NOTE:  I’m told some people can’t see the text anymore with this new theme, and I have no idea why.  Could it have something to do with their Javascript not being enabled?  If anyone knows why it’s blank for some people but not others, please let me know. Thanks.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out this new theme last night and this is the result.  It certainly looks a lot cleaner than my old page:

I guess it’s time for a change…something light and airy for summer, LOL.    The only problem with this is that I can’t add my own CSS and JavaScript to do things like my old custom header.  So I’ve had to move the links to the first hand accounts of the Virginia Tech shootings to the bottom left.  I’m also trying to get a Google applet to work for my site to make searching easier, but right now it’s only searching the first page.  If you still like the old theme (as shown above) you can go to the bottom of the final post and click “View all weblog entries” to revert to the black and white.

My other quandary now is how many posts I allow on each page.  With this new layout I can have up to 20 entries per page.  I tried that at first and there were about 2000 graphics that needed to load!   Obviously that’s not an option, and with as much as I write and the amount of complaints that I get about slow page loads, I think what I’ll do is change it dynamically based on the length of each post.  Some pages might have 2 or 3 entries, some only one.  What do you think?  I would appreciate any feedback about the look or the content!  Thanks for reading and feeding my narcissism, LOL.

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I got an the following email from Lisa this morning:

For all of you that don’t know yet, Tommy broke his arm yesterday.  He was playing on a huge ball with his friend, Chase, & he fell off right onto his arm.  Broke both bones!  We were in the ER until 11pm last night.  Luckily, an orthopedic surgeon was on site & was able to re-set his arm there.  Tommy thought he was anything but lucky though.  Watching somebody re-set your son’s arm is one of the hardest things I’ve ever seen.  Hopefully I won’t see it again any time soon.  He needs this splint for about 4 weeks while his bones re-set & then he’ll move on to a cast for another 6-8 weeks.  It’s going to be a long haul!  Anyway, he’s in good (well, ok) spirits and he hasn’t needed any pain medication yet.  I will keep you all posted. 

 

Lisa :)

My poor little cousin!!  He does not look happy at all.  (Guess I wouldn’t be either!)  Hang in there Tommy, we all love you!!

Not a happy camper!!

Tom & Cathy are in Munich this week with Patrick; and Matthias just sent this gorgeous photo of Beate & Patrick.  I just love this picture!

“Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: “Mankind”. Basically, it’s made up of two separate words – “mank” and “ind”. What do these words mean ? It’s a mystery, and that’s why so is mankind.”

Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, mine’s on the 45.

Song of the day

Mary McHugh visited the grave of her fiancé, Sgt. James J. Regan, who was killed in Iraq in February. He is buried in the new Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Click above to educate yourself about this unjust war.

Song of the day

Today’s Photos

I finally got some sleep last night and felt much better today.  In fact, I wasn’t even sore from the 4.5 mile hike yesterday.  Donna came over for lunch and we hung out at the pool until she had to leave to fly back to Portland.  It was great seeing her as always, and we had a nice weekend.  Here are a few photos from today.

Lunch on my patio. Another gorgeous day in LA.

Arielle & Eli, sitting in a tree…K I S S I N G   Don’t they make a cute couple?

Future heartbreaker

Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup!

Me and Roscoe the pup

My New Phone

I am so glad that I switched to Verizon.  Cingular/AT&T sucks eggs!!  I had their service for 11 years, and last month when I lost my phone, it was the last straw. After weeks of frustration and endless phone calls and escalations, I finally got out of my 2 year contract, without paying a penalty.  I’ve only been with Verizon a week, but so far, they are a million times better than AT&T.  Their customer service is superb.  I only need to press “0″ to talk to a live human being in the United States!  Plus I love my new phone.  Besides being able to watch live TV on it, I can also hold it up to any song playing anywhere, and it will “analyze” what it hears for a few seconds to determine the song’s “DNA”.  It then allows you to download that song as a ringtone, or as what your callers here when they call you.  It really is amazing.  I tried it with all types of music, pop, rap, even classical and it recognized every single song in a few seconds.  Very cool!

It even has Comedy Central, so I can watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, while eating dinner, LOL.

Xanga in China??

Matthias found this great website today that checks any URL to see if it’s blocked in mainland China.  Unfortunately, mine is.  I have a lot of visitors in Hong Kong, and Lewis told me when he went to the mainland last year, he was able to get on Xanga.  Maybe they’re just locking IP addresses in the US and Europe?  Does anyone know a way around this?  I’m guessing it’s not easy!  I love the name of this website though, “The Great Firewall of China“ 

I’ve had a long day.  Ended up going to a midnight movie last night with Walter and about 9 kids that were under his charge.  After the movie we went to Canter’s Deli.  I got home at about 4:30 AM and as soon as I opened my door, I was overwhelmed by the smell of gas.  Turns out, my stove wasn’t turned off all of the way after I made spaghetti for dinner.  It had been on for over 8 hours!  Thank God, nothing happened.  I felt dizzy almost immediately and opened all  the windows and the patio doors, and turned the air conditioning and all the fans on.  Then I grabbed my laptop and sat on the patio as the sun was coming up.  I researched how harmful it is to breathe natural gas, and found out as long as you get oxygen quickly you should be OK.  I had a headache though, but stayed outside until about 7:30 AM when the smell was finally gone. 

