scmusicals's PhotoBlog

Day 143 - Too Damp For The Season

2008-07-26T13:08:02Z

Okay...technically it's not summer yet...and this weather may be acceptable in some areas. But, not in Southern California. Rain? In May? The weather has been pretty goofy...first a heat wave and now more moisture than we're used to this time of year. Usually, it's a week of rain here and a week of rain there during the months of December and January...and yes...maybe even February. Ah well...I guess it's a good thing that our plants are getting some rain...since SoCal has been way below average lately. So, drink up little plants...it'll be a while before the weather turns this way again. =P

Day 142 - Mission Accomplished

2008-07-25T09:55:06Z

Today was my third and final day of jury duty. Now that I've served on a jury, I give props to those 12-men teams that actually come up with a verdict. We ended up with a hung jury. As far as I could tell...you would be able to get the 12 of us to agree one way or the other. After 3 days...I still hadn't taken a representative picture of the experience...so I asked the two deputies manning the entrance if I could take a picture of the California seal in the entryway. I told them it was just for a blog...and as long as I took a picture of just the seal...and showed it to them after...it would be okay. So...here it is...in all it's glory. Woo. =) As much as I learned from the process and wouldn't be adverse to serving again in the future...I still hope it's some time before I see another jury summons in the mail. ;)

Day 141 - Unexpected

2008-07-25T09:35:50Z

Day 2 of jury duty didn't start off too well. Since I tend to not roll into work until late morning/early afternoon...9:00 AM is not a good time for me. So...I overslept... In the span of a half hour, I got ready, threw on some clothes and drove like a mad man to the courthouse. When I got there...the juror parking lot was full and I had to park around the corner at city hall. I ran towards the building as the bells chimed the 9 o'clock hour. Luckily...they didn't start right on time...and we were still missing 3 jurors. =P What I did notice as I rushed towards the courthouse was this random phone booth in front of city hall. Phone booths themselves seem to be going extinct now that everyone and their mother sport their own cell phones. But...a British phone booth...in front of city hall in Southern California? Well...I thought this was more than blog worthy. ;) Oh...and the trial isn't over yet...I report back again in the morning...

Day 140 - At Your Service

2008-07-25T02:10:40Z

Nope...I'm not in the military. But, I had the opportunity to serve my country in the wonderful process of jury duty. I had only reported for jury duty on one prior occasion. It was rainy...there were no trials scheduled for the day...and we were discharged at about 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM in the afternoon. Since then, I've only had to call in...never being asked to report...until today. Not only did I have to report to jury duty, but I was put into a panel...and then chosen for a jury! It's suppose to be a short trial, so we'll see how many pictures I get around the courthouse. Unfortunately, you can't go around willy-nilly, taking photos in a government building...so I was relegated to taking pictures outside. Today, I found this statue in the "courtyard" area. It appears to be some sort of memorial...but I didn't take a picture of the plaque, so I'm not quite sure of the specifics. Ah well...I'll try to do better tomorrow!

Day 139 - A Virtual Climb

2008-07-24T22:31:09Z

After having dinner at a nearby shabu-shabu restaurant (the same one I blogged about here), I realized that I hadn't taken a picture for the day. So...this tree in the parking lot became the best choice for the moment. When I was growing up, I climbed my fair share of trees...but I wouldn't dare try to scale a palm tree as high as this one. Especially with all these lights adorning the trunk. But my question is...when the lights go out...how do you change the strand?

Day 138 - FFFF

2008-07-06T09:46:44Z

Tonight proved to be a very busy evening. After heading to the third musical reading in three days, I had to ditch that event early to head out to Hermosa Beach. Sadly, I had to say to goodbye to a sorority sister who's moving all the way to Boston to go to grad school at M.I.T. I'm so proud to have smart friends. ;) It was my first time over at the Hermosa Beach pier and I had a heck of a time finding Fat Face Fenner's Fishack. Who knew it was on the second floor and I had to find a door labeled "FFFF". Ah well...I got there eventually. The going away festivities lasted well past midnight, but I was only able to snap a few pictures by the stroke of twelve. Since most of the pictures were of people drinking, I thought I'd simply post some of the restaurant's decor above. If you're really curious about the other party photos...you can head over to my flickr page. =P

Day 137 - Typecast

2008-07-06T09:32:37Z

I guess I got to play actor for a day. This evening, a friend of mine gave a reading for the first draft of her script and asked me to play a part. When I was handed her work a few days ago, I found that she cast me as..."Monkey Mean". Hmmm... I'll try not to be offended. ;)

Day 136 - "Caged" Animals

2008-07-03T12:03:10Z

I've already gushed about Etsy in the past...so I'll refrain from doing it again this time around. I found these cute buttons on CathieU's Etsy page a few months ago. They're a set of line-drawn animals that I thought were adorable...but I didn't see a lamb among the menagerie. Luckily, Cathie was already in the midst of creating a sheep button when I messaged her about it...and when she finally put it up for sale, I decided to buy one of each beast. When they arrived, each button was self-contained in their own vending machine bubble...and here there remain. Some day I'll get a cork board so that I can display them in a proper manner. =P

Day 135 - Fiesta

2008-07-03T06:40:27Z

Who knew that when I went into work today that I would end up with a sombrero. =P We ended up having a Mexican-themed party this afternoon...I guess about a week too late of Cinco de Mayo. It was complete with tacos, cerveza, margaritas and...henna tattoos? I don't know who planned the party, but they need to improve on their research skills. I asked a Mexican co-worker about the tattoos and he simply said the party was obviously not planned by "his people". I do find it funny that this was my second opportunity to get a henna tattoo within the past week...but this time I didn't get one. It seemed really odd to see the tattoo artists there, in the midst of the red, white and green decor. I'm guessing a lot of people felt that way...since the artists were sitting there acting bored. Or maybe my co-workers just preferred the beer. =P

Day 134 - No Longer For The Playground

2008-07-03T02:35:03Z

A couple months back, I saw a rep from Hoopnotica on television. She was talking about using hula hoops for exercise...and since I enjoyed the hula hoop back in my kindergarten days, I finally decided to give this a shot. Since the company was located in Southern California, I was able to save on shipping by picking up the hoop on my own. For some reason, I expected them to have space in a building leased...but when I went to the address they gave me, it turned out to be in a housing tract...with a van parked out on the street. Somewhat amused...I decided to just take a picture of the van. I knocked on the door of the house they gave me and a woman proceeded to rummage through the van and the back of her house before she found my order. Ah...new businesses. At least this method keeps their costs low!