Employment!

I got a job!! Two, in fact. The first is on this wonderfully adorable street in central LA. I can look the other way down the street and see the Hollywood sign up in the "hills."

Yeah, it's a bit swankier than I am. But I'm learning a ton and the people are great.

The second, and more recent, drumroll please, is in Buena Vista, Colorado at a Young Life camp called Trail West!


This is just one of a ton of beautiful pictures that comes up when you google it.

It starts in the middle of August and my plan right now is to drive out by myself staying with a few friends and relatives along the way. Sound familiar? My blog has turned into quite the travel record. I'll be sure to continue updating wherever I find internet.

And again, it's not until the middle of August, so we've still got a month and a half of LA fun including a fourth of July beach BBQ and a visit from the parents, not to mention, a learn-to-salsa party tonight.

Also. Completely unrelated to anything except being awesome: I just discovered this online and you should check it out. Click here. It's two of my friends from Kaboom! And it's amazing in my humble opinion.

Cooking in North Hollywood

Jello in cookie-cutter shapes.

Baked peaches on top of ice cream.

Late-night cake/cupcakes.

We've been eating well here in California.

Not to mention, all were gluten free except for the late-night cake debacle of 2010. Julia and Traci in fabulously creative fashion, created cake from the scarce ingredients we had in our cabinets-Julia emulating her Food Network idol (we think his name is Robert) from Dinner: Impossible.

I vegged and listened to them laugh in the kitchen while I watched a rerun of the Argentina-Greece game.

We're all bummed we had to say goodbye to Erin today...THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE US, ERIN!!

I also spilled water on myself and Traci took a picture.

Our Kind of Love

Check out Traci's blog: I'm Asian, You're Not

The Lady Antebellum video finally came out! The one that was shot in our backyard. Well, basically. The one that was shot in our across-the-street-crazy-cool-toy-junkyard.

In other news, Traci set up an alert online so Google would let her know when it came out. And my blog was one of the top notifications even though I had only written the words "Lady Antebellum Our Kind of Love." I'M FAMOUS!

PS. Traci says follow her blog or she will punch you in the face. But not really, I'm sure. :0)

The Day Erin And I Became Race Car Drivers

Clearly I'm ahead. Look really closely and you'll see Erin's and my race faces.

On the way down to San Diego we stopped by Long Beach to see Erin's cousin, Torr. He showed us around the TruSpeed shop where he works on fancy, fancy cars! So. Cool.

How TV Taught Me To Love A Parking Lot

The Office! My apartment is approximately 9 minutes from the building where they shoot The Office!

This is totally it! They edit out the Valley Center Studios bit. It's down this completely nondescript street with tons of industrial businesses. Then all of a sudden you're walking past the oh-so-familiar shrub-covered parking lot fence.

We tried to quote all the amazing, super funny scenes we remembered having taken place in the parking lot and couldn't do it, there were so many.

A few feet down the street there's a big lot with trailers, the character's cars, and another building where they shoot the actual inside the office scenes.

We met a nice security guard who seemed a little bored while the show is on hiatus. He pointed everything out to us including the big Dunder Mifflin trucks.

Here was my favorite part:

Gluten-free-ish Donuts!

Julia and I found donut heaven on the way to the airport yesterday.

We were driving on one of LA's many crazy roadways, following scatterbrained GPS directions, when I happened to look to my left and see a storefront labeled "Spudnuts."

Spudnuts?! I thought to myself. It can't possibly be.

I can't remember where I first heard about Spudnuts. Possibly Florida when I went to visit Johanna. I don't remember when, where, or who, but I do specifically remember Spudnuts being explained to me as potato flour donuts and that they were "a thing" in the 50s or 60s with lingering stores still open helter-skelter around the country.

"Do you want to stop?" Julia asked as I began to veer of the road.

It looked just like any other bakery, with glass encased pastries, but I don't think I even looked at them until I had finished talking to the girl behind the counter.

"Are these made entirely with potato flour?" I asked, as hopefully but way less expectantly as a kid on Santa's lap.

"Oh, absolutely."

"There's no wheat flour in them at all?"

"Oh, no!" She seemed scandalized.

We'll take them all, I thought to myself.

To top it all off they were cheap! A little over $3 for a half dozen. Needless to say, we drove away with a big pink box of donuts and sticky fingers.

"They taste like donuts," Julia informed me.

They were delicious! I did get a little bit of a headache after I ate one, but I hadn't really eaten anything but sugar all day. They may use some kind of flour blend with a bit of regular flour in it. But my stomach, which, of course, is the main show for me, was totally fine!

Erin Faroe is reading over my shoulder RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT! And reading out loud what I'm typing....

We're watching the World Cup, drinking Jamba Juice, and about to head out to Dunder Mifflin.

Go South Africa!

Sports Mania

The Celtics were losing so we ate some Red Sox rally peanuts.

LA is going crazy about their Lakers while all of the Boston transplants are converging on Boston themed bars to cheer on their Celts.

