I hate “Lost”. Tonight Faye and I realised the thrill is gone. Was there ever a thrill to begin with? Or was “Lost” just a rebound from “Angel”? I don't know. All I know is I'm watching “Veronica Mars” with Faye from here on out.
repeate
This one's from Mark. He did one for me.
The CRITERIA:
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal
The RESULT:
1) You're hair is shiny.
2) Nightmare Before Christmas
3) Good ole Lime
4) Yay! We did it guys!
5) God I hope she casts me
6) An Otter
7) Can I be your Ted Raimi?
I've done this one before, but since Ben did one for me and asked nicely that I post it, post I must. Post.
descent
Well, the weekend recap is running late this week, obviously, on account of our office moving and me being too busy to sit at a desk for half an hour. I hope to have it up tomorrow. In the meantime, I will say this: Joss Whedon is the only writer who makes characters so vivid that when I'm watching his work, I actually feel like the characters are my friends. It makes it rather difficult, then, when something happens to my pretend friends. Now THAT'S a testament to good writing.
Click for protected zone.
Tara Reid sez:
“The one thing I want to say about American journalists is: why is partying and having a good time bad?” Reid says. “And how come when someone else gets messed up or is a junkie or gets DUI'd and goes to rehab and is considered a hero again?”
Um yeah. I know Courtney Love is certainly MY hero.
appetite for specials impelled
WEEKEND RECAP
FRIDAY
Kayobi kindly picked us (The Troika) up at 6:00 and we sped off to the airport, going by the adage that you should arrive two hours early for a flight. I guess not many people fly on Fridays because we were checked in and through security in 10 minutes. That left us with quite a lot of time to kill. Ben found us after a while. Dom stayed put at the gate. I had a few drinks at the airport bar. Meep wasn’t feeling well, but eventually she got a beer which she couldn’t finish.
The flight was uneventful, unless you count Meep coming up with new nicknames for us. Danish, Spine and Chupacabra. I’ll leave you to guess who’s who.
Jacob picked us up and we crammed into his BMW. We got a little lost on the way to Inglewood where we were staying with Beth, an old friend of Dom’s. Beth was going out for the evening. We were too tired so we decided to tuck in for the night. Ben took the small couch, Meep, the large (not sure why) and Dom and I padded the hardwood floor with blankets. We met Beth’s sweet pit bull, Lizzie. She was uneasy at first (she’s not fond of guys), but eventually, she warmed up to all of us. We watched a little TV on Beth’s ridiculously huge wide screen HD and then tried to get some sleep. It wasn’t easy. There was a loud party going on till about 4 in the morning. On top of that, both Ben and Lizzie snore. It doesn’t help that Meep, Dom and I are 3 of the lightest sleepers in the world. In the middle of the night, Ben went upstairs to sleep in Beth’s empty bed (she invited us too), and I took Ben’s place on the couch. It was too late though. My back was already well and truly fucked from the hardwood floor. I don’t know how Dom did it.
SATURDAY
We woke up around 8 because the rest of the apartment complex was also awake. We were meant to meet Mark at his house at 10, but Jacob was late picking us up and we also stopped to get breakfast. We got there at 10:30. Mark lives right around the corner from The Viper Room and the Whiskey A-Go-Go in a nice little two-story bungalow that was once inhabited by Tom Sizemore. It’s a very cute place, tastefully decorated and comes complete with a breakfast nook. We briefly met Mark’s wife who wasn’t feeling well and seemed a bit unhappy having 6 strangers in her house on a Saturday morning. Sorry! Mark took us on a pleasant walk around West Hollywood, showing us where Sal Mineo died, where Marilyn Monroe once lived with Sally Winters, where Betty Davis once lived, among others. I find it ridiculous how NOT conducive to walking L.A. is when everyone there is supposedly into health and fitness. We got so many weird looks walking around. Furthermore, the sidewalks barely fit two people across. This is reason number 6 why I’m not in a hurry to move to L.A. I hate spending all my time riding around in cars. It feels counterproductive. I don’t know why riding the bus doesn’t. I’m just more suited to public transport, I guess.
Anyway, after our walk, we went to a veggie friendly place called the Newsroom, where I had possible the BEST vegetarian chicken yet. They were little “chicken” drumsticks smothered in BBQ sauce, laying on a pile of creamy mashed potatoes. They even went so far as to put wooden sticks in the drumsticks for authenticity’s sake. Wonderful. Now if only they can make vegetarian southern-style fried chicken, and veggie battered shrimp, I’ll want for nothing in the meat world.
