FOGSHADOWS!

Click on picture to crumulently embiggen.

Being a city that faces a western sea, let's face it, Los Angeles has some pretty kick-ass sunsets, something those (L)East Coast people don't have a chance to see.

As for the morning, The Militant is not really an early morning person, so the dawn is a rare event for him. But Mr. Sun can put on an entrance show round These Here Parts. The Militant was in Downtown Los Angeles this morning, driving through the thick fog, when he couldn't help but notice the Sun making its presence in the eastern sky, apparently burning a hole through the fog and casting unique shadows in the DTLA skyline. Like WHOA!!! The Militant had to pull over and check it out for himself!


He parked on Wilshire (hey, it's Sunday, free parking...) and walked around to Beaudry Avenue to take a look at the skyline from across the 110. It turns out he wasn't the only one taking pictures (pictured left).

A rare and awesome sight indeed! If this thick fog keeps up, The Militant may or may not wake up earlier to catch this wonderful a.m. phenomenon!


Here's some more pics, since it did happen:

The 53-story Figueroa at Wilshire building in fogshadows! (Click to enlarge)

The 52-story City National Bank building looks kinda glorious this Sunday morning. TESTIFY, BROTHAH! (Click to  ginormify)

CNB's twin. the Paul Hastings (gotta be in italics!) building bathes in the light. (Click and make big)

The 45-story KPMG (no, not a TV or radio station) tower casts a fogshadow. (Click!)

Up on Bunker Hill, the Grand Avenue Quartet (Wells Fargo Plaza, One California Plaza, Two California Plaza and the KPMG Tower) play a symphony of shadows and light in the fog. (Click to supersize)

Vlogstyle Episode 08: The Militant Chases The Snow!

SNOMG!

After every Winter rainstorm, and at the first sight of blue sky, it happens.

Yes, It's the sight of snow on the San Gabriel Mountains.

The past few years have seen a light to moderate dusting on the extreme tops of the local peaks, but this morning was different.

The Militant was on the 101 Freeway South headed to an unspecified location, when he saw it.

Here is a transcript:

"OMG! OMG! LOOK AT THAT SNOW! WHOOOOOOO!!!! ARRRRRRGH!!! THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! LOK HOW LOW THE SNOW LEVEL IS!!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!"

Or something to that extent. If only he wasn't driving he would have made an exclamatory viral video that would no doubt get him an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live or something. But then again that would just blow his anonymous cover.

Later on, the Militant headed to Elysian Park's Point Grandview (no, not this one, or even this one), which he discovered last Thanksgiving but for some reason neglected to blog about it (this happens quite often these days...). Oh well, here it is:

One of the highest points in Elysian Park affords you a kick-ass view of Downtown, and even far south as Catalina Island (ya rly), and to the north you get an awesome view of the San Gabriels, with NELA and the Los Angeles River right below you. It's called Point Grandview, and it's a nearly 2 1/2 mile trek from the Solano Avenue exit off the Northbound 110 Freeway. Here's a map. It's one of Los Angeles' best-kept secrets (besides the Militant's identity), although a few couples, families and individuals were found here to enjoy the view as well.

Anyways, the Militant took a few pictures of the mountains, which admittedly weren't as strikingly awesome as they looked earlier in the morning, with the sun coming from the East and the increased snowcover (it was starting to get warm and no doubt some of the white stuff had melted already).

Good news though, there's another rainstorm scheduled for next weekend. The Militant may or may not return to Point Grandview. Or he might be taking pictures at this place instead...If you see him, raise ya fist!

Some more pics of course:

Snow-capped peaks overlooking Glassell Park and Cypress Park, with the Los Angeles River on the lower-left and the leaves of a Hollywood tree in the foreground.

Snow covers Mt. Lukens, the tallest peak in the City of Los Angeles.

Snow-covered Hoyt Mountain (Yes, you will be quizzed on your local mountain peaks, so pay attention...), with the Angeles Crest Highway running diagonally across the middle.

In Appreciation Of The Sunset

You guys just don't know how good we got it here in Los Angeles.

