New Additions

Some of the Indian Hawthorne did not survive last year's heat. So we replaced them last weekend with a new Australian hybrid of Wax Flower called Chamelaucium 'Matilda'. It's only been in the States for two years but will hopefully be a bit more drought tolerant. Meanwhile in the back, the dwarf banana tree has been replaced with a South African Erica Canaliculata. Sometimes called Christmas heather because of it's bloom time from late November to early March. Tons and tons of tiny black eyed blooms.

And The Nominees Are.......

My favorite film of the year bagged 12 Oscar nominations this morning. "King's Speech" will be one film that lives on as others fade. All the major categories are represented, including cinematography. And while the lighting is nothing to write home about, Danny Cohen's odd framing and against the grain eye lines during the scenes with Firth and Rush are remarkable.
The whole list is here

Succulents

With the Tipu growing beyond expectations, we are starting to re-think some of the plants that need full sun. We ventured out to Irwindale yesterday and got a few succulents from Garden View. They included 2 Echeverias, Sempervivum Jade rose and a Sedum Angelina.

Siegel's

Big brother Steve and wife Kim came out west for a few days last week. The reason for the trip was to visit a leather store north of Santa Barbara that he has bought leather hides from in the past. We made the pilgrimage to pea soup capital Buellton, CA and the warehouse of Siegel's. Lots of hides to choose from and after inspecting a few, he made his purchase. A quick meal and some shopping in Santa Barbara, we headed back down the coast with a picture perfect sunset.

View From The Throne

Last month we did a commercial for Hallmark in Los Angeles. Key Grip GN captures the monitor lookers crowded in a bathroom. Every seat taken. And while I look skeptical here, the footage looked very nice indeed.

He's Gone

We arrived for a layover in Dallas last night and when I checked my voicemail, there was one call that struck us down. At the dawning of a new year and on the eve of his anticipated wedding, Dr. Thomas Van Cise was felled by a massive coronary. His veterinarian practice All Animals Exotic or Small created hope and wellness for countless pets in the southland.
Anyone who knows of Seven's history will recall 5 1/2 years ago his body became wrecked with cluster seizures. Every three months would mean an extended stay in a hospital while the doctors would break the epileptic cycle. These same doctors condemned Seven to haze filled life of ever increasing doses of liver damaging barbiturates.
It was our friend Amy who suggested a quirky doctor's small practice some 70 miles east of Los Angeles. Through the use of nutrition, western and eastern medicines, Dr. Van Cise's care produced results. Seven seizures are now infrequent one off events that we can manage at home. Seven loved to go on the long car ride to the office every two or three months. Dr V's paramount concern was always the animal's well being. At first his detachment from the human owner could be off putting but his intense devotion to our dog through observation and copious note taking made us converts to his ways. And at the end of any session he was always willing to answer our questions. The staff also took personal interest in Seven's life as well as ours.
Like all his patients, next week we will begin the search for a new doctor to hopefully continue in his good work. But for this week and for the memorial service on saturday, we mourn the passing of a true talent.

Pulino's

Some pre-New Years Eve frivolity at Pulino's on the Bowery as captured by west coast fotog SP. And one from me of the visiting dignitaries.

Spiderman

WL and I went to a preview performance of Spiderman:Turn Off The Dark last night. It was an unfortunate disappointment. There are some good songs and performances but when the highlight of a live performance are the clever video sequences, something is missing. In fact, it is what's shown on screens that abruptly makes you realize the short comings of reality. When Electro can menacingly shoot his lighting bolts in a well done frenetically edited sequence, it fails to impress when the actor on stage can only muster a few sparklers.
My favorite song/sequence was called "Bouncing off the walls". It captured Peter Parker's new transformation and the choreography in the enclosed bedroom was very good. The villain of the piece is the Green Goblin which in this production relays more on Cesar Romero's Joker than the maniacal fiend of the comic books. In fact, the beginning of this musical presents us with a series of "Splats" and "Bonks" ala the 1960's Batman series. It set the tone of the night and when the Sinister Six arrive on stage, one is reminded of the rubbery costuming of the Power Rangers. And while slow motion effects are a staple of a film maker's conventions, the slowed down movements of the actors on stage here looks contrived and false.
But ultimately it is the lack of character that is missing most. If we had cared about Peter and Mary Jane or thought there was any genuine danger afoot, all the staging tricks and shortfalls would be forgiven. But when all the audience has is spectacle, one starts to look at the wires. With no emotion to hang onto, the audience claps for the flying.
The night ended abruptly. I might not have been paying attention at that point but felt genuinely baffled when the lights came up. In fact there was a standing ovation at the end of the performance, but in the back of the orchestra where we sat, many people were standing to put on their jackets and leave.
I am glad I saw it. There are some great sets and visual effects..... it's just the underlaying story that is missing. Hopefully the show's production staff can remedy the lack of drama as they churn towards opening night.

