Torn Between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

I am so torn between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic Primary today. i don't know what I'm going to do.

I got so pumped up at the rally on Sunday at Pauley Pavillion on the UCLA campus. Michelle Obama said to vote for Barack and that as President, he will show us from day one that we made the right choice. She was so impassioned, that out of every person on that stage Sunday, she was by far the most convincing. I do like Barack Obama.

Then, there's Hillary. I saw her in November at a little backyard party in my neighborhood in Los Angeles. I was stoked to see her and to hear her in person. I have always liked her, and got an ever bigger appreciation for her when I read her book, "Living History" years ago.

One thing is for sure: I really believe that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton really believe that America crucially needs each of them as President, and I can't help but think that each one is correct. If at least one of them does not become the next President, I will seriously contemplate moving to another country (that's where all the good jobs seem to be going, anyway!). I don't think that will happen, though. Too many people are pissed off now, and more people are paying attention.

Anyway, I thought that I'd made up my mind to vote for Barack Obama, but I still feel a strange loyalty to Hillary Clinton. I wish that I could vote for both. I'll decide in a few hours how I will vote.

What Happened at UCLA's Pauley Pavillion Today with Oprah, Caroline Kennedy, and Michelle Obama

Today I went to Pauley Pavillion at UCLA with my Mother. We got there around 12 noon. There were plenty of seats. There was lots of media. We tried to sit where we wanted- a simple seat on the side, not on the floor level, but on the next level up. We were not allowed to sit just there, because they wanted to fill all the seats behind the podium. After a while of waiting, we finally got to sit where we wanted (we weren't trying to be on TV. We simply wanted easy access to the restroom).

The State Assembly Speaker spoke, the mayor of Pomona spoke, and another person who I don't remember her position spoke. A 94-year-old Korean-American lady who was a Navy veteran also spoke about the changes that have taken place in America also.

Finally, Caroline Kennedy came out and spoke. She was nice. Her speech was OK- she was nice and likeable, but there was no passion in her speech, I thought.

Then Oprah Winfrey came out and spoke. Boy, was she passionate. She said that a lot of her friends told her that she was betraying women by voting for Barack. Other people told her that she was voting for Obama because he is black. To both sets of people, she told them that she was insulted for them thinking that way. She said that she is independent minded, and can make her own decisions. She is now free to do that. She gave an impassioned speech about freedom to dream about change, and to actually make those changes. Next, she turned the floor over to Michelle Obama.

Michelle came onto the stage with Stevie Wonder, who was holding her hand. Michelle tripped a little climbing onto the stage, causing Stevie to actually fall over (and almost fall off) the stage! It was horrifying, but I think they were both OK. Oprah hugged Stevie as he came up to the stage. Michelle introduced Stevie and asked him to speak.

Stevie said that he came out to show support for Obama, and he gave the audience a little melody with lyrics, "Barack Obama" to remember. Stevie mentioned that he had rallied for years for Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday to be a holiday, and now it is. He also pointed out that he rallied for an end to apartheid in South Africa and the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, and it happened. Now Stevie wishes for Barack Obama to be our presidential candidate in November.

Next, Michelle Obama came out and gave an impassioned speech. She talked about growing up in the south side of Chicago. She said that her father was hard-working, living in a time where you could get a factory job, with decent pay and benefits, and as long as you worked hard, you could make a living. She also said that he parents stressed getting an education as a means to succeed. She and her sister got their college educations and succeeded. Michelle met Barack Obama in law school. She pointed out that she and Barack have both worked with real, average, poor people- men and women- in Chicago at first, and then all over the state. Barack Obama ran for public office and moved up slowly, now being a state senator in Illinois. Michelle says that Barack has been attacked by all kind of people who want to discredit him. She says that he is credible, he has solid integrity, he listens to all people, he respects all people and their feelings, he knows what it is like to struggle financially, and he knows what the average American's struggle is. Michelle was so effective and impassioned in her speech that I believe that she may have convinced me to vote for her husband. At the conclusion of her speech, Michelle introduced a final, surprise guest.

The surpise guest was Maria Shriver (a.k.a. Mrs. Arnold Schwarzenegger), who also fired up the audience. She said that "as California goes, so does the nation". She said that Barack Obama is a lot like the state of California: diverse, leader, dreamer, and a few other things that I don't remember.

As the rally adjourned, Pauley Pavillion was filled with excitement, and people were motivated. I was excited. A lady that I spoke to said that I have to read Chapter 5 of "The Audacity of Hope". I will go to the bookstore tomorrow and do that!

I'm now at a crossroads. I love Hillary Clinton, but Barack Obama and his beautiful wife Michelle have given me more hope that possibly I can help America get back on track to keeping jobs here, bringing back good benefits, and being able to make a living in America. I have some serious thinking to do before voting this time! One thing I do know: Obama is truly brilliant. I'd like to see a President who will be able to cut through the bullshit and tell it like it really is to Congress for average Americans.

I Might Go See Barack Obama, Oprah and Caroline Kennedy at Pauley Pavillion Today

My mother called me on the phone this morning at about 9:40AM. "I'm sorry to wake you, but Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy are going to be at UCLA at 1PM today, and it's free".

"Cool", I said. "The Super Bowl ususally starts around 3PM or 3:30, so that's just enough time to do both". So, I woke up a little early on a rainy Sunday, and I will have breakfast at my mother's house. We will probably drive over to UCLA and see if we can get in, and I will finally get to see Oprah (first and foremost), and it will be nice to see Obama. I'm a Hillary person, but I do like Obama and I support him all the way up til when it comes down between him and Hillary. I've never seen Caroline Kennedy in person, either. As you may have read in a previous post, I saw Hillary in a backyard gathering about 2 months ago, and that was fun.

Let's Visit Walt Disney World's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Attraction

I found this video of the updated version of Walt Disney World's "Pirates of the Caribbean" Attraction, featuring characters from the movie. You will see Captain Jack Sparrow several times here. I discovered this on YouTube.

Foregone Vacation

I was supposed to fly to Florida last week and be on vacation for 10 days. With the economy on shaky ground in the news, and with me personally suffering from a tremendous lack of business, I decided to forego my trip to Fort Lauderdale and Walt Disney World (where I figured that I would spend at least $560 and lose out on earning some money). Do I regret not going? Well, at first I kind of did regret it, but to get over that I decided to concentrate more on some of the things that I normally lament about when I'm on vacation. Things like: another year, another vacation to Walt Disney World, and no screenplay written. Come on, David. Either write a screenplay or forget about it forever. Another thing: prepare for your taxes. Look at your bank statements. Make adjustments in who you pay, and how much. Do you need to switch phone service? Are you going to send the information to your lawyer today? Overall, I decided, that it was not worth leaving Los Angeles at this point, when so much is up in the air for me. Better to put my head down and concentrate on success, and concentrate on producing more income.

So this past week I've taken in about $150. If I'd gone to Disney, I'd be out of the $560. This way, i'm in the positive $150, a $710 swing.

Another reason I'm glad that I stayed home is that I probably would have missed the opportunity to trade away the Ebay stock in my Mom's account like I did just before Ebay announced their earnings on Wednesday (I had a feeling to sell that stock before any news. It was going up mysteriously on Wednesday, so I said, "screw it. Whatever news comes, it won't help the stock, it can only hurt". I was right. It just so happens, I have been looking at another stock that my Mom owns, Build-A-Bear Workshop. It had been going down over the months, gradually and seemingly without end. I was waiting for a bottom. The price of the stock was beginning to look cheap, but I've learned over the years that until you see a bounce, you gotta leave the stock alone and let it keep on going down. Well, I saw Build-A-Bear stock go up today solidly, by like 5%. I also looked at the chart, and saw that it seemed to be breaking out of the low and going back up. I decided to buy 100 shares of that stock, with the proceeds of the 25 Ebay shares that I sold. I've heard it said that Build-A-Bear would be a great takeover stock for some companies, like Berkshire Hathaway, for example. I even could see how a company like Disney might consider buying it, since it's so cheap compared to the price that it was 6 months ago, and that Build-A-Bear might compliment Disney's Club Penguin acquisition, which was completed a few months ago for $300 million (at today's price, Build-A-Bear is valued by the market almost at that amount). Build-A-Bear was up on Thursday, big-time, after I bought it. The company's stock had been severely punished over the last few months, which is kind of weird for a relatively small company (with only 20 million shares) that is still, at least, moderately profitable. Anyway, Mom has 200 shares now.

So, I'll just be content to go to Disney's Grand Californian for 2 nights again this weekend. Hopefully it won't be raining as much as it is right now (boy, I don't remember this much rain in L.A. in recent years!) I'm planning another trip to Walt Disney World, for May or June. I'll be better prepared to take the trip at that time, hopefully (with that new "Stimulus Plan" that Congress probably will enact, I'll get some money from the government to help pay for that trip!) We will see.

