this year

music of 2009 you should listen to

(click each album cover to link to the band's site)

Julian Casablancas- Prazes for the Young

Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Kid Cudi- Man on the Moon: the End of Day

Cloud Cult- No One Said it Would Be Easy (Film)

The Dead Weather- Horehound

Monsters of Folk (Conor Oberst, Yim Yames, M. Ward, Mike Mogis)

Blakroc (Black Keys + 11 Hip Hop/R&B Artists)

leaving LA full

Here it comes, my last week in LA. I've been taking suggestions from friends on what I absolutely have to do before I leave. Responses mostly consist of places I should eat (I do love to eat). So I've been pigging out. A few of my favorite spots from my year here are as follows:


1. IN-N-OUT Burger
I can't resist this place: simple and delicious. Best, freshest (no kidding!), cheapest. The menu is basic as can be, but there's a secret menu that locals will gladly fill you in on. This is a must-have for anyone visiting or living in the southwest. Animal style fries can't be beat.

2. Wokano
A little more expensive, but great Asian food within walking distance from my apartment, and, if I'm really lazy, they also deliver. Very modern and great happy hour appetizers. Gotta love the traditional dishes like Pad Thai and orange chicken, but they have really original sushi rolls (one dish's ingredients included Doritos!?). My favorite is The Black Pearl which consists of: salmon, tuna, yellowtail and cream cheese wrapped in seaweed and topped with black sesame and a butter garlic sauce. YUM. [Note: the very best sushi is also found in any Little Tokyo eatery, of course.]

3. Urth Caffe
Completely organic! Known for great coffees (I like the honey vanilla latte) and teas, but the pastries are to die for. The menu consists mostly of sandwiches and salads, but they also throw in the random lasagna, tamales, and sushi. They have multiple locations around LA, but I like the one in Santa Monica the best, and they have a cool outdoor section. The standards for the coffee is very high; for instance, all source farms must be sustainable, eco-friendly, fair trade, 100% organic, and high quality. That works for us earthy people!

4. Burrito King
This is where I experienced for the first time, ladies and gentleman, the California burrito: guacamole, cheese, (I skip the carne asada), french fries, sour cream, and hot sauce, super large BURRITO. Honestly, not the most amazing food ever, but it's just a tiny little walk-up Mexican place on Sunset and Alvarado that we go to after hours and it definitely satisfies. Oh, Tom Waits references this place in his intro to "Better Off Without a Wife", which makes it almost cool no matter what.

5. Big Mama's & Papa's Pizza
All the Italian faves, but what you need to get is pizza... HUGE pizza. (And sometimes french fries because they go with everything, right?) Home of the world's largest pizza at 36" which makes about 60 good-sized slices. In that size you can get a plain cheese one for $44.99, pretty inexpensive and there are leftovers for days. Get this: to deliver it they have to put it in the trunk.

If all else fails, opt for the many wonderful flavors of Yogurtland!!!

local music

For anyone in the Minneapolis area, there are a few great local folky-rock acts playing this Friday, December 11 at the 7th St Entry (part of the First Ave venue). The headlining band is a dear friend's project:

WYATT'S TORCH

formerly known as Pay Attention, and if you haven't heard this music, you need to NOW. Opening for Wyatt's Torch is Preacher Marsh and the Murky Cowards who I haven't had the pleasure of seeing live yet; however, I have much trust the impeccable music taste that the guys from WT have as well as the one and only:

RUDE KEVIN
who is actually not-so-rude but very awesome so you may want to talk to him before/after he plays the show. It's going to be a hell of a night. Even if you can't make the show, be sure to check him out here. It's gonna be folkin' awesome!


DETAILS:
First Ave Website
Friday December 11th
7th St Entry
9pm doors
$6 , 18+

New Adventures

Hi all, here we go again.

at the LA Contemporary Museum of Art

I'll be continuing to update this blog in a different style now. With the amount of people I've met between Minneapolis and Los Angeles from all different places, I want to be able to keep everyone posted on what's going on in my life. I love the extreme culture I've experienced in my year in LA, but it's time to move on. I have had a rollercoaster of a time here; living downtown, working at DuWop corporate (I'll still be working for them a bit from MN), going to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, meeting some best friends (and some crazies) among many other opportunities that have presented themselves to me during my time here.

the roomies at our first apartment


my forever best friend Cassandra

LA has been an amazing learning experience and great for my career, and I'm sure I'd continue to learn and grow here, alas, the time has come for me to explore even more. I'll be moving all my belongings back to (the now-snowy) MPLS for a bit before adventuring off to see the rest of this oh-so-interesting planet we live on. The plan is to travel and volunteer in as many places as I possibly can for a while and take in as much worldly knowledge as possible. I'm simultaneously going to be taking classes online while I travel, and getting a couple more degrees (we'll see if I ever get truly sick of school).

Ben's visit & first time to the ocean


I will miss IN-N-OUT so much!!

So I'll update this blog with news on my life as well as some straight-up-awesome knowledge that I feel needs to be shared with whoever is interested.

Much love! xx