Bubby's 2 Dads, Corey Feldman's Birthday, and Other Tails
This may be the best post ever, that's because last week was the best week ever! However, before we can get to last week, we have to rewind to 2 weeks ago--remember people, I've got to keep with the chronology.
Two weeks ago Friday, Claudia announced that she was bringing home a sick puppy from the vet office where she works. For various reasons I'm more of a cat person:
I don't like to feel overly responsible for a pet, I like to cuddle and hold my animals, and we had cats in my home growing up. Dogs are a little too spazzy for me, smelly, have bad breath, and they jump on you. They also demand more attention than a cat. I enjoy dogs, but I like cats better. Anyway, Claudia's puppy was a dauchsund, and he was totally cute because he was little like a cat, and very mellow--he let you hold him, put you in your purse (as we would later that weekend), and kiss and cuddle him without complaint. We ended up going to the Cat and the Fiddle with Jason and Aaron so that we could sneak puppy in on the large outdoor patio. However the bar was horribly crowded (it was a Friday), and so the evening was somewhat lame. At least we got our puppy fix.
Saturday we decided we wanted new dresses and went to Forever 21 at the Beverly Center. Apprently they're changing the name to (prepare yourself) XXI Forever (that's what all the shopping bags said--that is in addition to quoting scripture on their bag bottoms). Regardless they are the closest thing to an H&M on the west coast. Both Claudia and I had been conserving funds for the past few weeks, and as such, once exposed to a mall we went crazy. We were rabid, and tried on over 30 dresses between the two of us, spending much more than we had budgeted for. We had puppy in the purse at the Beverly Center. In that sense I guess we were "those girls," however we certainly didn't have the monetary funds to really be "those girls."
We decided to go the movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Over the summer they show outdoor movies for $10. You bring a blanket, food, booze, and watch a movie under the (and amdist the dead) stars. They're showing Pee Wee's Big Adventure this weekend! Anyway, the movie 2 weeks ago was Dressed to Kill, which I had read about but not yet seen. The movie turned out to be much much more sexually graffic than I would have thought. (The opening scene was a dream sequence with a woman masterbating in the shower!!!). But then again, it was made during the early 80's craze of tit-jiggling ridiculousness. I had called cute boy from the previous weekend to invite him to join us--in fact, I had left a message. However he never returned my call. Not at all. What the fuck? I really don't get it. I mean, his behavior the previous weekend suggested that even if he didn't want to date me, that he at least wanted to be friends. I'm still a little confused by this, but whatever. I'm not losing sleep over the illogical behavior of others, or chasing my tail. I had a similar experience at Northwestern and all I got for my trouble was a terrible upper respiratory infection from the offending man. Men, if you're going to be assholes, at least leave me with my health. But anyway, the movie was suspenseful, the weather was nice, and Claudia, Andrew, and I ate the delicious foodstuffs I'd brought along. Afterwards we stopped at Astro Burger and Claudia saw the C-actress that played the goth girl in The Faculty.
The rest of Sunday was spent painting nails with Claudia and watching Sex and the City DVDs. At least we didn't paint the dog's nails.
On Tuesday Oliver Future was playing their last free show at the Viper Room. I went with Aaron, Dave, and their out of town friend. The bouncer at the V Room can be somewhat aloof--well at least to Aaron, I think I'm getting on his good side, being a girl and all. Hopefully this will come in handy someday. The place was pretty crowded, but thinned out enough for us to snag a booth near the stage. I was drinking more than usual, and on my second trip back to the bar, noticed 2 tickets to "Corey Feldman and Truth Movement" lying on the bar. A few people pointed at the tickets and laughed, but I snatched them on my way back to our booth--I was totally going! Oliver Future is pretty good, they have a myspace page if you care to check them out.
