So my roommate and i are going up north for our birthdays next week. As you may or may not know, Betty and i were born on the exact same day. i haven’t been back there since last June and i’m looking forward to seeing all my old friends. Our dance card is pretty full already. One of my exes, Tomasz, heard that i was coming up and he gave me a call tonight, while Jason was over, so that was kinda uncomfortable. Tommy is unique in that we've always gotten along much better since we stopped dating than we ever did during our year together. We’re still pretty close. But new boyfriends always seem to think they have to compete with old boyfriends. If we were lions, they’d have to fight it out amongst themselves. But of course, we’re humans, not lions, so i think Jason should get over it. Tommy wanted to invite me and Betty to a dinner party next Friday, given by his software company. They’re rolling out some new game this month and they rented out a nice restaurant to celebrate. Of course i want to go, it sounds like fun and i would like to see him again. Nothing sneaky, i don’t have any feelings for Tommy, other than friendship. He’s quite an interesting fellow. We met when i was in undergrad and dated during sophmore and junior year. He’s one in a series of bald headed musicians that i managed to get mixed up with. Tommy is the drummer/DJ/computer-wiz with the less-than-serious personality. A big tatooed guy who sometimes quoted Shakespeare and liked to get into fistfights while drunk, which seemed to happen a lot in the old days. That’s the thing about drummers. Getting drunk and fighting is an occupational requirement for them. In fact, Tommy got in a fistfight with some guy on the night we met. We were both shitfaced. i was at a bar, playing pool, drinking Jack and Coke. He flirted like crazy with me. He was so cocky and forward, but i ate it up because i was much more immature than i am now (at least i think so). He said shit like: “You’re real cute, i bet you kiss good too.” Yah, yah, i know; i said i was immature back then, okay? Pretty soon we ended up making out in the hallway leading to the bar’s bathroom. Yes, right in the midst of all those people waiting in line. Then somehow we got separated and i didn’t see him again until later on when there was a big commotion near the entrance. It was Tomasz, swinging his arms at another dude and not connecting, because one of the bouncers had him in a headlock. He and the other guy got thrown out into the street. i remember it was raining hard. i went out to see if he was okay. He was fine, not a scratch on either of them. Since it was pouring, Tommy gave me a ride back home and the rest is history. We had a lot of fun together for the first three months, which is my typical honeymoon period with guys. One of the most memorable experiences of my life was when i got to sing in front of Tommy’s band. We practiced for a month before the gig and i sang two songs in a little club, which has since closed down. i’ve never been so nervous in my life. i was much more nervous than i had been when i played Guenevere in high school or when i soloed in the choir. After the gig, the band told me that i did great, but the guitar player said that he’d love to have me do it again after another couple months of practice. Somehow, that didn’t sound too encouraging. Anyway, i had no intention of ever singing with a band again, even though i had a blast. i’m just too shy. Tommy and i finally broke up because we started arguing all the time over stupid shit. We tried getting back together a few times over the years, but it never worked out. He was my first real serious boyfriend, and i learned an important lesson from our relationship. We fought because we were young and we thought it was good to say whatever was on our minds, which i now know is not necessarily a good thing. i mean, when you’re with someone, you still have to make an effort to be polite and watch how you express yourself. You can’t take everything to heart and you definitely can’t bark at each other over every little thing, which is what we did. Being fucked up most of the time didn't help either. Also, Tommy’s a Taurus, which is a big no-no for me. But like i said, we’ve been great friends since we stopped dating and i do miss hanging out with him. In fact, he came to my graduation last year, even though Pete, my loser ex, blew it off. There’s an ex whom i have no desire to bump into while i’m in S.F. i have no idea what Pete’s doing these days, nor do i care.

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Sitting around the apt. with Jason, my roomie and my brother, the following subject came up for discussion. What song was playing on the car radio when you got your first ticket? i think it's interesting that we all remembered, even though not all of us could remember the specifics of the traffic violation.

My song was sooo ironic, it wasn't even funny. When i saw the siren in my rear-view mirror i had been singing along to Ace of Base's "The Sign" at top volume. You remember how it goes:

I saw the sign,
And it opened up my eyes.
I saw the sign.

Posted by: annika at 09:10 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 I remember precisely where and when I first got pulled over: the street, the time of day, the day of the week, the exact date in fact. (It was Saturday, September 5, 1987 -- three days after my seventeenth birthday, for which Mom and Dad gave me the '76 Cadillac El Dorado that I was driving when I got nailed.) But I don't remember what was on the radio then, or for any of my subsequent warnings/tickets. (I only got a warning that time, because the cop knew my dad.) Sorry to be the spoilsport!

