best laid

well millie and dc and i didnt take public transportation into la for various reasons. but maybe we should have... the freeway traffic was slow and when we got off the freeway, the traffic on sunset was worse because of preparations for a the no on 8 rally... we ended up going round about and making it to the theater just in time for the movie.

the world we want: the movie was good. not great. i had two problems with it: the editing was too fast and there were several missed opportunities in the narrative. but it was uplifting and touch the emotions of everyone. the director was very sweet.

we didnt go the reception after the movie but chose to go to the roosevelt hotel for a drink (since we couldnt make it for one before). but the roosevelt had an event and we left there and went to a little dive called snow white. (snow whites star was not in front of the bar as one would think but across the street and up a block toward the roosevelt.) it was decorated with paintings from the disney film. and they had beers the size of your forearm.

it was a favorite place of millies friend rene who was a cool guy and we all had fun listening to the 60s-70s music. van morrison (who was performing at the hollywood bowl two blocks away while we drinking), david bowie, simon and garfunkel... and more beer than four people needed.

when we came out of the bar, the prop 8 protest had somehow followed me (according to dc) and the intersection was blocked by police in riot gear. they werent ready to arrest people and the police were only there to keep traffic ~ especially foot traffic ~ away from the protestors. i wasnt intimidated and went to talk to a couple of the police but the girls were apprehensive and dragged me away. i didnt understand how they were really afraid and i should have paid more attention to their feelings. we couldnt get through to the car parkinglot without going around another way. it wasnt bad and we were soon on the way home.

i had neglected to bring stickers etc and nothing much went as planned but we had a nice night.

for no on prop 8 t-shirts, stickers, pins: http://royanthonyshabla.com

more freewaves

well freewaves wasnt all that... but we had a nice time. dc and i met early to go to lace, the gallery sponsoring freewaves, and it was ludicrous. the two girls at the desk didnt know anything about freewaves and looked at us funny when we asked, they handed us a brochure but had never read it. we knew more about it than they did. and they didnt have the etiquette to be helpful. they were fun and cute but that only goes so far. three feet away from them was a table set up with the guy from freewaves and they had never spoken to him. we asked him about the multi-media unit you use to walk the streets and see art and info about sites along hollywood boulevard. he didnt have it. it wasnt ready. it wouldnt be until the next day (when i had to work and couldnt drive all the way out to hollywood to use it). tonight (last night) was the opening and it would be available after that (today). i said that the brochure (which he hadnt read either) said that these units were available all afternoon today (yesterday). he said he didnt finish the work until that afternoon. i said didnt your mother tell you not to wait until the last minute...

so dc and i went to eat something at california pizza kitchen.

then we went to the roosevelt hotel for the first freewaves event. around the david hockney pool, there were cocktails and monitors showing short films. a semi-beautiful crowd and semi-interesting films and semi-crappy red wine made for a semi-spectacular event. a lot of the films had the menu setting stuck on the screen, disturbing the art. the projection of films on the pool and the large balloons floating in the pool only worked part of the time. and one lesbian filmmaker was particularly obnoxious.

i ran into christie brinkley and we visited a few minutes. the whole billy joel debacle wasnt mentioned (my foot in my mouth yet again) and she kiss-kissed me before leaving.

preston digitator and carina farina met us and we went to the knitting factory for the next event.

german technology and german precision, the freewaves at the knitting factory was very german. hard, cold, loud, and discompassionate. it wasnt without merit, but was better in small doses. some of the work was lovely but we left after the second set otherwise we would have committed suicide. charlie did show and we danced a little together, preston and carina had already gone.

all-in-all, not the best la evening, not the best art scene. but it was better than the stock market.

freewaves

this afternoon dc and i will meet preston digitator and charlie sheen at freewaves, the video art festival on hollywood boulevard. we havent hung out as a group before so i dont know who will like whom... everyone seems to like hanging out with me separately but the personalities are so different i dont know how it will mix. o well i cant worry about it. drinks at the roosevelt hotel, music at the knitting factory, video art everywhere and anywhere. i will have fun.