Here at The Hotel Careyfornia, we pride ourselves on offering the finest accommodations of any fake luxury boutique hotel in Southern California.  This past weekend however, we were filled to capacity, and our guests had to resort to sleeping wherever they could find a spot. 

Is it too late to request bailout money to expand our facilities??

Of course there wasn’t much sleeping going on at all.  I don’t think I got more than 4 hours sleep since Friday, as these photos show:

Bassam managed to stay awake through the whole Rodgers & Hammerstein spectacular, even though he had just flown in from Jordan and his arms were tired!

They even surprised me with a cake!

None of my friends had ever been to the Hollywood Bowl…it was such a great show and I was so happy to share it with them!

Even Claudio, who pretended to hate Rodger’s & Hammerstein, secretly loved it!  He even invited our hotel’s maintenance man!  Love ya Ryan!!!!

A very happy birthday!

I wonder if Eva will make this her Facebook profile picture…the current one is just of her feet!  It’s not “Footbook” Eva!

The front lawn of The H.C. with the GLY Gang

Outside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, from “Pretty Woman”

Carey’s Angels have halos!

Marcelo & Emily had this “5 Star Hotel Careyfornia” sweatshirt made for me…and on the sleeve there’s a drawing of Oreo with the words, “Dogs Welcome”.  Isn’t that awesome?  I’m acquiring a whole line of Hotel Careyfornia merchandise!  T-shirts, placemats, towels, and of course our flagship’s sign!  Thanks to my wonderful friends for an amazing birthday!

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This song suits all of my friends! 
If you like it, support Sam Tsui..he’s amazing!

Carey Anthony

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Happy Birthday to Claudio :)
2 messages

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From: Marcelo	Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 11:13 PM
To: Carey & The GLY Gang
Greetings, amigos! Today, September 2nd, is Claudio’s birthday, as I am sure many of you know.  I wanted to get more ideas about his new professorial life and, bingo, found some delightful quotes at RatemyProfessor.com.  Here are some highlights, in my view… “He is very knowledgeable in the subject matter, and even if he is sometimes slightly unclear with his initial explanations,…” “His accent can be amusing at times, but in a good way. He is perfectly comprehensible.” “Dr. P. is a world class professor.” “One of the best professor [sic] I have ever taken in my life.” (lovely insinuating were it not for the obvious sign of poor grammar…my favorite quote in the group) “This man is helpful, knowledgable [sic] and is willing to help you in whatever way possible.” (Do tell, Dr. World Class!) “He really knows what he is talking about,…” (Ha!  This one had me rolling on the ground) Happy birthday to you, old friend! I am looking forward to seeing you all in a few days!  Luisao, any chance you can plan a last minute trip to SoCal this weekend?!  Claudao, nao se preocupe que vamos falar mal de voce esse final de semana, com aquele carinho de sempre. Abracos, m

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From: Carey Anthony	Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 11:18 PM
To: Marcelo Cc: The GLY Gang
Many of you don’t remember that back in the early 90′s, before the Internet or ratemyprofessor.com, I used to collect Claudio’s evaluations from when he was a T.A at University of Illinois, because he spent summers in Brazil.  My all time favorite went something like this:  Q:  Did you learn a lot in Professor P’s class? A:  I didn’t learn a thing.  I was too busy looking at his dreamy eyes! 15 years later, the eyes are more cloudy than dreamy and we won’t talk about the hair… Feliz Anniversario my friend!! Claudio & Oreo circa 1990 It’s amazing what 20 years can do! I was looking through my old diaries last night, and found this and sent it to Claudio.  He wrote this in my calendar in 1991:  “Birthday of the nicest Brazilian ever”.  I’m sure Marcelo might have something to say about that my dear! His reply: From: Claudio Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 9:23 AM To: Carey Anthony THANK YOU!!!! The scheduler was funny! To imagine you still had hair to cut…  good times!!   :)   Ugh, Vicious!!   From: Carey Anthony Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 9:39 AM To: Claudio Ugh!  You want to talk about hair!!??  Be careful darling.  It may be YOUR birthday, but my old calendars hold lots of other secrets as well.  Feliz Anniversario

The fires did make for amazing sunsets all last week:

Whenever I need to smile I’ll just look at this picture of Buster!