No other place in America can view the setting sun like this. Only with a west-facing ocean where the low-lying orange sun illuminates the sea and makes the clouds glow with a multicolored lightshow from red to orange to purple can you see something like this. Sure, there are many other cities on the West Coast, but San Diego, Oakland and Seattle are obstructed by a peninsula to the west, and San Francisco is a city that largely faces north and east, and only the rich folk who live on the coastal end of Frisco can see it (Why else do they call that part of SF "The Sunset District?"). But here in Los Angeles, the egalitarian sky show is for all. We even named one of our most famous streets after it.

Today. September 29, the penultimate day of the ninth month of the year, and just two days after The Hottest Day Evar, many of us saw and gawked at rainbows, be they single or double, today, as a monsoon rain wet parts of the Southland. Many of us re-enacted or quoted that viral video. The rainbow was clearly today's star.

But while everyone was paying attention to the star of the show, another spectacular performance was playing out on the opposite side of the sky. The same monsoon rainclouds that gave us that rainbow action also lingered in the sky to reflect That Setting Sun. And there it was. The Militant took the top picture from The Militant Compound around 6:40 p.m. today.

The glowing orange sunset clouds were like an ethereal upside-down mountain range. But the show would only last for a while, as the chameleonic sky turned purple, then grey, and the sun would hide until another day (hey, that rhymes...).

Hottest. Day. Evar.

After a Summer of bitching about unseasonably cold temps, after wistfully mourning the end of the Militant's favorite season at the onset of the Autumnal Equinox last week, after biking miles around town listening to Katy Perry's Summer anthem, "California Gurls" spill out of nearly every car stereo on the road, while wearing a jacket, we finally got ourselves a heat wave.

It was hot today.

Boy was it hot.

It was sooo hot in Los Angeles today, the food from the food trucks were cooking themselves. It was sooo hot in Los Angeles today, hipsters were advised to avoid vinyl record shops due to molten merchandise. It was sooo hot in Los Angeles today...

It was the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles history. "113 Dees Grees," as they used to say on KIIS-FM. When they used to play good music.

The Militant fondly remembers the previous hottest day - June 26, 1990. It was only 112 that day. Okay, he hardly remembered that day save for riding home in an RTD bus, which may or may not have had its air conditioning running. He did remember the Bell Biv Devoe tune, "Poison," though. Never trust a big butt and a smile, that girl is...Oh hey! The Militant digresses.

In the year 2030, when the Militant blogs (will they still have blogs then?) about that hot-ass day in 2010 when the weather hit 113, he will no doubt try to recall what he did on that day. And it will be quite a challenge, not because of the onset of old age, but because he spent most of the day...sleeping.

A Peak Worth Croaking About

If you're a big statistics/metrics geek, you will easily notice that the Militant Angeleno doesn't do much when the weather is cold and the days are dark. So it wasn't until a nice warm President's Day when the Militant decided to step out of his compound for a change and finally get inspired to get down to blogginess.

By now you've heard about the big hubbub regarding The Hollywood Sign, and why it's been temporarily altered the past few days - the first legal alteration of the sign since 1992 when the sign was used to promote the Ralph Bakshi animated film, Cool World (Remember, Holli Would?).

By the way, if you are so moved by the sight of 50-foot tarps bearing red and black letters urging that private development not take place up there, pause for the cause and make a contribution by the April 14 deadline. The Militant sure will.

Since the sign will be brought back to normal on Wednesday, the Militant thought it would be great to take some pics of it for posterity, so up he went into them thar hills, to a semi-secret location near the Hollywood Reservoir (or should that be the Save The Peak Reservoir?).

But apparently it wasn't that secret, as a bunch of folks got up there, by foot, by car, by bike, by Segway and by Time Machine to bask in the lovely summer-like weather in mid-February that only Los Angeles can offer.

Wait, what? TIME MACHINE?!

Okay, okay, not an actual time machine, but car owned by a dude named Paul Nigh, who tricked-out his own Back To The Future replica DeLorean car (puictured right). The owner said that the frame was salvaged from a Universal Studios backlot junkyard and built up from that. Likely inspired by the aforementioned lovely weather, he let curious and fascinated Gen-Xers and other movie fans snap pictures and take a seat in the iconic wing-door automobile (free of charge), playing amusing sound effects from the thing and bragging about how the original movie car's designer has seen and admired it.

