First things first. Today is Dad�s birthday! A moment of silence for this small, chronic break� My father is wonderful, literally, �full of wonders�. Not a day goes by that he doesn�t strive to learn something, teach something, appreciate something, love something, give thought to something, help to make something or someone better, happier, peaceful. It�s kinda like that. Let�s just put it this way: I look up to the man, I try to live out his values, respect his sacrifices, and thank the universe that I�m lucky enough to be spending so much time with him lately. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Okay, now, onto my update! So you want to hear about my trip to LA, huh? Okay, twist my arm. The ride up was fabulous, Bunny�s new black convertible, top down despite the chilly air, good enough because the sun did eventually come out. Scarves tied over our hair, music blasting and excited smirks on our faces, yes, the drive was definitely fun. We made great time, checked out Liz�s new place (lovely) and headed down to the Mint to see Peter Himmelman . The man has an awesome stage presence. But the best is yet to come!

After Bunny finagled us a booth, sitting comfortably in the corner and bobbing our heads to the music, singing along with some favorite songs, Mr. Himmelman noticed us, looking as tragically hot as we were, of course. He referred to us as �the rock band in the corner,� and worked that into his monologues, even into some of his songs. And then, he asked us to come up on stage for a song, to �make him look better.� And so we did. I stood right next to Peter, Bunny was near the back-up singer (and the microphone, where we all wanted her to sing), and Stephen and Liz were on either side of her. While on stage, Peter improvised a little song about us, and the �rock band� we were supposedly in.

What fun! Not wanting to stand up there and look stupid, we danced around a bit, sang some back-up as directed, and generally laughed and smiled until the long song was over. Too much fun. As we were leaving the place, Africa and Artist were walking up! Perfect timing. I hopped in their car (excited to see my good friends) and we all headed to The Firm , a place I haven�t been in well over a year. But, some things never change, and it was the same door man, bartender, and owner that Africa knew the last time we were there. Needless to say, this meant very pleasant treatment and free drinks. Nice indeedy.

After that, we headed back to Liz�s and hung out, chatting and singing over few beers, when Africa suddenly hopped up, remembering he had 3 auditions the next day. So off the boys went, and into a blanket I crawled, sleeping soundly with the smell of detergent (nothing like freshly-washed linen against your face). I was up early the next day (annoying everyone with my cheery disposition, sometimes hangovers take a day to get to me), and ready to head to Roscoe�s Chicken & Waffles , the one on Gower, of course. I can�t leave LA the morning after a night on the town without some chicken and waffle on the taste buds, heavy enough to knock you out for the drive home (poor Bunny, I did actually doze for a bit).

Overall, I give this trip to LA 4.3 Barbarella stars. Good times, good times. And in a few weekends, I go back up to check out the boys� new beach house. Oh, yeah.

-Barbarella

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