andy

  • Media Darling?

    Update: Here’s the link to the Wall Street Journal article I was interviewed for as referenced below. They  got a few facts wrong, but there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?

    Every three to six months, when his most recent promotional deal expires, Carey Anthony blocks out an hour of his day to negotiate with his cable company. Each time, the president of a software company in Los Angeles says he can knock $20 to $30 off his monthly bill.

    “Negotiating works every time,” says Mr. Anthony,46, who estimates he has saved more than $350 a year over the past decade.”Sometimes you have to threaten to cancel service, or switch to another provider, or sit on hold for an hour, but I’ve never failed to get a discount,” he says. “You just have to be diligent.”

    As prices for cable services have surged over the past 10years and the faltering economy has pressured household incomes, a growing number of cable customers face skyrocketing bills. Read more…

    Also here are some photos from Christmas. I’m leaving today for San Francisco to spend New Year’s Eve with the GLY gang and look forward to more sunsets on the shore like this. Happy New Year everyone!


    Best of the rest!


    Video from Christmas Morning

    December 19, 2011
    Got the following email this morning. I called the reporter at lunch and did the interview. The piece should be in the Wall Street Journal late this week or early next. She said I was an amazing consumer advocate with a LOT to say. LOL, that’s an understatement. This is what I love about the age we live in. Power of the people truly exists. Tweets and blog posts can change policies. Keep up the good fight folks!!

    Gmail Carey Anthony
    Wall Street Journal Interview Request
    Schuker, Lauren  Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 9:34 AM
    To:Carey Anthony

    Hi Carey,

    I’m a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. I was writing because I’d love to interview you for a story about cable service– I saw your post on Yelp and thought you’d be a great person for the piece.

    I’m at (212) 416-xxxx or on my cell (below) if you see this – please call me as soon as you can.

    Thank you so much, and I look forward to talking further with you.

    Lauren

    Lauren A. E. Schuker

    The Wall Street Journal

    office. (212) xxx-xxxx

    cell. (617) xxx-xxxx
    Here’s the full post she was referring to. Long, but worth the read:

      -  Sep 12, 2011  -  Public
    My Online Chat With Time Warner Customer Service Today:
    User Carey has entered room
    Analyst Serena has entered room

