A Post about Posting Posts

With the Fall Semester winding down (or cranking up if you think about all the stuff that has to happen in the next week before the winter holidays begin) I've been very distracted from writing anything that doesn't involve school. I have so many things I'd like to post or write about and have yet to really find the time to clear my head and get it down.. Maybe after next Tuesday.. It's not as if I've not been anywhere lately..

Places I've eaten & would love to post about:

-Elevation 66 (Albany)
-Sconehenge (Berkeley)
-HandleBar (Berkeley)
-Imm Thai Street Food (Berkeley)
-Saul's Deli (Berkeley) (although I go here pretty often.. It would have to be a new angle besides food)
-Triple Rock Thanksgiving (Berkeley)

Other ideas..

- Thanksgiving in general.. although now that I think about it.. meh.
- a random piece about coffee makers and the style and need of coffee..
- something about how freaking awesome maps are & why people might love them so much.
- National Adoption Month/ Day came & went.. I was thinking about writing something semi-coherent about that. oh well.
- something about social media & its varied uses. although..
- books.. books I'm reading or have read.. or things that are of interest to me.
- Heyday is having a sale on the 6th.. that would be something fun to post about. I guess we'll see.
- Bicycling around Berkeley.. if I ever get back to it.
- My "Y" experience maybe.
- Death Indexing.. not so much the indexing but some of the fun things I've come across in the Berkeley Daily Gazette while looking for death notices & obituaries.
- Hiking up into the hills on a nice day.. or heading to a nearby park. I miss my favorite tree. (ok it's not mine but it's a pleasant place to read and feel the breeze and the earth & see the sky for a bit) There's still other Berkeley Parks I've yet to photograph.
- Take a bus up to Tilden Park to spend an afternoon walking around.. I'm usually too worn out by the time I get up to Euclid & the Rose Garden to want to walk any further than back down to Vine Street Peet's (lazy, I know!)

They all seem like interesting topics when I think of them in the middle of the night.

When I can't sleep I make lists of things I should have done or need to do, things I wish I'd said to people, or not; things I want to accomplish the next day. Somewhere in there, blogging ideas pop up and I think "yeah that might be intresting" but then I fall asleep and forget about. At least I fall asleep. If I can't, I start reading.. ;)

Of homes and blogs.. and Berkeley.

We've been officially house hunting since late January. We were looking in Emeryville (there's no homes for sale in Emeryville for our price range), all over Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond Annex, and Berkeley. We came close to finding a place on San Pablo a couple times (in North Oakland and Albany respectively), as well a lovely condo in Temescal. We even saw a most amazing craftsman beyond Eastmont (that's in Oakland) with original 'keyhole' archways and built-ins that I fell in love with, but the neighborhood and commute was something I'd rather not think about.. but my mind always turns to Berkeley.

When we originally lived in Berkeley I used to imagine my happiness as a "big" house in North Berkeley, with a well-worn & loved porch to read the paper on Sundays, drinking coffee and nibbling a day old bagel from Saul's, relaxing with my shoes off (because that's what I do) and hearing the birds singing in the trees and the occasional car driving up the street. Then we moved to SoCal and while I absolutely LOVED living in the Historic Core (4th & Main DTLA) and everything that I had there, it wasn't Berkeley.

I can't tell you what I love about Berkeley. I can tell you what I tried to verbalize with my brother-in-law once a few years ago before we came back home, but even then I couldn't say what it was I loved about Berkeley. It was a feeling. A sense of being..

When I got off work I would stand outside on Shattuck and I feel the fog misting through the air. It wasn't Ketchikan rain, it was like someone was spraying your face from 10 miles away with some sort of Evian mist.. It was cool and clean and fresh.. and the wind would come up and blow the hair from your face. When the sun shone, it glittered like firelight off the buildings and glass. When the leaves fell, it was like Autumn in Indiana.. one of the few things I miss about living in Indiana. The sidewalks outside our apartment on Grant would be scattered with pine needles and and leaves and the crunch of Fall. I lived in my sandals. If I wore shoes at all it would be my worn out (hole worn in the soles) docksiders. Sweaters. You have to love a place where you can wear sweaters in the summer. I love sweaters.. It's like you're wearing a hug all day. I guess that's what I feel about Berkeley.. and still do. Some un-imaginable happiness is wrapping itself around my heart, it greets me when I step closer to downtown, and stays with me, like a fading light as I make my way back to Oakland.

