There have only been 26 sunsets in 2012, but January 24th will be hard to top.  It rained for most of the day in LA, leaving thick cloud coverage across the Westside.  There was nothing special until the sun was completely gone, at which point the sky exploded with purple and pink.  Here are some shots I took from my office!

Before the sun went down.

So amazing!

I needed a break from work this afternoon and decided to go hit some golf balls at a range near Century City. Unfortunately it was closed due to last night’s drizzle, which evidently turned the “range” into a mud pit.

Heartbroken, I returned to the office. But then I read about this interesting driving range in K-Town that was built above a parking garage. It sounded too interesting for me to not try it out, so I hopped in my car and made the 20 minute drive southeast. It’s now one of my new favorite places.

First I learned that parking was free for three hours, which was a great start. Then I found out it cost $10 for 111 balls – a great deal for LA. And you don’t have to hit them all in one visit, you just get a card with credit and hit as many as you want that day. The balls come up on an automated tee system that’s gonna be hard to describe so I won’t try. But the best thing was just hitting a ball into the (sunset-filled) horizon.

I hope to make this a weekly thing.

Good riddance.

Fun weekend in SoCal. It started with a trip to Wurstkuche in Venice (green chile and cilantro turkey-chicken sausage). I don’t have a picture of that, unfortunately.

Next was golfing in Santa Barbara with my friend Gopi. It was a nice relaxing day and we played with two adorable older ladies who made us look like the amateur holders that we are.

Yesterday I Golden Globed with my friend Paul, and today I took half of the day off to hike around Runyon Canyon with my friend Emily. As you all know, I’m a sucker for anything in the Hollywood Hills, and this was no exception. A fun, easy hike with lots of great houses nearby. I even got to check out a nearby house which I’ve been eyeing. Unfortunately it recently sold (and I can’t even afford something 1/4 of its price). I keep holding out for that wonderful Christmas present from my parents…

Now it’s back to work…

As if living in Santa Monica and working for a law firm didn’t make it clear enough, today I took another step towards total yuppiedom: I bought my first set of adult golf clubs. And they’re awesome. I spent years playing with my dad’s clubs, which are good but custom built for his swing. I’m sure you’re already bored with this post and wondering why I haven’t posted a picture of a sunset. Maybe tomorrow, after I play golf up in Santa Barbara. Because I’m a yuppie douchebag.

The view on my drive home yesterday.

And so ends another Christmas without my parents getting me that house in the Hollywood Hills. I’m only asking for one thing! WORST. PARENTS. EVER.

Weekend hikes remind me why I love Los Angeles. This Sunday I explored Will Rogers Park for the first time. It has the most incredible city views on the west side — great ocean views, Century City, downtown, the Getty Center, Griffith Park Observatory, and more — all from one spot. The Topanga trail also has perfect views of the Palisades’ most expensive homes, which elevates any trail in my book.

I eventually cut across a valley to another trail in Will Rogers, which contained lots of awesome graffiti and a trail that nearly killed me (by disappearing, merging with a river, and then causing me to jump down 10 feet into a riverbed. It wasn’t as magical as the Topanga trail, but fun nonetheless.

Enjoy some pictures!

Sunsets are the only interesting things to photograph from my office. They also get me to leave the office early sometimes. Here are a few more pictures that I took of them.

I was sworn in yesterday. Now I can get into real trouble…