Downtown Date Night - Little Tokyo

Dan decided it was high time to surprise me with a trip downtown with a day packed with adventure and mystery. I had no idea what the plan was other than that it involved taking the metro downtown and that it would be all day, therefore involving food! Yum and fun!

We recently discovered the LA metro on an excursion to Angel City Brewery. We didn't want to drink and drive or pay exorbitant taxi costs and stumbled upon the well kempt, fast, and cost efficient metro! I never thought we would actually going downtown, but quickly discovered this to be an enjoyable adventure.

Anyway, back to date night. We hopped on the metro and ended up at Union Station. While that could have lead to a very different type of adventure, we walked away from the train station. I have a very apt sense of direction and quickly noticed we were headed in the direction of Angel City Brewery, but I decided to keep quite in hopes that we were indeed headed that way, and didn't want to ruin anything.

RECIPE: Amber Noël’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Jam is more versatile than you may think. Yes, it’s great for toast, but it’s also a delicious marinade, pie filling, ice cream topping, or even as a cocktail base. But that’s not the only way it’s versatile. The flavors you can create cross a wide spectrum as well: Spicy Plum, White Tea Nectarine, Blackberry Ginger. These are just some of the flavors I’ve come up with off the top of my head.

Most jams you see in stores are crap. No offense if you like them, but they are crap. The same basic, bland flavors just about everywhere you go, and believe me I’ve looked. But jam doesn’t have to be boring. Mixing some of your favorite fruits and spices, teas, anything you can think of (almost) is fun and rewarding.

DIY: Crochet A Pillowcase

So I recently decided it was time to change around my pillows in my home. After moving down to Los Angeles we got a new couch and with more of a retro style in our living room, we started to find that our old color scheme wasn’t working for us anymore. Plus, some of our pillows were starting to look a bit worn.

As you may know from my previous article The Only Five Items You Need In Your Home To Do Everything, I don’t like to buy new things unless I really need them. So, what’s a girl to do?

Simple. She crochets a new pillow.

A New Blog

Hi ya'll. This is a rather informal post.

I realized recently that it was getting crazy in here. Since I've been writing for Ladybud Magazine and the Leaf Online, I've been getting political which was not my original intent for this blog. In fact, I didn't want this blog to be political at all, but here we are. Politics taking over AGAIN. le sigh.

I thought about it and decided this was not what I wanted to happen here. Some of you might not enjoy seeing me blabbing on and on about what's wrong in the world and then post pretty pictures of some adventure we went on. It just doesn't seem logical.

Therefore, *drumroll* I started a new blog for just my political posts. This one will go back to just pictures and local events, etc. Nice, happy things... haha.

Here it is: Views of a Progressive Vegan

In the new blog I will be discussing political issues and current events. I also plan to do more biographies like the one I did on Che Guevara to hopefully expand people's knowledge of important historical figures, foundations, movements, etc. What can I say? I'm a historian!!

Anyway, thanks for all the support! Love you all and I hope you keep reading!

Joshua Tree

Before the government shutdown (luckily) we went to Joshua Tree for the first time. We went with another couple, Dorian an Elizabeth, and their adorable dog, Rocco. It was a great trip and easy planning. She is a vegan and he's vegetarian, so it was fun to come up with food ideas instead of frustrating. Yay for vegans!

More Revelations From Edward Snowden

PHOTO: Mad Magazine

Almost four months ago, I wrote an article explaining why it was important to understand who Edward Snowden was and what he had done. At the time, I thought his exposure of NSA secrets would fade in the minds of the general public, much like Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, has seemed to do.

While Glenn Greenwald and the Guardian continue to expose more and more astounding disregard for the 1st and 4th Amendment, I thought it was only right to expand on my earlier article and include the new revelations that have since been revealed.

When Snowden’s name first popped up in the news, there was much speculation about whether what he was saying was true, and if so, if it was deemed acceptable by the American public or a gross violation of our basic rights as Americans.

