'Wow-ness'

Here is the sequel to "Morgan M. Morgansen's Date With Destiny", posted previously. I can't express how much this delights me! (Channing Tatum is pricklishly foppish; Joseph Gordon-Levitt is as charming as ever).

Kings of Leon announce their tourmates

So... if you check some of my previous posts, you will see that I am a bit of a superfan when it comes to the brothers Followill. My poor roommates in college had to put up with me blasting "Trani" and "On Call" and "Milk" on repeat, when everybody was into Beyonce and Fergie. Yes, they are good-looking and sure, they have an interesting story, but I just can't get enough of their sound. The blood in my veins pulses to a rock 'n' roll beat. I can't be cured.

Thus afflicted, I naturally have tickets to see them this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. I'm very excited, as I couldn't think of a better venue to see them. The point of this post, though, is to underscore the momentous event that I've just learned, which, in fact, proves that a better scenario DOES exist: KoL has just announced that throughout the month of September, The Black Keys will be opening for them. Now, allow me to elucidate the significance of this revelation: Last week I bought the Key's new single "Tighten Up". On vinyl. Yeah... I don't even own a record player. At least not yet. They are my second favorite band. Yep, just let that all sink in. Get cozy with that.

The Kings of Leon and The Black Keys will be touring together from September 3rd (Indianapolis) through September 24th (Dallas). Unfortunately the Keys won't be in California at all this summer, but no matter, I WILL be at one of these shows.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today is the last day to enter the "King of the Lawn" ticket giveaway sweepstakes. Enter here.

A review of the as yet unplayable record is available here. You can add to your record collection, too: Click here. In the meantime, here's something to tickle your ears and wallop your soul:

4 of My Favorite Community Blogs

Art

Ovation TV

Sample post: Shocking, but very telling post by Bettina Korek here. (Check out Bettina's own brainchild ForYourArt, as well).

Giving a Damn

GOOD

Great idea for transportation options here.

Healthy Living

Organice Your Life

Lonneke Engel's pet project. I love it! Models DO eat... here's a great recipe.

The Kind Life

The blog that inspired the book, THE KIND DIET, both by Alicia Silverstone

Watch this.

Craving Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is a great cookie place across the street from my office, and I totally have a hankering for one of their amazing oatmeal, coconut, pecan & chocolate chip confections... which does not exactly fall in the category of "healthy eating." I recently found a granola bar that sort of counts as a cookie, because it tastes so good! 18 Rabbits, which is based out of San Francisco, makes a really yummy oatmeal/cherry/chocolate bar called "Cheek Cherry Chocolate". I'm trying to stay away from refined sugars and wheat, and this bar is great for that. It is wheat-free and has natural sweeteners, but not agave (which I've recently been turned off from). And, it has oats, coconuts, pecans, chocolate AND almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cherries and cranberries... so it MORE than replaces the cookie I want! Most of the ingredient are organic, and it's made in the USA. So there you go - it's local (the get their butter, maple syrup, almonds, cranberries, pecans, cacao nibs, and cherries from local farms), it's organic, and they give 1% of bars made to children in need (they partner with the SF Food Bank and local schools). p.s. Mrs. Winston's (Santa Monica & Culver City) sells them.

Typical Lunch

Here's my "usual" order from Mrs. Winston's Juice Bar: 24 oz. smoothie (or sometimes juice) of all the greens and pineapple. "All the greens" is spinach, kale, celery, dandelion, and parsley. It's the prettiest green color, and tastes yummy! Especially refreshing and filling. I also usually get a salad from their amazing salad bar. Today's is lots of leafy greens, fenugreek sprouts, a quinoa salad on top, with avocados and strawberries! This may be dinner, as well.

Malibu Monkey Lemonade

Lately I've been on a lemonade kick, and by lemonade, I specifically mean the balsamic lemonade made from organic, local lemons by Matthew "Malibu Monkey" Gibbons. This lemonade is so fresh and zesty, I can't get enough! That being said, this lemonade is UNLIKE ANY OTHER you will ever find. First of all, it comes in a large 1 quart bottle, which in and of itself it worth mentioning; the bottom of the label reads: "1 QUART (SCREW THE METRIC SYSTEM. USA #1!)". The hilarity of the label (which is about 500 words long and spans the whole bottle) rivals the deliciousness of the taste, and made me a fan for life. It's only sold at Vital Zuman Organic Farm near Heathercliff on PCH and The Chocolate Box Cafe in the Lumber Yard. Pick up a few bottles - you will be funding an independent film project, as well as organic farming. Woot! Also available to order online via Malibu Monkey Lemonade.

Adriana Lima & Benny Bennassi's Remix of "Purple Haze"

I love this! Adriana Lima is a knock out in Russell James' "Come Back" video. Definitely makes me want to go box. Reminds me of my friends who did Baraka Bouts in college, which supports women in East Africa. Check last fall's bouts out below.

[from Modelinia]

Spring Cleaning

A few times a year I feel the urge to feng shui my life. I go online, look up the bagua map, and re-read the benefits of de-cluttering my living spaces and all the great things it will allow to enter my life. Some of it feels like voodoo magic, what with certain types of photographs being verboten, and the placement of particular colors in key corners affecting my love life, and all. I'm not sure how much stock I really place in it, but I can't deny that clearing out the clutter feels really good. Afterward I enjoy a deeper sense of peace and calm. Here's a list of my usual suspects. Next to each, I've put a link to more a fitting home for my clutter-glut. These are mainly Los Angeles-based organizations who turn what would otherwise be trash into treasure. Donating to those in need is another great benefit of my clearing-out project.

