Cherry Trees Blossoming in Palos Verdes

There have been some stellar days in Los Angeles and in my neighborhood of Palos Verdes, and the cherry blossom trees are SPECTACULAR.

Curious about them, and knowing a little bit about their Japanese origin, I thought I would read up on them. Here's what I found out -

The cherry blossom, know as "Sakura" is the beloved, unofficial flower of Japan that has been highly regarded in art and history and is imbued with quite a bit of symbolism. The delicate pink (or white) blooms last a very short time (5-10) days typically and symbolizes simplicity, fleeting beauty and purity. Many many years ago, the Japanese warrior spirit glorified the idea that samurai died in the prime of their lives, like blossoms falling from the sakura.

While that is sad, what I found uplifting, is the Japanese cherry blossom festival called "hanami" which has been practiced for centuries. It is the simple idea of gathering under the cherry trees to drink and eat and admire nature's beauty. I read that literally thousands of families concregate in parks.

Sakura - vibrant, beautiful, fleeting and ephemeral.
My plan is to savor every day of the cherry blossom.
Life is short.

3 Movies - 2 out of 3

The King's Speech
Loved this movie - I had no idea about the the King of England stuttering or having doubts about being King or the timing of WW II. Fantastic movie. Thought provoking on many levels. Colin Firth was superb.

Fockers - too funny. "I'm watching you watching me watching you". Light hearted and funny. Robert Dinero is hilarious. Easy to watch. A pleasure.

The Secret Movie at the Palm Springs Film Festival on Jan 7th - god awful. Miserable. Distrubing. Two thumbs down. When the movie ended - you could hear a pin drop. People leaving the theater looked shell shocked. Suggest organizers put a warning on the summary. Their little blurb said attendees would be "satisfied." Uh no. The lesson here is it is a bad idea to go to a film without knowing what it is about regardless of it's pedigree.

The Regal in Rancho Palos Verdes has easy access, no wait, is clean, with no crowds (most of the time). Buy tickets at COSTCO and two tickets are a bargain at $15.

A Change of Plans: Happy Hour at Trump LA

While I had every best intention to introduce a family member from the East Coast to the incredible views and pork sliders at Nelson's Terranea...well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Monday was the day. Perfect for patio seats nearthe Pacific. The sun was bright, the day was clear, and the weather was warm. However, on the East Coast, a blizzard was brewing. Before heading out, we checked online for flight info. Ugh. Ugh and double ugh. 45 minutes later - mission accomplished on a new flight schedule for Wed, however, the sun was about to setting. We agreed to go the next day.

Tuesdaywas cold and grey. Upon arrival to Terranea at the valet, announced Nelson's was closed due to a private party.

Undeterred to enjoy some of the best that PV has to offer , we headed a little further down the road to Trump's. It had been awhile. Even so, there was a perfect 4 top waiting for us - with a great view of the sunset. Better yet, there is a Happy Hour menu. Who knew? This was an easy call. We are a family of calamari lovers. Order a cold beer, calamari, fish tacos and chicken sliders. Wow. A smorgashborg of yumminness. Trump still has the best, perfectly breaded and cooked calamri rings and tentacles with spicy aoli sauce. While I do miss the bed of Asian slaw from several chef ago - it was still top notch. The fish tacos - 3 generous portions, fresh lettuce, sweet onion - really good! There were 4 blackened chicken sliders on each corner and a pile of fries in the middle of the plate. Generous portions! While good - the tacos and calamari were great and there was way too much food to finish.

We left very happy for the experience and knew another East Coast family member would really enjoy this. I also mentioned it to a couple of friends and neighbors so I can see more Trump in my future!

Terranea

While I have mentioned Terranea Resort several times in my various blogs -thought it was worth mentioning Nelson's again. Taco Tuesday is truly a reason to celebrate at the on start of the week. Sit and relax with great views of the Pacific ocean and catch the sunset as you enjoy a casual dinner. The Taco Bar is really very good - especially the freshly made salsa and guacamole. The first time I went with neigbhors they had pork which was out of this world - the last couple times - it was steak and chicken. They say they alternate to change things up but someone on staff told me it takes 16 hours to prepare the pork - so with labor charges - I would gather the pork tacos are way less frequent. Taco Tuesday - $15 all you can enjoy and $4 Margaritas or $4 Hefenweizen during Happy Hour.