Tuesday I accidentally left my cellphone at the apartment, and when I returned from work I had several crazy voicemails from various family members concerning some type of family crisis. My family is scattered over 4 states currently: Al is in Illinois going to college at Loyola Chicago, Bubby and Ma are in Philadelphia, and Daddy is in St. Louis with my grandparents. I'm out here. I learned a few months ago that this separation and a penchant lack of communication leads to numerous (needless) headaches in our family. It becomes a disfunctional game of telephone, usually because Bubby and Al exaggerate, and my Dad refuses to speak directly to my mother. Everyone was looking to me to fix the situation. I decided to call everyone first and get the facts.
I started by calling my mother. She explained that she had gotten a call from AFS--the foreign exchange program Bubby is going to Germany with for her junior year in high school. AFS had found Bubby a host family, but it was an "alternative" family and they wanted to clear it with my mother first. The alternative family is a same sex couple in Leipzig. My mother had told AFS she'd talk to Bubby about it and they'd go from there. Bubby was really excited and happy. My mother, being the Catholic she is, wanted to pray about things before making a decision. Bubby had called Alison and my Dad. According to my mother my dad didn't want Barbara to go. Something about our grandparents. I asked who told G&G? She didn't know. Next I called Al. Al said that she had gotten in a fight with our dad over the phone. She'd screamed, cried, and hung up on him. According to Al, my dad had said that our grandparents were freaking out about the host family and that Barbara couldn't go. He said that he didn't want to listen to them complain for a full year. Alison said my dad was selfish to stand in Barbara's way, he'd always been so liberal and open-minded, etc, etc. I asked her who told G&G? She didn't know. Next, I called Daddy. He was suspicious from the start, but I told him I was just callilng to sort out the facts. First I asked him who told G&G? He said he hadn't, they didn't know yet. He added that there was no way he'd tell them. Well, problem solved! He said he didn't care if Bubby stayed with a same sex couple, he just didn't want my grandparents to gripe to him about it. I proposed the solution: we wouldn't tell precious grandma and grandpa a thing. At first my dad assumed they would find out somehow. How! Grandma can't use the internet, and besides, she couldn't pick out a gay man in the lineup of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. (Oh the irony). My dad fully embraced the idea stating "It'll be like the German Bird Cage." Whatever you need to call it, Daddy. We can tell my grandparents that Bubby is staying with Hansel and Gretel in a gingerbread cottage for all I care, they wouldn't understand. My grandma is a woman who converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism when she got married. When she and my Grandfather returned from a German site-seeing tour with their church she made it a point to explain during the slideshow that all the churches in the photos used to be Catholic Churches and that they had been converted to Lutheranism. (For the record, my father was raised Lutheran and doesn't practice, my Mother's side of the family is all very Catholic - my uncle is a priest.) As I told my dad, if I dated a woman--and who knows, I might someday--I would never in a million years tell my grandparents. They are far too old and stuck in their ways. They would never understand. With some old people, it's just a lost cause trying to explain certain political ideologies. It's better to do your thing and be sure to remind them that election day is really a week later than it actually is.
So now everyone is happily preparing for Bubby's trip to Leipzig, and I'm planning to visit her in February. She forwards her emails from her host family to me, and they are precious and sweet. Thorsten and Enrico are young, 28 and 30, and are so very excited that Bubby will be their first host daughter! The letters are so very kind and welcoming. While Bubby does have some gay friends at school, this will be a great experience for her. American TV shows made for the teenage girl demographic are notorious for portraying gay men in the stereotypical "hairdresser/fashion guru" role (Top Model/Project Runway). Thorsten and Enrico are neither of these, and she'll get to experience liberal Europe--all parties will learn a great deal. She'll be their plump little bi-racial fraulein!
Saturday night I got to meet Claudia's mom. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at The Grove. It was only my second time at The Grove, a mall that puts Hollywood and Highland to shame. The Grove is essentially quaint old world Europe/American small town meets mall. It has all that olde tyme charm. There's a train that runs through the outdoor mall! The attendants at the movie thater wear gloves and hats! It's somewhat frightening. However, Claudia's mommy was very nice and I'm glad I got to meet her while she was in town. Puppy came to dinner as well, and we got quite the surprise towards the end of the meal when he relived himself on Claudia's lap! 3 dozen paper napkins later all was well.
