xxdd

hiking and camping up north, where night-time temperature still dips down to the 30's. lots of laughs!

(written 2010.05.18)

was heading to tao garden on warner, then suddenly remembered a couple of friends had mentioned this new joint. the place was packed, so had to wait about 10-15 minutes, during which time, i took the opportunity to take the following pictures. my parents both said the noodles were not very "elastic" (the way it is in china), probably because they didn't let the flour sit out sufficiently long. i had the zha jiang mian, which i quickly slurped down, but it was only all right.

(written 2010.04.19)

went horseback riding at cave creek outfitters, which is actually in scottsdale. jacob rode jake in the lead, with taka chico in the middle, and me major bring up the rear.

it was hilarious watching wily chico attempting to sneak in a bite to eat every chance he got; a horse after my own heart. they really like snacking on desert lupine.

major was a grandaddy, at over twenty years old. he, at times, would turn his head, shift his gaze towards me, and wait at attention for my command. this level of obedience from an animal triple my size baffled me. i honestly felt like a half-wit fumbling a power unexpectedly thrust upon her.

the two hours went by fast as we went by fields of purple, orange, and yellow wildflowers that carpeted the landscape like grass. the occasional pops of color from the barrel cactus fushia cluster blooms, bright yellow brittlebush, and fiery orange desert mallow and mexican gold poppy were icing on the cake.

(written 2010.05.15)

waiting for the tram to take us from the parking garage to the getty center.

our guide giving her collection highlights tour.

vincent van gogh's "irises" on permanent display.

fossilized leaves in the travertine.

robert irwin's central garden. our garden tour guide informed us the azalea maze was red the previous week

our architecture tour guide pointed out that richard meier's favorite color is white in the shade of the elevator, which in the picture is above the wall of travertine blocks. unfortunately, city guidelines prevented his using the color for the entire getty center.

i spent most of my time looking at the leonardo da vinci and the art of sculpture exhibit.

various paintings in the west pavillion.

both the garden and architecture tour guides emphasized the precsion in the line of these trees.

(written 2010.04.27)

i get to gibson amphitheatre at exactly 7:00 pm and will call is closed. i begin to panic, running around, wringing my hands until i wind up in front of the general ticket window (a completely detached structure from will call), and lo and behold my ticket waiting for me. my special pre-order concert tee carries mayday's 2007 jump! logo, eck.

離開地球表面, indeed.

the fab five. about the only time the audience plopped down.

out of nowhere this guy is standing in front of me, blocking my unobstructed view of ashin, and chucks a roll of construction tape at my head. oh, what great fun it was, the all of us snatching at it, left and right, front and back, managing to create a perfect giant zigzag.

my first mayday concert (slash aerobics workout, slash motivational seminar), won't be my last.