A lot of people don’t think Los Angeles has “spring”. Quite to the contrary! Though we never have “winter” per se and it’s pretty much gorgeous year round, spring does bring a burst of color. I took all of these photos on the street where I live this afternoon.
I’m not good with flower names (I bet Judi knows) But these are in my building’s front yard
Looking north to Sunset Boulevard. That’s the front door to my condo building on the right and the Mondrian Hotel is the white building on the left on Sunset.
You can’t really tell in this photo, but the canopy over the front door has a hole in it for this tree. The base of the tree is on the porch. We have to redo the bricks every few years as the trees roots grow.
Looking south. That’s Santa Monica Boulevard at the bottom of my street.
I’ve decided I need to start exercising more because I’ve gained a lot of weight this year, and the older I get the harder it will be to take off. Since I hate working out, I’ve decided to try to take Roscoe for long walks a few days a week. Roscoe is Ann & Jorge’s new Rottweiller “puppy” that they got after “Beast” died. Incidentally the first entry I ever made in the blog was about “Beast” and what a good dog he was. Roscoe is not even 6 months old, and he is stronger than almost any dog I’ve ever known. Trust me, walking him is a total workout. On our walk today we met Jason & Trey. Trey was a Great Dane with an amazing bloodline (read, European royalty). He was only 4 months old, and he was HUGE. His father stood over SEVEN feet tall when he stood up. Trey and Roscoe fell in love at first sight. (This is West Hollywood after all!) Seriously though, these dogs LOVED each other, and they were so cute playing together. It’s a pity we weren’t at a dog park, but hopefully we can make a “play date” soon after Roscoe gets his Parvo titers next week. Jason snapped this photo with his cell phone while the dogs stopped moving for one second:
Look at Trey’s paws!!! He’s only 4 months old, and his feet are bigger than mine!!! This dog is going to be a giant.
Hairspray
It’s not a very well kept secret here in Hollywood that John Travolta is gay. But now that he’s playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (the role made famous by Divine and later Harvey Fierstein on Broadway), is there any doubt? LOL
Divine Travolta
Sorry John…………………………………you’re no Harvey!!
Funny story: Many years ago before I lived in LA, I was visiting a friend here, who incidentally lived a block from where I live now. There’s a grocery store on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. & Kings Road called Gelson’s. I walked there to buy some sushi. As I walked back to my friend’s house, I was almost hit by a car that was coming out of the grocery store parking lot. The car literally had to screech to a stop to avoid me. It was a black Mercedes with tinted windows, and I gave a dirty look to the driver and walked on. After I had walked about 5 yards, I heard an automatic window roll down and a voice so unmistakeable, I can still here it now. He simply said, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!“ I didn’t even have to turn around. It was Harvey Fierstein (see above, with thumb up)! If you’ve never heard Harvey Fierstein’s voice, listen to the song I’ve posted above. About 2 minutes and 10 seconds into it, you will hear the same voice that almost killed me that day. Enjoy!
(Note to self: Some day you should tell the story of how Christina Aguilera slept in your bed! So many stories…so little sleep!)
I got an invitation to Vonda & Nate’s wedding today. The invitation was completely biodegradable, and could actually be planted to grow wildflowers! I thought that was pretty cool.
These days though, it’s not only wedding invitations that are biodegradable. Now you can literally plant your cell phone when you’re done with it, and sunflower will grow! I kid you not.
Farewell Melinda – You were the best of the bunch. Now I’m rooting for Blake
I took a night off blogging last night, so I have a lot to talk about today. I usually don’t post this many videos, but I think you will find them all interesting to say the least. I might start blogging every other day, not sure.
I finally uploaded this video I shot of Tyson at the “Kickin’ it Old Skool” Red Carpet Party two weeks ago. He was nice enough to invite me, as well as Christine, Jamie & Tammy. They had just arrived that morning from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and that afternoon we went to the American Idol Gives Back concert at the Disney Concert Hall downtown. It was quite an introduction to Hollywood. I think they assumed that all my nights in here were like that! (Shhhhh…let’s not tell them the truth.)
Screw MIT!!
I may have posted this one before, but he’s just so cute!
It’s down to the wire. I’m making plans to go to the finale next week. Incidentally if anyone wants to go to the “American Idol Tonight” show tomorrow, I have 2 tickets, first come first served. These are NOT tickets to American Idol. They’re tickets to another show called “American Idol Tonight” that’s hosted by Kimberly Caldwell and Justin Guarini. It’s pretty “D List” if you ask me, but if you’re a fan of either of these two former contestants, I have the tickets.
Are you wondering why we haven’t heard from Sanjaya lately? It’s because the poor thing has been doing drag shows in Seattle. I kid you not. This is almost painful to look at. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:
“Sanjina”
Bad huh? They might as well have kicked him out of the closet. It’s hard to watch…
BUT, not NEARLY as hard to watch as this: (Warning, hide the children!!!)
