My window overlooks the east side of the city. A layer of haze usually rests smugly atop the rooftops and just above that bright blue skies as far as the eye can see. Sometimes I think smog and traffic are God’s way of leveling the playing field for other cities. But today it’s clear in Los Angeles, the horizon washed clean by nearly a week of steady, much-needed rainfall. Mornings like these are the most beautiful; they’re rare and special, here today gone tomorrow. ”My friend texted me that Brittany Murphy is dead,” my coworker mumbled in passing while describing the aftermath of a downtown warehouse party. [Read more]