One of the newest trends in eco-friendly products are these fun cards made from recycled paper pressed with seeds. I’d assume they’re printed with vegetable-based inks. So you get it, read it, enjoy it, then plant it! Cool, huh? There are a variety of wildflower seeds embedded into the sheets, so you never know what you’ll get. It’s a nice way of disposing of paper products, letting them biodegrade as they give life to plants.
My favorite gas station is the BP Helios House on Robertson & Olympic in Beverly Hills. Why? Because it’s futuristic and as eco-friendly as a gas station could really be. A bit of a conundrum, I guess, but it fascinates me with its energy-efficient lighting and environmental tips. One of the things they have is a panel of postcards, each with a tip for greening your life. When I was there not long after its opening, I grabbed a few of these. Years later, I am finally putting them to use.
This image inspired me to try skipping the soil and see how it comes to life.
I’ve begun the planting process for one of the cards, so I thought I’d do some research on how to take care of them and get them to grow. As I was doing that, I came across these pictures that got me excited for when the seeds blossom! I’m also going to try soaking a sheet just in water until it sprouts. Hope that works… good thing I have eight sheets to play around with.
A forest of sprouts! (Photograph used by permission from Botanical PaperWorks Inc. http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com)
The hard thing is that my office is so shaded from sunlight that I can’t keep them indoors, yet it’s been very windy outside and there aren’t really any places to put it. I tried keeping it out by the plants today, but the wind kept drying it out. I brought it inside at the end of day and hopefully tomorrow will be a milder day. Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast this week, so we’ll see how that pans out. I’ll post a photo blog on it in a few weeks to show the progress!
I never knew that FOX had a lot right off Pico until the HOME screening was held there! Check out their lot – there’s always something so staged and fake about these places (in a wonderful Disneyland sort of way).
Who knew that Sound of Music was produced by FOX?! This painting decorated the side of the parking structure and greeted us as we parked.
I saw a few G&E trucks along the way, which made me nostalgic for my Wristcutters* days.
I wonder if any shows I know are filmed here.
They were glowing so beautifully I had to pull over and take a picture before exiting the lot.
*My very first internship was with a production company that made Wristcutters: A Love Story (see my IMDB page). It was crazy hectic and an unforgettable experience.
In Chinese, Wynn has been translated to “yong li” – which can mean “always favorable” or “forever advantageous” or something to that extent. Here’s a water show at the Wynn in Macao, where the streams of water reminded me of ladies dancing, their arms gracefully swaying to the song.
Panda and I went to a performance by the West Los Angeles Symphony at Royce Hall tonight (called Good Vibrations). I enjoyed their unusual lineup with solos by a harpist and marimba-ist (is that what they’re called?). These two instruments don’t get the limelight enough, so it was refreshing to hear them in their glory. Yet, what I noticed most was the fact that the two ladies playing these instruments got to wear beautiful evening gowns whereas the rest of the orchestra wore black, as is traditional. Is it the fact that they had solo acts or is it because of the unusual nature of their instruments? Either way, it was a great way for them to stand out even more and truly perform to us the audience.
I also noticed that I enjoyed the energy level of certain performers, whereas the more reserved ones decreased my enjoyment of the music. In particular there were a few who really moved with the music, so I liked to watch them most. But occasionally, my eyes were drawn to the one lady who barely moved at all, even when the music was loud and energetic. Everyone else around her moved with forcefulness, but she was completely stiff, letting as little of her body do the work as possible. It was really strange and really awkward to see. I tried to avoid looking at her, but sometimes her lack of passion really stuck out like a sore thumb.
Also entertaining was the first celloist, who was a lady with a fun outfit on of black laced with gold in a full pantsuit type attire. She looked a lot like one of my old high school friends, who I showed Panda on Facebook and he agreed. They had the same short brown hair with thin bangs that fell in a stringy sort of manner. And of course, my friend also played a stringed instrument, not like that was much of a coincidence. I was greatly entertained by that resemblance though. I could totally see my friend being just like that lady in the future, performing in an orchestra.
