Everything Glendale

Filed Under: City Politics, News

Glendale is number one! According to the Daily News:

The American Lung Association of California on Tuesday graded 297 cities on their success at creating outdoor smoke-free environments and smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products. The report provided an overall grade for the average of those categories in its first State of Tobacco Control report.

Locally, Glendale topped the list with an A—the only A in Los Angeles County....

Glendale's high mark had city officials beaming Tuesday after imposing a strict anti-smoking ordinance Nov. 6 that limits exposure to unwanted secondhand smoke across the city, including parks, parking lots, enclosed public areas and common areas in apartment buildings.

Now the city plans to hire a fresh-air ambassador to visit apartments, restaurants and bars and engage the public about the ordinance, said Steven Koszis, Glendale administrative analyst.

Wait, wait, wait. Did he say "fresh-air ambassador?" Although it sounds like an intriguing job, I know that I certainly don't want someone coming to my apartment to school me about city laws.


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Filed Under: Celebrities, News, Shia LaBeouf

As long as Shia LaBeouf keeps living in Glendale, this blog will always have fodder. A couple weeks ago, the paparazzi snapped shots of the actor ambling home from a liquor store. This week—are you ready for this?!—Shia LaBeouf...gets into his car!

Yes, dear readers, it's a slow news day.

More Shia LaBeouf-in-Glendale pics here.


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Filed Under: Classes, Community Happenings, Continuing Education, Education, Events, Glendale Community College, Workshops

You know those movies rife with parent-child conflict in which a mother pleads with her daughter something like, "I'm doing the best I can raising you! It's not like they gave me handbook when you were born!" Well, the Continuing Education program at Glendale Community College attempts to shrink the learning curve with its tuition-free Parent Education Program.

Classes, which are held in Glendale and La Canada, feature professional parent educators who lead discussions on discipline, sibling issues, nutrition, eating behaviors, kindergarten preparation, safety, potty training, and communication. Who knew?

Glendale Community College
Continuing Education Program
Parent Education Program
818.243.5196
http://www.glendale.edu/continuinged/classes/parenteducation.htm

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Filed Under: Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster, Borders Books, CVS, Downtown Glendale, Glendale Exchange, Glendale Fashion Center, Ice Cream, Longs Drugs, Mervyn's, News, Shopping, The Americana, Thrifty Ice Cream

The closing of all Circuit City stores across the nation, including the one on Maryland and Broadway, is the latest big news of the worsening economy. (I'm generally an optimist, but 34,000 lost jobs can't be good.) This leaves downtown Glendale looking a bit bleaker—witness the gutted space where the Mervyn's used to be, and the Exchange shopping area is becoming a dead zone. Now, Glendale Avenue is going to take a couple of hits.

The Longs Drugs on the lower level of the Glendale Fashion Center across from Ralphs will be permanently closing its doors on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. CVS bought Longs last year, but decided to shut down this location rather than changing the name. This sucks for me because Longs is within walking distance of my house, and the Rite Aid up the street is not (though the siren song sung by Thrifty Ice Cream may be enough to entice me to walk the few extra blocks).

As if that weren't enough to dampen my neighborhood spirit, the Blockbuster on Glendale and California is closing on February 15, 2009. (Last day to rent is February 8; last day to return is February 19.) Which means I have to drive to the Pacific location or Colorado location for DVDs or stay home and read—I don't like any of those choices.

What will become of you, Glendale Avenue? As much as I love The Americana, I thought it was a pretty crappy move to close the Barnes & Noble in the Glendale Fashion Center and move it to The Americana, especially since there's a Borders just a block away. It's good planning for The Americana, but bad planning for the structure of a city. I live between downtown Glendale and Glendale Avenue, and things seem a bit off-balance. I don't like that feeling.


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Filed Under: Bella Donna Beauty and Wellness Center, Hair Salons, Shop Reviews

I have become vain. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I have a good idea as to why it happened.

I've always considered myself an average-looking person. Cute, but not beautiful. I have healthy self-esteem, but I'm realistic when it comes to my looks. In fact, when my daughters turned into beautiful young women, my husband and I looked at each other, scratched our heads and asked ourselves, how did we do that?

Sometimes I look at old pictures of myself in my 20s and think, Wow, I really was a lot cuter than I gave myself credit for.

But this vanity thing is new. Complete strangers come up to me these days and compliment me on my hair, and I accept it as my due. I agree: I just love my hair. If I'm feeling really generous, I may mention my hairdresser and my mother. Because they're the real reason people love my hair: a good cut and genetics.

My whole life hairdressers have always said I have good hair. It's thick and shiny and straight. Pretty boring to me. Until I realized that I have very few gray hairs compared to other people. Hmm. Maybe I'm on to something.

For years, my hairdresser (Thu, pictured above) tried to get me to use a blow-dryer. I'd see her in the market, and she'd say, "Please, oh please, use the blow-dryer. Maybe just a little bit. You'll look great. You'll see."

But no. I was stubborn. Who needs blow-dryer when you can walk out of the house in ten minutes with wet hair?

So when I finally decided to use the blow-dryer, it made her so happy. And when a few months later I decided to add some streaks, she almost cried with joy.

Now my hair is short and hip, with colored streaks. Some months these are bright red; right now they're green, and I'm working toward pink. But since I am now vain, I make sure that people can see a few gray hairs here and there, so they know that I don't add color to hide the gray.

My hairdresser is fantastic. She is a modern artiste with vision. She sees potential even in a rabid feminist who proudly eschews traditional female trappings. She'll tell you what's going to look good on you and what will look like crap. Go and see her; she'll be happy to work a miracle for you, too.

Thu Tran
Bella Donna Beauty & Wellness Center
1154 N. Central Avenue
Glendale, CA 91202
323.369.3710 (Thu's direct line)

Base Price for Men:
$20

Base Price for Women:
$25

Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
By appointment only

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