Since coming to LA, I have seen some things that are, well, odd by any standard. I thought it odd, for instance, that some drunk bastard destroyed my car, and even odder that the Ghost of my Civic is blogging me. I thought it was unusual that they advertised a porn convention on the billboards in English and Spanish.

And, when my buddy Sean and I went to Santa Monica last week, we saw a guy with no legs doing handstands in the middle of the street. Sean remarked, "Now I've seen everything," only to see, just two feet away from the legless handstander... THe Psychic Cat. Yes, you read right, The Psychic Cat of Santa Monica, one presumably that could help you determine whether Tender Vittles, Science Diet or Kit n Kabboodles will constipate him.

But yesterday, I saw something possibly more bizarre than any of that.

My school, Annenberg, is quite prestigious, and we regularly get well-renowned speakers on a regular basis. Yesterday we got a guy who was a writer for Xena: Warrior Princess. You remember Xena, right? That Hercules: The Legendary Journeys offshoot? Yeah, now it's coming back... it starred that hot brunette with bright blue eyes, Lucy Lawless and her passive, soft redheaded sidekick, Gabrielle, who had a sexually ambiguous "friendship." It was essentially Babewatch: Ancient Greece.

Well, yesterday I learned that there is such a thing as the "Xenaverse," the Universe according to Xena. That was bizarre, but then this guy (whose name escapes me now) said that there is actually a Xenaversity, where people actually have received PhDs based on Xena.

I had to see this for myself. I could not search the site for long though, as I feared my brain might melt if I continued to stare for too long.

Here's the link, but I warn you: You have to be braver than Hercules himself to journey there.

http://xenaversity.com/index2.html

Just remember, you've been warned.

The most exciting thing that happened to me this week, friends, family and others, is that I walked to Beverly Hills yesterday. It took about one and a half hours to get there and another three to get back.

Woo hoo.

Again, as I said in my previous entry, this place does not even come close to the chaos of China. I mean, sure I live in a building where drunken Hispanics regularly try to break into my apartment thinking they live with me. And of course it is interesting to see that all the restaurants have their cleanliness ratings posted on their windows.

And, it is still most difficult to communicate with most native Californians due to an absolute lack of things to say to/with them.

But, this is the same country, the same language, and a very similar culture as back East. There are times I miss things like grass, but I dig the palm trees. It is also hard to stay depressed out here for some reason. But overall I have felt little if any culture shock, other than my phone is strangely silent... back East, I had numerous friends calling on a regular basis wanting to hang out, but here I barely get a call. Which is good, mind you... I enjoy being silent and alone. But it does not make for terribly interesting blogging.

Oh yeah, I am gonna prosecute that fucker who smashed up my car. That should be fun.

The most exciting thing that happened to me this week, friends, family and others, is that I walked to Beverly Hills yesterday. It took about one and a half hours to get there and another three to get back.

Woo hoo.

Again, as I said in my previous entry, this place does not even come close to the chaos of China. I mean, sure I live in a building where drunken Hispanics regularly try to break into my apartment thinking they live with me. And of course it is interesting to see that all the restaurants have their cleanliness ratings posted on their windows.

And, it is still most difficult to communicate with most native Californians due to an absolute lack of things to say to/with them.

But, this is the same country, the same language, and a very similar culture as back East. There are times I miss things like grass, but I dig the palm trees. It is also hard to stay depressed out here for some reason. But overall I have felt little if any culture shock, other than my phone is strangely silent... back East, I had numerous friends calling on a regular basis wanting to hang out, but here I barely get a call. Which is good, mind you... I enjoy being silent and alone. But it does not make for terribly interesting blogging.

Oh yeah, I am gonna prosecute that fucker who smashed up my car. That should be fun.

Hi all,

The most significant event that happened in the past week is that I actually finished editing my book about my trip to China, largely because my friend Mike Ogden kept asking me how it was coming along and I felt guilty and stupid for sitting on it for two years.

Why do I say this?

Because, frankly, adjusting to the California culture is a freaking breeze compared to adjusting to China. As such, I cannot provide you with the funny, stunning postings as I did from China. It just doesn't compare: Everyone here speaks English, the culture is roughly the same, save for a few minor differences, and I am not treated like a famous monkey.

So I am sorry if these postings seem dry and boring. I cannot add excitement to an experience that is not nearly as exciting as going to China. So, if you want me to send dispatches that will amuse and/or horrify you, please feel free to buy me a ticket to Indonesia or Nigeria. Then, the more exciting emails will spill forth.

Meanwhile, sorry to be so boring.

Sorry, it's been a while since I've updated my little blog here. I've been really busy as the middle of my first semester approaches.

Last week, I got a new car, a 1997 Camry LE (photos forthcoming) in really good shape for only $4200. The only thing it needed was a transmission fluid flush. It is quite an upgrade from my Civic, sporting a V6 engine, leather seats and an aftermarket 6-CD changer. So I officially have removed myself from hippiedom. I feel like I have legs again.

In terms of classes, I am in the middle of five projects I have to simultaneously manage, plus reading over 200 pages per week, posting to a class website (called TotalE for some stupid reason) and scrambling for a part-time or full-time job.

As always, the weather is good, the rust is still in my water (my property manager advised me to never drink LA water, period, but he could not identify the cause of the rust) and Hollywood values are as stupid, shallow and crazy as ever.

I'll be flying to Philly for Thanksgiving weekend but will not have a car. If you want to make the trip to Philly to visit, please let me know.

Take care,