Friday, February 20, 2004
sat. feb 21, 2004
here we are in seoul airport on our 9 1/2 hour layover after traveling on korea air for 12 hours from LAX. we couldn't get business seats on the first leg of our tour even though we established residency at the check-in counter. the flight was uneventful, i slept with my lavender eye pillow for 9 hours then caught up on my current events reading the english language herald tribune, the main story was the lack of support for the new prime minister who ran on anti-american sentiment but has failed to deliver any meaningfull reforms.
Our lay-over has afforded us the time to acquaint ourselves with the internet, getting and sending email, and now as you see i am blogging. the business class lounge provides internet, beverages, snacks, a sleeping room, a shower room and a smoking room all at no cost.
we had lunch at a hotel restaurant and enjoyed french toast (like in china, small portions) and some weird sausage that we didn't finish. we have cruised the shops but so far we have not purchased any duty free items. better to do that on the way back.
this blog will be dated, friday the 20th but for us the reality is we have flown for 12 hours and lost a day after crossing the date line. for us it is not friday but sat. i feel like superman in some weird time travel
we will next fly to bangkok for 2 nights stay then off to siam reap in cambodia.
here we are in seoul airport on our 9 1/2 hour layover after traveling on korea air for 12 hours from LAX. we couldn't get business seats on the first leg of our tour even though we established residency at the check-in counter. the flight was uneventful, i slept with my lavender eye pillow for 9 hours then caught up on my current events reading the english language herald tribune, the main story was the lack of support for the new prime minister who ran on anti-american sentiment but has failed to deliver any meaningfull reforms.
Our lay-over has afforded us the time to acquaint ourselves with the internet, getting and sending email, and now as you see i am blogging. the business class lounge provides internet, beverages, snacks, a sleeping room, a shower room and a smoking room all at no cost.
we had lunch at a hotel restaurant and enjoyed french toast (like in china, small portions) and some weird sausage that we didn't finish. we have cruised the shops but so far we have not purchased any duty free items. better to do that on the way back.
this blog will be dated, friday the 20th but for us the reality is we have flown for 12 hours and lost a day after crossing the date line. for us it is not friday but sat. i feel like superman in some weird time travel
we will next fly to bangkok for 2 nights stay then off to siam reap in cambodia.
Sunday, August 31, 2003
why'd you do that?
geo and i went to see the battle of shaker heights..it was well written and very touching, the lead actor did a great time of not acting
then geo and i went to pick up ant and gabbie and we went to bob's big boy for burgers. dropped gabby off at her house on tujunga canyon blvd, then backed up so i could turn around and go back up to foothill, but when i backed up i must have hooked one of those big tujunga rocks and i dragged it across the street until i couldn't drive anymore. the rock was lodged between my back tire and the wheel well. i was in traffic on a blind curve on sunday of labor day at 9:15pm. while i was calling AAA for a jack up, because that was all i needed, except the rock was on the drivers side that was in traffic so i couldn't do it this armenian woman came out of her house and tried to talk to me while i was on the phone to AAA. "why'd you do that?" are you going to call someone? why don't you back u? why'd you do that?" i told her i was stupid and i was on the phone with AAA.
the operator at first said 45 minutes but after he heard two cars skid to a stop he found someone who was there in 10 minutes, it took him 3 minutes to jack up the car and he took the rock back the the house i stole it from.
why'd you do that
geo and i went to see the battle of shaker heights..it was well written and very touching, the lead actor did a great time of not acting
then geo and i went to pick up ant and gabbie and we went to bob's big boy for burgers. dropped gabby off at her house on tujunga canyon blvd, then backed up so i could turn around and go back up to foothill, but when i backed up i must have hooked one of those big tujunga rocks and i dragged it across the street until i couldn't drive anymore. the rock was lodged between my back tire and the wheel well. i was in traffic on a blind curve on sunday of labor day at 9:15pm. while i was calling AAA for a jack up, because that was all i needed, except the rock was on the drivers side that was in traffic so i couldn't do it this armenian woman came out of her house and tried to talk to me while i was on the phone to AAA. "why'd you do that?" are you going to call someone? why don't you back u? why'd you do that?" i told her i was stupid and i was on the phone with AAA.
the operator at first said 45 minutes but after he heard two cars skid to a stop he found someone who was there in 10 minutes, it took him 3 minutes to jack up the car and he took the rock back the the house i stole it from.
why'd you do that
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
they drilled a fucking hole in my head today
i should say that my oral surgeon who specializes in tooth implants sliced my gum open, drilled a hole into my jaw bone, inserted an implant by screwing a piece of metal deep into the bone then topped that with a pink plug and sewed up the gum. he did all this with a local anesthetic. at the end i tried to insert my bottom retainer and caught my lip causing everyone in the room to gasp. of course i can't feel my lip but the doctor says i will feel it later. am supposed to lay low for a few hours
i should say that my oral surgeon who specializes in tooth implants sliced my gum open, drilled a hole into my jaw bone, inserted an implant by screwing a piece of metal deep into the bone then topped that with a pink plug and sewed up the gum. he did all this with a local anesthetic. at the end i tried to insert my bottom retainer and caught my lip causing everyone in the room to gasp. of course i can't feel my lip but the doctor says i will feel it later. am supposed to lay low for a few hours
Thursday, August 14, 2003
i just found 1 and 1/2 unfertilized eggs in the cockatiel's cage. looks like the parakeet pecked them
yesterday was our first whole day back in LA and i put up my new curtain rod with green etched glass finals and white linen shades in my bedroom..oh la la.
