cars at bob's

On our way home we stopped at Bob's Big Boy to see the weekly parade of old (&some new) cars & motorbikes that collect there. It was really cool but I was so tired & hot, & kinda had an upset stomach, so we thought we'd go in. The wait was 25 minutes so we got some milkshakes to go & went home to floop & watch TV. What a full day!

lacma

We went by LACMA to hear the jazz on friday nights. Turns out it's a big thing now. Tons of people there. Smart ones brought their own seats. We ate some over priced food & drinks & read, wrote & took pictures. The music wasn't really our taste so we headed out. We walked by the tar pits & took more photos. Climed up & down the hill by one of the buildings (Alex rolled down!) :) and went back over the hill.

new camera

After talking to Hugh this morning (& Courtney yesterday) we were inspired to go look at digital SLRs at Sammy's Camera. So, after a stop at the Grove & the Famers Market there to eat lunch, we headed to have a look. There are so many choices & such small differences I don't know how anyone chooses. We looked at camera bags too. Zoe found the coolest little tripod. Then Alex looked at the small "point & shoot" cameras. His died a bit ago & it's been weird, him not having one. It got down to two & he just couldn't choose! Then the wide angle won out & we left with a brand new little camera for him. Yea!

digital fusion

Wow! We just got the coolest tour of a photography lab called Digital Fusion (digitalfusion.net). One of the founders is a friend of my friend Florrie's. We thought it'd be good to have Zoe see what happens after you take the photo. It was amazing. It makes me want to be a profesional photographer. It is inspiring to do something with our travel photos as well. I think we have some amazing photos & we should do something with them. It was just as amazing for me & Alex as it was Zoe, so that's cool. What a great thing to do!

Courtney Barron

Alex and Melis took me to meet a freelance photographer yesterday in Palmdale. We went to his home where he showed us his books and portfolios and so on. He also showed us a couple of things he had done on photoshop which were very impressive as I don't really have experience with it. We saw his camera and a couple of his lenses which are so heavy! He also does painting and collage which are really cool. It was really cool because if we asked a question he would answer it straight, he said it's hard work but with persistence you'll get there and he's got a family as well which is nice to see. The image you get of people in an industry like that is that they live almost a life of solitude and hardship. So yay, it has just made me even more interested to go out and take photos of different subjects and I so need a new camera!
You can check out his website www.cbartworx.com

wicked

We had a girls night out tonight to see Wicked with some friends. Mel, Zoe & I met Jan & Margaret @ the Pantages in Hollywood for the show. I don't feel quite awake enough to write a review but, for me, it was "fine". I don't ever need to see it again & I'm not sure what all the fuss it about. I think I'm a huge fan of the musicals from the 70s & 80s: Hair, Phantom, Les Miz, Annie, Chorus Line... Even Mary Poppins, which is recent. But this play seems in the same ilk as say Rent. It's very "pop"y songs & "stage singing". The whole production seemed very "done". The others, that I like, seem very organic & natural, not "staged", even elaborate ones like Phantom. This is definitely a show for the American Idol audience (which I am not a member of). It's a good thing Alex wasn't there. So not his cup of tea. I thought it was kind of sad that no one but me laughed at the Evita joke or the TickTock reference (a character in the L. Frank Baum OZ books). And they even had a, get this, flash back(!) in the last few minutes in case you are so stupid you didn't remember the beginning of the play. I totally HATE that when they do it in films or TV movies, but a play? Really? Jeez louise. I think I'm cursed by the usual-I've had an amazing life & done & seen amazing things so now things don't measure up to the "best" that I've already seen.

The audience absolutely adored the show. Even when "due to injury" one of the two leads was replaced at the interval (I kind of liked the understudy better). They clapped for the entry of each main actor, and at the end of every number. They ROARED with applause at the end. I'm really glad they liked it. The actors seemed like they were really having a good time. And some of it made me laugh. I'm really glad we went. I'd wanted to see it for a long time. I don't want to diss it too much (too late) because there were some very good things about it, but they don't outweigh the missteps for me.

Afterwards we went to the Arclight cafe (by the cinemas) to eat as they are open late. We had scrumptious food and talked a mile a minute. We had the funniest waiter too. I feel bad for Zoe as the rest of us were talking "shop" about this business but she's a trooper. Yea!

curls

Today was the first day that Zoe wore her hair down & curly since we got out cuts. I think it is soooooooooo tremendously cute! I love it & hope she wears it like this a bunch. =)

Who's that guy?

