I Tivo’d Oprah today and tried to watch it tonight, but couldn’t get through it. The subject was puppy mills and it was SO hard to watch. I’m glad Oprah did the show though, because it will make people think twice before ever buying a dog in a pet store. This is “Shrimp”, before and after the puppy mill:
In January 2007, Bill rescued a Maltese-poodle mix from a breeder. The emaciated puppy had little hair and was close to death. Bill couldn’t leave him behind and adopted the little guy, naming him Shrimp. Today, Shrimp is a happy and healthy member of Bill’s pack—and even wears a red bow in his full mane of hair. “Boy, what a makeover!” Oprah says.
Speaking of cute dogs, my cousin Darlene’s dog Roxy needs a boyfriend.
I’ve got a few candidates in mind. My first choice would be to clone my dog Oreo who died in 1987.
Garbo is also in the running, though he and Ruby are currently betrothed.
I’d love for Chris to bring Gromit out to meet Roxy. I think they’d make a cute couple!
Of course, I thought the same thing about Gromit & Oreo:
Gromit (L), Oreo (R) – Kindred Spirits
This week however, I met Ryno. His owner Francis tell me he’s gay, but he hasn’t met Roxy yet, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Ryno is a Morkie. (Maltese + Yorkie, also known as a Yorktese). Isn’t he the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?? I’m definitely more into big dogs (Oreo was 85 lbs.) but look at that face!!
As any regular reader of this space knows, I despise paper. I think it is a completely useless 21st century product. If a service provider requires paper in order for me to do business with them, I’d rather not do business. At Christmas time however, I have a dilemma. I’ve always sent a lot of Christmas cards. My travels have afforded me good friends all over the world, and long before email, Christmas was always a great time to catch up with people I rarely got to see or talk to.
I know it’s hard for you “young’ins” to imagine a time before email, but believe it or not it’s only been in general use about 13 years. Even before computers and the Internet, I was always very organized regarding my Christmas cards. In the height of my traveling in the early 90′s my Christmas card list topped over 250. I kept meticulous records (and still do) about who I sent cards to and who I received cards from.
I have codes and everything! Some people come and go over they years and there are others who are always on the list. It’s tradition, whether I receive a card from them or not. There are some people I’ve been sending cards to since 1983. Some of my friends may even be able to pick out their names on these photos!
The hand written lists go back to 1983 the year I started college. Back then, I kept the list in my yearly planner. Starting in 1991 (the list below right), the real fun began. The more countries I visited, the more people I sent cards to. There are 5 people on this year’s list that I’ve only met once in my life. There are kids I used to babysit for, who now have kids of their own. It’s fun to receive cards too. My favorites are always the ones with pictures of the kids. I save all of my cards from past years, and it’s great to look back and see how the children have grown!
Another tradition I’ve had since 1988, is that my best friend Daniel has always drawn a picture of Oreo to put in my cards. For example, the year Oreo was shot, Dan drew a picture of Santa going up the chimney and leaving Oreo a bullet-proof vest.
After Oreo died (many years after the shooting), the drawings became the template for my annual Christmas message (not your typical cheesy Christmas letter, I might add!).
I have friends with kids who have all of these drawings from over the
years hanging in their rooms! So you see, as much as I’d like to sever
my ties to paper 100%, this is the one time of year I don’t think I
can. Talk to me in 3 hours though, once the writer’s cramp has settled
in, and I may be singing a different tune! Finally, even though I
despise snail mail. It it nice to have decorations for my bookshelves
at Christmas. Good night…I have a lot of cards to write.
What a difference nine years doesn’t make! One interesting effect that this writer’s strike has had, is that all of the normal late night talk shows are all playing reruns from much older shows. Last night I watched a David Letterman show from 1998. What struck me was how many things are still the same.
Thinking about all of this reminded me of where I was 9 years ago today. It was a year after I had moved from Chicago, had sold everything and was just traveling. I was in Cape Town, South Africa that month. Since I’m such a packrat, I dug up an old email and some scanned photos I sent while I was there. Admittedly there have been a few changess in the past 9 years. I did not own a digital camera in 1998. There was one Internet cafe in Cape Town that I could use to send this email. I had just set up my first website, a crude Geocities site as a tribute to my dog Oreo, who had just died, and I had just purchased my first cell phone!
