with 'snapshot' tag
full moon over little tokyo
some day i’ll read some sort of guide that will tell me how to really shoot pictures like this, but in the meantime, this was the best of the twenty or so shots i took out my window. the moon has been amazing the last few nights.
blimp in los angeles skyline at sunset
vibiana place courtyard
i just have to point out this picture because i am amazed that it turned out at all, given the length of the exposure. as i was walking back home from the tamale festival, i stuck my camera through the fence of the courtyard at vibiana place, where they had a party last night.
i took a few shots of city hall and other buildings during sunset, and the drum circle at not a cornfield. to check them out, just follow the photostream backwards from the shot of the courtyard.
downpour
it looks like we’re going to be in for another wet winter here in los angeles, if the last day or two is any indication. just as i made my way back from shopping during lunch, the rain really started coming down (again). i also saw some lightning off towards the east side. we’ve gotten almost an inch of rain in the last 24 hours.
except for the small matter of the missing n, this sign is an improvement over the other wayfinding signs in the downtown area — note “broadway theaters” instead of “broadway th district” and “historic spring st” instead of “spring st hist/fin.”
i’d tell you where the sign is located, but anyone who really cares should be able to figure it out.
(i also have to point out this picture of a downtown los angeles reflection because i really love how it turned out. it was a good photography day.)
commercial shoot at 4th and main
letterman
strangely enough, i lettered in high school. i think the gold bar was for some sort of academic achievement. (looking at the program from my high school graduation, i got awards for academics, leadership, and service. go me.)
the letter was for band. i was never particularly good (i played the trombone), but i remember killing a lot of time doing band-related things like playing at games, filing music during my empty periods, and painting the stage of the theater before a concert/variety-show thing that we did every year.
then and now
the first picture is of me with winnie the pooh when i was almost three weeks old. pooh went everywhere with me when i was little.
the second shot is of pooh today (he made the trip back with me) and he’s only a little worse for wear. he’s lost his shirt, and eyebrows, and been restuffed a couple of times. i can relate.
welcome to california, old friend!
old bank district artwalk
the old bank district artwalk will be taking place on sunday, october 2nd. you’ll have the chance to poke around the lofts of my talented neighbors, hear some other talented neighbors play their music on main street, and otherwise revel in the talentedness of my neighbors.
this is the same day is the self-guided wilshire tour, which i guess poses certain logistical problems.
there’s also some sort of evening event to celebrate the centennial of the farmers and merchants bank building, but i don’t think you’re invited. (i’m not even sure i’m invited. i’m assuming something will get slipped under my door at some point.)
the picture is from last year’s artwalk, where they had a bunch of ribbon strung out between the fixtures on either side of main street. as i recall, i spent the artwalk last year reading a book and nursing a horrible headache. here’s another picture i took last year.
it’s raining. and thundering. and there’s lightning. in september in los angeles. crazy.
with the streets all wet, it’s like the city has been turned into one big movie shoot.
that i find rain noteworthy is another sign i’ve gone native.
today i took pictures along main street in downtown los angeles to complete my trilogy of historic core photo sets.
i like this shot of the caltrans building because it shows both the best and worst of the building — the giant “100” street number is really striking, and the parking entrance and concrete face at street level is representative of the completely lame relationship the building has to two-thirds of the street around it.
if you pay close attention, you will notice that there is a gap of about half a block on the east side of main street between fifth and sixth streets. it’s a parking lot, but it is also a popular area for people to loiter about. i had a couple of people yelling at me as i was taking the pictures of the buildings leading up to that area, and a guy who came across the street to tell me i couldn’t take pictures because it was an invasion of privacy. (which is pretty laughable, but i figured there was little point in antagonizing anyone further.)
by the time i got back to that area to shoot the other side of the street, a couple of los angeles police department officers had come along to roust everyone who was loitering there.
it will be interesting to see what happens to that little half-block area in the next year. the santa fe lofts, pacific electric lofts, and more developments are all less than a block from there, and it sounds like there is some development planned around fifth and main, too. (maybe in this interesting little building?)
