Snow Owl with What Font?

Happy Late 4th of July

Hope everyone is feeling patriotic. Even if you are in Berlin.

What have we got going over here? Not too much. I'm trying to find Japanese translators that I can trust. I'm going down to Little Tokyo to post some job postings.

Let's do another funny picture.

The Snow Owl

Michael Jacksons Funeral - outside the gates

Goodbye June

This is it. The last day. I'm writing to you in the final hours of June 30th. Quite a day. I got up at 5:30 and got ready for work. Now I'm listening to an ambient pandora radio station. I sit here in my underwear from the fifth floor of a 14 story building in Downtown Los Angeles. I need to get a life. What am I doing here at 9pm on a Wednesday night. Feel like such a loser. Wish I had a life.

Hey Amanda. Can you get me someone to translate or can you do it yourself? I'm going to facebook you. I want to do a german book tour but I need to translate all my stuff into German first. THings will be great.

So Yes, June. Michael Jackson, first of all and what don't anyone forget David Carradine. I'm not even sure if that's how you spell the name, let me check...bingo.

Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett inbetween. What a heavy duty month for Hollywood. I don't think we will be the same for a long long time or at least until Michael Jacksons nephew dethrones Justin MickeyMouseClub Timberlake and the universe is back in balance again.

Whatever people. I'm not here to read the stars. I'm here to give a preview of some of the things I've got to do now that I've opened the Trashy Novel Corp. I am looking forward to a busy July full of translating stories into Japanese and acquiring the start up capital needed to start this venture.

Will keep you updated on the Twitter page and Facebook and Myspace page for the new corporation and hopefully I can finish the "Rise and fall of Stevieland", too. Excited and daunted by all the stuff i need 2 do.

btw...this is the new logo with not so crazy hairfeathers.

Hello WOrld

Let's stay focused for the summer people.

Venice via Venice

Jean Marc

The Race

The Lofty Riches

Space Academy

The Trashy Novel Corp Logo

New Zealand Trance

Gigantic Golden Buddhas

I've got nothing but a giant gold statue of buddha that I have to go see in Thailand. Is that the closest giant golden buddha? I need to get there.

Go Amanda!

Can't believe you bought the book. I'm soooo stoked they're still selling it. Ahahahaha!~ Alright my dearest deary! You have to write a critical essay on it and I'll post it here. Soooooo stoked somebody can read it.

Chapter 20

Out of bed by 5:30 and into the cold shower. Damn this loft living isn't all its cracked up to be. Several converts are sleeping on the couches as Stevie grabs his keys, wallet and some bus change and heads out the door.

Stevie walks quickly to the corner and spots the 720 rumbling up the street. It's not going to pass him by so he doesn't have to sprint but trots up 5th street to the bus stop. A few revelers have started the party early, like a couple days ago now and they heckle everyone at the bus stop and ask for money.

The bus finally pulls up. Everyone swarms the door and people bottleneck it through until every ones on and paid and in their seat. Chit chatter between seats and in the aisle. People excited about 2009 being everything it can be and more. A new president. A new hope.

The bus lurches to a stop to pick some people up at the Crenshaw stop. The doors flap back shut once everyone is on and then it starts to go, then lurches to a stop again. Sections of people groan. The driver almost forgot a handicapped man that is sneaking around the bus stop as timid as a mouse.
"You need a ride?" The driver screams out the door.
"Yea, I'm going to the VA." The man says.

So the sirens come on and the bridge extends to the sidewalk, the front row of people have to get up to make room. One handicapped person can displace up to 5 fat people. So those five fat people get up and make their way to other seats in the back. The man wheels on and clips in and the bridge comes back in and the sirens stop.

The doors close.

The bus continues quietly into Beverly Hills. Stevie dozes off a little bit and wakes just in time to get off at Santa Monica and Wilshire. He wipes the sleep out of his eyes and clutches his backpack full of pamphlets, documents and gold leafed declarations. Stevie clocks in and immediately takes the stairs up to see the anti-social Italians on the top floor.

The daughter and son are standing in the hallway and looked surprised to see Stevie.
"Bon giorno."
"Bon giorno."
"Bon giorno."
Stevie hands out his business plan and some pamphlets and the gold leafed declarations.
"Call me and let me know." Stevie makes a hand gesture like a phone and holds it to his ear.

The two siblings stay quiet until Stevie leaves the floor and then they dig through all the Stevieland stuff.

The front desk sucks. An old couple wants to know how much things cost. Every things too expensive. Then the phone rings. It's the top floor.
"Get the bus, put it on our credit card and let's get going." The Italian girls speaks perfect English.

Stevie stays on the line and waits to hear the phone click and it does. AC is taking a reservation in the chair next to him at the desk. He hangs up both phones; one at a time and then he tells AC whats happening. They don't need to work for anybody else anymore.
"Dude, I can totally resign right now."
"We are totally resigning and I'll order the bus while you write our resignation letters." Stevie says.
"Okay! Yes! I've been waiting for this for so long," AC says, "I'm going to call Ruth and Ben."
"Just facebook everyone to get ready and pack one suitcase and put together their salvation kit." Stevie says.
"Good idea!" AC types away, "What kind of bus are we going to rent?"
"No, not rent, we buy!"
"Of course we buy!"

AC types up the letter and Stevie calls RV shops and a couple Bus Depots and gets the word on the street. Within ten minutes a guy calls back from a craigslist ad that's letting a 50 seater with full bedroom go for 200K cash; and with an American Express guarantee of a payout at any local Western Union today, the deal was done.

The Italian girl comes down to the front desk. She's dipped in Dolce&Gabbana and throws some Louis Vutton hand bags on the desk.
"Get me the Ferrari! Let's Go!" She says.
Stevie grabs the keys out of the valet box and runs out to the carriage house and clicks the lock from the key chain. It's black and fast.

The Italian girl adjusts her clothes and walks out front when she hears Stevie start the car. The car pull ups and she stops Stevie from getting out. She pushes him into the passenger seat and throws her bags in his lap. Then she peels out.
"Wait, what about the bus." he says.
"That's for your followers, we take the Ferrari!" she says.

Chapter 19

Stevie waits for the bus at 6am with everyone else out on the sidewalk at the intersection of 5th and Broadway. The fleets of 720 Rapid Metro buses have been deployed this morning, just like every other, to shuffle the people to and from their daily stuff.

A bright one with some zip pulls into the stop and everyone piles on. Stevie pays his $1.25 and finds a colorful seat in the front section.

It hums and blasts through the signal. It's fully up to speed and runs through a lot of red lights. Each stop is maybe 15 blocks from each other, and a sense of urgency is satisfied just by riding the 720.

AC and Ben get on at Western and elbow their way through the crowd to Stevie. Chit chatting about life in general and maybe getting one of the rich Italians that took over the 4th floor to fund the operation. It's a great idea and Stevie jots down some notes to make it happen. He scribbles down some notes on making a flier about investing in a secluded Desert Resort. He brainstorms with AC and Ben as they make their way into Beverly Hills. The bus stops at Santa Monica and they all get off, along with maybe ten other people.

They Scheme on how to seperate the weakest link of the family, maybe one of the children. How to go about it as if the child was in complete control. Stevie assures them that when the time comes, he'll work his magic; he's an aspiring cult leader and if he can't covert one of these rich Italians then what good is he?

They clock in. Work sucks. The Italian family stays hidden. They clock out. The bus ride home is unmemorable. It's Christmas.

Chapter 18

Stevie gets up at 5:30 and puts on some electro. A couple sleeps on a chic couch on the other side of the loft space. Stevie met them at a bar down the street and they had no place to go. He showers and shaves and the couple is up and dressed when he gets out of the shower.

They leave the loft together and the couple offers to drive him to work. Before you know it they're off in a old Corvette. It's a 1987 coupe model. The girl and Stevie have to sit toboggan style in the passenger seat but its still a little slice of heaven. Aqua blue with matching leather interior. Chad starts the car and turns up the radio. It's rock-n-roll and he peels out as they take 6th street all the way to Fairfax and then cut over to Wilshire and blasts past all the buses and other cars. They get to The Baron in fifteen minutes.

He says goodbye to Chad and Amy and the blue leather Corvette. They take a couple pamphlets and a manifesto and promise to keep in touch via email. Stevie clocks in and finds out a strange introverted Italian family bought the fourth floor for a couple weeks. They want nobody to ever, ever, ever come to the floor. No maids. Nobody. They paid up front with cash and say they will call down if they need anything. It's actually their secretary that tells the front desk this. Stevie clocks out.

The bus ride home is no Corvette through Hancock Park.