coffee~time

[Annette]

I'm waiting to see how many mice bail out of mouse town now that the lid is off.
So far they came out and went back in
but
if they jump off the table, there is no going home.


*edit
after about a week
they got trained not to piss in the food or shit in the water.
I wonder if they will come back to play in the wheel?

[Frankybonz]

hah, that would be funny if they did get trained!

I read your email. Sounds like you're pretty much set to go.

About your near accident. I have figured that drivers forget that they have necks, or blind spots in their cars. That kind of shit happens to me on a daily basis. I drive expecting it or anything bad to happen to me on the road. When I was learning how to drive, my dad hired this guy for defensive driving courses. Worth every penny!
I swear they give out drivers licenses like they were crackerjack prizes.

[Annette]

there was no blind spot.
that is the very reason it is so odd, two cars in a row
both pulled out from stop signs as I was coming thru.
I am a huge huge ugly van
I have had the feeling that IF something could happen to stop me it would try.
I have not gone out in days because I felt some idiot might come thru the intersection and hit the van.
that it happened twice on the way to the dog park is very unusual.
the way they like "drove At me" I don't get that in the van
I am too big and scary.

[Frankybonz]

People are fucking stupid, and many of them don't belong on the road. I mean, there are people out there that wouldn't be trusted using a machine in a factory... how the hell they're qualified for a complex machine like a car is beyond my comprehension. People really don't take driving as seriously as they should.

[Annette]

it is worse now that cars go faster than most people's brain.
Barbara was sailing along at 40 mph in a 25 in her Honda Prelude cuz it had great breaks but her reaction time is still the same
there should be a test of the reflexes before the engine will start!

[Frankybonz]

I agree. There should be stricter tests for driving. I also think there should be retesting every 5-7 years. I mean this especially when people get older, and their eyesight and reflexes begin to weaken. I mean the whole thing is based on hand-and-eye coordination! If you don't have one, you shouldn't be on the road!

I live in a town FILLED with elderly people. I mean, these are tombstones on wheels, and they drive like they plan on taking whomever's around then with them. These people don't belong behind the wheel, especially when they get free transportation! It burns me up when I'm stuck behind one of these selfish assholes!

[Annette]

tomestones on wheels ignrofl:

I can't say much as I am graying myself
The day I can't drive is the day the dogs can't get to the park

take us out of our cars and imagine the streets full of old rasins on little rascals! :LW:

[Frankybonz]

Well, my mom is in her middle 60's, and she's still okay to be on the road. My dad shouldn't have been driving for most of his life! He's fucking legally blind without glasses!

As for you... You are not your hair. Remember that.

[Annette]

I Do identify "Me" by my hair. It frames me and I get noticed for it.
My hair, my muscles and my narrow hips.
If I were not so vain I may not have stayed so 'well preserved'

as for the driving test,
I was invisioning something like a short video game to test their
hand to eye coordiation each time before the car can be started.
what would be more practical is to build safer cars; cars without blind spots.

Barbara got her Honda Prelude besides being lighter, faster it had anti lock brakes.
Suddenly she can jump to 40 mph and stop in just a short distance.
That encouraged her to speed.
In an old car, she'd be lucky to get out of 2d gear in just one block.
I have to allow so much room to fully stop, it makes me drive slower.
One car length per 10 mph up to 60 mph then it becomes a multiple!
the distance to slow down from speeds above 60 are far greater than the 1 car length per 10 mph.
It was safer (I think) when the highway speed was 55 and the cars were heavier.
I am not going down highway 5 because everyone is doing 85 or better and
it scares hell out of me that they tail gate till the last minute, acting like they want to push me from behind!
From what I see, the most insane drivers are foreigners.
I saw a car full of Asians coming out of the Caldicott Tunnel.
The next thing I see, they smack the center divide and bounce into traffic like a pinball!
I got over 3 lanes and passed them while they were spinning around and around.
Not long after, here they come! the whole side of the car was pushed in, I could see daylight right thru it!
Think they got off at the next ramp? Hell no! they were still driving that bad boy like nothing was wrong!

[Frankybonz]

Ugh...
you know, my mom made the same observation about foreign drivers. Over here they drive the livery cabs, and they are unpredictable. They never maintain a speed; either they're speeding like crazy or driving slower than some old coot. They hog the left lane and never move from it, and will tailgate you rather than trying to pass you. I hate them so much!

Cars these days are so unsafe, and yet people drive them like nothing's ever going to happen to them. The moron's in the SUV's are horrible on their own. SUV stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, and some how the word Utility gets lost in the translation. The amount of accidents caused by these twits are unbelievable. I don't even have to go on about how trite these people are for owning such oversized behemoths.