    Serena> Hello! Thank you for choosing Road Runner Internet Technical Chat Support. My name is Serena, How may I assist you?
    Carey> Fix my internet & phone service
    Serena> Hi Carey! May I know what is the issue with the service?
    Carey> We don’t have much time…it will probably go down again in the next 5 minutes
    Carey> It’s been going up and down for a week. Internet and phone
    Serena> I see, okay.
    Carey> If it goes down again you’ll have to call me on my cell which I entered in the chat intro.
    Serena> I apologize for the inconvenience.
    Serena> Let me run line test on your device.
    Carey> I have had no phone or internet already today at least 12 times…this is unacceptable
    Serena> I see, I understand your frustration.
    Serena> For all services down issue, we need to escalate the problem to our Cable Services Specialist.
    Serena> To fix the problem right away.
    Serena> Let me create a case id number for you here, okay?
    Carey> ok
    Serena> Please give me a minute.
    Serena> I just want to check, have you reset your modem recently?
    Carey> many many times
    Serena> I see, okay. 
    Carey> this has been going up and down for a week. Sometimes it stays down 20 minutes sometimes it’s back in 5
    Carey> crap, there it goes again
    Carey> call me on my cell…my phone just cut off
    Carey> internet will be next
    Carey> it’s back….are you still there?
    Serena> Do not worry everything we’ve discussed is documented.
    Carey> did you see that it just went down?
    Carey> crap, it’s doing it again
    Carey> Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    rrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
    Carey> I can’t live like this
    User Carey has entered room
    Serena> Yes, I am still here, I am waiting for you to enter the session again.
    Carey> I’m back
    Carey> but it will likely go down again soon. What do I do?
    Serena> Great!
    Carey> I can’t live like this
    Carey> I rely on my phone and internet
    Serena> I am now completing all the line test and I will create a case number for you.
    Carey> what’s the problem??
    Carey> now it’s down again
    Serena> I understand Carey, this will be fixed as soon as we can,
    Serena> Yes, I can see it.
    Carey> now it’s up
    Carey> so what is the problem?
    Serena> We are currently checking what is causing of the disconnection.
    Serena> Please make sure all cables hooked up to your modem is securely connected.
    Carey> they are
    Serena> Okay.
    Serena> Thank you!
    Serena> I am now creating the case number for you.
    Serena> Here is your case number is: 7221706. 
    Carey> what do I do with that?
    Carey> I see a Time Warner truck outside. Should I give him that case #?
    Serena> That is for your reference.
    Serena> I just want to check, is your cable service goes down as well, correct?
    Carey> not my tv…just my phone and internet
    Serena> I see.
    Serena> Thank you mentioning the Time Warner Cable Truck, let me check our maintenance dashboard if there are on going outages,
    Serena> I see.
    Carey> This has been going on for a week though. I called last week and was put on hold for 40 minutes then cut off
    Serena> There is an outage in the area.
    Serena> I understand.
    Serena>The description of the outage is Multiple node outages affecting phone and Internet services.
    Carey> When will it be fixed? I’m this close to calling Verizon. I can’t live like this.
    Serena> Our Top Technical Engineers are currently fixing the problem.
    Carey> What are there names and emails? I’d like to write them.
    Carey> now it’s down again
    Carey> I’m back
    Serena> Good.
    Serena> I apologize Carey, I am not authorized to disclose the information you’re requesting.
    Carey> I assume this whole week will be taken off my bill.
    Serena> I understand you.
    Serena> For that you may contact our customer care to raise your concern.
    Carey> I CAN’T EVEN CALL OUT ON MY PHONE HALF THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Carey> and I was on hold for 40 minutes last week before getting cut off!
    Carey> I am NOT calling customer care to raise my concern.
    Carey> I’ve just spent the last 40 minutes raising my concern with you
    Carey> and in that time, my service has gone down 6 times
    Serena> I understand your frustration, we need to wait until our field technicians fix the problem outside.
    Carey> If you can’t have somebody fix my bill, then just cancel the whole service3
    Carey> I’ve wasted enough time.
    Carey> 10 years as a customer and this is how I get treated??
    Carey> I am going on Twitter now to tell everyone to cancel Time Warner if this is the way I’m going to be treated after 10 years of loyalty
    Serena> To fix your bill, I’m glad to get you a billing specialist right now, for your service, we really need to wait until the technicians done with the maintenance.
    Carey> It’s been doing this for a week….just fix the bill! I shouldn’t have to waste any more time with your company
    Carey> Who’s the chairman of Time Warner?
    Serena> I’m afraid I am not authorized to disclose that information Carey.
    Carey> You’re not authorized to tell me who your boss is???????????????
    Carey> http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2011/03/TIME_WARNER_CHAIRMAN_38_CEO_JEFF_BEWKES_TO_PARTICIPATE_03-03-2011.php
    Serena> Yes I am not in the position. I apologize.
    Carey> there, I saved you the trouble…I’m getting his email address too
    Carey> that’s absurd
    Carey> when will this be fixed?
    Serena> I understand Ma’am.
    Carey> It’s SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Carey> 10 years as a customer and you don’t even know my gender?
    Serena> I am sorry.
    Carey> This whole transcript will be posted on my blog and on facebook, to show how absurd this is. Watch for it.
    Carey> What’s the number for Verizon?
    Serena> We do not have the number for Verizon Carey.
    Serena> Let me hand you over to Billing people to take care of your possible credits caused by this trouble on your end,
    Carey> it would save your ex customers time if you just transferred us to them…it’s the least you can do
    Carey> Fine, but when will this be fixed and how will I know? I’d like Jeff Bewkes to call me when it’s resolved.
    Serena> I understand, I will do it for you now.
    Serena> Please hold on to your case id number.
    Serena> I apologize again for all the inconvenience Carey.
    Serena> That is noted Carey.
    Carey> apologies mean nothing…you don’t even know my gender. I’m a human being you know. You work for giant conglomerate who is bent on making my life miserable apparently. If you’re really sorry, you should get another job.
    Serena> For now, since our engineers still fixing it, they haven’t posted estimated time of restoral but I assure you it will be fixed as soon as possible,
    Carey> What website do I enter the case # into to see if it’s fixed?
    Serena> The case number will serve as your reference for this conversation, everything is documented.
    Carey> What website do I enter the case # into to see if it’s fixed?
    Serena> The case number cannot be viewed on our web site, it will serve as your reference for this conversation where everything is documented.
    Carey> What good does that do me?
    Serena> It will server as your reference number for this issue and when I transfer you to billing.
    Serena> Please stay while I transfer you to our billing analyst.
    Carey>Please stay? What am I, a dog?
    Carey> This is gonna look good on facebook!
    Serena> I’m sorry. What I mean please wait and stay in this chat session while I get you a billing specialist.
    Carey> It’s a new world you know? You can’t treat customers like garbage any more and not be held accountable. You will lose customers if you can’t fix these problems. Don’t you realize that???
    Carey> Oh and tell the “billing specialist” to read the entire chat. I’m not repeating myself.
    Serena> I will.
    Serena> I will now transfer you.
    Serena> Thank you for contacting Road Runner Technical Chat Support, again my name is Serena, we value you as a customer. Have a nice day!
    Carey> You sure don’t show it!
    Serena> Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

