McDonald's crew

Rather than spend two hours in traffic, I arrived in the Valley Village area three hours early and hungry, so I figured I would chill at the McDonald's for a couple hours and harness their free WiFi.

I stopped at the restroom first to wash my hands (warsh, for you ruralites). There was a shirtless man using the urinal, with his shirt on the counter. As I washed my hands he began giving himself a sink-bath. It must be a regular event because he didn't have an aroma aura around him like Pig Pen. Later on he sat down to charge his phone and put on a dressier shirt. Must have a job interview later or something. He carried with him a large clear plastic bag of clothes. That makes my heart do things I don't know how to handle, so let's move on.

With that I ordered and used a Monopoly game piece I found in my car, only to discover it was from last year's "game" and for some reason I did not remove it from my car the entire year.

When I sat down I was treated to a couple of teens playing guitar in the dining area. It was actually really nice to see kids use their creativity. Yep, I'm an old man. One even played a bit of classical music. Old man happy now.

(Only now do I realize how much of a people watcher I am)

Along with those groups were the other McDonald's usuals. Two cheap computer nerds (like me) in the corner. One ironically hipster, the other just old with a pony tail. There were some father/son and mother/daughter combos along with a smattering of singles. Oh, and I can't forget the diligent employee cleaning up every table and the floor and even the bench right up to where I sat. Very admirable. I imagine that's who I would be if I were a member of the McDonald's Army.

Oh yes, and the picture of Ronald McDonald on the window. Looking at that face reminds me that I know who that face belongs to (the one underneath the make-up, that is). He is a lovely director and you would never know he was a boisterous clown if you met him in daily life, but there he is, plastered on walls and windows every half mile all across the world. Could I pull off that job? It would be pretty sweet, I could still be me in real life and not have the stigma of being a spokesman, I would just also be a little rich and not likely to be mobbed like the Verizon guy.

I'm actually still here. The guy to my right has a left hand full of fries and a right hand holding his phone with Mario Brothers paused (that sound is ingrained in my being). So I guess I'm also one of the people here I am talking about. I am at peace with that.

The Big Bang Hypothesis

My roommate really enjoys the show The Big Bang Theory. I've always had issues with TV shows that use live audiences and canned laughter because they generally lean more to the side of the can than the side of actually being funny. Cue The Odd Couple music.

Over the last few days I sat down and gave the show a chance. I just finished the first season when I got an odd feeling. When asked what I thought of the show I responded that I didn't not like it. I took another moment to process my thoughts then I realized that I just liked the show. This is a new feeling for me!

It may seem odd, but I am not used to liking TV shows. I am very familiar with loving shows, but not liking them. Examples: Arrested Development, Party Down, Spaced, Firefly-all of those shows I love. Even the first couple seasons of the American version of The Office I loved. Then when Jim and Pam got together, I stopped watching because the main emotional connection I had with the show was fulfilled, so I moved on. In short, I am experienced in loving TV, but not in liking TV.

That little binary way of existing stretches into a few too many areas of my life. When it comes to relationships with women, I understand what being friends is like and I understand what being in a relationship is like, but I've forgotten how to get from the the former to the latter. Classic on/off dichotomy. Also with myself, if I am not doing something I know I'll be proud of, I just do not get excited about it. It may have something to do with the high expectations I have for myself and how I extend them into the rest of the world. As a therapist told me, instead of my extremely lofty dreams, I need reasonable, achievable goals. On that note I think discovering that it's okay to just like something is definitely a breakthrough.

Big Bang Theory is not a great show, but it's okay and touches me just enough to keep me interested. With that last sentence I would like to retract the earlier statement that this idea extends into the area of relationships...even if it was creepily accurate. Now I'm getting way too heady.

Mark the calendar, it only took me 6 weeks of living in LA to lower my standards!

Got up, did stuff, had a new year.

Since yesterday was so jam-packed with experiences I had to leave some out, so I'll start with yesterday's old business before I open the floor to today's new business.

Walking around LA I saw a lot more people being overtly Jewish in dress. It was a hot day to be wearing black robes and big black Russian looking hats and the like. I thought perhaps I had just not noticed how other people dressed until I realized that in addition to Saint Michael sharing patronage of the day, it was the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. So, happy New Year everyone! It really feels like a bit of a new one for me. I'm still feeling so inspired from being the room with Russell Brand as he did his thing.

Driving home last night I discovered my song; the song that represents my whole life, sums it all up. Hearing it I know exactly where I am and I can see what's to come, so that's pretty exciting. It is Journey of the Sorcerer, the only instrumental song the Eagles did. You might recognize it as the theme from the most recent Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film.

As for today's adventures, they were some of the places Stephanie suggested I visit next so she could live vicariously through me. I traversed the public transportation from Pasadena to Little Tokyo (#27 on my list) and walked around for a few hours. I apparently walked from there into the downtown area. It was very city-like, with the smells and people. I checked out the Bradbury Building (#42 from my list), where they shot some interiors for Blade Runner.

I also experienced a little bit of rain. I saw a business man in a suit stand under a tree...for several minutes, all because he was confused by the notion of water falling from the sky.

Also, right now I am rocking out to the Eagles original version of Journey of the Sorcerer. It's completely me. Although...the version used in Hitchhiker's Guide...perhaps it wins this round.

So nothing funny to share, other than a long-term game-plan for stand-up which will require me to bomb every single time for a few years until it all comes together...but I think that was really always the plan.