I then went to bed, and slept until 9 AM as I was supposed to meet Donna & Mica for breakfast at 10:00.  I had a splitting headache, and didn’t think I would be able to go hiking with them as planned.  In the end though, I gave in, and we drove to Pacific Palisades to hike at Temescal Gateway Park which is one of the Top 10 hiking trails in Los Angeles.  Now, I’m not really a hiker, and I’m certainly not a good hiker with only an hour and 1/2 of sleep!  The trail was long, and pretty steep, but I made it, and felt good about it afterwards. (Not sure how good I’ll feel tomorrow!)

Highlights:	Great views of the ocean, small seasonal waterfall, densely wooded canyon
Near:	Pacific Palisades, CA
Scenery:
Distance:	4 miles round trip
Elevation Gain:	1000 ft
Hike Time:	2.5 hours
Difficulty:	Moderate
Trail Condition:	Well maintained trail
HikeType:	Loop

I thought it was bad that people carved graffiti into the cactus, but took this picture for Mica, even though it was spelled differently than her name.

Look at the bags under my eyes.  That’s what 1 1/2 hours of sleep and a gas leak does to you!

These are my new favorite indulgence from Trader Joes.  If I’m ever on death row, about to be electrocuted, I think I might want these as part of my last meal.  They are yummy!

Song of the day

A bird shit on President Bush yesterday while he was giving a press conference.  True to form, our troglodyte president brushed it off, with his bare hand!  And this is the guy who doesn’t believe humans are descended from apes????  What a monkey’s ass!

“The war on terrorism is a bumper sticker, not a plan” - John Edwards

Donna’s visiting from Portland and we had a nice time.  Dog walking, Pinkberry and tapas.  Very relaxing.  Here are a few photos.

Xanga Woes, Toxic Toothpaste, Honor Killings & Texas Dildos

Song of the day

And the sickest Google hit today that landed on my website come from:

 Poland                       Swietlikowo, Gdansk           5,831 miles

Is that like Toys 4 Us??  Do people not realize this crap can be tracked?

On 5/23/07, Marc wrote:

I’m sorry, I was under the impression that this was the 21st Century…? I
don’t see why your IT team can’t simply insert an opportunity to comment
after each distinct topic posted, as opposed to just one per daily entry. Do
they not understand the blogger with whom they are dealing? This blog is
authored by THE Abe Froman, world-traveler and geopolitical socio-cultural
gadfly, ferchrisakes, not Mrs. Ping E. Lei some lonely housewife!
We’re not talking petty jealousies, diapers, and the price of rice here.
World events are unfolding! And this is THE premier global source for news,
information and analysis of ALL things consequential: politics, the arts,
culture, someone’s dog… It’s a topical smorgasbord and We The People need
to be able to respond to those elements that specifically, acutely resonate
with us on an individual basis. I’m sorry, but the current system is simply
not adequately equipped to accommodate the variety of discourse your content
demands. It’s positively medieval. Where’s the functionality? The
user-friendliness? The logic? And I’m the technological illiterate?!? The
nerve! Perhaps it’s time to relocate? I fully expect you’ll register my
complaint with the geeks that be.

Aside: There are many things in this life for which each of us,
respectively, could be justifiably expected to apologize. Being “prolific”
does not qualify. I refuse your apology. So you just keep on doing what
you’re doing, loquacious though it may be. It’s the Lord’s work, darling,
and someone has to do it. I am so very proud of your blog. It’s simply
magic.

Thanks Marc!!  I’ll appeal to the Xanga Gods! Chris?

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Toxic Toothpaste

Maybe I should set up a separate blog to just write about the evils of outsourcing.  Whether it be:

• United Airlines not stepping up to the plate after the Virginia Tech massacre, because their operators in India and the Philippines had no idea that a tragedy had happened in the US that would affect travel patterns out of Virginia. (They eventually did the right thing after I got their VP or marketing on the phone and threatened to blog about it.  Not only was I able to get my friend Sabine from Virginia to California on my frequent flyer miles, but they started honoring a special rate, and opening up seats for all students affected by the tragedy.) 
• A Cingular/AT&T representative in India telling me that Americans felt “entitled” because I honestly couldn’t understand half of what he was saying, and he kept blaming it on a “bad connection”. (That doozie got me out of a 2 year Cingular contract without a penalty, which is unheard of!)
•  My recent post about the fact that even though Americans are reducing their carbon footprint to help the environment, we’re really just outsourcing our pollution to China, where cancer rates are rising exponentially due to toxins, and water in most of the country’s rivers is like sludge.  This leads to my next point:

Did you know that China is the leading producer of toothpaste in the world?  In fact, they produce more than 5 billion tubes a year.  Recently it was discovered that a major toothpaste manufacturer in China was trying to use a cheaper chemical to basically make the paste, paste.  Turns out the chemical is toxic, and though this tainted toothpaste has yet to kill anyone; it likely would if ingested. This sounds eerily similar to the recent tainted pet food disaster that killed so many dogs and cats here in America.