I still can’t watch it without screaming.
And then there were three…
So who do you like? I’m hoping it comes down to Melinda and Blake (though I don’t think it will). Although Jordin is a good singer and quite marketable, she’s a bit too polished for me. She’s only 17 and it feels like she’s been being groomed for this all her life. She’s already a plus sized model used to being in the public eye. She just seems a little plastic to me. I’m sure she’ll be a star no matter what. A lot of people like her. Melinda, who I didn’t like much in the beginning, has really grown on me. She comes across as a person of honesty and integrity. But has anyone else besides Ryan and me, noticed her resemblance to ‘Ouzzie of The Jeffersons?
Separated at birth?
Farewell Falwell – See you in Hell
Jerry Falwell was known for his commitment to right-wing causes of all kinds, and in particular, his hostility to civil rights, feminists and gays. Remember when he said the purple Teletubby Tinky-Winky was gay? Or when he blamed 9/11 on feminists, gays pagans, and the ACLU? Ah yes.
I tried to reach Tinky Winky the purple Teletubby before this blog posting went to press, but was told by his representatives that he was out celebrating at the local leather bar.
Though I offer Falwell’s family condolences, I’m glad he won’t be spewing his hate laden rhetoric any more.
Is Smoking a Civil Liberty?
If you saw (if not you should), the movie “Thank Your For Smoking” you know how downright criminal the tobacco industry is. If you read the New York Times article about tobacco companies actually increasing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to make people more addicted; then you know how desperate they are.
Drinking is not a crime. But if you drink and drive and end up hurting or killing someone you go to jail. Being overweight is not a crime. You won’t end up hurting or killing someone if you’re overweight, except yourself. Smoking is not a crime. Yet every smoker who smokes in public runs the risk of hurting or killing someone through secondhand smoke. Do I sound alarmist? Of course I do. I’m really pissed off though. The past 3 weekends, I’ve had houseguests staying with me who smoked. Granted they were all extremely courteous about their habit. They only smoked on my patio. They never smoked around me. We even joked about them exhaling extremely deeply before they came back in the house.
My mother has always smoked. She smoked in our house the whole time I lived there, despite me being very asthmatic. The older I’ve gotten, the more allergic I have become to smoke and the more I’ve resented smokers. If I even get a whiff of it in a hallway or elevator,I feel my lungs begin to tighten. That’s how bad it is. Perhaps some of it’s in my head, but who cares? I have a physical reaction to smoke.
I understand that tobacco is one of the hardest addictions to curb. I understand that tobacco lobbyists are still huge political contributors. I understand that most smokers want to quit. But the more I have to walk past a building where people are huddled around smoking, the more I begin to hate smokers. I shouldn’t hate smokers, I should hate smoking. I know that. But I’m beginning to hate smokers, and that’s really scary and sad and I have to stop. It’s going to be something I have to deal with, because I know, like any addiction, people won’t quit until they want to, and I don’t want to hate every smoker I know.
So what is there to do? Since you’re not allowed to smoke inside any public places, including bars and clubs in California, people have to smoke outside. This means I am not able to eat outside anywhere. It means I can’t enjoy the beautiful California sunshine when I go to a park. When we went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, I told my friends that it was all non-smoking, and you should have seen the look of horror on their faces! Unfortunately I learned that there are a few smoking areas in Disneyland, and you’re allowed to smoke outside in Downtown Disney, which almost ruins the entire experience for me.
So, what to do? I guess I’m lucky I don’t live overseas. Although, now that Italy and even Ireland, as well as other notoriously smoke filled countries have gone the way of the U.S., the tide is slowly turning. Whenever I go overseas, I literally take 3 inhalers with me. That’s how bad it is.
If you were a smoker, smoking in a public place, and I walked past you fanning my hand in front of my face with a disgusted look; would you be angry at me? Offended? Would you think I was an asshole? What about if we were both at a restaurant sitting outside where smoking was allowed. How would you react if I came over to your table and politely told you that the wind was blowing your smoke towards me and that I’m allergic to smoke and it was really bothering me? Would you be angry? Offended? Would you think I was an asshole?
One of my best friend’s an I got into an argument recently when the above situation happened (though the big difference was that it was an outdoor restaurant that did not allow smoking). Instead of me going over to the table and asking them to quit, he wanted to do it. He thought it would be better coming from him, as he was a smoker. I think he also feared I would be a bit nasty about it. By the way, this particular restaurant in Disneyland did NOT allow smoking outside, so they were already breaking the rules, not to mention inconveniencing me. After my friend asked them to stop, they did. But they continued to give me dirty looks until they left. The crux of our argument was why, if I wanted to ask the girls across from us to stop smoking, why didn’t I go to the bar, and ask the people there to stop smoking? My answer was because I couldn’t smell that smoke, it wasn’t affecting me. If I did smell it, I would have had the same reaction. We argued about this for a while and never came to an agreement, which is OK. Friends don’t always have to agree.
