As you may know, I spent most of my Valentine’s Day at Traffic School….Gay Community Traffic School to be exact.  The whole day was kind of surreal.  I woke up early to walk Daisy (I’m still dog-sitting) and clean the house a bit as my brother was arriving tonight with his girlfriend, her two kids, and their dog.  Traffic school started at 9:00 and was just down the street.  It took place at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, which is partly why they called it Gay Community Traffic School.  The other reason was because it was SO GAY!  Even though there were a few straight people there (including an Iraq War veteran), pretty much everything about this class was totally queer.

Everyone was there at 9:00 except the instructor

After someone let us in the building at 9:05, we all waited around until the instructor showed up at 9:20.  He was a stand up comedian (literally), who passed around a sheet of paper so we could write our email addresses to get on a mailing list of his upcoming gigs!  (Only in Hollywood.)

9:11 and still no instructor…he finally showed up at 9:20

I removed his name from this photo, as I don’t want him to get in trouble.  After all, he gave us lots of breaks and let us out an hour and a half early.  Shhhhhhh.

From 9:20 to 10:00 we went around the room and introduced ourselves and told everyone what we were “in for”.  Most of the people were there for red light tickets, crossing to get in the left turn lane or speeding.  The instructor referred to us as “criminals”, and promoted the “Lifetime Membership” for traffic school incessantly.  The most I learned all day was in those 20 minutes, because I found out where all the speed traps and ticket cops were in LA!  At 10:00 we took our first 30 minute break.  After the break, he spent the first 20 minutes talking about “Octo-Mom“.  I kid you not!  I secretly videotaped a bit of it.  To wit:

Then he handed out a “sign test”.  We took it, without discussion, and then it was time for our 90 minute lunch!  LOL.

 

When we came back from lunch the instructor went around the room to find out what everyone ate for lunch.  A few people had eaten at a nearby Subway sandwich shop, which led to the inevitable 6 inch or 12 inch question.  That’s all I’ll say about that topic.    That exercise took about a half an hour.  One more easy multiple choice test (about nothing we had talked about) and it was time for our afternoon 30 minute break!

While we took our last test, our instructor napped

When discussing road distractions, animals came up.  We learned that a pig is the most dangerous animal to run over (because of its low center of gravity).  Elephants and whales were also mentioned.  I believe his line was, “you’d be in deep water if you hit a whale”.  LOL  After the third and final test (none of which were turned in by the way), he handed us our certificates and sent us on our gay way to enjoy Valentine’s Day with our loved ones. 

Shortly after I got home, my brother arrived.  Rebecca’s kids have a new dog named Chanel (I should have brought her to Gay Traffic School with me…she’s pretty gay).  We had a nice dinner and watched Mamma Mia.  So my Valentine this year was a Yellow Lab pup named Chanel.  Oh well, there’s always next year!

Chanel, Me, my brother David, Rebecca, Nicole, Tiffany & Daisy

Me and my Valentine, Chanel 

Mamma Mia

Tiffany & Daisy

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I went to Ann & Jorge’s the other night and got to visit with Arielle, and take Roscoe on a long walk around the neighborhood.  I noticed the following billboard on Santa Monica Blvd. and thought it was nice:

Have you heard that Kenneth Starr (yes, that Ken Starr) and the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund  have filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop. 8 and are attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.

The Courage Campaign has created a touching video using Regina Spektor’s great song “Fidelity” that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.  If you would like to tell the California Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8, reject Ken Starr’s case, and let loving, committed couples marry, click here.

Roscoe is finally growing out of his crazy puppy phase, but he’s still a handful.  Ann literally had to sit on him when I came in the door to keep him from going crazy.  After I left, he howled at the window for half an hour and Ann posted the videos. 

On our walk, Roscoe got to attend a red carpet event at The Body Factory

Roscoe and Daisy got along splendidly

 

Tonight, Dar and I finally went to see Revolutionary Road (after three previous unsuccessful attempts).  I really liked it.  Roger Ebert said that it was “so good, it was devastating”.  I know what he means.  It was terribly sad, but so well done.  One of these days Leonardo DiCaprio has to win an Oscar.  On the way out of the theater I took this. 

 
Happy Friday the 13th!

