Archive for May, 2006
Madonna!
May 24th, 2006For “only” $100 each, we had an opportunity to see Madonna’s “Confessions” concert in Inglewood. I am not a huge Madonna fan, but I couldn’t turn this down. I wanted to fit in, but unfortunately I didn’t have any Madonna clothes to wear.
It was an awesome show that was lively, filled with lighting effects, and not too long; it’s hard not to enjoy a concert by one of music’s most controversial and lively performers. She even played a few of her older, more famous songs, which was great for non-hardcore fans like me.
To see what the concert looked like, I used my camera phone to take some pictures.
Car Repairs
May 27th, 2006I need to be more proactive about car care, and so I decided to take my Jeep in for a tune-up this morning. Luckily my engine was pretty clean, and there are only a few minor repairs/replacements to make (e.g. spark plugs, transmission, etc.). I figure a few hundred dollars spent now is better than a few thousand dollars spent later…which is usually what I’ve had to cough up for car repairs in the past.
Once I got home, for some reason I was motivated to organize all my car maintenance records — so I spent 2 hours reviewing all my old receipts (starting from back in Baltimore) and entering all the information into an Excel spreadsheet. And once I start Excel, I end up going crazy with it…analyzing it, making plots, the works!
Anyway, here are some interesting facts I found out from my morning calculations:
- I’ve spent $7000 on my car since January 2002; approximately $3500 of that is from letting my car go too long without maintenance and then having to spent lots of money to replace entire components (clutch, differentials, brakes)!
- I drive approximately 10,000 miles/year. Not bad, especially for insurance premium purposes.
- I crashed into Dumb Bitch in February 2003. DB, wherever you are, I hope it’s 6 feet under ground.
By the way, I finally found a good site that provides a detailed Jeep maintenance schedule. (I’ve been looking for one — hard copy or online version — for some time now, since my owner’s manual was stolen.)
Filosofo Home-Page Control Plugin for WordPress
May 29th, 2006I came across the greatest plugin for users who use WordPress to power their blogs and the rest of their website, like myself. It’s called the Filosofo Home-Page Control and it allows you to put your WordPress blog and WordPress Pages on the same level.
In other words, you can have your main site at
http://yoursite.com
and your blog at
http://yoursite.com/blog
and your Pages (e.g. “About”) at
http://yoursite.com/about
and NOT:
http://yoursite.com/blog/about
which is where WordPress likes to put it. I’ve been looking for a plugin or hack like this for a long time, and I’m glad someone finally wanted the same thing I did — but had the technical skills to make it happen. Go check it out.
Indo Cafe
May 29th, 200610428 1/2 National Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 815-1290
Indonesian food is hard to describe, but don’t worry because it’s nothing weird; it’s a nice cross between Thai, Chinese, and Indian. Whatever it is, it’s definitely among the tastier Asian cuisines, and you should try Indo Cafe if you’re hungry and in the area. Be sure to try the ayam bakar padang (grilled chicken with spicy sauce and potatoes), nasi kuning (yellow rice combination), and chicken satay.
Annapurna Cuisine
May 29th, 200610200 Venice Blvd, Culver City, 90232
(310) 204-5500
Good vegetarian Indian food at good prices. Their chana masala (garbanzo beans in sauce) is great, as is their vegetable korma, both of which come with bread, not rice — although you can get rice, too. Nice, friendly people run and own the place, which is a nice touch.
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
May 29th, 2006189 The Grove Dr #Y80 Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-6800
This is a good place to go for large steaks, awesome sides, and good beer. Watch out, though, because it’s busy on the weekends.
AOC
May 30th, 20068022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, 90048
(323) 653-6359
An incredible restaurant with a huge wine and cheese selection, and tasty tapas. Make absolutely sure you get the bacon-wrapped dates as an appetizer, and don’t be afraid to ask the wait staff for recommendations.