Category: Life

A Lunar Meditation with Walk the Moon

walk-the-moon-one-foot-mv-still-bb4-2019-billboard-embed-.jpg

READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

This was a weird one. With almost no background in the arts of woo-woo (other than being the Berkley-born quartz-loving son of two hippie survivors), I was sent to join in a moon meditation circle with psychological astrologer Danielle Beinstein and, yes, Walk the Moon singer Nicholas Petricca — so, moon meditation “triangle” would be more accurate. In any case, despite the awkwardness inherent in three strangers (one with a recording device) meeting up to share our secrets by the waning light of an impending eclipse, it was a surprisingly natural experience. Petricca and I both spilled our guts while getting to know our respective inner children. Also, though it didn’t fit the article, because of my entry-level status, the meditation eventually morphed into a summit on all things occult. Also: Petricca is on a tarot card (see below).

Continue reading →

Best of L.A. 2018: All That Glitters Is Goldblum

jeff-goldblum-the-mildred-snitzer-orchestra-new-album-the-capitol-studios-sessions.png

READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

Chaos Theory won’t explain the fact that two of my three Best of L.A. entries for Los Angeles Magazine this year take place at Rockwell Table and Stage. Well, maybe it does. Honestly, Ian Malcolm didn’t give the most coherent lecture on the subject. Or he did, but the fact that Jeff Goldblum’s flirt switch is forever stuck in the “on” position obscured the lesson. But goddamn if that isn’t the beauty of The ‘Blum, one of the rare grown American men in this world who can make anyone he meets feel, um, desired without coming across as an, ah, total creep. But that’s an essay for another day. Here, I’ve written about the best Celeb-Fronted Music Residency, which, yes, goes to Goldblum at Rockwell; the best Live Musical Parodies of Movies, which, yes, goes to the UMPO crew at Rockwell; and the best Guided Urban Historical Hike (which goes to the fantastic L.A. native, historian, and journalist Charles Fleming). So, ah, go, um, read about it.

 

BEST OF LOS ANGELES 2017: MEZCALERIAS AND MORE

COVER_BOLA;10_View copy.indd

READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

Ready your appetite, your liver, and your sense of adventure — it’s that time of year again: Los Angeles Magazine’s BEST OF LOS ANGELES. I had a huge haul this year, play-testing (for your benefit, not mine, nope, didn’t enjoy this at all, haha riiiiiight) three finalists in each of 13 categories, which for convenience’s sake I’ll split here into two super-categories. In the WHAT TO EAT zone (page one of the long list on the mag site), I crowned winners in the domains of: Fancy Grilled Cheese (No. 4), Coffee Concoction (No. 5), Mezcaleria (No. 6), Barcade (No. 13), Cemita (No. 18), Rare Liquor Retailer (No. 19), and Cheese Appreciation Class (No. 26). In the WHAT TO DO space (page two), you’ll find: True Crime Tours (No. 40), L.A. River Kayak Tour (No. 48), Laser Tag for Adults (No. 50), Picnic on Mars (No. 54), Hip Bowling Alley (No. 55), and Distillery Tour (No. 57). Whew. And the latter should include a quick Q&A in print. Now go plan your entire summer.

The Golden Age of Robot Pottery

slate-ceramix.png

READ IT AT SLATE

Part two in this Slate X Jaguar collabo finds me delving deep into the world of 3D printing to learn about the digital future of an ancient, haptic art—pottery. I spoke to a series of expert practitioners in the U.K. (where computer-assisted ceramix have been embraced in both academic and fine art circles) and here in the U.S. (where the practice of clay fabrication is just, um, taking shape). I loved speaking to these folks, so please be sure to check out their work: Kate Blacklock, Chris Gustin, Michael Eden, Jonathan Keep, and Ronald and Virginia Rael.

Los Angeles Mag’s Best of L.A., Starring Carrot Cake

cover_850px

READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

For the first time in my life, I found myself with a cheese budget. It was glorious. Sadly, the results of that painstaking research appear in print only: the crowning of Cheesemongers of Sherman Oaks as the best (duh) cheesemongers in the city. On the L.A. Mag site, though, you can find my entries on carrot cake, gin joints, Filipino food, bone broth, dinner and a gig, bird-watching, outdoor gun ranges, and build-a-bot classes for kids. How’s that for range?

A Coffee Snob’s Guide to Camping, and More

lamag-camp-619

READ IT IN LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (print only)

It sucks that you can’t read this online, but if you’re headed to the wilderness soon, you’ll want a hard copy of Los Angeles Mag’s Camping issue. I’ve got several contributions: the Coffee Snob’s Guide above (click the pic for a bigger image); a breakdown of the Channel Islands’ offerings; select sites in the big list (Joshua Tree, Sequoia); and a few additions to the camping etiquette ticker. Remember, if a bear is a’wanderin’, you should get to hollerin’: Comin’ yer way!

A Few of My Favorite Things, Silver Lake Edition

Screen Shot 2015-04-01 at 12.31.14 PM

EXPLORE AT UTRIP

I still don’t *really* understand what this site is or who uses it, but they gave me a (pro-bono) chance to shout out my favorite places for food, music, booze, caffeine, etc. in Los Angeles. Plus, they promised to call me an expert. To see my picks, go to Utrip, click “See Itinerary,” and then enter an arbitrary date (you’re not going to do this, I know, it’s okay). From there (ha), click on the little “Overview” tab above the map. FINALLY, you can scroll down Continue reading →

Old Stuff Starts Here…

This site was relaunched in November of 2015, but the blog’s been around since April of 2009. It’s been through many changes, so what lies beyond is almost certainly not formatted properly and often (yuck) written in third person. It’s also incomplete. I’m still filling in my two-plus years as a SPIN staffer, and moving even older posts over to this site. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