4th of July Weekend

My long weekend started off with a trip to the Getty Center on Thursday afternoon. This place is amazing! Its only about 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles and sits atop a hill with beautiful views of the city. You take a tram from the parking structure up to the museum and the tram runs along the side of the hill. The views were breathtaking. Once arriving at the Getty, you notice the incredible architecture. I immediately made my way to the botanical gardens of which I heard were the highlight. This is absolutely true! I spent the majority of my time there, walking around and taking pictures. The Getty also makes great use of water in its landscaping. Beautiful fountains and streams flow throughout. Inside the various buildings were paintings, sculptures and artifacts. One painter was particular of interest to me as he photographed regular people from the early 20th Century. The photos used a silvery/gray scale and showed so much life and emotion. I found myself outside again very quickly as the views were just so stunning. I purchased a Corona and perched myself on a bench, near a fountain and soaked in some sun.

Thursday evening I hung out with my friend, Kii. We watched this crazy slasher/horror flick called "Slither." Now, I do not consider myself a fan of this genre, but I highly recommend seeing this movie! Its really well done, the acting is quite good and the script isn't bad either. You keep waiting for the plot to get cheesey and instead the next scene shocks you.

Friday was the 4th of July and I got up early to head out to Manhattan Beach. My co-worker, Heather, invited me to her house to hang out with her fiance and friends. Heather and Matt live 2 blocks from the beach and we made it down there by about Noon. We indulged in sun, surf, food and beverage all afternoon. They had bean bag toss, football, and volleyball. I mostly spent my time on beach towel...big surprise! By 7pm, I was feeling exhausted. Since Manhattan Beach doesn't set off fireworks, I decided to head home. I popped in a movie and maybe got through 30 minutes of it before falling asleep.

On Saturday, I motivated myself to get out and get some exercise. I drove up to Griffith Park and walked the Fern Dell trail. Its very lush and shaded, which was nice. At one point, I started heading up a steep hill and saw a sign that said "Beware of Mountain Lions and Rattlesnakes." Since I was feeling short of breath, I turned around so I wouldn't be a mountain lion's dinner! On the way home I stopped by Echo Park to walk around that lake. This park took a beating on the 4th. There were remnants of fireworks EVERYWHERE! I found it quite sad actually, just how irresponsible we humans can be. I'm sure the bottom of that lake is full of garbage too. I will have to go back another time when hopefully the park will give a better impression.

Ruth invited me, Jessica and her friend Gabe to come with her to a friend's house in the West Hollywood Hills on Saturday night. This house was amazing! We drank, ate and conversed for hours. Then we all jumped in the jaccuzi and pool. Unfortunately, Ruth cracked her forehead open while attempting her 3rd or 4th backflip into the pool. We figured we best take off when there was blood still dripping down her forehead a while after the injury. Jessica took care of her through the night and I'm happy to report she's doing just fine.

Sunday, Ruth's friend invited us to his Malibu house to hang out on the beach. Again, this place was amazing. Its directly on the beach and we took advantage of that right away. While sitting there, Jeremy Piven (Entourage anyone?) walked by. I'm not too concerned with crossing paths with celebs, but it was kind of cool seeing him taking a relaxing walk on the beach. Ruth had been craving some English tea so her friend was more than happy to oblige since he is British as well. This was my first cup of real English tea and I actually had a second cup, I liked it so much. We also had key lime pie and lemon cake.

Now I'm back at work and wondering if this is the place for me. My supervisor asked me last night if I'd be interested in a different position here. One of the higher ups liked me and thought I'd be good for the job. I feel like if I accept that offer, though, then I need to stay here a while. While I really think the company is great and the people I'm working with are very nice, the work itself is dull as a butterknife. There is a part of me who feels like I could be doing so much more. Its hard when you know that good benefits and good pay are being dangled in front of you, to walk away.

PHOTOS!!!  http://gallery.me.com/shellyvoss#100292

Until next time...