Two Beers and a Pretzel

Well, I’ve been in LA for 2 days now…  I just booked a flight to New Zealand for $629 including all taxes and everything…  So I’m looking at about $1300 and a few days of relaxing to get there versus the $2500-$3000 if I had flown direct from Lima.  Fiji is out because it’s the end of the rainy season – I already tried that game in Roatan…  I’ll stick to places where I know the weather is good…

It was pretty nice hanging with my cousin, Asa and his girlfriend, Kristin in LA LA land.  I attended their acting class – which was kind of funny because they had a casting director as a guest.  He gave scripts to pairs of people and the last 2 were one reasonably cute, but disheveled looking girl and me.  She turns around, grabs my leg and says “How exciting, we’ll be acting together.”  It’s amazing how everyone becomes instant best friends in this town.

I replied “Not really, because I’m not an actor – but sometimes I pretend to be one.”

The poor girl looked horrified.  Why hadn’t the director given her a script, and who was this jerk who didn’t care about acting??

She ended up getting a monologue where she plays a crazy, depressed woman… that seemed kind of fitting to me.

Note to self – never date an actress.

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Other than that episode, I confirmed that I have lost 45 pounds total since quitting my job (now 233 – was 278).  I also worked to undo that weight loss by having a great hamburger, some pizza with real mozzarella, and chicken nachos for my last 3 meals.  It was also a nice treat when Katrina – the bartender at the Pig & Whistle poured me a glass of Knob Creek Bourbon after noticing me eyeing the whiskey.  It was really nice having some smooth Kentucky nectar after months where the best whiskey anywhere was Jonnie Walker Red.

There was some kind of communication breakdown with the girlfriend, so I spent one night on Asa’s couch, and last night at the Hollywood Blvd Motel 6 ($66/night).  I was going to stay a bit longer, but after my food and lodging expenses for a week in Peru were $150, I can’t see ponying up $130 for 2 more nights in a bland hotel – sans food.

My only remaining tasks in LA are to mail some stuff home, and to get a picture of the traveling bunny at the Walk of Fame star of Bugs Bunny.