08 June 2007

Jail Bird Watch

There has been a lot of coverage of Paris Hilton's recent forays with the clink, and after only three days she's already been released. This is of note to some, but why, exactly, did the Los Angeles Times put a front page article and picture (!) of Kathy Hilton getting mobbed by paparazzi??

Do we have nothing better to hear about? I know people don't want to hear about the war, or the upcoming election, or even global warming any more than is necessary - we've had it ad nauseum - but come on. There's got to be something better.

In fact, if we only relied on what was fed to us, we'd all be missing out on a lot of great things. For example, if I only ever listened to Star 98.7 m, KIIS FM, KROQ and Power 106, I'd never get to know a lot of bands that are so great right now. These are some bands the radio certainly didn't introduce me to:

  • Alexi Murdoch
  • Amos Lee
  • Animal Collective
  • Aqualung
  • Aqueduct
  • Ben Taylor
  • The Cat Empire
  • The Dramas
  • The Dresden Dolls
  • French Kicks
  • The Frank & Walters
  • The Futureheads
  • The Hush Sound
  • Jose Gonzalez
  • Kate Bush
  • The Like
  • Michelle Featherstone
  • The New Pornographers
  • Ojos de Brujo
  • Paolo Nutini
  • Pepper
  • Phoenix
  • Pinback
  • Rachael Yamagata
  • Ray Lamontagne
  • Regina Spektor
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Seven Foot Wave
  • Starlight Mints
  • The Village Green

06 June 2007

Grocery Bags

Last week I bought a re-usable grocery bag from How's. It's royal blue and nondescript otherwise, but I have gotten a lot of use out of it already.

My mom has a bunch that my brother and sister's school was giving out for free and I used them shopping at Ralph's today. While I was there I noticed that Ralph's was selling bags of its own, as well. It's nice to know that so many people are incorporating easy changes into their lifestyles that can really make a difference.

In fact, the City of San Francisco recently banned the use of plastic grocery bags altogether, and I think that's a great idea. Hopefully Los Angeles is soon to follow.

Of course this has now turned into a sort of fashion trend with high fashion designers producing pricey bags for all one's shopping needs. That seems a bit silly to me, like, shopping for packaging. Do something else with your money, people. Plant a tree. I saw a report on TV about these bags, and some of them were quite cute and inexpensive, as well. In fact, some company, I forget which, was giving them away for free. I believe the one I got from How's was 99 cents.

So, another easy way to live consciously... just don't be like my mom and forget the bags in the car every time.

05 June 2007

Miss Possibility

I was reading my DailyCandy in my Inbox yesterday and came across Jenna Phillips, the fitness intructor who is offering Spinning, Pilates and other classes all across L.A. She now holds fitness classes at the beach called Mission: Possible.

I checked out her website and subscribed to her e-mail list, and I totally want to join one of her classes. She seems really sweet and a great motivator, but also super knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition. I definitely want to sign up for one of her classes, and hopefully try some of the foods and restaurants she recommends on her site. http://www.jennaphillips.com/

She is pretty young, only a couple years older than me, and I'm truly inspired by her determination to beat diabetes and improve her overall health. She relies only on holistic healing methods and hasn't had a cold in years. I would like to model my own fitness life after hers - she is in great shape and she looks fantastic!

To sign up for her Mission Possible workouts, one only need send her an email, though she recommends signing up a week in advance as space is limited to 10.

31 May 2007

Bamboo-Ya!

So, bamboo is the newest fiber of choice for those with aspirations toward green living. Apparently there are a lot of good things about it, none of which I knew until now:

  1. it's renewable and sustainable
  2. it's naturally resistant to bacteria, which means no pesticides --heck yes, organic!
  3. it's breathable and cool as a fiber
  4. it's anti-bacterial which means it doesn't need to be treated during manufactuing --> no harmful irritants
  5. it's versatile as a material and can be used as food, shelter, fuel and, evidently, clothing

I'm not sure how many companies are utilizing the material, but one called Panda Snack (get it? Panda's eat bamboo...) has started an environmentally conscious line of clothing that seems fairly fashionable. The image above is from their website. http://pandasnack.com/ Pieces from the summer collection are sold at many locations throughout Los Angeles.
Hopefully more companies with incorporate this fiber into their repertoire.

30 May 2007

"The Kings" are King

Some things I'm interested in right now:


Dan Flavin at LACMA. I studied this artist in my Contemporary art history class at Notre Dame and loved the simplicity of his light sculptures. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is exhibiting a retrospective now through August, I believe. I definitely want to check this out. http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFlavin.aspx

Mandy Moore's new album. Though I'm not a fan of her previous work, I have heard that she collaborated with Rachael Yamagata on this album, and I'm intrigued.



The Kings of Leon, especially their new album Because of the Times. It's awesome. I can't get enough. Favorite tracks: On Call, the Runner, Knocked Up, Arizona, Black Thumbnail. The first three are so powerful and Caleb's voice is very transportive. Black Thumbnail is rough and wild. Off their previous albums I enjoy: Molly's Chambers, Wasted Time, Milk, Soft, the Bucket, King of the Rodeo, Trani, & California Waiting. Good British video interviews of Caleb Folowill are somewhere on the web. I'll try to post a link.

Kite surfing. Kites + surfing = whimsical exhilaration.

Surfing with a paddle? Saw this at the beach the other day. Looks very Polynesian. Probably trickier than they made it seem.



Moroccan Mint Green Tea. So refreshing! I love this brewed with boiling hot water and then poured over ice. A great summer sipper. http://www.stashtea.com/index.shtml (
I noticed that How's Market carries just about every flavor of Stash Tea, including organic varieties, except the Moroccan Mint! I'll speak to them about this.)


The color lavender. I painted my toes lavender and I'm liking a dusty shade of violet on my eye lids. It looks good with a fresh bit of sun on your skin.

Elizabeth Gilbert. I read her book Eat, Pray, Love over Christmas break and it was stunningly beautiful. She's coming to Diesel June 10th, I believe. I'll be sure to be there.

W. Somerset Maugham. I read the Moon & Sixpence and adored the tight writing and the descriptive characterization. Saw the Painted Veil on the plane ride home last week and thoroughly enjoyed the love story. Moving performance by Ed Norton. Naomi Watts was great, as well. I've picked up the Razor's Edge and am finding it a pleasant, thought-provoking read. Brilliant writer.

Horizon plain yogurt with PomWonderful pomegranate juice spritzed in. Delicious!



Old Navy's summer palette. Lots of deep colors that are exotic rather than suburban. Bravo! I'm loving my new striped shorts and wine-colored bikini.

Green cars. That's eco-friendly, not grassy. I'm in the market for a car, and I am looking at the options available to me. Too bad they don't sell those tiny European cars here in the States... I don't really like the look of them that much, but they certainly do save on energy. I'm thinking I'd prefer shiny white paint with lots of chrome and a camel-colored interior.

Malibu Yogurt. A bit overpriced, but a fun splurge now and then with my brother and sister. I had the vanilla with strawberries and it was delish! Too bad they don't take credit cards. I am so bad about carrying cash.
Related Posts with Thumbnails