Race To Nowhere

I was talking to a teacher at my children's school the other day and she said something that really made me think: "The children here are overachievers, they are WAY ahead of students at other schools, however, they have no confidence."  Interesting.  As we talked more, I realized that the pressure to succeed was so great that these kids were terrified of failing or doing anything the slightest bit wrong for that matter.  Scary thought.  I've seen first hand the pressure these kids are under and it scares me.  Race To Nowhere is about these pressures and what they are doing to our children.  In Director Vicki Abeles documentary she takes a look at our culture - one that is obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform.  I believe our job, as parents, is to engage our children, help them WANT to learn and learn how to have fun doing it.  I haven't seen Race To Nowhere yet, but I plan to.  There are screenings all over California - click here to find one close to you.  I believe it's the EXPERIENCES we have that make us who we are.  It's through our experiences that we find out what we are most interested in, what we will excel at and what we won't.  I'm hoping my love for taking my kids on vacations, adventures, museums, art classes etc will help them acquire a thirst for life - something I think will take them a lot further than any test score!

Artisanal LA Done Holiday Style

You sure are lucky!!  You thought you missed the event of the year when you couldn't make it to the Artisanal LA Inaugural Fall Show - well you're in luck - Artisanal LA is at it again - Holiday Style.  Save the Date and keep your eyes peeled for updates on this site!!  

Chicks With Knives

I am one lucky bitch!  I've scored a space at Chicks With Knives newest event/class!  On November 14th, 11:30-2pm,  I'll be spending the day with lovely ladies, sharp knives and lots of meat in my favorite professional cooks shop of all time - if all this doesn't sound exciting to you, then you and I are not living on the same page!  I'm going to take a stab at Butchery 101 hosted by Chicks With Knives (aka Rachael Narins and Suzanne Griswold) partnering with LA's new favorite sustainable butchers Lindy and Grundy (aka Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura) at Surfas in Culver City.  Lindy and Grundy will have a demonstration on how to break down a lamb (this Albanian girl grew up on lamb and it's my favorite), followed by a hands-on class with Chicks With Knives.  They'll be showing us proper knife sharpening, maintenance and care, how to cut up a  whole round fish and how to butcher a chicken.  If this lovefest interests you, get your tickets on Eventbee now because spaces are filling up fast!  Cost is $125 per person.  There will be light appetizers and drinks (for those of you with strong stomachs) during the demonstration, each participant will get to take home some lamb, chicken and fish and you'll receive a Surfas discount coupon for shopping on the day of the class.  Come sporting your best apron and your sharpest knife ready to rock!  See you there!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yesterday was my Birthday and it was the most perfect day EVER, thanks to my most wonderful husband who knows all my favorite things!  We started the day at Malibu Kitchen and Gourmet Country Market - picked up some amazing pastries and make our way to Point Dume.  Point Dume is my favorite beach.  It actually smells like the ocean - which, believe it or not is a difficult thing to find around here!  We sat on the beach, delved into our pastries and watched the dolphins play in the surf.  Wonderful.  On the way back we made a stop at Malibu Market and Design to shop for the house - if you haven't been here you MUST take the drive and go.

What looks like a small boutique from PCH is really a mulit-teared extravaganza featuring high end furniture and landscape design items.  I could walk the grounds daily and fantasy shop.  It's an amazing place to get inspiration and ideas on how to design your own home.  They are still in the process of trying to get a permit to make a section of their outdoor space a tea spot and when they do, I will be a regular!  Next stop?  The Getty Villa!  I hesitate to even post photo because it won't be able to capture how extraordinary this place is.  You have to see it to appreciate it - but for those of you that need a visual, here is a taste:





The Getty Villa is J. Paul Getty's recreation of the Villa of the Papyri from the ancient Roman city of  Herculaneum.  It is an educational center and museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruia and it holds antiquities from Getty's vast personal collection - its LOVELY!!  Now, we're famished and a stop at Gladstones for a snack is in order:

 I've never been a big fan of Gladstones in the past, however, recently SBE purchased the site and there has been a huge improvement in it's ambiance and cuisine - not to mention, there has to be a worse way of spending your afternoon than drinking an ice cold beer while staring at the ocean!   After this fantastic morning and afternoon, home to nap, then out to dinner with great friends and family to Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya in Manhattan Beach - perfect end to a perfect day.