    Analyst Serena has left room
    Analyst Gustavo has entered room

    Gustavo> Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Gustavo. Please give me a moment while I access your account.
    Carey> You can either refund the charges for my horrible service the past week, or cancel it completely and I’ll go to Verizon. Your choice.
    Gustavo> Good Afternoon. How are you today?
    Carey> Horrible
    Carey> I feel as if I’ve been raped by corporate America.
    Gustavo> I am sorry to hear that. 
    Gustavo> I understand that your services are down. 
    Gustavo> Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
    Gustavo> I will be more than happy to assist you. 
    Carey> Everyone there is sorry, but no one is doing anything.
    Gustavo> Unfortunately, I cannot apply credits unless the problem is fixed. And as the last analyst mentioned, the outage is ongoing. 
    Carey> It’s been ongoing for a week. When will the credit be applied. I’m not calling in again or sitting on a chat for an hour. This is YOUR problem, not mine.
    Gustavo> As a courtesy, I am applying a $10 credit. You can contact us back once the problem is fixed to receive the rest of the credit. 
    Carey> And when will that be?
    Gustavo> Our technicians are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. At this time, there is no known estimated time of repair. 
    Carey> As soon as possible? It’s been like this for a week! I need a better answer than that. I have to decide today whether to cancel this service I’ve had for 10 years. You obviously don’t care about my business or my loyalty.
    Gustavo> I am sorry but I am just giving you the information we have. 
    Carey> If you were really sorry, you’d try to find out what the problem was and when it will be fixed.
    Gustavo> As mentioned before, our technicians are already working, there is nothing else to do from our end. We need you to understand that this is something that cannot be handled online. 
    Carey> Then you should have told me that an hour ago before I started this chat!
    Gustavo> I gave you all the information I have in the system and applied the credit I could. 
    Carey> I CALLED last week and was on hold for 40 minutes before being cut off. If I can’t call or chat online, how is it supposed to be handled???
    Gustavo> We started the chat 15 minutes ago Sir. 
    Carey> I started the chat with Serena an hour ago!
    Carey> Don’t play semantics with me, because you will lose.
    Gustavo> That is a different department sir.
    Carey> So?
    Gustavo> It is being handle by the technicians who are already aware of the situation. 
    Carey> I’m still the customer. I’m still a human being. You cut me, I bleed. Have you no regard for your customers?
    Carey> So how will I know it’s been fixed? Will they call me? Send me flowers? Sky write? How?
    Gustavo> The services will start working fine. 
    Gustavo> And no, we will not contact you. 
    Carey> So basically you’re telling me I’m out of luck. Just wait, like I have been waiting for a week…for something I pay you $160/month for that should work and doesn’t!
    Carey> This is going to look great when it’s posted on facebook, twitter, tumblr and my blog. I’ll make sure to tag it with #timewarner #customerservicenightmare!
    Gustavo> Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
    Gustavo> It would be a pleasure if there is something else I can assist you with.
    Carey> OK, I’m going to call Verizon now to see if they care any more about me.
    Gustavo> Again, my name is Gustavo. Thank you for chatting with Time Warner Cable. We value you as a customer and are here to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you would like to take a brief survey, please click on “End Session” and the survey will load.
    Carey> LOL, that’s going to be a doozy of a survey.

