Retox in LA

Retox moved

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:30:00 +0000

I moved my site...retoxinla.com or retoxinla.onsugar.com. Either one works, but for rss feeds, the address is http://retoxinla.onsugar.com/posts/feed.

Bye bye.

Kinda f**ked?

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:24:00 +0000

I finally have time to catch up on catching up with life. It's really motivating.

1. The LA Times reports that according to a new UN Report carbon dioxide output increased 3% from 2006 to 2007 despite expectations that the economic downtown turn would have a slowing effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Some scientists described the numbers as "scary" while Richard Moss, vice president and managing director for climate change at the World Wildlife Fund said "we should worried--really worried".

2. The state budget cuts for LA County were $34 million more than expected. The Daily News reports:

The budget will cut $33 million from Medi-Cal, $8 million from probation camps, $10 million from mental health and $6 million from alcohol and drug programs, according to a memo by county Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka. "Each and every item will have a significant impact on our social programs and will hit the underserved," Fujioka said.

from: LAist: Man Gets Shot in Hollywood, Witnesses Watch, Do Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:35:00 +0000

If you saw someone get shot in Hollywood, what would you do?

Like the title says, a man got shot in Hollywood. No one did anything and he had to call 911 himself. Read his personal account of the story over at LAist. I guess this is a reminder not to assume "someone else is going to do it", because they probably won't either.

LAist: Man Gets Shot in Hollywood, Witnesses Watch, Do Nothing

Fortunately the guy is doing ok.

More phiLAnthropists...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Apparently I have been busy...here are my most recently LAist articles:

PhiLAnthropist: Give Back to LA with Food & Paddleboats (8/6/08)
PhiLAnthropist: Give Back to LA (7/29/08)

The Girl Effect

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:16:00 +0000

Watching this gave me goosebumps...call me cheesy, I think it's pretty amazing.

3OH!3 is coming to your party

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:36:00 +0000

This is a screen shot of the top 5 new releases on itunes.

3OH!3 HOLLA BACK.

Sophia from the Golden Girls - Rest in Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:22:00 +0000

Our favorite Sophia Petrillo lines

Estelle Getty, aka Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls, passed away today.

The Kansas City Star put together this great list of Sophia lines from imdb....

Sophia: Picture it: Sicily…

Dorothy (Sophia’s daughter, played by Beatrice Arthur): Hi, Ma. Where are you going?

Sophia: To the boardwalk. I like to watch the old guys rearrange themselves when they come out of the water.

Blanche (Rue McClanahan): I treat my body like a temple.

Sophia: Yeah, open to everyone, day or night.

Blanche: What do you think of my new dress? Is it me?

Sophia: It’s too tight, it’s too short and shows too much cleavage for a woman your age.

Dorothy: Yes, Blanche. It’s you.

Blanche: We just rented that movie “Aliens.” It scared us half to death.

Sophia: I found it scary, too. That Sigourney Weaver is a sweet girl but she really shouldn’t go without makeup.

Rose (Betty White): Everybody likes me.

Sophia: I don’t!

Rose: Oh, you just say that, Sophia.

Sophia: REPEATEDLY!

Stan (Dorothy’s ex, played by Herbert Edelman): Hello, Sophia, you’re looking younger every day.

Sophia: Hi Stan, and that’s a beautiful toupee you’re wearing. Great, now we’re both liars.

Dorothy: Well, Blanche is certainly taking her sister’s novel better than I would. I would kill my sister Gloria if she ever wrote about my sex life.

Sophia: You would kill your sister over a pamphlet?

Contractor: Do you want it fast or do you want it good?

Sophia: Before you answer that, Blanche, the man’s talking about a guest room.

Miles Webber (one of Rose’s boyfriends): Rose, I’ve never met anyone quite like you.

Sophia: Check the corn field on “Hee-Haw.”

Sophia: Come on, Blanche.

Rose: I’m Rose.

Sophia: Simple mistake. Means nothing.

Dorothy: Ma, Rose isn’t talking to me.

Sophia: Enjoy it while it lasts.

Blanche: Oh girls ... I’m just in ecstasy. My body is tingling all over. You will never guess what just happened.

Sophia: We know what happened. Let us just guess what part of the Middle East he’s from.

Sophia: Ow.

Dorothy: What is it, Ma?

Sophia: Pain.

Dorothy: What kind of pain?

Sophia: The kind that hurts.

Blanche: I have writer’s block. It’s the worst feeling in the world.

Sophia: Try 10 days without a bowel movement sometime.

Rose: Here you are, Sophia. The perfect after-dinner treat, a nice dish of Jell-O.