From: Carey Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 10:48:15 AM -0800 GMT To: Undisclosed Recipients
Subject: Merry Christmas From Africa
Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays from Cape Town, South Africa. I
arrived in Africa over two weeks ago, not knowing what to
expect, and as my time remaining here is now less than a week, I find
myself not wanting to leave.
Cape Town alone is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It
rivals Rio de Janeiro in natural beauty, and Sydney, Paris and even
Chicago(!) in urban splendor. Though it is a small city (the second
largest in South Africa at about 4 million) it has all of the amenities
of the great western cities of the world.
I have traveled extensively during my time here, from the very
southern tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas, to the fabled Cape of
Good Hope, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, to the lush wine
country of Stellenbosch, home to some of the finest wines on the
planet. I have toured Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18
years of his nearly 30 year prison sentence. I have photographed
stunning sunsets from the slopes of the most famous landmark in the
country, Table Mountain, whose flat “table top peak” is often covered
with a thin layer of clouds the locals refer to as the “tablecloth”.
I have encountered penguin, baboon, springbok, ewald, zebra, dassy
(related to the elephant), tortoise, and many strange birds and
insects. I even went whale watching in Hermanus, the best place in
the world for land based whale watching, but alas it was too windy the
day I was there to see any Southern Right whales.
A friend of mine from Switzerland was staying with me here for a week,
and then some friends from Johannesburg came down to revel in the
glorious beaches of the Western Cape for five days. I have made many
wonderful new friends, as all of the people here are extremely
friendly and love to hear what it’s like to live in America.
This country is startlingly “new” to democracy. Their constitution
and bill of rights is not even two years old. They have been
struggling with the demons of years of apartheid since 1990, and will
unfortunately never be able to undo much of its damage.
This is a country wrought with paradox. People who live in the cities
shop in huge Western style malls, with all of the latest fashions and
designer names. Everyone, young and old (as in Brazil, Australia,
Japan, and Europe) has a cell phone. They watch the latest Hollywood
movies in large 14 screen cineplexes, yet they only have four
television stations, and there’s no such thing as cable. They watch
Seinfeld, Friends and of course Oprah (everyone knows about Chicago!!
Thanks Oprah!)
Travel just outside the cities however, and it’s a completely
different story. When apartheid was first introduced, blacks in the
cities were sent to “townships” to live. These shantytowns, with no
electricity or plumbing, are still homes to millions of “Africaans”,
and they are indeed appalling.
On a drive home from the southern coast, I stopped for gas at a Shell
station. The gentleman who pumped my gas, asked me in very broken
English if I could give him a ride home, as his shift was over. I
agreed, as he had already won me over with his friendly (though
toothless) smile when I pulled up. As I was unsure about what type of
gas my rental car took, he was very helpful, and extremely polite. As
he directed me towards his home, I soon found myself entering a
foreign world like no other, only a few hundred yards off the main
highway. Fires burning in barrels, chickens, goats and dogs running
wild, naked children playing with tin foil balls, and thousands of
make shift “homes” made with whatever material was available.
I have seen slums before. The favelas of Brazil, the projects of
American cities, but nothing I have ever seen was like this. As
impoverished as it was, it was a vibrant community. A community of
people, all of whom have a distinct role. A community full of pride,
from the elaborate colored headdresses worn by the women, to the
impromptu artwork painted with whatever colored material was
available. As I dropped my new friend off, he simply said, “God Bless
you, Merry Christmas.”
There is a huge movement underway to register people to vote in next
years presidential election. Unfortunately the drive is so
unorganized that even President Mandela went to the wrong place to
register. The result is record low registration, and it is feared that
the election will be fixed by the African National Congress, and that
an unpopular and bitter candidate will win the majority.
Though there is much respect for President Mandela, there is great
rift between the the black, “coloured” (a term describing those
Africaans who are mixed with the large number of Malay and
Eastern/Indian people who populated this land when it was originally a
colony of the Dutch East India Company in the 1600′s) and white
population. I have spoken with many people, black, white and
coloured, and there is a huge fear among the white minority (the
country is 75% black) that a huge “reverse discrimination” movement is
underway.
What happens in next year’s election will be integral to the future of
this country. There is so much potential here, it is mind boggling.
A wise investor, could do quite well in almost any city in South
Africa. I look forward to returning in the future to see the growth
and change of this infant democracy.
Next week, I depart for Madrid Spain, to meet my friends who are
converging from all over the world. I will be spending New Years in
Seville, with many of the people I spent Christmas with last year in
Brazil. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.
It won’t be easy however, to leave “Mama Africa”. Table Mountain has
cast its spell on me. The crystal blue (though cold!) Atlantic
beaches will surely be missed. The climate here is incredible. No
humidity, and about 83 degrees every day. There has only been one stormy day
since I arrived. (But what a storm it was. There were devastating
tornados in the Western Cape that nearly killed the President!)
I watch CNN every morning at 5:00 (when I get in!) and am following
the latest news from Iraq, as is everyone here. Despite the modest
Muslim population here in South Africa, (75% of the population is
Christian) everyone I have met, is very much in favor of the United
States action against Iraq. They do however, laugh at the fact
that we are impeaching our president over something so silly.
I was thrilled to see how many people have logged on to the “Oreo“
website after receiving my Christmas card before I left the States.
It is indeed amazing how our ability to communicate has changed so
vastly in just a few short years.
I trust this message finds you all happy and healthy. I wish you all
a blessed holiday season, and am sending warm thoughts to all of you
Ho Ho Ho and Happy Hollywood Holidays! In honor of Christmas, I’ve decided to go “green” this year and save some paper. If you are viewing this, it is either because you’re already a regular reader of my blog, or because you just received my Christmas card or email. I’ve temporarily “parked” my private website URL on this blog entry page thru Christmas, in lieu of my normal Christmas card insert.
(If you reached this page through my private URL and want to go to the latest entry, click weblog above.)
I’m happy to say that I have virtually erased all vestiges of paper from my life; and my website is now my primary means of communicating with global friends and family in the 21st Century. It’s a great way for me to showcase my photography, my writing, some music & video and the occasional political rant or two. I hope you bookmark this page (or subscribe either via Xanga (it’s free and easy,and you don’t have to have to start a blog yourself) or through my RSS feed), and return regularly to find out what’s going on here at the Hotel Careyfornia!
Navigation around my site is simple; I typically post entries 4-6 times per week. At the end of each entry there is a link that shows the # of “comments”. If you click comments, you can read comments others leave your own. It’s easy to comment if you sign up with Xanga or you can comment “anonymously” by clicking Anonymous, and entering a name & email (real or fake, don’t worry, you won’t get spammed). After you type your comment, don’t forget to enter the letter code (see below), and voila, you’re done. I’ll be able to read your comments along with everyone else. Of course, you can always just email me.
Towards the bottom right of each page you can click “older” to keep scrolling through prior entries. I’ve been blogging for a year now, and really enjoy it. If any of you have your own websites please let me know, it’s a great way for families and friends to keep up with each other.
Rather that write about my year, I’ll let my words and pictures tell the stories. Here’s a link to some of my Picasa albums, click away!
As you can see, I love playing tour guide, so if you’re ever in Southern California, please let me know. It’s a great place to visit and you’re always welcome! Hopefully this website will allow me to catch up with those of you I don’t communicate with as frequently. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you all the happiest of holidays and a healthy new year. Peace –Carey
Chris wants me to enter this photo contest with him. Actually, I think he wants me to enter against him. He’s a competitive SOB! Here’s the rub though; it costs $45 per photo to enter. That’s about all I know though, I haven’t looked into the official rules. If I decide to do it though, I have to pick the right photo. Here would be some that I’d consider, simply because I had them ”favorited” in my Kodak Gallery (thus the small size). I would still have to go through literally thousands of my photos if I decide to do this. Geez, I wish I would have started using the “star” feature of Picasa a lot sooner!!
I think this is my favorite. I took it on Boracay, in the Philippines on Christmas Eve.