China, in their run-up to the Beijing Olympics, quickly closed the factory in question.  The fact remains however, that the more we outsource our jobs and the manufacturing of our goods to other nations that pay substandard wages and pollute the environment, the more things like this are going to happen.  America needs to wake up and figure out what to do, or as Gore Vidal once said, America will be <sic> Asia’s farmland.

Thoughts?

We were going to see Pirates of the Caribbean but when we got there, the lines (for each showing) were literally thousands of people long.  And starting at midnight, every single one of the 21 screens in the theater, was showing the movie.  It was like Halloween with people dressed as pirates and wenches everywhere.  I never knew that movie had such a cult following.  Anyway, the Spectrum is pretty at night, so I snapped a few photos. 

Honor Killings

Why don’t seemingly intelligent people realize how ridiculously damaging organized religion is?  Think about all of the wars that have been waged simply because different groups of human beings believe in different ideas of “God” or a “Creator” or Supreme Being.  No one has any proof that such a being exists, yet they are willing to kill millions to protect their antiquated beliefs.  It makes Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God” that much more thought provoking.

An Iraqi woman is stoned to death for being seen with a boy of a different religion.

True or False??

TRUE – Apple is suing the makers of the IGasm.

FALSE – Apple is about to release the iBreast, because women are always complaining that men are looking at their breasts, and not listening to them.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070523075919598

Song of the day

Thanks to all of the Leona Lewis fans who have visited my site as a result of the posting at www.leonalewisfansite.co.uk.  Feel free to look around.  You guys are a big bunch, I’ve had hundreds of hits from the UK this week. For other Leona posts I’ve written click here and here.  If you like what you see, please leave a comment or send a message. –Carey

That said, I rant enough on this blog, but if you want to know why the President of the United States of America should be tried for war crimes, check out some of my more political entries.

So after 5 months, we can have our lives back again, not held captive by the spell of Sanjaya.  The finals started at 5:00 here (8:00 on the east coast), so we walked the mile and a half from my house to the Kodak Theater (because parking was a nightmare).  Once again, I sneaked on to the red carpet with my phony press pass (that didn’t even say American Idol, LOL).  I had a much better position than last year, and got some great photos.  A few observations about the red carpet:

• All of the D list celebrities arrive 2 hours before the show and “mingle” on the carpet as much as possible.
• Publicists are really funny.  They walk ahead of the “stars” on the red carpet to announce who their clients are.  “Diana Degarmo, Season 3 runner up”, “David Hasselhoff, still judging “America’s Got Talent”, despite his public drunkenness.”  By the way, Diana Degarmo looks like a $2 whore these days!  Plus you could see hair on the crook of her back. Disgusting!

• The paparazzi can be VICIOUS!  One minute they’re yelling at Jerry Springer to pose like a super model, but as soon as one of them spies a bigger celebrity, the cameras all turn, and poor Jerry Springer is left standing there like a lost Springer Spaniel!
• They can also be downright mean.  When Paula Abdul wouldn’t do a spin for one of the photographers, he asked her if she was too drunk!  If looks could kill, that photographer would be dead (though she probably was drunk.)  LOL
• Men look ridiculous in bright sunlight with foundation and mascara and rouge on their faces.  Especially if they haven’t just shaved!
• Try to stand behind someone short when taking red carpet photos.
• Stand behind the photographers that the “stars” know.  I was lucky enough to be standing behind the Official American Idol photographers.  The ones who take the kids’ photos every single week, and throughout the year on tour.  Every former Idol contestant knows these guys by name, and consider them friends.  That’s how I got such good closeups.
• It’s amazing how fast these kids learn how to work the system.  The way they parade down the red carpet and turn for the cameras is kind of disgusting.  You can certainly tell the humbled ones from the affected ones!

Anyway, here are some of the better photos I took.  Remember, I didn’t have a fancy paparazzi camera.  All of these were taken with my trusty little Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. 

The famous Kodak Theater at Hollywood & Highland.  Also home of the Oscars. 

Jordin looked absolutely beautiful.  I haven’t really been a fan of hers this year, though I admit she’s got an good voice.  She just always seemed phony to me.  A bit too manufactured, like she was being groomed for this her whole life.  What I saw tonight however, was the opposite.  She was completely overwhelmed by all of it.  Thousands of people screaming her name, flashbulbs popping, people yelling commands at her.  We forget she’s only 17.  She is very poised though for her age, and tonight on the red carpet she did emote star quality.  She reminded me a little of Leona Lewis, who I met on the red carpet (see below).  Watching Leona win Great Britain’s X-Factor, still gives me chills.  She’s incredibly humble and deserves every accolade.  Take a look at her win (and Simon’s reaction LOL).  I think it’s cool how they show her first CD being cut right after she wins.  The Brits always know how to do it right…that’s why all the best musicians come from there!  The sheer size of America though is in its favor I guess that’s why everyone wants to come here. Over 70 million votes were cast for the American Idol finale.  That’s just crazy.  Leona was supposed to sing at the AI finals but she’s recovering from tonsilitis.  Anyway, enjoy Leona’s win, then click below for Jordin’s.