The State of Our Union; A Belated Rant

So.. a while ago, I was angry. Very angry at what I was seeing going on in our country. Granted, I am often angry about what goes on in this country, and outside of this country because of us, but I was especially angry on this day. It just so happened a lot of things were going crazy and I felt a bit overwhelmed, so I decided to rant.

I was tempted not to post this, because I don't want to offend people, but then I thought about it and said to myself, "Hey! You are who you are. If you have an opinion, share it. If people don't like it, they don't have to listen." So there. My internal logic wins again. Therefore I have decided to post my angry ramblings anyway.

I wrote this on April 18th, so although most of my unsure questionable thoughts have pretty much been answered at this point, this were my thoughts at the time.

Vasquez Rocks

One of the things on my Los Angeles Resident to-do list was going to Vasquez Rocks Park, so when a friend asked us to join her and some of her friends I said yes without hesitation, dispute the fact that I was still having serious back issues. Luckily, it was getting better by now so Dan didn't override my invitation acceptance.

You may not know what Vasquez Rocks is just by hearing the name, but it is a Trekkie heritage site. It has had multiple appearances throughout the many, many years of Star Trek (including the planet Vulcan in that crap they call "new" Star Trek), but it is perhaps the most well known for the fight between Kirk and the Gorn.

If you watch even just the first minute or so, you can see that I'm standing right about where they are fighting, the only thing missing is the dead tree.

The Beauty of Hemp Milk

You might be surprised with the variety of milks available. Soy, almond, coconut, rice, oat, hemp. etc. Each type of non-dairy milk is known for having different properties. Out of all the different varieties of milk, hemp is the most nutritious, and most delicious too. Yet, most people don’t even know that hemp seeds can easily be made into milk.

What is amazing about hemp milk is it is packed full of nutrients. It is one of the most healthful milks one can consume, with the highest good fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and protein content per serving. It is packed with magnesium, phytosterols, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavn, niacin, and thiamin.

It is also one of the best sources of omega-3 and omega-6 in the proper ratio. Alone, hemp contains all 9 essential amino acids, along with all 21 known proteins, making it one of the best sources of complete proteins for vegans and non-vegans alike. It is also great for those with gluten intolerance.

Why make your own?

How the GOP Created Obamacare

With the next stages of the Affordable Healthcare Act being implemented and the recent GOP caused government shutdown, once again Republicans are fighting to repeal their much despised Obamacare. What is amazing about the Republican push against Obamacare is that in the 1990s, they were calling for the very system we are currently implementing.

In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton introduced a healthcare plan that sent Republican’s into a frenzy, the Health Security Act of 1993. They attacked Clinton’s proposal, claiming that their system would be better served for all Americans. But, the fight wasn’t against universal health care but how best to implement it.

Ventura

Ventura is just south of Santa Barbara and we recently took a trip up there to see family and enjoy the beach.

The drive up was very relaxing and beautiful and since it wasn't too far away from us we decided to take Highway 1, which travels along the ocean. It was a clear day and we were able to see the ocean almost the entire ride. Perfect!

When we checked in we were pleased to see that our room had an ocean view. We headed downstairs for a beer on the patio and to chat and catch up with our family.

Once we started to feel the chill of the fog rolling in we split up and Dan and I walked around the downtown a while. The stores were mainly second hand shops with a lot of interesting things in the windows. From Star Wars Pez to classic sewing machines. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go into any of them and see if we could find any hidden treasures, because we were in charge of finding a place for dinner. Seeing as how Dan and I were the only veg heads we didn't pick the only vegan joint in town, although I was very curious to see if it was good. Next time.

REVIEW: Blackfish – An Inside Look At Killer Whales In Captivity At SeaWorld

When I was a kid I loved SeaWorld. Watching animal shows and hoping to get splashed was the best part, of course. The trainers would talk about the orca as if they loved to do these shows, that this behavior was normal for them in the wild. So, when I went into this film, the child in me was devastated to find out that this amazing show was a farce.

