As my mom would say, "Good Googly Moogly"

Kobe scored 81 points last night. Dayum. I know someone's jersey is going to see a spike in sales at the NBA store.

Lou Rawls 1933-2006

Another great one passes away. Rest in peace.

Lucy in the Sky with Rhinestones

You know you're watching too much reality television when...

-You're longing for a second season of
Being Bobby Brown

-You've witnessed a woman burst into tears after
being rejected by Flava Flav

-You wonder why you've never heard of the
Rhinestone Cowgirls before

-You anxiously await cameo appearances from season one contestants on
Project Runway

-You begin wondering how rapper Bizarre will look if he manages to
shed his 45 pounds

-You know Dr. Ian Smith from Celebrity Fit Club, but not from
his television news commentary

-You can handicap the "winners" on
Elimidate

-You answer yes to all of the above questions and don't also have a gym membership

The Nightmare (just) After Christmas

How on Earth did our parents survive the holidays for all those years? Christmas and New Years themselves were actually pretty nice this year. Quiet and mellow, with happy kids enjoying their booty. Maybe it was hubris that compelled me to tackle a double-dose of Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland in the days following Christmas.

Rather than bore you with all the details, I'll let a picture speak for me. I think this picture of Mingus perfectly captures how I felt just after leaving Disneyland...

Bad Day
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

It was not a good day to be at the Happiest Place on Earth. Arrived at 10am, and the park was already full. Yes, you heard that right, Disneyland was FULL. They were no longer selling tickets to anyone who hadn't already pre-ordered. Seven and a half hours, and we managed to hop onto four rides. FOUR. Actually, Mackenzie and Mingus both had a good time despite the swell, but I could not stop glaring at the crowd. I have no idea where these people came from, but wherever it was, they really need to stop eating oily foods and take better care of their skin. I'm not even a superficial person, but I swear that I saw the 20 worst cases of acne in my entire life within a 15-minute span. Ironically enough, those same people who sported pizza for faces had no problem making nasty comments or staring at others who were different than them. Here are just a couple of things seen/heard during that magical day. We'll call this:

Overheard in Disneyland

"Why is everybody standing around watching them? What's the big deal? It must be that rap music."

-A woman in her late 40s to her daughter as they watched a jazz vocal trio in Mardi Gras Square.

"Look at his hair. Him! Right there! Look at that!"

-A woman in her early 30s pointing at my son. We were standing about two feet away from her.

But the most disturbing, heartbreaking thing I saw all day was a young girl, no older than 12, walking through the crowd by herself. She had a "deer in the headlights" look of fear on her face as people stared at her. She had major burns over almost her entire face. I wouldn't have noticed her myself if the entire crowd hadn't been glaring in the same direction. What is wrong with people?

I think I'm just in a bit of a mood today. I'm under the weather. I have two rapidly approaching writing deadlines this week, so I have this mountain of work I'm staring at. It's raining buckets outside (yes, it does rain in Southern California). And I'm eating a piece of raisin toast with Hello Kitty's face imprinted on it (don't ask...).

Here's a pic of the city from two weeks ago, when things were a bit sunnier (both literally and figuratively)...

City
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Holiday fatigue is a very real thing. Someone should conduct a study. Better yet, the entire country should agree to take a three-day vacation immediately following New Year's Eve. That way our telephones don't have to begin ringing off the hook as soon as the holidays end. Well, at least the kids have many years before they have to worry about any of those things. And don't worry about the upset picture of the boy, by the way. As with all kids, ice cream makes it all better. See?

Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.