July 10, 2005

[](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-23823-echo_park_and_the_lotus_fetival.html)Penelope and I had a great time at the Lotus Festival this weekend. I took [some photos](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-album-1207-1-lotus_festival_2005.html) and wrote a short article that should be popping up on [LAist](http://laist.com/) some time today. In short the food was good, the weather was great and the people were out in force. If you have never been to the Lotus Festival, I recommend you mark your calendar now for next year! **UPDATE: Here is [the post](http://www.laist.com/archives/2005/07/11/lotus_festival.php) on LAist**

Penelope is a runner. She ran cross country in college on a scholarship. She is one tuff cookie. I ran a bit in Jr. High and High School, and until recently I hadn't run more than a block in about 10 years. Penelope has been taking me jogging, we started when I was living in Fullerton on the horse trails and we made it about 15 minutes and then I was exahuseted and had to walk the rest of the way. We have been steadily increasing the runs and now as of today we are up to 40 minutes without a break. Today we did a run in the city and we started at the lofts, went straight up 6th street into the civic center, through a maze of stairs which belong to the parking lot across from the disney concert hall and the up the stairs of the concert hall, through the garden and up on to the chandler catwalk (beautiful view from there!). We then wove through some buildings and then back down to the loft. It was a good run and I feel great now! Penelope had a wonderful idea to organize a semi-weekly jog through downtown for the residents of our loft. We're going to make some flyers tonight and put them up throughout the building. Posts about our return trip to the zoo and the Lotus Festival coming soon...

[](http://eecue.com/images.php?images_id=23840)All the fan mail and positive feedback that meter maids receive on a daily basis obviously inspired the city of LA to install the new parking meters in front of my building on 6th street. I hope nobody tells the city about the wily homeless meter hackers who poke the no-armed bandits and cajole them to give you time without actually placing change into their slots. No wonder Joe's successor is one of the wealthiest people in the city [that is pure speculation on account of nearly every freaking parking lot in Downtown being owned by Joe's]