Jordin flanked by Badgley & Mischka .  The dress is perfect for her figure.  She is actually a plus sized model as well.

Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives and her daughter.

Blake was running late, and rushed past us all.

Across from the Kodak Theater.

Lakisha’s Bazongas!

Ruben Studdard, Season 2 winner against Clay Aiken.

Taylor Hicks, last year’s winner against Katherine McPhee.

The “dawg”, Randy Jackson, LOL

See what I mean about the makeup, Simon Cowell??

This was the highlight of the night for me.  Leona Lewis is someone I’ve written several posts about.  (Check out Simon’s girlfriend Terri  Seymour behind her….notice anything odd??  LOL).  Leona was the winner of “The X Factor” in England (see above).  They compare her voice to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera all rolled into one.  She’s incredibly humble and sweet.  Tonight, no one on the red carpet knew who she was (bloody uninformed ethnocentric Americans!  LOL, yes I am American ).  I was the only person who recognized her and when I yelled her name, she seemed genuinely surprised.  I said to her, “You’re so beautiful”, and she thanked me and then posed for this picture.  Here’s her cover of “A Moment Like This”  Check it out. 

Mr. Cowell is ready for his closeup.

Randy Jackson, Simon’s girlfriend Terri Seymore, Leona Lewis and Simon Cowell.  Hmmmmm…..I wonder what Simon saw in Leona when he took her “under his wing” on The X Factor??? 

OK, brace yourselves for this disturbing revelation.  The person who got more cheers and screams than anyone all night was Sanjaya.  I was the only person who even got a picture of him, albeit a bad one.  He had four bodyguards, and was whisked by us so fast, you would have thought he was the president of the United States.  All of the paparazzi around me were swearing because Sanjaya went by so quickly they couldn’t get his picture.  One guy told me that a good picture of Sanjaya can earn up to $10,000 dollars!!??  I don’t know if he was pulling my leg or not, but that’s what he said.  CRAZY.  (For video of Sanjaya at a drag show in Seattle last week, click “Next 5″ at the bottom of my page and keep reading.)

Paula, without her girdle apparently!

A closeup of Paula’s nose, that she supposedly broke this weekend while tripping over her chihuahua!

Jerry Jerry Jerry Jerry

Make way for the Diva!

The incomparable Jennifer Hudson.

Carrie Underwood Season 4 winner.

She’s gorgeous, but I liked her dress better last year.

I like big butts and I cannot lie.  Whoa Mandisa!

Zak Efron

David Hasselhoff and his daughter who recently filmed him drunk off his ass!

The cut out a square of the red carpet so they didn’t cover Ryan Seacrest’s star!

Ace Young, season 4 finalist, who co-wrote “I’m Going Home” with Chris Daughtry and is now damn rich.

Me on the red carpet

Another gorgeous day in Hollywood!

And here are the best of the rest.   If the slideshow below doesn’t work, Click Here:

And the winner is:This is AMAZINGLY good television!  Make sure you watch at about 5 minutes when they almost start fist fighting!  LOL  Truly the Battle of the Century! Like her or hate her, you’re gonna have to miss her! 

Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck at each other’s throat on The View.

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Saw the Wiener Mobile on the walk home.

For some reason I get hundreds of Google search hits each month from people looking for “whale dicks” and “5 foot dicks”.  While I can’t explain the fascination with mammal members; the reason these whale watchers end up here, is because of a news article referenced in a blog posting about pollution in China that I wrote in 2007.  In fact, this entry is the #1 Google hit for “whale dicks”.  The original article detailed a rotting whale carcass that exploded in downtown Taipei, due to a buildup of methane gas.  It also mentioned the size of the whale’s penis (5 feet), which I suppose could arouse some curiosity.  My post can still be found at the bottom of this page if you’re interested.  However, I’ve decided to update this space with more current content from time to time.  Sorry to disappoint!   For more of my blog, click here.

What a week!  After arriving from Africa, Darlene & Jay left California on Monday and Rob arrived on Tuesday.  It was a whirlwind week, and he made me realize I’m not as young as I used to be.  I think I slept a total of  six hours all week!  We had a great time though, as these photos will attest.  It was exciting to have him here on Wednesday when the California Supreme Court finally ruled that Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, was unconstitutional.  My feelings on this are well documented.  It was nice to be able to attend the rally in West Hollywood with Rob and celebrate this small victory on the road to equality.  For those of you who don’t agree, please watch this:  :) 

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
How to Ruin Same-Sex Marriages
www.colbertnation.com

For more of my photos from Wednesday’s Prop 8 Rally in West Hollywood, click here.  For last year’s star studded rally (where Chazz met President Obama), click here.

