It was so beautiful in LA today. At 5:30 I headed over to Ann & Jorge’s, and snapped a couple of cute photos of Arielle, and then walked Roscoe all through Beverly Hills. Daniel called me at 7:30 and we decided to go see Ratatouille so I rushed home and we headed to The Grove. The movie was amazing. We laughed so hard. The animation was brilliant and the story was not predictable at all. Sheer genius those folks at Pixar, sheer genius. After the movie got out at midnight, the Harry Potter book came out, and the crowd was ginormous! We goofed around there for a while and then headed to Thai town for a midnight snack. What a great day!
My friend Billy, from college, called tonight and we talked on the phone for 2 1/2 hours. Don’t you just love those friends who you only speak to a couple of times a year, but are able to have such great conversations with? It’s so great to have that kind of friendship that allows you to just pick up where you left off. Anyway, Billy called for some travel advice (I recommended Buenos Aires, Iguacu Falls and Rio for his next trip with his wife). As it often does, our conversation drifted to our college days. He told me that he had recently run into the ringboy from his wedding, a charming little boy (now grown) named Matthew Deufel, who apparently vividly remembered me playing with him at the wedding. I had a hard time believing this little kid even knew my name let alone had memories of me from that long ago, but Billy insisted he did. (What a nice honor!) While we were talking, I pulled out some old photos I had taken of the wedding and scanned them. Mind you, these are about 17 years old!
Me and Matthew
Matthew Deufel
Billy & Janet
I have such great friends. They’re scattered all over the world, but I really treasure the time I get to spend with them. There’s my wonderful group of “New Year’s” friends that I’ve written about. There’s Daniel who I wrote about yesterday and who visited this past weekend. Two months ago, it was Marc who came to visit my home for the first time. He’s another friend that I don’t talk with often enough, but when we do, it’s as if we never skipped a day. Then there’s Diane, and Mike and Hugo…the list goes on. There are also people who pop into your life after a long long time, like Melissa and allow you to reestablish old friendships. That’s what’s great about the Internet.
Billy’s kids are really into soccer, and in honor of Beckham’s first game playing for the LA Galaxy, and the fact that we saw Victoria “Posh” Beckham in Beverly Hills last weekend, I thought I’d post these pictures of Billy’s kids with some famous soccer stars. Can you name them (without mousing over the links)??
And, just so my European soccer snob friends know I know:
We had a great time this weekend. It was the first time that Daniel and I got to spend any quality time together in a long time. His wife and 3 other kids were in Illinois visiting relatives, so Tori, his 14 year old came along for the ride (from Phoenix) with their two dogs Niña and Abby. Tori’s current crush is Peter Wentz from Fallout Boy, so we basically did the Peter Wentz tour of LA. Peter’s favorite cupcakes, his home in the Hollywood Hills, his (future) star on the Walk of Fame, his billboards, etc. We also went to Venice Beach to take in another gorgeous LA sunset. We drove past the “Kwik E Mart” but the line to get in was over 2 hours long! Saw Transformers last night. I hated it…Tori loved it. (Probably because of Shia LeBeouf, who actually did a good job). I just put all the photos in a slide show on yesterday’s entry and am posting some of my favorites here. I hope everyone had a good weekend.
The guy in the middle is named Musashi. He’s a famous Japanese fighter who was getting stopped everywhere by Japanese tourists. Thanks to Kim85 for the ID!
Tyler and I were going to go see Harry Potter tonight, but it was sold out all night, and I didn’t feel like fighting the crowds anyway. I really didn’t have anything planned this weekend and had resolved to clean out my closets and do piles of neglected laundry, but calls from two Daniels changed all that.
After I got back from walking Roscoe, my best friend Daniel called. We’ve been friends for 20 years. We grew up about a mile from each other, but didn’t meet until after college. He lives in Phoenix now and is a high school teacher, married with 4 kids. We don’t get to see each other that often due to his….well that’s another story. Suffice it to say I was thrilled when he called tonight to say his wife was out of town and he and his oldest daughter wanted to drive to LA tomorrow and visit! I’m so excited that he’s coming. So much for laundry and closets. Now I HAVE to go buy a new camera in the morning!!
