So this news is at least a couple of months old, but I would like to point out that Record Surplus, fine Westside purveyors of used CDs, vinyl and media miscellany, formerly over on Pico Blvd., is now over on Santa Monica Blvd., at Centinela Ave.

They’ve brought along with them one of the more curious assortments of dusty used vinyl stacks–particularly heavy on vocals and classical–and a wide range of hit and miss media detritus in formats spanning the decades: CDs, VHS tapes, laser discs, used books, old magazines, cassette tapes. You will be glad to know that “The Attic”–a subgroup of strictly $1 items; i.e., Loverboy LPs–survived the move, though it is now a little penned off area at the front, rather than the literal upstairs attic at the former Pico Blvd. spot. They maintain their innovative pricing strategy that results in sales totals of even dollars when tax is applied.

How this particular shop has stayed in business in the current climate with their yard sale hodgepodge while even managing to pull off a move to a large, clean, arguably higher profile new space, is baffling, though in many ways comforting and reassuring. Now, I’m not saying the shop is a front for some other, unsavory business going on in the back, but I’m not not saying it. Of course I could attempt to interview the proprietors, but it’s always more fun to speculate recklessly.

So be sure to visit Record Surplus while your car is being worked on at Santa Monica Volvo Saab right across Santa Monica Blvd.

Hat tip Pam

The last time I had gone off caffeine was nine years ago. I was living in a tiny studio in Venice Beach and working in the west valley. My commute was the PCH. Withdrawal was brutal, but after a week or so of foggy ten-hour full-day headaches, I had weaned myself off the caffeine, reducing my daily intake from roughly 800mg down to about 30-50mg per day. I was proud of myself, feeling healthy, sleeping deeply, dreaming vividly and waking up thirty minutes before the alarm, every morning. But the following winter while visiting my folks, I went back on caffeine during a snowstorm, largely out of boredom – and I’d never looked back.

Last Monday I was late for work. I was in a real rush. I didn’t have time to get my fix. “I don’t need coffee today. In fact, let’s kick it to the curb and see what happens. I drank enough Joe in San Francisco yesterday to give me a heart attack. No coffee; I’m going to eat right this week, too.”

And so this past week I subsided on placebo decafs and the occasional green tea, and subsequently dropped my daily caffeine intake from the 800-1000mg range down to about 35-40mg, again, by my calculations.

I also bitched out my boss on three separate occasions (going so far as to assign her a few action items), berated a consultant, dicked over my downstairs neighbor by poaching the dryer while his duvet was clearly still wet (and played innocent), bitched out my girl for playing Jewel on her iPad, gave various parties the silent treatment, warned Robin that her plane might crash if the jet fuel wasn’t properly blended, berated a pigeon, considered kicking a dog in the jaw, called a tiny black ant on my workstation a “fucker” before squashing him with my thumb, unnecessarily humiliated my vanpool-mates, muttered to myself incessantly, appeared grouchy, scowled, frowned, postulated in a foggy haze, dozed (fell fast asleep on a park bench during lunch break), drooled, bolted out of a St Vincent show without saying hello to a soul, felt miserable, and generally acted in a menacing fashion, for four days straight. All true. I dreamt vividly, and woke scowling.

»continue reading iPhotograph My Life: Ep 2: Off Coffee Twice

SCENE OF THE CUTE CRIME: The Colony Cafe, Pico Blvd.

CUTE ITEM: “BTLA” Burger – Bacon (Hickory smoked), Lettuce Tomato, Avocado.

NOT-SO-CUTE PRICE: $9.75

»continue reading In Which Victor Yet Again Falls Prey to Overpriced Cute Food

If you’re driving through the Pico/Union area and suddenly see the red & blue lights of hell through your rear view mirror, you’d better hope that you have any of the following:

(1) Pink box of assorted donuts

(2) A stack of $100 bills

(3) A fresh new set of implants poking through a tight tanktop and a whiny girl voice.  (More points for you if you’re male.)

But cops nowadays can be pretty picky and less inclined to fall for your bullsh*tting or flirting.  I think there is one solution though… a styrofoam box filled with some tasty, orange-roasted chicken and freshly cut fries from Dino’s Burgers.  Never mind the burgers, this place has been serving some of my favorite chicken in Los Angeles for a long time.  Everytime I’m here, there are cops taking a break.  Dino’s please do not start selling donuts.

»continue reading Under $10 – Dino’s Burgers

Where has the time gone? Valentine’s Day, cursed and blessed alike, is upon us yet again. One year ago we launched the Losanjeaous Escort Service, pairing two strangers and sending them into the heart of the city for Cuban food. Jeremy (the escort) and Sarah (his charge) were fortified with an open dinner tab at La Bodeguita de Pico, two tickets to Spaceland, $50 cash for incidentals and a strongly-worded suggestion to check out a dive bar called “The Cottage.” The night would prove to be a fateful one for both – that is, if you consider going for drinks at The Cottage fateful – but why listen to me? From Jeremy’s recap:

As we were talking someone surreptitiously sidled up to our table. She placed a blank white business card on the edge of our meal and ran out of the restaurant. I turned it over and it read simply “Losanjealous,” in plain black letters. We were tagged, were seen, were possibly being watched and had been/will be the entire night. Though we never quite reached paranoia levels, we were certainly mindful of the eyes that drifted towards us.

In the next few days we’ll be checking in with both Sarah and Jeremy to see just what they’ve been up to for the last 365 days and how their lives have changed as a result of that fated night. Stick around; this should be fun.

