Another Gary Coleman story

Bear with me while I rehash my Gary Coleman story. One summer I was subleting an apartment in Westwood with my brother and a couple crazy friends...Tuan and Peter. We were close to broke, so we cut corners for fun. You know, sneak into movie premieres, sneak into the UCLA dorms for free cafeteria food, sneak into the underground utility tunnels.

On the 4th of July Peter and I finished a fine tray dinner in the dorms and saw a crowd of international students lined up by a charter bus. With nothing to lose we joined the line and found seats in the back. The bus rolled away and students launched into drinking songs...our new German friends in the back would hit their "In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus, Eins, Zwei, g'suffa!" and the French up front would counter with their "Oui oui oui, non non non!" I claimed Mexico, Peter said he was from South Korea, and the Europeans were cool with that.

Well we ended up at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey, and I was surprised to see that Gary Coleman had a little video game arcade there. He'd walk up to folks and yell out, "I challenge you!" and he'd pay for a little push-button showdown. In those pre-Internet days I worked on a 'zine called Farsh Has Fun, and I had written an article reminiscing about Diff'rent Strokes. Everywhere I went I wore a backpack with a stash of Farsh Has Fun magazines, so naturally I had to pass a copy on to the star. Funny...he accepted it and tossed it into a toolbox.

I still wonder if he ever read it, and as we remember Gary Coleman today I think back to Germans, French, and fireworks. Sorry I interrupted your game, Mr. Coleman.

Really trying to succed

Sometimes I do wish I had good business sense. Well, I suppose some people have that entrepreneurial drive, while I should be satisfied with my little role in the local government world.

Hopefully tomorrow's "very important meeting" about my employer's budget woes doesn't hit home too hard. Best case scenario...the coffee fund gets slashed! That's a sure way to cut my caffeine dependency...

Finally on Lost

I've loved watching Lost over the years, and I'm looking forward to watching tonight's end-all episode. But...I can't wait for Season 7...the flash-normal season, when Tuesday nights will be free again!

smacked to be pardoned

I've heard the word 'selfish' so many times this week that it's become an itch on my back. You see, I've decided (in my usual impulsive way) that I'll drive across country on my own for a few weeks hitting mostly the southern states. Well meaning friends and family members have criticized me for being a callous wife for leaving Baddicus (he couldn't get away from work), and they portend fantastic visions of me getting beat up, raped, burned by the KKK, carjacked, and mangled.

All this because two weeks ago I bought a Droid which replaced my very ancient flip phone. Once I mastered the phone and boosted my ego, I went on to purchase a GPS. Thus began the problems. Personally, I want to travel solo because I want to prove to myself that I can - which is selfish in itself. I want to see authors' homes, Civil War sites, architectural wonders, Ali's home in KY and so forth. Very selfish indeed.

Today, I tested out my GPS and set the course to the George S. Patton Museum near Indio. I also made a stop at Shields Date Garden where I bought some khardrawi dates and looked at their famous sign, "Romance and Sex Life of the Date."

Sorry everyone...

And so I admit my terrible ways. I'm sorry to everyone involved...especially Bad who's never been anything but supportive. I'm even more sorry that I am still leaving on June 12th despite everyone's objections.

Colonel Griffith J. Griffith Park - Privatized!

Griffith Observatory was closed to the public on Saturday for a donor party celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Did it have to be on a Saturday? The whole day?

Swear to...best taco truck in the world

Hermanas Torres, the sisters that make taco truck cuisine so exquisitely that no gourmet chef can touch them, is as of yet under the radar screen of DT and Silver Lake hipsters. Good thing too because once they start sniffing around, the cops come.

HT, or Hermenez, as a friend of ours call them, can be found on First and Breed in Boyle Heights after 4pm...but you should keep that a secret. They start business when the muffler shop whose lot they rent closes up and stay open until midnight or so. Just eat your deep fried quesadillas slathered with homemade guacamole and salsa and splurge. They also got the usual meat fare which I'm sure kick ass. Btw, they make their own tortillas that are to murder for. It's a family affair so don't get weirded out when you see a 10 year-old taking your order.

Give them some business, but don't cop them out or I'll get you.

wanna be the color of puffy white clouds

A friend of an acquaintance of mine took me aside and said, "You have pretty light skin, but you can have whiter skin like I do." How fckng weird was that? This little Asian vampire starts talking to me about this chemo therapy that lightens up the skin in no time via drip or injection. Apparently shit like this is quite popular in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, etc. Even the Middle East is getting in on it.

I looked it up when I got home of course so I could write about the Michael Jacksonified method used by many of my people. The key ingredient in skin whitening drips is glutathione, a strong antioxidant for treating cancer and AIDS patients. Another ingredient is tranexamic acid which could lead to kidney/liver failure. Ah, the price of beauty. Apparently a nurse or an "almost" nurse can administer the pretty poison no questions asked. Some even buy an entire kit overseas so they can inject their bodies until they're the color of maggots.

There you go. If this fad catches on, the entire country could be white. Racism will cease and world peace will prevail. Hallelujia!

This is a test

I'm old enough to remember the Cold War. Although I'm too young to have lived through drop-and-cover nuclear attack drills at school...we only practiced for earthquakes...I do remember the occasional test blare of civil defense sirens.

Those things could wail. If anyone reading this is familiar with San Jose, I went to Sylvandale Jr. High, and the nearest siren tower was near the corner of Capitol and Senter...about a half-mile away. No ducking or covering followed...only teachers pointing out the obvious. "There they go again!"

I'm certain most cities have yanked out their sirens, but they're still hanging on in Los Angeles. In fact, one still lingers in front of City Hall. Why haven't they been removed? Indifference? Cheaper to just keep them rusting? Saving them for the next menace?

Bringing back Broadway's back

May Day in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday...