Crazy Chinatown Bus Stop Lady

I have an update on my crazy bus commutes. Perhaps you thought I'd run out of stories? No worries, L.A. has an unending number of odd personalities to document. This one is one of my favorites, as she never disappoints.

Some of you may remember that in February Jay and I attended the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown near downtown L.A. I didn't write about it then, but that was when Crazy Chinatown Bus Stop Lady got her name. Jay and I had parked at his office in downtown and planned to take the bus to Chinatown for the parade to avoid crowds. As we were waiting for the bus, a woman with long, stringy, dyed-black hair and white roots, nicotine-stained teeth, and bright fuschia lipstick smeared over face and teeth approached Jay. I can't remember how she started the conversation, but Jay politely responded to something she said. I could've told him that was his first mistake. She kept talking to him, louder and louder, in a screechy terrible voice, despite the fact he was now clinging to me and trying to ignore her. I finally rescued my poor polite husband by suggesting we give up on the damn bus and just walk to Chinatown. It couldn't have been more than 5 miles at the most. Relieved, he agreed and off we went.

Ah, but the story doesn't end there, otherwise why would I be writing this post? A few weeks later, I was riding my usual bus into the lab. I sit down behind a woman with long, stringy, dyed-black hair. She was muttering to herself, and I thought I recognized her.... surely not, why would someone from downtown be on MY bus? Then she made a phone call, and sure enough, that screechy loud voice rang out. Oh my word, it WAS crazy chinatown bus stop lady! I sat quietly, not moving, hoping she would not recognize me. She didn't - I think she had been more fixated on my handsome hubby than me. As we approached her stop, rather than pulling the stop cord she begins screaming out, "This is my stop! Back door! Back door! Let me off the bus!" She continues screaming this until she is off the bus, despite the fact that no one is blocking her way and the bus driver is patiently waiting.

As it happens, I have encountered her several time since then. She is always very loud, with a voice like nails on chalkboard, and she is always overreacting to some imagined situation on the bus. I always know she will put on a show. For instance, this morning. I get on the bus, and lo and behold the only available seat is next to crazy chinatown bus stop lady. So I stand. As we approach the stop at Westside Pavilion, the local mall, she begins. She starts by screeching, "The bell's not working, it's not working!" as she slaps the bell cord vigorously. But anyone who rides the bus regularly knows that the bus ALWAYS stops at the mall. It's one of the timed stops on the route. So the bus stops, as it always does, and she begins shoving people aside, screeching, "Let me off the bus, LET ME OFF THE BUS, I need to get off the bus, BACK DOOR, BACK DOOR, stop the bus!!!" Total fruitcake. She always gets off the bus with no issues, but can't seem to stop herself from panicking at the thought of possibly having to get off one stop away from her intended destination. Ah, crazy chinatown bus stop lady. You are insane.

Yep, another weekend in wine country

In the interest of improving my blogging rate, some posts will remain picture-less. I mean, it honestly has nothing to do with being a photographer's wife who never seems to get to even look at pictures he's taken much less ACTUALLY get something to put up on the blog.... yes, the whole cobbler's-wife-never-has-shoes syndrome. Moving along.

We had planned this weekend back in September, and I had been looking forward to it ever since. We drove up to Solvang on Friday night, and spent Saturday and Sunday with our friends Alias and Helen and their adorable little boys Elijah and Jason. On the drive up Friday we stopped and had dinner in Santa Barbara with our friend Linda. Linda is one of our favorite people, and dinner with her is always a lot of fun. She picks delicious restaurants, and the conversation is never dull. This evening we dined at a place called Elements. If you are ever passing through Santa Barbara and are looking for a quiet place for dinner with great wine, drinks, and food, this is one to try. The atmosphere was relaxed, the wait staff attentive and friendly, and the food was delicious. It was a harbinger of what was to come for the rest of our little trip.

We arrived very late Friday night at the Kronborg Inn in Solvang, where we have stayed before. As chance would have it, we were booked into a room right next to Alias and Helen and the boys! It even had one of the connecting doors, which meant when the boys were put down for the night Helen and Alias could hang out in our room and we stayed up late chatting. But I am getting ahead of myself. I heard little voices bright and early Saturday morning, and Jay and I got up and headed into town where we had breakfast at the Greenhouse Cafe. The latte and coffee were fantastic, as was the meal. We then headed off to meet with our friends at the Los Olivos Grocery where we buy fresh bread, cheeses, meats, and fruit for a picnic at whatever winery we end up at. Jay and I selected an loaf of olive bread, fresh figs, a smoked cheese, and prosciutto. Then began the wine tasting.

