OK, you asked for it....

a number of my friends (2) keep saying they miss my "personal" blog-me too sorta...

I have so many things to say and I don't say them because I get myself in trouble on that pit of seething filth called FACEBOOK.

I come from a background of critique-for instance when I was in ART SCHOOL an instructor would have everyone put their work on a wall and then that instructor and everyone else would sit around and tear it apart.

(BTW this is the way it works in the real world as well)

The trend on FACEBOOK is to compliment everything....STUNNING, JAW DROPPING (to me jaw dropping is being in a certain place and seeing a building collapse or a person hit by a runaway buffalo, a volcanic eruption....all those are JAW DROPPING) and the one I hate the most AWESOME.....GOD is awesome, the expanse of space is AWESOME, the Grand Canyon at sunset-maybe awesome is a tourist is dropping to their death over the edge also JAW DROPPING).

My artwork is not any of the above-its just what I do-IF you happen to like it or LOVE it thats great-I love it when people are complimentary but you don't have to be.

If someone say-"you know, that's another good drawing but really not up to your usual stuff" thats HONEST and SUPPORTIVE-is you add the pose seems stiff or the face is too somber or her boobs are not symmetrical that's Honest and Supportive and Informative (even better).

I promise I won't unfriend you.

The whole unfriending thing....wow...it's so passive/aggressive.

I have unfriended people but they deserved it....rabid Trump supporters, rabid religious zealots and people who regularly post FAKE NEWS without checking SNOPES first (GOD I hate that-and BTW thanks for being awesome but cockroaches? really?).

I love to teach and I love to learn-I have taught a lot-mostly ART and THEATRE,,,a bit of psychology.

You might not know that I was almost a psychologist...almost....changed my mind and decided to use the knowledge to teach but at the same time I didn't want a career as a teacher....

I hva e written critiques and judged contests since I was in my teens-literally-I had a newspaper column in my hometown paper-The Pico Rivera Times Post when I was barely out of high school.

Restaurant and Movie reviews are a wonderful way to teach and also get those opinions out there.
I've done that as well and recently-I have a local paper here that ran my restaurant and theatre reviews for a few years-but I got tired of having to edit them down-I want room to ramble-thats why blogging is probably best for me-so here I am back to it.

Being as how it's my personal blog and not the realms of my art career or my colouring books I reserve the right to be as obnoxious as I chose and you can tell me I am being same and I won't unfriend you here either.

My friends Ted and Paul-they of the spectacular view from their terrace high above Laguna Beach-would like me to write my memoirs-I'm pushing 70 hard so I guess if I were going to do it now might be the time.

I doubt I have the patience but maybe an anecdote here and there-someone else can compile and publish the whole thing after I am gone-maybe with snappy commentary on the side-I would love that-bitchy comments about my bitchy self....it's hysterical.

I refuse to credential present anymore-I am tired of it-I have had an interesting life-I am educated and have an advanced degree, I have traveled, I have seen many things, I have known interesting people, celebs even.

I spent an afternoon with Jean Genet and an interpreter on a private tour of  Universal Studios (yes I was a VIP tour guide at Universal - to me that sort of liaison is more interesting than bumping into Liz Taylor at the hairdresser (that happened too-I was about 5-she got down on the floor and coloured with me).

LOTS of interesting stories from HOLLYWOOD-My grandpa was in the business from the late 1930s I believe and DAD went in around 1954 when my sister was born-behind the scenes but still....many stories....

Dad worked at the corner of Santa Monica and Lillian way near Vine I think---I occasionally went in to work eith him on Saturdays-I was a careful, quiet inquisitive child and I could be trusted to wander around , not touch anything and not open any door where there was a red warning light burning.

Dad went in very early-5 am often and had to do some things first and then he would take me to breakfast-usually at the "CHINAMAN"S" it has another name but forgive me, it was the 1950's I dont remember -its long since been torn down and calling some little cafe owned by a man from China-the Chinaman's was quite acceptable in those times.

They had great food, an asian waitress named SOO who was very crusty and often random celebs having coffee at 6am - Ricky Nelson was one I remember.

Other times he would have arranged to meet his "pals" over at a deki a few blocks away-a group of funny old men with odd accents who told jokes I mostly didn't understand and for at least a year or two I didn't notice who they were.

Harry Mann had something to do with cameras, once in awhile CRIS would come he was a psychic and had a local TV show, JR. had a famous father and he had made a few films himself, there was a british fellow that came once in awhile and an eastern european man that smelled like mothballs....a couple others-all swapping stories over coffee and cheese blintzes and prune danish (lox and eggs yuck).

None of my friends would believe that I had breakfast with the Wolfman, Dracula, The Monster and a mad scientist or Ricky Nelsone for that matter.

Occasionally we would stop on the wat into his work at a place on Santa Monica where we would run into IDA LUPINO on her way home after a party night-she always had her huge dogs with her who she loved to kiss on the lips-but then she was a kisser-she kissed pretty much everyone on the lips.

I liked her-she wore JUNGLE GARDENIA perfume and when I told he I liked it she put a little on me from her purse bottle so I would "REMEMBER" her.

Dad';s shop did Titles for films, special effects, dissolves and process shots.

Over the years Dad was involved in filming the arm with the hammer that was the symbol of Mark 7 (or was it 5) productions for Jack Webb, The opening of the Music Man with all those little wooden marching soldiers-the opening for BRINGING UP BUDDY with Frank Aletter (a TV show) and many more.

I watched Russ Roberts paint glass background paintings for HOW THE WEST WAS WON and someone in the art department did beautiful hand done gold leafed letters for CLEOPATRA with Elizabeth Taylor.

Back in those days the art departments in Hollywood buzzed with names that are still around in Hollywood today like WAYNE FITZGERALD who worked where my dad did until he moved to his own title business which I believe his son runs still today.

You actually SAW TV people on the streets and in local businesses, even drive in restaurants like Stan's on Sunset Blvd and several others-we had lunch in the car one day next to Lucille Ball (she wasn't very friendly) and I had a long talk with Kim Novak in from of the AKRON store on Sunset.

We lived in Rivera (later PICO RIVERA) which was a suburban bedroom community next to Whittier, Montebello and Downey.

Like many post-war bugs it was carved out of old Orange and Avocado groves.

We had a custom built home on a 75 by 150 foot lot-my folks got to pick the orange trees to save-and the lot backed up to the new high school they were building.

The war was over, prosperity was back and it was the magical 50s in sunny California....