Later that night I went over to a small gathering at the 90211 pad. All the roommates were in the process of moving out, but there had been an altercation earlier in the week that prompted a themed gathering. All I will say is "restraining order" for now. Perhaps, after the court date, I'll be able to add specific details...
Sunday night John Ross and I used my two free tickets to see Corey Feldman's Truth Movement play at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. We were peeing our pants in anticipation. This would be awesome. Upon arrival we were patted down, our bags were
searched, and we were checked for cameras. There was a v.i.p. entry with photographers. We thought for sure that there would be famous people inside. However, once inside we discovered a somewhat barren House of Blues. The show was set to start at 7:30 and we'd shown up at 9pm. A loud rock/metal band was on stage and the lead singer looked like a poor-man's Tommy Lee. However, they were good. John and I used the time to get wasted in anticipation for Corey. Then there was another opening band, which was more like a poor man's Third Eye Blind. (cringe). Then, finally, around 11:15pm Corey's band took the stage. Really it was more like appeared on stage. Allow me to set the scene: the stage is aglow with purple fog and out of the darkness comes a man twirling a huge bamboo stick; he is the conga player and he takes his place. Next comes the sax player, an older man (who apprently toured with Pink Floyd) with hair that is a cross between a mullet and a pompodore. He is followed by 2 backup singers, one of which has huge fake breasts thrust up by her corset. Her hip to waist ratio is distrubingly Barbie-esc. Then a drummer, guitar, bass. We wait. Then out of the fog, with his back to the audience comes a short-ish man wearing a big black fuzzy Dr. Seuss like hat and an embroidered jacket. His arms move trippily through the air, then he turns around and takes the mike: Feldman has landed! John and I were laughing so hard; I squeezed his arm and had tears in my eyes. Things just got better as the night progressed. It was Corey's 35th birthday and he was celebrating, damn it! He stripped to his bare chest in one number, then called for the "bikini girls"to join him on stage. Two women appeared and dressed Corey in a glittery "Pink Floyd" t-shirt. Later the bikini girls would return. The band was comprised of talented musicians (except for Barbie backup) --but it was clear that Feld's had assembled the best band money could buy (and that's with his money mind you). He's not a very talented front man, but he seems like a really nice guy. A little nervous, a little self-conscious, but he means well. There were guest appearances too (see link below). His wife joined him onstage during the silly string sequence, clad in a sailor-suit like skanky dress. Coupled with the brunette pin-curled hair she looked like Shirley Temple minus 50 pounds, plus a pair of fake breasts. John and I had a great time--we laughed so hard. The next day I emailed my experience to Defamer. Later in the day John emailed me, telling me to "check out Defamer" then he realized that I had written the entry. Yes, Defamer has finally published one of my L.A. adventures! What fun! Read my brief Corey synopsis here! The quotes are all Eileen. More event-related pictures here.
In other celebrity-related news Prince is getting a divorce. This means that I may have a chance to live my dream of sleeping with Prince. Let's keep our fingers crossed, friends; anything can happen in Hell-A.
Low Key Weekend
Two weeks ago Friday, Claudia announced that she was bringing home a sick puppy from the vet office where she works. For various reasons I'm more of a cat person:
I don't like to feel overly responsible for a pet, I like to cuddle and hold my animals, and we had cats in my home growing up. Dogs are a little too spazzy for me, smelly, have bad breath, and they jump on you. They also demand more attention than a cat. I enjoy dogs, but I like cats better. Anyway, Claudia's puppy was a dauchsund, and he was totally cute because he was little like a cat, and very mellow--he let you hold him, put you in your purse (as we would later that weekend), and kiss and cuddle him without complaint. We ended up going to the Cat and the Fiddle with Jason and Aaron so that we could sneak puppy in on the large outdoor patio. However the bar was horribly crowded (it was a Friday), and so the evening was somewhat lame. At least we got our puppy fix.Saturday we decided we wanted new dresses and went to Forever 21 at the Beverly Center. Apprently they're changing the name to (prepare yourself) XXI Forever (that's what all the shopping bags said--that is in addition to quoting scripture on their bag bottoms). Regardless they are the closest thing to an H&M on the west coast. Both Claudia and I had been conserving funds for the past few weeks, and as such, once exposed to a mall we went crazy. We were rabid, and tried on over 30 dresses between the two of us, spending much more than we had budgeted for. We had puppy in the purse at the Beverly Center. In that sense I guess we were "those girls," however we certainly didn't have the monetary funds to really be "those girls."
We decided to go the movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Over the summer they show outdoor movies for $10. You bring a blanket, food, booze, and watch a movie under the (and amdist the dead) stars. They're showing Pee Wee's Big Adventure this weekend! Anyway, the movie 2 weeks ago was Dressed to Kill, which I had read about but not yet seen. The movie turned out to be much much more sexually graffic than I would have thought. (The opening scene was a dream sequence with a woman masterbating in the shower!!!). But then again, it was made during the early 80's craze of tit-jiggling ridiculousness. I had called cute boy from the previous weekend to invite him to join us--in fact, I had left a message. However he never returned my call. Not at all. What the fuck? I really don't get it. I mean, his behavior the previous weekend suggested that even if he didn't want to date me, that he at least wanted to be friends. I'm still a little confused by this, but whatever. I'm not losing sleep over the illogical behavior of others, or chasing my tail. I had a similar experience at Northwestern and all I got for my trouble was a terrible upper respiratory infection from the offending man. Men, if you're going to be assholes, at least leave me with my health. But anyway, the movie was suspenseful, the weather was nice, and Claudia, Andrew, and I ate the delicious foodstuffs I'd brought along. Afterwards we stopped at Astro Burger and Claudia saw the C-actress that played the goth girl in The Faculty.
But Leonardo DiCaprio Told Me to Buy a Hybrid!
Before my previous car--the infamous 1996 Mercury Mystique whose claim to fame was the mystery is when the car will die next and where you will be stranded--bit the dust in O.K. City, I had always vowed that my next car would be a hybrid. However once I hit the car lots, I soon learned that a used Honda would cost me the same amount as a new Hyundai with a 10 year warranty. The last bit is music to the ears of a long-suffering Pep Boys Patron. So I bought a Hyundai and as I had no credit at the time (except student loans), my interest rate was/is terribly embarrassing. (I won't tell you!) Anyway, I had been mulling over money woes recently because I can't afford to refinance my car right now. So one day I was watching Oprah, and it was a re-run with Leonardo DiCaprio talking about global warming. Yes, yes I know, celebrities selling a cause and all that shit. I, however, take Mr. DiCaprio seriously, (and not just b/c I had a crush on him in the 8th grade). He's proven himself to be a good liberal who is generous with his money and not afriad to be political. I like that. I like Barbra Streisand. I like Rob Reiner. Mr. DiCaprio gave several thousand dollars to Tsunami relief, and now he was on Oprah pitching global warming.
I learned about global warming in gradeschool: the greenhouse effect--likening said effect to being trapped in a car on a sunny day with the windows up. All that good stuff. So of course, it offends me that anyone would question the existence of something all scientists agree upon purely for shady political reasons. But then again, aren't some people trying to teach intelligent design as a science? Morons. Anyway, the Oprah episode was not questioning global warming, it was more about providing ways that the millions of women watching could conserve resources and pollute less. Leo talked about how he loves his hybrid car. Then the wheels in my head began to turn.
What if...what if I traded in my Hyundai and got a hybrid? I could finance at a good interest rate now that I had established good credit! I would save money on gas and insurance! I would get a fat tax refund! I would save money!
So I did the research. I looked up the Toyota Prius, I calculated interest rates, I figured my payoff on the Hyundai, I got a quote from my current insurance provider, I calulated how much I currently spend on gas, I called Toyota of Hollywood for a quote. I set an appointment, and rescheduled it when I was too hungover to go the first time. I was determined! I had to know if
Hybrid was possible.
