Annular Solar Eclipse

Yesterday my friends & I got together to have dinner and watch the Solar Eclipse from downtown Los Angeles. We didn't have anything fancy, just some paper to reflect the image on and some cameras. Luckily my friend had a couple ND filters to use so we could attempt to protect our cameras. You're also not supposed to shoot without a solar filter, but we took a gamble & made due with what we had. Even though you're not supposed to look at the sun, I wound up doing it several times unintentionally. Maybe my subconscious is taking over! I wish we had proper viewing equipment to be able to look at it directly.

An Annular Solar Eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth & the Sun, causing most of the sun to be blocked from sight, but leaving a ring of sunshine around the outside at its peak. The last time this happened I was a Junior in High School. I remember everyone gathering outside to view it, but I don't remember actually getting to see anything. I don't think the school organized it, so I don't think I had anything to view it with.

Here are my results - In the first 3, the eclipse is visible by a light flare, and the last 3 are with the ND filters in front of the lens to see the actual sun & moon. All shots taken btwn 6:30 & 7pm. The pictures may look dark but don't be fooled. It was super bright out the entire time! In fact, I'll include a picture I took of downtown just 3 minutes after I took the last shot, which was behind me to the left when facing the sun.

Music & Nature

Last month, I went to see We Were Promised Jetpacks again but this time at a much smaller venue - The Echo! I was pretty excited to see them in such a small place, despite it being packed and having to stand next to the bar throughout the show. This wasn't the best angle for pictures. They were super awesome as always. Highly recommend!

I've been hiking a lot more lately. So far I've been going about once a week. I'm trying to stay more active & when you get in the rut of living life in a car loving city, you are forced with getting fat, joining the gym or trying something fun. So fun it is! In the last few weeks I've gone to Runyon Canyon, Fryman Canyon, Brand Park / Verdugo Mountains & Escondido Falls. To be fair, I did Runyon in February & picked up going again in April. Runyon wasn't too bad until we hit the stairs going up. That was a killer for me. I think it's about a 3 mile hike. Fryman Canyon was just under 3 miles & has a steep incline to start, but afterwards wasn't bad. Plus, we got to walk through a fancy neighborhood at the trail end, which apparently includes George Clooney's house. I didn't take any pictures on the Fryman hike, but here are some from Runyon:

The trail at Brand Park was quite difficult because of the incline, but has really great views of Glendale, Downtown, Burbank & the valley. My friend told me it's about a 3 mile hike, but we wandered around another trail as well. We went the opposite of her normal route, and the way down is incredibly steep. My legs were shaking! We did this one when it was sprinkling out, which I welcomed.

I went to Malibu yesterday to do the Escondido Falls hike. We only went to the base of the 1st waterfall. I hear the views & 2nd waterfall are tons nicer, but it's a bit rough / dangerous getting up there. Considering my company we just kept it simple. I'd like to do it again if I'm feeling adventurous to see the other waterfalls. This hike isn't too difficult. It's not very steep but it is longer than the other ones I've been doing. It's best to do on a cool day in the Spring. You're in direct sun for a good portion of the hike, and waterfalls are always best closest to when it's been raining. This is about 4.2 miles altogether.

The other day I was downtown and in addition to finding out where all the handsome men apparently are lately, I found a couple cute objects while walking around.

I should probably make this next section a different post, but we'll see how it goes. Last year, Rocky Votolato did a Kickstarter campaign to self release his new record instead of going back to a label. It was hugely successful, gaining almost twice the funding than he set a goal for. I contributed and got the download of his new album in March and honestly, my first thought was - boring. I was a bit disappointed. "Little Spring" was by far the best song on the album and a pretty great & catchy song it is. After hearing that I expected the rest of the album to have some of the same oomph but it did not. It took me a while to come back to it, but after listening to it several times there are several exceptional songs on there. The tone is quite different in my opinion than his other albums, except maybe his very early works. It's a lot more mellow & folksy than I'm used to so like usual, I have to learn to listen to it in a different way. This happens to me from time to time where I buy an album & at first hate it, but then grows on me so much I can't believe I ever thought that way.

