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February 28, 2007
Oscar Party 2007
ICK helped us celebrate the 2007 Oscars, watching them with our recently high def-upgraded plasma TV. You can see every fly-away on those purdy celebrities heads in high definition!
I made wagyu tri-tip, risotto cakes, and a lasagna using bechamel sauce, prosciutto, and portobello mushrooms. I made my first pastel de tres leches for a dessert and it was deeelicious.
Here's a shot of that lovely lasagna:
And some of the gang enjoying themselves. We had a group of 12 for the celebration and I won the oscar pool with 15 correct guesses woo hoo!
It was nice to make back the money I lost at poker a week earlier (I was the BIG loser ugh). Hope to do better at this Saturday's game.
Posted by smashmonster at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2007
When You Wish Upon a Star...
It's not as if the prices aren't insane in Culver City, where I've watched it go up and up since I moved here 12 years ago. But really - this house is probably under 900 square feet based on what I've seen in this town, and rents on a place this size would be under $2K. That means if you consider insurance, taxes, any fixing up (most of the "bungalows" in CC are OLD), paying this kind of coinage for this little place is INSANE.
And remember, they are basing the payment assumption on 20% down, and we know that no red-blooded American these days is short-sighted enough to actually save a down payment before buying what will probably be the biggest investment of their lives. I mean, it can only go up - in five years it will be worth like 1.6 million!
Maybe they visited Zillow and saw this:
Unfortunately recent sales in the area have been between 570 and 700k. I am sure these owners feel very strongly that they deserve a nice big profit because, well they have owned the house for almost two years and they bought it for 605K. They've owned it about 700 days or so and with this profit they only earned like $10 an hour for owning the house.
Dang, I just blew my sarcasm gauge.
Posted by smashmonster at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2007
Sick of My Bubble Posts? Too Bad.
As long as a house that looks like this is on the market for close to a million bucks and something in the hood that looks like its outside the Green Zone in Baghdad goes for over a quarter mill, I won't let it go. I lived on that street for 7 years. It was an okay street. The mosque traffic on Friday was a nightmare and the curve in the road created a blind spot for my driveway, there was a pretty bad drainage problem so the street flooded occasionally, people used it for a cut-through to Culver Blvd and drove like 50 mph down the road so you had to be really on alert when backing out of your drive (esp with that darn curve) but other than that, ok street to live on. Houses worth three-quarter mill and up? Hell no.
Maybe I can take a break now from the obsession (although I will still peruse my 20-plus economic/housing/bubble blog links most every day) because there is a new blogger in the neighborhood.
http://www.westside-bubble.blogspot.com/
Not much on Culver City yet, but I hope to see more in the future. I think the LA market is hanging in there for all its worth, but don't see how it can't go the way San Diego, the OC, and other overpriced areas are going.
Has your ARM reset yet?
Posted by smashmonster at 11:33 PM | Comments (1)
The Problem with Wikipedia - Accuracy and Surfer Naivete
If you peruse the controversial topic section of Wikipedia, you find some great gems on how this user-edited encyclopedia can be abused by foolish types. I won't link to them as they have enough link power to overwhelm even the most authoritative sites on various topics.
Here is my favorite example of vandalism in Wikipedia:
Autism - "The leading cause of Autism is infection through interspecies "relations" with elephants."
I do not want to make light of the issues Wikipedia creates. I have spoken with many pretty sophisticated Internet users who have been surfing for close to 10 years and not one of them had a clue that anybody could write anything in Wikipedia. Although Wikipedia does have a neutral POV policy and does attempt self-policing, there have been incidents that show abuse can happen. For example, for 132 days an article discussing the JFK assassination claimed that John Seigenthaler, a respected journalist, was involved in the assassination. Needless to say, Seigenthaler was not happy about this falsehood being listed in something many people mistakenly believe is an accurate encyclopedia.
Although some reviews have shown entries to be highly accurate, that does not change the fact that anyone can add an article and write whatever they please - someone has to actually discover the article and dispute it for the inaccuracies to be corrected. I'm sure Mr. Seigenthaler felt the article about him was up 131 days too long. I wonder how many high school teachers were perplexed by papers turned in with this astonishing information.
"My goodness! I had no idea they figured out once and for all who really killed Kennedy!:"
Update - right after I finished posting this tonight a friend sent me a link to an article today in the NY Times, which I just had to insert in the middle of this post.
