Wha?

An odd thing happened yesterday. This was, of course, on Hollywood Boulevard in the touristy section. Every time I pass through there, I am struck by how wide the margin is between it and the next weirdest place I have ever been to. In any case, I was walking towards the subway station from church, and I expected no trouble because I had not yet gotten to the Chinese Theatre where the costumed panhandlers are.

I had on my sunglasses, which I was taking off and putting on on account of the inconsistent lighting in the area.I also was carrying a book, in addition to the mp3 player I was listening to. Had I not been engrossed in the music, I might have been more aware of what happened and why. What I think is that I got sprayed with some kind of water, I think. I really am not sure of even that much, but I prefer to take it on faith to any possible alternative.

Flipped

Yesterday I spoke of some of my exploits as a pedestrian. Today I offer another. Being out and about on foot as much as I am, I bear witness to some remarkable things. They seem remarkable to me, at any rate. A high percentage of them occur in Hollywood. To the person who lives outside Los Angeles, Hollywood may be more a distillation of their ideas regarding the entertainment industry more so than it is a physical place where people live, work and engage in recreation. To have one's imagined Hollywood replaced with the genuine article is not necessarily a disappointment, but it is not an easy swap.

I always say that it is the weirdest place I've ever been, and I repeat that now. You see things happen there that are somehow understandable only in that context and in no other. It's like a geographic equivalent of intoxication. To say that one did something because they were in Hollywood is about as acceptable as because they were drunk. I would take that anyway. Of course, the two excuses coincide with great regularity.