you can’t tell from the mockups of the lapd parking structure where it is going. judging by the map in the notice of preparation of draft environmental impact report for the police headquarters facility plan, it will fill these three lots (oops: four or five). i’m not sure what the plans for this empty lot are, but it doesn’t appear to be part of the parking structure and maintenance bay.
the folks at yahoo! sent a couple of blo.gs t-shirts to me a while ago. i held off on showing it off here before it would be a surprise when i sent one to albert, who designed the logo, and it took me way too long to get around to that.
now if only they’d fix the service. i’m sure the addition of the rss ping data has made it more useful (if overzealous) to those plugged into the feedmesh stuff and building services on top of that, but i’m finding it pretty useless for personal blog update tracking these days.
i felt like i’ve been posting a lot lately — here’s a graph of posts per month since i started (way back in october 2000).
for the 1792 days i’ve been blogging, i have averaged 1.38 posts per day. my longest entry was my notes from the vsda home entertainment conference, the shortest entry was the percentage chance i gave to moving out of my then-current apartment.
trying to read through my archives can be a bit of a chore. it’s one of the things i’m looking to fix with the redesign that i’m slowly working on. so far, it’s not really too radical of a change — but i’ve just been focused on removing things.
michelle gubay of the los angeles downtown news writes about various fountains downtown. i guess it’s kind of a companion piece to my photos of various fountains in downtown. the photo here is of the bank of america garden pool area she writes about.
looking back at my photo set, the place i wish i spent more time is by the reflecting pools and fountain near moca.
the identity of the mysterious building on spring street has been made, courtesy of an architectural guidebook to los angeles by david gebhard and robert winter. it’s an annex to the i.n. van nuys building. it was built in 1929-30. the book claims that the north parking entrance “retains its original classical metal gates,” but unless it is behind the not-original not-classical gate you see in the picture, that may no longer be true.
if you look at the picture, the ledge near the top of the annex does match up with the ledge around the van nuys building (on the right). i don’t see many architectural similarities between the buildings other than that.
during lunch today, i managed to remember to head over to the central library to return some books and take some pictures of the farmers’ market.
all i bought was a bag of roasted peanuts (so tasty). next week i’ll have to bring a bag and load up on produce. it all looked awesome.
dedication to your job is standing outside in a costume like this when it is over 90ºF outside. so is this.
these were both from the chinese food festival, where i took very few pictures. dave took more — i’m sure he’ll upload a few eventually. maybe even one of those elusive breed of pictures with me in it.
the los angeles downtown news reports that the old herald-examiner building is being hit with the adaptive reuse stick. they also weigh in on the sometimes silly wayfinding signs.
i find it interesting that the downtown news started running more editorials in the last few months. i don’t remember seeing them at all when i first started reading it regularly, and now they generally have three each week.
on spring street, 2005
well, uploading them took forever, as expected, but here is my photo set of every building and parking lot on spring street from aliso st. to 9th st.
as with broadway, there were a few buildings that were surprises to me. one was this building, next to the van nuys building that was probably a bank at one point, but i couldn’t find any information about in my meager searching.
something that should not have surprised me, since i walk past the building nearly every single day, is that the broadway spring center is mostly a giant parking garage. for some reason, that had never really registered before.
and the person how decided that it was a good idea to use a star trek font for the name on the los angeles theatre center needs a boot to the head.
i took the tour of the los angeles central library today, so i had some idea of what i would be getting myself into if i go through the docent training. i took pictures, of course, so there’s a 15-picture set of things on the tour and near the library. (like another fountain i somehow missed when i was photographing fountains.)
judging from how long it took for these pictures to upload, it’s going to take forever to upload the spring street photos i’m planning on taking tomorrow if that ends up being about the same number of pictures as the broadway set. sucks to wildly asymmetric internet connections.
last night before heading up to hotel cafe, i went to the rock ‘n’ rights: rockin’ for the mentally disabled concert in little tokyo and took some pictures. it was organized by a group of students, and was to benefit lamp community, which provides services to the mentally-ill (formerly) homeless in several locations downtown.
