Carolyn Kellogg

If, unlike us, you don't procrastinate, you're already planning for the disposal of your Christmas tree. Maybe you already booked the full-service recycling disposal from the aptly-named California Christmas Tree Recycling. For a fee, they'll come to your house, drain the stand, remove the tree, vacuum the dropped needles and then take your holiday decor off to become mulch for more trees. For less dough, they'll grab it from your curb and make sure...

A year ago today the tsunami devasted costal communities across south Asia, killing an estimated 220,000 and displacing another 400,000. The LA Times and the Guardian remember; if you want the inside story, the Jakarta Post writes about slow reconstruction in Aceh and the ongoing search for missing children. Meanwhile, immigration news tops both the Los Angeles Times and New York Times today. Locally we're all about the love, with a story of American...

Well, you waited for it and it's finally here: Christmas. Family, friends, all that. What are you going to do next? You're going to Disneyland! Or if Mickey turns your stomach, there's something for you too. Punk rock never rests! $2 Tecates and $3 bloody marys at the Anarchy Library in Downey. Photo by Tony via Flickr...

We're guessing if you're reading this right now, you've got a little bit of time to kick back and be good to your own good self. The contributors to LAist spend an awful lot of time on the internet, and we've compiled this list of some of our favorite blogs for just this kind of moment. A sampling: defamer, gizmodo, terra non firma... aw heck, why cheat yourself? The whole kit & caboodle is...

Xmas shopping procrastinators rejoice: Amoeba Records opens early (10am) and doesn't close until 8:30pm tonight. If shopping traffic makes you look for liquid solace, Silverlake Wine has special xmas eve hours: 9am-7pm. The LA County Arts Commission sponsors, for the 41st year, 6 hours of free holiday entertainment at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Choirs, dance theaters, and special guests the Blind Boys of Alabama are on the bill. First come, first served; doors open...

If you're celebrating Christmas but haven't yet finished your shopping, there's not a moment to spare. A couple of our contributors have some shopping spots they love that might be a good bet. Snow Tempest shops for stuff: Bun-ka Do (Little Tokyo): Japanese ceramics, anime. Open until 5:30pm. 99 Cents Only Stores: ornaments, glass fruits & vegetables, candy, mugs, etc. Open until 9pm. Taschen (Beverly Hills): artsy books. Open until 5pm. American Apparel -...

This week Salon published a great essay by Wil Wheaton about Thanksgiving with his family. It serves as an excellent model for being mature when your parents' political views clash with your own; if you've ever been tempted to storm out and drink schnapps behind the garage until it's time for dinner, this might help. The politics in question was the execution of Tookie Williams, and over on Wil's blog there's an excerpt, if...

Up in NoCal an Alameda County jury awarded $172 million today to Wal-Mart employees who had been denied their 30-minute unpaid lunch breaks. The breaks are required for anyone who works 6 hours. Wal-Mart didn't dispute that they'd jipped employees of those measely, unpaid breaks. They just tried to say they couldn't sue about it; the case has been tied up in court for four years. After four years there's sure to be a...

It'll be a quiet night in the city, but a few rock clubs will be making some noise. At The Scene in Glendale: Very Be Careful with Future Pigeon. Catch a cacophony of sounds at The Smell with Kunta Kinte's Revenge, Bring Back the Guns and the seasonlly-(in)appropriate Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound. Pretty lights photo by Jan Tik via Flickr...

A storm off the coast is causing massive waves up and down Southern California. Photos of yesterday's 15-footers in Venice and surfers in Malibu are at Swellreport; they say the waters are "still unsurfably big and gnarly." The LA Times has a report, but for your insider surf fix we recommend Confessions of a Novice Surfer, where a few who braved the waves tell their tales. Photo by Uncle Grant from Swellmagnet.com...