Events

I had the best time at Coachella last year but due to my overwhelming workload I just don’t have the time, energy, or gusto to make it out this year.  I remember it being a long hot day and the appropriate outfit is imperative for survival.  Here are a few of my favorite Coachella outfits found at Elle.com.  To see their entire album click here.

You can’t go wrong with a sweet and breezy long dress to cover your legs while rolling around in the grass.

This girl must have gotten to the festival later in the day.  There is no way a white dress would survive on me during Coachella. Two hours in the dress would be covered in remnants of margarita slushie, ketchup, and pretzel salt.  I’d do my best attempt to pretend it was some type of Pucci-inspired number.

The floppy hat and indigenous accessories take the classic black and white from the club to the desert.

Somewhere out there is a J.Crew catalogue missing a model.

Somewhere out there that High School Musical kid is looking for his girlfriend.

F-I-E-R-C-E!!!!!!  Bold use of color and a total 60′s vibe.  I want to put on Peter Paul and Mary’s “If I had a Hammer” and jam out.  Love this girl.

xoxo,

Vanesa

The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company will be stopping by UCSB’s The Hub for a FREE improv show tomorrow night from 8-10pm.  You get can get more info on the event being thrown by AS Program Board here.  I’ve always admired comedians, especially improv performers, for their ability to think quickly on their feet but also to spread some fun in the world!  I heard the name of this group and instantly said, “Isn’t that a TV show?” Ahhhh yes, my memory serves me well.  The group had their own show on Comedy Central for three seasons from 1998-2000 based off of the popularity of their Chicago and New York theaters and improv workshops.  Even more inspiring is that one of the founding members of this comedy troupe is Amy Poehler of Saturday Night Live – Parks & Recreation – Mean Girls – Baby Momma – fame, a lot of which include one of my other all-time faves, TINA FEY!!!!  Watch the below, and TRY to tell me that smart women can’t be funny:

So I started doing a little digging on Amy Poehler and found out that this woman is one Kick Ass Career Chick.  Along with her popular roles in tv shows and films, she is also part of a project called Smart Girls At The Party with her friends Meredith Walker, a producer,  and Amy Miles, host of PBS’ Lomax: Hound of Music.  Their show airs on ON Networks.com and is a way of inspiring pre-teen girls by showcasing the many talents of the average smart girl next door.  I was absolutely charmed by this show and hear this inner voice in me screaming, “MORE!!!!! MORE of this on TV!!!! MORE of this content for smart girls!!!”  Take a look and spread the word to any lovely young pre-teens you may know.  I think it is absolutely genius:

xoxo,

Vanesa

I heard of this event and instantly loved it!  Two of my favorite things mixed together into a cocktail of fun, food and film, or as ArtPower at UCSD has appropriately named their event, FOOVIES: Lust+Passion+Desire. Wow, this just got a whole lot spicier   The event being held at The Loft tonight will serve up music and food from 7:30-8pm then a showing of the film Dinner Rush at 8 pm.  Now I haven’t seen Dinner Rush so I can’t give you a sales pitch on why you should go out and see it.  But I do know it stars John Corbett and I’m sure there’s some type of “Carrie Bradshaw broke Aiden’s heart twice” obligation that makes me always want to support him.  Also, he charms me over and over again in My Big Fat Greek Wedding every….single….time.  Here’s a breakdown of the film from ArtPower’s site:

When the “star chef” son of proprietor and bookmaker Louis Cropa decides to make changes in the menu of Louis’ hugely popular Italian restaurant, a frenetic evening of comedy is served up to a local police detective, rival gangsters from Queens, and a renowned food nymph. Some things don’t go down so well; other things come up that shouldn’t as the evening boils over with mayhem.
[2001, UK, 98 min.]

My tummy gets all sorts of happy when I read the menu they have planned:

MENU Entrée:Penne with Shrimp and Spicy Tomato Sauce; Antipasto Salad; and Trio of Dips with Assorted Breads. Desserts: Meyer Lemon Pine Nut Tart with Citrus Mascarpone and Ricciarelli Cookies. Wine Choice: An assortment of Italian and Californian wines. Menu subject to change.

Admission price ($26) includes the music, food, and the movie.  Now go on and purchase your ticket here, there will be plenty of nights for you to eat Dominoe’s Delivery.  And while you’re in the Italian spirit go on and play this:

Second, if you’re not old enough to enjoy a glass of vino you can drink some of this:

Vignette Wine Country Soda – Rose’ ($28.50-12pack)

xoxo, Vanesa

The lineup for the Coachella Music Festival was announced today and includes my personal hero, Jay-Z, along with some other favorites of mine—MGMT, She&Him, Gossip, DJ Z Trip, Coheed and Cambria, Thom Yorke and Yo La Tengo!  The blogosphere is a buzz saying the lineup is too much of a mixed bag but I say “who wants a bag full of the same ol stuff?!?!”  Last time I checked, every time I got to take a trip to the Sweet Factory store at the mall my bag always had a feisty variety of Very Cherry Jelly Beans, Sour Patch Kids, German Rasberries, Candy Corn and chocolate-covered gummy bears.

If you plan on going you’ll need to start planning as soon as possible.  Tickets ($269) go on sale January 22nd at 10 am and can be purchased at the Coachella site here. Or you can stop into any of the following locations:

GLASSHOUSE (Record Store)
248 W 2nd St., Pomona, CA
CASH ONLY
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

FINGERPRINTS
4612 E 2nd St, Long Beach, CA
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

EL REY THEATRE
(next door at Cowboys & Turbans)
5515 Wilshire Blvd, LA, CA
- Must purchase IN PERSON
3-Day pass – $285
While supplies last

The TICKETS page of the Coachella site also has information on Tents and RVs but if you’re like me, I’m not really one for camping.  A lot of the bigger hotels sell out fast so check out my post on Palm Springs mini-vacay on a budget. I outlined a lot of great places to stay, eat and shop out in the desert in this post from a few months ago.

Last year when I attended Coachella I had a raucous good time.  It started with a trek down the 10 Freeway which I had actually never driven down, a stop into an Inland Empire El Pollo Loco (where the locals looked at my friend Kate and me as if we were the queens straight out of Too Wong Foo ahem, “Little Latin boy in drag why are you crying?”), a major spillage of a caramel Frappucino all over my dress and check-in to a teeny tiny motel that I could have monkey bar climbed onto the 10 from.  The rest of my Coachella adventure can be explained in a triple-dog-dare that I took on captured in digital photo glory here:

There’s not a lot I can say about that photo.  It explains itself…a lifetime of shame and memories…

xoxo, Vanesa

On January 2nd I kicked off the new year exploring one of LA’s greatest experiences, The Rose Bowl Parade.  The day after the parade the public can view the floats up close in Pasadena.  As a lover of design, color, flowers, etc this was the perfect place to find inspiration.  I hope you enjoy my photos of these beautiful works of art.

xoxo, Vanesa

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Tomorrow I’ll be heading over to the Sunset Junction Street Festival with one of my super-cool-music-industry friends.  Well, she was my friend before she was a super-cool-music-industry person….Not she is my friend BECAUSE she is a super-cool-music-industry person.  Okay, I’ll admit it.  She’s my friend because she’s good looking.  UCLA or USC Campus Confidants should make their way over to the East Side with us since apparently there is soooo much more than all the great music.  I’m looking forward to seeing the Submarines (more than just my obsession with Apple computers) as well as a few of my super-cool-music- industry friend’s suggestions: