Happy Hour to Blue Hour

This week I met the ladies for happy hour at C Level on Harbor Island.

After two glasses of wine, happy hour became the blue hour... I had never heard this time of day called the blue hour before someone's Flickr comment led me to a Google search which led me to itunes and a song by Pete Anderson (?) called, yep, Blue Hour. According to the song, the blue hour is when, "the sky has lost the sun and it hasn't found the stars...[and] the twilight's in your eyes and the evening's coming on." Lovely, apt, and a pretty good song too...

 

 

Progress

So far, so good.

Although, I am a little bit concerned about this....

What would Farmer Bill Do?

What's our vector, Victor?

I don't know about Victor, but our vectors are of the mouse variety...

After finding some...uh, evidence of mouse activity in my bathroom, Tom called the landlord. The next night, I went to bed around 11 and was awakened about an hour later by a...I don't want to say scream because it was definitely much more manly than that...by an exclamation of sorts. What I gathered through my Benadryl-induced fog was that Tom had come in to go to bed only to spy our little mouse guest sitting on his bedside table...watching me sleep. 

This little incident prompted another, more demanding call to the landlord, and the next day Lloyd Pest Control came out and placed 15 traps. After realizing that the mouse was the sort of pervy mouse that would watch me sleep, I didn't really feel bad about the use of the less than humane snap traps... After two weeks of coming back every couple of days to check the traps only to report "no activity," Lloyd's removed all of the traps. Shrug. I guess he was just passing through.

If there is a next time, however, I will go with the catch-and-release traps. I saw this awesomely ridiculous, science project looking thing today and will definitely pick it up next time...

The website that sells the Catch a Mouse trap assures me that the trap is simple to use and that the mice are quite content to hang out in the empty soda bottle ("They nibble on the bait and become relaxed — they often even fall to sleep") until you can "relocate" them.  Seems pretty straightforward.

If that doesn't work, I could always go with your standard Mouse Trap, Hasbro style.

The List - Print a Book of Photos of India

I've been putting this list item off because it feels so overwhelming. For the last four years, I have had hundreds of unedited pictures from our family trip to India languishing in folders on my computer. Tonight I forced myself to start going through pictures to edit them and attempt to organize and identify them.

I want to go back. Big time. Mostly because it was an amazing adventure filled with family fun, but also because I want to retake 90% of the pictures. Apparently I have taught myself a few things about photography in the last couple of years, plus my awesome new camera kicks my old point and shoot's ass. I know that "they" say that the best camera is the one you have with you and if you're any good, the camera doesn't matter, but I am not that and I think my fancy camera makes a world of difference.

In any event, here are a few of the newly edited photos from India and Nepal.

Happy Hour in the Flight Path

On Wednesday night, I headed out for drinks to celebrate the retirement of two fellow English teachers on Wednesday...to be fair, I was celebrating the two new job openings as much as I was celebrating the illustrious careers of my coworkers. In any event, glasses were raised at the super cool El Camino in Little Italy. The fact that the tequila shots come in little, tiny glass cowboy boots more than made up for the fact that conversation had to stop every time a plane came in for a landing at Lindbergh Field.

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. ~Chinese Proverb

I had a couple extra pennies, so I bought sushi and peonies instead, but I wholeheartedly concur with the sentiment.

I seriously can't get enough of these peonies. They are so soft and fluffy and lovely; I wish I could take a nap in them.

Midweek Escape Part II

First...brunch at the Urth Café.

This was one of my favorite places to go when Tom lived in L.A. It also happens to be a favorite haunt of the boys from Entourage...

No star sightings though, unless you count Ben Folds of Ben Folds Five. Tom pointed him out...looked like any anonymous hipster to me.

Then pool time.

Followed by adventures in the Natural History Museum.

Where we saw the 63-foot skeleton of a Humboldt fin whale.

Next we headed to the Butterfly Pavilion where Arturo, the enthusiastic denizen of said Butterfly Pavilion, shared many a fun butterfly factoid. and gave us tips for attracting butterflies.

I took a lot of pictures.

And made one friend.

Really wish the focus were reversed on this! At least the pedicure has held up...

After that, we headed to Hollywood, and I realized why Tom and never taken me "historic" Hollywood Boulevard before... Other than as an anthropological case study, the place has little to offer. Solid people watching though.

Dinner at the Pig and Whistle.

And, finally, a trip to Tom's Mecca - Amoeba.

At seven o'clock, we finally headed up the hill to the Hollywood Bowl where we hiked up to the third to last row and took our seats among some very tipsy baby boomers to enjoy the music stylings of Sweet Baby James and Carole King. Cameras were not allowed, but rest assured, it was a great view, a great show, and an all-around funtabulous getaway!