 I have the most wonderful husband, children and friends and as you can tell by the smile on my face, I am one gloriously Happy Birthday Girl!

Taco Taco Taco

Is there anyone out there that doesn't love a good taco?  Our partners from Detroit flew in to go on a little taco hunt with us - the goal?  To find the perfect little bundle of joy.  So, here we go....First stop?  Loteria:

Now, I'm going to be honest, for all the hype Loteria is not the BEST but it's pretty damn good.  The best thing we had here was the Cochinita Pibil - pork slowly roasted in a banana leaf for 12 hours, served with citris-pickled red onion and chile habanero.  Delicious but a bit wet for my taste.  Up next?  Tinga!

WOW!  Tinga has something special going on.  It's not your typical street taco - it's a bit gourmet.  Our favorite here was the 48 Short Rib - Short rib with salsa verde and pickled red cabbage, raw tomato salsa, papas bravas, queso fresco and crema.  AMAZING.  I really think it could be even better without the potatoes, but that is just my humble opinion.  Second favorite was the Pibil - long and slow cooked achiote and bitter orange rubbed pork with pickled cabbage, salsa habanero - the Pibil was not just slow cooked but thrown on a plancha to give a charred taste as well - the salsa was SUPER spicy and SUPER fabulous!  I can't not mention the corn - it's grilled corn, cut off the cob with creamy lime, chile and pompano puree - orgasmic!  Next...Teres Tacos:

Tere's is an all time favorite of mine.  When I say they have THE BEST Verde sauce I am not exaggerating one bit.  It is spicy goodness.  Nothing comes close.  Period.  My favorites are the pork verde tacos and their carne asada - which is seasoned perfectly.  This place rocks.  Moving on...Cactus Taqueria #1:

Cactus Taqueria #1 is a taco shack in Hollywood that we frequent often - why?  Because it has reliable, straight forward good food.  Cactus has wonderful el pastor and equally as good carne asada.  Pinche Tacos was next....

Ech, what's to say?  Standard.  The carne asada was very good but the rest?  ech.  No reason to go back really - not when there are so many other options in Los Angeles.  Now it was time to go home and take a rest and digest.....

Oh, you didn't think we were done, did you?  Taco trucks don't open until 9pm.... First stop of the evening was Leo's.   Yuck - that's about all I have to say.  Nothing special here - let's keep it moving...

BA-BAM!!  This is it - no need to go any further!  This truck has it going on!  The wait was forever but worth every damn minute.  This, in my opinion is the perfect LA Street Taco.  The hunt is over.  There is a great taco blog called The Great Taco Hunt and I'm compelled to end this post with a quote and some pictures from his site: "if I had to choose one taco truck to represent LA and say , here this is an LA street taco, it would be El Chato. El Chato does it right. These tacos are beautiful little bombs of flavor that come on your plate hot and greasy topped with grilled onions and chiles."

Street Taco Perfection.  Time to roll my full belly into bed.  Whew - GREAT DAY!

Best Spooky Spectacular Weekend Ever!!

I had the most amazing weekend - it all started Thursday with Big Daddy and I's anniversary.  We celebrated by attending The Rocky Horror Tribute Show to benefit the Painted Turtle and it was AMAZING!  Jack Nicholson was there for God's sake!!  So was Tim Curry!!  I'd forgotten how hot (in a not hot kind of way) Tim Curry was in The Rocky Horror Picture Show movie!  The cast was spectacular (Julian McMahon in particular) and the party afterwards was phenomenal!  What a blast!  Next up to plate:  the Haunted House put on in our neighborhood by the Talbert Family Foundation.  The festivities began Friday after school - it was the perfect beginning to a spooky, fun filled weekend:

Next up: scary movies and building cookie graveyards at home:

Bedtime came late and goblins kept the kids from sleeping in their own beds - but we all managed to get up the next morning to attend Dia De Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery - this is a fantastic event!!  If you missed it this year, be sure to put it in your calendar for next - it was truly exceptional - we had a blast, the kids had blast - great food, wonderful music, amazing artists, face painting, people watching..... I could go on and on!!