Posted by: Matt Rustler at March 23, 2004 09:18 PM (of2d1)

2 I don't remember the song that was playing the one and only time I got nabbed for speeding. I was too pissed at the SOB Statey who had been on my bumper in the left lane for about 2 miles and only pulled me over when I sped up to get past the car in the center lane so he could get buy. (pointing that fact out to the arrogant prick didn't seem to help) I do remember that I was on my way to a date that would wind up completely changing my life - so it wasn't all bad.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at March 24, 2004 05:12 AM (CSxVi)

3 Natalie Merchant's "Carnival" . . . I've hated the song ever since.

Posted by: Amy at March 24, 2004 06:51 AM (RpVKX)

4 You mean you liked Carnival before? Ugh.

Posted by: Scipio at March 24, 2004 07:14 AM (14dkq)

5 *insert derogatory comment about Ace of Base here* ...i do not remember what song was playing, i smoked too much pot in college and it erased the high school shit.

Posted by: Scof at March 24, 2004 09:23 AM (XCqS+)

6 It was June 1990; the Georgia Satellites song about "Don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself". Made an illegal left turn near the UCLA campus...

Posted by: Hugo at March 24, 2004 09:53 AM (9ndHD)

7 So, what were you smoking when you had that conversation?

Posted by: casca at March 24, 2004 12:09 PM (XpK3X)

8 Marlboro Lights for me, Lucky Strike lights for Betty, and my boyfriend and my brother do not smoke.

Posted by: annie at March 24, 2004 01:57 PM (zAOEU)

9 Well, I was actually listening to Simon and Garfunkle....was in that mood that day. The song that was playing? Bridge Over Troubled Water. And I, too, was singing the chorus at top volume when I got pulled over.

Posted by: Serenity at March 24, 2004 07:46 PM (GChd/)

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. . . Sunday morning in L.A. The promised Summer weather hit with a bang this weekend. It's warm. There are still some wintry bare trees, as it seems the foliage hasn't yet caught up with the sun . . .

. . . i missed the morning mass and will have to go to this evening's. ThatÂ’s not a bad thing, they have an excellent contemporary choir at my churchÂ’s 5:00 service. At most every other Sunday evening mass, the music is “god-awful.” But there are so many entertainment types in my parish, our choir is probably stacked with professional singers . . .

. . . i want to play today, but i have several icky chores to accomplish. Oil change, wash the car, go in to work and finish time sheets. The oil change and car wash i dread. That means sitting on a plastic bench, waiting, for at least an hour and a half, probably two hours total, since everybody waits 'til the weekend to do those things and it will be crowded . . .

. . . Yesterday's shopping was most satisfactory. Two striped sleeveless tees, khaki short shorts, mid length cargo shorts, a pink beach hoodie with matching drawstring shorts, pair of all purpose jeans, two pair of capris, flip-flops to match the earthtone outfits, a pink pair for lighter colorey looks and a light blue pair with rainbow straps for general usage. i'm still not done, but i must wait for the next pay period to refurbish my clubbing and beach wardrobes. Then i'll be ready for summer . . .

Still awake?

. . . On to the blogosphere, it seems to be a quiet Sunday morning, as Stephen noted. LeeAnn also ponders the Sunday blogger's dilemma. When the weather is so-so, there's nothing i like more than to spend Sunday morning on the computer. But when it's nice, like today, i'd rather be playing. i'm here now because i'm trying to put off my chores . . .

. . . i see that Anne (straight from the hip) is enjoying her return to L.A. Her visit to Warner Bros. reminded me of the two times i was on that lot, about five years ago. i came down from S.F. with Betty for a visit, after one of her college friends got a job at WB. She invited us to a private movie screening for employees, which i guess they do twice a week.

When we got there, Betty and i just walked onto the lot. The security guy at the gate didn't even look our way. i had thought that studios were supposed to be tight with the security. Of course, that was before 9/11; i doubt they'd allow that nowadays. The theater was modern and pretty state-of-the-art, as far as i could tell. There wasnÂ’t an empty seat in the house. Really comfortable seating, too. And a very loud sound system.

i can't remember the movie we saw, but it was some lame action flick and they had the volume turned waaay up. Like seemingly everyone else i've met from "the business," Betty's friend was a total stoner, and she kept getting out of her seat to look for her connection. Nobody seemed to mind her, even though we werenÂ’t sitting on the aisle. i guess most of the people knew each other, it was a kind of social event.

A couple of days later we all met for lunch at the Warner Brothers commissary. That was fabulous. i don't remember what we ate, it was probably meatloaf or turkey or something. It didn't really matter, i was too starstruck. Everybody in there was either attractive or famous. i saw Drew Carey, who smiled at me, and George Cloonie, who's just as much a babe as he is on the screen. That was back in the days before i realized he was an idiot; i think he might have just finished with The Peacemaker or maybe it was Three Kings.

Then we went to the Warner Brothers employee store, where the CDs seemed to be selling at wholesale prices, not including employee discount. If i had known the girl better i would have asked her to buy the Led Zeppelin, box set, which was normally over a hundred bucks, but with her discount i think i could have got it for like forty.

Then we walked around the lot and got a close up look at the fake buildings and the sound stages. That was better than going on the Universal Studios tour, because we saw the actual everyday working sets, not HollywoodÂ’s version of Hollywood you get on the Universal tour . . .

Okay, whatever, enough rambling. iÂ’m off to Jiffy Lube.

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