November -- the unexpectedly cool month
You ever have one really perfect, yet altogether temporary, thing in your life and anything else like it can't compare so you abstain from all things related for the rest of your existence?
Well, folks, cheeseburgers have been ruined for me. I've been forced into cheeseburger-celibacy (you know until I get a Tommy's one or ... NO! It's just not the same *sobs*).
And what is the name of this Adonis of a burger joint? Phoenix, Arizona's Heart Attack Grill (to the left, "Nurse" Trisha with Brandon). More on my ridiculous combination of lust and gluttony later.
November for me was quite a stress-reliever. Went on two mini-road trips, hit up several museums, saw Beowulf in IMAX 3D, went to Down's concert, and celebrated my favorite holiday: Dia de los Muertos. (If you thought I was going to say Thanksgiving, I'm not that big of a glutton. Jeez...)
At the beginning of the month, Brandon and I went to a few Day of the Dead celebrations, participated in a community altar project at the FolkTree in Pasadena, and went to the last day of the Frida Kahlo show at Picture This!'s gallery:
From Olvera Street:
Man dressed as an altar. Just stating the obvious for some--depending on how dark you have your monitor set, you might not see his legs.
The symbolic deaths of drunk driving, border violence, war and cancer. The years for war were painted to read "1492-NOW."
Traditionally, along with showing corn in its various processed states and representing the four elements, altars are also meant to provide the dead with things they loved in life. While many altars include shots of tequila, we just thought it was great that someone included Philippe's French-dipped sandwiches for the soul's enjoyment.
Our favorite churro place had chocolate skulls this year, along with the traditional sugar ones and pan de muerto.
The beginning of the procession.
From the Bowers Museum:
The Aztec dancers giving a performance illustrating death and their cultural traditions.
Death stakes her claim.
The next weekend (3-day weekend due to Veterans' Day) was spent fooling around the California ScienCenter, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the Natural History Museum where we started trying to imitate Hiro in the first season (And failed since I forgot the camera angle was from the other side. D'oh.)
Later that week, drove down to San Clemente with my parents to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit the next day in San Diego. (Sorry, Gina, I was only there so long. :( ) While photos were prohibited in the exhibit, here's some I took at Balboa Park:
My mom. Being an ultra-Catholic she had to see the scrolls. My dad opted to visit the auto museum instead.
Seemed like every doorway in the park had a really intricate arch like this.
Mom in front of one of the dinosaur models in the Natural History Museum.
Model that displays how our bones look when turning the ball.
Amusingly enough, the guy on the horse wasn't near as detailed as the horse itself with every vein popping, among other things (Forgive me if it's too dark. I edited these pictures using a monitor that was apparently rather bright).
The next weekend being Thanksgiving, followed by three days of recovery, Brandon and I trekked out to Phoenix to see his mom, grandmother and uncle and anyone else who might meet us there.
A sampling of the kitchen conversation:
Brandon's grandma: "Maryanne's mother got remarried pretty quickly."
Brandon's mom: "Is there still sex at that age?"
Brandon's grandma: "Oh yeah there is, but it's a lot more different than you'd expect."
Heading home on Black Friday, we stopped at the Phoenix Auto Show, the Mystery Castle and of course, the Heart Attack Grill. We were leaving early to make it back in time for the Down concert at the Music Box (where, while we were in line to get in, guitarist Kirk Windstein came strutting out of the tour bus, right next to where we were, dragging a cloud of weed with him, heh):
Arizona's Mystery Castle. Built by Boyce Gulley in the 1930s after he came down from Seattle due to having tuberculosis (back in the day, if you had TB, you headed on down to Arizona), the castle is still a home for his daughter Mary Lou. The place is seriously the Watts Towers meet William S. Hart's mansion.
Mary Lou and I standing in front of her favored pet rocks. She's so quirky.
Part of the house.
The wishing well that sits over the bar. During Boyce's time, one could walk up to the wishing well, wish for a drink and it would come up on a dumbwaiter.
The Levi Room. Mary Lou has an obsession with denim.
More of the folkart.
The wedding chapel's organ. Since it supposedly came from Tombstone, Arizona, Mary Lou hung a picture of Wyatt Earp on the wall behind it. Incidentally, Mary Lou seems to like putting mannequins and dummies everywhere. If I get around to editing any more pictures, I might end up posting a collection of the creepy ones she has laying around.
The message in the chapel.
The shoes past brides have left. It's sort of funny that the shelf is topped with a picture of Diego Rivera and Frida, though. ;)
The drive-thru menu of our now favorite fast food restaurant.
One of the many signs hanging in the place.
Heart-stopping goodness.
"You have been served by..."
Here's a really bad cellphone camera-taken picture from the concert. Brandon and I opted for seating in the upstairs, in the otherwise standing room only venue, since my right knee has been so bad lately. Awesome show, and Brandon got a playlist from the tech crew.
Also that weekend, Lee came down from San Jose and he, Bernie (formerly shuttieuppie), Brandon and I hung around LACMA and the Promenade, happy to discover the return of Bubble Man.
Lastly, took part in the 1000 Cranes for Heroes project. I folded about 130 to send to WGA West to show support for the Heroes writers. So far we're up to 1077, last I checked:
