mrs. lyons' apple crisp

definitely my favorite apple crisp recipe.

delicious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.


[photo of apple crisp from myflickr]

autumn in LA

So this is my very first fall outside of New England since...ever.

My annual clock expects cider, crisp air, itchy wool sweaters, and falling leaves...But here in Los Angeles, the lovely weather justcontinues. Flowers blooming, trees green, sunshine.

But my innerclock is still reigning, at least in my mind. I'm convinced that I can smell the Fall Smell. I'm craving seasonal beverages: hazelnut coffee, pumpkin beer, hot cider. The sweaters on sale at local stores seem out of place--but I'll happily embrace them! I baked apple crisp just to smell the cinnamon & spice. Now if only I could find a big pile of leaves to crunch through...


[photo from umass campus, fall '05 from myflickr]

...of the moment

drinking... ruby red chai tea from trader joe's

eating... morning croissants from La Dijonaise

reading... god bless you, mr. rosewater by vonnegut

watching... farecast.com for good thanksgiving rates

listening... to morning becomes eclectic on KCRW

sans auto

another almost-carfree monday. i love wandering & exploring on foot, and a camera is the perfect pass to zoom in our this ironic crazy gritty pretty LA world.

i do wish that i could/would live a more carfree life on non-mondays. even working just a few miles from home, it's still hard to decipher a reliable bus route to get there. i know it's just a matter of committing to give it a try. i will. someday. soon?

see greenLAgirl for inspiration to de-car in LA.


[photo from myflickr]

angels vs. rangers

entering angel stadium.

baseball diamond at dusk.

rallying at the bottom of the eighth.
(note the attentive rally monkey.)

[photos from myflickr]

the NEW! "little black dress" rule

i spend too many mornings rushing at the last minute to find "just the right thing" to wear. i try on 3+ closet combinations, and then i'm grumpy. i'm running late, i throw on whatever, and i spend the rest of the day feeling uncomfortable.

i know this can be avoided if i just resort to wearing a standby. something clean, comfortable, and complimentary. a little black dress (or any combination of blacks/solids, for that matter).

for some bizarre reason, a part of me has felt like resorting to the standby is a "cop out."

but no more!

henceforth, all mornings of uncertainty will be solved with the standby, the steadfast&true. sometimes it's okay to take the easy route.

library love

currently reading:
- The History of Love

out from the library:
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- Girl, Interrupted
- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Each of my current picks claims to be a "National Bestseller"? Maybe that's my book choice? But how easy is it to be a "bestseller" these days? How long do you have to be selling "best" to earn the title?

[10/29/07: seth godin on the new york times bestseller list]

city walk

today was another wonderful car-free monday. it's hard to go a day with needing to drive somewhere for something--especially living in LA. but i feel the worst when i realize that i've spent half of a precious day off driving--or worse (and most likely), sitting in traffic.

luckily, mondays are quiet. i can stay at home, relax, walk downtown, get a few errands done. if i get car-required business done on sunday, then monday can be fully sans auto.

today was a perfect balance of work & play. i spent the morning at home working on a little design project (maybe the start of some exciting outside-of-work work!). and then i took a long afternoon walk around town. hit up the coffee shop, the library, and the choice local stores: my Stellar True Value Hardware, a couple of local shops, and good ol' Goodwill. a stack of books and a few around-the-house necessities made the day a success.


[photo from myflickr]

the ideal rug?!

recycled plastic rugs with colorful floral designs. at $28-89, this could solve my need for an inexpensive-but-attractive rug.
plus they're earth-friendly! [via AT:LA]

image courtesy of AT:LA

outsider art

over the weekend, we visited the watts towers (or rodia's towers in watts, as our tour guide preferred). what an awesome site. the elaborate, intricate beauty of the structure and the mosaics--it was all amazing. definitely an inspiration in found object art.