Otium

Otium, a Latin abstract term, has a variety of meanings, including leisure time in which a person can enjoy eating, playing, resting, contemplation and academic endeavors. It sometimes, but not always, relates to a time in a person's retirement after previous service to the public or private sector, opposing "active public life". Otium can be a temporary time of leisure, that is sporadic. It can have intellectual, virtuous or immoral implications. It originally had the idea of withdrawing from one's daily business (negotium) or affairs to engage in activities that were considered to be artistically valuable or enlightening (i.e. speaking, writing, philosophy). It had particular meaning to businessmen, diplomats, philosophers and poets.

Etymology and origin

In ancient Roman culture otium was a military concept as its first Latin usage. This was in Ennius' Iphigenia.

Iphigenia (241–248)

According to historian Carl Deroux in his work "Studies in Latin literature and Roman history" otium appears for the first time in a chorus of Ennius' Iphigenia. Ennius' first use of the term otium around 190 BC showed the restlessness and boredom during a reprieve from war and was termed otium negotiosum (free time to do what one wanted) and otium otiosum (idle wasteless free time).Aulus Gellius, while discussing the word praeterpropter ("more or less") quotes a fragment of Ennius's Iphigenia, which contrasts otium with negotium repeatedly. Ennius imagined the emotions of Agamemnon's soldiers at Aulus, that while in the field and not at war and not allowed to go home, as "more or less" living.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles (ⁱ/lɒs ˈændʒəlᵻs/ loss AN-jə-ləs or loss AN-jə-liss) (Spanish for "The Angels"), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States after New York City, the most populous city in the state of California, and the county seat of Los Angeles County.

Situated in Southern California, Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, sprawling metropolis, and as a major center of the American entertainment industry. Los Angeles lies in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching up to and over 10,000 feet (3,000 m).

Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood. The city experienced rapid growth with the discovery of oil.

The Prototypes

The Prototypes is a British drum and bass duo consisting of Chris Garvey and Nick White. Founded in Brighton, England in the late 2000s, by 2010 they had released their first singles on labels such as Formation Records and Viper Recordings, and from 2011 to 2013 were signed to Shogun Audio. They have released a number of EPs, and have received radio and live PA support from DJs such as Matrix & Futurebound. Signing exclusively to Viper Recordings in 2014, in the following months the duo released a number of promo singles for a debut album. Their resulting single, "Pale Blue Dot" ranked as Beatport's second top selling drum and bass track of the year. The track was also nominated for Best Track at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards, with The Prototypes also nominated for Best Producer, Best Music Video, and Best DJ.

UKF Music called their 2015 promo single "Pop It Off" "one of the most unanimously unifying cuts in D&B of the year so far," and they officially released their debut album City of Gold on May 17, 2015. They supported the album with an international tour with performances at festivals such as Urban Art Forms and Tomorrowland, and they have also performed at Nocturnal Festival in 2012. Featuring vocals from artists such as Ayah Marar and Amy Pearson, the week of its release City of Gold reached No. 22 on the UK Dance Chart. Robin Murray of UKF Music called it "a relentless, incendiary journey through a range of genres and tempos." Beyond original production, as of 2015 the duo had released remixes for artists such as Avicii, Ed Sheeran, Bingo Players, Hadouken!, Modestep, AlunaGeorge, and others.

The French Laundry

The French Laundry is a French restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller. The restaurant building dates from 1900, and is in the National Register of Historic Places.

The French Laundry is frequently honored by inclusion in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World (having been named "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2003 and 2004). Since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide to San Francisco. It received a favorable review in The New York Times and was called "the best restaurant in the world, period" by Anthony Bourdain. Since 2007, the restaurant has been the recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award.

In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a "six-hour feast for friends, locals, and luminaries" and temporarily closed for renovations before the end of the year. The restaurant reopened on April 7, 2015 following demolition of a number of buildings on the site. During the remainder of the renovation project, the staff is working out of a temporary kitchen.