Do It Right! LA City Christmas Tree Pickup and Recycling

My friend, Keri Dearborn, over at Animalbytes has pointed out this great information for City of LA residents about Christmas tree pickup, dropoff and recycling.

In the past, many Christmas trees were simply dumped curbside, on lawns or in empty lots. They would often site there for a month or more until someone decided to clean them up.

The best action to take, of course, is to cut up, or chip/shred your tree for use as mulch in your garden or compost pile. While I have the ability to do that here, I realize some other city dwellers might not be equipped for such things.

If you can't mulch or compost your tree, the City of LA has 3 different ways to dispose of your Christmas Tree.

1. Cut it up and place it in your standard green garden bin
   
   
2. Leave it curbside, if it is too big to fit in the bin (or you are unable to dismantle it)
   
   
3. Take your tree to a long list of drop-off sites around the city incuding various Parks and Recreation and Fire Station locations. This is a limited time option, though. You will only be able to do this on Saturday, January 2, 2010 and Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Here is complete information on City of Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Dispose of your Christmas tree properly!

Photo Credit: Flickr picture by Shira Golding

What I'm eReading...Eating LA

Image by dewelch via Flickr

I am a bit of a foodie, even with my fussy eating habits, so I monitor a variety of food blogs for the LA area. Eating L.A. is a great one, offering coverage of everything from Food Trucks (which are multiplying by leas and bounds) to full restaurants.

Recent posts included:

• Fishlips Sushi: Don't be scared of raw fish from a truck
• Top Chef Las Vegas: Bachelor/Ette party is a battle of the brothers
• Verdugo Bar: Sundays are where it's at

Related articles by Zemanta

• What I'm reading...Rules of Thumb by Alan M. Webber (welchwrite.com)
• Sausage Risotto and asparagus (welchwrite.com)

Event: Machine Project Workshops - Ghosts and Robots

These sound like really cool workshops, although they do cost a few dollars. I wish I had the time and money to go. -- Douglas

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We have two new workshops this month involving motors and mechanisms. The first is an Animatronic Ghost Workshop this Sunday. Based on a project featured in the upcoming Halloween special edition of MAKE Magazine, you’ll be building your very own pulley-and-motor-driven ghoul to scare your neighbors with. Sunday Oct 7th, 12-4pm, $150. Limit to seven people, registration now open.

http://machineproject.com/2007/10/03/pulleyghost/

The second is a hands on workshop about robotic art with Dorkbot founder Douglas Repetto. Please join us for an introduction to the wide world of motors and mechanical systems for use in kinetic and robotic artworks. We’ll cover basic motor and solenoid types, play with examples of each type of motor and talk about which ones are suitable where. We’ll look at some basic mechanical parts and systems like shaft collars, slip rings, gears, belts, and pulleys. We’ll also talk about sourcing components, creative reuse of found materials, material selection, and building for durability. Participants will build a variety of adorable mechanisms using discarded electro-mechanical devices (printer, scanner, fax machine, blender, anything that moves!) Sunday Oct 14th (12pm-4pm) and Saturday Oct 20th (11am to 6pm). $185. Limit to ten people, registration now open

http://machineproject.com/2007/10/03/robotorama/

Music Unwrapped - May 19 - Long Beach

The Music Unwrapped series is the ideal way for the family to spend a
Saturday morning learning about a wide variety of great music. The
Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music presents an enter-
taining and enjoyable learning experience, including interaction with the
audience suitable for all ages. Experience three intriguing programs
while traveling to wonderful venues around Southern California. The
event will feature Mexican composer Carlos Chávez.

WHEN: May 19, 10:00 a.m.

SITE: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach

COST: Free

SPONSOR: Southwest Chamber Music

INFO: 1-800-726-7147, www.swmusic.org

From the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs

Technorati Tags: california, events, losangeles, music

A Gardener's Notebook Promo

Have you heard about one of my other podcasts, A Gardener's Notebook? Would you like to share it with others?