Lugano, Switzerland
Charleston, IL
Santa Barbara, CA
Crater Lake, OR
Chicago, IL
Charleston, IL
Florence, Italy
Oahu, Hawaii
Los Angeles, CA
Munich, Germany
Munich, Germany
Sunrise over Cocovado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Victoria & Albert Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
Florence, Italy
Paris, France
Florence, Italy
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Full moon over Sydney Opera House, Sydney Australia
The Fourth of July (Independence Day for you non-Americans) has always been my least favorite holiday of the year. It’s not because I hate the independence and freedom this country was founded on, and it’s not because George W. Bush is single handedly trying to dismantle many of those freedoms. The reasons behind my loathing of this holiday are more complex. They date back to grade school and many memories I’d rather not recount. They hark back to college, when, after my dog Oreo was shot at point blank range with a .38 caliber revolver (and survived); he was deathly afraid of fireworks. (The story of how Oreo got shot by a horribly inhumane campus security guard is another long entry for another day). Oreo was so scared of fireworks in fact, that he used to hide in the closet of my bedroom shaking like a leaf whenever there were any fireworks. Even firecrackers made him run and hide, which, given the circumstances was quite understandable. Every 4th of July from the time of the shooting until the year he died, I would sit in the closet with him, while playing the loudest music I could find, and hold him while he drooled and shook. So, needless to say, the 4th brings back some pretty painful memories. I am an adult though, and I’m not one to dwell on the past. Suffice it to say, it’s just a day that makes me remember certain things.
It’s not like I’ve never had good 4th’s of July. Last year was one of the best. I was in Germany for the World Cup, and there was something cathartic about spending America’s Independence Day in Europe, especially in Germany. I was with some of my best friends in the world and we had a wonderful time. To honor that special memory, I’m posting my pictures from that trip. There are over 800 photos, so don’t feel obligated to look, but I wanted to preserve them here for posterity, and since I wasn’t blogging last year, I thought it appropriate on this Independence Day. Happy Birthday America, and Oreo, plug your ears!
What a trip! Germany hosted the world and the world was amazed by what it saw here. Today we were invited to breakfast in Stuttgart. We then drove back to Munich with a couple of Mick’s friends who were on their way to catch a flight to Georgia (in Russia, not the US :) We then met Eva and her two beautiful children Ana and Tim. I hadn’t seen her in five years and we had a nice visit. A final farewell BBQ with new friends lasted into the night and I got a final chance to have fun with the kids. This is the last time I’ll be posting pictures from this trip, as I leave in the morning at 7:15. Thanks to all of my German friends who were such wonderful hosts. A special thanks to Beate & Matthias for their hospitality and friendship. See you all in South Africa in 2010!
- Carey Anthony
World Cup Day 10 – The Final Day
(1 album)
We woke up early (again :) and traveled 230 kilometers to Stuttgart, the city with the second highest number of foreigners in Europe. Mick and Miggl used to live here, so we met all of their friends in a large park for another big BBQ. The World Cup final started at 8 PM, so we headed to a beer garden in the city center and watched the game. Italy managed to pull it off in the penalty round and they are now the world champions! There are a LOT of Italians in Stuttgart and the city went WILD as these photos will attest. The game was not without controversy though. A MUCH beloved player on the French team, Zidane, was eliminated from the game for head butting an opponent. He is loved and respected all over the world and this unsportsmanlike act was quite out of character shocking everyone. Despite that, France played an amazing game (I’m told :) and we celebrated! Viva Italia!!
- Carey Anthony
World Cup Day 9
(1 album)
The day started at 6:45 AM (after going to bed at 3:45 :) when we took David and Hyun Ju to the airport. We then took an hour long hike to a nice beer garden for lunch and hiked back home to prepare for the party and the 3rd place match between Germany & Portugal. My hosts wanted me to photograph everyone at the party, but as usual, the ratio of kid photos to adult photos is about 2:1 The party was amazing…great food and lots of new friends. To make the day even better, Germany won, to the delight of the host country crowd. This country has done an amazing job hosting this World Cup, and I know many of you will be visiting in the future because of it. Until tomorrow….Cheers! P.S. If you sign in to view these photos, you can leave comments and order prints and gifts. Kodak also has a German site at www.kodakgallery.de
- Carey Anthony
World Cup Day 8
(1 album)
After breakfast this morning Mick drove Youenn and I to Sabine’s family’s house in Altenbuch. There we had a delicious Bavarian lunch with Sabine’s Mom, Dad, Aunty (Tante) Gertrude and Grandma (Omi :) After admiring their beautiful garden and hearing delightful stories from the “old days”, we received wonderful gifts of hand knitted socks and said our goodbyes, promising to return again. We then drove to Mick’s house and visited her parents whom I haven’t seen in five years. Since I was last here, they closed their family bakery. Some of you may remember my pictures from 2000 and 2001 when I pulled fresh baked brezen (pretzels) from the bakery’s oven. Mick’s parents haven’t changed a bit, and their home was as welcoming as ever. After a quick dip in the pool, we headed back to Munich for a late dinner, then rode the subway home. We’re having a big party tomorrow…so must get some rest!
