Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom

Things that would happen if The Legion of Doom merged with the Swiss Family Robinson:

1. Cheetah makes the Robinson boys into men.

2. Mother Robinson sews Solomon Grundy a new pair of pants.

3. They combine to build this sweet house..

The first time I came across this place, I half expected to see Julie Andrews sweeping the front porch surrounded by little cartoon bluebirds. Turns out, that song ain't so very far from wrong. It was designed and built over a 24-year period by former Disney animator Lawrence Joseph and became a Historical-Cultural Monument in 1996.

Years later, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin would move into the neighborhood.

Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence & Apartments
Dunn Dr. south of Venice Blvd.
Culver City

We Don't Need Another Hero

Yours truly has been quite busy. I've become the intrepid reporter. Mostly sampling high school football stadium snack bar cuisine. But it has given me more reason to be out and about during the day. After all you can never have too much vitamin D.

Well, actually you can. And it can cause all kinds of nasty symptoms. But it's pretty hard to do...like drinking coffee with a fork. But I digress...

Just a couple of days ago I was out on Driveabout, which can be either:

a.) The Los Angeles equivalent of Walkabout.

b.) A clever way to say I got lost trying to get somewhere else.

You decide.

Regardless, I turned a corner and came upon this.

Thinking I had perhaps stumbled upon a secret entrance to Thunderdome, I googled it (and the strange spaceship looking building that calls itself Samitaur) shortly after I got home. Turns out, it's the Samitaur Tower and is going to be an integral feature to one of the stops on the Expo Line.  It's also an event board, art show and performance space all shaped like a stack of stainless steel overstuffed Oreos. 

Since my mad prattlings can't possibly equate to the creator's vision of the tower, I'll shut up and let you read all about it now. SPOILER ALERT: There's no Thunderdome.

Samitaur Tower

Corner of Hayden Ave. & National Blvd.

Culver City

For Rent

Cute, cozy three bedroom upper. Previous tenants were a bit flighty. Floors may need some cleanup. Available all winter long. May need to renegotiate lease in the spring. 

20 Degrees Cooler Inside...

Do I have to wait that long for relief?

Wherefore Art Thou, (Alfa) Romeo?

Pardon the awful headline. It's late.

But not too late to enjoy another automotive gem gracing the curbs & sidewalks of West Los Angeles. Enjoy Alfa Romeo Meets Speed Racer.

Gotta love the missing passenger seat. Stuntman Mike would be proud.

Marcas' Monday Mad Men Moment

We now return you to the rest of your work day.

Jack's 5th Show

The cool thing about being friends with cool people is getting to do cool stuff. So big thanks to Christine - always one of my favorite people for inviting me to the Jack show in Irvine on Saturday.

For one night, I ventured outside my five-mile bubble. Skid Row, Night Ranger, The Cult and The Steve Miller Band put on a damn fine show. But for a chance to see Young MC & Vanilla Ice...hell yeah!

Robert Van Winkle himself held court at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. No joke, RVW crushed his set. Never thought I'd see a Vanilla Ice show live...expected even less that I'd have a great time. The only thing more surreal than that was seeing Michael Rosenbaum hobnobbing with Young MC backstage. Yes, that Young MC.

Midway through Ice's set, it was taken over by a convention of Cougar Juggalos.

Not to be outdone, The Cult rocked pretty hard.

Even as a Dodger fan, I must bow down to a pair of kick ass Padre Reeboks, complete with the old-school Swingin' Friar logo. Props to Doug for this sweet find.

Vagina is for lovers. What's that? It's Virginia is for lovers? To-may-to. To-mah-to.

The Subcontinent's Greatest Adventurer?

Snake Surprise and Chilled Monkey Brains not on the menu.

Pimp My Ride: The Home Version

There will come a day when I will go out and remember to pick up everything I need in one trip. Tuesday was not that day. Since man wasn't meant to live on quinoa alone - no matter how delicious it may be - it was time for another outing.

It's not really out of the ordinary to see a Pimped Out Ride, it is Los Angeles after all. But a DIY pimp job involves a combination of deep respect and comedic ridiculousness usually reserved for Asians doing Christopher Walken impressions.

Not all "custom" paint jobs are suspect. For instance, maybe you drive an ice cream truck for grownups. I can get down with that. Though, I'd probably stay away from the Choco Taco.

Because driving an unmarked delivery van isn't creepy enough.

Barefoot Rattlesnakes & Smiling Trees

Calling yourself a "creature of habit" sounds a lot more mysterious than "guy in a rut". Regardless, it's Tuesday which means my weekly grocery shopping trip. It always begins with a walk through the Culver City Farmer's Market on Main Street between Venice & Culver. Having apples back in season (though I'm still waiting for the Pink Ladies) has slightly improved my mood over thoughts of summer being taken over by fall.

After getting my fill of fresh fruits and veggies, a brief stop at Trader Joe's rounds out the trip. Today was one of the days that I was rewarded for being a creature of habit.

Ladies and gentlemen...The Barefoot Rattlesnakes

At least, I think that's what they're called. That's the reluctant answer I got from one of the members. Nonetheless, any street band with not one but TWO singing saws is pretty cool.

Later, in an effort to not be "guy in a rut", I took a different route home. On the grand scale of life changes, it's not exactly picking up and moving to a new country, but it beats looking at the same scenery every day. And every once in awhile you find something out of the ordinary.

Sure, TVs and games are great...but how much for the oversized Mr. Potato Head pieces?