I was curious how his show would be. I've been going to see him play for 9 years, and he always puts on a good show, but the last couple times I saw him, at The Troubadour especially, he seemed to rush through his material. I'm not sure if it was to get more songs in, but for me picking up the pace of his songs takes away from how good they are. To my delight, he was exceptionally good on Saturday night. You could tell he was in a great mood - he sounded fantastic & he looked really happy. I think the crowd was less full than I've seen at his shows in the past (it was Cinco de Mayo) but still quite a full room. He played several new songs but really mixed up his play list. I'm pulling these off the top of my head & they certainly aren't in order, but I'm pretty sure he played these songs. I'm sure I'm missing some. Little Spring, Ghost Writer, Fool's Gold, Tinfoil Hats, Mix Tapes/Cellmates, Montana, Goldfield, Alabaster, The Night's Disguise, Suicide Medicine, Silver Trees, She Was Only In It For The Rain, Makers, Instrument

 Super moon!

Thinking of music

I was thinking about this album (White Chalk) tonight. I love PJ Harvey, as most people know. She's my favorite, and this album was just amazing. Once I start You Tubing videos, it's hard to stop!


Dear Darkness:

Silence:

Movies 2012

This seemed a more appropriate answer for updating my theater goings for this year instead of updating that insane years long movie list blog I did a while back. What can I say... I see the good ones, I see the bad ones... sometimes I get to see them for practically free.

2012
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy @ Los Feliz 3 (CA) w/ Kelley & Heather

• I liked this movie, but it was interesting trying to keep the names straight. I wasn't surprised at who the spy was in the end. It's kind of obvious thanks to casting.

Melancholia @ Pasadena Laemmle Playhouse (CA) [Alone]

• I really wanted to see this movie after seeing the trailer b/c it looked so beautiful. It was a pretty dry movie, but I tend to like those. The first few minutes were like having a surrealist painting come alive. The rest of the story was an interesting look into the two sisters. I wrote a blog about it.

The Iron Lady @ Los Feliz 3 (CA) w/ Kelley & Heather

• This movie, happily, turned out to be something different than what I thought it would be. I loved the way they told the story.

One For The Money @ Alhambra 14 (CA) w/ Heather

• Several reasons for seeing this. 1. I love romcoms. 2. My mom read this book series and has been talking non stop about how excited she is to go see it. 3. I got a Groupon for a $6 ticket. It was a very average movie. It was cute & fun though. Nothing extraordinary happening here. Opening sequence was not my favorite.

The Woman In Black @ Burbank 16 (CA) w/ Heather

• This could have been a really good movie, if not for them totally dropping the ball.

This Means War @ Burbank AMC 16 (CA) w/ Heather & Kelley

• A Valentine's girls night out at the movies to look at pretty men in a fun movie.

The Adventures of Tintin @ Regency 6 Pasadena w/ Elena

• Apart from a tiny plot flaw, this was a very enjoyable movie.

The Hunger Games @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather, Crystal & Marcos

• I didn't read the books but I thought the movie was very good. My friend tells me she is disappointed they didn't show the horror of what was happening more, but I have an imagination & could tell how frightened the main character was.

Mirror Mirror @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather

• Oh god what an awful movie. I liked some of the set design & the actors, but they made it soooo hoaky. Such a shame. I thought it would just be a fun fluff film to see but it was a disappointment.

The Princess Bride @ Arclight Sherman Oaks (CA) w/ Heather, Crystal, Kelley, Kirstin, Patty, AJ, Jess, & Lisa

• Exciting surprises awaited us. We had just had our book club meeting this day & had read The Princess Bride - then went to Arclight where they were screening it. We wound up getting a film print to watch (which was very scratched up) and a Q&A with Cary Elwes who plays Wesley. Then we got to meet him & take a picture afterward. Fun!

Raiders of the Lost Arc @ Arclight Hollywood (CA) w/ Heather, Crystal & Kevin

• I've seen this movie so many times, but it was pretty fun to see it on the big screen.

The Lucky One @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Kelley

• The real bonus to this was that I only had to pay 75 cents to see it thanks to reward points. I did have to yell at people twice which is annoying. Once to people who cut in front of us at the ticket line then proceeded to call the cashier a racist when he had said they had to wait their turn after us, then to another set of people who wouldn't shut the fuck up during the movie. I don't care if people comment here or there but talking for like 20 minutes is unacceptable - no matter how bad the movie... and speaking of bad movies... yeah, this is pretty bad. The writing is just awful. You do get to oogle Zac Efron now that he has a manly body. It's nice to see Taylor Schilling in something again. I loved the show 'Mercy' she was on that only lasted one season.

