Forget Little House on the Prairie! In this modern age it’s Little House on the Tow Truck.

I can't tell if it's a toy house or a real mini house.

Our sense of smell can be very important in how we experience things.  A bunch of the guys at work have gotten into the juicing craze and to quell their craving for foods, they’ve taken to smelling food instead of eating it.  Apparently a good long whiff of my junk food can help satisfy some of their hunger for the items!  To a certain extent, I can understand that, since we often smell things and start to experience it before it reaches our mouths.  Still, there’s nothing quite like eating the food after smelling it, so their diet baffles me.

Their recent quirky behavior has reminded me of how intensely we can be affected by our sense of smell.  One guy gets paranoid when he smells Febreeze, since that almost always comes from the restroom after someone has #2ed.  Meanwhile, whenever he comes back from smoking, I tend to get a whiff of that, which usually gags me.  Also, the office has a lingering musty smell from the dogs that hang out there.  I’m sure those with dogs don’t really notice since they’re accustomed to it, but I’m pretty sensitive to it whenever I enter the building.  I wonder if my cats make our household smell any different.  Missy certainly can smell like kitty litter at times!

Of course smells also evoke plenty of positive memories and associations too!  I love going home to the smell of cooking and I have this fantastic shampoo from the Hilton that makes me smile whenever I catch a hint of it, since it smells like a gentle perfume and reminds me of when Panda is in town.  Similarly, I have a strawberry EOS lip balm that is succulent and makes me happy not just with its sweet scent, but also knowing that my lips will feel soft and hydrated.  I don’t think I’d experience these things quite the same if I wasn’t able to smell them.  Their scents really do help enhance the experience!

It’s funny how interconnected we can be.  Lately I have come across many situations that make me shake my head at how small the world can be at times (or maybe it’s just LA).  The most prominent example is when I commented on a friend and coworker’s Facebook about a post he put up, then later saw that the next person to comment was one of the girls who used to live in my house!  The house that we have owned for about 10 years now…  At work the next day, I had to ask my coworker how he knew this girl and (dun dun dun…) she’s his cousin!  Wow.  Of all the coincidences in this universe, that is one I didn’t see coming.  So as it turns out, my coworker had been in my house before, many many years ago.

Other such situations include a trip to Wurstküche in downtown LA, where I got into line right behind a fellow 2008 UCLA orientation counselor!  Then, later on as I was eating, I looked up to find one of my pledge bros from AKPsi sitting at another table.  Imagine that.  And many months ago, one of the engineers at work and one of the operations girls were chatting because they found they had both lived in Michigan.  When the guy mentioned that he swam, she was interested because she had worked on the coaching staff or been an assistant.  Further probing revealed that she had actually been there working with the swim team that he was on during the time that he would have been on the team!  And then they both end up at the same (very small) company out in California?!

In addition, that same girl recently found out that her former roommate bartended with the girlfriend of one of our sales guys.  Of all the bars in LA and all the roommates and girlfriends these people could have had…  Seriously, what’s up with all this interconnectedness?  I guess even a large city like Los Angeles can quickly become small after a couple years of building relationships and connections.  Eventually you’re no more than a 2nd degree contact to anyone!

Aww, there’s a hospital in downtown LA that lit up its lights in the shape of hearts.

Back when I was visiting Panda in DC in the summer, I came across some random interesting sights. Behold.

In case you forget what a crosswalk is for?

I never knew they had branded three-wheelers! This guy's riding in style, isn't he?

A building under renovation.

Up, up and away!

It’s nearly time for Opportunity Green 2011, and I am reminded of these fun Kimball Fit chairs that were on show last year.  Who needs a traditional chair when you have this?

Don't worry, just approach and sit!

After a long day, this was a welcome resting spot.

Panda and I went to The Tech museum in San Jose, which had some cool interactive exhibits, like this one that took our picture, drew it out, carefully placed the pen back, and suctioned the paper over to the slot so we could take it with us.

They started off normally, but then this happened…