Posing with Pictures: Rush Hour

In an effort to bring you, my dear readers, more content, I thought I would randomly choose some photos I've taken and show them off. I'll give a little backstory, make a little love and get down tonight.

All of the photos were shot on my pride and joy also known as a Canon Powershot S1. It's a point and shoot camera that has a zoom that just rocks my world.

Riding along in my automobile. My camera beside me at the wheel.

Sitting in traffic in Hollywood with enough time to get my camera out and snap this photo of the cars behind me.

*in art snob voice* The cars represent past moments/memories. All of them are lined up behind you, but not moving. They are their to remind you of where you have been. To prevent you from going backward and force you to move forward even if it is an inch at a time like in rush hour traffic.

Or it just looked cool and I was bored out of my mind.

Social Networking and Internet Stalking

In the last few years, the Internet has become a place to make new friends and track down old ones. Social networking sites have become the big ticket to fame and fortune for their creators. I belong to several of of them. Some because they are good and some just because of peer pressure. I thought I'd break each of them down and the means to find me on them if you want to.

In the beginning there was Friendster and it was good. This was the first of its kind and it's still one of my favorites. I had a blog (and technically still do) there for years. This was a nice clean site and I liked using it. Apparently, being on friendster dates you as being over 30 (which I am). Unfortunately, it has slowly become a wasteland and very few people actually use it anymore. This is sad because it is superior in many ways to the other knock offs of this original social hub.

Then came the infamous Myspace. I hated this site and resisted joining it for a very long time. It gave me angelfire flashbacks when people would load their homepage with music and images. It slowly became a necessary evil. A few of the celebrity blogs I read are only on myspace and some of them require you to be a member to read it. So, I caved and joined it. It's okay I guess. People who were addicted to it have since moved on to greener internet pastures.

So now the big site is Facebook. It was originally only for high school and college students and you needed an educational email to get an account. Then one day they opened it up to everyone and it has been the current favorite for a while now. The benefit over the other two is it has all of these applications on it that let you play games and take tests and compare yourself to your friends. One of the biggest draws it seems is being able to play Scrabble with other people.

Aside from those big three, there are smaller more specialized sites. One of them is called ComicSpace. Not a terribly original name, I'll grant you. This is a myspace-esque site just for comic book people. A lot of professionals and independents use this site to promote their work. It's a place for fans and artists/writers to talk and/or complain about comics. I have actually discovered a few new webcomics through this site, but I don't use it as often as I should. I'd recommend it to people who are avid comic book readers.

Recently, a new site came my way called Last.fm. This is kind of a cool one for music. It's a place that you can share, swap and talk about music legally. There are ways to share songs or buy them through other sites. You can link it up to your iPod/iTunes library and it will keep track of what you are listening to and rank them each week. It's also a way to listen to music either through playlists that you have created or ones other people have recommended. I'm hoping this one catches on because I am always looking for new music.

The most practical of all of these is called LinkedIn. I always describe this as a hybrid of friendster and monster.com. It's a place where you can keep track of your colleagues and what friends are doing professionally and/or use it to look for a new job or have a new job find you. I know of at least two people that joined just to keep track of friends and were contacted by head hunters. One of the cool things this does is when you go to apply for a job it will check and see if any of your friends or friends of your friends work for that company or division. You can then contact them and ask for more info or a recommendation. Another benefit is it helps you organize your resume by having you fill out all your information. Because it is a social site and not just a place to look for work, you won't have to hide from your co-workers/bosses like some people do on monster.com.

Twitter is not like the others. This is kind of an unusual one that is more like an instant messenger than anything else. People use it to promote their stuff or make random or snarky comments to people. I haven't quite found a way to use this to my advantage, but I think I just need to play on it more.

Those are all the social sites I belong to and use. There are untold variations of these sites out there. Some I've tried and quit, some I just have no interest in and some it's just a matter of time before I discover. So below are my screen names and/or links to my profiles if you want to invite me to your network.

All of my profiles say basically the same stuff so you're not going to find any new information on me.

Friendster: http://www.friendster.com/fangirly or you can search for me by name, but only if you have an account

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fangirly

Facebook: You can search for me by name

ComicSpace: http://www.comicspace.com/fangirly/

Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/Fangirly/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathybugajsky

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Fangirl

Feel free to contact me through any of these sites! Thanks!

