/blog-gone

All bad blogs come to an end. I'm taking a break. Happy trails.

But my opinion is that New Urbanism is lazy. I'm a believer in the two party system, in competition (not just in the marketplace but in the world of ideas). There should be a response to Celebration, Florida. I'm not talking about opposition, I'm talking about an alternative body of planning theory that would sharpen and discipline New Urbanism. Without it, the movement will die in smug self-congratulation and ineffectiveness.

No, I don't know what that model is, but maybe it's to be found in Los Angeles.

And the winner is J&B, but the field was small.

I don't know anything about whiskey. I'm reminded of the night before Sam's wedding when his brother ordered some incredible scotch. Wish I could remember what he got.

So far my favorite places in Koreatown are more old hollywood than panchan.

Back from Sam's wedding, which finished a run of three weddings in three weekends.

Seattle is green and beautiful in the summer. I wandered King county using public transit and like a crazy person, started to mumble to myself. I also learned two things:

1. Watching cable all night made me really depressed.
2. Reading a book at the airport felt much better.

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I've been noticing a lot of new condo development with bottom story commercial (especially in Bellevue) but more often than not, the bottom floor is either unleased or not doing very well. My pet theory is that many of these mixed use developments are not very practical if the surrounding neighborhood is still centered around the car. I've noticed that sushi restaurants do especially poorly. I'm thinking very few businesses would work. Maybe something like Family Mart...

I'll be in Seattle all weekend. I have this dumb habit of wanting to watch movies when I travel so maybe I'll see James Franco in The Great Raid on Sunday.

In high school my peers had a nickname for me: Coop. Of course, Special Agent Dale Cooper got possessed by a demon in the last episode of Twin Peaks. Not really a good choice for a role model, is he. Nevertheless, I continue to believe that if there was a third season, the issue would have been resolved quickly. It was just a season finale TV shocker, like when he got shot at the end of season one.

Well, now there's talk of Agent Cooper related TV movies! Thanks for the link, Jason. Hopefully David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan can get it done. It certainly sounds better than this show.

Joel Kotkin makes the case against downtowns luxury lofts and residential towers, including those planned for LA. But it isn't all doom and gloom.

In some ways, a sharp drop in downtown residential property values may be the best thing to happen to downtown long term. Well-heeled investors and speculators, no longer confident of flipping their $600,000-plus properties, would have to sell to workers, artists and young professionals, or rent to students, the kind of people who have turned places such as Manhattan's Soho into vibrant street-level neighborhoods.

Even so, don't count on downtown L.A. becoming another Soho. It may never fully compete with the Miracle Mile, West Hollywood, Pasadena or the beach as an urban lure. These areas have fewer dead spots created by freeway ramps, parking lots and government buildings. They offer more attractive pedestrian streetscapes and more places to go. But the right policy and reasonable expectations could transform parts of downtown into an exciting, slightly offbeat alternative community amid L.A.'s vast suburban archipelago.

And really now, that doesn't sound so horrible.

The best night I've had all week was when I went with Cindy to see The Aristocrats.

Harvard looks at why NY is so successful. Blah blah blah blah...it's the Port.

Going to UCLA to see Jr. was quite an experience. I'm already enjoying being an uncle, but I don't want to get in the way too much. The happy parents are doing well. Apparently, they had their first of many sleepless nights.

Yesterday, I spent all night listening the the Angels/Oakland game while playing LOTR: The Third Age on the ps2, another wonderful bday gift. I'm two hours into the game and already skipping the movie clips between each scene. Not to get all serious on you, but that reminds me of one of my bigger problems: the propencity to take short cuts.

I'm currently trying to empty out my fridge. I found a two week old salad which has gone bad. I think I've got quite a bit of milk to drink in the next day too.

UPDATE: Matt has posted Jr.'s picture.

The Cham family has welcomed a healthy baby boy today. Praise God everything went well. Still don't know Junior's name but as soon as I find out I'll let you know.

The wedding was wonderful. Emily and Elvin looked great. Seeing old friends was really nice too. Everyone is moving to LA! I'm looking forward to becoming reaquainted now.

We're on our way to church. A new family member is just around the corner. We're all waiting see what the boy's name will be!!!

Took a step backwards the past few days. If I'm to continue the weight loss progress, beer will have to join soda as a beverage less consumed. Or maybe I'll try those one calorie beers.

