After a fantastic trip to Memphis to visit Graceland, this song has come up in conversation more times than I can count over the past week. Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis!”
Monday the 18th – THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! – Only one more day until we fly to Memphis for our Graceland trip, and I’m getting excited! In fact, today was jam packed with stuff I needed to get done before the trip. First I hopped in my car (with the plastic still in the back window) and braved drizzle to head to P.O.P. studios in Santa Monica to do some more spots for Old Navy. The traffic was really great and I sailed over there. I sat in my car for a little while listening to the radio until it was time to go in. I went in and saw producer Tim who had just gotten married. We did about 8 spots and off I went. I stopped by It’s a Wrap in Beverly Hills and found a few items. Their Halloween stuff was now about 75% off, so I walked out with two really cool things for under 20 bucks. I went over to Regenix and they looked at my scalp and hair. Todd, the tech there said I was really starting to turn a corner. My hair looked great to the eye, and looked terrific under the microscope. So I grabbed some more products and headed out. Todd said he was going to consult with the other technician to see about going on a maintenance program. I hit my mailbox and picked up my latest books from My Publisher.com. It’s a memory book filled with pics of my old radio pal Scott Maguire and I back in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He’s going to love it. I dashed over to my chiropractor’s office to get an adjustment, and he also did some muscle stimulation on me. That’s where they hook electrodes up to your back muscles and a rhythmic electric pulse stimulates muscles in your back. It’s weird that when they remove the electrodes, you still feel like you have them on your back. Then I ran over to an upholstery shop in Burbank to see about getting my back window fixed. Luckily, the back window is on a piece separate from the roof, so it’s not going to be as expensive as I originally thought. Then I headed over to Studiopolis to do some voice work for the “Kekkaishi” cartoon on Cartoon Network. I only had about 15 lines so I got out early enough to head to Fed Ex. On the way out I ran into Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, an old friend from long ago, and I showed her the photos of my Gran Torino I had coming. Just then Maurice LaMarche showed up and he loved the pics. He said it was just last week that he was on You Tube watching one of the old Starsky & Hutch TV episodes! Wow! I hightailed it over to Fed Ex and overnighted the new book to Scott in Sioux Falls. I wanted to get his reaction before I left for Memphis. I got into Fed Ex and asked what the cut-off time for overnight to South Dakota was and he said, “Two minutes.” YIKES! I scribbled out the airbill fast and packaged up the book. It just got out in time. I did a little grocery shopping and headed home to walk Sassie and feed Spook. Then Sara came over and we picked up our friends Chris and Colleen and we went to Panera for dinner with their new little doggie Kona. He’s part poodle and part Maltese. They’re called Maltapoos. He’s only the size of your hand and boy is he cute. I knew Chuck McCann needed to meet him so we called him to come meet us for dinner. As expected, he fell head over heels for Kona. Then we went to Chill to get some frozen yogurt, and I came home, took a dip in the hot tub and started packing for Memphis! I can’t wait!
Tuesday the 19th – I’M GOIN’ TO GRACELAND! MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE! – I got up mid morning and realized that I didn’t have enough Pill Pockets for Sassie for the week. So I jumped in the car and headed to my local pet store and got 6 new packets. I got home just in time to meet up with my housesitter Brittney and run her through the pets’ routines. Then Sara showed up with luggage in tow, and we loaded up and headed out. First stop was to my upholstery guy’s shop to leave my car to have the back window repaired (Read last week’s Wally’s Week for details on why/how it broke). We got there, dropped the car, and Edi drove up to take us to the airport. Off we went. We got checked in way before our flight, so we had time to grab lunch. The weirdest thing happened! On the menu at the Burbank airport’s restaurant is an item called the 911 Chicken Wrap. We were laughing, but horrified at the same time. Why would an airport serve 911 anything? We talked to the server and she said it was because they used 911 hot sauce in the chicken recipe and had no clue about the 911 connection. The chef came out and after we explained that it was odd, he said that the item would be renamed when the new menus came out in a month or so. Weird! We went back through security, boarded the plane and had a great flight to Denver. When we got there it was time for dinner. We ate at the Domino’s, did a little shopping, and figured we had plenty of time to make our Memphis flight. As we were walking back, the plane was already mostly boarded. They were ready to go early! I hustled and made the flight, with Sara and Edi right behind me. Wow! They don’t waste any time! The United guy at the gate said they have to keep a tight schedule because of the number of commuter flights coming in and going out at the same set of gates. On the flight I took a photo of my blue suede boots. I listened to Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Graceland” on my i-Pod…”Put on my blue suede shoes and….boarded the plane.” NEAT! I watched a DVD called “Elvis at Sun Records”, but wasn’t able to finish it before we got to Memphis. It was a great refresher course on Elvis on the eve of my trip to Graceland! We got checked into the Heartbreak Hotel, dropped our luggage and went over to Checkers to grab some food. Then we got supplies at the gas station and headed back to the room to clean up and hit the hay. It was going to be a LOOOONG Wednesday!
