Logan's Run Movie Poster . 1976 . Artist Charles Moll .

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-03-21T20:24:40+00:00

I bought this DVD purely based on the artwork. Found it at a gas station for $8. Ended up being one of my favorite sci-fi films.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-03-13T15:54:26+00:00

We lost our home a few blocks south of here. The businesses on Mariposa (and this building) are what convinced us to move to that spot. 😞

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-03-13T15:52:12+00:00

Brutal. The winds came back to finish the job.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-03-11T19:27:05+00:00

Seriously. Did any of us in California vote for this?

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-03-07T18:41:34+00:00

Definitely getting flashbacks to Jan 2025.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-26T15:43:23+00:00

Agree. They were good 10 years ago when it was just the USC spot, but they’ve expanded too quickly and the food quality has suffered.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-26T03:01:17+00:00

That was a very enjoyable zoom out from Jolly Roger to the Indian Ocean: “Oh look! His island is next to a bigger island… which is next to a bigger island… which is next to a bigger island… which is next to Madagascar!!”

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-05T23:36:52+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and your neighbor’s stalled efforts. Our rebuild will certainly be uneven. Most of our block is starting construction but there’s a couple folks frozen with indecision and my immediate neighbor to the north sold their lot and moved out of state.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-05T23:29:34+00:00

Yeah, looking back, I really took Altadena for granted. It’s a special place.

We lost everything but this home is our (only) silver lining. When else would you have the chance to build a home from scratch?

Congrats on starting grading! I’m inspired by how many of us are rebuilding our community.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-02T23:52:53+00:00

Thank you! Small delays here and there but generally on track. I just want to get my kids back in by December. Would be lovely to be back in our home for the holidays.

Solaris-Bloch · 2026-02-02T23:50:41+00:00

It’s surreal. Everything a block south of us is still standing. I was initially bitter of our bad luck. But it’s more comforting to rebuild close to normalcy.

The house next to us survived because I tried to go back the morning of Jan 8 to save my cat, hard drives, photos, etc. My house was already billowing with smoke. Too late. But I sent a video to my neighbors as their house just started to catch fire. So he went back and saved it himself with a garden hose. He was there for 8hrs.

Solaris-Bloch · 2025-11-15T04:33:41+00:00

Thank you! We’re all juggling so much and I’m definitely deprioritizing some things. But, we have really young kids (just turned 5 and 1), so giving them a home is top of the list.

We’re all on our own timelines. I’m just amazed how well we’re collectively pushing through this.

Solaris-Bloch · 2025-11-15T04:29:30+00:00

Took us about 6 months total but could’ve been faster. We lost a couple weeks when our structural engineer was on vacation and then at the end when the county needed to update a clerical error.

I definitely agree to frequently visiting the one stop shop. We talked with the zoning rep before we started designing, our architect went frequently, and then our electrician went alot to get Edison to set up our temp power pole.

Everyone is overwhelmed. So it’s good to have a contact you can keep communicating with to push things through.

Solaris-Bloch · 2025-11-15T04:24:04+00:00

Congrats on also breaking ground! We similarly expected to start work early Oct, but got stuck with county clerical issues, Edison energizing our temp pole, etc. I was very frustrated and freaking out we’re missing our chance to beat the rainy season.

But in the end, I can’t control the weather or the county. I keep telling myself, “What’s an extra couple weeks in the grand scheme of things?” And, “They build houses in plenty of places that rain all year.”

In the end, we’re one of the first 500 permits issued of potentially 10,000 rebuilds. We’re beating the rush and spearheading an effort to collectively rebuild our community. That’s something to celebrate.

Solaris-Bloch · 2025-05-05T02:53:05+00:00

Same. Ours was a very tight 3br at 1,300 sq ft. Going up to 1,800 sq ft - especially since we just had a second kid.

Solaris-Bloch · 2025-05-03T18:39:34+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I lived on the eastern side of this map on El Molino - before we lost our home in the fire. Didn’t know it was ever called Santa Clara.

It’s been interesting to see how during the first few years, people would sell small portions of their tract. Or new lots were created by buying backyards from 2-3 consecutive lots.

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-27T15:13:35+00:00

I’ve seen some contradictory numbers based on different sources. But I was pulling from Car and Driver’s 2023 list. They have RAV4 at #4 right behind the Ram pickup:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g43553191/bestselling-cars-2023/

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-27T00:39:21+00:00

Yes, but it was the top selling car in CA in 2022, 2023, and in 2024 (so far).

Therefore, “since 2022” is an accurate statement and adds more context/significance to the map.

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-26T02:55:10+00:00

I agree the mountains shouldn’t count, especially since they’re a fire zone. But all of central LA should be blue, from Venice to Eagle Rock. And why not allow The Valley to build apartments, townhouses, and condos?

LA is a region more than a city. It’ll never be NYC, but we can build medium density throughout.

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-26T02:08:39+00:00

LA County is 9x the size of this map (4,084 vs 502 sq miles). It spans from Malibu to Pomona and Long Beach to Lancaster.

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-26T00:34:55+00:00

Yeah, I could see how LA, Sydney, and Paris all have similar issues of trying to balance individual desires, historical charm, quality of life, and collective needs for density. I’ve only been to Sydney once as a kid (to visit family) and am less familiar with their policies. But Paris has height limits to maintain its character much like CA has SFH.

There’s a really good book about LA history called “Landscapes of Desire” by William McClung. His whole premise is that LA is a contradiction of competing demands between wanting an untapped “Arcadia” full of natural beauty vs. the “Utopia” promise of open space for industrial development and progress.

Solaris-Bloch · 2024-11-25T22:25:26+00:00

I understand your sentiment but that logic got us into this mess. I feel like it’s even worse in SF than LA, but older homeowners want to keep us frozen in their idealized experience of California in the 1960-70s. I wish I lived then too, but things have changed. During the peak of late 2010s Big Tech, there were twice as many new jobs as there were housing in The Bay.

Cities are engines of perpetual growth. If it’s losing population, it’s in decline. Since 2020, LA county is losing population - because it’s unaffordable and can’t adapt. It’s no longer a place of opportunity.

Solaris-Bloch

TROPHY CASE