In the beginning, there was the word, and for R. Crumb, that word is enclosed in a cartoon thought bubble.

Los Angeles’ congested freeways and urban sprawl may not seem like signs of sustainable living, but peek into downtown Culver City, behind the Beverly Hills City Hall or past Sunset Boulevard in Plummer Park, and discover rows of farm-grown tomatoes, corn, pears and organic delights.

Actress Mina Olivera sits on what appears to be a travel chest, tucks her knees almost to her chest with her small feet pointed straight toward the floor, and takes a drag from an imaginary cigarette.

For student producers, screenwriters, animators and directors, this week’s Festival of New Creative Work is the party of the year.

Anyone who has dared to go on an excursion with me knows I will inevitably and always get lost. I can’t help it; I believe I was born directionally impaired. Even with close and careful map examination, I will walk down the right street in the wrong direction. Don’t even ask me to distinguish north from south.

Never under any circumstances would I choose to return to elementary school P.E. class. Do you remember that bespectacled girl who always got hit in the face during soccer only to start crying out on the field and have to be sent away from the game to put herself together again?

Studying history so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past is reasoning grade school students repeatedly hear. Yet what, then, is the purpose of fictionalizing history? Author Glen David Gold would argue that fictionalizing history does not necessarily mean ruminating upon the past but rather using historical figures and places as characters and settings for compelling storytelling.

Located right across the street from El Super Taco, Pili’s Tacos’ flashing lit sign and cozy interior charmed me and my companions immediately.

We live in a town known for its roving taco trucks and hole-in-the-wall urban taco shacks, so there is little excuse to consume any kind of subpar Mexican cuisine such as Taco Bell or Westwood’s Acapulco. But why stick to familiar, subdued flavors when a whole lot more spice and a lively restaurant experience is not much farther away?

There is absolutely no way to miss the big blue whale, otherwise known as the Pacific Design Center, on Melrose Avenue.