would even register with them today (but you never know about such things).

This is the first actual friend from my childhood that is getting married (that I know about anyway). She's one of the few people that I have any fond memories of growing up. Other people's reputations in my mind are marred by acts of meanness, taint from close association with those people, or just the superficiality I feel they might have had for any regard for me.

I don't know what to do with all this. I'm not having a quarter-life crisis. I have no interest in getting married within the decade (or ever). This is just a little introspection on my role in social expectations and how others fulfilling them impacts me.


* You could say this about a lot of internet stuff, but I don't hate the internet. I'm entirely dependent on it, and I'm the first to admit it. I also use it to socialize and do a lot of online dating, but I find this other stuff to be too invasive and pushy and entirely driven by capitalistic greed (the companies, not the users).

how much is a radio worth?

Ok, I know it's been a really long time since I've blogged. I probably need to do some back-blogging, but I'm just going to go with my instinct to get back into the flow of things even though I'm so tired I might fall over typing.

Do you have any idea how relatively expensive portable radios are? When you can get tiny MP3 players that hold at least 12 hours of music for about the same price as a radio, it makes you wonder. Are radios really a dying, archaic technology? They're not exactly cassettes (which, by the way, I finally--after years--spotted a pack of high bias Maxell tapes like I used to use in the old days for $12 for 5, or something like that). And I am not talking about the fancy, hand-crank radio NPR stations give out if you pledge enough money. Or satellite. I'm talking just a small AM/FM tuner with a headphone jack.

I know what you're thinking, why does Stephanie even care? What the hell prompted this outrage after six or seven weeks of no blogs? Well, honestly, I really miss NPR.

Huh?

Well, I've been working my usual summer historic preservation gig since I got back from my two-week trip back East (including 5 days in NYC--check my photos for a peek). But in an effort to get more exercise and walk more, I decided that I am going to take the bus all summer to and from work. But it's not the slightly more time-efficient Metro Bus; no it's the LADOT DASH, which only costs 25 cents (1/5 the price of the Metro Bus) that never runs ontime and only is supposedly at 30-minute intervals (ha!). It's not just a fraction of the cost, but it makes me walk more because the stops are farther from my apartment, which is what I want. But the problem is, I'm barely driving my car (some problem: I'm saving loads on gas and being far more environmentally friendly), which is when I listen to NPR. The times I am in my car, mostly on weekends, is when KPCC plays mostly crap like Prairie Home Companion on a seemingly infinite loop.

I've been getting lots of use out of my iPod shuffle, but dammit, I'm really missing Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace (you know I love that Ky Rysdall). So I need to get a portable radio. After some searching around, it looks like I have to pay $35 for one that actually works well. Crazy.

an account of an activity i didn't even do

I've been meaning to blog about this for days, but I had a busy weekend.

On one of my trips back from the French film festival, driving along Sunset, I noticed that Flight of the Conchords were set to perform at Amoeba on Thursday, April 24. Great, I thought, I might actually try to go. I hate Amoeba, I hate crowds, and I hate the anxiety waiting for free shit causes (notice how I've stopped blogging about going to free, advance screenings of movies? It's because I haven't been doing it). But I figured I'd give it a shot, what could it hurt, and I had already purchased a ticket to see Son of Rambow at Arclight for an AFI Director's Series screening for later that night.

Turns out I had to go to this school research retreat (we didn't go anywhere but the patio for lunch). I ducked out early, headed to Amoeba, and swung by around 5:15 p.m. (the show was to start at 6:00) to find there was a line already formed half-way around the one-square block Amoeba occupies. Forget it, I yelled! No big deal. I spotted Bret McKenzie in Skylight the previous Sunday, anyway. I got a better look there than I ever would have at Amoeba. hahahaha

I drove home, only to return at 7:00 to grab free parking, eat dinner, and browse around the vicinity. That's when I discovered that I was almost glad I didn't go to the show, because it was filled to the brim with hipsters. They were crawling everywhere. On the sidewalk. In Baja Fresh. In Border's. It was disgusting. They just drive me insane in their herd-like behavior and vapid conversations I inevitably overhear. And it never occurred to me that the Conchords were hipster fodder.

So now I have to grapple with the fact that I actually really like something that is popular. It's odd. You never know. When Amoeba did a Spoon promotion over the summer, I was amazed at how almost no one showed up when they opened, but the Conchords brought a monster crowd. Cash in while you can, guys!

did you know slap bracelets are back?

