Dominican Republic

Betsy and I are headed to the DR tomorrow, compliments of Davidoff, the premier cigar maker. I will be offline until next weekend. As addicted as I am to the Internet, that should be a bit odd.

We will be touring the fields and the manufacturing facilities, and attending some presentations and having fun! This will be a fun and informative trip. I just wish I stayed awake in spanish class!

If You Walk Away

Here's something from my old band Rogue Alley. Those were fun times indeed.

Rogue Alley - If You Walk Away

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A book worth reading

My daughter turned me on to this one. It spoke volumes to my heart.

Currently reading : For One More Day By Mitch Albom Release date: By 26 September, 2006

Katie's 17th Birthday

Yesterday was my daughter Katie's seventeenth birthday. We took her and a bunch of her pals out to dinner last night. Here are some pics of the evening.

Art Buchwald

Art Buchwald has passed away today. God bless him. He was a funny and brilliant literary gem.

Saturday Night

I'm hanging around the house this evening, sorting through some papers. It's amazing how quickly things accumulate. If you don't get a handle on the clutter quickly, it has a way of taking over. I have a paper trail that you wouldn't believe. In this age of technology I still enjoy my notebooks and pens, although I think for me a subtle shift has occured. I probably write on the laptop more than I do on paper anymore. It's a matter of convenience I guess. I wouldn't mind going paperless, but something inside me recoils at that prospect. For now I'll continue to balance the two.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 1-04-07

1-4-07

7:30 AM

A quick note from on board the flight home. We got to the airport in a timely fashion, and boarded with no trouble at all. Security was a breeze this time around. Everything was extremely organized. It’s a beautiful morning. We rose up above the clouds and it’s a nice view. We are going to watch the in-flight movie this morning. It’s called “The Queen”. It looks like a good flick. I’ll check in with you later.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 1-3-07

We went down to Irvine yesterday so the girls could do some shopping. We ate at the Original Pantry Café in downtown LA last night. Our time here is coming to a close.

We finished up shopping today. We went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner, for old time’s sake. Afterwards, we lucked into passing by the Dome. There was a premiere going on and we got out of the car and saw Justin Timberlake and Jon Voigt. It was a madhouse. I got a few pics, and Katie and Brittany were incredibly excited. It made for a lovely sendoff. Now we are packing up and getting ready for our early plane trip tomorrow morning.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 1-02-07

Two more days in Hollywood, and off we go back to SC. I am trying to stay upbeat this year, and I need to be the very best that I can be. This is my new year. This is my life. Today we are going down to Orange County to check out come beach communities and a place called the Irvine Spectrum, which is a shopping complex. The girls want to get in a little more shopping, and time is of the essence. I wouldn’t mind going in to the Guitar Center and drooling at some vintage axes!

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 1-01-07

Today was a bit of a washout. Most stores are closed, and we’ve been vegging out at Jim’s house. We are trying to decide if we are going to the movies, and if so, which one? We ended up seeing Notes On A Scandal at the Arclight. I also went to Amoeba Music and got a t-shirt.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-31-06

We went to David’s for brunch, and it was fantastic. We went to Castaway in Burbank for New Year’s dinner, and it was stunning. I drank too much, but I think I'll live.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-30-06

12-30-06

It was a wonderful day today. We began the day at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles on Gower Street. Steve Kobashigawa met us there. It was great seeing him again. We then spent the afternoon at Venice Beach.

For dinner, it was El Coyote. It was fantastic. I had a couple Margaritas, and I bought a T-shirt as well. Tomorrow morning we are going to David Valentine’s place for breakfast. Tomorrow is New Year’s eve. I want to play my cards right. Our time here is coming to a close, but it’ll be just fine. See you tomorrow.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-29-06

12-29-06

Jim made pancakes this morning. We went to Mulholland Drive and down in to Beverly Hills. We ate at Baja Fresh and then did the Rodeo Drive thing. That shopping episode lasted all day. We had Chinese late night. We ended the evening watching a few episodes of the Family Guy. That was pretty much it.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-28-06

12-28-06

Jim woke up early with horrible stomach pains. Betsy made him a cup of tea and gave him a couple of Motrins. He went back to sleep and We went off with Mark Mulkeen to shop on Melrose and to eat lunch at the Hard Rock Café. We had a wonderful time. The girls did some serious shopping and had a blast. Later in the evening we rejoined Jim and we went up to Hollywood Boulevard and checked out The Chinese Theater and The area around there. We walked down the blvd. It was essentially the same, maybe a bit nicer I guess. Not quite as seedy, but almost.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-27-06

We went to the Beachwood Café for breakfast and then we went up in to the Hollywood Hills to drive around. We stopped by my dad’s grave. We then went to Pasadena to look around old town, but it started raining, so we ended up at the Glendale Galleria. The girls shopped all afternoon. For dinner we went to a wonderful Thai Barbeque place off of Western Avenue. We stayed home this evening and watched a cool movie called Shine. It was pretty good.

We are looking at a week left in our stay here. I would like to maximize the rest of the visit, but I have to understand that this trip is really for Katie and Brittany. Betsy and I are on the same page on this.

I got this cool little USB powered gooseneck lamp for the laptop today. It illuminates the keyboard in dark rooms so the lights don’t have to be on.

I think I have a bit of jet lag. I’m inordinately tired, but we have been on the go all day every day.

Journal Re-Copy and Pics 12-26-06

12/26/2006

We had a very busy day today. We started out at the Grove/Farmer’s market. The girls went shopping and we had a snack there. I also had a chance to check out the Apple Store. We then moved down Beverly Blvd en route to Kitson on Robertson, when we realized Jim had picked up a screw in one of his tires. We were very close to the Beverly Center so we took the car to a tire store just up the road and walked to the mall. The girls had time to scour one floor of the mall while the tire was getting repaired. I went in to the Apple Store there as well. When the car was ready, we proceeded to Kitson, passing a place called the Ivy on the way. As the girls were shopping I strolled up to the Ivy and got a picture of Keanu Reeves getting into a black Porsche. There were tons of paparazzi lurking about, and when I saw them getting rousted I got my camera out. The shot’s a bit fuzzy, but I got it nevertheless.

We went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a long wait, but because of the long wait, we got most of our check comped. That was a nice plus. Apparently they were doing some training and the place was in disarray. The staff was nice though. They were slated to tear down the entire block that the restaurant is on, but because the building is a historic building, they were exempted from demolition and their lease was renewed for another two years. That’s good to know because I have always loved the place and I was afraid this was to be the last time I would have dined there. When I was growing up and later as a young adult I enjoyed many lovely dinners there.

More fun tomorrow.

12-25-06

Merry Christmas!

It’s a bright, clear and sunny morning in Hollywood, and we’re all getting ready to hit the town to have a look around.

We had a good day. We drove around a lot. We went up into Bel Air and UCLA. We ate lunch at Jerry’s Famous Deli in Westwood. We went down so Santa Monica pier. We had a snack later at the House of Pies on Vermont.

We saw the Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith and his son. We went to the new theaters by the Cinerama Dome. It's called Arclight. It’s now surrounded by stores and other theaters.

I like it out here very much. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The only thing that bums me out is the sadness of humanity and so many without homes.