Ode to Bookstores

Posted in Books, Explore, Film, Fun by

Location: 12136 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City

It’s funny how some things just stick and feel so comforting. When I was younger I spent a lot of time hanging out in bookstores. My mom and I would go out on a Friday or Saturday night to the local Borders or Barnes & Noble, grab a coffee (I was hot chocolate at the time) and go our separate ways for a few hours. I would walk over and listen to CDs getting excited when the technology finally allowed you to scan any CD in the store and you could listen to it. I’d wander to another section and skim through a magazine or walk over and find a book that grabbed me with a catchy title, sit and look through it.

Fifteen years later and in gratitude to my mom, this is still one of the things that I love to do occasionally. When I’m bored, when I’m in a not so great mood, or I’m eager to check out a new book; I’ll go and sit in a bookstore, latte in hand, and melt into another place for a while. Last Saturday night, I revisited this favorite pastime of mine. How appropriate that the bookstore I landed in was an old movie theater with the marquee still intact. It gave it a unique charm. Sadly, there was no in-house coffee bar and it lacked some of the warmth that your typical Barnes & Noble would have (warm lighting and lots of seating) but I was happy to be around the books and exploring a new place none the less.

I know that times are changing and it’s becoming rare to have nights like this as more bookstores close or go out of business. I, too, am guilty of the ease and cost of ordering online, but nothing replaces the feeling or the experience of physically being around books. I’ll continue my love affair with bookstores until the last one closes, and my optimistic side hopes that day never comes.

Checking out Emily’s new book from her popular blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere.
Rows and rows of books!

Highlights: The Weekend

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, DIY, Film, Food, Fun, Treats by

It was a complicated couple of days for me this weekend. Suffice to say I went through a myriad of emotions, for a myriad of reasons. (I think the ladies can understand this feeling every once in a while :)).  As the weather decided to be a bit kinder this weekend, so did my take on everything that was happening around me and within me. I managed to keep an eye on the sunshine! Here are a few highlights that brought many smiles to my face:

{FILM}.
Movie marathon on Sunday. Instant mood booster. We even covered three genres. Sometimes you just need a completely lazy day in bed watching movies.

{FOOD}.
The simplicity of grabbing my two favorites from Starbucks: an iced grande, soy, toffee nut latte & a cranberry orange scone.

My sweet boyfriend bringing a big bag of my favorite candy (don’t judge!)

{FUN}.
They say money doesn’t buy you happiness. In this case, I beg to differ and tend to do so when it comes to flowers. $5.00 well spent!

Fresh Basil

Posted in Dinner, DIY, Food, Fun by

To help get through all of the goodies sprouting from her home garden, a friend of mine has been sharing the fruits of her labor with me recently. Last week, the most delicious and sweetest bowl of cherry tomatoes came my way that I sliced up and enjoyed with dinner two nights in a row. Earlier this week, fresh basil came next.

Cooking for one presents its challenges. I find that I’m not home a lot and end up throwing out food more often than I’d like to admit. Since there’s produce that I have to buy fresh and needs to used within a short window of time, I resort to buying certain things in dried or canned form to avoid having to feel the pressure to eat it right away.

Of course, I immediately got the speech that nothing is better than fresh basil straight from a garden.  I was excited to experiment with it and came home one night deciding to use it in a quick pasta dish.

While boiling noodles; I sautéed some garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil, adding lots of sliced chicken breast, tomatoes, black olives, and the fresh basil to the skillet. To give the dish a bit more punch, I then added 1 tablespoon of Marie Calendar’s Italian Dressing (this stuff is amazing in salads by the way).

I’m certainly not opposed to working with fresh ingredients, but admit that I would need to plan ahead more often that I do. The ease of working with dried herbs is the spontaneity you get in creating meals.

As for dinner, after placing the chicken sauté over the noodles and adding some parmesan cheese, dinner was served!

Fighting for Sparkle

Posted in Explore, Film, Fun by

“You won’t make it. You should have left sooner. Just go home, get into your sweats, and veg in front of the TV. Ooh, maybe I can order in tonight. Thai? Boo, traffic sucks!”

“No, this is a great opportunity. Yeah, you should have left sooner, but take a risk and see what happens.You might surprise yourself. Boo, traffic really sucks tonight!”