Joel and I went to see District 9 over the weekend and we both enjoyed the movie.  It was about 1/2 hour too long, but entertaining.  Kind of a cross between Close Encounters and The Fly!  There were a lot of blatant racial parallels that I won’t go into now.  As someone who has been to Johannesburg though, it was a sadly appropriate setting for that movie.

I’m SO excited for this show to start next week!!

Dinner last night before I headed back to LA for the first time in 9 days.

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The fires are far enough away that my home isn’t in any danger, but they’re still too close for comfort:

On the way home last night this is what I saw from the car.  I’m surprised there weren’t more accidents on the freeway from people looking.  It was an amazing sight to see:

The air today was an eerie, quiet yellow making the sky look like Dijon mustard.  About 6:00 tonight I went up to my roof and shot this photo.

After taking this, I went back inside with my mask!

Here’s a good time lapse video of the fire.  The smoke clouds are amazing as these LA Times photos show:

And finally, I got some very sad news today from Margie:

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From: Margie
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 6:34 AM
To: Carey
Subject: Daisy

I had to have Daisy put down today.  I am very sad.  She fell off the bed & broke whatever was misplaced in her back.  When I picked her up she immediately lost her bowels & her head started rolling to the side.  When I took her outside she tried to stand but could not.  Later I will pick her up – couldn’t bear to be with her when they put her down – and bury her on the farm.  Can’t stop crying every time I think about it, so I’m going to try not to think about it.

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Daisy, if you remember, spent a month here with me last spring.  In fact I recently posted this video of her getting harassed by Chazz.  I know how terribly painful it is to lose a treasured friend.  We’ll miss you lazy Daisy!!

Click for larger view

I’ve got a bunch of good friends flying in for the weekend starting Thursday.  It’s going to be non stop.  We’re going to the Hollywood Bowl for my 44th birthday Sunday.  I’ll try to post as I have time.  Have a good week everyone!

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The state of California is $30 billion in debt, and there’s no way we can pay it back, so what we’ve decided to do is set it on fire and collect the insurance.” – Jimmy Kimmel

I’m down in Mission Viejo for a week dog-sitting for Buster, the one eyed horndog and Roxy:

 

Last night, Andy consistently beat me at Wii for hours, and I’m sure I got carpal tunnel in the process!

This morning I woke up early and was unusually tired.  Even though I didn’t fly here, I brought my travel bag, full of travel sized items.  In my stupor this morning, the toothpaste and the Neosporin looked remarkably similar:

They didn’t taste similar however, as this reenactment shows:

OK, I didn’t really put it in my mouth this morning…but I almost did!

I blame the TSA for this!  (Kip Hawley is still an idiot!)  Their stupid fucking liquid ban has likely caused thousands of Americans to brush their teeth with antibiotic ointment methinks.  There’s a good book called Natural Security: A Darwinian Approach to a Dangerous World that posits:

“Lessons learned from Mother Nature [could] help airport security screening checkpoints better protect us from terror threats — if governments are willing to think outside the box and pay heed to some of nature’s most successful evolutionary strategies for species adaptation and survival.

“Biological organisms have figured out millions of ways, over three and a half billion years of evolution, to keep themselves safe from a vast array of threats,” said Raphael Sagarin, a Duke University ecologist who co-edited the book with Terence Taylor, an international security expert.

“Arm races among invertebrates, intelligence gathering by the immune system and alarm calls by marmots are just a few of nature’s successful security strategies that have been tested and modified over time in response to changing threats and situations,” Sagarin said. “In our book, we look at these strategies and ask how we could apply them to our own safety.”

