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Working In SoCal: Day 11 -- Stuff I Like About SoCal

With each passing 11-12 hour work day, I am having less and less success in finding – or more accurately wanting to find – fun things to do. So, for today's posting, I will list the things that I like about sunny southern California. Stayed tuned for a future posting about what I don't like about SoCal.

• Energy – There is a palpable energy here that I find only in places like New York City and Las Vegas. Even in the craphole OC, you can feel the energy.
  
• Mountains – I love mountains. I love being able to look out and see mountains instead of water towers on the horizon. Even though they aren't beautiful snowcapped mountains, they are still comforting to me.
  
• Donuts and Hamburgers – For a place known for frisée salad and passion fruit iced tea, it is lousy with donut and hamburger joints. There's not a single strip mall lacking a donut and hamburger place claiming to have the best of each in all of SoCal. On top of that, there are a ton of fast food chains here. So much for the healthy LA diet.
  
• Morning Drive with my Leader – Even though my commute from the hotel to my work site is only 10 minutes long, it's nice to catch Adam Carolla in his non-podcasted form. Although the rest of the day on his station is virtually unlistenable. On a similar not, I finally got to watch one of Carolla's favorite targets – Huell Howser.
  
• Booze Everywhere – When I went to see the Stars play the Ducks at the Honda Center I was surprised and delighted to see that you could get mixed drinks throughout the barn, not just in their "Platinum" areas. In fact Californians are not confused and tormented by vague and confusing alcohol laws like we have in Texas. They just don't have the situation where you can't buy beer at this 7-11 but you can at the one two blocks away in the same goddamn town. Also, the laws here don't suppress the microbrew industry as they do in Texas. And thus we get masterpieces like Stone's Vertical Epic 08.08.08.
  

Working In SoCal: Day 10: Best Beer Ever

While in SoCal, I figured I should try to work my way through the beer cool of my nearby Whole Foods. Well, I may have stumbled upon the greatest beer ever -- Stone Vertical Epic.

This is a finely balanced combination of my two favorite kinds of beer, belgian ale and hoppy American northwest ale. In fact, this beer starts out with a delcious taste of Belgian trippel. As good as any Maredsous 10 at Gezelig. And then this wave of northwestern pacific piney hops comes through, but never overpowers.

Go now and get one if you can!

Unfortunately, it appears to be unavailable in Texas.

I will drink one every night until I leave.

Working In SoCal: Day 9

Back to the grind.

Nothing much to report today. I had a fairly average dinner at the hotel. I had been wanting to check it out. There's no need to go back.

The camera arrived today. So pictures should finally be showing up on the blog.

Working In SoCal: Day 8

Finally a day off.

And what better way to enjoy a day off than to sleep in -- sweet, glorious sleep.

But the day was not just spent lounging about. Today was the day to perform my California ritual, drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. I started in Newport Beach, home of Balboa Island and the setting for the banana stand of Arrested Development fame. I ended up in Oxnard.

I wish my camera would have arrived earlier so I could have taken pictures. But, again, all I have are memories.

By the way, I've come to the conclusion that southern California only becomes tolerable north of Malibu. There's just too many people. And who needs that?

Working In SoCal: Day 7 -- Van Morrison Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Amazing!

What else can I say about a night in which I got to see one of the world's greatest musical geniuses in one of the world's finest musical venues.

Amazing!

But first I must ask, "How the fuck do people live here?". On a Saturday evening on I5 from Anaheim to Hollywood, traffic was crawling almost the entire way at about 20mph. A trip that is just a little further than Dallas to Ft. Worth took 2 hours. No one should live like this.

But on to more civilized activities.

There really isn't much I can say about this concert since most of the time I was in awe of where I was and what I was see/hearing. So, I'll just say it was great. I may have even mentioned that it was amazing. And this was truly a life experience -- causing several items to be checked off my bucket list. The sound was perfect, as was the weather. I only wish I could have gotten there earlier or at a time of year where I could really soak in the surroundings.

For those interested, here's the set list from LA Weekly:

1. Wavelength
2. Saint Dominic's Preview
3. And the Healing Has Begun
4. All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About
5. Troubadours
6. Angelou
7. Moondance
8. Brown Eyed Girl
9. Gloria

break

Astral Weeks
10. Astral Weeks
11. Beside You
12. Slim Slow Slider
13. Sweet Thing
14. The Way Young Lovers Do
15. Cyprus Avenue
16. Ballerina
17. Madame George

encore
18. Listen to the Lion

This was from the night before and I don't recall him playing Moondance. But I showed up a little late and he may have played it earlier.