    Here are the rest of the highlights of the past couple of weeks:


    Birthday dinner with Dreamer David Cho.


    A visit with Arielle and Baby Hazel.


    Roscoe at Runyon Canyon. More here.


    Office Christmas Party.


    Movie night with Claudio & Ryan and Chazz & Rio. More here.


    Orange County thunderheads, followed by a rare California snow storm!


    Late fall in Southern California. More here.


    Thursday family dinner.


    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. More here.


    My brother, sister in law and niece visit The Hotel Careyfornia.


    Merry Christmas from Chazz & Rio.

  • The Busy Season

    It’s been a busy few weeks at The Hotel Careyfornia. Lots of visitors…lots of great meals and very little sleep. If you’re thinking of visiting Southern California, make your reservations soon; as we’re getting quite full for the summer, LOL! I’m getting great use out of my new camera. Here are some shots from the past two weeks:


    B & L brought the kids up to Hollywood and we had a blast! Click here for more photos


    The next weekend, B & L had us over for an oceanfront barbecue in Santa Barbara. Click here for more photos


    Beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. Click here for more photos


    The kids had a great Easter! Click here for more photos


    Jennifer cooked a great Easter dinner! Click here for more photos


    Hugo arrived from NYC last Wednesday and between that and the Royal Wedding, I haven’t slept since then! Click here for more photos


    Of course Claudio hosted a Brazilian barbecue! Click here for more photos


    Hooray for Hugowood! Click here for more photos


    More satisfied guests! Click here for more photos


    My neighbor’s new puppy…she’s a Chiweenie (Dachshund and Chihuahua mix!)


    I managed to squeeze in dinner with Owen last week. Click here for more photos


    Our traditional Thursday family dinner. Click here for more photos


    No, I WILL NOT fix your computer! LOL Click above for video


    We were driving home from the Hollywood Sign last night when the Twitterverse exploded with the news.
    I was with these guys on 9/11 and the year after in NYC. We all watched the President’s speech together last night.
    Now THAT’S what I call “mission accomplished” GW!

  • I’m a Father!

    I don’t have a great track record with electronics. I usually lose a camera once a year, and a phone once every two years. While my family insists I do this purposefully with the intent of always upgrading to the latest model; I’m really just clumsy and absent minded. It was worse in my 20′s, but now that I’m in my mid 40′s I’m noticing a another degradation LOL. Guess I’m somewhere between 45 and Alzheimer’s! I went back to look how many times I’ve blogged about getting a new camera and it’s a little embarrassing. Nevertheless, after losing my beloved Canon Powershot SD3500 in January, I’ve been using my old G9 and waiting for a new model to be released that I’ve had my eye on. So here it is, my new baby:

    I sacrificed a couple of megapixels for a faster CMOS sensor with high sensitivity. The screen is slightly smaller (3.2″ vs 3.5″), and the zoom is slightly lower (4.4x vs 5x) but it has full 1080p high definition video, High Speed Burst mode (up to 8.2 frames per second) and Av/Tv (aperture priority and shutter priority) shooting modes. It also has an neat Vivid Color setting, which makes photos look like paintings, as well as poster and miniature functionality. Take a look:

    12.1 megapixels • 3.2“ screen • 4.4× zoom Compact camera with manual controls, stainless steel body and touch screen interface featuring the company’s ‘HS’ system that promises better low-light performance and high-speed photography through a combination of a 12.1MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 processor. It features an F2.0-5.8 24-105mm equiv. lens and a large 3.2 inch LCD. Users have the option to shoot Super Slow 340 x 240 movies at 240fps and 1080p24 Full HD video. There is also a Movie Digest mode that records a short video clip right before shooting a still image and then combines one day’s worth of clips into a video.