Well...Buzz Aldrin?!? Alex and I went up to the Griffith observatory for a wander round and to see the sunset yesterday which was really cool. We wandered around the information about the planets asking questions and reading the displays about why poor Pluto is not a planet any more and had a generally fun evening up there. Then this guy was talking to a group of important looking suits so we listened in for a while. It then started to sound like he was talking about landing on the moon so we listened closer and it sounded like he was talking as if he had been there!!! We had to leave to go to the planetarium show though, so on the way out we asked someone who was giving the talk downstairs and he was very defensive and wouldn't tell us for a little while. Eventually though he said 'that's Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon' as if everybody should know this! Then we went into the show and Aldrin was sat in one of the aisle seats so Alex went over and asked him for an autograph and he explained that he didn't do this, but shook his hand though! How cool, I mean that just doesn't happen to normal people at all ever! Then once the show had finished we went and watched the sunset outside and took a ton of photos. We ate lunch/dinner and went to look through the telescope on the roof at Jupiter which was super cool as well. WOW, tonnes fun and weird and don't really know what to say or how to react. My brain stopped functioning several hours and can no longer take any information on board. Weird cool day!

Out of our world

The lunar eclipse on monday night/tuesday morning, what an amazing experience. We went to Mel's all excited but very sleepy. We were setting the telescope up as the top corner of the moon was getting darker. Then looking through the telescope was amazing, watching the colour of the moon change from white to dark grey to a deep burnt orange was incredible. The detail we could see was amazing. Me and Alex stayed up all night watching it cover then uncover, (which took about three hours in total including an hour of the moon being entirely eclipsed). It was one of the most breath taking things I have ever seen. Alex was also telling me all about the stars and the constellations and other galaxies and planets which was incredible. I really need to learn so much more about the whole thing. Then , when we had packed away the telescope and Mel had gone to bed we decided to walk up the hill behind her house to see the sunrise. So at just after 6am we left the hose and walked up the hill with the coyotes howling and the bushes rustling. We watched the sunrise which beautiful as you see it creeping across the mountains. Then we went back to Mel's to get an hours sleep as Tiff had to be up for work. What an amazing adventure, so many firsts in one day! A beautiful memory with amazing people!

beckinbowl

(no one will get that title unless they're Steve Martin/Lilly Tomlin fans) We came back to the Hillywood Bowl tonight. We were all sooooooo tired from last nights adventure and the idea of sitting at home on the couch eating pizza & watching a film seemed mighty tempting, but we made it here! It was a good concert but I think I'm spoiled by the Proms in London. We all fought nodding off and Melis was a bit queasy but the last number was really fun.

lunar funness

Last night we stayed up way late (me till 3amish-everyone else till7amish!) to see the full lunar eclipse. The shadow of the earth started to cover the moon at a almost 2am, took an hour to cover, was covered for an hour & took another hour to uncover. We got out the telescope for the first time in years, which was way fun, & camped out on the back lawn @ Mel's house. I took this photo with my phone camera through the telescope. I hope to post photos we got with real cameras but this will do for now. I'm so glad we were here to see this. Nowhere in Europe or Africa could you see any of it. Maybe the begining on the east coast. It was perfect here. Woo hoo!

LA

No, they are not making a gang sign, they are making the "LA" logo (like om Zoe's new fun hat) with their fingers, but... It's only the right way round to them! :) I could flop the photo but what's the fun in that?

Make some noise...

...for the LA Dodgers! Alex, Tiff and Mel took me to my first ever baseball game tonight between the LA Dodgers and the Washington nationals. It was so much fun and the Dodgers won! Naturally I got a baseball cap and we had Dodger dogs and ice cream. I think I understand the game now too, it's simpler than cricket and the games are shorter. There were just over 46,000 people in the stadium which was pretty cool and everyone was making tunes with their car horns on the way out which was hilarious! Now for the lunar eclipse...

Rats and fish!!!

