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Blech! Four Weeks of Courthouse Coffee!
2007-11-21 18:00:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Blech ! Four Weeks of Courthouse Coffee !, originally uploaded by rmortiz. Just enjoying my morning courthouse "coffee" prior to starting deliberations for the day. After 4 weeks of jury duty I am starting to not enjoy this process. At least we only have ourselves (the jurors) to blame for thison going madness!

Another Great Contribution
2007-11-20 03:22:00
Yep...Another great contribution by yours truly to the LA Blogosphere. This time, as you can see below, my current contribution was the photo I took last night of the fog rolling into the valley. I took the shot with my Canon Powershot SD800IS and set it with a 10 second shutter time. Of course, this post now makes it the second post in a row where I have used the same photo. Sweet.clipped from la.curbed.comMonday Morning Linkage[picture of Valley Fog by Curbed flickr pool member rmortiz]· Planning for Gold Line's arrival; Montclair Plaza gussies up [Daily Bulletin]· Big development planned for former Boeing site in Anaheim [OC Register]· County study: Poor kids without parks are fat [Daily Breeze]· Travel Week off to bad start: Burbank Airport fogged in [Daily News]· Is the Gold Line here yet? Glendora goes transit development crazy [SGVT]· We already made you drink for this; Chick wants audit of LAPD HQ [Daily News]· Commercial real estate may follow residential; down, down, ...
More About: Los Angeles , Great , San Fernando Valley , Contribution

Fog in the Valley
2007-11-19 08:24:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Lasers in Fog, originally uploaded by rmortiz. The fog rolled in thick and heavy tonight. I knew it was coming but I didn't expect it until the morning. I always enjoy the fog, especially because it is not an everyday occurrence around here. It was nice this morning at the dog park playing around with Sugar in the fog. Of course she got a little wetter and muddier than normal but it was neat. I guess I probably didn't need a 10 second exposure for this photo. I probably could have gotten away with a 3 to 5 second exposure. Oh well, so what if the lights towards Sepulveda get washed out a bit. Of course I was hoping to get the street lamps a little better, but they too are totally washed out and overexposed. Oh well...I still like the photo.
More About: Valley

Puddin' Out Cupcakes
2007-11-18 19:31:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Puddin' Out Cupcakes, originally uploaded by rmortiz. So the strip mall a block from my apartment is getting a new shop. And it looks like it will be selling pudding and cupcakes and maybe some pudding filled cupcakes. It will be interesting to see how well this place will do. I hope it does better than the vegan boba shop it replaces, that place was terrible!

About the only think I did today...
2007-11-18 00:52:00
92%DRUNKARDBesides getting some much needed maintenance done on my truck and the obligatory trip to the dog park, I took this stupid ass test. At least I got an A.
More About: Today

Jury Duty - Week 3
2007-11-13 19:46:00
Jury Duty - Week 3, originally uploaded by rmortiz. View from the courthouse. It's a beautiful day in southern California, but I am stuck on the fourth floor of the San Fernando courthouse. I feel like I'm in jail.

May Contain Tree = WTF!
2007-11-10 22:42:00
So the other day I picked up some delicious "Organic Sesame Sticks" from Whole Paycheck. While enjoying a game of football or maybe watching some reality tv or maybe even enjoying Thursday night's "Must See TV" (I can't remember when exactly) I decided to have a snack. Naturally, I decided to enjoy some delicious "Organic Sesame Sticks". At some point I decided to check out the ingredients of these tasty treats. Of course I didn't find anything out of the ordinary, just your typical organic this and organic that.What surprised me was the little disclaimer, you know the one that usually informs the consumer that the product may contain peanuts, etc... Well it turns out that these delicious "Organic Sesame Sticks" may contain "Tree "! That's right! T-R-E-E, tree! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT! Should I be worried? Do the non-organic sesame sticks contain tree as well? What kind of tree might be contained within these scrumptious sticks of sesame goodness? This same warning also says ...

Crazy Job
2007-11-06 08:36:00
Now I knew the power companies inspected their high tension lines via helicopter, I just didn't know they had folks who did this kind of work! Imagine, 100+ feet off the ground, hopping out of a helicopter onto a couple of live 500 kV high tension lines! Crazy ! They do it everyday and I bet flying in the helicopter is more dangerous for them than playing on the lines in their special nomex/steel suits!.