george skated most of the day with friends that all came back to slumber here.
dawn called at 9pm for the "stories of east hampton" the best being kim saying all of dad's checks are still made out to her nee name...ha ha ha. did she mean to rub it in that dad hasn't even called me in 10 years or was it a slip she regrets??
george skated most of the day with friends that all came back to slumber here.
dawn called at 9pm for the "stories of east hampton" the best being kim saying all of dad's checks are still made out to her nee name...ha ha ha. did she mean to rub it in that dad hasn't even called me in 10 years or was it a slip she regrets??
sat the 9th we arrived back at cecilia's (she was in bellport for the weekend with tom, philip, and merrill) just in time to change for the BLUE MAN GROUP at the astor theater on layette street. we had seen the performance art in las vegas and george wanted to see them in new york hoping it would be the original guys. it wasn't but the small venue added to the inclusionary atmosphere. we sat in the balcony, in the corner, the last two seats on the left under the air-conditioner that weeped on george all night and behind the plastic tubes that swing out over the audience at the end of the performance. however, we also got to start the paper that rolls over the whole audience and george ended up with a small roll of paper to add to the marshmallow that he kept from the vegas performance. the show NEVER disappoints.
sunday we took the d train to the bronx to see the yankees. our tickets for the sold out game against the mariners were at will call. or i could call it maybe call. it was the only day it did not rain and the sun was beating down on the sweaty crowd waiting to pick up tickets. we were a half hour early and we missed the 1st inning. the cheap bastards had only 6 of the 9 windows open, but no one knew that till all lanes had to merge together. i was very close to a wet t-shirt, wet pant day.
got the tickets and made our way to the bleachers (sunglass give-away for children only) THE BLEACHERS SUCK. they have no backs, they are just benches in the heat.
the stadium is small and dirty, and recently a piece of the seats fell through to the row below and the cheap bastards that reap the profits suck. we stayed 1 inning and left in disgust.
took the d train back to chelsea, had pizza at patseys then saw SWAT. enjoyed the movie.
cecilia came home around 9 and we (Merrill, philip, george, cecilia and me) went to cecilia's club (soho house in the meat district). dinner conversation started with bad movies, moved to was there a good movie all year to movie gossip, then more movie talk. a good time was had by all.
monday george and i went to times square then to 11 penn plaza where my friend, carolyn jacobs, has launched a new music tv channel called FUSE. george was on screen for the fake beach party sitting in a kiddy pool. it was shades of when i was a teen and a regular on LA dance show, lloyd thaxton and something else.
carol, george and i met kate yatsko, george's aunt for dinner at colas a cute small italian restaurant on 8th ave and 17th street where george had two orders of ravioli. we discussed georges dad and his inability to connect, howard dean, carols possible sperm donor, the stepford wives (kate is in the art dept) and life in general
cecilia came home from a tech scout for the untitled charles schrager project very depressed around midnight. i was up till 1
got up at 4am so we could leave for JFK by 5am for a 7:15 flight for LAX.
no surprises there. we were home to our house by 11:30am. hossein, our cat, bird plant sitter had even vacuumed the living room, well worth the $100 i paid him. the temperature reached 101 upon our return, uck
sunday we took the d train to the bronx to see the yankees. our tickets for the sold out game against the mariners were at will call. or i could call it maybe call. it was the only day it did not rain and the sun was beating down on the sweaty crowd waiting to pick up tickets. we were a half hour early and we missed the 1st inning. the cheap bastards had only 6 of the 9 windows open, but no one knew that till all lanes had to merge together. i was very close to a wet t-shirt, wet pant day.
got the tickets and made our way to the bleachers (sunglass give-away for children only) THE BLEACHERS SUCK. they have no backs, they are just benches in the heat.
the stadium is small and dirty, and recently a piece of the seats fell through to the row below and the cheap bastards that reap the profits suck. we stayed 1 inning and left in disgust.
took the d train back to chelsea, had pizza at patseys then saw SWAT. enjoyed the movie.
cecilia came home around 9 and we (Merrill, philip, george, cecilia and me) went to cecilia's club (soho house in the meat district). dinner conversation started with bad movies, moved to was there a good movie all year to movie gossip, then more movie talk. a good time was had by all.
monday george and i went to times square then to 11 penn plaza where my friend, carolyn jacobs, has launched a new music tv channel called FUSE. george was on screen for the fake beach party sitting in a kiddy pool. it was shades of when i was a teen and a regular on LA dance show, lloyd thaxton and something else.
carol, george and i met kate yatsko, george's aunt for dinner at colas a cute small italian restaurant on 8th ave and 17th street where george had two orders of ravioli. we discussed georges dad and his inability to connect, howard dean, carols possible sperm donor, the stepford wives (kate is in the art dept) and life in general
cecilia came home from a tech scout for the untitled charles schrager project very depressed around midnight. i was up till 1
got up at 4am so we could leave for JFK by 5am for a 7:15 flight for LAX.