All of this was just leading up to the finale - the cour de gras - HALLOWEEN!!  Hope you all had a Happy Halloween - we did!

You Have A Voice - Make It Heard!

Election 2010 Voting Information  

Today, November 2nd, is Election Day! Make sure to get out and vote. Voting is pretty simple, but if you have any questions, here's an outline of helpful information. 

On your ballot

• Several progressive groups and partners in California have put together a handy ballot guide to help you decide how to vote on some of the top initiatives offered on your ballot this year. Click here to check it out: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=93307&id=24989-9220260-5_giE.x&t=100

• Also, the League of Young Voters has put together a site where groups and individuals can post do-it-yourself voter guides. Check out your state here: http://theballot.org/

Where and when do I vote? 

• Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information at http://pol.moveon.org/votinginfo2010.html, using an application developed by the Voting Information Project. 

• You can also get your polling location by texting "where" to 30644 from your mobile phone. 

• These resources are excellent, but not perfect, so to double-check information, you can use the Voting Information Project application to find contact information for your state or local election official.

What do I need to bring? 

• Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it. To find out the details, check out your state's info athttp://www.866ourvote.org/state.

• You can also find more information by calling or checking out the website of your state election official. Look up their contact information here: http://pol.moveon.org/votinginfo2010.html/

What if something goes wrong? 

• Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then ask for a provisional ballot.

• Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE or email help@866ourvote.org. 

How can I help get out the vote today?

• Make calls to voters right from your home: http://pol.moveon.org/2010/call/start.html

And a quote to remind us all how important it is to vote today... 

"Because if everyone who fought for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, we will win this election, I'm confident that we will." --President Barack Obama

The Haunted Heats!

In my opinion, the Ocean is haunted enough as it is but this weekend it'll be extra scary!  ZJ Boarding House is at it again - the Haunted Heats will take place at Tower 27 in Santa Monica on Saturday, October 30th at 9am.   It's too late to sign up to compete but spooky spectators are always welcome.  There will be amazing prizes from Billabong, Element, Surftech, Prolite and more!  Every contestant gets a special prize bag and gets to try out surfboards from Surftech all morning!  We're planning on taking the kids there to cheer on all the ghosts and ghouls - see you there!

Playing Hooky

My daughter and I played hooky from school and had craft day.  She painted her pumpkin - bloody and scary (of course!) and I did needlefelting for the first time (a small pumpkin)!  Fun!

Oh, The Horror! Rocky Horror Picture Show That Is!

When I was a youngster, going to the midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show was out of the question (according to my parents).  But there were ways around that...... "In the velvet darkness of the blackest night, burning bright there's a guiding star"....and that star was the glowing headlights on our friends car as we snuck out of the house to make our way to the "late night, double feature, picture show"!  What a rush!  People dressed up, dancing in the isles, screaming at the screen and singing - my young mind was "spaced out on sensation, like you're under sedation" - I was hooked and have been a BIG fan ever since.  This Thursday is Big Daddy and I's Anniversary - it also happens to be The Rocky Horror Picture Show's 35th Anniversary Tribute Show!  We will be celebrating with Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Evan Rachel Wood, Lea Michele and others because they are all starring in the one-night-only, star-studded Tribute and Costume Ball taking place at the Wiltern.   You see, the legendary Lou Adler, who is one of the original producers of the film is presenting a live performance of the original film to benefit the Painted Turtle!  Since opening in 2004, The Painted Turtle (one of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps) has provided children throughout California who suffer from chronic and life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to rediscover the ordinary joys of being a child through a year-round camp and hospital outreach programs.  No child or family pays to attend the camp - that's a beautiful thing!  Tickets are still available here!  "Give yourself over to absolute pleasure, swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh, erotic nightmares beyond any measure and sensual daydreams to treasure forever.  Can't you just see it?  Don't dream it - be it!"  Let's do the time warp again!

