Pretty but…

This is very beautiful, however I noticed that no landings are shown!!! What does that mean????
http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262

Immobile Home

Just a mile south of Universal Studios, on the northbound side of the 101 (Hollywood Freeway) sits a house. Yes, I said on the freeway. Not next to it, not near it, ON it (in the right lane, to be exact).

Nine days ago homeowner Patrick Richardson and his fiancee Kimberly Bigman were attempting to move the house from Santa Monica to Santa Clarita when they discovered that the top of the house would not clear a freeway overpass. The roof was shredded and there was damage to the trailer carrying the house. Since that day, the structure has been sitting on the freeway attracting the attention of rubberneckers and graffiti artists, a definite safety hazard.

Inspection of the interior reveals squatters had already inhabited the wrecked house; trash and crude furniture were found inside.

Richardson had been given a deadline of midnight last night to move the house, which at this time he has not been able to meet. Caltrans says the house WILL be moved today, either with a last minute save by Richardson or by CalTrans with a CHP escort. If the latter happens, Richardson and Bigman will be responsible for reimbursing Caltrans to the tune of approximately $20,000.

I can’t help but feel bad for these people. I heard on some news broadcast that they had a permit to take a different route, but due to a road closure, had to take a detour, which led to the tragic meeting of roof and overpass. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing (shouldn’t Caltrans have known their work schedule?)

The owners were relocating the house to Santa Clarita to establish it as a shelter for the homeless.

first photo by KNBC ; second by LA Times.com

Neighborly Watch

I get a kick out of the people in my neighborhood.

We live in a very stable part of our housing tract. By that, I mean that no one in our corner has moved in a long time, and the newest family has been here for 15 years. So we all know each other and keep an eye on each other’s homes. One of these couples, I’ll call them Ned and Sarah, have been here the longest, well over 25 years, and they are extremely friendly and outgoing. Everyone’s welcome in their home at any time. They are just that nice.

The other day I bumped into the college-age son of the couple who live across the street from us. Billy, whose father is Bill, told me this story that had me in stitches.

One night last week, Billy came home about 1:30 AM and noticed that Ned and Sarah’s car door was wide open and the interior lights were on. Although he didn’t see anything else amiss with the car, being the good neighbor that he is, he went home, woke up his dad Bill Sr., and the two of them proceeded to check out Ned and Sarah’s house. They knocked on the door, and it fell open; this really made them suspicious and concerned!

They entered the house and called Ned and Sarah’s name loudly as they looked through each room of the house; there was no response. The last place they checked was the master bedroom.

Success!

Ned and Sarah were in bed, a little surprised but beckoning to Bill and Billy to “Come on in! What’s new?”

Knowing the nature of Ned and Sarah, I just had to laugh. Their first reaction wasn’t “What are you doing here?”, it was simply “Come on in!”

Billy said later the situation could have been either dangerous (if they had a weapon) or embarrassing (if marital relations had been in progress), but instead, it was just plain funny, and a heartwarming reminder of how nice it is to live in a neighborhood where people really care about each other!

Oil Spill

It’s like the Exxon Valdez stopped at my house.

It’s a beautiful summery day and I open my front door to find a FedEx package on my doorstep. The shirt I ordered for my husband from L.L. Bean has arrived!

I put on a pair of shoes and trot out first to the mailbox. I clutch the mail and the Fed Ex package to my chest as I walk up the path to the front door . I walk into the house and throw the mail and the package on the couch, as I always do.

I notice my hands feel very oily. I notice small oil spots on the mail. What gives?

The culprit becomes apparent – the Fed Ex package is drenched in what appears to be motor oil. And it’s sitting on my couch.

A whirlwind of activity ensues while I try to remove the oil from my couch cushion, the floor, and myself. I scrub a section of the floor where I had placed the package for a moment. I scrub my couch cushion with some non-toxic laundry detergent; lastly I change my clothes and launder them.

I called FedEx and they were very apologetic and offered to dry clean the cushion if needed. The fellow explained to me that the source of the oil was probably an engine or engine part that was being shipped by another party, and that said object had probably not been properly drained of oil before shipping. The carrier probably did not notice this (although I find that hard to believe, he must have been covered with oil before the end of his shift).

So the moral of my little story is: Handle your newly-delivered FedEx with care. Do not hold it against your clothes or throw it on any household surface without checking the oil level first!

…Just don’t leave it at my house!!!!!

My Old Buddy

Readers who have been with me since the beginning of my blog might remember my friend Richie. He was diagnosed with cancer last year and went through surgeries, procedures, chemotherapy, and radiation. And…he’s in remission! I was happily surprised when Rich and his wife Cheri dropped in last week…from Kentucky!