no surprises there. we were home to our house by 11:30am. hossein, our cat, bird plant sitter had even vacuumed the living room, well worth the $100 i paid him. the temperature reached 101 upon our return, uck
Monday, August 11, 2003
cecilia's birthday dinner was a brilliant success. she invited 23 of her nearest and dearest friends to the chelsea bistro on 23rd street just east of 9th, set 3 tables of 8, split all the couples and did a seating chart. there was a cocktail hour, then we were seated and ordered from a prepared menu of delicious choices. earlier, i had picked up the cake at cupcake cafe. i had a wonderful time sharing views on the democratic party, bill clinton for senator, fuse, child rearing, the yankees, cheating on high school tests, and much more conversation with intelligent, passionate, creative people. i was invited to move back to new york to take my place with the liberal democratic pinko jews. cecilia was a 50 year old inspiration, looking great, beaming and glowing.
thursday george and i missed the Long Island Railroad to east hampton so we went to plan B, the jitney, to spend a couple of days with my sister, kim, and her husband, dave and their twins, dalton and cole. arriving in east hampton was a culture shock! tiffany's, london jewelers, betsy johnson, cynthia rawlings, ick it looked like a bad imitation of rodeo drive. i swear, i would commit homicide if i lived there now. the swells from the city that have invaded the once sleepy paradise are rude and they all seem to speak with a sneer. where do they all learn to flare their nostrils and bare their eye teeth and actually speak with that face?
ok, so it has rained everyday since we arrived and friday was no different. spent the morning shopping, eating and catching up with my long lost friend, patti, who 15 years ago helped deliver george. then around 3:30 as the sky clouded over we went to the beach and before we could put a towel or bag down some old, flabby short woman with cotton sticking out of both ears and a sneer on her face came over to complain about kim's two small poodles. she would not accept that we could have the dogs 300 ft from the life guard station and after her sneering didn't have the desired effect she called the beach patrol. earlier in the day kim reminded me that twenty some years ago when i was drinking i kicked the dog warden in the nuts and made the newspaper. we laughed at the sneerer as we joked about the dog wardens nuts.
dave, kim's husband, has done an amazing job turning a small cottage into a mansion. the addition to the house is a work of art. the floors are beautiful, and my favorite things are the bathroom pedestal sinks. in february dave discovered ebay and now has an attic filled with marklin toy trains from germany that he wants to build a room for in the future house in maine. i enjoyed dave immensely this trip. i was very moved when he showed up seconds before our bus back to NYC to say goodbye
saturday kim, the girls, george, rich (the laid-back mountain-man babysitter) and i went kayaking on the accabonic.
what we did in east hampton
ate, bar-b-qued, watched 2 hours of video shot by my dad of a very pregnant kim, played with the girls, kayaked, visited patti's stable, met her husband, photographed the toy trains, talked to dave, spotted a big buck with huge antlers, saw a blue herring(?) and dozens of cormorants, shopped, ate, did laundry, ate, went to the beach where george boogie boarded, ate and had a great time
thursday george and i missed the Long Island Railroad to east hampton so we went to plan B, the jitney, to spend a couple of days with my sister, kim, and her husband, dave and their twins, dalton and cole. arriving in east hampton was a culture shock! tiffany's, london jewelers, betsy johnson, cynthia rawlings, ick it looked like a bad imitation of rodeo drive. i swear, i would commit homicide if i lived there now. the swells from the city that have invaded the once sleepy paradise are rude and they all seem to speak with a sneer. where do they all learn to flare their nostrils and bare their eye teeth and actually speak with that face?
ok, so it has rained everyday since we arrived and friday was no different. spent the morning shopping, eating and catching up with my long lost friend, patti, who 15 years ago helped deliver george. then around 3:30 as the sky clouded over we went to the beach and before we could put a towel or bag down some old, flabby short woman with cotton sticking out of both ears and a sneer on her face came over to complain about kim's two small poodles. she would not accept that we could have the dogs 300 ft from the life guard station and after her sneering didn't have the desired effect she called the beach patrol. earlier in the day kim reminded me that twenty some years ago when i was drinking i kicked the dog warden in the nuts and made the newspaper. we laughed at the sneerer as we joked about the dog wardens nuts.
dave, kim's husband, has done an amazing job turning a small cottage into a mansion. the addition to the house is a work of art. the floors are beautiful, and my favorite things are the bathroom pedestal sinks. in february dave discovered ebay and now has an attic filled with marklin toy trains from germany that he wants to build a room for in the future house in maine. i enjoyed dave immensely this trip. i was very moved when he showed up seconds before our bus back to NYC to say goodbye
saturday kim, the girls, george, rich (the laid-back mountain-man babysitter) and i went kayaking on the accabonic.
what we did in east hampton
ate, bar-b-qued, watched 2 hours of video shot by my dad of a very pregnant kim, played with the girls, kayaked, visited patti's stable, met her husband, photographed the toy trains, talked to dave, spotted a big buck with huge antlers, saw a blue herring(?) and dozens of cormorants, shopped, ate, did laundry, ate, went to the beach where george boogie boarded, ate and had a great time
Sunday, August 10, 2003
on monday, the 4th, george and i took the production car and made our way to "jay and silent bob's secret stash" in new jersey. take my advise...DON'T use map quest on the east coast. it took us across the verenzanno bridge to staton island THEN over to NJ. it cost $12 in tolls, and i lost my patience when i got lost and it was pouring and george just kept saying "i don't know" to every question i asked about directions. later i counted that we had seen Asbury park 6 times on our adventure. i explained to george that driving was more than just shifting gears, you had to get from point A to point B, therefore it was better to say turn right than "I don't know"..it was not pretty.
