More Monkey Business

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Daisy's Downtown Adventure

Last weekend, we headed downtown for the Annual Bleesing of the Animals. Even though Daisy is generally well-behaved, we figured it couldn't hurt to have her blessed.

There was a huge, huge line of people waiting with their pets. Some of them put visors and sunglasses on their dogs and pushed them around in a wheelchair. There were snakes...


Turtles...

Even Easter Bunnies.

Instead of getting in line, we watched from the side as the opening ceremony took place.

Then, in the middle of the Holy Procession, we jumped over the barriers, and cut into the middle of the big parade! Gina and Daisy both got a healthy splash of Holy Water.

With all the time we saved by cutting in line, we were able to race down to Pershing Square to help celebrate World Pillowfight Day!

The scene was insane. There were hundreds of people there. Feathers were flying everywhere. People were really beating the crap out of each other with the pillows.

Unfortunately, the event organizers didn't have a permit, so the cops kept asking everybody to disperse.

The cops were actually pretty cool about it. It was hard to watch the spectacle without being amused.

Walking back to our car, we stumbled upon a commercial shoot. A giant slip n' slide ran along 4th St. for two whole blocks!

Some of the other pillow fighters stumbled upon the slip n' slide too, and just jumped right in.

I think this gorilla might have been at the Blessing of the Animals.

I'm pretty sure this guy was a paid extra.

He was definitely not shy.

It looked really fun.

I bet that bald guy got a really good photo.

Daisy even got into the action. Here, she jumped into the pool...

...and peed.

For lots more photos of the Blessing of the Animals, check out my coverage for LAist here.

For lots more photos of the pillow fight, check out my coverage for LAist here.

For lots more photos of the 4th St. Slip N' Slide, check out my coverage for LAist here.

To see Gina's awesome coverage of last years Blessing of the Animals, click here.

Baby Do's & Don'ts

One of the nice things about the WGA strike was that me and Gina were able to spend more time with each other. Consequently (or maybe not) we are going to have a baby! It's going to be a girl, and her name is going to be Sophie. She's due August 18th. We have a lot to learn between now and then. Thankfully, our friend Brian sent us these tips...

Hmmm... A crate worked great for Daisy.

Everyone knows a microwave works faster than a dryer.

We don't even have fish, so that one's not really helpful.

We only shop at places that have those ridiculous, huge, plastic cars/carts for kids to ride in.

Is there actually ever a time that you want to wake a baby?

I don't know about this last one. A little drink always calms me down.

- H

Snow Day

Last week was our 2nd Wedding anniversary. We celebrated by driving up to the snow.

Heading up the Angeles Crest Highway, it took us about a half hour for us to feel like we were in a Winter Wonderland. One of the things we love about LA is how many awesome places you can get to in less than an hour.
We took an awesome hike. Daisy loved the snow.


Actually, I'm not sure Daisy even realized she was walking on snow. She was just happy to be outside.

The entire hike was so scenic.

We came upon this phonebooth, buried in the snow.

Newcomb's Ranch is exactly 26 miles up from Foothill Blvd. We stopped there for lunch. They have great food, and Craftsman beer on tap. Usually we sit outside, but the patio was covered with snow.

It was a wonderful day, and I bet we didn't even spend 20 bucks. We even built a snowman! (or is that a snow-woman?)