bloggie blog

After several days away, I am back in Los Angeles and happy to be here. I am refreshed. I am enjoying the weather. I have some good things here for which I am grateful, including lovely visits with 2 lovely friends. And I did not spend years of my life on Lost. All good.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of Los Angeles’s best known tourist attractions. In fact, it’s way up there as far as sidewalks go. (Really, is there a more famous sidewalk in the world?) Now, I’m not one to hit up the tourist traps, but the Walk of Fame is one of few touristy things I’ve done. Inadvertently. If walking to a store counts as doing something touristy. This is because in my old apartment and my new one, I live(d) within walking distance of the Walk.

Spanky McFarland used to be the closest star to my pad. His star is at the very western end of the Walk, where La Brea Ave and the north side of Hollywood Blvd meet. Now Franklin Pangborn is closest to me, as his star is at on the east side of Vine St at Sunset Blvd. Both faces I know fondly, but the latter’s name is less well known — unless you love Preston Sturges movies. You watch Preston Sturges movies, you love them. This is a simple, reliable formula (with the exception of The Great Moment, which is a yawner, despite dealing with a worthy, historical subject).

While Franklin Pangborn also did multiple Jack Benny films and multiple W.C. Fields films, I think Sturges withstands the test of time better. So if you happen to be wanting to watch some great old movies, let me recommend the following Preston Sturges films that have Franklin Pangborn in them: Sullivan’s Travels, Hail the Conquering Hero, Christmas in July. These are not Sturges’s best three, but they’re good, and better than The Great Moment, which also happens to have Franklin Pangborn in it. The one film on this list of 3 that I need to watch again, and have been wanting to watch for months now even since a friend said I remind her of Joel McCrea, is Sullivan’s Travels. Off to the library to rent me a DVD!

As of this week, I am now driving a new car (new to me). It’s called Al. It’s a Nissan Altima, and although the official color is gray, it’s kind of a bluish gray, so Al is “blue steel.”

Anyway, Al has a keyless entry thing. If my fob is on my person, I can get in or open the trunk or start the car, just by pushing a button. You cannot. The button is just sitting there, but if you walk up to it and push it, nothing happens. If I walk up to it and push it, I’m in. You push it, you are zapped dead.

I feel like a member of a secret society! And yes, I just said, “If my fob is on my person.”

As you may recall, I turned in my old car on Monday. I’m getting another car Saturday morning, leaving me with five days of carlessness in between. In LA.

A few observations:

1. It’s been pretty damn hot this week. Much sweating, much swearing.
2. I’m glad I had a free 5-day pass, one that they give out pretty liberally to people new to town.
3. Boardings: subway, 2; bus, 17.
4. Walking: too much given No. 1 above. But it’s good for me, so no biggie.
5. Rides mooched: 1.
6. Meetings late to: 1. Meetings missed: 2.

It’s the last one that’s the killer. And ultimately unacceptable. You have to allot too much time for early or late buses, is what it comes down to. And sometimes you have to wait in full sun. And those GD motorcycle drivers are such D-bags. And you have to pay close attention the entire time you’re waiting for a bus, keeping an eye for the next bus; those MFers will drive right past you otherwise. It’s just not right.

Sure, some routes are easy-peasy, maybe even easier than riding a car, especially if it involves only the subway, but the pricing scheme in LA is too steep — transfers are not free! Too steep except for long-term passes, so the system discourages casual use. Another huge problem. If I could change the world….

As of today, I do not have a car. I bid farewell to Saabie Saab, a lovely leased 2007 Saab 9-3 that I returned today. I then took the bus / subway / feets back home.

I was carless a few days right before I got Saabie Saab and the world has changed since then in one important way: Google Maps for iPhone now has excellent public-transportation options for Los Angeles. I used it more than once today. I’ll use it again tomorrow. The next car is a few days away still, so until then I am (a) Greener Than Thou and (b) grateful for Google.

On Saturday, I had took a delightful drive through the San Fernando Valley, those northern reaches of the endless city of Los Angeles. The drive was delightful because of my companion. I should start there, yes, indeed I should. Anyway, we crossed a prominent street in the Valley called Oxnard Street. Also, there is a town here in southern California called Oxnard. The word Oxnard is not a good word.