george bought two posters, two shirts one hat and some comics. we got home late and ordered chinese in, watched some tv and went to bed.
tuesday, we did the guggenheim museum, from pollack to picasso. i love the frank lloyd write designed museum, i always have. there are two pollacks and it seems a hundred picassos with 2 calders, a room of kandinskys, some miros and etc.
in the gift shop george fell in love with mathew barney. he bought a kandensky poster (several circles) and a barney poster. later, george and i had a 1/2 hour foot reflexology appointment at "angel feet on perry street. this was one of the most luxuriest things i have ever experienced. they just do feet. my massager asked where i carry my stress so she could give extra attention to that area. i answered shoulders. later she hit a spot that sent me to the roof, i whispered "what is that place" and she answered, "your digestive tract"...oops. later she said that i had stress in my jaw also. i then bought cecelia a gift certificate for an hour for her BDay.
wednesday, gina said she was going to drop her kids off with me so she could go to physical therapy...i thought it would be later in the day, imagine my surprise when the buzzer rang while cecelia and i were watching the today show and gina was downstairs. the kids and george and i hung out for a couple of hours at cecelia's apt then when gina came back we all went to soho to the tootsie plowhound shoe sale. i got 3 pairs of shoes, white mules with a very pointed toe, red mules with a very pointed toe and comic book art inside and a pair of baby blue flats..oh boy! george saw pizza and wanted it so i suggested to gina we stop to eat. she had her mind set on the sullivan bakery so we walked a few blocks looking for it. when we ran out of sullivan street and no bakery we went to plan b which was to walk blocks to arturos that was closed then up laGuardia with where we found a pizza place just as the first crack of thunder brought a torrent of rain. later george got a new pair of shoes at a skate shop on broadway and we came home to shower and get ready for cecelia's BDay dinner at the chelsea bistro.
george bought two posters, two shirts one hat and some comics. we got home late and ordered chinese in, watched some tv and went to bed.
tuesday, we did the guggenheim museum, from pollack to picasso. i love the frank lloyd write designed museum, i always have. there are two pollacks and it seems a hundred picassos with 2 calders, a room of kandinskys, some miros and etc.
in the gift shop george fell in love with mathew barney. he bought a kandensky poster (several circles) and a barney poster. later, george and i had a 1/2 hour foot reflexology appointment at "angel feet on perry street. this was one of the most luxuriest things i have ever experienced. they just do feet. my massager asked where i carry my stress so she could give extra attention to that area. i answered shoulders. later she hit a spot that sent me to the roof, i whispered "what is that place" and she answered, "your digestive tract"...oops. later she said that i had stress in my jaw also. i then bought cecelia a gift certificate for an hour for her BDay.
wednesday, gina said she was going to drop her kids off with me so she could go to physical therapy...i thought it would be later in the day, imagine my surprise when the buzzer rang while cecelia and i were watching the today show and gina was downstairs. the kids and george and i hung out for a couple of hours at cecelia's apt then when gina came back we all went to soho to the tootsie plowhound shoe sale. i got 3 pairs of shoes, white mules with a very pointed toe, red mules with a very pointed toe and comic book art inside and a pair of baby blue flats..oh boy! george saw pizza and wanted it so i suggested to gina we stop to eat. she had her mind set on the sullivan bakery so we walked a few blocks looking for it. when we ran out of sullivan street and no bakery we went to plan b which was to walk blocks to arturos that was closed then up laGuardia with where we found a pizza place just as the first crack of thunder brought a torrent of rain. later george got a new pair of shoes at a skate shop on broadway and we came home to shower and get ready for cecelia's BDay dinner at the chelsea bistro.
Sunday, August 03, 2003
new york, new york
ah, the smell, the rush, the cab driver, the expressway, the bridge.
as we crossed town to our hotel thursday morning (our plane was early, we touched down at 11:50pm wed. nite we were on the road by 12:30am) george remarked that people were still walking their dogs at 1am! "so many people on the street!", new york the city that never sleeps...
thursday we started the day at a diner at columbus circle, took the subway to ground zero, walked around the site that now is quite filled up behind the cage-like enclosure with the names of the hero's who died on sept 11 on a plaque above a locked entrance.
then we cabbed to soho to the apple store (george got blisters on both heels), we stopped for iced laitte at le petite cafe, bought a leather watch strap for george from a street vender, went to makeup forever and scored a free tester pastel grease palette because they were out the real thing, then subwayed back the the mayflower hotel for a nap before 7 pm when george had a doctors appointment for an ear infection he got on the plane. cecelia's doctor saw us at 7pm at 90th and park ave, gave geo nose spray and antibiotics then we hopped in a cab to meet cecelia at 10th between 1st and A where she was having her hair colored. had dinner at TIME an interesting restaurant on the lower east side then dropped cecelia off at her place at 23rd and 10th and went home to collapse in bed. we did ALL of manhattan in one day. what a way to get acclimated!!!
friday we packed and parked our luggage at the desk of the hotel, had breakfast at the same diner as thursday and took the subway to the museum of natural history to meet my friend gina and her two kids, Juliet and elisha ages 8 and 5 respectfully. Juliet had her friend, lucy, with her and we were joined on the dinosaur floor later by lucy's mom, susan.
we had lunch in the food court and then went to the evolution exhibit where some religious fanatic deposited phamplets on the benches espousing creationism...ick!!!
