A Tale of Two Presidents

Eartha Kitt Dies @ 81

"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."
Read the obit here

2 Houses, 2 Bids, 2 Vibes

We are looking at and bidding on two different houses this weekend. The first is located four blocks from WL's parents in Highland Park. The homes there have been hit harder by the Los Angeles foreclosure crisis than other areas because of predatory loan practices. This house has three bedrooms (although one would be sacrificed for a larger living room. The kitchen and bathroom are in the center of the house. Lots of built ins in all the rooms. The floors look to be in good shape. There is a weird enclosed area off the kitchen which was a porch or add on awhile back. The garage has alot of termite damage but the owners will be taking care of that. And there is an outdoor shower which is always a plus.








The second house was owned by a 98 year old woman who recently died. The house has never been updated and the inside is a redo. It also has really one bedroom although advertised as two. There is an antique oven in the kitchen that could be nice when cleaned up. This house sits on top of a hill in South Pasadena on a dead end road. Very private with only one neighbor. Amazing views. Avocado and guava trees. Very woodsy in character. The price is also 60K less then the Highland Park property. But that 60K would be used to modernize and add on to this cute little house.
Both house will appreciate when the current crisis is past. although the Highland Park house will be worth more, the South Pas house has more of an east coast character and you can feel that you are out of LA at the end of the day.

Flying Aerobics

Yesterday we were in a famous Hollywood recording studio doing a commercial. Our heroine was a aeorbics instructor being dropped into frame and yanked back out. It made for some surreal moments of waiting. The phone camera was able to get one shot in focus.......

Roosevelt Penthouse

I came across some more photos of the Roosevelt Hotel's penthouse. We shot in there a month ago or so. I really loved the gridiron work outside on the private patio. With views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign.

Weekend Dog

America's Best Dance Robots

Last week we did some MTV promos for the new season of America's Best Dance Crew. It starred the winners of last year's competition. We shot on the floor of the robotics company FANUC in Orange County. The programmers were artists as well..... the dancers grooved and the robot arms swayed and everything looked great.

Spot On

So, it's possible that the GOP Senators like Corker and McConnell are stupid, and just don't understand some of the basics of the global auto industry. But we shouldn't dismiss the possibility that the ultras who've taken over the GOP, the people for whom ideology is more important than consequences and reality, would rather risk destroying one of our most important industries in an attempt to destroy a labor union.

More here

Thanksgiving Table

It was a good Thanksgiving. A lot of family, shopping, eating. I needed an extra day or two in New Hampshire to get to everything I had wanted to do. Well, I just have to go back soon.......
My niece is working at a florist shop and made a stunning center table display. And the ancient china was unwrapped and washed.




The celebrations were not without drama though.....My brother's dog Splash ate a huge chunk of cheesecloth that had been on the turkey in one slurp. Luckily, one of our guests is a doctor and Ginny got her animal emergency kit. A huge syringe of hydrogen peroxide down Splash's gullet eventually brought up the offensive cheesecloth and everyone wanted a picture of the post belch spectacle.

The home dog, Cosmo, took the drama in stride and barely stirred. Not sure if he was unimpressed with the doctor's skill or just wanted a piece of that cheesecloth for himself.