Next we went to Ralph’s to get a box of band-aids for Meep, who was suffering from blisters. Ben and Dom went back in to get a bottle of water, and the rest of us were treated to some A-Class people-watching. It’s AMAZING what people in L.A. wear to the grocery store. “This is my casual, domestic errand coteur”.
We still had a couple hours before we had to be anywhere, so we went to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to check out the graves of the rich of famous. I was surprised how many plots were marked for people who hadn’t died yet. There were also a few tributes to people who weren’t actually buried there. One such tribute was to Joey Ramone. The statue’s base sported quotes from Eddie Vedder, Rob Zombie, Joey’s wife, Vincent Gallo and John Frusciante.
Mark took his leave of us, and we went to Raleigh Studios where they were holding the festival. It was kind of exciting having to sign in and get a pass to enter a studio lot. We walked past several trailers, and a miniature horse before finding the theatre where we saw a feature called “Death By Engagement”. It was produced by a friend of Dom’s. The theatre itself was VERY nice. Cushy seats with high backs, and a big, beautiful screen. I imagine this is where many an important director watches dailies.
After the movie, we met Heidi Martinuzzi, a prominent figure in the horror world. We had been in correspondence for some time but had never met. (She was responsible for setting up our first ever interview!) She gave Snow Day a good review and has been very helpful with promoting our film. She’s also honest and fun. I haven’t met that many “L.A. Types” yet, but something tells me. She’s atypical. She also reminded all of us a little of Ahe. We all went to get dinner at a Mexican place called Lucy’s after the movie. It was overpriced and mediocre. Also, when I ordered a Margarita, the waiter thought I wanted a plate of guacamole. What? We did spot Eva Mendes though. Why any self-respecting Latina would eat that crappy food, I have no idea.
Heidi and her friend Zach took their leave of us after dinner. Mark made several suggestions for bars to visit. We settled on a place called The Three of Clubs. He said it was quiet and had nice booths. He hadn’t been there in several years, however. When we arrived, we walked into a silent room that was also freezing cold. We make an awkward exit about 5 minutes later, and headed to The Abbey, back by Mark’s place. The Abbey is a HUUUUUUUUGE gay bar. The place is like a maze. It was really cool when we first got there. Plenty of seating, fun music, and heat lamps outside. As it started to fill up, however, it became unpleasant. It was impossible to get a drink if you didn’t have a penis. Meep and I were blatantly ignored at the bar. We were also cock-blocked by an inconsiderate couple who decided to stay at the bar and have their drinks after they ordered them. Hello! This is where people order. There weren’t even SEATS. Mark took his leave of us early and we were joined by The Brunswicks and Beth. Because it was so difficult to get served, it was about an hour between drinks for me. That kept me awake but also very sober.
Eventually, Roxy, Meep and I had to go to the bathroom. This is the first time I’ve ever been somewhere that the line for the men’s room was longer than the line for the women’s. However, BOTH lines were RIDICULOUSLY long. There were only two stalls and the line was barely moving. It took us about 45 minutes to get in there.
Meanwhile, Meep gave up and she and Ben took a cab back to Inglewood. The rest of us drove off in search of food, apart from Jacob who stayed on to wait for friends. I had barely touched my crappy Mexican food so I was pretty hungry. As we got into the Brunswick’s car, some meatheads who had just parked asked us where we’d been hanging out. I told them “The Abbey”. “The Abbey?,” they said. “Were there a lot of GAY people there?” Rocko, quick on his feet, responded “No, it’s great. You’ll love it.”
We attempted to eat at Pink’s, but the line was long. I guess it’s an L.A. tradition to wait in that line, but we weren’t in the mood, and Dom and I erroneously thought they didn’t have veggie dogs. Instead we went to Astro Burger which DID have veggie dogs. We stuffed our faces and then called it a night.
SUNDAY
Once again, Jacob was late picking us up and once again we got lost. Lost in Beverly Hills. Cue the Fresh Prince theme song. Sorry, Mark, for being late BOTH times we were to meet you. Eventually, we found our way to (a different) Astro Burger for lunch. This place has a HUGE vegetarian menu!!! I will welcome my next trip to L.A. just to eat there again. I got a “ham” and egg sammy. Meep got a “rib” sammy. Their fries were also super delicious. I know I’m talking a lot about food, but it’s very difficult to get good fake meat in Seattle so it’s very exciting for me.
Anywhosel, off to Raleigh Studios again for our screening! We were one of 4 shorts that played, and the ONLY comedy. I kind of feel like they should have played ours last because right after the laugh riot that is Snow Day, they played a very long serious and arty “short”. It was very exciting to see our movie on that screen. It was also exciting to hear so many laughs. And in all the right places. Horror audiences get it, man. Awesome.