Sophia: I hate Jell-O. If God wanted peaches suspended in midair, he would have filled them with helium.

Blanche: Sophia, I need you.

Sophia: Blanche, you were strong and independent long before I got here.

Rose: I need you too, Sophia.

Sophia: Rose, you need the Wizard of Oz.

Blanche: I don’t really mind (my brother) Clayton being homosexual, I just don’t like him dating men.

Dorothy: You really haven’t grasped the concept of this gay thing yet, have you, Blanche?

Blanche: Well there must be homosexuals who date women.

Sophia: Yeah. They’re called lesbians.

Sophia: Hey, Sicilians can always recognize two things: when someone is telling the truth, and when they’ve had their fingerprints changed.

Blanche: Well, we have two choices: go and beg Ernie’s forgiveness, or hire another contractor.

Sophia: Or we could use the Sicilian method. We burn down the house, collect the fire insurance money and move to a beautiful beachside house in California. Personally, I vote for choice three.

phiLAnthropist on LAist.com

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Check out my phiLAnthropist article on LAist.com. Hopefully this will be the first in a series of upcoming posts for my favorite LA blog...

Twitter and Trazzler

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:13:00 +0000

Since I clearly need more distractions, I found myself exploring twitter. At first I thought it was kind of stupid, but I think I am starting to get it. Anyway, I started "following" (or what in pre-twitter times we might call stalking) Evan Williams, Twitter's co-founder and CFO and his "twitter-feed" lead me to this new site, Trazzler. The site helps user's "answer one question, 'Where should I go?' by recommending trips unique to your location." I've been playing around on it for a little while and have already doubled my list of "things to do". I'm really impressed by the suggestions. While some don't apply (i.e. I'm not going to any 5-star hotels in Laguna Beach), many recommendations include various resources, so it helps to lead you to other ideas.

The Underwear Affair

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:56:00 +0000

People I don't know from last years run. (phot0: la08.uncoverthecure.com/)

I recently signed up for City of Hope's The Underwear Affair, a 10-K run (and 5-K walk) to "to raise funds and unleash a voice for devastating yet “hidden” cancers like prostate, colorectal, ovarian, testicular, bladder, cervical, and uterine that may affect you or someone you know". The race takes place on August 2nd and the course begins and ends at the La Brea Tar Pits, taking runners down 6th Street and around Hancock Park. Unlike most runs that begin early in the morning, this race starts at 6pm on Saturday night and participants are encouraged (and do) dress up. So the good cause aside, that right there obviously sold me on the race. Then there is a big party after after, with live music and drinks. So there are three reasons why it sounds super fun. So go sign up or if you are feeling generous you can help me reach my fundraising goal by donating via my personal page.

Sesame Street and Feist

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:11:00 +0000

I am going to see Feist play at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday and coincidentally just came across this video over at the GOOD magazine blog. Sesame Street kicks ass (it's in it's 39th season!), what a cool adaptation of her song and the original video (still one of my favorites). Enjoy.

Just Shrew It...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:51:00 +0000

It's really July?

Wednesday July 16th

Twilight at the Club in Griffith Park - Cheap-ish drinks, food and "downtempo 70's beats". All over looking the golf course at Griffith Park. And prizes for the best Caddyshack costume.

Thursday, July 17th

The Future at the Silverlake Lounge - 8pm - I saw them play tonight at The Airliner. They were great, and I'm not just saying that because they are my friends. Solid keyboard melodies and vocals. I'm a fan.

The Duke Spirit and IO Echo at the Hammer - 8pm - I'd like to check this out if I have time. I visited the Hammer a few weeks ago and attended a forum/discussion about current pitfalls in the public education system. While very informative, I left feeling helpless, sort of like "ok, so the system at the elementary - high school level is messed up, and now I'm learning that the higher education system is dominated by corporate interests. So what can we do?" One of the speakers, Sir Ken Robinson, was particularly entertaining and insightful. Anyway, I got to see the space in the middle and its a cool outdoor atrium; definitely a cool place to see a show.

A Club Called Rhonda - 10pm - Guantelinda's - Every time I read about this weekly party, specifically the part that says "Rhonda likes to party so hard she'll be handing out shots at the door", I think to myself "that sounds amazing, I want to go". So this Thursday it will finally happen, thanks to its extremely close proximity to the Silverlake Lounge. Not to mention they will be celebrating the 2008 LA Bicycle Film Fest. Looks like I'll have to hit the Hammer next week...

