So a while back I got Instagram for my first iPhone. Then I forgot about it because I stopped taking photos with my old crappy 3G.
Now that I got a new high quality smart phone this year, I'm back to Instagram. I've included some Instagram pics in previous posts. But I'm finally acknowledging it in case you want to follow, and my username is cinematika. By the way, when did Instagram become a social network? Pinterest and Facebook are enough for me.
Anyway, above was taken in the Palisades overlooking the Pacific. Love the beautiful bushes and desert plants aligning the lawn. This is where I am to spend my summer for work. Oh, how I love work....
If you're to be unemployed, LA is one of the best places to be just that. I'm in-between work, catching up with 2012 in LA, mostly a lot of resting... maybe too much. But with all the stress and work I've had to deal with day to day in Louisiana, I've been looking forward to this moment and am taking advantage of every sunny day in LA until my next big show starts.
And it's been oh-so-wonderful to let myself have the time to do a lotta nothing. Advanced screenings, sleeping at the beach, and (as seen in these photos), chilling poolside at weho mansion. It's these simple moments when I'm drinking a coffee at Commissary and catching up on blogs, or checking out a new sandwich place (Marcona on Melrose is deelish!), hanging out in my living room in the day time, buying new plants, or even just driving around town that I learned to really appreciate and take in the present.
Each day brings me much amazement to how wonderful this city is with summer approaching. By the way, check out that amazing view above from the mansion: beautiful night view of Beverly Hills, Century City, and to the left which is cut out is the Pacific Design Center.
I had recently blogged about my 
First up, yummy burrata appetizer.
Buddy's course. Don't remember what this was exactly but doesn't it look yummmmmy? All pasta is made fresh everyday at Domenica.
As for me, I had the stracci: oxtail and fried chicken liver. It was flavor-filled heaven in mi boca.
Afterward, we had dessert at Caffe Luxxe, my favorite cafe in LA. I had a Rwanda black coffee (naturally sweet with a hint of orange and very smooth), Ramoska had a caffe nico, and we both had Paulette macarons.
There's no place like New Orleans elsewhere in the US. Spent a weekend in the central business district at The Roosevelt before I came back home to LA.
Bikes.
Canal St.
Marshmallow from Teddy's Cafe in The Roosevelt, made from scratch.
Pat O'Brien's, must-visit for hurricanes.
Cafe du Monde!
Pravda, communist bar.
Pool terrace at The Roosevelt.
Merchant, delicious cafe in the CBD.
Bourbon St.
Absinthe (check out the flames!).
It's been almost exactly a year ago since I last saw Adam and the rest of the Beastie Boys at the premiere of "
Hurray! I'm back home in LA! I've been in the other "LA" (Louisiana) since the beginning of 2012. It's fantastic to experience the new year at home and love what I see so far: warm weather, new stores and restaurants, and old and new friends.
On my last night in Monroe, Louisiana, I finally had dinner at 
I first ordered the BBQ gulf shrimp appetizer that had such a yummy rosemary and lemon taste.
Then for my entree, I got the Louisiana soft shell crab (soft shells in season!). Ohmygoodness, so so delicious! Here's how it is described on the menu: "tempura fried, cucumber kimchi, heirloom tomatoes, jalapeño and chili-lime butter". Yummm.... A++ for the cucumber kimchi around it that went so well with the savory crab.
After our meal, I snuck around for some last photos. This is the upstairs full bar.
Edison bulbs hanging in the Edison dining room.
Another cool room with hanging basket lamp shades, spool tables, and burlap chairs, where men like to hang around to drink and smoke cigars.
The downstairs dining area with another full bar.
Thank you, Cotton, for that delicious last meal in Monroe. I'd be sure to dine there again and try some more drinks if I'm ever in that part of Louisiana again!
Just had to share one of my favorite photos, a shot of cypress tree reflection in the clear bayou water.
It finally got me. By "it", I mean Nature, Outdoors. At one point I'm walking through a pretty solid mud field, then in my feet went. Result, see above. New balance sneakers that have been so loyal to me through work, gone. No matter, they had holes in them anyway because of how old they are.
Can barely see the N. That mud definitely ain't coming off. The mud here is like clay. It gets caked onto your shoes, skin, face, clothes, our equipment, everything. Thought at least I'd be getting a spa treatment at work, but someone said, "Mud may be good for you, but not southern mud." Another thing about the mud here: they come with mosquitoes.
Sooo, I finally went shoe shopping (which I loathe) at the Academy, which is like the sports section of Walmart supersized to be the actual size of a Walmart, or like a giant Big 5. But there's lotsa thermals, shoes, sports equipment, etc.
So hurray for my new New Balance shoes to replace my old New B's.
And to replace boots with something that would actually work well in mud, I got these realtree thinsulate waterproof boots in a boys youth size.
Ayiyi, I don't think I've ever been this far from home for this long. I've also never been so away from my blog (which is almost a year old!). But I'm still in Louisiana, since January 2nd, discovering and being in touch with not everyday things, like the outdoors. Like the above lizard, there seems to be a new camera cart buddy everyday. Most of them are unwanted mosquitos.
Something else I've been more in touch with is my redneck side. Okay, I don't have a redneck side at all. But I'm learning the lingo, the way of life, and the odd things they have like the redneck wine glasses (above).
We're in Ouachita county near the Ouachita river. But I learned it isn't pronounced "wa-CHEE-tah", but rather, "WAH-sheh-tah." So I look at signs like this one, and with my new southern mumbling tongue, I say, "Nashtoshes."
What else... clouds! I've never seen so many clouds every day. They're sparse, they're big, they can make the weather go from in the 50s to 80s in seconds, and they've got a weak bladder. One thing I learned here is that once it starts to sprinkle a little, you better run cause it all comes pouring down at once. Anyway, here are the audio guys from my work above on a dry night.
Every show brings a new crew, and every crew turns into a new family. I'm happy to have great people to work with as well as hang out with in my free time. A small town with not much open at night but bars and waffle houses makes us get together more often. Above photo was taken last weekend, our first weekend off in WEEKS. We celebrated.
It's not hard finding the dark pitch black parts of town. So it's very easy to find the stars. I love this slow-shutter photo I took of our audio guy and the Orion constellation.
Again, in touch with nature. We're seeing the seasons change, I'm waiting for alligators to come out of hibernation, and I'm hoping the cottonmouth snakes stay under. Duck hunting season is over. But it's good time for crawfish now!