The Militant didn't want to leave just set - due south was a breathtaking view of the Los Angeles basin, with the Baldwin Hills, Rancho Palos Verdes, the Pacific Ocean and even Catalina Island visible in the distance. Yes, it was one of those days.

But as the Militant left the area, he discovered something more far more fascinating than just a nice warm sunny day and a temporarily-altered landmark.

Upon sighting a gated archway with a bronze plaque on it (The Militant is instantly attracted to plaques (no not that kind), signifying the construction of the Toyon Tanks which hold the water source for the Save The Peak Reservoir), the Militant pulled over and saw four dudes hiking on a nearby incline. It didn't take long for the Militant to find out what brought them there. He could hear it right away.

Instead of describing it in words, let the magic of streaming video show you:





Yes, it was a swamp full of croaking frogs, right up here in the Save The Peak Hills. The Militant couldn't actually see any frogs (them critters are pretty elusive as it is), but as the video proves they are clearly heard.

A swamp full of frogs, up in the hills hundreds of feet above the City's streets, in the middle of our wonderful metropolis.

The Militant sure loves surprises like that.

Love, Angeleno Style

Today is Valentine's Day, a day that may or may not have any significance to the Militant. But just go outside, it's lovely. At some point an airplane will draw a heart in the sky, only to be quickly washed away by the wind and resemble a liver by the time the skywriter is done. Such is love, such is life. But whether you're in love or not, enjoy the day with the City that you love. Happy V-Day, ya'llz.

After The Storm: Pictures Of 'The Himalayas of Los Angeles'

It's been a dark and stormy several days, what with rain and floods and tornadoes and hail and rescued dogs. Rain is fine until you got some leaking in the Militant Compound, then it becomes not-so-enjoyable. The Militant didn't have the ability to go on any Militant adventures this past week; part of it was cleaning out his rain gutter, the other part was dealing with a very minor injury which may or may not have been weather-related.

In any event, one of the Militant's trusty operatives forwarded him this photo essay by SFV-based photographer Ken Lee (no, not that one), who went on a hike Saturday up the previously fire-ravaged San Gabriels (which he dubs "The Himalayas of Los Angeles") in Haines Canyon above the Verdugo Hills and takes some very stunning photographs (Three of his photos were chosen for the Los Angeles Times' Top 100 Travel Photos of 2009, so this guy seems to know his stuff!). Check 'em out!

Visit "The Himalayas of Los Angeles: Snow on the San Gabriel Mountains, Haines Canyon, Tujunga, CA - 23 January 2010"

Photo credit: Ken Lee.

Foggy New Year!

The Militant began 2009 by attending not one, but two New Year's celebrations, in unspecified parts of the City. En route from the first celebration to the second one, he did notice that it was awfully foggy out there. So foggy, he had to turn on his foglamps. Pictured left was his first photo of the year, taken while driving up Arlington Avenue on his new Militant Phone, which was acquired recently.

Of course, there's a new law on the books, effective today, that prohibits texting while driving, but the Militant wasn't texting, just taking a picture (and has the picture to prove it, duh...). As far as he knows, there's no law against taking pictures while driving. But he need not worry, since the fog was so damn thick that no law enforcement office could even see what any other driver was doing.

There's a lot in 2009 that the Militant looks forward to, so it's gonna be a great year folks. At least this Militant thinks so. What do you most look forward to in this City this year? Feel free to post it in the Comments section.

I Can Feel It Coughing In The Air Tonight

The Milita(cough, cough, cough) wildfires this weekend in three corners of the Southlan(cough, cough, cough) n't be able to go out and ride his bicy(cough, cough, cough). The sky looks as if we have more than one thing (cough, wheeze) in common with Beijin(cough, cough, cough, hack, cough). Except this time, there are more homes bur(cough, cough, cough, hack, wheeze, cough). From his compound he can(cough, cough, cough, wheeze, cough, cough, hock...spit). The Militant can't (cough, cough) wait until all this (cough, cough, cough, wheeze, cough, cough, hoccccccccck, ptui!) the air and (hack, cough, cough, ack, cough, cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze, cogh, cough)...

Oh, forget i(cough, cough, cough, wheeze, hock...).