A History Department Bans Citing Wikipedia as a Research SourceBy NOAM COHEN
Published: February 21, 2007
When half a dozen students in Neil Waters’s Japanese history class at Middlebury College asserted on exams that the Jesuits supported the Shimabara Rebellion in 17th-century Japan, he knew something was wrong. The Jesuits were in “no position to aid a revolution,” he said; the few of them in Japan were in hiding.He figured out the problem soon enough. The obscure, though incorrect, information was from Wikipedia, the collaborative online encyclopedia, and the students had picked it up cramming for his exam.
Dr. Waters and other professors in the history department had begun noticing about a year ago that students were citing Wikipedia as a source in their papers. When confronted, many would say that their high school teachers had allowed the practice.
But the errors on the Japanese history test last semester were the last straw. At Dr. Waters’s urging, the Middlebury history department notified its students this month that Wikipedia could not be cited in papers or exams, and that students could not “point to Wikipedia or any similar source that may appear in the future to escape the consequences of errors.”
Did not one of these students think to double-check the accuracy of the information in Wikipedia? Why not? Most likely they "assumed" it was accurate.
The real problem lies in the inability to truly monitor individual articles, especially for small bits of vandalism. How many people read that Autism is caused by interspecies relations with elephants? Granted most people would say, "Huh? That's absurd!" until another editor came along and deleted it. However, there are times when small or subtle changes might not be detected for long periods of time.
I think it is foolish to underestimate the naivete of people surfing the web. This is not to insult people - but most simply trust information that looks official, and few take the time to check the accuracy of information they find on the web. I have a friend who used to send me all the emailable urban myths - free trips to Disney, Bill Gates offering a hundred bucks if you forward the email and they can see how many people it goes to, a guy in west Africa who needs to put 10 million in your bank account so it can be safe, he just needs your routing and account information...
A few years back I had a site that was very popular (I have since let it languish because I don't have the time for it). It was a fictional unsolved crimes site based on a television series I was developing at the time. My friends posed for gruesome murder scenes and I put up all the evidence for people to solve the cases. I can't tell you how many people contacted me about these cases as if they were true. Who thinks the policy put up all that evidence on the Internet? Now you might say, oh they weren't professionals! But I'd say you are wrong - two of the people who asked me for ADVICE on a murder case were police investigators (one a homicide investigator who asked for my help on a drowning case). A tabloid news show producer got angry at me because, he said, he had spent "hours" trying to track down the cases in real life before he figured out they were fictional. Of course, he could have simply emailed me or read the disclaimer page. I suspect he was afraid I would ask for a fee if he contacted me about the cases - so he wasted his time being cheap when I would have immediately told him - It's Fiction!
I do hope the issues with vandalism, biased points of view, and misrepresentations can be fixed. Otherwise, we will have more people walking around thinking elephant sex causes autism and that journalists are prone to commit political assassinations.
Posted by smashmonster at 05:21 PM | Comments (0)
We Already Knew It, But Cool to See In Color
Blue economies have historically outperformed Red economies - and they offer a great quote from FDR - Vote Democrat and Live Like a Republican.
Posted by smashmonster at 02:56 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2007
Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles
Earlier this week my roommate and I caught a Rachel Ray show on Food Network where she profiled restaurants in Los Angeles - usually funky places you wouldn't usually know about. She profiled Clifton's Cafeteria on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, and we decided it looked like a bit of LA history and would be a fun expedition one day.
It was definitely a bizarre place from another era - weird sort of Disney-on-skid-row feel and a motley crowd of diners.
The food was very below average and our tummies weren't too happy.
Here's a little video scanning the decor of the multi-leveled seating areas.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)
Phishing for Ebay Passwords - Security Warning
The other day I was almost duped by an email that seemed to come from Ebay - it wasn't the traditional phishing expedition where the email says you must reset your password and update your account will be deleted, an obvious attempt to get your password and other personal information. This email was formatted like a traditional Ebay auction update email - the same emails you get when you win an auction or the like. It appeared to be from another Ebay user who was angry that I had not followed up on an auction I'd participated in and stated he was going to file a complaint.
Because I knew I had not participated in an auction recently, my first reaction was that someone had hijacked my Ebay account and was using it to commit fraud. I made a mistake - usually when I get emails like this I NEVER click the links - I go directly to the website on my own and log in. This is an exra layer of protection against phishing expeditions. I broke my rule - fortunately I am so protected on my computer I got an immediate warning in IE that this was a phishing site. I immediately went to ebay and changed my password just in case.
This was a close call and a reminder to be sure you always keep security in mind when using the Internet.
1. Don't click in emails if you have the least doubt about their authenticity - or if anything about it alarms you (by alarming you, phishers get you off-guard)
2. Keep you browser updated to the latest version - there are significantly more security protections in the later generation browsers. If you have not updated your browser in years, you are likely quite vulnerable to these types of attacks
3. Keep your virus and firewall software updated - set it so it checks for updates automatically upon start up (or at a certain time each day if you keep your computer on 24/7.
4. Use very secure passwords. Lowercase words that can be found in the dictionary are not secure. Many sites now force you to choose a password with at least one capital letter and one number or symbol. These are the most secure - especially if you use 8 characters or more.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2007
The Record on Record Avenue Starting to Lose Steam?
I'm rooting for the box with window on Record Ave. A price cut of $19K since I checked it in December 2006 shows at least they have SOMEwhat of a clue that people who smoke crack cannot afford houses, even with the lax lending standards of the mid-2000s.
With the property tax assessment standing at $67K it's either another case of delusional price-wishing or the proud owner has ATM'd to death his equity.
Posted by smashmonster at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
Oh. My. God. Part. Two.
I posted this Oh.My.God. house back in mid-December. Still on the market. Price hasn't budged. Interestingly, the assessed value for tax purposes is 57K so this house has been held for a while. Why they aren't dropping the price on this squatter's dream is beyond me. And get this - Zillow.com values the house at $377K - a breathtaking 80K over the asking price. Maybe it is this delusional garbage that is making them keep the price so high. Unless they've ATM'd all their equity out of the shack they ought to drop the price to 150K, take their absurd winnings, and rent until the crash is over.
Awww, the dream of home ownership can be found in this steal of the decade...
Posted by smashmonster at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
A House So Nice...We List It Twice
We first posted this house when the only photo on Realty.com was of the street (The House So Nice...We couldn't show it twice, or at all).
Over two months later it is still for sale, and the price has not budged. Maybe because this is the house:
Such a sweet little gem in the heart of Los Angeles. Surely SOMEone will be willing to plunk down a quarter of a million dollars for this diamond in the rough.
Or maybe it's because of this sales history:
Right now with closing costs, agent fees, property taxes etc they will lose a pretty nice chunk of change having only held the house for about 4 months before they put it back on the market. My guess is either this was a mentally challenged flipper or some poor f*^&d borrower who got talked into a loan they couldn't afford.
To further whet your appetite and thrill your senses with the aesthetic simplicity of this "charming bungalow" here is a shot of the backyard.
Posted by smashmonster at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2007
And the Walls Came Tumbling Down...
As huge losses continue to mount in California markets such as Sacramento, The OC, and San Diego, news from the subprime-lending-fiasco just gets worse.
The corruption and games that led to the smoke-and-mirrors-real-estate-bubble really do beg the question: what the hell has happened to this country? I know, I know. Financial shenanigans are a favorite American past time (everyone knows SOMEOne who has cheated to make a buck) - but are we really destined to repeat the past over and over - from the savings and loan scandal to Enron to subprime lending and liar loans to backdating stock options...has it just become one big free for all where those who get in on the cheating make a buck and those who get in too late get screwed and no one (or very few people) goes to jail?
If this time they basically put EVERYone is jail who cheated - every appraiser who overvalued a home, every broker who said "Leave the income part blank on the form - I'll fill that in later," every lender who packaged up the no-doc loans and sold them to unsuspecting investors - I wonder if next time around people who think twice about generating a bubble to mae themselves rich?
Posted by smashmonster at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)
10 Weeks After Second ACL Replacement Surgery
Unfortunately, although this time the new ACL has held, I've developed bursitis in the knee. The orthopedic surgeon sort of shrugged and said it could happen because the area gets irritated during the surgery. I'm sure this is the case because the area that still hurts now was so acutely painful after the surgery that if I touched it or rolled onto it just right it literally took my breath away.
Now it is not quite so painful to the touch, but it literally feels like there are rice krispies in my knee the way it crunches when I bend. The area feels totally wrong - hard where it shouldn't be hard - and at times when I am walking it hits me like someone just put a steak knife into the area.
Up until now I've been pretty blase about it - I had surgery, and surgery hurts. Now that it's been 10 weeks though I'm feeling frustrated. I can't do the physical therapy exercises to build strength in the leg because it aggravates the bursitis and I end up more swollen and start limping. When I limp, I apparently throw everything off - because I'm starting to have some pretty bad (and new) mid-back pain. Last night I slept maybe 3 hours because I kept waking up with back spasms.
I think you get to a point where daily pain becomes exhausting - you sort of accept it, but there are days when you just feel like you aren't sure you can take it anymore. The doctor says there isn't anything he can do. I looked into prolotherapy and sent my informaiton to a doctor who has a website about it - describing the background etc - but they haven't bothered to respond. I should call, but I feel like if you put a web form up asking these questions, yet don't respond to inquiries - you probably are a pretty lousy bet for care. I doubt it would be any better than Dr. Golden's "gee, that's too bad, but not much we can do about it" attitude.
Posted by smashmonster at 04:58 PM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2007
Not Only Her Business, But Paula Abdul's Business, Is Everyone's Business
My friend related this story of another Cellphone Exhibitionist who was particulary unprofessional while chatting on her cell at the Trader Joe's in Culver City. She was a tall, thin woman with short, rather butch, frosted hair. She was wearing a puffy vest - sort of like a hunter's vest. She wandered through the aisles discussing Paula Abdul - she is getting some new reality show. She proceded to regale the person on the other end of the line and half of Trader Joe's with a story of filming the reality series - according to her Paula Abdul was very late for fliming, everyone was waiting for her, and when she showed up hours later she was very upset because everyone was angry at her. She kept apologizing about being late.
My friend was horrified that this woman was telling this story loudly at Trader Joe's - and frankly, the only reason I'm posting it is so that someone who works with the tall, butch-haircutted woman might identify her to her bosses so they can teach her a little bit about keeping her big mouth shut when talking on her cell phone in public.
The only Cellphone Exhibitionist who beats this one so far is the man who was discussing a comatose organ donor while eating at the UCLA medical center cafe.
I assume the woman at Trader Joe's wanted everyone to think she was really important - she knows the inside scoop on poor Paula. I tend to suspect that people who talk loudly on cell phones about Hollywood business are pretty freaking LOW on the totem pole so to speak - so they need to blab in public because they think it makes them look "important."
Posted by smashmonster at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2007
A Treat of Authentic Japanese Wagyu
A few months ago the U.S. lifted the ban on importing beef from Japan - very quickly boneless cuts of Wagyu (sometimes called Kobe beef) made their way back into American restaurants. I read a number of reviews about how different the Japanese-bred beef is compared with American-bred wagyu beef (which is what you got up until recently, and probably what you will still get 99% of the time because of the cost of the imported meat). Food reviews made authentic wagyu sound like it was worth the crazy prize tag. Granada, a little Japanese market on Sawtelle Blvd., advertised that it had authentic wagyu imported from Japan, so I decided to try it.
Wagyu is known for its intense marbling - in fact in Australia they grade it on a scale of 3-12.
They carried only rib eye cuts, and it's really a site to behold as you can see. Supposedly the fats are healthier than in typical steaks because it is high in omega 3 and omega 6 oils. I don't know if this really makes it healthy though - it looks and tastes like a heart attack (translation: holy shit this is like the best steak I've ever tasted).
I served it with risotto.
It was well worth the cost to at least try this remarkable beef that is buttery tender, but at $99 a pound, it's not something you can indulge in very often!
Posted by smashmonster at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2007
Fraudera Ranch
The sad thing is the kind of scams going on at Fraudera Ranch (formerly known as Ladera Ranch) are easier to perpetrate because brokers and banks have been handing out money to anyone with a pulse.
Posted by smashmonster at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)
Do You Read Contracts (or Have a Lawyer Do So), Before Signing?
Posted by smashmonster at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)
Why Did I Buy a Plasma TV
I should just wait for California housing prices to go the way of South Florida then tour a few properties where they will be giving them away just to get me to slap my feet on the floors of their still-ridiculously-overpriced (but coming down fast) houses.
Posted by smashmonster at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)
The Dirt on Dirt - Another Great FX Character - Courtney Cox Rocks as Lucy Spiller
First they brought us Vic Mackey - now FX Networks brings us Lucy Spiller. She's by far the most interesting female character I've seen on televsion - nasty-powerful yet vulnerable - but not oh-I-need-someone-to-save-me, cliched vulnerability.
It's a personal vulnerability that she protects and nurtures, the one piece of her that cannot be corrupted by the necessary evils of her professional (and simply because of the nature of her work - personal) life.
She surprises in subtle ways - Courtney Cox has truly taken on a fantastic role and she has created a female character with all the contradictions of modern life. Determinedely single. Singularly determined. You can't hate Lucy Spiller no matter what hateful things she does - just like you can't hate Vic Mackey. FX is giving HBO a run for their money when it comes to TRULY developed and original characters.
Speaking of Vic Mackey - if you haven't seen the new trailer for the upcoming season, it gives chills. The herky-jerky camera soaring in then stalling and redirecting its gaze. The sudden moment when the (very hot) Vic Mackey gazes at the camera for just a moment, then looks back to the gravestone in front of him. The music that warns you he knows he can't be forgiven but hopes he can be given some peace...it's a million times better on my 50-inch plasma screen, but here it is:
Posted by smashmonster at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)