1:51 p.m. - 2003-03-15
San Fran to LA
2003-03-15
After three fattening weeks in San Francisico, Cami kindly drove me down to LA. We said goodbye to Lucy at LAX with a burger lunch. I couldn't help but feel nervous in a prime terrorist target. That's my over active imagination for you. It's a long drive; about 6 hours. We talked the whole way, and got to know each other quite well. We spent most of the time analysing our love lives, well, what else do two single girls talk about for 6 hours? There wasn't much traffic, however there wasn't much in the way of scenery either. Cami had decided against the coastal route, as it takes longer. It was pouring with rain as we drove into LA.
Cami had arranged for us to stay at her friend Jami's pad. She said he was a little strange, but a cool guy; I was intrigued. She explained that his parents were hippies and couldn't decide on naming their son 'James' or 'Andrew,� hence the unusual name of Jamandru, or Jami for short. We arrived at 10pm and when I saw Jami I thought he looked interesting. Tall with a good haircut, pretty 'cool' looking I suppose. His apartment was nice and full of gadgets. He�s into 'futurist' stuff. Within 5 minutes of arrival the three of us were having a smoke and watching 'Tokyo Decadence' (stylish Japanese porn). I was greatly impressed that he had no qualms about being so honest and upfront about his perversions - hur, hur.
We went out for a drink at a meat market bar. Cami forgot to bring her ID and didn't want to attempt to get in at first - So me and Jami went in without her but later she sneaked in past the bouncer and we both got chatted up by a couple of boring guys in checked shirts.
2003-03-16
The heavy rain from the night before had cleared the smog that normally hangs over LA, so the sky was clear and blue with just a few fluffy clouds. The three of us got stoned and went to the Getty Museum in the hills. It is such a beautiful building. We saw the Bill Viola exhibition. He's a video artist from Long Beach. It was a really amazing set of films. He'd filmed actors portraying different emotions based on classical paintings and had then slowed the film right down until it was almost paused. If you stood and stared for long enough you could see the image changing. Such a simple idea, but really well done. The whole time I was in there, I was absolutely starving. Cami and I hadn't eaten since LAX, and for the first time in my life I really thought I was going to faint. I could have eaten ANYTHING. We drove to The Rose Cafe and had the most amazing lunch I have ever had. I would have been happy with a jam sandwich, but we had Swordfish steak sandwiches, which were top class anyway. So I was in heaven. After lunch we went to Moonshadows. A bar on the beach in Miami, it was really chilled. We lazed on soft cushions and watched the gulls. I was already smitten with LA. Then Jami took us to 'The Garden of Self Realisation' - some new age place. It was really beautiful. For some reason there was a Dutch windmill recreated in the middle of the lake. The lake was full of Koi Carp and turtles.
In the evening some of Jami's friend came round. Durek, Mark Ramires, Eric and a woman called Chalata who had fake boobs which Jami squeezed. We drank copious amounts of Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck (cheap red wine). Durek is a beautiful, big bisexual black guy who was one of those people with a magnetic personality. He had so much energy, very, very funny. I thought he was on Coke, but later it transpired that he is always like that. It's just him, quite weird. He's a model/actor/healer/masseur (this is LA...). He has a thing for Jami, much to Jami's irritation; but I found him so much fun that I wanted to hang out with him.
Mark is an artist and a party animal that doesn't have a job or any money. Durek and him fell out that night, for a reason unbeknownst to me.
2003-03-17
During the day the three of us hung out with Durek. We went for lunch where Durek made yet another friend and drove around LA. Poor Cami had to drive back to SF and didn't leave until 8pm, as we were all engrossed in the books at the Hustler shop. I saw The Viper Room where River Phoenix died too. When Jami and I got back to his apartment we got stoned and watched Logan's Run.
After the film finished we crashed. I was pretty glad to be in the company of a heterosexual male after three weeks being surrounded by gorgeous gays.
2003-03-18
Jami had to work all day doing his web design, but in the evening he took me out for Sushi. We went to a really chi chi place and he ordered everything. Being an expert, he chose some pretty hardcore delights. We had Hamachi, Uni, Unagi, Toro and Haura. Basically, the most unusual raw specialities of the sea. I ate salmon roe, sea urchin (which had the weirdest texture, like chewing on a tongue) and raw eel. It was an amazing culinary experience. Sushi is very sensual. Even the way it's presented, It's so beautiful. I definitely felt like I was being seduced...
We stopped off at the coolest video/DVD store on the way home. The films were categorised into ubercool directors, genre or just 'the never rented' section. We hired The Ring (Japanese original) and being a person not easily scared by horror movies - I almost shat myself. It�s so creepy.