On a related note, I think it is worth mentioning that charities that provide human services, like soup kitchens, homeless shelters and the like, are typically ignored by Los Angeles' major donors; these donors tend to prefer giving to more glamorous causes like hospitals, universities, and the arts. The organizations I list below need just as much support for the vital services they provide. Read more about it as reported by Los Angeles Magazine.

To DONATE

• Books: Books for People (they also take CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and LP records)
• Magazines: community centers for elderly people
• Prom dresses & formal wear: Casa's Glamour Gowns and Prom Closet
• Business attire: Downtown Women's Center and Working Wardrobes
• Casual wear: Fred Jordan Mission
• Accessories: Casa's Glamour Gowns

To RECYCLE

• scrap paper: Municipal recycling collection
• generic junk mail: Mail Preference Service
• candle remains: A how-to
• orphaned socks: The Mismatched Sock
• stockings with runs: multiple new uses!

Happy Easter

Yesterday I watched the movie FOOD, INC. with my family, and remembered why I am so picky about the foods I eat and the products I buy. It was a good reminder that, even though buying sustainable, organic, local, and ethical food (what the Chicks with Knives call "S.O.L.E." food) is often more expensive than choosing readily-available, factory-grown (manufactured) products, it is an important investment. It's one of the most important investments I can make - in my health, in the safety of people across the country, in the global economy, and in voicing my opinion about the society I want to live in... in the only way that really counts: purchasing power. Watching the documentary brought back all the horrific truths that I'd read about in Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation for a "Work, Consumption and Culture" seminar I took at Notre Dame. So many of the accounts in both the book and the film, also by Schlosser, made me sick to my stomach, and in fact, made my 11 and 12-year old brother and sister start to cry while we watched yesterday. It's more than about cows and chickens being treated inhumanely; it's about reclaiming the integrity of one of the most basic, and most emotionally wrought parts of being human - feeding ourselves. I highly recommend both as essential intake; you aren't an informed person these days if you don't know where your food comes from, and the fact that someone had to make a movie about the subject underlines just how far we've come from our agrarian roots. Though the problem with food in our country is so pervasive (hence the obesity epidemic), and there aren't as many affordable healthful options as there are fast-food chains, I think small changes can make a difference. Nevertheless, choosing an alternative to the standard American diet (often called the S.A.D. diet) is a daunting task; after all, many global corporations have spent billions of dollars making alternatives obsolete. Despite this opposition, many good people are working toward effecting positive changes in how we obtain food. (Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, Mia Lehrer and Associates, the people at Forage, the Fallen Fruit guys...). Sitting in church this morning for Easter at Our Lady of Malibu, I was inspired by a banner hanging near the altar. "Turn and be a new creation", it said.

Here's one example of how I'm continuing my shift toward a more fully SOLE diet: only eating the eggs my family gets from the 6 chickens who spend their days roaming the backyard amid the flowers and vegetable garden. These chickens are well-fed and cared for, sleeping safely in a coop my mother built, and tended to daily by my sister, who's named them thus meteorologically, according to their coloring: Sunshine, Sunrise, Sunset, Summer, Snowy & Starry. Here are my photos from the eggs I decorated today for Easter! (I used the traditional egg-coloring kit from PAAS, vinegar and water... don't the colors look amazing on the brown eggs?)

Last Night's Music: Bardot

Great weekends start with great beats! I particularly liked what the DJ was playing last night in between live performances at Bardot, so here's a recap for your dancing pleasure.

The band opened with the ever-sexy intro from "L.A. Woman", and then called Todd Morse up to join Mya for a rousing "Gimme Shelter", complete with some Jagger-esque showmanship. He later performed one of my personal favorites, Spacehog's "In the Meantime." Sum 41's Deryck Whibley did a fantastic sneering "Rebel Yell" that had everybody grooving. The band peaked when goddess vocalist Mya did an amazing rendition of "Flashdance... What A Feeling", that people stopped smoking to shake it to. Highlights from the turntables:

The Passenger - Iggy Pop

Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

Big In Japan (Original) - Alph...

Need You Tonight - INXS

Chocolate Box Cafe

Three words that will change your [gastronomical] life: CHOCOLATE BOX CAFE. They opened a location in the Malibu Lumber Yard (no longer a lumber yard, but a micro outdoor high-end shopping center) a few months ago, and I have been back for repeated visits. Not only do they offer an assortment of beautifully presented truffles and nougats and dips and glazes - they also have tea sandwiches, salads, gelato, and the real kicker: violet-infused hot chocolate!!! There are several other essences you can add to your hot chocolate, including lavender, orange, oriental coffee, mint, cinnamon, earl gray (I think I'll try this one next!), bittersweet, ginger, green tea, chili pepper, jasmine, and caramel. Whoever thought of this concept is a genius and a saint.

Post-script: The Chocolate Box Cafe is hosting an Easter party this Saturday! I may have to stop by for a little pre-Easter goodness.

Gorgeous Jewelry from Carlee Santarelli

A few months back I met Carlee Santarelli, a Los Angeles-based jewelry designer, through a mutual friend while at Royal/T Cafe. She was wearing some of her own designs, which incorporate vintage fabric and lace, and unique bits and pieces she finds downtown. Her rings, in particular, are her signature pieces, overlaying the lace and fabrics with cabochon to magnify the patterns. Each of her pieces are hand-made and unique, and available at several local boutiques. Check her website for specific locations.

Shout Out to Scottsdale

I was in Phoenix for a 4-day weekend last week, taking in some spring training baseball games, a few forays into the local culture & flora, and some glorious time by the pool. I went out to dinner at the White Chocolate Grill, and while the food was great, the blonde brownie confection was absolute bliss! If you get the chance, definitely go there. It's right in Scottsdale and a beautiful area. xx