Packing.. my oh my

This morning I began the daunting task of packing my things into a couple of bags. There's nothing to look forward to in this duty. It will include loss, the spending of money. There are a few things that I'll give away, but for the most part, anything that I've acquired I still want. At beginning of the trip in particular, I bought a wardrobe of great gently used professional attire. Hopefully Pat brings me some extra space in his suitcase.

Yep, Pat is coming tomorrow AM. Still hazy on what exactly we'll find ourselves up to. So far, my ideas include the Getty Museum, Yogurtland, the beach in some way/shape/form, a movie, the Grove, a ballgame, Century City mall, 3rd St Promenade, catch the finale of LOST, a harbor cruise that I tried to go on with Tiff (we missed it).... that's a good start for a 5-day visit, I think. Oh, and I'll have him help me get packed... yay :)


What an eventful weekend. Nadine turned 88 on Sunday, and the family got together at LA Country Club for a Saturday night celebratory dinner. According to Nadine, LA Country Club is classier than the CC she takes me to- Bel Air Country Club. You know, they're all nice. There it is. I dont want to think about how much my meal (chicken tostada salad) and drink alone must have cost. Anyhow, it was a nice time and I know that it meant a lot to Nadine, so mission accomplished! Church was powerful on Sunday, and after spending some time cooking and cleaning around the house I went to Bel Air Country Club with Nadine. We ran into some friends of hers- Marcella and Will- who invited us to dine with them. I had charbroiled pork chops with apple chutney. I've learned not to choose the cheapest item on the menu anymore (you all know how i am, whether I'm the one buying or not) because it draws too much attention. I still try to take it easy, though the prices climb to be pretty steep at these places. Anyhow, Will is 90 and from Boston. We talked quite a bit, or he told me about his Massachusetts experiences and I listened intently. He was there for about 25 years so it was home to him for a long time. Everyone I meet here, or ALMOST everyone I meet here, really likes Boston. (probably because it's the greatest.)


Amazing. I have found a frequency of sound that actually confuses my mind. Not sure that's technically what happens, but whenever I listen to this opening piece to a song by Thom Yorke, my brain feels like it's going to explode and I cant focus. So strange- addictive too.



Can you believe it? I certainly cant- has it really been a week since the last episode of LOST? Time flies I guess. And after this, there's Sunday night's Series Finale, and then that's that. ...meaning, every LOST fan starts watching the show from the beginning with new eyes, with the missing information that we are all still waiting to discover. I've cooled down from last week, after reading other blogs and analyses and at least being able to hash out the valuable parts of the episode. This time around promises to be great. AND it better involve Ben. How long must we wait? Maybe I'm the only one in the world who cares how his story turns out.


It was still a decision, though, to reserve the night for LOST. The Quakes are playing up in Lancaster, about 60 miles away, and wont be home again to Rancho Cucamonga till Friday. Hopefully I can convince Pat to go to a game.
So I made my nearly daily trip to the The Coffee Bean down the street today and once again ran into a guy here who've seen at least twice before, recently. Our meetings remind me of when I met my old friend Shawn Biggs on the commuter rail from Boston to Beverly.... we kept ending up sitting in the immediate vicinity to each other. Well, LA's Shawn is Kevin. I sat across the table from him about a week ago, and he asked me to watch his computer while he was outside talking with a friend (who was wearing a Yankees hat... I HAD to abandon my post for a moment to poke my head outdoors and give the poor guy flack for that- turns out he wasnt really a Yankees fan, was actually from out of the country, and had been harassed several times already for wearing the symbol of the evil empire). Yesterday, the only seat in the house that was open was again across a table from Kevin so I sat there in a comfy chair and once more told him I wouldnt let anyone snag his seat while he went down the street for a few. I got a free chai out of it.... and I've decided that I want to be a professional seat-saver :) Wouldnt mind that for a job. Today he was standing around taking a break from his writing when I walked in. Third time's a charm and we finally formally introduced ourselves. He's a writer, as I mentioned before, and he is currently working on his own memoir. He also showed me the trailer for a short film that he wrote. Too bad I'm only here for another week because when I mentioned that I can do audio editing he said that his editor flaked out on him recently. I told him as I realized it that in coming here I had hoped to meet many more people like him. The way he told it, he's got several creative projects going and is making things happen. I just didnt come across too many proactive dreamers in my time here. I know they're here somewhere, but I've missed out on being inspired by them. When I found creative spirits, they were either lazy, unmotivated, unaccessible/unrelatable, or their flame had burnt out leaving them jaded.


Really, it sounds like Boston has been warmer than LA. This stupid breeze is killing me. So sunny but so chilly. There were no open seats in the cafe so I'm outside with goosebumps.


Just a quick update on the moving process, before I head out for the evening. I have a place to live a block away from the Vineyard in Cambridge (woohoo) and also have a buyer for my car (yessss). This has been perhaps the most simple move ever. Usually around this time something goes wrong, but it really doesnt seem like that'll be the case. I'll be back in Boston on Monday afternoon/evening, and THERE BETTER BE WARM WEATHER LEFT FOR ME!