ghosts.

We're back!

Today we're loving the collages of Winnipeg artist Paul Butler. Spare and haunting, Butler creates urban spaces where ghosts weave in and among us. These images are from his series "What's Within." In partnership with Montreal's Division Gallery, L.A.'s @Four Six One will be presenting Butler's work, along with a group of Canadian artists on July 6. The details are all here. And you can view more of Butler's minimal collages here.

All images © Paul Butler

And here are a few more things to love.

Finally read and loved Just Kids by Patti Smith.

Photo © Norman Seeff

On a recent visit to Minneapolis, I fell in love with Five Watt Coffee. Their house specialties sound more like craft cocktails. I oped for the Busy Beaver, but if I still lived in the Twin Cities, I'd be working my way through the entire menu. Every drink looked amazing.

And I love this Picasso.

Violin, 1912

That's all for now. Have a wonderful 4th of July, and I'll be back soon with more to love. xoL

interlude: minnesota.

Hello there!

Sorry for the long absence. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on my end-of-summer vacation--which I'd like to tell you about in this post. If you've been a reader of this blog for any time, you probably know that every year, around the end of August/Labor Day, I make my pilgrimage to the homeland--and the Minnesota State Fair.

"You go home for the Fair??" everyone asks me, with a pronounced "are you a complete idiot?" tone of voice. Well, yes and no. I've always had a certain fondness and yeah--nostalgia--for the Fair. It's kind of Midwest thing. But what it's really become is my own family holiday, redefined.

Most people who know me know I absolutely refuse to spend triple the price of an airline ticket to fly on the busiest day of the year for a damned turkey dinner and some barbaric football game. Just, no. Never. Not any more. As for Christmas? Well, I pretty much feel the same way, although now that my sis and her family are back in the great state of Cali, I am willing to take a nice coastal drive to watch my niece open her presents and partake of my sister's most excellent cinnamon rolls.

But back to the Fair. I've found that redefining traditional holidays is wonderfully liberating, so in addition to copious amounts of food on a stick, it's really become about family--all the more so this year, because I got to see my brand new niece, Mirah Jane.

So, in the next few posts, I'd like to share with you some of my experiences and photos of my late-summer vacation.

And then keep coming back, because I've recently found many incredible things to love--I can't wait to share it all with you.

More to love:

No journey to the Land of 10,000 Rehab Centers (har, har) would be complete without--no, not a secret vacay for "exhaustion," but to the mighty Minnehaha Falls.

That's all for now, but I'll be back tomorrow with all the delicious food I sampled while away. xoL

minneapolis.

The Mississippi at Minneapolis, 1948-1950, Martin Bloch.

Martin Bloch, 1883-1854, was a German-British painter of the Expressionist period. In 1948, he came to America, teaching at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and at Princeton. He likened the climate of the American Midwest to that of the Mediterranean (he must have been there during the summer). I love this German Expressionist interpretation of my home town. It is currently on view at the Tate Gallery in London.

new year.

Hi! We're back...and very excited for 2014. Let's take a look at the year so far.

On New Year's Day, I flew back from Minneapolis, just as the Land of 10,000 Lakes was welcoming the Polar Vortex. Please, don't ask me to explain this. Wikipedia it or something. Apparently, I just escaped the worst of it.

In case you were wondering what -10 degrees looks like, here it is.

Mother freaking cold. But awfully pretty.

It's funny, because I don't remember the frigid temperatures ever stopping us, even when we were kids. Of course, that may be because my mom would zip up our snowsuits, show us out the door--and lock it behind us.

Sledding time! Photo by @mshouska

I always think about what it's like way up North. It gets really cold up on the Iron Range--I mean, Siberian cold. And I think about how Minnesota's original settlers survived the winters--so many must have died harrowing deaths. Animals, too.


My cousin posted this fascinating (and horrific) article from the Minnesota Post, reminding of The Children's Blizzard, a book I've been wanting to read forever.


There were some great moments while I was back. Every member of my family attended my grandmother's funeral, and I got to catch up with cousins I hadn't seen in years. I drank some great coffee...

Just the scene you would expect on a place called "Peace Coffee."

...just for reference, my current favorite spots for coffee in Minneapolis are Peace Coffee in Longfellow, Anodyne on Nicollet and The Coffee Shop in Northeast. But seriously, there are so many little hippie coffee shops that dot the Twin Cities, you can never go wrong.

Even though I had a great time, the temps kept plunging further and further below zero. By New Year's Day, I could not fly home fast enough.

 Somewhere over Nevada? Utah? Take your pick.

Never have I been so happy to return to L.A.

This month has basically been about catching up on work, hiking...

Look up!

...and over-hyped, Oscar-nominated movies.

Boogie Nights 2.0 with a dash of Goodfellas = American Hustle

Art by Peter Stults via Shortlist

For the life of me,  I cannot understand the fuss surrounding Gravity. It's a deeply terrible movie, a special-effects-and-star-power extravaganza devoid of any story, character or emotional resonance. It's like they got Bullock and Clooney to host the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland.

But this gallery of alternative poster art for Gravity is incredibly cool.

I celebrated my 44th birthday (God help me) at a couple of restaurants I've been wanting to try:

Connie and Ted's in West Hollywood (one of two places in L.A. where you can order clams with the bellies attached) and Bar Ama downtown.

...roamed around The Last Bookstore...

...and lounged at the new Tierra Mia in Echo Park..

For reference, my current favorite places for coffee in L.A. are Tierra Mia, the Coffee Commissary (three locations, but I'm partial to Burbank), Go Get 'Em Tiger and of course, Alfred.

And speaking of books--I read a couple in the last month. Let's take a look.

Oh, hi Mark.

My sister insisted I read The Disaster Artist while we were in Minneapolis. It is SO FREAKING GOOD I almost can't stand it. Can't remember when a book rocked my world this way.

Much more than just a "Ha ha, I was in a bad movie" memoir, it's a hilarious, moving and masterfully written account of film making and the Hollywood dream. Astoundingly good and highly recommended.

And now I have to go see The Room again.

Another tale of Hollywood--although this one didn't blow me away, it was a solid historical noir mystery set in early 50's L.A about the movie business, WWII and the McCarthy hearings. Only recommended if you're really into that kind of thing.

Back here in L.A., it's been the opposite of the Polar Vortex. Again, I have no idea what that is. Google it. While we usually do have an 80-degree heat wave in January, 2014's has lasted the entire month. Heat wave bonus: the camellias are starting to bloom. Heat wave drawback: thinking about what it's going to be like in August and September.

 And of course, there are the sunsets. Like this one over the ocean in Palos Verdes.

That's all for now. I'm trying to do slightly shorter blog posts for the New Year, so they don't become so damn epic and time-consuming--and I can do more. See you soon.

interlude: minnesota.

A couple weeks ago, I made my annual trip to the homeland. I always go back for the State Fair. Go ahead and laugh, but it's so much better than going in the dead of winter for some boring holiday. This year, I had another reason to visit: my new nephew Judah, born on New Year's Day.

The mighty Mississippi from St. Anthony Main.

i like you, northeast Minneapolis.

I was always a South Minneapolis girl, but the focus has now shifted to Northeast, where my brother's family lives and where most of the action is.

Hooray for Hollywood.

Good ol' Nye's.

But the real reason for my visit was, of course...

Death by cuteness. Baby perfection.

And there was the Fair.

It's funny how it never changes. Everything in its place every year. There were interesting (and chuckle-worthy) updates this year: a list of gluten-free fare and the "dough-sant" (read: cro-nut).

Crop art always amazes.

I'd like to make mention of a couple places that delighted me on this visit.

One is Gardens of Salonica. It's a classic Northeast place that's been around forever, and it serves up some of the best Greek food I've ever eaten.

And then there's the new 3 Tiers Bakery Bistro near my mom's house in the Lake Nokomis area.

An adorable, immaculate hole in the wall, I had a falafel burger that was the best I'd ever eaten. Everything is served on the freshest bread--my mom is a big fan of the olive. Seriously, if you read this blog and live in Minneapolis, you have to check this place out.

It made me think of how--while LA is a center for the most incredible hole-in-the-wall, strip-mall ethnic restaurants, Minneapolis is a center for incredible, homemade coffee shops and cafés. So much fun!

Until next year, Star of the North. I will see you again.

see you soon.

Well, the State Fair has come and gone, and I'm back in LA. Specifically LA Superior Court, as I have jury duty today. haven't been called yet, so I have some time on my hands, and I thought I would give you one final taste of last week's Midwestern Magic.

If they can find a way to put on a stick, they will.

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite place to eat at the Fair is Giggles Campfire Grill. All kinds of walleye delights and even a boatload of sunnies this year.

Another top spot if the Arts & Crafts building, where there are all kinds of prizewinning jams & jellies, baked goods, clothing, and my favorite--the quilts.



Behold. The Pina Colada from Manny's Tortas. Not on a stick. Refreshing and delicious.


Lambs in love at the Sheep Barn.

Another favorite stop--Heritage Square. We caught the tail end (pun!) of the "Doggies of the Wild West" show. It was ridiculous. But there was a nice little book stand, plus ginger beer and sarsaparilla.

And here was something new this year: the Giant Sing-a-Long. Yes, it looks a little cheesy, but everything does at the Fair. However, watching a field of people belting out "Benny and the Jets" and even the execrable "American Pie," was kind of cool, especially when we were soaring above it all in the Sky Ride.

And that's the image I will leave you with...until next year.