We, Rome and Lilly and I, shared a yummy lunch at Thai Phuket and then had a stroll down the couple blocks of murals from the restaurant to the beach. We picked our favorites, told a little story about why we liked it, and took a picture. What a great afternoon!
We all liked this one.
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From google, an idea of the scene.
I was driving along and the thought came to mind, when do I need to get another appointment for an oil change? so I switched to the total mileage display and BAM, 79,998. Really! So I moved along slowly and as it rolled to 80,000 I pulled over for this picture. I got the car new, a 2014 Mazda 3, in mid-spring 2015 and it has been perfect all these10 years and 80,000 miles.
I’ve been juicing up a combo of the oranges and grapefruits from the backyard trees and it comes out just the way I like, tangy and refreshing. I can’t keep up with them though, and every breeze brings a fallen crop under the trees. It’s something I think, how city wildlife can clean out an orange.
‘Tis the season!
I used to miss the wisteria blooming in the garden every year when I spent the month of March in Kauai. I did that for maybe 10-12 years as Sharon’s guest and it was quite the treat.
I went to an othro specialist today where they took another set of x-rays of my hips and got quite a different impression from the first set. I’m just going to copy it all in here:
X-rays: AP of the pelvis and lateral of both hips reveals minimal degenerative changes appropriate for age. Joint space appears to be well-maintained no major cystic changes and minimal spurring is noted.
Impression: Left greater trochanteric pain probably secondary to gluteal tendonness disease and probably secondary left greater trochanteric bursitis, doubt referred pain from the hip or from the back.
Recommendations: Try to help differentiate whether this is tendon or bursa or both I am suggesting she have an MRI scan done of the left hip and then have her return to see Dr. Michael Gerhardt to consider more aggressive treatment on treating either the bursal inflammation or the gluteal tendon disease.
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So I still don’t know the exact problem or the appropriate treatment but it feels like we’re moving in the direction of a diagnosis. Gluteal Tendinopathy is one possibility. The PT recommendation for Gluteal Tendinopathy is strengthening, not stretching. I do like the stretching exercises and I do not like the strengthening ones, but if that’s the outcome, I’ll do better.
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From the Cleavland Clinic: How is gluteal tendinopathy treated?
Marsha and Nancy and I saw the Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts at the Laemmle on 2nd, which we all thought were all very good, and then we went over to Ye Olde Kings Head for a snack and a Black and Tan. Thanks guys for making the drive out west!
Black and Tan is a Bass pale ale on the bottom and a Guinness stout on the top. You can click on the link for an interesting article about the history of this tasty and exciting beverage.
Who knew, there’s a dark side to the Black and Tan, and we’re advised that when in an Irish bar one should order a Half and Half. “Because the Irish beer sits atop the English one, people often mistakenly believe that the Black and Tan was invented by the Irish as a gag about Ireland’s superiority over England. But in fact, this drink is not commonly consumed in Ireland; it has image problems there because of its association with the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, which operated in Ireland in the early 1920s. Nicknamed the Black and Tans because of the black and khaki uniforms worn by its members, this military unit was charged with suppressing revolution in Ireland and is notorious for its violent attacks on Irish civilians.”
Rome and I drove down to Huntington Beach to have lunch and a hang with Aubrie. Above and below, this place is in a complex called Pacific City, in a gallery of large works by Tavi whose motto, Color Is Freedom, is evident in everything he does.
We had a yummy lunch at a Greek place and a sweet treat here at Popbar in Pacific City.
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Aubrie and her pets!
Toby, Riley, Izzy
And pictures from our walk to the Huntington Beach Pier.
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Then Rome stayed on to spend the night with Aubrie and I stopped off in Long Beach to visit with Merlyn and Hilda and eat a dinner Merlyn made, the best tuna steak Ever.
The always irresistible view from their 29th floor balcony.
The island-front reflected around the living room.
I’ve gone through all the Invisalign trays and next appointment they’ll take the tabs off my teeth and I’ll be on maintenance, wearing a retainer at night should keep my teeth straight. Next I have to think about filling the holes created by the two missing teeth with implants, but I’m definitely going to put that off.
This ‘before’ below is from after the first set of corrections and the ‘after’ is today.
Unrelated, but I ran across this picture from intermission at The Brutalist.
I have yet to see Dune 2, I’m Still Here, and Nickle Boys. I can gladly say that the rest of them are very good indeed except for The Substance which I cannot recommend and caution you to check out the ick factor before you see it.
The ones I was glad to see: Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Emilia Perez, Wicked. My favorites so far are Anora, The Brutalist, and Conclave. The Brutalist, Conclave, and Wicked were particularly big on visuals so consider going to the movies, like you used to do, in the olden days.
Let’s go out to Yucca Valley and celebrate birthdays – Happy Birthday to Gary, Dev, and Angela!
These are some snaps out the car window.
Every time I walk by, which is often, it yells at me, Take My Picture, as it reflects the colors of the sky and those classy palms that have so much shape and color and personality.
