Category Archives: Cool on Steroids
Cool on Steroids (Part Three): Keep Calm and Nosh On – by Gary S. Smolker
Los Angeles Is the Modern Day Capital of Intellectually Driven Creativity
Don’t hold back.
Enjoy life.
There is no limit to the amount of fun you/we can have and of the creativity you/we can see on display if you/we know where to go in Los Angeles, California.
One such place to go to is Brent’s Deli in Northridge, California.
Northridge is in the San Fernando Valley, which is a part of Los Angeles.
Brent’s Deli is located at 19565 Parthenia Street, Northridge, California 91324.
When I was in Brent’s yesterday afternoon, eating lunch with my youngest daughter Leah, I got a strong and deli-lightful Valentine’s Day message:
HAVE A DELI-LIGHTFUL VALENTINE’S DAY
Below are photographs of some of the signage that greeted me as I walked up to the front counter.
Brent’s Deli
Although I have never lived near Brent’s Deli I have been going to Brent’s for more than twenty years, sometimes traveling more than an hour to get there, because the food there is so good, the service there is extraordinary, everyone who works their has a good attitude and is pleasant and fun to interact with and it was a good place to meet friends.
The creativity and good taste on display at Brent’s can’t be beat, the ambiance at Brent’s is laid back Los Angeles-unpretentious-cool.
Life Is Too Short to Be Bored
Creation is a drug I can’t do without out.
There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.
Let’s have fun.
Let’s have fun together.
I believe life is too brief and we are too exciting to ever be bored or boring.
See the Brent’s Deli philosophy on display on my waiter’s t-shirt, photographed yesterday (Saturday, February 13, 2016) ,while I was eating my lunch at Brent’s with my daughter Leah yesterday.
Every Day Should Be A Delightful Day
When you have a lot of fun, you can do amazing things.
Below is a photograph of the display on the front counter at Brent’s, which I took yesterday.
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are sure to miss the future.
There is no limit to the number and variety of good clean fun experiences you can have in Los Angeles, if you know where to go.
I have written on that topic before:
See
- https://garysmolker.worpress.com/2016/02/03/the-future-is-happeneing-right-now-in-los-angeles-by-gary-s-smolker/
- https://garymsolker.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/venice-is-cool-on-steroids-if-you-know-where-to-go-by-gary-s-smolker/
- https://garysmolker.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/cool-on-steroids-art-two-life-is-gods-gift-to-you-what-you-do-with-your-life-is-your-gift-to-god-by-gary-s-smolker/
We don’t have the luxury of a closed mind.
Ideas evolve, they don’t come crashing from outer-space onto the drawing board.
Be Bold
Genius is talent set on fire by courage.
You/we can’t build a reputation on what you or I are going to do.
Let’s not hide our talents. For, what is a sundial in the shade.
The greatest mistake we can make in life is to continually be afraid we will make one.
Actions express priorities.
Little things make big things happen.
CALL TO ACTION TO DO LIST:
Let’s do the following:
- Let’s make today a great Valentine’s Day.
- Let’s make each subsequent day a masterpiece.
Copyright © 2016 Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Cool on Steroids (Part Two): Life is God’s Gift to You. What You Do with Your Life Is Your Gift to God. — by Gary S. Smolker
Be Your Own Valentine
I particularly admire talented people who are spiritual and full of courage; and who emote love, trust, and imagination.
Yesterday (Wednesday, February 10, 2016) I was thrilled to see the “Be Your Own Valentine” sign pictured below as I was walking by the Rose Temple Salon on Rose Avenue, in Venice, California
The Rose Temple Salon is located at 305 Rose Ave., Venice Beach, California, across the Street from the Rose Cafe & Market.
Check Out The Restrooms at the Rose Cafe & Market
I wrote about the Rose Cafe & Market [located at 230 Rose Ave.] in an article titled “Cool on Steroids” Part One, which I published on my blog [“The Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog”] on February 6, 2016 at https://garysmolker.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/venice-is-cool-on-steroids-if-you-know-where-to go-by gary-s-smolker/.
A Friendly Woman’s Restroom
Below is a picture of flowers painted on a wall in the women’s rest room at the Rose Cafe & Market.
That picture was taken yesterday (Wednesday, February 10, 2016) by my friend Femme Fatale.