- Carey Anthony
World Cup Day 7
(1 album)
Today we took a calming (at times :) rubber raft tour down the Alz River in Upper Bavaria near the Alps. The scenery was majestic and the weather was perfect…until the very end of the 5 mile trip when the clouds started rolling in and we knew a big storm was imminent. The rain and lightning didn’t start until we were driving home on the autobahn in Mick’s leaky Volkswagen. I didn’t take as many photos today, as I was trying to protect my camera from fellow rafters trying to tip us and errant trees that seemed out to get us! A pasta dinner at home was followed by lively discussion into the wee hours. Tomorrow we head to lower Bavaria to visit Sabine & Mick’s relatives and enjoy some more German hospitality.
- Carey
World Cup Day 6
(1 album)
Today we went to one of crazy King Ludwig’s castles and enjoyed a relaxing stroll through a Bavarian Forest. A delicious Mexican themed dinner back at the house was followed by watching the France/Portugal match. Some of us went to the huge “Fan Fest” at the Munich Olympic Stadium which wasn’t quite as crowded as last night when Germany played, but still had tens of thousands of colorful fans cheering for both teams. Our friend Youenn was happy for his home country when France won. Now it’s down to France and Italy (and I’m sure you all can guess who I’m hoping for Tomorrow we wake up early to go river rafting so Gute Nacht from Germany for now. –Carey Cheers!
- Carey
World Cup Day 5
(1 album)
Today was a BIG day for soccer in Germany. Unfortunately they lost to the Italians, but as these photos will attest the fans love their team. We watched most of the game in a large beer garden. I’ve also included some photos from the Fan Fest at the Olympic Stadium at the end. We began the day strangely enough at another beer garden, where Germans young and old enjoyed breakfast and beer. We then went on another bike ride and Matthias and I went swimming in the aptly named Ice Channel of the Isar River….with a STRONG current and bone numbing temperatures. It was really refreshing. David and Hyun Ju arrived this afternoon from Hamburg, and Mick came from Stuttgart making friends wherever she went. Despite the crushing loss, it was a great day, and a great final for Germany. Tomorrow Youenn will be cheering for France, while many of our Brazilian friends will be cheering for Portugal.
- Carey
World Cup Day 4
(1 album)
Today was a wonderful lazy day. Since there’s not a soccer game until tomorrow, we went to Lake Starnberger and swam and barbequed to a gorgeous sunset. More friends are arriving tomorrow, as we prepare for the BIG game…Germany vs. Italy. Since we have all nationalities represented here, it should be an interesting night I hope those of you in the States have a happy 4th! –Carey
World Cup Day 3
(1 album)
Well, no soccer games today, but we still had a great time. Biked 17 miles through the Munich City Center and my friends were sure to point out every beer garden The weather couldn’t be more perfect. More of our friends arrived today. Hope most of you in the US are off tomorrow and that you had a great weekend. –Carey
World Cup Day 2
(1 album)
Hi Everyone, Here are the photos from my first few hours in Germany. I’ll try to post new photos each day, and you will get an automatic update. You don’t need to log in to view these (unless you want to save them or order them). I had a great flight over, and when I landed, England had just lost to Portugal, and the Brazil/France game was starting. To most everyone’s shock, Brazil lost. Germany is looking stronger all the time, and the fans here are WILD. Have a great weekend. I’ll send more tomorrow. It’s 3:15 AM here now, and I haven’t slept in what seems like days. Good night
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “Seeing what Prada has in orange jumpsuits.” — One of David Letterman’s “Top 10 Ways Paris Hilton Is Preparing for Jail.”
“Bush Seeks to Double Spending for AIDS Program” blared the headlines this week. “President Bush should be commended,” trumpeted one development organization, for his “vital leadership.”
