Bolt of Blue

Coachella 2012

Alyse — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:15:37 +0000

Coachella 2012 was way more mellow than last year. And it rained! The weather was the coolest on record for Coachella. At one point, I was so frozen on Saturday due to the icy wind, I started walking back to the car during Radiohead so I could warm up. While the crowd is turning too college spring break for my taste, the true music fans still turn up to dance and rock out in the front row. It was a fun weekend… I saw James on the main stage as it rained, a wedding, new bands I’ve discovered and old ones I’ve always loved, The Hives ruling the main stage on a sunny Sunday, and Jarvis Cocker being THE Jarvis Cocker and holding thousands of people in the palm of his hand.

And as I wander down to where you lay

Alyse — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:53:27 +0000

It’s hard to believe that it’s already March. 2012. Time just slips away.

We’ve been needing another adventure since last year we really didn’t do that much traveling. After a lot of thinking and dreaming, we’re following our hearts by returning to France this May. Flights booked, apartment in Paris snagged, B&B’s secured. This time we’ll be exploring Normandy and primarily Brittany with a quick return visit to the Loire. And of course, Paris. How can we resist spending a few nights in the city of lights?

I can’t wait until we board the plane but sad at the same time. I know the trip will go by so fast. I’m not sure we’re ever going to want to leave such a dream.

did I tell you you’re wonderful?

Alyse — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:40:33 +0000

Why yes, I do have the cutest puppy in the world!

Posting frenzy (at least for me) on the way.

2011 in Photos

Alyse — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:54:49 +0000

My photographic year in review. Always difficult picking just one image to represent each month. We had an eventful 2011 but it seems it went by so fast, that I almost can’t remember anything we did. I know in the end, it was full of fun, adventure, love, music, passion, a few bruises, snuggles, kisses, and life… life lived as full as possible.

January
Snuggle time

February
The Magic Kingdom

March
All You Need Is Now

April
Coachella = love

May
Officer Baxter reporting for duty

June
Gone hiking

July
Dinosaurs invade Los Angeles

August
Central California road trip

September
Goodbye for now

October
Brick Con success

November
Still in awe of an idol

December
Float like a dinosaur

Happy New Year!

alive and kicking

Alyse — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:31:07 +0000

Where do I begin?

For months now, I’ve been helping my husband and two friends build an epic LEGO recreation of the The Last March of the Ents from The Lord of the Rings movie. We unleashed the photos online on September 28, and then displayed it for a public exhibit that very weekend in Seattle at BrickCon. BrickCon was an insanely fun and exhausting time hanging with new and old friends. The drive up to Seattle and back was long… but surprisingly nice to just spend time with my husband and little Baxter, who came along for the trip. And our creation won Best in Show. Really amazed!

It’s been a smashing success and one of the most fun creative projects I’ve ever been a small part of. I hoped people would like it after all the hard work put into it, but never expected the reception to be as enthusiastic as it’s been. We’ve been interviewed for a podcast, made CNN and a ton of blogs, and we’re getting close to a million views on the photos.

We got the crazy idea after watching a marathon screening of the trilogy at the Egyptian Theatre earlier this year. One thing I will always love about Los Angeles is that there so many amazing revival movie theatres. Any night of any week, you can pop into theatres all over town to check out classic, cult, weird, obscure, popular, indie or new movies…

The idea was just to build one Ent. This snowballed. Quickly. It’s been a real labor of love though and came together so seamlessly. We’re pretty proud. And it’ll be on display again at a local event in Pasadena called Designer Con.

What else have I’ve been doing since my last ages ago post? Took a week long road trip exploring the California coast as well as attended several events celebrating the opening of the new Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum. Still going to shows including Fiona Apple, Jon Brion, and the members of Nickelcreek put on one of the best I’ve ever been to in my entire life! Oh, and in between all the LEGO madness, I still managed to see Duran Duran at Nokia Theatre. It always comes back to Duran Duran in the end…