Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Holy Weekend, Batman! November 23, 2011

Filed under: Dining Out,Downtown,Friends,Galaxy,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 7:06 am
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Hello world! What a crazy week so far! We’ve been going non-stop. Friday we went to Burbank’s Holiday Open House where stores and restaurants open their doors and offer free drinks, snacks and goodies. We met up with Erika and Timmy and explored some stores we hadn’t heard of before. Such a fun way to kick off the weekend.

Saturday morning, we met up with Erica for breakfast and a walk. Here’s a preview of the Banana Peanut Butter Crunch pancakes we all split for “dessert”. (Yep, those are Oreos on there).
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After a walk around a new neighborhood, we cleaned up and headed an hour north to a beautiful wedding in Camarillo.
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The setting was just gorgeous, it was at an old farmhouse. We had a blast and enjoyed the evening chatting with friends.
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But the cake! Oh, the cake! Each table had its own cake and it was love at first sight. It was everything you could want in a wedding cake. Rich, sugary buttercream frosting, chocolate cake, strawberries inside. All wrapped in a shell of white chocolate. I went back for an extra smear of frosting.
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On our way home, the 101 freeway got completely shut down just a few cars in front of us. We turned the car off and it took almost an hour for them to open up one lane again. Ridiculous.

Sunday morning, we got up and headed to the LA Auto Show downtown. We are thinking of replacing one or both of our cars in the next year or so it was a great opportunity to scope out some contenders. We were actually impressed by what we found. We have lots of research to do now.
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Sunday was POURING in LA. The rain came down in thick wet sheets. The kind of rain that has big droplets that soak you to the bone. On the way back to our car, we both stepped in a huge puddle and our socks and shoes were soaked. But we had to keep truckin’ because next up was the Major League Soccer Championship game! We got tickets months ago before we even knew which teams would be playing. Luckily our LA Galaxy made it in and we were excited to be in the stadium.  Our seats were not covered and we spent four hours outside looking like this:
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We made the best of it though and enjoyed the game. We were in the third row in the corner and had great views of Donovan stretching before the game.
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And then the game began! LA vs. Houston.
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Oh hey, David! Bend it like Beckham!
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In the end, we won 1-0 and the field erupted in celebration.
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And remember that trophy that we saw last weekend in the mall?
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There it is! Now officially in the hands of the LA Galaxy.
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Did you watch the game on ESPN? This game was like the superbowl of soccer. So cool to be able to see it in person.
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After, we did what any normal person would do after sitting in the rain for four hours…. we went to Chili’s for dinner. haha

I’m exhausted after typing all that. Looking forward to Thanksgiving! Safe travels during the holiday, everyone!

 

The October Recap! November 3, 2011

Filed under: Food,Friends,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 8:25 am
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Hi friends! Sorry, I know it’s been a few weeks since blogging last! I’m here! We’ve just been insanely busy. We haven’t been home for more than two weekends in a row since the beginning of June. Now that it’s November, it’s starting to catch up with me. I’m excited to stay put for a couple of weeks now.

But let’s rewind. Back on October 22, we went with our friends Janet and Noah (and baby) and Erika and Timmy (and baby) to a pumpkin patch up in Simi Valley. Irving and I started this tradition years ago and called it “The Fall Festival of Love”.
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We had a great time walking around the farm and seeing all the animals. They had all kinds of animals to look at and feed.
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Even though it’s 90* in LA, who says you can’t at least pretend it’s fall here?
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We attempted to find our way out of the corn maze, but six adults and two kids wasn’t enough to figure it out. We got lost for half an hour and then decided to walk back out the entrance in favor of grabbing lunch instead. HAHA Maybe next year!
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We had a GREAT time with our friends enjoying the morning together.  (PS. why didn’t we get a group picture?!)
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One weekend later, we took the Amtrak train down to San Diego to meet up with Jake and Janie (Irving’s aunt and uncle). We spent the weekend relaxing by the pool, taking walks along the beach and exploring Coronado Island. (I know, tough life, right?)
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While New England was getting a blizzard, we were napping poolside. My mom and sister kept texting me pictures of the snow.
(I know it was mean, but I texted back a picture of a palm tree). haha
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The rest of our weekend was spent watching this guy. He talked back to us and mimicked our actions, it was so cool!
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Finally, Halloween night was a BLAST. We had some friends over and hung out before walking around the neighborhood.
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Doesn’t your trick-or-treat night look like this?
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There were parties in the streets, DJs spinning in front yards, haunted houses to enter and plenty of awesome decorations to see.
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This guy had a whole pirate ship in his front yard!
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We had so much fun walking around with our friends. We were out for two hours and could have done a couple more, but we were getting tired.
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So there you have it. The cliff-notes version of where we’ve been for the past few weeks. Regular blogging should return soon.