Wednesday the 20th – TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS! – We got up around 9:30 and were out the door by 10:15. We walked over to the Graceland plaza and checked in. We had the All Access VIP package, and BOY am I glad we did! It rocks! We got on the VIP shuttle and headed across the street through the famous gates of Graceland! They gave us little listening devices that would guide us through the house. We went through the front door and off to the right was the main living room, complete with the original furniture and appliances. To the left was the dining room. You couldn’t use flash in any of the attractions so I was blessing the idea to get a new camera before the trip. This new Canon camera took great photos in low light conditions. Then we went through the kitchen where Elvis enjoyed his famous fried Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches. Then it was downstairs to the game room, complete with a tear in the felt on the pool table. It originally happened when a friend of Elvis’ was trying a trick shot and it all went awry. Then it was off to Elvis’ media room. The weirdest thing happened! One of the three TVs was running old reruns of “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!” WILD! I was there in Graceland watching my predecessor Ed McMahon clown around with Johnny. It was surreal! Then it was back upstairs to see the famous Jungle Room. I made a point to take a photo of me taking the photo in the Jungle Room mirror. How many times had Elvis checked his reflection in that very mirror!? Then it was outside to the trophy room…a building that housed his trophies, gold records and other memorabilia of his charity work. Then we went to the Racquetball court. It’s said that Elvis played racquetball just hours before he died, which some speculate had something to do with his heart failure. But the court itself had been converted into another great memorabilia room. In this room was floor to ceiling Gold Records and awards. Plus, many of his famous jumpsuits! Now THAT’S something I was dying to see! I even saw the famous Aztec suit, which is the one he was wearing when I saw him on June 22, 1977! In fact, just below the Aztec suit, was a ticket to the concert he performed in Rapid City, South Dakota the NIGHT BEFORE I saw him! WEIRD! They led us outside to the Meditation Garden, where Elvis, his mother and father and grandma were all buried. But the position of the sun left part of Elvis’ grave shadowed. So we discussed coming back later in the day and getting better photos. The All Access VIP package we bought allowed us to do that. Just before we got back on the shuttle, we were shown the Bonus Room. In it, were about 20 more of Elvis’ famous jumpsuits. AWESOME! They weren’t behind glass, and were close enough almost to touch. But I didn’t. I got great shots and talked at length with Lillian and Erin who were Graceland employees. Then we got on the shuttle and headed back to the plaza to eat lunch. A gal named Julie had contacted me about doing an anime convention in Memphis in July ’11, but I told her I most likely couldn’t travel then because of “The Tonight Show” schedule. But I wanted to meet up with her anyway and say hi. She met us back at the hotel, I dropped my packages of Elvis stuff I bought (a really cool silver TCB necklace made by Elvis’ personal jeweler) and a red Elvis On Tour jacket. The trumpet player from Elvis’ band that I met back in 1977 was wearing a similar jacket, and I’ve always wanted one. We ate at the rock and roll cafe and I tried a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Pretty tasty. But I heard that Elvis liked the bananas mashed up, not sliced. And they served it sliced. I could see why Elvis wanted them mashed, so the taste of peanut butter and bananas would be more evenly distributed. Then we did some more shopping and sightseeing. Now you have to understand, there is Elvis music playing EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME! I knew the words to all of the songs and I’m sure Sara and Edi got sick my me singing all the time. Lots of folks commented on my blue suede shoes. In one of the stores Elvis was singing “Don’t Cry Daddy.” I had managed to not get too emotional during the Graceland tour and even at the gravesite, but for some reason that song made me a little misty. We moved on to see more Elvis clothes, costumes and artifacts (including his cars!) in the other attractions. What a great time! But it was getting to be late enough in the day that I wanted to go back and take those pictures of his grave in better sunlight. So we hopped aboard the shuttle again and headed back. Some of the employees there recognized us and welcomed us back. The staff there (and generally everyone we met in Memphis so far) were REALLY friendly and accommodating! This time at the gravesite I got a little misty. I figured that would happen. I got my shots, Edi and Sara got to see the horses that