You may remember me talking about Daniel in this entry about the woman who committed suicide and came back as a cat trapped in our car. If you haven’t read the story, take a look
Many years ago, my roommate Daniel and I were fresh out of college and living in a small house in Chicago. We both worked at different banks and we had been sharing a car for a year and it was getting unmanageable. One day the bank he was working for had a “repo” or repossessed car that they needed to sell to recoup the loan money. The reason the bank had repossessed the car was that the car’s owner was dead. Her name was Sarah, and she had committed suicide……IN THE CAR. Read more…
Daniel & Oreo circa 1995
The next Daniel I spoke to on the phone tonight was someone I’ve never met before. A couple of weeks ago after posting these photos, from the Hollywood Bowl, I got the following email:
Hello Carey, I am a CareyGLY blog reader and I have always enjoyed your writing. I was very surprised when you posted the pictures from the sound of music sing along night at the Hollywood Bowl. One of the pictures you posted of someone in the crowd was a person I dated ten years ago!! I am so very surprised that you have become the messenger ; ) Thank you!! Daniel from L.A.
After I received this email I wrote back immediately, and we started conversing about indeed what a small strange world it was. At any rate, I decided to call him tonight at telepathically the exact time he was calling me. I invited him to come to West Hollywood and we went to Pinkberry. It was like we had known each other for years. We had such a great time. How ironic that I made a new friend on Xanga who doesn’t even have a Xanga account and just happened to be a loyal reader of my blog. In fact, all night I felt somewhat at a disadvantage, as he knew so much about me already. Sometimes Id start a story only to find he knew about it. LOL.
So, that’s my tale of two Daniels tonight. I’m going to get a new camera tomorrow, so there will be more pictures of more Daniels this weekend. In the meantime here are some cell pics from tonight.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here for the past week. (Let’s face it, it’s pretty much gorgeous most of the time. Not too hot, cool at night and no humidity. What more could we ask for??)
Answer: RAIN!! (No, I’m not talking about the Korean Pop Superstar…though he is coming to Los Angeles on Saturday, which I know Kimsoon is excited about…as are many many others!)
The rain I’m referring to is the stuff that falls from the sky, or rather, in the case of Los Angeles, doesn’t fall. Los Angeles has not had any measurable rainfall since last July. To wit:
There’s a little drizzle around the Los Angeles area this morning, but it would take much more than a light mist to make up the nearly one foot deficit in Los Angeles rainfall. Los Angeles’ rainfall total remains at 3.21 inches for a water year that began on July 1, 2006 and will end June 30, 2007. Normal rainfall would be 15.14 inches.
If Los Angeles (USC) receives less than 1.21 inches of rain between now and June 30th, this water year (July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007) will become the driest since recordkeeping began in 1877. According to the NWS, the average rainfall in Los Angeles in the month of June is 0.06 inches, so a new record dry water year appears likely. This would break the record of 4.42 inches set in the water year of 2001-2002.
After an email exchange with Allen tonight I realized how much I miss thunderstorms in the midwest. There’s nothing like falling asleep to a hard pouring rain and thunder and lightning. It’s magical really, and something we don’t get to experience in Los Angeles. Like the fireflies I wrote of earlier this month, thunderstorms were a part of childhood lore. Every year about this time they would start in full force. The combination of the hot humid air in the lower atmosphere and cool air in the upper atmosphere, formed a “perfect storm” so to speak. Maybe I’ll have to get one of those machines at Sharper Image that mimic thunderstorm noises. Anybody have one?
By the way, if you’ve never heard what the rain in a good strong thunderstorm sounds like, the next time you take a shower, turn the water on full pressure, hold your hands flat and tight to your ears, and put your head under the shower stream. Experiment with the sound by increasing and decreasing the pressure on your ears. It’s fun! (I’m easily amused!)
So anyway, tonight I walked the dogs to Beverly Hills. It was a gorgeous evening.
We met a very nice lady named Paula at the park. Her dog’s was named Leonardo, and the three dogs played together for quite some time. When I told Paula that I was just dog-sitting for Ruby & Garbo, she realized she had met Garbo 4 years ago when he was just a puppy and Seth & Jessica had just brought him home. We got to talking, and it turned out she was from South Africa but had lived in Australia for quite a while as well. We swapped stories about Cape Town and Sydney, and with my thoughts of thunder and lightning storms tonight, I dug out this photograph I took in Cape Town, South Africa about 8 years ago. I took it with my Canon Elan IIE 35 mm camera. To get the shot, I was perched precariously on a median between two fast moving highways, with my tripod balanced ever so carefully. I almost fell once, but I got the shot, as any true photographer would!
So, here’s today’s song of the day, dedicated to Allen…where it’s hot, humid and stormy. It’s a totally cheesy 80′s country/pop riff, but it’s appropriate to this post. LOL.
