Random thoughts while cleaning the flower beds and stirring the stewp:
- Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
- I prefer my winter nights cozy and quiet.
- If you can’t decide if it’s a stew or a soup, it’s a “stewp.”
- In L.A., everyone loves a good comeback story.
- In L.A., everyone IS a good comeback story.
- “I was born when she kissed me.” —Humphrey Bogart, “In a Lonely Place”
- FYI, I drive in iambic pentameter.
- And I kiss in three-quarter time.
- You can tell a lot by someone’s fridge.
- You can tell a lot by someone’s lack of regrets.
- Like Bogey, I harbor no regrets (though several lawsuits are still pending).
- My secret spot: Dupar’s for breakfast.
- Do you have secret spots?
- What about those freckles no one knows about?
- Quart of oil, 14 bucks?
- Hot coffee on a cold morning is the answer to a minor prayer.
- I am molded out of minor prayers.
- But remember, no regrets.
- Remember when goal posts were white?
- Remember when game balls were called “The Duke?”
- Props to NFL Films for 63 years of brilliant work.
- Its co-founder, Ed Sabol, was the Steven Spielberg of sports.
- Confession: I go into a minor funk the day football season ends.
- An antidote to minor funks: Paris Baguette, the new corner bakery in Montrose.
- Heaven must be full of bookstores and corner bakeries.
- “Misery loves company, but so does joy. And joy throws much better parties.” —Bill Ivey
- Another antidote to a post-football funk: a long, lazy hike.
- A dive worth trying: The 1881, Pasadena’s neighborhood jazz joint.
- FYI, the title to my new novel: “Creme de la Crime,” featuring a femme fatale named Jenny Because. And her wise and sexy pastor, Church Osburn.
- No, it’s not done. True art is never done.
- Besides, I prefer stuff that goes on and on: hockey season, dark steakhouses, creaky old stadiums.
- Another secret spot: Mt. Wilson.
- And another: Chevalier’s Books in Larchmont Village.
- Hey, shouldn’t Tilly Norwood (the AI hottie) have a Valentine’s boyfriend?
- “The sky is low, the wind is gray, the radiator purrs all day.” —John Updike on mid-winter.
- Trivia time: Who was the inspiration for “Tiny Dancer,” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin?
- Please note: Icing the kicker never works.
- But icing writers always does.
- Favorite reader reaction to my writing: “I had a friend talk like this recently…she was on Halcion for a dental procedure.”
- Why thank you!
- “Cinderella story…out of nowhere…former humorist…about to win his first Master’s…”
- Best winter lunch: cup of soup, grilled-cheese sandwich.
- In a perfect world, See’s Candies would serve chocolate malts.
- In a perfect world, so would bars.
- Despite white-tailed bucks, despite bald eagles, we still celebrate the lowly groundhog.
- Take a bow, Pennsylvania!
- Pennsylvania might be my favorite state.
- OK, it’s still California.
- And Chicago remains my favorite tavern.
- Take a bow, Chicago!
- FYI, only about 150 days till quarterbacks and receivers report.
- Sending a big sloppy kiss to my secret crush: Griffith Observatory
- My public crush: The Rose Bowl
- I also like the zoo, though I seldom go.
- Guess I see enough wild behavior on the 405?
- Scariest stat: CHP gives out 1,600 speeding tickets a month to idiots topping 100 mph (per L.A. Times).
- L.A. is no longer a city, it’s a giant speedway.
- “Being a writer requires an intoxication with language.” — Jim Harrison
- My favorite typeface: Helvetica con carne.
- Did you know? After the epic 2006 Rose Bowl, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart stopped by the Longhorns’ locker room to congratulate Coach Mack Brown.
- Always beware of generalizations.
- And random thoughts.
- Hey, let’s go to the horse track!
- Remember, Fridays are free.
- We could never put a price on all the good things our pets do for us.
- Same with hometown friends.
- Wish I could sing like B.J. Thomas.
- Wish I could howl like Robert Plant.
- Favorite primary physician: Dr. Steve.
- Favorite specialist: Dr Pepper.
- Till I hit 60, I never even thought about knees.
- Till I fell in love, I never thought about my heart.
- Trivia answer: “Tiny Dancer” was inspired by Maxine Feibelman, seamstress for the band (obviously). And Bernie Taupin’s future wife.
- Happy Valentine’s Day to all you L.A. “smoke shows,” young and old.
- To me, women don’t peak till 85-100. Really. I swear.
- Love how they twinkle.
- Happy Valentine’s to football, baseball, chicken wings, Ray Charles and timeless San Marino girls.
- Cheers to new loves, old loves and the loves yet to come.
In need of a spring hike? Stay tuned, we’re working on something. Watch these end notes for more information. The Happy Hour Hiking Club will be back in action soon.
Captions: Most of these are the grandkids or White Fang. The winter scene is from the 395 coming out of Mammoth Lakes. The person in the lower right isn’t a person at all, actually; it’s AI creation Tilly Norwood, who needs an AI boyfriend. The neon joint is 1881, the cozy and beloved Pasadena jazz joint.
