Ten years ago today, I wrote the following email from Cape Town, South Africa.  It was the year after Oreo died.  I had just moved from Chicago after selling everything I owned, and was just traveling.  A lot has changed in the past ten years.  I did not even own a digital camera in 1998.  There was one Internet cafe in Cape Town that I used to send this email.  I had just set up my first crude website as a tribute to Oreo, and had recently purchased my first cell phone ever!  I could never in my wildest dreams, have imagined that in 2008 I would be living in Los Angeles and have a website that allowed my photos to be viewed by thousands of people all over the world every week.  Not to mention, that America would have a new black president.

I scanned my African photos 10 years ago on a crude little scanner, thus the size.

Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays from Cape Town, South Africa. I arrived in Africa over two weeks ago, not knowing what to expect, and as my time remaining here is now less than a week, I find myself not wanting to leave.

Cape Town alone is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It rivals Rio de Janeiro in natural beauty, and Sydney, Paris and even Chicago(!) in urban splendor. Though it is a small city (the second largest in South Africa at about 4 million) it has all of the amenities of the great western cities of the world.
 
I have traveled extensively during my time here, from the very southern tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas, to the fabled Cape of Good Hope, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, to the lush wine country of Stellenbosch, home to some of the finest wines on the planet. I have toured Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his nearly 30 year prison sentence. I have photographed stunning sunsets from the slopes of the most famous landmark in the country, Table Mountain, whose flat “table top peak” is often covered with a thin layer of clouds the locals refer to as the “tablecloth”. I have encountered penguin, baboon, springbok, ewald, zebra, dassy (related to the elephant), tortoise, and many strange birds and insects. I even went whale watching in Hermanus, the best place in the world for land based whale watching, but alas it was too windy the day I was there to see any Southern Right whales.
 
A friend of mine from Switzerland was staying with me here for a week, and then some friends from Johannesburg came down to revel in the glorious beaches of the Western Cape for five days. I have made many wonderful new friends, as all of the people here are extremely friendly and love to hear what it’s like to live in America. This country is startlingly “new” to democracy. Their constitution and bill of rights is not even two years old. They have been struggling with the demons of years of apartheid since 1990, and will unfortunately never be able to undo much of its damage.

This is a country wrought with paradox. People who live in the cities shop in huge Western style malls, with all of the latest fashions and designer names. Everyone, young and old (as in Brazil, Australia, Japan, and Europe) has a cell phone. They watch the latest Hollywood movies in large 14 screen cineplexes, yet they only have four television stations, and there’s no such thing as cable. They watch Seinfeld, Friends and of course Oprah everyone knows about Chicago!! Thanks Oprah!)

Travel just outside the cities however, and it’s a completely different story. When apartheid was first introduced, blacks in the cities were sent to “townships” to live. These shantytowns, with no electricity or plumbing, are still homes to millions of “Africaans”, and they are indeed appalling.
 
On a drive home from the southern coast, I stopped for gas at a Shell station. The gentleman who pumped my gas, asked me in very broken English if I could give him a ride home, as his shift was over. I agreed, as he had already won me over with his friendly (though toothless) smile when I pulled up. As I was unsure about what type of gas my rental car took, he was very helpful, and extremely polite. As he directed me towards his home, I soon found myself entering a foreign world like no other, only a few hundred yards off the main highway. Fires burning in barrels, chickens, goats and dogs running wild, naked children playing with tin foil balls, and thousands of make shift “homes” made with whatever material was available. I have seen slums before. The favelas of Brazil, the projects of American cities, but nothing I have ever seen was like this. As impoverished as it was, it was a vibrant community. A community of people, all of whom have a distinct role. A community full of pride, from the elaborate colored headdresses worn by the women, to the impromptu artwork painted with whatever colored material was available. As I dropped my new friend off, he simply said, “God Bless you, Merry Christmas.”
 
