Recent Reading: "Brothers"

 

Brothers by Alex Van Halen

 

I saw Alex Van Halen interviewed online when this book was released and was blown away by how introspective he was. I'm old enough to remember when Van Halen was at the peak of their David Lee Roth-era heights, and they lived the rock star lifestyle to the hilt. While so many classic rockers never seem to mature past that part of their life, trying to recreate the old magic in their twilight years, Alex Van Halen seems content to rest on his laurels. One reason for that is that he understands that part of his life is in the past in ways that other rockers can't seem to let go of. Another reason he's done is loss of his brother and lifetime bandmate, guitar legend Edward Van Halen, who died in 2020.

Brothers tells the story of Van Halen's rise to superstardom, as well as the story of the two inseparable brothers who started the band and gave it its name. It starts with their early childhood in Holland, through their relocation to Pasadena, California, and particularly the importance of music in their family and upbringing. Their father was a musician and their mother wanted her sons to continue the family tradition as classical musicians. Alex also doesn't hold back on the prevalence of alcohol in their household and its later effects on him and Eddie ("I had my first drink when I was six - schnapps; my dad gave it to me.")

The book then covers how they went from immigrants who arrived not knowing any English to international rock stars, from their development as a band (those guys spent years paying their dues), their signing by Warner Bros. Records, the recording of their first five albums (Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down) and their wild adventures on tour.

Lead singer David Lee Roth could be a maddening combination of brilliant performer and raging egomaniac. Alex is effusive in his praise for Roth being the frontman Van Halen needed to move up to an elite level. He also gave Roth props for inviting their father, Jan Van Halen, to play clarinet on "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now") on Diver Down. Ditto for Roth's support in changing the band's name from Mammoth to the more unique Van Halen. 

 

But he also doesn't shy away from pointing out Roth's ego and need for attention, and the sometimes negative effect it had on the band. Still, Alex was badly upset when Roth left Van Halen because a band is a family and in the Van Halen household, you always stick with family. "It was the most disappointing thing I'd experienced in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust. Until I lost my brother." Still, one of the biggest surprises of the book was this: "Dave was the first guy I called after Ed passed, the first guy I wanted to talk to. Just out of mutual respect for what we had done together with my brother..." I think a lot of fans didn't even realize the Van Halens were still on speaking terms with Roth at that point. I certainly wasn't.

Bassist Michael Anthony, who wasn't mentioned once in Alex's interview, is also given short shrift here. I guess that's what you get for being the steady guy who doesn't bring the drama. But Alex does credit him for the incredible harmonies he had with Ed that became a staple of Van Halen's sound. I did find it was hilarious to learn that Van Halen played at Anthony's wedding. They were one of the biggest bands in the world and they played his wedding. Membership has its privileges, I guess.

 

And of course there is a lot about Ed, his musical brilliance, and the sensitivity that rendered him more susceptible to intoxicants than his older brother, who unlike Ed was eventually able to put those bad habits behind him. But in spite of his love for his brother, Alex also takes him to task when necessary, taking exception to Ed's claim that his mouth cancer issues were due to holding metal picks in his mouth, rather than his heavy smoking habit. He also wasn't thrilled when Ed decided to play his iconic guitar solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It", because not only did he object to Ed's time, energy, and focus being taken away from Van Halen, it also set a precedent for Roth to do the solo work that contributed to his split from the band.

 

There's a lot of reminiscing and you really feel the overwhelming loss Ed's death has on Alex. They were probably as close of siblings as you could ever find. This is a wonderful, heartfelt memoir, and I highly recommend it. 

 

From the book:

I know I'll see you again. And we'll jam for hours - for days. That was always our most intense from of intimacy, and you never, ever pulled rank. You never said - or even thought - "You're just the drummer, Al, and I'm the world's greatest guitarist, so we're doing it my way." We were equals, and you never forgot that. We supported each other unconditionally, no matter how much we fought. We were a team.

 

We were brothers. We're still brothers. Even death can't change that.

RIP Jed the Fish

I've said it before and I'll say it again - could somebody PLEASE invent a time machine so I can go back to the 1980's and stay there?

