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On the Downside

Don't get me wrong - I love that the ridership on the Metrolink Train is on a major uptick. The downside for the regular riders is the influx of noisy mobile phone chatter, or in the case of the woman above, CRUDE personal grooming conducted in front of everyone. 

On a packed train the lady above diligently plucked hairs from her ears, face, lips, chin and nose, repeatedly, unceasingly - like a brutal performance piece for the seat mates. And since the train was literally packed, she had a captive audience. Each successful pluck was followed by a tap, thus depositing said hair onto a small, blue plastic framed mirror clutched in her opposite hand. 

As the tap tap continued unabated, the thought of a mirror increasing obscured by plucked black hairs consumed my imagination, and I was forced to physically turn away in an effort to survive the trip with any sanity. I tried to focus on the lovely ship-like bulk of the train engine with porthole window or the glimpse of warehouses along the tracks. I cranked the volume up on my iPhone, and still the ceaseless tap tap - continued, overpowering all other thoughts. Since this woman was clearly a grooming exhibitionist, I snapped her pic for all of you to enjoy the person-by-person, hair-by-hair beautification of humanity. 

Tap  tap  tap!

Westwood Ugly(er)

Yeah, I couldn't take it - I finally had to return to the Westwood Ugly photos. For starters, the Westwood Whole Foods needs a Clean Sweep team to hit them hard. I get it is a recycling area, but does it have to be a dump? I didn't shoot pix of the dirty elevator to the toilets - not yet that is.

And then there is the environmental disaster scene of NoVill (North Westwood Village). Besides that new name which is itself a crime, the students are the worst offenders. Well, the students coupled with the worst property management possible for an area with extortion level rental rates.

Check out more of the Westwood Ugly Pix!

Sucker Pix

It's getting hot in here. So hot that Crano and I hit the streets in full sunlight - which for me is really saying something. After lunch at our favorite California Roll Factory we stormed the monstrous new Bed Bath and Beyond where the best looking merchandise was on two legs. I'm jus sayin. Above is proof that Crano really does suck - in Fiction no less. And his finger makes rainbows! Awwww.

Public Transportation - HERE HERE!

It is hard to resist repeating and reposting Robert Reich's clear call for a ground-up new public transportation system on Marketplace last week. Just how long do we think we can really keep this nation going without one?

Baby Got Bite

There were so many things I could write about my first trip to Disneyland - or as caption for this pic. Like many things lately, it was a place I never wanted to end up and it was smaller than I imagined it would be. Tellingly, I ended up loving the Haunted Mansion. And I discovered my new favorite 80's video installation - the totally inane Star Tours. I am stuggling to understand why people travel from all over the world to partake in over-branded fun, but I guess once bitten... 

Sent from my iPhone

Supreme Sized Marriage News

Thursday turned out to be a very exciting day, with the California Supreme Court striking down the barriers to marriage for same-sex couples! Of course, the real work begins as we must all work together to fight attempts to ruin the State Constitution. Now if only the right to marry included equal access to the federal immigration rights for same-sex couples.

I encourage everyone to donate generously to Equality California.