There is a huge movement underway to register people to vote in next year’s presidential election. Unfortunately the drive is so unorganized that even President Mandela went to the wrong place to register. The result is record low registration, and it is feared that the election will be fixed by the African National Congress, and that an unpopular and bitter candidate will win the majority. Though there is much respect for President Mandela, there is great rift between the the black, “coloured” (a term describing those Africaans who are mixed with the large number of Malay and Eastern/Indian people who populated this land when it was originally a colony of the Dutch East India Company in the 1600′s) and white population. I have spoken with many people, black, white and
coloured, and there is a huge fear among the white minority (the country is 75% black) that a huge “reverse discrimination” movement is underway.
 
What happens in next year’s election will be integral to the future of this country. There is so much potential here, it is mind boggling. A wise investor, could do quite well in almost any city in South Africa. I look forward to returning in the future to see the growth and change of this infant democracy.
 
Next week, I depart for Madrid Spain, to meet my friends who are converging from all over the world. I will be spending New Years in Seville, with many of the people I spent Christmas with last year in Brazil. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone. It won’t be easy however, to leave “Mama Africa”. Table Mountain has cast its spell on me. The crystal blue (though cold!) Atlantic beaches will surely be missed. The climate here is incredible. No humidity, and about 83 degrees every day. There has only been one stormy day since I arrived. (But what a storm it was. There were devastating tornados in the Western Cape that nearly killed the President!) I watch CNN every morning at 5:00 (when I get in!) and am following the latest news from Iraq, as is everyone here. Despite the modest Muslim population here in South Africa, (75% of the population is Christian) everyone I have met, is very much in favor of the United States action against Iraq.  They do however, laugh at the fact that we are impeaching our president over something so silly.
 
I was thrilled to see how many people have logged on to the “Oreo” website after receiving my Christmas card before I left the States. It is indeed amazing how our ability to communicate has changed so vastly in just a few short years. I trust this message finds you all happy and healthy. I wish you all a blessed holiday season, and am sending warm thoughts to all of you from this magnificent continent.

Peace,
Carey

The Victoria & Albert Waterfront, bombed a year after I was there

Glorious Table Mountain & the “tablecloth”


Sunset at Ratunga Junction, Cape Town’s Disneyland


A wild springbok


Yes, there are penguins in Africa!


I almost died getting this shot!  Long story.


Local children playing cricket


The city, from atop Table Mountain


Me, at the Cape of Good Hope


The cable car up to Table Mountain


From the V&A waterfront

On the way to the Cape


Crazy wild baboons, who pissed on my car


A baby in one of the townships

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Though much as changed in the past ten years, there are a few things that remain the same:

1998

10 years ago, we were bombing Iraq, Clinton was trying to stay in the White House and Britney Spears was the talk of the town. 

2008

Today, Iraq is still being bombed, Another Clinton is now Secretary of State and Britney Spears is once again the talk of the town.  So yes, the more things change the more they stay the same.

When Claudio & Ryan moved here last summer and bought a big house with a big yard, I encouraged them to get a dog.  They weren’t sure at first, because they wanted to be able to travel unimpeded.  I assured them however, that I would take care of the dog whenever and for however long they needed me to.  I mentioned the idea again a few weeks ago, and one thing led to another.  Since Ryan’s birthday and Christmas were coming up, Claudio and I secretly strategized, and earlier this week, a puppy was sent into the front door of their house (as a surprise) with a big bow around his neck.  Meet my new nephew, Chazz!

Vicious Disclaimer, I know!  Sorry Ryan! 

Rest assured you will be seeing many more pictures of this dog on this blog in the years to come.  I sent Claudio & Ryan this email the other day.  (Warning, it’s not for the faint of heart!)