Don't get me wrong, there are things I love about Oakland.. I love my local cafe and the galleries and the love and heart that my neighbors are putting into their community. I love that I am close to so many good things, despite not being so close to school and things and people I care about. I like that our loft is huge and airy and full of history despite a general lack of appreciation of old buildings here in Emeryville. I love many of my great neighbors who embody the sorts of things that I appreciated and miss so much from my time living in Downtown L.A. The connections and the support I had in LA are so missed here, so when we were able to find a place with history and community of people that look out for each other.. Not the same as Old Bank District at all, but close.. and very OK!

Finding a place in Berkeley should have been impossible, as we'd sized ourselves out of our price-point, (our place at OBD was 1400sq ft. and our current place is about 1200sq.) We even considered finding a small place to rent for a year while we scrounged up enough extra for a down-payment on a place that was be-fitting our size issue.. but after looking at a few apartments and realizing we'd still have to down-size, (and store all our excess furniture) I actually looked at what was out there that was under our size minimum, and managed to find a few places to check out!

As of right now, we do have a place. It'll be a long wait (for me) before we move into it, but when it happens I imagine all sorts of new experiences and new adventures will be awaiting me.. and I imagine I won't be blogging all that much about Emeryville, (if I did all that much anyway). I don't expect it would be all about Berkeley though either.. although the focus would change, of course.

As every time we move, I need to come up with a new name for this blog. I hate that the default url is my name.. but this is my main blog. One day we will no longer be on "the edge of E*ville"and instead will be living within proper distance of the city limits of a place I love very much, and the reason my heart was aching to return back to the Bay Area. I don't know what I should call this blog at that point... "Meeko on Main" worked when I was in the OBD, but I won't be moving to any Main Street... and "Meeko's Crumbs"(ramblings and meanderings) worked when we lived in Anaheim and South Park area of DTLA because I was constantly walking and meandering all over DTLA.. and finding my blogging feet.

School and things have kept me busy all this semester and I don't expect things will slow down all that much especially as I'm trying to find a niche regarding my love of history,community, architecture, books, writing, food, and a tad of photography. Unlike DTLA, I haven't found the magical blogging fairy that compelled me to attend a blogger meetup at an online friend's 100th Rate-A-Restaurant.. the day I decided I thought blogging was the neatest freaking idea ever.

I sometimes wonder (and think) that blogging is over, as is newsprint, then I see that other people are doing it still, and doing it well. Magic doesn't happen in the same ways every time, so I leave myself open to possibilities and the positive, good-natured beauty that is out there in the universe. I will be changing the name of the blog eventually.. to what, I don't know, and how often I'll post.. I don't know.. or what I'll write about, again, I don't know.. but if you're adventurous.. it could be anything. or nothing at all. Hopefully it won't really be about me, though. These personal posts are draining..

..And, I have a paper due tomorrow so I need to clear my head and focus. Oh, it's written.. it's just got too much of me in it. ;)

on the edge of moving..

Having issues changing my banner image.. but here you can see an image it's based:



Sean & I are still in DTLA but we've made the trip up & back on Sunday the 18th to sign for the keys and take measurements of the spaces so we know what we can and can't do with our furniture. Sean wil pick up what I found out to be a U*haul.. not a Budget truck (collective groan) but hopefully we get one of the "good ones" and will have no issues. =)

We'll still be back & forth in DTLA the next week til the end of the month.. then it's time to settle into our new old neighborhood. =)

Emeryville is sandwiched between Berkeley and Oakland along the Eastbay. Part of the 1 1/2 square milage of the city is actually offshore so that's fun.. I don't expect I'll be exploring that part of Emeryville much. =)

I expect I'll still post a lot about food and retail and events that I either attend or are going on in the Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland area.. and if we move back to Berkeley proper I am thinking I may keep the name anyway.. Sean suggested it when we neared our future loft home.. "See, we're on the edge of E*Ville!"

