Well here I am, 3 years since my last post.
I have written a book in that time, and countless short posts especially in facebook conversations. But as far as the blog goes, it stalled. Why: travel was the first thing as at the end of 2012 after 3 months staying in LA, I embarked on a trip to Guatemala, Mexico & Belize to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. I wrote a book on this journey which I will give the link for in my next post. After that amazing experience of a month in the Mayan world, which is the name of my ebook, available at amazon.com, I decided to travel to the Caribbean as I had time before my booked flight from LA to Sydney. So after a few days in Miami in January 2013, I flew to Dominican Republic, staying there for a month, a week in Puerto Rico, then back to DR for one month. The rest of 2013 I worked as a substitute teacher in Sydney.
Beginning of 2014 I had a short visit to my home country and a catch up & short journey around part of New Zealand with my Dad (Dad passed away in August 2014 so I will always be pleased we had that catch up). Then I went back to Dominican Republic & stayed for most of 2014. I had plans to travel to more of Central America & Colombia Ecuador Peru, but as my Spanish was still basic, I was content to keep DR as my base. During my stay, I bought an apartment in Sosua DR, which rented for a few months this year (2015) while I have been doing more casual teaching in Sydney Australia. On October 9 I returned to Dominican Republic and am now staying in my lovely apartment. The weather is still hot so I am eagerly awaiting some cooler weather, especially given that the great swimming pool in the complex here, is currently out of action.
This will do for today's post. I will write more tomorrow. This is primarily to just get the blog back in action :-) So I am back in action
Monday, October 19, 2015
Thursday, October 11, 2012
latest pics
Here's a link of my latest uploaded photos
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
Moved into a house yesterday sharing with two guys, Randy & David. It's a really nice spot in the Hollywood Hills about 7-10 mins walk from the metro train link for Universal City. Went for an explore of the local area yesterday and ended up going to Universal City Walk being a tourist. After the month I have had seeing the nitty gritty LA and many other spots besides, being in this neat controlled 'film set' location, seemed fine but a little limited! Was going to go to gym in West Hollywood but after a walk along Ventura Blvd, a visit to Walgreens, getting my bag full of purchases, then going up to Universal City, I felt ready to return to my new habitat which I did after a schlepp up to the local Ralphs. Got back about 7pm and watched a dvd before a great night's sleep.
More soon...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
Moved into a house yesterday sharing with two guys, Randy & David. It's a really nice spot in the Hollywood Hills about 7-10 mins walk from the metro train link for Universal City. Went for an explore of the local area yesterday and ended up going to Universal City Walk being a tourist. After the month I have had seeing the nitty gritty LA and many other spots besides, being in this neat controlled 'film set' location, seemed fine but a little limited! Was going to go to gym in West Hollywood but after a walk along Ventura Blvd, a visit to Walgreens, getting my bag full of purchases, then going up to Universal City, I felt ready to return to my new habitat which I did after a schlepp up to the local Ralphs. Got back about 7pm and watched a dvd before a great night's sleep.
More soon...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Photos of my trip to LA
Rather than publish them all in my blog, here is a link to facebook which wiil allow you to see photos I have uploaded to there.
Latest ones for October are:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
September photos can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3
Latest ones for October are:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
September photos can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3
Had to check out of the hotel I had been in for the past 3
weeks: some strange rule about having to be away for 24 hours. My good friend
Warren who has a lovely home up near the Hollywood Hills with his partner, took
pity on me! And let me stay for the night. Today I have checked back in for
another week with a slightly nicer room. It is primarily just a place to sleep,
as the place has been so hot with no air con & the very hot weather of
late, that the best idea is to go out by 11am, find somewhere cool to spend the
day, maybe drop back in briefly before going out again, and then return between
10pm & midnight to sleep. I have been spending a lot of my days at
Starbucks doing things on my computer, updating my website, writing my blog, I
currently have a one week trial with a company that provides addresses, mainly
emails for movie people (actors, producers, directors, writers etc) or their
agents. So this week I will take full advantage of that & cancel before the
$30 a month option kicks in. It really has been too hot most days to do much
exploring. Walking in the heat to get somewhere is ok, but the sun has been
strong and the air hot, so hanging out outdoors is not something to pursue.