the tofu festival was really cool, and the tofu tostadas were as good as promised. if you’re really nice to me, i’ll share the recipe.
the picture of these silent wind chimes really doesn’t do them justice. you need to see them spinning and catching the light to really get the full effect.
one of the things in the big tofu cookbook we got with the pre-festival package was a section on various dairy-replacement recipes that used tofu — and one of them was for tofu mayonnaise. real mayonnaise is already dairy-free. there was also a tofu pancake recipe that called for pancake mix. people who use pancake mix deserve a boot to the head.
sometimes you better be careful what you wish for, because it might just come true.
i’m now officially one of those jerks with more camera than photography skills. something to work on.
on broadway, 2005
today’s exercise in misdirected energy was walking up and down broadway and taking a picture of every building (and parking lot).
it took less than two hours to take all of the pictures — and over six to get them all uploaded to flickr. i didn’t retouch (other than rotate) any of them, and i uploaded every one i took: 231 pictures.
they aren’t all of buildings and parking lots — there’s a few shots of some people in action. a paletero walking by the los angeles times building, a riding vacuum cleaner also outside the los angeles times building, a three card monte game, and a shell game.
the last few pictures are out of sequence because i screwed up adding them to the flickr set. i wish iphoto and flickr were more seamlessly integrated, and the iphoto interface for adding titles and comments to pictures wasn’t so lame. i guess i should play with flickrexport.
some of the buildings aren’t labeled as well as they could be. i need a handier resource for looking up the names of buildings in downtown.
the plan, unless it changes, is to do the same thing for main and spring streets (and maybe hill). and then keep doing it every year.
earlier today i heard some shouting outside my window, and snapped a few pictures of what appeared to be an arrest in progress. when i first looked, one of the lapd officers was pulling a bicycle away from the scene.
the other day, i picked up some cookies that i will never eat.
they’re on my kitchen table.
denial ain’t just a river in egypt.
i am going through apples and oranges at a pretty good clip.
i spent about three hours walking around downtown los angeles taking pictures of fountains, reflecting pools, and even one swimming pool (at the westin bonaventure). i’m sure i missed some in the areas i was in, and there are some places i didn’t go — i skipped the cathedral, since it seemed like 11am on sunday wouldn’t be the best time to be cruising through taking pictures, and i didn’t make it over to olivera street or union station.
i took a few non-water shots, too: two guys cleaning windows on the mellon bank building and the california club (detail).
i sprung for a flickr pro account. between today and the historic core tour two weeks ago, i more than blew through what you can upload per month with a free account.
mysql mints
there were a bunch of these in the marketing stockpile in our seattle office. i grabbed a bunch, but now i’m almost out.
i also grabbed a nifty travel mug. now i just need to start drinking coffee. and travel.
today was the big tour of the historic core shepherded by shannon, and it delivered on all the promised reasons to go. even the story about the parking lot. i have a bunch more pictures, and i’ll upload them to my flickr photos after i sort through them and clean up the good ones.
after the tour, albert, lisa and i went to clifton’s cafeteria, which i think is a required stop for anyone who hasn’t yet been there. and though i still think it is overpriced, the turkey was quite good.
i spent the last few days in seattle, meeting with the developers of the various mysql connectors.
while in seattle, i stayed at the moore hotel, in downtown seattle. the building is just two months newer than where i live. i guess not all of the floors have been refurbished, but the room i had was great (and pretty cheap).
this is the first time i spent any time in seattle, and still didn’t take any time to do any sightseeing at all. but seattle seems like a cool city, and i probably should do that some day.
one observation: i took the bus to the office from my hotel, and it was a much, much whiter crowd than i’ve ever seen on any bus in los angeles. i was impressed by seattle’s bus system.
i should have bought some washers, but at least my bed is up off the floor again. the picture is deceiving: that board (and the two metal plates holding it together now) runs parallel to the ground — the board sticking out the back (in the picture) is one of the center legs of the bed.
it’s been a very productive weekend on the domestic front — i also cleaned my blinds this weekend. and now that my bed is off the floor, i can mop.
changing of the oprahs
about a month ago, one of the billboards outside my window became an advertisement for oprah's show, and every weekday they change the text to say what will be on the next show. today i happened to catch them in the act. it seems like an event that should have more fanfare.
who is god?
a shot down to main street from my window. there's all sorts of ribbon and chalk and other craziness down there. (and bands playing.)
