1.) AUGUST 2005. Monday night. i tried to catch the eisley show at the troubadour on the edge of doheny/santamonica. no such luck. the line wrapped around the corner. all i got out of it was a lousy t-shirt. i saw the band members outside that was all. there were dozens of people turned away. on the way back i stopped by the formosa bar. old hollywood pictures marilyn monroe, edward robinson, sinatra all these candid shots cover the formosa walls. this joint is across the street from the old warner lot. the place was dead though. i wouldn't be surprised if it goes the way of the derby, bulldozered and turned into a cluster of condos. That's what happened to the old gershwin house in beverly hills. preservationists want to hang on to these historic buildings. i don't know how i feel about it. these old bars and restaurants need to be renovated. it's a town of ghosts. the new generations they don't give a crap about the formosa bar.

2.) Oh Lord i had bad dreams this morning. maybe it was because i slept right on through the 9:00 church service. the dream: it was early afternoon in the classroom and my kids were gnashing their teeth while tearing the room apart like wolves. As glorious fortune would have it, my supervisor walks in with a clipboard shaking her head and filling out my pink slip. i wake up and it's already 11:15am- i never sleep in that late. waking up at 9am is the best on a sunday. 8:30am would be the most ideal. 8 feels too much like a school day (despite the fact that i'm up by 6:30 on weekdays).

last night i was up late with a friend of mine i met at a sandwich and coffee shop. She brought me to this thai restaurant off the corner of Sunset/ Fountain in Silverlake. Thai karaoke was blaring and i was the only moron there who couldn't speak Thai. it was her friend's birthday and so it was that a small group gathered around a row of square tables. I still had a good time and enjoyed some excellent thai eatins- raw shrimp, fried tofu, bbqed pork with the crispy skin and ice cream cake. i was buzzin nice off just one Thai beer and music is music- language doesnt matter. if i were to make gross generalization just based on last night's experience, i would say that the Thai people are a generous fun-loving bunch with great taste in fashion and cuisine. i was accepted as family and i don't even speak a lick of Thai nor did i know Marissa's friends whatsoever.

3.) Ever since coming to LA i've made efforts to branch out and try everything. this evening i invited my roommate out to eat but he already had a dinner date scheduled. i went out on my own towards the miracle mile district by the la county museum of art, thinking there to be a wednesday night event. alas, the egg was on my face. it was as dead as a doorstop. dead as the wooly mammoth sinking in that tar pit in la brea. Dejected i drove up the other end of la brea and decided it was time to try the world famous Pink's chili cheese dogs. What a line this Pink's had. i never waited an hour for a friggin hot dog in my life. But when in Rome right? my feet were sore after the first 1/2 hour of standing. it was like waiting for a baby to come out of the oven. to add insult to injury the hebrew national dogs at costco taste better than these famous dogs so-called.

This is what we call growing pains- when a newbie comes to a new place and goes through some hard knocks before settling in. as promised, i did get my jollies in Irvine many weeks ago. Chris brought me to this amazing Vietnamese restaurant where we sank our teeth into freshly made imperial rolls. afterwards he brought me to huntington beach and invited me to a farewell party for a friend of his. in northridge anthony, victor and i drove around for several hours before deciding to watch jessica alba strut her stuff in the fantastic four. what a movie! On another weekend Alfredo took me to white castle golf and games where i suspect they shot scenes for the karate kid, featuring the timeless elizabeth shue. yes it's not just all business here in hollywoodland. there are fun things to do and bars to frequent.