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27th October - Happy 31st birthday to our friend Joey!We had quite a relaxed day (for us!).We used the fact that we no longer have to check out of a hotel by 11 a.m. to catch up with family and friends and Ralph was able to speak with his mum after a kind nurse at the hospital let him ring her private mobile phone and passed it to his mum so they could speak.After settling into the apartment we headed into Los Angeles to post some postcards (I have been sending postcards to my nannan from every place we visit), buy some trousers in Gap, some jeans and a hat from Miss Sixty (don't remind Ralph how much the bill came to in there!).We then went back to the apartment and on day two there I cooked steak fajitas (I am attempting to make an effort in cooking for the two of us - I cook absolutely nothing at home!).Yesterday's meal was steak and mushroom baguette, just in case you were wondering!Other notable things that happened today, we saw the actor Christian Bale driving his very expensive Aston Martin through Santa Monica and I saw the filming of the show Ten Years Younger on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (post makeover!).Yes, Santa Monica is the place to be!
28th - We got up and drove into Los Angeles again, but this time to Staples Center, home of the LA Lakers and LA Clippers basketball teams.I managed to buy tickets for tomorrow night's game where the two teams play each other (the equivalent of a basketball derby!) and the drove to Hollywood Boulevard (where the stars in the pavement are) to enjoy lunch in the truly scorching heat before driving back to the apartment via a supermarket to get a meat joint for tea.Once we got back we took a long walk down the Venice beachfront where numerous entertainers amused us with a whole host of acts and shows.We found out how much it is to rent rollerblades/rollerskates ready for tomorrow, and then walked back to enjoy the sunset over the beach and the sea from the huge wraparound apartment windows - yes we know we are incredibly lucky!Day three in the apartment - I made beef roast dinner for tea - I am on a role!!
29th - We woke up to another beautiful day and took a walk along the promenade to the rental shop where we were both kitted out with rollerblades.We started out tentatively and after a short time I managed to take my only fall of the day, but it was spectacular and I have a fantastic bruise to prove it!After about a mile Ralph found that the rollerblades were causing him pain (he always struggles with any type of footwear - flat foot syndrome!) so we skated back to the shop and Ralph swapped his blades for a bike.So we set off again, Ralph occasionally struggling to cycle slow enough for me to keep up with him on my blades!Anyway we did really well and cycled/bladed 2.5 miles to Santa Monica where we dismounted/changed back into shoes and walked up from the promenade (yes it goes on uninterrupted for miles and miles!) into Santa Monica centre where we had a look around the shops and stopped for an alfresco lunch.Obviously we had to burn the lunch off so we cycled/bladed about 3 miles back to the rental shop before going back to the apartment to change ready for the LA Clippers v. LA Lakers basketball game at Staples Center.The game was quite different to the Washington Wizards v. Denver Nuggets basketball game that we saw in Washington D.C. because the seats were all full, it was a derby match so the fans were all mixed in together, and Slash (a guitarist with Guns and Roses and Velvet Revolver) played the national anthem electric guitar style while we stood, hats removed of course.We were supporting the Lakers (the two teams play at the same venue on exactly the same court, but as this was classed as a Clippers home game, we were given a free Clippers t-shirt when we passed through the gates.I of course had to have to standard cotton candy and we were happy that the Lakers won by a large majority.I was also thrilled that I had been able to see some of the current top players, including Kobe Bryant and Marcus Camby.
30th - An early start for us as we drove around an hour south to Disneyland, California.Disneyland California is quite different to Disneyworld Florida as it is much smaller, consists of less theme parks and is older.Lots of the rides are similar with small differences, but there are a few entirely different rides, including the Indiana Jones ride (a ridiculous 1 hour 40 minute queue to get on but enjoyable once we got there) and Matterhorn Bobsled.Of course they still had Ralph's total favourite, Space Mountain, which we had to go on twice, and although the ride was different to the Florida version, we both still really enjoyed it.The entire park was decorated up for Halloween (they really enjoy decorating their houses and places in America for Halloween) which was really nice for a change.For Disney officianardos, they had an extra section of the park to the standard Frontierland, Adventureland etc. called New Orleans Square, decked out in New Orleans beads etc to look like Mardi Gras - pretty cool.The park was really quite busy and surprisingly, as it is half term in the United Kingdom, there weren't many Brits there.We stayed to watch the evening parade of characters on their massive decorated and lit floats and then, after 10 hours of theme park fun, we wearily headed back to the car, drove the hour back to the apartment, and collapsed exhausted into bed.
