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the lava lounge There was a small amount of panic at work when I saw snowing falling in the parking lot. Snow was the last thing that I wanted to see out the window. It could snow all that it wanted after I was on my plane and in the air. Thankfully it had stopped by the time that I left work. As soon as I had brushed the snow off of my car, I was on my way. Nothing was going to come between me and my trip. There were a few spots of blowing snow over the highway, but the ride was fairly smooth and I made good time to Chicago. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and nearly finished my book before I boarded the plane. Being early is better than being late so I didn't mind sitting there for a few hours. Midway airport is small and I could watch the people around me when I didn't feel like reading. It had been so long since I was last on an airplane and I was really looking forward to it. Flying is fun for me. I love it. Oh, I vaguely understand the physics behind flight, but the takeoff is still magical to me. It is a rush for me when the plane leaves the ground. All that I can say is that I am amazed at something that other people see as common place. Maybe if I flew more than once a year, the magic would disappear. Until that happens, I will keep requesting a window seat every time that I fly. The three hour and forty minute flight went by quickly as I fell in and out of a semi sleep state. I just can't seem to fall asleep sitting up. It doesn't work for me. Every so often I would look out the window and see that the ground had gone from white to brown. Snow had been replaced by dry dirt as we moved west across the country. I even managed to get a glimpse of the grand canyon. Dan picked me up at the airport and we cruised along in his nineteen seventies Trans Am complete with T-top and firebird on the hood. As we drove Dan would point out various things of interest. The thing that struck me first about Los Angeles was the sprawl of the place. Nothing is very high and one street bleeds into the next. Very little breaks the flow of buildings. Soon we were at his place that must have been a hotel years ago. It reminded me of the building complex from Karate Kid. Basically its a white concrete three story building with a center courtyard and pool. I doubt that very little has been improved upon since it was built. The elevator probably looked the same today as it did in the nineteen fifties. The surrounding neighborhood isn't that pleasant, but it is tolerable. Dan does not live in a rich neighborhood and it shows. None of this seems to bother him though. He seems very content with his place. His place is very compact and sparse, but that is the way that Dan wants it to be. Furniture is not important to him. He doesn't own a bed or a couch and sleeps on the floor. The only real furniture is his papa san chair and a bamboo recliner. Along the wall are his four guitars, his bicycles and his surfboard. Somehow he managed to transport the look and feel of his place in Wisconsin to California. Of course he didn't have the surfboard when he was in Wisconsin. Dan made a point of stating that what was Hollywood has left some time ago. All of the major studios are now in Burbank or other places. The only one left in Hollywood is Paramount where Dan's friend Ryan works. Hollywood today is a broken down town filled with old houses and debris. After we got back from the local grocery, he played some of his demo tape for me as we ate and drank beer. I was very impressed by what he had done. The music is mainly instrumental surf music with a few more experimental pieces thrown in here and there. A more detailed descriptoin would be a blend of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and Chris Isaak minus the vocals. All of this is a whole new direction for him. When he was in college, his sound was completely different. Then the need for surf music in Wisconsin isn't that high. Since I didn't really sleep on the plane I was getting tired way too early for Dan. He didn't seem to realize that I had been awake for over twenty four hours. After a two strong cups of coffee we went out for the night. Our destination was the Lava Lounge, which looks exactly like it sounds like it might look. The interior is lit by red lights and the walls resemble grass huts. Dan said that we had to drink Blue Hawaiians and we did as the band The Blue Hawaiians played a few feet from us. While we were there I met Dan's record producer who gave me a free cd of Sway by The Blue Hawaiians. He asked me what I did for a living and said that he could get me a job with a computer software company out there. I am supposed to send him a copy of my resume and he will forward it on to his friend. This was not something that I was expecting on my trip, but of course Dan is all for it.
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