The fabled sign will never be the same!

Psychedelic Rob!

Hooray for Hollywood!

At the historic rally, listening to Ted Olson, David Boies and Chazz’s buddy, Dustin Lance Black

We even managed to meet Thai Elvis at The Palms!

Our friend August’s back yard in Perris was stunning!

Apparently guns are allowed in Perris! :)

August making a ninja catch!

Trying not to laugh or move!

At The Abbey with Ryan & Claudio

Time to go home!

Snuggling with Chazz!

Here’s to good times at The Hotel Careyfornia!

Click here for the best of the rest…

The week was topped off last night with a performance of “Rent” at the famed Hollywood Bowl.  Directed by Neil Patrick Harris, who originated the role of Mark in L.A. in 1997, and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger, Wayne Brady, Tracie Thoms, Gwen Stewart and other Rent veterans, the show was a dazzling, sumptuous feast, set amongst the tranquil Hollywood Hills. Even though this was my 16th viewing (in 7 countries and 5 languages), it never gets old. “There’s only now, there’s only here. Give in to love, or live in fear. No other path, no other way. No day but today.“

The underlying themes in Rent” have resonated with me for nearly 15 years.  When I first saw the play in 1996 in New York City it spoke to me like nothing I had ever seen.  The story is an old one, 159 years old to be exact.  1851 was the year that Henri Murger published the book Scènes de la Vie de Bohème a story about his friends; so called “Bohemians” or “starving artists” living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the mid 1800′s.  His friends had the same names as the central characters in “Rent” (with American updates; Rodolpho became Roger, Marcel became Mark, etc.).  50 years after the book was published, Puccini turned it into the famous opera La Boheme, which in turn, 100 years later became the musical “Rent“.  The central themes of all three were the same, though the times, plagues and vices were different.  Wikipedia presents this chart:

Character in La bohème	Character in Rent
Mimi, a seamstress with TB	Mimi Marquez, an S&M dancer with AIDS
Rodolfo, a poet with TB	Roger Davis, a musician with AIDS
Marcello, a painter	Mark Cohen, a filmmaker
Musetta, a singer with TB	Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist
Schaunard, a musician with TB	Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay cross-dressing drummer with AIDS
Colline, a philosopher with TB	Tom Collins, a gay computer whiz and Anarchist philosopher with AIDS
Alcindoro, a state councillor	Joanne Jefferson, a lesbian lawyer
Benoit, a landlord	Benjamin ‘Benny’ Coffin III, also a landlord

No matter how hard the characters try to fight it, they all come to the realization that love is the strongest force we know.  Stronger than heroin, AIDS or even death.  Be it the “starving artists” in the Latin Quarter of 19th Century Paris, the American Bohemians like Jack Kerouac in the 50′s or the drug addled, AIDS victims in Jonathan Larson’s masterpiece “Rent”; they all knew this “fact”, and they lived their lives accordingly.  Even in this age of social networking and a truly wired global technosphere; it’s good to be reminded that we are all connected by the powerful force of love, and that a broken heart universally hurts.  “We don’t own emotion, we rent.”  How ironic, that Jonathan Larson, the composer and playwright of “Rent”, dropped dead of an aortic aneurysm the night before the show opened on Broadway in 1996.  After all, “Rent” is about living for today, because you never know what tomorrow might bring.

Last year I had a conversation with an acquaintance I first wrote about in this post, entitled “Perceptions” three years ago (she’s also an evangelical Christian).  She told me that I would be proud of her, because she finally watched the movie, based on the musical “Rent”.  I asked her how she liked it, and she basically thought it was “disgusting”.  At first I was taken aback by her response.  I know the movie wasn’t nearly as good as the play, but it was unfathomable to me how anyone could find these ageless, central themes anything but life affirming and beautiful.  She admittedly shed tears at the sad parts, but implied that all of the tragedy and sadness of the movie was a result of the characters (“Lesbos” was one of the words she used), not seeking the “love of God”.  They were seeking love in the wrong place.  Their addictions, (heroin) and diseases, (AIDS) were their own doing.  I fail to see the Christ-like thinking in this sentiment and told her so.  Coincidentally, the initial person I referenced in the “Perceptions” post in 2007, whose family fled from tyranny, starred in the ensemble of “Rent” this past weekend at the Hollywood Bowl.  A full circle moment.

“To sodomy
It’s between God and me.
To faggots, lezzies, dykes, cross dressers too.
To me….To you….
To people living with….not dying from disease.
Let he among us without sin,
Be the first to condemn.
La Vie Boheme.
Anyone out of the mainstream.
Is anyone in the mainstream?
Anyone alive with a sex drive.
Tear down the wall.
Aren’t we all?
The opposite of war isn’t peace.
It’s creation.
La Vie Boheme.
Viva La Vie Boheme.”

