So…

It’s been a few years since I’ve a. done a movie b. done a movie out of town.

And yowza- it’s a ride. I keep thinking I’ll catch up, and in turn have time to catch you all up on what I’m up to, but that hasn’t happened yet.

So hello from behind the eight-ball.
I am basically subsisting on caffeine, kombucha and if I’m honest, red wine.

In fact my friend opened my fridge the other day and told me that it was like a single girls fridge.
And it felt good to hear.

In LA my fridge is stuffed full of farmers market goodies, dinner party plans, and over-ambitious baking attempts for one. You know, whole pies I have to pawn off onto my neighbors…

So I’ve resigned myself, or rather embraced what my needs and time constraints are here, and I’ve stocked up on the essentials:

coffee, kombucha, and red wine.

I’m using all my brain power at work, and doing my best to really explore and appreciate this city/logging what little time I have off lounging on the couch and daydreaming. So while I have loads to share, I just don’t have (or want to make) the time right now.

That’s the truth.

I’ll be back when I’m feeling inspired.

Love you guys.

My coworker and I said yes to giving up our rooms at the Holiday Inn Express last week and got to stay at this amazing B&B in an old plantation house instead.

Isn’t my room gorgeous? And her blue claw foot bathtub? Swoon.

If you remember, saying “yes”, is a mantra of mine.

How about you? Do you find that saying “yes” pays off in unexpected ways?

…New Orleans style, of course.

That meant roller derby girls dressed up as bulls, whiffle ball bats, beer at 7:30AM and an amazingly large and diverse crowd. The picture above was taken towards the end of the run, when the crowd had thinned considerably and headed into the bars! But I was particularly impressed by the older folks who turned up to run with the “bulls” bright and early.

My favorite “bull” had awesome pin-wheels and a fanny-pack.
And yes, that is a pre-coffee beer in my hand.

Good times…

Hope there are lots of fireworks in your (near) future!

There’s a spa day and some delicious wine in mine!
I’ve been working 6 days a week for the past few weeks,
so it’s going to be the perfect mid-week treat.

Hooray!
Bring on the fuzzy robe…

I saw both these beauties on the same street last evening while walking over to my landlord’s place to drop off rent. Can you believe it’s July already? Or that I can walk to my landlord’s place to drop off rent? (hey, I live in LA) I can’t.

But I digress.

I love the spray of white flowers against that peach dream of a house. The dark shutters too. And just when I thought I’d found my favorite (for now) house of the week, I glanced across the street and saw the moon.

Oh, the moon. Hanging there in the perfect dusky blue sky over this lovely little white house, with her charming brick chimneys. I’m torn between my love for all the bright and cheerful homes, and the simple, perfect white houses like this little gem.

Which do you prefer?

Hi!!!!
Big wave and kisses!

I’m working my ass off on a movie, and it feels pretty darn great.
BUT….
I miss you guys tons and promise to share my adventures just as soon as I have time.

This photo, for example, was taken at the The Music Box.
Have you heard of it?

It’s awesome.
And I’m so happy I got to see it.

Happy weekend guys!
Whatcha up to?

xoxo

And every day I fall in love with another house.
This is my favorite (today):

It reminds me of the Bahamas.
Isn’t it a tropical dreamboat?

Are french quarter balconies overflowing with flowers, sugary beignets, and random jazz bands totally cliche? You betcha!

You know what else they are?
Totally stinkin’ awesome.

I’m just in love with this city,
cliches and all.

It’s the perfect mix of culture, architecture, music, good manners, and decay for me.
Lush, old and overgrown in all the right ways.

I mean, where else (in the states) can you have a purple house?

Yep- another something I didn’t even know I needed.

And for all of you who asked what I’m actually doing in New Orleans, I’m here working on this film.

The downside?
I’ll be working this weekend!

The upside?
There’s Cafe du Monde at the mall.

Yep.
I’ll let that one sink in.

What are you up to this weekend?

Of course I didn’t intend to leave you guys hanging for so long- but that’s what happens when you pack up your life (and 3 pets!) and drive across the country. One short week after returning to the country.

My grandiose plans of blogging in my hotel room in the evening (evening! ha! that would have been SO civilized) quickly dissolved into a 3 AM glass of wine, followed by a few hours of sleep, an elaborate packing ritual (these pets pack A LOT of shit) and another day on the road.
It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be though, traveling solo human.

That said, behold my cross-Americana adventures with my traveling menagerie:

We got a bit of a late start on Saturday, to the tune of, we didn’t leave LA until the evening, so waking up to crazy blue skies (and silver fire hydrants!) in Tuscon on Sunday morning was quite a treat. Take note that my groomer did me a great service and decked out my pups for Memorial Day weekend.

It was stars and stripes (and two very popular dogs) all the way across the country.

Day two on the road felt very productive (and very long) because we trekked across 3 states! Breakfast in Arizona, lunch in New Mexico and dinner in Texas! Of course I ate all three of those meals in my car while blasting the air-conditioning for the furry family.

Yeah.
Did I mention yet that my 14 year old cat Piper was along for the ride?
Of course she refused to wear a bandana.
Cats are such bitches sometimes.

I woke up in San Antonio on Monday morning (erhm, late morning) with BBQ on the brain, and thanks to a tweet from Black’s I was able to hop off the 10E (seriously, I took the same freeway the entire way across the country) and enjoy some of the best BBQ in Texas!
And at it’s oldest family run BBQ joint to boot! Delicious.

After what seemed like an eternity driving across Texas we finally made it to Louisiana, and pulled up to our hotel right around midnight. A little dog walking and a few hours of sleep later and I headed off to my first day of work in New Orleans. And my first meal:

I’ve been working and eating (and eating some more) ever since with hardly a minutes break to tell you all about it! But I promise I’ll try to be better!

There’s just too much good food here not to share.

What have you been doing/eating these last few weeks?

In Japan I watched a lot of NHK (think BBC, NPR, PBS) and somehow, despite my tenuous grasp on the language and my absolute inability to read any Japanese, I learned how to make this delicious asparagus toasty cup.

I’m so damn proud of myself I just have to share the entire experience, language deficit included.
I’m sure if you follow along with the pictures you can figure it out too!

Hint: before & after.

Oops! I forgot to take a picture of an important step, so I decided to let you guys cheat a little and have a few guiding words…

And a few more…

I’ve been home for about week and I’ve already eaten this twice.
It’s good. Really good.

A simple recipe, but the results (both culinary and aesthetic) are pretty impressive in my opinion!
I’d love to serve these for brunch!

And the process of learning something in another language/without words at all was really enjoyable and extra super duper satisfying too.

So what are you waiting for? Go make a big ol’ toasty quiche with just these few words of guidance, and then pat yourself on the back and eat up!

This exercise confirms something I already know well: I’m a visual learner.
And a damn good eater.
What type of learner are you?