31st - I was up at 6.30 a.m. this morning to drive about 30 minutes to Burbank, Los Angeles, the area where all the film and television studios (such as Disney, ABC and NBC) are housed.I left Ralph in bed and managed to arrive there at 7.30 a.m., find a free parking space and walk around to NBC Studios where, with surprisingly no line, I got two tickets to watch the t.v. recording of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.For none American readers who might not know, Jay Leno is one of America's biggest chat show hosts who has an hour show every weeknight, with guests usually people from film and television and a live band.His main competitor is another big chat show host, Davis Letterman (whose show we saw being recorded in New York City).Happy that I had scored the tickets I drove back to the apartment (an hour this time because of the traffic) and Ralph and I started to sadly start to pack our cases and bags (yes we have had to buy a new suitcase for all the stuff we have bought over here!) for the last time ready for our flight home at the end of next week.We then had to go back to NBC Studios and queue for an hour and a half before being let in to the t.v. studio ready for the recording.Luckily we were there at just the right time as one of the producers took us and put us right in the front.We were told we would even be able to shake Jay's hand at the beginning (the joy!).After a short warm up act Jay came out and spent some time with the audience, telling jokes and having photos taken with a couple of people.They then started the show which lasts for an hour and is classed as a "filmed live" show, i.e. it is recorded earlier the same day it goes out but it goes out as it was filmed, without re-recording bits that went wrong, so the show we saw is the same as will go out this evening, with any mistakes left in.The guests on today's show were actress Elizabeth Banks (currently playing Laura Bush in the film "W" and also the star of the newly released comedy film Zack and Miri Make a Porno) and comedian Jack McBryer (from a U.S. show called 30 Rock) and the band Death Cab for Cutie.We had a really good time at the show and it really was worth getting up at 6.30 a.m. for!We came back to the apartment, Ralph made chilli and rice for tea (still cooking!) and my wonderful husband managed to get tickets for me to see the glorious Russell Brand do stand up in LA on Sunday night.Due to all the hype over him and Jonathan Ross in England at the moment this might be one of the last times I get to see him live - sob!
1st November - We spent a really lazy day catching up with e-mails, reading, watching the presidential coverage etc. i.e. exactly what our time in Los Angeles was all about.Our friend Hazel had booked a table at an Indian restaurant in West Hollywood called Electric Karma (cool name!) and we were really excited about getting to see Hazel and her husband Regis, along with some new friends we met last time we were here, Reid and Lisa.We drove to Hazel's house and then all went to the restaurant together and had a fantastic meal and a wonderful time with fantastic conversation, talking about everything from immigration (Reid and Regis came up with a line of enquiry Ralph can follow to try and get work so we could live out here - our dream!) to the election and the incentives to vote (in California you get a red, white and blue star shaped donut from a certain store if you go in on the day of the election with your sticker showing you have voted - free donuts - it's the American dream!!!).We had such an amazing time with them and it cemented our thoughts that we really want to move out here permanently - easier said than done though!We said goodbye to Reid and Lisa after a great meal and went back to Hazel and Regis' where we enjoyed more chat well into the night and made arrangements to see each other another time before we catch our flight on Friday morning - sob again!
2nd - Another lazy day around the apartment, reading, watching election coverage, writing the blog etc until the afternoon when we got ready to see the other man in my life, comedian Russell Brand!Due to all the controversy in the UK over him at the moment I was so pleased Ralph had managed to get tickets, especially as it was a sell out.We arrived early as seats were handed out on a first come first serve basis and managed to get aisle seats looking straight at the stage only two rows back.Outside the venue British journalists were hanging around taking pictures of the fans waiting to get in with massive cameras and trying to interview people, the most persistent of which seemed to be GMTV!As we waited for the gig to start Ralph noticed hypnotist Paul McKenna (a good friend of Russell's) coming in and sitting at the back of the venue.The place was really small and only held about 300 people which was wonderful as when we have been to see him in the past in the UK the venues are always absolutely massive and you don't get such a small crowd.Anyway I summoned up the courage to go and speak to Paul McKenna about the furore over Russell at home and I am so glad I did.I was so nervous because I hate interrupting famous people during their time off but he was just so lovely.I asked him to tell Russell that we were British and were here to support him and he told me that that would touch Russell very much to hear that and that he was in a really dark place emotionally and he was helping him to deal with that.We discussed how crazy the situation was back in the UK (lack of free speech, the fact that millions of people who listen to the radio show are the one's that have been penalised because of a much lower number of people who had complained etc.Paul said this was a brilliant point that he had not thought of).He said he just wished the Daily Mail would put their energies into something more useful, such as helping the poor or the elderly.Anyway, we had a really good long chat and he was an absolutely lovely bloke and then I went back to my seat (Ralph couldn't believe we had been talking so long!) and only 10 minutes late (amazing for old Russ) Russell came on stage to a fantastic reception and performed for about an hour (we had amazing seats), trying and testing out material on us for his upcoming recording of his HBO Comedy Central special in New York City.It was a very personal performance and extremely funny, particularly talking about the ridiculous death threats he received after hosting the VMA awards in America.He made a couple of small references to the current situation in the UK, but he didn't do any specific material on it because he said that the place was full of British journalists.After the gig we hung around as Paul McKenna had told me that he might come out to have pictures etc. with the fans, but he said it would depend on how many paparazzi were hanging around too.We got next to the small stage door and Paul was allowed into see him and after about 20 minutes we were told that Russell had left the building via the alleyway to the rear, in a flash of paparazzi light bulbs.We therefore left and, just as we walked out on to the street, we saw Russell Brand and his management team in a car pulling out in front of us.They pulled down the street and, seeing that paparazzi were following them, did a fast, screeching, massive u-turn in the road and sped off the other way, me waving to Russell as he flew past - an exciting end to a fantastic evening!
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