Aloha DTLA!

Alexander hanging out in our South-facing window.

The good thing about Aloha is that it's been used to mean 'hello' as well as 'goodbye' and so with this explanation, we announce that we've made it official. Sean & I put in our 30 day notice this morning. We're giving up our spacious, light-filled loft in the Old Bank District.

When Sean & I made the decision to leave the SF Bay Area & Berkeley for SoCal, it seemed like the logical choice, given how much traveling Sean was doing with work. It seemed like he was away or traveling more than he was home. We made the move thinking "nothing's permanent.." Well, that's what I told myself. That was eight years ago. We never imagined ourselves living in a live/work loft situation in DTLA. Since then, we find that time and experience changes things. Now I can't imagine why we didn't move to Downtown LA sooner.

We loved calling the Historic Core and the Old Bank District home. It's a little slice of what life should be everywhere. Where neighbors talk to each other, where we get involved in our community and take an interest in each other and how we can make life better for one another. I can't say I did much of that myself, but I really liked being a part of that environment. The creative and self-determined and civic-minded.

I enjoyed the time I was helping blog about our neighborhood, meeting new people and learning about the businesses around DTLA. I loved attending community events like Hope For Firefighters, National Night Out, or the Public Safety BBQ at 7th &Fig. Sean loved going to Art Walk and exploring the pop-up galleries and creative spaces around Gallery Row. We had favorite places we loved to go eat: Starry Kitchen, The Nickel Diner, Pete's Cafe, Syrup Desserts, Blossom, Wurstkuche,(as well as Royal Clayton's which will be re-opening in its new location on Spring later this year) to name just a few that we enjoyed regularly these past several years.

We made so many friends here, we found a home, and community. That said, why are we heading back to the Bay Area? Well, it's home. The decision to leave Berkeley for SoCal was made with our heads and not so much with our heart. Sean's family is from the Bay Area.. and while I'm not from there, I fell in love with the City and pretty much everything about living there. With Sean's work travel it made sense to move to SoCal.. but we missed home and it was a topic of conversation that came up over the years. "Do you think we'll ever move back to Berkeley?" Who knows? "Do you think they'll let you transfer back?" Who knows? At first it didn't make sense to move back, as there was still some traveling involved with his work.. The last couple years he's been telecommuting (when he's not having to travel now & again). So with our place being a true 'live/work' loft situation, the topic came up a few times. Working from home, Sean & I could live anywhere.. While we have been very happy where we live, we realized that the time might be right to see about moving back to Berkeley.. or to the Bay Area in general (San Jose came up a couple times). So Sean looked into it, and here we are.

We found an adaptive reuse 'live/work' loft space to live in Emeryville,Ca. Many of our friends know Emeryville as Pixar Headquarters. =) It's also where Peet's Coffe & Tea is based, Title Nine, Leap Frog, and Jamba Juice among many others.. Emeryville is also a very small city: Incorporated in the late 1800s.. It has a police and fire department, but no public library or newspaper! Sandwiched between Berkeley and Oakland in the Eastbay, it may not need a paper but this is where community blogging comes in. Blogs are essential to sharing information and news around Emeryville. While I can't say what I personally will do along the lines of blogging, I do intend to keep posting updates.. I just won't be posting about DTLA so much. While I fully intend to visit to DTLA pretty often, I don't expect to make like I can keep up on the goings-on. We're relocating pretty far away; things will be missed.

I don't know if I should keep updating this, maybe change the name of the blog to something more Bay-centric? I don't expect DTLA friends & neighbors to be interested in what's going on in Emeryville.. I do have a wordpress blog that I started when I was doing research for the move back, but then it doesn't make sense to me to keep up two blogs about what is most likely to be the same topic. Honestly I just don't know.. Maybe some folks have suggestions.. Until such time, we're keeping busy.

I've been scavenging boxes from the neighbors and I got another moving kit coming in from Costco. We're looking into movers now and contemplating a visit from "Out of the Closet" for some of our furniture. I'm doing a lot of sorting, dusting, organizing.. Despite all that, the place is a mess.. and looks more untidy than it did before I started. The cats are getting a little upset about the constant movement of 'stuff' around the loft.