Now, if I was an “activist” I probably would have gone to the bar and asked people to stop smoking because it wasn’t allowed (even at the outside bar of this restaurant). I’m not really an activist though. I think they are an important part of any divisive issue, but I would rather confront me “enemy” when they are directly impacting my rights. In this case my right to breathe clean air outside.
I’m writing about this because I’m literally at my wit’s end. It’s getting to the point where I hate going out to public places that allow smoking. Here in LA, all of the malls are outdoors. On a Saturday afternoon it’s like being in a wildfire in the Hollywood Hills! So, back the the original question. As defined by Wikipedia:
Civil liberties is the name given to freedoms that completely protect the individual from government. Civil liberties set limits for government so that it can not abuse its power and interfere with the lives of its citizens. See also civil rights and human rights.
So, is smoking a civil liberty? Please weigh in. I’m going to go get my inhaler.
Why are all of my favorite bands selling out to big corporations for advertising? I guess that’s a rhetorical question.
They’ve ruined some of my favorite songs. Comments?
Bush Gets Owned by CNN!
Don’t you love it! LOL
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “I was going to have Mom come out [to New York] for Mother’s Day. I thought it would be great fun. But she doesn’t have enough Greyhound miles.” — David Letterman
“I think we’re dying. We made brownies and I think we’re dead, I really do.”
A Michigan policeman who took home seized marijuana and baked pot brownies with his wife WON’T be charged, despite confessing in hilarious 911 call (click the green arrow below).
From the story: “I think we’re dying,” he said, fearing a marijuana overdose. “We made brownies and I think we’re dead, I really do.”
I think we’re dying
Cuba, come here….She’s on the living ground right now
Time is going by really, really, really, really slow
Please send rescue!
How big was the pan?
She’s kneeling down in front of me
My wife takes vicodin though…like 6 a day
Are you coming????
Are there any animals in the house?…I’ll put them away for you
Are there any weapons in the house?…You already asked me that
Come on….Ginger
What’s the score of the Redwings game?
What’s the score say? I want to make sure I’m not hallucinating
My mother-in-law just got here too
Stephen Colbert vs. Rain (Bi) – You Decide!
From Seth Meyers:
In what has to be the worst Katrina related relocation ever…..a 75 year old black woman skies to the North Pole! LOL
By Meghan Barr Associated Press Published May 7, 2007
NEW YORK — The bone-numbing trek to the North Pole is riddled with enough perils to make a seasoned explorer quake: Frostbite threatens, polar bears lurk and the ice is constantly shifting beneath frozen feet.
But Barbara Hillary took it all in stride, completing the trek to the world’s northernmost point last month at age 75. She is one of the oldest people to reach the North Pole and is believed to be the first black woman on record to accomplish the feat. Read More…
Simon Cowell’s Protege & The Weird Side of Google
While writing the post below (about kinky searches), I revisited an entry I’d written in February after Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar. That moment was really amazing, and to think that 2 years before, she was waiting tables. Crazy. Likewise, Leona Lewis, the winner of “The X Factor” in England is being touted as the next Mariah Carey. The show is the same “rags to riches” story as American Idol, but this program, (which succeeded the original Pop Idol, and will likely succeed American Idol) is different, in that the judges, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osborne and Louis Walsh each take some of the contestants under their wing. In this hilarious clip Simon gets told off by an 85 year old grandmother. The “Jaws” music is great! LOL
I love Leona’s version of “A Moment Like This”. Unfortunately, I still have to learn how to place anchors in HTML and I didn’t want to put this player on this page, because there’s no way to turn off “auto play” and it annoys me. So if you want to hear it, you’ll have to click below, and scroll down, and then click on the song title. The video gives me goose bumps, but I’m a dork.
The Dark Side of Google
It’s fun having the ability to know what Google searches bring people to your site, but sometimes the searches are downright creepy!! I guess I’m perpetuating it though by pointing them out and letting the search engines find them again. Oh well, such is the Internet. Here’s a recent sampling of what people searched for to end up at my blog(with explanations).
We did run into Paulie Shore at that red carpet premiere the other night, maybe I tagged one of the photos inappropriately. Interesting search though. Maybe it was Paulie himself??
We did go to the bar on the roof of The Standard Hotel downtown, and my friend Mica is Romanian. Are there a lot of Romanian houses with rooftop bars Mica? I guess not, if they have to search for them!
I have a couple of videos of X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. It appears that X rated is embedded in the videos along with X-Factor. Somebody was being naughty!
I did have a post about a woman in London who cut off her husband’s penis in a pizza restaurant, with the joke, don’t have the pepperoni. But this guy was searching for “pepperoni penis”. Coincidence?