Well, Ratatouille and sushi to be honest. Me and Alex went to see Ratatouille in the 6 screen amc in Burbank today which was fun. It's such a great film except for the whole running about rats thing, it was a bit creepy when they were all together! It was fun though. And then we went and had Sushi, the first time I have ever had it!!! It was nice but I wasn't to sure about the crab (first time I have tried that too). But the tempoura(?) was super nice and the spicy salmon in rice paper. So, if you havn't tried it yet, do, it's good!

dodger dogs

We're at Dodger Stadium tonight to see the "boys in blue" play the Washington Nationals. I really can't remember the last time we were at a Dodger game. The last baseball game I was at was in NYC... When we lived there!! Go Blue!

sunday bbq

I was having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures at our barbeque!? I got tis one before we left, but there were many cameras around so I know we have it covered. Anyhoo...
Yesterday we had a bbq at the Swanborg house. We thought it would be a fun thing for the english & french contingents to be a part of and the Swanborgs with their perfect bbq house & Eric the amazing griller kindly let us invade their space for the evening. The girls, of course, were overjoyed to have Alex in the house. The best plaything ever! I do miss being so close to the whole S family since we moved. It was a fun night & good food & great company. Thanks all!

oops

Last night my grandmoter (Dad's mom whom I call Omie) took a fall daon some of her stairs at home. Mom got her to the hospital & apparently she fractured her shoulder. Bummer. We went by today to visit her. I guess it hurt quite a lot last night but she's a lot better today. She might get to go home tomorrow. Alex came as well & even Zoe was a trooper to visit & talk with Omie. So we all send her huge hugs & love & wishes for a speedy recovery.xoxoxox

in-n-out

We had guests this morning around 9:40, which is way early for us especially on a sunday. A class mate of Melissa's from the Sacramento years, Julie. I've written about her before when we visited her in Paris & when Melis visited her in New Caledonia. Julie & her daughter, Sophie, husband Laurent & son, Pablo and another childhood friend of ours, Steve, all came by to see our home & have some breakfast. It was so fun to see them all! I wish they could have stayed longer but they are only in town for a couple days & they had to get back in the car so Pablo (1 year old) could take a nap. Such a quick visit but fun. And it gave us an excuse to clean up :)

Mis-match

This is a bit random, but we were in Barnes and Noble this evening after going to Ikea and I found the best brand of socks ever, they are mis matches and they come in sets of three socks. It's so funny because I know people who wear odd socks and now you can buy odd socks on purpose!!! And then I read the fist two of the thirteen and a half lives that captain bluebear is willing to tell us about. (It's a hilarious book by Walter Moers called 'The thirteen and a half lives of captain bluebear', which so far I think everyone should read).

sweet

This is a sweet cartoon.

meatballs

An early dinner/late lunch at Ikea this evening. Yummmmm.

sprinkles

The past couple years the whle cupcake thing has been huge here (see earlier post) and since we were in BH, and we passed it, we had to stop at Sprinkles and pick some up. We waited in line for about half an hour (!) and got our cupcakes & some milk & sat outside eating yummy yummy cakes! Mmmmmmm.

window shopping

After our hair, we went walking around Beverly Hills. We saw lot of fun stuff, and lots of just weird crap, in the windows. We wandered through Tiffany & Co and saw all the sparkly rings & necklaces. We walked down Rodeo Drive and saw the "Pretty Woman" hotel. We had lunch in this really cool Venesuelan place. I have to go back there. What a fun time! :)

shave and a...

Haircut. Two bits! :) We went to Beverly Hills today to get hair cuts. I'd been thinking about getting my hair shorter so I thought we could both go. It was way fun! I got my hair way short. Eek! I haven't had it this short since right after the wedding. It's weird. Zoe got hers trimmed as well. It looks so fun shorter & straight. I can't wait to see the cut after she washes it next. Scott (the hair dresser) is a totally crazy guy. He's got a mouth like a sailor but has funny stories. When he would swear or talk "lewdly" he would say "earmuffs!" so Zoe could put her hands over her ears. :) I think my head is in shock & it might take a couple days to get used to the whole thing. We'll see.