So on Sunday I drove over to Hollywood Toyota, and as I did, I could hear my 2005 Hyundai Elantra talking to me: what about all the good times we've shared! Don't you remember all I did for you? I drove your ass across the Mojave! The Mojave! Just you and me. I'm always good to you. Aren't I good to you? I didn't even dent when that bitch rear-ended you. I always treat you right, Eileen... etc. I pet my car (do you pet your car?) and said, we'll see what happens. Maybe I won't be able to afford the Prius, and then I'll keep you, and love you more.
At the Toyota lot, the signs were everywhere. I knew it was a bad sign when I spotted a rich Hollywood couple on the lot: geeky Buddy Holly glasses man, slightly hip hot chick with yappy dog, climbing into a Z4. If they were shopping here, then there would be no tolerance for the poor-woman price haggling I'd pulled in OKC. Strike two was when Simon the car salesman had to be paged for our appointment. Then Simon revealed that he was from South Africa. Maybe it's just me, but I don't trust anyone white from South Africa. Sorry, just don't. That includes you, Charlize Theron. Simon and I talked a little World Cup during the test drive, but then he referred to Ghana as a "dinky African country" and I found it difficult to trust him thereafter.
I totally didn't blog during the World Cup, but i was sucked in this year for the first time. I was all over that shit! It really really excites me that the whole world is united over something as simple as futbol. Everyone, that is, except the United States. It was so like the U.S. to be pouty over something everyone else was loving, for the simple fact that we don't care about soccer and we're not that good at it. It's always "We're Number 1!" or silence. Futbol is the common denominator that brings together nations rich and poor. All you need is a ball and a dream. I'm not one for watching sporting events--I mean I like going to football and basketball and baseball games, but the idea of sitting down to watch a game at home isn't that appealing (at least not since the golden days of the Bulls in Chicago-we were all over that shit!). The idea of watching low-scoring futbol wasn't appealing. But I just got into. My sisters were really into it too. Bubby would give me the play-by-play at work, while I had the live scores running on the FIFA website. I loved watching the Brazilian footwork (until they beat Ghana) and I was so happy to see Ghana beat the U.S.! Go underdogs! I loved reading the stats on the Fifa website, I had the World Cup Score Calendar from Food 4 Less on our fridge, and I loved watching the Telemundo coverage--watching it on ABC was bland in comparison. Al, Bubby, Gomez, Erin G. and I have plans to go to South Africa in 4 yeas. By "plans" we mean, save our pennies and hope for the best. Goooooooooooooooooooooooooool!
I learned about global warming in gradeschool: the greenhouse effect--likening said effect to being trapped in a car on a sunny day with the windows up. All that good stuff. So of course, it offends me that anyone would question the existence of something all scientists agree upon purely for shady political reasons. But then again, aren't some people trying to teach intelligent design as a science? Morons. Anyway, the Oprah episode was not questioning global warming, it was more about providing ways that the millions of women watching could conserve resources and pollute less. Leo talked about how he loves his hybrid car. Then the wheels in my head began to turn.
What if...what if I traded in my Hyundai and got a hybrid? I could finance at a good interest rate now that I had established good credit! I would save money on gas and insurance! I would get a fat tax refund! I would save money!
So I did the research. I looked up the Toyota Prius, I calculated interest rates, I figured my payoff on the Hyundai, I got a quote from my current insurance provider, I calulated how much I currently spend on gas, I called Toyota of Hollywood for a quote. I set an appointment, and rescheduled it when I was too hungover to go the first time. I was determined! I had to know if
Hybrid was possible.So on Sunday I drove over to Hollywood Toyota, and as I did, I could hear my 2005 Hyundai Elantra talking to me: what about all the good times we've shared! Don't you remember all I did for you? I drove your ass across the Mojave! The Mojave! Just you and me. I'm always good to you. Aren't I good to you? I didn't even dent when that bitch rear-ended you. I always treat you right, Eileen... etc. I pet my car (do you pet your car?) and said, we'll see what happens. Maybe I won't be able to afford the Prius, and then I'll keep you, and love you more.