Our first stop was Curtis Winery, and they had their late harvest Viognier, which is the closest one can get to an ice wine outside of Canada or Germany. We bought one bottle to put aside for Christmas, and also picked up a chilled Rose for our lunch. We are members at Curtis and so also picked up our November shipment. We then ended up at Fess Parker, where we had our lunch. Fess Parker has an enormous rolling lawn perfect for children to run and play, and the boys did just that. They were even joined by a neighbor's Jack Russell terrier who helped them chase after their soccer ball! Helen and I continued playing outside with the kiddos while Alias and Jason tasted inside. On this stop, Jay picked up a Syrah for our Christmas dinner in San Antonio, which he claims is one of the best he's ever tasted. I am looking forward to trying it!

After the boys' naps that afternoon we had a 6:00 reservation for dinner at Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe. That dinner was soooo good! I honestly cannot remember what Jay had, but Helen had the risotto and I had the pumpkin gnocchi, which came in a parsnip cream sauce sprinkled with pomegranate arils and parmesan cheese. Excellent. We split a bottle of zinfandel, and for dessert I had the best creme brulee I've ever eaten, Helen and the boys split the Chocolate Scream, and Alias had the Apple Honey Tart. What a wonderful dinner it was, and the boys were very well-behaved. We were stuffed and exhausted, and after an evening of conversation we all headed to our beds.

The next morning Jay and I had breakfast at the Solvang Restaurant, where we finally tried Aebleskiver, a Danish delicacy. We wandered into the Antique Center as we always do, then met with Helen and Alias and the boys to walk town a bit more. Jay and Alias tasted at the Mandolina tasting room in town before we left, and this time Jay brought home a Pinot Grigio. I drove us home while Jay finished reading the latest Robert Jordan book in the Wheel of Time series. We got back in time to tidy up and buy groceries, then get ready for another busy week of work.

We now have 40 bottles of wine at home and are in desperate need of friends to help us drink them... anyone up for a visit?

Halloween in West Hollywood

Greetings! This has been the worst year of posting to Southern in Socal that we've ever had - probably because this has been one of the busiest. I'll try to improve that!

Jay recently went out of town to spend some time with his dad and brother. The three met in Florida to watch the shuttle launch, originally scheduled for this Monday. Due to repairs the shuttle was not launched and so they missed it, but Jay did get to hang out with family, which was the more important part of their trip.

I stayed home to mind Meow and generally keep the household running. Per my usual habit, I stayed very busy! On Saturday I attended a cook out at my friends' house in Echo Park, and on Sunday I decided to go to West Hollywood with Gil and Alex. The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the second largest event held in Los Angeles, even bigger than the Oscars. I've heard a lot about it, mainly about the crowds and outrageous costumes. It seemed very much like something one should see in their life, so off I went!

I dressed as a flapper (a bit of my costume is seen in the picture below) but I forgot my camera. Early in the evening I handed out candy to our annual Trick-or-Treaters, and got dressed. We all had dinner at Sunnin in Westwood before we headed off to Sunset Boulevard. The drive was very slow due to the street closures and large number of people trying to get to where we were going. But eventually we made it, and spent 3 hours just walking the streets and taking it all in - and it was amazing! The amount of time, effort, and thought that must have gone into many of the costumes was amazing. I speculate that at least some of the attendees work in the entertainment industry and perhaps had access to some Hollywood prop houses and costumes. Certainly at least some make-up artists were in the mix, because they were flawless! Some of the more amazing costumes came from Tron, there were some incredible mad hatters, and perhaps my favorite were the people made up as though they were Mexican day of the dead dolls.

This picture was from Gil and Alex's camera, if I get some additional ones I will post them here. Gil dressed as a ghost, and Alex as a homocidal ram. He got a lot of attention! Everything I am wearing I already owned, except my headpiece, which I bought at a Halloween store for $12.00. Not too bad for a frugal Halloween costume!