L.A. Queen Pins

Riding in the Car with Me(l): Vermont Edition.

queenpinproductions — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:52:57 +0000

Golly has it been a minute since I’ve last written!!

This recent Riding in the car with Me(l) post took place a few weeks back while working in Vermont. Beautiful state. But cold….and, dare I say, dangerous? I’ll let you be the judge.

I recently took a job that has shipped me over to the beautiful New England region. Vermont. Everyone kept telling me how beautiful it would be in autumn: fall foliage, cool days followed by cooler nights, bonfires with crew, Sundays filled with hoodies and football… I was in. I was ready. I wanted to be in Vermont! Flash forward only 4 days into being in Vermont…. The first saturday of my 6 week adventure: early call time, cold, slight mountain rain, pretty good dinner and long tired drive back to the hotel. Egh, not horrible right? ….

Scene: Residence Inn fire pit

Cast: Eric, Spencer and myself.

Me: You guys! I’ll bring down stuff to make s’mores! It’s in my mexican blood to be a caretaker and feed people. I’ll be back in, how they say in mexico… un segundo!

Eric: she’s crazy, but at least she’s bringing us food, let’s keep her.

Spencer: yay! S’mores!

Me: alright here you go, and here you go. Oh you want another? Great! I’ll make it!

Cue in the long extended S’more stick in the fire pit with marshmallow at end. Flames erupt on the marshmallow.

Me: blah blah blah, that’s funny, blah blah, oh! my marshmallow is on fire let me wave it around to put it out! (smart)

flaming marshmallow sways up, down, up, down loosening at every sway ….snap. off the stick. flying at speeds that man has never even heard of…

SPLATTTTTTTTTTT!

Eric: hahahahahaahaahahahahaha

Me: OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. Did this just happen!?

Eric: hahahahhhhahahahahahahaha

Me: OH MY GOD. OH. MY. GOD.

Eric: ahaha I have never seen that happen to anyone before!!! hahahha I’m sorry for laughing, but…. hahahaha

ME: OH MY GOD. It’s in my hair, and my face! and… OH. MY. GOD. MY FACE IS MELTING.

said flaming marshmallow has now sprung from the stick, on to my face causing it to explode on impact covering a good 65% of my right cheek and hair.

Spencer: haha oh friends on phone, you are so great, haha that is super…. OMG!!! YOUR FACE!!!

Me: I am burning my face. Literally it is going to blister. Burn face.

at this point it has began to settle in. My face is burning. I run to grab a wet towel and try to remove the burning melted marshmallow off my face. Spencer has run around looking for ANYTHING.

Spencer: can I get you some Cortisone!?!?!?

His attempts were noble.

Me: I’m going to be a monster!!! My face is going to melt off all because of a flaming marshmallow! I shall be called Two-Face. Harvey Dent. Forever. Goodbye Cover Girl gig. Maybelline? More like Maybe-never. I never thought I could relate to Leonardo DiCaprio, but Woman in the Iron Mask has a good ring to it.

after much antibacterial cream from the hotel lobby and almost tears, I went upstairs and laughed.

Me: hahaha melissa, you burnt your face because of a flying flaming marshmallow. Goodnight.

Morning After.

Seems to be healing fairly nice
“your birthmark looks like shit…” (name that movie)

Lived to tell about it!

xo,

mel

C Plus Coffee

queenpinproductions — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:51:16 +0000

I haven’t written a blog since the Ice Age. No really, it’s been that long. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t gotten out much or at least have tried a place that was blog worthy. Until this Wednesday. I was meeting with a new-to-LA friend and was in search of a coffee shop in Glendale. I’m a fan of Glendale, I’ve lived here for 4 years but one thing it doesn’t have is an abundance of local coffee shops. We have chains abound but nothing else. To Yelp! I went in search of that gem. Boy, did I find it.

C Plus Coffee is on the Los Feliz end of Glendale. If you know Glendale it’s right at the end of the row of car dealerships on Brand. It’s an easy place to miss if you were just passing through. I can’t speak to the coffee because we didn’t try any of it. However, I hear good things about it. I partook in some hot tea. I tried their Blood Orange tea. I’ll tell you the truth blood orange tea was a little scary but I went for it. I was in a new place I might as well try something new. It was delicious! I probably could have drank another 12 cups if my wallet allowed.