Tony (generasianx) was nice enough to invite Albert (owbert) and me to a showing of “The Secret Life of Bees” on Sunday night.  After the movie, there was a panel discussion with the director, Gina Prince Bythewood, and one of the stars of the movie, Dakota Fanning.  (They were also joined by Dr. Barbara Rico, an English professor from Loyola Marymount who discussed some of the central literary & multicultural themes in the movie.)  Dakota Fanning, who’s not even 15 yet, blew us all away.  She is a remarkably poised young woman, seemingly unaffected by the spotlight and the falseness that permeates this town.  Her performance in the movie was riveting.  She kept pace with her fellow actresses Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson.  Quite frankly, I’m surprised the movie didn’t get more buzz (pun intended).  Roger Ebert writes:

I have some video of the panel discussion if anyone’s interested, I’ll post it on YouTube.  If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s worth watching.  If you don’t like it, I’ll pay you double.

BFF’s!, Carey & Dakota.   She reminds me a lot of Jodie Foster

The Three Xangateers:  Carey, Albert & Tony

I think Tony wants to cast Dakota in his next movie!  Brokeback Bounty II??

14 going on 15…but she acts like she’s in her 20′s


Rev. Kim Dorr, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Dakota Fanning & Dr. Barbara Roche Rico

Outside the church in Bel Air where the movie was screened

The San Fernando Valley on a rainy evening in Bel Air.  More pics here…

Before the movie, we celebrated my Uncle’s 81st birthday and my cousin Cody’s 17th birthday.  The whole family turned out and a good time was had by all:

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Claudio & Ryan came up with Chazz on Friday.  It’s only been 3 weeks since I last saw him (when he “read” my animal books), and my how he’s grown!  I’m still dog-sitting for Daisy through the end of the month.  Daisy is 9 years old and I’m sure the last thing she wanted to do all weekend was contend with a playful rambunctious puppy.  She was a trooper though, despite her impatience at times.  I think they secretly had crushes on each other.  Just look how they were sleeping in bed with me when I woke up yesterday morning.  Luckily I had my camera by my side:

Admittedly though, they needed a few time outs:

Claudio & Chazz

Yesterday we went to the beach at Santa Monica:

 

We almost dropped to our deaths in this parking garage elevator….then noticed the permit expired in 2002!

I need to add the words, “& Pet Motel” to the Hotel Careyfornia sign above!


Tuckered out after a long day at the beach

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It’s been a busy week at the Hotel Careyfornia, (bandwidth alert) and it’s going to get busier.  Margie flew in Monday from Kentucky and she brought her little dog, Daisy.  Since she’s working down in Orange County all month and staying in a hotel, I’m going to be watching Daisy.  Tuesday, as already blogged, I hung out with my Iraqi friend Haider.  Last night, Lora was nice enough to invite me over for dinner at their new loft downtown, right across from the Staples Center and the Nokia Theater and LA Live.  We watched Idol and dished all night.  It was a lot of fun.  Tonight I brought Pei Wei over to Lisa & Joel’s and visited with the kids for a while.  Tomorrow, Claudio & Ryan are coming with Chazz.  Sunday is my Uncle’s 81st birthday party, and that evening I’m going to try to catch the screening of The Secret Life of Bees with Tony, as Dakota Fanning is going to be there discussing the movie.  Let me know if any of you are going!  Have a good weekend!

The view from Frank & Lora’s balcony

Idol buddies!

Pucker up Frank!

This is the city…

LA Live in the background

These were Lora & Frank’s wedding centerpieces.  Beautiful!

We had to climb over railings to get back to my car…so urban.  LOL

The Grammy’s will be in this complex this weekend

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Last weekend while I was at Michele’s party, Lisa sent a picture to my phone of Cole snuggled up in one of those “blankets with arms” you see advertised on T.V. all the time.  They’re called “Snuggies” and they look ridiculous.  Then a few days later, I got this picture of Andy in one of them.  So tonight when I was there, of course I had to try it:

 
 

Ridiculous right?  Kind of makes you wanna say, WTF??? 

“I can’t believe a black man’s president…”

On the way to work this morning I took these photos out of the sun roof driving 70 mph

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I snapped these shots of Daisy tonight.  I think she was sleeping and dreaming when she started doing this, then she woke herself up.  LOL

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The ratings for this year’s Academy Awards are expected to be very low because hardly anyone has seen the best-picture nominees. Also not helping — the prospect of seeing Mickey Rourke in high-definition.” — Conan O’Brien

You may remember last summer, Lora, Frank and I went to see the “This American Life” show that was being broadcast to theaters nationwide, live from New York, with host Ira Glass.  For those of you who don’t know,  This American Life is a radio show on NPR and a TV show on Showtime.  If you’ve never listened, I strongly encourage you to download the free podcasts.