Posing with Pictures: "Love, Life and Liquor"

In an effort to bring you, my dear readers, more content, I thought I would randomly choose some photos I've taken and show them off. I'll give a little backstory, make a little love and get down tonight.

All of the photos were shot on my pride and joy also known as a Canon Powershot S1. It's a point and shoot camera that has a zoom that just rocks my world.

"Love, Life and Liquor" was taken at The Derby in Hollywood at a friend's 30th birthday party. This perfect martini was delivered filled to the brim and I just had to take its picture. Megan, whose drink it was, reached for it and I said "don't move an inch" and then snapped this moment in time. This photo hasn't been color corrected yet, but I think it's just beautiful as is.

*In Artist/Snob Voice* I believe the martini symbolizes the perfect life full of luxury, richness and love. The menu symbolizes one's choices and paths. So this is saying that even though the person has the perfect life in their grasp, they still keep their options open and at the ready.

Apparently, if I ever want to have an art show I need to be able to talk like that when people ask about the photos. You're not supposed to say "I just thought it looked cool or I needed something red to hang in my living room that matches my couch." I guess art lovers like a little more BS with their art or at least from their artists.

I hope you enjoyed this first installment of "Posing With Pictures." Please leave comments on what you thought and make them as snobby or sincere as you like.

Grey In LA

To say I have a wide variety of musical tastes is a bit of an understatement. I listen to all kinds of music, but I will get stuck on a particular type of songs or a singer and that's all I will want to listen to for a while. It drives people I live with and/or drive with nuts. One of the current musicians I can't seem to get enough of right now is Loudon Wainwright III. He is the father of singers Rufus and Martha Wainwright whom I enjoy as well. You might know him from "Knocked Up." He did most of the music and he plays the OB GYN she finally chooses.

I stumbled upon this song of his called "Grey In LA" and just felt that if I needed to choose a theme song to sum up my relationship with Los Angeles, this would be it. Here are the lyrics, although I suggest you check out the actual song as well on iTunes:

When it's grey in L.A. I sure like it that way
Cause there's way too much sunshine round here
I don't know about you I get so sick of blue skies
Whenever they always appear

And I sure love the sound of the rain pouring down
On my carport roof made out of tin
If there's a flood then there's gonna be mudslides
We all have to pay for our sin

Chorus I
And I suppose that they'll close canyon roads
And the freeways will all start to clog
And the waters will rise and you won't be surprised
When your whole house smells like your wet dog

When it's grey in L.A. it's much better that way
It reminds you that this town's so cruel
Yeah it might feel like fun when you're sportin' sunglasses
But really you're one more fool

And I'm just a chump
And this whole town's a dump
We came out here to dump all our dreams
Of making it big but we're stuck in a sig alert nightmare
That's just how it seems

Chorus II
And I suppose Laurie David sure knows
All those cars we drive heat up our earth
And sea temperatures rise and those constant blue skies
And brush fires can sure curb your mirth

Brad Grey's in L.A. yeah OK I should stay here
There's no place that's better I know
For a wannabe star stuck in a car
On a freeway with nowhere to go

Clearly, I Don't Know My Own Power

When I was mentally making my list of pros and cons to staying in Los Angeles, I felt a little guilty there were so few items on the pro list aside from friends. So, I added my two favorite restaurants, Sebastian's and Killer Shrimp, to the list. Little did I know that by doing so I had sealed their fate forever.

Sebastian's was the neighborhood restaurant that I fell in love with. I would eat there several times a week and then slowly decreased as time went on, but always made an effort to go at least once a month if only to pick up something. I made friends with the owners and talked to them on a regular basis. My favorite chef, Gordon Ramsey, even shot an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" there. Sebastian's was the only restaurant they featured that wasn't dirty or had molding food. The last time I ate there was actually the night that episode premiered on Fox. We had the most amazing food and all in all it was a great time. I had no idea it would be my last visit there.

I knew something was up when I noticed they had a sign saying they would be closed during the holidays. They had never closed before and I thought it was a little odd. The sign came down, but they seemed closed every time I drove by. I called and the answering machine said they had cut their hours down to just dinner service. Then they sent an email explaining that the owner's parents were in failing health, they would be closing the restaurant permanently and moving back to Boston. They would close their doors after one night of all you can eat for $10 on a Sunday night. I sent an email and rallied the troops. Sadly, there was another note saying unforeseen circumstances lead to them closing immediately.

