time to move.

because i'm (usually) ready to try something new, i've decided to continue my blogging here.
essentially the same blog, but brand new format and new URL, and from what i've tested so far, faster uploading which means more posts! yay!

thanks for reading!
xoxoxo

seeing these guys live next week at the music box!

xo

i heart flo.

youth club

aside from the kiddie celebrities like the olsen twins or justin biebers of the world, here's a random selection of assorted celebrity-types...when they were young for your time-wasting pleasure!
xo

farmer's market saturday

torrance farmer's market is my new favorite saturday morning ritual. i love browsing all of the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs...tasting all the free samples (!) and picking out some beautiful flowers to dress up my weekend.

 

make my weekend pretty.

 the baby bamboo is going in my office come monday...

 ensalada de nopales

 sweet, sweet pluots! (apricot+plum hybrid)

 yellow nectarines

 beginnings of guacamole

 these black grapes are so, so sweet.

 delicious, fresh corn.

xo

dwell on design + downtown

yesterday cameron and i attended the 2011 dwell on design conference at the LA Convention Center, courtesy of my lovely friend, Lindsay, who was able to get us free tickets! (thanks, Lindsay!) there were tons of great exhibitions and vendors, with a little something for each of us...while i'm more into the interiors, cam likes the green building initiatives...and we both like the landscape design.

 after checking out all of the exhibits, we visited the dwell store outside and i found a few new stores and objects of interest...

(books I want:  The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler, 

and Bohemian Modern:  Living in Silver Lake, by Barbara Bestor)

Here's my rundown of notable DoD vendors...

Salvage Design Company in Costa Mesa, California

A+R Store in Venice, California

Scout Regalia in Los Angeles

Potted Store in Los Angeles

Fleet Objects in Vancouver, Canada

Lesley Anton, handmade ceramic lighting in Los Angeles

Wooly Pockets in Los Angeles

after finishing up inside, we headed out and decided that we had earned a meal. we agreed on Cole's on 6th and Main.

i always love it when we have excuse to hang out in downtown...it may not be the best downtown of any major city, but i kind of love that it's a little dirty and uninviting, yet there are some really cool places to eat, shop and see...you just have to know where to find them! (and we are just learning...)

so we made it to Cole's ("the originator of the french dip sandwich...not to be confused with Philippe's, the home of the original french dip sandwich...sanchwich wars!) and it wasn't yet the height of the dinner rush (the bar was full, but the restaurant was pretty much empty)...so our food came out quickly...and hot and delicious! unfortunately there are no pics because we were both so hungry we devoured our food as soon as it came. but, cam recommends the beef french dip (what cole's is known for), while i recommend the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo...yum....

happy and full we headed home after that to watch a movie and veg on the couch...perfect way to end an eventful, fun day!

xo

un dia muy hermosa

saturday was a great day for so many reasons. number one, i managed to sleep in until eleven o'clock a.m. - i NEVER do that. then, my wonderful husband made me chocolate chip pancakes and coffee, and i talked on the phone with my grandfather, then my sister and brother. all of which, i must say, are wonderful ways to begin your day.
to top it off, it was SUNNY before noon! now, those of you who do NOT live in southern california are probably thinking to yourselves, (this chick is crazy) isn't it always sunny in southern California?? (i might be a little crazy, but only in the absolute best way possible). please, let me explain that there are caveats with the SoCal sun.
i live very close to the beach. and yes, while it is a lot of fun and i love where i live - it is overcast. a lot. lately it hasn't really been clearing up much before noon on the weekends. also, right now we are in the midst of "june gloom," which i learned two years ago (when i moved here), is more overcast-type weather this time of the year. 1+1 makes for part-time sun, which i think is fairly typical of a beach town, and i happily live with it.

i digress, back to the day.

so it was sunny and we decided to go to the beach.

it was lovely. we packed our bag and rode our bikes down. we read for a few hours in the sand, and i snapped a few photos of our surroundings on my phone.
around three, we decided we were hungry and walked two blocks to a new restaurant in hermosa beach that apparently has everyone excited, hot's kitchen, on hermosa ave and 8th st. (i love the name).

 

they have a menu full of small plates for $3-5, mostly mini-burgers and an array of interesting tacos, plus a large assortment of wine and beer. we each picked out two two tacos and got their wine of the day special. we sat in the window and enjoyed the sun and view as we waited.

(Hermosa Ave)

i had meant to take a picture of all four tacos, perfectly lined on the clean, white serving plate, but i was so hungry when they came that i immediately started eating (it was a mahi mahi taco, and it was perfect). i remembered when there was only one left, my chipotle chicken taco (yum...). it was delicious. so delicious that i might even go back today.

when we finished up, we paid and walked back to our bikes for the ride home.

a glass of wine with a light lunch + heavy bag in front basket + uphill ride home = CHALLENGE.

 but, i made it and cam took a picture of me outside our house to prove it.

when we got home, i quickly changed and was ready to continue my day of sun and play by working in my garden. see the fruits of my labor below...

(heirloom tomato)

(cherry tomatoes)

i ended up re-potting a few plants, moving some around in the garden (thankfully cam was willing to dig a couple up for me) and i ended up working outside til seven o'clock!

we stayed in for dinner, eating leftovers from an italian place we went to the night before, and catching up on this season of doctor who until the wee hours of the night... (oh yes, we love doctor who. another post, another time).

and of course, my two little furry loves were very excited once we came in and settled in for the night...of course, apollo had luna to snuggle on all day, so i think he may not have missed us all that much.

xxoo

a little motivation for the middle of the week

can you tell i had a particularly challenging day yesterday? i need to remember this all day today (and every day).

...and if i start over thinking things at work, i will just remind myself of this. good advice, no?
but, in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds me, i'll try this out and keep on smiling!

xxoo

today's updates

so i decided to update the look of the blog and the content of my photo albums after one of my loyal readers (rohit) complained that i wasn't keeping it up-to-date on what i've been up to these days...

i don't want to disappoint my fan base.

so here it is! the updated look of P.O.L. (with a new mobile-look for all you smart phone users) and i've even updated and organized my picasa albums for your viewing pleasure.

oh where does the time go? too much work and not enough play...or maybe, in my case, not enough blogging about my fun!

here's a preview of what's to come in some of my catch-up blogs that will be posted very, very soon...and feel free to browse my picasa in the meantime.

xo