Apparently they are. I haven't seen anyone wearing one yet, but twice in the last week I've encountered them. First at Y-Que, Y-Que in hideous animal prints for $1. I marveled at how they are cheaper now than they were back in the day, even considering inflation should have pushed that kind of crap up.

Then today as I was walking through campus I noticed that an organization was advertising that Michael Ian Black is going to be visiting (performing, presumably) on Wednesday night. I asked someone manning the table if this was a ticketed event; it's not, but in addition to the answer I also got a slap on the wrist with a slap bracelet promoting the event.

If you can get them personalized, they've got to be back, right?

I had at least one dayglo-colored one back in the day. When was this? Probably the same time that 90210 was all the rage. Apparently, that's coming back too! (Reimagined, of course.) Nothing will ever be as good as those early years.

when was the last time you used a phone book?

And I don't mean the contacts list, sometimes labeled "phone book," on your cell phone. When was the last time you used the utility-company published yellow (do they come in other colors?) book?

Honestly, in the last several years, the only reason I ever touched one of those was to recycle it, bemoaning why it was even delivered to me in the first place. That was, until last week.

I spent four consecutive days at the City of Lights City of Angels (COLCOA) Film Festival at the Director's Guild of America building on Sunset. If the title's too cryptic for you, the subtitle of the festival was "A week of French film premieres in Hollywood." Duh, you're thinking to yourself, that's just up Stephanie's alley.

I saw three comedies: Shall We Kiss?, Game of Four, and Welcome to the Land of Ch'tis. The latter is currently only playing in Francophone Europe, has broken several French box office records, and is unlikely to be released in the U.S. despite the Weinsteins buying the rights to remake it. It also had the least sophisticated humor of the three, relying mostly on regional ignorance and rivalry. Shall We Kiss? is a farce about why you shouldn't give "meaningless" kisses when you are otherwise entangled. Game of Four is a comedy of manners about cheating on your spouse and the potential fun the injured party can have in trying to stop it without you knowing.

I also saw one drama: A Secret, which is about complicated family relations shifting during World War II and its aftermath. It's not so much about the fighting, but instead conflicts within the family about being French Jews during it.

So getting back to my phone book story... After my first film, where I spent the whole time straining to sit upright, forward, and just damn uncomfortable due to the shifting position of the taller people in front of me, I was determined to rescue my phone book from my recycling bag and drag it with me to the remaining screenings.

What? Seriously. Have you tried to watch a foreign film where the subtitles are blocked by someone's head? I don't care if people laugh at me. I paid to see the movie, and I want to enjoy it! But don't worry, I brought it with me in stylish bag so no one had a clue anyway.

It seemed my dragging the heavy book was in vain until the last night, which started fine. Then an old lady (yes, seriously) sat in front of me. I think she had a bit of difficulty seeing because of the people in front of her so she was as tall as could be throughout the film. The film was projected with the subtitles abnormally low. This is to say nothing of the poor design in general (a gentle slope, low screen, etc.).

What did I ever do before stadium seating?

fresh and easy

Well, I've had a request to blog about this, so I'm going to do it. Not that I didn't think about doing it yesterday afternoon when I got back, but one thing led to another and I didn't.

Ages ago I heard that Tesco, the English supermarket chain, was coming to Los Angeles. And they were going to open in places most American chains wouldn't (like Compton). What a great idea! But I never heard an announcement of "Tesco is here!"

On Saturday as I'm driving around, I was listening to Off Ramp on KPCC, which went to the Fresh and Easy in Compton to talk about the somewhat disappointing show of Tesco's debut in the U.S. No wonder I never heard about Tesco, they fooled me and called themselves Fresh and Easy, which sounds more like an advertisement for adult services rather than a grocery store. I had passed by the one in Hollywood before, but didn't know what it was. Then I heard them mention there's one in Eagle Rock. I got all excited! The Hollywood & Highland complex is a disaster and horribly inconvenient, even if it's technically the closest location to me (we'll see if I use it over the summer since work will be a short walk), but tell me there's one in Eagle Rock and I'm there.

One of the commentators on the radio had complained that it's a limited-choice supermarket and maybe that's why it's not doing so hot. I don't know about that. Look how wildly successful Trader Joe's is, and if it ain't limited choice, I don't know what is! I looked it up online (I've linked you above) and saw how conscientious they are with lower energy consumption and good pay and health care for all employees.