I was bummed. This was one of my favorite hang outs and it was gone just like that without a proper send off. I took it as yet another sign to leave Los Angeles. I jokingly said that I feared for Killer Shrimp now since the universe is so intent on me leaving.

I have been going to Killer Shrimp since I first moved to Los Angeles in 1997. They only serve one dish (very large shrimp marinaded in a cajun broth) with three variations - with bread, with rice or with pasta. It's been the traditional place to go when you want to catch up with friends or celebrating birthdays with a small group. I used to pick it up sometimes and eat it at home. I loved the stuff.

One night after work, I had a craving for it. I called information and got the number. It rang with no answer and no machine picked up. I drove by and the place was dark. I peeked in and all the furniture was gone and the sign had been removed from the front of the building. I couldn't believe it. I hopped on the internets and not a word about it except that both locations had closed.

The freakiest part was that this happened ten days after Sebastian's closed. Ten days after I joked that the universe was getting rid of my reasons for staying. I have killed my two favorite restaurants! I didn't even get to say goodbye to either of them properly. So sad. Well, they are crossed off the list of reasons to stay. Tally Ho! North I Go!

In memoriam, here is a photo of two of my goodest friends on one of the bestest nights ever at Sebastian's:

TED: Pamelia Kurstin and the Theremin

As promised, I wanted to bring you the first of many videos from the TED Conference. This particular one is one of my favorites.

In 2002, Pamelia Kurstin performed at TED. Pamelia is known throughout the world for her theremin playing. Most people know this instrument from old sci-fi movies or from some random beach boy songs. However, you have never heard it played the way she plays it. It is simply breath taking to watch and hear her play. As she explains, it is a matter of controlling pitch and volume without actually touching anything. What I love most about this is to hear her speak in between songs. She is so focused and in such a deep concentration to play, she almost can't quite pull it together to form sentences and seems totally out of it. I hope you enjoy is as much as I do.

NERDS!

In case there was any doubt of my geek/nerd cred, I would like to share some evidence.

Mental Floss (a website full of awesome random knowledge) asked for submissions for "Your Most Embarrasing Picture From Childhood." So, I, of course, submitted one of me being my geeky/nerdy younger self. The results of the challenge were posted today and I'm the 7th entry (out of 10 shown on the main page and 34 submissions total)!

Let there be no doubt that I deserve the name fangirl.

*bows* thank you *bows*

Compare and Conrast Cities

Part of my research is looking at the cold facts and comparing Chicago to Los Angeles to Seattle. Here are some of the interesting facts I've come across (Sorry for the size):

PEOPLE	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Population	2,833,321	3,849,378	582,454
Median Age	33.2	33.7	37.7
Households	1,039,449	1,322,551	267,007
Male Population	48.69%	49.62%	49.99%
Female Population	51.31%	50.38%	50.01%
Single Population	56.90%	50.34%	58.88%
ESTIMATED TOTAL POPULATION BY AGE
Age 25 to 34	17.38%	16.96%	20.40%
Age 35 to 44	15.39%	16.02%	17.56%
RACE
White	41.06%	46.75%	69.26%
Black	36.27%	10.31%	8.09%
Asian	4.73%	10.25%	14.55%
Hispanic	28.17%	49.03%	6.19%
FAMILY
Married, w/children	16.63%	22.55%	12.19%
Married, no children	18.02%	19.03%	20.03%
Single, w/children	11.78%	10.88%	5.39%
Single, no children	53.61%	47.57%	63.00%
Never Married	40.64%	37.31%	41.79%
ECONOMY	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Unemployment Rate	5.50%	4.90%	3.70%
Future Job Growth	19.05%	18.91%	22.38%
Sales Taxes	8.75%	8.25%	8.80%
Income Taxes	3.00%	6.00%	0.00%
Income per Cap.	$23,303	$22,238	$32,520
Household Income	$44,664	$40,844	$48,917
HEALTH	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Air Quality (100=best)	1	1	4
Water Quality (100=best)	31	52	59
Physicians per Cap.	331.8	245.2	386.3
CLIMATE	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Rainfall (in.)	34.1	12.8	35.9
Snowfall (in.)	33.6	0.2	11
Precipitation Days	118	29	155
Sunny Days	189	284	152
Avg. July High	81.5	76.7	75.2
Avg. Jan. Low	20.4	49.8	36.7
Comfort Index (higher=better)	47	46	72
EDUCATE	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Pupil/Teacher Ratio	18	21	19
Students per Librarian	886	930	533
4 yr College Grad.	15.61%	16.12%	30.07%
Graduate Degrees	10.09%	8.85%	17.19%
High School Grads.	71.28%	65.93%	88.50%
TRANSPORT	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Commute Time	38.5	31.9	27.2
Auto (alone)	50.47%	65.65%	55.56%
Mass Transit	26.10%	10.36%	17.76%
Work at Home	2.37%	4.08%	4.60%
COSTLIV	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Overall	126	156	132
RELIGION	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Percent Religious	57.63%	58.08%	37.26%
Catholic	39.93%	39.99%	16.15%
Protestant	6.77%	6.75%	11.74%
Baptist	1.91%	2.29%	2.03%
Jewish	4.36%	5.93%	1.87%
VOTING	Chicago	Los Angeles	Seattle
Democrat	70.250%	63.102%	64.953%
Republican	29.150%	35.598%	33.691%