    Of course, the proof’s in the pudding, so here are some photos I took this weekend:


    First photos with my new camera


    Click here for more…


    Dar invited us to Palm Spring for brunch yesterday. Here’s Andy trying to feed Rio an orange!


    Chazz & Rio amongst the spring flowers in West Hollywood


    To the “security” guard who told me it was a “violation of federal law to take pictures outside the Pacific Design Center”, enjoy the photos. I was only pretending to be deaf!


    Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA. Click here for more…


    A boy and his dogs…


    Picking oranges with Andy, Chazz & Rio


    We were taking all these pictures by the lake, when someone yelled at us and told us we were on an active golf course. LOL


    Snow capped Big Bear mountain in the distance


    Andy, Roxy, Chazz & Rio


    Spring in Palm Springs!


    Favorite cousins!


    Happy Easter, Happy Spring!


    Click here for the best of the rest…


    Andy getting stuck in the folding chair…please don’t call Child Services on us! :)


    Chazz & Rio play in the back yard while Andy picks oranges. Click full screen for HD.

  • I’m Entering Rehab

    The following, appeared in the Washington Post last week:

    Though it is embarrassing to admit this in public, I can no longer hide the truth. I have a Sarah Palin problem.

    I have written about her in 42 columns since Sen. John McCain picked her as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008. I’ve mentioned her in dozens more blog posts, Web chats, and TV and radio appearances. I feel powerless to control my obsession, even though it cheapens and demeans me.

    But today is the first day of the rest of my life. And so, I hereby pledge that, beginning on Feb. 1, 2011, I will not mention Sarah Palin — in print, online or on television — for one month. Furthermore, I call on others in the news media to join me in this pledge of a Palin-free February. With enough support, I believe we may even be able to extend the moratorium beyond one month, but we are up against a powerful compulsion, and we must take this struggle day by day.

    I checked, and I have written 39 posts about Wicked Witch of Wasilla, since that fateful morning of August 29, 2008, a day we wish we could all forget. So today, I declare a:

    So starting tomorrow, no posts about the Queen of Darkness. Like Mika Brzezinski, I will not give her the publicity she so craves:


    The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
    Mika Brzezinski Experiences Palin Fatigue
    www.colbertnation.com

    “Mika, you need to buck up! Now I know you think that this story has no purpose other than keeping Sarah Palin’s name in the headlines for another news cycle. I know you think that she has nothing to offer the national dialogue, and that her speeches are just coded talking points mixed in with words picked up at random from a thesaurus. I know you think Sarah Palin is at best a self-promoting ignoramus, and at worst, a shameless media troll who’ll abuse any platform to deliver dog-whistle encouragement to a far right base that may include possible insurrectionists. I know you think that her reality show was pathetically unstatesmanlike, and at the same time, i know you believe it also represents the pinnacle of her potential. That her transparent desperation to be a celebrity so completely eclipsed her interest in public service so long ago, that there would be more journalistic integrity in reporting on one of the lesser Kardashian’s ass implants. Now I know, I know when you arrive at the office each day you say a silent prayer that maybe, just maybe, Sarah Palin will at long last shut up for ten fucking minutes. I know, I can see it in your eyes.”

    I hope my friends and family support me during this difficult time.  During my stint in Palin Rehab, I will occupy my time and blogs with more dogs, kids, and sunsets.  Enjoy!


    I dog-sat for Anjali this past weekend.  Doesn’t she look like the dragon from Never Ending Story?


    I also lost my camera last weekend, so I’m using my old one :(


    Chazz & Rio loved Anjali.  BTW, this is how they sleep with me!