In other news, I've completely succumbed to World Cup Mania. Excited about the US having a definite chance. Also, calling on my substantial underdog complex, I'm hoping someone new wins this year.

Brazil's awesome, but, come on, 5 World Cup titles. Share the wealth. Forbid the US gets knocked out, I'm rooting for a South African Cinderella story. Ivory Coast, maybe? I think it's also high time the Netherlands stepped out ahead.

In more local news, Julia's here. We're going to pick up Erin Faroe today from LAX. Yogurtland tonight and possibly some celebrity home tours on the way. Definitely going to Dunder Mifflin sometime in the very near future. Pictures to follow!

The Film History of Clybourn Avenue

You're looking at patio furniture Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts could have sat their bums on!

This is the balcony that goes out the front of our apartment. Traci told me recently that before I got here, they had been contacted by the location manager for an upcoming Tom Hanks/Julia Robert flick called "Larry Crowne." THEY THOUGHT WE HAD CUTE PATIO FURNITURE AND WANTED TO FILM ON OUR BALCONY!

But don't get too excited because apparently our property manager said no. We have the letter from the film's location manager hanging on our refrigerator as a tribute to what could have been. The time we almost became friends with Tom Hanks...

THEN, Traci and I were driving home from Caitlin's house last night and got stopped by the police on our own street, mere blocks from the apartment.

It was kind of like when you get stopped for construction. You have to sit and wait for, say maybe, a guy to finish driving his dump truck across the road. Same thing here, only we had to WAIT FOR SONS OF ANARCHY TO FINISH FILMING!

I've never watched Sons of Anarchy, but Dan Silvernail assured me via text message that it is about a motorcycle gang and that it is pretty sweet. I may just have to take up watching it so I can excitedly exclaim at every scene that "that could be Clybourn Avenue!"

This is the picture I tried to take out the window across Traci while she was driving. Note the motorcycle, props Dan!

On top of this all, apparently Lady Antebellum shot a music video for their song, "Our Kind of Love" in this weird, old toy junk yard that's across the street from us. All we can see from our (almost famous) balcony is a high fence over top of which are piled mounds of what appear to be dirty, broken power wheels, carousel attachments, and those rides stationed outside grocery stores nationwide. Apparently they all come to Clybourn Ave to die. And then Lady Antebellum uses them for the location of their latest music video. What a strange and intriguing life cycle.

On a completely different topic, everyone do a good mojo dance for the USA vs. England game tomorrow!

And get excited about So You Think You Can Dance this summer!

More interviews for me. And more Erin Faroe as of this coming Tuesday!!

Frosting covers a mulitude of sins

I made a cake for Jennie's birthday yesterday. Traci was impressed just with the ingredients.

It was supposed to be Sarah's Yule Log, nice and rolled with the frosting in the middle. But mine stuck to the pan and then would not be rolled.

I manhandled it a bit and it broke even more. But then I had an idea. Cut it into strips and cover it with entirely too much frosting.

So this is what it ended up looking like.

And this is what it ended up tasting like: :0)

A Night with Julia Gross

Grapes, a finicky remote control, a sketch pad of a stranger previously thieved from a garbage can by Erin Rist, and a trip to Flood Church.

That about sums up our night.

Of course, the whole story includes much vegging on the couch, watching Lie to Me and Sahara, a movie I'm ashamed to say I got really into.

Our evening also involved some frantic parking space holding. There are two coveted parking spots on the street outside of Julia's building, with no other free public parking anywhere nearby.

Of course, they were both taken when I got there. Julia directed me to a space a few blocks away that insisted I move my car early the next morning. We went inside. Ate dinner. However, as we were leaving for church we discovered one of the cars out front to be gone...leaving one beautiful parking space wonderfully free.

We both gasped.

Then Julia, like a pro, pulled off a turn upwards of six or seven points in order to pull her car into the space.

I jumped out, ran to my car and drove back, while Julia warded off any potential competition.

I'm happy to report that all worked according to plan. My car spent the night right below us. Then this afternoon as I was leaving I graciously gave my spot to another unfortunate parker who was lingering rather closely to my bumper.

Demolished Gluten Free Pancakes

Bananas and blueberries baked into the delicious crispy crust of fluffy gluten free pancakes?

This place was amazing. Thanks, Josie, for introducing me to this gluten-free pancake haven!

The menu items were numbered up to approximately one hundred and fifty, everything from curry to coconut ice cream served in actual coconuts to said gluten free pancakes.

Not to mention pink and fish-shaped guitars hanging on every wall. You had me at "Please have a seat," Green Leaves.

Also, Josie and I are starting a mandolin rock band. So stay tuned! :0)

LA Digs

Quick update before I crash. I finally motivated myself/found time to finish decorating my room.

I'm particularly proud of my music wall. Look at that mandolin just hanging there. You'd never know that it had recently followed me across the country, into numerous museums, establishments and one historical prison.

I had a few days to myself and then I followed Julia and Marlen down to San Diego. We had gluten free pizza and beer (well, I did) at Uno's and then went to Yogurtland, Marlen's new obsession. In the time span of three days I think they went four times. And I do have to admit, it's pretty great. If you get a chance, you should go. You pay by weight and can basically get any kind of frozen yogurt and toppings under the sun.

We also went to the ever-wonderful San Diego Zoo. I've been a few times now and I think this has got to be the best zoo I've ever been to. We had a great time.

Julia's love of giant ground sloths resurfaced.

More later.

Much love!

California Sunset

Our beautiful, cold, seagull swarmed picnic spot from yesterday. Just thought I'd share the pictures.

Julia and Marlen wore two of Erin's extra dresses in inventive ways to stay warm.

We ate our burritos slash gluten-free burrito bowls and watched two girls swim. in. the. water. Surfers were out in full length wet suits and these two girls were swimming in nothing but their shorts and tank tops.

Julia and the seagulls shared some lingering, hostile eye contact.

Fast forward through an all nighter, I took Erin to the airport dark and early at 4am. Home she goes to Virginia just in time for Emily's graduation. Happy Graduation, Emily!

Grand Exploits

It's 2:48 am. I'm typing instead of sleeping. Forgive any confusion, I may be a bit delirious with tiredness. I guess we'll have to see how this turns out.

The Update:

Julia, Marlen, Erin and I got back from our trip to the Grand Canyon last night. We spent yet another night trying to fit the three of us in my one bed. Erin peacefully curled up on the couch.

Now, Erin is sleeping alone in my bed while I seem to be staying awake until our 3:30am wake up call when I'll drive Erin to the airport. I didn't plan it this way, the no sleeping. It just seems to have happened.

Anyway, we had a great trip into the desert. We left semi-early on Saturday and made a halfway stop in Lake Havasu City, Arizona where my London Bridge novelty sightseeing attraction lay.

It was a funny stop, because apparently Lake Havasu City is the Florida on Spring Break of the West. We drove then walked across the London Bridge while Lake Havasu underneath teemed with party boats puttering back and forth, party people everywhere. Not really my scene, much less a scene in which you expect to find a historic British monument. But there it was nonetheless. British flags flying. London Bridge plaque intact. I'm sure it's been remolded but it looked for all intents and purposes like any structure you'd expect to span the Thames.

We pressed on and another four hours brought us to Sedona, Arizona where Mark Rist amazingly found a place for us to stay using his timeshare. The place was too great. It even had a small kitchen. No stove, but microwave enough for Julia to miraculously contrapt Bananas Flambe. We even lit them on fire (don't tell the resort people...) and watched in the dark as the blue flames licked around the bowl.

The Grand Canyon was another couple hours from Sedona and by the time we got there on Sunday we were h.u.n.g.r.y. We brought our food and ate a picnic on the ledge of the grand canyon. It looked like a backdrop, like a painting or a postcard. It's just so big it's hard to believe it's real.

We had another luxurious night at the resort including more banana dessert and a hot tub visit in which a few lonely bats decided to dive bomb us. Then we packed up and drove back to LA yesterday.

The drive was pretty long and uneventful. We took a small detour to try to find a gluten free bakery my mom had looked up and recommended. We totally found it. But it was closed for the holiday.

So that was a bummer, but then I discovered that In-N-Out Burger, that west coast staple of a fast food burger joint, is totally gluten-free-friendly. They serve burgers "Protein Style" in a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Tons of other people were ordering it (crazy California health consciousness) and it was totally good!

Not only that, and not to rant about a fast food restaurant, but In-N-Out definitely has the most delightful workers. The two people I asked about gluten were two of the nicest and most helpful I've asked that question of. The girl I ordered from was even concerned that I didn't order a drink and was trying to give me a cup for water before I told her I had a water bottle in the car.

So, Tim, you'll be happy to know that In-N-Out has totally won me over!

Today we patronized yet another fast food restaurant of choice, Chipotle. First we slept in S.O. late and went to the Griffith Observatory after an incredibly huge homemade brunch.

We saw the Hollywood sign and LA skyline at the observatory you may or may not recognize from James Dean's intense shootout in Rebel Without a Cause.

Then we drove to the branch of Chipotle that is possible the farthest from my apartment yet still within Los Angeles limits. We thought it would be great to eat on the beach and it totally was...it was also pretty freezing. Totally worth it to watch a beautiful sunset and almost made me forget that my fork-hand was almost completely numb.

And that brings us back to me pulling my first real all-nighter since college. Julia and Marlen made it safely back to San Diego. Erin and I head to the airport in about an hour. I'll come back here and sleep for as long as my body allows. Then I may meet Julia and Marlen in San Diego for dinner Thursday. Marlen comes back to LA Friday night to fly out on Saturday morning.

And then I'll sleep through the month of June.

In conclusion: Thanks, Mr. Rist for finding us that incredible timeshare!!

I'll be sure to keep posting even though the trip is technically over. So keep checking back for more updates.

Good night and good morning.