Blackfish is a documentary that takes a hard look into the reality of orca’s (a.k.a. Killer Whales) lives in captivity. The film begins with a rough looking fisherman almost breaking down in tears talking about the capture expedition he went on in 1983. In this expedition, they captured a baby orca, named Tilikum, off the coast of Iceland.

Who Was Che Guevara?

Published on the 46th Anniversary of his death.

To heal life or to take life.

That was the decision Ernesto Guevara had to make in the mid-1950s. As most people know, he chose the latter.

What took a doctor and turned him into a revolutionary, a famous icon, and a so-called murderer? Who was this legend and why is he everywhere?

Ernesto Guevara was born in Argentina, June 14, 1928. By the age of three he had developed asthma that would haunt him for his entire life. For much of his early childhood, he was home schooled because of his asthma and spent many days in bed just trying to breathe. Ironically, he was spared from serving in the Argentinian military due to this severe health condition.

5 Must Have Items That Do Everything

I try to keep my cleaning supplies to a minimum. Having a different product for every type of cleaning is excessive and cumbersome. I also try to avoid chemicals when possible. I don’t like the thought of using cleaning supplies that could harm my cats or myself. And why would I use these things when I can get what I need with common, natural products?

Did you know that the skin absorbs most of what we put on it? I find it strange that it’s acceptable to use harsh chemicals on our bodies that we would never eat. If we are absorbing it anyway, what’s the difference?

Kayaking

Our last adventure during my visit was a kayaking trip. We went to the Elkhorn Slough, just south of Santa Cruz, and enjoyed a peaceful day in the sun.

Muir Woods and An Unexpected Treat

I recently visited my parents for my mom's birthday. We had originally planned to go camping in the RV, but dad's work was keeping him stuck in town. So, we figured we'd stay local, which was fine with me. I was just happy to be in the Bay Area. Like I said in a previous blog, my trip up was a surprise.

We decided to go to Muir Woods which is just north of San Francisco. Dan and I had gone hiking there before we moved to Los Angeles, but I hadn't been since and a trip to the redwoods was just what I needed. We drove through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge, it was a lovely day and only foggy when we crossed part of the bridge, a little bit of everything. :]

A Nice Surprise

I couldn't sleep I was so excited. I knew that in the morning two very exciting things were happening, the DOMA decision was going to be announced and I was getting on a plane for the bay area. DOMA was potentially a frightening thing (yay for SCOTUS!), but my plane ride was going to be anything but.

It was a surprise.

Farm Sanctuary

So, I'm very excited about this post (it will be long!). I've been wanting to go to the Farm Sanctuary for quite a while and it just has never seemed to pan out. We had decided to try and go on the weekend after the Worldfest, but while we were there we heard Gene Baur speak. He's the co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary. After his piece on veganism he mentioned that "Hug a Farm Animal" was coming up in their schedule of events. We decided to go right then and there. :) That meant that instead of going the following weekend like we planned, we waited an extra week to go. Torture!

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning Found Innocent Of Aiding The Enemy, Guilty Of 19 Other Counts

After an eight-week trial, Army Private First Class Bradley Manning has been found guilty of 19 out of 22 criminal counts, including five counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917, five counts of theft, one count computer fraud and some other military infractions, but was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. If given the maximum sentence he could spend 136 years in prison.

Manning was responsible for hundreds of thousands of documents leaked to the news organization WikiLeaks, including the well-known “Collateral Murder” video, where a US helicopter shot down one Reuter’s journalist and two camera men, along with hitting a van who stopped to aid the wounded, injuring two children and killing the father. Eleven people were killed in total.

The Joys Of Bicycling In Los Angeles

People can be jerks. You know it's true. If you've ever been stuck in traffic on the freeway, actually if you've ever been in a car ever, you can understand how people can be jerks. I think it has something to do with the fact that you aren't face to face so people feel more relaxed about their mistreatment of others, i.e. the notorious internet trolls. I believe people create/allow so much stress in their lives and don't know how to handle it that they let it to take over and run rampant. This is most easily observed when driving.