Great… except that Bush’s plan ISN’T going to double funding and his press conference was essentially called to spin major broken promises into looking like leadership. Too bad so many took the bait. Read More…
I’m dog-sitting again for a week. This time it’s Garbo and Ruby. If there are any dogs in West Hollywood who are interested in a playdate (or more???) please contact them via their blog. I’ve posted their personal ad below.
I must say it’s quite a change walking these two from walking Roscoe. Roscoe’s getting neutered on Thursday….so wish him well!
Garbo & Ruby
Occupation: Watch Dogs
Location: West Hollywood : California : United States
About Us
We’re two charmed best friends living the dream in Los Angeles
Yesterday I wrote about growing up in Chicago. I included a link to my old grade school, Herbert Hoover, and when I went to their website, I found out that my 4th grade teacher was retiring in a few weeks. The website listed an email address so I sent her the following note:
Hi Mrs. Heilbronner,
I’m not sure if you remember me (though I suspect you might ). I was recently writing something on my blog about Hoover school, and I looked up their website and found that you were retiring. Congratulations on your retirement. You were always good to me and fair, and I know I wasn’t the easiest kid you ever taught! Best of luck to you and your family. –Carey
And here’s the reply I got:
Carey,
How great to hear from you!! Thanks for your good wishes. I TOTALLY remember you, and not in a bad way, though you were unique, I’m not gonna lie….. My husband worked with your mother at some point and I would see her occasionally. I skimmed over your blog and enjoyed it.
On our trip to Brookfield Zoo the other day the main attraction to our fifth graders were the cicadas. Twenty minutes after we got off the bus, most kids were still examining the cicadas and had little interest in moving on to the zoo animals…..mainly because they really haven’t been out in Schaumburg.
Anyhow, thanks for the e mail!
Mrs. Heilbronner
Mrs. Heilbronner taught me 33 years ago, in 1974. I wonder how many students she remembers from that long ago?? Needless to say I was a memorable child, and that’s being kind. I was quite the troublemaker in those days, and I already had a pretty bad reputation by the 4th grade. So Mrs. Heilbronner knew what she was getting into when she drew the short straw and had me in her class. As I said in the email though, she was always good to me and fair. I’m glad I got the chance to tell her, and to let her know that I’ve become a successful adult thanks in large part to her and the many other teachers who never gave up on me. Thanks Mrs. Heilbronner! Now I’m going to try to find my 3rd grade teacher, who was instrumental in my life. Maybe she will Google herself and find me:
Everett Dirksen Grade School, Schaumburg, IL 1972-1973
Post Script: Funny story… My grade school used to be called J. Edgar Hoover Elementary School. It took me a while to find it on the web last night because they changed who the school was named after about 10 years ago. It seems that someone decided that good ‘ole J. Edgar Hoover, flaming homosexual and transvestite that he was, wasn’t a great role model for children. So, they decided to keep the “Hoover” moniker and name the school after our 31st President, Herbert Hoover. I would have liked to have been present for the debate at that school board meeting, I suspect it was a lively one. LOL
I didn’t post any photos from this past weekend, so here we go:
On Saturday we went to see Mr. Brooks at the brand new Landmark Theater in West LA. I’m no Kevin Costner fan by any stretch, but the movie was actually pretty good, in a popcorn/thriller sort of way. I thought Costner played a great psychopath/serial killer, but Dane Cook was quite un-believable, except for comic relief, and Demi Moore’s role was ridiculous. The whole thing was completely contrived and over the top, but it was somewhat of a dark comedy, and for what it was, I found it worth seeing.
The great part though was the new theater. The Landmark is now competing with The Arclight as the premium LA movie venue. I must say I was impressed. The service was impeccable. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The design was modern and the auditorium seating and sound system was state of the art. They even have a wine bar! I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot of movies there. Take a look:
And some other random photos from the weekend, mostly while walking Roscoe around and visiting Arielle:
This is at the bottom of my street.
Ann & Arielle
My lame attempt at being “artsy”. Best I can do without PhotoShop.
See above
He’s scared of the water, it’s pretty funny. He’s just a puppy though! (6 months old).
This chihuahua was pretty brave!
It looks like they’re fighting but they’re both 6 month old and they were playing like puppies!