I had this internal dialogue back and forth in my head the entire time I sat in traffic on Sunset Boulevard fighting to get to Grauman’s Chinese Theater last Thursday. I had gotten passes to the world premiere red carpet screening for Sparkle. The passes simply meant that I had a chance to get in to see the film, but it was on a first-come, first-serve basis. While I’ve never been turned away from a screening, in this case, it wouldn’t have surprised me. I’d seen various outlets promoting the passes and the fact that the film featured the last performance from one of the greatest singers that ever lived, I knew would draw an even larger crowd.

50 minutes later, I arrived at the corner of Franklin and Orange and knew deep down that there was likely no way I was going to get in. The line had already wrapped around the corner but I thought, “I’m already here, it’s a 1,000 seat theater, why not get in line and see what happens?”

As I parked and made the nearly ten minute trek just to get to the line due to sidewalk closures, Hollywood Boulevard was bursting alive with activity around me. The red carpet was out, photographers everywhere, and onlookers stood across the street watching as celebs made their way down the press line and into the theater. Let’s not forget that this part of town is typically busy without a Hollywood premiere, and the summer season draws tourists by the masses. Needless to say, it was more than crowded. It was a zoo!

Meanwhile, I was still having the “go home, no wait and see” conversation in my head as I stood in line telling myself “I’ll give it 30 minutes max then I’ll head upstairs and see what’s playing at the Chinese 6 instead.”  Yet somehow, I got into mingling with a few of the other hopefuls as we waited in line. On top of that, you couldn’t ask for a better place to stand-back and people watch (a fun secret pastime of mine…shhhh). It’s then that the world becomes a larger place, full of different styles, cultures, looks, good fashion choices and plenty of bad fashion choices. Simply stopping and taking the time to look around you, to chat with a complete stranger and hear some of their stories can be so invigorating and was the best part of the experience.

An hour or so later we had heard that the theater was at capacity and that we wouldn’t make it in. I eventually found out that this was the case for those who arrived much earlier than I did. I wasn’t disappointed because I knew how it worked and was grateful for taking the time to immerse myself in the risk because it still turned out to be fun. I also wouldn’t have any “what ifs?”

I did walk upstairs to the Chinese 6 Theaters at Hollywood and Highland, but I’d either already seen the film or didn’t have an interest in it (“Brave 3D is still out?”) so I headed home.

As they say, “one monkey don’t stop the show.” Enter the beauty of the Arclight.

I took myself to see the movie Tuesday night, in my comfy pants, popcorn in hand, soda in cup-holder, and enjoyed every single frame!

Of all of the celebrity deaths in recent years, Whitney Houston’s was the biggest shock to me personally (Michael Jackson a close second). It was because the last time I saw her, she was sitting on stage with Oprah looking as if she’d really turned it around and was headed toward true freedom. In the end, we’re all human. I think we forget that sometimes because someone is projected onto a big screen in front of you, making millions of dollars. We all have our opinions of how someone should be or shouldn’t be, but I choose to remember Whitney Houston as the beautiful woman I used to imitate singing in the shower or with a brush in front of the mirror. What a great way to leave this life and into the next in Sparkle.

Breakfast in Bed

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Food, Fun, Lunch by

What makes me feel like I’ve finally arrived into adulthood? It’s not the college degree that I’ll be paying for until I die. It’s not even the fact that I get up every morning, get dressed (in something fabulous!) and drive to work. It’s those times when you realize you can do those odd-ball things you like to do simply because you want to and you can. You don’t have to run it by anyone, ask your mom, or justify yourself. The situation is completely within your power. In essence, it’s the liberation from that power.

Recently, I was home one afternoon craving breakfast and some R&R after having spent the morning running errands around town in 100 degree weather. I sat, looked at the clock, thought about making something more appropriately lunch-like, and thought to myself, “why not?”

I promptly got up and made myself some bacon, eggs and french toast. Okay, I just reheated the french toast you buy from the frozen section at Trader Joe’s (these are delish by the way and it does still count as cooking!). I poured myself a glass of orange juice, pulled out my breakfast tray and set it up in bed. I turned on a DVD and for the next two full hours played the adult card, savoring every minute of it. It was a small pleasure but the older I get, the more I really appreciate these moments. Since everyday cannot be about big events and large-scale happenings, it’s these moments that add up to bring more smiles, happiness, and glitter to my life.

Made in L.A.

