travel woes

Just as an FYI, my new arch enemy is United Airlines. Those f'ers had me stranded in Logan airport for over FIVE hours waiting for a freaking plane to show up. I must have lost my cool because at some point I think I was drinking beer and weeping to a Keith Urban song.

In any case, I found myself back at LAX at like three the following morning and got into a cab only to have it break down on the 405 right at Getty Center, just an exit from where Ennis Cosby was killed my Russian mobsters.

Whatever.

The cabbie apologized, turned off the meter and went to work on the bumper that had apparently fallen off and was rubbing against the front tire. He said he was sorry for the inconvenience and I sat there, the door of the minivan cab open, looking up into the half dozen stars that are visible from Los Angeles and told him it wasn't his fault.

The universe hates me.

So he got it fixed and he drove me home and I paid with my corporate credit card and he realized that I work for a studio and told me that he wasn't really a cab driver - he was an actor and was just taking a shift for a friend.

And while there's nothing I can do to help this guy's career, I said I'd keep an eye out for him.

And then he drove off into the dark valley night, leaving me with my bags, deep in the heart of Van Nuys.

beantown

tomorrow I leave for Boston and I'll be gone for a week. I just want my wife and daughter to know that I love them very much (even though my child won't kick me.)

surf city

A couple of weekends ago I had my fourth surf lesson and I was able to stand up and actually catch a wave.

While it was pretty cool, it wasn't the life changing experience I had hoped it would be.

Later, on the beach, my instructor told me that I was making great progress. He said I was really seeing the waves and that my vision of the sets had really improved.

And we sat there in the sand for a few minutes, the sun drying us, watching the waves curl and break around the pier.

What I didn't tell him was that this was the first lesson I wore my contacts into the ocean.