March Words of Wisdom

If anyone ever dismisses you for being too sensitive, ask yourself this: Who is more fragile? The person who is brave enough to say when something hurts? Or the person who cannot apologize or admit to having caused pain? Sensitivity, empathy, compassion - these are badass superpowers. --Nanea Hoffman

Nothing can take the sting out of the world's economic problems like watching millionaires give each other gold statues. --Billy Crystal

Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should ALL be bigger than life. --Bette Davis

The weak are the most treacherous of us all. They come to the strong and drain them. They are bottomless. They are insatiable. They are always parched and always bitter. They are everyone's concern and like vampires they suck our life's blood. --Bette Davis

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. --Ernest Hemingway

Make a concentrated effort to surround yourself with positive, nourishing, uplifting people - people who believe in you, encourage you to go after your dreams, and applaud your victories. --Jack Canfield

Even now, as we live in the trenches of this world, we are assured that God is in control and He is good. --Sarah Young

Be whoever you want to be. People are going to judge you no matter what you do. --Unknown

Don't let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out. --Robert Tew

Don't ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance, or my kindness for weakness. --Unknown

Give the gift of your absence to those who do not appreciate your presence. --Unknown

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. --Irish Proverb

If you find yourself asking yourself, "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death. --Steven Pressfield ("The War of Art")

Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it. --Unknown

Be the person that makes others feel special. Be known for your kindness and grace. --Unknown

I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet. --Mahatma Gandhi

The mind is like water. When it's agitated, it's difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle and get calm, everything becomes clear. --Unknown

To many, the words love, hope and dreams are synonymous with horses. --Unknown

Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends. --Tom Waits

Well, I found the one thing that can close down Bourbon Street

Torrential rains in New Orleans right now. Via Earthcam:

I relate to enough of these that I thought it was worth posting

20 Things Only Highly Creative People Understand.

A few that hit home:

They cannot multi-task effectively...

True.

Often, this requires solitude for periods of time...

Most of the time, actually.

...highly creative people often can quickly shift from joy to sadness or even depression. Their sensitive heart, while the source of their brilliance, is also the source of their suffering.

I know it sounds pretentious as hell, but it's true. I envy people who are emotionally tough.

Creatives are notorious procrastinators because many do their best work under pressure. 

Oh good, it's not just me. Actually, this is how I just got through my first UCLA Extension TV writing class, and came out with an A and a hell of an outline for a Better Call Saul spec. All assignments were due online by Friday at midnight, and each and every one was submitted on Friday evening, except for the one that didn't get done until Saturday. Nothing about this story existed when this class started; this wasn't the show I was planning on speccing. But when I had to come up with something, I did. The rest of the week was mainly spent thinking about it. But nothing actually got done until the deadline was looming.

Although I do wish I didn't procrastinate. It's a personal failure IMO.

They have difficulty finishing projects.

Again, oh good, it's not just me.

Check out the whole article and see what you think.

Camels of Monrovia

Last Friday, after running some errands and doing some shopping, Mom and I headed over to the Monrovia Farmer's Market. If you've never been there, it's very family-oriented, heavily attended and really fantastic.

For diehard foodies it might be a bit light on produce, but I still managed to score a huge bunch of celery, some big beautiful strawberries, kumquats, dandelion greens and a lovely bouquet of lavender. It also has some really talented jewelry vendors. I ended up with two necklaces, plus my Mom bought the matching ring and earrings to one of them for my birthday. Very pretty stuff.

There's also a ton of food vendors, plus plenty of places to eat on Myrtle Avenue, where the market is located.

There's also really incredible stuff for the kids. There were three or four of these giant inflatable slides, and the petting zoo included not just pony rides, but camel rides as well. Seriously.

Mom and I had dinner at Jake's Roadhouse.

Monrovia is a beautiful town with a lot of local history, and its farmer's market is huge and highly recommended.

Another Z-lister keeping it klassy

Uh, actually, it's "genes". Babies aren't born with jeans. Speaking of people who probably shouldn't be reproducing...

One job you couldn't pay me to do these days: PR for celebrities. They say the dumbest, most inane things. It would be a thankless, 24/7 job.

Last Remaining Seats 2017 schedule announced

The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced the schedule for this year's Last Remaining Seats, which features classic films screened at restored Downtown L.A. and San Pedro theaters. Ticket for members go on sale March 29 and to the general public on April 5.

L.A. Confidential (1997)
Saturday, June 3, 8pm
Orpheum Theatre (DTLA)

Laura (1944)
Wednesday, June 7, 8pm
Million Dollar Theatre (DTLA)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Saturday, June 10, 2pm
Warner Grand Theatre (San Pedro)

On the Waterfront (1954)
Saturday, June 10, 8pm
Warner Grand Theatre (San Pedro)

La muerte de un burocrata (Death of a Bureaucrat) (1966)
Wednesday, June 14, 8pm
Palace Theatre (DTLA)

Easter Parade (1948)
Saturday, June 17, 8pm
Los Angeles Theatre (DTLA)

Wings (1927)
Wednesday, June 21, 8pm
The Theatre at Ace Hotel (DTLA)

E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Saturday, June 24, 2pm
Orpheum Theatre (DTLA)

Jaws (1975)
Saturday, June 24, 8pm
Orpheum Theatre (DTLA)

Jaws on my birthday! Yes please!

I am Rene Descartes

Or, at least, that's how my mind works according to an online quiz.

Yeah, a lot of it makes sense.