Reflections On The Death of Heath Ledger

I heard the news last night about Heath Ledger being found dead in his apartment in New York. It was shocking to me. They mentioned that they thought it might have been suicide, but I thought for a minute and said, "Naw. I don't think so. I hope not." Later reports said that his last two acting roles involved putting himself in some very sad places mentally. They mentioned that the last role particularly weighed heavy on his mind, and left him unable to sleep well. Now, I've heard that when people can't sleep, they hallucinate. Sleeping is an essential part of being healthy and happy. To have thoughts that are so uncomfortable as to cause you to not be able to sleep- that's torture.



I also heard that Heath Ledger had pneumonia when he died (I heard that on TV from that guy who runs TMZ, who said that he knew it for a fact). Walking pneumonia is not cute and doesn't feel good. If you can't sleep, I'll bet it's impossible to get rid of).



I've heard it said that, "Thoughts are things". I really believe that. What you put in your head- what you allow to go into your head- be it a song, a movie, or an episode of "Ugly Betty", will somehow affect you. The amounts of things and the kinds of things that we choose to put in our heads play out somehow in our lives every day. These things definitely affect your mood. Actors often get into character by trying to think the way their characters think. Always having to be someone else, particularly if you're having to be a sad or vile person, might adversly alter your moods. They say that that Heath's last role as the Joker for the new Batman movie had left him depressed and unable to sleep. Imagine being unable to control your thoughts. That scares me.



I really liked Heath Ledger. I was rooting for him to win the Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain", a film that he was superb in. I'd also seen him in "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale", and he was really good in "Monster's Ball". I saw him on "Oprah" a couple of years ago, too, and he seemed happy and normal. One thing that I do remember is that when he was living out here in Hollywood that the paparrazi would always stalk him outside his home, and he'd literally drive crazy down the street to get away from them. I do think that a law should be passed to stop the paparazzi from chasing celebrities.



He was only 28 years old. That's young. Not as young as James Dean was when he died. There are plenty of people who die younger. But this guy, who depicted life so magnificently through his acting roles, and who seemed to be really humble and down-to-earth, through his early death reminds us that it doesn't matter whether or not you were expecting to die. When death happens to you, that's it. It's too late to seek help if you need it. You're done.



I hope that Heath Ledger's death helps other people, - stars and non-celebrity people alike, realize that life is a gift, and that you have to love yourself and take care of yourself. Your life is fragile, and can be taken away in an instant. (I'm so glad that Owen Wilson survived his ordeal last year and I hope that he's doing better).



Heath Ledger will live on through his movies. There are tons of photos of him on the internet. He was a cool guy that I wish that I could have met. I'm going to miss him.

I'm Selling My 2 Timeshares at Oak Plantation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida

If you ever thought about buying a timeshare, I have a great place for you, at an affordable purchase price.

I have two units for sale at the Oak Plantation Vacation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. Each unit is deeded for annual use, and you will have each unit for 1 full week. The Oak Plantation Resort was built about 12 years ago by Vistana. Since then it has been owned and managed by Sheraton and then Sun Vest. This resort is very nice and quiet, and has really nice amenities. It's actually much nicer than Vistana Resort (in my opinion), but it's a little further from Walt Disney World (about 7 miles away). Another good thing about the Resort is that it is close to a Super Wal-Mart, and close to other dining places.

I have a 1- Bedroom Unit that sleeps up to 4 people comfortably, during week 36 of the year (usually the first week of September). I also have a 2-Bedroom Unit that sleeps up to 6 people comfortably, with week 24 as the use week (usually the second week of June). Both of my units are located at prime locations at the Resort. If you know about timeshares, you know that these places are homes away from home, with kitchen and bathrooms. You can check out the Oak Plantation Resort's website and make a decision for yourself if this is the Resort for you.

If you are interested in either unit at the Oak Plantation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, and want to make me an offer, please call David at (323)393-5822. All offers considered. I'm in Los Angeles, California. (I put this on my blog because I figure that if I just "put it out there" that someone who wants it will find me). Why pay the Resort, with their fast-talking, scheming salespeople, $14,000 or more when you can come to me and get something for WAY LESS? - Try me. Thank you.

Dance War- Bruno vs. Carrie Ann

I love that new show on ABC Television- "Dance War- Bruno vs. Carrie Ann". It's a fun show. Living in L.A., I know a lot of people who are professional dancers, and I meet a lot of people from all over the world who come to L.A. to take dance classes. We have some really good dance classes here in L.A.

I started taking dance classes at Gold's Gym in Hollywood a few years ago, because it looked fun. I actually took a hip-hop dance class. It was cool, and I made a few friends when I did it. I'm no dancer, and I haven't taken any classes for half a year now, but once I start going back to the gym and losing some weight, I'll attempt to dance and look cute while I'm doing it.

Now, back to "Dance War". I like this show because I personally have taken dance classes and singing classes. I love to dance and sing. The one movie that I saw years ago that I loved, and made me want to become a performer was "Sister Act 2". That movie was so good, and it made me so happy to watch it. I wanted to get up there and sing and dance with those kids. I think that this might be why I like "Dance War" so much. I liked the numbers that they did on the show, and the idea of being in a show where you can sing and dance (remember the "Mickey Mouse Club"- any of them? The kids got to sing and dance. I'm a sucker for any show like that). I'm so shocked that I haven't seen "High School Musical" yet. I'm a big Disney fan and I haven't even seen that movie. (I just convinced myself that I should see it ASAP for 2 reasons. Number 1- I know that I'll like it; and Number 2- they will take away my Disney Card if I don't see it. I better not tell anybody else).

I hate that there's a writer's strike, because I love my TV shows, especially on ABC Television, but I'm glad that this "Dance War" show is not being affected (I guess because it's like a reality show). Funny thing, though. This show has made me want to sing and dance again. I'm kind of old, in terms of how old that people should be who are trying to seriously make it in show business, but guess what? I feel like I can make it if I really tried. I can sing. I can dance pretty good- once I lose about 20 pounds, I'll really look the part. You watch!

Anyway, I'm excited about this show, and I'm going to enjoy watching it for the next few weeks.

Should I drop AT&T Wireless and Get Metro PCS?

I have been thinking now seriously for about a week of changing to Metro PCS, away from AT&T wireless. Why? Well, I spend, before taxes, $69.99 per month for the AT&T Wireless (I had Cingular originally). I get 1,100 minutes for that, plus free night-time minutes (after 9PM), and free weekend minutes. I also have unlimited roaming, meaning, I can go anywhere in the nation and not pay any roaming fees. Sweet.

Then there's Metro PCS, a new service, but popular, judging by how many new offices that they've opened up in L.A. just within the last 2 months. I went into one of their offices about a month ago to inquire about cost and service. They said that they are expanding. They said that they are building their network throughtout Southern California, but while I was waiting, if I wandered out of their coverage zone, I would incur roaming charges. They share networks with other phone companies when you wander out of their coverage zone, and you are charged per minute that you use another network (a few cents, not much). I would also have to buy my phone, and own it outright- but I don't have a contract. That appeals to me.

The Metro PCS option for me would be $35 a month. I would save $35 a month. If I should roam out of the area or go on vacation, I would pay for those extra minutes, but they have you pre-pay those minutes anyway, for the event that you should need to roam. That's kind of appealing, too. You either will be able to pay your bill, or you run out of minutes. Good.

$35 saved is really like $52 saved, if you think about it. How long does it take you at work to earn $52? Well, after you earn that and it goes to your company, by the time you get it with taxes taken out, it's about $35. I'm starting to think it's worth switching.


I like Cingular overall, but I'm not into wasting money. My sister has Metro PCS and she likes it. I have come close to running over my minutes twice in the last 3 months. I'm thinking about "unlimiting myself".

What do you think?

What's Wrong with People?

This video is cool. It shows how rude people can be, and how this girl deals with it. Notice her 2 defense mechanisms. What do you do when people are rude to you? I swear, when driving, I'm glad that I don't have a gun sometimes. Not that I'd shoot anyone, heck no. I'd maybe just shoot their tires or something. But that's in my fantasy world. But my fantasy world that day might not be as mild as that of others. Watch out. People are crazy.

And now, enjoy the video.

Elisabeth is Back On the View...Whoopi Proves My Point

Today "The View" on ABC Television was really good. They welcomed back Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and the whole show was devoted to Hot Topics. One thing that got discussed, and not even in relation to Obama and Clinton, was how attractive you have to be in the movies and on television. The more visually attractive person usually gets more votes from the public, based just on looks. Whoopi Goldberg said that most people in power did not want her doing love scenes, because they told her that she was too ugly.

Another point discussed on this show today by Whoopi is the point that I brought up in my blog post yesterday- that it doesn't matter who gets into the office talking about change- if you can't get to the other people in the Senate and the House of Representatives, then you won't have any change. Period. The question to ask yourselves is, "who can work with everyone to really make changes that help real people?" And not just middle-class people. What about lower class people, too?

