Day 4 - Universal Studios

I just wanted to mention something that occurred yesterday before I forget again!

We decided to go to Venice Beach as that is something that I really wanted to see. We were going to go earlier in the week however got side tracked with other things. I am stuffed if I know why I been thinking the place was a paradise....I am guessing it is from one of the many movies that I have seen it featured in. Good lord...how wrong I was.

Venice Beach is seedy at best. It is obviously one of the poorer suburbs of LA and I am sure would have a crime rate higher than most. Whilst we were walking along the footpath the lines the beach (which I couldn’t see mind you) I actually witnessed a white man and dark man make an “exchange” – a clear plastic bag containing marijuana. It was apparent that marijuana was prevalent as the place reeked of it...and I saw one man quite openly smoke it.

Along the footpath there were countless T Shirt shops – all containing the same products – and a variety of locals some of which were clearly homeless or not “quite there”.

 

“Muscle Beach” was empty however I had no trouble in picturing multiple male body builders using the equipment and have no doubt that the only thing bigger than their muscles would be their egos. Several indigenous men were trying to offload DVDs to passers-by, although I have no idea what the DVDs would have contained. Clearly they wanted to exchange them for money however. I was not comfortable in the area despite it being daylight and me being with the Bear and was very keen to get back to our car. As we were walking back, a rather tall Negro approached the Bear and me to try to push another DVD at us, and it was at that point that my fear overtook me. We couldn’t get past him without either pushing him out of the road...or resorting to another measure. I figured the second option was probably the best one given that I hoped to come out of this scenario with a pulse. So....I looked up at him and looked him directly in the eye....I summons all of my courage knowing I was doing this for my safety and that of the Bears.....and said.... “Ick shpreeekkiiinnnnn zee doitch?” The dude said “Ahh from Germany” to which I nodded. Then with a wave of his hand he backed off....and we made a beeline for our car.

So it was off to Universal Studios today. We had to go on 3 or 4 different freeways to get there, although it wasn’t as traumatic as when we went to Warner Brothers. Either I am getting used to it...or....someone has listened to my prayers and has euthanized a part of my brain.

Driving up through the gates of Universal felt familiar as Movie World has a slightly similar entrance. That is around about where the familiarities stop. We went to purchase our tickets where the dude behind the counter did the up-sell of the century (normal ticket to ‘front of line” tickets) and went and lined up awaiting the park to be opened. First lesson learned: most of the Americans are considerate people however the Chinese are just blatantly rude. They simply pushed in and didn’t mind how/where or why they did it. Second lesson: You will always recognise an Aussie in a crowd as they will be the ones wearing thongs. Third lesson: You can always guarantee that ANY line no matter where you are in the world, will have at least one “bush pig”.

The gates open and I needed to make a beeline for the loos. As I am doing so, bush pig comes screaming out of the rest rooms stating that there is no toilet paper or tissue. I found that hard to believe given that the park had only just opened. The Bear stated that he would go in and get some from the mens toilet...however I said that I didn’t need that as I would go in and check the toilet paper status myself and would come out and get some should I need to. However my chivalrous Bear went in anyway and came out with toilet tissue stuffed in his pocket. As I was not keen to make a loo paper exchange in public I said again that I would check it out. As it turned out, the ladies bathroom had at least 2 rolls per cubicle. I have absolutely no idea what the bush pig was yelling about.

We walked further into the park only to be stopped with the masses (including the nips and the bush pig) and were told by an employee that the part wasn’t open yet (could have fooled me given that....we were there!) and that we had to wait until we “heard the director yell action!” 15 minutes later after being stood on, pocked at, pushed about etc by the nips....and yes...bush pig again....we heard the “action” so were finally inside the park.

 The studio tour was really, really good however the tour guide looked like a cross between Jim Neighbours and a squashed pie. It was hard not to look at him instead of the attractions. Anyway we went past things like where “Back To The Future” and “Jaws” were set, as well as the street that is shown in “Desperate Housewives” complete with every house. Unfortunately we were not given the opportunity to take many photos however I at least got a few good ones to bring home. It was awesome to think that we were in place that had been graced by the absolute greats of Hollywood.  We experienced “rides” such as that when an earthquake was simulated in an underground subway...and a 3D effect with dinosaurs in a jungle as well as being rolled down a mountainside by King Kong.

We saw the Blues Brothers Show, The Water World Show and the Animal Actors Show all of which were good. I would definitely go back to Universal Studios again.

After we left the park, we walked up a nearly “strip mall” and saw the biggest/tallest candy store that I have ever seen and other amazing shops and things to do. We spotted a “Bubba Gump” (from the Forrest Gump movie fame) and decided we would have dinner there. Dead set they have the most fantastic set up and even more wonderful staff. The food was great and affordable, the atmosphere superb and if I had a spare million dollars I would start a chain in Australia. It was great!

Coming home on the relevant freeways was a nightmare. We didn’t think that we would experience the traffic from hell however common sense should have prevailed. Friday Night + L.A = nightmare traffic. It took us more than an hour to drive back to the hotel.

It was such a long day, and I am so terribly tired, my diary note today will be quite pathetic. Sorry people....I will put my humorous thinking cap back on tomorrow. 

Day 3 - We found the Monte Cristo Sandwich!.

Well.....just in case I forgot how annoying the advertisements were in the lead up to the State Elections...I have had a reminder compliments of the United States elections.  I had originally thought it was ok....as it didn't seem as though one party was slinging off at the other party (unlike our own politicians which, despite being the lowest of low, manage to scoop a little more out of the pool when in comes to slandering their opponent) but now that I have heard the ads over, and over, and over, and over (you get the picture?) I am not so sure.  I haven't quite worked out how these elections work, but from what I have learned a party must submit a "proposal".  These proposals are given a number...and coming election day....you will vote for the proposal that works for you.  The adverts and signage in the streets keep referring to "props" and the relative number.  As I type this, another add comes on in support of "Prop 32".    The next ad to come on is requesting that voters vote "no to Prop 37".  The elections will be over in a couple of days and it can't come quick enough!

 Okies....a road rule in the USA that scores high on my weird-o-meter.  If you are wanting to make a right hand turn....and if the light is red....and if there is no traffic coming along, you can make the right hand turn through the red light.  At home, this would be the equivalent of making a left hand turn.  Whilst the Bear has readily accepted (and used) this road rule....every single fibre of my being screams "nooooooooooooooooo".  I thought this road rule was worth mentioning.    The drivers here create their own road rules it would seem anyway....so am fairly sure they would proceed through the red light irrespective even if there was the rule where you stopped on a red light and had to stay put!  They drive like freakin' nutcases.  Either that, or they are genuinely trying to break a world record.  Suggestions of these could be as follows:

*  fastest land speed record

*  fastest LA freeway speed record

*  fastest shave or make up application whilst keeping steering with your knees

*  largest amount of lane changes without using an indicator

*  largest amount of lane changes with eyes closed

*  most amount of speed changes within 100 metres

*  most amount of speed (in their blood)

*  fastest to go across 8 lanes of traffic in a single bound

*  fastest to go across 8 lanes of traffic single and bound

*  fastest to bound across 8 lanes of traffic whilst single

There are an absolute stack that I could think of.   Another thing that happens here is....unlike our amber colour taillight assemblies.... most cars over here just have their rear indicator as a flashing of the red brake light.  This is even on semi trailers!  I find it terribly bizarre!

Went back to Hollywood today and walked along where the stars are.   I was astounded to find there wasn't one there for me.  I feel that I am a more deserving recipient than Winnie the Pooh!  However....I mingled with ease among the many stars that were milling around the place.....Darth Vader....Mickey Mouse...some dude with fake muscles wearing a blue leotard and tights. It was clear that they accepted me as one of them...and adored me more than life itself.  They followed me and the Bear down the street trying to shove pieces of paper at me.  The Bear said it was advertising...however we both knew that they were love notes.