Below, Windy and I bought a 3-class package at a Pilates just around the corner from my house. We went to the first class on Wednesday and I pooped out 10 minutes before the end but Windy didn’t stop, so maybe next time I’ll finish? It wasn’t a beginner class, they don’t have beginner classes at this place and it was hard. Anyway, I will soldier on!
I had the front yard vines cut entirely back to the stub because they had grown into a giant hedge and now instead of growing back like a vine it’s again going to be a hedge in no time, but the flowers are fresh which is lovely.
I’m two days in, giving up TikTok cold turkey. I’m not actually convinced it’s a good idea to forbid myself TikTok since 1) it’s so fun and 2) I learn stuff, the problem being that once I click in, and I click in every day sometimes more than once, goodbye an hour or two easy. Too easy. Let’s see how I feel about it at the end of the month.
Marsha, Ljubicia, Marija, Maxine, Becky, Alicia, Ann
It’s been years and years since we’ve had a duplicate birthday card, I don’t even remember the last time, it defies all odds. Everyone gives everyone a rude card and 20 bucks for their birthday and even when there are three birthdays to celebrate, we do not duplicate cards. It’s so weird and we never fail to comment upon it.
I went to a story-telling event at Socalo tonight and The Moth it was not. Nevertheless I enjoyed having done it.
One thing though, they kept ragging on LA such that by the 4th speaker someone in the audiance called out “give it a rest with LA already”, which reminded me of this YouTube that is funnier than any of the stories. Click on he picture and Enjoy!
Driving in LA, oh no, The Westside.
I went to Samy’s today in hopes of finding just the telephoto lens of my dreams for a price I was willing to pay. Sorry, no. Oh well, I’m happy enough.
And then I met Alan and Jo Ann for dinner in Culver City. Goodness it was delicious and so fun. We each got a whole branzino baked in the most delicious herbs, and then we sucked the meat off all the bones. Oh yeah.
The name of the restaurant is Bianca, super good, even the eggplant appetizer was delish, but no surprise, expect a ka-ching.
Here’s Rome and Aubrie, pictured from a distance since Rome just had four wisdom teeth out and you can just imagine.
Lilly and I had a fun lunch at Mitsuwa including Matcha Madness, a treat with matcha powder, matcha cake, matcha cream, and matcha jelly.
Lilly was h.a.p.p.y Happy.
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Look at what else is happening over there, a New Roof, and the contractor got it done in 3-4 days, between the rains.
Sharon and Nancy and I had a quick buzz through the David Kordansky Gallery and a nice ladies-lunch at Angelini Osteria, a lovely LA afternoon. Above is detail from the scene below, a part of the gallery’s courtyard.
The spaces here are especially large and I learned that they change artists every five or six weeks which can make occasionally stopping by an entertaining option even if one particular exhibit is not to your particular taste.
..where I’ve never stayed the night.
In early May Windy and I are going to do a road trip for a couple weeks from Salt Lake City to Denver staying in six pretty obscure National Parks. The National Parks have always been a highlight for me, they’re a gift that I never fail to appreciate. The Park Rangers are so adorable, the Visitors’ Centers so interesting, the landscapes so amazing, and everyone who is there is happy.
Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain
Here’s a link to their story, A Love Story if the internet has anything to say about it.
And here’s the live video-cam. You can click on the picture to start the view and then click on the speaker to quiet the wind.
Me and Ingalill having the best time.
How is it that the Getty Villa and the Getty Center were safe from the fires. Money Honey. It’s fascinating to hear and read about the safety measures implemented to protect these two irreplaceable institutions. Below is the first turn on the tram ride that takes you out of this world and into a better one. Do you remember from The Good Place? Where was The Good Place? Here. It was here.
Hip Girl, in her spot to welcome you to the Magnificent Getty Center. I’ve been collecting photos for some time now and you can click on the link if you have time for a buzz-through, or not, there are a million of ’em.
Gathering spots for the Architecture Tour and the Garden Tour. You’ll want to do them both.
On the way to the Research Institute Galleries to see Sensing the Future: This immersive exhibition tells the story of a unique mid-20th-century collaboration between artists and engineers. It explores the beginnings of the organization Experiments in Art and Technology, or E.A.T., as well as two of its most pivotal projects: 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering and the iconic Pepsi-Cola Pavilion at the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan, both of which pursued groundbreaking integrations of theater, dance, technology, and interactive, multimedia art.
This line of trees “down the garden path” is one of the few places in LA where deciduous trees are evident in numbers. I have sighed over these trees in every season, budding out, fully green, brilliant red, it’s a joy. The water feature was really rollin’ today, the sound of joy.
Not much color there in the gardens this week in early February. Even the bougainvillea rebar trees are feeling it for brown.
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One of the PST Art exhibits focuses on Van Gogh’s Irises painting, a highlight of the Getty collection.
They have the one that hangs in the gallery on the left and you can sense that the violets are much bluer, less purple, than the one on the right which, after extensive examination, is the Getty’s idea of the original colors. The two pieces are now hanging in a room dedicated to this investigation, on different walls though, with information and visuals showing the science behind the color choices. Is the room lighting the same for the two pictures since they are on different walls? So much goes into our perception of color.
Here’s a small side-by-side off the internet.
Lunch! YUM!!