In conclusion, in almost all categories Seattle is more of what I'm looking for across the board. Some of the stats surprised me like Chicago comes off as way more Catholic than Los Angeles.

Sleeper Couch Seeks Love and Attention

I have hung on to my sleeper couch for a long time now and I am finally ready to get rid of it and use the cash toward to move. I decided to sell it on Craigslist.com, but I didn't want to place a boring old ad that would get overlooked. Below is the ad I placed:

****

Hi! I am a couch that converts into a bed looking for a new place to live. My current owner has dumped me for a newer younger model despite my years of devotion to them. I hope a spring pops them in the…well, sorry. I’m just bitter and hoping that someone more appreciative wants me.

Let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m black and brown and have three cushions with matching pillows. My measurements are 88” long x 30” tall x 36” deep (my mattress is 6ft. long and 5ft. wide) in case you’re into looks. I have a little wear and tear, but nothing too noticeable or unfixable. I’m sure if those lazy owners of mine actually learned to sew I’d be as good as new.

I think I’m worth millions of dollars, but those creeps are selling me for $200 or best offer. Not only that, but you’d need to come get me.

I’ve included a pic of me and me in all my glory. I’m so ashamed having to pimp myself out like this, but I really need to get out of this place. That new couch is such a priss. Called me a scruffy nerf herder and everything.

Help save me from this life! You are my only hope!

Email my owners if interested, the heartless humans that they are.

Why Seattle and Not Another City?

I found a great article called "10 Reasons People Move to Seattle" which pretty much sums up my various reasons on why Seattle. I took the ones I agreed with and added some of my own. Here they are in random order:

1. No State Income Tax – This was a nice plus when I heard this. I looked at my paycheck and that would basically be an extra $30 every week! Sweet.

2. Nature – I've always been more of a mountain girl than a beach girl. I've never been a huge fan of the beach aside from watching sunsets and I can count the times on one hand that I've actually done that since moving here.

3. Job – Disney is up there not to mention Google, Amazon and Microsoft. It's a booming place for geeks right now. I can be with my own kind.

4. City Life – Despite Seattle being so much smaller than Los Angeles or Chicago, it has tons going on in the way of museums and a music scene.

5. Public Transportation– I miss public transportation. I really do and Seattle has it in abundance. The mayor wants all city employees using public transportation solely as of 2010.

6. Weather – They actually have weather. Not just sunny and 70 year round. Sure there is rain, but I love rain.

7. Sports - The actually have a professional football team there. I could actually see my Bears play in person. I'll be beaten to death by Seahawk fans for cheering and screaming "Go Bears!" but I'm willing to risk that. Sadly, they don't have pro-hockey, but an hour and half away and I can be in Canada watching a game in the land of hockey.

8. Internet Mecca - Seattle is the most wireless city in the world. All I need is a laptop and I can be on the Internet anywhere in the city. Yes, it's like riding a stationary bike in a park, but still.

9. Housing Market - It's half of what it is in Los Angeles. I can actually afford to get my own one-bedroom place for what I am paying for my half of my current apartment. I could maybe even be able to afford to buy a house some day. Dare to dream!

I think you can see why this city works for a geek like myself more so than other cities. I know Austin is a booming town as well right now, but I can't stand the heat. Plus, Texas has mosquitoes the size of Volkswagens. I prefer the colder climate, thank you very much.