After the movie, we schmoozed in the parking lot. After roasting in the hot sun for a little while, Mark said goodbye to us. Thanks Mark, for spending so much time with us. I’m sorry your wife couldn’t join us.
Eventually, the party broke up. Meep, Ben and I still had some time before our flight so we went shopping. Meep and I dropped some cash at Golden Apple Comics. Then we got some Thai food.
The flight home was uneventful as well, apart from the fact that Ben saw someone he knew on the plane. We can’t go anywhere without him running into someone he knows. The man is famous already.
And thus, our trip to L.A. was at an end. But Dom’s was just beginning. I’m sure we’ll have to be going back to L.A. soon and often, but it was great to come back home to Seattle. Please, god, don’t make us move to L.A.
Photos forthcoming.
why put off
Weekend recap tomorrow. Today I am very tired and a little depressed. I'm hoping the depression is mostly to do with being tired. I have a feeling it's a combo punch of the following:
#1 -Having spent the weekend doing what I want to do for a living and then coming back to this job. It's probably mostly this.
#2 -Having heard that a good friend of mine wants to move away, and feeling a little Fox and the Hound about it.
#3 -Missing Dom. Yes, I know we've only been apart for a day, but the empty apartment was kinda eerie last night and Marilyn didn't even meow at me once. If you know Marilyn, you know that is creepy.
#4 -Having to pack up the office for our move this weekend (yes, this WEEKEND. I have to spend my Saturday doing that.) and, as of yet, I've had nobody help me. See also #1.
Sorry about the whinging.
Awesome Meeddi cations
I don’t really know what the criteria are for this meme. So I’ll just respond to Ben’s post with what each of his anecdotes made me think of in relation to myself.
1. All of my teeth are mine and cavity free. I have unusually healthy teeth, especially compared to how the rest of my body is falling apart.
2. On my right cheek, I have a small indentation from an accident when I was 2. And by accident, I mean I was a headstrong toddler who lacked common sense. I was in my little walker thingy (what do you calls those chairs with the Flintstone-style foot holes that have a tray on the front for making a mess with food?), and I wanted to get into the kitchen where my mom was. She was behind a swinging door that swung out. I understood the concept of a swinging door, but not that it only swung one way. So I tried a few times to push my way through the door to no avail. Thinking that I only needed to add a little force, I backed up and prepared to ram the thing. The whole time, I was clutching my favorite, engraved metal cup in my fist. I got as much momentum as I could and charged the door. Just as I was about to make impact, my mother, having heard the banging on the door, swung it open to see what was going on. The force propelled me backwards into the wall. My fall was cushioned by the walker, but since I was clutching the metal cup, I jabbed myself in the cheek with the edge of the cup, thus splitting my face open and scaring the living shit out of my mother. Not much has changed regarding the way I do business.
3. I was born with black hair. It later lightened to almost blonde.
4. The summer of my 14th year, at Hippie Camp, I finally received my first kiss. It was during a game of spin the bottle. The boy, Daniel, was an unwilling participant. He showed open disgust for having to kiss me. I didn’t even like him but he really hurt my feelings. I thought it meant that no one would ever want to kiss me. Two days later, I was proven wrong by a cute, curly-haired Sk8-er Boi named Robert. He took me into the dark woods during the square dance and told me I was beautiful. He became my boyfriend for a week until I broke up with him for unapologetically giving me poison ivy (on my neck). We made up on the last day of camp, but by then, of course, it was too late and he shipped off back to Florida. Ah fleeting summer camp romances.
5. I am allergic to mold, but I love the stinky cheeses.
6. The thought of getting nipples pierced makes me cringe in, what I imagine to be a manner similar to when boys see other boys get kicked in the nuts.
7. There are a few people in my life that I regret having never punched.
8. At different times in my youth, I forayed into the following extra-curricular activities: ballet, “jazz” dance, Aikido, tennis, golf, acting and ballroom dancing. I am incapable of doing any of those things today.
9. I sometimes get road rage just by being in the passenger seat of a car. This is a good reason for me to never again get behind the wheel.
10. None of my non-surgical scars have cool stories even though one of them actually begins “I was drunk…”
11. It took me 3 years to get over an ex that I dated for two.
12. From age 12-16, I attended a summer camp based on the teachings of Edgar Casey. I lovingly refer to it as Hippie Camp.