Speaking of wallets, this cute place is only one dollar sign. Which is how I judge places these days thanks to the internet. The coffee seemed decently priced too.

The tea is great, the shop is close, the price is right…so what could be the cherry on top? A constant flow of punk music on the speakers that’s what. I don’t know about you but I was so excited that all they played was punk music and not droll elevator music. Oh and I forgot to mention…they’re open 24 hours so you can grab your caffeine fix any time of day!

Now, the real cherry would be if they sold tall boys of PBR…but I jest of course! That’s what the dive next door is for.

Do yourself a favor and check out C Plus Coffee the next time you’re in the area and need your fix. You won’t be dissapointed.

Yummy goodies staring you in the face as you order.

Interior

Golden TV’s by the Golden Rules

Ahhh….

xoxo,

– J

Summer Things

queenpinproductions — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:58:05 +0000

Summer is coming to an end. Well, as much as summer can come to an end in Southern California. I have to admit, I’m ready for these humid and warm days to be gone and the crispness of Fall to take its place. Here are some activites we have been enjoying before the long days are gone…

The Autry Famers Market

Our goodies from the Autry Farmers Market

Sweet Treats from Bryan’s Garden

Enjoying Cold Locally Brewed Beverages and Great Friends on the Deck of Golden Road Brewing

PANCAKES AT THE GRIDDLE (Which is actually an any kind of season activity)

IT’S YUGE

Hope you are enjoying these last days of summer as much as we are!

LUV,
Britt

Vol. 94

queenpinproductions — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:32:06 +0000

Every few months we decide to treat ourselves to a “special” date night. This is when we will valet the car, get a bottle of wine, enjoy a nice long dinner, and act like we are blinded to the prices on the menu.

We decided to try Vol. 94 in Pasadena, maybe because I had a BlackboardEats discount for 30% off dinner. It’s a quant tapas style restaurant and wine bar. I’m a huge fan of small plates (lets you try more things!) and I also love wine, so this was a definite winner in my book.

I was so sad we didn’t get to use the chopsticks…

Oh, hey, handsome

I didn’t snap any photos of the food because I have this problem lately where when I’m eating, I completely forget to stop.

But if you go, which I HIGHLY recommend, some of our favorites were the Duck Fat Nuts, Korean Pizza, and the Pan Seared Diver Scallops. Ok, now writing this is making my mouth water and I must wrap it up!

And if you haven’t signed up for BlackboardEats yet, here’s another reason to do so:
Our bill should have been around $100. Instead, it was $63 (that included 5 small plates and a nice bottle of wine) and we left STUFFED.

Happy small plates eating to you!

LUV,
Britt

Riding in the Car with Me(l): Summer Edition-Bike Rides

queenpinproductions — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:20:12 +0000

The sun was powerful and angry. He wanted to bust through that ozone layer and hit me directly. Would I allow him? Probably, gurrrrl, ya’ll know everyone looks better with a little sun-kissed glow, mmmm kay?!

It was just to darn hot! What is an unemployed girl to do in such heat? POOL IT UP.

Noticing my bike had a flat tire, I ran over to Brandon’s and asked to borrow Margo’s.

“Brotally Mel! I’ll ride with you and get some laps in gurrrl”

So off we were, Mel and Brandon, Brandon and Mel about to take over the Sherman Oaks pool, one bike ride and backstroke at a time. I must first preface, the saying “it’s just like riding a bike” is not ALWAYS true. There are certain things to keep in to consideration prior to muttering the words.

1. Is the bike too big/tall? If so…you may have a problem

2. Do you know where the breaks are? If not…you may have a problem

3. Can you reach the breaks? If not… I think you know where I am going with this. Let the story continue…

“Brandon! I don’t know if I can ride this bike! It’s too tall!”

“Mel, quit being mexican and pedal! pretend you are pedaling to make tacos or something”

So pedal I did. Until I notice…the crowded narrow sidewalk. SHIT. How am I going to get through there?!