You can show people how pissed you are, knowing that they can't do anything about it. You can take out your aggression on that person closest to you and smother that person with your stress, pissing them off; adding to the cesspool of aggression and anger on the road. Feeling better now?

Worldfest

When Dan and I went to the Vegan Beer and Food Festival, we came across a flier for another veg friendly event, called Worldfest. Based on the flier, I was not completely sure if it was going to be a festival geared toward everyone, vegetarians, or vegan specific. Either way, I wanted to go because it looked like another fun event with vegan vendors, and of course, beer.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that it was indeed an all vegan event and wandered around to see what was there. I was excited (and Dan nervous) that there were pet adoptions from a variety of different places. Of course we went and talked to the cats for a while, it is me after all. And of course we both fell in love with all of them. I was also surprised to find that they had two specific dog adoption groups for the types of dogs I would want once we finally have a permanent yard, Beagle and German Shepard. I really would love to get one or the other, but I refuse to purchase an animal when there are so many in need and in danger of euthanasia. Here is a list of all the vendors from the event, I only wish I could talk about all of them.

Eating Out, Vegan Style

Is it hard? No. I mean, it can be, but it doesn't have to be. You just can't be lazy. >_<

This is one of those things where you may tend to shy away from eating out with friends or going to a hole in the wall joint. I know, I've been there. It can be frustrating when you want to go to a veg restaurant and your non-veghead friends say they don't like/eat vegan food.... um... so no apples? You can't eat any vegetables? And wait, you don't like fruit!? Okay, let me get this straight. You want a salad, but you won't go to a restaurant that makes bomb salads because it's vegetarian?? Sigh. It can feel very one sided when people curl their noses at vegan restaurants, but then want you to join them at their meatfest restaurant. They have that one vegan option! >_< Also, watching people chow down on a burger or chicken leg is very unappetizing.

Edward Snowden: Why You Should Know His Name

Sunday, June 9th the Guardian posted yet another article on the ongoing exposure of the overwhelming National Security Administration’s (NSA) PRISM program. This time it was not just a piece about the NSA, but about the whistleblower behind the leak, Edward Snowden.

[Originally published in Ladybud Magazine here: Edward Snowden: Why You Should Know His Name]

Snowden is a 29-year-old infrastructure analyst who, until recently, worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a contracting company providing the NSA with intelligence. He was exposed to a multitude of information that allowed him to piece together what the NSA was doing in regards to the surveillance of the American people, claiming he could wiretap even the President with access to a personal email address, and with his accumulating knowledge began to feel uncomfortable with what he concluded to be the NSA’s abuse of power.

RenFaire!

Huzzah for the drunkard!

J.R. Organics

I recently made my way down to Escondido to check out our CSA farm for their 6th annual event. I had decided on the first date available because I was really excited to finally get the chance to check out a farm. This is our second CSA and we never had the chance to visit the one we were a part of in Berkeley, so you can imagine how excited I was.

In case you didn't already know, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Getting a CSA box is a great way to support local farmers, get surprisingly affordable fruits and veggies, get you to eat healthier, and they can on occasion get you to try new foods you would never buy on your own. It's also a great way to find out what's in season, and when. All around a great deal.

LA Galaxy!

We finally made it to a Galaxy game, and it just happened to go hand in hand with Dan's birthday weekend. Double awesome.

Our first American football game, and second game in total. It was very different than when we saw a game in Berlin. It was very fun, but there was no practical public transportation and the beers were $11!! For corona!!! Terrible. In Berlin they were about €5 and good. The food was more diverse and cheaper as well.

I automatically learned a lesson, before the game even started. Bring food, BBQ yourself, and drink your fill before hand. Sheeh. The fact that people actually buy anything at these places is crazy.