13. On New Years Eve, 1994, I accidentally kicked a hole into a hallway wall of the Virginia Beach Ramada. I was neither drunk nor angry. I just got overly excited “sparring” with my friend. We immediately ran back to our room and hid for the rest of the night. I never did get caught.
14. Faye and I were both stalked by the same guy. He called looking for me, and Faye answered the phone. After that, the scary messages he left at 1:30 in the morning were addressed to both of us.
15. The only altercation I’ve had with police, besides during protests, is last year when Jacob and I and some friends from Tacoma got thrown out of Volunteer Park at 2 in the morning.
16. The only animals I’m truly afraid of are fire ants.
17. In high school, I was a victim of gay-bashing. Only in the south can you get gay-bashed on the unfounded suspicion of being gay.
18. In 6th grade, I played the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. The only reason I got a lead role is because there were 10 people in my class, and most of the other kids were burnouts.
19. I often wonder if I would have been “counterculture” in high school if I’d gone to public school and been able to drop under the radar.
20. The knee condition that I was born with (which subsequently lead to surgery), is allegedly related to evolution. According to my doctor, my knee caps were attached to the wrong muscle for creatures that stand erect, but not for creatures that stand on all fours. FREAK!
him, and very solemnly,
This is funny. Last week, after Boss Man let me stew over the prospect of not getting a receptionist for a few days, he called me into his office. I won’t bore you with too much of the details, but the gist is that he realized that the Lil’est Dictator DOESN’T DO ANYTHING while the rest of us are really really busy. He decided to examine why that is and how to fix it. His solution: Give her half of my clients. She was pretty pissed about this prospect at first. I guess she said she would NOT be demoted. But he shut her up by saying that she was the loudest proponent for not getting a receptionist. And that if we aren’t going to get one, than we have to re-distribute the work so to give me a break. He also told me that we still WOULD get a receptionist, but that it wouldn’t be until we were more settled. I can see his point on this matter. We’re in the process of a company split and a new name, as well as a move. It would be weird to hire someone now when we can’t even tell them what we’re going to be like in 3 months. He projected that January would hopefully see smoother times for us. He also said several times that since this new position for Lil’ D. is designed to help me out, that if I find myself with more work, I should let him know immediately. In other words, “if she delegates her work to you, I will put a stop to it.” Thank Christ for that! He also said that he appreciated my positive, can-do attitude, and the fact that no matter WHAT he gives me, I agree to do it without argument. He said he wished that everyone behaved that way. He also said that I have been an integral part in the success of the company and he is very glad to have me on board. It’s wonderful to be appreciated. I just wish that these things would come up in meetings. It would have been nice to have had him stand up for me at my birthday lunch instead of in the privacy of his office. Maybe then Lil’ D. would finally show me some fucking respect. Oh well. It’s better than nothing, I suppose.
Or organise do buck phonemic
WEEKEND RECAP
FRIDAY
Faye and I went to see a screening of “Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story” at the NW Film Forum. I was quite a fan of Mother Love Bone in high school, to the point of ridicule from my very metal/punk friends, but I haven’t listened to them in ages. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the documentary. Faye and I were a little disappointed by the Gits documentary at SIFF. If Seattle is going to be the next Hollywood, they’d better start making better documentaries about Seattle subjects. But “The Andrew Wood Story” was pretty good. At first, the psychedelic motion graphics reminded me a little too much of VH1 program, but after a while, I settled into it and enjoyed the ride. Despite having been a fan of the music, I didn’t really know that much about the man. Turns out he was a very funny, thoughtful fellow who liked to have a good time, look pretty and rock. His family kept referring to themselves as “screwed up”, but their love for one-another was so evident, that it really didn’t feel that dysfunctional. It was one of those stories that, even though you know it ends badly, still gives you a glimmer of hope. This guy left too soon, but he left behind some great music and left indelible marks on everyone who knew him. Even Chris Cornell, who is known for being kind of a dick, was clearly having trouble in the interview. He chain-smoked and choked back tears throughout. At the end, the director came up and answered questions. Actually, he answered one question with his life story. But it was ok. He seemed like a good guy. He explained that the documentary found him, and took 10 years of his life to make. He explained the structure of it and how he wanted to show Andrew Wood’s life from inside Andrew’s head. Once you know that, the style of the film is much easier to take. Also, Kim Thayil, AKA Zombie Santa, was in the audience of about 20 people. That made the whole thing seem that much more special. Even if this documentary doesn’t do well, it serves as a lovely tribute to the man, for the people he left behind. Sorry for the Hallmark sentiments. But I’m TOUCHED, Goddamnit!
