So finally some pictures from my trip to LA this past weekend! It has been a CRAZY week ...
First off ..... wait a minute ... what's this? .... hmmmm, perhaps these are photos from my trip to the North Pole?....
No, no ... that's right ... it's called Being Bored To Death On The Airplane. So I amused myself by taking pictures of the clouds out the window.
Here's another (look how fluffy they look!!!)......
... but I'll kindly spare you the Fifty Gagillion others I took (what can I say? I forgot my knitting! :))
You know you are in L.A. when:
1) you can eat In N' Out under the shade of a palm tree.
2) you can see the Hollywood Sign!!!!! (you might have to trust me on this ... it is there through the haze ... I SWEAR!)
3) you can't walk 5 feet without stumbling across something being filmed (in this case, apparently, a 2007 Toyota commercial)
4) you can't walk 5 feet without seeing a celebrity
Hey! Those are TOO celebrities!! They're stars of the new Pixar movie "Cars"!
Found these on Hollywood Blvd when my friends and I were wandering around Hollywood about midnight after dinner on Saturday night. We were going to pop in to watch the 12:30 am movie showing ... but then we remembered that we were old and it was past our bedtimes ... so we continued on home! :)
The best sight after stumbling out of my mom's guestroom on a Sunday morning:
A sticky note saying......
Yeah, life is hard, eh?? :)
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
These people that move back in with their parents may just be on to something. Just sayin'! ;)
Walt Disney Concert Hall:
I asked mom where she wanted to go on Sunday and she immediately said she'd been wanting to see the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I'd never heard of it but ... off we went!
It's a gorgeous building, created by architect Frank Gehry, and now houses the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Take a gander at some of these shots...
Isn't that a fabulous building!! I just love it!
Random Stuff Around L.A.:
A view of downtown.....
The Kodak Theater ... home of The Oscars ... and, more importantly, where American Idols have tread (specifically Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry (yee doggie!)) :)...
"Oversized Love Sacs" ... (*snicker*)... [I think I embarrassed V and L by taking this photo. Which, after having already dealt with me stalking the CAP, you'd think wouldn't have fazed them at all!]
And last, but certainly not least, just for T1*!!!
I didn't have time to stalk Keanu in person for you because I was uhhhh .. a little too busy stalking Crazy Aunt Purl? (heh)...but I did find this for you!
Perhaps not as exciting as Keanu in person (ya think?) ... but it's the thought that counts, right? :)
So there you have it ... the L.A. Weekend Roundup.
*too funny that you just mentioned the Keanu Stalking in your comment on Wednesday's post. Hehe.
Thank you, Crazy Aunt Purl, for sharing me with your blog readers yesterday. The Power of Purl is phenomenal! I don't think I've had so many hits on my blog in TOTAL since I started it over a year ago! (sad really, but it might just be true!) So thank you. That's a nice 15 minutes of fame.
And thank you to CAPs fans for stopping in and leaving such nice comments. I am SOOOOO happy to hear y'all don't think I'm a true-blue Scary Stalker! And that you can relate! Makes me feel much better. Cuz really, she was RIGHT THERE! And looked just like she does in her photos! It was so surreal!
So whew! Sneaking the picture didn't make me a Scary Stalker. Which means y'all would probably also understand my sticking around til after she left and stealing her half-eaten roll??
It's official! I've gone from Normal Everyday Cute Stalker to Bonafide Scary Stalker ..... and I didn't even mean to! No, no ... really!!! I SWEAR!
Here's what happened:
So I go down to Los Angeles this past weekend for a very last minute trip to visit my mom. I mean, I didn't even know for certain that I'd be heading down until Friday afternoon. And I flew standby at o'dark hundred hours on Saturday morning. It doesn't really get any more last minute than that, right?! Right! (work with me, people! :))
I'm hanging with mom Saturday afternoon and decide to call my friends to see if they will have any time to meet up with me during the couple of days while I'm down there. As luck would have it, my friend L is available for a late dinner that night!
