:: Sunday, March 18, 2001 ::

 

1:11 a.m. The building in the photo is one of the newer Hollywood studio structures. This particular one is in Culver City, so I assume it's one of the Sony buildings. We were spinning by the intersection on our way to the local Trader Joe emporium, and the sheer bigness of this building caught my attention.

Not only the bigness -- the obvious steps to heaven that are clearly laid out here. These buildings are the new temples, of course, and the steps you have to climb to get to the top will not give you a heart of gold, but rather a pot of gold.

Earthly riches, only. Still, someone has to work on that top floor. Look out the tinted window and wonder who's looking up? Who's coming up?

You need many skills to work your way up and up those steep steps; you also have to budget your finances so that you don't run out of bubbly water or trail mix before you reach your goal. That's where Trader Joe's comes in -- they sell unusual foodstuffs for low prices.

I have to confess, however, that I haven't entirely embraced Trader Joe's, even though I've lived here for over 10 years now. Although they do sell wine so cheap you'd worry and really excellent unsweetened cranberry juice, the stores are always so crowded with grabby whole-earth types, it's almost not worth the bother.

The people there are always sinewy. They are always serious and they are always in a hurry. They know exactly what they want and they want the best and they want it now. Lots of it.

It's a very stressful shopping atmosphere. It feels more like work than fun, and so I've not become an expert at the bargains that I know are there. They have a good Druid cookie and they do sell shelled soybeans. Otherwise, I'm lost.

The secret, of course, is connections. I've been told time and again to try one thing or another and I mean to follow through, but when I get there I don't. I end up saying "Excuse me" a lot as people in a hurry make their beelines past the curry and out the door.

Otherwise, it's been a quiet Sunday. A little sweeping, a little trimming, a whole lot of reading. Still reading, in fact -- I've only got another 100 pages to finish before I can call it a day. I will call it: Sunday.

Gotta keep climbing.