Went to the Angel game yesterday. It was the Panda special: reserved parking and primo seats. Before that, Robbie came over to see the apartment. We sat around and chatted about the mundane things of life, with the exception of his six month plus trip around the world. He also introduced me to another Korean place I can include in my rotation. I tried his Tofu soup and I ordered a Bibim Bop for the first time. I lied to him and told him that I'm totally prepared to see the many UCSD alumni, old friends, and ex-girlfriend that will most likely be at the three weddings I'm attending in the next three weeks.

In preparation for the happy occasions, I got myself a $35 dollar haircut. The timing works out because the game plan is to squeeze in a salon after three or four home-cuts. Cindy has been doing top notch work on my head. We discovered that the real problem was my laziness to get frequent cuts. It really should be every two or three weeks.

While I didn't think much of turning another year better, I sure got some sweet gifts. Case in point - Cindy got me a humungoid Thomas Brothers map of Los Angeles and Orange counties. I put it up and it looks great.

Thursday night was packed a bit too tightly. First, I had Korean BBQ for dinner. Apparently, my mom isn't the only person who cuts the fat off marbled meats. I noticed a soju called Chamila or Cham-something. I have yet to try it but the bunch of rowdy locals next to our table seemed to "fucking love it, dude". This soju is far and away the front runner for Ktown drink of choice. Hite or OB are a distant second.

After BBQ and an apartment tour, I went out with Brenda to celebrate her completed script. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we were actually at a party organized by architects. When the party is strictly the entertainment industry, no one is seems interested in talking to me. I find that when there is a variety of professions around, even industry folk are happy to chat with a lowly city employee. The crazy thing is that I ran into an old family friend from Montebello! She's my brother's age and I'm supposed to get them in touch. I had best send that email right after this blog...

I also treated myself to some comics. I say treated because I got a hardcover edition of Alan Moore's Top Ten prequel. Man, for a crazy occult guy, he sure can write. I do feel guilty that I read my comics twice over last night and have yet to read a sentence of the Joel Kotkin book I bought.

And today I've been cleaning the apartment. Once the laundry is done, I may jump in the pool.

Others call it a temper but they're wrong.

I get so furious. I'm like the incredible hulk, except I'm not green and I don't have gamma induced super strength. Maybe it's more like a bezerker barrage. Surges of internalized emotion and adrenaline pump through my veins until I explode into a rage. I can hardly keep myself from grabbing something substantial and destroying it.

Yesterday I was filled with fury. Frustration and outrage built up to a point where I could no longer keep it in. I immediately got out of the situation and my eyes quickly darted around the apartment for something... anything. But I've spent way too much time and effort on every single item I saw. So I let out a scream. Actually, this sounds very similar to a blog I read yesterday. He and I should start a club, a.k.a. a superhero team to fight injustice.

Having extended family in LA has benefits. Some cousins took me out to dinner last night and my other LA based cousins will be dining with me tomorrow. Yesterday, we braved a non-English speaking Korean bar/pub/restaurant recommended on Chowhound. Considering the fact that it is only a block from my apartment, I believe we found a keeper. (Though I do need to extend my knowledge of Korean pub food beyond "beer, pancake, squid, and pork ribs".) Had Hite beer for the first time too. The more I drank it, the more amusing the name 'Hite' became. It was a nice of them to take me out and even nicer was their comment that I'm "very much a guy's guy, which is very rare these days". I guess you had to be there.

Later, Cindy came by and surprised me with some wonderful Ikea items that I've been eyeing, including a media or DVD/ps2-game stand. Apparently Lord of the Rings DVDs account for approximately 1/4 of my collection (3 extended, 3 theatrical, and one animated). The apartment is filling out nicely and there are only a few items left before I put the furnishing phase to an end.

Should have went to bed on time but I was suddenly compelled to start a new mix. As a result, I had a bunch of angry dreams this morning about some guy who constantly came into my office to annoy me. I chewed him out each time. I would then dream that my alarm clock read 5:30am. Then I opened my eyes and saw that it was actually 6:20am. Then I would close my eyes and see 5:30am again.

The weather has gone grey the past two days. I'm looking out a shit-stained window but don't get me wrong, I'm not reflecting my internal state. It is what it is.

Funny characters, Michelle Wie, BBQ, and beautification models greeting me when I came home yesterday. A special someone helped me scotchguard my sofa and protect everything else with a neat layer of Korean newspaper. I ate supper and did homework with my new friends. It was pleasant company, though I missed looking at the contents of my newly constructed 'Billy' bookshelf. Chatting decreased my evening productivity as I was contacted by very much missed friends. I'm of the opinion that everyone should upgrade their OS in order to enable the voice feature.

The stillness of a one bedroom apartment has me feeling like myself again.