Here are some photos and a video from last night:

I recently attended a rally in the Hollywood Hills, where we hiked up to the Hollywood Sign and drew attention to reducing America’s ”carbon footprint“.  After hearing this on NPR today, I wondered if America was not only outsourcing their jobs to China and India, but also exporting their pollution.  We righteously try to save the planet as individuals and countries.  China today, is like America at the beginning of the industrial revolution.  But due to population and resource demands, the pollution they generate is a much much worse.  Is it their fault, or is it ours?  I suspect a bit of both.  A communist regime certainly isn’t helping the situation, though neither is reducing our own pollution by just getting another country to do our dirty work.  Something to think about!

 

All Things Considered, May 22, 2007 · According to the World Bank, 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in China. The industrial revolution transforming the world’s most populous country is also destroying its environment. China is now the world’s second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the main gas linked to global warming, and it is set to overtake the United States in 2009, a decade earlier than previously predicted.  Read More…

And speaking of pollution.  It doesn’t get much worse than this.  I’m glad I wasn’t in Taiwan today.  Sushi anyone??

Yes, a 60 ton rotting sperm whale (with a five foot long penis) exploded when gases from internal decay caused its entrails to burst. 

The whale had died on Jan. 17 after it beached itself on the southwestern coast of the island.

Researchers at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan said enough of the whale remained to allow for an examination by marine biologists.

Once moved to a nearby nature preserve, the male specimen — the largest whale ever recorded in Taiwan — drew the attention of locals because of its large penis, measured at some five feet, the Taipei Times reported.

“More than 100 Tainan city residents, mostly men, have reportedly gone to see the corpse to ‘experience’ the size of its penis,” the newspaper reported.  Read more…

I had the following email exchange with a family member today.  I can’t believe people still propagate this kind of bullshit.  I guess with what has happened recently, they need to go on the defensive.  Ugh.

On 5/20/07, Bill wrote:

      Home invasion gone wrong for criminals. Two illegal aliens, Ralphel

      Resindez 23 and Enrico Garza 26, probably believed they would easily

      overpower a home alone 11 year old Patricia Harrington after her father

      had left their two story home. It seems the two crooks never

      learned two things, they were in Montana and Patricia had been a clay

      shooting champion since she was nine. Patricia was in her upstairs room

      when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly

      ran to her father’s room and grabbed his 12 gauge Mossberg 500

      shotgun. Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only

      to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buck shot from the

      11 year olds knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen

      and genitals. When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast

      to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to

      death before medical help could arrive.It was found out later

      that Resindez was armed with a stolen 45 caliber handgun he took from

      another home invasion robbery. The victim, 50 year old David Burien,

      was not so lucky as he died from stab wounds to the chest. Had this

      happened in CA, the ACLU would be out in force suing the 11 year old

      girl. (Not to mention the LaRaza groups claiming she was

      discriminating.) Nice Shootin’,

      Patricia!

The 10-month-old, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, was issued a firearm owner’s identification card after his father, Howard Ludwig, paid the $5 fee and filled out the application, not expecting to actually get one.

The card lists the baby’s height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be. (Watch Bubba use his gun permit as a teething ring ) 

Read More…   

Speaking of depression, does anyone want to go the Morrissey concert at the Hollywood Bowl on June 8th?  The remaining tickets are rather steep ($135), but hey it’s Morrissey…the Minstrel of Mope.  I saw him solo in the 90′s and saw him with The Smiths in the 80′s.  (God I’m old!)  So, if you want to go, grab a bouquet of flowers, and we’ll meet under the stars at the glorious Hollywood Bowl! 

Here are some photos of Roscoe on our walk today.  Hard to believe he’s still a puppy!!  And Arielle is certainly growing up too (though not quite as fast as Roscoe!)  Enjoy!

I thought these shirts were cool.  I’m sure some of you Taiwanese/Chinese guys love Stinky Tofu…if so, buy a shirt!!

Song of the day

Video of the day.  If he could sing this on Tuesday he would win. I would buy this. (Note, you really have to get past the first minute or two to hear him sing.)

Song of the day

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I’m getting old and I need something to rely on.
So, tell me when you’re gonna let me in,
I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

I had another interesting Google search end up on my site today, and it turns out that I was the #1 hit.  LOL, can anyone tell me why someone in the UK is searching for this??

You think it has something to do with my crazy titles?? 

This morning started with a call from Eric at 6:45 telling me to meet him at “Eat Well” in a half an hour…which I declined.  If I’m going to walk to breakfast at 7 in the morning on a Saturday, it’s not going to be to “Eat Well”.  LOL

I had planned to get a few things done around the house this morning (i.e. fold the 6 loads of laundry I did Wednesday! Ugh), before I met Carol for a movie.  Alas, I spent most of the morning on the computer, reading blogs and what not.