Hairsparay

No, not the film, it was funny but poor and I never need to see it again! Today Tiff had the day off work so we went into Beverly Hills, where we both got new hair cuts. The guy who did it (Scott) was hilarious! My hair is now the shortest I have had it in like 10 years, if not more. I really like it though, a fun experience which I feel must be repeated. We went for lunch at a really cool place where we shared a crepe and burger with chips, a very natural mix! Then we wondered down Rodeo Drive (of course) and went to Sprinkles for cupcakes and chocolate milk which was so good, we had to stand in line for like 30 minutes which was funny. We found a shop that sold the nail polish that Bliss used, so I got the two nail varnishes that I had which i'm excited about. We tried to find the hair products that Scott used but we couldn't remember what they were so we asked him and bought them on the way back to the car. Yay a super fun day, and Alex just walked in the door!!!

Pirates and Pancakes

Yesterday was an amzing birthday, beginning with cake at midnight, then going to Bob's for strawberry pancakes, watching Alex's new Dave Matthews DVD. Then Pirates, what more do you need to say? We took the pirate oath so now are official and me and Alex both got chosen to do things in the show. He was a stevador and I was a treasure hunter. Standing up at the beginning was funny with the birthday song and the cake was super cool. Then going to coffee bean and sitting on a wall eating pirate cake wearing bandanas, how much cooler can you be. I also wanna say thank you so much to Alex, Tiff and Melissa for making it such a great birthday and for the present, its awesome. I am having the best time ever!!!

curbside cake

Since we were all full after the Pirate dinner, we didn't eat the cake there. They even gave it to Zoe with plates, forks & napkins. so, on the way home we stopped at a Coffee Bean to eat it, & get some drinks. But they closed right after we walked in! Nevermind, we thought. We'll sit outside. Before our drinks even came they had packed up all the chairs! Ugh. But, never fear! There was a wall! So we sat on it and Zoe cut her cake & we all ate it. Yum! Where better to eat cake, eh?

All in all (except me going to work) this was a pretty kick ass day all round.
Happy Birthday Zoester! Yea!

pirates!!!

For Zoe's birthday we headed south again and ended up at the "Pirates dinner adventure". It's by the same grouip that does the Medievil Times show we went to a couple weeks ago. But this one is smaller & has the coolest set ever. This one has singing! It was a different kind of show but we still had to (got to) cheer for our Blue Pirate who, by the way, won the girl & defeated the black pirate! Yea! We got head bandanas, mardi-gras beads, a flag and... A birthday cake! They even mentioned Zoe's name & she & the other birthdays all stood up at the start of the show.

So much fun! Melis & I took (literally) hundreds of pictures & movies, so we can share later. Woo hoo! Pirates kick but!

apreciation

The management for all the office building had a tennant appreciation day today. It was 50s/60s themed so they were palying American Graffitti and "Grease" music with 45s on the tables & pink poodles & dice balls. And free sundaes for all of us. The DJ & the "performers" were pretty funny. I so wouldn't want their jobs. We thought it was a nice gesture, but I think we'd prefer if they could just sort out our office space correctly. :)

Celebrations at midnight

Well the cake is fantastic and the remains are sitting in the fridge waiting to be eaten, it was so fun having cake at like 12.30am, and a helium balloon causing hours of fun for all. Looking forward to today, thank you for the cake and the balloon Alex and Tiff its so cool, and thank you to everyone sending me messages, its so fun!!! Yay, I can drive (when I get home at least)!

17 today!!!

Today (since it's after midnight) is Zoe's 17th birthday. Yea! We had some cake, candles & baloons. Happy Birthday kiddo. We're so glad you are sharing it with us. :)

the bowl

Tonight we're at the Hollywood Bowl to see Dave Brubeck. Also playing are Maeleine Peyroux and the Bruce Hornsby treo. We brought dinner and rented cushions and we are good to go!

half way

Zoe's visit is now more than half over! That's such a bummer. I can't believe how time flies. I hope she's having fun. I know I am :) We've done so much! Were all so tired but there's more to do! :) How much can we cram in in the next 11.5 days? Tonight... The Hollywood Bowl.

saturday matine

On saturday we all had a lay-in but then decided to head off to the cinema. There was much discussion about wether to go get my car from Melis (it has more than 2 seats) or have her bring it to us or what. Finally we just left so we could fit in two movies.
We went to Pasadena & the Paseo & saw the Simpsons (full reviews to come). What a fun film. Very funny! Then we were going to leave but we stopped at the shoe store & stayed for a looooong time. Zoe bought a pair of shoes, I bought a computer bag & clutch purst & Alex, two pair of shoes. So, by the time we were leaving, we couldn't make it to the other cinema! We headed back up and saw Stardust. What a totally fun film! Go see it! Now! We had dinner at our favorite Indian Place and went home so sleep quickly before getting up early sunday.