(yes, it’s all very rear window for me at the moment.)
city hall with clouds
taking pictures of city hall out my window is just too convenient.
city hall at night
i had trouble getting to sleep last night, so i had fun trying to take pictures of city hall from my window.
ambient light
i got a new camera (a refurbished minolta dimage z1), so here's a quick test picture.
and yes, i have lived in this apartment for almost 10 months and still have boxes in the corner and pictures that i have not yet hung. why rush?
the aladdin was nice enough to let me win cab fare and a little more. home, james!
hurrah for dumb luck. with a fifty cent plot play at the flamingo, i'm suddenly basically even. but with a little time to kill before i need to head to the airport yet.
after getting burned out quickly at the sahara, i did exactly what you should not do, and went a little past my budget and hit the tables again at the new frontier. i quickly made back what i had lost at the sahara, and made headway on what i lost on previous nights, but then very slowly drifted back to where i started the night, where i finally took the hint and called it quits. time for dinner.
night two: i mainly took it easy tonight, and just spent a little time here in the casino at the new frontier. they were nice enough to take my money quickly, despite the $5 limit, sparing me the burden of trying to enjoy myself.
vegas, night one: i was down to my last $25 chip... and busted out hitting a 15 against a 10. not quite as auspicious as the last time i was in treasure island and facing a similar situation.
i like the character used on the metro not-allowed signs. (i tried to post a similar image weeks ago, but my phone didn't like it. maybe it will take this time.)
i think i may have elected to attend the wrong event at the convention center. (the mistake i really made was of heading over to the downtown means business event early. now that i’ve gotten back and seen the seminar and discussion group schedule, i realize i should have been there now, instead of earlier. oops.)
this was a litte better than the communists marching by on may day: the olympic torch going by outside my window. it is also probably the first and last bit of the olympics that i’ll be watching. (the torch probably is not visible in the picture. if you want better pictures, buy me a better camera.)
i've probably mentioned this before, but i love the ceiling at the hollywood and vine subway station. it gives me ideas.
i don't recall ever having 150 communists march by my apartment in north hollywood.
working hard or hardly working?
things are underway.
the m key on my new laptop's keyboard looks like an upside-down w. i wonder what font that is.
my corner full of stuff to give away has finally been given away. i officially have more space than i know what to do with. (actually, there’s a few boxes in the corner again. i’m working on getting rid of those.)
something to do on a beautiful sunday: ride the gold line out to pasadena to get some groceries at trader joe's.
they’re turning the space across the corner from me into a cafe for some kind of shoot. (i would guess a commercial based on the generic-ness of the signage.)
this is all the extra stuff i have to purge. i’m not sure what i’ll do with all the space that will free up. i’ve finally done something with all the stuff i’m keeping. (almost) nothing more piled on my kitchen table or stacked in my bedroom.
my new occasional tables arrived. you can’t really see the side table, but it is there. (my parents chipped in most of the cost as a christmas gift. thank you!)
locked out. oops. $100. ouch!
another shoot across the street. i have no idea what it is for. lots of lights, though.
soviet-era russian and czechoslovakian bills (and more)
these are from when i travelled to eastern europe in 1990. i also have a 5000 złotych note from poland that features chopin, and various others from all three countries. also, some deutsche mark (and pfennig) coins, some austrian schilling coins, 1 and 2 копейки coins (the 1 is tiny), a hungarian forint coin, a number of czechoslovakin coins, and a few different denominations of british pence.
nypd blue outdoor park set
they built an outdoor set recreating an entrance to tompkins square park for nypd blue on the parking lot outside my window. they’re breaking down the set right now. if i’d been on the ball earlier today, i would have taken a snapshot while they were still shooting.