Autumn Leaves in the Wind

They say there's no such thing as seasons in Los Angeles. Sorry to break this to you, but there are; it's just more subtle. And if you can't appreciate or recognize the subtleties, Mr. or Ms. Transplant, well, maybe you're the one who's superficial.

Anyway, the Militant spent his Friday night with one of his Is-This-Going-Anywhere-Or-Not female platonic friends in what may or may not actually be a date (no really, in this instance, the Militant isn't that proud of using his famous tagline). Oh it went well, but...wait, hold it! The Militant doesn't want to give out too many details on his personal life, so, enough with the background.

Anyway, as the Militant drove to the Westside, he noticed it. As he drove at the end of the night from the Westside via Downtown, he noticed it again. And from Downtown via surface streets back to his compound, yet again.

It was the sight, sound and feeling of those fallen autumnal leaves, swirling around by the Santa Ana Winds. He saw it on Venice Boulevard, he saw it on 8th Street, he saw it on Vermont Avenue. He has always wondered about those mysterious winds, as if they are a song that lasts all night, and even until the next day, whipping and bending the trees like an ongoing atonal symphony. Or perhaps they are the sound of the dry, invisible ocean that makes a ghostline appearance every so often.

Take a moment, stand still outside and let the wind envelop you. Let it whip your hair and ruffle your clothes. It's free. It's for all. Enjoy it.

Livin' For This

Most people come "out here" (ugh, hate that phrase, would like to pound people in the head every time they say that...) for "the weather," which seems to be the sole reedeeming quality of Los Angeles according to them generalizing-loving transplantia. Of course you all knew that already. The Militant, who never chose to come "out here," simply accepted his fate in terms of his geographical placement and makes the most of it. Ergo, he takes this weather thing totally for granted.

But on Tuesday night, while taking a stroll in Little Tokyo to do some extramilitant tasks, at 11:30 p.m., the thermometer read an even 80 with humidity at 38%.


It.

Was.

Niiiice.

Though Summer symbolically ended a month ago, and officially a week and a half ago, the Militant longs to keep this Summer thing going as long as possible. In SoCal, it's not too uncommon to have a heatwave just a few days before Christmas. And besides, we won't have to change our clocks for another four weeks.

Yes, he lives for these warm, kind of humid nights. Nice and warm, but without the sun beating on one's skin in an oppressive manner. Nice enough to take a nocturnal bike ride, nice enough to hang out on the porch or a sidewalk cafe and have a chat, nice enough to take a stroll on the streets to take it all in. Ahhhh.

The very place he was in on Tuesday night, people did just that, riding their bikes on second street, hanging out amongst the closed storefronts of Little Tokyo plaza, chillin' out in the front patio of I <3 Boba on 1st Street. The warmth envelops you, but does not beat down on you like when the sun is out. It's like an invisible blanket, keeping you secure from the typical cold of night.

The Militant walked these same streets last Friday night, still warm yet not as warm, catching one of the last Red Line trains back to his compound after attending a Presidential Debate-watching party at an unspecified Downtown location. He saw the bicycles and the people hanging out and walking, as well as the Friday night bar/partygoers in various locations. And not realizing it before, he felt...safe. Though he knows how to handle himself in the City, and has walked through neighborhoods that most of you wouldn't even want to drive through - in a tank - he did feel a sense of comfort and an absence of danger. So for all you Downtowners (or potential Downtowners) wondering what the deal is, there you go from a non-Downtowner who's still down wit' Downtown.

The Militant knows this heat wave won't last, and will soon give way to the cool of Fall and the cold of Winter, so he will be out on the streets tonight. So who knows? You may or may not see him.

The Militant Springs Forward...

The Militant knew something was weird when, after arriving back at the compound at 2:00 a.m. Saturday night/early Sunday morning and spending some time online, Mr. Toolbar Clock read "3:44 a.m." Did time really fly by that quickly?

Surely in this day and age one does not need to physically change one's clocks, since they seem to do it themselves (at least the ones on the computers, cellphones and whatnot).

