tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100841302008-09-06T10:10:45.340-07:00"When you're alone And life is making you lonely, You can always go downtown When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry Seems to help, I know, downtown..." celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comBlogger484125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-62527252493078591002008-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:002008-09-06T10:10:45.355-07:002008-09-06T10:10:45.355-07:00

Is anybody else headed over to The LoftyDog Academy's Open House at the Bark-er Park? It's downtown's only indoor dog park and one of Wonton's favorite places to hang out (he loves to slide down the doggy slide). Stephen wrote it up on Angelenic and took some great pics, check it out if you haven't already. As they mentioned, it's a membership dog park, which gives me some peace of mind since

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/09/saturday-at-loftydogs-bark-er-park.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-57505786540533700632008-09-03T10:35:00.000-07:002008-09-03T10:35:41.508-07:002008-09-03T10:35:41.508-07:00

Laura Esguerra Adams July 5, 1969 - September 3, 2005

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/09/forever-in-our-hearts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-11273433113951077832008-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:002008-09-02T09:41:00.520-07:002008-09-02T09:41:00.520-07:00

I'm working on a new screenplay, an updated, hip-hop reworking of Romeo and Juliet based in present-day Los Angeles. A big part of my research involves dissecting West Side Story, the best musical ever. I stumbled into an amazing video on YouTube - a historic rehearsal of the 2007 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' 19th Annual Gypsy of the Year competition, one of Broadway's most celebrated fund

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/09/indulging-my-inner-musical-theater-geek.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-53268391529316783042008-09-02T00:18:00.000-07:002008-09-02T00:19:44.773-07:002008-09-02T00:19:44.773-07:00

I've been a longtime fan of celebrated writer Rick Moody. During my sister Laura's battle with cancer a few years ago, I used one of his short stories, "Boys", which uses repetition to evoke multiple images of the same characters through time, as a jumping-off point and I wrote an homage-of-sorts using the same structure and aping his style, titled "Girls". I wrote it for Laura, because by then

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/09/moving-past-happy-ending-i-wanted.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-8263950214100593122008-08-25T15:50:00.000-07:002008-08-25T15:50:17.227-07:002008-08-25T15:50:17.227-07:00

Will I see you there? I'm bringing dessert. Please RSVP to Dan directly.

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/obama-loft-party-in-downtown-los.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-46517657547400497412008-08-22T22:46:00.000-07:002008-08-22T22:47:08.532-07:002008-08-22T22:47:08.532-07:00

Although we were able to sell tons of our stuff at the last Yuppy Yardsale, we still have boxes and boxes of stuff. So we're doing it again. Tomorrow. What are we selling? Tons of books, CDs, my VHS movie collection, big-ass speakers, computer equipment and accessories, shoes, clothes, tchotchkes and whatnot. Trust me, I have good stuff, just too much of it. Here's the info: Yuppy Yardsale II:

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/yuppy-yardsale-tomorrow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-91402757726953507842008-08-22T22:33:00.000-07:002008-08-23T22:38:22.969-07:002008-08-23T22:38:22.969-07:00

UPDATED 08.22.08: I need to clarify a few things - The Nickel's pastry chef is Sharlena, and she worked for Thomas Keller at Per Se and Bouchon as a Pastry Chef de Partie, of which there are many. She was not the Pastry Chef, she answered to the Pastry Chef. She also worked at 11 Madison as a Pastry Chef de Partie. This past Wednesday, Jim and I had the pleasure of a sneak preview of The Nickel

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/waking-from-food-coma.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-62214392825869992532008-08-11T11:11:00.000-07:002008-08-21T10:01:37.445-07:002008-08-21T10:01:37.445-07:00

UPDATED 8.21.08: Sold the fridge, kitchen cabinet, kitchen table/chairs, small sofa, microsuede sofa/chair set, wardrobe and Mer-Lion! Yay! Unbelievably enough, the washer/dryer, gas stove, and metal shelving unit are still available. If they don't sell by Friday, we're hauling them to the Yuppy Yardsale this Saturday (oops, the site isn't updated with the new info yet). I mentioned in an

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/wanna-buy-mer-lion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-29004189971553295092008-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:002008-08-06T11:36:51.983-07:002008-08-06T11:36:51.983-07:00

This looks like a fun thing to do in downtown Los Angeles - a three-week series of rooftop screenings of sci-fi flicks at the Bonaventure Hotel. The FREE screenings are held on the Plaza Pool Deck, 4th floor, and begin at dusk. Making Strange: Rooftop Sci-Fi at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel 404 South Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90071 Screenings will be held on the Plaza Pool Deck, 4th floor.