Obama, Hillary, and Edwards....shades of 'Dancing with the Stars'

I saw the bulk of the Democratic debates that took place in New Hampshire on Saturday night (1/5/08). From the latest news polls, it shows that Barack Obama will most likely get more votes than Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.

I've noticed that all 3 top Democratic candidates are now talking about "change". To me, that word, along with a little explanation about not wanting to go with the "status quo", still does not realistically tell you what those candidates are going to do. Looking at all 3 top candidates, I notice something.

Barack Obama looks good. He's a good-looking guy, well-dressed, and a nice weight. He's kind of young. He's half black and half white. Half African. Half real African (unlike most black Americans in this country, many of whom are mixed with some form of caucasian and Native American). He speaks smoothly. He's got this kind of sexy thing going. Like Sidney Poitier. And he comes across as being super intelligent- I've only heard him on TV speak "black slang" only once to a predominantly African American crowd. Very articulate. Like Sidney Poitier. I can see how so many women would like him. On "Dancing With The Stars", I'd maybe compare him with Helio Castaneda.

Then there's John Edwards. I notice that he wants to win really badly. I notice that he's really anxious to win this race. One thing that you notice about Mr. Edwards is how good-looking he is. I've heard him called "cute" by women. In fact, it's been said, not only in the campaigning this time, but in the previous presidential campaigns, how good-looking he is. There is even a video of him applying make-up to his face, and holding a make-up compact while he and an aide apply the make-up to his face. He's an older man, probably in his late thirties or young forties. This man is very ambitious, and has nothing really to lose by saying anything in order to get elected. He was behind, a week ago, in the polls. He's got to rattle a few peoples' cages, and he's trying hard now to really rock Hillary. I guess he figures that between himself and Obama, they'll paint Mrs. Clinton as a Democratic form of George W. Bush, who will allow the big tax breaks for the oil companies and drug companies, and who will allow people to suffer from the evil policies of the health care industry. Edwards is good-looking, really good looking. I can see why so many women would like him. America, I think, sees him like that soap opera guy, Cameron Mathison who was on "Dancing with the Stars" this past season.

Then there's Hillary Clinton. She's an older lady. She's tough. She's obviously intelligent. I don't think that she's what most of us would consider "classically beautiful". She's OK. She's an older woman. She's smart, intelligent, and has lots of political and government experience. Up until recently, she hasn't been really on the offensive against her Democratic rivals. Some people like her personality. Others hate her. On "Dancing with the Stars", I'd like to compare her to Mel B (she doesn't have the looks, but she is good at what she does). (Did you ever notice that there are never any average-looking women on "Dancing with the Stars"? If Hillary were just a celebrity, I doubt that she would be asked onto the show, just because of her plain face.) So, for sex appeal comparison, we'll exxagerate a little and call her Mel B.

Now, for those of you who followed "Dancing with the Stars", you know that the Soap Opera guy hung in there almost to the end, and was finally voted off. He put up a good fight, but there were really 2 better dancers.

In the end, I think it came down to who everyone liked more. Helio and Mel B got the same scores on their dances in the end. The winner came down to who everyone called in to vote for, who was best liked. Let's analyze this.

On "Dancing with the Stars", I heard people comment that I knew comment, "I want Helio to win. He's cute and that Spice Girl already is more of a dancer because she's in show business". Kind of sounds like, "I want Obama to win. He's cute and that old Hillary is more of an old politician because she's been in status quo politics for so long".

I know this: a lot of women don't like other women. Even the pretty ones who dance well, like Mel B. Women are a lot harder on other women than they are on men, generally. I know a lot of women who don't like Hillary, only because they like Barack Obama.

Give America (or at least, the Democrats) the choice of a good-looking, intelligent, articulate black man who's not quite middle aged and a well-dressed, retirement-aged, intelligent, experienced but rather average- looking white woman, and what do you think will happen? Will "Sexy" translate into votes? Could Barack Obama get over with his unofficial campaign song as "I'm Bringin' Sexy Back"?

Well, on "Dancing with the Stars", Helio won. The fact that he was good, sexy, italian, young, male and likeable seemed to all translate into votes. A woman has never won the top prize on that show, in 4 seasons. Mel B, I have read, was really disappointed at her loss this past season, and wondered why people didn't like her. Kinda like someone else we know.

A woman has never been on the final ballot running as President of the United States.

Hillary's task is to make people like her. How she does that remains to be seen in the coming weeks.

Disney Music Makes Me Happy

I know one thing: I am a fool for Disney. Especially the music that they have produced over the years. If all my Disney stuff got taken away, it wouldn't matter to me that much as long as I got to keep all my soundtracks.

Today you can get some Disney soundtracks on iTunes. In this digital age of "free music", I'm sure that you can even find some Disney stuff out there online. Given this fact, I will still never part with my hard Disney CD's and records (if I can help it). I like to play my CD's in my car, and often take some of them with me on vacation to listen to in my rental car. I have collected my CD's ever since Disney started producing their music on CD's. I also collected the soundtracks right after Disneyland installed kiosks where you could make your own CD's of rare and historic soundtrack material that had previously been unreleased. (When I discovered those kiosks, I personally made 10 custom-made CD's that very day for myself). (I could have made a few more to capture EVERYTHING that they had, but I chose what I liked best). iPods are cool, but they are only tools, and a part of my picture. CD's made by the manufacturer rock!

I especially love the soundtracks to all the Disneyland Attractions. A couple of years ago, Disneyland (and Walt Disney World) sold a really cool CD set, with 6 CD's and over 100 tracks representing 50 years of Disneyland's music. That set includes a good hardcover book by Disney historian and artist Stacia Martin, as well as a vinyl record reprint of the classic Disneyland record, "Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland". Pictured is the box that this special set came in.

Congratulations to Barack Obama!

I went to Gold's Gym in Hollywood this evening, and as I walked quickly on the treadmill, I was watching the results of the Iowa caucus. I was not surprised that Barack Obama or Mike Huckabee came in first place for their respective parties. I also was not surprised that the Democrats had a huge turnout, since the country really needs a good Democratic president to try to get us out of the muck and the mire that we are currently in.

I'm reading Barack Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope". It's a good book, so far (I'm on page 28). I have been for Hillary Clinton up to now, and I think that she would make a great president. I read Hillary's book, "Living History", years ago, and I already know where she's coming from. She and Bill Clinton went through a lot of needless shit while they were in the White House, and they still got a whole lot of good things accomplished, despite it all. Clinton worked well with members of both parties. It was only toward the end that he got clobbered with "Monicagate"...

I personally theorize that the Republicans did that to him as revenge for the Clarence Thomas trial, where Anita Hill brought up true (although vulgar) allegations about Judge Thomas' sexual harrassment. (There was a lot of sexual harrassment all the time when I worked at Fed Ex amongst all my coworkers at Fed Ex, but most of the time we didn't mind that much. If we could take it, we got to dish it out, too, once in a while).

Anita Hill probably should have simply quit her job and (and maybe filed sexual harrassment charges) if all that she said really transpired. I guess if she didn't and someone just dragged her out of nowhere to derail Mr. Thomas' appointment as Supreme Court Judge, that's kind of unfair. I guess that's why the Republicans felt that it was fair to pull a groupie like Monica out of the hat, force Bill Clinton into denying having anything sexual to do with her (under oath), and then taking Monica's unsensored, practically forced-at-gunpoint, explicit and vivid account of her sexual adventures with Mr. Clinton and printing them on the front page of "The Washington Post".

Yes, somehow Hillary stayed with Bill Clinton. I'm glad that she did. Their enemies tried to tear them apart, and it might have almost worked, but it ultimately didn't.

Barack Obama seems to be the kind of guy who says that the kinds of things that were done to the Clintons are things that would not likely happen to him, not because he's perfect and doesn't have any skeletons in his closet, but because he would appeal to his peers in Congress to be above all the bullshit. From what I've read in his book so far, I think that he would say, "Let's solve the problems of the people and the nation. Let's not sit here and sink in the mud". It would be interesting to see what his Republican rivals and opponents would try to do to him down the line should he be elected.

Oh, well, fasten your seatbelts.....

Apostilles and Certifications in Los Angeles County

Do you need an Apostille or Certification of a document that is going to a country outside of the U.S.? With the Apostille Service from Hollywood Notary.Net, you can get your Apostille quickly, often on the same day or the next day, for Los Angeles County documents. Apostilles and Certifications are obtained for documents that are leaving the country, and are often required by authorities in other countries.

Easy Way To Make Money Doing Practically Nothing.

Do you talk on the phone? Of course you do. I was reading something online and I stumbled across this ad. It said "Easy Way to Make Money Doing Practically Nothing". Caught my attention. I clicked, and clicked, and found out all about it. I signed up for it immiately- it's free. It's a great idea. Click the ad below.

Happy New Year!

