ISSUE 29: BANANA BREAD IN A CLIMATE CRISIS
Fleeing Los Angeles, packing a go-bag, and a new era for Oh, That's Good
WELL, THAT HAPPENED FAST.
How It Started
Two Tuesday mornings ago, a fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades—a neighborhood that I have dreamed of living in ever since I visited there several years ago. Sure, a lot of celebrities live(d) there, and for that reason it almost seemed untouchable—which is why I went about my day on Tuesday trying to “get something done.”
I saw my acupuncturist post a photo of a fire on a mountainside on her Instagram story but thought “it can’t be that bad right?” This wasn’t the first time I’d seen some smoke coming off a mountain in LA—assured that they are usually snuffed out quickly.
By 5pm, it was incredibly windy in my neighborhood, and I have to say the power line pole outside our back patio was SHAKING in the forceful gusts.
I decided that hurricane-strength winds hitting LA meant it was the perfect time to make banana bread. Duh? ….? …………..?
Eventually, I got the banana bread in the oven and thought, yes…cozy night in.
Almost simultaneously, I heard that fire had broken out in Altadena—only 10 minutes from my apartment.
Altadena—another dream of a neighborhood. Nestled at the foothills of the mountain, mom-and-pop shops abound, cool residents (including some of my friends’ families), and adorable homes. The next “hot spot,” some realtors I follow were predicting, though people who already knew it, knew it was special.
The wind started getting scarier outside. Sounds that I’d never heard before. And just after the scariest gust hit…boom.
Power out.
FUCK! THE BANANA BREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I checked my timer. 18 minutes left. I left the oven closed and prayed to the heavens it would finish cooking.
Minutes later, my boyfriend returned home from his studio, letting me know that while he was driving home “a tree fell on the highway.”
Very normal. Just a tree covering up 2+ lanes of a Los Angeles freeway.
I was happy he was home ok, and also that he picked up the takeout I ordered for us, because now the power was out.
We ate dinner over LED closet lights and checked the news to see that the fire closest to us had already grown in size by hundreds and hundreds of acres.
On the bright side…my banana bread cooked all the way through…
Time for Bed
I fell asleep concerned that there were two fires burning in Los Angeles. When you think you might wake up in an inferno, it kind of beats out all other bedtime stress you’ve ever had. Finally, my eyes closed.
Eyes open. It’s still dark out. I feel comfy, but I feel something in my mouth. I shlep to the bathroom and spit out what appears to be two small pieces of my back molars into my hand.
OMG… I was grinding my teeth that hard? It’s all fine. It’s all fine. Nope, actually…fuck.
I go back to sleep, trying not to worry about it.
Good Morning
I wake up, and it’s darker in the apartment than it usually is at wakeup time. I’m afraid to look outside. The fires have surely been burning all night. We open the curtains to this sky:
At that point, it was safe to say we were fucked. The AQI, normally making me fret at 50+ in smoggy Los Angeles, was a nice 400 outside.
Quick reminder on that:
About 45 minutes later (around 9am), our friends who live 5 minutes from us got a “lawful” evacuation order. Fuck.
Because they are climate crisis overachievers, I texted my friend to learn that they’d evacuated at 5am. Ok, show offs…
The day became about packing a “go bag” and refreshing fire maps that honestly were hard to understand. The hottest new app on the block became Watch Duty, a place to track the fires, evacuation areas, and your anxiety levels.
WTF Do I Put in My Go Bag?
As a “city” girl in 2025, nothing makes you realize how much of a dumb bitch you are like packing a go bag.
Of course I packed the recommended “6 Ps”…but when you have too much time to think about things, you start to ask questions like “Should I bring my red light?” “Should I pack the 6 unread books that have been sitting on my bedside table for 8 months?” “Is it worth putting the espresso machine in the car?”
The answer is no.
But in a world that we live in right now, where influencers are influencing and you can buy something by double-clicking a button on the side of your lil computer phone…brainwashing HAPPENS! Even when you might have to evacuate a deadly blaze. :)
In moments of panic though, you snap out of it and realize what things matter most in those moments (a portrait I painted of my boyfriend, a photo of us on our first trip together, a photo of me and my mom from when I was 4 years old).
It feels greedy to say I could even take these photos with me—our apartment safe—when there are people from Altadena, Malibu, the Palisades, and beyond who literally only escaped with the clothes on their backs.
WHAT NOW?
We drove away Wednesday night as a third fire broke out—above West Hollywood, near Runyon Canyon. We also had the smell of smoke creep in our apartment and decided it was time to GTFO, respectfully.
Still, it’s been two weeks since the fires started and now, we’re in a new era. Or should I say…air-a. (?)
The air outside, while the AQI is seemingly good, is supposedly toxic, with undetectable toxic gases, asbestos, lead, and fiber glass floating through the air. Many are comparing it to a “reverse covid” situation, as Angelinos have to now wear N95 masks outside and seal off their apartments from drafts inside. There’s been some public information about wearing N95 masks, but if you’re from LA and have been on social media the last week and a half, you know there are way more questions than answers.
It feels redundant to remark on the strength of the LA community that’s risen up during this time, but worth noting again here for my readers outside LA. Donation centers are packed. People have jumped into volunteering in various ways. LA may have caught on fire, but the community there is standing through the flames. Contradictorily, it’s secured LA as a spot people want to be…not want to flee.
Help People I Adore <3
I believe a strong community starts within your immediate community. There are numerous places you can find online to donate to those affected by the LA fires, but I want to dedicate this post to my friend Jess who lost her and her parents’ home in the Altadena fire.
Jess’s house was a haven—not only because it was beautiful—but because her parents are the most welcoming, beautiful people. The hosts of many a party, they’re the parents who make piles and piles of delicious homemade food (Jess’s mom could have a Food Network show, and if you know me, I wouldn’t play around with that statement) and make sure you always felt nourished and taken care of. They’d lived in their home for 27 years.
If you are looking for a way to support LA, please consider donating some $$ to Jess and her family and their Go Fund Me link here. It would mean a lot to me, and a lot to them!
NEXT UP for OH, THAT’S GOOD
I have been deeply contemplating (yes, deeply….) the next chapter for Oh, That’s Good. Originally, when I first had the idea to have a platform that would be an intersection of comedy x food & wellness, I wanted it to be a podcast. (I’d originally named it “What the Hellth?!” Catchy, right?) I had this idea when I was living in DC and actually pitched it to a podcast accelerator at NPR. Spoiler alert: it got rejected. In hindsight, I don’t know why I thought NPR would want to have a chatty comedy girl pop off about wellness before Terry Gross but hey, it was worth a shot.
That seed has never quite disappeared, and I have decided that with all of Substack’s new functionality, I am going to start doing more audio and video content to reach more people and give you more options for how to engage. I’m also planning to bring on experts and pros to interview in areas that I find most interesting (food, wellness, culture, branding, etc), and I know you will too!
If you have any thoughts or things you love and want to see more of, PLEASE leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you truly, even if you just jot down a few bullet points while you’re reading this in the bathroom.
This week begins a new era, and I think all of us could use a laugh or giggle about the world around us. I’ve been feeling a lot of ideas backed up that I can’t wait to push out (omg… constipated with ideas). Thanks for hanging out with me as I get back into the flow.
and let’s DO IT!!!!
xoxo
LJ
The banana bread was good