One of the stories they showed that night struck a particular chord with me.  It featured an Iraqi student named Haider Hamza who was living in America on a Fulbright scholarship and decided to travel around the Southern United States to give red state Americans a chance to “Talk to an Iraqi” from a homemade wooden booth.  Just take a look at this fascinating two part video clip.  It is beautiful in its eloquence and more than a little disturbing at times.  This should be mandatory viewing for every man, woman and child in America.  I’ve seen it countless times, and it gets more profound with each viewing:

After I wrote about it that night, Haider, the subject of the movie found my blog, and we became friends on Facebook.  This week he was in town working with ABC news and he was nice enough to ask if we could get together.  I felt honored that he took time out of his busy schedule to meet with me, especially since he’s invited to Jennifer Aniston’s 40th birthday party this weekend!  (We don’t exactly travel in the same circles!)  He was staying at the hotel across the street from my house.  We met and decided to walk down to The Abbey which I told him was a 15 minute walk.  Since I walk pretty darn fast, he made me slow down, and an hour later we reached our destination! 

It was wonderful meeting him in person and talking with him about his experiences in this country and his (still) deep ties to Iraq where his family lives.  His is a story that needs to be shared.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to play a small part in it.

Carey & Haider

Haider @ The Abbey

Last night we celebrated Michele’s 40th birthday, 70′s style.  I thankfully don’t own any of my clothes from that era, but I do have a groovy Lacoste shirt and some vintage Adidas shoes.  So  yesterday I went to this great Hollywood thrift store called Jet Rag and found a classic 70′s padded vest, similar to the one Ashton Kutcher used to wear on “That 70′s Show“.  Remarkably, it was only $6.00!  Then I got a matching headband and sweat bands from Sport Chalet (first time I’ve ever been in that store…surprise surprise) and also found an old pair of long tube socks. 

I was going to wear some coduroys, but it was in the upper 80′s (not 70′s, LOL) here yesterday, and I thought it would be too hot.  So I took an old pair of nylon shorts and cut them in to short shorts, a la Daisy Duke.  (Never mind that I have the whitest legs west of the Mississippi.)  To put a modern twist on my outfit, I downloaded a “Pong Clock” onto my iPod Touch.  It basically plays an endless game of retro Pong, and doubles as a clock.  Since the party was down in Mission Viejo, I stopped at Dar’s house where all of the kids were having a sleepover.  Dar was nice enough to sew a velcro patch on my vest, and I stuck my iPod to the vest and voila!  Ashton Kutcher eat your heart out!

The Great White Hope

It pays to have a Nana who works at Disneyland. Andy gets dwarf etched apples!

Lisa & Jenn making me feel groovy!


The guest of honor, looking gorgeous!

My endless Pong game clock was a hit!

Even Elvis made an appearance before leaving the building.

 
Of course, I had to go out and play with (the other) Elvis & Charlie.

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And finally, what 70′s party would be complete without cheesy 70′s karaoke?  Yes, there was Journey, yes, there was Abba, but mine and Jenn’s rendition of Elton John and KiKi Dee (if you haven’t seen that video,click the link for all it’s cheesy deliciousness) had everyone scrambling for ear plugs!

I had to go to San Diego for a meeting yesterday.  Got to see a bunch of old friends & colleagues, and it was a picture perfect day.  Parvesh and I had lunch at the Del Coronado, and it was just as gorgeous as when Vivek and I were there last summer.  Such a pretty place!  Afterwards, I drove up to meet my cousins for dinner. 

Boo yah!

Chocolate chip faced Andy

It was a long day, but a good one!  Certainly better than any day in an Oprah-less world!

Remember that speeding ticket I got last summer?  Well I finally got around to signing up for traffic school before the February 17th deadline.  Unfortunately, because I got the ticket behind the Orange Curtain, I couldn’t take traffic school online.  So when I looked at the list of state approved classes, this is what I found:

The “Gay Community Traffic School” is coincidentally the closest one to my house.    When I called them, the queen on the phone was very friendly.  He told me that the only day available before my deadline was February 14th from 9-5.  I said, “Fine, I’ll take it”.  Then he paused dramatically and said “You know that’s Valentine’s Day, don’t you??”  I laughingly told him I was aware that February 14th was Valentine’s Day, and then he actually asked me if I had a Valentine!  I kind of stuttered in disbelief, and told him “No”.  After that he told me he’d call me the day before to remind me,  and to show up with $32.95 in cash that morning.  LOL.

