Toluu

Metroblogging Los Angeles

PSA: You can vote early!Today

Ayup. There’s an alternative to voting absentee, and it’s early voting. Bummer you’ll have to go all the way to Norwalk to do it (great for locals, of course).

Um, that’s kind of it. Not a whole lot else to write except VOTE! VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Sheesh people.

Big ole’ hat tip to California Faultline and our pal A. Moon for writing in & pointing this out.

If it Bleeds, We Reads?Today

I’m not a regular L.A. Times reader or basher, but here’s the entire list of stories in the “Los Angeles Times - California/Local News” capsule of my MyYahoo! page at this very moment:

“Trial begins in slaying of yacht owners”

“Counselors respond to killings of Porter Ranch family”

“Father kills family and himself, despondent over financial losses”

“Long Beach mother convicted in fatal stabbing of teen”

“For burned illegal immigrants, a long road to recovery”

Something is sick here, and I think it’s us.

It Caught My Eye: Shark O’LanternToday

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned too many times while exploring this town, when you find something that strikes your fancy, you best not figure on tomorrow being another day to immortalize it because shit is nothing if not fleeting in this place, and tomorrow it could be long gone… tagged up, torn apart, scrubbed off or painted out.

So on my bike ride in to work yesterday morning when i found this entirely awesome, seasonally appropriate poster pasted up on the signal control box where 8th Street deadends into Fairfax, I got myself out of traffic and my camera in hand and captured the hell out of it there to celebrate it here.

I could just be seeing things but it kinda looks like that might be some sort of lettering inside the gaping mouth… DOOF maybe? Might that be a clue as to the artist or does anyone far better versed in streetartology straight-away know the creator of this mysterypiece?

Click for maximum sinisterization.

UPDATED (12:35 p.m.): Commenter foodeater solved the mystery; it’s not DOOF, it’s TOOF as in Shark Toof (myspace).

Another chance to learn sock knittingToday

Learn to make these!

Did you miss my sock knitting class back in July?

That’s cool - but if you still want to give it a try I’m doing another one.

I’m telling you, socks are SUPER easy if you use the Magic Loop technique, and since nobody left my last class crying or cursing, apparently I’m just the person to teach it to you.

This time it’s broken over two Sundays (hey it’s a lot to learn in one session), and again it’s at The Little Knittery in marvelous Atwater Village.

MAGIC LOOP CLASS $50: Learn to knit your first pair of socks using the Magic Loop. Class will also cover turning the heel, shaping the toe, and kitchener stitch bindoff. (2 Sundays).

October 19th and 26th, 12 - 2 p.m.

Reserve your space by email: knittery [at] thelittleknittery.com, or by phone: 323-663-3838.

The ultimate kiss on the way to the ultimate corned beefToday

Langer’s has been around since 1947, and frankly any place that can make hoards of elderly Jewish Angelenos drive their Mercedes and BMWs to MacArthur Park has got to be good. Having been in Los Angeles almost seven years, I finally made my way there today for what was, in fact, the best pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had. It was so good it made me weep for my vegan friends.

It was my second trip to Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi) in the past week, the previous one having been on Saturday for the roller derby. (If you haven’t seen a Derby Dolls bout yet, you should check out the Baby Doll Brawl on October 25 with the newest dolls including, but not limited to blogger and general webmaven Mickipedia skating as Mickispedia.)

What I didn’t know about the neighborhood before today, is not only can you get a fake ID and a fine pastrami sandwich there, it’s also home to what may now be my favorite mural in LA (click the picture to embiggen), titled “El ultimo beso.”