TAKING PHOTOS AND RUBBISH

First stop: Ireland

Then: more Ireland, and Scotland

And, let's not forget: Holland

LEIGH, CURTIS AND ME

Leaving Gagosian the other evening, a strange, tall, deranged man walking the streets said "Hey, you look like that actress in that cop movie...." when he saw me. I was on my cell phone heading to the parking structure and didn't give him the attention he was hoping for, but I could tell he was still thinking about it, trying to come up with the name. Just as the elevator door was closing, I hear him yell from the around the corner on the street, "Jamie Lee Curtis!" I laughed at the vigor he displayed in his voice. I suspect that I'll never be mistaken for that actress again.

Earlier at the opening, the biggest name I saw was Jennifer Jason Leigh who is very tiny and was dressed unassuming, which was refreshing.

Later at the after party at the infamous Chateau Marmont, spotted Blithe Danner (Paltrow's mom too) who's son, I hear, is dating the artist. Not a big fan of the work.

Now, I'm off on my three-week excursion!

THINGS TO DO WHEN YOUR UNEMPLOYED

1. Do some marketing for sister-in-law's new store: The Mint Fashion Exchange. Got her all hooked up online and with an ad.
2. Take professional photos of artist's installation at LACMA. Diaz rocks.
3. Plan for trip to Ireland/Scotland/Holland. Yo Yeah!
4. Make lots of delicious and sinful desserts, like coffee ice cream (I added a hint of cinnamon).
5. Go swimming a lot.
6. Help husband with an art handling job at Tishman Speyer.
7. Apply for unemployment and send resume out. So much fun.
8. Try to figure out what are the most important things in life.
9. Spend too much time on Facebook.
10. Watch Bill Moyers. He rules!
11. Read Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicles and love it.
12. Celebrate my mom and Bettie's blue ribbons in the Iowa State Frickin' Fair!!
13. Freak out over the Olympic opening ceremony performances and watch the fish Michael Phelps win 8.
14. This list could go on and on and on....

HIGH SURFLINER

On my first day of freedom (Aug 2) after the gallery closed Jonathan and I went up to Santa Barbara to a good-bye party for funny guy Allen Hurlbert. He left for a faculty position at UNC, which is so far away. Jamie and Sus convinced me to stay over with them and help make interior design decisions for their new faculty house at Cate. It was fun. We made a huge train track around their family room with Willy's toys... and made lots of progress on their furniture and artwork arrangements. It's paradise up there.

ANYWAY, I took Amtrak's Surfliner from paradise to LA. I sat on the top level facing the ocean and it was the best trip. Sus was going to give me reading material for the trip, but so glad that didn't happen. Started with a random girl near a campsite snoozing in a sleeping bag in the middle of a field of brush near the tracks. The light. The colors were at an all-time high. Then, there was the kite surfers and the big banana at the Ventura County Fair. Next, rows of perfectly planted beans and subdivisions before the collections of wood palates, storage units, mobile homes and oleanders lining the tracks. Enter smog. Approaching our 'hood, I see project houses I didn't know about, a crazy metal materials yard/business and finally the men's jail. In the train gate hallways there's a man with an ankle tracking devise and a woman and child running with absolute glee. While waiting for Jonathan, follow the music I heard and run across the street to historic Olvera Street, where there was a beautiful 'traditional' Aztec drumming performance with dancers in full regalia, and around the corner more music by a Mexican band. I had sensory overload by the time I got home. I feel I travelled more than the 82 miles that day.

MORNING'S IFFY FISHY WRIST

This damn RA is a pain in the... wrist. Woke this morning to some major pain. Can't bend my wrist forward or back too far. Daily tasks blow up to almost unmanageable proportions and it takes focus and determination to pour the coffee, spread the jam, pluck the eyebrow. I've been away from my swimming routine for a week and wonder if that's the difference. Hopefully enbrel's effect is not waining. Or, maybe it's sympathy pains for Mom's broken wrist. Hmmm.

Pat lightens the day by sending the photos of their fishing trip to Michigan. My two brothers (Pat left & Sean right) and Sean's boys. So excellent.

HAS WILL SMITH EATEN MY COOKIES?!

When I have a lot on my mind, I like to eat. It's such a good distraction and I've been lucky to come across some fantastic recipes. Last night, Lauren brought the best potato salad to a BBQ we attended. She said she got it off of the Well Fed blog. I have to say, her's looked more beautiful because she used small purple potatoes in the mix. We should have taken a photo.

Then there's the bourbon, ginger ale, lime cocktails I learned about on KCRW's Good Food. Martha Foose publishes enticing recipes in her new cookbook Screen Doors and Sweet Tea.

The other evening, while at a friend's dinner party, I had fun meeting Lulu who is a chef for some movie stars and I happened to get her ginger cookie recipe, which I baked for yesterday's BBQ. They were a huge hit. Allison kept yelling "Siobhan made these!!" Here are the details:

Lulu's Lucious Ginger Cookies

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 c. finely chopped crystallized ginger

topping: 1/4 c. sugar, 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, mix flour and baking soda and set aside. In large bowl cream butter and sugars. Add egg, molasses, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Mix in the flour/baking soda mixture. Lastly, add the crystallized ginger. Roll into balls, then roll in the topping mixture. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

PS - Another food blog favorite of mine is Smitten Kitchen.