She calls our friend V to see if she is available as well and AGAIN, the planets were lined up just perfectly, V had time to play. Without the kids!!! (I'm tellin' ya ... it was fate!). They ask what I want to do and I say I'd love to go down to Hollywood area for dinner like we used to!
I head over to V's house to meet up with them around 6:30 pm to find them gathered around the computer trying to figure out where to go. I hear that V ruled out Chin Chins (sigh ... I love that place!) but they were talking about some place called The Abbey! I think SWEET! But L calls the restaurant and there is no hope of getting a reservation. Late Saturday night and the Abbey is all booked up!
So they ask where I want to go. I have no idea. But The Stinking Rose (which Crazy Aunt Purl (CAP) had mentioned on her blog) pops into my head and I laughingly say "have y'all ever heard of The Stinking Rose?". They immediately glom onto this idea and are all excited with the prospect because they've been meaning to go there but have never made it. I quickly say "no, no ... but we can't go there ... I was just joking. See, there is this blogger, Crazy Aunt Purl, and she's going to be there. So if I go I'll be a bonafide stalker ... and I don't wanna be a bonafide stalker!".
They stared at me with utter confusion and said "A blogger? You'd be a blog stalker?? We don't get it."
I tried to explain but they just poo-poo'd me and said "it's a big place ... what are the chances you'd see her anyway?"
Uh yeah.
So we go! And the place is a HOOT! And I see right off the bat while they're seating us that there is no CAP in sight. I breathe of sigh of relief!
Until much, much, much later in the meal. When one of them asks "have you seen if she's here yet". Without thinking, I quickly scan around and see CAP sitting at my 4 o'clock. It was only a quick glance yet .....at the exact same moment .... CAP seems to see me looking (argh!). So now I FEEL like a real stalker and can't think of how I could casually approach her without The Guilt Of Bonafide Stalker etched on my face. Even though I was still clinging to the theory that I DIDN'T MEAN TO STALK!
I mean, really, what were the chances that I'd be in LA that weekend, that my friends would just happen to be available that night, that they wanted to go to The Stinking Rose, that we would be there at the same time as CAP, and that CAP would get seated near us??!! I mean, COME ONNNNNNN!
So then the "OMG .... Crazy Aunt Purl ..... RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!!!!" ... started to seep in. And I snuck another glance behind me .... only to find, once again ... CAP seeming to see me looking.
So now, it's official. I've got Stalker written all over me!
BUT wait, it gets worse.
So there is truly this line between Casual Stalker ... and Scary Stalker. And I crossed it ... oh yes I did! Because you know me and my camera .... must take pictures! MUST. And so I errr ...... tried to figure out how to sneak a picture of CAP. (I KNOW! I told you ..... I've crossed the line)
Unfortunately, my back was to CAP so I couldn't do it on the sly. So I wrangled my friend V to try to sneak the picture since she was sitting facing CAP. But V kept saying "it's too dark ... it's too dark, switch places with me " ... and so I switched seats so I was facing CAP. I had L and V pretend like I'd be taking a picture of them but really .... they kept blocking my shot! So I had to tell them to get out of the way and I snuck a picture* of Crazy Aunt Purl. Well, I say "snuck" ... but really, when a bright flash of light goes off in a darkened restaurant ... and you've got three women giggling like schoolgirls .... how "sneaky" is that?!! Yeah, not really, I know!
So yeah, it's official ....... stay tuned for invitations to my house-warming party for my new home in Scary Stalkerville!
And you know, it wouldn't have been AS bad had I simply approached her after dinner and told her what a fan I was. But did I??? NO!
I like to blame my wussiness on the fact that she wasn't with her group of blogging girlfriends who would have understood the "OMG! You're Crazy Aunt Purl!!!" blabberings from a total stranger! Instead she was on a date (with a mighty cute man, might I add!)! And so I didn't want to intrude! Because, what if she didn't tell him about the blog?? And and ......... what would I have said anyway?? Nothing coherent I guarantee you! (And whatever it was would have been mighty garlicky too. Just sayin'.)
So instead I slunk out .... which really kinda cements the title of "Scary Stalker", doesn't it?!
