PocketFuzz visits the Arboretum...

One of my favorite places to visit on a quiet Sunday is the Los Angeles Arboretum.  I like to bring a book and a lunch and take my time wandering through the various gardens.  Sometimes I go to sketch flowers, other times I bring my buddy PocketFuzz, to help with some picture-taking.

Have you ever seen the butt of a peacock?  Me neither.

"Catawampus" by Patrick Dougherty

Random gadgets found at Marukai 98

I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately.   I think all the rain we have been getting is throwing me off balance.  I'm not used to cold, damp Los Angeles,  my body only knows hot, sunny LA.  But what can you do? My solution is to get a face mask to help prevent my office mates from getting my germs.  So I went to my favorite Japanese store to see what they had in stock for me.  

Although there were many different masks to choose from, I decided this would work best.

At least my co-workers are spending more time discussing my accessories and less time talking about my cold.

My Tomodachi PocketFuzz!!

PocketFuzz loves Tokyo.  And Tokyo loves Pocketfuzz!

Asakusa shrine.  PocketFuzz wasn't quite big enough to block out the other tourists in this photo.

PocketFuzz ate so much Japanese curry, he gained an extra 2 pounds on his trip!

PocketFuzz was dazzled by the lights of Akihabara!

PocketFuzz meditated on the state of our world at the base of the Kamakura buddha.

Even though the sunset was gorgeous, PocketFuzz was bummed to leave the beach.

PocketFuzz loves Odaiba!

Cardboard children love PocketFuzz!!

So do plastic grandpas!

Ringing the shrine's bell for New Years is good luck!  Good luck, PocketFuzz!

Hey PocketFuzz!  Please give my New Year's wishes to the Emperor!

My Tomodachi PocketFuzz!

Ni Hao PocketFuzz!

It was a cold, snowy day when PocketFuzz and I visited Beijing.  Check out our photos!

Currently Reading...

Envy (A Luxe novel) by Anna Godbersen

Heidi and I both love this series of books (The Luxe) by Anna Godbersen, it's like Gossip Girl in Victorian times.  Seeing as I love Victorian period literature and I adore Gossip Girl, its the best possible combination a girl could ask for.  And who knows if society girls were as superficial back in the 1800s as they can be now, but I enjoy the idea that not much has actually changed.   Girls still love to dress up, boys still gravitate towards the most attractive and interesting girl in the room.  And The Luxe books are fun, fast, and light reading.  Perfect for the holidays.

Currently Reading...

The Risks of Sunbathing Topless and Other Funny Stories from the Road.  Edited by Kate Chynoweth

There is nothing like reading travel stories to get you prepared for a journey.  Since I leave for Tokyo and Beijing next week, this is the perfect book.  The stories are funnier than the majority of travel tales found in most books of collected works.  Not to mention, a bit more relatable.  The truth about going to far flung destinations, way outside your comfort zone is that adventures are messy, things go wrong, passports get lost, and sometimes you end up in jail (all things that have happened to me at one time or another!).  The best adventures are never 100% perfect, and if they were, the stories and memories would never be as magical.

If you are looking for a few funny, short stories, written by some well-traveled girls, I highly suggest picking up this book.

Pocket Fuzz

Pocket Fuzz is one of my favorite companions for international travel.  Here are a few photos I found of our trip to Australia together:

Found photos

Was going through an old digital camera and found some random shots I took last January, while shooting a web series at the Westmoreland lofts:

So it wasn't my thing...

I was on a bad date two weeks ago.  It started to go south, when the guy asked me what I was planning to do for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I told him that my best friend and I were taking a 3 day cruise to Ensenada.   Now, although, he had never actually been on a cruise, he felt obliged to inform me that my plans sounded like "hell" and in his mind, being on a cruise ship was the equivalent of being stuck in prison.  AWESOME!

Good news, since I thought that guy was a moron, I stopped listening to him early on, and continued to look forward to my 3 day voyage at sea.  Cynthia and I took off from Long Beach, the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The line to check in and get on the ship took forever, but once we made it onboard, we were set and good to go.

We unpacked in our tiny, tiny room (it totally felt like summer camp!) and headed to the buffet (the first of many).  Once the boat took off, we got dolled up and headed to the dining room, for yet another meal!   Cruise ships are mostly about eating carb-loaded, bland food and drinking overpriced, watered down alcoholic beverages, with strangers I wouldn't normally associate with.  I suppose one gets what they pay for (and in our case it was a $200/3-day cruise), but who are these Thomas Kinkade-loving folk?  And where do they come from?  As much as I love playing anthropologist and studying the local cultures, I have to say, cruise ship people are not my kind of people.  And after 5 hours, I was bored, stir-crazy, and ready to get off the boat!  But I had 2 and a half more days ahead of me.

Then the rocking started.  We hit turbulent waters and I swear, over half of the ship's population suddenly got overwhelmed with seasickness, as the Carnival Paradise wreaked of vomit.  Mental note: next time don't forget candles!

We finally landed in Ensenada, Mexico...only to find cold, pouring rain!  So we settled in at Hussong's Cantina (birthplace of the Margarita) a former favorite watering hole for Hollywood starlets visiting Baja (Marilyn Monroe was known to frequent the bar.)

Back on the boat, with one more day to go.  Our last day was considered a "fun day at sea"... I read my book on deck, under layers of towels and blankets (it was so cold!), drank hot chocolate, and once again hit the bland buffet.  By the time the ship docked at 7 AM Monday morning, Cynthia and I were packed and practically the first people off the boat.

As un-fun as the experience was, I'm glad I can say I tried it and I know without a doubt that Carnival Cruises are not for me.  But there are plenty of other people who love them and think they are the bee's knees.  And unlike the awful man who took me to drinks before the cruise, I would never discourage anyone from giving it a try.

$200
3 days at sea
All-You-Can-Eat Bland food buffets
Who knows it may be your best weekend ever!

Currently Reading...

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER! By: Barbara Robinson

The Herdmans are the worst family in town, they curse, steal, and bully all the neighborhood kids.  But when they get involved in the local Christmas Pageant, wacky insanity and chaos ensue.  This is one of my favorite holiday stories from childhood and every year at this time, I pull out a paperback copy of the book and reread it.  A totally happy, heartwarming story that reminds me of what it feels like to giggle like a 2nd grader, again.

Check out this mini-movie I found on YouTube, edited down from the 1983 TV movie, starring Loretta Swit and Fairuza Balk.  It doesn't really focus on the awesome, funny parts that made it such a memorable story.   Instead the mini-movie is a bit sentimental, but still worth checking out if you remember watching it as a kid.

Currently Reading....

Currently reading Fruits Basket volume 2.

I had no idea what the premise of this manga series was.  But, I knew it was very popular with manga-philes, so I decided to give it a go.  Much, to my surprise the premise follows an orphan who is taken in by a family harboring a deep, dark secret...oooh!  Apparently, the members of the Sohma family have been cursed and whenever they are touched by a member of the opposite sex they turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac.  The premise and artwork are fantastic!  The narration is only so-so.  I'm glad I was able to check out the first couple volumes of this series as I had been curious as to why it was so popular.  Now I know, and as the great and wise G.I. Joe used to say, "and knowing is half the battle."

Currently Reading....

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.  I'm heading to Tokyo in a few weeks, and I have two goals before I get there.  First, read at least one Murakami book.  Second, master Katakana so I can read menus and don't need to drag waiters to the front of the restaurant in order to point at plastic versions of the food thru the window.