[Annette]

Barbara is half Hawaian ..
I want a HUMMER!
I would like one of those tanks that can vrush cars like beer cans.

I used to drive a 57 VW so I know all about being disrespecedt on the road.
They don't like being behind my van either but I am taller than they are, weigh more than most of them, I drive a one ton truck with a complete kitchen.

I can't stand to be a passenger cause no body seems to be as together as I feel.
I notice the things they are doing that I wouldn't do.
I drove a S.F. cop friend of mine to a fair and he fell asleep.
He said he never does that, it is because I was such a safe driver he felt he could close his eyes.
I smacked head on into another car once ... I don't plan on repeating the performance.

[Annette]

I'm back, it was fun!
the BEST :hamburger: is at Mel's Diner on Sunset
Ortolan not only sucks it blows!
Details to come after leep:
I am :dizzy: from driving on no sleep.

THE WORST HOTEL IN SHERMAN OAKS IS ..
the Best Western on Seplulveda!
they turn off the hot water to the shower about 3 minutes into it!
the $50 ddeppost on the room was SO RUDE!
they even cancelled the room key on CHarles AFTER he paid in cash!
Olivera st was great! found some gifts for people and a leather bag for me :grin:

I'm too tired to talk/type any more tonight :gnight:

[Frankybonz]

Sleep well! Glad you had a good time! I told you I had a good feeling!

I'm working tomorrow, but I'll try to check my email around lunch time.

[Annette]

the details on Ortolan}

there is Only on street parking, no lot!
The color of it is a dark [flat] blue with no sheen to it and there is a "blotch" of white paint
that left me asking, "is that an accident?"
..reminded me of a big bird turd.
There were some seats in front, giving the diners a view of the street.
West 3d street felt casual, more like a neighborhood than a tourist area.
It is NO Sunset Strip!
I didn't get to explore the side that had the long dining table that is mentioned on the website.
They say it is a "communal" dining table with "ghostly looking" dinner plates sunk in it.
The seating on the right side is a row of booths with very high upolstered backs.
Each has it's own [huge] chandalier but because they are sistered together they don't feel private at all.
further back is the bar and that is where they sat me.
I walked to the bathroom to brush my hair but the stench was too strong for me!
I turned on their fan and hurried out.
later I found out there were no women in the place, so who pooped in the ladies' room?
was it deliberate? stink up the women's room? not the men's? at least turn on the fan!
There was a seating area with a fake gas fireplace.
WHO the Hell decorated?! not cozy At ALL!
The famed wall of herbs was all but invisible due to no lights what so ever.
I bet it was nice during the day but now they are no longer open for lunch.
They cut their days of business down to just Fri & Sat from 6 pm
I'm guessing it will go under as soon as Christophe gets tired of working for free.
They had too many employees for the number of customers and even so, I sat unattended and without even a bread stick for over an hour!
I pitched a huge bitch about that and was told they didn't realize I'd ordered!
In my opinion that is a crock of shit but even if it is their perception,
that does not excuse letting a customer who has a dinner reservation
sit with nothing but a 1/2 glass of water while people who came in after me were all getting served.
I saw a group of [gay] men come in and immediately they were being fawned over.
The food, when it finally came, it was So Dark I couldn't see the color of it.
SOme of the flavors, though pleasing at first, turned on m y tongue into less than appealing after-flavors.
The soup served in the test tube reminded me of something foul & nothing that should be ingested.
The taste of sherbet I was offered came in a tiny cute cone but
it's sharply lemon flavor didn't do much for me when my dessert [it was competing with] was chocolate sufflet.
I was given a big bag with a box of petti fours and that was another huge disappointment.
Not like any petti fours I've ever seen, they were different colors and shapes & the flavor was confusing, not a dessert in my opinion.
I spat it in the toilet and tried another, it was worse.
A petti four is a small cake with rasberry jam in between,
a dome of sweet creme and a hint of rum with frosting over all.
I don't know what these were!
The Lobster dinner was just "bites" of lobster and other stuff it was too dark to tell what it was.
Some flavors wre good, others not so good.
I think this place is made for people with gastric bypass!
they can shock their taste buds without really eating.

The food and the decore left me asking Why?

Oh! and the canned music was so bad
I had to ask if there was any other place to be to get away from it?!
.. the answer I got was "no".