Nightmare Before Christmas At El Capitan

The 3D with 4D sensory effects showing of Tim Burtons Nightmare Before Christmas at the legendary El Capitan Theatre was worth EVERY penny.  The kids were thrilled.  There weren't a lot of sensory effects but the ones they chose were brilliant!  Loved EVERY minute!  It's only showing through October 31st so be sure to get your tickets now!

Artisanal LA: A MUST See!!

Well, we made it to the Cooper Building Downtown today and all I have to say is Artisanal LA is special and spectacular and an event that is not to be missed.  There is one day left to see over 75 vendors, each with their own highly designed pop-up store.  Incredible.  The space is lovely, clean, bright and roomy - simply put, perfect.  There was a DJ spinning tunes in one corner, a Wollypocket workshop happening in another, Backwards Beekeepers had a panel in a 3rd corner, and there were magnificent grilled cheese for sale from Market in a 4th.  While the kids kept themselves busy making crafts and hand sewn egg cozies I was able to stroll the grounds getting an eye full, belly full and ear full from some of the most interesting people I've met since moving to LA.  These people are truly passionate about what they do and love to educate you about their talent.  I had a wonderful time talking to Lindy & Grundy who are getting ready to open their butcher shop of locally produced, sustainable meat on Fairfax, Chef Zarate from Mo-chica talking about his wonderful Peruvian salsas, and Out of the Box Collective, who are delivering boxes straight to your doorstep overflowing with local produce and artisan-made products, just to name a few.  Sincerely, you must check this out.  If I can convince Big Daddy to watch the kids tomorrow I just may go again - meet you there?  Check out Sunday's Schedule:

 Sunday, October 24th ·

………………

12p: Chef Joseph Gillard, Napa Valley Grille

Biodynamic Wine Pairings (Demo and Tasting)

1p: Geri Miller, LA Master Gardener, mar’sel, Terranea Eco Resort

& Mixologist Blake Edwards, TheDrinkChef, mar’sel, Terranea Eco Resort

Garden Cocktail Infusions (Demo and Tasting) 

2p: Melkon Khosrovian, Greenbar Collective

The Importance of Organic & Sustainable Spirits Practices (Speaker)

2p: Suzanne Griswold & Rachael Narins, Chicks with Knives‘ 

Perishable Pickle Shop: Pickling 101 (Demo and Tasting)

3p: Craft Beer Panel

Eagle Rock Brewery & Nibble Bit Tabby

Moderated by The Beer Chicks (Panel and Tasting)

4p: Lindy & Grundy, Heritage Meats and Home Butchering

w/ Chef Christian Page, Daily Dose 

(Demo, Tasting, Raffle)

5p: Josh Simon, Co-Founder & President, Function Drinks

Growing a Local Food Biz in LA (Speaker)

All Day: Common Thread Studio

Hand Sewn Egg Cozies  (Workshop 12-2p & 2-5p)

All Day: Pumpkin Paper Crafts for Kids (Craft)

Jewtopia: Not My Utopia

I was a theatre major in college until my father refused to pay another red cent toward my education if that persisted - to which I promptly switched to a Film Major (so much more stable, right?).  Any-whoo, I LOVE the theatre.  My husband, not so much.  I've been biding my time, waiting for my lovely children to get older so I would have someone to accompany me but once in awhile, something comes along that I must see and Big Daddy gets dragged along.  Last night was one of those nights.  With reviews like this:

"Outrageously Funny"   Los Angeles Times

"Unstoppable" The New York Times

"Fogel deserves to take center stage" - Variety

I figured, how could we go wrong?  The New York Times declared that Jewtopia was one of the 3 most successful off-Broadway productions of the decade!  It was the longest running original comedy in the history of Los Angeles theatre for god's sake!  Knowing the play was written by two good Bat Mitzvahed  boychicks, I figured it would all be in good fun.  Now, given, I am not Jewish, but most of my friends are and back in the day I was even considered somewhat of an honorary member of the tribe so I expected to find a lot to enjoy here.  Oy vey iz mir, wong.  Dead wrong.  If you need your jokes spelled out for you and shoved in your face, raunchy and offensive, then Jewtopia will be spot on. If you're looking for any kind of intelligence, wit, charm or depth, run, Jewtopia does not deliver.  Usually, I can endure a play that is less than desirable because I love the theatre so much, however, even with all those college theatre classes under my belt, I couldn't act like I enjoyed this one.  Jewtopia sent us walking at the intermission.  In my opinion, you'd have to be meshuge to love Jewtopia.

