I took this picture with my cell phone. I'll use a real camera next time... 

Sorry I haven't posted anything.
I got distracted by the palm trees...
I'll be back on Tuesday.

I got caught in hour and a half of traffic on Saturday night.
An hour and a half!
It totally blew.
I've never been caught in traffic like that before.
I always thought the freeway was where the traffic happened in LA.
Apparently not.
This traffic jam was so not on the freeway.
I avoided the freeway on purpose, just for that reason.
I took a bunch of streets thinking I was outsmarting traffic.
I just drove right into it.
I kept taking more side streets to try to dodge it but that made me get further into it too.
There was crazy traffic because of a concert going on in Hollywood.
Alicia Keys and someone else were performing there.
I ended up missing a spot I had at a club called Bonkerz
I've never missed spot or show because I got caught in traffic before.
It felt weird.
When I was leaving the "oil change" sign lit up on my car.
I think it was the cars way of saying,
"I'm pissed off about the traffic too, Val"

I felt like I was being tested on whether or not I should stay in LA for good.

But enough about the 98 and 99 cent stores.

I got a parking ticket the other day.
It was because my car was parked too far away from the curb.
It SO wasn't by the way.

Last night when I came home I found an awesome parking space.
It was great.
I thought,
"I can't believe no one parked here."

It made me feel like a gifted parker of cars.

But this morning when I walked to my car I realized why no one had parked in the awesome parking space.
It was because it wasn't a parking space.
It was the entry to someone's driveway.
So you'd think I'd get a ticket for blocking a driveway.
No, no ticket.
Not even a note that said something like,
"Who the hell do you think you are blocking my driveway!'
Nothing.

It probably doesn't go down that way though.
If there is an employee discount for eployees at the 99 and 98 cent stores
I'm sure they just use it without shame because everyone likes a bargain.
Maybe there is just one person who works there who refuses to use it though.
They think they are too good for it.
All they ever talk about is how they don't need to be working at the 99 and 98 cent store.
The person is a rich eccentric who just works there for kicks.
At least that's what they claim...
They keep talking about how they live in a mansion.
But everyone at the 99 and 98 cent thinks the person is making it up all up,
and
they all agree that the person sucks.