Friday, July 18th

Skid Row History Museum presents Live From Skid Row - The Lamp Communuty Art Project Gallery - 6-9pm - This exhibit, at The Box Theater, "explores Skid Row through the stories of those who live, work and inspire others there". On Friday, The Lamp Community Art Project Gallery will host "Live from Skid Row" a community discussion with Pete White and Becky Dennison of LA Community Action Network. There will be a live musical performance as well as food and drinks. The actual museum exhibit, which is at The Box Gallery, has been well received by the LA Times amongst others. Speaking of Skid Row, two weeks ago marked the 3rd Anniversary of the monthly Skid Row Walk, a community effort to bring positive change and improvements to the people and neighborhood of Skid Row while increasing awareness. So far, it sounds like the walk has made an impact; walkers have observed a decrease in the number of people sleeping on the streets. Still, it sounds like the walk has a profound effect on both "first-time" and "veteran" walkers. For more, check out Ed Fuentes' coverage of the walks at blogdowtown.

Saturday, July 19th

Party Favors: Game Day - Bonelli Contemporary - 12 - 5 - I caught this in the Weekly and it sounded cool...an exhibit in Chinatown dedicated to exploring the party as a subject, idea and state of mind. Saturday's theme is Games. It starts with Board games, Bloody Marys and mimosa's at noon and wraps up with the "Name Game" and cocktails around 3:30. Don't worry, cheap wine and beer are on the itinerary as well.

The Taming of the Shrew - The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels - 8pm - After "game day", head downtown to see a modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's play as part of the LA Shakespeare Festival. The best part? Seeing the debut of the fabulous Amy Handleman. Check out what defamer had to say about it...holla!

GLOW Santa Monica - SM Pier & Beach - 7am-7pm. An all-night/dusk-till-dawn art experience inspired by the Nuit Blanche in Paris. This is the first time they have done this, so I am eager to see how it comes together.

I think that's it for now...

I made you a mixtape.

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:21:00 +0000

screen shot from muxtape.com

retoxinla.muxtape.com

Bringing back the mixtape.

Go make one.

Rothbury! Monkeys!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:31:00 +0000

These monkeys were so damn cool. Basically it went like this...there was a DJ in the middle of the monkey wheel, or whatever its called, and he was playing music. Surrounding the base were giant drums. Hippies beat on the drums until there was enough banging to make the monkey wheel start moving...so then the music picked up, the lights got crazy and this paired with the spinning monkey wheel created the illusion that the monkeys were moving...specifically, swinging from branch to branch. It was so cool. I watched with my friend David. It was probably 3am and at the end of every monkey dance song, I kept saying "ok, one more song! I promise this is the last one!" Just call me a hippie.

Rothbury! Photos...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:14:00 +0000

Rothbury was an incredible event. Amazing on so many levels - the people, the place, the music, the sustainability aspect - the whole vibe just came together so well. I must admit, I'm not usually a huge fan of the jam band scene, but I was loving it this past weekend when I was watching Widespread Panic jam on the 4th of July. Speaking of hippies, best line I heard:
Fan of Widespread Panic during drum solo: "Dude, it's drums. Don't dance man. People will make fun of you."
My friend, another WSP fan, during drum solo: "This is when hippies pass out."
With that, here are a few pictures, for more see my flickr album.

Festival Grounds

Widespread Panic 7/4/08

The Sherwood Forest...magic...

Primus 7/4/08

WSP 7/4/08

Of Montreal 7/4/08

Trees in the Sherwood Forest 7/4/08

Yes, fireworks on 7/4/08

Other highlights include the almost zero-waste and sustainability aspect. Even Snoop took the time to separate out his compost and recyclables and put them in the appropriate bins. Michael Franti led yoga sessions each morning (although I did not make it to them, thanks jager). There was an energy fair, farmers market and some great art...stay tuned for pictures of the monkeys.

Full Rothbury coverage and more at Rolling Stone

I like pictures...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:39:00 +0000

The Boston Globe has a great blog called "The Big Picture". The pictures are fantastic and cover current world affairs. Bookmark it. The Big Picture

A couple reacts immediately after an earthquake struck during their wedding photo shoot at a deserted catholic seminary in Pengzhou in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday May 12, 2008. Five couples were having wedding photos taken when the earthquake struck, and all escaped without injury. The century-old seminary was destroyed in the quake, which left tens of thousands dead in Sichuan. (AP Photo) (Source: The Big Picture)

Go to The Future...tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

If you like any of the following...Television, Supergrass, The Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, Suicide, Brian Wilson, Serge Gainsbourg, David Bowie, Juan Atkins, The Beatles, The Pixies, Underground Resistance, Trent Reznor, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine...you will appreciate the sounds of The Future, playing tonight at the Cat Club on Sunset. Full disclosure: They are my friends but they also kick ass. So go.

