Working On The Party

Above, the artist, Asya, deep in thought at Gladstone's 4 Fish. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Work is proceeding on the portrait unveiling party (a good excuse for a party, eh?) on October 2 at The Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills.

Above, a recent portrait by Asya.

The party begins at 1:00.

Along with hors d' oeuvres, wine and ice tea (for our non-drinker friends), we are expecting some "door prizes" of "adult beverages" and Nicaraguan cigars. Since we have an outdoor patio that is part of the Atlantis Room, perhaps one can light up there?

On the portrait itself, when I commissioned it, I gave Asya free rein to have fun with it. She was going for a nineteenth century French impressionism style. I think she succeeded.

One person who has seen the portrait said:

Exactly, Seraut and Cézanne, looks more like them. Nice portrait, Asya.

For more on the unveiling party, go here.

Photo Shoot and Gladstone's

Above, Asya and I at Gladstone's today. 

Nothing to speak of was on today's agenda until I received a text message from Asya (Anastasia) last night asking me to come over today so she could photograph some ties for a friend who is starting up an online men's apparel business (he's also her landlord). She asked to use my Canon Rebel camera.

I agreed to do so and thought this would be a good opportunity to take her to Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades after the photo work was done. We couldn't go to Gladstone's last weekend as they were closed due to a wedding reception.

I got to her apartment around 12:30 and we began work in one of the building's conference rooms that's also on her floor.

With rapid speed (this is one girl who knows what she's doing), she had the ties all laid out on a table with white sheeting underneath.

Above, Asya preparing a photo set-up. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

She tried various camera exposure settings, with and without flash, on each of the ties. I let her get her work done and just held back and gave her technical help when asked. We wrapped up the photography around 2:30 and then headed off for Gladstone's.

Above, Asya shooting a tie. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I haven't been to Gladstone's since I was last there with "Somebody That I Used To Know" (as in the song of the same name) back in April. It was great being back there again, especially with someone who is grateful and appreciative (in fact, everyone I've gone out with lately are classy and appreciative). Asya is great company. She immediately loved the ambiance of Gladstone's.

Above, Asya uploading her photos. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While waiting for our order (crab cake, an oyster platter and New England clam chowder), she downloaded the photographs to her laptop. The download worked perfectly. Tonight, she's going to be formatting them to present them.

Above, the meal has arrived. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way back to her apartment, she marveled at how I seem to have such a leisurely life of traveling, dining out and other things. I responded that I also get to go out with beautiful women. And, I added, "It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it! Life is rough!" She had a good laugh over that.

Today turned out to be an enjoyable one. 

July Better Than June

Above, The Beast at the Manzanar visitor center parking lot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Where the heck is this year going? It seems almost recently that we were in January. Now we're in August.

While the first half of the year was rather crappy (with some exceptions), at least the second half started out better. At least July was a better month than June was.

July began with my cousin's annual 4th of July (held on July 2) bash down in Wildomar, California. It was great to see family members in a festive mood.

Above, a meadow in Devil's Postpile National Monument. Photo by Armnd Vaquer.

Following that, Jes and I went to the Ventura Beach RV Resort for a few days of relaxation. She had never camped in an RV before and she enjoyed it.

After this, I headed up the Owens Valley in the Eastern Sierra with my cat Sierra and visited places that I hadn't been to before such as Manzanar Relocation Camp, Devil's Postpile National Monument, Mammoth Lakes and Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park. I am happy that I'm getting plenty of use out of The Beast.

Above, at Japantown in West Los Angeles. Photo by Anastasia Lipovetskaya.

I commissioned a portrait in July and it was only completed a few days ago. I am working on holding an "unveiling party" to be held in the not-too-distant-future.

I bought DVD sets of Dallas and finished watching Seasons One through Three. Yesterday, I picked up Season Four (the "Who shot J.R.?" storyline) and now in the middle of side one of disc one. It is fun watching my onetime favorite television show after all these years, especially the insults J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) threw at people ("Sue Ellen, you're a drunk, a tramp, and an unfit mother.") Classic!

That reminds me. There's still some legal matters to attend to this month, but I feel confident that I will prevail in them. Most, if not all, were forced by the actions of a couple of female jackasses. There's not much to do except to deal with them and move on.

July ended with an enjoyable dinner at Maria's Italian Kitchen in Encino with Dawn. We'll see how August shapes up.

Adam Smith Tie

Above, yours truly wearing his Adam Smith tie. Photo by Anastasia Lipovetskaya.

Back in the days of the Reagan Administration, the "in" necktie to wear at the White House was the Adam Smith tie.

According to a 1981 article in the New York Times:

If there were ever any doubt about the economic proclivities of the Reagan White House, one need only observe what its occupants wear around their necks: Neckties embroidered with profiles of Adam Smith, the 18th-century political economist. 

''They are all the rage in the White House and Friedman and Simon and all those guys have them,'' said Candy Chimples, secretary to Martin Anderson, domestic policy adviser to President Reagan. 

Mr. Anderson donned his a few weeks ago when he was photographed for a Fortune Magazine cover story, and he wore it when interviewed on the Today Show. Edwin Meese 3d, counselor to the President, owns one in burgundy and another in navy blue and wears them ''for all public photos,'' said an aide. ''In fact, I sometimes wonder if he has any other ties.''

Who was Adam Smith? According to Wikipedia:

 Adam Smith (16 June 1723 NS (5 June 1723 OS) – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher, pioneer of political economy, and a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. 

Smith is best known for two classic works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, usually abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics. 

Smith laid the foundations of classical free market economic theory. The Wealth of Nations was a precursor to the modern academic discipline of economics.

Most often, I wear my Adam Smith tie to political and other events. Most conservative friends also wear theirs. We bought them at the same time from the Decatur Shop back in the early 1980s.

I recently had a photo shoot done in preparation for an oil painting to be done. I wore my Adam Smith tie for that. Following the photo shoot, artist Anastasia Lipovetskaya and I enjoyed a sushi dinner. The photo above was taken during dinner.

People can still buy them. The Leadership Institute has them. Here's a link to their navy blue version.

Also, there's even an Adam Smith ties Facebook page.