THE WEEKEND

Friday night I was over at the Garage. Paulie is now trying to get a screenplay going and he needs my help. Of course, all I ever do is write, so first the story must be hashed out. I can write the whole story out by myself, but it's funny how much non-writers seem to know about plotting and things like that-- the kinds of things that non-writers never concern themselves with until they are sitting with a writer, the kinds of things they think they know best concerning...

I stayed up late on the telephone Friday night. I got to sleep around 4:30 AM.

Saturday morning, I ran errands and had breakfast w/ Down Low, who informed me of his plans to ride in a limo headed to the KROQ Weenie Roast... accompanied by Dave Grohl and his wife. Yes, that Dave Grohl-- Low's mom is Grohl's real estate agent.

Feeling envious, I tried to get him to let me tag along, but since I already had plans for that evening, it didn't seem right for me to try and impose.

I drove out to Canyon Country and rocked out with the hair metal cover band in temperatures past the 100s. It was fun, it was steady, it was glam. Then I drove back to the Garage to meet with the potential investors of this movie-- and suffice it to say, they wasted my time and have NO idea of what they want... typical movie-making bullshit.

That's why I'm not a big movie fan.

And speaking of movies, I saw Revenge Of The Sith Saturday night. I slept through most of the movie, being as tired as I was. It was okay, but I noticed that diehard fans were disgruntled. I guess the magic of the whole Star Wars mythos is wearing thin. I call it the "Happy Days Syndrome": the discovery that the things you liked as a kid seem (upon sober adult reflection) to be horrible pieces of dookie compared to what floats your boat nowadays. I first realized this in relation to the TV show Happy Days, hence the name of the syndrome.

I saw the movie with my new friend, "Dotty" (names changed to protect the innocent AND the guilty). I met Dotty online recently, but it turns out that I met her at least five years ago.

I was working at the other radio network, and two of my friends in the Network Operations Center took me out to a bar called The Red Chariot in Van Nuys. It is gone now-- a Starbucks took its place. There was some karaoke going on at the time, and I met with Dotty and her friend "Marcy" through to a mutual friend. But that was it.

Over the years I would see Dotty in various bars, especially when I was in the band with Holly Golightly. Dotty always stood out from everyone else because of her diminutive height and her powerful singing voice. But she and I never became friends until a few weeks ago. And Saturday night was the first time she and I got together in person.

Dotty was the reason for my sleepiness during the movie-- she and I have been talking on the phone in the past week, late into the evenings. I like talking to her.

Afterwards we went to get some food at a 24-hour diner called Frank's... yet the menus said Harry's... a restaurant with an identity complex? Say it ain't so.

I went to sleep around 5 AM.

Sunday morning, I had to be up to help my friend Belle move her belongings out of her old apartment. I woke up late, and made it just in time to help put her things in storage. I was running on fumes, with barely any energy left.

I went home and took a nap, then went out to rehearsal with ICON around 8PM. When it was done, around 10PM, I drove over to Paulie's house for some dinner and some more screenwriting. That lasted about an hour or so.

I drove out to meet Dotty and her friends at The Foxfire Room, aka the bar P.T. Anderson used in the movie Magnolia, or so I'm told. The Foxfire Room is located on the corner of Whitsett and... Magnolia!

The first person I saw upon entering the bar was Dotty. Then, I saw Mikey, the guitarist from Holly's band. It was good to see him. We chatted and caught up with each other-- he is now singing in a System Of A Down-type group, and they just finished recording a demo. Very cool.

And he wasn't the only person in the Foxfire that I knew...

Eerie Coincidence Time: Earlier, before my rehearsal, Dotty and Marcy went to Chin Chin's in Studio City to get some food. I informed her that Dick, Eve's stalking former boyfriend, works there-- Eve told me about this a week ago, warning me in case I ever decided to eat there. Dotty had never met Dick but I asked her if she saw a tall, lanky guy with a hook nose serving her at the restaurant. She said she wasn't sure.

Anyway, when I showed up at the Foxfire, everything was cool. Then, I saw Dick walk in with his new flame. And he saw me. And he kept looking over at me, and I kept smiling and staring at him. I asked Dotty if that was the guy at Chin Chin's, and after some examination she concluded that, yes, he was there when she had been there earlier in the day.

I have no beef with Dick (except for the fact that he beat Eve up when they parted ways) and I always hear that he'd kill me if given the chance... and then he has a chance, and doesn't do shit. I don't have time for people with such deep-seated insecurities. I pretty much ignored him and had a good time, because the best revenge is living well, right?

If someone doesn't like me, I guess I don't like them back in return. But I have no respect for idiots who talk big to their scared ex-girlfriends, only to act like a soft punk when they see me in person.

Dick probably saw me with Dotty and Marcy and figured I had them following him or something. He didn't look happy to see me. But I let it slide. The funny thing is, Dotty was actually more upset about it than I was, because she didn't like how he kept looking over at us.

Nothing happened between Dick and I, and after last call Dotty and her friends and I went out for some Thai food. It was a nice end to an unintentionally eventful evening.

I finally got to sleep around 4:30 AM, and was late to work the next morning. Dotty was pretty tired herself, so we chatted for a short time last night and both of us retired early.

I tend to spread myself thin regarding my friends and hobbies and obligations, but I'm really glad to have made Dotty's acquaintance. She and I have a lot in common, and she's a hoot to be around.

And then there's that voice. All I have to say is: she sang Ike & Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary" at the Foxfire and it stood my neck hairs on end. Note perfect. She even had her friends doing their best impersonations of the Ikettes!

That's all for today. I left out A LOT of details because I need a little something for myself. I need a few factoids for my own edification, things that I would normally share but have decided to keep hidden.

Don't know when I'll blog again, but I'm enjoying the time off. It feels better when done in moderation.