“A study of animal behavior suggests that advertising your security procedures and continually conveying to others that there is a state of elevated threat only helps inform potential terrorists of loopholes in the procedures, while keeping the general population uncertain and nervous,” Sagarin said. Species such as marmots, which continually emit warning calls to each other even when no immediate threat is present, force the other animals in their group to waste time and energy trying to figure out if the implied threat is real, he noted.

Evolutionary models and ideas also can be applied to non-terrorism threats, such natural disasters and the spread of infectious diseases, he added.

“Whether you’re dealing with al Qaeda or an emerging pathogen, studying animal behavior teaches us basic principles of survival,” he said. “You can’t eliminate all risks, so you have to focus on the big ones, while adapting to minimize risk from the rest. You have to be aware of your environment, understanding that it’s constantly in flux. And when it comes to adapting and responding to threats, a centralized authority can get in the way. Individual units that sense the environment, with minimal central control, work best.””

And now comes word that you’re no longer allowed to bring snowglobes through airport security!  Sorry middle America, time to find a new cheesy souvenir.  What will they think of next?  Urinals at the X-ray machine, so we don’t bring our piss on planes?  Idiots!

 
“A glass eye, filled with weaponized ebola.
A small child with a belly full of C4.
A man with his blood altered biochemically to be a powerful explosive.
A Muslim that has spent the last two decades training in the art of the Ninja, and has just mastered a technique to deliver fatal nerve-strikes from across the room using only the focused force of his own chi?
WHY DO WE NOT WORRY ABOUT THESE THINGS?
Oh… yeah. Because at a certain point we have to make the decision to accept the most minute possible risks or to continue rocking back and forth on the floor whimpering while in a pool of our own urine.“

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In other news, yesterday, Lisa and I went to The Spectrum to see Inglourious Basterds (I loved it).  We also saw that they are auctioning off Designer Dog Houses built by celebrities.  Obviously, Chazz needs this desperately, so here’s a real live PayPal button to donate to The Hotel Chazzfornia Fund.  Bidding for the auction starts at $20,000.00, so dig deep!!

  Chazzitat For Humanity – Put a roof over Chazz’s head!!  DONATE NOW!!

Speaking of Chazz, Claudio sent me an email with a video attachment of him playing soccer with some kids.  To wit:

Carey Anthony

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Chazz Playing Football
2 messages

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From: Claudio	Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 8:09 PM
To: Carey
Chazz has made it to 3 soccer practices with kids at the park. He is very popular around there. Several people call him by name and gather around to see him play. The coach has a separate soccer ball for him already. The first-timers get instructions on how to play with Chazz. Although the 8 and younger kids who are his usual teammates were not there today (when I remembered to take the camera), he still had fun.  I got quite a few funny videos, but most are too big to attach… This is the only one that can go.  -Claudio

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From: Carey Anthony	Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 8:35 PM
To: Claudio
It’s clear he got his football skills from MY side of the family!  Ugh!!  Too big to attach??? The 90′s called.  They want their ridiculously huge email attachments back!! Ever hear of YouTube, YouDork??? And where the hell did you film that from?  The Goodyear blimp???  I can see that when I’m not around Chazz’s care is left to amateurs.  We’re going to have to decrease your visits with him. Signed, Worried in Weho

Little Andy banged his big toe in the door today, and the toenail was hanging by a thread.  He was crying at dinner, so I told him that when the nail fell off, he should put it under his pillow and the “Toe Fairy” would come overnight.  His parents immediately shot me a “what the hell does the Toe Fairy bring!?” look!  Andy instantly stopped crying and started laughing!  As we said goodbye from the car, he was still talking about the Toe Fairy as the following video will attest:

So the question is, what do you think the Toe Fairy should leave under Andy’s pillow??

What should the Toe Fairy bring Andy??  (Click “Send Form” to email me your answer!)

Toe Jam
Nail Clippers
Socks
__________??

I got to see all of my favorite cousins today!  Jenn brought Cole & Tressa to meet me for lunch.  I haven’t seen them since before I left for Italy:

Dar joined Lisa, Joel, Andy, Tommy and me for dinner at Pei Wei:

 

The infamous toe!