It's a New Year, and that means, for me: not time to just sit around. Sure, I will watch the Rose Bowl game today. I will probably peek at other games in TV. But I will go to the gym, if it's open. If not, I will go for a brisk walk for 40 minutes. I will control what I eat. I've already remodeled my business website, www.hollywoodnotary.net. I'll call a few friends, some relatives. I will study for the real estate exam, which I will take soon. I will put in some entries for my other blogs, listed on the right. I will look at my recent bank statements, and cancel subscriptons that I don't need. I will impliment measures to bring in more money. It's time for a big change! I'm going to do it.

Rude Customer Leaves Waitress $50,000 and a Car In His Will

She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses. The 89-year-old Walter "Buck" Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.

read more | digg story

What I Will Give Myself For New Year's

For this January, I'm going to give myself something that I haven't had for about 8 years- a flat, washboard stomach.

I only had a flat, washboard stomach only once, ever, and it only lasted for about a month. It took a lot of exercise, lots of sacrifice and discipline to get it. I looked and felt good. You just have to eat a little bit, whenever you do eat. You get to eat more than 3 times a day, though....And you have to exercise at least 4 or 5 times a week, minimum.

I lost my washboard (and gained more pounds) after I got sick, which was terrible. I caught the flu and/or a bad cold, and I started eating whatever, whenever to make myself feel better (comfort food will get you if you don't watch out, when you are watching what you eat). It was hard for me to go back to the exercise and eating regimen.

I will do it. You will see.

Trying to Stay Current

I got an email today from my uncle, a spoof on "It's a Wonderful Life", and featuring a cartoon George W. Bush. It's really funny. The website that it came from is called "Current.com". I just subscribed to it. It's cool because it will help me achieve a goal- to become more informed about what's going on in the U.S. and the world- to just be smarter.

Just go to current.com and check it out.

So Paris Hilton's Grandpa is Willing 97% To Charity...

And people are saying that it's a slight to Paris Hilton. Well, I say that's absolute "poppycock".

First of all, Paris' Grandpa, Barron Hilton, is worth about $2.3 billion now. When he dies, he might be worth more, or he might be worth less, but at today's prices, that still means that $69 million will be left to family- enough for most families to never want for anything. Even if Grandpa leaves his granddaughters nothing, they will still thrive.

Besides, that money going to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will benefit people all over the world. It is "giving back", which is an essential thing to do during one's lifetime. Paris Hilton and her sister Nicky will still be wealthy. Hopefully for them, they will also be able to say that they made their own millions (or billions) as well, on their own (I think that Paris can claim to have made 'millions' already).

Since getting out of jail, Paris has turned into a different person. Can you see it? Life seems to have more meaning to her now- at least, that's my perception. She announced that she herself was going to get involved with charities and good causes. I think that it is noble of her to try.


Even Warren Buffet is going to leave the vast majority of his money to charity when he dies- and he's got family that he could leave it all to. However, money does not breed character- becoming a wealthy heir might be nice, but any idiot can inherit money. Earning your own is key.

Becoming a master at something, a success, will ensure your happiness and prosperity, as many weatlhy people will tell you. Money is a by-product of success that some people have learned to live with, after all.

A Great Christmas

I had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. I admit, shopping a few days earlier was a job, but I actually had fun doing it. I mean, I got to go down to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on Saturday night, where I went inside California Adventure for one particular gift (for my Mother). I also went to a store called "Basin" that sells bath soaps and salts, where I bought a few other things. Earlier in the day I went up to Universal Studios, where I bought a "Shrek" plush toy for a toddler. I also bought a Lottery Ticket, since I was acutally inside Universal Studios and thought it would be cool if I won there, because they'd get some money, too, and I'd be on TV.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve, we had a great dinner. Jaime cooked a turkey with dressing and candied yams, and we also had cranberry sauce. Jaime's brother Adrian came over with his family of 4, my sister Julie came over with her friend, my Mother came over, and our friend Juana Maria came over with her 3 kids. It was a full house, and the food was really good. There was just enough food for everyone. Later on in the evening, Jaime and I went to visit his brother Rigoberto, where we had a few cups of coffee and some more food.

Christmas day was nice. We woke up late, and mainly just stayed home and watched TV. My Mom came over around 4PM and cooked a pork roast, along with a few other things. Julie came over also with her friend. It was a delicious dinner (it is truly rare, for me anyway, to have 2 home cooked meals that good, back-to-back). We watched "The Simpsons Movie" and "Fiddler on the Roof" on television. Tonight the adults opened their Christmas gifts, and everyone was happy afterward.

I will enjoy the rest of this year. I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas, and that we all have a safe, friendly, and comfortable week.

My Trip To Disneyland Resort (10 days ago)

2 posts ago, I mentioned that I couldn't wait to spend 2 nights at the Disneyland Resort. I went with my pal Jaime. We stayed at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. We had a nicely located room (although it was quite a walk), overlooking one of the entrances to the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney. We had a little drama- Jaime was suffering from asthma, and ran out of his inhaler medicine (Albuterol, I think it's called). Eventually, he woke me up and told me that he couldn't breathe (at 4AM), and I called the front desk to ask for advice. They said that they would connect me to the resort 911 operator. The person there said that they would send a nurse and the paramedics to the room. About 5 minutes later, they arrived, and immediately began to work on Jaime. The nurse gave him oxygen and Abuteol. The paramedics also gave him more oxygen and more abuterol, and everybody took his pulse. The paramedics wanted to take Jaime, but he said no. You might not believe this, but the Disney nurse and the Disney security guard actually helped turn a potentially tragical experience into a magical one. In the end, Jaime was able to sleep for a few more hours.

Room Service came with breakfast at 9:30AM. It was a little pricey, but worth it because of the convenience, and they did give nice portions of coffee and orange juice. The food was good, too.

Jaime was still having trouble breathing, so he phoned his doctor's office, but could not reach the doctor. Jaime suggested calling an asthma clinic that he had signed up for recently, and they told him that he could come in and be seen. I drove him to the clinic in Long Beach, where they evaluated him. Afterward, a lady told me that I should immediately take him to a hospital emergency room, because he had less than 22% lung capacity. I said OK, and I drove him straight to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital (which is one location where they said that he wouldn't have a bill if he got treated there). After a few hours, some oxygen and some antibiotics, Jaime felt better, but tired.

It was now Monday evening. We decided to drive back down to Disneyland Resort, and make the best of the rest of our time. We went into Disneyland and dined at the French Market, where we could see the show, "Fantasmic". We then saw the fireworks show, "Believe in Holiday Magic". Then we rode the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride, and then we went on "It's a Small World". To round out the night, we walked to Main Street and went to the Blue Ribbon Bakery, and got some cookies. I got a warm egg nog, which was delicious. Back at our room at the Grand Californian, we relaxed a little. Jaime fell asleep quickly after showering. I went out to the lobby downstairs to read my book, "Save the Cat", by the fireplace. After about 10 minutes, I found myself fighting to stay awake. After 5 more minutes, I went back upstairs and went to bed.

The next day, we woke up and got ready to check out of the hotel. We took a tour of the Disney Vacation Club, where we were greeted by one of the best Vacation Club Guides around, Nelida (whom I used to work with). After our brief meeting, we went to Disneyland Park aboard the Monorail. We rode a few rides, and we ate at Cafe Orleans before heading home (we stayed at the Park for about 2 hours).

Although we had some unexpected ills in our trip, we made the most of it, and still managed to have a magical time at Disneyland!

More People are Defaulting On Credit Card Payments. Surprised?

On the news today, I hear that more people are late on paying their credit cards off. It's happening to more and more people. This, in addition to the people who are having their homes foreclosed.

Congress only a few months ago passed that bill to make all credit card purchases stick to you, even if you file for bankruptcy.

People, listen to me- be careful about your credit card spending. Credit card companies, when they first approach you, seem oh-so friendly. If you have been paying all your bills on time, they are probably very friendly toward you, offering you new deals to get more of your business. They will keep on offering you more, and if you take it every time, you will surely become a victim. The minute you are late with a payment, you will suddenly find that your relationship with the credit companies has deteriorated. You will all of a sudden be charged unbelievably high interest rates, and on top of that, you'll have late fees, upon which interest will grow as well. Should you fall behind, they will bury you with fees and interest. Knowing this, you have to realize that using credit cards is risky, and a game that the credit card companies hope to bury you.

The rule is: don't get buried. Pay them off. Don't spend with them if you can avoid it. Pay cash. If you must use credit cards, have a plan to pay them off. They are tools only, to be used in a financial management plan.

Can't Wait Til Next Sunday

I can't wait for my next little getaway, which will be a 2-night stay at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. Next Sunday, my partner and I will spend a couple of nights and days at Disneyland. It should be a lot of fun- I have never stayed there for the holidays, so it's gonna be new to me. (I actually used to WORK there for the holidays, and I must say, it was a very cool and unique experience!) I know that the theme parks are going to be crowded, but that's OK, because we'll have the room to come back to and rest. The Grand Californian is a beautiful hotel, and the Disneyland Resort has lots of good food places to choose from. Inside the Grand is the Storyteller's Cafe, where my favorite thing to eat is the Corn Chowder. Mmmmm. I will definitely be having that.