you might think pasadena could think of a better name for a park than “central park.” you would be wrong.
merry christmas!
resurfacing the ice in the rink in pershing square with a mini-zamboni. it's probably somewhere in the mid-to-high 60s. a nice day for skating, i guess.
my new couch and king chair arrived. they are so much sturdier and less “dorm furniture” that it makes almost all of my other stuff due for an upgrade.
back in service.
this is what happens when the scent of free t-shirts is in the air.
dinner at cafe du port in bordeaux.
frankfurt. (i wonder how much this will cost me.)
it's a box party.
the old over-the-balcony method of furniture removal.
waiting at san jose airport for my delayed flight. not an entirely a bad thing, as i'm charging my ipod at a convenient wall plug.
driving around in my rental. (a ford something — a mid-size suv.) it is a little strange driving for the first time in almost exactly a year.
dfw again. this time i've got a long layover, so i get to keep wandering to new gates that claim to be my departure gate. for some reason, the time on my phone hasn't reset, although it did in north carolina.
the fleming house, built in 1901.
dallas-fort worth international airport. lucky for me, my connecting gate was pretty close to my arrival gate.
i love the ceiling at the hollywood and vine red line station. thousands of film reels. i wonder how long it will be before this seems as retro as covering a wall in vinyl records.
macarthur park, los angeles. paddle boat rentals are $7 for a half hour or $10 for a full hour. i don't think you'd want to fall in.
inside the los angeles central public library.
the fountain in pershing square, in downtown. i'm getting more and more attached to the idea of living downtown. i think i'll in try to find the central library.
the advantages of running ahead of schedule.
the gold line turns out to be a lot like the green line at the end: stops in the middle of the highway, with parking for park-and-ride. it does have a stop near old town pasedena, if you're into that sort of thing.
oh, the cars on the gold line are the same as on the green line, too. i like the cars on the red line more. the driver on the ride out to pasedena was funny, slowing down to point out some sights. the one on the way back is using the prerecorded station announcements. much less entertaining.
near the mark taper forum. if there is a wifi hotspot here, it would be an awesome place to work.
disney hall is the new exciting building in downtown los angeles. too bad this area is so cut off from the much livelier area around the grand central market.
arrived, finally.
i got screwed by aloha airlines and all i got was this lousy breakfast. (i should have blown the meal voucher at cinnabon instead of ruby's.)
gambling in the airport. kind of like flying aloha airlines. (i lost $5 so far.)
i am bored. can't sleep. too tired to read. ticket agent won't be back until 4am to book me through on a direct flight. (right now i'm booked through phoenix—if i'd wanted that, i'd have done that in the first place!) i'm very glad i have an ipod. i wish i knew how to insert linebreaks on this thing. remember: don't fly aloha airlines. (wonder if that link will make it?) ack, my feet are asleep. time to walk around. more later.
"don't worry, you'll make your connecting flight." right. don't fly aloha airlines.
the starscene festival is a once-a-year carnival in north hollywood. it's a hot day for a carnival!
hmm. my opinion of poquito más has slipped a notch.
this picture didn't turn out so great. that's a sysco truck unloading in front of a poquito más (small local mexican food chain—tasty stuff).
a more distant view.
our booth.
on the bart from the airport. the pass i had tucked away in my wallet for the last four years still worked. woohoo! the seats are comfy.
the north hollywood red line station.
palm trees are everywhere, but there's never coconuts.
this could get expensive.
lafd responds to some power thing going haywire in my neighborhood. if i had been on the ball, i would have gotten out and taken a picture when it was sputtering and reportedly showering sparks.
a car on the red line. (i need to make a way to rotate pictures like this one when posting. i'm surprised the phone doesn't have a way to do that.)
green line station steps. does it get any more la? (read the steps.)
waiting for the bus.
the park near my apartment.
this is a location from an early scene in erin brockovich.
(i mentioned this location a long time ago. they've repainted the building with the thai restaurant since then, because there was a fire.)
this is my kitchen table.