 We had lunch at "Hooters" which does not have bare breasted women serving like I had thought.  They are fully clothed women (albeit skimpy) that have precious little in the way of personality or brains...not that I am judgemental  *rolls eyes*  They were true ambassadors for the clothing retail stores here in Los Angeles....those that feel that skinny girls are the only ones that deserve clothes.  Dead set....there are NO fat racks here in LA!  The Bear and I pounded the pavement looking for clothes for the shape-challenged (I need a warm jacket to take to New York) however to no avail.  *sigh* 

 Tomorrow we are heading to Universal Studios which will be just awesome!  On Saturday we are thinking of going and stalking *cough* a few celebrities and/or their homes.  Several tour companies want to charge an arm and a leg for a tour....where as we bought a map of celebrity homes and crime scenes (yeah I am a freak) so that we can figure it out ourselves!   Watch out Gene!

PS:  We have found the illusive Monte Cristo Sandwich.  It sells at Jerry's Restaurant and delicatessen at Marina Del Ray....for $16.95.  Woot! Now I just need to find someone who sells grits!

Day 2 in the USA - All Hallows Eve!

Happy Halloween! Gee the Americans take this seriously. Front yards and department stores are totally decorated. People are in the streets tonight trick or treating. Adults are dressed up...and candy is being handed out everywhere you look. Not to be outdone, I thought I should join in. Given that my hair is not responding well to the difference in the water over here, it is just sitting on my head like a helmet. Add to that a pair of bike pants and you will find me far more frightening than any ghost or witch!

My day started talking to Nicco on the phone. He was ready for bed and I was just getting up! This time difference feels strange. This morning I realised that not only was I in a different day to my home but also a different month! After speaking to Nic we went in search of some breakfast. I didn’t know what I wanted as I had just seen a TV ad for a “Bacon and Egg Biscuit”. I wondered what that could possibly be however found it to have been bacon and egg on a scone. It looked gross and put me off any sort of muffin or bread item for breaky. We went for a drive and ended up going through the “Del Taco” drive through...where the Bear ordered a breakfast bacon and egg burrito. I am surprised he got that though, because the drive through chick could not understand a single word he said! I ended up having just an orange juice.  Mexican for breakfast just doesn't seem right - although the yanks obviously love it.  They have a Mexican restaurant on nearly every corner. 

 Having visited Hollywood and Beverley Hills yesterday we thought we might do the VIP tour at Warner Brothers. Just as a note here :  I absolutely LOVED Beverly Hills and was amazed by Rodeo Drive. We headed off....our destination being in the suburb of Burbank..and drove there going around the Hollywood Hills. Jesus H Christ. Never, ever again. The freeway/motorway thingy was about 600 lanes across with 20 000 000 absolute kamikaze drivers with absolutely no road sense at all. We were nearly side swiped several times by some numbskull who was shaving (YES...SHAVING!) whilst driving. I tried to take a photo of the said driver, however as I was hanging on to everything for dear life in the hope of saving my own....I didn’t get the camera out in time. We drove down through the San Fernando Valley (towards Sherman Oaks) and whilst the view was mind blowing.....the experience was something that I hope NEVER to repeat. I am still trying to figure out how we managed to get to Warner Brothers alive...although my husband will no doubt say it was because of his skilful driving. I most certainly won’t argue with that as he is doing an amazing job. I swear he has cement balls, because you couldn’t drive in these conditions without having them swinging between your legs!

The Warner Brothers experience was amazing. We were driven around in an over-sized golf cart (which was flat out fitting my butt in the seat...let alone another 12 people) by a interesting guide named Jacob. I was amazed to see the grounds being surrounded by gum trees! We toured the back lots in the streets where shooting is filmed and saw facades from many well known movies and television shows. These included “Harry’s Law”, “Friends”, “Two Broke Girls”, “The Mentalist” and “Mike and Molly”. The Bear actually got tickets to tonight’s taping of “Mike and Molly” however it was too hard to get to it on time after we drove back to where we are staying at Marina Del Ray. We may get to go to something else whilst we are in this country. We went and saw the set for “Two and a Half Men” and were amazed at how small it is! We would have loved to have taken photos however this was strictly forbidden. I was able to take some other photos outside however. The Bear and I also had our photo taken whilst sitting on the former set of “Friends”. It actually didn’t get taped at Warner Brothers however they had rights to the set/props so have got it there for purely tourist interest. This tour really had the WOW factor and I was overwhelmed at seeing so much stuff that we would normally only see on TV.