Posted in Explore, Fun by

Location: 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood

I spent this past Sunday afternoon getting some culture at the Made in L.A. 2012 exhibit at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. It kept with the weekend theme of spending time in public places flooding with central air to beat the summer heat and learn something new at the same time.

What a gem of a space! It was such a tranquil afternoon roaming the galleries taking in the works of Los Angeles based artists across the small campus. The Westwood exhibit features the expressions of 38 locals in the forms of paintings, video installations, sculpture and photographs; spread over 2 other participating institutions, totaling 60 complete works.

I won’t lie, it took me some time to relax into what I was observing around me. During the first half-hour, the very analytical side of me wanted to make sure I was understanding exactly what I was looking at and what the artist was trying to say. I wouldn’t have minded the use of interpretive media to supplement and better comprehend the context of a work of art in this case (hello audio tour?). However, much to my surprise and slight disappointment to my analytical ego, the Hammer sticks simply to sparse wall text, perhaps to keep a very clean and art-focused environment. The galleries are very open and don’t innundate you with anything other than the pieces. This was clearly done intentionally, and as I kept walking I accepted that intention.

Once I simply settled into looking at the art around me and not trying to interpret every single line, color choice, use of composition (and let’s be honest, those “what the heck is this”  thoughts), I began to see the works as artistic expressions and appreciated it more not for what it represented (because I gathered that was left mostly up to the viewer), but for what the human mind cultivated and then physically created.

I have to say though, my absolute favorite part of the Hammer was their permanent collection gallery filled with the timeless and classic paintings of Rembrandt, van Gogh, and Cézzane, amongst others. There’s something so remarkable about standing in front of a 373 year old oil painting by Rembrandt with such life-like strokes, it looks like a photograph. It blew me away! I marveled at the imagery and feeling I got gazing at my favorite piece of the day, an 1865 painting called Morning, by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. I would hang it in my house.

I couldn’t have asked more a more beautiful and relaxing afternoon. It seemed the more I immersed myself in the world around me the calmer I became, and the life outside those gallery doors faded away for a couple of hours. The Hammer’s Made in L.A. exhibit is an excellent place to spend some time, but I warn you to go with an open mind.

Side By Side in North Hollywood

Posted in Documentary, Explore, Film, Fun, Independent Cinema by

Location: 5240 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood

It was so warm this past Saturday, I didn’t even bother putting on makeup. It would have just melted ten minutes later and that would probably be a worse look than scaring my fellow Angelenos by going au-natural. It also added 5 more minutes to my life by not sitting in front of a mirror waving makeup brushes and mascara wands across my face. Let’s be honest, there’s nothing worse than feeling like your pores are clogging from the mixture of sweat and makeup. Yuck!

Back on topic…

In addition to this great tip for the ladies; another great way to beat the heat and kill two birds with one stone, man or woman? Spend some money to sit in public central air conditioning while catching a flick!

I crossed another Laemmle off my list this weekend when I went to enjoy the air conditioning, best popcorn ever, and Keanu Reeves’s new engaging documentary Side by Side at the Laemmle Theater in North Hollywood.

This facility is the most commercial and updated of all of the ones that I’ve been to (5 out of the 9 theaters). It features stadium-style seating, bathrooms where the door actually closes, digital monitors for everything from displaying showtimes to concession stand prices, and an all around cleanliness that – ahem – lacks somewhat at the other locations (but gives them lots of charisma anyway).

What I admire about the North Hollywood venue is that while it is updated, the theater still manages to hold its charm. There was only one ticket taker for all 7 theaters and the lobby and concessions area were relatively small, creating a quaintness that I like when choosing a Laemmle over say, an AMC. This location tends to play more mainstream films based on the programming I’ve seen, which is unusual in my experience from the other 4 theaters I go to that stick to independent and foreign cinema options only. The prices for popcorn are still reasonable and they even have Coke Zero, which always adds a touch of class. I spent $6.75 for a small popcorn AND and regular soda. I’d consider this a huge plus in this age of complete hijacking of movie-lovers’ wallets at the concession stand.

Side by Side is a film well-crafted and alluring to anyone who cares about the state of the movie-making business. It brings to light the question that the industry and filmmakers alike have debated for the last 20 years, yet with more urgency as the industry continues to change: will digital production techniques eventually replace the modus operandi of shooting on celluloid/film?

