I think I'm in a bit of a funk. There are so many changes coming all at the same time that it feels a bit overwhelming. Our landlord called me and let me know that he is listing the condo we live in as a short sale. Michael will be starting school in July and we have family coming to visit in June. While this doesn't seem like a lot there are other things happening that make this a somewhat stressful time. One of the things that has always carried me is my firm belief that I am never given more than I can handle even if in the moment I think that it's too much. I also believe firmly that I will always be taken care of by God, the Universe All That IS, whatever you want to call IT. Even if its coincidence, things work out the river always meets the Ocean. I take this to mean I am always connected to my Supply and this Supply is always bigger than my need. So I can rest in this and not be anxious.

Nothing more really needs to be said, other than this applies to just about every city I've ever lived in.

So I got word earlier this month that the place Michael, the babies and I have called home for the last two years is going to be listed as a short sale. At first this news was pretty distressing. I love living were I do with the minor exception being the garage door not opening when I get home work reliably. After the initial news settled, I really have begun to see this as an opportunity. The long term goal is to buy a two bedroom craftsman in Hollywood but for now finding a new home were I can continue to save and put away for just the right place.

I’ve generally always written LJ entry's keenly aware of what relatives/friends would think and of my future political career (yeah right).  I make a concerted effort to not offend or to offend as little as possible manners are important to me.  As I get older I ask myself why?  My opinion or idea is mine and is just as real and potentially offensive (to you) as yours (is to me), so why should I dress my opinion when you don’t yours?  Does it somehow make it easier if you don’t know what I really think? or if its couched in pretty quieter words.

This has been getting buzz online..I’m checking it out.

Contact Us About Us Feedback Social Messaging Streamlined. The Nambu Network is creating the best possible social messaging experience: seemlessly integrated with a superior look and feel. Nambu OS X is still in beta, but progressing quickly. Download it and use it for free, forever. Please let us know what you think. Learn More Still in BETA, but progressing quickly. Download for OS X 10.5+ Nambu is free, and you don't have to sign up. The Nambu Network The Nambu Network is just that: a network of services for social messaging, integrated seemlessly into our client software to maximize the integration and user experience. And, best of all, everything Nambu is free. Nambu is emerging as the best social messaging experience for OS X, only just starting with Twitter and FriendFeed. Tell us what you want us to work on. We need your input to help us build the software that we all want to use. Nambu Touch for the iPhone To start 2009, we released Nambu Touch for the iPhone, our in

An obit for a friend of mine that passed away earlier this month.  She has an incredible spirit and had such a positive impact on more people than I think she realized.  I miss conversations with her.
Hope Ann Hacker, 60, died Tuesday, March 17, 2009 from sudden heart failure, in her home, in Hollywood, Calif. Hope is formerly of Cedar Rapids. Services will be held Friday April 10, 3 p.m. at Believers In Grace Fellowship, 8600 C Ave NE, Marion. She is survived by two brothers: Jeff and Michael Hacker, three sisters: Robyn Saylor, Nancy Archibald, Jane McInroy and 14 nieces and nephews. Hope was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.

I was horrified to discover this morning that I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last two months. At the middle of March I was down to 237 which is good for me. I have been feeling heavier lately and so I got on the scale... shock and horror. I’m at 259 which is plus 22 pounds. I guess its back to smaller lo-carb portions and exercising. I hate excessing. I like walking but not on an elliptical. I blame genetics, particularly my mothers side of the family My father is the only other overweight person on that side of the family tree. The hopeful thing in all of that is that if I can pack on 22 pounds in such a short period of time I’m hopeful the reverse is true, that it will melt like butta, or is that buddha?

Its about time.

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce that gay American diplomats will be given benefits similar to those that their heterosexual counterparts enjoy, U.S. officials said Saturday.

Work Where the Money Is: Tons of City of LA Jobs Worth $100k: "
In light of ongoing news about the city's budget crisis (a predicted $295 million dollar deficit), information about the number of people employed by the city who earn more than $100,000 is not sitting well with some.


As reported in the Daily News, the newspaper conducted research and compiled a 'review of salary data [that] shows more than 21,000 city workers take home $70,000 or more a year and more than 6,000 take home more than $100,000.' Some individual salaries will see increases in the coming months, bringing 'city workers' average salaries [to] about $68,850 for civilians and $93,800 for sworn police and fire by July - placing them in the upper ranks of comparable cities and far higher than private-sector workers

The Daily News obtained the data by accessing a database via the City Controller's office which is available through the California Public Records Act. In fact, the City Controller herself, Laura Chick, has observed some instances of spending at the city level that are deals indicative of 'a fatal flaw in city spending patterns.'
Some City employees have come forward with observations about the salaries, including 'Deputy Mayor Robert 'Bud' Ovrom - who took a nearly $100,000 pay cut to move from head of the Community Redevelopment Agency to oversee economic development for the mayor at an annual salary of $138,622' who noted that 'top city managers in some cases could make more in the private sector' but that 'entry- and mid-level workers make more money with government jobs because they get regular cost-of-living and 'step' - or promotional - increases.' Ovrom added the following, addressing some of the questionable applications of $100k salaries: 'I had a dozen (employees) making over $100,000 in the CRA, and I didn't know what they did.'
In defense of City employees, union leaders claim that the budget crisis cannot be attributed to salaries. Some suggest pay cuts as a solution, while the reality of program funding cuts are becoming undeniable. In addition, increased taxes may be one option the City has to counteract the deficit.
TOP TIER

