Taste: Sweet. Yeah, that’s about it.

Application/Color: It was sheer with a little bit of pink sparkle. I don’t like sheer unless it’s being applied over another color. Plain gloss is not something I particularly care for.

Longevity: Not terribly long, maybe an hour or so. Perhaps I licked it off, though, due to its thickness.

Overall, I would not invest in Urban Decay’s Pocket Rocket lip gloss simply because I did not like the overly stickiness and sheerness.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as if Kitten Rescue has a money tree growing in their yard. Making sure these kitties have the best care can be quite costly, which is why it is very important to give when and what you can.

For their 3rd Annual FUR-BALL AT THE SKIRBALL I decided to create a mixed-media piece for Kitten Rescue silent auction.

The Patchwork Cat (sans touch ups)

Kitten Rescue’s 3rd Annual Fur Ball at the Skirball

Saturday September 11th, 6-10pm

Skirball Cultural Center
Ahmanson Hall
2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049

Hosted by Jenna Fischer

If you are in the Southern California area and can give big, get a ticket for the Annual Skirball. If you’re out of town and can help out, give directly through their website (or sponsor a cat, like my buddy Dexter!). If you’re local and can’t donate directly, please consider becoming a volunteer and/or foster. The kitties will surely love you!

It’s the September issue of The Place L.A. – Los Angeles County Visitor Guide where yours truly has a monthly feature talking about eating in the city of lost angels!

This month is special because it kicks off a new series I am delighted to host: Dining during the Golden Age of Hollywood! That’s right ~ for a few precious months I get to chow down at the still remaining eateries where celebrities from yesteryear used to frequent.

If you don’t have access to the physical magazine FEAR NOT for there is an equally adequate digital edition and you will find yours truly on page eight!

THE PLACE – LOS ANGELES digital edition

Personally, I am a rings and necklace kind of girl. I never got my ears pierced and I don’t know if I ever will. Brooches are nifty but I am top heavy so my boobs don’t need any help and I just tend to forget about bracelets – even my medical ID bracelet, oops! I am always on the look out for chunky, gaudy, unique rings and dainty dangling necklaces.

RINGS, EARRINGS, NECKLACES, BROOCHES, BRACELETS OR JEWELRY-FREE?

This is a post long in the making. I’m not just talking about the three months it’s taken me to write this up, no. I’m talking about the fact that this restaurant has been on my radar for well over a year before I actually stepped into its foodie vista. Y’see, I attempted (and failed miserably) to be a vegetarian so when I was initially plotting out my trip to Cork (the city I knew I’d be making home base in) I was hunting for the best vegetarian fare.

People who haven’t been to Cork (let alone Ireland) mightn’t think to connect out of this world vegetarian cuisine with a traditionally meat and potatoes country, but let me be quick to dash any and all assumptions: Cafe Paradiso is not merely a vegetarian restaurant; it is a culinary experience that knows how to work the veg so deliciously it’s almost poetic and no meat is necessary.

I do not want you to think of Cafe Paradiso as a vegetarian only restaurant. It sounds limiting. Truthfully, the food at Cafe Paradiso breaks so many taste bud barriers I think meat would only mar the wonders that master chef and founder Denis Cotter has concocted. This is food for everyone; you do not have to be anything but open minded and ready to have your foodie world rocked to its core.

My first trip to Cafe Paradiso started on a Wednesday early evening. I made a reservation for one but had my friend Steffie guide me because for some reason Ireland really is where the streets have no feckin’ name and totally turns me all about. We parted ways after I spotted the steel blue exterior with foliage etched frosted glass windows. Inside was decorated in muted blues, hardwood floor and comfy seating. Their space is cozy but cleverly used.

I was served a snack of olives and flat crispbread with sesame and pumpkin seeds. Light and tasty – the olives were especially lovely with a bite of brine.

The peanut fluff and cools the chili, but it is the sweet potato and mushrooms that are the real stars, bursting with all of their natural flavor under the harmonious seasoning. The crisps are more for texture than anything else and are a nice contrast to the sea spinach.
The chili is a nice kick but you are not constantly reaching for your water.

