What will replace the fallen?

So the domino effect is hitting the large Multi-National corporations...

Were they getting too big for their own good? They killed off many small, independently owned & operated businesses... and now that they are going, what's going to fill the void?

Circuit City is one major chain that is going.
Ann Taylor clothing stores are already closed up and gone.
There are even massive layoffs at Wal-Marts and Starbucks.

For a while, it seemed that everywhere i would go - there were those mega-shopping centers... all designed the same, all housing the same chain stores... didn't matter what city you were in - you'd find that same shopping center with it's Toys R Us and Baby's R Us and Best Buy and the same fast food chains... all looping around a massive sea of asphalt parking lot. No local flavor - no charm - no personality.

I look at old photos of Westwood Village or Beverly Hills from the 70's or 80's and see the names of all the shops and restaurants that are long gone and dearly missed... they were replaced by chain stores... Bebe... Anthropologie... Victoria's Secret... the Gap... with all the same merchandise...

Anthropologie is vacating it's location on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills...

But so is Spirituali on Larchmont... Larchmont Blvd. has lost a lot of it's charming independent businesses recently due to jacked-up rents by new landlords.

Many factors come in to play here as to why all these businesses are shuttering in this economy... but as the storefronts become vacant, what will replace the businesses?

Say for example Home Depot were to close down. many of the small hardware stores that struggled to compete with the likes of the mega discount monster have since shuttered... where will one go to get some nails or caulk? No mega-store, no mom & pop shop... we're screwed!

I hope that some local flavor will return to the cities and towns that were once full of stores loaded with independently-minded selections of merchandise. What has helped many of the independent stores survive is that they had their niche, and they knew their customers - they knew how to serve the surrounding population.

One reason why I gave up on my subscription to the L.A. Times years ago is because they kept tinkering with it... and fouled it up royally. Some big shot out of Chicago buys it up, shuffles the writing staff around, re-organizes the layout, eliminates columns, and ships popular writers off to other cities with papers owned by the same big shot.

If Jack Smith were still alive today, he'd probably have been sent to Chicago. Sacrilege! And even though i wouldn't put Mike Downey on the same level of Jack Smith, i was still upset when he was shifted from the sports section to whatever he was shifted to before being sent to the windy city... His column sometimes appears... but how does it really affect me in L.A.? I liked getting the local paper written by writers who lived here, who grew up here, or who chose to live here because they love it here. But if many of the articles are by the Associated Press, or Times Staff Writer (who might be in some other city) - how is it the Los Angeles Times?

I'm not against the syndication of popular columns like Dear Abby & the like... but I long for the writers who have that special insight one can get by being part of the local scene. I loved Allan Malamud's column in the sports section... his use of the ellipses as punctuation was eventually adopted by yours truly... Steve Harvey's Only In L.A. column was always good for a chuckle, and even though it got tiresome, i could always count on Robert Hilburn reviewing some new band and comparing it to Guns n Roses, U2 or his other favorite Bruce Springsteen. These are some of the things i remember from the Los Angeles Times that I used to read and enjoy. Now? Meh... i get my news from the Huffington Post or whatever headlines pop up on my google start-up menu. If my local paper won't give me my local flavor, then why bother with it?

What's really killing me though is the loss of my favorite radio station Indie 103.1 - I don't know what to do with myself anymore when i'm stuck in traffic. When it first came out, the playlist was wild and fun and unpredictable. And though i hated him at first - i couldn't understand why someone would listen to that monotonous drivel... but i finally listened (really listened) one day - and realized the genius that was Jonesy's Jukebox. I would listen almost daily... i hated when i couldn't listen to the radio from noon until 2. I'm missing that station so badly... and every day that goes by, i'm furiously hitting my pre-sets, finding nothing of interest, going back to my barely functioning ipod, and getting bored again of the same songs i've heard hundreds of times over.