had come out to graze, and we shuttled back to rejoin Julie who was waiting for us in the plaza. I told Julie that I would buy her ice cream when we got back. As we were sitting in the ice cream shop, I noticed the Elvis 75th Anniversary Cokes in a glass bottle! I just HAD to have one! I thought about buying a six pack, but how would I get it home on the plane? So I just drank one with my ice cream cone. Then I discussed with the girls how I could display the bottle in Planet Wallywood. Would I fill it back up with Coke? Would I fill it with water? Julie suggested I fill it with dirt. We all laughed, but only for a second or two. Dirt! What a great idea! Official GRACELAND DIRT! I enlisted the help of some friendly Graceland employees and hopped aboard the shuttle again. The Graceland staff recognized me again and laughed that I had come back again! They took me to the side of the house where I could kneel down by one of the hedges and scoop some genuine GRACELAND DIRT into my collectible Coke bottle. I started humming the “Mission Impossible” theme and they were laughing. I got my dirt and headed back. I put the cap back on the bottle and tried to bend down the ridges as best as possible. I’m going to have to seal this pretty good for the trip home! We finished our day at the hotel with some drinks and snacks in the Jungle Room lounge. We were talking about a guy we had seen earlier in the day who was wearing a skirt. It was black and pleated, and didn’t seem like a kilt. How strange things happen! The guy and his wife were STANDING RIGHT THERE IN THE LOUNGE! He said in a thick Scottish brogue, “Thot wos me!” We all laughed and felt sheepish, because he may have thought that we were making fun. But I got keenly interested and started asking if it was indeed a kilt. He said it was and would I like to try it on. I said, “SURE!” So he went and got it, put it on me and I took some photos. Then Sara and Edi came back down from the room in their new Graceland PJ bottoms and hoodies that we just bought, and I went to the Men’s Room to remove my pants. The kilt just didn’t look right with my jeans on, and it barely looked much better with my pale legs and blue suede boots! But we had a lot of fun laughing and talking and we made some great new friends from Scotland! We took our lazy bones back upstairs and I poured all my Elvis treasures out on the bed to inspect them. What a haul! We turned on the “All Elvis” channel on the TV and “The Trouble With Girls” was on. My pal Frank Welker played one of the goofy guys in the film, so it was fun seeing voice-over legend Frank Welker cavort with The King. We went to grab bite downstairs at the Jungle Room lounge, and Brian the bartender had a lot of great information about the whole Elvis thing. It was fun talking Elvis with such an expert! Tomorrow we’re going to Sun Records, the Rock and Soul museum, Hard Rock for lunch, and I’m going to go shopping at Lansky’s…the famous store where Elvis bought a TON of his clothes! What a GREAT first day!
Thursday the 21st – ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY! – Shortly before 10am we boarded the shuttle to the legendary Sun Records in downtown Memphis. We toured the facility where Elvis got his start, as well as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Howlin’ Wolf, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich and more. It was amazing standing in the actual studio where Elvis recorded his early Sun material. In fact, Sam Phillips (creator of Sun Records) put an X where Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black stood in the studio when they recorded their first demos. I put my blue suede booted foot next to the X where Elvis stood and took a photo. Soon, the other guests in the tour started taking a picture of my foot by the star as well. Remember, that studio was where Carl Perkins first recorded “Blue Suede Shoes” as well, so it was rather fitting! You could also have a photo taken of yourself standing next to the original microphone Elvis used when he sang those songs. I couldn’t resist! I found out for 30 bucks you could record a song in the Sun Studio! Of course I jumped at it! When the tour was over I couldn’t wait to hand my money to the man up front. A guy named El Dorado walked Sara, Edi and I back to the famous studio, and into the master control room. The master control room (where Sam Phillips produced all that great music) was not a part of the tour since it’s still a working studio. So it was worth the extra 30 bucks just to see that! We got a private look! I got in a little booth in the control room that they had set up with a karaoke system. I selected ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’, which Elvis recorded at Sun in 1954 or 1955. I did a run through and it went fairly well, but when El Dorado started the recorder it was magic time! He cranked up the reverb, just like in the original, and I sang my ass off. What a great time!