But the greatest thing was seeing the sun shine still in full strength at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Hallelujah!!! It's over! It's finally over! Standard Time is OVER! Daylight Savings Time is here!!! No more does the Militant lull in a state of semi-depression at the fact that the sun only shines for a limited amount of hours per day (though the people of the arctic regions would not be amused). As of 7 p.m. the dusky sky still had a faint orange glow to the west, which means more time for utter Militancy (apparently Militancy, aside from mass nocturnal bicycle excursions, is not very feasible for some reason). So what if DST doesn't actually save energy? This solar-powered Militant has SPRUNG BACK! er, no wait...this solar-powered Militant will be FALLING FORWARD! ...wait...hmmm...is that how it goes? [consulting Google search for "Daylight Savings Time"] Okay, now the Militant's got it...This solar-powered Militant has SPRUNG FORWARD!

My Name Is Los Angeles, And I Am Beautiful

The first day of sunshine after a winter rainstorm is usually the day postcard photographers scramble to take that moneyshot of the Downtown skyline and the snowcapped San Gabriels. When the Militant headed out today to perform a couple Militant duties, he looked northeast and saw them. Beautiful is the word of the day. Later, the Militant biked up Olive Hill at Barnsdall Park, took some pics, and just sat down and enjoyed the view. This was the first time in a long time where he recalled the snow level being so low.

He obviously wasn't the only one armed with a camera (pictured right). He saw at least three other photographers snapping the newly-blanched local mountains, some with fancy gear with telephot lenses, some digital cameras, some simple point-and-shooters.

The Militant found a social atmosphere as those of us who took pictures of the same thing commented on how beautiful they were. The Militant recommended to another photographer an even better vantage point in the park, unobstructed by buildings or trees. He also chatted with the woman above who had just pulled her car up alongside where the Militant was. The woman, in her 60s, commented that she had lived here for nine years and would like to share the pic to her friends in the East Coast, who think that the west is devoid of any beauty, just to prove them wrong.

She also commented on how the mountains to the west (the Verdugos) were more snow-covered than the San Gabriels. She assumed they were taller, but the Militant explained that the San Gabriels face the city, which is warmer because of all the concrete, and that the Verdugos are much closer to the forest, where the distance from the urban heat island keeps the temps down.

As the Militant types this, the grey skies are back. He's glad he had the opportunity to see the awesome splendor that towers over the City.

Sure, it snows in other places, even other cities with mountains, but the contrast of the white snow, the blue sky, the brown lower elevations, the greenery of the trees and the various other colors that make up the City displays a spectacular contrast and chromatic variety, as opposed to a homogenized, monochromatic blanketing of snow as far as the eye can see.

There's got to be a metaphor in that somewhere...

Of Winter Hibernation And Lame Excuses

The Militant hates making excuses, but it seems Winter is not an ideal season for the Militant. The days are shorter and the nights are not as eventful, which is a good reason why he hasn't taken to blogging lately (the other is a few major unspecified extramilitant projects he is occupied with). Granted, it's a little warmer during the day lately (which is one of the reasons he's taken back to blogging for the first time in over a week) but the days are oh-so short that the sun barely has a chance to warm up the sky.

On Thursday, the Militant took another walk with his K-9 unit around an unspecified area near his compound. While walking up to Barnsdall Park, he saw a fleet of eerie and awesome lenticular clouds hovering over Mt. Lee (where the Hollywood Sign stands) and the North Hollywood-Burbank area. Surely the Militant would have snapped this breathtaking sight, enhanced by the reddish glow of the setting sun, which was sinking fast behind the silhouette of the Westside, but he didn't have his Militant cam on him. Yeah, no excuse.

Saturday was the first day this year he took to his bike; today was the second. And it's probably a good time to get a tune-up.

Damn, '08, give the Militant a jump-start already!

Scenes From The First Day Of Winter

The first day of Winter, 2007, Los Angeles. A day after the rain, which was swept away briskly by high winds the night before. This is the kind of day that postcard photographers live for.

The San Gabriel Mountains are in the background (with Mt. Lowe and the antenna-topped Mt. Wilson to the left and the snow-capped Mt. San Antonio (stage name: Mt. Baldy) to the right. Los Feliz and the Franklin Hills sits in the foreground. Taken from Barnsdall Art Park.

