Santa Monica Sunset

Lessons in Coffee and Fourteen Things

I learned alot in LA. One of the biggest things I learned was that you don't just order a coffee, a plain ordinary old coffee. Nope. That won't do at all.

We're in Starbucks, and Alvin steps up to the counter and reels off faster than you can blink "I'll have a double tall, low fat trim with sweet and low on the bottom." I just look at him. It's like he's speaking a different language or something. And then it's my turn. I want a latte. Just a latte. Nothing else. But I'm so put off that I stumble over my words. "A la- la- lattt... oh shit, I'll just have what he had."

It is with some trepidation that the next day I step up to the popcorn counter at the movies. Will I be able to order plain old ordinary popcorn, or will I have to order a "tall, low-fat, trim, no-butter, with salt on the side popcorn." I open my mouth, panic, and turn to Alvin. "You order" I say. Man oh man.



I don't know why but whenever I want to write about Alvin, I tend to think of lists. Alvin lends himself to lists. So here are fourteen random things I learned about Alvin during my stay:

14. Alvin likes to be the first.


13. He looks good in absolutely anything. "Babe, the green shirt, or the blue?" Why ask? They both look great.


12. Alvin and I have the same taste in women... well, almost.


11. He has cows in his kitchen.


10. He is very generous - I have walked away with half his wardrobe, and most of his books.


9. He cooks a great breakfast. Toast, eggs, bacon, orange juice.....


8. Alvin collects women the way some people collect salt and pepper shakers. "And this here is my New Zealand one..."


7. For some reason which he will not tell me, he seems to know exceedingly well his way around the Victoria's Secret on Hollywood Boulevard. "Over here, over here, this is the Nice Ass section."


6. He keeps a tidy house.


5. Alvin ties knots well.


4. His bedroom is pale blue and his heart is pure gold.


3. The man is insane. He willingly gets up at 5am every morning to feed the birds in his backyard. Obviously a man who does not have small children.


2. Alvin looks like a professor with his glasses on, especially when he peers over the top. I like scholarly.

And the number one thing I learned about Alvin:

1. He can maneuver in that LA traffic very well with one hand.

Shooting LA

We are out shooting in downtown LA. It is cold, foggy and the buildings are looming up like giant beasts. The city looks so different at night, dangerous, unexpected.

I'm carrying the tripod and we find a good spot and set up. The Gehry building looks like a mound of quilted fabric in this light. We take turns with the tripod, covering each other's back while the other is shooting.

We are each in our own little worlds when we get behind that lens, and yet we are together. We have this connection when we are shooting that I can't explain. It is like we have always done this together. We don't have to talk, we are just thinking the same thing, and the silence is easy.



Alvin and camera.

Steps

Steps. Glendale, CA

Live from LA

It’s 10:47pm, I’m sitting here at the computer of Mr WLA himself. It is a nice spot here in the corner. Big bulletin board directly in front of me, black and white photos on the wall beside me. In the background I can hear the news on the television. Bugoti is still giving me dirty looks because I sat in his chair on my first night here. He actually batted me with his paw just to let me know who was boss around here. Alvin is wandering about the kitchen at the moment, muttering to himself. I don’t know what he is doing, but no doubt I will find out. Everything he does is with purpose.

Alvin has been a most gracious host, kind and generous. He is the perfect gentleman.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived here, what we would do, talk about, whether we would even like one another. But somehow we have managed to condense an entire year into one week. There has been much laughing, eating (lots of eating), talking, crying, sleeping, shooting (pictures), playing tourist, fighting, making up, making love, driving, walking, watching.

Yep, we made the connection. I have laughed so hard in one week that my muscles hurt. There has been a permanent grin on my face. Man, I so needed that.

Yeah. I win.