After the movie, Faye and I went to the Canterbury for a quick drink and a plate of fries. It was the wrong night for the Canterbury, however. Our favorite waitress, the nice, small blonde girl, was off. And we were ignored. After waiting for about 10 minutes, I went to the bar to get our drinks, and asked if I could order food there. The bartender snippily replied that our waitress would take our food order. I said that I wasn’t sure if there was table service because we’d been waiting and hadn’t seen anyone. He said he’d “send her right over”. Faye and I were almost done with our drinks before we saw “our” waitress stroll through the room. She checked on the other table and then walked past us without even a glance. Faye and I downed the rest of our pints and went to QFC.
We spent the rest of the evening at my house watching Alan Partridge and drinking of the beer. Faye also printed out some pictures for her haircut the following day.
SATURDAY
Faye and I met at 12:30 to go downtown. Faye was on a quest for a new top and I was along to spend money I shouldn’t be spending. Glorious. We also went to Vain so Faye could get a haircut. A MAJOR haircut. From long to bob in an hour. And, I must say, Faye looks A-fucking-dorable. I know it must be a major adjustment for her to lose that much hair, but it definitely works.
After that, we still had some time to kill before meeting Dom for our dinner/casting meeting. We were quickly discouraged at The Rack, so we decided to give up on shopping and kick out the fun. We had a nacho and beer aperitif at Shorty’s followed by a quick game of Pinball. Then we met Dom at the Rendezvous and had out casting meeting. Right now, these meetings still feel a bit like make-believe. It’s hard to imagine that we are actually going to be contacting such and such’s agents and making offers!
After the meeting, I joined Dom in the Jewel Box for a show called “Verbatim Verboten”, wherein actors read the scripts from phone messages, interviews and other recordings, left by belligerent, intoxicated, or otherwise mentally unstable notables. Meanwhile, Faye hung with Borgia and Elyse. The show was pretty entertaining. The acting wasn’t stellar. And there was a very LOOOOONG-winded Woody Allen bit from his deposition about the Soon-Yi debacle. They kept coming back to it throughout the show and each time it was more insufferable. I very much pity the individuals who were forced to pour over the testimony. But, for the most part, the bits were amusing. Sherrard would have LOVED this show. My favorite bits were a belligerent message left by Ryan Adams on the answering machine of a man who gave him a bad review, and the ravings of Orson Wells as he attempted to record some advert voiceovers.
The show over, I resumed drinking with Elyse, Faye and Borgia while Dom had to do a reading really quick at a fundraiser in the Grotto. At 11:30, we were all exhausted and ready to go home. Elyse, especially, had an excuse, as she’d spent the day at the Puyallup Fair.
SUNDAY
I spent an ill-conceived morning watching “Dancer in the Dark”. Oh my god! I just don’t like Lars Von Trier. His “heroines” are helpless, borderline insane women who don’t help themselves. I’m all for tragedies, but only if the protagonist is willing to fight for self-preservation. I’m also all for stories about self-sacrifice, but not when it’s COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. I guess the bottom line is that it’s hard for me to watch a 2 and a half hour movie about a character that I don’t like. It’s especially hard when that character is played by a singer with a grating, impish wail. After a while, I was fast forwarding through the musical numbers. I suppose Bjork’s acting wasn’t bad. I’m sure she was doing exactly what she was told. But the bottom line for me is thus: Lars, I don’t jive with your world view. Bjork, shut up.
To stop the bleeding in my eyes, Dom and I watched some more Battlestar Galactica (almost caught up!) and then went to the grocery store. This was followed by yoga and finishing Deadwood. Deadwood, by the way, is awesome. It’s very rare that a show is SO FULL of amazing actors that I actually like all the characters equally. Well, I kinda like the Doc a little more than everyone else.
NEXT WEEK: Hell-A!
The chemist provides customers a wide selection of quality medicaments.
I guess the anti-“drug” campaign realized that people aren’t going to believe them when they tell you that smoking marijuana will make you violent or ruin your life, so they decided to try a different tactic. WITH HILARIOUS RESULTS! An old woman is sitting at a table in her kitchen. Before her is a dinner spread. Next to her is an empty place setting. She stares forlornly off into the distance for an uncomfortably long time, before glancing at the empty place setting and futzing with the silverware. There is no music, only the sound of children playing and birds singing outside. Finally, we hear a voiceover:
“Try telling your Grandmother that you skipped dinner with her because you were stoned.”
Grandma sighs. AWWW!!!
Lesson: If you smoke marijuana, you make Grandma sad!
Let’s ignore the fact that the ONE obligation a hardcore stoner would probably remember is a big home-cooked meal.
Effed by the Wind 