The wooden floor in the section with the high backed satin seats and chandaliers had blockes of white paint on it too!
I read it was the floor from a barn somewhere in the mid-west.
It was rough and uneven. Again I have to ask, why?
I bet it cost a mint to ship the weight alone! If they wanted used wood what is so "magical" about that wood?
I can't imagine washing those chandaliers?! the hours it takes, what a waste!
their over-head must be sky high!
I didn't count that many chairs ..
my Dad said: x the # of seats by the $ of the meal and + hours of business & the turn-over rate
= that is maxiumum you can make.
My dinner was $70 without any booze.
My guess is they clean up on the booze.
I guess there will always be drinkers who will shell out to look big?
I guess there might be enough rich people in L.A. to eat there regularly.
The other French restaurant Chef Eme used to work at is now closed for lack of business.

Finally, Ortolan's menu appears to be static = unchanging from week to week.
I find that a fatal flaw.
My comparison is to Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
They are open 6 days and nights for both lunch and dinner.
The upstairs has 3 distinctly different atmospheres and serves both lunch and dinner ala carte.
The dishes change with what is grown or caught fresh that week.
I've rarely had the same thing twice.
All is made there, even the ice cream :9
The downstairs [dinner only] has one menu that changes weekly.
They are packed from the moment they open the doors!
I've blown $50 on a lunch with no drinks.
they charge 18% gratuity plus tax
on top of a $19 entre and $8-10 desserts.

[Frankybonz]

Ick.

I took a girl out to The Rivera in Brooklyn, which is a real haughty-taughty restaurant just on the other side of the Brooklyn bridge floating on the water, and looking out to the financial district of Manhattan. The only drinks we had were tea for myself and coffee for her. The portion sizes were small, but everything was fantastic! I mean, the food was so good, there was never any question from the wait staff, "Is everything okay." because they all knew it was. The decor was okay, but the place was more about the wondrous view. We finished everything off with their famous Brooklyn Bridge desert, which was a chocolate replica of the bridge (I have a pic of it somewhere). I think I paid $136 including a really generous tip. THAT was worth every penny.

What you described is a place that won't last the rest of this year unless they plan on changing things. That service you had was inexcusable. I would complained to the manager (or whomever), rather than the waiters.

Your impulse of asking "Why?" makes a lot of sense. Even with the floor <-- What the hell is up with that? The same shit happens in NYC also. People go to these places because it's expensive and want to flaunt how easy it is for them to spend money like water. Critics will give these places rave reviews because of the names associated, or because the staff were aware of their presence, and made sure they got a quality meal.

There's a girl I know who loves going to all of these expensive places. I don't think that I've been impressed by any of the places she's invited me to. Trendy has no meaning to me. I care, like most people should, about the quality of things and places, not how much it costs.

It surprises me that the decor of Ortolan wasn't up to snuff. Most times, if the food sucks, it's the atmosphere that makes up for it... usually the reason why people go some places. It's just all around bizarre if you ask me.

[Annette]

One of the more unique features, the floor-2-ceiling wall of herbs was near to invisible.
Without daylight from above they had no other lights to show off the plants,
I could barely see the ones at my level.
Cozy it wasn't. Intimate? not without any separation between the booths.
As long as owners are able to make no money and do all the work
(that is how my bar was)
Maybe there are enough gay men with gastric by-passes to keep his place going?
It [i]was[i] open every day but Monday, including lunch.
For that to shrink to just 2 nights a week says it all.

For starters that menu is probably hard to keep up on.
Having fresh lobster at all times must mean losts gets tossed.
I don't think mine was fresh.
The reason Chez Panisse's food is so 5 star is
their menu is drafted each week according to what has been caught & harvested.
It is 100% home-grown and organic.
Picked or caught and served within a day or 3 of consumption.
Not only is there nothing to be thrown away,
every thing they serve is garden fresh.
One lunchtime I asked about an ice cream dessert they had that day
she said, "When it runs out, that is it."
I said, "you can't go get more?"
Her eyes popped as she said, "We make it here & when it's gone it is All gone."

you should come here while I have work to [pay someone] to do and an empty house.

Easter is a great time here! the pollution is the lowest in the spring.
Best time would be just as the clocks add another hour of daytime.

[Frankybonz]

I wouldn't be able to make it over there for about a month. My landlord is leaving at some point this month, and will be gone until mid-March. I have to be here and take care of everything.

At that rate, Easter time should be fine. I would be glad to help out.

[Sebastian]

Ah! There bee peeps here still.

Sorry for the lack of attention around here guys.

[Frankybonz]

Ah! There bee peeps here still.

Sorry for the lack of attention around here guys.

Yep. Some of us are still hanging around.

Good of you to drop by, JD. I hope all is well!

[Guest]

Hi JD! glad you remembered the URL!
what's up, doc?

today I talked to the guy who cuts our trees.
He said he'd make a plan for the landscape.
I don't know how it will go yet but I know
the ground cover I have has to go.