Carey Anthony

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Don’t Teach Chazz This
2 messages

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From: Carey Anthony	Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 10:48 PM
To: Ryan, Claudio
The Masturbating Dog

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From: Ryan	Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 7:46 AM
To: Carey Anthony
oh i am speechless. Lil Chazz was in my lab watching as well, I had to cover his gorgeous eyes and earmuff that clip. I’m now going to have to put a parental lock on youtube so I can filter what the new love of my life is being exposed to. P.S. Cougars (i.e. Claudio) and puppies don’t mix – I’m AFRAID to let little Chazz out of my site.  What if he tries to steal a lick or two from ‘ol coug’s saucer of milk?? He could be lunch! Oh the worries and woes of parenting!!!

Finally, you may have seen this heartbreaking storty of the “hero” dog from Santiago, Chile all over the news today.  Oreo, would have been proud!!

A year ago today, I wrote “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” after seeing all of Lisa’s Christmas decorations (Jin, you need to do the right thing…return the snowman…no questions asked), and then visiting my Aunt and Uncle for dinner.  Well, exactly a year has passed.  They’re both in their 80′s and look the same.  I wonder what their secret is??

 
2007                                                                                   2008

One of the reasons I love going there so much is the stories.  They remember so much of their lives and love to regale me with stories from the old days.  I told them that I should start recording their stories on video and they laughed, but I still took a few videos with my camera.  While this may not mean much to anyone outside my family and it may not be the next viral video on YouTube, I find it endearing.  The first story is actually pretty funny.  It involves a drunk train conductor and some young girls hitting on my uncle (who was even a stud back then) when he worked in a hotel after coming home from the war.  The second story involves my aunt scouting for Nazi & Japanese war planes in Iron Mountain, Michigan (of all places) during WWII when she was in high school.  The third story is a retelling of a joke they used to play on their (less favorite) nephew.  Since today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor (“A date that will live in infamy“), I thought it appropriate to post some “war stories” from those days.  Enjoy!

Oh, and check out my self portrait of the sunset, while driving past the Irvine Spectrum to my Aunt & Uncle’s house!  (And this one in October.)  At least I was going the speed limit!

 

Today marks my two year blogging anniversary.  Blogs are like clothes.  Sometimes you go back and look at your old entries and wonder “What was I thinking!!??”. 

Future Xangan

So, what better way to mark my 2 year blogging anniversary and my 500th blog, than to post another of my infamous customer service letters?  If there’s one thing I hate, it’s bad customer service.  If there’s one thing I love, it’s railing against corporate America and their insatiable greed!  Whether it’s Honda, eFax, Safeco (update below), Farmer’s Insurance, Aetna, Dell, United Airlines, Facebook, my Homeowner’s Association or my mortgage company or even Xanga!  My inflated ego likes to think I’m changing the world one dramatic email at a time! 

So, when a friend from work solicited my help in writing an email to British Airways after they refused to work with him on changing a ticket he had for a trip to India next week, I summoned my best dramatic flare and wrote to the CEO of British Airways, Willie Walsh.  My friend was trying to either get a refund of his ticket or at least postpone his trip to India for a while, in light of last week’s terrorist attack in Mumbai.  (A decision he made after much soul searching.  It really is about his personal safety.  I’m sick of that nonsense about how if you change your life, the “terrorists win”.  Unless you’ve been woken up out of a sound sleep with a gun in your mouth, in a supposedly safe hotel room in a third world country, as I have, don’t play that card with me.)  He was traveling with other people, all of whom decided to cancel their trip.  British Airways refused to work with him, which is really quite ridiculous.  Rules are “meant to be bent” as situations warrant.  Just like after the shootings at Virginia Tech, when I got United Airlines to begrudgingly open up more frequent flyer seats for my friend Sabine and others affected by the tragedy.  It was the right thing to do, and by going up the chain of command, I got them to do it.  You can’t give up with these corporate scumbags. They’re programmed to make as much money as possible and screw the consumer.  You need to break that programming to get them to do the right thing.  It’s not always easy, but it’s always possible.  Don’t give up!  Keep fighting corporate greed!