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/making-strange-rooftop-sci-fi.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-46360616588079514472008-08-05T19:35:00.000-07:002008-08-05T19:36:37.220-07:002008-08-05T19:36:37.220-07:00

My husband Jim has told me repeatedly that I have a tendency to take on too much. This time, I think he may be right. We have our art and architectural supply store, Raw Materials, opening in just weeks. We just finished taking down the drop ceiling and are ready to paint, shelving is being delivered as I type this, and we still have inventory to order, electricians and the phone company to deal

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/laura-always-said-id-be-good-at-this.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-39592479288665843672008-08-02T10:37:00.000-07:002008-08-02T10:37:37.861-07:002008-08-02T10:37:37.861-07:00

I've been cleaning up the loft like crazy this past week, going through boxes, cleaning out closets, rethinking all the stuff we use and the stuff we ignore and let pile up in the corners. We're selling two sofas, a chair, coffee table, end table, several desktop and laptop computers and accessories, a bag of CDs, three boxes of VHS tapes (lots of porn!), two huge boxes of handbags, a small pile

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/08/everything-must-go.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-30882262213928466882008-07-23T15:10:00.000-07:002008-07-23T15:10:48.299-07:002008-07-23T15:10:48.299-07:00

A few months ago our Prius got a flat, so I went to Costco for a replacement tire. I also needed to pick up some anti-aging face cream (they sell it for a lot less than the $165 that Macy's charges), so already you might have a clue to what my frame of mind was. It was a weekday, and the parking lot was full of middle-aged housewives. Partly because of the company, mostly because of what I saw

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/07/aging-gracefully-not.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-20242495984487109882008-07-23T15:00:00.000-07:002008-07-23T15:00:35.923-07:002008-07-23T15:00:35.923-07:00

I am a longtime fan of Jenny Holzer, a conceptual artist whose main focus has been the use of words and ideas in public space. Her Twitters are one of the few non-downtown Twitters that I follow. Today, she sent out one "truism" that resonated with me, especially in light of all the changes that will come with the opening of our new art supply store, Raw Materials: "Routine is a link with the

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/07/changes-to-my-routine.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-47799253254561147392008-07-12T15:20:00.000-07:002008-07-12T15:20:59.078-07:002008-07-12T15:20:59.078-07:00

Photo courtesy of trainedmonkey

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/07/just-in-time-for-weekend.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-28805894592762771012008-06-24T19:06:00.000-07:002008-06-24T19:06:58.079-07:002008-06-24T19:06:58.079-07:00

What does it mean to choose a life of art when success is impossibly out of reach? What kind of person does that? Selfish? Delusional? Or someone who just knows? How can you tell the difference? I was reading about a woman who gave up a successful law practice to write her first novel. Twelve years later her debut novel was released to Critical Success. So how long do I give myself? Ten years?

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/06/tough-choices.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-31923988901677341642008-06-24T18:58:00.000-07:002008-06-24T18:59:18.794-07:002008-06-24T18:59:18.794-07:00

Cousin Angel is in town, visiting from Chicago. He was in San Francisco for another cousin's wedding, then down here to lock down a venue and confirm details for bringing his hit play, Nunsense, to Los Angeles in September. Much like me, Cousin Angel seems to have gotten a lot of his ya-yas out. But then again, he's full of surprises. I don't know if he's going to be seducing another one of my

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/06/mothers-lock-up-your-sons.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-58638729940050530192008-06-16T13:00:00.000-07:002008-06-16T13:03:45.626-07:002008-06-16T13:03:45.626-07:00