Speaking of Dark Google, check this out. There’s some environmental group that claims that if Google switched to a black background they would save 750 Megawatt hours a year (whatever that means), so they’ve formed “Blackle“. This may be taking things a bit far.
I went to the famous Ford Theater tonight to see a show with Raul. I had no idea what this show was about before we went. All I knew was that it was being performed by a “cultural comedian” or “histo-tainer” named Charles Phoenix:
“Celebrate the 1950s, 60s and 70s theme parks, tourist traps, car culture, space age style, parties and more with Charles – all in glorious color, and all accompanied by his discerning, gleeful, and often hilarious commentary.”
Basically what the show was comprised of was a 2 1/2 “retro slide show” of some of the most hilarious old slides that everyone in my generation grew up with (God I sound so old!). The slides were from all over the U.S. but mainly from Los Angeles; all accompanied by the wittiest, most acerbic and hilarious commentary I’ve ever heard. No slideshow I saw as a kid was ever like this. I was constantly laughing out loud. It was really enjoyable.
Here are some sample slides. He points out the funniest things about them, that you would never think of. You can sign up for the “Slide of the Week” on his website and if you’re really interested in this kind of kitsch, you can check out his book.
And here are a few photos I took. Nothing great, no tripod or flash, but you get the idea.
The Ford Theater, on the other side of the Hollywood Bowl.
Self Portrait, LOL
Larry Mantle’s wife took this.
Here you get an idea of the stage and the crazy slides and his outfit
Blurry, but OK for resting the camera on my knee
This is Larry Mantle, host of Airtalk on KPCC. I listen to him every Thursday when I drive to Laguna. He’s the longest running talk show host in Los Angeles history. He and his wife sat next to us, and were really nice.
Charles Phoenix, crazy outfit and all, signing his book.
For those of you interested in the history of this sometimes overlooked American City, the Los Angeles Times in conjunction with UCLA have put together a fascinating website.
UCLA’s Department of Special Collections owns about three million news photos from the original Los Angeles Daily News and the L.A. Times, covering more than seventy years. Now some 5,700 of the images have been selected by researchers and put online at a searchable, browsable new website.
Mickey Rooney watching Judy Garland put handprint in cement at Grauman’sTheatre during “Babes in Arms” film premiere, 1939
I work from home (when I’m not traveling) and this is the view outside my office window:
To give you some perspective, the white building to the right of the palm tree in the third picture is the Mondrian Hotel, home of the Sky Bar. It’s next to the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd, which are both a half a block from my house.
What you can’t see in this picture unfortunately is the huge avocado tree that used to be in my front yard just beyond this foliage. The reason you can’t see it is because it was cut down last month Even though I’m not a fan of avocados, I loved that tree. It was big, and twisted and fun. The kind of tree you would love to climb or set up a tree house in. Sadly the tree was diseased and had to be cut down. I don’t know the specifics of tree diseases, but from what I heard, the poor guy was quite sick. I regret not having many pictures of this tree, but here’s one from last Thanksgiving with my parents. It kind of gives you an idea of what it looked like:
There used to be a squirrel who lived in that tree ever since I lived here. I know it was the same squirrel because he used to come by my office window a lot. He was very tame, and even when I had the window open, he would come by and not be bothered as I talked on the phone or typed on my keyboard. He also had a bit of a limp. Since they cut the tree down, I haven’t seen him as much, but today when I went out to lunch, guess who I saw sunning himself on my side gate?! He actually kind of scared me when I saw him, but he didn’t move. For a second I thought he might be dead, but then I noticed he was breathing. Luckily I had my camera in my pocket (I’ve started carrying my SD800 everywhere I go, as it’s so compact). Here’s my little buddy taking his afternoon siesta.
He looks a little skinnier now that he’s not on an avocado diet! LOL
Incidentally, the other thing I often see out of my window during the day is various Hollywood types walking their dogs. I snapped this picture a while back of Rachel Bilson (from The OC), walking her dog (in that outfit) at noon on a Wednesday. LOL I’m not sure where she was coming from or where she was going, but I thought it was pretty funny.
I took this picture sneaking out the curtain of my patio door, and not using a flash, but you get the idea.
As if the L.A. dog population isn’t already just a bunch of pampered assholes who crap wherever they like and expect the rest of the world to trail behind them and clean up their gilded messes with an attentive, gloved hand, the new PetsCell mobile phone promises to elevate them to another level of privileged insufferability. Soon, dog parks all over town will be filled with the abrasive chatter of cockapoos bragging to their pals out for a jog at Runyon Canyon about the shar-peis* they mounted last night at the Chateau Marmutt, coarsening an already obnoxious local canine culture.
[*As dumb as this concept is, we're still not gonna make the bitch joke. Even though we suspect that the existence of this object--even more than the Paris Hilton stuff and the wildfires-- is a sure sign the Reckoning is finally upon us.]
