Since people in Southern California retreat to their homes, drive 20 mph under the speed limit, and lose all motor skills at even the slightest threat of rain, it made me wonder what people do to pass the time…you know when they can’t go out and spend $15 per drink at the clubs.What if I told you there was a way to have as just much fun as going out and spending $15 per drink. You probably wouldn’t believe me. Of course there are always the old staples, stay in and watch movies, brew some hot cocoa, look in your fridge 20 or 30 times for food you know isn’t gonna be there.

I’m here to tell you about a little game called Dirty Jenga. It’s possible that I’m the last person to learn about this so you’ll have to forgive me if this is already your favorite pastime. Here’s how it works. You simply write a command on each Jenga block, get a couple people over that you like…a lot…and play as you normally would. Each time somebody successfully removes a block from the Jenga tower, that person must carry out whatever random command is written on the block. You want to make it as fun as possible so if I could just offer a few suggestions…

1. Call an ex and immediately hang up the phone.
2. XXX Be creative!!!
3. Lock yourself in a closet with the person across from you for 7 minutes…teen wolf style.

That should get you started. The rains should keep coming…so have fun.

Here are a list of crazy laws that apply to California.

• A city ordinance states that a $500 fine will be given to anyone who detonates a nuclear device within city limits.
• Alhambra: You cannot leave your car on the street overnight without the proper permit.
• Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
• A regulation in San Francisco makes it unlawful to use used underwear to wipe off cars in a car wash.
• Arcadia: Peacocks have the right of way to cross any street, including driveways.
• A server in California can be convicted of selling to a minor if the purchaser uses a false or altered ID to buy the alcohol.
• Baldwin Park: Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.
• Bathhouses are against the law.
• Belvedere City Council order reads: “No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash.”
• Blythe: You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

Sometimes my husband makes noises about moving somewhere quiet, calm, and slow. He’s talked about Pasadena, the Valley, and even other states. There are times when I think I want to move too, but when I reaaaally picture it, I get claustrophobic. Open spaces can be confining in their own way.

I hate the smell of pee on my shoes as much as the next gal, but with that price comes all the diversity and eccentricity of downtown Los Angeles. As I write this, I am sitting in a booth next to these two odd… I don’t know what their phylum would be. They are the guys Quentin Tarantino depicts as the hired guns in his movies, minus the black suits. They are talking at sewing machine speed and about 75% of the language is blue.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

• Live to 800 is possible! Bring it!
• Living in style inside of a garbage truck
• Garfield doesn’t work in motion
• Full movies summed up in a couple of words
• List of celebrities real names
• Amazing Lego Artist
  
• Winners of Dog / Owner look-a-like competition
• Scariest most ruthless insects in the world

Photo via Flickr by Stuck in Customs

Are you stuck in L.A’s cement jungle during rush hour on week night, wishing you had teleportation powers and enough patience to make it home? Tune into Says You! on 89.9 KCRW at 7:30 p.m. It will not only make your drive more than almost bearable, you’ll get to learn useless (and useful!) information to impress your friends with when the weekend rolls around.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

As you may know, there is a ton of filming going on downtown. Even during the writers’ strike, we see the men in yellow work boots, large rolls of cord, and cargo shorts down here on a weekly basis. They look at us apologetically, like they are about to kill our family dog, and say, “I need you to wait here for just a minute because they are about to roll.” My husband turns red and spits as he expresses indignation. I take it in stride since we can just walk around the block and be on our way. Maybe we should get his blood pressure checked.

Anyhooo, I decided to put a piece about this in the “Oot and Aboot” section because it’s a fun thing to come check out. On any given weekend, you are going to see a film crew doing something or other. Plus, they are surprisingly friendly.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

So I moved to Hollywood in September of last year. In that time, I noticed a building-in-construction sit idly by for a long, long time, slowly but clearly degrading. And then suddenly it was a giant Transformers billboard for what must have been several more months.

It wasn’t until just a few months ago that the building at Sunset and Vine finally began to show signs of life, with windows starting to go up.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

We all know the French are responsible for most of the good things in America.

But who knew that they played an instrumental part much closer to home? Namely, well, home - aka Los Angeles.

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

A quick look at some of the awesome things on the interwebs.

• Evangelical Scientist tries to disprove Gravity
  
• The Art of Dirt
• Freaky Eye/Mouth Pictures
• Ten Best Trailers
• Create your own Picasso with Mr. Picassohead
• Bizarre Internet Gaming Incidents
• Reading Test

Youtube pick of the week:
Elephants Painting!

As 2008 approaches (2008!? WTF!?) many of us are deliberating, deciding, even wrestling with potential resolutions. What will they be? Can we possibly live up to them this year? Let me save you some time. You can’t and you won’t…at least not forever and probably not even for a whole month. This unfortunate truth, however, is not meant to deter you from trying. Try. You should make a reasonable list of personal goals meant to better yourself and then do them until you break down. Its all about striving…trying to get better every day in every way…fitter, happier, more productive.

You know ya shoot for the stars and you hit the ceiling. But the ceiling is at least a couple feet higher than your normal five foot something mess of a life. So in light of this New Year I’d be honored if you’d allow me to offer some suggestions to my fellow peers here in Hollywood/West Hollywood/Mid City/Silverlake/Echo Park/Los Feliz/Beverly Hills/Mainly Hollywood. Seriously you can make this place a little more livable by adhering to a few simple suggestions/requests…so lets resolve to…

[ Read The Full Story -> ]

There have been many good things to come out of 2007…by why focus on that when you can focus on the on everyone else’s mistakes with LA.CityZine’s “Worst” lists of 2007!

• Worst Dressed
• Worst Films 
• Worst Technology 
• Worst TV series 
• Worst Albums 
• Worst Dictators 
• Worst Selling Cars
  

Have any you care to add?