Another year in the books

And with that, the 2023 season comes to an end. Good night.

Not creepy at all...

Don't ever think you have privacy on the internet.

I was reading an article on Deadline about the death of actor Tom Wilkinson and just look at the ad that popped up in the middle of it:

Guess what I was looking at online just yesterday? Yep, this:

 

I ended up not buying it, but if you've ever wanted the Breyer version of Secretariat, he's still available.

Totally creepy, and not cool at all.

Updated 1/2/24: Breyer ads still popping up on various websites. Not cool at all.

Tidings of great joy

This is what I would do if I was filthy rich:

For starters, save this place. Maintain it and save it from development: Esotouric's Monastery of the Angels Advocacy Campaign.

Image snicked from the monastery's website.

According to the Esotouric article (and given how Los Angeles destroys its history, I have no reason to believing otherwise) the historic monastery is being marketed as a teardown to developers. Although the idea of a historic Catholic monastery in the Hollywood Hills seems odd, it's been there for years and the land - up in the hills just off Gower, north of Franklin Avenue and the 101 Freeway - is no doubt incredibly valuable. And since developers and politicians only care about money and not the rapidly disappearing beauty that was once Los Angeles - I have a terrible feeling that no matter how hard Esotouric, LA Conservancy, or anyone else fights for the monastery - deep-pocketed developers are going to have their way and the monastery will be demolished for a modern development (ugh).

 

No kidding - I would live there. Not destroy it.

 

The whole state, county, and city are so corrupt that even if I was filthy rich (I'm talking Bill Gates/Mark Zuckerberg/Jeff Bezos/Steven Spielberg/Nancy Pelosi/insert name of any other filthy rich person here combined) and wanted to save this place, I'm pretty sure that because I would be using my riches to preserve important Los Angeles history and not line the pockets of local politicians and big shots, I would still lose this place to developers. I'd be ruled against by crooked, bought pols (aren't they all).

I will support this fight, but I don't have a good feeling about this. Decent people who don't want places like this bulldozed aren't in control, in fact we really have no say at all.

 

Also, it closed on Christmas Eve. COLD.

God bless the Monastery of the Angels.

Any idiot could program a day of classic Christmas films...

...uh, TCM? You got some 'splaining to do!

 

This schedule for Christmas Day was posted on the Turner Classic Movies Fan Site on Facebook, and I wasn't alone in wondering who the heck programmed this and/or why. A lot of the comments bore out that I wasn't the only one who thought some of the choices were odd for Christmas.

Fortunately, TBS and TNT are embarking on their annual "24 Hours of A Christmas Story" in a few hours, so there will be plenty of quality Christmas viewing available for those of us who want it.

 

The Days of Christmas: Merry Christmas from the beach!

Santa Claus, the day after Christmas.

I don't remember where I got these, so if they're yours please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

Christmas Words of Wisdom

 

 

In the old days it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church, the Jews called it "Hanukkah" and went to synagogue, the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukkah!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!" --Dave Barry

Christmas is forever, not for just one day. For loving, for sharing, giving, are not to put away. --Norman Wesley Brooks

Christmas gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us. --David Cameron

Christmas is the loveliest, gentlest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. --W..J. Cameron

Christmas is a season, not only of rejoicing, but of reflection. --Winston Churchill

Christmas, my child, is love in action. --Dale Evans

There is a Christmas song upon the air, there is a joy innate within the heart. --Edna Green Hines

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality. --Washington Irving

I wish we could put some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. --Harlan Miller

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. --Agnes M. Pahro

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. --Norman Vincent Peale

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly. --Andy Rooney

For the spirit of Christmas fulfills the greatest hunger of mankind. --Loring A. Schuler

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. --Eric Sevareid

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. --Roy L. Smith

 

Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and His gifts. Just like the rest of the year. --Unknown

 

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children they are all 30 feet tall. --Larry Wilde

 

Now a lot of people don't know the words to even the most common of carols. Between you and me, I find this befuddling. How do you make it to adulthood without ever picking up at least one verse of "Joy to the World"? --Reese Witherspoon

To all my liberal friends: Please accept with no implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or tradition of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year of 2024, but not without the due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contribution to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wish. To all my conservative friends: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

 

Wouldn't life be worth the living 

Wouldn't dreams be coming true 

If we kept the Christmas spirit

All the whole year through?

--Unknown

 

Rule are rules...