Jury Duty
2007-11-04 18:34:00
I spent the last week on jury duty. I was a member of a panel of 75 potential jurors and spent last week in a court room at the San Fernando courthouse. They went through about almost all the jurors and finally swore in a jury of 12 at the end of the day on Thursday, but they still had to question and pick the alternate jurors. So since my name had yet to be called I had to return on Friday morning. So my name was finally called and I sat down in the #14 chair (#13-#18 were being questioned as potential alternates). Long story short: I was selected as Alternate Juror #1 and will have the opportunity to sit in the jury box and listen to testimony and see the evidence, but I will not get the chance to deliberate nor pass judgment...unless one of the 12 have to drop out or get excused for some MAJOR reason (i.e. death). Oh well. It should be an interesting experience and I am looking forward to the opportunity to fulfill my civic duty. I'll try to post about the trial AFTER it...
More About: Duty

A glass of New Belgium's 1554y
2007-10-25 23:32:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } A glass of New Belgium's 1554y, originally uploaded by rmortiz. The one good thing about a layover in Denver is grabing a giant New Belgium beer (1554 to be exact) so close to its source just up the road in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
More About: Glass

The Magic Fire et al.
2007-10-23 02:30:00
Here is one of the photos I took of the Magic Fire , which broke out about a mile from my office right next to Magic Mountain. I was even able to contribute to the reporting effort of the various blogs covering the fires around LA. After reading a post on Curbed LA regarding the freshly started Magic Fire I posted a comment with a link to my Flickr photos (as linked to above). I guess my grainy photos from too far away came out alright (check out the flames in some of them!) because Curbed LA posted one on a follow up post regarding the Magic Fire with a link to my photos! Sweet! Thanks Curbed, and best of luck to those unlucky enough to find themselves and their homes in the path of this raging conflagration.

TOOL in LA! I Got Tickets!!!!!!!
2007-10-21 06:59:00
On December 10, 2007, TOOL will be returning to Los Angeles for another show. This time the band will play at the brand spanking new (opened last Wednesday) Nokia Theater L.A. Live . This is considered a mid-size venue (7,100 seats) and should be the perfect venue for a TOOL show.I spent this morning working the phone and the Tick etmaster website in the hopes of scoring these highly sought after tickets. I struck out with the webpage, but 5 to 10 seconds after 10 am, I was able to get through on the phone to Ticketmaster. I bypassed the "best available" option since I always seems to get crappy seats that way. Anyway, I chose the $75 level seat option and scored a pair of tickets in the Orchestra, Section 300, Row Z! Now these may not sound like great seats, but there are 5 orchestra sections, 100-500 left to right, which means section 300 is right in the damn middle of the theater, plus the orchestra rows go from A (first ORCH row) to SS, so I am firmly in the middle-ish part...
More About: Tool , Tickets , Days

Seth is LAME-O
2007-10-17 22:11:00
This is Seth. He is lame. He likes to talk about dirty little things. Things I'm not willing to talk about in such a public forum. He has made one contribution to this blog, which you can now see in the header at the top of the page. Seth has graciously described this blog as being (and I quote) " so boring it makes me want to stick Tabasco laced toothpicks in my urethra." That's right ladies, Seth is classy and he probably has a rather spicy urethra. But that's enough about that.I now feel dirty. I think I'll be going home early today so I can bath myself in bleach and hydrochloric acid.Actually, Seth is a great guy, a totally rockin' geologist, and totally single. He's looking for a lady who can climb up a mountain, ski down the snow at the top, and race down the single track below the snow line. He has a quick wit and can pound 40's better than most. He can be found in Colorado. I hear he has a profile on Match.com, but I wouldn't know...I don't need that de...
More About: Lame

Just outside the lines.
2007-10-16 22:30:00
Just outside the lines., originally uploaded by rmortiz. She almost parked like a normal person today! As Carson has so nicely put it before, this lady has a parking problem. Today is the first time I have noticed her park almost like a normal person. Hell must be freezing over.
More About: Lines

Office Hallway
2007-10-16 21:21:00
Office Hallway, originally uploaded by rmortiz.This is the hallway outside of the WLA SoCal front door. Pretty standard. This is my view when walking towards the bathroom and/or the front door. These facts aren't important.But, they did spend last night cleaning (steam?) and shampooing the hallway carpet. It smells and "looks" refreshingly pleasant and fresh. Granted, it is a totally artificial, overly sweet and fruity smell (like cherry!), but I find it completely wonderful and energizing. Don't ask me why. But if you did I'd probably say it was because I have become jaded by life in Los Angeles and the general artificialness I experience on a regular basis. Oh well, at least I have a nice smelling hallway outside of my office.
More About: Office