Below is a photograph of a picture of a “Sun Rise” – also painted on a wall in the woman’s restroom.
Below is a photograph of a picture of “Sun Set” painted on a wall in the woman’s restroom.
Below is a picture of Femme Fatale — my friend who took the above pictures.
Regarding my friend Femme Fatale, see my comments below under the heading “In Defense of Good Humor.”
Femme Fatale is a “Good Karman Person.”
I took the picture of Femme Fatale (above) while Femme Fatale, inside the Rose Cafe, before we sat down at the counter to order lunch.
A Friendly Men’s Room
Below are pictures of paintings on walls in the Men’s Room at the Rose Cafe & Marketplace taken by me on February 6, 2016.
These two paintings are what you see in front of you if you are sitting on the toilet.
The painting below is painted above the two urinals.
The Rose Temple Salon
The Rose Temple [Beauty] Salon on Rose Avenue, in Venice, is a good karma establishment.
All services, at the Rose Temple Salon, are provided on a [good karma] pay what you think they are worth basis.
Below is a picture of Andrea Noble, Hair Designer at Rose Temple Salon.
Karma Based Prices for Services Rendered
The Rose Temple Salon is a “hair/beauty salon” which provides services [Blow Dry, Men’s Cut, Men’s Color, Women Dry Trim, Women Specialty Cut, Base Color, Full Color, Highlights, Keratin) on Karma based prices.
Service prices are only suggested.
You pay what you think the service is worth.
“Cool on Steroids Building”
Below are pictures of the building in which the Rose Temple Salon conducts its hair sytling business.
The address of the Rose Temple Salon is 305 Rose Avenue, Venice, California.
I am the man in the photograph (below) holding the potted plant.
The “open door” (in the photograph below) is the front door [entry] into the Rose Temple Salon.
Below is are close-up pictures.
.
The Hood
Below is a painting on that portion of a wall on a building that borders a parking lot behind the salon.
Below is a photograph of the signs above and to the side of the entry door to an eating establishment a few blocks east of the Rose Cafe.
Yum
The first picture below is a picture of the hamburger I had for lunch at the counter at the Rose Cafe & Marketplace yesterday.
In the background (behind my hamburger) you can see a vase with flowers, set on the counter top, and a partial picture of one of the food preparation areas in the kitchen visible from the counter.
There are six food preparation areas in the kitchen visible from the counter where I ate my hamburger.
Below is a picture of the same hamburger taken at a different angle. You can see more of the food preparation area in the photograph below then in the photograph above.
I had a side order of sliced avocado with my hamburger, which you can see on the counter in the dish behind my hamburger.
Below is a picture of Justin Fulton and Joveleen (spelling ?) Sanchez.
They prepared the lunch served to us.
After lunch, Justin and Femme Fatale had an animated conversation about the kitchen, the six prep areas in the kitchen.
You Can’t Tell A Book By It’s Cover
I sent the photo below to three of my friends who do not know Femme Fatale.
They responded as follows:
- AWESOME. This obviously rules me out but women shouldn’t be judged negatively for the common preference for established, high status partners. (Meanwhile, I can imagine guys like Balocca, Gisler and Fane thumbing their noses at all us beta-level monkeys lower down the food chain. LOL.
- I noticed the “I” is lower case… she apparently thinks she is not worthy. …
- Has she checked your inheritance?
In Defense of Good Humor
One of Femme Fatale’s hobbies is “kickboxing,”
Femme Fatale is extremely physically fit, extremely physically active, extremely mentally active, extremely artistically active, extremely professionally active, extremely socially active.
The wealthy men I know “hate” “Gold Diggers.” They hate being with women that treat them (the men) like ATMs.
Femme Fatale is very smart and very experienced in the ways of the world.
Femme Fatale knows that is how rich men “think”/”feel.”
Femme Fatale has been on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globes.
Femme Fatale has been in places in Africa where the local people had never seen a white women before.
Femme Fatale is looked up to by thousands of people all over the world.
Femme Fatale is the type of woman who wants to pay her own way when she is with a man.
Femme Fatale puts everyone at ease.
She is extremely down to earth and not at all moody, grumpy or “filled up with herself.”