bliss

I totally forgot to take picture (!) but Zoe & I went to Bliss Spa today, which is in the very hip W Hotel. We both got manicures & pedicures and it was pretty blissful. Do I have to go back to work tomorrow? :)
Then we wandered around Westwood for a while, ate lunch & window shopped. We drove out through UCLA & then west through Bel Aire, & West Hollywood. We drove up through the Laurel Canyon hills & went to see my childhood home. That was fun. Man, do I miss that view. They have paved the dirt road that leads to it and put up a railing which is totally amazing, so we drove down. That was a fun detour. We went home & collapsed in a heap on the couch until Alex got home & did the same. An early night for these weary sould. It's hard work having so much fun!

Mustang Sally

So... yesterday with the mustang was like the most fun ever. We went to the car rental place at like 9.30 and I was thinking 'what are we doing here?', we went into the office and Alex filled in paperwork and then the woman behind the desk said 'so you wanted a convertible mustang then?'. My face from then on had the largest grin you have ever seen on it! We got a black one which is so fun and drove to Portos to get breakfast and then off we went to Santa Barbra listening to Mustang Sally as we drove down the freeway! SO cheesy but it has to be done. We had a fun day and drove home with the hood down (what's the point in a convertible if the roof is up?) wrapped in blankets and coats with the rock stations on the radio blasting out. We had to take the Mustang back though which was really gutting, but what an awesome experience!!!!! Thank you so much!

mmmm, pizza

After a long walk on the beach & after the sun had gone down it got cold!! we bundled on our new purchases from the day (scarves & jackets) and waled the long way back to the car. We had planned to take the trolly back but it turns out the town rolls up it's sidewalks at 6pm. man our feet hurt. Then we went back to the beach anf found the pizza place, and it was open! Yea! So what we needed. Then headed off home.

sunset

The sunset was amazing tonight. It wasn't over the water but from the pier it was beautiful.

music!

At the wine bar, where we got our hot chocolates, there is a little patio to sit on and there's a girl that just started singing. She's so cute cause she's so nervous. She's talking a lot and just being goofy & flustered but she's pretty good. (linda dam)

sitting break

We finally made it to the water! We're on the pier and we got some hot chocolates and are sitting down. Phew. Next we might actually go to the sand.

lunch!

Starving we stopped at Fatburger for lunch. Yummy. The fries are awesome. Now, off to the beach...

peace store

Pause for the Pease shop.

museum of art

We saw the museum & went in. Fun asian art & some photography. Some modern "art" too, but whatever. The shop was way cool as well.

Up the coast

We're going up the coast today to Santa Barbara and we thought, "who want's to go in a big 'ole suv?". So we decided to rent a Mustang convertable! It's so very fun. Black. Sporty. It makes me miss my Mustang that I bought 20 years ago this summer! Eek! I had it for 10 years and it kicked ass. So, we all put some sun screen on and are headed North. :)

First blog!

(NOTE FROM TIFF: I've made it so Zoe can post some entries whilst she's here as she doesn't have her own blog & I want to get some fun stuff from her. Yea! Thanks Zoe.) (p.s. her posts will be in blue)

Yay! I'm here (well I've been here almost a week now as you will know from Tiff). I have done so many fun things, been to Bob's for pancakes, Islands, Sony studios, hear music, the movies to see no reservations and the Bourne Ultimatum, the academy to see 'Bugsy' last night, City walk at universal (including lunch at the Hard Rock cafe), and Barnes and Noble three times, I love it so much. I am having the best time, we went to Panda express (a Chinese place) to get food this evening and we had to wait like 5 minutes for it so they gave us a free drink! I love america, and I'm going to the beach tomorrow with Alex which will be fun.
Yay :-)
(The grin on that face doesn't even come close)!

guilty

I feel totally guilty today. Yesterday Melis took Zoe with her & Dylan to do errands that Dylan has to do before he leaves town. Which is fine I guess, but who really needs to go to LA to go to a drug store? But they did go to Universal Citywalk & go to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch so that’s good. But today we’ve left Zoe at home. Next week I think Alex & I will take her to work with us, but I left her with the instructions for the TiVo & the DVD player. I actually think it’s not horrible because she is on holiday. The best time to do “nothing”. And we have been doing a lot these past few days. I’d like to stay home & do nothing! But I still feel guilty.