Again, don't get me wrong... I love my Sirius... I love listening to Howard Stern... but sometimes i want to listen to a station that is run out of the city i'm driving around in. If the weather is warm, I like to hear the DJ comment on the beautiful L.A. day. If the sunset is stunning, i like hearing the DJ comment on that. if there was a temblor, i will sometimes check the radio to again hear that i wasn't the only one who felt it. I can't get that on a station with no Djs (Jack-FM) or satellite stations... The current station selection is killing me! KROQ sold it's soul ages ago - and STAR is trying to be a sorry excuse for a copy of what is now the hollow shell of what was once a powerhouse of a radio station (again, i'm talking about KROQ). The Sound (100.3) plays some interesting songs that are off the beaten path... but i can't listen to a station that plays that much Steely Dan...

I once worked in radio (intern at KROQ 1994-1995) and i am aware of the inner workings/politics of the parent company behind the parent company that owned Indie 103.1 - and why the station was created, and how it evolved, crumbled and then ceased to exist...

But when these mighty corporations fall, can we get a return to the local? please?

I really miss Indie 103.1 - especially Jonesy, and all their other irreverent DJs... one of my favorite things was when i was driving home at around 5pm on a gorgeous day in June and the energy was great and TK was playing a song by the Fratellis... and after it was done, he said "I liked that - I'm playing it again"... and he did! The mood was right... why the hell not? It was live - it was in the moment... it fit the situation... you can't get that with all the pre-programmed radio stations... or from a syndicated show...

I love Los Angeles... now let's celebrate what makes L.A. L.A. rather than something we can experience anyplace, USA.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Changes are abounding...

...And many were badly needed

Especially regarding the political regime...

But that's not what this post is about...

We all saw those posters with the words "HOPE" and "CHANGE" - and it seems to have affected a big lot of the population in many interesting/terrifying/exciting ways.

Frustration leads to exasperation... which often times leads to life altering changes... Several of my friends have recently made drastic changes in their work situations... others had those changes decided for them. But it all seems to stem from some frustration of not finding satisfaction in the stagnation in their respective workplaces.

I burned-out nearly 2 years ago. Quite a while before any of my other friends... I worked at a Mortgage company - it was a small company - by no means corporate... but I couldn't work in that office environment... There's more to life than shuffling papers...

I have a very wholistic way of thinking - very universal... this sometimes stalls me as my brain wraps around a process and it just explodes... and where do i start - and where does it go... see what i mean? I saw this whole mortgage fiasco happening in it's earliest stages... and while i was neither selling the loans, nor soliciting them - i was still helping the situaiton by compiling the paperwork and packaging loans... So even though i wasn't instigating the deals that most likely have gone sour... i was still a part of it - and i just couldn't justify it any longer. And though I hoped it wouldn't become such a terrible mess - I totally saw this fiasco coming. and i still see it getting worse (though again i'm hoping that it won't be as bad as it looks). So that's why I had to get out of there. I quit. but my "boss" (in quotes due to his ineptitude and shortsighted vision) was too proud to let me just offer 2 weeks notice... no - he fired me! Cha-Ching - i collected unemployment!

I was on the dole for quite a while. I also racked up a little bit of credit card debt - but I just needed to live a little. And I have no regrets. I was a miserable shell of a person before - with absolutely nothing going on except an unsatisfying job that i didn't believe in (not in principle - but in the way it was being done - in our company's principles... or rather lack thereof).

What am I doing now?
Still searching.
Still struggling.
Still looking for my calling
Still seeking my muse/inspiration.

But I'm a lot closer now than i was before!

I'm also much happier now, too.
I believe in the things that I do.
That means so much more to me than having some desk job working for "the man".

Can I afford all those little luxuries?
No.
Do I need them?
not really.
does anyone really need them?
newp!
they're just wants - not needs.

Cable was too expensive for me.
gone.
Flat screen TV?
why bother?
(though i was just offered and gladly accepted a tv that's much larger than my old one)
New car?
the current one still works... no need.

I knew most of the Joneses were all flash and no substance. and now that they're losing their homes with the late model suv in the driveway & all the fancy shmancy plasma TVs and the like... the ones they couldn't afford them in the first place... i'm not crying for them... BUT - where i do call FOUL is when these users/liars/cheats cry for help in the form of tax credits... they are in essence TAXING ME! That's right - those of us who didn't partake in any of these shady dealings will not benefit with any handouts... but rather our tax dollars will be going to the liars and cheats who are being faced with losing everything because they lied!

But i digress.
see what i mean about this universal thinking? i see the whole picture at once but when it comest to describing it or talking about it, i can't seem to put it in the right order - or in any order...

So perhaps these Changes will lead to all of us taking a good look at ourselves. our lives. trimming the fat. deciding what really matters.

The pursuit of happiness is the philosophical ideal that i espoused. and to me, that did not mean the pursuit of stuff.

but i also hope that companies don't keep laying off so many people. we are already being subjected to shitty customer service everywhere. don't keep giving me automated telephone service... hire humans! and hire the people within the comunity that you serve! I work at times as a personal assistant for people who are too busy to wait on hold trying to resolve issues... so they pay me to wait on hold & get things resolved. Don't you think life would become more efficient if we could call customer service and talk to someone within 1 minute?

No wonder so many of us are at a breaking point and saying ENOUGH! we definitely need changes... lots of them.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Today's breakfast

Now that I'm watching my diet again - I've returned to taking pictures of my meals. I was doing that for a while. But then i stopped around the holidays... And now my jeans are tighter...

So as I mentioned previously - I'm experimenting with citrus. Not many pix at the moment unfortch - but here's one:

Blood orange sliced into coins, goat yogurt with dollop pomegranate jelly, black tea

Blood Oranges - ** I know there are several varieties - I'm not sure which one this was. I don't even remember the vendor - so i don't know where it was grown... I'll try others. but this batch, i wasn't to crazy for.

Cocktail Grapefruit - **** I'd avoided them until last week because a couple years ago - I tried one from a Trader Joe's... i found it to be very acidic and my stomach was none too pleased. But the lady (i forgot her name - but she's really nice) told me that it should be sweeter than the Oro Blanco grapefruit. I gave it another go - and I really liked it a lot.

Oro Blanco Grapefruit - ** I know that different growing areas and early vs. late season affects the flavors and the taste... but these past few have been kinda nasty. I'll have a talk with some farmers to find out what's up.

Cara Cara Oranges - **** They have pink pulp! nice flavor. i'm not a big fan of oranges - but i like the Cara Caras

Meyer Lemons ***** My absolute favorite lemons in the world (though not technically a lemon - it's a cross between a mandarin & a lemon. Thin skin, fragrant & somewhat sweet... you can eat some of the pulp without puckering... though i wouldn't risk totally damaging my teeth by eating such acidic fruit. I love using the zest for making lemon curd - or anything else requiring lemon zest.

Page Tangerines ***** Sweet, no pips, but the skin doesn't pop right off.

Dancy Tangerines *** Good flavor, loaded with pips, easy to peel.

Satsuma Mandarins **** easy to peel, no pips, kinda touch and go with the flavor - depends on the vendor/farm - i've had great ones, and i've had blah... who knows.

would you like fries with that?

What's wrong with this picture?

Outsourcing Drive Thru operators?

seriously?

i think i read that article from the Huffington Post earlier this week - i just didn't have the time to blog earlier - though i meant to bookmark it...

But yeah - some chains like Jack in the Box & Taco Bell have been testing using out-of-state people on the phone taking people's orders at the drive thru.

Why? what is wrong with hiring from the local community? the people who would be spending money in your town - perhaps even in your restaurant!

Don't these people realize that they're shooting themselves in the foot?

