what nerds huh - been here barely 2 days and already, 2 blog entries. what can i say? - free wifi will do that to you.
we're having some down-time at the hotel right now - mark has a little sinus headache so i've drugged him up and tucked him in, and he's snoring appreciatively as i type. i think it's a jet-lag thing - we stayed up watching tv till 3am, then work up 'this morning' at 11. it's all good though, there's no rush to see anything in particular. yesterday we bargained with the tour people on hollywood boulevarde and bought open tickets for a 'see the starts homes' tour - i expect a slide-night's worth of images of large gates to come of it. nonwithstanding, i'm looking forward to it. maybe tomorrow. today we went to a cool 50's diner called mel's for lunch - they have $4 mojito's so might have to go back there for dinner as well...
one thing i wasn't prepared for was the smog - it's quite thick. i can't imagine living in it all the time. it's there all the time, though i expect the air quality in the hollywood hills up behind our hotel, like the life there, is markedly sweeter. haven't spotted any stars as yet, though the day before we arrived was the premiere of borat's new movie at the kodak theatre. thursday night there is a tribute concert being taped there, a tribute to reba macintyre, and dolly parton is billed to perform - we'll hang out in the papparazzi zone & try and get a shot for you, melissa! i still cannot equate that place with the academy awards on tv. where do they put all the bleachers and red carpet? i am thinking about going on a tour inside the theatre but mark's not. i really don't know why he's not in the least bit curious to find out exactly what seat reece witherspoon sat in last year. yes, i am kidding.
so, as mark told you earlier, i got what i like to call the 'brown girl grilling' at passport control, which i wasn't expecting cause they guy that checked our passports was brown. and his surname was khan (what? nothing, i'm just saying...) hmm. maybe it was because i said i was a writer. though the bad luck did start at melbourne airport where they confiscated my hydrating spray because it was 100ml, not 90ml (new travel security measures, i could have caused a nasty soaking with that extra 10ml - though i did spill my mini bottle of sparkling on the plane, so suck on that, security-man!). jeannie, if you're reading this and wondering, i did get to use it a couple of times beforehand, and loved it! made me especially sad to see it soar through the air and into a plastic-lined bin at the final gate check. he'd obviously done that before... anyway, the LAX experience though made me a little worried about what the rest of my experience here would be like. so far though everyone has been great (touch wood). especially the girl yesterday who massaged my back with a variety of massagey-type things while i was hooked up to the machine at the oxygen bar stall at the hollywood & highland mall... oh yeah, baby. i'm so hollywood.