attitude

I wonder what has to happen to someone when they are young to grow up with a huge need to prove to everyone, all the time, how great you are? That you are telling everyone what to do, even though they are thinking for themselves. To use the biggest words possible to describe things instead of the more used simple version (imagine saying “so I was driving the Porsche 911 today”, instead of “I was in my car”). To stand like you are superior to everyone. To act like you are the most compassionate & giving person when really you use a passive aggressive, subtle way of being very condescending & superior. Act like you are totally hip when it feels so forced it’s not believable for a second. To talk about your sex life all the time, so again, it feels like the “thou doth protest too much” way. When you are having a conversation to just wait for the other person to stop talking so you can go on with your words instead of listening to what they’ve said.

It’s just really exhausting to be around and is just annoying. What these people don’t know it that everyone else knows this type isn’t better than everyone else and the more they try to prove they are, the more they prove that they aren’t.

bourne again sunday

We watched a marathon of all 3 Jason Bourne movies yesterday. Fun but tiring. I hope to write some opinions soon (but knowing me, don't count on it).

----------------Update- I did actually get something written!-----------------
We wanted to see the new “Bourne” movie this weekend but Melissa & Zoe hadn’t seen the first two. So, this morning Alex & Zoe went out to get some breakfast from Portos & rent the first two. This proved to be harder than imagined but they did it (buying the first one). Mom, Dylan & Mel came over & we all ate breakfast and started the show with The Bourne Identity.

When that was over we watched some extras & took a break to get some lunch. After eating we began the next one “The Bourne Supremacy”. When it was done we had a few minutes to get ourselves together & get to the cinema.

We wanted it to be a big experience so we went to the Arclight & saw “The Bourne Ultimatum” in the dome. We went to In-n-Out on the way home and flooped in bed exhausted from all the chases we’d been thorough. =)

Now, some thoughts on the films:
Identity is such a great film. I love that you find out information as he does. His subtle expressions as he figures out what he can do. The car chase is great, as is his relationship with the girl. Seeing the other agents like him is also interesting. But what I love most is how smart it is. They treat the audience like we have a brain & the subtle throw away lines are interesting. They let you figure out things without spelling them out. If you keep up, you get it, if not, you don’t. It’s such a relief. The whole film keeps you engaged & connected at all times.
On the DVD there is an (in their words) “explosive new beginning & ending”. But it also says all over that the extended version was done “without the participation of the director”. Right there I was a flag. But I’d heard the director had been hard to work with so maybe they just didn’t want to fight with him more or had a better version. We watched it. OMG! It so sucked! It wasn’t explosive that’s for sure. It was very calm & tame. It didn’t start with a bang. And the end took everything away from the theatrical end (which was perfect). Not to mention that if you have those additions it makes it not work with the next film. So lame. I am so disappointed in the producers.

Supremacy: Was not a great film. So not as good as the first one. I’m sure it hurt it because we watched it right after the first one but it’s just done totally differently. It’s a different director and it shows in every way. The script isn’t as good, the story, the camera work, the editing, everything. The camera work is the worst. It’s the same DP as the first so you know it’s all the director’s fault. It’s that stupid shaky cam everyone thinks is a good idea (but it’s not) but even worse, it had zooms in the middle of shots. This just looks amateurish & totally takes you out of the movie. Instead of being in the action & involved, it makes you remember that you are just watching from outside. And they treat you like executives think they need to treat american audiences, like we’re stupid, in the “let’s spell everything out because they’ll never get it because I don’t cause I’m an idiot” way. A bummer for sure.