    Reflections of Chazz & Rio at the beach…mirror images. Sorry for the lousy cell phone video!


    We had another great dinner at Unphogettable. It’s Claudio’s new favorite restaurant. Thanks Thai & Phil!


    Boys will be boys…


    A visit from the Oxelson’s early in the week was delightful!!


    Tommy & Andy still growing like weeds!

  • The Dog Days of Winter

    No politics this week….my family has forbidden it:

    So without Sarah Palin to bash again, I’ll have to resort to the other main topics of this blog:

    “Kids, Dogs & Sunsets“

    I was dog-sitting for Roscoe the Rottweiler all weekend, and we had a nice time.  Chazz & Rio came by for a play date, and the beautiful weather made for lots of outings:


    Winter in Los Angeles…dogs in the hood prefer fashion over function


    Another satisfied guest of The H.C.


    Ryan’s holding up the present I got him for Christmas


    Hot dogs in Beverly Hills…where’s the Perrier?


    At the dog park around the corner from my house


    Hooray for Roscoewood!


    The dog that ate Hollywood…in 3-D


    At the dog park under the Hollywood Sign


    Click here for more photos…


    Self Portraits

    Oh, and as for kids, Andrew always delivers.  Here’s how he responded when, instead of asking him what he learned at school, I asked him about the questions he asked at school.  Why this hasn’t gone viral yet, I don’t know:


    “OK, I think that’s enough Carey!”

  • A Junk Free Touching Christmas

    While much of America digs out from record snowfall from a storm that originated as 6 days of rare rain here in California; we ended up having a pretty beautiful Christmas Day.  I am very glad that I did not fly anywhere for the holidays.  The rain we had most of last week was complete with mudslides, hail and the now obligatory double rainbow.  The week of crazy weather didn’t phase Santa however, and the kids in our family (including me) had a wonderful Christmas.  It was certainly better than last Christmas, when 2 of us ended up in the emergency room and 9 of us came down with the stomach flu!  Here are some images and videos from the week, including my favorite Christmas present:


    If you’d like to know the story behind this, click here!  Thanks Lisa & Joel!


    What does it mean??


    December 22 was a crazy weather day!  More photos here.


    Video of the rainbow from my roof

     
    T’was the Night Before Christmas…


    Andy, excited for Santa’s arrival.  Much more so than last Christmas:


    What a difference a year makes!!


    It was a very dino Christmas as Andy opened his stocking Christmas morning


    I rest my case!


    My how they’re growing!  Look at them just two years ago!


    Tressa, Cody & Andy


    An epic family Christmas picture!


    A dinosaur snuggie!


    Lisa loved her presents from her boys!


    My gift to Andy was a hit, despite its questionable packaging!


    We missed Grandma this year!


    Even Sadie & Roxy were in the Christmas spirit!


    Best of the rest…click here
    Happy New Year!

  • Longing for a Blow Job

    Even though I’m an atheist, I’m inclined to agree with the postulate that everyone likes presents, Santa, peace on earth and all the things that come with Christmas and the holiday season.  I mean, what’s not to like?  That said, it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit here in California when it’s 80° F (27° C) and sunny.  It’s also hard to be optimistic with our country in such a state of shambles; thanks in large part to greedy Republicans and an inherited deficit too big to imagine.  I was reminiscing with friends recently about the first Christmas I spent in Africa twelve years ago this week.  It’s easy to forget that twelve years ago, Bill Clinton was in the midst of an impeachment trial over lying about oral sex.  Despite that theatrical absurdity, our  economy was strong and unemployment was at 4%.  I was struck by the fact that twelve years ago, everyone I met in Africa thought the whole charade was ridiculous.  Of course, Bill Clinton sailed through his impeachment, and 12 years later, he’s still in the White House taking charge.  I was reminded of that fact when I watched President Obama introduce President Clinton during his press conference last week.  Claudio and I were talking about it, and he had mixed emotions seeing Bill Clinton handling the room like always.  He thought it was the most telling political picture of the past two years.  I don’t necessarily agree with that; but it did produce strong and mixed emotions.  Bringing Clinton into the White House was a good move for President Obama.  Bringing him to the podium was a risky move.  Leaving him to go “tend to Michelle” was a horrible move!  (Click the link, it’s hilarious!)  But it sure made for great political theater and a lot of nostalgia.  Especially as Bernie Sanders was filibustering across the mall.  THAT to me, was the contrast.  Now if the president could just find some of Bernie’s zeal.  (Though I thought he did a mostly good job at his press conference the other day, save for the hostage analogy which The Daily Show skewered so well!).  I wish the President well.  He’s in an extremely unenviable position.  In the words of Robert Reich, “I urge congressional Democrats to remember the larger principles — not in order to be purist or make the perfect the enemy of the better, but to move toward an economy and a society that we believe in, that reflects the needs of the vast majority of Americans at this difficult time.”  How I long for the days where all we had to worry about was a blow job in the Oval Office!  That said, here’s how we tried to get into the Christmas spirit here in California this week:


