Not Feelin It

Lately I've been thinking that I might stop the blog. I don't feel like I've really had anything "blog-worthy" to say in a while. It's just me writing about what I did that day and that's kind of boring. Today I went to the movies. Today I went hiking. Today I rode the bus. Boring!

I still want to be involved somehow in the global web community and I'm thinking of different ideas on how to do that, but I think maybe this format is losing it's interest. I know I'll definitely keep up photos and a "photo blog" on my photos page.

Saw "Snakes on a Plane" last night at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It was so horribly bad that it was good. Hilarious.

.

LA Night Riding

So Friday night I went on an organized bicycle ride through Los Angeles. They do these about once a month and it draws a very big crowd. There were over 1,000 riders there Friday night. Each time they do a theme. This month's theme was pirates. Not sure why, but it was fun to say "arrrrrgh" all the time. I was a bit nervous about the whole thing because I wasn't sure what to expect and if I'd be able to hack it. Because I am just a hack really.

We met up at this beautiful fountain on the corner of Los Feliz and Riverside, near the 5. Most people drove there and parked, but I biked from my house and I was exhausted by the time I got there. There's an incredibly huge hill going up Los Feliz from Sunset. After I got there, I waited around and tried to meet some people, but everyone was in there little biker gang packs and it was kinda hard to break through. Or perhaps it was just that I didn't try hard enough.

So after a while, we took off and rode as a group all through different neighborhoods of Los Angeles. It was a pretty cool experience. I thought the group got a little rowdy at times, but overall it was fun. A cool part was riding through downtown LA in the middle of the night. The trail was about 15 miles long and that doesn't include the 8 miles I biked getting to and from the start/finish points from/to my house.

On the way home I was starving and only drive through windows were open. Now I know you can't walk up to a drive-thru, but can you bike up? I tried first with Jack in the Box and after holding up the line a bit because they didn't see me at the speaker where you place your order, they told me that I had to be in a car. I asked what if I was on a motorcycle? They said no. Car only. I was tempted to debate their exact definition of a "car" and how it relates to California DMV, but I let that one go. I biked on and thought I'd try Carl's Jr. on La Brea and Santa Monica. When I biked up to the speaker, I first said, "I'm on a bike, is that ok?" and they said no problem. I was thrilled. I ordered fish n chips because that's what I was craving. Perhaps it because of the pirate night. I'm glad to know that there's a 24 hour drive through nearby that won't discriminate against me because of my choice of transportation.


argh.
.

Trevor's Big Adventure

Yesterday I gave my new bike a workout. I rode down to The Grove at Farmer's Market in L.A. and just hung around there for a while. The Grove is a fun place to be. It's a cross section of L.A. all coming together to eat or shop outdoors. And they have the Apple Store, which is always fun to visit. I'm also learning how to be an L.A. urban biker. I plan to use my new bike as much as possible and drive as little as possible. I don't know why I'm so excited about my bike. Maybe it's just a phase.

Later that evening I met up with a group in L.A. that promotes bicycle events and workshops. It is called "The Bicycle Kitchen". You should check them out. It's a really cool place and they are dedicated to having a positive influence in the community. There is this whole "bicycle movement" in L.A. that is trying to make the streets of L.A. more bicycle friendly and also to try to get more people riding their bikes to work instead of driving.

http://www.bicyclekitchen.com


People with their bikes met up at The Kitchen and then we all rode together to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to watch a screening of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" outdoors on the lawn projected against a masoleum. How cool is that? Everyone brought food to share and we got a good spot up front. Before the movie, they show a slide show of old movie posters and a DJ spins some really cool tunes. Then right before the movie, as a surprise, Pee Wee himself, Paul Reubens, came out and spoke to the crowd. Then he brought out some of the cast from the movie to say "hi" as well. It was a lot of fun. Next weekend they're showing "Psycho" and the weekend after that they're showing "The Searchers." Their slogan is "Movies below and above the stars." Ha.

This is the website of the organization that hosts the outdoor movies at the cemetery:

http://www.cinespia.org

P.S. On a side note, I bought a cheap pair of sunglasses while at the beach on Friday and I have already lost them. I have the worst luck with sunglasses. Gotta go get another cheap pair. Ugh.

.

Day at the Beach

Yesterday I got up extra early to see some friends off at the airport at 6:00 AM at LAX. I didn't want to have to deal with traffic on the way back home, so I planned to stay in the area and hang out and work on the beach (which is near LAX). I went to Venice and found a free parking spot on the street a block from the beach! Free parking near the beach is gold. There was a Starbucks right across the street from where I parked, so I knew I could work there with my laptop. Every Starbucks location has internet wireless access. I didn't start working right away, I walked out to the pier and walked along the boardwalk to soak it all in. I love the beach.

Around mid-morning I went to a local bike shop and picked up my first bicycle in a very long time. I think it's perhaps been 10 years since I've owned a bicycle. Los Angeles is not very pedestrian or bicycle friendly, but there are factions within L.A. that are trying to improve on that. I'll never be a serious competitive bicyclist whether it's extreme mountain biking or speeding down PCH with a ridiculous yellow shirt with 50 other bicyclists. Laid back is more my style, so I got a black beach cruiser with big handlebars and a basket. I'm looking forward to using it more in my daily life.

So I spent the day alternating from walking/biking around the beach to sitting in Starbucks doing work on my laptop. We'll see, but I'm thinking I might try to make this a regular thing on Fridays. Fridays at Venice Beach. Sounds nice to me.


.