left the museum around 4pm and as we were exiting on central park west we saw bright lightening and counted to 1 when the loudest thunder cracked. by the time we had gone one block west the heavens had opened and it was raining cats and dogs so we stopped for coffee at Isabella's, sitting for some time under the awning watching the rain until it was just too wet and dangerous (the rain was weighing down the awning) so we moved inside hoping the rain would stop. it didn't so we braved the down-pour to travel down-town. within one block i was wet to the skin, bird poop had slid off a leaf and deposited on my white sweater that was turning orange from the leather straps of my straw bag i got in china and my red leather shoes sounded like i was dancing in mud. caught a cab downtown, but by the time we got to 55th street it was taking 4 lights to go one block because of the tunnel traffic so we got out bought umbrellas and took the subway to leroy street to meet cecelia.
cecelia is working on a movie (remake of alfie) so we got the production car that i parked with our permit on 13th while we had dinner at pastis. had excellent warm escargot sitting on vinaigrette soaked french bread smothered in roasted yellow and red peppers...very interesting, and steak frite, george had spaghetti carbanara then we stopped at cecelias while she did the dishes. drove uptown to retrieve our luggage then we were off to bellport (south shore of long island just past patogue) for the weekend. cecelia's house is lovely, with a beautiful garden and screened porch off the living room.
tried to go to the beach yesterday after a morning walk to the village where i bought 20 hankies and a crocheted apron and vintage table cloth but it was so foggy that the ferry ticket booth was closed. the beach is fire island and hopefully we will be luckier today and spend some time by the sea.
read the ny times to cecelia while she gardened, george watched the big labowski and who is watching gilmore grape(?) while instant messaging his friends in LA
for dinner we bar-b-cued chicken and zucchini, made a fresh picked arugala salad and finished with vanilla ice cream topped with blue and black berries
ah, the smell, the rush, the cab driver, the expressway, the bridge.
as we crossed town to our hotel thursday morning (our plane was early, we touched down at 11:50pm wed. nite we were on the road by 12:30am) george remarked that people were still walking their dogs at 1am! "so many people on the street!", new york the city that never sleeps...
thursday we started the day at a diner at columbus circle, took the subway to ground zero, walked around the site that now is quite filled up behind the cage-like enclosure with the names of the hero's who died on sept 11 on a plaque above a locked entrance.
then we cabbed to soho to the apple store (george got blisters on both heels), we stopped for iced laitte at le petite cafe, bought a leather watch strap for george from a street vender, went to makeup forever and scored a free tester pastel grease palette because they were out the real thing, then subwayed back the the mayflower hotel for a nap before 7 pm when george had a doctors appointment for an ear infection he got on the plane. cecelia's doctor saw us at 7pm at 90th and park ave, gave geo nose spray and antibiotics then we hopped in a cab to meet cecelia at 10th between 1st and A where she was having her hair colored. had dinner at TIME an interesting restaurant on the lower east side then dropped cecelia off at her place at 23rd and 10th and went home to collapse in bed. we did ALL of manhattan in one day. what a way to get acclimated!!!
friday we packed and parked our luggage at the desk of the hotel, had breakfast at the same diner as thursday and took the subway to the museum of natural history to meet my friend gina and her two kids, Juliet and elisha ages 8 and 5 respectfully. Juliet had her friend, lucy, with her and we were joined on the dinosaur floor later by lucy's mom, susan.
we had lunch in the food court and then went to the evolution exhibit where some religious fanatic deposited phamplets on the benches espousing creationism...ick!!!
left the museum around 4pm and as we were exiting on central park west we saw bright lightening and counted to 1 when the loudest thunder cracked. by the time we had gone one block west the heavens had opened and it was raining cats and dogs so we stopped for coffee at Isabella's, sitting for some time under the awning watching the rain until it was just too wet and dangerous (the rain was weighing down the awning) so we moved inside hoping the rain would stop. it didn't so we braved the down-pour to travel down-town. within one block i was wet to the skin, bird poop had slid off a leaf and deposited on my white sweater that was turning orange from the leather straps of my straw bag i got in china and my red leather shoes sounded like i was dancing in mud. caught a cab downtown, but by the time we got to 55th street it was taking 4 lights to go one block because of the tunnel traffic so we got out bought umbrellas and took the subway to leroy street to meet cecelia.
cecelia is working on a movie (remake of alfie) so we got the production car that i parked with our permit on 13th while we had dinner at pastis. had excellent warm escargot sitting on vinaigrette soaked french bread smothered in roasted yellow and red peppers...very interesting, and steak frite, george had spaghetti carbanara then we stopped at cecelias while she did the dishes. drove uptown to retrieve our luggage then we were off to bellport (south shore of long island just past patogue) for the weekend. cecelia's house is lovely, with a beautiful garden and screened porch off the living room.
tried to go to the beach yesterday after a morning walk to the village where i bought 20 hankies and a crocheted apron and vintage table cloth but it was so foggy that the ferry ticket booth was closed. the beach is fire island and hopefully we will be luckier today and spend some time by the sea.
read the ny times to cecelia while she gardened, george watched the big labowski and who is watching gilmore grape(?) while instant messaging his friends in LA
for dinner we bar-b-cued chicken and zucchini, made a fresh picked arugala salad and finished with vanilla ice cream topped with blue and black berries
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
leaving on a jet plane
car will be here at noon
car will be here at noon
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
george thought we were going to nyc on thursday...my fault...we leave wed at 3:55pm from LAX and arrive non-stop to JFK arrive 12:10am on thursday and i guess i got confused and thought it was friday.