When I got home from Orange County the girls had baked me brownies!

Last night, we had dinner at The Grove:

I like the other Abercrombie model better I think!

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The Pentagon is concerned that Facebook could pose a security risk to U.S. military personnel. Apparently there’s no telling what al Qaeda could do if it knows what a soldier’s five favorite romantic comedies are.” — Conan O’Brien

Earlier today, while the rest of the world focused on MJ’s funeral plans, (some are saying up to a million mourners could pour into Los Angeles, making it bigger than Elvis and Princess Diana…I sure am glad I’m leaving for Italy Thursday!!) Farrah Fawcett was remembered in a private funeral mass downtown.  I was in the 6th grade and had just turned 11 years old on September 22, 1976 when Charlie’s Angels premiered on television.  I was instantly smitten with all of the “Angels” and Farrah Fawcett held a special fascination for my prepubescent self.  Perhaps it was the diva in her that attracted me, but nevertheless in that Bicentennial year, it was all “Angels” all the time for me and much of America.  I collected photos and clippings from every magazine I could find, and kept them in a special box that I made that looked like this:

Hubba Hubba Baby Doll!

I had actually forgotten about that box until recently when I opened a childhood safe that my brother recently came across and delivered to me from Chicago!  Taylor was nice enough to film the big event:

Here are some other photos from the weekend.  Claudio & Ryan are coming tomorrow with Chazz. Claudio will take me to the airport Thursday morning to catch my flight to Rome.  Ciao Bello!

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The other night, Ken and I went to the Vienna Teng concert at The Roxy on Sunset Blvd.  He came over early and we had a nice sushi dinner before walking up to the club.  We were both hesitant about seeing an artist like Vienna at such an impersonal rock venue, but the crowd was actually quite polite and the show was great! 

This video is worth watching if you would like an idea of the what her music is like.  That’s actually the audience making noise in the beginning, and Alex Wong of The Paper Raincoat on percussion.  The song is called Gravity, and it’s from her first album in 2001.  I’ve linked to the album version at the bottom of this post.

Just like last year, she was nice enough to sign a CD, this time for my friend Jonathan who falls asleep to her music every night!

If you haven’t heard of Vienna Teng, you can check out her music here or two of my favorites below.  If you like her, please support her.  (Direct link for iTunes users)

Remember that speeding ticket I got last summer?  Well I finally got around to signing up for traffic school before the February 17th deadline.  Unfortunately, because I got the ticket behind the Orange Curtain, I couldn’t take traffic school online.  So when I looked at the list of state approved classes, this is what I found:

The “Gay Community Traffic School” is coincidentally the closest one to my house.    When I called them, the queen on the phone was very friendly.  He told me that the only day available before my deadline was February 14th from 9-5.  I said, “Fine, I’ll take it”.  Then he paused dramatically and said “You know that’s Valentine’s Day, don’t you??”  I laughingly told him I was aware that February 14th was Valentine’s Day, and then he actually asked me if I had a Valentine!  I kind of stuttered in disbelief, and told him “No”.  After that he told me he’d call me the day before to remind me,  and to show up with $32.95 in cash that morning.  LOL.

Apparently this Gay Traffic School is quite popular here and in San Francisco.  To wit:

The Best Place to Meet If You’re Looking For:

A Speed Queen

Calling Erik Estrada. Gay traffic violators commiserate, cruise, and discharge their points at Joey Randall’s Gay…community Traffic School. For eight hours, students trade traffic jokes and play “Traffic School Jeopardy.” Randall says classes are bumper-to-bumper because “people know they’re going to meet others they might be interested in.” An instructor at Randall’s L.A. school teaches in drag, so watch what you say about women drivers. Classes meet weekly. Call (800) 429-4968.

Maybe my instructor will be the one in drag?!  Now that would be blog-worthy!

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Here are some photos from over the weekend with David & Hyun Ju.  We went downtown to meet up with CJ so I could finally give him the Rubik’s Cube that Macky signed for him last summer.  He was so appreciative!  I hadn’t seen him since the competition at the Discovery Science Center last spring, when he was so nice and patient with my little cousin Tommy.