Too many great phrases to count! My two faves: “Hot coffee on a cold morning…” and your best reader comment ever. Laughed out loud a few times reading this one. What more can you ask? Enjoy your weekend. We are incredibly blessed with this spring weather in January.
Thx Caroll. A little too warm for this pre-cooked old Irishman. We get enough mid-80s in the summer. Have a great weekend.
I’m dying to know where the chocolate malt came from. In the west San Fernando Valley there used to be a family-owned pharmacy that had an old fashioned ice cream counter where they made all sorts of delicious drinks, from root beer floats in chocolate dipped mugs to malt, shakes and banana splits. Gone about 10-15 years now and I’ve been craving that dessert ever since.
As a native Angeleno who just turned 80, you always make me appreciate this city and all it offers. Thank you.
That’s a good question, Ellen. I actually can’t place that malt location. But they serve a fine one at the 100-year-old Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena.
I’m 85 and thrilled to know it’s my peak year!
Thanks, but I refuse to accept it’s downhill from here. What’s new with your pal Angie? No mention in a long time. Does Fair Oaks Pharmacy make banana splits? I dug the Christmas ham bone out of the freezer and made the best ham and Lims beans!! Think I’ll take some to my 90 year old neighbor who thinks she’s at her peak! But then again, maybe she’s just a late bloomer, right?
Thank you, Chris, for teaching us sll how to love and appreciate LIFE.
Hi Geri. Angie is hanging in there. She’s still peaking as well. Fair Oaks makes an amazing banana split. Love that xmas ham. Taking a bowl to your neighbor will make her day. Cheers!
A Dad joke:
Q: What kind of doctor is Dr Pepper?
A: A fizzician!
I can’t reveal my secret spots or they would no longer be secret.
I enjoyed your list of random thoughts. It’s nice to have a gentle laugh these days.
Hi Kay, I’m impressed that you remembered there was no period in Dr Pepper. One of those little trademark quirks. We should find a few gentle laughs every day, if we can. All the best.
In light of your offerings today, this may be a tad morbid, because he shared it when be knew his expiration date was soon.
“Enjoy every sandwich.” – Warren Zevon
Reflections and musings; since I can’t have sugar, coffee, chocolate,or anything fun any more, your bon mots are the sweet treats I can look forward to, to brighten my day!
I swear, that curly, red haired boy definitely has the Erskine look about him. Sweet.
Have you ever realized how difficult it is to find a chocolate malt? When I was a kid, most places offered a choice–milk shake or malt. Why & when did malt fall so far out of favor?
The Updike quote is devilishly beautiful prose. He often wrote like an avenging angel with a painterly manner, and is a writer who should have been a Nobelist but wasn’t because, as a Nobel judge once archly said, ‘He never wrote The Great American Novel’. What arrogant nonsense. Many lesser writers have won Nobels. It’s rumored his crime was he was just another American. By the way, Bogey and Jim Harrison both got it exactly right, and kissing the language each morning can make even the mid-winter doldrums into a love affair. Smaack! Finally, I like comic novels with stewpot names. This time of year, it’s lovely to be warmed by dreams of a heroine perhaps named Mango Chutney. Tilley Norwood :eat your heart out.
…and speaking of double entendres, those inside the smoke cloud at the time knew that Tiny Dancer was a Mary Jane hand rolled doobie glowing, twisting, and twirling in the wind-cupped hand of the singer, something I don’t think the band’s seamstress could quite manage. But maybe.
Secret crush? Teri Garr (out of my league) And maybe Emily Daubenspeck in H.S…..
The milkshake! I remember when we lived in La Cañada (Commonwealth) and Canoga Park ( believe it or not on Sherman Way) and we went to Bob’s Big Boy. The shakes in the tall ribbed glass and the metal canister with the leftovers. Thanks for those memories. Sigh.
Comments on your comments:
Best breakfast cafe:
Leroy’s on Huntington Dr Monrovia
If you opted out of potatoes (hash browns, tots or country style) get the fresh fruit. Box up this cornucopia take home!
I’m almost 88, widowed; please introduce me to some (one?) of those 80 + seasoned ladies.
No AI!
Love the photo of the Mammoth area. My family and/or my husband and I have owned cabins in that area for almost 70 years. We grew up in Bishop. I can recognize all those mountains usually.
A little late, but really enjoyed this one as my thoughts also come in spurts with no rhyme or reason! Thanks for bringing laughs to our day! BTW I went to So Pas schools so I remember that drug store and Fosselmans on Mission with booths. They allowed kids to share since even then the malts were pricy! And how bout the A & W Root beer drive in by the Jr High?! You had to be lucky to have a car or know someone who did! Memories!!
We moved to our home on S. Madison Ave Pasadena in 1968. I certainly remember Fosselman’s on Mission in South Pas. If you were a kid with access to a car, you probably headed to Twoey’s drive for service in your car!