Serious Skill

Once upon a time, I taught gymnastics. For many years, in fact -- 10 years. Which, I think, is a long time to do anything when it isn't your profession. But anyway...

I taught non-competitive gymnastics, for little ones in parent child classes all the way up to grade school girls. While I am not flexible by any stretch of the imagination (we can all remember the bag game, right?), I am fairly strong. Which means that, while not incredibly graceful, I am not too bad at tumbling.

But even I wouldn't dare to try and do things over concrete. At least not if I wanted to survive without a head injury...

These were some of the street performers at Venice Beach. And while I am not a huge fan of crowds (do you SEE all of those people?!) and tend not to be attracted to the incredibly strange eclectic individuals to be found around Venice Beach, these tumblers were not only incredibly entertaining but seriously skilled.

Not to mention nuts brave...do you have any idea how much it would HURT to fall on that concrete?!

Views from the Boulevard

I'm pretty sure looking at vacation photos on the internet still constitutes torture, so I'm trying to spread it out a bit... :)

You're welcome.

My sisters and mom are celebrity crazy. They read People and US Weekly and watch Entertainment Tonight and The Oscars and whatever else. They know who is dating who, who is wearing what, and all about the latest trends.

I, however, am tragically uncool. I have no idea what's hot and what's not, I couldn't tell you what was nominated for the Oscars, let alone who won anything, and I have no idea who is married to who. I don't pretend to be cool...but even I was somewhat amazed at all the hustle and bustle on Hollywood Boulevard. There were A LOT of people...and it was the middle of a weekday! Seriously, does no one in LA work? I know, I know - it was probably people on vacation, but still...the crowds! Sheesh!

See, I told you! Look at all these people!












My sister got us tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live, so the first night we were in LA we saw a taping of the show. Which I had to drive to. In rush hour traffic. In LA. When I had no idea where I was going. Which, as you can imagine, was quite the experience. But we got to see a taping, which was interesting. And see a celebrity -- the show had Zac Efron on. Who my sisters say is very famous.



You could even see the Hollywood sign from the outdoor mall. And let me tell you -- even the mall is fancy in LA!

Santa Monica Pier

Another little bit of warmth for everyone else who still living in a frozen tundra...

The Getty

I don't think that I ever managed to write about it, but over the summer I took a trip to LA for a little vacation. It was quick, but I had never been there, so it was nice to see new things. One of the things that we did while we were there was go to The Getty Center. While I'm not a huge art museum person, there was a ton of interesting stuff to see, including a photography exhibit (which didn't allow photos in it) and some beautiful gardens.

Not to mention the views were nice. And seeing the pictures reminds me of warm weather...a big contrast to the current sub-zero weather outside my window...

Best Shot Monday - Chicago

These are my parents in front of the jelly bean (or whatever it really is) sculpture at Millineum Park - the city is actually a reflection in the sculpture.

Don't forget, for more Best Shots, head over to Tracey's!