The Avengers @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather, Marcos & Aaron

• Holy moly... This movie is super fun! It helps to see the other movies leading up to it, but I don't think it's necessary. Just well made, well written & well casted.

Men In Black @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather

• We went for a midnight movie - it was pretty fun. The tongue scene was pretty gross. Josh Brolin does an excellent job as a young Tommy Lee Jones. Fun times, cheesy movie.

Snow White and the Huntsman @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather & Kelley

• While the girls I went with didn't seem too impressed with this movie, I friggin' loved it.

Prometheus @ Arclight Hollywood (CA) w/ Athena, Brad & Co

• I went with a ton of people to see this film after spending the entire day before watching every single Alien & Predator movie. I personally loved it, despite some flaws. It wasn't exactly what I expected but it made sense to me.

Magic Mike @ Burbank 16 AMC (CA) w/ Heather

• Heather wanted to see some sexy men so off to see this movie we went! It was a pretty weird movie, but I liked it.

To Rome With Love @ Arclight Pasadena (CA) w/ Heather

• I love Woody Allen movies. I didn't think this was one of his best, it was pretty weird, but I liked it. Plus, it was great to see Italy after having gone there last year.

The Dark Knight Rises @ Arclight Pasadena (CA) w/ Heather

• The story had a lot of flaws, but I still really liked it. I'm not going to get all crazy about it. It doesn't quite live up to the other two, but it's still enjoyable. Plus, it was cool to see some familiar shots of Pittsburgh & LA in there. Plus, the incredibly hot cast doesn't hurt.

Getting Some Art & Culture In

Well, I've been meaning to write for a while, but I have been side tracked heavily by making a photo book of my trip to Italy. I've never made one before & I thought it would be simple, but apparently it took me all week to do. Editing down 1000+ pictures into someone else's formatting is not really a task I wanted to deal with... especially when I want more creative control, but, it is done & now I will have a wonderful photo album by the end of the week. I haven't been printing out many photographs since I got a digital camera and I do love having photo albums, so big vacations like that really call for one.

So... art & culture! I've been a bit busy taking in the ballet, the circus, a few nights out & some movies. Not bad, not bad at all.

First thing's first. Ballet Preljocaj's Snow White at The Music Center in DTLA. The costumes were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, which was an added draw into wanting to see this. I really loved this ballet, although I would cut down time on a couple of the scenes. In particular the first court scene goes on forever. Yes, it was wonderful to watch, but it was just too long. I thought this a couple times here & there, but overall it was lovely. They open with a quite stunning scene of Snow White's mother dying in child birth. It was dark & haunting & brilliantly done. I think we lost out a bit by being in the balcony as far as being able to take real notice of the costume detail. It is modern ballet so it felt a bit like watching performance dance, which in a way I guess is modern ballet. The sets were interesting & overall it was a lot of fun to see.
www.preljocaj.org

©JC Carbonne

©JC Carbonne

Speaking of Snow White, I did go see Mirror, Mirror and boy was that a disappointment. It's odd b/c the actors were good, the costumes & sets were pretty good... but the writing. Oh god, it was just awful. It was so hoaky. I'm not sure what their goal was, but I just kept shaking my head. I didn't expect it to be as disappointing as it was. I thought it would be lighthearted & funny, nothing special but a cute movie & it really missed the mark. So, I do have very high expectations for Snow White and the Huntsmen, which I have been extremely excited to see, not only b/c it looks dark & haunting but also b/c Charlize Theron is in it & I love her. I mean, it looks seriously fucking awesome.
www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com

I have also recently been to Cirque du Soleil's Iris at The Kodak Theatre. It was super fun although it too had it's imperfections. I thought perhaps there would be an overall story to it, and they tried to have one, but it seemed a bit all over the place & not coherent, which I can forgive given the extraordinary acrobatics. There were times there were so many performers on stage that I didn't know where to look & felt I was missing out. It was a bit much & perhaps unnecessary at times. However, where it was lacking, it more than made up for in spectacle of set & costume design and especially in performance. We sat in box seats, which was quite fun but couldn't see inside one of the side set pieces.