Here’s my rendition of ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’
recorded at Sun Records
We went to the front to pay and the crowd from the first tour had left. So it was just Edi, Sara and myself talking to the Sun employees while we waited for the next shuttle to arrive. They asked what I did in L.A. and I told them voice-over. They were all “Family Guy” fans, (so I did a few voices for them) and they were “Tonight Show” fans as well! El Dorado asked if I would do an intro into his i-Phone and I happily obliged. But there was too much ambient noise so it didn’t sound good. I suggested we go back into the recording booth (ANYTHING to go back into the Sun Studio!) and I could do a better version there. We went back and I asked him who he would want to be on “The Tonight Show” with. He said Bill Murray and Salma Hayek. So he started the recorder and I said…”It’s the Tonight Show with Jay Leno! Featuring Rickey Minor and the Tonight Show Band. Tonight Jay welcomes…Bill Murray. Salma Hayek. The music of El Dorado and Rampage, and Headlines. And now…Jay Leno!” He had a big, broad smile on his face. I had made his day. It felt nice. Now I had another great story to tell about my trip to Memphis and Sun Records, plus we made some great new friends. Soon the shuttle came to take us to the Rock & Soul Museum. We toured that and saw all the great stuff they had about the history of rhythm and blues in the Memphis area. That city’s heritage when it comes to music is unbelievable! Then headed to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat lunch. Our VIP All Access package included lunch at the Hard Rock. While I was there, I went upstairs to view the Elvis memorabilia and I saw something I had hoped to see at Graceland. The Elvis “lion” belt! I noticed the Elvis jumpsuit was missing the lion belt in the Graceland exhibit and now I know why. It’s at the Hard Rock. I had tried hard to emulate that belt when I was a kid of 17, and here it was up close and personal! I studied it hard, wishing like heck I could have seen this 30 years ago! We finished our lunch and walked over to the Peabody Hotel. This hotel is famous for two things…First…they have Lansky’s in the bottom floor. Elvis made Lansky’s famous for buying a lot of his clothes there when they were on Beale Street. Their selection has gotten a bit more conservative than I thought they would be, but it was still cool. In fact, I purchased a really nifty blazer and a pair of official Elvis Presley blue suede Hush Puppies! And secondly…The Peabody has several tame ducks that live on the roof of the hotel. Every morning they march into the elevator, stand there while the elevator goes to the ground floor, and they spend the day swimming in the fountain! At the end of their day (around 5pm) they get back into the elevator and they march back up to the roof to go to bed. Amazing! We had a drink by the fountain and watched the ducks. But it was time to get back to our shuttle. So back to the Heartbreak Hotel we went. But the driver took us on the scenic route by the mighty Mississippi River! Beautiful! The ride in the shuttle was kind of rough, otherwise I would have tried to get some photos. When we got back to the hotel we were bushed! But I had a mission in mind. I wanted to pack up some stuff, call Fed Ex and have them come pick the box up for shipping (I bought a LOT of stuff!) and then I wanted to buy a Sharpie marker in the HH gift shop and go write an inscription on the Graceland wall. Many had done it and I wanted to add some to it. So we walked over to the main guard gate, took a photo of the main gates, and then wrote on the wall. I’m normally not one for defacing property, but it’s actually encouraged here. Thoughts of love and well wishes filled the wall, and it was amazing to read inscriptions from all over the world. We continued walking down Elvis Presley Blvd. and went to eat at Picadilly Cafeteria. I think it’s a southern thing, since Edi was very excited about eating there, and she’s originally from Tennessee. But it was getting dark so we hightailed it back to the HH. We sat in the eating area where “This is Elvis” was running on the big screen. We sat there with about 30 other Elvis fans and just watched the magic, eating popcorn and drinking another 75th Anniversary Elvis Coke in a glass bottle. YUM! It was fun and relaxing. But then we went upstairs and started packing up for our trip back. What a trip! And LOTS of great stories to share!
Check out the Graceland pics HERE!
