RTT: The Band, Hef, Creepy Buildings and Shoelaces

I'm in a "mood" again. It's been a semi-lousy day. I couldn't sleep last night. I must have woken up 10 times. I kept thinking about all the things I needed to do. Then today, I was so worn out that I couldn't get any of the many things I needed to do done. Ugh. And I have this rotten thing going on with my sinuses that kind of makes my teeth hurt. And I never could get the optimum balance of caffeine in my system. You know what I mean? And eventually, I had one cup of coffee too many, and then, well, it's all downhill from there. Oh well, what the hell...

On Pseudo's post the other day, she posted a Zeppelin video, and suggested that we push play, then use it as background music while we read the rest of the post. Which seemed like such an excellent idea, that I'm going to steal it. Only I'm not really in a Zeppelin mood. Maybe some Band...

Ah, now that's nice. The Band. The Weight. The Last Waltz. Okay. I'm feeling better. Go ahead. Push play. It's good. Let's move on.

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Did y'all hear the latest news? Hugh Hefner has saved the Hollywood Sign. It's true. An organization has been trying to raise $12.5 million to buy the land from some slimy real estate dudes who wanted to put up McMansions all around it. The plan is to make it municipal property as part of Griffith Park. So today, Hef stepped up and gave them the final $900,000 they needed to save it. How Hollywood is that?! Only in Los Angeles would everyone be celebrating the fact that our most famous cultural landmark has been rescued by our most famous pornographer.

 
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Have y'all noticed my new little map thing over on the right? The Visitor Map? I'm kind of obsessed with it. Unfortunately, it's never accurate, at least not the page views thing. I can't figure out what time of day they start the calculation. Anyway, I am loving seeing where people are who are checking me out. Some of the places I recognize, I know exactly which of you is showing up from where. But there are a few mysteries. I'd love to know who it is who reads me from Germany every day, so whoever you are, let me know. Also, for some reason only half of the map shows up over there. Do any of y'all know what to do to fix it?

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Jamie Oliver has an online petition y'all might want to sign. It's all part of his Food Revolution, which is trying to improve the food our kids eat at school. This petition states "I support the Food Revolution. America's kids need better food at school and better health prospects. We need to keep cooking skills alive." Which is pretty straight forward. Who doesn't want that, right? And you people in Wyoming need to get off your butts and catch up with the rest of the country here. It sort of makes sense that the New Yorkers and Californians would be top supporters of Jamie, but Texas kind of surprises me. Though my memories of school cafeteria lunches growing up consisted almost exclusively of tater tots and chicken fried steak with yellow/greenish gravy. So maybe they are ready for a change.

Sign Jamie's petition here. 

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This is the coolist (sic) website. No really. It's called The Coolist. Like cool + list. Anyway, I can't stop looking at these pictures...Abandoned Places: 10 Creepy, Beautiful Modern Ruins . Creepy and beautiful indeed. They are all haunting and evocative. The kind of places that will show up in your dreams. I want to go to that City Hall Subway Station in NYC so much I can't stand it.

 

Several years ago, I shot a commercial at the old Ambassador Hotel (the site of the RFK assassination). Sadly, it's since been demolished, and at the time it had already been abandoned for many years. It was a fascinating and freaky place. At one point, another actor and I were able to wander around a bit and we located the old Cocoanut Grove night club - incredibly eerie. We also talked a security guard into taking us back into the kitchen of the ballroom, the exact location where Robert Kennedy had died. Wild! Anyway, these places on this site remind me of the Ambassador. Faded glory. Hey, why didn't Hef step in and save the Ambassador too?
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So, Larry King is getting his 8th divorce, and Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting married for a 9th time. Jesse James and Tiger Woods are, well, you know. John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer. Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani are on their 3rd marriages. Britney Spears was married exactly 55 hours on a whim. Yet the idea of same-sex marriage is what is going to destroy the institution of marriage? Really? Hmmm.

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I find this dude a little scary. Ian here can tell you "33 Ways to Lace Your Shoes". He can also translate his site into 21 different languages. "Shoe nyoritys menetelmat" means "shoe lacing method" in Finnish. Who knew? I think this totally justifies the term "Get a Life!".

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Okay, I'm done. Is the song over? If not, you can hang out and listen as long as you want. Have a great Tuesday. Check out The Unmom for more randomness.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

I love this post, and I love The Band. Their voices make me want to cry -- always -- reminds me of another life I had a long time ago.

Here's to the weight lifting soon.

[Maureen@IslandRoar]

Good to be back and enjoy your random. Hope your sinuses feel better. Thank goodness Hef is saving HOLLYWOOD; what would we do w/o him!

[The Bug]

I'll show up on your map as being from Virginia - that's where our corp. headquarters are & our internet is routed through there - but I'm really from Ohio. Sneaky!

I used that marriage thing as my FB status the other day. Hmm - I think it's still my status. Perhaps I should log in & post something new...

[MommyLisa]

I love creepy old places...I may be obsessing over that site myself.

[Sprite's Keeper]

The visitor thing is NEVER right on my site. I don't even check it anymore.
I did find it ironic that it took a porno icon to rescue another icon. :-)

[Michelle]

That was pretty random. Way to go! Happy RTT!

[Jessica]

I would have preferred they kept the Ambassador Hotel but at least they saved the sign I feel obligated to actually buy some porn now as a tribute to our friend Hugh

[Suzicate]

Now, if the Ambassador houses many hot twentysomethings babes with huge knockers, Old Hugh might step in and save it...nah, he'd invite the babes to hang out at his mansion!

[Ginny Marie]

I loved our school lunches when I taught out in rural Illinois. We would have scalloped potatoes and ham, chili with peanut butter sandwiches (a big no-no now), and other yummy food made on the premises by a real cook! But then I got a new job teaching in an upper class suburb, and that school gave the kids fast food every day for lunch! KFC, McD's, etc., etc. I sadly packed my own lunch every day.

[Aimee @ In THIS Life]

Are you ready for this? Don't hate me, okay?

I'd never heard of The Band before right now. I blame it on a combination of their original incarnation literally being before my time (thank you, Wikipedia) and their sound not being my parents' usual musical M.O.

They sound familiar, tho'. I like the song.

I think I'll crawl back in my hole now.

[Michele Renee]

I'm totally enjoying the music right now here tonight. Thanks!
Well, Hollywood and other things bigger than life have been good to Hef. Seems fair that he put some bucks into the sign.

[Julie at MDMA]

Thanks for the random ... now I feel random, too! (And this would be a good day for it ... Culver City Farmer's Market + girlfriends + wine + loads of kids = good times!)

When the Ambassador closed all those years ago (I am so old!) I went to scout it for a fashion show and it was AWESOME! Saw the Grove but couldn't charm anyone into taking me to the kitchen, unfortunately.

Wasn't LAUSD was trying to make it into a school at one point? Did I miss a school board mini-drama somewhere? Living down in the beach cities keeps you a little out of the loop, I guess. Anyway, I feel like if it closed now, someone would try to save it ... wouldn't it be the greatest club?

[Sara]

great random.

those abandoned buildings are fantastic! i could really get wrapped up in that site easily.

i was just reading recently about school lunches in France vs here in the US. pitiful what our kids have to eat. gee, do we think it might improve their ability to concentrate and learn if they weren't eating imitation food?