You’d expect something that involved Paris, driving and a bitchy girl to end up with a jail sentence…not the case:
And last but certainly not least…
Happy Birthday Daniel-san
Who would have ever thought that a chance meeting at Dulles Airport and all those adventures in Portland each time I visited, would result in such a lifelong friendship. (I looked at the photos and our first trip to Multnomah Falls was 7 years ago last week!) In my never ending quest to find embarrassing pictures of our group of friends on their birthdays, it wasn’t as easy with you Daniel, but here goes:
NYE – My house 2003
Hard to believe you don’t drink!
Lord of the Rings Premier, Munich Germany, 2001
Happy Birthday & Dicken Schmatz my dear friend! –Carey
…but I actually agree with Rosie O’Donnell on most of this. And people who’ve known me for years, would never believe I’d be saying that. But she’s right about the torture, and even Elizabeth knows it! Unfortunately she’s still got a big mouth and no tact, but I can’t criticize anyone with a big mouth! (Hello pot? It’s kettle. You’re black!) This is terribly sad though. (And if you’re really interested and have a couple of hours to spare LOL, read the IM below for an interesting conversation with my friend David from Germany!)
Here’s a conversation I was having on MSN messenger tonight with my friend David in Germany. David was born and raised in Germany, but his parents came to Germany from Korea, and he lives in what I would call a traditional Korean family, albeit in Germany. I met him through his younger brother Daniel when he was an exchange student here. David is extremely intelligent, and always a great person to have a conversation with or a debate. We started talking about the video I posted above, and here is our conversation. Keep in mind that English is not his first (or second) language, but he still probably speaks better than I do When David and I were done talking his brother Daniel got up and IM’d me. Keep in mind that when David and I started chatting it was 7 AM in Germany and when we finished it was noon. Now it’s 5:30 AM here and I’m having a conversation with Daniel! Good thing it’s Friday! I do have to meet some friends for breakfast in a few hours though…oh well, I’ll wear sunglasses. I’m going to post some pictures from the last time they were here, at the bottom too. Night!
Carey says: …stranger things have happened
Daewoo says: definitely, like Bush W. becoming president
Daewoo says: AND being re-elected
Carey says: that was a flook
Carey says: the first time he wasn’t elected
Carey says: and the 2nd time he stole the election
Daewoo says: well, modern democracy in its essence
Daewoo says: when you cant buy the votes, threaten or steal them
Carey says: hey, don’t go bashing America now…it’s still the best place in the world to live!
Carey says: I’m not even kidding either!!
Daewoo says: so, who do you wanna be the next president?
Carey says: John Edwards, all the way
Daewoo says: did he enter the race?
Carey says: Hillary’s a bitch and Obama is too black (for America) and too inexperienced
Daewoo says: But his chances are slim, correct?
Carey says: who’s to say? a lot can happen in a year and a half
Carey says: his wife may not even be alive than
Carey says: we can only pray it’s not Rudy Giuliani
Carey says: he’s the devil incarnate
Daewoo says: better than mccain?
Daewoo says: or worse?
Carey says: rudy?
Carey says: far worse
Carey says: McCain is just a washed up adulterous war hero, who will be dead in 5 years
Carey says: and I want your book report on my desk by 9 AM (my time)
Carey says: the video is quite good on that one too…god love rosie O’Donnell
Carey says: Every citizen of the world should be informed
Daewoo says: by YOU!
Carey says: and my blog is a good place to start LOL
Daewoo says: The only place of course!
Carey winks:
Daewoo says: and, im not bashing America. not the people anyway. im bashing their policies
Daewoo says: but its not easy to separate
Carey says: they’re not “our” policies, they’re the policies of a corrupt administration that has an under 30% approval rating and was not elected by the majority of the people, by the people and for the people!
Carey says: the smart majority anyway
Carey says: just the right wing nutjobs, and Cheney’s corporate robber barons
Daewoo says: well, then even the smart majority has to bear the responsibility, the “stupid” majority impose on the American policy
Carey says: I disagree
Carey says: I bear no responsibility as a vocal opponent of this war
Daewoo says: not as a people. but as a nation/country.
Carey says: I guess this is a better conversation to have in person, because I disagree
Carey says: hold on, I will post something that states my position much better than I can convey on an IM
Daewoo says: sorry for even starting it. but somehow this always becomes an issue.
Carey says: lol
Carey says: just hang on
Carey says: ok, refresh the first page, and watch the video
Carey says: I agree with 100% she says….gives me goose bumps actually
Carey says: Can you tell I’m incited!
Daewoo says: ok watching video
Carey says: and incidentally, in some countries you couldn’t even say what she’s saying here on national television
Carey says: cool…I’ll wait…it’s good
Daewoo says: btw, reading your blog about American tv shows influence on the world
Carey says: crazy huh
Daewoo says: I only watch us tv shows,
Carey says: my point exactly
Daewoo says: some of them are really really good
Daewoo says: like west wing
Daewoo says: heroes too
Carey says: oh, I’m not disputing that they’re good…they’re excellent…
Daewoo says: but?
