I don’t consider myself a superstitious person, however certain things are difficult to completely let go of. Reason being is because I grew up in a very superstitious household, whistling in the house was bad luck, as was opening an umbrella, if a black cat crossed my dad’s path he would always turn around and go a different direction, everyone always knocked on wood, my mom reads her horoscope every day without fail (and will actually print out mine for me to read), we have many books about karma and reincarnation, etc.
Now among all these superstitions, if certain odd or ominous things occurred, it was always the full moon’s fault. Many times I would actually be told not to go out at night when there would be a full moon because no good would come of it.
And speaking of full moons, the year’s biggest full moon was last night. Why the moon has seemed so big lately is because it is at it’s closest point to the Earth (called perigee) and then coinciding with the lunar cycle’s full moon.
It has also been brought up throughout history that women have a connection with the moon because of the way the lunar and menstrual cycle mimic each other.
Particularly more on women and the moon:
Read the rest of this entry »
Last weekend I was invited to sit in on a review of Cal-Poly Pomona School of Architecture Grad Students. I friend of mine is going through the program and let me know that the VDL Research House would be open to friends and family for the evening and I jumped on the opportunity. The VDL House is just up the street -Silverlake Blvd.- from a cluster of houses he and his son Dion designed, which are right around the corner from the Neutra Office Building -and the ChaCha – on Glendale Blvd. Needless to say, Neutra’s got the whole town on lock down!
I’ve been lucky to tour more than a few steel and glass, SoCal Modernist landmark residents from the Palisades to Silverlake but this is the first time I’ve had access at night… This lead to gorgeous views of the reservoir and two bruised shins! At night it is hard to get your bearings in a house of 90 degree angles, slivers of powder-coated aluminum floating in air and windows with harsh reflections or none at all. The later resulting in yours truly, acting like Conan trying to find the wizard in a hall of mirrors, only the wizard is nowhere to be found and I was not holding my broad sword and Ugg boots. Tip-toeing around an architectural landmark is one thing when you’re on a tour with fifty other people and there are “security gaurds,” watching your every move but I had the place all to myself.
I imagine you would get used to maneuvering in a house like this one after a few weeks but for a first timer, it was not at all comfy and cozy. But it did photograph well, photos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
This is kind of a commercial/product endorsement, but it’s at least an earnest one and I thought the story was worth running on here (bonus photos of BR/Girl Talk shows and me getting mauled by a pitbull while brushing my teeth after the jump):
On our recent tour with Girl Talk, we were lucky enough to have a short run of exhilarating shows that were all packed with wild and receptive crowds. We went through the Northwest, where each different city is beautiful and lush, and has its own distinct flavor. We felt on top of the world, able to treat ourselves to regional food and drink that we only hear about in legends down in Los Angeles, and we were extremely pumped for the crisp weather and copious amounts of roadside thrift shops teeming with secondhand wool. Our days were filled with excellent meals and good weather, and our nights were full of febrile dance parties. Everything was perfect. Except that time we ran over Bobby Evans’ laptop with the tour vehicle.
Read the rest of this entry »
In the future, we here at Bad Beat hope to bring you inside scoops and in depth reviews of people workplaces, studios, practice spaces, showing the little things in interesting peoples lives that make them interesting. Luckily we know lots of interesting people, so this whole thing should work out well. First up is our good friend Sam Spiegel, better known as Squeak E. Clean, and one half of the Brazilian / American group NASA. Sam has had an infamous Hollywood studio for a pretty long time now, nestled in an alleyway by a gas station its a bit inconspicuous, but once inside you’re in a very comfortable bungalow vibe, fit for the most mellow of bros. Sam’s studio takes up just as much time making awesome new tunes, as it does for producing commercial music for everything from movies to TV, video games, to just about anything where sound happens. Here’s a dozen or so random snaps I took while stopping in with Jams for a quick vocal session Sunday the 9th of August 2009.
Check out Squeak E. Clean for more info.
Photo set after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