Only in LA
2007-10-14 01:43:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Only in LA, originally uploaded by rmortiz. I never would have imagined that this magazine existed!The "Glamour Issue" had informative articles about traveling on private jets with pets, Paparazzi photos of celebrities with their dogs (with cartoon dialog bubbles with witty comments for the dogs), and high fashion doggy accessories such as beds, collars, bowls, leashes, etc... So to sum up...this magazine is a load of Crrrrrrap! What a waste of glossy paper...and to think I take my little doggy to an overpriced "pet spa" to get bathed and groomed, which subscribes to this crap magazine. I just as bad as the people who subscribe to this shit!
More About: Dogs , Los Angeles

One Reason Why I Love Albuquerque
2007-10-13 01:46:00
Don Schrader is an Albuquerque icon, whether you like him, hate him, agree with, or despise his personal philosophies. Even though I could never live the way he does, I do agree with a number of his ideals. And I respect a person who can live every day practicing exactly what he preaches. The Albuquerque Tribune article by J.A. Montalbano (with photos by Erin Fredrichs for the Tribune) is interesting and informative. It provides insight about a man and a lifestyle so publicly practiced (by Don), yet still so incredibly foreign to so many.My days in Albuquerque were always highlighted by almost daily encounters with Don. It was never more than a honk and a wave from my car, or a friendly hello on the street. I regret never introducing myself or saying more than hello to him. Maybe when I return to Albuquerque I'll get a chance to right this "wrong".I must say, I sometimes envy the simple lifestyle of Don Schrader, except for maybe the urine baths. Please read the article and...
More About: Love , Reason

Lunch with a View!
2007-10-11 06:18:00
This is where I ate lunch today, sitting in the dirt with my feet pointed downhill. This is why I've not posted anything in ten days.I've been busy, I've been on the road, I've neglected my single reader, I've neglected the worst blog ever, I've become the worst blogger ever! Oh well.So where have I been? Well, I've been on the road doing field work. I spent last week in Idaho and I've been working around Los Angeles mapping landslides in and around Aliso Canyon. Check out some photos on my Flickr page!Sorry I've left you alone so long my crappy little blog...but, I've been having too much fun.
More About: Lunch , View

Holy Cow! I Guessed Right!
2007-10-02 07:35:00
Check this out! I have always just played along with these Curbed LA posts in my head but I finally decided to throw my hat in the ring...and GOD DAMN I guessed pretty damn well!I think I was just surprised to see my name and a link to my crappy ass blog. Thanks Curbed LA! My excitement was also probably fueled by the copious amounts of beer I have consumed while on the road in Ontario, Oregon/Payette, Idaho. Oh god I love field work and I love Curbed LA!With posts like this...this is truly THE WORST BLOG EVER!!!!!
More About: Los Angeles , Holy , Los Angeles County , Holy Cow

High Lady Hat Clock
2007-09-28 23:27:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } High Lady Hat Clock , originally uploaded by rmortiz. It has a name! Oh my word! So on Monday Carson, Zeeb and I returned to our favorite SCV Thai place located next to our favorite thirft store. Not thinking another one existed in this world, let alone in this glorious suburban valley, we all joked about finding another "Clock-Lamp Thingy". Imagine our suprise when we encountered not only another one on the self at the same Salvation Army, but one in the box! So now we know it has a wonderful name: "High Lady Hat Clock" and we know how great of a deal I got for mine! I paid $4.99 for my High Lady Hat Clock, the one in the box had an original price tag of $19.99, and had subsequently been marked down to $9.99. So let me sum up...We have learned the name of my new desk top fixture: High Lady Hat Clock.I go...

