An Experience of a Lifetime
His rule of life was to savor his time by “simmering” he called it. “When you wake up in the morning never get out of bed—simmer. And when you get into bed at night, never go to sleep—simmer.” --Sam Keen, FIRE IN THE BELLY, On Being A Man
It’s been about three weeks since Alan and I participated in the AIDS WALK Los Angeles along with 20,000 other people. It didn’t get a lot of media play as it was overshined by all of the O.J. Simpson trial headlines. I finally got the photos I took from the walk and it ended at the Paramount Studios backlot. Actress Angela Lansbury made a touching speech for all of our support. Included in the photo prints were a visit from Sam and Miriam Hirsch (from Flushing, NY) and Alan's mom, Gloria; and Carrie hiding being the branches. I liked the mystery of that shot.
The days are going by so fast. I have a weekend trip to Alameda coming; then Alan and I embark on our exciting adventure to CHINA on November 10th. I can’t wait for that mix of Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. We are both frantically working on our itinerary and trying to get in as much as possible.
It’s a delight to drive home to Pacific Palisades. It’s where we now live for the next twelve months while the homeowners’ insurance inspects possible structural damage from our home in Marina Del Rey. Our neighbors include Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Trachtenberg, Sydney Pollack, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw and who knows who else. I remember when we took a walk the other day and Whoopi was walking with her husband. Whoopi sweetly said, “Hello”. We replied with “Good Morning”. How nice was that? And I've noticed Steven and Kate pass by in their yellow crème colored Aston-Martin convertible while I’ve taken a local run in the neighborhood.
Alan left me a postcard on the dining table. I noticed it when I returned home from work. Alan used a COSTA BRAVA (Tossa de Mar) postcard (one of our favorite Spanish beach areas). He wrote:
10/27/94 Michael,
We had a great time here. And we’ve had a ton of experiences. Let’s get excited and plan our HONG KONG trip because it will be an experience of a lifetime. Let’s enjoy the planning for the next two weeks.
Love, Alan
I’ve already bought a TRAVELER’s DIARY specifically for this trip to Asia. We depart on Nov. 10th from LAX. We will stay at the CONRAD HOTEL in Hong Kong. It’s located half way between the Central District and the Wan Chai in Central Hong Kong. The hotel is located on a hillside above the Pacific Place (an upscale shopping center). We already have a reservation for dinner on the first night at an elegant place known as ONE HARBOUR ROAD RESTAURANT. It’s inside the Grand Hyatt HK Hotel.
As a change of pace, we went to see this new movie called THE LAST SEDUCTION. I’m so IN LOVE with this new actress. Her name is LINDA FIORENTINO. She’s an outstanding actress. She plays a devious sexpot who makes off with her husbands’ $700,000 in drug money and hides out in a small town where she finds the perfect duplicate for her next scheme. The film is an experience of a lifetime. She will stick-with-me for a long while. I know it. I think a well-written, well-acted crime drama romance is just my cup-of-tea.
“...in semi-solitude, my imagination has had time to grow beyond measure.” --Anais Nin, HENRY AND JUNE, from a Journal of Love
