Bookmas Tree

Walking around after downtown LA after dinner last night Bill said, "Let's go to the book store and the art store before we head home, we are going to make a Christmas tree."

"OK," I said, as we crossed the street in the direction of these stores.

I told Bill recently to start telling me to do things and I will do them. It sounds a bit weird perhaps but I find that he comes up with really Good Ideas and I am better at Execution. This harkens back to a book I read earlier this year called Making Ideas Happen. One of the themes of this book was that projects are best seen through when Idea people pair with Doer people. Makes sense to me.

Every year around Christmas time my mom asks me if I've decorated for the holiday. Every year I tell her no, partly laziness, or more precisely perhaps, a lack of drive to put tinsel and Santa Clauses around where I live. I like the idea of decorating but not for tired out Christian holidays.

Bill and I browsed through the books located outside the bookstore on a shelf, searching for the appropriate hard cover book. After selecting one Bill took it into the store to buy. I realized we were in a Happening Bookstore. There was a speaker, I couldn't see who - it was standing room only, the speaker was located at the back of the store.



Bill went up to the man sitting behind the register and said, "I'd like to buy this book for one dollar."

"I'll sell it to you for 50 cents," responded the man, laughing.

"You drive a hard bargain but I'll take it," said Bill, handing the man his dollar and getting 50 cents back.

After seeing that the art store was closed for the night meaning we couldn't buy spray paint, we headed back to the apartment to begin construction.

Here's step one:



Then after cutting with an xacto knife you can spray paint it.



Bill and I went back to the art store mid-morning today and got spray paint. I had been insisting "Purple, I want to use purple spray paint!" I decided green would be better, if paired with this light, sort of peach color? I think it worked out. Or at least was a good first start, being as neither of us have worked with spray paint in quite some time.

Wednesday night

Making my way around Los Angeles, I take for granted that this is one city where I haven't fallen off my bike, yet at least. I decided I need to go to the art supply store located near SCI-ARC, an art school, today, on my bike.

Made my way down this road, circled around the school... I wrote down directions to the store then forgot them, in my usual fashion. Decided I was looking for a street called Traction Ave and I noticed a youngster (meaning someone close to my age) walking his dog so I called out, "Hey you!" or something to that effect and he came over to where I was stopped on my bike on this not too busy industrial street.

I asked him if he knew where this art store is and he looked at me like he doubted there was any art store anywhere within a ten block radius of here but "Hold on I'll take a look," he said, pulling out his iphone.

This invasion, err development, of technology, in my search for the art store felt like something significant, but then again maybe it was something old, asking for directions, in a mildly new fashion.

He finally pulled up a map of the store, and I, noticing he felt better that there was an art store nearby, thanked him and took off in the general direction of the store.

Quickly got a little aimless in my travel but I smelled sausage floating by and decided I would head in its direction. I knew the store would be near a sausage sandwich restuarant, Bill and I went there a few months ago when I was visiting, so I headed in its direction and presently found the art store.

After walking into this building adjacent to the store and freaking for a second cause the door out wouldn't open, hence the red button next to the door I needed to push to open it. The doors are really close?!? this door was more interesting to walk in ok?! I made it to the store.

Here's a non-sequitur picture from an adventure this past weekend, walking around near Echo Park.



Cacti bitches!