LA-LA-Land Bound (and gagged?)

I'll be returning for a visit from January 13th to the 23rd. I'm pretty excited. Maybe you are too (though probably about something else, and not my return; perhaps it's just a coincidence we're excited at the same time). Perhaps you can hang out with me when I come back. Unless you're in Albuquerque or elsewhere...Then I guess we'll have to videoconference or something.

There's a few places I want to go when I'm in town:
1) Cantor's Deli--I need a decent deli sandwich (Hollywood)
2) Some place that serves a decent pizza (there ain't nothing here)
3) Wheatberry--I need a decent breakfast, and some decent bread (Pasadena)
4) Pho Super Bowl--I need a decent bowl of pho (though there's okay pho here in Kona) (Alhambra/San Gabriel)
5) Decent Dim Sum--I hear the neighborhood Chinese place (and by this, I mean the ONLY Chinese place within 75 miles; it just so happens to be half a mile from my place) has pretty decent dim sum on weekend mornings, but how could it compare to something in Monterey Park?

Le and I are already discussing a quick trip to Las Vegas. I'll say I've never been there before. They say that whatever happens there stays there. That's a somewhat dangerous attitude. After all, I'm the reason there's so many kids in Las Vegas public schools wondering who Daddy is just because I threw caution to the wind a few times and said, "Whatever happens here stays here."

I'll see how much I miss the mainland when I'm there. Maybe I'll go and say, "Jesus, I want to come back here?!"

And Jesus will say, "I don't know, my son."

"Jesus," I'll say. "I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm Jewish."

"Me too. I guess we'll both be going to hell." That Jesus. He is one fucked-up dude, dude.

STIR-CRAZY UPDATE
I need off this motha fucka ('motha fucka' in this case is the Island of Hawaii). Just for a little. I need to see wide-open spaces again, and the availability of cultural activities and museums and bookstores and food and the beach. The beach? Yes. I always loved going for a walk on the beach in California no matter what time of year it was. Why not here? It's definitely not the same.

I've become white-boy pale, again. I have no tan, and am actually a light white--probably whiter than I've ever been. I just don't enjoy going out anymore. The beach is super boring and a long drive.

So I'm stir crazy. I don't go out much. I spend the bulk of my time working with macadamia nuts, coffee, chocolate, reading, writing, and watching movies. I'm the most anti-social I've ever been. But look at the latest book I'm reading. It's excellent; Kiss Me Like a Stranger. That's an amazing book.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!