“This is what Heaven tastes like,” I told the general manager when she came to check on me.
It was pretty but inviting – short of having EAT ME written all over it. The sauce was so enchanting I had to force myself to put down my fork and savor each bite. It was very difficult not just wolf this dish down. Everything was cooked to perfection: tender potatoes, sweet tomatoes, and asparagus grilled/roasted so flawlessly that I saved the tips for last. The cheese and sauce blend so well you can’t separate them and yet each individual ingredient stands out to my taste buds. The hazelnuts add a wonderful crunch and the herbs are insane; they’re so complimentary.
I ate every single bite…oh my goodness.

Their menu changes seasonally to use the freshest ingredients each season has to offer. They have a working relationship with local farm Gort-Na-Nain Farm.

Steffie and I managed to make it back on Saturday afternoon to enjoy dessert.

Dessert One: Rhubarb Fool with orange shortbread.

Arriving in a brandy glass, the fool was light, fluffy and sweet (though not abundantly sugary) with a pinch of tartness from the natural flavors of rhubarb.

It was like eating a sweet cloud, not unlike taking a bite out of Care-a-Lot with its toasted meringue shell and fluff on the inside. My first pavlova has set the bar very high!

Some non-veggies don’t realize just how filling and satisfying vegetarian food can be. It’s time to step away from all of the meat and learn all of the wonderful ways our Earth’s fare can accomplish a full meal.

Browse around their website to learn more about Cafe Paradiso’s philosophy, shop, updates, and even some recipes! I can’t wait to purchase Denis Cotter’s cookbooks and be able to attempt these culinary escapades in my own kitchen.

Cafe Paradiso
16 Lancaster Quay

Notice a trend? Now, I’m not going to give you in-depth reviews. Trust me; I love absolutely everything about these books. Let me just summarize them so you can decide if they are your kind of reading.

Chocolate, Please by Lisa Lampanelli - A memoir of Lisa’s life with heavy focus on her choice in men and her battle with overeating. Most of the book is linear with aside chapters talking about her career. LIsa is charming, totally honest and utterly filthy – just like in her act as Comedy’s Lovable Queen of Mean.

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson – Craig is funny dude, not just scripted like on the Drew Carey Show or The Late Late Show but off-the-cuff funny, even in his book. In true memoir stle, Craig takes us down amnesia road of his childhood and turbulent youth in Scotland to his rock bottom years, recovery, immigration to the USA and eventual citizenship. I have the honor of having my book signed by the man himself back when it was first released back in summer of 2008 and he had a signing at Vroman’s of Pasadena. Craig – I’m sorry if I gave you my summer cold. I promise that I bathed in hand sanitizer before shaking your hand.

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin – Oh, Kathy. I love her. You know what I love best about this book? It’s told very matter-of-fact, as in Kathy isn’t always “on” (this doesn’t mean that Lisa being “on” all of the time in her book makes me dislike it). Like Craig, Kathy goes in linear order of her life up to the point of publishing her book. I learned a lot about Kathy, her family, career struggles, personal relationships and life as an award winning D-list celebrity. Unsurprisingly, Kathy is a very open, lovely human being; something that her critics will never understand because they’re just totally unable to get the joke.

I have a few more books that I have recently read but they’re either not worth mentioning or warrant their own individual post.

Of course, John Williams has accomplished more than one months worth of Music Mondays. It would take many, many Music Monday’s to fully encompass all of this talented man’s work. Other flicks not featured:
Schindler’s List
Harry Potter
Jurassic Park
Empire of the Sun
Jaws
Hook
Amistad
Saving Private Ryan
Minority Report
Ai (Artificial Intelligence)
Catch Me if You Can
The Witches of Eastwick

His contribution to both film and music cannot be surmised with words, although this tribute by a cappella group Moosebutter and YouTube performer Corey Vidal does a pretty damn good job:

SILVER

GOLD

I used to only wear silver (as a teen) and now I only want to wear gold. I love gold so much; it’s just so bold and eye-catching. Looks great accompanied with fuchsia and cherry red, too.

images: silver one, silver two, silver three, gold one, gold two, gold three