Mr. Walsh,

I’m writing to you to plead for my life.  You see, I’m scheduled to leave on a month long trip to India in a few days.  It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.  A trip to trace my roots, to reestablish family ties and to relax from the frantic pace of my job as a software salesman in Los Angeles, CA.  Sadly, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai have curtailed my plans.  My travel companions who all booked their tickets on other airlines have made the decision not to travel to India at this precarious time, and they were all issued full refunds.  My extended family in India has advised me not to make the trip, as the situation is still too perilous.  Restrictions remain in place in major cities in India, and the U.S. State Department has warned U.S. citizens about heightened security concerns and advised them to “maintain a high level of vigilance, avoiding crowds and demonstrations and keeping a low profile by not calling attention to one’s nationality.”  I am an American citizen Mr. Walsh; born and raised in the United States.  Asking me to not call attention to my nationality would be like asking you to disavow your Irish roots. 

While I’m happy that British Airways recorded record financial results in May, 2008 and made an operating profit of £875 Million, I’m extremely disheartened after spending several hours on the phone with your Customer “Service” agents, who basically led me to believe they did not care whether I lived or died.  While I recognize that my ticket was non-refundable, I also expect you to be a good corporate citizen and not put innocent people’s lives in danger when situations change.  I spent over $1500 on a ticket to India with British Airways.  Now I am faced with the grim prospect of traveling to a country racked by terrorism, alone, without my travel companions, and quite frankly I’m terrified.  You see, that’s the thing about terror Mr. Walsh.  It can take many forms.  Sadly, corporate terror, i.e. greed, is rampant.  After speaking with your Customer “Service” agents and hearing their complete and utter lack of regard for my personal safety, I can honestly tell you that I was sick to my stomach.  What kind of company is so concerned about the bottom line that they become terrorists themselves? 

We live in an information age Mr. Walsh.  I could post this letter on various blogs that receive tens of thousands of hits per week.  I can guarantee that within hours of posting said letter, if you were to Google the phrase “British Airways Customer Service”; thousands of people around the world would read this letter.  Personally, I would rather blog that British Airways did the right thing and offered a customer, who was concerned about their safety, a refund, or at least an offer to travel a year from now without having to pay exorbitant change fees.  I’m a man of simple means Mr. Walsh.  I read that you once famously said, “A reasonable man gets nowhere in negotiations”.  If that’s what you believe, than perhaps I’m an unreasonable man.  I’m a salesman Mr. Walsh.  I live to negotiate.  However, I have never been faced with such a quandary.  What can I do?  Where can I turn?  Perhaps the blogosphere and the court of public opinion are the only options left.  If my words can’t impact you, perhaps they can impact future travelers planning their own “trips of a lifetime”?  However, if my words have caused you to question your company’s role in this customer service debacle, I would welcome the opportunity to negotiate.  After all, I’m a reasonable man.

Sincerely,

Speaking of Safeco, and the claim from the car accident where their client admitted guilt, this email came yesterday.  This accident will never stop haunting me and Safeco has been a nightmare to deal with.  Their customer service is terrible.  Just another greedy corporate behemoth who only cares about the bottom line.

Carey Anthony

Every once in a while I’ll go in to Facebook’s Classmate Search and type the name of my high school and college to see who pops up.  The fact that I graduated from high school in 1983 used to make me the oldest living human on Facebook, but no more.  Yesterday, I found several old friends, some I thought I would never see or hear from again!

 

Some of the messages we exchanged really made me smile.  The fact that my name came up at Thanksgiving 25 years after high school was a delightful surprise.  I didn’t have a whole lot of friends back then and it wasn’t the happiest time of my life.  These people don’t know how much their friendship meant to me during some very dark days.  It reminded me of this situation with another old high school aquaintance last year.  It just goes to show that you should always treat people nicely and with respect.  You may never know how much it means to them.