On our tour there were some people from Japan – one of which was a relatively young man with a package in his pants to challenge Dirk Diggler. It hung half way down to his knees! I really didn’t think it was a good look given that he was wearing silvery-grey trousers which left no imagination what so ever. The Bear thought it was a pair of socks....and stated that it was not natural. I disputed the sock theory given it’s “shape”. I am fairly sure that if the Jap was aroused, he would in fact pass out.   And no...I didn't deliberately look (although once I saw it I tried to get a photo of it!)...it was just "there".  You know....it just "was".

In the grounds of Warner Brothers....I got to see my first squirrel! I tried to take a photo however it didn’t turn out very well. The tour guide was very surprised that I took such an interest but I believe it is because the Americans don’t like them. They are not much more than vermin apparently. I still think they are cute!

I had another first today! I went to Taco Bell which was an interesting experience at best. I found the food to be quite bland however quite good. There was a group of young “men” (who obviously came from an alternate background) and a dressed up Jaberwockie who scared me a little. No...they scared me quite a lot....they were very noisy. However unlike the young men we have at home, these boys did not swear loudly and greeted each other with a genuine sincerity. As the Bear said, these guys had a story...but were good kids.

The last thing to report today...is that I have fallen in love with the supermarkets here. They have everything and anything...including stuff I have not seen for years. They sell TAB! For those that do not know what this is....it was a diet cola drink....and it was an ad for this that Elle McPherson had done that got her into the big league. They sell wonderful meat and veges which look fresh and are reasonably priced. Woolies and Coles would do well to follow their example! The more interesting items that the stores have here are things like boxed cooked bacon (not refrigerated); peanut butter cups (candy); 3 kilo bags of M & Ms; everything that you can buy in a Chemist (which is odd because the Chemists here open 24/7); and beer, wine and spirits. I fully intend on taking a trip to the supermarket just so that I can look at each and every item. I want to buy an absolute stack of stuff...but just need to see what I am allowed to take back into Australia!

PS:  I have get to come across somewhere that sells grits!

D-Day. Woot!

Woot! Today...just for something different....we will fly to Los Angeles. I still can't wrap my mind around that. Surely I must be dreaming? I am positive we will get to the airport, and then drive home again. I can't even picture myself boarding a 747!

The Bear and I have stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport. We stayed at this motel when he had a number of flights, including an international one, a few years ago. It just wasn't worth him driving back to Toowoomba between the flights so we decided to have a night in Brisbane to make it easier for him. On that occasion, the motel was excellent! Clearly the management has changed. When the Bear checked us in, he was greeted (for want of a better word) by an arrogant, aging Asian woman who apparently felt that he was interrupting her TV viewing. The foyer looked worn, the lift had serious issues, the carpets stained and tired, and the room absolutely reeked of bleach. In fact, the bleach was so strong my eyes burned. I started itching uncontrollably and add to that I wore an armful of chocolate ice-cream as a result of an altercation with the ice-cream machine at Sizzler (which Alyx thought was the funniest thing she had ever seen/heard) and I was a mess. It was just ghastly! That being said, the bed was nice and firm so I did get a few hours sleep. I am waaaaay tired this morning however. I guess that is a good thing as I will need to try and sleep on the plane. If I don’t I will crash and burn when we get to L.A.

I would just like to take this opportunity by the way to say that I absolutely HATE typing on a laptop!  This one is possessed!  And no, it does not have anything to do with the typist.  I apologise in advance for the multiple typos, incorrect punctuation and horrendous dummy spits that I have over the coming weeks!

Speaking of L.A. the temperature there today apparently will be 27 degrees with an overnight temperature of 14 degrees. Nice! The Bear suggested I pack my togs (keep an eye out for a news headline "Mystery surrounds beached whale in inner city Los Angeles" ) so I did!

 

 I am still confused by the time differences. I am told that L.A is + 7 hours and minus a day, to our time here. We were thinking it was +6 - 1 day however this has been corrected. I am not sure how I will go with trying to turn my medication time table upside down - I have certain ones I have to take in the morning and certain ones that I have to take at night time. It won’t be a simple case of reversing these, especially seeing as we will not only experience the change in time zones when we get to LA...but we will travel through several time zones as we make our way across the country. I guess if I come home with a full beard and a third nipple (yes Ma...a nipple) I will know that I have stuffed things up a tad!

 

October 30 - Take 2. After crossing the International Date Line. (Be sure to read the one below this....first!)

Ground hog day.  We left Brisbane Airport pretty much on time. The Bear and I were in Business Class in the nose of the jumbo however it wasn’t quite what I expected. It seemed sort of sterile and colourless. The staff were less than enthusiastic which sort of set the mood for the flight. I was fairly impressed with the fact that we had chairs which you could lay down completely into a bed if you so wished, and the fact that there were little TV screens in the back of the chair in front. Mind you, I could not co-ordinate these two features to work together. The remote control for the TV did not work properly and the chair had a mind of its own. So...if I reclined my chair in one of the several ways that were available, and wanted to change the channel on the TV, I could not change it with the remote control. Nor could I get the chair to sit upright properly again to reach the TV without adopting some yoga pose with my tongue hanging out at an odd angle. If I wished to push my friendship with the remote control I would find that instead of changing the channel, I would turn on the bright light above the Bears head!  Needless to say, I struggled with the chair and the remote for the entire flight!

The flight was relatively uneventful although the early night fall seemed bizarre. When we left Brisbane, it was almost as though we said to the sun “ok...race you to LA”. The sun kept going in its direction, yet we were travelling back in time in the opposite direction. Just for the record, we won by a long shot. With us and the sun travelling in opposite directions, we experienced night fall at around 3pm Brisbane time. We had already had lunch/dinner a little bit earlier, so the flight attendants started preparing our bodies for the adjustments with the time zones. They decided it was “lights out” and darkened the cabin. This felt completely ridiculous and I stayed watching TV like a stubborn teenager. At around 4.30pm Brisbane time, we crossed the equator and the Bear welcomed me to the Northern Hemisphere. Half an hour later we had the seatbelt sign come on with an instruction from the pilot to sit down and buckle up. The Bear told me that it was typical to experience severe storms just over the equator due to the trade winds and some other weather thingy clashing. The pilots did an amazing job weaving in and out of the storm systems although we got up close and personal with some lightening. I got a little bit of video footage of this. By 7pm Brisbane time we were passing Hawaii and it suddenly dawned on me that we were a long way from home!

 

I managed to get about an hours sleep on the flight which I am very grateful for. We are going to try to stay awake all day so that we sleep tonight and get our bodies adjusted to the time difference. We arrived at LAX a little earlier than scheduled. The city was covered in a thick blanket of fog and given that it was still dark, I couldn’t see a damned thing! I had been waiting to see the “Hollywood” sign from the air but this wasn’t to be the case. When we pulled up at the airport, we ended up being kept on board for an extended still period as there was a problem attaching the aerobridge to the plane. I would have thought that this would have been something that the airport crew might have been experienced in doing – apparently not. *insert confused look here* The extra time on board was worth the wait however because when we finally disembarked, a kind yank standing at the door of the aircraft said “welcome to Los Angeles Ma’am” in a thick American accent. I would have shined his shoes had he asked!