Rich looks great. Due to his past illness, he dropped about 80 pounds. He still looks to me like the young boy who was my first friend when I moved to California at age 14. I had a huge crush on him and he tried to “get away” but…I was persistent. We became good friends and later we dated for over a year. We both worked at Xerox at the same time as technical representatives (i.e. machine technicians – the guys and gals who come to your office and fix the copiers). Rich still works there, but is no longer a roving tech.

Rich, his wife Cheri, and 6 year old daughter Maddie are happily ensconced in Kentucky now. They really like the people out there and the apparent neighborly concern everyone has for each other.

If Rich stays in remission for 5 years, he will be considered cured. I should not say “if”- I mean “when”!!

Richie and me last week. 

Creative Security System

photo by repticzone.com

A jewelry store in Detroit, Michigan has “installed” a most unique security system. Scorpions!

As a temporary “attraction”, the store manager added scorpions to his jewelry cases. The customers apparently liked this touch so much (???) that the scorpions are now a permanent fixture.

Apparently the scorpions also deter theft. Although I don’t see why a determined criminal wouldn’t just wear thick gloves during the commission of the theft. I suppose the real deterrent is against the “casual” thief posing as a customer during regular business hours!!

It seems these cases would be the perfect environment for the scorps, as they have lots of bright light (to best show off the jewelry) and the items are displayed in platters of sand, silver, and turquoise within the case. Just like the desert!

Oh, the irony…something beautiful displayed with something scary.

There have been no robberies since the scorps were introduced…

Update on Rich

(See July 23 post for first entry on this) 

Rich was diagnosed with stage 3 squamous cell cancer. But they can’t find the primary tumor. Radiation and a lymph node resection are next, but it’s difficult for him and his family because doctors are still looking for the source of the cancer.

Please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming for Rich and his family! Also for the skill of the doctors so the proper actions are taken.

Lunch with Clooney and Pitt

One of the joys of living in So Cal is running into old friends on the street. Last week, I happened to walk by these two outside on the patio of a small restaurant, “Tequila Mockingbird”, down here in the OC that all three of us like.

Brad and George were spectacularly turned out, George eschewing his usual polo shirt and baggy jeans. “George,” I said, “why color your hair, leave it natural”. No, he could not, he had a role as another ageless playboy coming up and could not show salt and pepper locks.

Brad was resplendent in stripes, eating his usual health salad and drinking expensive orange juice from Fiji. They offered me a seat and told me to order anything I wanted, but I had just eaten at Subway and had no more room.

Brad’s phone rang a few times; several times his agent called and they discussed this or that project in hushed Hollywood tones. The third call was from Angelina – would he please bring home some bread, milk, yogurt and caviar? She reminded him that not only were children in Africa hungry, but their own brood as well.

George rattled on about his mansion on Lake Como in Italy. When would I be coming out to see it? We could go sailing, he had purchased a yacht and had his own dock…I declined as I had already made plans to go to Pittsburg for the summer. Perhaps we could cross paths somewhere in between? I explained that my jet(ta) was under repairs and I didn’t think the part needed would arrive in time to rendezvous.

Brad showed me Kmart wallet photos of his three children. Delightful, but overexposed.

It was becoming too hot to linger. We air-kissed each other’s cheeks while George left a $100 tip. The champagne was too warm, but that was not the server’s fault.

We made a date for the following week for dinner before they both had to leave town to start principal photography on their new movies. Brad wanted to meet at McDonald’s as he NEVER gets to go there anymore. George pooh-poohed that idea in favor of Burger King, because “he deserves a whopper”.
Oh, those boys!
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This story is completely untrue. It is total bullshit. It’s a work of fiction. Everything is made up. Kudos and credit to the actual papparazzo – I did not take this photo and claim no credit for it whatsoever. Whew!

Richie

This is my friend Rich. He is the first person who was my friend when I moved to California some 30 years ago. We also dated for about 1 1/2 years when we got older. He loves MG’s, science, math, and is a whiz at everything he attempts to do. He’s shown here with his daughter Maddy who was an unexpected bonus at age 40 when he was sure he was never going to have children! He’s a great dad! And a good man. Last year he moved his family to Kentucky due to job relocation.

It looks like my friend Rich has cancer. A biopsy was performed yesterday and a definitive diagnosis is expected this coming week. I am asking now that anyone who reads this keeps a good thought for Rich. If you are a person who prays, please pray for Rich in whichever way works for you.