Well anyway, we ended up getting a beer (I mean, you gotta!) after a lot of resistance and found our seats.

Of course we got the seats with a pole right in Dan's view, so we moved once it kicked off and people seemed to be settled. We moved back a bit, but were able to be in a spot where no one was in front of us and I'd say it was a better view than our original seats.

Vegan Beer & Food Festival

Golden Road!

We recently enjoyed an amazing day full of music, food, and beer tasting. Did I mention it was a vegan fest?

The 3rd Annual Vegan Food and Beer Festival took place in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. They apparently expanded the event from the previous year, bringing it across the street from the Roxy Theatre to an empty lot, instead of in the Theatre and it's small parking lot.

This was a great event. Knowing that all the food there was edible was very exciting, especially since they had a lot of yummy things, i.e., sushi, nachos, sliders, pretzels. Believe you me, I could go on.

The Getty Museum

We finally went! Dan took Friday off for his birthday and we decided to head up to the Getty Museum for the day.

Getty from the gardens.

What an amazing place. The architecture is breathtaking and is easily the best part of the entire trip. From my photographer's point of view, this place is the best! I probably snapped a million pictures of the architecture while we were there. The garden is also an experience on it's own.

Textures.

Getty's contrast with the sky.

The whole place was thought out extensively and built on two intersecting axis of Los Angeles. The walls and ground are all in a grid and cut to size in multiples of three. The masonry is very original. I don't remember the type of stone that was used, but it is from Italy and is very old. The way they cut it was done so in a way that gave each piece an individual look and feel. The rock was so old that you could often seen fossils of leaves and supposedly fish (I couldn't find any).

The architect was Richard Meier, who is well known for his love of the colour white. He believes that white embodies all colours. The funny, and perhaps ironic, thing is that one of the stipulations of designing the Getty Center was that it could not be white. Well, of course Richard Meier found away around this, by making the buildings off-white.

Close enough, right?

He did something very clever with the shades of colour when designing the center. There are areas for guests and areas for the foundation and art preservation. He used solid whites to draw people to certain areas. For instance, on the main entrance to the museum he outlined it with white, same as the tram station. Whereas, for the entrances of privates areas he did not use white. I love it.

The exhibits were interesting as well. Of course my favourite was the medieval scriptures they have. The fact that these books were handwritten and the artwork painted with expensive colours is pure craziness. If you understand the colour thing, you must be a historian!

Los Angeles

We wandered around the grounds and took both the garden tour and architectural tour, both of which I recommend. We enjoyed the views of LA and even got a good lunch. They had vegan Korean noodle salad, yes please!

The flowers naturally enhance the architecture. 

Anyway, if you live or are ever in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend going to the Getty Center, not to be confused with the Getty Villa. We'll save that for another time. :)

Mr. & Mrs. Hochreiter Tie The Knot!

My cousin (twice removed) recently got married in Arizona, and you know what that means... Road trip!

Happy Earth Week!

In honour of Earth Day this week, many people including yours truly, like to extend Earth Day into Earth Week. Here are some photo's I've taken over the years of our beautiful Mother Nature.

Berlin, Deutschland

Davey Havok's "Pop Kids" Book Signing

So a co-worker/friend of Dan and me offered to let him interview and me photograph Davey for the book signing of his first published novel, Pop Kids. Being an avid AFI fan, Dan was really excited to interview Davey. I'm not a huge punk music lover, but I love Davey because... drum roll.. he's a hardcore vegan!!

Flashback Story: Dan actually ran into him and a band-mate after a Gilman show back in the day and asked if he and his friend could tag along while they went on a hunt for ice cream. Davey said sure, probably thought it was cute some kid wanted to hang out with him. Anyway, they were looking at ice cream and Dan kept saying, "just get that one." To which Davey replied somewhere along the lines of, "I can't! It's not vegan!" Which confused the heck out of Dan. Little did he know, ten or so years later he would be marrying a vegan.