Oh, well, it's time to go to bed. I didn't just randomly pull up this topic- today I opened my mail and found the confirmation from Disney Vacation Club about my reservation for next week. I'm so excited.

So, until next time, sweet dreams.

I feel the need to post tonight...

I don't really think that I have that much to say tonight, except to reflect a little and not gry to be too profound....

I am about to go to bed. Thursday 12/6/07 was a very busy day for me. I drove to Van Nuys, CA, then to Echo Park, then through Hollywood, on to El Segundo, and then home. I had a pretty good day financially- not a great day, but I feel good about it. I got things accomplished. And I did sell a membership to Pre-Paid Legal. So overall I feel good about today.

I sold something on my Ebay store today. I feel really good about that. I have 3 sales so far, and I only opened the store about 2 weeks ago. I've only listed 5 things for sale so far, and sold more than half. So I feel good. I don't really think about it too much, though, unless I do sell something. I want to put some Disney pins that I have up for sale. I should be able to sell those, because I have some really good ones, and people are freaking INSANE about Disney pins.

It's raining now. I can hear it falling outside. It's past midnight here.

Why is my life so complicated? Or is it? Do I choose to make it so? Is there an easier way? What am I doing wrong? Am I starting to do things right? I'm hungry.

Well, I'm not really hungry. But the thought of a cheesburger does make me get excited right now. But I am on a self-imposed diet of healthy food- salads, fruit, stuff like that. It has only been 3 days, but I feel a little better. I've got to get rid of this disgusting big belly that I've maintained since I turned 40. I will lose it, and get a six pack better than most 20 year olds.

I want to fly away, on a plane...a United Airlines plane, to Minnesota, or Seattle. I want to go for a walk in a park in one of the cities in those states. I want to see how other people live.

Life is Hard

I tell you, since the mortgage business has slowed down so much, it has made it nearly impossible for me to survive being a full-time Mobile Notary. I mean, it really sucks right now. I hate to have to say it (and do it), but I might have to just give it up and find a full-time job. I need more business. If anyone is reading this, and you've ever thought about subscribing to Netflix, then do me a big, huge favor, please. Subscribe to Netflix from my Hollywood Notary.Net site. I will get a decent commission, and you will get a great service in Netflix. I really need the money right now. Do me a favor, too. If you should sign up from my site, email me at my contact email address on my site and let me know that you've signed up so that I can make sure that they pay me a commission. ( I've already caught them twice not paying me for sign-ups).

Other than that, I just opened an Ebay Store called "Babycito-Disneyana". I feature Disney stuff. We will see how that goes.

Meeting Chandra Wilson and A Party with Hillary Clinton!

If Friday Nov. 16 was cool, Saturday Nov. 17th was even better, for several reasons. For one, I made more money on Saturday. I got one call from someone who needed a notary, so I had him drive to me at my Mom's house, and I notarized for him right then and there. That was around 3:15PM.

At this point, I already had 2 things scheduled- an appointment at 5PM to notarize for a lady in Echo Park, and an open appointment for sometime in the afternoon, nothing specific. I also knew of something that I had no expectations for- something that I knew might be happening, but that I wasn't planning on really doing. I'll explain.

My Mom called me around 11AM, and said that our neighbor, Stacy, called her and told her that Hillary Clinton was going to be in our neighborhood around 3PM, at a party at a neighbor's home. I thought, "Cool!". But I didn't know if I would only be able to go and stand around and hope to get a glimpse of her going into the neighbor's home, or what. I wasn't invited. I wasn't sure if Stacy was invited, but since this party took place at a doctor's home, and since Stacy's husband was a retired doctor, I thought that maybe if I hung with Stacy that I might get it.

I went to see my Mom in the afternoon around 2PM. I was leaving to go to Chef Marilyn's on Crenshaw for some lunch, when I got an idea: I turned the car around and parked again. I rang Stacy's door and I asked her about Hillary. She told me that she got an invitation, and that my Mom could go, and that I could probably go, too. I wasn't sure that I would try to go, since I did have 2 appointments coming up soon.

So, after I was done notarizing for the guy at around 3:30PM, I decided to go to the party and see if I could get in. On the way, I ran into 2 old ladies who I had met at the block party about 16 months ago. They were walking to the party. One of them said that she wasn't all that wild for Hillary Clinton. I told her that I loved Hillary Clinton. The old lady told me that I needed to support Barack Obama. I said that I loved Hillary ever since I read "Living History", and that I thought that Obama was pretty good, but not as good as Hillary. The old lady told me that she wasn't going to talk to me. I followed the old ladies to the table where there was registration to get into the gate to go into the house. I was not on the list, but I made like I was with them, and I followed those old ladies straight into the event. Once I was all the way safely in, two young ladies asked me if I wanted to volunteer to work for Hillary Clinton. I said that I might be interested in doing something later, so they got my name and number. Then I walked to the area where everyone was (and where the food was). I saw Stacy and my Mom, and another neighbor, Mrs.Eves. They were all surprised to see me.

I looked around to spot the food, and then I noticed somebody I knew- it was Chandra Wilson from Grey's Anatomy, wearing a pretty white dress. I HAD to meet her, but as I waited for a bit, because she was deep in conversation with another lady, and I didn't want to butt in. In the meantime, I told my Mom about her. My Mom was like, "Where is she?" I was like, "We're standing right next to her". Then my Mom saw her, and started saying, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!". I told my Mom, "Dont' do that. Not here." I had to wisk Mom away for a bit, so that she could calm down, and gain some composure. I went and got myself some snacks, and afterward I got a chance to introduce myself to Chandra. "Hi, I'm David", I said. I told her that I enjoyed her on the show. Then I introduced her to my Mom. It was cool. My Mom could barely talk. Chandra was nice and really pretty.

The food at the party was pretty good. They had something like a vegetarian sushi, and some crab cakes. I ate about 19 crab cakes, and I had about 5 cups of coffee. They also had various desserts.

I ran into an ex co-worker, Ingrid, who used to be a sales representative at Fed Ex when we both worked for the company in Sun Valley, CA. I gave her one of my business cards because she needs a Notary. The last time I saw Ingrid, it was at the Angelus funeral home, about 2 years ago. It was nice to see her.

I "donated" $20 to Hillary's campaign, and I received 2 Hillary campaign pins.

I also noticed Telma Hopkins, who used to be with Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Chaka Khan at this party. There were other actresses there that I did not know. I'm glad that I went. There was a live band playing. Alcholol was being served, but I chose not to drink since I had work to do soon.

Around 5:10PM, I saw a tall, pretty girl whom I did not know, and we began to talk when she got a call on her blackberry. She answered it and she told me that Hillary was calling, and that they were lost. I asked where they were. She told me that they were on Adams. She talked some more, and then she told me that they were on Buckingham and Washington. Well, I knew that they couldn't get to us except for one way, since our neighborhood is a gated community. This young lady started asking people she knew about directions, and none of them knew. I told her that I knew the area, so she asked me to follow her, and I gave her directions, and she read the directions to Hillary over the phone. Hillary was being driven to the house in a black SUV, with an escort from the Highway Patrol. I was glad to do my part for the next President of the United States. After I gave the directions, it was announced 5 minutes later that Hillary had arrived. After much fanfare and speeches from Maxine Waters and the hosts of the party, Hillary Clinton took to the stage.

I had never seen Hillary in person, but she was really interesting. She spoke about repairing America's image and America's relationships with other nations around the world. She spoke about giving every American healthcare. She spoke about improving schools, about mentoring young people. She spoke about creating leaders. When Hillary finished her speech, it was 5:55PM, and I had to leave for my first appointment, which I had rescheduled to 6PM(of course, I called to tell the guy that I'd be there at about 6:30PM instead). Hillary started to take audience questions, but I had to leave. My Mom left with me, and as we walked out, we were given little goodie bags. I escorted my mom past the Secret Service, police and highway patrol, and we walked to our street. I got in my car, and, in a bunch of traffic, slowly made my way for East L.A.

Friday Was Fun- The Fairest Day Of Them All

Wow, what an busy and exciting 2 days I've had! On Friday, Nov. 16th, I went to an event at Disneyland that I'd paid for about 3 weeks ago. It was a little celebration of the movie "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", put on by the Disneyland Resort to celebrate the movie's 70th anniversary. The fun started as I got close to the entrance of Disney's California Adventure. There was a registration table, and I showed my ID and I was given an apple-shaped lanyard to wear to identify me as a guest of the event. Once inside, I went to Stage 12 to see the special items that they were selling at the event. I wound up buying only an event mug, and an event pin (the mug was not in stock- it is being shipped to me in about a month). There was also an Artist Signing, but I didn't make it over to that, but that was OK, because I really didn't buy anything large enough to sign. Next, at 5PM, I went to "Snow White's Soiree", a little party at Stage 17, where there were lots of hors d'ouvres and apple snacks. The hors d'ourves included shrimp, coconut-crusted chicken strips, and some potato-things. They also made a kind of "potion", consting of vodka, sprite, ice cubes and one of those colored fake light-up ice cubes.

