Blue Ribbon Garden and Grand Park

I went to the Blue Ribbon Garden at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Grand Park in downtown LA yesterday.  I wanted to read somewhere that wasn't my apartment and somewhere new.  This was a good choice.  A better choice would have been sunscreen.

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Dean Martin, Natalie Wood Wagner
Marilyn Monroe
Don Knotts

  

Peter Falk, Ray Bradbury
Billy Wilder, David Ozzie Nelson
Jack Lemmon, Merv Griffin

Hollywood Forever and Renaissance Faire

Last weekend, I got out and did LA things again.  After some researching into cemetaries, I decided to go to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  I feel very weird going to a cemetery as a tourist, but I just started thinking about it as a very large park.  Saturday was a beautiful day.  I found it easily.  I think I'd been by it once or twice before.  I talked to a security guard right when I went through the gate.  About half the cemetery was closed and I could have bought a map, but decided just to adventure.  I found the pond that many celebreties are buried around.  I saw Douglas Fairbanks shrine.  Don Adams and the Ramones had cool markers.  I saw Hattie McDaniel's cenotaph. She's not actually buried there because, at the time of her death, the cemetery did not allow black people to be buried there, even though that was her wish.  There's a memorial to Toto as well.

I've realized I'm not a fan of mausoleums.  I was looking for Rudolph Valentino's spot and it took me twice to go into the building.  The first time, I went down one hallway and almost had a panic attack.  I was completely alone in the building and did not like my chances when all the zombies came out of their filing cabinets.  After awhile, I decided to be brave and tried again.  I wasn't the only person in there and decided that two was better than one versus the file cabinet zombies.  Because of course it is.  Valentino's grave (drawer) was in the very far back corner from where I started and I was just about to give up when I found it.  I had seen a security walk through just before I found it and I am so glad I saw him.  As I was walking back to the exit, I heard this noise that sounded like someone banging on the door, trying to get in (or out).  When I had walked in, they were starting to set up for a funeral outside, so I knew they were trying to shut it down and get ready for that.  The guard was opening up the back door for me and the other guy that was in there.  If I hadn't seen him walk through a few minutes before, I'm pretty sure I would have died.

There were a few more graves that I wanted to see, but I was tired so decided to drive and see if I could find them.  Nope, but I made it back to the entrance and just decided to leave.  As I left, I saw an NBC and ABC news truck outside.  Aha.  Half the cemetery was closed for Mickey Rooney's funeral.  At least I'm assuming that.  I would be shocked if it was the one outside the mausoleum.

It was a very cool, actually relaxing day.  Swans are stupid. I think I'm going to venture out to Westwood this weekend to try to find Marilyn Monroe's grave.

On Sunday, I met Bob and Minnie at the Renaissance Faire in Irwindale.  It took me F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to get there.  I went a half mile in an hour and it would have taken me much longer if I hadn't gone around people (like I hate doing).  Oh my God.  FOREVER.  It was hot and dusty, but there was some good food.  The best part was the jousting "play" and turtle racing.  The turtle racing was hilarious, because, well, it's TURTLES RACING.  Whichever one was first to make it to the edge of the circle was the winner.  Out of 20, I think 3 of them moved.  It was a nice day.  I got super sunburned.  Sunscreen, Kirsten.  Sunscreen.

Spring Break

I desperately needed a break from life in California.  Thank goodness for spring break.  I went back to South Dakota.

Some highlights:
-recreating the Thomas picture with the Workmans
-dinner at the Dickensons and drinks with Jen
-birthday Brule brunch with Erin
-surprising Jacquie in Minneapolis for a night.  Thank goodness it worked!
-getting my hearing tested and finding out I could possibly get a cochlear implant.  To read more, email me and I'll send you the link to that blog.  That one is private, but I'll let anyone read it.  You do need to have a gmail account to sign in.  :-)


I'm trying to get back into the swing of things in LA.  I bought a dining room table, which makes me feel really grownup.  It's been hot, in the 90s hot, which tells me I'm not looking forward to summer.  I'm trying to stay motivated to get through the last few months of school and to start looking for a new job.  It now feels like I've been back in LA for forever even though it hasn't even been a week.  I've been at the gym for the last three days, but did take today off in an effort to work on my to do list.  I did get quite a bit done.  Never as much as I wanted, but I was a little over-ambitious in what I could get done tonight.  The rest will have to wait til the weekend.  No big plans.  Saturday, I think I'm going to enjoy staying at home all day....maybe.  Sunday, I'm going to go see Eric's Second City show.  It's supposed to be super nice out, like in the 70s, so plans may change.  Or they may not and I'll be really lazy.  I need to do exciting things like laundry and cochlear implant research.  Woo hoo.