Airlines suck

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:41:00 +0000

I am stuck at LAX right now. My flight on mean-Spirit Airlines was canceled. For no reason. So now I am wishing and hoping and praying that I get on this Northwest flight in an hour. Otherwise, I'm out of luck for the night. Awesome. So I'm going to try and think of what I've done or where I have been lately that I recommend...

most recently...

The Hammer Museum and Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood
Little Radio's Summer Camp Downtown (went twice - amazing)
GoGA bike ride (also went twice for both the Westside Ride and Eastside Ride)
Nikka Costa @ the El Ray
Thievery Corp @ Hollywood Bowl
3OH!3 pre-Warped Tour show at the Non-Stop Riot Headquaters
Lucent Dossier @ the Edison Downtown
Hiko Sushi on National Blvd and Sawtelle (I think...)
Hollywood Park Racetrack ($1 Beers, $1 Hotdogs Friday night -mmmhmm)

Now I must go face the pleasant airline staff. More later.

What are you doing July 5th?

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:28:00 +0000

Free jello shots (!!!!), champagne and the Standard Downtown...if I were in LA this weekend, I can tell you where I'd be on Saturday

Doctor's Without Borders "The Top Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises"

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:42:00 +0000

I intended to post about all the great stuff that has been keeping me busy during my first summer in LA, however, I just read this article and feel that it's worth a read. MSF-USA: Special Report: The 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises

Medecine Sans Frontiers/Doctors without borders is always looking for donations and support. Their website offers a tremendous amount of information as well.

8-minute Special

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:35:00 +0000

In case you weren't paying attention (and I must admit, I was not paying attention enough), here is the Democratic primary stripped down to an 8-minute video.
(via kottke.org)

Detroit Sprinkles...and the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Action-packed little Sunday...

Hit the ocean for some "surfing"...I don't think laying on your board and getting your ass-kicked counts as surfing, so...
Brentwood Farmer's Market is full of such amazing fruits and vegetables right now...tons of delicious cherries, strawberries, peaches, cauliflower, celery, ginger, apricots...and my personal favorite, the Persian cucumbers.
Dwell o n Design Conference and Expo: Los Angeles was the fortunate host of the 3rd Annual Dwell on Design Conference and I had the chance to check out the design expo at the LA Convention center. It kind of reminded me of the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, except instead of beer and drunk people in a giant room, it was 55,000 sq feet of progressive people, ideas and sustainable and cutting edge design. Like I said, just like Beer Fest. I was overwhelmed with all of the different vendors, everything from solar panels, cork flooring and kitchen appliances to a variety of prefab homes. Those were the coolest, as you could walk inside the bedrooms, bathrooms and included outdoor landscaping. I'm thankful for all those smart people out there that come up with and design these things. At right is a picture of my favorite prefab house, it's HOM's Shotgun Style home.
The Los Feliz Village Street Fair was the next stop on the Sunday tour. I love this area of town and had yet to really visit during the day. It was awesome, lots of different booths with vendors selling cool clothes, art, jewelry and food. The best booth, however, was thanks to the three guys from Farmington Hills, Michigan who are reppin' the D (that's Detroit for you novices) with their line of insanely cool t-shirts and hoodies called Detroit Sprinkles. Each shirt is individually designed and screened by hand. Not to mention the three guys are super nice as well and I know David, the man behind the designs, from my days as a camper at Camp Tanuga. It's a small world in a big city. I'm a fan of all the Michigan connections. My favorite was the Charlevoix-inspired design pictured at right. The sweatshirts are incredibly soft and comfortable too. I'll be buying lots more! Make sure to check them out and show off your Detroit pride. Believe me, if you want to be cool in LA (and the world) and you want people recognize you, wear these t-shirts. Just do it.

More to come on the following later...lots going on this week:

6/10: Green Business Networking at the Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica
6/10: The first Westside GoGA bike, beginning at the Bikrowave in Santa Monica
6/11: "Tokyo Tremors" talk at Royal T in Culver City
6/11: My own personal 90's volleyball/bar tour invitational.
6/12: Downtown Artwalk and Comedy Walk, yes, Downtown - and West Indian Girl will be playing a party at the 533 Studios.
6/13: Steel Pulse at Hollywood Park Race Track's "Hot Friday Nights" series.
6/14: Reading To Kids Monthly Reading Clubs - SIGN UP! They are always looking for volunteers!
6/14: Ting Tings @ Zero One Gallery CANCELLED!
6/15: W Westwood Summer Poolside Screenings - full schedule
6/15: Dosh and Anathallo @ Spaceland

China and Burma

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:31:00 +0000

I finally had a chance to spend some time getting up to speed with the aid and relief efforts in China and Burma. It's a tragedy that I could not even begin to comprehend or put into perspective. It is heart-wrenching to think that people who had very little to begin with now suffer an even greater loss. And now they struggle to find their families and rebuild their lives, amid the repercussions like disease and hunger that have only just begun.

