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  • Weekend PhotoVlog

    Best of the rest…

    Claudio’s brother Cris and his wife Valesca are visiting with their two kids Victor & Isabella, so we drove up to Santa Barbara to meet up with Eva (who just returned from Bine’s wedding) and Bassam.  It was a rare rainy day in Southern California, and at first the kids were a little hesitant on the beach.  But soon, the clouds dissipated and it ended up being a gorgeous day!

    Soundtrack courtesy of Vienna Teng.
    Song:  Lullaby for a Stormy Night from the album Waking Hour.  Check it out on iTunes!

    Little child, be not afraid
    The rain pounds harsh against the glass
    Like an unwanted stranger
    There is no danger
    I am here tonight

    Little child
    Be not afraid
    Though thunder explodes
    And lightning flash
    Illuminates your tearstained face
    I am here tonight

    And someday you’ll know
    That nature is so
    This same rain that draws you near me
    Falls on rivers and land
    And forests and sand
    Makes the beautiful world that you see
    In the morning

    Little child
    Be not afraid
    The storm clouds mask your beloved moon
    And its candlelight beams
    Still keep pleasant dreams
    I am here tonight

    Little child
    Be not afraid
    The wind makes creatures of our trees
    And the branches to hands
    They’re not real, understand
    And I am here tonight

    And someday you’ll know
    That nature is so
    This same rain that draws you near me
    Falls on rivers and land
    And forest and sand
    Makes the beautiful world that you see
    In the morning

    For you know, once even I
    Was a little child
    And I was afraid
    But a gentle someone always came
    To dry all my tears
    Trade sweet sleep for fears
    And to give a kiss goodnight

    Well, now I am grown
    And these days have shown
    Rain’s a part of how life goes
    But it’s dark and it’s late
    So I’ll hold you and wait
    ’til your frightened eyes do close

    And I hope that you’ll know
    That nature is so
    This same rain that draws you near me
    Falls on rivers and land
    And forests and sand
    Makes the beautiful world that you see
    In the morning

    Everything’s fine in the morning
    The rain will be gone in the morning
    But I’ll still be here in the morning



    Couldn’t resist this

  • Scary Times & Simpler Times

     


    I took this photo of the Irvine Spectrum out the car window going 65 mph. on the way to dinner.  (Here’s another, two moths later.)

    “There is indeed something mesmerizing about Palin, with her manic beaming and fulsome confidence in her own charm. The force of her personality managed to slightly obscure the insulting emptiness of her answers last night. It’s worth reading the transcript of the encounter, where it becomes clearer how bizarre much of what she said was. Here, for example, is how she responded to Biden’s comments about how the middle class has been short-changed during the Bush administration, and how McCain will continue Bush’s policies:

    Say it ain’t so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced [sic] your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let’s look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I’m glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? … My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here’s a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.”  Read more…

     I listened to the debate on the radio on the way to my aunt and uncle’s house for dinner last night.  As they’re both in their 80′s, I enjoy visiting with them and hearing about the old days.  Their memories of life back then are remarkably crisp.  (I can’t even remember what I had for dinner two nights ago.)  As the sun set behind the Orange Curtain, I listened to Caribou Barbie (The Spruce Moose) hem and haw her way though the debate like a (more) retarded Barney Fife in drag, and wondered what she was wearing and how she looked.  No, she wasn’t dressed as Wonder Woman (as my straight male Republican friends like to imagine).  As it turns out, she departed from her maverick political style (brightly colored pumps, pricey Valentino jackets, and the alleged use of a tanning bed and tattooed lipliner) and wore an understated, somber black suit. But the governor still managed to weave in some personal pizzazz with a folksy half french braid (the other half was a mish mash of bangs and God knows what else).  And folksy, as it turned out, was also her debate strategy.

