Revenge is a dish best served cold

"You know what they say, revenge is a dish severd like cold cuts" Tony Soprano
"I think you mean , revenege is a dish best served cold."

Today reveived a cell phone call from an ex-coworker. It was late in the afternoon, being Friday after a long week she was feeling bored and frustrated. She called to commiserate about her fellow co-wokers. Hearing their names and details about their misdeeds made my blood run cold! I am happy that I'm no longer walking around that lower cycle of the Infernal and no longer hold no ill will to those people who gossiped about me or wish me ill will. It was a toxic workplace spreading it's poison like a plague, turning brother aganist brother, blinded by ambitions. After the phone call I sigh and thought, the best revenge is living a happy life!

Taking a bite out of crime...

I can't help but think what dentists charge should be a crime! Today I took my mother to the dentist for yet another tooth appointment! All around his office are photos he has taken from his world travels, this past Spring he went to the City of Lights, Paris. The office walls are full of photos of castles by a lake, ocean views, topical island flowers and beaches bathe in the light of sunset and sunrise.
By the time her work is done she will have landed up playing over $4,ooo for work on her teeth! Between her bills and mine I think we will be paying for yet another Euporean tour! Gee, I would love to see Paris. It nice to know that at least my money will.

On guard....

Sometimes , while I'm walking down the streets of Larchmont Village feel like proverbial Alice in Wonderland! It takes a village. Last week I overheard a young woman speaking loudly into her cell phone about her interview with the vampires and this morning I overheard a very nerdie looking young man talking about confronting a sword for the first time! A sword? Who do you think you are d'Artagnan - Lancelot? He was speaking loudly and clearly and he said;"When I came face to face to the sword I could feel the power of the sword! I saw the power of the sword!" Okay, what's up with that? A guy talking about a new inner active web game? An actor? He was far too small and thin to be playing a knight at the Orange Country, Medieval Times Tourment & Restaurant. (I have a gal pal who dated one of those egomaniacal muscle men. Body builders with swords; scary!) So who is this kid talking about his encounter with Excalibur? I don't have to go to DisneyLand Park to visit Fanasty Land - I work in Fanasty Land!

ON GUARD!

Sometimes while walking down the sidewalks on Larchmont Village I feel like one of those characters in a "New Yorker" magazine cartoon, over hearing the strangest cell phone conversations . A few weeks ago, it was a young woman talking about her interview with the vampires and today it was some real young guy taking about confronting a "SWORD"! A sword? He said (rather loudly, might I add) "Confronting the power of the sword for the first time was just so overwhelming! The power of the sword just amazed me!" Say what d'Artagnan? Who are you and why are you dealing in sword play? Was he talking about some new computer game? Was he an actor or role playing in some real Medieval Times game? (He was too tiny and nerdie of a guy to be a knight at Medieval Times in Orange County. One of my girlfreinds dated one of those egomaniacal guys. Bodybuilders with swords-very scary) Is he the once and future king finding his Excalibur? Whatever floats your boat I guess. This is a strange town to live in. I don't need to visit DisneyLand Park to venture into Fantasy Land, I work in Fantasy Land!

A room with a view..

LOFT: 1 - an upper rookm or floor
2- a gallery in a church one of the upper floors or a warehouse or business especially when not partitioned

While driving to yoga class, I notice at the corner of Melrose & Larhmont they're building another complex of "lofts". Lofts; indeed ! The new marketing word for over price, one bedroom housing apartments that will sell for over five hundred thousand! They're building a complex of "lofts" just up the street. They use to call these places studios apartment! Dosen't anyone build condos, town houses or heaven for bidded houses anymore? Then why spend your money building those when you can build cheep, one bedroom, tiny kitchen tiny (if you're lucky alivingroom) and get people who are fool enough, to dish out a half a million for the privilege to be ripped off! We're such sheep!