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The winner of the Football Snacks giveaway is Janie! I’ll notify you via email. Thanks!

 

Iris: A Party for the Eyes October 5, 2011

Filed under: Hollywood Events,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 10:08 pm
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Irving and I love going to Cirque shows. Vegas is known for its out-of-this-world shows with dazzling costumes, incredible acts and gorgeous sets.  We’ve seen Zumanity and KA and really liked them both. It’s always the highlight of a trip to Sin City.
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But now we don’t have to drive four hours to Nevada to catch an amazing stage show. Hollywood now has its very own resident Cirque show. Introducing: IRIS.
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We’ve been itching to see this show since we first heard about it two years ago. Unlike the shows in Vegas, IRIS didn’t have a building designed around the performance. Instead, they had to use the existing space inside the Kodak Theater and retrofit it to their needs. It was a three year process that involved a $40 million excavation project to create room for the sets they had in mind.
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The two hour show is comprised of human artists, mechanical props, film, light, music and sound all interacting with each other in the most magical way you can imagine. The execution is flawless and you really are transported out of reality and into a whimsical world that will catch your breath and hold it til the very end.
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There are 72 cast members, 200 costumes, 20 projectors and more than 300 stage cues throughout the show. There are times when you don’t know where to look because there is so much going on at once. You can look left, right, up or down and your eyes will be fascinated with what they can see.
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The acts were impressive, it is truly amazing what the body is capable of. It’s the human aspect that really impresses me. There is risk, fear and adrenaline involved in all of the performances. It’s the “how do they do that” questions that mesmerizes the audience.The circus has evolved into a fantastical and glamorous occasion and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the marriage between people and technology. 
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The above image represented a film strip. The actors all moved in identical unison and it looked like you watching a movie. IRIS is located in the Kodak Theater which is in the heart of Hollywood. The whole show is about the evolution of the movie industry and it made me giddy to witness it right where the magic originally happened.
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One of my favorite acts was the Cops and Robbers sequence. It plays out like a Dick Tracey skit. The good guys and the bad guys in battle with each other. The pursuit of justice and the evasion of getting caught. I won’t spoil the details in case you get the pleasure of viewing it live, but trampolines were involved and it was so cool to watch!
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After the show, I was invited to join a blogger’s Q&A with two of the performers, Andrew and Kevin Atherton. They are identical twins who perform aerial tricks on the straps together. They both got involved with gymnastics at age 7 and joined Cirque when they were 24. They were with Varekai for 8 1/2 years before joining the cast of IRIS. In those years, they never missed a single performance due to sickness. These guys really love what they do and you can tell they are very proud to be a part of this show.
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They talked about how what they do does involve a bit of risk, but they trust each other with their lives. They said that some people dream of being able to fly and they get to do it for a living.
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The performers get a lot of freedom to choreograph their own acts and the music was added later. Danny Elfman, who has scored numerous blockbuster films (The Hunger Games, Alice in Wonderland, Chicago, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) also scored IRIS. It must have been quite a challenge to not have locked video to work with like he was used to. The music was such an important role in the show and it was very well done.
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IRIS will be playing in the Kodak Theater for more than a decade and I already can’t wait to see it again. The performances evolve over time and no two shows are alike. As cast members are added, new talents will be written into the show. Whether you’re an LA local or a visiting tourist, it’s a must see. For tickets, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/IRIS .

PS: I went to Circus school last year to learn how to swing from the trapeze! Click here for my pictures! What do you think? Should I audition for Cirque?

 

Tickets were provided to us, but as usual, all opinions are my own.