Here are some quick and easy resources for news and information on how to donate:
NPR's Special Report on Myanmar and China
BBC's Special Report on Burma
BBC's Special Report on China

Google has made it very easy to donate money to help. Additionally, they will be donating $2 million to China and $1 million to Burma.
Google: China Quake
Google: Burma Cyclone
Doctor's Without Borders

source: AFP, bbc.co.uk

Moveon.org is a co-founder of Avaaz.org, a "global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want."

Check out these two sites for specific information for evaluating not-for-profits:
guidestar.org - provides detailed performance reports on not-for-profits
Charity Navigator - evaluates and ranks (most American) charities.

THE WEEKEND

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Ton's of good stuff going on here this weekend...none of which I will be around to partake in since I will be with the Jamaican Bay to Breakers Bobsled TEAM mon!
Off the top of my head...

Saturday

Cupcake Challenge If you have an extra $60 to spend on some healthy food, why not! (thx carolineoncrack).

(Untitled) Gallery: A great gallery downtown in the Toy Lofts. I stopped in after I went to the Dress Right event a few weeks ago (read: hipster parade-off). They had two great Wesley Willis pieces in there. The guys who own it seemed super nice.

Untitled (Gallery) is pleased to present their inaugural
show, Simon Haas’ Drawings, on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The reception will
be from 7-11pm at the gallery. There will be an open vodka & champagne bar
courtesy of Sixth Street Bar & Grill.
Untitled (Gallery)
1855
Industrial Street, #109
LA, CA 90021
310-980-0905/213-415-1822
http://www.untitledgallery.net/

Crank Mob -Midnight Ridazzzzz ride.

LACMA Art Walk and after party.

Planet Blue and Only Hearts on Montana Ave in Santa Monica are having biiiiggg sales (via carolineoncrack and dailycandy).

"Full House" Reunion Show at UCB. I wanted to see this the other night, but I couldn't make it happen. I'm assuming it was great as they added another show.

Sunday

Venice Art Walk - Art, drinks, auctions, help people. Cool.

From venicefamilyclinic.org:

Explore artists’ studios, bid on original art, tour spectacular homes, sample
great food, drink, dance, watch, and enjoy – all proceeds benefit Venice Family
Clinic, providing free, quality health care to people in need.

Raconteurs are playing the Fonda. Tickets may be gone for this one... (thanks losanjealous).

Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club: Prom - Another weekly even that has been on the radar for a while. LA know's how to make Sunday a FUN day.

Like I said, I'll be at ZERO of these events. I have my own prom in SF tonight and a bobsled race to win on Sunday. And some retox. Soooo anybody out there, report back and let me know.

Ummmm....

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:49:00 +0000

TG - thanks for the great posts!

As usual, I am very distracted and unfocused. Here's what I do know:

ArtSeen 3 kicks off with their opening party tomorrow night downtown on Gallery Row. The galleries will be open from 6-10 and showcasing special exhibits for ArtSeen 3, all part of AIDS Research Alliance's effort to raise money for AIDS research. While the event is free, it sounds like many pieces will be up for auction. Oh, and Absolut Vodka is sponsoring an open bar. And the Standard Downtown will be hosting the after party. With more Absolut.

More art this weekend...the LACMA's Mid-Wilshire ArtWalk is happening on Saturday followed by an after party at the LACMA.

My Bloody Valentine is on sale now. They are playing at the SM Civic Auditorium October 1st and 2nd. I don't think they have played in the US in 17 years. Yeah, kind of a big deal.

Bay-to-Breakers is this weekend in SF. I'm quite excited for this wonderful gathering. It sounds like a bigger, badder and legal-er Urban Iditorad. Times a million. Geoffrey, Hubert, Gerkin and Diane von Hoodman.

Pinkberry has crack in it and it's deliciously addictive. "$5 for a small yogurt with one topping? Well of course, here is my money!" Today I discovered Yogurtberry at Wilshire and Western. They let you create your own fro-yo novelty. Then they weigh it. I'm glad I have more ways to waste my money. But it's just so good. Seriously, who am I?