I get excited about these things because it's a family trait to be obsessed with food. And I liked the idea that they had a lot of freshly prepared food that wasn't loaded with preservatives since I don't cook. And I'm sick of eating the same stuff from Trader Joe's all the time.

I loved it. I walked in and immediately saw the English touches, which reminded me of shopping in Sainsbury's in Lancaster, Sommerfield in Glasgow, and even Tesco Express in London. The packaging and food display is straight from England, but the food choices aren't necessarily. While they did have black currant yogurt, they didn't have trifle or digestives! The prices are completely reasonable, if not even cheaper than other stores. They sell plenty of non-F&E brands too, including toiletries, detergents, and alcohol. And they have a big tea section, including some choice decaf black teas (always difficult to find).

I bought a fresh pizza (ready to bake), a frozen one, a frozen dinner (that I discovered later was portioned for two, which then made it a healthy choice...I'm going back for the Shepherd's Pie!), two prepared salads, and some other odds and ends like fruit, hummus, and the best croutons in the world (which I've had difficulty finding lately).

You have to check yourself out, which isn't that big a deal, but something you don't see much out here. My problem was that because I was using my own bag the machine would freak out after I scanned every other item, even when I kept punching "I'm using my own bag."

Upon leaving, I was given several coupons for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more over the next couple of months. You bet your ass I'll be using them.

photo update

Since I know you're unlikely to keep tabs on the update status of my photo album, I thought I'd alert you that I finally downloaded a bunch of photos from my camera and spent the time to upload them and others to the web.

Now you can enjoy photos from my October 2007 trips to San Francisco and Portland, Maine, as well as photos I took about a month ago while on a walking tour of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Caltrans building. Click here to start the fun.

What you won't see in the photo album, is this adorable creature:



Cute, isn't it? Well, I ate him. He was a cake from Albertson's (they actually have an incredible and affordable bakery, including gourmet cupcakes). He elicited questions at check-out and oohs and ahhs from Allie when I showed her this photo. She calls it the "Muppet cake." I haven't seen one like it since.

you're not going to believe this (or maybe you will)

I haven't blogged in a while, so it's probably time I gave you some of my current frustrations.

First of all, I have a blister approaching the magnitude of the one featured in Run Fat Boy Run. (It was a funny movie, but it wasn't as great as the trailer made me think it might be. By the way, Allie spotted Hank Azaria in Westwood on our walk back to the car from the incredible Diddy Reese's.) Did you know that you can get a blister on top of one you already had? Now you know. It's ugly and it hurts when I walk. I'll spare you photographs.

Last night I attempted to see Sex and Death 101 at the Laemmle Sunset 5, where writer/director Daniel Waters was due to do a little Q&A afterwards. It was not publicized much from what I could tell, yet the damn thing sold out before I got there. When I got there and saw a bunch of late 30s/early 40s people milling about in front of the theater it hit me that I should have realized that most Gen Xers would flock to this (hey, it's a nice change of pace from seeing a movie with a theater full of The Greatest Generation). I was excited because Winona Ryder has actually got a significant part in a film! But they were excited (probably) because it's from the writer of Heathers. And this is after I listened to some guy promote his book about how great Generation X really is on one of the local NPR shows in the afternoon. I just thought it was a little funny. So I'm going this afternoon when it will be cheaper and hopefully not crowded. I don't like crowded movie theaters, especially non-stadium ones. I love Laemmle, but I'd really love them if they had stadium seating.

Then this morning I started looking into buying a Flight of the Conchords CD, because Allie got me hooked on the HBO show (via a YouTube video that made me laugh my ass off). They've got an EP out and a full length releasing later this month. I was bummed to see that they are going to be playing in L.A. on May 30, when I'm likely still to be back east celebrating Allie's graduation. I placed an order through SubPop to buy these things, and when I checked that email account I found an email from the Superdrag folks.

You can probably see where this is heading.

Superdrag has finally booked west coast dates! And guess when they are! In L.A. May 28 and 29! (San Francisco June 1 and 2.) Do you believe this? I fly across the country to see this band and then they decide to book L.A. dates when I'm unlikely to be in town! I'm so livid. I haven't booked a returning flight yet--so I can technically make it--but I was planning to spend more than one week there. Originally we were going to spend 2 weeks in Europe, but the trip planning has imploded and we're putting it off until later in the year. Now we're trying to get little East Coast trips in there. I already booked my flight east for the 21st since it was $99 (good luck seeing that kind of fare again with fuel prices and airlines cutting flights). Leaving earlier would have meant I'd have to grade final exams in record time. But if I had known about Superdrag...