With all these changes from being in hot rooms and outside
with the heat, to being in cold air conditioned rooms, I have developed a bit
of a cold and in the last day it has turned into laryngitis. Having breakfast
with Warren this morning was a bit of a challenge as it is normal to chat while
eating with someone else, but now that I am on my own working on my computer in
the library, I am getting to do what I really need to do at the moment and that
is not speak. I feel pretty ok, but talking is hard work, so if I rest my voice
all will be fine in a day or two.
Yesterday after Warren collected me & I deposited my
things at his place, we took his lovely dog, Chester, which is a chocolate lab
for a walk in the local neighbourhood. Then we had a drink in his garden before
going off to have lunch. He had to work & I headed to Starbucks in Los
Feliz where I did a few things. Headed down to Wilshire Blvd to The Academy
Awards building where there was a special screening of ‘Bride of Frankenstein’
and the original ‘Dracula’. http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2012/10/horror.html
There were many big names in the reserved seating area, and the guy I was
sitting next to said he had done the soundtrack to 'Seven". Have just
googled that, and he didn’t look like Howard Stern! lol! There are so many
people who I find tell you things that may stretch the truth a tad in this
town!
And getting back to Warren’s place last night… what a
journey… at least an hour wait for the first bus and then 25 mins for the next
bus. The films finished at 10.30pm and I got back to my his house at 1am and
that also included a rollercoaster ride through the Hollywood Hills from
Hollywood Blvd, as the taxi driver couldn’t find the ave I had asked for. All experiences
for the movie… J
But at least accommodation is sorted for the next week. I am
learning how to function around the troubled people on the streets and where to
give space. There aren't many people in LA who travel on buses, can hang out at
an academy awards event, drink coffee at Starbucks in Beverly Hills & sleep
at a budget hotel in Hollywood. In fact out of 12 million, I am probably the
only one!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Been a few days since my last entry in my blog. There have been a few challenges to deal with, being in LA without a car & staying in a cheap hotel in Hollywood. As Joni Mitchell sang, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone'. For example getting a bus in Sydney may involve a bit of a wait sometimes, but I have waited an hour here in LA. When buses come sometimes, they are so full, they won't pick you up. A good proportion of the people who ride the buses, are doing life very tough. There will be a good few of them that are homeless, with filthy clothes and mental health issues. Waiting for a bus is equally testing too, as the streets are so filthy. and bus shelters are homes for many.
It hasn't rained in LA for months as it is a desert kind of climate, with very hot days continuing. But the reasons can't be explained that innocently as just the weather. The fact is that LA is a huge city with it's own proportion of poor people and people with psychological problems, plus it probably draws on people from the rest of the country and even around the world. I suspect that desires to be a movie star or any other kind of artist requires people to be a little if not a lot eccentric. Add to this an economy in free fall, and a culture which has always promoted individuality and this town is a mess.
I have been trying to find somewhere to stay other than this cheap hotel, and it is quite a challenge. Any place that offers short term rental, which is what I am looking for, that doesn't charge really high fees, ends up being a location for many people on the edge. There are things I have seen here during my stay, that at this point I won't repeat on my blog, but suffice to say, many people & situations are on the edge.
For me, it has been testing, but I feel pleased that I am taking it in my stride and figuring out solutions to situations that many others would get very stressed by.
Joining a gym in West Hollywood without living there and having a car, has meant some fairly long journeys there by bus, but the gain is getting to spend sometime in a cleaner part of LA, and the gym is clean with nice air conditioning and a decent sized pool outside with sauna & steam room as well. There is lots of equipment to choose from too. I haven't been for a day or two though , as I have had a bit of a cold, probably caused by all the temperature changes from really hot outside, to being in places with really cold air/con.
