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.

historic preservation?

I've linked you to my most recent Picasa photo album. It's a doozie.

Last Saturday, Andrew and I went to the Cha Cha Lounge.* In our effort to find parking, we stumbled upon this house under (de)construction. I just couldn't believe it. I vowed I'd go back and photograph it.

Fearing even the tattered facade would be gone soon, I went back the next day with David on our way to the Hammer Museum (awesome exhibits now on display...go, it's free all summer!). Anyway, it seemed to still be in tact, so I took these photos. David also noticed that they didn't just "preserve" (what the hell is going on with the bottom?!) the facade, but also chose to keep a cool spiral staircase. Unfortunately, the photos just don't do the site justice, and even having been there, it's hard to tell what's going on.

I encourage a fieldtrip. The former duplex is on Edgewater Terrace at the intersection with Deane St. in Silver Lake, just off Silver Lake Blvd. I haven't been back since last week, but I'll try to check on it periodically. It could be leveled now.


* The only cool thing about that place is the color photo booth. We took some (unintentionally) hilarious photos in there.

adventures in photographs

Yesterday I had a little adventure downtown. First on a walking tour of Little Tokyo, which is a place I've been to a few times before. But it's nice to get a formal tour. We started in the Japanese American Cultural Center Plaza, which looks like a 1970s urban renewal project--and guess what, it was! Okay, fine, one of the buildings has a Japanese flair, but it's still brutal concrete. You can see my photos here (it looks better than if I embed them in the blog).

On my way home, I visited my cousin Miriam at her new swanky (faux) loft downtown near the Staples Center. I took some photos of the courtyard, which includes a cool view of the downtown skyline.

Did you know that new apartment housing no longer uses traditional metal keys? They're now swipe cards like hotels! I bet this has probably been going on for awhile, but I just didn't know since I hadn't visited places. Andrew's campus housing has this too. It's kinda weird, isn't it? What happens when the power goes out?

europe photos uploaded

In a fit of productivity, I finally downloaded my photos from my trip, and now I've uploaded some of them to my Picasa album. Click the link above to enjoy, but bear with me as I'm still a bit too lazy to put in all the captions as of right now.