But my evening did not end with Listen to the Lion. Rather than fight my way through post concert traffic, and since I was in Hollywood, I decided to head down to Hollywood Blvd and check out the scene. I had just watched Confessions of a Superhero, (a documentary about these people who dress up like superheros and hang out on Hollywood Blvd. so tourists can take pictures of them for tips) so I wanted to gawk at the freaks.

So I walked down Highland toward Hollywood and was delighted to see the El Capitan theater where my leader's lover, Jimmy Kimmel, tapes his talk show. This is near Grauman's Chinese Theater and, indeed, I did some some a superhero and a couple of Jack Sparrows.

As I started walking down the boulevard, I started to notice a increase in police presence At first I figured some super celebrity function must be letting out. But this was not the case. More cops arrived and then it became obvious what was happening.

I looked across the street and there was a throng of sign carrying, rainbow flag waving protestors. All of a sudden I was in the middle of a pro gay marriage rally.

More and more cops showed up in full riot gear forbidding anyone from crossing either Hollywood or Highland. Although I first question the police wearing the riot gear, I did have to admit, as would anyone who has ever been slapped with a feather boa, it smarts.

After wandering about for a hour or so, passing by Musso and Frank's by the way, I decided to leave. Unlike most of the people "enjoying" the protest, I was without a camera. So I have nothing but my memories to chronicle the experience.

So, despite the traffic and missing the first song or two of the concert, Saturday night was a huge success. I recommend it entirely if anyone ever has a similar oppurtunity.

My Heart Is In Your Hands

Should I try this while I'm out here?



The Where-Is-Your-God-Now? Burger from MAKE MOVIES on Vimeo.

I would, of course, go with the Double Meat instead of the Double Double.

McCain's First Choice??

Ukrainian Prime Minister and Princess Leia devotee Yulia Tymoshenko.

Working In SoCal: Day 6 -- Stars/Ducks

For the first time in my Dallas Stars fandom, I watched a hockey match played on enemy ice.

As luck would have it, the Stars are making a west coast swing and they started it Friday night at The Anaheim Duck's Honda Center. And, so as not to bury the lede, the Stars won 5-2 with new Right Winger Mark Parish making his debut with a hat trick.

So what was it like watching a game in a foreign port? In a word, lonely. There was no one to high-5 after each of the many Dallas' scores. I did see a handful of Stars sweaters, tho.

The Honda Center itself had not much to distinguish itself. I did manage to spend $9 for a 16oz cup of beer. Usually at those prices a pair of naked breasts would be shaken in front of me. But that's what I get for ordering an "import" like Blue Moon. On top of that, the hot dog I got tasted more like vienna sausage than hot dog. On both counts, the AAC wins.

Where the AAC loses, however, is number of douchenozzles wearing ski hats and flat billed hats. And this requires two separate rants.

No one of any intelligence has ever worn a flat billed hat. That's a fact and try to disprove it. And I think it is to Dallas' credit that I don't see them nearly as much there as I do on both coasts. And I know I sound like Grampa Wally when I ask why anyone would want to look like an idiot wearing them. Stop looking stupid.

But what confused me even more was the ski caps. It was 90 today in So Cal. So why the ski caps??? Are we so dedicated to our look that we must wear them no matter the temperature? I know the hot guy in the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog looked sooooooper cooooooool wearing them. But he was outside a chalet, not walking to a hockey game in a desert.

But this just goes to prove how stupid the crowd was. Late in the game, with the Stars up 4-1, the Ducks score a power play goal. To which the crowd begins chanting "Tuuuuuuuurckooooooooo".

Hey!!! Assclowns!!! Your goalie was pulled after 24 minutes. Maybe taunting the oppostion goalie isn't the smartest move.

Walkabout 2008: Day 5

After filling up on beef and booze last night, and going to see Stars/Ducks and Van Morrison the next two nights, this was a stay-in night.

Sorry. Nothing exciting today.

Well, we only worked from 7-6 today. Woo hoo!!!