so i booked a hotel for two nights (the mayflower). the 4 seasons it's not but it is a funky place where rock stars stay and it has some ambience. it should be fun for george and it certainly will bring back memories for me.
i feel better staying at a hotel for those days since we are getting in so late..i wouldn't want some one coming to my house at 2am
so i booked a hotel for two nights (the mayflower). the 4 seasons it's not but it is a funky place where rock stars stay and it has some ambience. it should be fun for george and it certainly will bring back memories for me.
i feel better staying at a hotel for those days since we are getting in so late..i wouldn't want some one coming to my house at 2am
am having problems posting
george bought me a talking GEORGE BUSH doll. it is 12 inches high, wears cowboy boots and jean jacket and gingham shirt. his mouth moves like a string puppet and his head moves from side to side while he talks. he says things like "it's not pollution that is fouling our planet, it is the bad stuff in the water and the air"
i have been laughing all weekend.
i have been laughing all weekend.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
took george to a party in reseda,
worked on my site,
organized for new york on wednesday
and hoping to read the papers now
Saturday, July 26, 2003
TODAY i uploaded my site, www.gigiWilliams.net, how exciting is that. worked all week on reshoots for cat in the hat, 15 hour days, working monday too. on friday night someone asked the directors assistant how many more shots and he said he didn't know because he was out getting him a bottle of vodka...my guess for wrap was midnight but that jumped my guess to 2 am..we wrapped at 3am
Monday, July 14, 2003
today i am doing some tweeking on my site so i can upload my pages......will be working on a commercial till friday and then next week on cat in the hat for re-shoots..then nyc.
anthony's parents won't let him go, this has been quite dissapointment for the boys....twelve days in ny with a companion would be easier for me as well as george...i know they wanted to go skate boarding and it would have been great to take ant to the art scene.
anthony's parents won't let him go, this has been quite dissapointment for the boys....twelve days in ny with a companion would be easier for me as well as george...i know they wanted to go skate boarding and it would have been great to take ant to the art scene.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
we are going to nyc for Cecelia's 50th bd. her bd is on the 6th, we are going on the 30th arriving at 12:10 am on the 31st, going to bellport for the weekend to Cecelia's beach house then some time later in the week we will go to the hamptons to visit kim and her family, have to see kate and now george has asked if anthony can come. what i need is an apt of someone who is on location so i can take ant. ant has never been on a plane and george could use some company for 12 days.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
A PATTERN?
just reread my pages and it seems that i leave large spaces of time between posts and apologize for it, or make an excuse with each new entry. i will take note and try to write with more discipline
just reread my pages and it seems that i leave large spaces of time between posts and apologize for it, or make an excuse with each new entry. i will take note and try to write with more discipline
I'VE BEEN WORKING
i've been working on "beauty shop" the girl version of "barber shop". it climaxes with a hair show extraordinaire, complete with lioness in a cage and twins whose hair merges with a goldengate bridge that lights up. on the second day of the hair show we, the makeup department threatened to quit if production couldn't get their shit together. why is it that low budget features want production value of a seventy million dollar budget movie for 4 million and no appreciation for the work entailed.....i swear, between directors that don't direct and production that just kisses ass......
my stomach is aching just now, i purchased a domain name, http://www.gigiwilliams.net and found a host, i am both excited and nervous...yea
i've been working on "beauty shop" the girl version of "barber shop". it climaxes with a hair show extraordinaire, complete with lioness in a cage and twins whose hair merges with a goldengate bridge that lights up. on the second day of the hair show we, the makeup department threatened to quit if production couldn't get their shit together. why is it that low budget features want production value of a seventy million dollar budget movie for 4 million and no appreciation for the work entailed.....i swear, between directors that don't direct and production that just kisses ass......
my stomach is aching just now, i purchased a domain name, http://www.gigiwilliams.net and found a host, i am both excited and nervous...yea
Saturday, June 21, 2003
it's been too long since i've written, i've ben working on my web site, my son just finished his computer graphics class in the 10th grade and he did a cd with flash(sound, moving graphics) i am so impressed
worked this week, did a make up test for casting for a new movie, little black book with Brittany Murphy, , holly hunter, kathy bates and a host of good looking young actors. will find out if i have the movie this week. one of the producers used to be julia roberts agent so there is mega politics.
went to the dodger game on tuesday for a spectacular game, then on thursday for a disappointing one but as of this day we are in 1st place having beat the giants 2 out of 3 then the angeles 2 out of 2.
son, geo is at 2 parties today/night, mom got cataract surgery this week, that's it
worked this week, did a make up test for casting for a new movie, little black book with Brittany Murphy, , holly hunter, kathy bates and a host of good looking young actors. will find out if i have the movie this week. one of the producers used to be julia roberts agent so there is mega politics.
went to the dodger game on tuesday for a spectacular game, then on thursday for a disappointing one but as of this day we are in 1st place having beat the giants 2 out of 3 then the angeles 2 out of 2.
