Continue reading “A Special Message from the cartoonified OGs”
PopPop’s Shinto Church Adventure
On his way to a Mexican octopus feast in Boyle Heights, PopPpop was distracted by the sound of grunts and thumps coming from a nearby Shinto Church, which doubles as a martial arts studio. With his grandson-in-law Richard Schave at his side, PopPop enters the dojo and meets the sensei, who invites him to observe the practice session. PopPop is fascinated to discover a side of the neighborhood he didn’t know existed.
Homespun Rhymes by Rose E. Brett: Air Raid and Blackout
Rose E. Brett was the unofficial poet laureate of Hollenbeck Palms, and in 1946 a small selection of her light verse was published in pamphlet form as “Homespun Rhymes.” The price was $1. We were lucky enough to find a copy of this scarce volume at Caravan Book Store, the last survivor of downtown LA’s book row.
According to the records of Hollenbeck, Rose and her husband Cyrus Willard Brett moved into the home on July 6, 1934. Cyrus died in 1938, and Rose stayed on until her own death on October 19, 1948.
This is the first of a series of blog posts presenting the sweet, forgotten, and still very timely rhymes of Rose E. Brett of Hollenbeck. We hope you love them as much as the OGs do!
AIR RAID AND BLACKOUT by Rose E. Brett
Hurrah! Hurrah for “Hollenbeck!” This is the place
for me; I’m sure there is no other Home where I’d
prefer to be. They “eat us” and they “sleep us,”
they keep the place so clean; they tend us in our
sick spells, and amuse us in between. They send us
to the oculist, who assists us by refraction, or
it may be to the dentist, who relieves us by extrac-
tion. All this they’re doing every day – no end of
care they take, but now they’re doing something
new which surely takes the cake. When Japan at-
tacked our Islands without a bit of warning, we knew
we might expect them here some blooming night or
morning. What can we do? Where shall we go? What
is our best protection? Again the managers step
in with plans quite near perfection. The man who
planned this building must have been a “right
smart feller,” for underneath the building is a
first rate air raid cellar. For black-out and
for shelter they gave us our instructions—of
course it raised a little breeze, and caused a few
slight ructions. And some refused to “douse the
glim,” they had to USE the light; and some were bound
to lock their doors, as they always do at night.
And one would never, never go to that dungeon, cold
Continue reading “Homespun Rhymes by Rose E. Brett: Air Raid and Blackout”
Grandma Wants You… To Come To the Downtown LA Art Walk!
The Downtown LA Art Walk is held every second Thursday, and on May 14, 2009 you can meet Barbara “Cutie” Cooper on the FREE Hippodrome shuttle bus, circling gallery row from 6-8pm (the shuttle runs until 10pm, but come early to meet Cutie). Get on the bus to ask her advice on all your pressing problems, and meet her pals The Ukulady and Crimebo the Clown (with whom she has a love/fear relationship).
For more info, visit https://www.esotouric.com/hippodrome
See you on the bus!
Continue reading “Grandma Wants You… To Come To the Downtown LA Art Walk!”
A Psychedelic Interlude
The OGs invite you to Click this link and see them in a whole new light.
Continue reading “A Psychedelic Interlude”
Restaurant Review: Hollenbeck Palms Dining Room (5 stars)
Visit Barbara’s Yelp Page, where she just reviewed the dining room at Hollenbeck Palms. This is where you can find the OGs at almost every meal. Want to know how to make an OG Frappucino? Click and all will be revealed!
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Opinions? We Got Em!
If you need your OGs fix and there’s not a new video on this blog, why not stop by at Grandma’s Yelp page, where she’s busily reviewing all her favorite places: Costco, McDonald’s, Bottega Louie and more! Yelp is a fun place to hang out and flap your gums, so drop by and let the world know how many stars you’d give almost anything at all. You can become Grandma’s friend on Yelp, keep up on her reviews and send her compliments, which only encourages her to write more hilarious things like this:
“To be seen by people at Costco is a very good thing. And you meet people–from coveralls to minks.” (Costco)
See you there!
Continue reading “Opinions? We Got Em!”
We love the subs!
The OGs think the internet is incredible.&magic (at least according to their Twitter feed)–and even more so when their grandkids help them to immerse themselves in the wonders of Youtube, and old Quiznos Subs ads featuring the hideously adorable Spongmonkeys. Tune in for the OGs’ video tribute to these dear little rodents, and the yummy, toasty subs they promote. Hey Quiznos: grandma wears a size 5 1/2 shoe, if you want to send her some of her favorite Keds mules as a thank you!
Restaurant Review: Bottega Louie (5 stars)
The OGs share their thoughts on their new favorite restaurant, downtown LA’s enormous Italian goodie palazzo Bottega Louie. Stay tuned for more of their reviews on Yelp at this link.
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Old Jews Listening To Jokes
The OGs love clowning around, but let’s be honest: sometimes it’s hard to remember how a joke goes. So rather than pestering them to tell us their favorite jokes, in this edition of The OGs blog we’re bringing the jokes to them. Watch their faces as they register these vintage Henny Youngman gags that they first enjoyed in the Eisenhower era. Finally, we understand why PopPop insists on holding Barbara’s hand whenever they leave the house!