THE LOSANJEALOUS ESCORT SERVICE, 2007
» The contest is announced
» The details are solidified
» The finalists are presented
» The winner is chosen
» Sarah tells her tale
» Jeremy tells his tale

Scandinavian automotive news rocks the Westside late today: Saab of Santa Monica, one of just three remaining Saab dealerships in LA County, is fated to be shuttered forever on February 1, 2008, having been taken over by a Cadillac dealership. Their website has already been taken offline.

I remain ambivalent on the news of their imminent demise. While I won’t miss the ridiculous markups on their parts and service, there was something about their unassuming presence on Santa Monica Blvd., their always-full pot of burnt profoundly terrible coffee and “complementary” off-site car washes that made the shop an enjoyable, if quirky destination.

There are few reasons I can in good conscience direct anyone to visit Sherman Oaks–no, not even the new ArcLight–but in there in Sherman Oaks remains one of two Greater Los Angeles area Saab dealerships. CORRECTION: The other is down in the South Bay in Torrance in Pasadena. [Thanks commenters, you're my fact-checking cuz.]

Better yet, orphaned Swedish motorcar enthusiasts in need of service would do well to find a good independent shop. I recommend Viking Motors on Pico, freeway convenient and walking distance from Joker.

Fun fact: Kurt Vonnegut managed Saab of Cape Cod. He was not able to name it “Cape Cod Saab” as he desired as Saab corporate HQ mandates the “Saab” must come first in the official business name. (Note that precise transposition typo in the header of the enclosed letter.)

Crushing a taco at the Boyle Heights King Taco, Hillary erases any and all doubt that she’s one of the people. No word on whether the red salsa made her tear up.

Barack, the gauntlet’s been thrown down. When you swing through town, you better drop in on Cactus #1 or other Top 5 taco shack.

KING TACO

Photos: Reuters

Continuing with his mission to conquer not two, not three, but four or more of the cutest, most miniscule stages on the west side of Los Angeles, Frank Stallone and his band will perform at the Santa Monica Bar and Grill on Pico Boulevard this evening. From a member of the band himself:

That’s right!
Let Frank Stallone and his band bring in the New Year for you
Friday January 4th
Santa Monica Bar and Grill on Pico just East of Centinella
9:30pm
»continue reading Stallone Slated To Perform “Award Winning Songs” On Miniature Santa Monica Stage Tonight

In which the project that has plagued these office walls all the long year resurfaces and adroitly introduces itself to casual reader and savage unscrupulite alike…


As a nonsubtle reminder, we collect and parse an inordinate amount of data regarding the boulevard of Pico dreams. At this time (9 OCTOBER 2007) we’d like to open the doors again. Please leave answers in comments or to project-pico @ losanjealousdotcom . . .

1) What is your favorite establishment on Pico Blvd?
2) How often do you find yourself driving on Pico – Daily? More than once Daily? Weekly? Hourly? Etc (Bus Drivers: Please indicate you are a bus driver in some fashion for follow-ups)
3) What is your favorite time of day to say the word, ‘Pico’ ?
4) Would you like to be contacted and/or quoted regarding topical Pico Blvd information, products and services?

Construction notices are up in the vacant storefront at the NE corner of Pico/WW Blvds, telegraphing an impending retail launch. The space—if I recall correctly, originally a Good Guys A/V joint and then, briefly, just before its current dusty state, a hasty incarnation of Comp USA— is being primed for the opening of a new Guitar Center location. It will be interesting to watch how this store takes root in the area and what, if any, effect it will have on nearby music shops.
»continue reading Guitar Center Coming to the Westside

LOSANJEALOUS (Losanjealous) :: Via the anonymous tip wire today comes the as-yet-unconfirmed news that Frank Stallone (brother and esteemed sparring partner to the one and-only pudding-slinging thespian Sylvester) will rock the UnUrban Coffee Shop on Pico Boulevard Tuesday evening, July 10, with full Frank Stallone Band™ in tow.

The anonymous inside source also advises this will not be the first time the Stallone-infused grouping will have mounted the miniature stage at UnUrban of late, having last taken the wee stage June 26. The band was further spotted at Cinema Bar in Culver City last weekend, in part of what appears at surface to be an extensive tour of the tiniest stages on the west side of Los Angeles. Catch the act now while it’s still being polished: Come Labor Day, Stallone takes the dogs and ponies all the way to Atlanta for Dragon Con.

Dragon Con.

For the love of god somebody please turn out tomorrow, snap a few quality photos and review the gig for us. We are begging you.

Denizens! As promised, our Losanjealous Escort Service participants have written up last Saturday’s historic undertaking. To commemorate the ‘Day of Cupids Hearts and Shit Like That’, we now present both sides of the tale for your enjoyment.

Up to bat: PhotoJanitor tells his side of the tale……

Let’s back up a bit. From the initial posting on the site to the actual date, I had garnered some underground fame. Someone stopped me at the gym, having recognized my eyeless face. A friend of a friend asked Isn’t that [redacted]? Some homeless guy on the street looked into my car and asked for change and an autograph. It was a quite a trip for three days, though the zenith of this whole stunt was still to come.

Above: Escort and charge enjoy La Bodeguita De Pico (Credit: Losanjealous MustacheCam 8000)

I had made verbal contact with #2 and I made sure she wasn’t Karl Rove’s niece. Check. Actually, she sounded rather pleasant, which was a welcome respite from what I might have had to undergo had some of you’s gotten your way. We agreed to meet at the Little Wine Cellar and we were on our way.

From the first minute of our dinner at La Bodeguita, it was clear that it would be a harmonious evening in which conversation would flow and stories would be told.
»continue reading Point/Counterpoint: The Losanjealous Escort Service Recap: A Janitor’s Tale