You should have seen Femme Fatale in conversation (in French) with the man (Jerome Caillens) who sold her the bread she purchased at the Rose Cafe & Marketplace yesterday.
You should have seen Femme Fatale in animated conversations with Justin Fulton about food preparation and cooking stations she observed: (a) the Aeutemp plancha heated by steam – used to cook burgers and buns; (b) the 12 double baskets for pasta preparation; (c) the French top — thick steel top with flame under; (d) the wood fire oven for preparation of pizzas, cauliflower, roasted avocados; (e) the Garde Manger for preparing salads and avocado toast; and (f) the J & R Grill for Rotisserie Chicken, Bronzino,Bone-in-Ribeye, and grilled radicchio.
Femme Fatale “cooks.”
Femme Fatale has confidence.
Femme Fatale has a down to earth sense of humor and is down to earth.
Femme Fatale would have been flattered by Napoleon’s attention even as short as he was.
At 20 years old Femme Fatale would have given Napoleon her heart and life.
Not at 60.
Femme Fatale is looking for a more simple life for the solid 30 or 40 years she has left to enjoy her life on this earth.
Femme Fatale is enchanting.
When I told Femme Fatale, I think of her and she should think of herself as a computer full of information I have never come across.
She replied, I can’t think of myself as a computer. But, I can think of myself as a killing machine.
Everything we do – including all the decisions we make – sends a message about who we are.
Femme Fatale is subtle, clever, highly intelligent, very physical, down to earth, artistic, spiritual, talented, sophisticated, worldly and enchanting.
Friendliness of Femme Fatale and of All the People We Interacted with at the Rose Cafe & Marketplace Yesterday
Even in Los Angeles, where neighbors do not know the name of the person living next door, community still exists.
Yesterday, all of us – Femme Fatale, me, Justin Fulton and Jerome Caillens – had a great and friendly time together at the Rose Cafe & Marketplace on Rose Avenue in Venice.
Copyright © 2016 by Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Boost Your Creative Energy Level by Going To Venice, California! Venice Is “Cool on Steroids” If You Know Where to Go – by Gary S. Smolker
This afternoon (Saturday, February 6, 2016), I had brunch at The Rose Cafe & Market in Venice, California, by myself.
The Rose Cafe & Market is located at 2230 Rose Ave., Venice, CA. (“Rose”)
I know that the environment I am in will have a strong influence on my state of mind and on my creative energy level.
I went to the Rose to have brunch this afternoon because I knew/know the Rose was/is funky, emotes high energy and that eating brunch at the Rose would get my creative juices flowing.
Just as I thought it would happen: drinking black coffee and eating brunch at the Rose this afternoon substantially boosted my creative energy level.
Each of the pictures below were taken by me, except the second picture below of me walking in through the front door of the Rose.
Below is a picture of the front door to the “Rose” taken by me while I was inside the “Rose.”
Below is a picture of me walking through the front door, into the Rose. The picture below was taken by someone else.
Below is a picture of the front door to the Rose as the front door looks from outside when you see people walking through the front door out into the street in front of the Rose.
Below is a picture of a person walking through the front door of the Rose into the Rose from the street in front of the Rose.
I have a sweet tooth.
Below are a few pictures taken by me of pastries/sweets which were on display at the Rose while I was having brunch at the Rose this afternoon.
A variety of coffee drinks are available. Below is a picture I took of the “chalk board” menu of coffee drinks being served at the Rose this afternoon.
There is a full bar at the Rose, that was open and busy while I was eating brunch, full of people who appeared to be in good spirits while at the bar where a variety of alcoholic beverages were being served.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time at the bar, including the bar tender.
Below is a picture I took of the receptionist who seated me.
I sat at a counter in front of the kitchen. Below is a picture of the counter where I was seated.
Below is a picture of the wall separating the reception area from the room behind the receptionist.
The Rose is a totally cool place.
The Rose is “cool on steroids.”
Below is a picture of people seated in the room behind that wall.
Below is a picture of someone at the cash register.
The cash register is located near the pastries/sweets.
Below is a picture of a drawing in the Men’s room, located just above the urinals.
Ready, set, go!
Below is a photograph of a framed picture hanging on a wall in the hallway leading to the restrooms.
Copyright © 2016 Gary S Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Gary S. Smolker 