Hello, world.

Writing is going okay, which means still doin' it but not everyday (like sex when you're in a long term relationship). Still, should do it more often. I feel like I am so almost done with it; I'm so close to having a first draft sort of. It's been a great learning process and I'm still trying. Collecting words, sentences, paragraphs. Sometimes I feel like I have nothing and other days it's like it writes itself. Why? Magic.

Here are some photos in my camera from recent weeks:

A wall of press clippings at Cassell's; supposed to be one of the good burgers in LA. Good burger, but nothing compared to JG Mellon or Corner Bistro.

Where the 405 meets the 105.

Sign in front of a crab restaurant on Berendo Street in Ktown - Korean, English, and Spanish! Don't you love that?

***

Here is a list I made today (names removed):

Things on my desk

November 12, 2008

Letter to T, addressed and stamped

Little Chinese silk purse for change

White metal headband, H and M

Rubberband

Citi bill

Blue coffee mug

Chapstick

Tweezer

Camel matches

Mirror with my design-her-gal graphic

Blue ink pen

Treble clef earrings from A, bought in Korea

Lip Smakers Mango Berry lip gloss, gift from A

Another chapstick

“It List” book, gift from K

Y L business card, Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association

Korean restaurant business card, went there with J for ribs

J T business card, Korean Youth & Community Center

J USC dental business card

White Rabbit business card, with J K’s phone number and email address, given to me the last time I saw her, my last weekend in New York, at White Rabbit

K L business card, Sony

Ulta Beauty rewards card

Photobooth photo of me with K and J, from The Smith

Return address labels from some charity solicitation

Tomato and eggplant plush magnets, from Asian Pacific American Legal Center gala dinner gift bag

Jet Set! luggage tag, gift for K

Official ballot ticket from November 4^th 2008 general election

NY Public Library card

T’s address

Photo of Orchard apartment red bedroom wall, with self-portrait

Moonlit Memories champagne glass, from junior prom – used as pen holder

Red ink pen inside champagne glass

Card from A, from before he left for Korea

White electric tape

Checkbook

The Elements of Style, Strunk and White

Glass vase, from B and M’s wedding reception

Cute jump drive figurine, gift from A

Post-it notes with notes on my novel written on them

Safety pin

Black resin flower earrings, from Florence vintage shop

Blue silk pouch, gift from KK, bought in Korea

Silver Sephora silk pouch, with lots of digital camera memory cards in it

Glass mug with unicorn design, in a cardboard box, gift from A, bought in Korea

Water colors kit, gift from A, bought in New York

Box of holiday cards

Box of flower note cards

Offer Letter from last job

Piece of paper ripped out from little square notebook, with list of things for A’s Perfect Day

Hand-crafted bookmark, gift from A, bought in Korea

Pocket calendar, gift from A’s mom, bought in Korea

Colored pencils

Sketch pad, can also be used for water colors, gift from A

Manila file folder with tax papers from last three years

Old job description

Hula girl lotion dispenser, gift from L

Photograph of me and my grandfather (mom’s dad), taken in 2005

Old photo of my grandmother (mom’s mom)

Forever stamps

Here is the finished Jo painting:

And also, a painting of K:

This is Venice Beach:

A lovely little green art-deco house:

And Spiderman crawling up the fire escape:

The end.

It's way too late and I should have been asleep an hour ago. Tomorrow I'm going to a fancy fundraising dinner (got a free seat through work) and I will probably wear this black H & M cocktail (but not slutty) dress I have, but I don't know with what shoes or other accessories. I hate how dresses often don't have pockets, because you don't have a nice place to put your things, like lip gloss and business cards.

Five years ago I didn't have any girly things, hardly. Four years ago I didn't know what a fundraiser was or how it related to anything else having to programs at a non-profit organization. Three years ago I didn't start writing my novel yet.

On Friday I had dinner with S, my oldest friend, who I've known since the seventh grade (seventeen years ago).

On Saturday I went with A to his sister's birthday party, and I saw an old friend there and we talked about things that happened ten years ago, when we were students at Berkeley.

It's lovely to be back in LA. I'm having all of these old, old memories resurface, and they're mostly pleasant. The passing of time colors your memories, and sometimes I even think of high school fondly, even though I know deep down inside that I hated that place and I was so miserable, and that I'd never want to send my own kids to a high school like that. Or did I just have a terrible attitude? That too is totally possible.

My friend JR lives in Echo Park now; his neighborhood is all beautiful Victorian houses. Across the street from his house is where they used to film Charmed.

And where he lives now is where they filmed Grandma's Boy, he told me.

You can see Downtown from his backyard (my new office is in there, somewhere...).

We did some painting today, for a couple hours.

He painted his dog, Honey Daniels. I painted my friend Jo - but I didn't finish it.

Here's the real Honey Daniels, taking a bath:

PS - remember the Freeway Kids mural on the 101? (I found this picture in my old files, from a Christmas visit back here in 2005):

I know you remember especially the kid at the end, the one holding the basketball, because he always looked mildly retarded. Well guess what - those kids are gone. The wall got painted over! I was driving by today and looking forward to seeing those damn kids, and they're not there anymore. But the "Buckle Up" cop is still there - though his lower half is painted over, too.

The end.