January 19 & 20, 2011

Wednesday 19~~~~~We got on the computer last night and we got tickets to the Dr. Phil TV show for today. It was down at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. We went to Howie Mandala's show Deal or No Deal a couple of years ago and we swore we wouldn't do it again. Dr. Phil did a great show and he was really so friendly with the audience and during breaks, he stayed with the guests and continued talking to them just like the cameras were still rolling. His wife sat down 3 rows down directly in front of us. The lady sitting beside her was over heard saying she wished she could talk to Dr. Phil about her boyfriend and Robin (his wife) told her to follow her and Dr. Phil out when the show was over and he would be glad to talk to her. The show was a typical boyfriend and girlfriend conflict and the second one was about two gay men and there problems with their relationship. The studio was smaller than it looks like on TV and it is very pretty with all the back ground lights and the music before the show really had the audience pumped up and ready to see the host. If you watch Dr. Phil's show, we are sitting right behind his wife and where he stops and walks his wife out of the studio. probably 3 or 4 weeks from now. We really enjoyed our day at the show and after we left there, we went to have a burger at one of Kent's favorite places down here, the "In and Out". Then we drove all over Hollywood and Beverly Hills looking at all the rich old and new homes in the area. We were amazed at how many plumbers, painters and repair trucks were on all of the streets we drove on. There must be a lot of upkeep on those homes. Thursday 20~~~~Today Kent wanted to drive down to Long Beach to see the places he and his buddies spent their time at partying, dancing and having fun when his Navy ship came into port. He said there was a building that had lockers to rent and they used to wear their uniforms off the ship and then use the locker to put their clothes in while they partied real hard. He said they kept a piece of cardboard in the locker to lay on the floor to sleep on, sometimes they slept on the beach. They didn't have much money but they sure had a good time it sounds like. The area has changed so much, but I got on my droid and I found a big article and pictures about the "Long Beach Pike" back in the 60's with the large carnival and all the rides they had there. (current Picture) The sailors spent a lot of time in this area having fun on their days in Long Beach. Kent found a couple of older men who helped him fill in where things were a little better. It was fun for both of us to go back in time and Kent's stories are so fun to listen to and he enjoys telling them.