It’s been wicked hot here in the hood lately. And don’t say “you don’t know hot, living in LA”, because I DO know hot. I have lived in NEW ORLEANS and TUCSON for pete’s sake, so I know hot, and it has been hot. The thing about hot here is that no one has adequate air conditioning (unlike my Deep Southern homies), so one has to get creative about what to do so one doesn’t explode. Said activity must wear out the Critter, and not wear out Mommy, so I’m always thrilled to find something that occupies his interest for a long period of time.

When I lived in that hellhole Tucson, I met Jolie. We worked in the trenches of some of the most successful retail establishments cutting our teeth in merchandising and styling and have remained friends through bad boyfriends, bad jobs, and now have the best of both. Jolie now is a hotshot creative for REI, which impresses my Perfect skiing and hiking nut Husband immensely, and comes to town occasionally to check on their Santa Monica store. We are very lucky to get to play with her when she does.

The Critter and I headed over to see her yesterday, and we all climbed out of the car at Palisades Park in Santa Monica. It was truly idyllic, cool, colorful, and we had a lot of fun with “Gestation” by Baile Oakes. The outdoor installation is a large wooden structure resembling (depending on your perspective) a large ball, a Christmas ornament, or a snail’s shell, and has cool acoustics so your voice sounds really BIG when you stand inside it. The cool breezes blew, the critter laughed and played; we sighed and were happy.