Another thing that I have done which is making things work well, is hanging out at Starbucks with my computer on the really hot days. My room are kind of unbearable on the really hot days, and my computer gets hot too, so heading to a cooler spot is definitely a good idea. I can get things done on the computer when I am not focused on dealing with the heat!
One of the weirdest things about LA is probably the distances. In Sydney often there are choices between walking or busing, but here in LA, there really is no decision: the distances are so big. You almost need a car to go from one shop to another. The problem with this is that where as in Sydney, it is easy to pop from shop to shop as they are all kind of small, with LA, most shops are so big, that only a couple fit in a block. It is unusual to see more than 5 different businesses in the same location.
Then there is the mess. Outside every shop will be grimy pavements, rubbish bins filled, other rubbish lying on the ground. I have yet to see a rat or mouse in LA which surprises me cos there is so much mess. Do the homeless people eat them or is it too hot for them to survive? So waiting for a bus is the only option, if you don't own a car.
Anyway hope this isn't a big complaint: all this is making me appreciate what AU/NZ has.
Having said all that though, LA has modern history. I love the buildings and so many are pockets of cinema history. Who lived where in the 1920s or 1930s etc? That's the charm. I guess LA was created as cars were already in existence & having large areas was a symbol of success. But to me it is great to shrink things down and have things close to each other cos then there can be a sense of community.
Saturday night I managed to score a $30 ticket to an 80s concert up at The Hollywood Bowl where The Go Gos & Psychedelic Fur were performing. That was pretty cool. A great location & not too far from where I am staying on Whitley Ave.
On Friday & today I saw films at The Cinerama Dome which is celebrating 60 years of Cinerama: it was the forerunner technology to 3D using 3 films recording simultaneously to create a 3D effect.
It hasn't rained in LA for months as it is a desert kind of climate, with very hot days continuing. But the reasons can't be explained that innocently as just the weather. The fact is that LA is a huge city with it's own proportion of poor people and people with psychological problems, plus it probably draws on people from the rest of the country and even around the world. I suspect that desires to be a movie star or any other kind of artist requires people to be a little if not a lot eccentric. Add to this an economy in free fall, and a culture which has always promoted individuality and this town is a mess.
I have been trying to find somewhere to stay other than this cheap hotel, and it is quite a challenge. Any place that offers short term rental, which is what I am looking for, that doesn't charge really high fees, ends up being a location for many people on the edge. There are things I have seen here during my stay, that at this point I won't repeat on my blog, but suffice to say, many people & situations are on the edge.
For me, it has been testing, but I feel pleased that I am taking it in my stride and figuring out solutions to situations that many others would get very stressed by.
Joining a gym in West Hollywood without living there and having a car, has meant some fairly long journeys there by bus, but the gain is getting to spend sometime in a cleaner part of LA, and the gym is clean with nice air conditioning and a decent sized pool outside with sauna & steam room as well. There is lots of equipment to choose from too. I haven't been for a day or two though , as I have had a bit of a cold, probably caused by all the temperature changes from really hot outside, to being in places with really cold air/con.
Another thing that I have done which is making things work well, is hanging out at Starbucks with my computer on the really hot days. My room are kind of unbearable on the really hot days, and my computer gets hot too, so heading to a cooler spot is definitely a good idea. I can get things done on the computer when I am not focused on dealing with the heat!
One of the weirdest things about LA is probably the distances. In Sydney often there are choices between walking or busing, but here in LA, there really is no decision: the distances are so big. You almost need a car to go from one shop to another. The problem with this is that where as in Sydney, it is easy to pop from shop to shop as they are all kind of small, with LA, most shops are so big, that only a couple fit in a block. It is unusual to see more than 5 different businesses in the same location.
Then there is the mess. Outside every shop will be grimy pavements, rubbish bins filled, other rubbish lying on the ground. I have yet to see a rat or mouse in LA which surprises me cos there is so much mess. Do the homeless people eat them or is it too hot for them to survive? So waiting for a bus is the only option, if you don't own a car.
Anyway hope this isn't a big complaint: all this is making me appreciate what AU/NZ has.