A loft use to mean you got the huge, warehouse space in downtown Los Angeles, but as soon a rush of young artists started to move in the rich, greedy Japanese business owners bought up these spaces and now you can touch these places of under a million. You can buy a mansion in South Pasadena, Pasadena or San Marino for the cost of those lofts. There most be a lot of foolish millionaire out there. For that kind of cash I would rather by a home along the coast line and deal with the daily nightmare of PCH!

Prices in California went up with the Asian invasion. Nothing racist about that, can't blame the people fleeing Red China. My mother had a friend who sold real estate and said that just before Hong Kong was going from British Rule to China. She would tell my mother she couldn't believe that these lovely people were willing to pay such high prices for a house and in cash! So the greedy American's took advantage of these poeple, charging higher and higher prices and making the sale and in cash!!!! Well, the last laugh is on us, buying a home in California is almost an impossible dream! Of course, I'm not blaming the Asian Americans; I love living in a city with such rich racial and cultural diverseness. That's what America is all about! Besides there are more than one reason for the overprice housing in Southern California.

Still, would love to be able to buy a house! I wonder how young couples with kids so it out here without moving far from the maddening crowd way out in Upland, Redlands and Riverside for example!

When I work at the City there were guys driving in from Frontana! That was a good two hour looooong drive! Well, it beats living in a loft!

Dental plan?

Today I went to my dentist to have my teeth & gums cleaned. I feel like a ship that just had its barnacles scraped off! Not only that but this processor that lasted for 2 hours costed $400.00! Damn! And what is worst, I only had half my mouth done! That's $800.00 dollars! For clean teeth. Doesn't that sound costly? And I don't have dental insurance. Have a nice day indeed!

Dream a little dream for me

"...,it means that there are men and women dwelling in the continuous present, where the past is dead and the future consists of fear and impossible desires." -Wade Davis "The Serpent & the Rainbow"

Last night I dreamt of visiting my old work place and confronting my ex-boss or as I called her the Queen of the Damn, for like a vampire she posesses the ability to suck you dry of your very life source and make you her servant to her evil will like a mindless zombie. This quote from that wonderful book "The Serpent & the Rainbow" came to me, for when I worked at the City it was such a toxic environment. People working under the shadow of constant fear making them inform on one another and holding on to only their own ambitious dreams of advancement, forgetting there fellow workers in the clouds of their selfish dreams. I can't be hard on my fellow co-workers for trying to hold on to their jobs or wanting to advance themselves but I do blame a boss who encourages her employees to spin tales on each other, that is true evil. But I believe in karma and what goes around...In Buddhism as well as Chistian thought ; it's evil to gossip about the faults of others to advance oneself! I know I can get another City job in other City , as well as another job in the City I once worked for due to the fact I earn the respect of people but I prefer not. All Cities seem to have their own version of the Queen or King of the Damn and use fear to have their workers do their bidding. No, I would rather teacher yoga and sell my paintings. If ever I learn how to post photos - I will post my art work on this page.

Don't think we're in Kansas anymore..

While walking out from my yoga studio I overheard this very young woman taking loudly over her cell phonein front of RiteAide stating: "It went alright; once I got over the hypnosis and the blood sucking it was okay." It was okay to having your blood suck? Only in West Hollywood would I overhear should a converstaion. The young woman had very curly, dirty blond hair holding a bunch of dead looking flowers. I hope shw was talking about a movie she had done but in this town, who knows?

All the world's a stage...

This morning enjoyed a quick chat with the most darling young actress Mary Kate at the yoga studio. She's acting in a play in L.A. A cast of two, so she has to carry a lot! She stated how strange it was read a review about her acting. Still, it was so touching to hear a person speak with such passion and enthusiasm about acting. A lot of the teachers and workers at the studio are actors and actresses and are a little jaded and bitter. This darling girl looks a little like a wholesome Linsey Lohan and is so upbeat and delightful that I pray she will be a great success! I plan on seeing her play and wish her the best karma, this town can be so cruel!

Aloha?