You can take the quiz here.

The latest addition to my little salt & pepper shakers collection

Mom and I went to the Wistaria Festival in Sierra Madre Sunday and had a blast. We scored some great stuff from the vendors there and capped it off with a birthday dinner at North Woods Inn with The Brother.

At one point we wandered into this little shop called The Goody Bags, on Sierra Madre Boulevard. It was mostly retro candy and gift baskets. But when we poked around a bit, we found they had some really hilarious gifts.

And then I saw the shark attack salt & pepper shakers. And yes, I bought them.

A little magnet keeps the leg in the shark's mouth. Genius!

It's almost like generalizing (Nazis) about people who don't share your political views (fascists) might not be the way to go

Hey, look! It's time for another episode of...

As you may have heard, one Samantha Bee, who I have no idea about except that she has a TV show (so do the Kardashians, get over yourself) and is supposed to be funny, effed up big time on said show when she aired this segment, in which the cutting edge (you can tell by her use of the F-bomb) Bee sent one of her minions out to "cover" the conservative conference CPAC. And of course, this being the Amazing Samantha Bee, hilarity ensued. Cue the Nazis!!!

Speaking of "chirpy little shits", someone buy this woman a mirror.

Unfortunately for the Amazing Samantha, one of the Nazi Hair Guys had a sister who saw the segment and had an issue with it. Isn't that just like a raging conservative Nazi fascist? So intolerant, and no sense of humor to boot. She's probably Christian, too. You know how they are.

WHOOPSIE!!! Turns out this would-be goosestepper has a very legit - and unfortunate - reason for his "Nazi Hair". It has nothing to do with his political leanings and everything to do with the fact that he is ill with Stage 4 brain cancer. He's doing the best he can with the hair his treatment has left him with.

I can't imagine what seeing this stupid segment must have been like for Megan Coddington. If my beloved brother had brain cancer...well, I don't know what the fuck I'd do. But if some Z-list celeb made fun of him for it, it wouldn't be pretty. That much I do know.

Since being busted on her (and her show's) stupidity and intolerance, Bee has done the obligatory online apology and she and/or her show contributed a whopping $1,000 to the young man's Go Fund Me page. All part of trying to save face, no doubt. Maybe you should know who and what you're talking about before you jackass on national television, Sam Bee.

If you want to learn more about this young man, he is that Kyle on Twitter.

Get the Kleenex

A couple in the U.K. had a pair of kitties named Bear and Teddy (see what they did there 😉 ).

Bear died suddenly, leaving the couple and Teddy missing him terribly. But it turned out they weren't the only ones. A couple weeks later, Teddy returned home with this note stuck to his collar:

Dear Owner,

I'm your neighbor, living in 4. I'm also your cats' close friends as they (2 cats) are used to coming to my room every day. But one of them, a bigger one, has disappeared for two weeks. Is he OK? I'm so worried about him. He is so lovely cat and always touched my heart. Wish he is fine.

It turns out the neighbor is a foreign student attending college there. The cats had been keeping her company. She also used them for practicing her college presentations because she doesn't have any friends in the U.K. My guess is she does now.

It's a sad but sweet story. Check out the whole article here.

H/T to The Horse Mafia on FB for the link.

Authors and editors event set for LAst Resort!

Sisters in Crime Los Angeles has set a date for our authors and editors event: Sunday, July 8 at 4pm at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. They're trying to get all sixteen authors and all three editors. It's going to be a big group, so they're not sure of the format yet. But whatever they decide to do, it's going to be my first author panel and I'm really looking forward to it. God knows I've been on the other side of the equation at countless panels. It will feel good to be there as a published writer.

More info as I get it.

Good news, bad news

The good news:

• Still cruising through my UCLA Extension TV Writing class. Lots of kudos and bravos from the instructor on my Better Call Saul script (we just finished our third act outline and are doing our fourth act this week) and lots of really positive feed back from classmates, including one who said it reads like a lost episode of the show. Considering how badly this started out, I'm elated at how well it's going. I'm also really looking forward to getting this script - once finished - out to writing contests. 
• The long-awaited Feud: Bette and Joan finally hit the air last night and holy crap Susan Sarandon is knocking it out of the park as Bette Davis. Just give her the Emmy now. It's also a terrific look at old Hollywood. And damn, Bette was tough.

The bad news:

• Turner Classic Movies just announced the death of Robert Osborne, long-time TCM host and film historian. Terrible loss of a wonderful gentleman from a classier, now lost era. More on Osborne from Variety.
• Bob Miller, the long-time play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings, announced his retirement Thursday. He will call the final two games of this season before exiting for good. Kings fans kind of knew this was coming, especially after this, but it's still hard to take. Miller was the last standing member of the famed Los Angeles sports announcers trio (Miller, Vin Scully and the late Chick Hearn). I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the press conference or any of his interviews. I'm going to need a bottle of wine and a big box of Kleenex for that.

Welcome back, Olivet and Sinai!

Looks like Angels Flight is finally coming back! According to Curbed L.A.:

Angels Flight -  a very short railway that runs up and down the hill between Hill and Olive streets in Downtown Los Angeles - will resume operation again for the first time in more than three years.

...a new private operator, ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc., in partnership with the city, is taking over for the next 30 years, and it will reopen the funicular by Labor Day, city officials announced Wednesday.

Will need to plan a day in DTLA once this opens. I've never ridden it, really need to.

Official Angels Flight.

Great Angels Flight image I found on the net a couple years ago.