New Moon
Lila glanced at the calendar and realized 5 September is the new moon, which she then read online is a good day to make a fresh start. So if you’ve been feeling tired and stressed, it’s a perfect day to make a new beginning!
Urban Chickens
Backyard chicken keeping is quite popular in Los Angeles, and fans even have a Facebook page and Meetup group. Lila always looks forward to seeing this local family of chickens that free range feeds nearby.
Quirky Silver Lake
One of the things Lila loves most about living in her area, is seeing bright colors combined with ordinary objects creatively re-imagined, as with the wooden chandeliers hanging outside El Chavo Restaurant on Sunset Boulevard.
Labor Day Respite
Today the past months of work and travel caught up with Lila, and she spent much of the day resting. Ian quietly sipped coffee and prepared for the week ahead and a special assignment for which he will be traveling during the next two weeks.
Fish & Shrimp Tacos
Ian and Lila often wander up to Best Fish Taco in Ensenada in Los Feliz for quick, affordable, tasty meals. It’s only $1.75 for a fish taco or $2.25 for a shrimp or a potato (papataco, for veggie/vegans) taco, and just $1 for a soft drink, fresh horchata (cinnamon rice milk), jamaica (hibiscus tea) or tamarindo agua fresca (tamarind drink). Plus, Lila feels like she’s at the beach while eating at the adjoining patio underneath a canopy of palm fronds. Bliss.
Movie Night
One of Ian’s and Lila’s favorite places to catch a movie is at the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, a 1920s vintage theater with a cool Egyptian theme and great atmosphere. This Saturday they decided to walk over and take in an evening showing of the new Simon Pegg movie, The World’s End.
After watching the movie, Ian and Lila strolled down Sunset Boulevard to Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where Ian selected Decaf Librarian’s Blend coffee and Lila chose Organic Golden Needles black tea. Sitting on the patio enjoying a pleasant conversation and sipping their drinks provided a perfect way to end the day.
Co-op Stuff
Walking down the sidewalk, Ian and Lila observed this lighted window. Ian motioned toward the door and they strolled in to observe the vintage and reproduction materials scattered around the shop. Lots of fun stuff to see.
Awesome Thrifting
Ian totally grumbles about shopping for clothes, which makes it torturous for Lila to go with him. However, on a recent shopping expedition, Ian and Lila struck gold at a local thrift store. Lots of brand name stuff had been donated in Ian’s size, which being large to XL was extra super!
Lila was wandering through the shoe section and spied a pair of men’s shoes, and not just any shoes — Born shoes! Jessica had always wanted a pair of Born shoes herself, but could never force herself to pay that much. Grabbing the shoes off the shelf, she toted them over to where Ian stood. He glanced over at the shoes. “Great, whatever.”
“But, but, you don’t understand. These are,” Lila looked around cautiously as though someone would reach out to grab them from her hands, and whispered,”Born shoes. They cost like a buttload of money.” She peeked at the price inside the shoes and nearly squealed, “Ten bucks! Sweet.” She sighed blissfully.
When Wine Calls…
One of Ian’s and Lila’s favorite markets lies only a few blocks away, which is handy for those late night cravings. Ian likes the two (well, actually three now) buck chuck, while Lila thinks TJ’s is convenient for picking up basic household supplies, slightly esoteric food stuff, and especially lately, mocha cappuccino mix. For variety, Lila adds hot cocoa mix, a few sprinkles of cardamom, or even coffee to the mocha capp for some extra caffeine zing.
Ian & Lila @Home
Lila strung the lights across the balcony area — Ian couldn’t care less, but he grudgingly agreed that it added a European flair to the patio. Lila pointed out that was exactly the point. As usual, the only thing they could agree on was a little tequila with some lime to cut through the taste of a long day at work.