CoDeSports Championship

As you may know, Dan works for Activision, specifically Beachhead Studios which puts out Call of Duty: Elite. This tends to be awesome. We've gone to some epic parties and of course met some rad people. Although, it is a lot of work for Dan, especially when a new game is announced/released, he loves his job which makes me very happy! It makes having to live in LA okay.

Activision recently put on an event with Treyarch and Xbox for eSports. But what are eSports?

I actually asked myself the same thing before going. Dan wanted me to come and take photos, but was worried I would be extremely bored all day. That of course put me on edge thinking this was going to be really lame. Wow, I was completely wrong.

Homebrewing with Brewers

We recently had an amazing Saturday. We signed up for a homebrew demo at Eagle Rock Brewery. There were about 15 people there and two of the brewers, Lee and Andrew. We had a blast!

Dan already has brewed a handful of times at our various homes, but was never satisfied with his beers. I enjoyed them much more than he did. He also didn't like our old kitchen, so he only brewed their once. I thought this would be a great opportunity for him to learn somethings that would give him the kick he needs to get back to brewing.

The setup at the brewery is nice. They have a taproom out front and a big window looking into the brewery, which is pretty small. It was neat getting to go back there and feeling right at home. Some fun bit of info, most of their equipment turns out to be dairy machines converted to work with brewing. Pretty awesome. They actually got most of their equipment from AleSmith when they were upgrading.

Noël Jams

Noël Jams is my jam company!

While I'm still working it out, and it's not actually a business yet; I have a blog you might be interested in checking out. It talks all about my experiences creating jams, starting a business, and everything in between.

My jams, jellies and nut butters will all be as organic and as local as I can make them, vegan, and low (or no/alternative) sugar.

Please check it out and let me know what you think!

www.NoelJams.com

If you are interested in having me make you some jams, let me know! I can do wedding favors, individual jars, even mix and match batches, or custom flavors.

Also, if you know of any jam fans or someone who is looking for fun gift ideas, send them my way!

Follow my Twitter here: Noel Jams

Thanks for your support guys! Who knows, maybe I'll give you some jam! ;]

St. Patrick's

Dan's heritage escapes for a day. 

 I hope you had a nice Sunday with whatever you ended up doing. We had a grand ol' time this weekend.

We started our morning at the farmer's market to pick up our CSA box and found they have strawberries! And oh my are they juicy and delish. I bought a bunch and hopefully will be making a strawberry jam soon. I also picked up some oranges which I used to jam with when we got home. Find out more about my jam session here!

a.day.in.my.life.

Isis

Can't type. 

Can't Drink. 

Why? 

She's purring.

   

 

wednesday

Today is Wednesday. Looks like it's raining, possibly just fog misting outside.

Tonight I have a blogging class at SMC for work. Hopefully tomorrow my blogging skills will become exponentially better than today. Maybe I'll add links and such. Wish me luck at becoming more interesting.

#ExcitingTimes

Bad Religion & Pizza Port. Yes please!

So, we have been vegan for a week now. It was a little difficult for Dan this weekend, but he survived it and he doesn't seem deterred yet. Especially since today at work he got a peanut butter smoothie made with rice milk. I'm jealous!

This photo is actually from their 30th anniversary tour.
I hate being one of those people who hold their phone up the entire concert so my pictures aren't very good.

vegan

I am a vegan.

Holy moly, what a statement. I have been a vegetarian for 9 years, and what a better way to bring in my 10th year by going vegan. Now, this isn't really a new thing for me. I was vegan for about a year in college, but lost sight of my convictions and let peer-pressure and laziness take over. That followed with the years of, "I shouldn't eat dairy because I'm lactose intolerant, but I couldn't give up cheese!" argument. I even reached the point where I started to think eggs were good again. The last straw was that I started buying "humane" and "healthy" bacon for my husband, and cooking it myself. I don't know what came over me. But not anymore! A weight has been lifted off my shoulders, my soul has been cleansed, and I am relieved. Why?

I am a vegan.