son, geo is at 2 parties today/night, mom got cataract surgery this week, that's it
Monday, June 02, 2003
IT'S BEEN AWHILE
the barking dogs behind me were driving me mad. 6 feet from my sliding glass door, on the other side of the brown wooden fence that i have planted walls of bougainvillea and jasmine on so i can't see the run down house, are the dogs. three scraggly dogs that howl all day and all night for 9 years. actually, i am exaggerating. until a year ago they just barked half of the day and when they did the woman of the house would walk to her porch and scream with the voice of a train conductor, "SHUT UP". at times i wasn't sure what was worse, the barking or the SHUT UP. eight years ago a few of us from my building called animal control and the dog woman had to lose one dog because in california 4 dogs need a kennel license. the dogs are mean. they have a cat that had a bloody stump for a tail that looked as though the tail got caught in a meat grinder instead of a dogs mouth.
one year ago the woman with the dogs moved in with her boyfriend and her 15 year old son started staying with his girlfriends family leaving the dogs alone. one dog is in the house with 2 dogs outside protecting the run down, dirty, fly infested property. i know this because my 15 year old instant messages the boy.
i have been between jobs for the last month and have listened to these dogs howl, instigating howling up and down the block.
recently i went on the web to the animal control that you must write to now, instead of calling to complain.
i wrote the letter about the dogs on my computer with my letter head; name, address, home/cell phone, email address, a description of the annoyance and signed it sleepless in tujunga and sent it.
one week later i get my letter back in the mail with a cover letter from mayors office saying that i cannot send in a letter anonymously i MUST sign it in ink. now, i am not only mad but i am angry, so i sign the letter in ink with my name on the dotted line, add a barking log and send it again.
one week later i get a letter that in 16 days if the problem still exists i will have to write another letter and provide proof that the dogs are barking in the form of letters from other neighbors, tape recordings, video, etc. and i have to appear at a meeting with the woman with the dogs and the train conductors voice! OH MY GOD! now i am mad, angry and pissed!!!!!!!
the dogs barked for 10 more days, then suddenly it was quiet. the back door of the house was open for 2 days and i finally drove past the dog house and noticed all three dogs sleeping on the front porch, the front window screen and blinds scrunched on the dirt in front of the house. the dogs had managed a breakout. they pounded the back door in and crushed the screen and blinds out.
later, mom and son came home to feed the dogs, something they do every 2 or 3 days, and it all begins again. or so i thought. two days later the neighborhood is quiet, the dogs are gone, i don't have to have a meet up with an arbiter and my sanity is slowly coming back. yesterday the train conductor voice came by to pick up the dog house and thats the end of 9 years of howling dogs
the barking dogs behind me were driving me mad. 6 feet from my sliding glass door, on the other side of the brown wooden fence that i have planted walls of bougainvillea and jasmine on so i can't see the run down house, are the dogs. three scraggly dogs that howl all day and all night for 9 years. actually, i am exaggerating. until a year ago they just barked half of the day and when they did the woman of the house would walk to her porch and scream with the voice of a train conductor, "SHUT UP". at times i wasn't sure what was worse, the barking or the SHUT UP. eight years ago a few of us from my building called animal control and the dog woman had to lose one dog because in california 4 dogs need a kennel license. the dogs are mean. they have a cat that had a bloody stump for a tail that looked as though the tail got caught in a meat grinder instead of a dogs mouth.
one year ago the woman with the dogs moved in with her boyfriend and her 15 year old son started staying with his girlfriends family leaving the dogs alone. one dog is in the house with 2 dogs outside protecting the run down, dirty, fly infested property. i know this because my 15 year old instant messages the boy.
i have been between jobs for the last month and have listened to these dogs howl, instigating howling up and down the block.
recently i went on the web to the animal control that you must write to now, instead of calling to complain.
i wrote the letter about the dogs on my computer with my letter head; name, address, home/cell phone, email address, a description of the annoyance and signed it sleepless in tujunga and sent it.
one week later i get my letter back in the mail with a cover letter from mayors office saying that i cannot send in a letter anonymously i MUST sign it in ink. now, i am not only mad but i am angry, so i sign the letter in ink with my name on the dotted line, add a barking log and send it again.
one week later i get a letter that in 16 days if the problem still exists i will have to write another letter and provide proof that the dogs are barking in the form of letters from other neighbors, tape recordings, video, etc. and i have to appear at a meeting with the woman with the dogs and the train conductors voice! OH MY GOD! now i am mad, angry and pissed!!!!!!!
the dogs barked for 10 more days, then suddenly it was quiet. the back door of the house was open for 2 days and i finally drove past the dog house and noticed all three dogs sleeping on the front porch, the front window screen and blinds scrunched on the dirt in front of the house. the dogs had managed a breakout. they pounded the back door in and crushed the screen and blinds out.
later, mom and son came home to feed the dogs, something they do every 2 or 3 days, and it all begins again. or so i thought. two days later the neighborhood is quiet, the dogs are gone, i don't have to have a meet up with an arbiter and my sanity is slowly coming back. yesterday the train conductor voice came by to pick up the dog house and thats the end of 9 years of howling dogs
Thursday, May 22, 2003
yesterday
went to the dodger game w/carrie, tim, jen, what an exciting game, it is amazing to watch eric gagne pitch, he flys the balls past the batters.
watched the new guy, romano, "deck" a drunk spectator that jumped the fence and started to attack brian jordan.
george went to the game with his dad and a few of his dad's friends....sometimes i can't believe how insensitive tom can be...he ignored his son and chatted up his buddies till the 6th inning.