We're anxious. We're excited. We're happy. We're sad.. We're stressed. This is a good thing. We'll be missing so much about downtown and yet we know this isn't goodbye forever. With friends and community we found here, it's just "so long for now.. see you soon.." Aloha.


Kiki loves a warm patch of sun as it comes through one of our many frosted glass windows.

I guess I should post more?

Wow no update since January. I'd tell you what I was up to for the last two months but it has nothing to do with downtown.. which means this blog is pretty limited.

On the other hand I've been updating my "diet blog" a couple times a week. I've lost 20lbs on Weight Watchers (we're doing the online version b/c I hate the idea of having to show up somewhere every week & confess my sins of not drinking enough liquids or explaining to a stranger why I opted for some Fresh & Easy chocolate..) I have about another 50 lbs to go. Yeah. Sitting on your butt really does harm your health.

The last story I did for Blogdowntown was last month on Sharlena's new place that will be opening in the summer. "Semi Sweet" I think it'll be a neat place and she'll be offering a really wide range of savory items.. not just the sweet stuff she's known for.

I've been to Michigan to visit my brother the week of St Patrick's Day. He's been very ill so I was grateful I got to spend time with him when I had the chance. I'll be headed back sometime this summer for a family gathering to celebrate his life.. He passed on not a week after I saw him. No I don't want to talk about it.

Honestly after that, blogging just doesn't seem so crucial at the moment. I haven't gotten out much in the past couple weeks either, so I really am not up on what's going on.

So what am I doing with my time?

I'm working on another of my new year's resolutions to do the family tree. My dad gave me a nice wedge of info to kick-start me again. I was up to 4am this morning working on it and got a little further along than what my dad had info for, so that's good. I'm working on my biological family tree as well. That's a totally different story not downtown related that I'm aware. There are some half-siblings I'm looking for but I don't think they live in DTLA; assuming they're living I'm leaning toward the IE and the bay area.. that's where I"m at with those clues.

Honestly the only thing I can scrape together that's even downtown related is the amount of dust that filters through our not-so-sealed 100year old windows. My allergies have been kicking up with the dust.. Sneezing by both me & the cats is pretty rampant here.

I'm trying to organize our stuff.. Going through stuff, boxing up the clutter and putting it all in one place to be gone through with Sean later: the stuff, not all of it mine, so it's not for me to just get rid of it. But yeah, looking at our place you'd never know I was into Simplicity.. not to mention I have a collecting gene myself I fight against. =)

I'm contemplating "Book Crossing" some of my older fiction books to clear some shelf space. Maybe donating to the library is quicker and less tedious, but Book Crossing might be fun too. I haven't Book Crossed anything since Berkeley maybe.. (my memory is going) and the couple books I sent 'into the wild' never really went anywhere, except an Ruth Rendell galley book.. which I guess horrified the reader who found it. Yeah, it was a creepy book. I didn't write it, so not sure why the person felt obliged to complain while doing their online review. Free is Free. If the book stinks, just pass it on.

If you've heard of "Book Crossing" do you know of any "Official" Book Crossing Zones in downtown LA?? Do you know of any friendly places to abandon a book to the wild? Please don't say the library or Disneyland.. it doesn't work there. Seriously.

Hail El Chavo!

Yesterday we were off Main St for an appointment at the Glendale Galleria Apple Store. SeanYoda's macbook hard drive had crashed last week and after visiting the Apple Store at the Grove it was implied that a possible hard drive replacement was needed. So after backing up his hard drive he made an appointment for Glendale (based on my previous positive experience) and off we went.

Rather than give you the review of the underwhelming experience (maybe later) that we had, I wanted to share the happiness I had at Target while we were waiting.. I'm a BIG Target fan and I've never seen these here despite many trips to various Targets..



It's El Chavo!!!

The endcap included easy 300piece puzzles, chunky chalk, dominoes and plush dolls.

I've not seen the El Chavo animated series but know that is who the blogger, El Chavo gets his name from..

Wondering.. is the cartoon El Chavo a vegetarian too?? ;)

what's new, neighbor?