Fire Update: They should have it contained by tomorrow night. Over 817 acres have burned, many of them viewable from where I took these photos last year. Thanks to those of you who emailed me. Everything is OK. –Carey
I’ve posted this video before, but I think it’s worth watching again. It concerns why America is no longer #1, and I agree with all of it (except the Brazil & soccer parts LOL). I’m heading out for the evening, so probably won’t be posting much more today. I’ll give you guys a break from reading my rants tonight.
TIME Magazine asked who you thought should be on the list of the 100 most influential people of the year. Over 200 candidates were given a rating of 1 to 100. And your #1 choice? Let it Rain! The Korean R&B phenom had almost half a million votes, over 100,000 more than runner-up Stephen Colbert. And just take a guess who was #3?? LOL
AGE: 24 OCCUPATION: Korean R&B and pop singer NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0 PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1
PRO: South Korean King of Pop whose albums have topped the charts in Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and, of course, South Korea.
CON: Although he has performed in the U.S. at Madison Square Garden—with two sold-out shows—and recorded a duet with B2Ks Omarion, Rain has yet to reach his goal of truly breaking out as a sensation in America.
And finally, lovely Joelle, part of our NYE gang, has been sending regular, fascinating emails about her stint in Santiago, Chile as a diplomat. I certainly think she enjoys it much better than her last 2 year stint in Uzbekistan! So thanks for the updates Joelle. GLY!
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “A judge in Los Angeles has sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating her probation, but Paris is trying to get out of it. Legal experts say that if Paris Hilton wants to avoid going to jail in Los Angeles, she’ll have to murder someone.” — Conan O’Brien
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
Baby It’s Hot Outside, Love Crimes, Dog Condoms & Sleepwalking
How’s that for a blog title??
It’s 95° here in LA today, and my baby cousin Andy got a new pool!!
And this weekend, Andy & Tommy got a new puppy! Introducing:
Tommy & Andy’s new dog Oreo and Darlene’s new dog Roxy
My original Oreo – circa 1985
**BREAKING NEWS**
As previously mentioned, it was 95° F (35° Celsius) here in Los Angeles today. The humidity was only about 5%, and some asshole decided to light another fire in the Hollywood Hills today. This time the fire is burning by the famous Griffith Park Observatory (click for pictures from when I was there in November with my family). The Observatory was featured in many of the scenes from the James Dean film, “Rebel Without a Cause”. The LA Zoo has been evacuated, but the animals remain. They’re trying to figure out a rescue plan now, should they need one.
Currently they’re saying 200 acres have already burned. The idiot who deliberately lit the fire is in the hospital being treated for burns. I was supposed to go the Seth & Jessica’s house tonight for dinner. They live about 3 miles from Griffith Park. I’m not going, but Seth said he would try to send some photos. Let’s hope the winds die down. I live about 7 miles from the fire, but I don’t think the wind is blowing this way. Los Angeles has not had any measurable rain since last July! The whole city is a giant tinderbox. Kudos to the brave firefighters on the front lines. Read more…
”Love Crime” Legislation
Somebody had to say it: “They should be in fucking jail!” Courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service. Vote for the worst??
Pain in the Gas - Too bad this is an Urban Legend. Of course we could all decide not to drive next week!
This one’s apparently real though. Just when you think you’ve seen everything: www.dogcondoms.com
And they’re meat scented!
And finally, for those of you who waited to find out “Who slept walked with JR?” I’ve updated yesterday’s post below, so now you know the rest of the story.
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.
Now, as creepy as that was, we were recent college graduates, sharing a car, and living in Chicago. We really needed a 2nd car but couldn’t afford one. The car that Sarah killed herself in was a Mercury Cougar in mint condition, save for the driver’s side window that had been broken to retrieve Sarah. We were told her death was by carbon monoxide, but that’s really all we knew. The bank offered us a deal; pay off the remainder of the $1000 loan and the car was ours. So we split the money, (actually I lent Daniel his half), and picked up the car “as is”. (By the way Daniel, you STILL owe me $500…I know you’re reading this too…so PAY UP, or your 4 kids won’t be getting anything from me for Christmas this year, LOL )
So, after obtaining a copy of Sarah’s death certificate (which I still have by the way, I’ll have to scan it one of these days), we picked up the car from the bank’s parking lot and drove it home. We were both a little freaked out, because the windows still hadn’t been fixed, and all of Sarah’s things were still in it. For whatever reason, no one took the time to clean it out. So there we were, with Sarah’s Kleenex, Sarah’s lipstick, and something else of Sarah’s, but more about that in a minute.
As soon as we got in the car, my dog Oreo started whining and wouldn’t stop. As soon as we drove out of the parking lot, we heard a screeching noise coming from the right front wheel well. We turned a corner and heard it again. We had no idea what it was, but figured it was something wrong with the alignment and didn’t worry too much (what did we know?). We were late for a movie or something, so we dropped Oreo off, drove to the theater, parked the car, and went in. Two hours later we came out to a note on our windshield. It read simply, “What kind of SICKO are you? There’s a cat under your hood!!!” (I think I still have that note somewhere too, LOL!)
Sure enough, there was a cat, not under the hood, but in the wheel well between the tire and the hood. We couldn’t see it, but we sure heard it every time we turned the wheel. We took the car to the police, and they told us it was the damnedest thing they’d ever seen, but they couldn’t help us. We took it to a mechanic, and they said it would cost us $200 to try to get it out (alive). Finally we drove the car (with as few turns as possible) to Daniel’s brother in law, an amateur mechanic. He spent 2 hours taking the front end of the car apart, and finally pulled out a full sized adult cat. The first thing the cat did was go up to my dog Oreo and start playing with him. Oreo loved cats, though they usually didn’t love him. This cat was different though, and they got along splendidly.
I wasn’t as allergic to cats then as I am now, so we decided to keep her. We named the cat “Sarah” in honor of the car’s former owner. Daniel’s last name was Herrera, so the cat was Sarah Herrera. Where Sarah came from and how she got into such a “spot” we never knew. We suspected she was a stray and found the car in the parking garage the morning we got it, after taking it out for a test drive. It was a cold Chicago winter morning, and we think maybe Sarah climbed up into the wheel well to stay warm, and then somehow got stuck and couldn’t get out of the small opening.
Of course the other theory was that the cat was really a reincarnation of the car’s owner, Sarah, and perhaps the human Sarah was a dog lover, and that’s why the feline Sarah and the canine Oreo got along so well. Regardless, Sarah and Oreo had a great relationship. Sarah died a year later of a kidney ailment. She was the first and last cat I will ever have, but I have fond memories of her
An adventurous tabby took an unexpected trip this week, after slyly crawling into her keeper’s luggage and clearing lax Canadian airport security.
Mary Martell unwittingly travelled 1400km from Saint John Airport on Canada’s Atlantic coast all the way to Toronto, then to Niagara-on-the-Lake by car with the live cat in her suitcase.
She told public broadcaster CBC today the bag was scanned at the airport, but she was not stopped and it was eventually loaded into the airplane’s cargo bay.
“They had asked me, when they put … the luggage through the X-ray, whether I had a turkey,” she said.
“(Airport security) kept going back and forth with (the suitcase).
“I was adamant: ‘Look, I have no turkey’.”
Ms Martell said she only discovered Ginger, the family pet, when she opened her luggage in a hotel room, after the three-hour journey.
The cat had apparently snuck into a bag while Ms Martell was packing.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE “Scientists in Japan say they have developed a patch you put on your cat’s paw that will tell you if your cat is suffering from stress. My cat sleeps 23 ½ hours a day. The only stress he is going to have is when you put the patch on his paw.” — Jay Leno
I can’t blog anymore tonight as I have to clean my house and get ready for the next set of visitors to the “Hotel Careyfornia” I’m picking Marc & Mike up in Long Beach tomorrow. I haven’t seen them since their wedding in Montreal last September. Marc is one of my dearest friends in the world, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him. We’re the type of friends who stay up until dawn talking, so I don’t know how much blogging I’ll get done this weekend, but I’ll try to post pictures at least.
In the meantime, here are some topics for you to think about until next week.
I have friends with kids who have all of these drawings from over the
Good night…I have a lot of cards to write.
). I was recently writing something on my blog about Hoover school, and I looked up their website and found that you were retiring. Congratulations on your retirement. You were always good to me and fair, and I know I wasn’t the easiest kid you ever taught! Best of luck to you and your family. –Carey
I would have liked to have been present for the debate at that school board meeting, I suspect it was a lively one. LOL
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