Weekend in LA - Blogabond

I got to LA 4 hours early and got to experience the transit there. It wasn't very involved, I just took a shuttle to a train station, and a train to a town near Sarah's house. The weather in LA was beautiful and reinstated my desire to live there one day, even just for a little while. I stayed at Sarah Smock's house with her momma Evelyn, who are both very great ladies. On Thursday we had some Mexican food with some teacher/old high school mates of Sarah's. Friday Sarah worked (she's a Spanish teacher at a prep school). I walked to the local library, I really, really enjoyed all the perfectly maintained California houses on my walk. I photographed some palm trees with mountains in the background, which was an extremely cliche tourist thing to do. Palm trees are ridiculously tall and put of proportion. I got some audio books out for my research for a school paper. I got the go ahead from my globalization sociology instructor to write about pre-war food production and the modern (disgraceful) way we mass produce food until it is something unrecognizable. Obviously this is something I feel very strongly about. Among some of my resources is the documentary/book called Food, Inc. This film is very accessible and I recommend everyone watches it. It does have those scary factory scenes that are unquestionably unsettling, but I like the way it reveals what we see at the grocery store and don't think enough about.
Food politics aside, I really loved all of the people I met in LA too! I can't remember all the last names, but on Friday night, Sarah and I went to Jaime's house and had a craft night, Allison, Kara and myself were all there. Sarah and I made some seriously peanut buttery cupcakes from a website called http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/ with a chocolate ganache topping, which remained shiny for days! On Saturday, Sarah, Allison and I went to free yoga in the park at long beach. It was pretty cool, minus the loud amateur football game going on 10 ft from us. There were live African drums, some fluty thing, and some weird circular giant wine glass rim thing. The instructor had ridiculous dreds, and her four year old daughter, who would jump all over her during her instruction also had little baby dreds. She also had an infant that she cradled every now and then while teaching, it was pretty cool. I have some pictures posted under the LA tag. Hanging in LA for the weekend was really fun, almost unexpectedly fun, and hanging out with Sarah was really great. I hope to hang out again in LA for a few days on my way back to Minnesota!

I left for Aussie on Sunday at midnight and I got three seats all to myself, which enabled me to sleep for at least 8 hours. The timing worked really well I think. I got in at 630 this morning in Brisbane and I feel just fine, I hope this means no jet lag...
Jana and I are hanging out at Chris Blair's (one of the friends') house here who Jana works for part time. It is very tropically raining here! Like, dumping. I'll check back in a few days or next week. We're going camping this weekend to Fraser Island, supposedly very cool, I'm excited!

written by

Clara Douglas on May 3, 2010 from Los Angeles, United States

from the travel blog: Australian Adventure

tagged LA

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I really want to see Food Inc. Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Awesome book. Very inspiring.

written by Allyson Simonton on May 3, 2010

Yay! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

written by Sarah Smock on May 4, 2010

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