OMG I am going too fast. CRAP! My aunt’s black jean side bag from mexico is falling, crap! move bag! move!!! OMG, is that a dead pigeon!? AHHH The light post! WTF is a shopping cart doing here!? (homeless man’s home) oh crap I’m going to fall, NOOOOO Not into the LA River! NO!!!

swerve to the left, swerve to the right, swerve again to the left over the curb onto traffic

WHERE ARE THE BREAKS?!?!??!?!?!?!? I’ll just use my left foot as a break, my flip-flops will protect.

“AHHHHH BRANDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“GEEEZUS Mel, (gag) what happened?! (gag)”

“Brandon, I have a dead pigeon’s feather flapping in the wind on my half torn off toe nail. I couldn’t stop.”

As I continue to pedal to the pool I can’t help but replay that moment in my head. I let out a loud laugh. you dummy…

My eyes meet my wounds and blood continues to pool over my toe, alas the feather still flaps in the wind…

Good bye cute pedicure, hello bird disease?

I’m a baby.

xo,

mel

Backyard Movies!

queenpinproductions — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:04:59 +0000

It’s summer time in LA. What do folks love most about this time of year? Watching movies outside, of course! The boys decided that they wanted to make their own personal movie theater in their backyard a couple of weeks ago.

It was a double feature.

Hard Boiled :

House:

Definitely some cult classics.

Testing it out with some ‘Role Models’

HARD BOILED

HOUSE

All you need is a projector, a screen, some speakers (can be rented from Craigslist for very reasonible prices), blankets, good friends, homemade popcorn, and a couple of good flicks.

Happy Screenings!

LUV,
Britt

Cinespia Presents: Labyrinth

queenpinproductions — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:21:29 +0000

When it comes to summer time in LA there is nothing that I love more than enjoying the outdoors. There is no humidity to deal with, no mosquitos, simply sunshine and warmth. So when Cinespia was showing Labyrinth this Saturday at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery I packed up my ~~picnic~~ wine basket and headed over.

The spread

first timer! cutie.

almost dark enough…. <3

I wish the goblins would come and take you away…right now.

Smell Bad

hold on to your bloomers….

David Bowie everyone….

Cinespia is showing movies all summer long check out the calendar and get to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery soon!

*in honor of 4th of July, they are showing Jurassic Park on Tuesday WITH FIREWORKS!!!

xo,

Mel

The Slaw Dogs

queenpinproductions — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 01:11:45 +0000

Ahhh, Chicago style hot dogs. What could be better? Most of my friends in LA are native Chicagoans, including EVERY LAQP except myself, and it seems they are always on the search for the perfect hot dog. Of course, there’s Portillo’s and it’s wonderful. But it’s also all the way in Buena Park. So if you’re looking for something more in the LA area, I suggest to you The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena.

BlackboardEats had a 30% off lunch or dinner deal going on and Andy and Jess ate there and thought it was delicious. Andy declared it the closest thing to a Chicago style dog he had found thus far. In all actuality, I didn’t even need convincing after scoping out the MENU.

We got the mac and cheese dog, the special pineapple express, sweet potato fries, and of course some tots. And they had our FAVORITE Bundaberg ginger beer! SOLD.

The best ginger beers in the world and The Mac and Cheese Dog – Macaroni and Cheese, Bacon, Grilled Onions

The Pineapple Express

Sweet Potato Fries and Tots. PLEASE TRY THE CURRY KETCHUP!

If you’re on that hunt for the perfect hot dog, check out The Slaw Dogs. And if you’re dissappointed… Well, you may want to get your head checked out because you’re plain crazy! Just kidding… But seriously.

LUV,
Britt

American Electric Tattoo

queenpinproductions — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:54:24 +0000

When you are unemployed and sitting around on a Wednesday afternoon what else is there to do but get tattoos? And tattoos we got.

We had been talking about getting wrist tattoos for about a year and a half and last Wednesday took the leap. It wasn’t that either of us hadn’t gotten tattoos before we each have one from when were 19 and trying to be defiant. You guessed it they ARE both butterflies!

A couple friends of the QueenPins had gotten tattoos at American Electric and raved about them so we knew it was a good place to check out. American Electric is in Silver Lake in the Sunset Junction part of town. Not only was everyone really cool in there they also have the most reasonable minimum I’ve heard of in LA. Just a mere $60!

We both got tattooed by Tyler Borich who was great. For something he could probably do with his eyes closed he still made us feel comfortable and still held a conversation and joked around with us. We were able to walk in and with minimum wait were able to get tattooed. Depending on the day and what you plan on getting you may need to make an appointment.