Friday the 22nd – HOLY WHAT A DAY, BATMAN! – We started by grabbing a continental breakfast in the eating area of the Heartbreak Hotel. Then we got cleaned up and check out of the room. We stashed our luggage and went down to look around at the shops at Graceland Crossing for about an hour to wait for our shuttle to the airport. Around noon it arrived and we climbed aboard. I got a call from the car delivery service who was trucking in my Gran Torino and they said they were about 2 hours outside of L.A. I said that’s too bad because I specifically said I wouldn’t be back to receive the Torino until the 23rd. They said they would call me at 9am on Saturday morning. I figured that was OK. I called my mailbox place and sure enough, my car cover for the Torino had come in. But the problem was they closed at 5 and my plane wasn’t getting in until 8. So luckily I had the pet store next to the mailbox place accept the package for me. They were having a big Halloween party for pets that night and they were going to be open until 11. So I was in luck! We got checked in at the United desk, and then went through security. It was the first time I had ever gone through one of those X-Ray scanners. They show you a sample photo of what exactly the technician would be seeing, and sure enough it’s all the male parts of the anatomy in clear view! If this isn’t some sort of violation of civil rights I don’t know what is! Where is the stupid ACLU about all this? I don’t hear a peep out of them. I angrily went through and then we went to have lunch, grumbling about the violation of my personal rights which had just occurred. What’s happening to this country anyway?! We got on board the flight and the flight attendant served three VERY loud guys behind us booze before we even left the ground. Is that legal? Anyway, they continued talking at a very loud level and I knew I was going to have to break out my headphones and crank up my i-Pod. Marilyn Davenport, the stewardess, flight attendant, waitress-in-the-sky-whatever, went through all of her usual stuff about overhead masks, floatation devices, etc. I happened to be looking across the aisle at a book Edi was looking at about Graceland. The three stooges behind us kept talking at loud alcoholically-induced levels. I heard a loud “SHHHHH!” and I looked up the aisle and Marilyn Davenport was looking at me. Why me? Later she storms down the aisle and starts scolding me about how I shouldn’t be talking when she’s trying to tell me about my safety. And even though I may fly a lot I still need to listen. I told her it wasn’t me, it was the guys behind me. She said, “I thought it was you.” I felt like saying, “No Missy Magoo, check your spectacles, it was those three dummies you served booze to before the flight even left the gate!” But I held my tongue. Edi even chimed in and said I hadn’t said anything, and I was just looking at the book. The voices she heard were the dopes behind me. I felt like writing a letter to United about Marilyn Davenport, but Sara and Edi talked me out of writing a complaint letter about Marilyn Davenport so I won’t write a complaint letter about Marilyn Davenport. The three stooges behind me said, “Busted!” I said, “I get paid when I talk, I don’t give it away for free.” They continued their loud conversation throughout the rest of the flight which was aggravating! But good old Marilyn Davenport? I won’t write a complaint letter about Marilyn Davenport even though I probably should write a letter to United about Marilyn Davenport and her totally unprofessional behavior. We got to Denver and had to kill about 2 hours for a layover. I got a call from the front office of the car transportation company who asked if it would be OK if they switched my car to an open carrier. I said no, since I paid a LOT of extra money to have it transported in a covered carrier. I told them if they wanted to meet me at 9pm I would take the car that night, even though my parking space for the Torino wouldn’t be available until the 23rd. What a mix-up! We had some delicious sandwiches and ice cream for dinner, then got on the flight. The flight home went pretty well. But a lot of stuff had to fall into alignment for the evening to go just right. As we landed, I called Danny the upholstery guy to have him meet me at his shop so I could get my Mustang back. I also called the car transportation guys and told them to meet me at 9 and I would take the car. So first I dug out the airport valet stub where we had parked Edi’s car, I called my pal with the open parking space but he didn’t answer, and we took our luggage to the valet. We got Edi’s car loaded up, she drove me to Danny’s shop, I paid him and got my car. Edi had Sara in her car and was following me to my place to take Sara back to HER car. I got home, paid my housesitter Brittney, and then got a call from the car transportation company saying they were lost. I told them to meet me at my church parking lot, where I knew there would be lots of room. I grabbed the money to pay them and headed out the door in Edi’s car. She dropped me off there as she had to go get her kids. I heard a voice pass by saying, “Is everything OK?” It was my friends Chris and Colleen who JUST HAPPENED to be driving by on their way to dinner. I said it was, and encouraged them to park and come see what I got. I had my video on my new Canon camera (that I bought JUST for the Graceland trip) rolling as the Torino was being pulled out of the carrier. Now remember, the carrier is COVERED. I paid a lot of extra money for that. The numbskull driving it out of the truck opens the driver’s side door to check his alignment down the ramp and WHACKS it into the wall of the carrier. I said, “Hey! Easy on the paint!” They drove it down off the carrier and pulled it into the church parking lot. Sure enough, there was a nice DING right on the bottom part of the stripe on the driver’s side door. The guy at first denied that he did it, until I told him I had it on video. Then he wanted to give me 100 bucks to forget the whole thing. 