Three USA educational institutions were commissioned by the government to discover why the human penis is the shaped the way it is.
Colgate University allocated a budget of $500,000 for research. After 2 years they concluded that the reason the head of the penis is wider than the shaft is that it fits better, when in situ, so to speak. This would prevent leakage of semen and increase the probability of successful fertilization.
Fire Update: They should have it contained by tomorrow night. Over 817 acres have burned, many of them viewable from where I took these photos last year. Thanks to those of you who emailed me. Everything is OK. –Carey
I’ve posted this video before, but I think it’s worth watching again. It concerns why America is no longer #1, and I agree with all of it (except the Brazil & soccer parts LOL). I’m heading out for the evening, so probably won’t be posting much more today. I’ll give you guys a break from reading my rants tonight.
TIME Magazine asked who you thought should be on the list of the 100 most influential people of the year. Over 200 candidates were given a rating of 1 to 100. And your #1 choice? Let it Rain! The Korean R&B phenom had almost half a million votes, over 100,000 more than runner-up Stephen Colbert. And just take a guess who was #3?? LOL
AGE: 24 OCCUPATION: Korean R&B and pop singer NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0 PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1
PRO: South Korean King of Pop whose albums have topped the charts in Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and, of course, South Korea.
CON: Although he has performed in the U.S. at Madison Square Garden—with two sold-out shows—and recorded a duet with B2Ks Omarion, Rain has yet to reach his goal of truly breaking out as a sensation in America.
And finally, lovely Joelle, part of our NYE gang, has been sending regular, fascinating emails about her stint in Santiago, Chile as a diplomat. I certainly think she enjoys it much better than her last 2 year stint in Uzbekistan! So thanks for the updates Joelle. GLY!
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “A judge in Los Angeles has sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating her probation, but Paris is trying to get out of it. Legal experts say that if Paris Hilton wants to avoid going to jail in Los Angeles, she’ll have to murder someone.” — Conan O’Brien
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
Baby It’s Hot Outside, Love Crimes, Dog Condoms & Sleepwalking
How’s that for a blog title??
It’s 95° here in LA today, and my baby cousin Andy got a new pool!!
And this weekend, Andy & Tommy got a new puppy! Introducing:
Tommy & Andy’s new dog Oreo and Darlene’s new dog Roxy
My original Oreo – circa 1985
**BREAKING NEWS**
As previously mentioned, it was 95° F (35° Celsius) here in Los Angeles today. The humidity was only about 5%, and some asshole decided to light another fire in the Hollywood Hills today. This time the fire is burning by the famous Griffith Park Observatory (click for pictures from when I was there in November with my family). The Observatory was featured in many of the scenes from the James Dean film, “Rebel Without a Cause”. The LA Zoo has been evacuated, but the animals remain. They’re trying to figure out a rescue plan now, should they need one.
Currently they’re saying 200 acres have already burned. The idiot who deliberately lit the fire is in the hospital being treated for burns. I was supposed to go the Seth & Jessica’s house tonight for dinner. They live about 3 miles from Griffith Park. I’m not going, but Seth said he would try to send some photos. Let’s hope the winds die down. I live about 7 miles from the fire, but I don’t think the wind is blowing this way. Los Angeles has not had any measurable rain since last July! The whole city is a giant tinderbox. Kudos to the brave firefighters on the front lines. Read more…
”Love Crime” Legislation
Somebody had to say it: “They should be in fucking jail!” Courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service. Vote for the worst??
Pain in the Gas - Too bad this is an Urban Legend. Of course we could all decide not to drive next week!
This one’s apparently real though. Just when you think you’ve seen everything: www.dogcondoms.com
And they’re meat scented!
And finally, for those of you who waited to find out “Who slept walked with JR?” I’ve updated yesterday’s post below, so now you know the rest of the story.
I’ve been getting told a lot that I write way too much for anyone to read. I find that statement rather funny. Isn’t it odd how we can read a 300 page book over a weekend, but God forbid a web posting goes more than a page? LOL Oh well, I guess we can chalk that up to our short attention span in the over stimulated wired age. Do know however, that I will always be verbose. It’s in my blood. I admire the people who can write “haiku blogs” that are more profound than any of my postings, but I simply can’t. It’s a stream of consciousness thing, and it always has been.
That being said, I do need to ration my time at night better. I tend to be a night owl, and usually don’t post until after 11 PM and write well into the wee hours. I do have a bunch of things I need to get off my chest tonight, but I’ll save those rants for another day. I haven’t been getting near enough sleep of late because I’ve had houseguests the past four weekends, and I’ve been staying up much too late entertaining and writing. I’ve never needed a lot of sleep. Even when I was a kid and my parents would put me to bed at 7 PM (crazy huh? maybe that’s why I don’t sleep much now, hmmmm), and I would stay up well past midnight in my room; usually entertaining my brother as the emcee of some game show I invented or some fabulous musical production I had concocted (Big finish!). Again, hmmmmm, very telling. As a matter of fact, the only time I ever shoplifted is when I was 8 years old and I stole some little toys at the local hobby shop to use as prizes for my brother when he “won” whatever game show I was keeping him up until midnight playing. (I guess I never realized he was the only contestant, LOL.) But I digress. (hmmmmm…notice a pattern?)