    Our Christmas Card, LOL


    Chazz and Rio have become inseparable and sometimes hard to tell apart!


    Andy, Tommy, Ryan, Chazz & Rio (and me)…Ho Ho Ho


    More photos here…


    Winter sunset from my front yard


    Neon art on Santa Monica Blvd.


    The Beatles at sunset


    As the sun goes down over Santa Monica Blvd.


    More photos here…


    Last night we had second row seat for West Side Story at the Pantages!  Thanks Julia!

     
    One of the great old Hollywood theaters, the Pantages.


    More photos here…

  • Happy Xangaversary & A Bad Breakup

    Happy Holidays from The Hotel Careyfornia!  4 years ago yesterday I started my humble little blog.  In that time, I’ve written 692 entries and have devoted this space mainly to my photos and random musings.  The Xanga community has been good to me.  And though I micro-blog more often on facebook and Tumblr these days; I still try to come here once a week to summarize my life and write my rants.  As I’ve said before, blogs are like clothes.  Sometimes you look back at them and wonder, “What was I thinking!!??”


    Future Xangan CareyGLY

    It’s often been suggested that I rename my blog:

    “Kids, Dogs, Sunsets & Sarah Palin“ 
    and the occasional rant against corporate America


    She ain’t all that “hot” close up, is she?

    When I look at my most common “tags“, this rings somewhat true.  Here’s a look at the highlights of the past year, filled with lots of dogs, kids, sunsets, Xangalebrities and political rants:

    And here are some photos from the past week with links to photos past:


    Look how Andy has changed in four years!


    Favorite Cousins!


    My new family mantra :)


    Look at him just a year ago!


    He was actually looking in these presents.  LOL


    Look Jin!  New snowmen!


    Garbo & Ruby met director Michael Bay of Transformers fame, coming out of Starbucks the other day.  He thought they would be great in his next movie with Shia LeBeouf!


    And just to make sure I cover all of my bases, here’s tonight’s sunset!

    I also went through a devastating breakup this week.  After nearly 30 years of an on again off again relationship; McRib and I are finally finished.  I broke the bad news to him in a “Dear McRib” letter last night. Both McRib and I hope that the media will respect our privacy during this difficult time.


    Dear McRib,

    I’m writing you to let you know that I can’t see you any longer.  I
    couldn’t say it to your face tonight, so I decided to write it down.
    Trust me, it’s not you, it’s me.  We’ve known each other since 1981.  I
    was only 16 years old, and much skinnier.  Even though we only saw each
    other once or twice a year, my friends told me you weren’t good for me.
    They called you offal (an admittedly clever pun).  They said you didn’t
    have my best interests at heart (your were only interested in clogging
    my heart).  I scoffed at them.  I defended our love.  When they called you
    “fake”, I called you “new fangled”.  But lately, you’ve been calling more
    and more.  I’m no longer the gangly 16 year old who fell in love with
    you all those years ago.  It’s a new world McRib.  A world filled with
    Tender Greens and Trader Joe’s Pad Thai.  I’ve finally realized this is
    not a healthy relationship.  I think we need to see other people (no, not
    McNuggets!).  I don’t think we should even be friends any longer.  You’re
    too tempting.  It was fun while it lasted.  I will always think of you
    fondly and I wish you all the best.