If ya keep pushing down wages & downsizing in order to turn a profit - you have fewer people making money to spend on eating out at your establishment.

What's wrong with letting someone earn an honest living and get paid a fair wage?

I think i even wrote a blog about how some fast food operations are running smoother now that fluent English speakers are applying for jobs now that they've become desperate... so the customers are happy - there are fewer mistakes with the orders - the business is efficient and there's less loss... and i believe they were seeing higher profits as a result.

I guess other chains or fast food restaurants in other cities feel that it would be more beneficial to pay some servicing company, and pay someone sitting in some remote phone bank to take people's orders - rather than hiring someone locally and paying them directly...

I find this sad. I also think that it will turn out disastrous... as they're just being expedient without seeing the domino effect this will create.

A Resolution to Stick to

I intend to meet up with my friends more often.

Sounds easy, right?

Easy enough - but it does take effort. True friendships last a lifetime. Sometimes they endure years of neglect - yet can pick up where things left off.Daniel(11 yrs), me, Courtney (11+yrs)

Something I like to make on occasion are croissants - from scratch. Yes, they're easy enough to buy at the market, or a patisserie... but I'm working on improving my technique and finding the right recipe.

So I decided to whip up a couple of batches and invite a whole bunch of people over for a

New Year's Day Brunch.

Lisa (17 yrs - though we lost touch for 10 yrs), Matthew (2 yrs)

I posted the time as 11am to 1pm and sent out about 80 emails - knowing i'd get less than 40% return due to the fact that it was so early - and many people were out of town - and another percentage don't check their emails/facebook/myspace accounts that regularly.

Carlos (11 yrs), Julie K (28 yrs), Michelangelo, (11 yrs)

Of those who did show up (22 total!) - I couldn't have been happier! I had some family, some new friends, but mostly old friends - who i've known for over 10 years. And many who hadn't seen one another for years. It was a great reunion. A great way to rekindle friendships... and a lovely gathering just for the sake of getting together.

The year 2009 will be one of getting together with friends - new and old.Julie K & Joan (10 yrs)

Have a Healthy & Happy New Year!

Almonds that taste like...

Almonds

They're a good, healthy snack. Helps curb the appetite if you're out and about and need a pick-me-up.

I was in Reno for Christmas, with the family "K" - they've adopted me into their family... And when there's snow - there's skiing.

We all sat for our Apres-Ski drinks... and I pulled out my snack baggie of Almonds. Raw Almonds.

Me: Raw Almonds, anyone?

Vince: Raw?
- They're not roasted? or Salted?

me: Nope - just plain Almonds.

April: But they're not flavored?

Me: Uh, no - just Almonds.

Dom: But what do they taste like?

Me: Almonds! They're almonds that taste like almonds! (me, dom, vince, julie k)

Do Almonds really need to taste like anything else to be enjoyable? Jeez! They taste fine on their own if you can appreciate the taste of something in its natural state. Why does everything need to be flavored/salted/x-tremed to be worthy of consumption nowadays?

American Honey - neat

I'm a neat kinda gal... I rarely take ice in my drinks.

Usually I go for tequila - I like that fuzzy feeling it gives me... though i don't like Patron... I'd rather have Sauza.

But tonight I tried went to a place I've been meaning to go to for ages... The Woods (La Brea @ Sunset).

They have a significantly larger selection than at the Burgundy Room - which is my usual haunt. granted it's a dive bar, and it's not supposed to have a huge variety - just large quantities of the standards that the regulars ask for.

I spied a bottle with the word Honey on it... and i asked the bartender, Amy - what was it. She took out a shot glass, poured some for the 3 of us to sample. I was sold. I asked her how she usually serves it.

Neat.

Perfect.

it was destiny.

I have a new favorite drink to order at a new alternate bar...

American Honey - by Wild Turkey.

Very smooth.

I still like the warm fuzzy feeling from tequila... but this one was yummy.