El Lay

Way up high in Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory

Andrea and I drove to Los Angeles this past weekend. We drove out there to see our Principia alumni friend Melanie, who is from Zambia and England, but is living/has been living in Los Angeles on and off for the past five years.

We left early Saturday morning and arrived in Los Angeles around noon. It’s about a 4-4.5 hour drive. We stopped into see Andrea’s cousin and her new baby in Huntington Beach for a half an hour before driving on to Glendale.

I’ve only ever been to Hollywood, so it was nice to see a different side of Los Angeles. Although LA is not without its charm, I still don’t think I could ever live there. I think it’s just a little too much for me.

But we had a lovely time visiting Mel and had a lot of fun. Here are some photos from the trip:

Animatronic Cowboy Robot Alien in Baker, CA (an hour outside of Las Vegas)at Alien Fresh Jerky

Alien baby, in back of “Space Trooper”

“Space Trooper”

Andrea and Melanie, overlooking Los Angeles, at the Farmer’s Market

View of The Grove, Los Angeles

Cabernet Sauvignon Sorbet at Bennett’s, which was totally awesome

Me with Sausage Piggies at the Farmer’s Market

LA, as seen from the passenger seat of the car

The Griffith Obeservatory:

Hollywood sign, nearly impossible to see, tho

Me, against the Hollywood Hills

View of LA from the observatory…downtown barely visible through smog

Griffith Observatory

People viewing stars with astronomers

Foucault Pendulum

Man playing theremin..sounds weird and alien..kind of like a violin bow on a saw

Melanie, Andrea, me

Museum in the observatory, which was really neat

Space Creature…actually some kind of photographic device for space missions

Rotating model of the moon..it was neat

View of Los Angeles at night

….

View from my bed the next morning. We stayed at Melanie’s host family’s house, and it was very very lovely. I didn’t want to leave it.

We went to church, and then to lunch at The Alcove, which was a great place. That’s Mel walking towards the camera.

View of the devastatingly beautiful Mojave Desert on the way home.

And here’s a video montage of a some neat moments:

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Currently listening to Desert Sessions Vols. 1&2

Yup.

Great (but not so) Novel Advice

My boss spent the better part of today yelling at me. I’m sure I deserved some of it, but it was hard nonetheless. I think everything’s ok now. I can just never make another mistake. Yeek.

After work, I went over to Border’s because I wanted to get some books to help me with my job. I found two awesome design books, and got two other books as well. A little libro-therapy never hurt. I only buy books in spree twice a year, so I got to make it count.

I got this one for the awesome awesome examples of type. It’s SOOO inspiring.

I got this one, because, although I know the press pretty OK, I want to become the master of it, since that’s a major part of my job.

I also got this book. It’s our next book club book. Please get it. It’s wonderful.

I also got the book at the top of this post, which I couldn’t resist, because of the awesome cover, and the amazing illustrations on the inside which are gonna help me with my comic. Plus Ernie Pyle is like a hero.

Anyway, I was reading The Dangerous Book for Boys, and the introduction says:

Don’t worry about genius and don’t worry about not being clever. Trust rather to hard work, perseverance and determination. The best motto for a long march is, “Don’t grumble. Plug on.
— Sir Frederick Treves

I liked that quote because I am feeling the stinging feeling of not being good enough at work. People all my life have told me that I’m a great artist and a good designer. And I’ve allowed myself the luxury of letting that slip up to my head.

Working for Greenbaum changes that a little. Not only am I not the best graphic designer, I am also not the best artist. I am feeble and new to this job, and feel like I’m on unstable ground. Just a month into the job, and I’m feeling out of place and worthless at something I’ve been studying since birth. But, I have to just “plug on”, cause that’s all I can do. I hope I can get better. Cause if not, what will I do?

—-
Currently listening to “Boy with a Coin” by Iron & Wine

Yup.

Nevadahhhhhhhh…

Tonight I went out with my roommate for dinner at a new pub right next to our house, called Remedy’s. We had pub food and beer and it was nice to talk to her; I barely know her at all.

After a couple of drinks and a club sandwich, we left. Instead of going home, I drove down the lonely, dry St. Rose parkway, past the executive airport onto an industrial-looking area of unpaved road cutting through the desert on its way to the mountains. I drove out onto the white gravel, to a construction site that looked like it had been abandoned. There were no signs saying “no entry”, so I just drove on to where the gravel ended.

All around were piles of dirt and a tractor, but no signs of people. I parked my car, and left the radio on..I think something by John Fogerty was playing. I climbed onto the hood of my car, still hot from the 106 day temperatures today. I sat and looked toward the east…streetlights of Henderson at the foot of a mountain turning on as the sunlight begins to disappear. To the north, more empty construction site. To the west, the mountains, hazy with oranges pinks lavenders and yellows. And, to the north, Las Vegas, although a large pile of gravel conveniently shielded me from having to stare at that just then.

There are several layers of mountains to the west, the lowest ones getting mixed up with the piles of gravel near me. Cranes behind the piles always remind me of dinosaurs.

It was just me, and John Fogerty, hanging out on the hood of my car, watching the light grow dim on the mountains, beyond the acres of black brush on desert land, with the occasional plane drifting by. Everything was covered in such a pretty light.

I can’t remember a moment when I have felt more at peace here in Nevada than I do right now. I feel my shoulders slowly, slowy relaxing because I feel immense relief.

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Currently listening to “Blind”, by TV on the Radio, on repeat.

Yup.

New Neighborhood

I have moved to a new place. I moved in with Carole, a friend of my cousin. She’s a sweet person, and has a great house. We live together in a 4 bedroom house in Henderson, Nevada. It’s a suburb of Las Vegas. I really like this town. Where I live is still a pretty new area, so much of the area is nothing but homes, separated by large tracts of uninhabited desert landscape. We live pretty close the mountains, so I get to drive by those everyday.

I have been living here since the beginning of July. I love it! It’s nice to have my own room again and all my stuff unpacked that’s been sitting in the Clark garage for months. I feel like I’ve got my whole self again.

Here are some photos:

My neighborhood

View from Amigo street…that’s South Point casino, at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard (a 10 min drive fro my house).

A local bar

My neighborhood, again.

Uninhabited land and some mountains

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Currently listening to Band of Horses

Yup.

Kwik-E Mart

Las Vegas/Henderson was lucky enough to be one of the cities to get a 7-11–>Kwik-E Mart makeover for the promotion of The Simpsons Movie. I went over to see it with Andrea, Chops and Josh on the 4th of July.

It’s fun. They are selling some cool products, and I got a few to try. Here are some photos:

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Currently listening to: The Simpsons theme!

Yup.

You Know What’s Cooler than Thou?

My new work computer. Observe:

Screen One

Screen Two.

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Currently listening to Wet from Birth by the Faint

Yup.