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Our long holiday weekend was capped off with a third movie, Australia (good, but too long).  I paid a visit to Hannah for story time and also dropped by to see Arielle who was unusally happy to see me!  Another pretty sunset ended the Thanksgiving weekend.  Have a great week everyone!

 

Yesterday I took Roscoe to Runyon Canyon and he had a blast.  It was a picture perfect sunset.  Doesn’t he look handsome?

Best of the rest…

Later that evening, Claudio & Ryan drove down and we went to see “Milk” and then had dinner.  The reviews are right, it was really well done and we all enjoyed it.  This review from slate.com, particularly resonated:

So Milk and Slumdog Millionaire are clearly my two early Oscar favorites.  Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so.  This chart from the LA Times compiles several critics early pics.  Slumdog is the one consistent Best Picture pick across the board.  

“Slumdog Millionaire” is truly the top dog in our latest round of Oscar pundits’ predix. It’s the only contender in the best picture race that gets a vote from all six of us pundits, who include Anthony Breznican (USA Today), Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net), Peter Howell (Toronto Star), Steve Pond, author, “The Big Show“) and Kris Tapley (InContention.com).

After the movie, we came back to the Careyfornia for some leftover cherry pie.  Life is good.

Last night we went to see Slumdog Millionaire at the Arclight.  We were sitting behind Ron Howard (Opie), and the theater was packed.  I like seeing movies at the Arclight (despite the $15 ticket price), because it caters to an industry crowd that really appreciates good film making.  When the movie was over it got a standing ovation, and then someone suggested a minute of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in India.  Since the movie was set in Mumbai, it was an appropriate gesture and quite touching.  This was honestly the best movie I’ve seen all year.  (We’re going to see “Milk” tomorrow though, which also got a 93 on Rotten Tomatoes.  I’ve heard excellent things about it too, and it’s obviously another timely topic in light of what’s going on with Prop. 8.)  Seriously though, go see Slumdog Millionaire.  If you don’t like it, I will pay you double!!  Honest   The world needs a movie like this right now.  It’s amazing. 

I hope all you statesiders had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Here are some pictures from feast.  I’m going to slip into a turkey coma now.  Good night!

Best of the rest…

This week, Americans are preparing to celebrate their Thanksgiving holiday.  This year, we have much to be thankful for; a new president, a renewed sense of hope for our tattered worldwide reputation and the fact that Sarah Palin is finally back in her kitchen in Alaska where she belongs.  (Click here for David Letterman’s Top 10 Palin excuses for the unfortunate interview she gave after “pardoning” a Thanksgiving turkey while the guy behind her feeds LIVE turkeys into a GRINDER!)

This Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to participate in a truly memorable and worthwhile project.  My friend Seth, owner of Garbo & Ruby, wrote a song about peace on earth and shot a truly cross cultural video that I hope you will all enjoy.  Hannah steals the show at about 32 seconds, and I make my first cheesy appearance at 39 seconds.  Take a look, but be warned, the song will stick in your head!

In Seth’s own words:

The parts I’m in were filmed on the roof of the Hotel Careyfonia.    Here are some “Behind the Scenes” photos that might just show up on VH-1′s “Behind the Music” someday after I come out of rehab for the 5th time following my meteoric rise to the top of the Hollywood elite in this video:

And if you’d like to see some short “making of” videos, they’re on the song’s Facebook page (click now and become a fan).  If you’re not on Facebook, you can watch the videos here and here.  If you like the song, please purchase it for .99 cents.  All the proceeds go to Peace Partnership International.  I’ll do another post as soon as it’s available on iTunes, because I know that’s how a lot of people prefer to purchase their music.  Thanks to Seth and his inspiration.  I wish you all a peaceful Thanksgiving wherever you may be.

If you’d like to help spread the word, please recommend this post.  It’s for a good cause!

I got conned in to going to see Twilight this weekend.  I’m not sure what all the fuss is about to be honest.  True Blood on HBO is hundred times better.   It did however, put me in the mood to bite Andy’s neck!