Yeah, I'll be expecting the restraining order in the mail any day now...... :)
*I'd post the picture for all y'all but apparently V was right when she said "it's too dark"! ...lol. And the grainy mess that came out simply does not capture the gorgeousness that is CAP! Sigh. I was SO hoping that picture would work out. But now I've crossed the line to Scary Stalker without being able to post any proof! (but WAIT! ... maybe no proof means I can still lay claim to "Normal Everyday Cute Stalker"??? Yeahhhhh, that's the ticket..... :))
.... and hence, I will not be watching the new reality show* which stars 10 cats! That's right, you heard me! A Kitty Reality Show!
Apparently the cats will be "put through their weekly paces in contests including best purr and top post-climber, a panel of judges will decide who stays and who goes."
AND ...the copywriters will be creating voiceovers! You know, to give the cats personalities!!! "Some may be shy, but the Los Angeles and New York cats could turn out to be real glamour pusses."
HAHAHA. See now, that doesn't sound entertaining at all! If I was TRULY a Crazy Cat Lady I'd know that this project "will be shown in three-minute segments in the 9 p.m. EDT hour Friday on the Animal Planet channel for 10 consecutive weeks, starting June 16". Right? So SURELY I'm not a Crazy Cat Lady. I don't even have my VCR programmed to record it. Yet.
.... for those fans out there of the band Live ... and for those fans of American Idol's Chris Daughtry (hubba hubba*) ... have y'all caught the new duet of these two doing the song "Mystery"??
The Live website has a link to the download. You can find it here. It is absolutely fan-tab-u-lous! Take a listen if you get the chance!
Go Chris!!! Whoo hooo!!! Can't wait til your AI obligations are over and you can get out there and start up a band to call your own. I will come stalking, so prepare yourself!! ;)
[update: well, crap-a-dap! By the time Blogger came up and let me actually publish this post, the link to the song Mystery became invalid. Sorry about that. Apparently they've got it listed on all the normal download sites if you are so inclined. (Dang bastards .... just sucking all the fun outta things!)]
*Hey Taylor Hicks ... I haven't forgotten about you, don't think I have! You know I'd still marry you in a heartbeat if'n you crooked your finger at me. Just sayin'. K?! :)
First up .... Scott Stapp! Y'all remember him .... the frontman for the band Creed! Used to LOVE that band ... ya know, right up until they broke up. (grrrr)
But apparently Scott has taken on a solo career ... something I'm only guessing based on his stage setup ....
Hello? Ego much?
I'm thinking it's a pretty good guess, though!
Anyway, he opened last night for INXS! Which was cool, in that, a lot of times the opening bands are CRAP! But Scott played Creed songs (mmmm, "With Arms Wide Open" and "Higher"!) plus some songs from his new solo album.
So I tried to take some pictures for all y'all ... because the man ain't all that bad to look at (know what I'm sayin'?). So here I give you ... my Scott Stapp photos...
Crapzilla, right?! I KNOW this! But I have an excuse, don't think I don't. And my excuse is the concert security guy blurrily pictured RIGHT HERE......
Because he was The Camera Nazi! First picture with a flash and he was ON us! BASTARD! Spent his whole time glaring at the crowd and anyone who dared used their camera he took off towards with his little angry strut and yelled at ya.
SO ... all my pictures had to be sneakily taken without flash. And hence, the crapzilla photos.
Damn Camera Nazi. Here's a more accurate portrait, I'm thinkin'........
"Heil, World Without Cameras!
Anyway, the GOOD news was that The Camera Nazi (TCN) wasn't near us when INXS hit the stage. Whoooo hoooooo! So the pictures are MUCH improved! See?
So that's the band. Y'all know the story of the reality tv show RockStar:INXS in which the INXS band held a competition to find their new lead singer, right?! And the winner was J.D. Fortune. Pictured here:
(mmmmmmmmm)
So that is what brought us to this concert ... because T1 is a huge J.D. fan! HUGE! So once we were clear of TCN we started shamelessly snapping away. For your viewing pleasure (though mainly for hers! ;)) ... I give you ... J.D. Fortune (click to enlarge).....