Apparently this Gay Traffic School is quite popular here and in San Francisco.  To wit:

The Best Place to Meet If You’re Looking For:

A Speed Queen

Calling Erik Estrada. Gay traffic violators commiserate, cruise, and discharge their points at Joey Randall’s Gay…community Traffic School. For eight hours, students trade traffic jokes and play “Traffic School Jeopardy.” Randall says classes are bumper-to-bumper because “people know they’re going to meet others they might be interested in.” An instructor at Randall’s L.A. school teaches in drag, so watch what you say about women drivers. Classes meet weekly. Call (800) 429-4968.

Maybe my instructor will be the one in drag?!  Now that would be blog-worthy!

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Here are some photos from over the weekend with David & Hyun Ju.  We went downtown to meet up with CJ so I could finally give him the Rubik’s Cube that Macky signed for him last summer.  He was so appreciative!  I hadn’t seen him since the competition at the Discovery Science Center last spring, when he was so nice and patient with my little cousin Tommy.

Me with future world famous video game designer Daniel Chan

Then we went to Chinatown to celebrate Chinese New Year, but I didn’t see an ox, just these turtles!

Poolside at The Standard Hotel, downtown Los Angeles

 

I wish they would have told me I still had the damn Bluetooth in my ear!

Taken from the car at 60 mph

The aptly named Sunset Blvd.

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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

“J. Crew’s stock has gone up 10 percent because first lady Michelle Obama has been spotted wearing their clothes. Which begs the question, Mrs. Obama, how would you feel about wearing a Buick?” –  Conan O’Brien

Update:  Click Here to see how Gay Traffic School went!

Carey Anthony

Here’s where we’ll be staying.  I’m not sure where we’re all going to sleep.  About 25 have already RSVP’d!!  Hooray for Frequent Flyer Miles!

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Carey Anthony

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Your E-Mail Confirmation from United
1 message

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From: United Airlines	Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 9:16 AM
To: Carey Anthony
Travel itinerary Confirmation no.: ****** Passenger information Number in party: 1 Name: CAREY A MR Travel itinerary Confirmation no.: ***** LOS ANGELES to WASH/DULLES departing Thursday, July 2 UNITED  946 Depart: LOS ANGELES 7:55 AM Arrive: WASH/DULLES 3:46 PM Seat(s): 1A NONSTOP Equip: 777 MP miles: 2288 UNITED FIRST In-Flight services: Meal: BREAKFAST WASH/DULLES to ROME/FIUMICINO departing Thursday, July 2 UNITED  966 Depart: WASH/DULLES 6:18 PM Arrive: ROME/FIUMICINO 8:50 AM Seat(s): 11B NONSTOP Equip: 777 MP miles: 4505 UNITED BUSINESS In-Flight services: MOVIE Meal: DINNER, SNACK ROME/FIUMICINO to LOS ANGELES departing Tuesday, July 14 UNITED  967 Depart: ROME/FIUMICINO 11:20 AM Arrive: LOS ANGELES 7:08 PM Seat(s): 8D/ 1B STOPOVER Equip: PLANE CHANGE AT IAD MP miles: 6354 UNITED BUSINESS In-Flight services: MOVIE, MOVIE Meal: LUNCH, SNACK

Firemen Douse Fire, Resuscitate Dog & Cat

Monday, January 19, 2009 – By Ryan Gierach, West Hollywood

West Hollywood, California (January 19, 2009) – West Hollywood firemen doused an apartment fire that destroyed one unit and made five others unlivable Sunday, reviving two lifeless pets in the aftermath.

A plugged in laptop left on a carpet while the tenant walked her dog exploded into flames at 1169 Orange Grove Avenue in WeHo around 5:00 pm Sunday evening, said Station 7 Captain Ric Brandelli.  He told WeHo News that his men located a yellow lab and black tabby on their secondary search of the premises, both apparently overcome with smoke inhalation.

After removing the pair to the street, paramedics began what seemed, initially, to be futile efforts to revive them.  “We worked on them for quite a while, and it didn’t look like they would make it” said Capt. Brandelli, “and then the cat began breathing on its own and ran away.”

He said his cohort turned its attentions to the dog, a 16-yr old, again with no results to show for precious minutes.Then, to everyone’s relief, “the dog started breathing on its own and stood up to walk around,” he said.  The cat and dog resided with the woman whose laptop began the conflagration.  Capt. Brandelli said that she was not present for the cat’s resuscitation, but witnessed the dog’s.

“No words can describe the relief in the lady’s expression,” he said. As a pet guardian and animal lover himself, (see Firemen Of The Sunset Strip 2009 Calendar Benefits Animal Rescue – Monday, December 22, 2008 for more) he said he and his fellows got a special thrill out of the experience.  “We were all relieved and glad,” he said. He reported no other injuries.  Read more…

actually rescued the dog & cat!  LOL