Rain to Snow

We arrived back in Brooklyn shortly after the massive snowfall. LGA was a mess and we had to make our way back home by bus and subway. From record rains in LA to record snow in NYC, we have been following the precipitation where ever it falls.

Brooklyn Terrorized

Must be a slow news day when a big icicle and the police/fire department response gets the New York Times' attention.....

Around the Internet This Morning

A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives' brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other "primitive" emotions. At the same time, conservatives' brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate -- the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.

If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.

Read the story here

“The rich are always going to say that, you know, ‘Just give us more money, and we’ll go out and spend more, and then it will all trickle down to the rest of you.’ But that has not worked the last 10 years, and I hope the American public is catching on.”
— Warren Buffett

The new [Republican House] rules announced December 22 would replace pay-as-you-go with a much weaker, one-sided “cut-as-you-go” rule, under which increases in mandatory spending would still have to be paid for but tax cuts would not.

Read more here

New Science Committee Chair Ralph Hall Praises ‘Tremendous’ BP Spill
Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) plans to pursue an aggressive pro-oil agenda as the incoming chair of the House Science and Technology Committee. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News this month, the “unconditional champion of fossil fuels” described his zeal for the “holy grail” of the oil industry — the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — discussed issuing subpoenas to interrogate climate scientists, and explained why the BP disaster “didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for offshore drilling.” Hall described the BP explosion that killed eleven men, injured dozens, and led to the despoilment of the Gulf of Mexico as a “tremendous,” “blossoming” flower of energy:

"As we saw that thing bubbling out, blossoming out – all that energy, every minute of every hour of every day of every week – that was tremendous to me. That we could deliver that kind of energy out there – even on an explosion."

The interview is here

Christmas Garden

After tens days of solid rain, we got a little sun for Christmas and the plants loved it. Everything is doing well and the recent plantings..... more hummingbird sage, some black sage around the house and a white sage out in the garden all seem to be enjoying the new surroundings. The bees and hummingbirds are back doing their work as well. And while the scale attack of the summer and fall seems to be under control, there is a fungus that is effecting the kangaroo paws. No blooms from them this winter so far.

Keeping Us Healthy

The CDC has released a new study on the effects of having a pet...... they include:

Pets can help prevent eczema and some allergies in children. Babies and toddlers who live with dogs -- but not cats -- have lower rates of childhood eczema than those raised without dogs. And young children who've had a cat or dog since their first year of life have fewer pet allergies than other kids their age.


Pet owners tend to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than people who don't have pets.


Petting pets has been shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rates in adults. Even being in the same room with pets, including fish in tanks, can lower blood pressure and reduce stress in adults and children. Indeed, many dentists and other doctors keep aquariums in their waiting rooms. This not only helps relieve anxiety, but reduces the need for pain medication as well.


Last but not least, dog and cat owners are significantly more likely to survive heart attacks than non-pet owners, regardless of the severity of the heart attacks.

Weekend Dog

Cold and wet outside. Perfect for napping inside

Grapefruit Bitters

I found an excellent site yesterday that had many recipes for drinks and bitters. And with a Christmas party to go to that evening, the Grapefruit Bitters seemed to be the easiest and quickest. After stewing some grapefruit chunks in a simple syrup, all I had to do was combine it with equal amounts of Vodka, sweet vermouth and Campari. Shake and refrigerate. Tasted excellent when mixed with champagne. More experiments to come.

Chow's 5 Boozes, 80 Cocktails for New Year's Eve

Suspicions Confirmed

Fox News viewers less informed and more likely to believe false information..... so says a University of Maryland study.

More here

CaCao

Billing itself as a "mexicatessen", CaCao is a new restaurant on Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock. We had an amazing breakfast there yesterday. Some of the freshest, tastiest mexican food I've had outside of Mexico City. Definitely worth a try. We'll be back.