Having said all that though, LA has modern history. I love the buildings and so many are pockets of cinema history. Who lived where in the 1920s or 1930s etc? That's the charm. I guess LA was created as cars were already in existence & having large areas was a symbol of success. But to me it is great to shrink things down and have things close to each other cos then there can be a sense of community.
Saturday night I managed to score a $30 ticket to an 80s concert up at The Hollywood Bowl where The Go Gos & Psychedelic Fur were performing. That was pretty cool. A great location & not too far from where I am staying on Whitley Ave.
On Friday & today I saw films at The Cinerama Dome which is celebrating 60 years of Cinerama: it was the forerunner technology to 3D using 3 films recording simultaneously to create a 3D effect.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Went exploring parts of LA today, first on the train up to North Hollywood, then Universal City, and once again instead of coming up to a shopping centre or park or something interesting, instead it was just this big area of concreted area with very little shade (and today has been hot again). I am increasingly appreciating the places familiar to me in NZ & Australia where a cacophony of different shops & other things are within walking distance of each other. Not that here. On the corner of yet another very wide road or street will be 5 shops with no logic: one might be a starbucks but it could be a tyre repair centre or a giant pharmacy store. it's such a mish mash.
So given that I didn't want to walk a mile for the possibility (or not) of some nice shops, I left that area, and then headed downtown. I went to the library briefly then decided to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Not as grand as Paddy's Market in Sydney and nothing like the amazing markets of Melbourne. The LA one is an institution but is not that big- probably 30 or 40 stands but a nice mix of foods including some Mexican stuff. I went for an Asian sweet & sour chow mein and pretty good value for about $5.50. After this I walked up Broadway, caught a bus, up to the legal area. The prospect of walking in the heat another mile just to get back to Broadway did not appeal, so I chanced a bus and traveled along Pico Blvd. Got off near Vermont Ave and have now come back to my familiar Vermont/Prospect/ Hollywood intersection Starbucks in Los Feliz. It is now later in the day, so the internet seems to be working faster than yesterday.
Strange thing I just spotted online about a murder in Hollywood as I was on my AU Yahoo account with a world news feed attached. And there's me thinking I'm in Hollywood! So I start reading and the murder by an actor & then his own death actually took place here in this area, Los Feliz! Yesterday...
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/14982446/actor-found-dead-in-hollywood-murder-mystery/
So given that I didn't want to walk a mile for the possibility (or not) of some nice shops, I left that area, and then headed downtown. I went to the library briefly then decided to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Not as grand as Paddy's Market in Sydney and nothing like the amazing markets of Melbourne. The LA one is an institution but is not that big- probably 30 or 40 stands but a nice mix of foods including some Mexican stuff. I went for an Asian sweet & sour chow mein and pretty good value for about $5.50. After this I walked up Broadway, caught a bus, up to the legal area. The prospect of walking in the heat another mile just to get back to Broadway did not appeal, so I chanced a bus and traveled along Pico Blvd. Got off near Vermont Ave and have now come back to my familiar Vermont/Prospect/ Hollywood intersection Starbucks in Los Feliz. It is now later in the day, so the internet seems to be working faster than yesterday.
Strange thing I just spotted online about a murder in Hollywood as I was on my AU Yahoo account with a world news feed attached. And there's me thinking I'm in Hollywood! So I start reading and the murder by an actor & then his own death actually took place here in this area, Los Feliz! Yesterday...
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/14982446/actor-found-dead-in-hollywood-murder-mystery/
Monday, September 24, 2012
Here is the link for my updated website again...
http://members.tripod.com/graham_a_harvey/pgc/
Please feel free to make comments on how you think the site might be improved. I suspect a section more focused on actions or proposed meet ups to get people discussing issues and how they make their projects meaningful, might be a good addition. anyway, your ideas & thoughts are welcome...
http://members.tripod.com/graham_a_harvey/pgc/
Please feel free to make comments on how you think the site might be improved. I suspect a section more focused on actions or proposed meet ups to get people discussing issues and how they make their projects meaningful, might be a good addition. anyway, your ideas & thoughts are welcome...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)