Carey says: but most uneducated people form their opinions about America from two things…
Carey says: movies and tv
Carey says: and our president
Daewoo says: well, what is he watching?
Carey says: the west wing is great, if only it could be like that
Carey says: Heroes is my favorite show
Carey says: lol, he’s probably watching sesame street
Daewoo says: ok buffering finished watching the video
Daewoo says: lots screaming
Carey says: I scream when I’m passionate about something too!
Daewoo says: yeah, that’s why i didn’t start audio with you
Carey says: so did you hear the whole thing?
Daewoo says: well, did I have a choice?
Carey says: thoughts?
Daewoo says: yes
Carey says: share?
Daewoo says: thought you’d never ask
Carey says: haha
Daewoo says: I see merits on both sides
Carey says: really?
Daewoo says: first of all
Carey says: not me
Carey says: ok, you talk
Daewoo says: thank you
Daewoo says: The America we know today is totally different from years ago. It would be too much to go into detail but I say this; after 9/11 Bush & Company implemented many measures that changed the face of America. You can argue whether it was right or wrong, good or bad, but those measures were carried out by the people. Sure, they were frightened, but still, the problem now is you have only two choices: for or against the government. There are good arguments for being for the government and for being against it. In a time of crisis you have to stand with your government even it it means sacrificing some civil liberties, as long as you agree with it and it’s temporary. The problem is if you are not for the government than you have to be against it. It’s an issue of being a patriot or not, being American or un-American. And in essence I think when you lose faith and trust in your once supported government in a time of crisis or even war, can you/should you turn against it? And can/should you lose faith and trust in your government in a time of crisis? It is understandable to me that people turn to their governments in a time of crisis and put their trust in it. The question is, when is it reasonable to stop trusting your government, especially in a time of crisis? Some people have more faith, others don’t, and the discussion has become so polarized, that you are either completely for or completely against the government. And THAT is the most dangerous part, because democracy is NOT about absolutes but about finding the most common ground. And I don’t see that in America. Comments?
Daewoo says: or fallen asleep?
Carey says: ok…
Carey says: nope, I’ve read every word
Carey says: it’s going to take me a while to respond though….I’m going to do it all at once…so hopefully you’ll be there when I’m done….if not, I will send it to you. So can you give me a little while?
Daewoo says: sure
Carey says: Yes of course, the America of today is vastly different than the America that Bill Clinton handed over to George W. Bush seven years ago. Indeed, seven years ago America had a balanced budget and no deficit. The twin towers stood tall, as much a beacon of freedom as the Statue of Liberty that gazed upon them. On September 11th, the world was forever changed. I’m not going to debate the conspiracy theories that are mentioned in the video, though much of 9/11 doesn’t really add up. I agree with you that after 9/11 the Bush administration implement policies that, under the guise of national security promised to keep us safer. These measures did indeed change the face of America. You state however, that these measures were carried out by the people. I must strongly disagree. If you mean by “people” ordinary Americans from both blue and red states you’re wrong. If you’re referring to the “people” as the elected representatives of our Congress, then you should know that because of the PATRIOT Act, our congress, for the first time in our history, did not have the opportunity to change these dictatorial policies. The “USA Patriot” in the USA PATRIOT Act, stands for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” Act of 2001. Interestingly enough, some elements of what we now know as the PATRIOT Act had been bandied about both chambers of Congress in advance of 9/11, and never generated any interest. Amazingly however, less than 45 days after 9/11, the PATRIOT Act became law, thanks to the culture of fear that Bush, Cheney and Chertoff (the genius we later knew as the person responsible for the reaction to Katrina) cultivated ad nauseum after the attacks. Yes America was scared. You must remember that we have not been attacked on our own land since the Revolutionary War. The experience Europe and Asia had during the major wars of the last century, and indeed the terrorism that has gripped the Middle East for decades, was not something Americans could easily relate to. Add to the mix an anthrax scare (Perpetrated by the government? We still haven’t caught the culprit!), and the coming war in Afghanistan which most Americans approved of, all led to the chaos immediately after 9/11. So, to say these measures were carried out by “the people” would not be, in my opinion, correct. You state also that we only had two choices; for or against the government. It is true that part of the rhetoric that Bush used to start bullying the world, included the phrase, “You’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists”, in his disgusting Texas bravado. To buy into that rhetoric though would be distinctly UN-American. Our nation was founded on freedom and liberty. It’s not something