Rounding off the night were the comments from Panda, saying he liked the hair of this and that guy (one with crazy gray curls that reminded me of a doll my mom used to have – except that doll’s hair was blonde – and one with white hair pulled back in a ponytail). Certainly not the hair styles I would expect him to aspire to. He also started to point out the couple of men he thought had day jobs as engineers because they “looked smart.” -___- As if only engineers can be smart. I do wonder if the West Los Angeles Symphony is composed of professional musicians or more of hobbyists. Perhaps I should do some research.
It was a fun night and loved that it was completely free! We had a nice stroll/speed walk there and a refreshing jog back. I need to get more active again!
Yesterday my friend and I tried to go eat at a restaurant half an hour before its closing time, only to be turned away because they close the kitchen an hour early. What?!?! That is ridiculous. Most meals only last about 40 minutes or so. I absolutely hate when restaurants stop serving food way before closing time. I once ran down to a place I wanted to eat at and made it 20 minutes before they were supposed to close, only to have the doors pretty much shut in my face. And here I thought restaurants would want to maximize the amount of customers they serve, but I guess going home is far more important.
What really bothers me about this is that it’s so misleading. Do I always have to plan on showing up at least an hour before the listed closing time, even if I only plan on a quick meal? In last night’s case, we even called at 10:15 and asked when they close that night – they told us 11. Why didn’t they bother to tell us that, oh by the way, the kitchen is closed?! It’s not like we were asking when they usually close. We asked when they were closing that night. Hint, hint, we wanted to eat there TONIGHT. Those hours of operation are unreliable.
I think there should be legislation that forces restaurants to list their opening hours as when they stop serving new customers (and listing when they actually kick the customers out of their shop would be optional). After all, we’re going there to eat, don’t we have a right to know at what time we won’t be able to do so anymore? Restaurants should not get away with tricking people into thinking they’re open far more than they actually are. It’s like this one boba place that I’ve heard doesn’t even serve boba until at least half an hour after opening. They should have to note that on the door with their opening times! After all, much of the draw of their store is the boba. People don’t just go to get any old drink; they could do that somewhere else that’s probably open earlier anyway.
So if you ever open a restaurant, please take it upon yourself to do the responsible thing and let people know if your food isn’t served until half an hour after your doors open or if it is no longer served an hour before your doors close. It’s vital information that’s typically far more relevant than when those doors lock and unlock. Thanks.
I’ve gotten so used to having Panda around that it’s been really weird this week without him around. He’s at home on spring break and now I struggle to find things to do with my time at night. Funny, it’s not like when he was around we were hanging out, but just his presence calms me. Now, I am on my own and the games I distract myself with aren’t as engaging, TV shows aren’t as interesting, and I don’t have the patience to waste my time online. I just want to be able to know that he will be here at the end of my work day. In fact, there’s really no motivation for me to leave work earlier rather than later, now that he’s away. Coincidentally, my boss is out of town as well, which means I’m not as busy with work either.
The good thing is that I’ve got a friend who’s around and we met up for dinner last night. We happened to run into a mutual friend, so the three of us can grab dinner together tomorrow night! That will keep me occupied until things pick up again. Still, I’m a little lost without Panda here to talk to and share my time with. I am looking forward to next week, when he finally returns. This will be the longest I don’t get to see him since I returned from Singapore! I’ve found that my pattern on my own is different from when he is around. Both are nice in their own ways, but I much prefer having him around than not. I’ve been excessively tired these couple of days, perhaps because I haven’t been taking care of myself as much. Even my train of thought writing this is all over the place… I suppose it’s time to call it a night and get some rest.
My philosophy is simple: things change. Therefore, we are all on a lifelong journey of discovery. We should be flexible, questioning, learning, adapting, and growing. Always.
little fat notebook pays homage to Mead's "fat lil' notebooks" that I use to write down any thoughts that strike me throughout the day. I keep one by my side at all times. After all, inspiration waits for no one.
One of the newest trends in eco-friendly products are these fun cards made from recycled paper pressed with seeds. I’d assume they’re printed with vegetable-based inks. So you get it, read it, enjoy it, then plant it! Cool, huh? There are a variety of wildflower seeds embedded into the sheets, so you never know what you’ll get. It’s a nice way of disposing of paper products, letting them biodegrade as they give life to plants.