In a previous life, when I lived in San Diego and worked for Hewlett-Packard in the northern reaches of that endless city, my work address was Rancho Bernardo Road. Again with the n-a-r-d. Some people, as I understand it, are fond of the name Bernardo for various literary reasons. “Pshaw!” I say. It’s hideous, absolutely hid-jus, at least when you are introduced to it by the street namers of San Diego. An horrifying proliferation of Bernardo’s exists there. Look it up on Google maps: West Bernardo Drive, Bernardo Center Drive, Rancho Bernardo Road, Bernardo Court, Bernardo Heights Parkway, and on and on. Enough with the nards!

Thanks for listening. May your Labor Day be nard-free.

It’s very hot today. Well over 100 in the hot spots. You walk outside and boom you just feel it. But it’s okay. It’s great. It’s so much better than the hot days back east. I’ve been missing a few things about New York and Boston, but the misery I experienced back there during heatwaves, that I do not miss!

Hikes in the hills — a regular thing in my life these days — are tough, tough, tough. But a stroll on the beach after dark is in store this weekend. Excellent for this weather. Excellent.

My brother Jared, his wife Kristie and I, we all went down to Santa Monica on Saturday morning. June gloom, a slight chill and a little mist did not deter us!

We rented one (1) tandem bicycle and one (1) trike. No normal bikes for us as we cruised the beach path, culminating with a pelican encounter at the Venice pier. Jared and I tried to imitate the pelican, but Kristie was very scared of it. Good times!

See a couple dozen pix here: MobileMe Gallery: Beach Ride.

As you may know, Los Angeles has a blight problem: too many billboards. As a counterexample, Santa Monica is a much better city today than it would be if it had LA’s lax billboard laws. Imagine Ocean Blvd done up like the Sunset Strip. Ick! But back in LA, the latest looming evil is projection billboards. Recently, an evil corporation ran tests projecting ads on the sides of large buildings at night.

Oh look, we’ve become the hellish future portrayed by Phillip K. Dick, author of the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which 27 years ago was the basis for the movie Blade Runner. Dick is turning over in his grave, and crazy replicants like Sean Young the actress not Sean Young’s character may as well be on the loose all over this town. Run, people, run!

“Some people need to learn how to park.” That was the relatively polite commentary I made early this morning as I walked up my street, passing a young woman trying to fit her small car into a large space. The space was plenty big enough, so her friend jumped out to help guide her. Aargh! If I couldn’t parallel park worth beans, I’d practice. That’s all I’m saying.

That experience was on my mind as I pulled into the lot of the Starbucks in Los Feliz a few hours later. I took the back way, and was pleased with myself for knowing where that alley led, but the one empty spot was next to an atrociously parked Prius. I’m having a good day, so it set me off only just a little. The owner was coming out just as I was exiting my car and she immediately fessed up to a bad parking job. This is the right behavior to make me not care any more. I made a joke back to her, it’s all good, I’m on my way. And then I looked a second time, as she seemed familiar. “I know you, don’t I?” Now, besides fessing up to her bad parking, she also didn’t pretend to be nobody. Two for two. (Two for three, I should say. She missed one point for the crappy parking job.) A little conversation ensued with Annabelle Gurwitch. You remember her from “Dinner and a Movie” on TBS. I remember her from a podcast on Fired! that I listened to a few months ago.

I’m not used to having conversations with people I recognize, but that’s two days in a row. (Yesterday’s will remain un-blogged.) Conversations are not always appropriate, but they’re better than “I love [insert favorite show here]!” Annabelle and I agreed that times are tough. She’s into writing exclusively these days, so even though the timing is better than ever to revive Fired!, it ain’t gonna happen. Too busy writing to revive Fired! … or to park well, wink wink. And when I said I was an actor, she said gloomily, “How’s that going?” Since I’m still on the six-month upbeat kick, I was all “Great!” … but eventually I did agree that the numbers are not good. No worries, though. I feel better about life because of all the savings I have in the stock market.

In brief: it was nice chatting, Annabelle!

When I came out of the Starbucks, her small grey Prius that had been parked at a horrible angle was gone. In its place was a small yellow Honda Fit — parked at a horrible angle. Aargh! You small-car drivers need to learn to park!