©CirqueDuSoleil

Some of the performers were out mingling & messing about with the audience before the show. One performer had a giant Zoetrope around her waist & when it spun you saw two men boxing. The atmosphere was wonderful. There were twins who performed a stunning display of strength & acrobatics as they soared above & out over the audience. There were two large groups of men & women performing impressive acts & a lady whose flexibility is almost doll like as she balanced on one hand while moving from pose to pose. The incorporation of film was fun to watch, especially in the set piece designed like a strip of film & the rooftop setting for the film noir. I could go on & on about it, so I just highly recommend it.
www.cirquedusoleil.com

©Kayte Deioma

©CirqueDuSoleil

©CirqueDuSoleil

©Mark Dulong

My friends and I also went to The Cicada Club, which is a prewar (WWII) styled dinner & dancing club. We went on their Sunday night, which has bands & lots of people showing up in style. It was pretty awesome. Plus, you can get your picture taken on the moon.
www.cicadaclub.com

And finally, the book club I'm in read The Princess Bride this time around, and happenstance would also have the Arclight showing the film that very night. So we gathered the girls together and went to the movies! What surprises awaited us were, not only were they going to show it on film & not digital projection as we thought, but Cary Elwes would be there for a Q&A session afterward. Very cool! One of our dear friends practically lost her mind with this knowledge since she loves both those things very very much and really got the evening topped off nicely when we got to meet & take a picture with him. He was very funny & charming during the Q&A, and certainly did not have to let a huge crowd of people take pictures with him, but he did. What a good sport.

The moon is up and over One Tree Hill

I guess since the only other person I know who watches OTH is a girl I used to babysit and now only know through Facebook, I need to say a few words now that the series finale has aired after nine seasons of faithful viewership.

This show first aired the fall after I moved to LA. Still getting to know people & find my place here, and of course having my brother decide to move across the country to live on the floor of my studio apartment, I welcomed the show.

Friends joked about how I liked this teen show they thought was terrible, but I always loved it & was never afraid to admit that. It was never a guilty pleasure for me. I found it funny how they could brush it off so easy when they were in love with shows like The O.C. where rich kids get into all sorts of trouble & the drama was always high, or compare it to Dawson's Creek b/c it was filmed in the same town and also has a group of teenagers, or think Gossip Girl is an amazing show. While I did enjoy The O.C., I never cared for the other two. And really, what's personal taste account for? There will always be someone out there that thinks something sucks when you don't.

What OTH did have going for it, despite occasional ridiculousness, is a good, relatable and intriguing story with character development that made me want to watch it week after week. I loved some characters; I hated some characters, but there was always something interesting. Yes, it gets a bit soapy & dramatic, but it seems par for the course. There were times when I thought, really? This is the band that Peyton likes b/c it seems pretty weak in comparison, or Oh my are they really having a dance party with a 5 year old singing "boots with the fur", or I can't believe psycho nanny is a storyline or that Lucas is talking to a ghost or dreaming that he's in the 1920's... but really it's all done as sincere as they can. The show is serious when it needs to be, lighthearted and fun when it needs to be, and off the rails when they need that high drama. Really, the most ridiculous argument one could make for their plots is - do those kids really all grow up to be successful?

The show struggled season to season but always triumphed and it's nice that they got a short order last season to have an end to write to, an end that was satisfying, an end that makes you happy.

Diana F+ - 55mm Close Up Lens

I haven't been intentionally putting off my lens testing project, but I sure have been slacking since the debacle that was the last 2 rolls of failed film. It's making me very very nervous!

Today I went out & shot a roll of Fuji Velvia slide film with the close up lens. I attached a marked ribbon to my camera to insure the accurate 6" focal distance was met. It was pretty cloudy out today & that film is only 100 speed so I am hoping that it comes out alright. I want to develop one of those rolls of Velvia normal, but I'm not sure if I should cross process this one or not. Decisions, decisions.

Next up is the 55mm lens. I have a lot of film to use up so I'm also adding to my testing list the 2 separate flashes I have as well. Plus, I can not deal with the price it costs to develop & scan at the lab, so I'm on the hunt for an all in one wireless printer that hopefully can scan negatives as well. Researching is one of my least favorite things to do, so I'm not looking forward to it, but since my printer has died, it's something I need to do soon.

I really want to do some fun photography projects. I need to get some friends over to goof off in front of the camera.