The L.A. Dime

Dear Readers,

Brad’s new professional blog/website is now up at www.smoofv.wordpress.com. Eventually, bradriddell.com will point there, too.

He’s also posting pictures, tweets, and bloggy-type items at www.bradriddell.tumblr.com.  The Tumblr site catches everything he publishes in one place, so if you’re interested bookmark it!

One of Brad’s yoga friends from twitter is a nutritionist who was nice enough to study his food logs over a 2 week period and give some very valuable and easy to implement recommendations. While we cook at home at least 5 days a week and thought we were doing well in regards to lean meats, lots of veggies and mostly healthy options, it turns out that we are still quite carb-heavy and could use even more leafy greens.

One of the suggestions she had was to make these breakfast smoothies….with kale and spinach. I know, doesn’t sound very tasty, but you get to add whatever fruit you’d like and even a bit of honey for sweetness if you so desire. Ready for a new adventure in eating, hoping for a little weight loss and liking this option to add more greens to our diet, we gave it a try on Sunday morning. And guess what?…..they’re yummy!!! We’ve been making these every morning this week and while we’re still trying out different fruit combinations, we are pleasantly surprised with how tasty and filling they are.

Here’s the recipe in case you want to try it out yourself:
- 2 cups of frozen or fresh fruit (feel free to mix 2 different kinds of fruit, 1 cup each)
- 1 cup filtered water (you can substitute juice but that’ll add some sugar)
- 2 big leaves of fresh kale (stems removed)
- 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach
- 1 heaping tablespoon of Chia seeds

You may have to blend the greens in slowly. Put the chia in last on a low setting as not to crush them. We add a little flaxseed oil. If you’re not using juice, you can add a little honey or sweetener.

Thank you so very much Lo!! For more from Lo, check out her site, www.yisforyogini.com.

Trying to unload some extra “stuff” that’s taking up room and could benefit someone else, I am selling my maternity clothes and breast milk pump…..know anyone? I’ll make them a great deal!

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/bab/1978227878.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/clo/1978229708.html

A work friend of mine recently started a photography business on the side and asked if she could use Clay to practice taking baby pictures and using a few new props. We were happy to help, knowing that if we got just one great picture out of it, it’d be well worth it. After a 30 minute set-up that involved a blue background, a mini bean bag and lots of super cute hats, it was Clay’s turn to show off those baby blue eyes. He was a trooper through several hat changes, lighting adjustments and prop switches….here are the results….

Oh, big sister Sophie also had her time in the spot light!

A huge Thank You to Diana for reaching out to us and coming to the house — if you’re in the LA area and would like to get some beautiful shots yourself…check out www.dianalundin.com

Yes, Sophie’s been in pre-school for a whole month already and I am just now getting to posting the pics from her first day…

Since she’d been at CHA for summer camp, the transition to “school” was fairly simple. She is in Room # 1, has 8 other class mates and her teacher is Miss Donna. While she doesn’t typically tell us what she did when we first pick her up, she does share more as the afternoon/evening goes by…there are lots of songs, counting to 20, the alphabet and shapes. She also has the opportunity to participate in 30 minutes of Spanish, 30 minutes of PE and 30 minutes of Library time each week. Last week’s lesson was on “family” so we all worked on creating a family crest that she then got to explain to her class mates. So far, she absolutely loves going and gets sad when she doesn’t get to go on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Hopefully this excitement and joy in learning continues!

That’s what our 10-day vacation in FL was all about. After a red-eye flight were both kids actually slept a little, we celebrated my dad’s birthday with a wonderful brunch at their golf club and then had dear friends back to the house for German Black Forest cake (which was both beautiful & yummy) and ice cream cake (which melted as I walked in the door with it) and a traditional German sausage with Pretzels and Beer for dinner.

Some favorite memories from this trip:

- Introducing Clay to my parents and seeing him smile at them

- Watching Sophie and my dad play in the pool almost every day and share a bowl of ice cream every night

- Swimming in the Gulf – Sophie “swam” and Clay got his feet wet

- Playing cards with my dad

- Sophie and my mom “fishing in the pool” with swim noodles

- Doing some serious outlet shopping with my mom (and finishing the day off with a mani/pedi)

Thanks Nana & Opa for a wonderful stay in Venice — we appreciate all your help, wonderful meals and fun adventures!

Seven years ago I helped set up a not-for-profit called the Kentucky Film Lab to advance the cause of film education in the Commonwealth, and to build and support a community of filmmakers in the state.

Each year we put together a seminar designed to help Kentuckians connect with successful filmmakers, and also to provide basic training to those inspired to improve or learn this complicated craft.

Past speakers have included Jack Epps, Jr. (Top Gun), Aaron Thomas (Friday Night Lights, CSI:NY), Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One, Castle), actor/director Domenica Scorcese, and legendary cinematographer Victor Kemper. We’ve also been honored to receive consecutive grants from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Film Lab is also deeply appreciative for the support of the Spalding University Brief-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program, where I teach screenwriting.

This year’s Filmmakers’ Studio event is as exciting as any we’ve done yet — and only $50! Check it out below, and attend if you can. It’s a steal!

The Kentucky Film Lab, in conjunction with the IdeaFestival, presents: Jon Landau (Producer of Avatar and Titanic) in a workshop for emerging producers, plus ½-day, hands-on workshops in Production and Screenwriting.

Saturday, October 2nd 2010 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky

REGISTER NOW to reserve your space: http://www.kyfilmlab.com/

Full-day session is $50 (Thanks to our generous supporters)

AGENDA:

9:30am   General Session and Producer Updates

10am-1:30pm – Your choice of hands-on workshops in Screenwriting with Michael Dougan or Red Camera and Lighting with Steve Staley/Kentucky Grip and Lighting

1:30-3:00pm – Networking and lunch (bring your own)

3:00-4:00pm – General Session with Jon Landau

7:00-8:00pm – IdeaFestival with Jon Landau

REGISTER NOW to reserve your space http://www.kyfilmlab.com/

contact: Arthur Rouse at info@kyfilmlab.com