Here is a promo that you can share with your friends or place in your own podcast.

Play -- A Gardener's Notebook Promo

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, podcast, podcasting, outdoors, losangeles

Event: Brewery Art Walk - Spring 2007 - April 21 & 22

It's time once again for the twice-yearly Brewery Art Walk in Downtown Los Angeles.

Head down to the Brewery Art Lofts and check out the art and lofts of more than 50 artists. Food and Drink are available and Barbara's at the Brewery will be serving complete meals.

Plenty of parking is available in the UPS lot, just to the West of the Brewery Complex.

I always have a great time and recommend the Art Walk to everyone I know.

Technorati Tags: california, creativity, events, losangeles, free, art, drawing, photo, photography

Event: “Q”ing at the Autry - April 14

“Q”ing at the Autry

Who makes the best barbecue in Los Angeles? Join us for the premiere barbeque festival in Southern California. Come see a barbecue champion crowned and learn some tricks of the trade as you enjoy food, music, and family fun.

WHEN: April 14, call for times

SITE: Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles

COST: Free

SPONSOR: Autry National Center

INFO: 323-667-2000, www.autrynationalcenter.org

From the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Festival Guide

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles

Douglas' Article in Podcast User Magazine

My profile of Goodnight Burbank producer, actor and writer Hayden Black, appears in this month's edition of Podcast User Magazine.

You can download the entire magazine as a PDF file from the link below.

"Born in Manchester, England, Hayden Black moved with his family to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the early 80s. Little did he know at the time, in days long before podcasting existed, that this would lead to a very popular video podcast that has boosted his entertainment career to new levels.

As he sat at Art’s Deli in Studio City, California, enjoying bagels and lox, Hayden beamed as he recounted his latest publicity success, a ‘Best of the Web’ mention in the print edition of TV Guide. Hayden’s light and proper English accent lends a sense of elegance to his speech, despite his California casual attire." (Continues)

Link: Podcast User Magazine #15

Technorati Tags: california, podcast, podcasting, losangeles, video, performance, television, tv

Foodie Q&A with Chef Joanna from BarCampLA-3

Chef Joanna gives a great presentation about Foodie Issues, including cooking pans, utensils, knives and more.

You can find more information on Chef Joanna at http://chefjoanna.com

Listen to Foodie Q&A with Chef Joanna

Technorati Tags: california, make, DIY, howto, how-to, podcast, tutorial, events, losangeles, presentations, learning, education, food, cooking

Hermon, (City of Los Angeles), California

No matter how long you live in Los Angeles, your chances of seeing all of it are almost nil. I've only been here 20 years, so it should not be surprising that I haven't seen large sections of the city, let alone Los Angeles County.

As I was going about my computer consulting work on Friday, I had to find a route from the El Sereno area back to the 134 Freeway so I could get back to the San Fernando Valley for my final call of the day. Poking around in Google Maps, I found a route up Monterey Road, over Avenue 60 and up Figeroa St. Little did I know that I was going to come across a piece of early Los Angeles History.

Right before I made my turn onto Avenue 60, I came into a pleasant little "Main Street" area with a lovely divided boulevard with a sign that said "Hermon." "What a cute little place, here in the midst of the city," I thought. I wonder how it came to be.

Well, a quick search turned up quite a bit of information, starting with this page on Wikipedia. Here is a short quote...

"[Hermon] is a small town in California, in the United States. It is situated in a half square-mile valley bordered by the Arroyo Seco and the historic 110 freeway to the west, Monterey Hills to the south, and South Pasadena to the north and east. The community has been part of the city of Los Angeles since 1912, but the neighborhood has retained its own unique identity. It is primarily a residential community, with a small business district in the center, one elementary school, and newly-dedicated dog park."

Additional links from the Hermon page include a short video from the Los Angeles Times, the Hermon.org web site and info on the aforementioned dog park.

I am always amazed at what I stumble across in my travels.

Technorati Tags: california, parks, losangeles, towns, village, town