One of the best things about living in L.A. in the 80's (and there were many things) was The World Famous KROQ, the ROQ of the 80's. The music was great, of course, and KROQ - our alternative music station - blasted our soundtrack with a lineup of DJs and on-air personalities that was an embarrassment of riches: Rodney Bingenheimer, Richard Blade, The Poorman, Dusty Street (and her gloriously raspy voice), Raechel Donahue, Tami Heidi, Swedish Egil, Freddy Snakeskin, Sluggo, and Jed the Fish. The AM drivetime Kevin & Bean show alone hosted a boatload of talent over the years, among them: Adam "Mr. Birchum" Carolla, Jimmy "The Sports Guy" Kimmel, traffic reporter Lisa May, news reporter Doc on the Roq, entertainment reporter Ralph Garman, and Michael the Maintenance Man (an actual maintenance man in the building who became part of the show).

So it was crushing to see the news that Jed the Fish passed away this morning at the age of 69. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jed was at KROQ from 1978 to 2012. And another part of my early adulthood is gone. RIP Jed.

The voices of 1980's Los Angeles.

 

Launched at Vroman's

We had our official launch event for Angel City Beat at Vroman's in Pasadena Monday and we had a blast. I'm already struggling to stay current with my three classes this semester in only the second week, so I'm just getting around to posting this. Local author and all-around rock star Naomi Hirahara did an amazing job of moderating and we got a pretty good crowd. Fun was had by all. Pics by The Brother.

 

Apocalyptic Now

The view from my balcony late yesterday afternoon. I'm about 9-10 miles south of the Pacific Palisades fire, where this smoke is coming from:

 

 This morning:

About what I was expecting. Our air is brown. If I have to go out, I'll be digging out a mask from the COVID days. Also, the wind is kicking up again, which is bad.

I'm fortunate to not be in any of the fire areas, but it was terrifying and depressing to watch one fire after another crop up and explode yesterday and into the evening. One started in Eaton Canyon above Arcadia and wreaked havoc on Pasadena and surrounding areas. The Palisades fire has wiped out almost the entire town then headed into Malibu and apparently has destroyed blocks of homes on Pacific Coast Highway right on the beach as well as a number of venerable businesses including the Reel Inn and Malibu Feed Bin. It's also caused evacuations in north Santa Monica.

I've also heard there have been two fatalities, but considering how fast these fires spread, I won't be surprised if there are many more.

There's already been discussions online about how our state and local governments have handled water resources, forestry management, and budget cuts to local fire departments, but there will be plenty of time to examine that later. I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around, and even with the catastrophic winds, I'm guessing that better management and funding of resources may not have prevented the fires themselves from spreading, but I'm thinking it didn't have to be this absolute carnage. I can't even bring myself to pull pictures and video for this post. When all is said and done, this is going to be destruction of historic proportions, and I feel so awful when I think of the thousands of people who have lost their homes and businesses. I don't know how much more people can take.

 

Updated 1/10/25: Just found out a friend lost her house in Altadena because of the Eaton Fire. This is just so brutal and awful.

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.

RIP ArcLight and Pacific Theaters

Another casualty of you know who: ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters permanently closed. Included under the ArcLight/Pacific umbrella: the historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood and the flagship ArcLight Hollywood.

There's been a lot of reaction to this news here in Southern California and from the entertainment industry, and nobody is happy about it. It also seems to have caught everyone completely by surprise. When I first saw it I was so shocked I thought it had to be a mistake. Unfortunately, it's true.

I'm not terribly worried about the Dome itself - it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1998. I believe this gives it protected status and even if it doesn't I can't imagine a scenario where anyone would be allowed to knock it down. I'm pretty sure somewhere along the line some entity will resurrect it and get it back into the movie business. 

But the loss of the ArcLight/Pacific brand is a big one for Los Angeles. Most of the significant closures in the past year were classic and popular restaurants. These were businesses that should still be here. Their closures were due solely to loss of business because of the shutdown and not by any fault of their own. When I see states that didn't have California's strict COVID closure policies doing just fine...well, that just make this news even tougher to take.

Other local theaters that won't be reopening because of the closure include the Pacific Theaters at The Grove and ArcLights in Pasadena (Paseo Colorado), Sherman Oaks, El Segundo and Santa Monica. The ArcLight's website has already been scrapped with just the stark closing announcement.