Artisanal LA: Have You Gone Local?

Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

We are extremely lucky to be part of such a diverse entrepreneurial city!  Los Angeles is teeming with countless, unique, local purveyors.  It's so important to take advantage of this remarkable resource. When you purchase local products you're helping out in more ways than you can imagine:  you're strengthening the economic base of the community, preserving the character of our community by fostering one-of-a-kind businesses, reducing environmental impact, helping to provide more jobs to residents and most importantly you are encouraging local prosperity.  It just plain feels good to buy local.   Many Angelenos don't know the myriad of genius local products that are available to them - this is where Shawna Dawson comes in!  She is the creator of the first annual Artisanal LA , a 2 day extravaganza taking place this weekend October 23 & 24, 11am-6pm, dedicated to shopping, tasting and learning all there is to celebrate local, handmade goods.  There will be workshops with independents like Wollypocket,  Demo's on Pickling 101 with our famous local ladies Chicks with Knives, Panels on Local Beekeeping with Backwards Beekeepers, a book signing with Primal Cuts: Cooking With America's Best Butchers author Marissa Guggiana, just to name a few.  The list goes on and on - there will be over 75 vendors showcasing their local products.  Artisanal LA takes place Downtown at The Cooper Design Space Penthouse.  Tickets are $10 (if purchased ahead of time through Eventbrite) and $15 at the door - cost of admission pays for both days! Children 12 and under are free (yes, it's a family friendly event - lots of crafts for the kids to do throughout the day!).   Remember:  Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local!

Time For The Nightmare Before Christmas!

When Halloween rolls around my 5 year old daughter likes to do it up spooky style.  She's not your typical run-of-the-mill princess or cheerleader, she likes to go for the scare factor - so, it stands to reason that her favorite movie of all time is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.  When visiting Disneyland for her first (and only) time, she left with 3 dolls:  Jack Skellington, the King of Halloweentown, his dog Zero, who has a glowing pumpkin for a nose and Sally, a ragdoll brought to life by a mad scientist in Halloweentown.  She slept with them every night for months and talked about Jack incessantly (I believe, Jack was her first crush!).  Every year, when Halloween rolls around our daughter gets a big treat - a viewing of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the legendary El Capitan Theatre.  Last year was amazing because the movie was in 3-D but this year it will be double, triple, quadruple with a cherry on top amazing because it's in 3-D WITH 4-D SENSORY EFFECTS!!  She's going to go WILD!  Not only will Jack practically be sitting in her lap, but she'll be able to feel the wind in her face, snow falling from the sky and see fog rolling into the theatre!  Now THAT is an experience worth paying the VIP fee of 25 bucks at El Capitan Theatre!!

From The Vine

Strolling around with the masses, fighting the crowds on Abbot Kinney not your cup of tea?  How about spending the day nestled deep in the Santa Monica Mountains, relaxing under shade trees amongst rolling hills and ponds, gazing upon acres and acres of vineyards just past the llamas and zebras?  Is this more your speed?  Then skip Taste of Abbot Kinney this year and instead head to The Food Event: From the Vine.  Yes, sadly, you must choose because these two events fall on the same day this year.  Los Angeles Magazine's 5th annual culinary extravaganza, The Food Event:  From the Vine, takes place Sunday, October 24, 1-4pm at Saddlerock Ranch, Vineyard home to Malibu Family Wines. For one price, you can enjoy unlimited chef tastings from several Los Angeles top restaurants and wine tastings from over 30 local vineyards.  There will be lessons from a Master sommelier in wine pairings, celebrity chefs perform cooking demonstrations and a Conversation Lounge where you can listen to the panels like the Top Chef Masters.  This is a delicious way to spend a lazy Sunday and hey, don't you deserve an escape from the city?