All this really gets my goat.

Superdrag are recording a new album. They're going to tour again for that, right? Right? Should I just relax? Better said than done.

Obviously.

today: 70s power ballads

Every Sunday, a group of Mexican men gather outside a parked van, open a door, play the radio, and converse in Spanish from early afternoon through the evening--all beneath my apartment window. This drives me insane. Why? Because it is distracting as hell. It's pretty loud, and Sunday is usually the day I make my final push to get whatever work done I've been putting off for the week. (And yes, I'm in the process of grading midterm exams.) I have trouble concentrating when there is sustained noise like conversation or music in the background--even of my own choosing. It wasn't such a big deal last week when, at this time, Allie and I were knee-deep in (new) piles we made to clean my disaster of an apartment and building IKEA furniture. (Correction: Allie did most of these things; I supervised.) This also put to rest her suspicion that I exaggerated the decibel and duration of these Sunday visits.

But today I am compelled to write about this, because there's a break in the pattern. Instead of their typical music choice, which is certainly no favorite of mine (let's just say it includes a lot of accordion), they are playing a 70s power ballad station. We've had ELO, Billy Joel, Elton John, and their buddies. It is also louder than usual, but maybe that's just because I actually recognize the music. And dammit, I like a lot of it.

Damn. And I was hoping they'd be doing whatever people do when they celebrate Easter. It's also nearly 90 degrees, but that's not breaking up this party.

"All by myself / Don't want to be / All by myself anymore / All by myself..."

penelope

Today, Andrew and I saw Penelope at The Landmark (the chain's poor man's Arclight), partly because we both think James McAvoy is really hot. Oh man, he didn't disappoint (as if he could; the man is even sexier in person). Plus, the theater had costumes from Atonement on display. Andrew actually took a photo of McAvoy's tux from the film with his phone! Also on display is the green dress Keira Knightley wears (reason enough for the film to deserve best costume design, but of course it lost). I'm happy to report that the dress didn't look nearly as amazing on the mannequin, so props to Knightley! (I can't believe I just typed "props.")

Anyway, I highly recommend Penelope. It's visually stunning, the story is heartwarming and positive, it's very funny, and the acting is solid. I don't understand why the film sat on the shelf for two years, but it's well documented that my tastes diverge from Hollywood's and the public's, so who knows.

It may be a while before I can report on my next film-going experience. The next one I want to see is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which opens on Friday. But I'm waiting for Allie to arrive in town on the 12th for that one. It feels wrong to miss the opening weekend, but it's a small price to pay to go to the movies with my sister! You know I'm up past my bed time when I start to get sappy like that.

i make faces at car chases

It still amazes me that they actually, in all earnest, show live car chases on local TV in Los Angeles. Before I moved here I thought it was a joke. It's, unfortunately, not.

I just turned on ABC ahead of World News Tonight with Charles Gibson and the local folks are really excited about this car chase in the midst of rush hour. For the first time, the car chase fetish might make sense. They were able to combine the traffic report (not usually part of the evening broadcast, but it's not like there's real news or even weather to report in fantasyland). The thing that made me get a kick out of this and subject you to it, is that they've got several people commenting (some dude in a helicopter and the plastic anchors) and they're just amazed that certain freeway segments aren't parking lots. "I've never seen this part not jammed at this time of day." It's just too funny as they anticipate his route and what traffic he will hit. Basically, this confirms my suspicion that navigating traffic in Los Angeles is a legitimate sport. Even I'm guilty of talking about my sporting life, which drives Allie insane.

Thank god they haven't preempted the national news broadcast to follow this guy. But if I really care, I'm glad to hear that they will continue to follow the pursuit to its conclusion and have all the details at 11. Nice way to conclude the Sweeps period, really.

the semicolon

I've linked you to an interesting article in the New York Times about people getting excited about the proper use of the semicolon on a NY transit sign reminding people to throw away their newspapers rather than litter the place with them.

Huh? Yeah, really. People are getting excited about a semicolon. But of course this is interesting and reason to get excited because so few people use proper grammar anyway, let alone know what to do with the esoteric semicolon. I've always been partial to the punctuation mark, and according to some hokey OkCupid test, that's the punctuation mark I resemble most. I'll wear that as a badge of pride; what have I got to lose?

