SANCHEZ!!!!!!

My favorite local Japanese place, Semo Sushi, has the world's greatest Oyster Shooter: 2 Miyagi oysters, some oyster liquor, plum wine, green onion and a raw quail egg, all served up in a small champagne flute. OMG good!

It's been a crazy... couple? Few? Weeks. Tim is on his way home from L.A. I've *missed* him. But I've had major amounts of Nana Time, and that's been lovely! Miss Faith is growing so fast. I'll try to get some more photos before they leave. I have some from Sunday's party that need to be processed.

Went to the Giants game today. The weather was glorious. I forgot the sunscreen. Thank goodness I had a hat, but my arms are really sunburned. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Wiped.

And I don't think I've inflicted this on my LJ friends yet, well, here ya go!



Still in L.A. Not in Los Olivos.

I added a few more photos to the Flickr set.

Still here for the foreseeable future.

To me, there are three photographs that define the Vietnam War.

( continued behind the cut for disturbing images )

The photographer who made the third photograph is Nick Ut. He's still at it. And we had the pleasure of spending time with him for the last frew days.

A few images of the things people have been leaving at the Carolwood house in Holmby Hills.



Click the image to see the whole set.

TV pitchman Billy Mays found dead at Florida home.

This.

Being here - "here" meaning Los Angeles covering the death of Michael Jackson - has been, as it always is when a "big" story breaks or a celebrity-ish trial is being covered, a sort of Old Home Week. This business is a pretty small world, and we run into people with whom we have covered campaigns, or trials, or vote recounts, or disappearances, or scandels. Today was one of those days, and it felt like those of us who started in this business in the 70s and the 80s were the cranky oldsters filling the shotguns full of rock salt and growling at the youngsters to keep off our lawns.

The oldsters consisted of people with Emmys and Pulitzers and Murrows and NPPA awards, among others. Remember this photograph of children running from a Napalm attack? Nick Ut, who won a Pulitzer for that photograph, was with us today. Dave Rust from CNN, who has been around the world several times, covering every hot spot there is, and with whom we had the privilege and the pleasure of sharing the Dole Press Plane in 1996, was there. Tim Walton, who has been in this business for 30 years, who has a couple of RTNDA awards under his belt, who has been nominated for a few Emmys (and who I happen to live with, love, and have borne his children :)), was there. Cameramen (and women!), producers, reporters, even a couple of audio techs :), who have been around for more than a decade or two, were there. And for a little while today we were in a huddle, wondering what had happened to the news business, and where the hell it was going.

And, to a person, we understand that if we want to keep working, we will have to go with the flow, and hope that, at some point, the consumers of news will reject what has been happening to their sources of news, and demand a higher, better quality.

Me, being me, I'm not optimistic.

And, with that, I wish you all a Good NIght and Good Luck.

Will miss Spamalot. Wah.

So much thanks to those of you who responded to my post wrt my brother-in-law's diagnosis of Celiac disease. I've shared your advice and links with my sister, and she's very thankful as well. You all rock.

I took some of your advice in this post , and had a face-to-face with the store manager about a week later (because I didn't want to discuss the Ass Mgr :) while still seething). I was assured the product would return to the shelf, and it has.

In other news, I am more shocked by a relatively young man dying of cardiac arrest than I am by the fact it's Michael Jackson. I honestly don't get the Cult of Personality that grows around entertainers.

(Click the image to see the set.)

With extra added bonus pics of my step-grandson, Marcus!

And in a little over a week, Faith and Danny and Jaynae will be here to visit! Hooray!

My brother-in-law (the good one, not the Evil One) has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease.

I would deeply appreciate it if my gluten-free friends would point me to products and recipe sites to help my sister and bro-in-law to have tasty and satisfying food on a gluten-free diet. Also tips would be fabulous as well.

Thank you in advance!

So I had to make a quick dinner.

Tri-tip rubbed with kosher salt and Penzey's English Prime Rib Rub. Grilled on the gas grill 25 minutes on each side and left to rest for ten minutes.

Sweet potato, yellow potato, Walla-Walla onions, baby carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, salt, pepper, dill and olive oil, tossed together and wrapped in parchment paper and heavy-duty aluminum foil, then tossed on the grill for 25 minutes.

Fresh raspberries topped with warm Bird's Custard.

Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel.

Now with even more epic hair!



Also, she is now crawling. :-D

We didn't actually stop in for a tasting.



But dinner tonight was at Tra Vigne. Warm, house-made mozzarella with garlicky bruschetta and smoky pork tenderloin with a cherry sauce, sauteed trumpet mushrooms and perfectly cooked spinach.

The mozz is called "al minuto" because it's hand made at the moment you order it, not before. It was warm and lovely and creamy and dressed lightly with a gorgeous olive oil and a bit of black pepper.

The pork tenderloin defies description.

Last night was Go Fish. I worked a shoot there a couple of years ago, and had lunch and dinner there. So when my producer and cameraman asked for a restaurant recommendation, I insisted on Go Fish. We were not disappointed. Beautifully fresh Pacific Sweetwater oysters followed by olive oil-braised halibut followed by house-made kiwi granita topped with coconut sorbet? Out of this world.

After we're done shooting tomorrow, Rick (yes, I'm working with a cameraman other than Tim!) and I are stopping at Dean & DeLuca for goodies before we leave town. Which means I'm going to be making something special for Tim for Father's Day.

Oh, what a wonderful world, that has such blessings in it.

Sometimes the job is easy.



6:30 AM call tomorrow. For me, when I'm working, that's sleeping in :).

'night all.

Are *you* a Gamer?



( Also? Dude! )

Lebowski and Faith aren't the only ones getting big!

Jeromy hit 12 lbs last week; a big boy.

:)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Stephen Colbert in Iraq

WRT my last post:

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/06/urban_scrawl_apply_to_be.php

If the i's were dotted with little hearts instead, I think it would be complete. But I'm mean that way.

As George Lewis put it else-'net, this is a "new low" in broadcast journalism.



Lu Parker, by the by, is dating LA Mayor Villaraigosa. Just a data point :).

What? *SERIOUSLY*?? Is he out of his mind?????

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a plan to save money by phasing out school textbooks in favour of internet aids.

What, does he think every school already has a computer for every student. And does he think every student has a computer at home, along with Internet access???

"Out of touch" doesn't even begin to describe him.