I'm really looking forward to my buddy Big City Poz & Ruby getting back to the Old Bank District and hearing about their adventures in Eureka!

To keep busy.. I've done the following this week:


wash and fold my laundry (with not a lot of help from Alexander)





took a walk with Isis & Eric (and the Downtown Dog Walking group)


gone out to dinner a few too many times (including a couple meals at Pitfire (above), Rocket, Warung and (drool)Weeneez (I can't help that last one).

I also ended up at Art Walk, and plan to eat at Weeneez a couple more times in the near future, as they are having their first Sunday brunch on the 13th. Lime is re-opening (after a 3wk hiatus) on Disneyland's birthday (that's July 17th for the non-Disneyphiles) Lime has nothing to do with Disney, btw, it's just easy for me personally to remember that way. ;P

Speaking of Disney I have several friends from out of town making their yearly trek to Disneyland for the NFFC Convention and the Disneyland birthday. We'll have to see yet if this downtown dweller gets on the bus or not.


woke up yesterday after a late night to this view out my window..

and Alexander had his own issues..

Alexander vs. the Pigeon

Not much else going on at the moment; however, I have a hint for future postings:
*garlic*

Welcome back Joe & Ruby! =) Let the planning begin yet again!

It's that time of the month again..

..for Art Walk! Here's a most excellent preview over at BlogDowntown.

Holy Cow! SeanYoda has been UPDATING HIS BLOG!

Here's a great blog I 'discovered' while reading AVN's blog (that's Atwater Village Newbie). It's Ensie, (who lives in Boyle Heights) and he's a fellow mass-transit-friendly/car-free bicycling advocate. It's no surprise Will Campbell and others have him on their blogroll too. =) Ok so he hasn't updated his personal blog in a while. *shrug*


As for me, I've been getting used to staying in the new digs, having moved the furkids in.

They love the high ceilings.

Also on occasion,I've been known to go out and shoot a bad photo or two. Last night I walked through Little Tokyo taking some shots at some favorite views, practicing my night photography which needs some work..


This one is the best of the bunch, and it's still fuzzy. =)

Yesterday.. last night.. Lakers downtown

Like a festival at Staples Center


Mounted Police


Laker Fans


LAPD Mounted Police keeping watch over the foot traffic heading to Staples Center.

Meanwhile...

LAFD still on the job too.



So the BlogDowntown & other downtown Bloggers can meet up and enjoy watching the game..

and eat some tasty game food...


Meeko & her Redwood Cheeseburger
photo by Eric (white boy/white dog)




this photo by Meeko.. cause it was only fair. ;P

there were 8 of us in attendance at one point or another and the Lakers won! Not bad at all.

"Hope" for Firefighters today!

Happy Thursday!

Please don't forget HOPE FOR FIREFIGHTERS for your lunch today. It's on Hope Street at Hope Place (333 S. Hope St North of the Central Library) to benefit the LAFD Widows,Orphans & Disabled Firefighters Fund.. it's fun & it's good food!) I know other blogs have posted about it, but I had such a good time last year watching the races and the food! OMG! talk about some good bbq or cheesesteaks! If you are a meat eater and love the bbq or the tri-tip, be sure and check it out for your lunch-break. It's for a good cause, so breaking your diet shouldn't be a problem for one day!

Sweeping up the Crumbs..

Well if there's anything to do after experiencing a marketing panel it's getting energized to try new things. While I can't say anything new is happening here, I am trying out some new colors and maybe a new border. Meeko's Crumbs sounds messy and wishy-washy. Granted not a lot of folks really know me too well here, and honestly who cares? I'm not a mystery woman.. I'm rather mundane but I would like to do more with the blog than I'm doing and perhaps a bit of the same.. but having all these crumbs laying about just won't do!

Ideally I want to run a cleaner, tidier place. I'm trying the new blog title on for size and see how it looks. NO worries. Later on there is a chance you might see some more serious pieces of writing as I try to settle into my new digs. Until then.. Constructive input is always welcome.

Happy Memorial Day!