that people who were born and raised here might always understand. It is indeed what makes this the best country in the world, bar none. It is the reason we have the highest immigration rates and the highest number of foreigners who want to get educated here. Americans do not have to make black and white choices like that, though Bush would like to think we, and indeed the rest of the world, does. While I believe in times of crisis you should support your country and the soldiers who fight on the front lines for its freedom, you do not, as you state, have to “stand with your government, even if it means sacrificing some civil liberties.” This is perhaps where I disagree with you most. Americans fought hard for their “civil” liberties. We fought and won, the Revolutionary War against England, we fought our own Civil War and freed our slaves. We fought for freedom in World War II, and not only saved Europe and Asia, but surely the whole world; had Hitler gotten the Bomb before us. Americans should NEVER have to give up our civil liberties, no matter what. Our Constitution states that, “We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union; establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Part of our civil liberties give us the voice to protest as is done in the video above. Just because we’re not “with” the government, does not mean we are not “with” America. I know that is a difficult concept for many cultures to grasp, but it is the foundation of a democracy. George W. Bush seems to think America is now a “theocracy” where he is the Divine Power. Everything Rosie states in that video is true. Nearly every member of this administration is under indictment. What does it have to take to impeach this president? The answer? A blowjob! I do not support George W. Bush, but like it or not, he is the President. I can object to his policies, I can write whatever I want on my blog, and I should be able to have a conversation on the telephone without worrying that he is listening. To answer your question about when it is reasonable to stop trusting your government in a time of crisis? The answer is when your government breaks the law of the land, the Constitution, which while placing his hand on a bible twice, he swore to uphold. He believes that God has sent him to do this work, and his cronies including Darth Cheney should all be charged for war crimes. I don’t believe in the death penalty, but I wish they would all rot in prison for the rest of their lives. No, democracy is not about absolutes, but when the president does not allow the people to find “common ground” because of totalitarian laws like the “PATRIOT” Act, then we are in a world of shit. This man must be stopped. Two years cannot come soon enough! So…that’s MY opinion! Glad you asked?
Daewoo says: ok, i think there is a misunderstanding here
Daewoo says: well, my fault really
Carey says: what do you mean?
Daewoo says: i tried to lay out, why the “stupid” majority think what they think and kinda forgot to address the “smart” majority
Carey says: ahhhh
Carey says: Lost in translation
Daewoo says: but it was tolerated and uphold by “the people”
Carey says: OK, I will make the proper amendments to our conversation
Carey says: guess who just said hello to me?
Daewoo says: from the smell of it: my brother?
Carey says: your brother! he’s up Looks tired though, LOL
Carey says: you’re mean
Carey says: so now what time is it there? you already had lunch?
Daewoo says: 12:07
Carey says: and we started this at 7 AM? Good Lord
Daewoo says: you are right, wow!!!
Daewoo says: but back to our discussion…sorry
Carey says: no problem
Daewoo says: i agree with almost everything you wrote
Carey says: really? good
Carey says: you saw my profile on my site right? “almost ALWAYS right”
Daewoo says: *no comment*
Daewoo says: im just too polite
Carey says: cuz you know I’m right!
Carey says: polite schmolite
Daewoo says: what was it again? either you are with me or against me? or something similar
Carey says:lol
Daewoo says: i’m just trying to understand how the american people still support the current administration
Carey says: most aren’t
Carey says: a small percentage
Daewoo says: thats why i neglected the “other side”
Carey says: the crazy christians (they’re not all crazy….just the crazy ones, like Elizabeth Hasselbeck)
Carey says: who want the world to end, so Jesus can come!
Daewoo says: oh, lets not go there…
Daewoo says: politics fine, but religion scares me from a certain point on
Carey says: Amen!
Daewoo says: it gets too fanatical
Carey says: did you see “Bible Camp”?
Daewoo says: what???
Carey says: the movie
Carey says: watch it
Carey says: unbefuckinglievable
Daewoo says: politics and religion. thats the most explosive combination there is. never a good result ever!
Daewoo says: as long as it doesnt get mixed, people can believe what they want
Carey says: watch that movie, I’m telling you…it’s scary carey!
Daewoo says: i guess it about brainwashing little kids?
Carey says: yep
Daewoo says: “education” in the name of (any) god! GREAT!!!
Carey says: lol
Daewoo says: hey, i know you are tired and “fading”. if you wanna go to sleep, thats okay
Carey says: yep, I’m gonna finish talking to your brother then hit the hay…I have to get up early to meet friends for breakfast (and it is early already)!
Daewoo says: oh boy. well, sleep well and see you next time
Carey says: ok…have a good day…always good talking to you!
(I’m easily amused!)
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