I swear that man had more outfit changes then Debbie Gibson! (errr, not that I'd know about Debbie Gibson outfit changes during a concert first hand ... nope, not I! And you can't prove it!!! [note to self: throw out incriminating ticket stub from Radio City Music Hall concert in 1988!])
ANYWAY, apparently there were other people on stage with J.D. I don't know their names ... I was never a huge INXS fan. But for those of you who might have been (or who perhaps currently are) ... here are some other shots:
All in all, a pretty good concert. Probably pretty awesome if'n you're a big fan. Just one word of warning..... don't hang around by the tour bus afterwards trying to get a picture (what?).
T1 and I hung out for AN HOUR AND A HALF only to finally glean (not through any announcement of any kind ... just sort of overhearing things) that all but one member of the band had snuck off much earlier! What kinda BS is THAT?! I mean, come onnnnnn! There were only like 20 fans waiting ... and I saw us ... we were definitely a harmless bunch (trust me on this!). So it wasn't like it was going to be a mob scene! And it would have taken, what?... 20 minutes MAX to sign autographs and take pictures! Hell, even just a walk by with a couple of handshakes would have been nice and taken but a mere 30 seconds.
But no ... we got BUPKUS! And not even anyone to tell us that they weren't coming out. What is that?? INXS, y'all lost brownie points with that one. At least Rob Thomas's guitar player Frank Romano told us right away that Rob was gone so we didn't waste any time hanging around waiting on him (it truly is official that I'm a groupie, isn't it??!! :))
Okay, but back to J.D. Cuz I know y'all have been wondering about my post heading ... don't think you haven't! :)
So here are a couple of photos of J.D. with his microphone stand (trust me on this, you'll see why I mentioned that in a minute! ;)).
These photos would be the Non-Pornographic ones. I did not take pictures of the Pornographic ones ... I was a bit distracted at the time (*ahem*).
But let me try to explain. Imagine the microphone as the woman's head and the base of the stand as the woman's feet and J.D. licking on the stand somewhere south of center (I will not be elaborating further). The man went to town, is all I'm sayin'. For minutes on end. Used his wetted fingers when he felt the need. Uh yeah.
At another time he grabbed the sax guy by his sax strap (which lies around the neck) and pulled him out to center stage and proceeded to spank him.
That, with his interesting undulations, led me to believe that that boy would be a Wild Child in the bedroom. Just sayin'. The phrase "swinging from the chandelier" comes to mind. Only with him I'm fairly certain you'd be tied to it! ;)
(No, I do not know where you can sign up for a piece of the J.D. Action. But when I do, you can get in line behind me! ;) And that boy isn't even on my Lust For list. He just seems like he'd be a hoot. Of course, I also think you'd need to expect to get booted as soon as the errrr .... session?..was finished. I don't see him as the cuddling type! :))
So there you have it. The INXS roundup!
*to AGAIN quote Seinfeld .... "not that there is anything wrong with that".
Life has just been busy. Or more to the point, WORK has been incredibly busy. Just the dangest problems coming up that are cutting into WAY too much of my blogging time! (heh)
So I thought I'd just pop on to say "hi!" and to leave you with a few things for your amusement......
First off for you Shopaholics out there .... check out these sites......
So exactly how much Bad Karma do you have to accumulate to find your car the target of tons of bird doo?
Seriously, click to enlarge that puppy because that's just crazy!
I mean, can you imagine? You go into work one morning with your nice clean shiny car. And walk out to people pointing fingers and laughing!
And it's not like this person parked under a tree or under the eaves of a building where birds may congregate. No, no ... this person was in the middle of the parking lot!
That, my friends, is what you call "Bad Karma"! Look! You can see it actually happened while the car was parked there! See the Poo Droppings which missed the target?
And the cars on either side of this car ... nothing! I'm telling you .... that person DID something and the Karma Gods placed a big ole Bird Doo Target on top of that car! It's the only reason I can figure.