100 bucks? It’s going to cost more than that to have the ding repaired! Luckily, my friends Chris and Colleen were there, and my pal Karl from the church had even come out to see it. So I told the driver that I would take it up with the transpo company on Monday and settle with their insurance company. Geez! You just can’t find good help anymore! I got in and it felt great! I couldn’t believe I actually had one of these babies! It smokes quite a bit, as an old car would. And the steering wheel has a lot of play in it. The blinkers work on the outside but not on the dashboard, and horn doesn’t work, so I’ll have to get those things fixed soon. It’s going to be a bit of fine choreography to get this thing truly up to speed, but once it’s good to go…LOOK OUT! I drove it over to the pet store to pick up my car cover, as it was starting to look like it was going to spend it’s first night in L.A. outside. The parking lot of the pet store was filled with costumed people and pets. Really great costumes on all sorts of dogs. I’m glad I had my camera as I got some great shots of the participants. When I pulled in some of the people marveled. I parked and went in to pick up my box. I saw a few friends of mine and hung out taking pictures and showing off the car. (I can’t wait to see it in the daylight!) As I pulled out of the parking lot people were yelling “Starsky & Hutch” and one lady yelled “ROCKIN!” It was fun. But since it’s not registered here yet I went straight home. I opened up my car cover and parked it in a space. I didn’t want to park it on the street, but if you park on the lot at our complex you have to have a parking pass. I don’t have one. Some of my friends would put them in their window while visiting and drive off with them absent-mindedly. So…I had to call one of my neighbors and borrow one of their passes. A guard drove by and assured me that he wouldn’t do anything about it, but there were other guards coming on later that night and they may ticket it. So…to play it safe…I put a pass on it. Geez…I was really having a problem with authority today! Sassie and Spook were really glad to see me, and I couldn’t wait to unpack, relax and get the animals on the bed to watch some TV! In retrospect, I’m glad everything went so amazingly well today!
Saturday the 23rd – THE WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN! – More chaos today. I got up and when I walked Sassie I noticed a squirrel curled up under the hedges by my mailbox. I think he may have gotten into some old catfood that was left out. He was breathing heavily and not moving much. I called my assistant Sara to see if she could take him to the local animal hospital and get him treated. I had to wait around the house for a garage door repair guy to come. My broken spring still wasn’t fixed so I was still lifting the door by hand. My neighbor Bob came by and wanted to get my thoughts on a personal matter he was having, plus I needed to return the parking pass to my neighbor who loaned it to me the night before for my Torino. I was talking to Bob, getting updates on my phone from Sara, and the garage door guy called me to say he was lost. Not sure why this all has to happen at the same time, but luckily I was handling it calmly. Bob got the answers he was looking for, Sara got to the animal clinic and was waiting for answers, and I showed my Torino to my neighbor who loaned me the pass. Then another neighbor pulled up in his SUV to say that he lives across from me and that his wife was scared of me. I asked why. His living room window looks into the windows of my office area. I had come in last night from the jacuzzi in my swim suit and before changing decided to do some e-mails. I guess his wife didn’t like seeing me in my swim trunks through my window, and was offended. (I believe that these particular neighbors aren’t originally from this country and their culture may be different than ours in this regard) Gee…I was actually kind of hurt by that. But oh well. I explained to him that I came in from the pool area and decided to do some work before changing. And if she’s that offended she probably shouldn’t ever go to the swimming pool because she’ll see that and probably much worse. He said it wasn’t cool that I was running around MY OWN HOUSE in my swimsuit. I said I was sorry, but it was my swimwear and there wasn’t much I could do. Perhaps the thought never occurred to him that maybe he should draw HIS OWN CURTAINS instead of letting his wife stare out the window. Geez. Some people. I called my friend who owns the place, as she now lives in another state and is renting to these people. She thought it was very odd too, but like me, wrote it off to cultural difference. Sara got stuck at the animal hospital so I took her over some lunch and to wait for the doctor’s diagnosis. Come to find the little guy had some head trauma. It wasn’t the old catfood at all. He must’ve gotten hit, or fallen or something. The vet was very understanding and could tell that I was sad by the whole thing. I had to sign the paper to allow them to put him down. I had never done that before and it made me even sadder. But it was all for the best. She said that even though she would have given him antibiotics and steroids, he still may not have improved, and even still would have had to be fed with a syringe. The bike ride home was a very sad one. So I got in my new Gran Torino and tried to get happy. That was my happy place for today. Sitting in that car smelling the old interior, hearing the engine roar, made me happy for some reason. I had always wanted one of these cars and now I have one. It’s awesome. My friend Chris came over to take some shots of me in the car.