Why do I need to start getting more sleep you ask? Last week, I began sleep walking. It happened twice, though technically the first time I wasn’t really walking, I was just moving in a very agitated way. But more about that in a second.
Lately I’ve been having very vivid dreams. Wonderful dreams that are so real that I sometimes can’t remember the next day whether I’d just dreamt something or if it had really happened. Scary huh? Last Tuesday night I was dreaming of swimming in a big pool. It had something to do with work, and I was swimming to get to the finish line. Sounds clinical enough, right? When I got to the edge of the pool, the water level was much lower than the deck, so I had to extend my arms to pull myself up onto the concrete pool deck. As I reached the deck, I rolled on to the concrete, and proceeded to roll out of my bed! Now, those of you who have been here, know that I have a very high, mission style bed that sits about 3 feet off my hardwood floors. As I fell out of bed, my head hit my nightstand, and I landed on my shoulder. Needless to say, a rude awakening.
Bruised but not battered I managed to go back to sleep. This time I dreamt of fishing (though I’m hardly a fisherman). As I was casting my reel, my knuckles scraped the lats of my bedpost, hard enough to make them bleed, which of course caused me to wake up again.
The second night was even scarier, because that’s when the walking part began. It went down like this….
Sometime during the night, I woke up to go to the bathroom. I remember doing this, but for some reason I went to my guest bathroom, not the bathroom in my bedroom. When I came out, I COULDN’T FIND my bedroom!!?? Try as I might, I wandered around my living room, looking for the stairs.
Here’s the kicker though: I don’t have stairs! For some reason, and keep in mind I remember this all, I thought my bedroom was upstairs, and I kept opening the broom closet looking for the stairs! After wandering around for what seemed like a while, I remember getting angry, and saying to myself “Fuck it”!! I conceded to sleep on the couch, and I’ll be damned, the next morning, I woke up on the couch.
Now, before you start emailing me to get help immediately, I would like to say that I have not had another “incident” since this happened. I have been trying to get more sleep, and my stress level may have dropped in the past week or so. Of course, the other possibility is that I really fell asleep on the couch that night, and dreamt the whole bathroom/stairs incident. I honestly don’t know what happened, but it was freaky.
Friends have suggested I get some kind of lock for my door so I don’t end up outside, or God forbid, driving. Although, chances are I’m a better driver asleep than I am awake LOL Suffice it to say, I’m more aware of my sleep patterns, and am trying to get more rest! Case in point: It’s 7:40 PM now, and I’m done for the day (methinks!?). I will keep you posted….don’t call the loony bin yet!
We had a great 13 hour day at Disneyland and California Adventure yesterday. Mike had never been before, and was like a kid in a candy store. Luckily my cousin Darlene works there and got us in for free. I’ve taken advantage of that perk a lot lately. Thanks Darlene, as always. We had absolutely perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Marc and Mike are leaving this afternoon, thus ending four weekends straight of maximum occupancy at the Hotel Careyfornia. Do any of you want to be next? LOL So here are some of my favorite photos from yesterday. I’ll be posting the rest on Kodak Gallery for Marc/Mike & friends. As usual, lots of random kids and night shots, though I had no tripod or SLR. These were all shot with my little Canon SD800. Hope you all had a nice weekend. –Carey
Bouncy Bubbly Baby
Jedi Training Academy
Father & Son
This kid was a character.
He had his own camera.
This wasn’t a dog for the blind, it was a “Therapy Dog” Not sure if he was cognitive or behavioral
I know nothing about flowers, but these were pretty.
One thing about Disneyland, it’s impeccably maintained.
Bride to be
Our Jungle Tour guide. He was hilarious.
“There’s so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware, it’s a small world after all.”
Toon Town
Pluto’s laundry
And the award for “Worst Posed Picture” goes to….
Friendly ducks
The pretties time of day to take photos.
Getting sleepy
Illumination
Downtown Disney
Yo ho ho, it’s a pirate’s life for me.
Walt, Mickey and Cinderella’s Castle just before midnight.
The party’s over.
“I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid”
Sorry I haven’t had much time to write this weekend. It’s my 4th weekend in a row with visitors to the “Hotel Careyfornia”. Marc & Mike got here yesterday, and we’ve been busy. Mike was in a big competition today for his school. Tonight we hit the Sunset Strip and had a nice time. Tomorrow we’ll be at Disneyland all day, so I best get to sleep. Night night –Carey
Marc & I have been friends since college.