 

Ghetto Klown: Call your Bank and Press 2 October 4, 2011

Filed under: Celebs,Hollywood Events,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 5:59 am
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“If you want to learn Spanish, call your bank and press 2”. That was my favorite of the many great jokes we heard John Leguizamo tell Sunday night during his performance of Ghetto Klown. We were invited to the press opening of of the show, which has just come off Broadway. Irving and I are both huge fans of John Leguizamo and were really excited to see him back on the stage.
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Ghetto Klown was written and performed by John himself. He weaves hilarious stories of his youth in with his tough family history as he struggled to become the person he knows he wants to be.
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John comes from Latino descent and growing up in Jackson Heights, New York was far from easy for his family. He’s a great writer and knows how to tell a great story. When he talked about the harder moments in his life, it was almost uncomfortable to watch. As if he brought you inside a life that you weren’t supposed to see. But that is one of the reasons that makes the show outstanding. It was real. It was raw. It was personal. And he’s brave enough to share it with the world.

I don’t even think this show can be reviewed as a show. You can’t review a person’s life. His stories opened up his vulnerable side when he talked about how he was at war with himself, torn between his personal and professional life. Finding that balance and believing in himself.  I especially loved hearing about his experience in Romeo + Juliet since it’s my favorite movie. He even acted out some of his lines from the movie. I got chills.

The stage was phenomenal. At first it didn’t look like much. Just a desk, a few chairs and projector. But the way the space was used was really unique and impressive. He intertwined video, slides and sound effects to make the stories come to life for the audience.

The theater house, The Montalban Theater, is old and gritty, located in the heart of Hollywood. I can’t think of a more perfect venue for a show like this. The show runs through October 16th and tickets can be found here.
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I love the concept of “Everybody has a Story” and it’s always a treat to hear someone tell theirs… and tell it well. It also makes me reflect on my own life. What’s MY story? What actions along the way have defined my life? Any play that makes you ask yourself questions like that is a winner in my book.

 

20-Something Woman Seeks Friends in LA September 20, 2011

Filed under: Los Angeles,Random — Kelocity @ 5:10 pm
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Hi Friends! I hope you’ve been enjoying all of my Europe posts. I wanted to take a break from those for a day or two to change the subject for a bit. (Don’t worry, I still have posts coming about Krakow, Warsaw, Salzburg and Munich, hope you’re excited!)

Let’s talk for a second about living life 3,000 miles away from home. This is a very fragile subject for me and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully be at peace with it. But I’m learning how to find a balance and thus maintain a happy status quo.

I grew up in a suburb of Boston with a large family and a pretty big circle of friends. In my house, you could expect the phone to ring once every half hour, and the doorbell to ring a few times a day. There were always people dropping in to say hi, coming over for dinner or to chat with a drink on the porch. Neighbors stop by to gossip, or to exchange desserts and someone was always watching out for you.

Cousins at Christmas!!

With a large family back in Boston, there’s always a BBQ to attend, or a cousin’s soccer game to watch. There are birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and movie nights. I left all of that behind to pursue my dreams in Los Angeles. It’s hard knowing how good you have it, and then to consciously decide to leave it all behind. Moving to LA will forever be the decision that defines me. In 50 years I will look back and tell my grandchildren about how Irving and I rented a minivan and drove off to California.

Now fast forward to life in LA. With the time change, my phone rings just a few times a week, and most phone calls have been replaced with text messages or emails. And I don’t think my doorbell has randomly rang at all this year (sometimes the FedEx guy rings my bell, but that doesn’t really count). Life is different in LA. People don’t just ‘drop by’. Visits are preempted with text messages (not that I don’t appreciate these, it’s just not the same).

Neighbors don’t look out for you here by default. I don’t even know who most of my neighbors are. I see people hit the ‘elevator close’ button often so they can avoid the chit-chat. It’s easy to feel lonely in LA.

Everyone says that it gets easier to make friends when you have kids. I suppose that is true, but what can the rest of us do in the meantime? I have a running group, a scrapbook group, an LA Bloggers group and a handful of local high school and college friends (all of whom I am eternally grateful for). Maybe all adults feel this way no matter where they live. Maybe it’s just what happens when everyone is in their 20s and people get busy with their own lives.

Halloween Horror Nights Last Year!

It doesn’t help that Irving and I are both characteristically introverts. We love our quiet time at home, and we love to travel together. But sometimes all I want is to enjoy a mug of hot tea with some girl friends and talk about books, movies and life. (Anyone free this weekend?) I feel like I haven’t put my roots down yet. I am digging though, I’m sure they will sprout soon.

Any suggestions on making friends in a new city? Tell me I’m not alone here!