Charlotte Rae, part 2

Lesley mentioned that it would be great if the culmination of the Charlotte Rae v. Joan Collins feud involved their respective wigs fighting on a stage.

Armand Hammer Museum

Lesley and I visited the Armand Hammer Museum. I was quite pleased to see this Vincent Van Gogh painting, "Hospital at Saint-Remy," as well as works by Paul Gauguin and other Post-Impressionist painters. The paintings were both colorful and sublime. The artist who created the Ms. Pac Man-type work in the second photo is the same age as Lesley and me, so that was a bit of a downer. But our mood improved in the gift shop where Lesley found this new yellow friend and I discoverd a doll of Elizabeth I.

Oh my darlin' Clementine

After seeing this sign, which is for a little cafe in the Armand Hammer Museum, I got slap-happy and couldn't stop singing "Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin' Clementine."

Charlotte Rae v. Joan Collins

Lesley called to tell me that Charlotte Rae, who played Mrs. Edna Garrett on "The Facts of Life," has gone on the attack against Joan Collins. Attending the premiere of Collins' play "Legends," Rae strangely told "The Insider" that Collins is "a bitch. Everyone says she's an extremely difficult person." It's a blunt chastisement delivered with her character's trademark tough love - she might just as easily been addressing one of Natalie and Tootie's many failings. Collins evidently responded by calling Rae a "cow." No one seems sure why Rae, who is from Wisconsin, went after Collins, but perhaps it was a combination of old age and trying to be funny. Will George Clooney come to Rae's defense?

BTW - I always got a lesbian vibe from Jo on "The Facts of Life." And remember how Natalie was the first of the girls to lose her virginity? And who could forget the girls' trip to Australia?

Speaking of Charlotte Rae, I'll never forgot a voice mail message I received last year from Lesley telling me that she just drove past the West Side Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and the marquee read, "Charlotte Ray starring in Driving Miss Daisy." You can't make this stuff up. I was laughing out loud for quite while. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Glam Lesley photos

Lesley can be is so glam. Love ya, honey!

UCLA

Lesley and I visited her Alma Mater, UCLA. Here are some photos from our campus visit. In the final photograph Lesley is in front of her old residence hall. She's sad because they're going to tear it down later this year.

Australian Open

I was cheering for Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, and James Blake in the Australian Open. All three lost: Roddick in the semi-finals, Murray in the quarter-finals, and Blake in the fourth round. For the moment, it appears as if no one can beat Roger Federer; although I don't think that Federer is unstoppable. Roddick is going to defeat Federer one of these times, especially now that his coach is tennis legend Jimmy Connors. Handsome Scot Murray is on a rising trajectory, and it would be a real thrill if he could become the first British player to win Wimbledon in the open era. Blake was supposedly playing much better, but I'm starting to wonder if he can win a major.

On the women's side, it would be nice to see Serena Williams defeat Maria Sharapova in the finals. While the US media loves Sharapova, it's difficult for me to warm up to her since she looks at her father/coach after every point for guidance. He coaches her from the stands during matches, which is illegal in tennis. He even tells her when to drink water and has held up a banana to signal that she should eat one druing a changeover. That drives me crazy.

Tawanda

Nate sometimes refers to me, affectionately, of course, as "Tawanda." Tawanda is part of the story in the film "Fried Green Tomatoes." (My favorite line: "I'm older and I have more insurance," spoken by Kathy Bates' character. It's very Barbie-esque.) In any event, at work today I had to write a letter to a woman named Tawanda K. It was a bit of a thrill to write to a real life Tawanda. Anyone with that name must be fierce.

A truth Lesley knows too well

This is a truth that Lesley knows too well. While it is a truism for her, I wish it were the case for me. I ask the proverbial question: where is my Mr. Right?

Odd gift stores in Westwood

Speaking of odd gift items, Lesley knew that I had to see Good Choice Gift in Westwood. We didn't get to go inside due to the late hour, but we admired the wares from outside. The next day, we went inside another cheesy gift store and discovered an "I Love Lucy" windchime plus other "Lucy" knick-knacks. While it was nice to see Lucy and Ethel, I resisted the temptation to make a purchase. We also saw many other interesting items too numerous to photograph.

pinkberry

Lesley took me to pinkberry in Westwood for some excellent frozen yogurt. I think it's the best frozen yogurt I've ever eaten. You could taste the real vanilla in the yogurt, which is much better than vanilla flavor. Plus the blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries I had on my yogurt were fresh and tasty. Delicious! We were chided by the manager for taking photos in the yogurt shop, but we felt the need to memorialize the experience. You can see from the photos that they were selling some odd gift items in addition to the yogurt.

Photo series: Dreamgirls in Westwood

Lesley and me in front of the Fox Theater - near her home in Westwood. One night only.

Leaving The Grove

Lesley had trouble finding the parking ramp ticket when we were leaving The Grove. But all's well that ends well!

More Grove photos

More FAN-TASTIC double Virgo fun at The Grove. Novelty purses and a devil hat.

Shopping at The Grove with Lesley

Some fun photos of Lesley and me shopping at The Grove.

No winning

I seem to have a knack for getting people irritated with me, even when I am trying to look out for them. There's no winning.

Photo series: Michelle and me

While enjoying my third pint of Strongbow at the Highbury on Saturday, we took a series of photos of Michelle and me. Here is the series.