I walked out of the central air conditioning and into the summer heat feeling like I heard both sides of the story and got into the heads of those at the top of their game to offer their point of view. My opinion? At the end of the day I am a story lover and a believer in aesthetics first and foremost. I feel that the choice to shoot digitally or on film should be left up to the person who feels whichever method works for telling their story best. That being said, I do hope that we keep the option open for the filmmaker to decide and don’t create an environement that forces them to have to work in a digital format against their wishes. Part of the beauty of being an artist is the right to choose.

Highlights

Posted in Explore, Film, Food, Fun by

This week the days of summer hit hard on the weather front, but that’s the price you pay living in Los Angeles. It was a bit unbearable at times, but it put a smile on my face to grab a dress, some sandals and head out into the sunshine!

A few other things that brought a smile to my face and some sparkle to my week:

{FILM}.

I went to a screening of Hope Springs, a film I highly recommend for anyone in a relationship, married or not. Meryl Streep (this lady can do no wrong) and Tommy Lee Jones completely go there in this intimate portrait and character study of a 30 year marriage, 30 years later. Director David Frankel manages to maintain a steady sense of humor around a very serious subject: how to rebuild and preserve the chemistry in a long-term relationship. I admit some scenes can be pretty uncomfortable to watch as the couple, along with their well-acted counselor in Steve Carell, share how the deterioration and re-connection between two people can be the most difficult and rewarding aspects to life. I walked away from this film feeling like I actually learned something about physical and emotional intimacy. In a nutshell: you both have to want it and you both have to be willing to work at it. This will be DVD purchase to add to my collection in the fall.

{FOOD}.

I stopped to sit outside and enjoy the simplicity of a Rice Krispies Treat. I’d forgotten how much I loved these things and what a small pleasure it was to snack and gaze out at the LA skyline (the moment captured in the photo above).

{FUN}.
I’m getting such lovely feedback from you all about my new passion project, my blog, All That Glitters. Thank you for the comments, the likes, and taking the time to read it. I passed the 100 views mark this week!

 

 

Pita Pizza

Posted in Dinner, DIY, Food, Treats by

Summer nights. Summer cooking. I’ve been afraid to turn on the oven over the last few nights because my apartment has been so H.O.T. You can only use the “let’s eat out because I don’t want to turn on the oven” excuse maybe once a week (and I used mine already). When the hummus I bought at the farmer’s market expired and I still had an entire pack of pita bread left over, I threw it in the freezer until I could figure out what to do with all the leftovers. So I took advantage of a little treat that my boyfriend will sometimes make while we’re hanging out on the weekends, tailored it to my taste buds, and turned it into a quick dinner item. The best news? The oven only needs to be on 20 minutes max.

You’ll need pita bread and toppings of your choice. I went with pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, monterey jack cheese, black olives, tomatoes, pineapple and olive oil.

Spread olive oil over pita bread and assemble toppings to your liking.

Place directly on the oven rack at 425º. I like to line the bottom of my stove with foil to catch any toppings that fall off during baking (and it always happens).

In 10-15 minutes you’ll have:

Grab yourself a glass of ice tea and some parmesan cheese and you’re good to go! YUM!

In Her Shoes

Posted in Fashion, Shoes by

A sweet and unexpected surprise came my way recently. A colleague of mine and I were chit-chatting away and somehow got on the topic of shoes. She looked at me and said, “What size do you wear? I have a pair of gray patent leather pumps that I can’t wear anymore.”

Now, I’m a size 10 (huge feet, I know) by trade, so when she mentioned they were a 9.5 it didn’t stop me one iota when she told me she’d bring them in for me to try on to see if I liked them. Note: I can wear a 9.5 when the shoe is designed slightly too big or they’re cute enough (and free) to deal with a bit of a snug fit!

Say hello to my new gray, patent leather, mary-jane, peep-toe pumps (whew!) What I love about these shoes is that yes, they actually do fit (who-hoo!) and typically, this is a shoe that if I saw sitting on a display, I wouldn’t even consider wearing. When I got home and tried these guys on with a few looks, I was pleased that I actually had something different from the heels that are my closet. Ironically, I’ve been itching for a bit of a tweak to my look and I know these shoes will carry me from the office to any plans I might have after work. A win on all fronts and a lesson learned about being more open with your style! Maybe my tastes are simply changing.  A huge thanks to the kind fellow shoe-lover that passed them on rather than let them collect dust in her closet.