But hey, at least The French Laundry seems to be thriving!

Hugs 😥

Update: There is now a petition to save the Cinerama Dome. Again, I don't think the structure itself is in danger, but a show of support isn't going to hurt its future prospects, so...

Update 4/14/21: The petition originally aimed for 2,500 signatures and blew right past that number. As I type this, they have crossed the 8,400 mark and are now aiming for 10k!

Even the Rose Bowl is leaving California for Texas

The traditional New Year's Day college bowl game will be played in Arlington, Texas instead of Pasadena. 

I came across that news right after reading this shit:

My response:

You can read more reactions to this post here.

From reading some of the responses, it looks like the quote possibly came from Newsom's spokesperson, but even so, it still expresses his opinion and is right in line with the arrogance and lack of concern he's shown over how his shutdowns are crippling California businesses and livelihoods, while flaunting the rules he imposes on us peons. Remember The French Laundry? Or how he kept his winery open over the 4th of July while shutting down the rest of the state? 

Asshole.

Updated 12/23/20: Yep, it was his spokescritter. Still, he speaks on behalf of Newsom and it's not like Newsom has shown any sign of giving a crap about his constituents, so I stand by my belief that this is exactly how he feels about the people of California, who deserve better.

There's a 40 million dollar house for sale in Pasadena

Get your checkbooks out:

"Get Pre-Qualified..."

You can check it out here on Trulia.

To be fair, it was once on the market for $52 million. In fact, the whole price history is kinda wonky.

A bit out of my price range. Seriously, what do you do for a living that you buy a $40 mil house and it isn't even on the beach?

Another casualty of COVID-19

The Tournament of Roses Parade has been canceled for the first time since World War II.

That is all.

There are epic public relations disasters, and then there's Entercom/KROQ's firing of Kevin Ryder

Not sure how I didn't hear about this sooner, but early this morning I learned about KROQ's unceremonious dumping of Kevin Ryder and everyone associated with his morning show yesterday morning. And as if unexpectedly axing a hall of famer who spent the last thirty years building your brand wasn't shitty enough, someone who is still actually working there thought posting this to KROQ's social media was a good idea:

Uh, oh yeah, P.S.: Thanks for thirty years guy!

Assholes.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall among management this morning as they review these comments. With this one badly handled decision they just erased KROQ's standing in the Los Angeles radio community. I couldn't have done a better job of destroying the station in one fell swoop if my life depended on it. It's really kind of amazing, albeit in a truly awful way.

I've been listening to KROQ pretty much all my life that I can remember. Entercon, on the other hand, I've never heard of, but I do know this about them: They have no concept of their audience. They don't know the listeners, they don't know the community, and they obviously have no idea of KROQ's history, importance, and place in said community. Or, even worse, they just don't care. Either way, they just cratered KROQ's audience and ratings.

For some strange reason - even though they had three guys escort him out of the building - the station's management did let Kevin on air to say goodbye to the listeners. And he didn't go quietly. Good for him. His criticism pales in comparison to the online reaction from KROQ listeners, who are incensed over the loss of the morning show that has been such a huge part of our lives for decades here in Los Angeles. Kevin and Bean got me through a lot of shitty commutes over the years and provided me and a lot of other people with countless hours of awesomely hilarious entertainment for which I'm incredibly grateful.

The funny thing is that I was out uncharacteristically early Monday morning running errands and came across Kevin's morning show on KROQ, and although I don't listen much these days since I don't commute, it was nice to hear his familiar voice on the radio. And now that's gone. I honestly think KROQ's listenership and ratings are going to crash spectacularly because of this decision, and I hope heads at Entercom will roll as a result. There are ways to run a business and this ain't one of them.

If I was currently running a rival station in L.A. I wouldn't be able to hire Kevin fast enough. And when someone does, I'll be tuning in.

Castle Green tour

Last weekend The Brother and I got to tour Pasadena's historic Castle Green. Twice a year (in June and December) residents open their vintage apartments to the public. I'll definitely be going again in June. The place is beautiful and it was amazing seeing the classic apartments, especially how marvelously they utilized the small spaces in the singles (400-500 square feet). It was also clear the place attracts very creative people.