PSS - I made this pizza recipe a while ago and loved it. Alterations: I used pre-made pizza dough and baked (vs grilled) the pizza as indicated on the dough instructions and then added a bunch of arugula on top. Delicious.

PSSS - This series is pretty interesting: Gourmet's Four Farmers Project

GETTING IT ALL OUT

A very abbreviated catch up session on my latest busy-ness:
Boys of Summer - nephews visit so cal!
Firestone Wedding - Jonathan sings in the ceremony, including (upon the couple's request) a finale of Living On A Prayer; lots of fun the whole weekend; and even saw gals in the restroom feeling up each other... comparing their "jobs" I guess.
Took the neon down at Mary Goldman Gallery on Monday... and working like crazy to close the place.
House sat for friends in the 'hood.
Thursday's open of Roni Horn at Gagosian... dinner after was delicious and entertaining. Went to back to the gallery to retrieve our cars only to find a 30 ft flat-bed truck blocking us. It was 11 or so by then and no one around, though I discovered the keys were in it so Jonathan jumped into move it... funny, strange and lucky.
Interviewed with Santa Fe's LewAllen Contemporary on Friday at the Sunset Tower Hotel... not sure if I could dig it enough.
Last night's discovery of bourbon, ginger ale and lime was delightful. Later, at the art-movie screenings down on Chung King Road was satisfying... a good turnout and good flicks.
Celebs: Besides Andrew & Ivana... let's see there was Ron Livingston at Mike (aka Dennis) Koch's art opening, then we got to know Anne Anka/de Zogheb at the Gagosian dinner party... she was lovely and very interesting. Hmm... is that it?!

THE BIRDS AND THE CROAKING

mocking bird destroyed in the dead of night
look, she sees, a bird in the palm
a hawk drops its pestering passerine
the water ripples

the bullfrogs call
gravel moves underfoot
as sunset closes my eyes
and I breathe in
this could be home,
upended

DODGING THE DOG

A few of us went to see the Dodgers play the Indians last night. After a couple beers in the air conditioned gallery, we walked up the "urinal swirl" (a curved graffiti-ed walkway that leads over the freeway to Dodgers Stadium) to catch the game. Even though we didn't win, I'm glad we stuck it out because the 9th inning was exciting. Not only did the Dodgers tie up the game, a gnarly brawl broke out in our section, which spiced things up even more. I can't believe I didn't get a Dodger Dog!

This morning after a short and bad sleep in our very hot house, I had the pleasure of using our backyard hose as my shower (please, let the plumbing be fixed tonight). good times. I rewarded myself by stopping in Little Tokyo before work. Walls of strange (really strange) Hello Kitty items have a surprisingly medicinal effect.

THE PROBLEM WITH PLUMBING

Oh, what fun. We have a problem with our plumbing and our landlord is a trip, I tell you. We can't use our bathroom at all (no showers, no toilet) and he says he'd get around to fixing it within the month. With our pressing he found two "little guys" to do the work. He liked that they were little because they could fit under this house(!). Needless to say they are not certified plumbers and it could take two weeks to fix. "No way!," I say, "I have job hunting to do and family visiting and we need to USE OUR HOUSE." He is a funny old man with an eccentric history so you must pick your battles. I don't judge the way he lives, though when it's imposed upon us, it's too much. He has three lots; we live on one and he lives on the third in three different houses. His partner Uncle Bill passed away a couple years ago and would be so upset to see the way he is living over there... even by their standards it's bad. Anyway, he offered for us to use the bathroom in the "Bijou" property. It is fascinating on one hand, and on the other, it is crazy for him to expect us to be okay with this arrangement. Luckily, it should be fixed by Saturday evening. In the meantime, I'm showering at the public pool. Did I mention this is all taking place just a few miles from downtown LA? I don't know why that seems odd. ...more photos

FATTY'S FOOD

Jonathan took me on a surprise outing to Fatty's... seriously one of my favorite eateries in Los Angeles. Owner Kim Dingle has been known to rub people the wrong way, but she can do no wrong in my book. I've been a fan since we first met when I worked for her and Odi when they opened Fatty's. So, Jonathan and I sat out in the patio and sipped wine, ate fondue and had Kim's latest dessert concoction the Belgian Float made with ice cream and a very dry raspberry beer!

And, we saw Andy Dick as we left. Which reminds me... I believe I never posted some celebrity sightings from an opening at Gagosian in February. It was Julian Schnabel's opening during Oscar season (he directed The Diving Bell & The Butterfly). I crossed paths with Diane Keaton on the way in. I'm forgetting most, but Schnabel was there of course, and fashion designer and Project Runway judge Roberto Cavalli. Oh! And, Jonathan showed about-to-receive-an-oscar Tilda Swinton around the exhibition. I just looked at an online slide show from the evening and see that Werner Herzog was there. In a small gathering in the back offices, Seymour Cassel paid me a nice compliment and made sure my champagne glass was full. At the after party at Mr. Chow's I saw Lauren Hutton and Niki Hilton (Paris came to pick her up after I left), but unfortunately didn't see attendee Matt Dillon.