Day 5: Hollyweird

Yes, it's still a very surreal experience staying here in Pasadena. It's pretty hard for me to comprehend that I still have almost two weeks left here. We've been going all-out for the first five days and it doesn't look like that trend is going to run out anytime soon. Sunday began with Allain and V waking up to the trainwreck that was the night before, trying to piece together the puzzle of what happened. The outdoor couch was tipped over and surrounded by beer cans, there was an empty bottle of wine on the ground near it, a dirt-covered, nearly-empty bottle of Bacardi was sitting on the table, and Allain and V had fingers that felt like they'd been broken. They hadn't, but they ultimately figured out that they must have loaded up then gotten in a fistfight, all while Justin and I slept. Allain's naked episode still disturbs me, and it will probably haunt my dreams forever.

We relaxed for a few hours before cleaning up then going to an indie theater in downtown Pasadena. I actually spotted a cloud at one point, debunking my theory that humidity doesn't exist out here. But it was still very comfortable weather, despite temperatures nearing 100 degrees. We went to the Playhouse theater to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the new Woody Allen film. I was skeptical after watching the trailer, but I have to say the trailer doesn't do the film justice. It's a very funny, well-written and well-acted dramedy that deserves more attention than it has been getting. Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johanssen are both very good as two artists who end up falling for each other, at least for a little while. It's Penelope Cruz who really steals the show here, though, as Bardem's explosive ex-wife. I'd definitely highly recommend this film to anyone over 18, and I say that because it's definitely geared toward a more mature audience.

The day concluded with a nighttime trip back to Hollywood. We still haven't caught the sign, but we were able to experience the strip this time. After downing some Mickey's in a parking garage (probably my low point of the trip so far), we hit up the bar scene which wasn't big last night but not bad. We weren't expecting anything crazy on a Sunday night anyway. We strolled down the Walk of Fame, where I snapped pics of several notable stars of my generation like Tom Hanks. We also saw the famous Chinese Theater, which was even bigger than I had imagined. The first bar we went to was called the Pig N' Whistle, to which Justin and V remembered going on their last trip to Cali. It was a fun time, there was a live band called Burning Wagon, which played some of the obligatory bar-rock songs like "Sweet Home Alabama".

We finally decided to go home at around 3:00 when all the bars were closing. When we got back to the garage, we were angered to find a big metal gate closed in front. There was still a security guard inside, though, and he started yelling at us for "breaking" the gate which is pretty much impossible for any human to do with his bare hands. We tried reasoning with the guy, but he only get angrier. I can't remember what was said or who said it, but one of us made a remark that set the guy off and he called the police on us. This set Allain off, and V and I had to pull him away to the street to let Justin talk to him. Allain yelled at the guy using several pejorative terms toward Italians (which I don't think he was anyway, I think he was Greek), even though Allain himself is about 85% Italian. I'm not sure how he did it, but Justin worked enough magic to get the guy to let him in so he could get Allain's truck and get us out of there. If the guy kept being a hardass, I'm not sure what we would've done. As he was driving us home, Justin said we really shouldn't have gotten the truck back right then and there, so I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.

Last night was a pretty emotionally heavy night for us, so I predict that this will be our first night of non-drinking. We need to take it easy anyway, because once our friend Jimmy flies out here on Wednesday the partying will start all over again. I remember discussing the beach with the guys at some point yesterday, so we're likely to make today a beach day so we can unwind. I would like to check out Laguna Beach, so hopefully we'll go there. Some kind of resort place would be great for our minds, which are all wound up pretty tightly right now. I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes. Until next time, I am checking out.