The One Hundred

• PRO TIP: When going out to take pictures for your 365 project (or anything) make sure you have your SD card actually *in* the camera #doh #
• What 365 project, you ask? Why, this one of course: http://the-onehundred.com/365/John/ #shamelessplug #
• Busy. Not sure how that happened but there it is. #
• Go Mike Go! RT @MikeDoughtyYeah: New video for I KEEP ON RISING UP will debut at Yahoo! Music on March 3rd! (please retweet, good friends?) #
• Got the wife a gift at Victoria's Secret. Gave them my email addy. Everyday since, underwear clad hotties in my inbox. Gift 4 me 2 I guess.? #

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I have this notebook. I write things in it. Here’s one of those things.

It’s a coffee bean that I’m waiting at this time. It’s the nearest coffee place to my former place of employment. I’m waiting on a different friend this time. It’s always amazing to me how many people start/spend their day here. Yes, I see the irony of my making that statement when I am doing that very thing — but still, it’s a lot of people. Mostly a laptop crowd. I wonder if people will ever stop writing things down in favor of typing them in.

The person at the table in front of me has their power cord going across a walkway. Stranger still, the outlet is at a table where someone else is sitting and they seem to be OK with it. Something strange is afoot at the coffee bean. Must be something in the java.

If I ever get another job – an actual job-type-job – I hope it’s not at a coffee place. It seems that there’s a never ending stream of people that come into these places (again: Irony. I get it.). I guess it would make the shifts go faster but I think doing something like that for so long leads to mistakes. But, then again, free coffee. I think there was a time that I preferred the coffee bean to starbucks but I think this has changed. I go to starbucks so much that when I come in here, I’m lost. “Large? What’s that? Is that like a Venti?” The coffee doesn’t taste as good to me either but what can you do? Any port in a storm.

Coming here – driving around an area that I used to drive Monday through Friday every week – is so strange. Familiar and different at the same time. I figure little things changed here and there but in the end it is all essentially the same. I wonder if the same applies to me.

I just realized that I’ve been listening to the same song for the last 13 minutes — and there’s still 29 minutes left to it. Damn. Skip. Beck. Thank you. Moving on…

I think a regular just came in. Can’t really tell because of the headphones but the facial expressions lead me to believe so. I’ve always wanted to be a regular somewhere. I was once. It was a pizza place in Westwood. Lamonica’s N.Y. Pizza. Fantastic then, still awesome now. When I was working at the Wherehouse I had 30 minute breaks for lunch. This limited where I could go to eat. Right around the corner was Lamonica’s and it became my spot. One slice of pepperoni, one slice of cheese warmed up some but not too hot otherwise I would spend most of my lunch waiting for it to cool down. TANGENT:: You ever notice how a pizza slice has to spend very little time in the over before it is about the same temperature as molten lava? Why is that? ::END TANGENT I came in and ordered this so much that when they saw me walk in, even if I wasn’t at the head of the line, my order would get started. Life was good. It culminated in my getting a free pizza when I got hit by a car and broke my leg. They noticed that I wasn’t coming by and asked my roommate about me. When they found out — one free pizza whenever I wanted it. Isn’t that awesome? Maybe it’s time to become a regular again somewhere. But where?

I see someone who looks A LOT like someone I used to know. I’m too afraid to go and talk to him. It was a lifetime ago and I’m not sure if it’s actually him. And now he’s gone and I will probably always wonder.

I really should sit down and listen to all the stuff on my ipod. When I have it on shuffle, songs will come up that I either forgot I had on there or I just don’t know altogether.

…

I guess there are worse problems one could have.

Pulling from the Notebook

I have this notebook. I write things in it. Here’s one of those things.

I’m sitting outside a Starbucks on Sepulveda. I’ve just finished my drink and pastry (Today scone wins — sorry cheese danish, maybe next time.). The birds are fairly brave here. Definitely used to people. They check me out a couple of times and decide that there’s a good chance I won’t leave anything for them to eat (they’re right) and leave.

I spot and iridescent green and purple hummingbird. I’ve never seen one like that.

Across the street sits the Hacienda Hotel. It still appears to be active but it also seems like it’s from another time. Three other times, really. From right to left you can see where they made expansions and it looks like the next designer didn’t care or try to follow who came before. What I assume to be the oldest part looks like it was originally a motel — with rooms practically on the street. The second phase has sort of an early 70’s feel. The third and final portion appears straight out of the mid-80’s with it’s tubular bars and curved windows. This building is the most jarring and as it stands a little away from the others, I can’t confirm that it actually is part of the hotel — but for now, I’d like to think that it is. As odd as the whole scene is, it works.

In front of the outside seating area where I write, there is the normal cluster of newspaper vending machines – most of them of the free rag variety. LA Xpress is there. I notice that it’s free now. Back in the day, it used to cost money. Go ahead and think what you will but I never bought one – I just know this because there was a stand in front of my first apartment in L.A. (classy!) and all over Westwood where I worked and hung out. I consider picking one up because I am, like I was then, curious. What is in there? Naked pictures? Big deal. I assume there must be more. Surely, there must be more. As I am thinking about this, a man comes up, nonchalantly opens the dispenser, grabs his copy (a few down from the top because the top one is always dirty) and goes on his merry way. I’m kind of surprised that he does this in full view of all who are sitting here. I get a feeling that I can’t pin down. Do I feel sorry for him? Am I jealous of his comfort level in going after what he wants? I chalk it up to feeling a little nauseous due to the Russian family that just parked themselves behind me and are smoking. Yes, they have kids.