There are 3 rooms to paint, not hard but time consuming.
My head is spinning.
There is more work at the other house, stripping wall paper and re doing the walls.
The deadline [for me] to rent this house is June.
I hope to find help to move all the stuff out of here as soon as Charles is out.
He is suppposed to be out by the end of Feb. so I can move in.
Then this house will be vacant/available while the fixing is going on.
I fell asleep in the chair, now I'm waking up just to go to bed.
I"ll be back early a.m.

[Guest]

It's me. I have been off line in case the gardner is trying to call.
Now that I have to rent to a stranger, not to Charles, it means redoing the ground covering
both front and back.
I am looking at all that beer I have to move and wondering where it will fit?
Bringing things from here to there, there is a limit to what it will hold.
... my head hurts thinking about it all.

anyone wanna buy a Buick????????

[Annette]

the drama goes on, the Gardner for some reason doesn't want the work!
Going to his house as he asked but I don't want to.
If I could sell than damn house for enough to float my boat .. but I can't.
Maybe it's time to get my map done again?
Astro-Numeric's Astro-topography Maps show where to find the lines of energy on the planet.
It is said, each line has an energy specific to the planet it maps and depending on how that planet is placed in one's chart you may or may not want to add to that energy.
Here I had lots of planets making lines thru this area but Venus was in the ocean.
the only land my Venus line crossed was Guam!
I can't imagine getting with a "Guamese" but I do long for beaches and palm trees.
I found out the D.A. in Guam is the mother of a school mate so I am nøt going there!

[Annette]

the gardener's wife belongs to the SGI {the buddhist group run by Disaku Ikeda
They left the Temple rather than try to save the soruce of the Buddhism.
I don't respect that.
The other thing is, the original "party-lines" = the things I was told back in the 80's they are saying "where'd you hear that stuff?"
I said, "that was what was being told when I joined"
Now they have adapted the main priciples to be "Mainstream"?!
I am NOT going to sit in front of that damn box and chant! Never Again!
it makes my skin crawl!
I don't believe in reincarnation either.
..the room fell silent when I said that.
The Brotherhood of Light says "life is spiraling upward, it is not a loop!"
Reincarnation means you become something else/some one else.
I don't believe that At ALL!
It has been my experience that people retain their individuality after leaving the body.
If I do not retain what I have learned but I keep being reborn that is a loop, not progress!
The Buddhists I have known are just as screwy as the born again christians, it's their way or the highway.
The only teachings that seem to allow for all the main belief systems to exist and make sense is the Religion of the Stars.
When the wife started going on about her [wonderful] leader, Disaku Ikeda, I closed down.
She/they may mean well but I want NO part of it!
Her local leader is Mrs. Sugimoto. I used to like her but when Jeri was u nder that death threat I asked her for a prayer for Jeri and she said NO!
Her excuse was "we all have our own karma ..bla bla bla"
Yesterday, The gardner's wife said, "since you won't chant for yourself, I will chant for you"
I said, that is not possible. Mrs Sugimoto said so.
Well now it is permitted? get a grip! they can't keep changing the basics!
I cut Mrs. Sugimoto loose because she wouldn't send Jeri a good wish.
They all seem nuts to me.
The gardener, Ed, he never did the chanting till a few years ago, now he is in it.
He got fat too. and lazy, he isn't saying he will come cut the tree .. I guess I am supposed to chant for it?!
chant this :fu:

[Frankybonz]

"... I guess I am supposed to chant for it?!" < hahahaha!!

I had an experience like that. Years ago, friend of mind from work invited me to come to her church one night. She said how they were doing these history lessons, and she knew how much I was into history. Sounded harmless to me, so I said okay, and we went.

She was Pentecostal, and I had no idea what that was other than that she believed in those God and Jesus fellows.
When I got to this church, which was being held in a storefront, and the history lesson was going on, all I could see were agenda driven inaccuracies. I held my tongue the whole time.
The hardest moment was at the end when they were "speaking in tongues." It took so much effort for me to not break out into laughter. I could tell my friend was pretty much faking it. She brought me up front to introduce me to their leader. He asked me what church I belong to. I foolishly said that I don't go to church.
"Oh! Well you should come here, blah blah blah."
"Well, you see... I'm Catholic."
That was followed by a much less enthusiastic, "Oh." and he walked away.
The strength of Catholic obstinance & stubbornness prevailed!

[Annette]

Good for you!
that talking in tongue is a lot like these guys chanting out of a book they can't read.
I want to have knowlege of and be responsible for anything coming out of my mouth!