    I can only hope that straight men in America tire of her shrill, whiny cackle before election day, because she proved once again how scary it would be if she were even close to the White House.  Even my aunt remarked how absurd she sounded, and my aunt is no Obama fan.  My uncle said that because of Palin, he was leaning towards Obama.  These are people who voted for Franklin Roosevelt.  They’ve seen this country through good times and bad.  I never thought though, in a million years, that my uncle would ever even consider voting for Obama.  Maybe there is a God??  Maybe he will win this election? (Obama, not God…on second thought, are they different?  LOL.)  At any rate, it’s more fodder for the brilliant Tina Fey!

    If you’re like me, you’ve been getting scads of email all week about politics.  I’m glad so many people are engaged in this political drama.  And for every crazy Palin email I get, I also get some ridiculous Obama Muslim emails as well. 

    Bassam even wrote a whole expose on Sarah Palin’s glasses!  LOL

    Palin’s Glasses
    1 message


    From: Bassam Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 10:53 PM
    To: Carey Anthony

    So I discovered something interesting about Palin. Looking at some of her pictures on the web, it appears that he eyeglasses have pretty much no prescription. I think she just started wearing glasses so that she looks more professional. This is easy to see if you look at the pictures. If you look at a picture in which the edge of the face appears, examine the line of that edge inside the lens are and just outside it, there should be “break” in that line. See for example the picture of Paul McCartney in glasses.  Now any amount of prescription, no matter how slight, will cause a little break in the face edge lines.  None of the Sarah Palin pics I was able to find on the web have any breaks in the lines.  So the lenses on her glasses have no correction power. This is how eyeglasses model’s pictures (the ones you see at the optometrists) are usually taken, because it looks better on the models. They are totally cosmetic and not medical.  My guess is that she started wearing glasses at some point her political life so she can look more professional, but the glasses she is wearing are purely cosmetic.  Don’t you think this is blog worthy? :)

    Some other email offerings from the week:


    David Letterman: Top Ten “Things Overheard At Palin Debate Camp”

    10. “Let’s practice your bewildered silence.”

    9. “Can you try saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘you betcha’?”

    8. “Hey, I can see Mexico from here!”

    7. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and there won’t be any questions about Iraq, taxes or healthcare.”

    6. “We’re screwed!”

    5. “Can I just use that lipstick-pit bull thing again?”

    4. “We have to wrap it up for the day — McCain eats dinner at 4:30.”

    3. “Can we get Congress to bail us out of this debate?”

    2. “John Edwards wants to know if you’d like some private tutoring in his van.”

    1. “Any way we can just get Tina Fey to do it?”

    So….after a delicious spaghetti dinner, my aunt dragged out the photo albums from “simpler times”.  I took photos of the photos, and they came out pretty good!


    Aunty LuLu back in the day


    Aunty LuLu and Aunty Gee Gee


    L to R:  Aunty LuLu being held by my Grandma (Nonna/Nona) and Aunty Gee Gee, Nona, LuLu and Geeg, my Grandpa’s (Nonno/Nono) mother.


    Nona and Nono, Nono, Nono holding Aunty LuLu, Nono with the wooden toys he made.


    My Great Grandpa and Great Grandma on Nona’s side.


    Nono in WWI

  • Dreaming Through The Noise


    Tonight we went to the Vienna Teng concert at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood.  The show was great.  What a voice….and her piano playing is simply awe inspiring.  She was accompanied by Alex Wong, an extremely talented musician in his own right, who played some amazing insturments.  If you haven’t heard of Vienna Teng, you can check out her music here or two of my favorites below.  If you like her, please support her.  (Direct link for iTunes users)
     



    She shares her name with the Austrian home of Mozart and Beethoven. And she herself studied classical piano from the age of five. But there’s nothing old-world about the music of Vienna Teng, whose Zoë/RounderRecords debut brings to mind artists as diverse as Tori Amos, Simon & Garfunkel and Radiohead. “People used to ask what kind of music I played and I never knew how to answer that,” says Teng. “I work a lot with classically trained musicians, but most of my influences are from1970s-era folk music. So now I call it chamber folk.” She adds: “I’m always looking for the perfect pop song combined with an unexpected amount of depth; that’s my idea of great music.”


    Alex Wong (percussion, guitar, vocals), co-founder of The Animators, recently released the debut EP for The Paper Raincoat, his project with Amber Rubarth. He also plays in Deadbeat Darling.

