California!!!

Well, everyone, I'm currently visiting my brother, who lives in Hollywood, California, and I'm having lots of fun! I got here last night (I flew into LAX), and everything went really well with that. I sat next to the same lady flying from Albuquerque to Los Angeles as I did from St. Louis to Albuquerque. On the way from St. Louis to Albuquerque she was accompanying a sweet little old lady who lives near her in Cape Girardeau, Missouri who was headed to Tucson to visit a daughter. She on the other hand was headed (like me) to Los Angeles to visit a brother. Then, on the flight from Albuquerque to LA, the other guy in our row was a German Ph.D. student studying at an American university (I missed which one), so I got to speak some German! That was absolutely the best part of my day, actually.

My brother picked me up at the airport, and we went to his girlfriend's apartment in or around Anaheim (the town where Disneyland is), and we then went out to eat at the TGI Fridays they have at Knotts Berry Farm. It's kinda funny to come out of the restaurant and be facing a roller coaster, but that's really what happened! I got the double glazed ribs while we were there (and if you know me, this is no surprise), and then April (Jarod's girlfriend) paid (thanks, April!) We then spent the night at April's apartment. Jarod and April got up this morning and Jarod took April to work (her car was in the shop), and I got a shower and got ready while he was gone. It takes about 45 minutes to drive to where she works, so I had an hour and a half to wake up, get ready, etc. I did discover that I'd forgotten my toothbrush when I was at home, but since this seems to be the only thing I forgot, I'm not too concerned. I simply flossed and rinsed my mouth with Listerine and bought a toothbrush later in the day (after all, my toothbrush was starting to wear down anyway).

When Jarod got back, we went and picked April's car up at the repair shop and he drove it to her work while I followed in his car. I got to see the beach, as she works very close to it, and it would have been really cool if it weren't still somewhat cool out and thus completely unpopulated. It actually looked kinda desolate to tell you the truth. Oh well. After that, we ran back to Jarod's place in Hollywood (my, I just love saying that), then had lunch at In-N-Out (absolutely delicious burgers...I HIGHLY recommend it) and then went on to the...

RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY!!!

It's located in Simi Valley, and I'm not kidding you...It has some absolutely breathtaking views! It's truly amazing, and once I get some pictures developed after getting back to St. Louis, I will definitely have to post them on here. I was simply amazed, and then the inside of the library was very impressive as well. Considering the fact that Ronald Reagan is the best president the United States has seen in my lifetime (and perhaps even in the lifetimes of my parents), it was truly a neat experience for me. Mind you, we were kind of rushed out, as we were just finishing up as the library was closing, but the exhibit was truly amazing. My favorite parts were probably when I got to go inside the actual Air Force One that was used while Reagan was President and also a replica of what the Oval Office looked like when he was in it. I actually liked it quite a bit more than the pictures I've seen of it from George W. Bush and Bill Clinton's presidencies. The whole thing was very neat though. I would highly recommend it for anyone who comes to the Los Angeles area. I also really liked getting to walk all through the exhibit and hear in different displays the President as he said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Then, when you walk out through the back you see a piece of the Berlin Wall. It's all concluded by getting to see the President's grave. It was sad in a way, but President Reagan was a Christian, so he's with Jesus in Heaven now! Not just a great life, but truly a great ending as well...because the ending was actually the greatest beginning anyone could imagine!

Anyway, we then came back to Hollywood and Jarod drove me around downtown a little bit and showed me a lot of the interesting stuff. I got to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theater, the El Capitan, and several others. Mixed into the day, he also just showed me where he used to live. I also saw the old Hollywood Tower Hotel (which is now apartments), and several other neat places along the way. I also saw the Kodak Theater, where they started having the Acadamy Awards a couple of years ago. Everything is truly just absolutely amazing. Yeah, in many ways, Los Angeles (and especially Hollywood) is very run down, but then there are also so many very neat things to see. So that's lots of fun! Also, I just thought I'd slip in there that he got us VIP tickets to see the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday night! I'm really excited about that too.

Okay, well, I've written enough now, so I'll write more I'm sure, but for now I'm good. Have a good day!