Raining, Blaming, Maintaining, Hydroplaning

 

For some reason there's been lots of grey clouds in the sky,
and there seems to be drops of water falling down...

Yes, it's raining again, and that means one thing: The time when our city's transplants (and transplant-biased media) love to declare that Los Angelenos cannot drive in the rain.

In addition to other things this native Militant
has to hear them beyotch and whine about (and those transies sure do love to whine!), the rain thing takes the cake (left out in the rain, in Macarther MacArthur Park, of course). First of all, it arrogantly absolves the person making the statement that they, and only they, are the only ones with teh l33t driving skillz in the entire region. Second, it's highly hypocritical on many levels, especially since many of the other drivers are transplants themselves, and there has yet to be any absolute scientific proof that any of them have never caused an accident (on another level, most transplants proudly declare that they prefer follow scientific logic and reason as opposed to faith or what others tell them, yet when it comes to matters regarding this City, they use anything but scientific logic and reason and rely on the preconceived notions fed to them by others...hmmm....). And lastly, it's ludicrously presumptive. So what, people from Los Angeles choose to drive bad in the rain? It's what we're taught in our Driver's Ed classes - to ignore all intentions of carefulness once the first drop of rain hits the road (If that's true, then NorCal people shouldn't be hatin', since they have the same Driver's Ed curriculum that we have)? Transie, please! With auto insurance costing as much as it does, do you seriously think we really want to get into accidents when it rains? And what is the crux of the problem? That we drive too fast? Or too slow? Make up your fuggin' minds!

The Militant Mythbuster says "Enough." Here's some food for thought.

• Per Capita, Stupid. Of course, there's a lot more accidents when it rains here. Because there's a lot more cars and a lot more freeways. Duh. The Militant needs to see statistical proof of a higher per capita rate of automobile accidents during precipitation before he would consider lending credence to the generalization.

• It's Not The Driver, It's The Tires. Here is one thing everybody, be they native, immigrant or transplant, totally neglects: Proper tire maintenance. You can be the best driver in history, but your l33t skillz won't mean jack if your tires have lost their tread, causing even the most adept driver to skid and lose control on wet pavement. Such is what caused an accident in late November which a local Jedi blogger experienced while riding in a landspeeder (but don't actual landspeeders, through the use of repulsors, avoid contact with the ground?). When it comes to auto maintenance, we seem to only be concerned with the mechanical well-being of the car and place things like tire rotation and replacement as a low priority. Los Angeles was once the largest tire-producing city in the country behind Akron, OH (hence the existence of places like this) - SO GET YOUR TIRES CHECKED, PEOPLE!
Lastly, and most importantly...

• Suprise! Suprise! We are not the only place in the country where people cannot drive in the rain. When the Militant visited Portland, Oregon - a Pacific Northwest city with abundant rainfall - and rode their light rail train during one rainy night, he and his fellow passengers were forced to disembark and cram into a bus. The reason? A car hit a train further down the line. You'd have thought that Portlanders would have known better - because car accidents in the rain only happen in Los Angeles, right?

The Militant will now provide a (by no means comprehensive) list of sites and blogs from around the country, via his Militant research, which declare the drivers of their respective locales (including some known for frequent precipitation) as people who "Can't drive in the rain."

Richmond, VA

Texas

Maryland

Pittsburgh

Roanoke, VA

The Bay Area

The Bay Area again

Kentucky

Austin, TX (look out, Virginia, you got competition!)

Central Alabama

South Carolina, Alaska, Canada and New York

Phoenix

The South

Hawai'i (A state which is home to the world's rainiest place)

Springfield, VA (Way to go, Virginia!)

and finally...

SEATTLE!

You get the picture. You might even hail from some of these places. Pwnage is in effect. But on an objective level, it's all a matter of perspective. You don't see the problems of other cities in front of you every day; the only comparisons we are capable of are selective recollections and detail-deficient news reports (The Militant refuses to believe there were no auto accidents during the big Katrina evacuation in '05 - but you'd never hear of it, since that would have been only a trivial part of the bigger story).

So be careful out there (duh) and again, GET YOUR TIRES CHECKED!

Here Comes The Sun

Damn.