At the Toyota lot, the signs were everywhere. I knew it was a bad sign when I spotted a rich Hollywood couple on the lot: geeky Buddy Holly glasses man, slightly hip hot chick with yappy dog, climbing into a Z4. If they were shopping here, then there would be no tolerance for the poor-woman price haggling I'd pulled in OKC. Strike two was when Simon the car salesman had to be paged for our appointment. Then Simon revealed that he was from South Africa. Maybe it's just me, but I don't trust anyone white from South Africa. Sorry, just don't. That includes you, Charlize Theron. Simon and I talked a little World Cup during the test drive, but then he referred to Ghana as a "dinky African country" and I found it difficult to trust him thereafter.
World Cup Tangent
I totally didn't blog during the World Cup, but i was sucked in this year for the first time. I was all over that shit! It really really excites me that the whole world is united over something as simple as futbol. Everyone, that is, except the United States. It was so like the U.S. to be pouty over something everyone else was loving, for the simple fact that we don't care about soccer and we're not that good at it. It's always "We're Number 1!" or silence. Futbol is the common denominator that brings together nations rich and poor. All you need is a ball and a dream. I'm not one for watching sporting events--I mean I like going to football and basketball and baseball games, but the idea of sitting down to watch a game at home isn't that appealing (at least not since the golden days of the Bulls in Chicago-we were all over that shit!). The idea of watching low-scoring futbol wasn't appealing. But I just got into. My sisters were really into it too. Bubby would give me the play-by-play at work, while I had the live scores running on the FIFA website. I loved watching the Brazilian footwork (until they beat Ghana) and I was so happy to see Ghana beat the U.S.! Go underdogs! I loved reading the stats on the Fifa website, I had the World Cup Score Calendar from Food 4 Less on our fridge, and I loved watching the Telemundo coverage--watching it on ABC was bland in comparison. Al, Bubby, Gomez, Erin G. and I have plans to go to South Africa in 4 yeas. By "plans" we mean, save our pennies and hope for the best. Goooooooooooooooooooooooooool!
And Like the Titanic, So Sink My Hybrid Dreams
The neat thing about the Prius is that it has a push-button start. It makes you feel all high-tech and cool. However, you also remember that all one has to do is break your window to steal your car. The salesman assured me that it wasn't quite so simple, but I didn't trust him anymore, so there you go. In the end, my foil was that the Prius's were selling like hotcakes in California. So much so, that you had to order one from Japan and have it shipped (takes 3 months). The dealerships are only ordering cars in at MSRP: means that you can't haggle down the price, you pay the dealer rate. In fact, the high demand for the cars was even driving up the price. (I read this online at several sites as well). I thanked Simon, and went home satisfied that my Prius obsession had met its end. I have found a newfound love for my Elantra. The little car that could. Someday, maybe, I'll have money to buy a Hybrid. I can sleep at night knowing that I drive a car with the highest fuel-efficiency I can afford.
The neat thing about the Prius is that it has a push-button start. It makes you feel all high-tech and cool. However, you also remember that all one has to do is break your window to steal your car. The salesman assured me that it wasn't quite so simple, but I didn't trust him anymore, so there you go. In the end, my foil was that the Prius's were selling like hotcakes in California. So much so, that you had to order one from Japan and have it shipped (takes 3 months). The dealerships are only ordering cars in at MSRP: means that you can't haggle down the price, you pay the dealer rate. In fact, the high demand for the cars was even driving up the price. (I read this online at several sites as well). I thanked Simon, and went home satisfied that my Prius obsession had met its end. I have found a newfound love for my Elantra. The little car that could. Someday, maybe, I'll have money to buy a Hybrid. I can sleep at night knowing that I drive a car with the highest fuel-efficiency I can afford.
Girly Stuff
The rest of Sunday was spent painting nails with Claudia and watching Sex and the City DVDs. At least we didn't paint the dog's nails.