 

The Bear wanted us to get to immigration and customs as soon as possible so that we didn’t have to wait the expected couple of hours to get through the lines. We ran (???) along the several travelators and along the several kilometres (exaggeration?) of corridors in the very 60s looking airport.  I seriously pictured LAX to be more like the airport from "The Jetsons" so I was somewhat disappointed.  We got to customs and found we did reasonably well although still had quite a wait. The Americans take their security very seriously and I watched with amusement as one official came out of his little glass box to request that a patron “kindly step back behind the yellow line Sir!”. I wanted to be the rebel and put my foot over the same yellow line! I did a little toe tap across...and did so without being caught! I felt like a Ninja Renegade! Feeling quite chuffed with this, I thought I would stand in line and floss and wanted to dare the officers to come and tell me not to do that. Sadly....they didn’t. When we finally came to the top of the queue the Bear and I went through and suffered the third degree by a Mexican looking American Customs Officer. He was very interested in trying to trip the Bear up with his occupation and his reasons for coming to America. He also became impatient with me when I apparently wavered whilst being finger printed (yes....finger printed). He mistook my inability to balance on one foot and conduct a twister type manoeuvre with the other, as being some kind of nervousness. He felt the need to ask me to relaaaax. Relax? I wasn't uptight! I was just happy to be there!

 

The same interrogation came when we went through quarantine although the officer seemed more interested in something that was happening over my shoulder. In any case, we were across the border and entered into the United States of America! Mind you I didn't realise this at first.  For some stupid reason (sleep deprivation perhaps?) I thought we had a third part of the border to cross so was very surprised when we exited the terminal and started our epic length journey to the Hertz Depot.

 

In my first half hour of being in the United States, I came across my first “Snapple” machine; experienced my first drive on the wrong side of the road; saw my first "Burger King"; found ourselves in a very well-to-do LA neighbourhood; and found an extremely suitable husband for Alyx! (Long story Eames. Lets just say he looked like Castle, earns a good income, and is based between your home and ours!)

 

I type this having just checked in to our motel at Marina Del Ray (near Venice Beach).  The bed looks overwhelmingly inviting however I will go the distance and try to stay awake until tonight. The TV is on and the channels are filled with details of damage from Hurricane Sandy.  Seriously, they Americans would have loathed living in North Queensland.  This was a Cat 1 storm so was minor compared to some that are regularly felt in the deep north.  I realise that this occurred in an area that wasn't used to weather events like that, but putting on news reports to explain how to lodge an insurance claim?  Atlantic City has got a large amount of flooding although I don't know whether this was from rain or storm surge.

 

I know it is around 3.30am at home which means it is 10.30am the day before, here. It feels like it is late afternoon though.  I think that might be because of the angle of the sun?  It is autumn/fall here, although that shouldn't really be any different to home. The sun came up way later than it does at home.  At 7am it was still pitch black which totally screwed with my head!  I wonder what time the sun will go down?

 

October 30 - Take 1!

Less than 24 hours ago I was leaving the motel near the airport. Strangely we saw the wrong side of Australians.

The Bear had booked a cab the night before...to pick us up from the motel at 7am. Right on time a young Indian looking cab driver pulled up and loaded our suitcases into the boot. We hopped in and were about to head off when another cab pulled up. An Australian driver got out and peered into our cab. He looked at the cab driver and stuck his head right in the window. He looked at our cab drivers computer thingy that sits up on the dashboard and then looked over to us in the back. He asked us if we “were right with this”. The Bear answered “yes...why wouldn’t we?” It so much what the Aussie cab driver said....it was how he said it. It reeked of racism and we felt the need to apologise to the cab driver on behalf of all Australians.

We arrived at the airport three and a half hours before our flight. That gave us time to check in and go through security and customs. The Bear set off the alarm at least 3 times and had to remove his watch, his wallet and his belt before he could go through properly. Once he successfully passed through security he was approached by a security officer who requested a “pat down”. This was a little more than checking for traces of drugs – it was a full on pat down/frisk search. I felt that this was hideously unfair and requested a pat down too! The officer politely declined and told me that a female officer would have to do that if it were necessary. I respectfully stated that this was not necessary and put the offer out to him again. Again this was declined...with the officer saying there were too many camera’s. This was blatant discrimination don't you think?  *sigh*