Good writing is so elusive these days that I find myself being complimented by people I don't really know on how well I write. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm a crappy writer, but I'd never describe myself as a writer; I actually spend most of my time procrastinating on the large amount of professional writing I have to do. I'm very good with the technical aspects, because I remember and follow grammar rules. I occasionally turn a very clever phrase (mostly exploiting some sort of irony), but I wouldn't say I am some fabulously gripping writer. I'd rather just give you the information than go on and on in some eloquent description. I'm actually a far superior editor than I am writer, but that's not a talent you can easily showcase. It's also my editing skills that lead me to despair over the state of writing, especially in this age of quick, electronic communication.

the counterfeiters

I just got back from seeing The Counterfeiters in Encino. It's the Austrian film nominated for an Oscar, and the only nominee for the foreign film category I will have seen going into tomorrow's ceremony (and you bet your ass I'm watching; this is my Super Bowl!). If you remember, I saw the frontrunners for the category (4 Months... and Persepolis) during my winter break movie marathon, but they didn't make the final cut (not even the 8-member shortlist, which I'm fine with too). I think this movie is far superior to both of them anyway.

If you're not familiar with it, it's based on the true story of Jewish inmates in a concentration camp forging the pound sterling and dollar for the losing, bankrupt Nazis. It's the world's largest known counterfeit operation. For the record, I was likely the only person in the theater (which drew a sizeable crowd despite its lack of press on the scale of the two movies I mentioned above) that was born after the events of this film take place. That did not diminish the emotional weight the film bore on me. I cried at several different intervals. It was wholly gripping and depicted a very complex situation and the moral struggles involved in survival under the most inhuman conditions (though the counterfeiters were actually treated really well). Go see it. Even though I haven't seen the other films, I'm routing for this one tomorrow. (And let's face it, concentration camp and WWII movies in general due well at the Oscars.)

be kind rewind

This morning I saw Be Kind Rewind. (I really think there should be some sort of punctuation between "kind" and "rewind," but apparently the filmmakers don't.)

I really enjoyed it. It's hilarious, though I was a bit worried when one of the initial gags (before we even get to the main event) was based on the stupidity of Mos Def. Luckily it passed and he was of course the anchor to Jack Black's wildman (but he wasn't too wild or obnoxious). As a film fanatic, the issues it deals with and the emotions it builds on really worked for me, even though I'm not really connected to any of the movies they remake (or "swede"). Though I now have a craving to watch Ghostbusters, which I haven't seen in years. In the credits I saw something about going to a website to see the swede versions they made, but I can't seem to find it. The official site lets you swede yourself into a movie, but I don't care about that. Anyway, go see the movie. It was surprisingly a bit formulaic despite the offbeat premise, but I don't think that ruins the whole thing.

If you're looking for another movie to see this weekend, maybe I recommend Charlie Barlett. Apparently, I did about nine months ago when I saw an advance screening anticipating its then eminent release. I have no idea what happened during the gestation period. I wonder if they edited it.

joe wright

I've linked you to this fabulous article on director Joe Wright from The Guardian. Joe Wright is absolutely brilliant, and the article actually provides information on him. And apparently he has the good sense to go to the 101 Coffee Shop for a burger while he's filming in L.A. It's no Oinkster, but that's a pretty good burger too.

And for the record, he was robbed of an Oscar nomination twice, but most stingingly for Atonement. He would have been the dark horse, but Jason Reitman, are you serious? We all know I think Juno is way overrated, and apparently, I'm not the only one.

stephanie turns 25

Well, I'm officially a quarter-century old now. I'm not going through a quarter-life crisis, but I really didn't know what to do with myself today initially.

I woke up really early (which generally happens to me, it's not really birthday excitement), started a movie, and then went back to sleep. So I woke up later than usual (8:15), which resulted in me actually get a late start on the soft plans I made for myself.

My evening was taken care of. Andrew, Anna, and I had margaritas at Malo and then headed over to Taix for dinner. Before that, I went to see In Bruges at Arclight, which I really enjoyed. It's very funny, but it's also very violent. It had more blood than There Will Be Blood. Colin Farrell is great in small films. He's also really impressive in Cassandra's Dream, which I know I didn't blog about after I saw it, but I certainly recommend it. I enjoyed it a lot more than Match Point, which deals with similar themes.