    My friend David, in Hamburg, Germany, is also a fan of Vienna.  In fact, he actually saw her in Vienna last year!  When I told her that, she was nice enough to sign this CD for David:


    “For David – Carey & I say hello from L.A.”

    David and his entire family will be coming back to the Hotel Careyfornia next spring…so he’ll get his signed CD then!

    By the way, did you notice my new watermark?  Thanks to Jin, I now have my very own design.  Isn’t it awesome?  He’s such a sweetheart for doing that.  What a nice surprise.  Thank you my friend!



  • A New Fornia Family Member

      


    Mike came home from his business trip on Sunday and we went to breakfast and celebrated his birthday.  I had a special gift for him as well.  His loft, has officially become the newest member of the “Fornia” family of luxury boutique hotels worldwide.  This honor, adds “The Hotel Mikeyfornia” to the pantheon of legendary resorts like The Hotel Careyfornia, in West Hollywood, CA. 


    Founder and General Manager of Fornia Hotels Ltd., Carey Anthony, surprising Mike on his birthday, with the news that his home is now a 5 Star Diamond “Fornia” property!



    Here’s a short video tour of our San Diego flagship hotel, The Hotel Mikeyfornia



    After breakfast we drove over to Coronado Island and the Hotel Del Coronado (a modest property by Fornia Ltd. standards).  While there, I found my next hotel investment:



    We walked along the beach and took some video of the grounds, as well as our trip back over the bridge:



    It was a picture perfect California day:

    I had Vivek take this out the window while driving over the bridge at 60 mph.



















    On the way home we stopped in Mission Viejo for Darlene’s birthday celebration with my family.  Happy Birthday Dar!  Thanks to Mike for the accommodations.  Happy Birthday to you too!  xoxo

  • Tijuana Jail

    We went one day about a month ago,

    To have a little fun in Mexico,


    We ended up in a gambling spot,


    Where the liquor flowed,


    And the dice were hot.



    So here we are, in the Tijuana jail,


    Ain’t got no friends to go our bail,


    So here we’ll stay, cause we can’t pay,


    Just send our mail to the Tijuana Jail.



    I was shooting dice, raking in the day,


    And then I heard a whistle blow,


    We started to run, when a man in blue,


    Said, senor, come with me,


    Cause I want you.



    Just five hundred dollars,


    And they’ll set us free,


    I couldn’t raise a penny,


    If you threatened me,


    I know five hundred,


    Don’t sound like much,


    But just try to find somebody to touch.



    So here we are, in the Tijuana jail,


    Ain’t got no friends to go our bail,


    So here we’ll stay, cause we can’t pay,


    Just send our mail to the Tijuana Jail.

    LOL, j/k.  We made it back from Tijuana today in one piece.  My friends and family were so worried, but it was fine.  Taking the trolley from Mike’s place downtown was really easy.  Then  we simply walked over the border, ate lunch, took our obligatory donkey/zebra (zonkey?) pic and toured the trashy mess that is Tijuana.  Since Vivek is leaving the west coast soon, he really wanted to visit Mexico.  Mike graciously put us up in the Hotel Mikeyfornia which also gave Vivek an opportunity to visit one of the greatest cities in America, San Diego.  It’s late and I’m tired, so here are some pics:


    Last chance to change our minds!


    Bienvenidos!


    Paco the Zonkey with Sancho, the Indian Mexican…I’m not sure which is more odd!



    I’m not sure if this was a quinceanera or what…but there were a bunch of people dressed like this.


    After getting back to America, we went to Old Town (the birth place of California) for dinner.


    Mike’s loft is right across the street from the baseball stadium.


    He’s really done wonders with it!


    Tonight we watched the fireworks from the balcony when the Padres won.

    More Mexico pictures…
    More San Diego pictures…

  • My High School Musical Debut & Froth Moonshine Jeronimo Blues

    Last night I showed Tressa and her little friend this photo I took of Zach Efron on the red carpet of the American Idol finale a while back, and this was their reaction…

    Then, I proceeded to “cast” Tressa in High School Musical 3, opposite Zach’s character Troy.  LOL.  Personally, I think I make a better prom date for Troy than Gabriella or Tressa!  What do you think?

    Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!



    My high school musical experience

    My morning didn’t start out well.  I was driving down Jeronimo Road going 58 in a 40 and sure enough a motorcycle cop got me.  It was my own damn fault.  There’s nothing worse than seeing this in your rear view mirror.  It ruins your whole day!  I hate driving with a passion.   I’ve been pretty good with my tickets (for the past year) up until today. Damn.

    Here are a few other pics of the kids and Lisa.


    Finally, if you haven’t already figured out what your name would be if you were born to Sarah Palin, try the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator.
    Carey, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be:
    Froth
    Moonshine
    Palin

    Who knows, Froth
    Moonshine
    Palin
    you just might be president one day!

  • Don Gato & Maggots

    I’m dogsitting for Buster & Roxy this week, so today Lisa surprised me by bringing Andy over for lunch.  (He’s feeling much better by the way, thanks to everyone who asked!) 

    What a difference two weeks can make!! Lisa took both of these photos.

    I’ve been trying to lose some weight by not eating after 8:00 PM on weeknights for the past 3 weeks.  It’s been going pretty well.  However, when I got here last night I walked in the kitchen and found this:


    I have to go to the hardware store to get a padlock for this cupboard now!

    Then Jennifer called me tonight and asked me to meet her and Tressa & Lisa S. for Taco Tuesday at Tortilla Flats.  It was a gorgeous night on the lake and a good time was had by all.  On a side note, Lisa’s husband Gary is getting out of the hospital today after 8 weeks and a horrible ordeal that included maggots and lots of chemotherapy.  (Did you know they still use maggots in hospitals for wound care?  I saw the pictures tonight and it was amazingly disgusting, but it really works!)  Keep him and their entire family in your thoughts.


    Tressa playing “Spore” on my new iPod Touch.


    Jennifer, trying not to look jealous of my iPod Touch.


    The always fabulous and amazingly resilient Lisa.


    Jenn, Lisa, Tiffany, Tressa & Carey


    Tressa with her favorite cousin

    I used to sing this song in 2nd grade.  In fact, my Dad has reel to reel tapes of me singing this in 1972.  Here’s the modern, overly dramatic version that I sang for Tressa.  I didn’t realize until the end that the table next to us had joined in on the action.  LOL.

  • The Boys are Back in Town

    After Friday’s Sound of Music extravaganza, the Hotel Careyfornia prepared for its next wave of visitors.  Emmy weekend is always a busy one at the H.C. and this weekend was no exception.  Adam & Lorenzo flew in from Washington DC.  Sadly their luggage didn’t arrive until 3 AM this morning, but that didn’t stop them from painting the town pink. 

    Before heading out for the evening, Claudio cooked up his famous Angel Hair Brasil, named appropriately enough after his own wispy, thin, angel like hair. 

    After dinner it was time to try out the Hotel Careyfornia’s newest amenity, luxurious custom towels!!


    Body not included.

    And lest you think these boys come by their looks naturally, you should know it takes a LOT of preparation!!

    No, it’s not Halloween!

    Not to mention costume changes:


    Ryan looks good in my $400 shirt.  Don’t you think?  LOL


    The H.C. even offers complimentary butt massages, if you’re under the weight limit!

    This morning we had breakfast, and then Claudio and Ryan headed to a pool party, while Adam and I explored the sites of West Hollywood:


    We ran into these guys walking down Santa Monica Blvd.  If you need a haircut, call Alexander Stabler at 310-652-0830.  He’s on the right.  LOL

    Since the Emmy’s were downtown tonight, we decided to stay in and not deal with the traffic.  I thought there would be an after party at the Mondrian next door, but it was over at Morton’s and they keep the paparazzi across the street, so it’s hard to get any decent photos.  I’m heading out again tomorrow for the week.  Have a good week everyone!


