Life List Day 220 - Shop for Produce Locally

Inspired by the book I'm reading, Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - which looks at how the dominance of "industrial farming" is affecting our health and our world - I decided to finally check out the local farmers market, which is every Friday noon to 4 p.m. The market promises "fruits and vegetables that are fresh picked, vine and tree ripened, and sold by certified farmers who grow the products at local farms."

I was overwhelmed by the tables and tables of heaping, unwashed food (I'm soooooooo spoiled by "salad in a bag" and Trader Joe's semi-prepared foods).

I bought some assorted vegetables. If I actually wash and eat them, I may just try the market again. It made me feel so supportive of my local farmers.

Life List Day 191 - Get a Taste of Local Politics

My friend Janice was hosting a "meet and greet" with Michael DiVirgilio, a candidate for Hermosa Beach city council. I wasn't planning on going, but she pressured me with the magic words: "I'll bet you've never been to a political meet & greet before. You can put it on your life list!"

I'm so easily manipulated.

Anyway, I meeted & greeted...had a glass of wine...and chatted about local issues like street repair, drunks peeing on buildings, neighborhood safety and other issues that make up the day-to-day issues of a small beach town.

Life List Day 153 - Go to a Local Art Walk

Every year, my city hosts an Art Walk - a small art fair with local artists -and every year I say I'm going to go. I never manage to get around to it.

Today, I finally made it there.

And FYI, this is an example of why I'm glad I'm doing this life list. I don't think I'd have rallied if I didn't need to come up with SOMETHING to do for the day. As it turned out, it was a cute little event....nothing earth-shattering, but a pleasant way to pass an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

Life List Day 149 - Check Out an Art Gallery

Today, I wandered by an art gallery - Gallery C in Hermosa Beach - and decided to wander in.

Several artists' work was on display, the main exhibition being for an artist named Kirtland Ash. Here are a couple of his paintings:



I stood in front of several for a long time trying to "get it." It's strips of color in oil, basically. (I remember I once took an Artist's Way class with a lovely woman who made her living as a painter of similarly abstract paintings, and she was hurt that people often said about her work, "I could do that.") Anyway, I can't say it held my interest in the same way that, say, those Magic Eye 3D pictures do, but at least I gave it a shot.

Life List Day 144 - Go to See Live Comedy

I absolutely love live comedy, and I now live walking distance from one of the best comedy venues in the country: The Comedy and Magic Club, which draws lots of big-name comics, and is also where Jay Leno plays every Sunday.

Today, I met friends to see the show...no big names, but a couple of comics from Last Comic Standing, and definitely plenty of laughs.

I'm saying it here & now: I PROMISE I'll go there regularly now that I live so close. It's SUCH a joy for me seeing live comedy, and I know laughing is good for the soul (and I'm convinced it burns calories, too).

Life List Day 82 - Snub Starbucks

I don't even like coffee, but when someone says, "Let's meet for coffee," I always suggest meeting up at Starbucks. I have no idea why. They don't serve unsweetened iced tea, which would be my beverage of choice in the morning. I suppose I lean toward Starbucks for the simple reason that they're everywhere. I don't have to think.

Today, when a friend suggested grabbing a coffee, I said, "How about anywhere BUT Starbucks?"

She suggested a local place called Java Man which, to my delight, not only had passion fruit iced tea, but free Wi-Fi.

Another tiny victory for my life list.

Life List Day 57 - Tapas

I love eating lots of little different somethings vs. one big everything.

Tonight, I met my friend Janice and her friend, Deena, at a tapas restaurant, Mediterraneo, in Hermosa Beach. I Wikipediaed "tapas" to find out what the difference was between them and appetizers - and the answer is, not much, other than, 1) tapas are of Spanish origin and 2) the waiter is less likely to sneer at you if you attempt to make a meal out of them.

We ordered a table-full of dishes. Hummus. Spanakopita. Shrimp. Babaganush. Baked goat cheese. Roasted veggies. On and on and on.

We chose the tapas restaurant because I said, "suggest somewhere I haven't been before."

Of course, being the queen of ruts, now that I've tried this new place, I can't wait to go back again and again.