That’s a live woman behind the glass…usually she’s naked…Art in LA I guess
After a long day,
Livin’ it up at the Hotel Careyfornia.
The gang after an unfair loss.
This is a reflection off the glass.
Doesn’t the woman in red look like she’ wearing that on her head! LOL
Many years ago, my roommate Daniel and I were fresh out of college and living in a small house in Chicago. We both worked at different banks and we had been sharing a car for a year and it was getting unmanageable. One day the bank he was working for had a “repo” or repossessed car that they needed to sell to recoup the loan money. The reason the bank had repossessed the car was that the car’s owner was dead. Her name was Sarah, and she had committed suicide……IN THE CAR.
Now, as creepy as that was, we were recent college graduates, sharing a car, and living in Chicago. We really needed a 2nd car but couldn’t afford one. The car that Sarah killed herself in was a Mercury Cougar in mint condition, save for the driver’s side window that had been broken to retrieve Sarah. We were told her death was by carbon monoxide, but that’s really all we knew. The bank offered us a deal; pay off the remainder of the $1000 loan and the car was ours. So we split the money, (actually I lent Daniel his half), and picked up the car “as is”. (By the way Daniel, you STILL owe me $500…I know you’re reading this too…so PAY UP, or your 4 kids won’t be getting anything from me for Christmas this year, LOL )
So, after obtaining a copy of Sarah’s death certificate (which I still have by the way, I’ll have to scan it one of these days), we picked up the car from the bank’s parking lot and drove it home. We were both a little freaked out, because the windows still hadn’t been fixed, and all of Sarah’s things were still in it. For whatever reason, no one took the time to clean it out. So there we were, with Sarah’s Kleenex, Sarah’s lipstick, and something else of Sarah’s, but more about that in a minute.
As soon as we got in the car, my dog Oreo started whining and wouldn’t stop. As soon as we drove out of the parking lot, we heard a screeching noise coming from the right front wheel well. We turned a corner and heard it again. We had no idea what it was, but figured it was something wrong with the alignment and didn’t worry too much (what did we know?). We were late for a movie or something, so we dropped Oreo off, drove to the theater, parked the car, and went in. Two hours later we came out to a note on our windshield. It read simply, “What kind of SICKO are you? There’s a cat under your hood!!!” (I think I still have that note somewhere too, LOL!)
Sure enough, there was a cat, not under the hood, but in the wheel well between the tire and the hood. We couldn’t see it, but we sure heard it every time we turned the wheel. We took the car to the police, and they told us it was the damnedest thing they’d ever seen, but they couldn’t help us. We took it to a mechanic, and they said it would cost us $200 to try to get it out (alive). Finally we drove the car (with as few turns as possible) to Daniel’s brother in law, an amateur mechanic. He spent 2 hours taking the front end of the car apart, and finally pulled out a full sized adult cat. The first thing the cat did was go up to my dog Oreo and start playing with him. Oreo loved cats, though they usually didn’t love him. This cat was different though, and they got along splendidly.
I wasn’t as allergic to cats then as I am now, so we decided to keep her. We named the cat “Sarah” in honor of the car’s former owner. Daniel’s last name was Herrera, so the cat was Sarah Herrera. Where Sarah came from and how she got into such a “spot” we never knew. We suspected she was a stray and found the car in the parking garage the morning we got it, after taking it out for a test drive. It was a cold Chicago winter morning, and we think maybe Sarah climbed up into the wheel well to stay warm, and then somehow got stuck and couldn’t get out of the small opening.
Of course the other theory was that the cat was really a reincarnation of the car’s owner, Sarah, and perhaps the human Sarah was a dog lover, and that’s why the feline Sarah and the canine Oreo got along so well. Regardless, Sarah and Oreo had a great relationship. Sarah died a year later of a kidney ailment. She was the first and last cat I will ever have, but I have fond memories of her
An adventurous tabby took an unexpected trip this week, after slyly crawling into her keeper’s luggage and clearing lax Canadian airport security.
Mary Martell unwittingly travelled 1400km from Saint John Airport on Canada’s Atlantic coast all the way to Toronto, then to Niagara-on-the-Lake by car with the live cat in her suitcase.
She told public broadcaster CBC today the bag was scanned at the airport, but she was not stopped and it was eventually loaded into the airplane’s cargo bay.
“They had asked me, when they put … the luggage through the X-ray, whether I had a turkey,” she said.
“(Airport security) kept going back and forth with (the suitcase).
“I was adamant: ‘Look, I have no turkey’.”
Ms Martell said she only discovered Ginger, the family pet, when she opened her luggage in a hotel room, after the three-hour journey.
