Travel:
I woke up around 2:45 to gather the rest of my things and wait for the limo to pick me up to go to the airport. Don't get too excited, it was a van/limo and the driver also drove some of my relatives to the airport 2 days before for their trip to Alaska. That coincidental gem get him rolling into a conversation that I only half remember. The highlights were his musings about the black squirrel population in West Acton and how he takes his niece or granddaughter (or kidnapped child) to see them. Thank god we picked up another couple soon. I was starting to worry I was going to have to employ my Oprah self-defense skills and punch him in the face while holding a key between my fingers so it stabs him. Thanks for the tip Oprah!
Airport:
I like Logan airport...in the early morning. My bags were checked quick (and 6 pounds overweight...which I'm sure had nothing to do with the fact that I brought 5 pairs of heels), and the security line was fast also. I traveled with Air Tran, which is newer and a smaller airline. My first flight to Maryland was short and I slept the entire hour and 20 minutes. While waiting at the gate, a 3 year old boy asked his mother for an apple. She gave it to him and he complained that it was dirty. When she (and his older brother and sister) wasn't looking, he cleaned his apple with hand sanitizer and took a bite. He made an awful face and told mom that is tasted bad. She took the apple and made a strange face and then asked "You cleaned this with hand sanitizer didn't you?" He nodded and she whisked him off to the restroom to wash his mouth out. This same little boy had all kinds of great insightful comments on the flight from Maryland (which by the way has the most unpleasant airport ever...shove it BWI!) to Los Angeles. There was a baby crying as we were landing, and the boy (who was in the row behind me) said "I feel bad mommy, that baby is now going to hate planes forever".
Activities:
Once I landed and got my bag, Bryan and I (if any of you are not the 15 regular people who follow mt blog, Bryan is my brother who I am visiting) went to grab some lunch. We decided on a place that looked like a little cafe, called Jin Patisserie.. Their tea menu was 4 pages long, and it was a weird sort of healthy place. The menu was misleading. I ordered a sandwich that was stated as having ham, Gruyere, some sort of greens and french dressing. Bryan got a roast beef sandwich with his dressing on the side. We both thought it was weird that have french dressing on our sandwiches, but when the plates came, they came with salads also (which explained the dressing). It quickly became weirder that they chose the dressing for you though, instead of letting you choose your own. BUT, the meal came with free mousse cake, so we felt much better. And the special cake of the day was this triple chocolate mousse cake, so Bryan could eat it. Bryan only eats meat, potatoes, burritos and chocolate. I did discover that he will eat avocado though, which means that Los Angeles has finally consumed his dignity and his soul.
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| bad picture due to it being super sunny |
After dropping off my stuff at the apartment and a brief rest, we headed off to our first event of my 10-day stay. Get ready for it...
The BMW dealership. Bryan was supposed to look at a new car, but instead we sat there for 3 and a half hours and drove away with a new car. Did I tell everyone that this vacation of mine is really just me intruding on Bryan's everyday life? We've done all of the touristy things years ago, so I basically spend my vacation by living the daily life of a Hollywood resident.
We needed a quick dinner, since the dealership kept us a while, so we hit up Chipotle (yessss) and I had a burrito that I could finish. It had steal, cilantro lime rice, black beans, corn, cheese and guacamole. Apparently we're getting one back in the hometown....what the deal on that back home?? Someone update me, because burritos are important. After dinner we headed to Brennan's, an Irish pub that has been in Marina Del Rey since who knows when (I bet my parents know when). My parents lived in Venice Beach for a few years after they got married in '77, and they used to go here all the time. What's so great about an Irish pub, you ask? They have turtle racing.
No, that wasn't a typo. Back in the 70s they had turtle racing, which is still a tradition today on Thursday nights. My dad had his own turtle named Bonehead that was an award winning racer...he has a trophy or plaque or something to prove it. The emcee used to wear a green tux and all sorts of fancy things.Now the emcee is a loud man (who wore a Red Sox shirt last night) who lays down the law about turtles (and reminded me of Lewis Black). Here are the few rules:
1. NO POINTING AT THE TURTLES.
2. There is a certain way you have to place the turtle in the ring. It's almost always a girl who gets to place one of the five turtle for a race, and they have to do so by bending at the waist but they cannot bend their knees. The judges hold flags which they will throw if you bend your knees or do it wrong....or if you have a dress or skirt, they will throw the flag and make them do it again just so everyone gets a free show for the second time. Wonder if they had this lovely objectification of women back in the 70s (mom?).
3. NO PHOTOS.
I wish I had some pictures for you, but I don't. It's the rules.
I am about to start day 2, and that involves a serious breakfast at The Griddle Cafe. Stay tuned!
Could this post possibly have more typos....ughhhhhh
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