Jess Says:

From the point I decided I was going to continue getting tattoos I had decided I was going to get things that actually meant something to me. I was 19 and the simple fact of being able to get a tattoo on my own is what drove me to get tattooed in a man’s apartment. But hey! I’m here to tell the story. This time around I wanted a reminder.

After much thought I decided on Love and Faith on my wrists written in my own handwriting. Here’s the thing they are common words and as cliche as wrist tattoos get. Trust me I know this. However, I’m a Christian and Love and Faith are two things that I know I need in my life at any given moment. When life is harder than you want it to be the two things you can always count on having are those two things. Not only Love in the sense of personal relationships but giving Love to others. Smiling at a stranger in the street, especially in a city like this one, can mean the world to them. Love is free and should be constantly given to others and yourself. Faith in knowing that whatever is going on it will be better on the other side. Faith in God that He’ll provide and Faith that I was given this life for a reason and that everything will be okay.

Having these somewhere I will constantly look at and in my own writing will hopefully cause me to live out the actions instead of just talking about them.

Chances are within the next year I’ll have another tattoo…since I’m already sketching it out. Stay tuned!

I went in public looking like this…

Britt Says:

When we got to the tattoo shop, I was still on the fence on what I wanted permently inked on my body. It was between my last name and “Always Love”. My last name has always been a big part of my life. ”Wait, that’s your real name? Like the drink?!” I just wasn’t sure if I wanted it on my wrist. But like Jess mentioned, having a wrist tattoo with the word Love on it isn’t exactly the most original concept. But I knew in my gut that it was the one.

When I was in college I was a speech minor and took a class called Interacial Communications. I have to admit, the reason I took it was because it was a summer class but only a week long (5 days, 8 hours a day, a semester worth of credit). But in the end, I got so much more than I bargained for.

The class was one of the most intense weeks of my life. It was the first time that race was discussed in heated battles everyday. It was the first time I cried in class, saw teachers crying, and stories of extreme heartache were shared freely. Our class was tough. Filled with people full of rage against others just because they were different. We all fought and like I mentioned, most of us cried. But at the end of the week, you would not believe how much we all came together. People I had seen on campus before and never thought I would meet, now knew my name. It was one of the most amazing and eye opening experiences of my life.

The following year, one of the teachers I had for the class asked if I would come back and be a teachers helper. I graded journals and listened to the other classes stories. I watched all of them become a big family just like my class had. One day one of the teachers told a heartfelt story about a time she was young and segreted against because of her skin color. Again, we all cried. After her story she passed around a basket full of tiny red glass hearts. ”Keep these with you always. Just as a reminder to Always Love.”

I have had that red glass heart in my car now for over 5 years. It made the journey with me to LA. I’ve never lost it, which is unbelievable. But I’m so glad I haven’t, because I need a daily reminder to Always Love people. We have no idea what others have been through or what they have seen. Some people are so full of hate, that it’s easy to hate them right back. But why?

Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all sappy on you. But this is the reason why I got what some others may call a “cliche” tattoo. I wanted it in a place that when I’m about to scream and honk and flip off that guy that just cut me off, that I don’t. That I realize everyone has had their own battles. I should just smile no matter how mad I get and realize how lucky I am. To remind myself that I am Loved and to return it right back.

Gone but not forgotten…our bare wrists!

American Electric Tattoo

3532 West Sunset Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90026

(323) 664- 6530

americanelectrictattoo.com

- J & Britt

A Saturday Morning at The Autry Farmers Market

queenpinproductions — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:28:04 +0000

Thank you Jess for not throwing this flyer out when you found it in our mailbox:

Last Saturday morning we hit up The Autry Farmers Market. It was so lovely walking around all the booths admiring the fresh and locally grown goods. The mountains as the backdrop was also a plus.

DELICIOUS hummus from Brothers Products

Some of the goods

If you are in the area (which is right accross the street from the LA Zoo) you should check out The Autry Farmers Market. Every Saturday morning from 8am-noon. And we didn’t get to try the Mimosa Bar… YET.

LUV,
Britt

Jess and Andy say “The Autry Farmers Market is SO FUN!”