It’s been a really wet season for many months now and I don’t think a single month has gone by since late fall where we didn’t get a rainstorm. Today’s was particularly hard and driving on the I-5 was pretty crazy! The worst of it was worse than anything I remember experiencing in New York.
pouring rain from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
low visibility from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
It adds a little bit of fun oomph to the curb!
Putting my board to good use!
Yesterday I hosted my very first Dinner for 12 Strangers! I attended three while I was an undergrad (one each year except for the one that I was studying abroad) and I’ve wanted to host one since I graduated. I finally got my own place this year and signed up as soon as I knew I’d have somewhere to host it.
As expected, scheduling conflicts led to quite a few cancellations from the students and faculty member slated to attend my dinner. Between myself, my two co-hosts, and the 5 students who did manage to come out, we had a nice cozy party of 8. My co-hosts and I prepared waaay too much food, but it’s all good since the students went home happy and well-fed. I even had a bunch of disposable containers that they used to take some of the leftovers home. 🙂
We spent most of the night playing an icebreaker game with M&Ms where each color represented some area of your life you’d share, such as family, career, aspirations, and hobbies. You grabbed a small handful and for each color you had, you’d say something about that topic. We decided to go one color at a time and then afterwards we’d reflect on what people said that stuck to us the most. This got a lot of conversation going and kept us rolling into the night! Next thing we knew, it was already 9 and the students started to head out.
I only wish I’d taken a group picture of everyone! Otherwise the night was just great and I’m glad we were able to put this together. I look forward to doing it again next year, if I have a place nearby. 🙂
Panda’s flying out tonight, so I decided to go with some shots of LAX that we got while visiting Clutter’s Park on Valentine’s Day.
I see the Goodyear blimp!
And the Hollywood sign!
Peering out at LAX. This is where I'll be when Panda flies home!
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of larger birds on street lamps (mostly by the highway). It started with this one owl by my high school, and has continued with more owls and some hawks. They’re big and beautiful and I only wish I could stop for a picture! It makes me wonder if something has changed lately to make them come out more. Perhaps their habitats aren’t what they used to be? Or they’ve learned to pick up the hobby of car-watching?
I am intrigued and I wish I knew a naturalist or someone who follows wild bird patterns. They could probably shed some light on the situation, since I feel like these birds should be deep in a forest or high in the skies, not sitting on a lamp post overlooking the I-5. At the very least, wouldn’t they take shelter in the branches of a tree? Even with the rain lately, I’ve seen them out and about, sitting atop their metal perches in the cooling rain. If I was them, I’d be in a tree trying to stay dry, not out in the midst of the downpour.
Oh, and I came home to find one of our lawn chairs torn apart one day. Looks like one of those birds could have done it. What’s up with the migration into human territory? I thought there was plenty of greenery and trees for them in the mountains by La Canada. Instead they’re coming out to places with sparse tree growth and high concentrations of human activity. Weird.
They (Urth Caffé) always make super cool designs. Extremely entertaining! I requested the kitty cat. 🙂
My aunt and uncle are visiting from China and I’ve been taking them around LA. It’s keeping me busy, so no time to write! Tomorrow we’re going to San Diego and it’s going to be a long day, so I’m going to bed pronto. Got a busy day ahead. 🙂
Today Panda and I went to a birthday brunch for a friend up at Castaway Restaurant in Burbank. It was fun times with good friends!
Click to see full images.
Hey, what’s all that steam gushing out from the mountain?
getty steaming from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
This winter has been rather cold and wet for Southern California. Got a lot of heavy rain like this and even some snow!
pouring rain from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