Anyway, I didn't want to spend the bulk of the day in the apartment watching movies. I thought that would be depressing. Instead, I was determined to go out. The only thing I could think to do was to go to the Getty since I've wanted to see their photographic exhibits (that's pretty much the only reason I trek out there). I couldn't even think of where to eat lunch. I've been eating at home so much lately that I've even blocked my interest in going to places other than Oinkster (best hamburger in L.A.!). I only spent about an hour looking around and then decided to just eat lunch at their cafe, which I'd never even been to. It's really pretty nice and not too overpriced for a museum, especially one as isolated as the Getty.

From there I went to Arclight. I couldn't believe that in the middle of the day, on surface streets, it took nearly an hour to get between the two points. Usually during rush hour is takes an hour to get all the way home from the Getty, let alone 3 miles short of it. That was exhausting. Especially since it made it well into the 70s today with the sun beating down on me.

Oh and the first thing I did this morning was buy myself a birthday cake (but I didn't have them engrave it...that just seems weird when you buy it for yourself). But I haven't even touched it, and I won't tonight. Is it really your birthday without a cake? Sure, but now the cake seems silly. I hope it won't go stale overnight in its box. I don't have room for it in the refrigerator. We were all stuffed and sated by the insanely rich mousse Taix treated the birthday girl.

The best part? I can now rent a car without any extra massive fees.

Is this not the most boring post one could write about a birthday? I'm sorry. I am so tired. Between the one drink (which doesn't affect me until I actually get tired) and being up way past my bedtime, I'm just pooped. You're lucky any of this makes sense.

my current romantic comedy manifesto

I've linked you to an interesting article from the New York Times on the current, generally deplorable state of the romantic comedy. It starts off a bit poorly, especially when the author classifies In Her Shoes and The Devil Wears Prada as romantic comedies. They are not. Are there love interests for the central female characters? Yes. Is that the focus of the plot in either film? No. The same goes for the overrated Juno (brief rant: the film is riding the wave of praise from people who don't watch enough films).

I think A.O. Scott* shoots around the issue, but fails to hit the target with the general thrust of why romantic comedies aren't working lately. Really, did you see 27 Dresses? I did. Thank god I didn't pay for it. It was really bad. It had its moments and there was plenty of chemistry between the leads, but it was pretty pathetic and full of insipid jokes.

Anyway, back to my point of what Scott is missing. He yearns for the acerbic wit of yesteryear, when the romance included some form of "risk" (like falling for your rival or someone you think you hate). He also implicates women's liberation in the shifting plot forms that are perhaps debilitating these movies. But, if anything, you'd think women's parity with men gives them full permission to "fight" men (usually through wit, ideology...ala Pride & Prejudice). Instead, in the case of 27 Dresses she's a pathetic sack who can't stand up for herself. She's never uttered the word "No."

Maybe the problem is realism, which Scott doesn't really touch. As women become stronger in the real world (individually, collectively, etc.), their onscreen personas often betray this in order to conform to antiquated, traditional roles for women as desperate to marry (planning their weddings from infancy) and raise gobs of children, confining themselves to a private homelife. But who is that for? Do women really want to see that? (Of course not all women are feminists.) Is this for men who feel emasculated as women surpass them in education and income or just in general act on their entitlements? But do they see these movies in any great numbers? Men write a lot of romantic comedies, and perhaps, that is indeed part of the problem. But 27 Dresses was written by a woman, and there are other women who write this kind of crap.

I like the idea that Julie Delpy describes her 2 Days in Paris as a post-romantic comedy. It deals with a man's insecurities about his girlfriend's past (she's had sex with a lot of men! oh no!), but at the same time, Delpy's Marion has her own issues about commitment. She's 35 with no immediate (or perhaps eventual) interest to permanently tie herself to one man (let alone utter the word "marriage"). That is the great leap here. This is a plot line that perhaps shows the actual complications of the dramatic upheavel of gender roles in the late 20th century. Not the only permutation, of course, but it's a start. We need more post-romantic comedies. But we don't need to belittle the men (Adam Goldberg's Jack is a bit whiny), that's not my point. Why can't I have a male partner that is more like me rather than not?




*Who incidentally said he could watch The Simpsons Movie 20-30 more times according to the movie's box (that quote was there in lieu of a synopsis). I rented it from the library. I laughed a bit, but as someone who has really never watched the show I found it really easy to follow. How could this be satisfying for the hardcore Simpsons fans? Though, of course, I loved that Albert Brooks was the villain. He manages to get himself in high profile stuff you wouldn't ordinarily think of when you think of the wit and brilliance of Albert Brooks (for example, his first film acting credit is in Taxi Driver).