Bike Me!

I’m finally accepting the bicycle as a mode of transportation than just for leisurely rides on Sunday mornings. It hasn’t replaced my car, but for all the short local trips, I consider my 2-wheeled manual-mobile first. As I still continue to heal from an injury, I am trying to use it as a means of therapy as well (unless it flares up, like this week). Aside from my personal reasons, it feels good to know that my car can sit idle for days. I cluster my geographically related tasks to a specific day, “the car day.” I consider myself very lucky that I don’t have to do a long commute to get work done.

Here’s a recent NPR news piece about how "Americans Are Driving Less" due to the rising cost of fuel. I guess the positive side of this misfortune is that it’s seriously making us consider alternative ways of moving about. So there, to the automobile and oil industry, Bike Me!



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Venice Eco-Fest 2008

This Saturday, June 28th, Earth Day LA and The Venice Chamber of Commerce will present the Venice Eco-Fest 2008 from 10am ‘till 7pm. It will be at Windward Ave. between Pacific & Speedway, across the Boardwalk into the Venice Beach Rec. area. There will be over 100 eco-exhibitors, a Kids’ section, a solar powered sound stage and one of my favorite subjects, food!

Good news and Bad news:
Bad: I will not be there as I will be away for family functions.
Good: Rabbit Kinney will be at Emily's booth #59, “Eden’s Green Closet.”

Parking info:
• On Venice Blvd. and the beach lot at the end of Venice Blvd. (Beach lot fills up early!) $6 before 9 am, $12+ after 9 am. Go north 3 blocks to festival site.
• Westminster Elementary School parking lot, on Main St. between Brooks and Westminster Avenues, for $10. Walk two blocks west to Ocean Front Walk, then head approximately 4 blocks south to the festival site.
• Free parking behind Ross Dress for Less on 1400 Lincoln Blvd. (Venice 90291) at California Ave. Park there and cross at light to the north-west corner of Lincoln and California to catch the Big Blue #2 bus, which runs down California Avenue every 20 minutes, a 7 minute ride to Pacific Ave. and Windward, in front of the festival site. Only 75¢ bus fare per person. Or just walk it… only 10-15 min.

Also at the Ross parking lot location will be the station for large electronic waste disposal, i.e. televisions, computers, radios, etc. You may park your car there and dispose of electronic waste.
You could also ride your bicycle from this location, and check it at the FREE Bike Valet.
Morning volunteers get free parking at the beach, call 866-220-2370

For more info, please visit "Earth Day LA"

Have fun!



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Flexitarian

Growing up in New York, I had “Kalbi” (Korean style short ribs) almost everyday. Let me explain: my grandmother makes the best Korean food. That's a good enough reason, right? However, when I was around 10, I remember one night when meat was not available. I felt the rage starting to boil from my chest into my head and next thing I know, I'm having an outburst of temper because there were only 7 vegetable side dishes to eat… and NO meat. Eventually, I accepted defeat (I was hungry) and started my dreary meal. By the end of dinner, I had forgotten that there was no kalbi and was surprised how delicious and satisfying the meal had turned out. It made an impression but it never dawned on me that it could be an alternate way of eating.

Fast forward into adulthood. I shifted food focus to poultry and seafood and less red meat. However, with industrialized farming techniques that are deplorable to the animals, and the results being passed on to the consumers, I tried to minimize my intake of all farmed creatures. This made me want to become a vegetarian but it never lasted. I finally gave up on this pressure and instead performed a little “prayer” of thanks to the animal before consuming my meal. I had been content with my compromise… until I started to hear that animal husbandry emits a profound amount of greenhouse gases (15-20% of total emissions), next to or above the transportation sector. There, I pretty much lost my appetite. Then one fateful morning in December of ’07, I woke up and realized that the desire to eat any type of slaughtered animals had disappeared. I decided that I would make exceptions for special occasions. There has been a small handful since, no more than 4. Suddenly, all the vegetables were bursting with flavors, which had previously been overpowered by meat. Because we live in a time and place with so many food options, I want to take advantage of this. I can’t say that this will be a permanent way of living for me but for now, I am satisfied with my eating habits.

Yumm… diced eggplant is one of my new favorite dishes

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"Hob-Business"

Depending on my mood, Rabbit Kinney is sometimes a hobby OR a small business ("Hob-Business!"). When I'm feeling over-ambitious, then it's a business: selling stuff, talking about my product line, obtaining a "City of LA Tax Registration Certificate" (and PAYING for it). But on other days, I wish I had no responsibilities and just say that it is a hobby.

Why, you ask? Here's ONE of my recent grief scenarios: I custom-ordered a certain product. It takes over one month for production. I diligently wait for FedEx on the delivery date. By 7pm, no knock. I do another tracking update and they post that it was left at the front door at 4:30pm! Here I am anticipating the package, only to be separated by the door for hours. Argh… That's not the grief part, but just wanted to share that becuase it has happened way too many times.

I’m excited and immediately take pictures and process it for the web site. But the more I inspect it, I realize that there are flaws. It’s not that obvious, but enough to BUG me. My other self wanted to get on the phone with them and throw a tearful tantrum (seriously). But then the voice of reason calmed me down and quieted the fuming complaints in my head.

The next morning, I objectively explained the situation in an email. I could imagine their disappointment in having a job go wrong, as it took them almost 2 days to reply. Luckily their response was good. They will take it back. But the point was that I wanted this product. Now I have to figure out another solution.

I’ll touch upon another incident, way bigger. Another vendor requires that I sign their agreement before we start production. It’s a wide encompassing request on their part, which shields no protection for me. So, I visit the “Legal Grind,” a cafe with a dash of legal consultation. I was advised that I get my own lawyer and draw up our own agreement before I start production with them. Argh, again…

I try to do one thing, and just to accomplish that one thing, I have to do 5 other things in parallel to achieve that original intention. Crawling under the covers doesn't sound so bad sometimes.

The life of a “Hob-Business.”

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Back in LA

I've been away for a few weeks in May visiting with family in Berlin and New York and now I'm slowly getting back into gear (why is it so hard to shake off post-vacation blues?). One of the many things on my to-do list, which only seems to get longer and not shorter, is to prepare for the next Abbot Kinney Fair. The application finally became available for 2008 and I plopped down $425 (gulp). $300 for the booth and $125 for the mandatory fire-retardant canopy rental provided by the city of LA. Aside from the fact that this canopy will create a deeper hole in my wallet, this will unfortunately take business away from "La Piñata" party rental. They have been servicing the community for at least 10 years. And to note, their rental fee was under $70. Even though it isn’t a conglomerate corporation competing with their business, I think this is another reason to be conscious in supporting local economies.

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