Month: August 2005

Here’s a belated recap of Buddypalooza:

Friday

After sleeping far too little on Thursday night, getting to work early on Friday, and eating far too much at an all-you-can-eat sushi bar in Glendale (Todai, not bad for $13), I escaped the clutches of the corporate world at 3:30 and started the 375 mile slog to the Bay Area. Fine Irish music and an ongoing news story about a beached whale carcass in Half Moon Bay were entertainment enough to keep me from losing my mind. Upon arrival the triad headed off to Pyramid’s for pizza, oddly-shaped calamari, and a few pitchers of apricot ale (aka the happy beer). That was followed by a trip to dirty Dan’s, highlighted by Paul Will’s philosophising about the advantages of small women, and the Goob’s conversation with a girl in line outside:

Her: “So is there a band inside?” (music is blaring)

Aaron: “No. Actually, it’s usually dead silent in there. But, you know, that’s cool, ’cause they have books you can borrow and stuff. And sometimes on Tuesdays they do Shakespeare readings.”

Saturday

The day of unending fun. Both Chi and Aaron took it upon themselves to call me relatively early in the day, thus ensuring I wouldn’t catch up on sleep. Chi and I headed to Chow’s for lunch, feasting on the delightful cuisine and enjoying the aesthetically pleasing restaurant staff. A quick trip to the happiness store to visit the dog, fish, and action figures was followed by a commandment from God to purchase and consume McDonald’s sundays. That finished with, we grabbed tri-tip sandwiches and lotto scratchers and headed home to meet Aaron. Following a Scrabble debacle (“ja”, I won) we caught a matinee showing of the 40 Year Old Virgin, then met the tall guy at Mudville for mini-basketball and more food. The options thereafter were a party full of girls getting ready to head back to college or else Scrabble and Karate Kid 2. Miyagi and Sato were not to be denied.

Sunday

The plan for Sunday was to meet everyone at Sam Wo’s for lunch and then enjoy a leisurely drive back to LA. I should have known better. Wo’s was followed by a trip to the Nish Bar in Berkeley, where conversation ranged from a missing belt loop to a dog named Chicken to the member of the gourd family most suited to be crammed into an orifice. Surprisingly we weren’t kicked out. The stroll through Berkeley that followed led us to Jaime Hill, where Jaime demonstrated the proper technique for executing a drunken forward roll downhill, across a sidewalk, and into traffic. When finally I got on the road the sun was sinking, but news of the impending hurricane kept me awake for the drive home.

It’s mildly disturbing how easy it was to slip back into the work routine, in the same way that someone who was on a diet for ten months and then consumed a pint of ice cream at one sitting would be disturbed; like there is something inside of me that was meant to do this sort of thing. I hope that’s not the case, as I would much rather have something inside of me that is meant to roam the earth like Kane from Kung Fu.

In news that might be vaguely interesting, the report from the lot is that the Poseidon Adventure, most of the TV shows, and a movie whose name I can’t remember are all in full swing. One of the backlot sets was in use yesterday with at least a hundred extras and twenty vehicles filming some sort of downtown scene, but sadly not only can I not remember this movie’s title, but I wasn’t daring enough to even figure out who the lead actors were. I must be getting old.

And for no reason other than that I was looking at this photo today and it made me happy, here’s a bunch (herd? flock?) of penguins to enjoy:

Some quick notes:

• I’m settled down in a house in Studio City with two female roommates. I know. One of them has been a musician for years, jammed with Motley Crue, and wows me with her other stories. Two and a half bottles of wine last night brought out a lot of stories. The other is Canadian and is making a pilgrimmage to Vancouver this weekend.
• While shopping today I actually heard someone utter the phrase “that really chapped my ass”. I was floored.
• In addition to the (flawed) debate over Intelligent Design, the Onion offers a look into the next battle over an alternate view of the theory of gravitation, Intelligent Falling.
• The transition back to working after a nearly eleven month retirement hasn’t been as bad as I feared it would be. More traumatic was the search for a gym membership and the accompanying realization that a former collegiate runner is having trouble holding seven minute mile pace for more than a few miles. It’s embarrassing.

“Look at me! I’m playing tennis! Ace! Ace!”. And for those whose sobriety level might prevent them from remembering that moment, there is video available.

Back in Los Angeles, and almost on cue the hills went up in flames to greet me. Or at least I hope it was a fire, ’cause if that wasn’t twenty miles of smoke that I drove through then the smog here has gotten about ten thousand times worse. And if it wasn’t enough that a natural disaster was here to welcome me, the hotel I’m staying in is not only surrounded by high walls topped with razor wire, but there are parking spots clearly marked as “Reserved for police”. As always the home of the movie industry finds all manner of ways to entertain.

I’ve been keeping this journal for just over three years now. Cra-zy. What started as an attempt to avoid having to write lots of email while I was traveling in Alaska has now turned into just a general attempt at avoiding having to write email.

In a completely unrelated note, a while back Lynn decided to post some of her favorite and most recently read books online, in the hopes that other people would do the same, and the result was a pretty nice reading list. Not sure if it will work here, but I’ll give it a shot. To post your own recently-read/favorites list, click on the comments link at the top of this entry, then click on the “Reply to this message” link to enter a comment.

• The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Just finished this one, recommended by Nish. A great story about a man who dies and his experiences upon arriving in heaven. The author also wrote Tuesdays With Morrie, and while that wasn’t a bad book I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much.
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. A great story about an architect who takes on the world. Guaranteed to make you feel at least a little bit cocky, so keep reminding yourself of all the stupid things you’ve done in life while reading it.
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. An even better story than The Fountainhead, with the exception of the hundred page rant by John Galt near the end. Guaranteed to make you feel even cockier than The Fountainhead.
• Into Thin Air Into the Wild (sorry, goofed up the title) by John Krakauer. A great (true) story about a guy who says the hell with society and takes off to live life like some of us would like to do, but few of us have the nerve to do.
• Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. Based on Mowat’s experience as a field biologist in Canada studying wolves, a hilarious take on beauracracy that also includes recipes for preparing cream-of-mouse.
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. The closest Hemingway ever got to writing a story that doesn’t depress the hell out of you, and one of my all time favorites. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the book, it’s about this old man, and the sea.
• Contact by Carl Sagan. I just started this one, but thus far I’m liking it even more than the movie (which I enjoyed). Also, Ellie is a hottie.
• Shogun by James Clavell. The Asia Saga (starting with Shogun, and spanning four hundred years of East-Asian history) is a great read. Clavell writes stories filled with mystery, adventure, romance and intrigue, but adds enough historical context to remove that “kind of trashy” feeling you might get from similar books.

That’s my contribution. Anyone else want to add to the list?