Want A Taste?

So, you missed the Abbot Kinney Festival, did you?  So did I.  Don't despair my foodie friends - put it behind you because there is a new festival stepping up to the plate and it's earned itself the title "A walking tour-de-force de food"- from LA Weekly.  It's the 2nd Annual Taste of Abbot Kinney and it's planned for Sunday, October 24th, 3-7pm.  You won't want to miss this one!  Pounding the pavement on this unique walking adventure is an incredible way to get a taste of Venice's eclectic bohemian/chic culture.  Here's the deal:  You purchase tickets in $30, $50, $75 or $100 packages then start your adventure strolling along Abbot Kinney.  Exchange your tickets along the way, in different quantities for delicious food and beverage samples, live music performances, art installations, photographs, mystical readings or other experiences from the countless stores and gourmet food trucks.  Keep this in mind: while you're noshing on samples from the Tasking Kitchen or getting your nail polish changed at Nite spa, your ticket purchases are benefiting the nationally recognized, award winning Inside Out Community Arts!  That's right!  Just by attending this special event you'll be helping this Venice based non -profit to change the lives of of Los Angeles' disadvantaged and under-served youth through arts and media education.  See?  Even when you're out having fun, you can't help but make a positive impact!  Good for you!

Sugar Skull Decorating!

While visiting the beautiful Great Lakes State of Michigan we were lucky enough to be able to attend a Sugar Skull Workshop hosted by the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts).   There is nothing better than being around friends and family during the holidays!  This was the perfect opportunity for the kids to hang with their Papa and talk about our relatives that have passed while decorating beautiful sugar skulls to honor their memory.  The kids had a blast and so did we!  Have you decorated your skulls yet?  Send me your pictures!!

You Stylish Do-Gooder, You!

Eliminate the Horror of world hunger this Halloween with this adorable FEED bag ($13.20)!  In honor of  it's 60th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, UNICEF and FEED have united to create their first ever Trick-or-Treat bag.  Now your kids can collect their goods in style (there is even reflective webbing for their safety!) and you can feel good knowing that 100% of the proceeds went to providing a child in the developing world with an entire year's worth of micro nutrient powders.  In addition, HSN will donate an additional $3.50 to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for each tote purchased through hsn.com.  

She's Crafty....She's Just My Type

When I had children, I promised myself I would never turn in to your typical "soccer mom".  I swore I would stay hip, maybe even borderline cool.  This meant no weekend soccer games, no mini van, no frumpy clothes and certainly NO crafting.  Crafters have always scared me.  You see, it begins innocently enough...one year you decide to make handmade Christmas cards from Martha Stewart Magazine, next thing you'll find yourself knitting a scarf for your son, then, before you know it, you'll have a room specifically set up for scrapbooking and soon you'll be inviting friends over for a pot luck crocheting pow wow.  Whew - SO. NOT. COOL. But then it happened - I walked right into a trap.  What looked like a super cool indie retail store was really a crafters paradise in disguise!! 

 
BAM!  On a typical shopping excursion I found myself standing smack in the middle of The Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica and you know what?  I COULDN'T LEAVE!!  This place is sooooo cool - sooooo hip and sooooo fun. 

I spent 2 hours there that day, looking over tons of kits, fabrics, books, etc.  I found myself circling what classes I would take on their calendar - and believe me, there are too many to choose from: Soap making, Yudu, Chocolate, Hand Sewn Animals, etc, and I even planned a fundraiser for my school to take place there!  The best part, now that I'm instantly addicted, is I don't have to design my own scrapbooking room - I can become a member of The Urban Craft Center.  Membership allows you to use the studio space as a home base.  You can drop in at will, store your supplies in their lockers and have access to all the studio equipment (sewing machines, Yudo screen printing machines, Book press - the list goes on and on).  Membership is not a requirement, however.  You can drop in for classes, pay by the hour to use all the equipment or swing in for a free open studio night - they have one once a month (this month it's Friday, October 29th).   But hey folks, let's not get carried away, I'm still not slipping on those mom jeans anytime soon, I have some dignity left.