Clearly I was in for a different sort of day. I went to use the bathroom before going through customs and was surprised to see the ladies bathroom empty with a long line of immaculately clean toilets. I had my choice of around 12 cubicles so decided I would use one smack bang in the middle. I was again admiring the cleanliness and the pleasant music that was being piped through whilst I was having my tinkle.....so imagine my surprise when I found the toilet paper dispenser empty. Given that I had left my handbag out with the Bear, I couldn’t even try to fish for an old used tissue! I wondered what the odds were of being able to “drip dry” within 30 seconds, but figured this would be going against the theme of the day. I yanked my dacks up half way and was just about to unlock the cubicle door and make a bandy legged dash to the next cubicle when another patron came in. I listened to see if she might have gone into a cubicle on either side of me. I figured that someone wouldn’t mind if I called out and asked for a few sheets to be placed under the stall wall – however the woman entered a stall right at one of the ends. Not keen to be caught literally with my pants down, I decided to wait the couple of minutes until the other patron had gone. Needless to say of course she wasn’t just there for a wee, and I listened to the "William Tell Overture " whilst tapping my toe impatiently. It was clear that bugle bum wasn’t going to wrap this up in a hurry, so whilst she continued with natures calling, I yanked my pants back up half way and did the bandy legged dash to the next stall. And yes....there was ample toilet paper in there!

1 More Sleep!

Well I have just said bye to Nicco, the cats and the dogs. It was probably less melodramatic than I thought it was going to be which is a good thing. I am guessing the mood was a little less than expected given that Ella was overwhelmed to be going in the car WITH the cats and Schultz, and therefore considered it to be an appropriate time to have a mind out. With the Bear yelling at her to "GET DOWN!" my expected long and tearful goodbye was reduced to a "see ya!". I suspect that I am putting on a little false bravado however. *sigh*

Anyway.....what else is there to tell you. *Thinks* Oh yeah, that's right. 1 MORE SLEEP!!! Did I happen to mention that tomorrow I am going on a 747 (that's right....a real JUMBO JET! Wooooooot!)? The Bear has done this a million times before, however I have not even seen one up close and personal let alone been on one. Last night The Bear was showing me the seating on board a 747. That is one f**k off big airplane! I hope it manages to stay in the air for the required amount of time!

Overnight I have watched news reports of the earthquake off Canada which lead to an expected tsunami off Hawaii. Mind you, my "Sunday Night" program was delayed 20 minutes because CNN felt they had first class tickets to the end of life as we know it. We waited with baited breath watching the cameras focused on the waters off Hawaii expecting to see an exterminating life level event (which some dickhead in Hawaii actually APOLOGISED for NOT having!) however was nearly lulled asleep by the gentle waves rolling in. Also overnight there has been another shooting - although in this instance it was someone shooting at cars on a freeway. The worst injury I believe was to a motorist who got a bullet in his butt. I don't recall which town/city/state that was in. Also, people are being evacuated from New York due to Hurricane Sandy bearing down. I am guessing she will have fizzled out by the time we get there although at this rate I am expecting that we will arrive in time to experience "the big one" in Los Angeles. God I hope not!

So tomorrow we depart at 10.30am. We arrive in L.A at 6.30am the same day. This is still doing my head in! Apparently this will be about 12.30am Toowoomba Time. We won't be able to check in to our hotel at Marina Del Ray until the afternoon, so the Bear says we should just take a drive so that I can see things like Hollywood Boulevard, Rodeo Drive and Beverley Hills. I am fairly sure that I am going to be expecting to see Julia Roberts striding along in those long, tacky boots; or see Eddie Murphy pull up in a clapped out vehicle whilst shoving banana's up the exhaust pipe of another. I think I watch too much TV! Speaking of television, we are going to delay our trip to Universal Studios until Thursday rather than Wednesday. Wednesday is Halloween and the Bear thinks that perhaps there might be a few too many people hitting Universal Studio's on that day. My question is, how will we know the difference between the people who dress up for it, and the actual freaks! Or more importantly, how long will I be able to carry off the story that I am playing dress-up versus this-is-actually-me?!

Look out America. Here we come!