From the program:

There was a gentleman from the East Coast named Colonel George Green, a patent medicine manufacturer, who created the "August Flower", an elixir that cured all ills, including "a heavy load at the pit of the stomach", who regularly vacationed in Pasadena in the winter to escape the cold.

In 1891 he invested in a hotel located where Stats now stands, and over the next few years he enlarged and improved on the original, adding a wing across the street, the Green Hotel, now the Castle Green, which was completed in 1898 and became the social center for the East Coast gentry who arrived from the train station down the street in horse-drawn carriages, children and nannies in tow, to spend the winter months enjoying the wonderful California weather and the attractions of Pasadena.

Decades later the building fell on hard times and was even condemned at one point, until a group of admirers saved it by converting the hotel into condominiums. It is now comprised of fifty-two unique private residences. It is also listed as a Nationally Registered Historic Monument, a State Historical Monument, and a Designated Pasadena Treasure.

Designed with Moorish, Spanish, and Victorian themes, the building is gorgeous and provides a look at a long-vanished way of life. It has a manually operated caged elevator and life at Castle Green includes having full-time elevator operators. According to the program, it is the only manually operated elevator running on the West Coast.

Although we were told pictures were fine, I didn't take many of the actual apartments because it felt kind of invasive, even though the owners willingly opened their homes to us.

There are two rooms off the lobby, the Moorish and Turkish Rooms:

Per the program: The carpeting throughout is an exact replica of the original design of 1897 and has been manufactured by the same company, Axminster of London. This was researched through the use of computer generation, using early photos of Rudolph Valentino and Dorothy Gish standing in a hallway. Luckily, Axminster was able, through these photos, to find the original pattens for us. Here's a small sample:

Original tile.

The beautiful caged elevator. Unfortunately they take it out of commission for the tour.

A lot of the units have vintage appliances, which I am a total sucker for:

This apartment featured something I had never seen or heard of - a Clavicytherium. Basically, it's an upright harpsichord:

Merry Christmas from Castle Green!

It's going to be a wonderful parade!

The Tournament of Roses just announced on their Facebook page that Grand Marshal Gary Sinise will be riding in the very same car driven by George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) in It's a Wonderful Life.

It's a wonderful car!!!

The car is now privately owned but frequently loaned out for charitable events, particularly:

...fundraisers for veterans, allowing people to get their picture taken in the iconic movie car. "All Americans can have a wonderful life thanks to our veterans." says (owner) Mr. Smith.

Earlier today, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center posted a picture of the trailers that just brought the Budweiser Clydesdales to town for the parade. Horsies!!!

I don't think I've ever seen a bad Rose Parade, but this one is shaping up to be amazing. Looking forward to next Monday!

Pics snicked from the Tournament of Roses FB link.

With all the unsavory news coming out of Hollywood recently, this made me very happy

Gary Sinise named Grand Marshal of the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Great choice. Can't wait to tune in this year.

Challenge accepted!!!

From Los Angeles Magazine, it's the 100 Places Where You Can Experience Retro Los Angeles.

Some of them I've never even heard of, a lot of them I'm aware of and a number of them I've driven by countless times but never stopped in. I'm embarrassed to say I can only check off seven of the places on this list so far:

26. Canter's Deli
29. Larry Edmund's Bookstore
35. Kip's Toyland
53. The Apple Pan
54. Mel's Drive-In (Hollywood and West Hollywood)
55. Canterbury Records
62. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (work lunches in the restaurant in the lobby)

Going to have to hit some of those other places and flesh out this list.

H/T to The Streamline Moderne Era on Facebook for the link.

On my way

I recently made my first author appearances, a reading and a panel, and survived to tell the tale!

On June 17, ten of the sixteen LAst Resort authors participated in a reading at The Last Bookstore in Downtown L.A. I had gotten my hair blown out at Drybar the day before, so I wouldn't have to worry about having more frizz than curls (ongoing battle). But the bookstore was like a sauna - it was actually cooler outside than inside, even during a heatwave. I could have saved the fifty bucks I spent on my hair. It was a mess.

