10.15.98

    What an amazing couple of days it has been. Nothing really phenomenal has actually happened. I haven't landed my dream job making 100k a year or moved to a different country but I've been happy. Happy! I have been happy in spite of all the crap that's been handed my way and I've revelled in it.

    My good buddy from college, Chelsea, popped in on business and we had the best time together. She called from the airport on Tuesday and I went and picked her up. The last three days have been a comedy of errors for her but I think she was glad to have somebody there for her. Her bag didn't arrive until this morning, the day she left L.A., and so she had to deal with the clothes that she was wearing. I gave her a few T-shirts and she rotated them with her blazer and jeans. She bought me dinner the first night. Dinner for she and I and T, actually. I am so broke that I'm glad she had the luxury of doing that. I am so broke that I'd be no fun to see the town with.

    We had breakfast on Wednesday at her hotel, The Beverly Hills Renaissance. Très chi-chi, no? We were served by Jacques the snobby yet attentive waiter. Can I just tell you how nice it is to talk with a friend? To hang out with a person I have history with, face-to-face, was so... renewing. I am starting to meet some really interesting and wonderful people here but nothing beats an old friend.

    I dropped her off at her event and then headed home to do some freelance site editing and other such obligations. I got a call from the girl that I got the temp work from and she wanted me to meet with her bosses who work with contractors to do websites. The interview went really well and they are going to throw a small project my way next week.

    When I say the interview went really well, I mean really well. These guys were personable, charming, enthusiastic, interested in what I had to say and interested in explaining their business and their philosophy to me. They weren't patronizing in the least (a rare find, I'm learning) and seemed to really enjoy what they do. They are very interested in getting some ShockwaveFlash talent so I need to up the speed in which I'm learning it. I left their offices with such a great feeling.

    Unfortunatly, when I got home I had nobody to share this feeling with. T. was at the gym and unlikely to show for a few hours. I tried to call Chelsea on her cell phone but she didn't pick up. Then I rang up my parents but there was no answer. They are in the middle of a move so I don't know where the heck their phone is ringing right now if at all. Nothing deflates good news like having to wait to share it. So, I called my Aunt.

    I've never called my Aunt before. She is my mother's big sister and is a state-appointed judge. She's incredibly cool and a really great person to talk to. I had been meaning to consult with her about the small claims suit I'm filing but I hadn't had the chance yet. (That's right, you jerk! If you're reading this you better know that I've got big guns on my side! Big. F--ing. Guns.)

    My Aunt rocks! I'm going to have to call her more often. She is just such a wonderful and strong woman. She asked me all sorts of questions about the case. We discussed the ins and outs of some of the different avenues I was considering. We discussed slander issues (he slandered me on a public mailing list) and what to do about those. The conversation really helped me feel comfortable about my position. All the questions she asked I had solid answers for and she said that from a judge's point of view it sounded like I have an open and shut case. I knew that I did but it was good to hear it from her.

    This morning, I picked Chelsea up from her hotel and she had just received her bag. Apparently, United had sent her bag to Honolulu. Doesn't it just suck to have your bags go somewhere that you couldn't afford to go yourself?

    We went and purchased some ice blended Mochas (with whipped cream) and pastries and headed down to Venice Beach. It was quite lovely by the water today. There were few people and we strolled unmolested. We took some photos and talked about things I don't remember now but are important between friends.

    Just to reinforce the "Comedy of Errors" aspect of her trip we headed over to the airport. Keep in mind that I have been to the airport three times in three days. The first to pick her up and the second to check if her bags were in and the third, this morning, to drop her off.

    It took three circles around the airport lots to determine first that me missed the turnoff, second that the turnoff was closed, and third to determine an alternate route. We finally entered a parking garage and went up and down the rows. Nobody was going anywhere. We attempted long-term parking and there was not one single space available. We left long-term parking to try our luck in a different area. Of course, I had to present my ticket to get out and I told the lady that I didn't want to pay anything since we never parked.

    We circled and tried a new lot which, much to our chagrin, turned out to be the same lot. We circled and circled and circled. We were thwarted out of several spots and that's when we started getting a little manic. The climax was when I passed two cars with their brake lights on. I halted. There was a person behind me that I knew was waiting but I figured that if there were two spaces I could get one and she could get the other. I began reversing and this chick behind me starts seriously laying into her horn. I look in my rearview and I'm nowhere near her so I start reversing and she starts laying into her horn again. I yell (yes, yell) out my window that "there's two frickin' spaces!"

     She yells back: "That one has just been sitting there!"

     I scream: "Goddamnit!!!" and roar off to another part of the garage.

    Chelsea is cracking up and freaking out and I'm shaking for the frustration and then all of a sudden there's an empty space and I careened into it at 45 miles an hour. Amazingly, we are still not late for checking in.

    We get to the check-in counter and get her tickets all figured out. We learn that it is not a full flight so there's no way that Chelsea is going to give up her baggage. We start off in search of a real lunch and some beers and get nearly halted by the Afrique Rhythm Section who is sorting out their drums all over the floor by check-in. At this point we're feeling like some sort of National Lampoon's farce on business travel.

    A California Pizza Kitchen pizza and two red beers later and she's on her flight. I get home and collapse. I slept for nearly three hours and dreamed of airport travel as a vector system. (Simply expand the points and you'll be in Denver in no time.)

    For dinner, T. and I made a whole chicken with a Jamaican Jerk seasoning rub on the skin. It was really good. T. bought me a surprise bottle of wine. It's called Vampire and has a black label with a drop of blood dripping off the 'V'. It claims to be a "Transylvania Import" and the cork reads "Vampire: The Taste of Immortality." It's a Cabernet Sauvignon and it's not too bad actually. I told him that this was going to be like a Twilight Zone episode where the loving husband brings home a gag gift to his loving wife only to discover that it really does turn her into a Vampire.

    Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!

    A random quote from The Rosie O'Donnel Show:

"It is SICK that I know all these words! Imagine what diseases I could cure if I could empty the useless crap from my brain! It's like a high-speed computer, but it only doodles, ya know what I mean?"