It’s actually 4 AM (despite the 8:08 time shown below that I started this post!) and Vivek and I are sitting here on the couch blogging from separate laptops and watching Project Runway.  Before that, we watched the opening ceremonies which were really impressive.   Especially the gymnasts!

Beijing is off to a good start!  Yesterday I had dinner with Dar, Jenn & Tressa, and I also took the dogs to the dog park.  There was a woman there who looked vaguely like Kate Walsh from Grey’s Anatomy (without makeup).  She was actually really nice and took a picture of me with the dogs.  Still not sure if it was her, but several people insisted it was.  At any rate, Oreo & Shadow are really getting acclimated to the Hollywood lifestyle.  They may not want to go back to Orange County when their family returns from Hawaii!

Living the dream…

Kate Walsh?  You decide.

I took this for Christine.

A pre-Olympic dinner at Fat Fish!

Getting used to chopsticks!

Dessert!

It was a busy afternoon at the Hotel Careyfornia.  Lisa ,Joel & the boys are going to Hawaii for 9 days and I’m watching their dogs, Shadow & Oreo (named after my Oreo!).  They’re parking their car here at my place (just like Claudio is), so now I have 3 cars.  That’s kind of ironic seeing that my own car was in the shop for four months up until recently.  So when Lisa & Joel got here, I took a late lunch and we went to Jerry’s Famous Deli.  After that we headed to the airport, where, coincidentally, Vivek had just flown in from Delhi, India, by way of Seoul, South Korea.  He’s here for an internship, and will hopefully get some good news about the Project Runway application he submitted.  (I’m really hoping for a ticket to the Oscars next year Vivek, especially since you didn’t bring me a souvenir from Korea!!)  Vivek was super tired after his whirlwind trip to Korea and flight to LA, so we did a quick drive down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and the sites of Hollywood (Grauman’s, the Kodak Theater, etc.) before he retired for the evening to get a good night’s rest and start the first day of the rest of his life tomorrow!

The obligatory pose!

A very dangerous picture!

Waiting for the valet at the H.C.

“This is is the day…your life will surely change.”

…and Pet Motel.

Blog buddies!

I hope this song is good luck for you Vivek.  It was playing on a fateful day in 1990 when I made a decision that would change my life forever.  It involved switching jobs, agreeing to take care of two children and moving from Chicago.  I never looked back, and I hope that this too “is the day your life will surely change.”

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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“More
bad news for air travelers. Earlier today, U.S. Airways began charging
passengers on its flights for water. Even worse, the oxygen masks are now
coin-operated.” — Conan O’Brien

Saganaki is a Greek dish that comes to the table accompanied by
cries of “opa!” and a dramatic fiery flourish. In reality, it’s just
cheese – but what wonderfully salty, sinfully satisfying cheese it is.  The same could be said for Mamma Mia!

It was a hot, hazy day in Los Angeles today, so Tuan and I decided to go see Mamma Mia at the Arclight.

It was so smoggy, you could barely see the Hollywood sign from Sunset Blvd!

The 2:45 showing of Mamma Mia was actually full!  It’s great fun.  Set in a lush Greek island, with breathtaking cinematography.  It’s a delicious romp!

Tuan (far right) didn’t think he was in this picture

There were so many good musical numbers in the movie, but this one was my favorite.  It was so cute!

When I go to the Arclight Cinerama, I always like to park up on the roof and take pictures.  Today there was this very tame pigeon up there, who let me get pretty close:

You can barely make out downtown LA on the top left.

He finally flew off towards the Griffith Park Observatory.

After the movie, we went to The Abbey and ate a late lunch.

It was unusually humid today too, and I was so tired of my long hair in the heat, so I stopped by Supercuts on the way home and decided to get my hair cut.  You may remember my last haircut debacle just three weeks ago:

After that experience, I wanted to be very specific.  So I told the girl I was thinking of a Caesar cut.  She was Hispanic, and she thought I was saying “a scissor cut”. (Think scissor with a mexican accent…see-zor!).  So she said she wouldn’t use clippers!  I said, “Not SCISSORS, CAESER.  Do you understand?”  “Yes, I understand,” she said, “No clippers.”.  We went round and round for a couple of minutes and I could not get her to understand what I meant.  Finally, she asked a girl at another station, and the girl said, “Of course I know what a Caesar cut is!”.  So I switched stations, and later, she whispered to me, “You should have just told her to give you a “George Clooney.”"  LOL

The finished product.

Speaking of bad haircuts, thanks to Sam, I was up way too late playing with this awesome site, www.yearbookyourself.com.  The scary thing is, that I actually had many of these hairstyles in many of these years.  (Though, in the interest of full disclosure, I was born in 1965. and my hair was never that long in the 70′s!)  Place your mouse over each picture to see the year it’s from.  (1988 and 1996 are remarkably accurate.  LOL…Time to fire up the scanner!)

Actually, 1976 is pretty accurate too, and I just found proof.  I was 11 when this family photo was taken in 1976.  That’s me on the bottom left…diggin’ the outfit!  Incidentally, 1976 was the year that Abba’s Mamma Mia, hit #1 in the U.S.  And we’ve come full circle!

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Tonight we took the kids to The Great Park in Irvine.  They have a huge, tethered helium balloon that stands 118 feet high and holds 30 people.  It flies 500 feet above the park, which used to be the El Toro Air Force Base that was closed in 1999.  We timed our visit perfectly.  We only had to wait about 1/2 hour and the sun was just starting to set when we went up in the balloon.  It’s really a great park, and the balloon ride is free.  We all had a great time.