Ultimatum: First of all, I never need to go to the dome screen again. It was a digital projection, which is horrible (but that’s a whole other discussion) and the screen is curved, so the edges are deformed. So, now we know.
As far as the film... see the review above. It was just about exactly the same as the second film. Same director & same style. Sometimes worse, sometimes better. There is a chase in Morocco which is really well done, but too long! And the scooter chase/scene is good. But the big car chase at the end is horrible. Firstly it’s interminable but also it’s that horrible camera work & it’s all so close that you have no idea where anyone is in relation to anyone or anything else. It’s so crazy that you just check out. I found my mind totally wandered and I had to remind myself to watch the movie. They also say things that are so stupid and obvious, things these CIA agent would never say, just to tell the audience something (that we’ve already figured out). They also use techniques that I consider “lazy film making”, giving you info through the TV or radio. Lame flash-backs. Stuff like that. Plus they cast an actor that looks remarkably close to a character that was in the first two but died in the second one. It makes people think that he’s back. How hard would it have been to cast someone else? All in all I think it was better than the second one but I would recommend just watching the (theatrical version of the) firs tone and stop there. Don’t even see the others.

bye

Merv Griffin died today. I know a lot of people might not care but he is a big childhood memory for me. I watched The Merv Griffin Show a lot and Jeopardy & Wheel of Forturne and so much that he created. It's just a bit sad.

You can read his obit HERE

dinner and a show!

For Dylan's birthay (which is next month, but he won't still be here) we all trooped down south to the "O.C." to go to Medievil Times "dinner & tournement". I really thought I would make it through life never having been to it, but here we are. It was actually fun in the end. I'll have to write more later (when I'm not writing on my treo palm) but once you're in there you have a knight to root for, so that's cool. And you're fed a meal to eat with your hands. We figure, if nothing else, we could show Zoe a cliche american entertainment event.

3rd street

After visiting Alex today, we came down to Santa Monica and the 3rd Street Promenade. It's a street that is all pedestrian walkway for a few blocks with shops, restaurants, movie cinemas & stuff with street performers and artists. One of Alex's favorite music stores is here, Hear Music. They have an amazing collection of eclectic, world, jazz & random music. You can scan the cd & listen to the tracks. You can also add a song to your "list" (kept on a card) and buy all those sangs as a cd. So very cool. This is what Zoe is doing in the pic. I want to hear what she's picked :)

past peak

The cupcake trend has been pretty big in NYC & LA for the last couple years but you know it has "jumped the shark" when there is a cupcake place in the mall food court. It is the Santa Monica mall, but still...

on the lot

Zoe & @ went to have lunch with Alex today at his office which is on the Sony lot. After we ate we went to the Sony store & wandered around the lot peeking into the sets. We saw a couple that we think are for Indy 4, maybe. We went to the set they are building for the show Alex is on (the pic is him showing Zoe the blueprints). They are building two levels of a house, next to each other. It's such a lot of work it's amazing. Near A's office we saw a caveman from the new tv show with the Geico camemen, so that was cool. I miss being on a lot. I want to make "real" movies again.

robbie jensen

Tonight we went to a play reading that my friend wrote & acted in & he had Alex direct him. They've been working on it together for a few weeks now. It is still in reading stage so Tony was looking at his script most of the time but he was still acting out a lot of the one man show. Very fun & my family came along. I can't wait to see the further along version in a couple months.

late start

We finally got out of the house and made it to Bob's Big Boy for brunch. I know, pancakes probably aren't the heathiest of foods, but it's so american & sooooo yummy!

1st meal

Zoe is here!!! Alex picked her up & got home safely. I got home a while later & we went to eat at Islands. Very "American", doncha think? Then we came home and we're all so tired sleep was formost oneveryone's mind. (I stayed up a bit & worked on a project but then just couldn't keep my eyes open). Now... What to do next?

house guest

Alex should right now be at the airport picking up cousin Zoe who is coming to visit for a few weeks. We are so excited! We're a bit bummed as we didn't think both of us would be working when she was here, but oh well. We'll have a ton of fun. We don't really have a plan yet, we're mostly going to be winging it, so that will be fun too. What to do in LA with a 16 year old? Man, I can't even remember that far back. :) I'm sure the posts will be coming soon to let you know what we figured out. Woohoo!

too short

Our friends from London were just in town for a couple days. On tuesday we headed their way & met at their hotel in Westwood & waled to a restaurant. The poor waiter (who had kind of an attitude actually) had to wait forever for us to order as we were all talking so much, catching up after too long. Another friend of theirs was there too so even more stories. That was so fun! We love hangingout with them.

Last night they came to our place and we got some take out. That was fun & casual. Hanging out with them is one of the things we miss most about London. they always make us smile. We feel like we all think along the same lines in most things and just feels good to hang with them.

I hope they move closer soon. This 2 days every year or so is lame.