And they say the sitcom is dead....

So, I did it...I found a new place to live...just down the street from where I live now. It's this great apartment complex with lots of great amenities. Whirlpool spa on the premises!! YAY!

I'm still shocked my friend Scott and I were able to get them to cut us a deal on the rent. The big move is in late July. And looking around my room as I type this, I'm going to need the month. I have so much crap around my room, that I don't know where to begin with this move...

But here's the kicker of it all...well...lemme jump back a couple of weeks...

We had a get-together for Ted's birthday and Doug (yes, THAT one!) came to the party. It was the first time I had really talked to him since we broke up last December. Fortunately, we had nice conversation and were able to catch up a little bit. And since then, we've started IM-ing each other. Flash forward to this past weekend after I signed the lease on the new place. I'm telling Doug about this new place and lo and behold...I find out in the course of our conversation that the new building I'm moving into is the same building he just moved into a month ago!

My life has really turned into a sitcom...I mean, think about it...Tim and I were talking about this earlier this evening. It's like this move is like the pilot episode for my "spinoff." Moving into the new building, with a new roommate...and wait, who lives just a couple doors down? My ex!!

Then, you've got Caleb moving out of the guest house behind my old house where Ted and Larry are still going to be living. And who's taking over the guest house? Tim! It's like Tim's the new character they introduce in the fourth season. He's the wacky replacement for Caleb and me.

On top of all this, there's a possible visit by the parents in mid-August (yes, BOTH my mom and dad...keeping in mind my dad has not visited me in L.A. since I've moved out here in '99) and you've got a perfect episode 3 of the spinoff!

Now, the question is...will my spinoff be a Frasier? A Rhoda? A Phyllis?!?! Or egads...a Tortellis?!? Only time will tell...Let's just hope none of us jump the shark.

In all seriousness, I hope Doug and I can make things work out with us living in the same building on the same floor on the same side of the floor. I still feel bad about how the breakup went down last December... :-/

Ahh...Where's Garry Marshall when you need him? Oh yeah, that's right...he's just a couple of miles away running the Falcon Theater. :-)

Batty....

Quickie post as I wind down from a late movie....

GO SEE "BATMAN BEGINS!"

Enjoyed this one a LOT...and not just because of Christian Bale. :-)

And I gotta say, as much I love the original, I'm quite excited to see the new "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

House hunt continued this evening...found a really, really nice house...two bedroom, two bath (one with a jacuzzi tub!!!), hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, garage...but alas, after we heard the rent and attempted to knock the rent down a bit, we still had to say, "That's too much!" (And yes, of course it was said with vim and vigor)...so "Home Idol" continues!

Pride and oy....

It's funny...I've been in L.A. for almost six years and I had never been to the Pride Festival in West Hollywood...until this year. I dunno why it's taken me this long. I mean, it's not that I'm not proud or there's some deep-seeded self-loathing within me...that could be farther from the truth.

I know! I think my eyes can only take seeing so many guys in buttless chaps or some other public iteration of the gluteus maximus. :-)

But seriously (no pun intended), I had quite a dandy time. A big part of it was the company. Ted and I kicked off Sunday by heading over to Keith's place which was conveniently by the parade route. There we met up with about a dozen other friends while noshing on some breakfast and mimosas. Mmm...orange juice and strawberry champagne. Yay for fruity drinks!

After we satisfied our appetites, we walked down Santa Monica Boulevard and watched the parade. Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole-Smith together (sort of) at last! L.A. mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa made an apperance and Morgan Spurlock appeared to be taping a segment for his new reality show "30 Days." And what walk through West Hollywood would be complete without playing the "whom do I recognize from online?" game? The count was at about five by the end of the morning.

After a couple of hours of checking out the parade, we all headed back to Keith's place to decompress before heading off our merry ways. Quite good timing on Ted and my part since traffic was starting to build up on the way out of Weho.

Today, I started to make my plan of attack with finding a new place to live. Plan A is to rent a house. Since paying rent on a house is the not the easiest thing to pull on one's own, I'm probably going to be rooming with my friend Scott. Took a look at a few places this evening and one was a definite no. Two were ok, but I've got a feeling we can do better. The search continues...

Some recent obsessions..."Dancing With the Stars" and "Hit Me Baby One More Time." It's like pop culture overload for my noggin. When I first watched "Dancing With the Stars" with a few friends a couple of weeks ago, I said to myself..."this is nice, but it's SO traditional...is the country really going to buy into this?" And sure enough they did! My votes have been going to Joey McIntyre and Rachel Hunter.

And "Hit Me Baby One More Time?!?" Tiffany singing Kelly Clarkson?!? Haddaway slithering across the floor singing Britney Spears' "Toxic." Vernon Kay?!? I was blown away. Perfect summer entertainment. This week's is the piece de resistance...IRENE CARA!!!! Is she going to do Fame? Is she going to do "Flashdance (What a Feeling!)?" And what about her cover song?!? Oh, why can't Thursday get here any sooner!!?

In the midst of my Ebay poking, I finally was able to track down sheet music to one of my favorite ABBA albums, "The Visitors." The book came in last week and to my pleasant surprise, it also had the sheet music to "Should I Laugh or Cry," which was a non-album track that ended up as a B-side, but nevertheless, a really, really good song. And as a result of this, I've been playing the hell out of the album on my iPod. Mmm..."When All is Said and Done" and "Two for the Price of One." SUCH a good album...

On the weekend of the 25th...

The Nuart is having a midnight showing of...

THE APPLE

Really, do I need to say more?