DAY 5--CONSPICOUS CONSUMPTION

I've spent the last week being something of an Ugly American. I just gassed up the convertible on my way to the airport. Fifty bucks. Ouch! I probably drove 400 miles this week. From Venice to the Valley to Hollywood and back, sometimes twice in a day. Of course, I had the top down. But it was really hot all week, so I had the air conditioning on, too.

While in LA, I have attended 8 screenings and one concert. At each event, I was accompanied by friends. Every time, we drove separate cars. For Radiohead, we drove THREE different cars to get to the venue.

Part of this has to do with LA's layout, the car is just about the only option you've got there.. But whatever the case, I was feeling really guilty driving past all those ads for "An Inconvenient Truth."

But the foolhardy spending didn't end at the pump. Hollywood is home to America's largest independent music store, Amoeba Records. I walked into the place with a stack of 20 dollar bills and cleaned the place out. I knew I had spent a bundle when the clerk put the CDs in one of their $20 tote bags... compliments of the house. I've tried to justify my spending by telling myself that our two pretend babies will really want to hear the new Ugly Duckling album soon after their born.

Of course, some of my spending was unassailable. Today I sprung for dinner at C+O in Venice with my old roommate, Hallie, and my dear friends Bert and Carri. All three of these people are so wonderful that someone should buy them dinner every night. I'm glad I could at least provide that service for one night. I was more than paid back with great conversation, and those killer garlic rolls.

My final day in LA was pretty low key. I went to church at the Mormon congregation Julie used to attend before we moved. Like many congregations, it's an odd assortment of people from across the social and political spectrum. But it's comfortable, like a big family. It was good to see the again, especially Eugene. He's an immigrant from Russia who joined the church a several years ago. Somewhere along the got the idea that my wife and I were the most wonderful people ever. While I agree with him on Julie, I'm not sure about me. But every time I enter a room, with Eugene in it, he will greet me with a firm hug and say something like, "And here we have the famous Matthew Workman." How can you not love a man like that?

Between the endless string of movies, food and music, I spent my time in LA catching up with the people I consider to be my extended family. From Hallie, who was a former roommate, but is really more of a sister, to Mark, the fun and wacky older brother I never had. My former professors at CSUN are something like wise aunts and uncles whose advice you ignore at your peril. Then there are the Marriott's: two cool people with three amazing kids. When I hang out with Elaina, Alden, and little Jane, I think, "If I can be promised that our kids will turn out this cool, then perhaps I can handle parenthood."

As my plane takes off and Los Angeles becomes a series of bright lights in the distance, I realize that these people are the reason I love LA so much. My time in Los Angeles brought me a large collection of friends. Some have moved away, too. Others were too far afield in Orange County to visit during this short trip. Others still have fallen through the phone and email cracks. But they all have made my life richer in ways they will never fully understand.

So tonight I leave a big piece of myself behind in Southern California. But I am returning to the biggest piece of me there is: Julie. And inside of her are growing two smaller pieces of me. One day I hope I can put all of the pieces together again.

This week has been all I hoped it would be: one final irresponsible romp before parenthood. It really worked. I feel like I got it all out of my system, and it felt great. But now I'm ready.

Bring on the babies.