I saw a lot of people that I knew at the event. Robert Tieman from the Disney Archives. Benji Breitbart, an old acquaintence who now works at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Felicia Roe , my friend from a Disney club that I'm in, the NFFC. Another guy who I'd seen before at an NFFC meeting in L.A., and who was visiting from New York and whose birthday it was. Robert Olszewski, whom I met years ago and whom I've seen and spoken with a few times since then. I said 'hi' and enjoyed meeting with all these people. I also met a few people that I'd never met before.

At 6:30PM, a panel discussion began. The panel included Roy Disney, Leonard Maltin, and John Lasseter. Also included were a curator of Snow White archives and the lady who was the model for the artists who drew Snow White. They also had old footage of the artists at work making the film. It was an interesting panel discussion. Roy talked about how his uncle Walt Disney used to tell him stories, and how Walt told the stories even better than the films did.

After the panel discussion came the movie, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the Hyperion Theater. The movie was introduced by John Lasseter, along with the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White and the Prince. Everyone enjoyed the movie.

After the movie, as everyone filed out of the theater, everyone exchanged a voucher and received an exact replica of the movie program that was handed out at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles at the movie's premier on December 21, 1937. It is a pretty cool program, and I'm going to keep it. I will, however, post pictures of it on another blog that I do.

After I left the theater, California Adventure was closed, so I went out of the gate, and walked to Downtown Disney to Napolini, a walk-up pizza place, and got a pepperoni pizza slice and a Coke for 8 bucks. Then I caught the tram back to the Mickey and Friends parking lot (there was a singing tram host- very entertaining).

When I got home, I unwrapped the special gift that they'd given to me upon my entrance to California Adventure. It was an Arribas Brothers glass apple, commemorating the event. I'll put that up on mymagicalcolletion.blogspot.com sometime.

Nov. 14th is Mom's Birthday

Today was my Mom's birthday (well, it's past midnight now, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's still the same day, on the plane that I live in). We went to a restaurant called "Off Vine", on Delongpre St. in Hollywood. It's a nice, quiet, restaurant, built inside of an old house in Hollywood. I like the music there- they play a lot of cool songs from the '50's- not rock 'n roll, but more like Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Dinah Shore...stuff like that. Old classics, with big bands behind the singers. The meals were nice, but pricey....Mom says that we should have just gone to "Pinks" on La Brea near Melrose....we'll do that one night soon- just watch TV, like "Ugly Betty", and eat hot dogs.

Today earlier on TV, I saw a commercial with the lady who used to play "Reba the Mail Lady" on "Pee-Wee's Playhouse". It's funny how many people from Pee Wee Herman's old show are now big TV and movie stars. I mean, Lawrence Fishburne was "Cowboy Curtis"?

I miss Annette Funicello. It was her birthday last month, but I didn't realize it until a day ago. I pray for her to get better...

I got a lot of Notary work today. I'm becoming a more creative advertiser....go Hollywood Notary.Net!!!!

Happy Birthday, Whoopi Goldberg!

I just want to say 'Happy Birthday' to one of my favorite people, Whoopi Goldberg. This woman is so cool, I should have known that she was a Scorpio. I mean, that's the only sign I could ever picture her as, because she is so cool, and yet she will get you good eventually if you ever screw her over.

I like Whoopi because she expresses her views very intelligently, and she thinks very deeply about things. I like also that she doesn't let people just get away with saying just anything- she challenges people. I think that it's a good habit to think about what you say before you say it. I also like that she respects people, she listens to people, and while she may not always agree with you, she will offer you an intelligent counterpoint to whatever point you are trying to make. I don't know Whoopi and I don't think she's going to read this, but I'm just glad that Whoopi exists and that I can watch her on "The View" on ABC every morning during the week.

Whoopi's also a great actress. Over the years, her stand-up comedy, her theatrical one-woman shows, and her movies have entertained me so much over the years, and she's brought great joy and happiness to myself and my friends. I loved her in that movie, "The Associate". "Ghost" had me in tears, when she signed the wrong name on the check. I loved it when she opened the Oscars swinging from overhead, like Nicole Kidman in "Moulin Rouge", dressed all sexy. It was funny and daring, and while lots of people didn't like it, or get it. I did, and I loved it, so I figure that she did it for the few wise people who would get it. I think that Hollywood is so full of haters, and she, for some reason, seemed to have a lot of haters in the Oscar audience that year. I love her spirit of independence. I get that chick.

So here's to you, Whoopi Goldberg, on your birthday!!! Happy Birthday, and many more!!!

One of the Best Skits I've Ever Seen On TV - Carol Burnett version of "Gone with the Wind"

I just found this available on the net and I have to post it here for you, my dear reader. It's something that I audio-taped a long time ago, before video. With the advent of the internet and video on demand, I give you what was not possible before: Carol Burnett's version of "Gone with the Wind", which is entitled, "Went with the Wind". Enjoy Part 1.

Live and Learn

Earlier today I did something that might be unwise, or maybe it's just genius. It all starts with what I did yesteday (Thursday).

On Thursday, when the stock market was falling, I sold all 25 shares of Apple in my account. The stock's price went down further, and I bought it back when it was on the way back up- for about 3 dollars less than what I sold it for earlier in the day. Did I make much money? Not really.

Then came today (Friday). When I looked at the market in the morning, I saw that my stocks were falling again, only slightly. I kind of panicked, and sold all the Apple stock again. Later on, after thinking about it, I thought that I'd done kind of a stupid thing. I thought about buying back all 25 shares again, but then I stopped myself. Why not simply buy back 10 shares, and then stand back, and see what happens. I figured, if Apple stock goes down after I buy these 10, then I will have extra money to buy the other 15 that I want for cheaper. And if Apple goes up way past the price I bought these 10 at, then fine- I'll just buy a cheaper stock that I believe in, like Disney (which, by the way, is going to pay a dividend of 31 cents really soon for every share you own). Either way, I'd be happy, because I want to own these stocks for the long-term.

Well, what happened today in the market after I bought the 10 shares of Apple? It went down, by over 10 dollars per share for the day, and about 6 dollars per share below the price that I paid for the 10 shares. How do I feel? Well, it's like I said- if it goes down, I have money to buy more stock, for cheaper.

Apple and Google are the two hottest stocks that you can own right now. No matter how crazy the economy is, or how much less the U.S.Dollar is compared to the Euro and the Canadian Dollar, Google and Apple are making money worldwide- all kinds of money- and the profits of both companies are going to be phenomenal. Google says that they are never going to split their stock- so- imagine if someday their stock is priced like Berkshire Hathaway- you would be one rich Mo Fo, even if you only have one share! I had 2 shares of Google until today. Now I have 3 shares!!!!

Now, a disclaimer- when I say that I have the stocks, they are all really my Mom's. I trade on her account.

Getting Into The Holiday Spirit Early

Well, today was a tough day. I did make some money- a little. I had one loan signing in Sunland this evening, and I did get to go to a swanky home in a nice part of Los Feliz in the early afternoon . I did watch "Dancing with the Stars" and saw my girl, Jane Seymour, get voted off (it would have happened eventurally anyway. Mel B is definitely going to win the whole thing, if not Marie Osmond!)

I went for a fast walk tonight in Hancock Park, for 25 minutes, so that I could think and get some exercise. (I didn't exercise last night). I'm trying to do better with my diet and with physical activity.

I want to spice up my blog a little, so here's something really fun that I love- a throw-back to the old MTV, something that was really cool back in the late 80's.

More Money!

Today I feel that I was kind of fortunate. I got a call from a guy around 7PM tonight (Oct. 31), wanting me to come to Hollywood to notarize 4 documents. I said OK, I'd come at 8PM. I was doing laundry when he called, and I was a little out of it because the light was out in the laundry room, so after I had a chance to think about it, I called the guy back and asked if I could come at 8:15PM. He said OK. Then, while I was folding clothes, I thought about it, and decided that 8:45 would be best because I still had some clothes to fold and get out of the laundry.

On my way to Hollywood to meet my client at Borders bookstore on Sunset and Vine, I felt the sudden unfortunate need to use the bathroom. To do number 2. This was Halloween, though, and as I turned from Wilshire onto Rossmore to head north to Hollywood, I dreaded the slow, long line of cars in front of me- the dread of possibly having an accident- in my pants! I nervously turned the air conditioner on and off. I turned on the radio, then thought about the possible bad news, and turned it off. I didn't want to give my bowels any negative external stimuli. I was under the pressure of making it on-time to my appointment. I knew that the Borders bookstore did not have a restroom. My sudden solution- to get to Gold's Gym in Hollywood, where I could park my car and run into the restroom. I parked in their lot, and I ran to the gym. They scanned my ID, and I made my way into the restroom. Membership really does have its privileges.