Luckily, everything else went well. I had requested some advice on reading for an audience from other participants, and they really came through. I have a speaking voice made for writing and have an unfortunate tendency to slip into a monotone, but thanks to some great advice, it went really well. It was great to get that one under my belt, as well as meeting some of my fellow anthology authors.

Last Saturday I was on a panel at the Santa Monica Public Library (Ocean Park Branch) on the topic of female investigators. The panel was moderated by Laurie Stevens, who is also a contributor to LAst Resort, and she did a fantastic job. The other panelists were Craig Faustus Buck, whose Go Down Hard is amazing (I'm in the middle of it) and Vanessa A. Ryan. It went really well, with the added bonus of my Mom and Brother making the traffic-laden drive. It was also my birthday, making it also the one year anniversary of my story being accepted for the anthology.

Next up: All sixteen contributing authors at Vroman's in Pasadena.

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.

An Olympian task

The fine folks over at Curbed L.A. have put together an interactive map of proposed locations for L.A.'s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games. And it is all over the place.

Each of those red dots represents a different location. The Coloseum, Staples Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Forum, Rose Bowl, Microsoft Theatre, Universal Studios, USC, UCLA, the new L.A. Rams/Chargers football stadium, and Riviera Country Club are among the venues that are actually in the Los Angeles area. Additional events would take place at the Long Beach Convention Center, Honda Center in Anaheim, and Bonelli Park in San Dimas, which is at the far east end of L.A. County (adorable little town, I lived there years ago). Another sports venue in Encino would also be used, but the winner for the most remote venue would be Lake Perris in Riverside County.

One thing I noticed is that the equestrian events would be in Encino. I think they were at Santa Anita when L.A. had the Olympics in 1984. Arcadia recently opened their Gold Line Station with a shuttle to and from Santa Anita, but it also looks like the Orange Line goes right by the Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex, so it looks like they've got public transportation covered. In fact, if we get the Olympics, Metro will have to really step up because they're gonna get slammed, especially to Downtown and Santa Monica. They're slammed now since the Expo Line to the beach opened. The company in Japan that makes their cars is cranking them out as fast as they can, but Metro is really behind in having the number of cars they need.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this bid. I'm wondering if they have backup locations in case some of the more long-distance venues prove to be a negative.

Kindness...making the turn from Orange Grove onto Colorado Boulevard

If - unlike me - your talents are more of the artsy than written type, you have a shot at seeing your work come to life as a Rose Parade float. From The Rose Examiner:

The theme of the 129th Tournament of Roses will not be announced until the installation of officers on Jan. 20, 2017 but the hints that 2018 Pres. Lance Tibbet has given indicate a theme that centers around kindness and the impact small acts can have. Most people have both experienced kindness and passed it on to others. Readers who have a story to share and can picture it as a design for a Rose Parade float can enter competitions run by the six self-built float associations.

All the info is here.

How cool would it be to see your work in the Rose Parade? If I was an artist I'd be all over this.

2016 Tournament of Roses Parade

The Rose Parade, a Southern California institution, welcomed the New Year for the 127th time, and as usual, it was spectacular.

One of the most significant aspects of this year's parade is that it's the last year that Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards will host KTLA's local broadcast (the go-to Rose Parade broadcast for Southern Californians) after thirty-four years. It's hard to imagine hearing other voices host the legendary parade. Here's what they themselves have to say about it via KPCC.com.

As always, it was a treat to listen to Bob and Stephanie as the floats, marching bands, equestrian units and classic cars made the famous turn from Orange Grove onto Colorado Boulevard. Here are some that really caught my eye:

• The opening festivities were preceded by the annual B2 flyover. I've always wanted to see it in person. As impressive as it looks on TV, I think that's the only way to really grasp how amazing it is.
• The parade is broadcast to 200 countries.
• The USMC Marching Band, belting out Battle Hymn of the Republic, got big cheers. Rose Parade attendees tend to be a patriotic bunch. 
• The Downton Abbey float was gorgeous and that theme music gave me goosebumps as usual. Elizabeth McGovern, Lady Grantham herself, was aboard and looked fantastic. 
• The Dakota Thunder Shires in harness were a truly impressive sight. Shires are the largest breed of horse; they can mature up to 2700 pounds. To give you an idea of how big they are, the average thoroughbred or quarter horse weighs in at about 1100-1200 pounds. 
• The Medieval Times horses are gorgeous, as are their riders outfits. I went to Medieval Times once years ago, and seeing them made me want to go again. I remember that our King was hot. 
• The Toho High School Marching Band made the trip to Pasadena all the way from Nagoya, Japan. They are known for their precise and unusual routines and they got a big cheer from the crowd. In true Japanese fashion, they practice like crazy, four hours per day on weekdays and eight hours a day on weekends, under the supervision of their bamboo sword-wielding director (he doesn't use the sword on them).
• Bob: "Here's a float with a lot of heart." Two giant hearts, to be exact, courtesy of Union Bank. Damn, I'm going to miss Bob and Stephanie.
• The Salvation Army Band makes its 97th appearance in the parade. The band's musicians range in age from fifteen to seventy-five.
• The Northwestern Mutual float was a real heartstring-tugger. A thirteen year old aspiring ballerina named Peyton (last name not give) was aboard with her parents. She has been battling cancer for the past year. The float featured a ballerina dancing amongst depictions of ballet/arts landmarks from around the world. Titled "Dancing Into Adventure", the float deservedly won the Past Presidents' Trophy for Most Creative Design and Use of Floral and Non-Floral Materials. Bob: "God bless her, little angel." I wish her all the best.
• As always, good to see The Valley Hunt Club, founders of the Rose Parade. According to Stephanie, a bad rose crop the first year almost resulted in the creation of the Orange Parade (oranges were a major California crop back in the day).
• The Pasadena City College Marching Band did a heck of a job belting out The Magificent Seven theme. 
• Obviously I'm partial to the equestrian units, but the American Endurance Ride Conference was noteworthy due to the group's senior member, a 91 year old endurance rider. Keep in mind that in these events they can cover anywhere from 25-100 miles per day. Bob is a fount of information on the equestrian units; I hope his departure doesn't result in short-shrifting of the units in the future.
• Disneyland's massive float boasts an airborne Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, C-3P0 and stormtroopers along with classic Disney characters. Happy 60th birthday, Disneyland!
• Bob and Stephanie introduce their replacements, Leeza Gibbons and Mark Steines. They have huge, if not impossible shoes to fill, but say all the right things and for our sake and theirs I hope they knock it out of the park next year.
• The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Mounted Unit included an appearance by Pearl, one of Gentle Carousel's miniature therapy horses. A truly amazing organization, they visit hospitals, victims of natural disasters and trauma victims, including heading to Sandy Hook after the shootings there.
• Awesome! Trader Joe's float is titled "Fearless Flyer" - which of course is also the name of their mailer/flyer. It features a guy literally flying and won the Fantasy Trophy. It also got a big cheer - TJ's is hugely popular here in Southern California.
• It's a fire-breathing dragon! For real! Marco Polo: East Meets West takes the Sweepstakes Trophy with their gorgeous Orient-inspired float. The dragon is actually belching flames. Those kind of pyrotechnics always go over well with the Rose Parade crowd.
• YAY!!! It's the Budweiser Clydesdales! Magnificent animals. Cannot say enough about how impressed I am with how well trained they are. These horses can exceed 2000 pounds each. 
• The Rose Parade takes an unexpected and uncharacteristic downturn with a float from the TV show The Bachelor, featuring bimbos in a hot tub and some Z-list reality star. What next, the Kartrashians? Leave the decent people our one last bastion of class, please. You shouldn't have to explain Rose Parade floats to your little kids.
• The parade closes with a rousing rendition of God Bless America by the New Directions Veterans Choir, followed closely by the float "Jesus is the Light of the World" presented by the Lutheran Hour Ministries. The guy waving from the float is, unfortunately, not the real Jesus. We could use him the way the world's been going.

You bet I got choked up when Bob and Stephanie signed off for the last time. It's tough to see them go.

The Rose Parade continues to be a bright spot in Southern California and the world, a joyous kickoff to a new year. Congratulations to the City of Pasadena, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and KTLA Los Angeles for another amazing presentation.