Yes, I am leaving.

Pulling from the Notebook

Once more into the abyss dear readers. As you well know by now, Google is awesome but using Google for this is cheaty-cheaty-bo-beaty, dig? I had fun with the theme from last time (in case you didn’t get it, it was “Dream”) so we have another one for today. Can you figure it out? Let me know in the comments. Well, go on smarty — get on with it!

1. I feel fine and I feel good
I’m feeling like I never should
Whenever I get this way
I just don’t know what to say
Why can’t we be ourselves like we were yesterday (Kristen M.)

2. You may be king
you may possess the world and it’s gold
But gold won’t bring you happiness
when you’re growing old

3. You can live your life lonely
Heavy as stone
Live your life learning
And working alone
Say this is all you want
But I don’t believe that it’s true
‘Cause when you least expect it
Waiting round the corner for you

4. Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again (Kristen M.)

5. lay her down as priest does
should the lord be acountin’
will be in my honour, make it pain
painfully quick, uh huh
promises are whispered
in the age of darkness
want to be enlightened
like I want to be told the end…end, yeah

6. You’ve been learnin’
And baby, I been learnin’
All them good times
Baby, baby, I’ve been discernin’-a

7. Do you remember
There was a time ahaha
When people on the street
Were walking hand in hand in hand
They used to talk about the weather
Making plans together
Days would last forever (Kristen M.)

8. I ain’t got many friends left to talk to
No one’s around when I`m in trouble
You know I’d do anything for you
Stay the night, but keep it under cover

9. I’m in heaven
With my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend.
There’s no beginning and there is no end.
Time isn’t present in that dimension.

10. Nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.
It’s easy. (Kristen M.)

As always, thanks to Apropos of Something

Music

I have this notebook. I write things in it. Here’s one of those things.

Whenever we go back to the Los Angeles area (Downey, to be specific), unless we fly, we drive out on Interstate 10 — and if we’re driving, I’m driving. It’s a long drive (about 6 hours minimum — but usually longer) but it is still so new to us that it remains interesting. Granted, a lot of it is desert scenery — rocks, mountains, rocky mountains — it is still a nice drive. Being the driver, I don’t get to see a lot of what’s happening around me — well, I do, but I am not able to concentrate on a passing sign or interesting building as much as the passengers can (if they weren’t playing their Nintendo DS’es or sleeping) because I’m trying to make sure we don’t, you know, die. While continuously saving all of our lives at 80 MPH, I still manage to let my mind wander and here’s some of the thoughts that I had on out last trip out there. UPDATE: I’ve also tacked on some updates in order to add a little more color.

1. Murray’s — I spotted a sign “Murray’s Restaurant & Hotel Supply”. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it before but it looks old enough that I should have seen it countless times in my travels up and down this freeway (this would be the freeway I would also take to get to my hometown from L.A. when I lived there). Never in my life have I ever wanted to go into a store more. It seems silly, I know, but I wanted to see what the inside looked like and if Murray was actually there (or real). I don’t have a hotel or a restaurant but if Murray was there, I would have bought something. Who wouldn’t want to buy something from Murray? Is it just me? UPDATE: They have a website. It’s where I grabbed that picture of the sign and there’s pictures of the inside showroom. I still want to go there and I desperately hope that the inside is still very much like the “Design Services” picture — like they are somehow trapped in the late 60’s, early 70’s. I want so much for it to be that — but I know it’s not. I guess maybe it’s better that I didn’t go inside. In my head though — in my head, this place is AWESOME.

2. Tattoo Expo — I see on the animated electric billboard near the Pomona Mining Company that there’s a Tattoo Expo that’s happening while we’re in town. I don’t know why this surprises me. I worked in an industry that makes magazines solely for people in such varied lines of employment as School Bus drivers, Car Rental Shops, and Nail Technicians. And yes, they too have trade shows for them and them only. It never fails to amaze me how close something can be to you but if you don’t notice it or know about it, you don’t/won’t see it. UPDATE: I later saw a billboard for this on the 405 and considering the tight tank top the chest-thrusting girl was wearing and the barely noticeable tattoo on her left arm, you would think that the expo was for another word with multiple T’s in it. Actually, I wouldn’t bet against the notion that there is one. I also wouldn’t bet against the idea of me not ever getting to go.

3. Aristocrat Motel – The name here just makes me giggle. I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but I have to think that maybe this adage shouldn’t apply to places where you plan to spend money to sleep. I’m thinking you would like it to look as nice as possible. Not to say that it looked like a hovel but Aristocrat Motel? If that word means what I think it means, they wouldn’t be caught dead here. Love that they call it that though. Awesome. Coming soon – Royal Trailer Park.
UPDATE: Definition of Aristocrat (pay attention to #3):
1 : a member of an aristocracy; especially : noble
2 a : one who has the bearing and viewpoint typical of the aristocracy b : one who favors aristocracy
3 : one believed to be superior of its kind

Um, yeah. No.

4. Jerky tastes better on the road — I don’t know why this is, but it’s true. Going on a trip? Get some road jerky. You’re welcome. UPDATE: Jerky’s still pretty awesome when you’re not on the road. Gonna watch some T.V.? Get some couch jerky. You’re welcome.

Pulling from the Notebook