Me with future world famous video game designer Daniel Chan

Then we went to Chinatown to celebrate Chinese New Year, but I didn’t see an ox, just these turtles!

Poolside at The Standard Hotel, downtown Los Angeles

 

I wish they would have told me I still had the damn Bluetooth in my ear!

Taken from the car at 60 mph

The aptly named Sunset Blvd.

Best of the rest…

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

“J. Crew’s stock has gone up 10 percent because first lady Michelle Obama has been spotted wearing their clothes. Which begs the question, Mrs. Obama, how would you feel about wearing a Buick?” –  Conan O’Brien

Update:  Click Here to see how Gay Traffic School went!

My friend Marc told me the other day that my blog should be called:

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

OK fine, point taken!  I guess he’s right…guilty as charged.  I’m the kiddy, puppy, sunny anti Palin blogger.  The pictures I took Sunday and Monday are of a kid (Hannah), dogs (Garbo, Ruby & Chazz) and a sunset.  LOL.  I guess I should be amazed that anyone still reads this blog (besides mothers and pet owners of the aforementioned, vampires and Levi Johnston (Sarah Palin’s future son-in-law.)).

Our Golden Globes menagerie

Whatcha talkin’ ’bout Garbo?? 

Miss Golden Globe 2024

Last night in front of Rage

And speaking of Sarah “The Anti-Christ” Palin, this was on Huff Post today:

But lest you think I’m a 4 trick pony, don’t forget that from January to May you probably have to add one more moniker to my blog…American Idol.  LOL.

Yes, once again, American Idol is upon us.  At its best, the show extols the American Dream.  At its worst, it brings out the schadenfruede in all of us.  Due to my proximity to the show, I tend to get a lot of blogworthy material every season.  Whether it’s my photos from the finales, or my take on some of the ridiculous aspects of the show and the culture that has sprung up around it.  I am curious to know if there will be changes as a result of the suicide in front of Paula Abdul’s house.  I always knew that being mean to mentally unstable people could have disastrous results.  I mean, just listen to these actual Simon Cowell insults:

Each year I think it might be the end of the show’s popularity, and each year brings a new  Sanjaya, Danny Noriega or Jason Castro.  (Actually, this year, it’s Jason Castro’s brother and Adam Lambert.)  Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be attending a show or two this year, and will run in to these wannabe celebrities all over town.  So stay tuned if you’re so inclined.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“Three days before his inauguration, Barack Obama is going to retrace Abraham Lincoln’s route by taking an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Obama’s making the trip three days early because it’s Amtrak and even he only has so much hope.” — Conan O’Brien

I want to thank Tom & Cathy for a most spectacular gift they gave me that I alluded to last week.    It’s an Eye-Fi wireless SD card.  It saved me so much time last week in San Francisco because the pictures I took automatically went to my Xanga wirelessly (through Picasa which I had synced to a web album) without even having to download from the card!  What a time-saver.  All I needed to be was at least 30 feet from my computer.  As long as my camera was on, the pictures got uploaded instantly and automatically.  Pretty cool!  Thank you both so much. 

I saw this picture of Obama yesterday and thought it was really nice.  Did anyone catch the “Puppedential Debate” on The Daily Show the other night?  Anderson Cooper is pretty damn funny.  I met him last year at a book signing and he was really friendly (I didn’t meet his his boyfriend).  If you missed it, check out “The Road to the Doghouse” The last frame is my favorite!  Hilarious.

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Also, you may remember my appearance in Seth’s “Peace on Earth” video and benefit song last Thanksgiving.  I promised you guys I would let you know when it was available on iTunes, and now it is.  If you have iTunes installed, you can click here to purchase the song.  Otherwise, just search for “Seth Freeman” from the iTunes Store.  It goes to a good cause!

Finally, here are some photos I took from my roof of the sunset on Monday night.  Peace!

 

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