The Evil Dutch Empire
2007-09-27 23:14:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } 0927071411.jpg, originally uploaded by rmortiz. The devil's lair. I stopped by for a meeting and foresaw my future...
More About: Dutch , Evil , Empire , Netherlands

My Hair
2007-09-26 05:31:00
I have decided to see how long I can let my hair grow before it drives me crazy. As you can see in the photo, it has been a couple of months since I last gave myself a haircut. I can't remember the last time my hair was this long...maybe 7 or 8 years ago.Well, now we will see how long it takes for me to get really tired of the mop on the top of my head. Does this mean I won't get any hair cut at all? Maybe, maybe not. I haven't decided that yet. Since all the hairs on my head are roughly the same length, it might look overly silly to grow them all out at the same length. I may need a trim here or there to clean up the look I am going for...whatever that may be. But then again, maybe the brown and gray mop look will work for me. Stay tuned to this blog for irregular updates!
More About: Hair

A Little Drop of Rain
2007-09-25 09:10:00
Just a little something Animoto helped me put together with the photos I took of my leaky bathroom ceiling. No the leak is not from the rain, it is from my upstairs neighbors bathtub...YUM, can you say: "Dirty Bathwater Shower"?
More About: Rain , Litt , Drop

Listen Up Posers...
2007-09-25 07:09:00
(Photo from Los Angeles Almanac)OK Pose rs...if your neighborhood, district, and/or community is not listed on this map in BLACK then you are not from Los Angeles, you DO NOT live in Los Angeles, nor are you an Angeleno (unless of course you were born in one of the areas listed in BLACK, but this post is not directed towards you...I'm talking to all the poser transplants out there. Over the last 30 years you have moved yourselves right in and have ruined the place that I love so much). But I have digressed...But that is OK...if you live in Santa Monica, embrace it, tell the world you're a Santa Monican. Do you find your home address is West Hollywood, great! You're a WeHobian. What about Alhambra? Then you're an Alhambrite, etc, etc, etc...It is as simple as that. Feel free to claim your allegiance to Los Angeles County, that is something we all can be proud of. Just don't claim to be from "LA" when you really aren't.What about me you ask? Full disclosure: I was bor...
More About: California , Listen , Southern California

More Blogs Address Urban Rivers in LA
2007-09-25 00:23:00
Today Metroblogging Los Angeles posted a story regarding the activity found along the Los Angeles river. It even includes a movie by Marc Tuters. Enjoy!This photo is from along Arroyo Simi in Simi Valley, CA. I took this photo last Friday. It is associated with my earlier Urban Rivers post.
More About: Blogs , Address

The FJ Cruiser Does Not Play Well With Mud.
2007-09-23 04:43:00
Ever since the FJ Cruiser debuted a couple of years ago Toyota has really played up how great the FJ performs in adverse driving conditions. Especially on roads and trails not made for everyday travel. But god forbid you introduce some mud to the road and all of a sudden the FJ needs a rescue. Maybe the driver was too scared when this rain induced mudslide washed across Forest Lawn Drive in Toluca Lake. I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see this since 90% of SUV owners never throw their vehicle into 4 wheel drive. Maybe 4-low would have gotten this person unstuck, maybe not. At least no one was hurt.
More About: Los Angeles , Play , Well

Urban Rivers Creep Me Out!
2007-09-22 07:06:00
Why are urban rivers so creepy? Because of things like this! Nowadays, Arroyo Simi is little more than a flood control channel, although 60 years ago it was probably a great ephemeral river ecosystem. The section I was mapping today is as close to "natural" as you can get for Arroyo Simi in this part of the valley, and by natural I mean only sections of the bank were protected by rip-rap and shotcrete.Anyway, there is a thriving and well established community of "residents" that have set up semi-permanent campsites all over the section of river I was on today. This is what makes urban rivers creepy...transients living deep within the heavily overgrown riparian vegetation along the river banks. Walking along the banks of an urban river corridor is similar to walking down an alley on Skid Row. There are a few differences though:1. The urban river is overgrown with thick, unforgiving exotic species of brush, this limits ones options for entrance and exit to a few, tight, sinuous ...
More About: Los Angeles , Urban , Rivers , Cree

Lunch in the Burbs...
2007-09-20 21:24:00
Just a short compilation of the photos taken during a recent lunch outing to a local SCV Thai restaurant. I know, I know, I know...not enough photos and they go by too fast! You can have too many photos of people eating and you can't have too much Rush.
More About: Lunch

Lunch in the Burbs
2007-09-20 17:52:00
Just a short compilation of the photos taken during a recent lunch outting to a local SCV Thai restaurant. I know, I know, I know...not enough photos and they go by too fast! I'm sorry maybe the next one will let you enjoy the greatness of RUSH for a little bit longer. Sorry.
More About: Lunch

My Daily Grind
2007-09-20 09:04:00
An Animoto video created with photos taken on my way home from work.
More About: Daily , Daily Grind , Grind , Grin