Looking at you, Walter White:

Stop me if you've seen this one before. And we both know you have 😉

A fond farewell to a Los Angeles legend and another part of my L.A. youth/early adulthood is gone forever

95.5, KLOS!!!

Legendary Los Angeles radio DJ Jim Ladd has passed away and taken a huge chunk of L.A. music history and life with him.

This one really hurts. Can someone please invent a time machine so I can go back to the 80's? ASAP, please!

 

The mighty MET.

 

Jim Ladd, high in the Hollywood Hills ;) As we all should be, forever.

The Days of Christmas: Say His Name

No, not Heisenberg. HIS name!

But still, these are fun.

Can't remember where I found these, so if they're yours please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

The Days of Christmas: If Ralphie had shot his eye out

This one kind of hurts because I was supposed to see A Christmas Story on the big screen over the weekend, but a light came on the car's dash indicating a problem with the brake lights. It was Sunday afternoon so my mechanic wasn't available. I had just driven to and from Santa Monica for a hair appointment that morning and everything was fine. Because of the distance I was going to see the movie, I just felt it wasn't a good idea to drive with faulty brake lights, and so my plans were aborted. Such a bummer. Oh well, 24 hours of A Christmas Story on cable Christmas Eve and Christmas day will have to suffice.

Can't remember where I found this one - if it's yours, let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

The Days of Christmas: Holiday Babies

This one hits because my Mom's birthday was January 3 and because it was so close to Christmas, she often complained about this happening when she was a kid:

Must be even worse when your birthday is ON Christmas. 

Can't remember where I got this one so let me know if it's yours so I can give credit where credit is due!

13 days to go!

Old Kings are the best Kings

Jonathan Quick leads the New York Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. I hope Rob Blake doesn't sleep a wink tonight. Hell of a defenseman back in the day, but no Dean Lombardi in the front office. Like many former Kings before him, Quick is having a career renaissance with a new team. He's 8-0-1 for the Rags this season after the Kings wrote him off as finished last season. Wonder what changed? Oh yeah, the team in front of him and the suits making decisions for said team!

Still the love of my hockey fan life. Smoochies Quickie. There will never be another like you. I love you so. Should have retired in this uniform.

Tony Granato diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. A great guy who always gave 1,000%. The personification of a tough, gritty hockey player. Get well soon Tony!

43 Years Ago Today: The Murder of John Lennon

 

 

Crazy it's been so long. I still remember when this happened. Can't even remember which crappy office job I was working at the time, but I called in sick the next day. I drove all over trying to find newspapers but they were all sold out.

My Mom saw the Beatles in concert at the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium back in the day. She had programs from those concerts but back in the 80's they disappeared thanks to my druggie sister, who snicked them for drugs or drug money (and not the only things she stole). 

 

A couple decades after my Mom saw the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, I saw Monty Python there. Full circle.

Unfortunately, sometimes that is how it works

Yep, I'm a sad writer.

Return to Castle Green

Castle Green, the historic Pasadena hotel turned condominiums, held their annual Christmas tour today and it did not disappoint. I hadn't been to one of their events since before the pandemic and it was good to go back and bask in its beauty and history.

 

The castle has been used for a number of film shoots, including (most recently) Babylon, which I am now going to have to watch to see the location. You should really check out the tours - the condos are of limited size (the smallest are about 350 square feet) and it's mind-boggling how the residents figure out how to creatively make the most of their spaces. Not to mention that the historic building is just stunning.

Behold!

Lobby of the Castle Green.

Grandfather clock in the lobby.

Tim Burton lived here.

Illustration of the original hotel that straddled Raymond Avenue.

Giant Buddha in one of the larger units.

Artwork in unit - per the resident, the artist doesn't have a gallery or sell through one - he just creates these for people he knows.

Big fireplace. Toasty warm.

Peacock tree topper.

Big thanks to the Castle Green and the gracious residents who invited us into their beautiful homes. As I mentioned to several of the residents, it must be like living in a movie.

You Know Who Works in mysterious ways, again

Don't try to tell me God doesn't have a wicked (tee-hee!) sense of humor: Drunk dumbass steals statue of St. Michael the Archangel, gets stabbed by angel's sword.

Eff around with an archangel, find out.

Poetic justice.

 

The guy was seriously injured. The sword got him in the neck. I love this final line in the article: The statue of St. Michael the Archangel was unharmed. Of course he was.

I noticed that this story is actually from January, but it just popped up on my social media feed for some reason. That makes me wonder - did the guy recover? Did it have an effect on him? Did he change his evil ways?

Pic snicked from linked article.