Sure the Autumnal Equinox came and went back in September, the Militant has been wearing camo pants rather than shorts lately and the baseball season has been officially over, but nothing hits the Militant like that damn Standard Time.

The Militant has switched his clock back an hour for nearly a week already (well, his cellphone and computer did it all by themselves, at least) and though he can tolerate the colder temperatures, he sure couldn't stand the very limited hours of daylight, especially since it's been sorely overcast for the past week.

All of this takes a psychological toll on the Militant, he has lost some of his adventurous nature, he stays indoors all day, he even decided to opt out on last night's Midnight Ridazz bike trek, for no particular reason than he didn't feel like it (though it would have helped had the starting point been either within the vicinity of the compound or been easily (M)-accessible. But oh well.

Now, the Militant can already hear you transplants calling the Militant a "Typical California Weather Pussy" and making other self-aggrandizing comments like, "Oh, you've never shoveled six feet of snow off your driveway before" yadda yadda yadda yadda. But why are you here? "Oh, the weather! Everything sucks about La-La Land except THE WEATHER!" Pffftht. The weather pussy is looking straight at you...in the mirror. Besides, over 2.5 billion people in the world live in tropical climates, and you've only complained about your humidity during the Summer? Stick that in your Midwast/East Coast-centric a...

...Oh hey! We were talking about the change of seasons. Yeah, so this being the first cloudless day all week, the Militant took a long stroll around the vicinity of his compound to soak up some rays, however little warmth they emanated. The Militant gets his strength from the sun, so he must be solar-powered or something. Nevertheless, this is usually the low point of the year for the Militant; last fall was pretty rough. But just like the clock he'll just have to adjust...until Spring comes 'round.

Uprooted! (And The Far East Journey)

The Militant performed some operations of a classified nature in the Hollywood area on a rainy Saturday. No doubt, the much-anticipated downpour wreaked much meteorologically- related havoc on the city, such as an expected post-burn mudslide in Griffith Park. Likewise, the Militant, who just picked up a whole rotisserie chicken (con garlic paste goodness) on Saturday afternoon from the original Zankou was stumped to find more effects of the recent precipitation branch out into places he wouldn't normally bark at (pictured right). Yes, a tree went down at a Metro Local bus stop on Normandie Ave. at Sunset Blvd.

The Militant Ventures East of the 15 - STOP THE PRESSES!

The aforementioned chicken (and its accompanying immensely addictive trademark garlic paste) was purchased as a potluck item for a small party out in The Far East, a.k.a. the IE a.k.a. the Inland Empire, a.k.a the sticks. The Militant, who normally doesn't venture east of the 15, had to relent at least for this one day as a dude named Phil, a fellow member of a certain online forum the Militant frequents, invited some of his fellow Southern California-area forum denizens for a little party/BBQ at Phil's place in Glen Avon in Riverside County. Dreading a torrential trek in the rain (no, the Militant didn't bike there, LOL) and inevitable lane closures and sigalerts along the 60, it wasn't that bad and in fact not a drop of rain fell as he ventured way out east.

The party took place in Phil's backyard, which was a reasonably elongated piece of property in a humble neighborhood of single-story ranch-style homes, including a house next door (pictured left) that had horse stables (!) The normally hot and dusty nature of Riverside county was muted today by the recent rains and the cooler temperatures, which made for a pretty-looking sunset that illuminated the Martian-like hills nearby. Like the Militant's Chowhound meet adventure back in July this was a similar event where the Militant (known under a different name in this particular forum), exited the realm of virtual anonymity and entered the plane of visible, tangible existence. But unlike the July foodie meet, the Militant had no previously-known friends present and had to make some new ones there. He approached the host, who was gracious, hospitable and appreciative and before not too long met others who recognized his username.

Why all this trouble and a 55-mile trip to The Far East? Aside from natural curiosity, the Militant wanted to combat the effects of technology eroding healthy human contact and instead use technology as a means to forge friendships and relationships with other humans. It was a pleasant, jovial, drama-free affair (though not without offline gossip about a certain other forum user who possessed less-than-stellar interpersonal skills and was not welcome to the event).

The Militant, like the others in that forum, loves technology. But the Militant, like the others in that forum who attended the get-together, makes it a point to be in touch with his humanity.