The Viper Room, Again
On Tuesday Oliver Future was playing their last free show at the Viper Room. I went with Aaron, Dave, and their out of town friend. The bouncer at the V Room can be somewhat aloof--well at least to Aaron, I think I'm getting on his good side, being a girl and all. Hopefully this will come in handy someday. The place was pretty crowded, but thinned out enough for us to snag a booth near the stage. I was drinking more than usual, and on my second trip back to the bar, noticed 2 tickets to "Corey Feldman and Truth Movement" lying on the bar. A few people pointed at the tickets and laughed, but I snatched them on my way back to our booth--I was totally going! Oliver Future is pretty good, they have a myspace page if you care to check them out.
Bubby's 2 Dads
Tuesday I accidentally left my cellphone at the apartment, and when I returned from work I had several crazy voicemails from various family members concerning some type of family crisis. My family is scattered over 4 states currently: Al is in Illinois going to college at Loyola Chicago, Bubby and Ma are in Philadelphia, and Daddy is in St. Louis with my grandparents. I'm out here. I learned a few months ago that this separation and a penchant lack of communication leads to numerous (needless) headaches in our family. It becomes a disfunctional game of telephone, usually because Bubby and Al exaggerate, and my Dad refuses to speak directly to my mother. Everyone was looking to me to fix the situation. I decided to call everyone first and get the facts.
I started by calling my mother. She explained that she had gotten a call from AFS--the foreign exchange program Bubby is going to Germany with for her junior year in high school. AFS had found Bubby a host family, but it was an "alternative" family and they wanted to clear it with my mother first. The alternative family is a same sex couple in Leipzig. My mother had told AFS she'd talk to Bubby about it and they'd go from there. Bubby was really excited and happy. My mother, being the Catholic she is, wanted to pray about things before making a decision. Bubby had called Alison and my Dad. According to my mother my dad didn't want Barbara to go. Something about our grandparents. I asked who told G&G? She didn't know. Next I called Al. Al said that she had gotten in a fight with our dad over the phone. She'd screamed, cried, and hung up on him. According to Al, my dad had said that our grandparents were freaking out about the host family and that Barbara couldn't go. He said that he didn't want to listen to them complain for a full year. Alison said my dad was selfish to stand in Barbara's way, he'd always been so liberal and open-minded, etc, etc. I asked her who told G&G? She didn't know. Next, I called Daddy. He was suspicious from the start, but I told him I was just callilng to sort out the facts. First I asked him who told G&G? He said he hadn't, they didn't know yet. He added that there was no way he'd tell them. Well, problem solved! He said he didn't care if Bubby stayed with a same sex couple, he just didn't want my grandparents to gripe to him about it. I proposed the solution: we wouldn't tell precious grandma and grandpa a thing. At first my dad assumed they would find out somehow. How! Grandma can't use the internet, and besides, she couldn't pick out a gay man in the lineup of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. (Oh the irony). My dad fully embraced the idea stating "It'll be like the German Bird Cage." Whatever you need to call it, Daddy. We can tell my grandparents that Bubby is staying with Hansel and Gretel in a gingerbread cottage for all I care, they wouldn't understand. My grandma is a woman who converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism when she got married. When she and my Grandfather returned from a German site-seeing tour with their church she made it a point to explain during the slideshow that all the churches in the photos used to be Catholic Churches and that they had been converted to Lutheranism. (For the record, my father was raised Lutheran and doesn't practice, my Mother's side of the family is all very Catholic - my uncle is a priest.) As I told my dad, if I dated a woman--and who knows, I might someday--I would never in a million years tell my grandparents. They are far too old and stuck in their ways. They would never understand. With some old people, it's just a lost cause trying to explain certain political ideologies. It's better to do your thing and be sure to remind them that election day is really a week later than it actually is.
So now everyone is happily preparing for Bubby's trip to Leipzig, and I'm planning to visit her in February. She forwards her emails from her host family to me, and they are precious and sweet. Thorsten and Enrico are young, 28 and 30, and are so very excited that Bubby will be their first host daughter! The letters are so very kind and welcoming. While Bubby does have some gay friends at school, this will be a great experience for her. American TV shows made for the teenage girl demographic are notorious for portraying gay men in the stereotypical "hairdresser/fashion guru" role (Top Model/Project Runway). Thorsten and Enrico are neither of these, and she'll get to experience liberal Europe--all parties will learn a great deal. She'll be their plump little bi-racial fraulein!
