Busy, Busy, Back Soon

This weekend I will be helping shoot a movie. I promise to bring back notes from the set. Sorry if I am nelecting you all.

I am here's current events

I saw a story about a shark that they discovered that can walk. That puts a whole new spin on the Jaws thing doesn't it?

State Fair time

(taken by Mel Melcon for the Los Angeles Times)

Everyone in Minnesota knows about the Minnesota State Fair. It is an institution. Although it was something that I liked to avoid because of the WT fanny pack, zuba wearing folks factor, I did go every once in a while to see what new uber calorie food they had concocted and stuck on a stick. Some of these foods included:

Deep fried pickle on a stick
Chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick
Deep fried snickers bar on a stick
Deep fried twinkie on a stick

It is now state fair time in California and I think they might have us beat. On the cover of a local paper I saw the fair food to end all fair food. It is a fried chicken filet sandwiched between two krispy cream donuts.

When I tell people that I saw this I usually get two reactions
1) That I am lying
2) A gasp and or look of pure horror

It is true folks, I cannot make this up. Now Minnesota has to step up and find something so calorie ridden, so greasy, so amazingly fattening that you can feel yourself getting gaining weight when you walk by it and, of course, put it on a stick.

Something i miss about Minnesota 2

Lately when I log into my perosnal hotmail account I see a story about where to spot the best fall leaf displays. There is a slide show that I am watching lately to remind me of what I knew Fall to be when I was growing up.

Here Fall looks very much like summer and winter very green, but mostly brown. It doesn't feel like Fall, and the only reason I know it is Fall is because it is September

I miss the way fall smells; very earthy and damp with a hint of bonfire. I wish someone could bottle that up and send it to me.

Me and James

There was a time when I didn't read. I don't know why, I just wasn't really interested in what I felt my options were book wise. The Scarlet Letter, Frankenstien, The Grapes of Wrath. I know you are screaming, "But these are classics! How could you not read them?" Well, they never really spoke to me. In 10th grade I had basically given up on ever reading anything that I would enjoy ever again. (Oh, the things you decide when you are a teenager.)

So sulking around at Art School dressed in black, doing Physics tutorials after school I was asked by the teaching assistant what I liked to read. And I said "I read nothing and I am a Nihilist." (I made that up.) Him being a writer and all he was saddened by the fact that I didn't read and passed me his latest copy of Granta. This issue was called Crime and had an interesting story in it called Dick Contino's Blues by James Ellroy.

It was the sad and somewhat true story of a polka accordian player named Dick Contino who was suspected of being a communist in the 50's. He wasn't, but to prove his innocence he had to infultrate communist groups in 1950's Los Angeles and rat people out.

Why this short story spoke to me I'll never know, but it did. From then on it changed what and who I read. And after that I read and I read and I read.

Last Sunday I had the chance to meet the man that changed it all, James Ellroy, at the Skylight bookstore. where among other things he read from the Black Dahlia.

His life has been an interesting one, his mother also was a victim of murder and like the Black Dahlia this murder has never been solved. He also did a couple of homeless stints and slept at the park 5 blocks from my house.

I feel like such a nerd, but seeing him was more intersting than running into any of the gossip rag stars of the week. And I got his autograph.

I guess the movie isn't doing so well. I am debating on whether or not I want to see it, but I will have to finish the book first.

Super 8

Today I have been here for 8 months. I can't believe it.

Dirt

Yesterday on my way to work I had to stop to allow a scene to be shot of Dirt Courney Cox's new show about trying to break into the world of paparazzi. I honestly do not know anything about the show I might watch just to see the scene I saw being filmed.

Not for the weak of heart

Last night I read two emails that I kept from September 11th.

One from an ex-boyfriend is now living in New York, who quit his bike messenger job a few days before the planes hit the very buildings that he delivered to day after day. The days following when false calls were being made that there were bombs still in the city. Tales of a city crippled with grief that was as thick as the asbetos south of 14th street.

Two an email from a friend of a friend who was diverted to Canada from Newark on his way home to Los Angeles. The passengers passed around the only 8 cell phones with enough battery to call loved ones to say that they were okay. They ended up there for 3 days and celebrated a fellow passengers birthday there in a church's lunch room where they also slept. He said that the Canadians were so nice to all of them, he said that he was going to send the church a donation check for Christmas and I wonder five years later if he ever did.

On my personal email account I kept a folder for all of my emails from that day and the days following the event from friends, family, friends of friends, etc. I don't know why.

I am lucky enough to remember a time when traveling was not scary, when your loved ones could meet you at the gate and hug you and kiss you goodbye. My kids and their kids will never know what that is like.

I will probably sleep through the five year anniversary as it will come at 6:15 a.m. my time. I have no interest in watching t.v. tomorrow at all.

What I have been up to

Things have been relatively quiet for me lately so not a lot to report I am afraid. Just a lot of relaxing. I have talked to a few of you as of late and it seems like the overall concensus is that there are a lot of broken or malfunctioning computers out there. My own laptop is on the fritz.

I have been reading a lot as well. Trying to get into The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen so that I can finish it by book club.

I had two star sitings in the past week. Shawn Wayans standing out side of KooKooRoo on Larchmont. He is as tall an muscular as he is on television. I also saw Anthony Kedis, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, at M Cafe de Chaya this fabulous macrobiotic cuisine spot on Melrose. Coincidentally enough right around the corner from Pink's.

Anthony Kedis is a lot smaller than I thought. He has such a huge stage personality that I was really surprised how Prince sized he is. I remember being so in love with him in Junior High.

Also, I am planning to see James Ellroy talk about the Black Dahlia on Sunday at Skylight Books.

It would be great to hear from you. eyemheer2@yahoo.com.

Things I miss about MN

Basements

Because when it is really hot, like today, there is nothing better than laying on the cold floor of your basement. It is like an oasis that is 20 degrees cooler than the first level of your house. It also can protect you from tornadoes, which they never have in L.A. I don't miss tornadoes though.

knocked two things off my list in 3 days

Two things that I wanted to accomplish this summer are now knocked off of my list.

First, attending a Dodger's game.
Wednesday night I went on a double date to a Dodger's game. They played against the Cincinatti Reds and completely clobbered them. At the saddest point the Dodger's hit three home runs in a row. Asher happened to be in line getting Red Vines and missed the entire thing. His trip to concesssions was a 25 minute trip, my trip to the ladies room and to get a Dodger Dog was 35 minutes. It is surprising to me that with all of the Dodger food stands and the food court that you have to stand in line so long.

I did happen to exprience a human wave that actually worked. Which probably hasn't happend since the '80s.

Doger Dog: just okay.

Second, seeing a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Tonight I saw John Williams with the L.A. Philharmonic. It was spectacular and I haven't really experienced a crowd so into that type of music before. Hoots, Hollars and there was a hilarious moment when they played music from Star Wars people in the audience pullled out their light sabers.

The third is having a hot dog at Pink's, but I am having a hard time finding someone to go with.