This morning, while picking up my Grande cup of "Refresh" tea at the local StarBucks, I noticed that all the workers were wearing plastic Hawaiian leis around their necks. When I asked what was up with the leis, they girl behind the counter said that they were to promote Starbucks new summer breakfast sandwiches. Interesting but what does eggs, bacon and ham have to do with Hawaii?

Legally blind....

Last night received an e-mail from my uncle stating how he and his wife sold their home out in Riverside, California because they were both upset over the quote (these aren't my words or feelings) "The influence of the Illegal Mexicans in the state". Excuse me? I reminded him that his last name was Franco! Hello; senor! Okay; for the most part our (my) ancestors were here when California was the property of Spain but hey, the Spaniards didn't come here with Green Cards, neither did the Pilgrims come to think of it. This is a nation built on the influence of illegal aliens, our fore fathers didn't submit any papers to the Native Americans when they arrived! And my, so called noble relatives, the Spanish raped Mexico as well as South American and the Native Americans in California!

My uncle is now living the life of a gypsy with his wife and ten year old son. They have a trailer, (don't know how they afford that with gas prices as high as they are) and is touring America as well as Canada. His family is currently taking a break in New Mexico and he thinks if he does decide to homestead again it will be there. Oh right, there is no Mexican influence in a state called New Mexico!

Still, wonder how he can be such a rapists. What will this country do without that cheap illegal labor. Last week a neighbor had their driveway dug up to place a new one. A back breaking job and judging from the loud music they were playing these guy were from South of the Border. And everytime I go to an expensive a West Hollywood restaurant to visit the Ladies Lounge (to powder my nose) I always hear Spanish spoken by the kitchen help. And who do you know wants to pick fruit and veggies for low wages with no benefits?

Let's face it unless you're 100% pure native American we all have in our bloodline an illegal alien or two.

A rose by any other name...

Today a guy came up to the front desk at the yoga studio and asked: "Where is the actual bathroom?"
Opposed to the virtual bathroom?
You think they have a bathroom for display use purposes only?

Getting out of Dodge...

There is this urban myth that once you land a City job you have a job for life; you would be wrong grasshopper! I've been getting e-mails from my old friends with whom I worked at two different Cities with and all tell me stories about my old city colleagues who have either decided to cash in their chips and take early retirement and get out of Dodge or even worst given the golden hand shake and assigned forced retirement! And the people that the tribe hasn't voted off the island yet are keeping their heads low. Ah me, sounds so familiar, the last year I worked at the city and realizing that the new director didn't like me, I felt like dead man walking just waiting for my day of execution. So when my director did come in and told me "Things aren't just working out." An odd join of words, I felt like we were breaking up! I expected her to say;"It's not you it's me." I felt grateful and revived back to the land of the living. Even though after seven years you would think the cow could think of a more logical reason than "It's not working out!" I was never even written up. Then giving me only one hour to pack my stuff of seven years and a half years from office, hey I took my sweet time! Well, it could had been far worst, my grilfriend told me how one day her husband went to his office one morning only to find out that the locks were changed and there stuff was packed in boxes left in front of the office building, talk about cold! This is America's downsizings at it's best! What can you do? Just cross your legs and say OM!

Java Jive

I have the instant karma to get in line right behind the person who is making the office StarBucks run and therefore I have to wait while this person reads of a list of all these drinks with a million and one words in it. No one ever orders just coffee, heaven forbid; it's moca latte this or double latte non fat that and then it's not a large , medium or small, it's a grande or vendti. Oh please, it' s just flipping coffee for crying out loud not the nectar of the gods! By the time I get at the counter to place my order I almost forgot what I wanted, which is always some kind of herbal tea. My current favorite is Refresh, a tasty mint tea.

Then while sipping my tea I notice the writing on my Starbucks cup, their version of the thought of the day. I read these depressing facts about HIV and how many people have it, how many children have it and how many people are dying from it. What a cheery thought to start the day on. So sip your double latte something or herbal tea and have a nice day!