Restrain Yourself
Saturday night I got to meet Claudia's mom. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at The Grove. It was only my second time at The Grove, a mall that puts Hollywood and Highland to shame. The Grove is essentially quaint old world Europe/American small town meets mall. It has all that olde tyme charm. There's a train that runs through the outdoor mall! The attendants at the movie thater wear gloves and hats! It's somewhat frightening. However, Claudia's mommy was very nice and I'm glad I got to meet her while she was in town. Puppy came to dinner as well, and we got quite the surprise towards the end of the meal when he relived himself on Claudia's lap! 3 dozen paper napkins later all was well.
Later that night I went over to a small gathering at the 90211 pad. All the roommates were in the process of moving out, but there had been an altercation earlier in the week that prompted a themed gathering. All I will say is "restraining order" for now. Perhaps, after the court date, I'll be able to add specific details...
Corey Feldman's 35th Birthday
Sunday night John Ross and I used my two free tickets to see Corey Feldman's Truth Movement play at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. We were peeing our pants in anticipation. This would be awesome. Upon arrival we were patted down, our bags were
searched, and we were checked for cameras. There was a v.i.p. entry with photographers. We thought for sure that there would be famous people inside. However, once inside we discovered a somewhat barren House of Blues. The show was set to start at 7:30 and we'd shown up at 9pm. A loud rock/metal band was on stage and the lead singer looked like a poor-man's Tommy Lee. However, they were good. John and I used the time to get wasted in anticipation for Corey. Then there was another opening band, which was more like a poor man's Third Eye Blind. (cringe). Then, finally, around 11:15pm Corey's band took the stage. Really it was more like appeared on stage. Allow me to set the scene: the stage is aglow with purple fog and out of the darkness comes a man twirling a huge bamboo stick; he is the conga player and he takes his place. Next comes the sax player, an older man (who apprently toured with Pink Floyd) with hair that is a cross between a mullet and a pompodore. He is followed by 2 backup singers, one of which has huge fake breasts thrust up by her corset. Her hip to waist ratio is distrubingly Barbie-esc. Then a drummer, guitar, bass. We wait. Then out of the fog, with his back to the audience comes a short-ish man wearing a big black fuzzy Dr. Seuss like hat and an embroidered jacket. His arms move trippily through the air, then he turns around and takes the mike: Feldman has landed! John and I were laughing so hard; I squeezed his arm and had tears in my eyes. Things just got better as the night progressed. It was Corey's 35th birthday and he was celebrating, damn it! He stripped to his bare chest in one number, then called for the "bikini girls"to join him on stage. Two women appeared and dressed Corey in a glittery "Pink Floyd" t-shirt. Later the bikini girls would return. The band was comprised of talented musicians (except for Barbie backup) --but it was clear that Feld's had assembled the best band money could buy (and that's with his money mind you). He's not a very talented front man, but he seems like a really nice guy. A little nervous, a little self-conscious, but he means well. There were guest appearances too (see link below). His wife joined him onstage during the silly string sequence, clad in a sailor-suit like skanky dress. Coupled with the brunette pin-curled hair she looked like Shirley Temple minus 50 pounds, plus a pair of fake breasts. John and I had a great time--we laughed so hard. The next day I emailed my experience to Defamer. Later in the day John emailed me, telling me to "check out Defamer" then he realized that I had written the entry. Yes, Defamer has finally published one of my L.A. adventures! What fun! Read my brief Corey synopsis here! The quotes are all Eileen. More event-related pictures here.In other celebrity-related news Prince is getting a divorce. This means that I may have a chance to live my dream of sleeping with Prince. Let's keep our fingers crossed, friends; anything can happen in Hell-A.
posted by Eileen at 10:00 PM
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