More than 6,000 city workers earn $100,000 or more a year in base pay, excluding overtime. Here's a look at the departments where they work:
2,600 -- Police
1,176 -- Fire
485 -- City attorneys
229 -- Airport employees
214 -- Bureau of Engineering
178 -- Information Tech. Agency
161 -- Harbor employees
158 -- Bureau of Sanitation
93 -- Transportation
69 -- General Services
63 -- Personnel
60 -- Housing Department
56 -- City Administrative Office
36 -- City Council
34 -- Recreation and Parks
33 -- Community Development
32 -- Controller
30 -- Planning
25 -- City Clerk
24 -- Mayor
20 -- Board of Public Works
19 -- Library
17 -- Fire and Police Pension
16 -- Bureau of Street Lighting
13 -- Office of Finance
13 -- City Employees' Retirement System
10 -- L.A. Convention Center
10 -- Environmental Affairs
10 -- Office of Treasurer
Photo by Refracted Moments™ via Flickr
(Via LAist.)

LA Landmarks: The Hollywood Sign: "



So many times those of us who live in LA play host to out-of-town visitors who want to see all the sights that our amazing city has to offer. It's pretty routine to get asked if and how one can get up to the iconic Hollywood Sign to see it up close, and, sadly, it must be admitted that the sign is off-limits to regular folk. This means that looky-loos, locals, and pranksters who want to 'change' the sign are out of luck (which means Brandon, Brenda, Kelly et al would probably not have been able to drape 'W Bev Hi 93' over the sign after all).
Of course, the best view is the intended one--from in the skies or the streets below. Thanks to the Hollywood Sign Trust, the nine letters on the hill known around the world are preserved and tended to, so that we can continue to enjoy it, ignore it, or marvel over its role in LA history.
The history of the sign is fascinating and perfect fodder for urban myths and legends. How much do you know about the sign? Here's some info about the sign that might make you a better tour guide when you're showing off our town.

• The Hollywood sign was built in 1923, and was the brainchild of the Hollywoodland Real Estate Group to promote land sales in the burgeoning area. The sign of course, used to read H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D-L-A-N-D--the original name of the area.
• The letters of the sign were originally 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It was constructed out of telephone poles, tin, and scaffolding.
• A giant 'dot' was also erected on the hill near the sign to catch people's eyes and get them to see the sign. (It's hard to imagine not seeing it these days!)
• The sign was lit up in the 20s and 30s by lightbulbs inserted in the letters. There was a man who lived in a house behind the letter 'L' whose job it was to replace the lightbulbs that burned out. Some of the original lightbulbs have been found strewn on the hillside.
• In September of 1932, frustrated starlet-hopeful Peg Entwhistle climbed to the top of the letter H and jumped to her death. Hers is the only sign-related suicide in its history.
• Wind sheer, weather, and method of construction meant that the original sign took a beating over the years. Often pieces would fall off the sign and it fell easily into disrepair. Because of rationing and shortages suffered stateside during WWII, materials to repair the sign were scarce.
• The 'L-A-N-D' portion of the sign was removed in 1949, when the Chamber of Commerce took over the care of the sign.
• The sign is Los Angeles Cultural-Historical Monument #111, named so in 1973.
• The sign was completely overhauled in 1978. Pacific Outdoor Advertising won the bid for the renovation, and the old sign was removed starting on August 8th, 1978, and rebuilt over the following months. College student Mary Kornhauser documented the rebuild as part of a school project on Super 8 film. The new sign, made of corrugated metal on steel poles driven into the hillside in the exact same spot as the old sign, was completed on October 30th, 1978. The new sign is 5 feet shorter than the original, to help it maintain stability against wind and other elements.
• Funding for the new sign came from the Hollywood Sign Trust, which was established for the occasion. Celebrities pledged sponsorship of individual letters--rocker Alice Cooper 'bought' one of the Os.
• Pranks in the 80s saw the letters covered to read CAL TECH as well as an attempt to spell out a struggling band's name.
• The sign is equipped with infrared cameras, loudspeakers, and motion sensors, all relaying 24 hour monitoring of the sign to security forces. Even when authorized persons are up there the LAPD will send a helicopter out to make sure the right people are on the property. People are not permitted on the hill by the sign--even though it's park of Griffith Park--because it is a fire hazard, the hillside is extremely dangerous and rocky terrain, and so that the sign is not damaged. Part of its security system is attributed to the Trust's recent partnership with the Department of Homeland Security.
• The sign was fully repainted in 1995 and 2005, and gets periodical spot touch-ups. Ladders built in behind the letters give painters the access to do their work.
• Debris, like the lightbulbs, as well as the wooden poles that probably held the 'LAND' letters, and pieces of tin, still litter the hillside below the sign.

Want to see the sign? The trust recommends four viewing locations--Hollywood & Highland, Beachwood Canyon, Franklin & Gower, and Lake Hollywood--and have directions available on their site. Want to see it RIGHT NOW? They have a 24 hour webcam you can take a look at.

Oh, and yes--I watched Huell Howser's show California's Gold, which inspired this post (LAist loves Huell Howser!). Here's a video update that tags the episode, featuring Howser talking about the new moving pictures that have been found from the building of the sign in 1923. (Bummer, the vid clip doesn't include the actually footage, but you can get your daily dose of HH.)
Catch a rebroadcast of the Hollywood Sign episode (Huell sits on the letter L!) tomorrow at 7 p.m. on PBS.
Photo by Tom Andrews via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
(Via LAist.)