LA Street Food Fest. I went. I ate. I ate some more.

On Saturday night, we packed a blanket and an appetite and headed east to Pasadena where the LA Street Food Fest was giving things a second go (the organizers' first attempt at the fest sounded awesome but a bit more unruly) at the ginormous Rose Bowl. The lines were still long (like, really long), but there was plenty to distract us as we waited in line after line for samples from the city's most popular food trucks (who were, incidentally, stationed at tented booths and not trucks--I was as confused as you are), including dancers, indie sounds from The Deadly Syndrome, a speech read off a crumpled paper by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and plenty of colorful characters stuffing their faces with 20 different kinds of ice cream and Singha Beer.

Note to my vegetarian brethren: I definitely didn't eat my $45 ticket's worth. Restos were giving out only 1 or 2 samples each, and most of these weren't veg-friendly. I'd complain, except events like these clearly aren't meant for diets like mine. And I knew that. Many thanks to Starry Kitchen though for the amazingness of their tofu balls (see banana below for reference) which won the hearts of vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Culver City ArtWalk. I came, I saw, I took pictures.

What's cheaper than art I can't afford? Taking pictures of my favorite pieces that I can't afford and posting those pics here for posterity. Almost like having them on my walls. But much, much smaller and only visible on my Mac Book. As opposed to, ya know my walls.

N.B. There is a picture of a small boy in here. He is NOT an example of something I'd like to have on my wall. Do not get the wrong idea. But he did play nicely with my god-doggie.

N.Very.B. Galleries repped below include Carmichael Gallery, LeBasse Projects, Corey Helford Gallery, and Thinkspace, amongst others. Stop by and support all of them! The Culver City arts community is incredible and deserves the city's attention.

I won art. For a good cause. [Photo Gallery]

And when I say 'won,' I mean that I bought it of course. I simply bought it for a higher amount than someone else did. Which maybe I shouldn't have done. But it was for Stoked, the amazing non-profit which mentors kids through action sports. And they deserve my uninhibited, impulse buying. So this art's for you kids. Below, some pics from the Stoked private preview which happened last night to kick off today's Culver City ArtWalk. More pics from that awesomeness later...

Cool art by a cool artist...

Suitcase by Aaron Rose (director of Beautiful Losers)

These kids were big spenders. I'm pretty sure they bid on some big ticket items.

Gary Baseman and his pal. Gary, incidentally, is having a sick event during the LACMA Art Walk next Saturday. You should go. More on that later too...

I usually cry when I want to. Like when it's my party.

More cool art by another gent who'll be at LACMA next week.

This is me after bidding. I had this picture taken in case I didn't win. I won. You can visit this piece above my bed any time. That sounded suggestive. It wasn't meant to come out that way.

Gary bid on art too. Fingers crossed...

Didn't make it to the event but want to find out more about helping Stoked? Visit their site and donate your time or your money...or both!

One Year of Moods of Norway in LA [Photo Gallery]

In college, most of my friends went abroad to Spain or Italy or took more noble ventures to the likes of Burma and Tibet. Well, I had fantasies of the amazing health care system and fancy accents of Norway. This pipe dream lasted until I found out that the country was dark for half the year and had an alarming rate of weather-related suicides. Oh, and until I picked up the Norwegian 101 textbook from the library. That language is not something one can just 'pick up' as it turns out.

Lucky for me, and all of us really, three young designers from the little town of Stryn, Norway started Moods of Norway and brought it to Robertson Blvd. last year. And for a country that's so dark, these guys and their collection of women's and menswear are surprisingly colorful.

Pictures from the brand's one year anniversary party (and yes, that's a golden tractor)...