SAT, MAY 12: HAPPY VALENTINE DAY

Tues | May 8 True story. Pulled into a gas station to get some gas at a mere $3.45 per gallon, lowest in the neighborhood. I inserted the nozzle—aw, yeeeah—and began pumping. I haven’t filled my tank since prices reached escrow-like regions. Instead, I arrive at an amount that I’m comfortable paying—$25, $30—and fill to that amount. This particular day, I figured $30. As the gas pumped, I went around and cleaned out the passenger side and, I don’t know, somewhere in the reverie of picking up spent fast-food cups and blackened banana peels I forgot about the gas. When I finally looked up I was at 49 bucks and still pumping. Now, I’m fast. Yes, I may be 45, but I’m spry—ask anyone. I sprinted to the pump, but by the time I got there I’d poured in another $2 to make my total a tick above $51. Driving around later, I hear on the radio that gas prices are at an all-time high, reaching a national average of $3.05—the first time the average has topped three bills. My reaction: where is this $3.05 gas to be found? I mean, is it a real place or a state of mind? And if it’s real, can I move myself and my family there? Gas for just $3.05! My stars, what else is to be found in this wonderland? Chocolate streets? Dogs that poop iPods—video iPods?

Wed | May 9 A Press-Telegram editorial raves about Chris Pook’s administration of the Sea Festival—amazingly, on the same day The District publishes Dave Wielenga’s revelation of the scandalous way Pook has run the event for the past two years: without a signed agreement, without securing promised sponsorships, without delivering a promised financial return to the city and all the while soaking the city budget for his $6,500-per-month salary, plus expenses and assistants, the use of city personnel and at least $100,000 in funding by city agencies (read: taxpayer and ratepayer dollars). The P-T editorial describes the city subsidies as “modest”—which I guess is a question of perspective, inasmuch as city councilwoman Rae Gabelich describes them as “incredible.” The P-T says “public-private partnership is the right direction for Sea Fest,” reporting that “Sea Fest drew about 200,000 people and fed about $1 million into the local economy in 2006”—which I guess is a question of responsible journalism, inasmuch as a call to the paper’s editorial board revealed they got that $1 million figure from—wait for it—Chris Pook. John Canalis, who serves on the P-T editorial board with Larry Allison and Harold Glicken, seemed to remember that its meeting with Pook included some mention of a study by Joe Maggadino, chairman of the economics department at Cal State Long Beach. Not that any of those veteran newspapermen called Maggadino. We did, though—and this is what Maggadino said: “Chris Pook approached me and discussed possibly doing an economic-impact study of the Sea Festival, but I haven’t done such a study. It’s difficult to study an event like the Sea Festival because there are a lot of complicated variables. So I’m not sure what the source of Chris’s $1 million number is.”

Thurs | May 10 Funny.

Fri | May 11 I don’t know the responsible parties, but just wanted to give a big shout out to the present owners of the Rives mansion in Downey. The mansion had always been the proudest home in Downey, a beautiful, white antebellum home in the Greek revival style. It was beautiful and so romantic that even an adolescent boy riding his motocross bike around the city—those were the days when kids were allowed to venture far from home—could appreciate it. We’d tell stories about the place, what it looked like inside—though we had never seen it—and who had visited—Frank Sinatra was rumored to have attended a party there—though we hadn’t a clue. The owners of the house back then, a mother and daughter, grew old with the house and upkeep became an issue. When the mansion was sold I worried that it might not survive, but as I drove by this morning I saw it: repainted in a dazzling white. Beautiful. Whoever you are, thanks.

Sat | May 12 We find out today that local celebrity couple Sandra Bullock and Jesse James have been granted a restraining order against stalker Marcia Diana Valentine, who apparently is crazy for Bullock. By “crazy” we don’t mean the good kind of “I’ve seen all your movies and knit your likeness onto all of my ‘Single and Loving It’ doilies” kind of crazy, but the “I’ve seen all your movies and want to hurt your husband” kind of crazy. Valentine reportedly tried to run over James in her Mercedes in front of the couple’s Sunset Beach home (Possible marketing opportunity: “You don’t have to be crazy to drive a Mercedes, but it couldn’t hurt . . . unless you’re Jesse James.”) The couple has also found Valentine lying in their driveway screaming about how’d she seen all of Bullock’s films, but what is most shocking about this story is that Bullock and James actually live in Sunset Beach. I mean, like most people, I assumed nobody actually lived in Sunset Beach. I thought those dusty townhomes and duplexes were backdrops for adult films. But actually live there? Not unless you called a water tower, or some other form of stunt-housing, home. Hopefully, the restraining order will bring the couple a little peace, because Valentine seems clearly disturbed, given that she apparently paid money to see The Lake House.

Sun | May 13 Hi, mom. Love you.

Mon | May 14 My daughter was laughing today, and I asked her why. “Because you’re so stupid.” Mmmhmm.

Tags: Chris Pook, sandra bullock