My husband Jim and I were talking to our business partner/brother-in-law James Adams the other day about the July Downtown Art Walk and how we'd still like to participate despite our lack of dedicated gallery space (we'll be getting the space ready for our store's grand opening in August, and our two other exhibits at the PE Lofts come down on June 22nd and revert to other Phantom Gallery LA

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/06/mime-breakdancer-and-trombone-player.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-90236984149175834802008-06-09T20:45:00.000-07:002008-06-09T20:46:06.977-07:002008-06-09T20:46:06.977-07:00

I realize I've cheated you. A lot has happened between January 10th and May 30th and we need to do some catching up: Jim and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary in January. Couldn't be happier. I got my hair cut. It's short. I liked it a lot, but now I think I'm bored with it and want to try something new again. Wonton was fixed and was a grumpy conehead for a while. But then in

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-realize-ive-cheated-you.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-75315806394657063572008-05-30T20:43:00.000-07:002008-05-30T20:44:03.533-07:002008-05-30T20:44:03.533-07:00

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging lately. It's not that I don't miss you, it's just... I've been a little busy with this writing thing. And a million other things I don't want to bore you with. So what do I want to bore you with? Jim and I have been working stealthily on something and now we're ready to let you know - we signed a lease on a retail space on Main Street and together

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/05/ive-been-busy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-35526472967175443332008-01-10T17:02:00.000-08:002008-01-10T17:01:52.989-08:002008-01-10T17:01:52.989-08:00

1) Bring Wonton to The Lofty Dog for grooming. (Done! Wonton is there now and I think he's liveblogging.) 2) Check out some of my favorite galleries during tonight's Downtown ArtWalk. (Done! Sort of. Passed by Lost Souls Cafe (ube shake, yum!), Art Murmur, and Bert Green Fine Art on the way back. I'm so glad I walked back from The LD instead of taking the DASH. I loved Lost Souls' new menu and

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/01/things-to-do-downtown-today.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-22345254658816644642008-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:002008-01-09T16:09:48.534-08:002008-01-09T16:09:48.534-08:00

Check out this video from United Hollywood - they have a new video campaign called Voices4Action and the first one features writer-director Tony Gilroy (Bourne Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum) speaking about the partnership between writers and studios and about the trust that needs to exist between the two.

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/01/voices4action-video.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-14180026618240614312008-01-06T23:29:00.000-08:002008-01-06T23:29:02.236-08:002008-01-06T23:29:02.236-08:00

Tomorrow is the first official day back on the picket lines, so tonight the Gate 3 Team (that's most of us in the picture above) gathered for margaritas and Mexican food at the Acapulco across from our new gate at NBC. The rain probably kept a lot of people away, but we had a nice turnout and I got to know some of my fellow picketers a little better. I hope it doesn't rain on us too hard

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/01/universal-studios-gate-3-picketers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-68723380778143889752008-01-04T12:15:00.000-08:002008-01-04T12:12:52.066-08:002008-01-04T12:12:52.066-08:00

I've been feeling a little blue lately. Then I saw this video and felt better.

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-want-to-feel-like-that.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-63628288018868371222008-01-04T12:10:00.000-08:002008-01-04T12:10:45.691-08:002008-01-04T12:10:45.691-08:00

Jim gave me the Hello Kitty 2008 calendar pictured above, titled, "Hello 2008". So happy. I follow Jerry Seinfeld's advice on writing every day and will continue doing so in 2008, so I'm looking forward to crossing off the days with my neon pink Hello Kitty pen. Silly? Yes. But I do whatever works. I don't usually make resolutions (though my dog did), and I don't think this year will be any

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2008/01/hello-2008.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10084130.post-14360228753653441452007-12-31T18:48:00.000-08:002007-12-31T18:48:12.820-08:002007-12-31T18:48:12.820-08:00

So many options for NYE in downtown Los Angeles, but Jim and I decided to stay in tonight and celebrate the New Year at home on our patio with a romantic dinner and some bubbly. I hope all my blog readers have a safe and fun New Year's Eve. Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2008!

celiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11940843409704980570noreply@blogger.comhttp://5thandspring.blogspot.com/2007/12/happy-new-year.html