Then I took Sassie for a little walk and got some pictures of her in the grass.
So, the squirrel was taken care of, I was getting situated in my new parking spot for the Torino, my garage door was fixed, friends were coming over for movies and food, so the world wasn’t all that bad actually. I got a note from a gal who runs a squirrel rescue in L.A. and she said, “So sorry to hear that. It’s always so sad when we have to put them to sleep. You did the right thing. At least he passed away in a warm, caring place instead of eaten by animals. He was lucky to have found you.” That meant a lot to me and made me feel better. Onward and upward! So, my new pal Clark came over to give me the remote for his parking spot. That’s where the Torino will be parked since my garage is full of crap. I can barely fit my Mustang in there! But this is great, I’ll have a gated parking spot right on the lot. Clark came over and I showed him the place. Then my Pizza Hut pizza showed up. I stashed it in the kitchen until I had time to eat it. Clark and I set out to the parking space out back, and I showed him the Torino. He loved it, so I told him to climb in and we drove over to the other parking garage. I pulled my car in and pulled it into the space. It seemed like it always belonged there. He said he was getting married (at MY church, of all places!) in March. I told him I should drive he and his new wife to their reception in the Torino. He loved the idea but he still has to run it by the wifey. Then he said he was going to a “prom” that evening, so we hightailed it back to my house to set him up with a vintage tux. Luckily I had something that was close to his size, and off he went. Too cool! I hope they have fun. I started loading pics from the Memphis trip to my webmaster’s e-mail. WOW! There sure are a lot! But it was an intensely wonderful experience and I’m trying to figure out a way to share it with you without having to start a whole new website! Soon the gang started rolling in for movie night. When a few of the guys showed up I drove the Torino around back of my house, had them climb in and we drove back to the parking space. They all enjoyed it a lot. When I get the car completely up to snuff I’m going to give a lot of rides. We watched another episode of “Twin Peaks,” and then started the 80’s classic “Return of the Living Dead” on Blu Ray. It got everybody in the Halloween spirit. I started recalling tales about working on “Return of the Living Dead 2”, one of the first jobs I got when I first moved out here to L.A. We put on the end of “ROTLD 2” and watched the scenes I participated in. It brought back a lot of good memories! Fun!
Sunday the 24th – REST, PRECIOUS REST! – Like most Sundays, I lazed around the house all day. I woke up around 1, walked Sassie, uploaded some more Memphis pics and then went back to bed. I got up in time for evening church and it looked like rain. Sure enough, during church, it started to spritz and drizzle. I loved it. I picked up Sara for dinner at Denny’s, since I was craving buffalo chicken strips and a deluxe chicken salad. Then we went to Chill for dessert and I took her home. She was starting to cough, so we were hoping she wasn’t getting sick from the trip to Memphis. I got home, put on my swim trunks and hit the hot tub. It’s great fun to sit in a tub of hot, bubbly water with cool rain falling on your head. I like it. Afterwards I came inside (with my shades securely DRAWN to keep prying neighborly eyes at bay!) and did some auditions and prepared for a new week. We would be back on ‘The Tonight Show” this week and I gotta say…I really missed it! HAPPY HALLOWEEN WEEK!
And how was YOUR week??!!
BTW: Check out the Graceland pics HERE!
