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  Life in LA. There’s nothing quite like it. Love it or hate it, no other city in the world can match the energy of a town that dreams enough for an entire planet. And sure, there are a few nightmares to balance out those dreams. Over the decades, several writers have found an unlikely muse in LA’s shadows. Here are just a few examples of novels that accurately captured the nuanced experience of the dark side of life in LA.  Hollywood by Charles Bukowski Life in LA was so intrinsic to Charles Bukowski’s semi-autobiographical oeuvre that it’s difficult to choose just one novel. We went with Hollywood because it provides a biting examination of the titular dream machine.  But from his very first novel, Bukowski refused to simply observe the dark side of the city. He absolutely wallowed in it. He revealed that, at times, the darker side is also the most addictively mesmerizing face of the LA diamond.  Hollywood finds Bukowski’s analog, Hen...

  At the turn of the millennium, a gameshow started to dominate pop culture in the U.S. due to its lofty promises of wild riches. Today, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire could easily be retitled Who Wants to Own a Home in Los Angeles . Sure, it’s not as catchy. But it pretty much equates to the same thing. The Los Angeles Times summed it up as much in their recent opinion piece about million dollar homes becoming the LA norm. For those who already own homes, this isn’t an urgent issue. But for those trying to purchase their first home and the vast renting population of the city, it’s a red flag that demands change.  A Massive City Primarily Zoned as a Suburb Photo credit: Basil D Soufi California is facing a housing inventory problem. And, as much as we love our city, Los Angeles is easily one of the worst offenders when it comes to stymying housing development.  Initially, the city of Los Angeles was legally zoned for a population of 10 million peo...

  September 2023 is bringing excitement back to the theaters with these must-see movies. With a ton of heavy-hitting actors and actresses gracing our screens, it’s time to get your popcorn ready and feast your eyes on this desirable lineup. Here are some can’t-miss movies coming out in September: 1) The Kill Room            The Kill Room in Theaters September 29th Ever heard of the series Kill Bill ? If you haven’t – you aren’t a movie buff, that’s for sure! Uma Thurman is known for starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill . There are two volumes total, all of which were bangers at the box office. So the irony of Thurman starring in yet another violent thriller with the word “kill” in it is not lost on us. This movie, The Kill Room , is unrelated to the Kill Bill series but will feature Thurman back in her element in this comedy crime thriller. The plot hones in on a money-laundering hitman, known as the Bagman, who u...

  Have you heard about the new style taking the interior design industry by storm? Does the idea of embracing natural elements in your home décor excite you?  Well then you may just be ready to give Biophilic home décor a try.  Biophilic Interior Design is a growing trend among designers and interior decorators that incorporates natural elements, colors, patterns, and nature into the home décor in new and exciting ways. This focus on nature enhances the sense of calmness and transforms your living or working environment. What is Biophilic Interior Design? Photo Credit: Envato Elements Biophilic Interior Design means incorporating nature into our indoor environment. It comes from the word Biophilia – meaning Love of Nature. This trend focuses on creating a calming space with a visual connection with nature while improving wellbeing, health and productivity.  With humans spending about 90% of their lives indoors, creating a space with more soo...

  Housing supply, or lack thereof, continues to be a hot topic across the state of California. That’s why a recent story , cracked by Robin Urevich of Capital & Main and Gabriel Sandoval of ProPublica, is so unsettling. It’s compounded by another disturbing story highlighted by C.C. de Vere for Empty Los Angeles. At first, they may seem like they’re about completely different topics. But both draw our attention to how easily Los Angeles real estate is being abused… if it’s being used at all. We’d recommend reading both pieces in their entirety since we’ll just be going into an overview. But they highlight different types of property mismanagement and how it’s keeping the city’s housing supply needlessly low.  Renting Out Low-Income Housing to Tourists Photo credit: Envato The first story of abused housing supply starts several years ago when certain Los Angeles area hotels converted to studio apartments. Their units would no longer be used for visito...

  If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ve seen it’s getting harder to secure California homeowners insurance. Farmers Insurance, the second most popular home insurance California provider, just announced their intentions to place a cap on new policies. This trails even stricter decisions by State Farm and Allstate to completely cease issuing homeowner’s policies in California. Even the California Earthquake Authority is getting in on the act, declaring a limitation on payouts for major quakes. Yet, there are still actions you can take if your California homeowners insurance coverage is disrupted.  Details of the Farmers Insurance Announcement Photo credit:  Envato Farmers Insurance clarified their intent to cap new home insurance California policies at 7,000 per month. While they originally had no cap, they’ve estimated this figure as the volume of new policies they can feasibly write while remaining profitable.  The cap went into effect on Monday, July 3...

  Meta launched “Threads” this week, a new app that rivals Twitter. We personally signed up for the Threads app so you don’t have to. Here’s what we found… The Basics A “Thread” is their version of a Tweet. 500 characters is the limit, per Thread. You cannot edit a Thread once it is up. There is no way to login on a desktop – you must download the app to your mobile device. Right now, there is no option for direct messages. There are absolutely no ads as of yet. Hashtags do not seem to be a thing on the app. Emojis, GIFs, and text are a go. You may download Threads via the app store or by scanning the QR code at  Threads.net . Threads vs. Twitter Much like Twitter, Threads is a mainly a short-form, text-based app, that also welcomes images, links, GIFs, and the like. The app is easy to navigate, easy to post on, and easy to understand. Unlike Twitter, they do not limit your consumption of the app. Since Elon Musk overtook Twitter as owner, many changes have shocked and enraged...