I had to meet Carol at 11 AM at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) theater on Sunset & Fairfax.  She recently returned from Morocco after making that movie with Jake Gyllenhall, Reese Witherspoon (they are so not together…it’s all publicity) and Meryl Streep.  It’s called “Rendition“.  I posted some photos a few weeks ago.  Anyway, she gets 2 tickets to weekly movie screenings at the SAG Theater.  It’s a gorgeous theater that is only available to Actor’s Guild members.  I had only been there once to watch Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God” performance, but never to see a movie.

Unfortunately, the movie we saw was Spiderman.  My mother taught me that if you don’t have anything nice to say about something, don’t say it at all.  Let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t have to pay for it.  I will tell you however, that the best thing about the movie was the opening credits which were really quite cool.  For more information about the movie, please see Chris’s excellent review.  Suffice it to say, when Peter Parker went emo and started dancing around New York he made Jerry Springer look like John Travolta.

After the (long) movie, we walked to a place by my house for lunch, and then, to work off our lunch, we walked to Pinkberry.    Then, to work off Pinkberry we walked home.  LOL  Incidentally, Pinkberry has been in the news of late.  Some people are claiming there’s a reason it’s addictive (i.e. Crackberry):

This is a very controversial yogurt place in West Hollywood. I kept this place in mind after reading Paris Hilton’s magazine interview a few weeks back where she said this was her favorite place to go. Apparently, a lot of celebrities go there. Why controversial? It’s because nobody really knows the secret ingredients which are highly addictive, while some allegedly suspect them to have been mixed with some type of illegal substance. I found that very interesting, so I ordered their famous yogurt ice cream with three kinds of fresh berries.  Read More…

Pinkberry even makes mention of the allegations on their website.  Too bad for me…I was there twice today, but more about that in a second.  Here are some photos from our walks this afternoon.

Believe it or not, Carol was my college professor 22 years ago!!  I used to babysit her kids and she was my Finance professor.  Best professor I ever had.

Carol was a Pinkberry virgin.  They don’t allow any photos in the place…it’s easier to get away with it during the day though.  Hmmm….maybe they don’t want us to see the crack den??

Famina always has interesting sodas….like Leninade.  (If it’s in the tomb, you must exhume!)

I love these things…just pop in the microwave and go.

Spring has sprung!

Santa Monica Blvd. and Olive Dr.

This is the billboard at the bottom of my street.

So, after my 8 oz. Pinkberry with mango, blueberries and kiwi, we walked home, Carol left, and I started downloading the pictures you see above.  30 minutes later, I get a text message from Lisa, asking me what the name of that frozen yogurt place was.  I texted her back and told her Pinkberry, and said that I had coincidentally just came from there.  Since Lisa lives 60 miles south of me, I wondered why she was asking.  She texted back and said that they were thinking of going there.  So I picked up the phone and called to find out where she was.  Turns out she was at The Stinking Rose in Beverly Hills!

I had forgotten that this was the day her husband had planned on surprising her with a limousine ride up to her favorite restaurant and then to go see “Wicked” afterwards.  Lisa’s husband Joel was adorable, in that he called me several weeks ago to tell me he wanted to plan the “perfect date” for his wife.  Since his idea of perfect wasn’t exactly mine, I tried to give him a few pointers.  Suffice it to say, she was surprised.

When I got her on the phone, she said that they were going to swing by in the limo to pick me up and go to Pinkberry!  LOL.  I couldn’t believe it…I still had the taste of that stuff in my mouth, and here I was going back, this time in a limousine.  So, here are the pictures.  When we pulled up to the place, a bunch of people thought we were celebrities (until they saw my silly outfit), and started taking pictures of us with their cell phones.  Hilarious.

Hop in Carey!

Nice legs!

Nice shoes Joel!

My face looks so fat…that’s what I get for going to Pinkberry twice in one hour!  LOL  j/k I didn’t even have a bite the second time!

No paparazzi, please!

See the “no photography” sign?  I’m such a rebel.  The doorman (yes, they have a doorman, LOL) was looking at me like, “weren’t you just here??” 

Some emo kids…looking tough and cute.

And now on to the Pantages Theater and the wonderful production of Wicked!

And finally last, but certainly not least:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEATE! 

I was going to look for a more scandalous picture…but she sent this one…so she’s very lucky I’m going out tonight!

Mike drove up from San Diego today and we had lunch together.  I was reminded how humbling it is to walk down the street with that bitch.  We haven’t seen each since he helped me spend half of my $500 gift certificate at AOC, which was after he convinced me to buy two houses in f**king Oklahoma City! (Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain…what was I thinking!?)  I still love ya Mikey, YVQ!!!  Anyway, the guy who plays Lloyd (who is hilarious BTW), Ari’s flaming assistant on HBO’s Entourage was there, so Mike, starfuc*er that he is, had to have a picture with Lloyd (Rex Lee) to put in his scrapbook.  LOL.  I think Rex was a bit more excited than Mike. 

Don’t they make a cute couple? 