Today there's bound to be some fanfare for those who led before. I'll let the others do it as they are more experienced with the fanfare.
****
Around the Neighborhood:
Last night coming back from Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull, I saw a cat hiding under a car on the ground level of the parking garage. Wasn't sure if it was feral or a lost housecat but it was hiding under the back corner as we drove up to the next parking level.

Tuesday morning and onward:

As for the garage, Tuesday morning brings power-washing and re-striping to the GilVille parking garage. Not sure how that affects folks coming back after a long weekend. Something to keep in mind if you have one of those automobile things. Handy having a bike sometimes. ;P

Tuesday night at the Library:

Tuesday is also an opportunity to get some great marketing advice from the 3BN's own Eric Richardson (BlogDowntown) & Ed Fuentes (ViewFromaLoft & BlogDowntown, as well LAEastside) as well Angelenic's Rich Alossi, among others as they take part in the VEDC's "Using the Internet to Promote Your Business"

I plan to be there. What about you? Be sure and click on the link to learn more about it and/ or register! It's taking place Tuesday night the 27th of May at the Central Public Library.
***
Personal:
Well, as for me personally I'm about 2 weeks out from moving around the corner with the cats.


I've gotten a few suggestions of what I should do with this blog. I intend to keep writing and all but thinking I'm going with a more "main street" friendly title. The url will be the same but I'll be looking into changing the template around some.. not messing with it overly much.

Ehh.. Honestly what I call the blog is the least of my concerns at the moment. Hopefully you & yours are doing alright and not choking on any deviled eggs. Deviled eggs or chicken porn. =)

Dave Bullock: Wired enigma?

If you were wondering what BlogDowntown's 3rd contributer has been up to around the neighborhood, you need go no further than say Mars, or Pasadena's JPL facility. Yep, the 3BN's Dave Bullock just published another article w/photos over at Wired.. pretty cool.


Inside NASA's MARS Mission

Inside NASA's Mars Mission
By Dave Bullock
05.23.08 | 12:00 AM

MOJAVE DESERT/PASADENA, California -- This Sunday, NASA's Phoenix lander will touch down on the surface of Mars. If everything proceeds according to plan, it will then start sending images and data back to Earth via one of two Mars orbiters and NASA's Deep Space Network...

Would love to see some of his techno writing over at BlogDowntown though.

Ed Fuentes: graphic designer, muralist, photographer, and mega blogger

VFaL
"view from a loft" is his blog (and is on typepad).


Digital Mural "Main Street Recovery" ©Ed Fuentes
photo ©ps rouse

Richard McDowell: poet, artist.. gallery owner?

The things you find on Blogdowntown when you can't sleep.. one of the "this day in archived history" kind of posts.. an article from 2005 about the street signage that Richard had put up around the Historic Core.

A LITTLE PUBLIC ART

A friend of mine purchased one of his one way "drugs" signs and I got to see it up close. Those things definitely seem better made than some of the real street signs around town. =)

I would have liked to have seen that old gallery show review though. The things you learn on the internets. =)

Joe in Blue

..a bit out of focus, but I like the way he looked against the backdrop of the cafe wall. I like how his hands stretch out forward creating a depth and shades of color in his shirt.

Maybe one day I'll get this photo right. =)

Year End Review

Returning to the apartment from my trip to the library today, I picked up one of those "Downtown News" papers. It seems everyone is publishing an end of year review with what has already occurred.

I shouldn't complain. South Park, the neighborhood I live in, is prominently featured on the front cover. Between the Ralphs Fresh Fare and the LA LIVE project, South Park is on a fast track. Maybe because we live under the giant cranes and around the construction walls, we don't appreciate the change as much. Perhaps it's because we're new or we just haven't lived here long enough to form an opinion. All I know is that there is so much going on out there that I don't know about and want to know more.

I'm grateful for the blogging that the other, more talented (or more practiced) writers are doing out there. It just seems like recycling old news stories and printing them on paper, is a waste of trees and ink. I personally think in the years to come, the news will be blogged. While I don't have the stats, I would think that most people get their news from online sources, whether from blogging or web-based news services. The ability to blog the news as it happens or share information to an online database of unlimited people, has unlimited potential.