Preserving the Memory

This is my father William McDermott, a soldier in the U.S. Army in the 1940's. He was only 17 years old when he enlisted and spent the majority of his service time in Italy. In later years after I was born, nearly every night at dinner we would say grace and within seconds of saying "amen" he would say (robustly), "MANGIA, that means eat!" Drove my mother crazy.

Sunset Boulevard

At a stoplight on my way home today, I decided to take a picture with my iPhone from my car window. I feel lucky that two days a week I drive a long stretch of Sunset Blvd. - my Monday client and my Tuesday client each live north of Sunset Blvd. in Brentwood and Bel Air respectively.

I see lots of interesting people and even interesting cars - not to mention gorgeous homes. Several times I've seen cars that are covered in cardboard and duct tape. I found out that these are cars that aren't on the market yet and must remain hidden from public view. One day I drove past a gray Bentley with Jennifer Aniston at the wheel, and on another day I was being tail-gated by Kanye West. Pain in the ass that one, I guess he felt I wasn't going fast enough. Last year for weeks when I rounded the curve at Carolwood there were flowers, papparazi and fans on that corner after Michael Jackson's death.

I think I'm going to try to snap some more pictures of this route, it's really beautiful.

[Taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic App]

Dyslexic Matriculation

Graduation season is here. This year I have some friends and family members who have children graduating from high school or college, even a friend who is graduating with a PhD from UCLA. Best of luck to all of you - it's a tough world out there at the moment.

I still have my "diploma" from kindergarten graduation at the Lakeview School in Grayslake, Il - it hangs on my wall. That's me in the above photo at my kindergarten graduation wearing a hat (the same hat my sister Cathy the Dragon wore on Easter - see previous Easter post), gloves and crucifix around my neck. It was also, thankfully, the year that my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Morse discovered that I was dyslexic. She brought it to the attention of the school and my parents because, among other things, she observed me cutting out paper shapes with the scissors reversed in my palm, aiming towards me. Mrs. Morse was very forward-thinking for a 1950's kindergarten teacher.

With effort and time I managed to work my mind around the affliction, although even today I sometimes struggle. My new hobby is crochet and often when I'm not paying enough attention, I crochet backwards. It's caused a lifetime of having to think harder about the task at hand, which in retrospect is not such a bad thing.

Sushi a Go Go

I love this place, Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

[Taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic App - Thank you again Natalie]

Happy Mother's Day

Beth and Mindy Oliver

Daughters 1980

On the left is my daughter Mindy and on the right is my step-daughter Julie just before they went into their punk phase. I have to say that they brought me to the edge of sanity more than once during this period. Each are now married, each have two children and each are known and respected in their individual fields. I also want to say that they are the best people I know.

Los Angeles, W. 3rd St., 2010

[Photo taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic App]