A few other pics from lunch:

This was a pissed off Woody Harrelson in his Jaguar.  He gave us a dirty look for taking the picture, but I took it even before we knew it was him, because he was completely vertical on Santa Monica Blvd. instead of horizontal (like all the other cars)!  I guess he really is a pot head!

and finally….

Apparently Mike thought he was trying out for America’s Next Top Model, in front of my house.

What the neighbors must have thought.  Ugh! 

Now for something completely different and less provocative…a few days ago, I posted about the avocado tree in front of my home office window, which had to be cut down because it was diseased:

Well, this morning they delivered our new tree.  It’s a beautiful new Ginkgo, about 15 feet in height.  They apparently grow fairly quickly, and look like this when they’re mature:

The name “Ginkgo” was a phonetic note for its (older) Chinese name “银果” ( pinyin: yínguo) meaning “silver fruit”. The most well known names today are either “白果” ( pinyin: bái guǒ) as “white fruit” or “銀杏” (銀杏, pinyin: yínxìng) as “silver apricot“.

I also found this fascinating little tidbit in Wikipedia:

Extreme examples of the Ginkgo’s tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where four trees growing between 1–2 km from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living things in the area to survive the blast (photos & details). While almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were destroyed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were healthy. The trees are alive to this day. Ginkgo nuts are used in congee, and are often served at special occasions such as weddings and the Chinese New Year (as part of the vegetarian dish called Buddha’s delight). In Chinese culture, they are believed to have health benefits; some also consider them to have aphrodisiac qualities.  WOO HOO!

Here are some photos I took this morning at 7 AM of them delivering “my” new tree. 

They’re coming tomorrow to plant it!

My cousin Dave has Cystic Fibrosis.  He’s already lived with it far longer than most people ever do:

There is no cure for CF, and most individuals with cystic fibrosis die young — many in their 20s and 30s from lung failure although with many new treatments being introduced the life expectancy of a person with CF is increasing. Ultimately, lung transplantation is often necessary as CF worsens.

Dave is now in his 50′s and on kidney dialysis and oxygen.  Yet he still attends every one of our family functions and most of our weekly dinners.  I’ve never heard him complain once.

Last weekend the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, held a “Great Strides” walk to raise money to find a cure.  If you would like to contribute to my cousin’s fund, you can do so by CLICKING HERE.  All money will go towards resarch and care.  Here are some photos from last weeks fundraiser.

One last Idol mention as we here in Hollywood, prepare for the finale. (I went by the Kodak Theater tonight, and they’re already putting up barriers and starting to lay the red carpet.)

Could American Idol be rigged?  The notion is ridiculous to fans, but a boon for cynics; a contestant shuttled in by American Idol’s biggest sponsor, Coke, innocently recognized for her famous heritage (a football star’s daughter), and now the reveal that she actually met the American Idol judges in advance of the competition.  Suspicious bloggers are putting Jordin Sparks under the same microscope Tom Lowe was examined with when it was revealed he was a backup singer that frequented Simon Cowell’s record label.  There is no doubt that Jordin is phenomenally talented, but was her spot in the competition earned by nefarious means?  Read More…

Song of the day

The Hollywood Bowl

I went down to Laguna today for our weekly family dinner.  As always, little Andy was the center of attention.  Tommy could barely take his eyes off of his Gameboy to smile for a few pictures.  Aren’t they cute??  (They take after me!  LOL)

It seems like every week I’m saying, “Now I’ve seen everything” when it comes to dogs and dog lovers (like me).  First their was the Doggie Treadmill, then the Doggie Cell Phone, and now, no kidding, Doggie Yoga.

In [sic] one class, the humans do traditional yoga poses — yes, including “downward facing dog” — while staying in contact physically with their pets.

Part of the class includes gentle stretching and dog massage, another specialty of Bryan’s, but most of the time the humans gently use the dogs like yoga props.

In downward facing dog, for example, the humans rest their heads on their companions, who are relaxing — napping? — on the mat.  Read More…

I just sent a comment to the FCC about something really important: it’s called Net Neutrality. That’s the idea that we should be able to reach any websites, content, and services we want, without interference from the companies that provide our Internet access.

For a long time, there were Net Neutrality rules in place at the FCC. But last summer those rules expired, and now major telecom companies are lobbying to stop their renewal. These companies want to create a “two-lane” information highway, where their own content (and that of businesses that pay steep fees) would reach people quickly via a “fast lane,” and other content (like blogs and nonprofit or small business websites) would be stuck in a “slow lane.”

Before the FCC decides whether or not to renew Net Neutrality rules, it has to take public comments — but the comment period closes on June 15th! Can you take a moment to join me in speaking up?

Urge the FCC to protect the freedom of the Internet at http://www.commoncause.org/InternetFreedom.

Some of America’s wealthiest corporations are investing millions of dollars in their efforts to block Net Neutrality. People like you and I need to take this chance to tell the FCC that the Internet must be a democratic, open medium. That’s what it was always meant to be.

If the telecom companies get their way, it could spell the end of free expression and innovation on the Internet.