    2008 Emmy Awards – West Hollywood, California


    Best of the rest…

  • The (Hollywood) Hills Are Alive…

    …with “The (sing-along) Sound of Music“.  Yes, it’s that time of year again.  Our annual viewing of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s classic, The Sound of Music, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1965, the year I was born.  It was a perfect night to be at the Hollywood Bowl.  To learn more about the show and what goes on there, check out my blog entry from last year.  Here are some photos and a video from tonight.


    Hooray for Hollywood!


    The costume parade started at 6:00.

    IMG_2022 (Medium)
    July 1, 2007 & September 19, 2008.  Look how much Hannah has grown!


    Hannah is so smart she could even say (and remember) Vivek’s name!


    Hannah liked my brownies better than the dessert her Mom brought!


    And liked to feed me!


    Nighttime falls…


    The third place winner in the costume contest was a lady name Sue (who was nice enough to comment on my blog) and this little boy.  They dressed as the mountaintop field from which Julie Andrews sang the title track; and the helicopter that filmed her!  Pretty clever!


    The 2nd Place prize in the costume contest went to Austin & Sophie, who were dressed adorably as “A needle sewing thread…”  (Austin’s Mom is a fellow Xangan who found my pictures through Google and wrote to me.)  That’s Charmian Carr on the right.  She played Liesl in the movie and she still looks great.  She’s is 65, going on 66.


    And the grand prize went to these cuties dressed as the notes, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do.  They won a cruise on the Mexican Riviera. 


    What a doll!


    Grrrr, why can’t strangers ever hold the camera steady?


    This guy’s costume was great!  He was dresses as Christopher Plumber.  LOL.  Get it?


    I thought this was cute…a father and son holding hands.


    Best of the rest…


    There are 3 parts to this video.  The first part is the end of the costume contest and the introduction of the movie.  The second part is the opening song (“The Hills are Alive”) with Julie Andrews doing her thing.  Part 3 is “Edelweiss” where 18,000 people hold up their cell phones in the dark and it’s quite a sight!

    Last year when I went to the Sound of Music at the Hollywood Bowl, I posted this photo:

    IMG_2037 (Medium)

    Soon after, I received this message:

    HelloCarey, I am a CareyGLY blog reader and I have always enjoyed yourwriting. I was very surprised when you posted the pictures fromthe sound of music sing along night at the Hollywood Bowl.  One of thepictures you posted of someone in the crowd was a person I dated tenyears ago!!  I am so very surprised that you have become the messenger; ) Thank you!! Daniel from L.A.

    The guy dressed as Maria in the photo above, was the guy Daniel had dated.  He didn’t do drag at the time, though Daniel suspected there were tendencies.  Long story short, Daniel and I ended up meeting and the Xangaverse got a little smaller!

    danielcarey (Small)

  • Guess The Celebrity & Deep in a Bavarian Forest

    Guess who was on my plane flight home today?  Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture, but I was trying to be discreet! 

    Here’s a reenactment of how I took the photo.  Do you think she knew??  LOL



    Since Tom & Cathy and Beate & Matthias couldn’t be in Denmark for Sabine’s wedding either; they decided to take a hike through the Bavarian Forest (where Matthias works as a forest ranger and part time master photographer) and make this glorious wedding card for Sabine & Alan!! Our “GLY” Gang is certainly creative don’t you think?

    Deep in the heart of the Bavarian Forest…

    hidden behind some old trees…

    and far away from any civilization…

    some gnomes got word of a GLY wedding!!

    In order to find the right spot for a proper wedding greeting they set out on a long, long hike…

    and with the help of fantastic creatures

    …they finally found a charmed spring.

    A few drops of that precious liquid gave them their final inspiration.

    In a quiet, peaceful place they created a work of outstanding art…

    …to send warm Wedding Greetings to the couple of the year!

    BINE & ALAN – ALL THE BEST WISHES FOR YOUR WEDDING AND A LOVE-FILLED FUTURE TOGETHER!

    Since
    our youngest gnome and GLY-member couldn’t join our incredibly long and strenuous hike he sends his own special greetings and hugs to you! 

    Enjoy your day!

    Click for some “Making of….” photos