    Sincerely,

    Carey

  • Unicorn – The New White Meat

      
    Last Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in America, so I donned my turkey hat, and told the kids that instead of the traditional turkey dinner this year, that we would be starting a new tradition.  Then I showed them the can of Unicorn meat I brought:


    “Unicorns as we all know, frolic all over the world pooping rainbows and marshmallows wherever they go.  What you don’t know is that when unicorns reach the end of their lifespan, they are drawn to County Meath Ireland.  The Sisters of Radiant Farms have dedicated their lives to nursing these elegant creatures through their final days.  Taking a cue from the Kobe beef industry, they massage each unicorn’s coat with Guinness daily and fatten them on a diet comprised entirely of candy corn.”

    The video tells the rest of the story.  Andy was so cute in his polite yet steadfast refusal:

    The rest of the weekend was filled with movies and dim sum and relaxing with friends.  The dogs said it best the day after Thanksgiving:


    ‘Twas the day after turkey,
    Black Friday for some.
    But for Garbo & Ruby,
    Exhaustion had come.


    Happy Thanksgiving from our crazy family!


    More Thanksgiving photos here…


    The last time I saw Eli he was 16 months old and had just met Elvis.  Now he’s 2 and talking up a storm, and cuter than ever. Thanks for the dim sum An & V!  It was great seeing you all!!  More pics here…


    I dropped Mike off at LAX for his 6:30 flight on the busiest travel day of the year and the airport was surprisingly uncrowded. He said security was uneventful. The President must have read my email!  At least his wife wrote me back!  I snapped all of these photos while driving. Another pretty L.A. day!  More pics here…


    Garbo & Ruby are old friends with Chazz, but they hadn’t met Rio yet. Can you believe he’s gained more than 30 pounds since we got him from the shelter last month!? He looks great. The four dogs played all night.  More pics here…


    Arielle even stopped by for a visit!


    More pics here…

  • Sorry for the Woody in my Pants Officer!

    To explain how the week ended with me in the back of a police car, we have to back up to the beginning.  It was another busy week at The Hotel Careyfornia.  Mike was in town on yet another stop on his trip around the world.  Darlene came home from her summer in Michigan with fresh pasties.  I took Arielle to the pumpkin patch, which has become somewhat of a tradition.  The night before Halloween was spent at Griffith Park Observatory with Sam & Charlotte.  It was an unusually clear day in Los Angeles and as the sun set into the Pacific, Halloween was upon us.  As I wondered  how I could top my outfit 2 years ago, when Sarah Palin was running for vice president and I was a moose in a bulletproof vest; and last year, when I was Balloon Boy’s dad, taking pictures with all the cute Balloon Boys; it struck me.  This year I would take the conservative route, and dress as a nice, Midwestern, pedophile priest!  It was a lot of fun.  Surprisingly, no one was offended by my costume.  Even the (real) cops asked to take my picture.  The best costume of the night for me was the BP Oil Spill.  There were lots of Chilean miners and Snookies and of course standard Lady GaGa fare.  Let the fun begin:


    I had never been in the back of a police car before…it was REALLY uncomfortable!


    Bless me father for I have sinned!


    No trick or treating, but there was plenty of eye candy…tricks and treats!


    I got to hang out with a lot of other priests, nuns and popes…even  Jesus and the devil!


    Even the kids graced Santa Monica Blvd with 150,000 other revelers.


    The dogs got in on the act too!


    Jad and I even had a Xanga meetup!


    Best of the rest…


    A cousinly Halloween


    Welcome Home Darlene!  More here…


    Mr. Bone’s with Arielle – the Pumpkin Patch to the stars!  More here…


    A gorgeous night at Griffith Park.  More here…


    Mike enjoyed his stay at The H.C.  More here…