The cat had apparently snuck into a bag while Ms Martell was packing.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “Scientists in Japan say they have developed a patch you put on your cat’s paw that will tell you if your cat is suffering from stress. My cat sleeps 23 ½ hours a day. The only stress he is going to have is when you put the patch on his paw.” — Jay Leno
I can’t blog anymore tonight as I have to clean my house and get ready for the next set of visitors to the “Hotel Careyfornia” I’m picking Marc & Mike up in Long Beach tomorrow. I haven’t seen them since their wedding in Montreal last September. Marc is one of my dearest friends in the world, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him. We’re the type of friends who stay up until dawn talking, so I don’t know how much blogging I’ll get done this weekend, but I’ll try to post pictures at least.
In the meantime, here are some topics for you to think about until next week.
The Associated Press Thursday, April 26, 2007; 12:21 AM
BLACKSBURG, Va. — A senior at Virginia Tech said moral responsibility led her to add a stone for gunman Seung-Hui Cho to a memorial for his 32 shooting victims that was set up at Virginia Tech late last week. The stone was later removed, but was restored by Wednesday morning. Read More…
Letter to the Editor of the Collegiate Times, Blacksburg Virginia, by Curt Phillips, Abingdon, VA
This letter is regarding the letter “33rd stone,” (CT, April 25). I happened to visit Newman Library on Wednesday to do some research, and while on campus, I couldn’t resist walking around the Drillfield and other areas just to see for myself how the students and the school were doing these nine days after April 16. I wanted to see your faces and hear your voices for myself and to replace last weeks media supplied images of Virginia Tech with my own impressions. Frankly, I thought I would see a lot of anger, but I saw none of that. I saw grief certainly, and a great…Read More
Three unidentified people look at a memorial stone adorned with flowers and other mementos for Seung-Hui Cho on the Virginia Tech campus, Sunday, April 22, 2007, in Blacksburg, Va. Thirty-three stones have been set up in a semi-circle on the edge of the Virginia Tech Drillfield made of locally quarried rust-grey “Hokie” limestone. There is one for each of Seung-Hui Cho’s victims and there is one for Cho. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Happy Anniversary George
1 in 40 Iraqi citizens have been murdered since you invaded their country. You lied to Congress and the American people about WMD and let your stooges like George Tenet lie to your cabinet. You are a war criminal and should be tried as such.
On the 4th anniversary of George W. Bush declaring that Operation Iraqi Freedom was “accomplished”, more than 655,000 Iraqis have been killed, and more Americans have perished than the number that died on 9/11.
As of January 12, 2007, for Americans there are 500 major amputees due to the Iraq War. Toes and fingers aren’t counted.[4]
As of September 30, 2006, 725 American troops have had limbs amputated from wounds received in Iraq and Afghanistan.[5]
A 2006 study by Walter Reed Medical Center, which serves more critically injured soldiers than most VA hospitals, concluded that 62 percent of patients there had suffered a brain injury.[6]
U.S. military: number unknown. The Pentagon reports that more than 1 in 4 returning U.S. soldiers have health problems that require medical or mental health treatment.[7]
When it rains it pours The day after we went to the Idol Gives Back concert at the Disney Concert Hall last week, I get the following email. Unfortunately we couldn’t go this week due to prior commitments. Guess I’ll hold out for the finale
From: Tickets [mailto:tickets@ocatv.com] Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 5:29 PM To: tickets@ocatv.com Subject: American Idol
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION CAREFULLY!
YOU MAY ONLY REQUEST CHECK-IN VOUCHERS TO ONE SHOW! REQUESTING FOR MORE THAN ONE SHOW WILL RESULT IN THE CANCELLATION OF ALL VOUCHERS.
This check-in voucher has no monetary value to its holder and may not be sold or exchanged under penalty of law; any such attempted or actual sale or transfer of the check-in voucher invalidates it and is grounds for seizure of the voucher.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ATTENDED A TAPING OF AMERICAN IDOL THIS SEASON, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO RETURN AGAIN THIS SEASON.
Due to your place on the waiting list, we are notifying you of seat availability to three tapings of American Idol next Tuesday, May 1st and Wednesday, May 2nd!!
On Tuesday we have two tapings; the first is a full dress rehearsal which is a taping of the entire show including all performances and Ryan Seacrest. The only thing you don’t see in the rehearsal is the judge’s comments. The second taping on Tuesday is the LIVE performance show. On Wednesday we are taping the LIVE results show featuring a special performance by Jon Bon Jovi!
Please click only one of the links below to request vouchers. And remember, they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you and enjoy the show!!
PLEASE NOTE:All tickets are free. Due to the immense popularity of the show, there is a system in place to ensure that as many fans as possible get a fair chance to see the show. Therefore you will only have this one opportunity and then you will be removed from the waitlist. We are unable to make special accommodations. Therefore, if you click on the following link and the shows are already full or if you are receiving this email and are unable to attend this date, we suggest you rejoin the wait list any time after Tuesday,May 1st so that we may contact you again as soon as possible.
But these are in my building’s front yard
Happy Birthday Tyson 
The day after we went to the