today
today i went on imdb web site to check out my resume, spent the better part of the afternoon correcting the info
george texted me with the disappointing news that he didn't get pulled up to varsity baseball, i tried to suggest that it was his attitude but he says he is quitting baseball forever, hope he changes his mind after some cool off time
went to the dodger game w/carrie, tim, jen, what an exciting game, it is amazing to watch eric gagne pitch, he flys the balls past the batters.
watched the new guy, romano, "deck" a drunk spectator that jumped the fence and started to attack brian jordan.
george went to the game with his dad and a few of his dad's friends....sometimes i can't believe how insensitive tom can be...he ignored his son and chatted up his buddies till the 6th inning.
today
today i went on imdb web site to check out my resume, spent the better part of the afternoon correcting the info
george texted me with the disappointing news that he didn't get pulled up to varsity baseball, i tried to suggest that it was his attitude but he says he is quitting baseball forever, hope he changes his mind after some cool off time
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
NO SLEEP FOR THE WEARY
for 2 days i have been working on my web site, took time out yesterday to go see george play jr. varsity's last baseball game, he didn't play till the 6th inning when they were losing because he didn't go to practice (went to opening day of the Matrix instead) and they lost 9 to 6. Finished in first place in the league, but he played well, walked, stole 2nd and 3rd then scored..
got an email today that pretty much sums up how afraid i am:
In recent years I have become very concerned for the future of my country, as I see a horrible tendency away from real democracy and concern for human rights. The following is a real wake-up call to all of us.
"Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism."
http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/index_23.htm
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism Secular Humanism, Spring, 2003 - Vol. 23 By Lawrence Britt
The 14 characteristics are:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of
prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers of political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
BE AWARE
for 2 days i have been working on my web site, took time out yesterday to go see george play jr. varsity's last baseball game, he didn't play till the 6th inning when they were losing because he didn't go to practice (went to opening day of the Matrix instead) and they lost 9 to 6. Finished in first place in the league, but he played well, walked, stole 2nd and 3rd then scored..
got an email today that pretty much sums up how afraid i am:
In recent years I have become very concerned for the future of my country, as I see a horrible tendency away from real democracy and concern for human rights. The following is a real wake-up call to all of us.
"Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism."
http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/index_23.htm
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism Secular Humanism, Spring, 2003 - Vol. 23 By Lawrence Britt
The 14 characteristics are:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of
prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers of political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
BE AWARE
Sunday, May 18, 2003
STAYED UP WAAAY 2 LATE
ooh my gosh, got the bee or should i say blog in my bonnet and was up till 2am designing my web site to accompany my blogs, have already sent out notices to friends that i have joined the bloggers.
what part of my day yesterday that was not spent on the computer was spent chauffeuring geo and friends around town. first, had to take anthony to his house, (he never should of moved so far from the hood, ( it takes 20 minutes by bus to get home but the bus only comes once an hour!)
geo went to matts, needed ride from tylers, then to our lady of lords fair. he was tucked safely in bed before i came upstairs to shut down bedroom computer and tuck myself into bed with last weeks new yorker, article about karl rove that made me so mad i couldn't sleep.
back at the computer this morning, having just read the front page of the latimes and emailed my sister.
ooh my gosh, got the bee or should i say blog in my bonnet and was up till 2am designing my web site to accompany my blogs, have already sent out notices to friends that i have joined the bloggers.
what part of my day yesterday that was not spent on the computer was spent chauffeuring geo and friends around town. first, had to take anthony to his house, (he never should of moved so far from the hood, ( it takes 20 minutes by bus to get home but the bus only comes once an hour!)
geo went to matts, needed ride from tylers, then to our lady of lords fair. he was tucked safely in bed before i came upstairs to shut down bedroom computer and tuck myself into bed with last weeks new yorker, article about karl rove that made me so mad i couldn't sleep.
back at the computer this morning, having just read the front page of the latimes and emailed my sister.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
GOING INSANE
can't get my template to change, and the OCD me is going insane trying 2 figure why?
can't get my template to change, and the OCD me is going insane trying 2 figure why?
CUNextTuesday
spent 3 hours reading the nyTimes and the laTimes, watched the democratic presidential debates on c-span, wished that howard dean got me as excited as al sharpton did because i don't think sharpton is electable (tawana brawly, bad hair, etc) but he sure can whip up the crowd. where was kerry? someone from kerry camp called me last week for donation. my "no" answer should have included an uncensored critique of kerry teaming up with the homophobic, far-right hypocrite, rick santorum, who has "not a clue" that the texas sodomy case is about privacy, and speaking of sodomy, are the far right trying to tell us that they have never had their dicks sucked??
spent 3 hours reading the nyTimes and the laTimes, watched the democratic presidential debates on c-span, wished that howard dean got me as excited as al sharpton did because i don't think sharpton is electable (tawana brawly, bad hair, etc) but he sure can whip up the crowd. where was kerry? someone from kerry camp called me last week for donation. my "no" answer should have included an uncensored critique of kerry teaming up with the homophobic, far-right hypocrite, rick santorum, who has "not a clue" that the texas sodomy case is about privacy, and speaking of sodomy, are the far right trying to tell us that they have never had their dicks sucked??
THE BEGINNING
reading the ny times today i came across an article about blogs. i asked my son (age 15, i chat addicted) what a blog was. No clue. followed the links and became entralled, so here i am 2 hours later posting my 1st blog
reading the ny times today i came across an article about blogs. i asked my son (age 15, i chat addicted) what a blog was. No clue. followed the links and became entralled, so here i am 2 hours later posting my 1st blog
