Celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge

Selling t-shirts to increasingly drunk people. A moral dilemma or clever non-profit? You decide.

Barista competition

The good thing about being on the Coffee Bean mailing list is that you sometimes hear about Barista competitions. Enjoy free coffee while watching some of the most unique drinks being made on stage. And if you're lucky, you can snag a sip or two from the competitor's table.

Creamy vanilla soft serve with a shot of espresso poured over. The empty cups are not mine, I swear.

Anime Expo 2010

There was quite a bit of controversy prior to the start of AX this year. Rumors of a greenhorn, micro-managing, power-hungry new CEO and lackeys. Mass resignations (or firings) of division heads, managers and assorted veteran staffers. Lack of top-bottom communication to even the attendees. All of this has happened before, and will happen again... (Remember Mike Tatsugawa anyone? Anyone?)

VolStaff seemed crippled by their paperwork demands (no computers this year). I'm told every department had staff and budget cuts, and if you were in the company of a staffer for more than 30 seconds they could easily recite a list of grievances (even on Day 0). I do know that volunteers aren't guaranteed meals at AX any longer. On one day they were able to scrounge up some sandwich packs from a generous nearby hotel. All-Con-ers had it rough (housing wasn't finalized until past 11pm the night before Con started), which means the nerve-wracking potential that poor, tired, hungry people could have been sleeping in the streets...

The weather was good, temperatures were mild for this time of year, even overcast at times. Not as many GOOD cosplayers as in years past, exhibit hall seemed smaller, vendors not offering the best discounts. Lanyards were cheap and badges were very, very hackable. Some interesting panel and workshop choices, despite the irritating practice of room clearing. While I heard all sorts of things about autograph line mismanagement after, I had no problems whatsoever with Yuu Asagawa at BOTH of her signings, where she stayed overtime to finish out her lines.

Sun Valley Obon

Hatsu-bon:
First Obon of the summer

Nice weather in the valley, bright & sunny, relatively cool temps, and an almost chilly evening.

Had a great time seeing fellow PMX-ers. Helped Paula put her mannequin together at the Swap Meet. Picked up a volume of Vampire Miyu I hadn't read before. Ate some tea sweet with some kind of yellow bean I don't like, washed it down with hot green tea.

Alice in Wonderland @ FIDM

Disney & Burton: Alice in Wonderland Design Exhibition @ FIDM
May 27, 2010 – September 30, 2010

Exhibition includes Colleen Atwood’s original costumes from the film as well as Alice–inspired clothing and products designed by a variety of celebrities, designers, and fashion icons, including Sue Wong, Tom Binns, Avril Lavigne, and FIDM Alumni.

This free exhibition will be open to the public Tuesday – Saturday during the exhibition dates from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Special Exhibition Events

All events are free to the public.

Tea Party

Wednesdays, June 9, 16, 23 & 30
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
FIDM Museum Foyer
Tea & Cookies and a tour of the exhibition.

Los Angeles Campus
919 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1421
General: 800.624.1200

Swapping with Julia, the Bargain Hunting Babe

When I was a cheap college student I used to read the Bargain Hunter section of the Daily News. Now, I read from Julia's Bargain Babe blog, and I finally got to meet her in person at the 2010 Frugal Fe$tival Summer Swap.

I've often wondered what the volunteers at Goodwill stores go through, weeding and sorting all their donations. Now I understand. The key: lots of hand sanitizer.

Still, there were lots of little gems, such as:
-almost-new dresses from Forever 21
-totally cute jewelry
-cropped jackets for evening wear
-collared business shirts

My choice:
a J. Crew white cotton tunic cover up (vaguely similar to the Djellabah style from several years ago)

I have my reservations because it's pretty thin/sheer, so if it doesn't work out for me I'll swap it back next year. And a copy of Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister, which I also plan to swap next year when I finish.

Our volunteer gift was some Starbucks Via mugs and Restaurant.com gift cards (which I'm using at my neighborhood Thai place). After, we all went round the corner to a great outdoor lounge and shared Mediterranean appetizers - courtesy of Julia.

Kimono update

It's been about... 2 years since I had to put on a kimono. That took about 10 minutes. The obi was another story...

Fusion Friday - Pacific Asia Style

It's been a long time since I had to pick out an outfit.


I'm getting dressed right now for Fusion Friday's at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. It's June and the climate is delightful (high 70s, breezy). It's definitely hitoe season, possibly ro, not sha. My life would be a lot easier if I just wore a yukata with simple colors and accessories coordinate.

I just hope I don't spill Buttermilk on myself again.

DRAM: Aviation Day

It a time of impressive achievements - the era of the automobile, electricity, Einstein, Freud, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, art nouveau and Edwardian Baroque. It's hard to believe that 100 years ago most Angelenos had never seen an aircraft in flight. Today, passenger jets and cargo planes take off from every corner of the city, their contrails blazing long after they pass. I can't go a single day (or night) without hearing a helicopter fly overhead.

Here's what you missed:

-classic old cars (Model Ts, 1912 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce) and planes (Bleriot 1909 replica, 1883 Glider)
-lots of reenactors and period costumers
-military flyovers - they all started on time with precision accuracy
-vintage ragtime dancing with Yesteryears
-commemorative postage stamps and philatelic envelopes and cancellations
-Kogi & Tommy's truck, an authentic 1910 box lunch
-kids activities too numerous to name (though I did find lots of lost wooden gliders around the grounds)

Here's what you didn't miss - Mother Nature:

-too windy to have tethered balloon rides. A shame, really. Most people made do with the ferris wheel instead. Just ask one of the parachute jumpers that hit a tree.
-it was incredibly muggy and tempers ran a bit short, especially since the adobe has no air conditioning. The house never had a chance to cool off with tours running all day.
-on-site parking was too limited, so most people had to be shuttled in from CSU Dominguez Hills for $5, but the shuttle company was pretty terrible.

AAM 2010 - Los Angeles

The annual AAM Meeting and Expo has come and gone, leaving its mark on Los Angeles. Overall reviews from attendees appear to be favorable. I was a volunteer at the Info Booth, advising people on downtown Los Angeles and the convention center itself. I didn't have enough time to visit the Career Cafe and have my resume looked at, but I managed to catch an educational session on exhibit design and narrative storytelling.

Of course there was plenty of swag:

-an official AAM flash light and tape measure (can't ever have enough tape measures, I must say)

-white cotton gloves from the Heritage Resources Management Program of Athabasca University in Canada

-reusable bags from the Registrar's Committee, Smithsonian Traveling Exhibits, the Packing, Art handling & Crating Info Network, Lexington (the design firm that makes the recycled material animals in the Skirball's Noah's Ark exhibit)

It was lovely to network with so many local LA museum volunteers and employees all week. And deeply illuminating to know that there are professional organizations right up my alley:
PACIN: the Packing, Art handling & Crating Info Network
RC: the Registrar's Committee
CAM: California Association of Museums
WAM: Western Association of Museums
American Society of Appraisers

The best gift was from the representative from University Products (we use them almost exclusively at the Rancho). About 30 minutes prior to the end of the Expo, he offered to give me any products from his show table that I liked. So now I have all these beautiful metal edged archival quality boxes and clear display tops, artifact tags, rare book protectors, a polypopylene textile storage box... I can't wait to share them with the museums I work at.

The site for AAM2011 is Houston. I believe a 4 hour volunteer shift will get you a one day free admission - saving you and your cash-starved non-profit hundreds of dollars at the door. Keep up with them on their blog.

See you then!