You know what I did in that restroom. What a relief. So, ten minutes later, I called my client and told him of my dilemma, and advised that I would be there in 10 minutes. Surprisingly, I made it at 8:50 to my projected 8:45 appointment- not too bad.

My client, named Casey, is a writer, and I was able to notarize his documents for him. He was under a deadline- the Writer's Guild may go on strike at any time now, so that deal had to be signed before midnight. I asked Casey about his experiences as a screenwriter. I'm happy for him that he was able to write a screenplay, and then able to get it optioned. I aspire to such greatness. It turned out that he had 8 documents for me to notarize, so I got paid $95. A good Halloween take.

Gonna Make Room

I decided today that I'm going to sell most of my compact discs. Not because I'm broke or anything- they're just in the way, and I believe that when you make room for more stuff to come into your life, it does. I honestly couldn't take on more stuff right now, because I really do have too much stuff. I don't even listen to most of the music that I have- it's all been in a closet at my Mom's place for months. So, I'm putting it all on iTunes now....and I will decide what to keep, but most of it will go. Except my Disney music- I have to have the CDs for those always....I've got a lot of DVD's, VHS videos, and CDs. I will keep all the Disney stuff, but most of the rest has got to go. I don't feel like putting it all on Ebay- too much work for me. Perhaps I'll just sell most of it locally on craigslist (or try, anyway). I realize that I should have been steadily putting all my music on this Mac ever since I got it!!! I enjoy getting rid of stuff- it's weird, but I'm enjoying cleansing myself of things that I really don't need....

I'll get with the times...

Today was an OK day for work. I went to a place where they help restaurants jazz up their menus. Sounds like a cool job. The head guy is a professional chef- a real big-shot. I'm glad I made some money today. I still need more money.

I called my lawyer today about Yellow Pages. Those people are real rip-offs- they use tricks to get people to sign up for stuf- they lie to you. I won't go into details right now, but suffice it to say, their sales people lie to you, get you signed up and then you'd be hard-pressed to ever get them on the phone again. Their performance for my business has been tremendously underwhelming.

My cousin, who's name starts with L, has a court date tomorrow. She's being evicted from her apartment because she's going on 3 months behind on the rent. Oh, well...that's another story. She's having trouble facing reality- I would have been moved to a cheaper apartment. I mean, paying $1,200 a month and living by yourself? In Los Angeles? I wouldn't attempt that if I made $20 an hour, let alone what she was making when she had a full-time job. Let's pray for her! Sometimes reality doesn't really hit you until you're losing everything and facing the street. It's hard in America now. People who make stupid mistakes in the current environment are facing truly harsh times.

Will the stock market fall this week? I mean- will it crash? This time of year traditionally sees terrible results for stocks. We will see.

Feelin' so good!!!

I'm still trying my darndest to get more Mobile Notary work here in Hollywood- but I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and get my adult acting career going on full-blast! I'm too creative to go back to working for somebody else!

My favorite show, for which I actually had the pleasure of visiting the set, is "Ugly Betty". I love that show. I've posted a picture of myself at a Halloween party with a new friend that I met (named Monique), who was disguised as Betty Suarez. Pretty good costume, huh?

Got Work Today!

Today I was fortunate- I got 2 notary jobs. The first one was a guy who's on a show on HGTV- a guy named Peter. He's on a show called "Mr. Fixer". He's a strapping, good-looking fellow.

The second job took place in Hollywood at Johnny Rockets at Hollywood and Highland. Nice guy who's going to be a prison warden or something.

Tried to upload pictures to my "My Magical Collection" blog. Problem with Blogger right now. I'll do it later.

Spent too much time looking at old clips of "HR Pufnstuf", "The Banana Splits", "Lidsville" and "The Bugaloos".

Ugly Betty was good tonight.

That's all. I leave you with this gem.

My Picture

These are pictues of me, in case you wonder what I look like.

Dancing with the Stars and Jane Seymour

One good thing about tonight was watching "Dancing with the Stars". Jennifer Lopez was really good. What really got my attention, though, was that Jane Seymour was in the bottom 2. I want her to go all the way and win- I think she's great and has performed well in all her dances. I have to admit that I didn't vote on Monday night, so I'm not going to let that happen again!

So Much Fire in California

The weather in California is really hot now.

As you must know, there's a lot of fires going on all over Southern California. Here in Los Angeles, it's really bad air for breathing. I have slight allergies, but it was enough to make me lethargic and not want to go outside. I took a 3 hour nap today, which is really uncharacteristic of me.

I hope that the weather changes here for the better soon. We need some cool air to come in from the ocean to stop the fires from spreading, and to help them to put out the fires.

I guess that maybe it's a good thing that Griffith Park had its big fire months ago- there's not so much to burn there. It would really be bad if we had another big fire within Los Angeles, while so much is going on in the rest of the State.

Fires are naturally occurring things in nature- I guess they are part of what that great Disney film referred to as, "the circle of life". Old things burn up, and are replaced by new life later on. Nature's way of making way for the new.

What we really need is some rain. Badly. Georgia needs rain, too. Let's pray for rain.

Tired Now

I'm too tired to post to my other blogs tonight. I went to Disneyland for a few hours. It was so packed...crazy. I mainly just looked around and talked to a few friends that I used to work with. I bought a new annual pass. I also bought a beautiful light box based on the movie, "Beauty and the Beast".

Who makes better lemondade: Jamba Juice, or Hot Dog on a Stick?

In my opinion, Hot Dog on a Stick has the best lemondade out of anywhere else, period. The Jamba Juice lemondade is very strong, and it should be taken with caution. It makes me sweat- it's really strong. I've gone to 2 different Jamba Juice stores, and the results are the same- to me, that lemonade is a strong laxative. When I say strong, I mean, find a toilet- NOW! I won't be ever ordering that lemonade again.

That's all.

My Bird

This is my bird. She's a parakeet. Her name is "Bird". She's really friendly towards people (she doesn't really like other parakeets). She can say "hi", but that's the only English she speaks. The rest is strictly parakeet language. I found her 2 years ago, walking in the bushes in front of my apartment building. When I noticed her, I went to get help from my roommate and we cornered her and captured her. We're sure that she belonged to someone and escaped. She's not very good at flying. She likes attention, and she's really smart- she eats when she notices us eating dinner at the table, and she goes to bed as soon as we cover her cage. She will even get on her swinging perch and go to bed herself if we forget to cover her cage or if we get home really late. Another funny thing about her is that she likes to "sleep in"- sometimes she won't wake up until we take the cover off her cage, especially on an overcast day. She's cute, huh? They say that having a pet like a dog or cat reduces stress. I think that the Bird fulfills that function.

Why Do People Drive So Damn Fast On The Freeway?

In Los Angeles County in California recently, there have been some really bad traffic accidents. The first one, which was major, was a few days ago on the 5 freeway in the Newhall Pass, inside a tunnel that is a through-way for trucks. Picture this: you're driving a truck, say, and something happens- you have to stop, a tire blows, SOMETHING. Maybe another vehicle collides with you accidentally. Let's say this happens inside the tunnel. You are slowing down, drastically, for whatever reason, and somebody is behind you, like maybe only 20 feet, going 65 miles an hour. The person behind you hits you. Then a chain reaction of people hitting each other, because they're all going TOO FAST!!!! They surmise that 3 people died in that tunnel, and that perhaps 31 vehicles (30 trucks and one car) were involved (all vehicles burned).

Today in Lancaster, California, along highway 14, a sandstorm blew some sand on the highway, suddenly, and people couldn't see. What's the logical thing to do when you can't see where you're going? Slow down!!!! Slow and try to stop. What did some people do? Stop immediately. What did people behind them do? Keep going fast! And guess what? Another pileup, and 2 people dead, lots of people in the hospital.

Last weekend (October 7th) I drove back home to Los Angeles from Northern California. I can honestly say that all kinds of people were behind me, tailgating, because I wouldn't speed because I had my family in the car. Along Interstate 5, people drive really crazy, and they go way faster than the speed limit. Even with the speed limit, which at times is 70 miles per hour, the people seem to like to ride only 10 or 15 feet behind the car in front of them. This is very dangerous.

About 15 years ago, I was on vacation with a friend in Nashville. We had just turned onto the highway, to head 4 hours to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to go to Dollywood. We were riding about a mile on the highway when I noticed about a mile and a half up there seemed to be cars slowing or stopped. When I got closer, it appeared to me that the cars in front of me were crashing into each other! Cars behind me were coming up, speeding up to pass me! When we were almost up to the cars in front of me, I could see that there were definitely crashes. As people passed me, they began to crash into the cars in front. When I was almost up to the crashing cars, which were in the 3 left lanes, I had to act quickly. I turned sharply to the far right lane and floored it. The car beside us crashed into all the cars on my left. "Did you see that?", I asked Kelli. "Yes. Good driving, David". Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that not enough people scan the road ahead, and they go quickly into a disaster. People who speed and tailgate definitely are heading for destruction, either their own or leading to that of others. Everybody, take my advice and SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!!!

New Projects

Today I started 2 new blogs that I'm excited about. One is My Magical Collection, a blog about the things that I collect (which includes Disneyana). Like Pee Wee Herman said, "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer". No words could have been truer! I can appreciate something even more when I can look at a picture of it while sitting at my desk.

Another blog that I just started is "My Christmas Cards", which features Christmas cards that I (and my family) have received over the years. Christmas cards are so beautiful, it's a shame to throw them away- but I can't save everything, ya know! If I was super rich I suppose that I could decorate the walls of a mansion with framed Christmas cards. Alas, tis not presently the case.

Today I started reading the screenplay for the movie, "Pay It Forward", by Leslie Dixon, in my endeavor to become a screenwriter. I'm really paying attention to her style. I hope to be able to write as well as she does, with some practice. I've been listening to a book on CD called, "As A Man Thinketh", and I must say that it makes lots of sense- what you fill your mind with will directly produce what you do- what comes out of you. "Garbage in, garbage out" is something that I heard a year ago from someone, and it makes perfect sense. You have to aspire to be more and work at it in order to change yourself.

Christmas Time is Here (well, almost).

I went to OSH today (Orchard Supply Hardware, a division of Sears). I went to have a copy of a key made for my Mom. As I walked in I felt a rush of glee- I saw Christmas decorations and Chrsitmas accessories- near the checkout lines. It was cool- Christmas lites- indoor and outdoor, Christmas animals, Mickey Mouse Snowglobes, fake Christmas trees, and more. It was almost enough to make me forget what I came for, but it put me in a better mood. I do like Christmas time. I'm sentimental. Christmas is for kids, and I think that sometimes, I become a kid again. I remember the great food and great times of holidays past, when my family was much larger. When my Grandmother would cook the best Thanksgiving turkies, with gravy and cranberry sauce! I remember the turkey dressing. The good o'l cauliflower (with cheese, mmmm). How about candied yams, with marshmallows? And, of course, the desserts? In my family, kids even got a drink of wine (Manishevitz) around the holidays to go with the meal. Don't forget the oven-baked dinner rolls, with butter. And maybe some green beans or turnip greens with turnips for vegetables. How about egg nogg?

For dessert: pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, apple pie, tea cakes, rum balls, sock-it-to-me cake, pound cake, coconut cake, german chocolate cake.

I guess that Christmas for me brings back lots of memories of family and food. I don't really remember the toys so much, or the other gifts. The fun of the season was cool for me. After I got a little older, I just liked to watch the college and pro football games on TV (while school was out).

Funny how just walking into OSH can set off all those memories!

My Timeshare at the Oak Plantation Vacation Ownership Resort in Kissimmee, Florida

I first bought a timeshare 11 years ago while on vacation in Orlando, Florida. I was invited to a presentation, where they offered me money- $50 - to go to a presentation to see "timeshares", something where you actually own a part of a vacation resort- you get a deed- and you agree that one particular week each year is for your use. The name of the timeshare was "The Oak Plantation Resort". When we arrived at the place (me and my friend and co-worker, Rose), we registered at the front desk at the Presentation Center at the Resort, and then they directed us to a table, which they said was ours, and they invited us to go over and grab some food that they had set out for guests. We walked over and grabbed some danishes, Yoplait Yogurt, coffee, cranberry juice, donuts, bagels and cream cheese. It was a decent free meal while we waited for our hostess. Finally she arrived, and she sat down and asked each of us what we did for a living, and our vacation habits, what we were doing on this vacation (Walt Disney World), and stuff like that.

Then we got a tour of the resort, which as not open yet for guests. From the Presentation Center we could see the pool being built just outside. We followed our hostess and she took us to a model of the guest quarters that were available for purchase. They were really nice. She described how the Resort would look when finished. It was a beautiful place already- the neighborhood had a lot of oak trees in it naturally. She proposed to me to purchase an area right near the pool, but upstairs from it. It was a 2-bedroom unit. Again, it was not built yet so I couldn't see it. I thought about it- I loved going to Walt Disney World, and the idea of having a place to use every time that I came back, and having a good reason to come back- made me want to buy it.

So it came to pass that I bought the timeshare, a nice 2 bedroom unit during week 24 (which is about the 2nd week of June), for $9,500. I was among the first 25 owners to purchase a unit at this brand-new Resort. They brought out a bottle of champagne for theatrics. It was cool, though...I knew what I was getting into. I can honestly say that I have used the timeshare, that the Resort is really nice, and that I have one of the best locations in the best weeks at the Resort. I have gone to this Resort and used my week there about 7 times. The other times, I have exchanged my week with RCI (Resorts Condiminums International), which is a company that is like a club, where time share owners can deposit their weeks with RCI and choose to book a week-long vacation at another RCI-affiliated resort. Through RCI, I have stayed at resorts at Lake Tahoe, California (twice), Canmore, Alberta Cananda (near Calgary and Banff), L'Anse St. Jean, Quebec Canada, and Pagosa Springs, Colorada (where Oprah went on TV with her pal Gayle).

I have learned a few things over the years, and, one thing that I know is that if you decide to buy a timeshare, you should shop around. Today there are a lot of people who have bought their timeshares and want to get rid of them, for various reasons- they bought into their timeshares at crazy interest rates, they can't control their spending, they can't get the week off from their job to go on vacation, and other reasons. A timeshare is a luxury, not a necessity. Food is more important to you than vacation, at least for most people.

If you decide to buy a timeshare, make sure that you shop around first. Ebay is a great place to look at timeshares, and sometimes you can find them there really cheap- I've seen some being sold for as little as $500 total purchase price. One thing to be aware of- timeshares cost you each year. You have to pay taxes and maintenance fees, and the Resort Association will send you a bill each year. These fees can go up- not the taxes so much, but the maintenance fees can really climb. (When I first joined with Oak Plantation, the fees were $350 per year. Now they are $700 per year!).

What? $700 per year! That's expensive! Yes, but if you were to rent my room at the Resort during the week that I have it each night for a week, you will pay $125 per night. I have a prime location at the Resort, and I like when my week is, so I'm hanging on to it. RCI costs about $95 per year to be a member, but they have some good perks of being a member, like Extra Vacations, where you can pay like $199 or $299 and still stay at a great RCI resort and not pay maintenance or exchange fees (because you didn't exchange your unit- you're just renting out available space!). If you have time and money to vacation, and you want to save some money, owning one timeshare and having an RCI membership is a good way to go.

In one of my next posts I'll tell you about a great Timeshare that's for Sale at a great price!

Use Hollywood Notary.Net- Mobile Notary Service in Los Angeles County

If you happen to live in and around Los Angeles and you need a Notary Public, then please consider using Hollywood Notary.Net, which is my Mobile Notary (Traveling Notary) Service in Los Angeles. I can come any time, day or night, to any place (home, office, coffee shop) in Los Angeles County, by appointment. My website lists my fees and prerequisites for your documents. For fast Mobile Notary Service in Los Angeles, call David at (323)393-5822.

Hollywood Notary.Net is a proud member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. I love being a Chamber Member- I get to go to some really swanky functions in some really cool places, and I meet interesting people.

Being a Notary in Hollywood, I have had the priviledge of meeting some really cool people in the Industry. I want them all to know that I really do appreciate their business, and I'm glad to know them. (I won't name them, but you know who you are!)

What a Find!!! Yuwie!

Hey you Multi-level Marketing Mavens!!! Have I got something for you. As a matter of fact, if you have ever had a desire to be a writer, ever had a desire to get paid for things that you write and create, ever wished to get paid for things that you do on the internet, then you have a better-than golden opportunity right now with the website Yuwie.com. It's a boon- and I plan to really super-launch the "writing career that I always wish that I had if I ever had enough money to be able to slow down and write". I believe that this thing is gonna be huge to somebody- like thousands of dollars per month in income- sometimes by doing nothing- just based on the early referral work that they did!!!!

I'm no fool- I'm gonna take advantage of this! Opportunities don't fall in peoples' laps all the time- most people miss them. Sign up for Yuwie now!!!

More Positivity in My Life!!!

I am a lot happier now. I am purging things from my home that I do not need. I am donating clothes that I have outgrown. I am becoming a better person. Part of the positivity is my fairly recent decision to become a Member and Associate of Prepaid Legal Services, Inc. The leadership of the company has a list of 10 core commitment things that, if you do them, you will certainly become successful. I find myself growing again, something that I have not experienced in a while (working at Fed Ex for 16 years really stifled me, but good- like constipation!) Thank God that I am growing again, and I'm happy!