While I am no longer a big meat eater, I do enjoy it occassionally - which lead me to enjoy a recent Happy Hour and select an appetizer that Pork Sliders - wow - amazingly good - the shredded pork I love with coleslaw in a mini Hawaiian bun. The rich meat, in a sweet bun with coleslaw that was crisp, and fresh was the perfect combo. You could enjoy this and nothing else for dinner - while it's not exactly spa cuisine, it is not overfilling. just right.

Highly recommend both - but now I think Happy Hour with the $4 beer and my new favorite - the $7 sliders.

You Need to Know: Katherine Wagner

Title: CEO of the Business Council for the Arts, a nonprofit arts advocacy organizationWhy you need to know her:

Because Wagner and her team at the Business Council for the Arts are using culture to reel in Dallas commerce. The council has dedicated itself to merging two things Dallasites love: art and economic development. “All of our members … subscribe to the idea that you need a strong arts and culture center to create a strong economy,” says Wagner, noting that the arts employ people, boost tourism, and keep dollars in North Texas.

With about 100 members and an annual budget nearing $400,000, the council busies itself organizing research and awareness projects like an economic impact study, Public ArtWalk Dallas, and the Leadership Arts Institute. Membership fees range from $800 to $3,000 and are assessed on a sliding scale, depending on a company’s annual revenue.

Wagner, who headed the Dallas Visual Arts Center for a decade, grabbed the council reins from longtime CEO Pat Porter last year. Now she’s focused on creating new programs and expanding existing ones to further mesh the business community with arts organizations. Dallas has entered what Wagner calls a modern-day renaissance. She says, “We really need to grab ahold of it, maximize it, optimize it, and enjoy it.”

PS That's my sister!!! Way to go sis!

I was sent this link from my mother this morning.
These are the songs she remembers singing during World War II when she was a little girl.

I actually remember her singing some of these songs growing up although I can't recall the occassion.

It's great to see something positive being done for our troops who so much to our country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MtdIO23MKM

BP oil spill

In June of 2008 I wrote the following:

My response to Daniel Henninger's comment, "This is the year Americans joined the real world of energy costs. Now someone needs to explain to them why we -- and we alone -- are sitting on an ocean of energy but we won't drill for it," is simply one word: Good. Good that we won't drill. If Mr. Henninger needs an explanation, then surely his mind has been affected by the asphalt jungle. As a resident of Palos Verdes in Southern California, I walk the coastline daily. It is one of the most inspiring, uplifting, calming, rejuvenating experiences one can enjoy. To roll the dice on more drilling is foolhardy. We shouldn't be consuming so much oil anyhow. Our dependence on oil causes wars, damages the environment and fuels the fires of economic downturns like the one we are facing now. When "How much does it take to fill up your gas tank?" is the most common question asked these days, it's time to get our heads on straight. No to Mr. Henninger's mantra of drill, drill, drill.

My thoughts now...

In 2008, I responded to an article on offshore drilling. I was opposed. One respondent felt drilling was a God-given right. “Even the cavemen used or consumed their God-given resources. If they didn't, where would we be today?” What kind of thought process is that? In light of the worst environmental disaster in US history, God given resources includes 1) health (i.e. the well-being of the BP clean-up workers), 2) commerce (such as tourism and fishing industries) and 3) the stewardship of delicate eco-systems (wetlands, coastline and sandy beaches, et al).

It’s not about oil. God-given resources are about choices. Deep water drilling without disaster and mitigation planning lacks common sense. It is greedy. Fines are a slap on the wrist.
Let’s start levying penalties directly correlating to profits. Oil companies will stop viewing safety and environmental violations as an acceptable way of doing business.

While we are stymied on the current disaster, it is noteworthy to add that other countries are leap years ahead of us in alternative energy and energy conservation. Let’s get America moving in the right direction and not get further mired in oil like the floundering, dying state birds of Louisiana.

Some lessons are learned the hard way.