P.S. When I was little, I was fascinated by hot air balloons, but I before I could say “hot air balloon”, I simply said “honeymoon”.  For some reason, my parents never corrected me, and as I grew older, I continued to call them honeymoons.  Once, when I was in college, I saw three hot air balloons and announced to my friends, “Look, honeymoons!!”  Suffice it to say, I was the laughing stock of the dorm.  Sad, but true!

Best of the rest.

Here’s a cheesy blast from the past

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The
earthquake [in Los Angeles] was powerful enough that an entire group of people
lined up outside to see ‘Batman’ ended up lined up to see ‘Mamma Mia.’” –
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel

Our last day in Oregon was spent in downtown Portland yesterday for a quick Dim Sum lunch followed by a trip to Powell’s (the biggest independent bookstore in the world).  Then we headed over to the trendy new Ace Hotel for some photos in their old fashioned photo booth.

It’s funny how things change.  The Ace Hotel used to be a total dive called the Clyde Hotel when I first started making monthly visits to Portland 18 years ago.  Several scenes from the movie Drugstore Cowboy were filmed there, and believe it or not, it’s the first (and only) place someone ever offered me heroin!!  It was my first time on a business trip in early 1990 and I met some people at The Fish Grotto across the street, who invited me to their room at the Clyde.  I naively went, only to find them all going into the bathroom to shoot up.  Suffice it to say I got out of there quickly!

We finished our afternoon visit in Portland’s “living room”, Pioneer Square.  As I sat on the red brick steps, I remembered all of the fond memories Portland holds for me.  Good friends and amazing times.  It’s always nice going back.  Thanks to Marcelo & Emily for hosting our large brood, and thanks to Christine for coming up with the idea of visiting the Oregon coast again (when it wasn’t 30° and raining!)

The flight home was clear and beautiful and I got some great shots of Mt. Hood.  This morning, I was working from home when the earthquake hit.  Luckily, my Dad had earthquake proofed my house last year, and I’m happy to report that everything that was hanging on the walls stayed in place.  Thanks Dad!  The picture frames on my shelves weren’t so lucky, but other than a little broken glass, my home was completely intact.  (Though, the shaking ceiling fan on high was a little scary!)  It was the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt, and only the third since I moved here in 2002.  It kind of felt like one of those shiatsu massage chairs that you sit on at Brookstone, that knead your back with rolling balls.  It felt like there were huge ball bearings moving across the ground.  Crazy!  So LA welcomed me home with a bang and my short vacation was over.  I need a vacation!

Christine & Carey in Portland’s Chinatown.

The Hotel Vintage Plaza was always my home away from home in Portland.  One year I stayed there 160 nights!

Portland’s “Living Room” – Pioneer Courthouse Square

The statue behind Drew & Christine needs that umbrella ten months a year, but not yesterday!

Christine in front of Pioneer Courthouse

The Broadway Bridge over the Willamette River.

The I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River between Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA.

The majestic Mt. Hood.

Downtown LA at the bottom and Dodger’s Stadium at the top.

Best of the rest…

I’m a total wuss when it comes to anything remotely athletic or dirty as this video will attest.  We did have a great time, and though the crabs weren’t really biting, the dinner was delicious!

Not quite heaven, but you get the idea!

Talk about a fish out of water!

Are my hands going to smell?

Eva could beat me in anything.  LOL

This little seal kept eyeing us (or was it the Loch Ness monster??)

Taylor made a surprise visit this morning.  I stood on a rock to prove I was still taller than him. 

New friends Jay & Darlene!

Astoria, Oregon

Good news!  The Front Desk clerk at the Blue Gull Inn which is across the street from the house we’re staying in succumbed to my flirtations and gave me their Wi-Fi password!  So we’re wired this weekend.  Here’s the first batch of photos.  Sunset was gorgeous.  Eva & Yolanda arrive tomorrow along with some other friends.  Should be a nice relaxing weekend.  My friends Todd & Laura, whose house we’re staying in, are the absolute greatest people in the world.  Their home is beautiful, and 1/2 a block from the beach.  Thank you guys SO much.  This is really a treat.  GLY!!

Our home away from home for the next few days!

We can see Haystack Rock (third tallest monolith in the world) from our living room!

Footprints in the sand, courtesy of Marcelo.

Old friends!

Drew & Carey

I always get nice silhouette pictures of Drew!  The weather was nicer today though than in November!

Livin’ it up at The Hotel ToddLaurafornia!

Click the photo above if you want to see the rest!

 
I woke up today feeling much better.  Let’s hope this nasty flu has just about run its course.  I do need sleep however, and seeing how it’s 4 AM, I’ll make this short.  The flight to Portland (PDX) was uneventful.  Smooth trip to the airport, no delays and a gorgeous sunset over Mt. Shasta (photos below).  Christine & Drew arrived about 45 minutes before I did, and Marcelo & Emily were already at the airport to pick them up, so they all met me, with bells on.    We’re having a mini GLY reunion this week.  Eva arrives tomorrow.  In the morning we’ll head to Cannon Beach where we’ve rented a beach house from Todd & Laura thru Sunday.  Should be nice and relaxing.  One thing I just found out however is the beach house doesn’t have Internet!  HORRORS!!  LOL   I’m sure I’ll figure something out, but if you don’t hear from me by Monday, send a search party to the below address.  I’ll likely have died of information underload.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Mt. Shasta peaking thru the clouds.

Emily the blur is saying Christine is 7 months pregnant!