2/16/2005 12:34:00 AM|||Jonthon|||

After staying at Katie Desplinter's house in St. Charles, I awoke at 6am to head over with my fellow travelers to the StL airport. After a quick stop in Detroit, We headed cross-country to LA. I finished all my homework reading in the time of the flight, with plenty of time to spare for naps. Which were constantly interrupted by the drink lady, who kept running her cart into my leathered arm and Katie's neon-shoed-foot.
When we got to LA, we shuttled to our rental cars. I ended up with Ad CLub Prez Lindsay Lockhart, ex-Golden Girl Katie D, Capstone group partner Laura Walker, and ex-student Jordan Milne. We would later refer to our car as "the Varsity Squad." We then headed to our hotel, located in supersweet Beverly Hills (don't get too caught up in the Ritz, it was still a Best Western).
On the drive over, I saw a billboard for progressive talk radio, that said something like "the best of the left..." over an image of America, of which the right half appeared to have been ripped off. I knew I had made it to the promised land.
We got to our hotel, and I was too be rooming with Lindsay and Laura. We have a very small balcony. I unpacked, then we went down to get a drink at the bar. I paid $5.50 for a glass of DisaRonno; I would later buy a bottle of my own for only $20...=) In fact, I am drinking a glass right now.
We then headed up to the roof. From there, we could see the Hollywood sign and the landscape of LA. We sipped our drinks and chatted, anxious to begin but tired from our transport. We then headed down to our room to freshen up, then grabbed Katie D and headed to a 9.2, Il Fornaio. Meaning "The Baker" in Italian, this restuarant sits on Beverly street and is superb. The bread lived up to its name, as well. I had an Orange Martini, my entree, and a glass of cabernet. Some celebrity sat at a table near us; I don't get into that stuff enough to know who it was. Our meal was great, and we all agreed it was sleepytime afterward.
As we headed back, Laura mentioned she felt like she had a cold, so we stopped into a Rite Aid for some medicine, where I grabbed my Disaronno, some L.A. Looks hair gel, and some granola bars.
When we got home, I ran into the Sophomores. They were just heading out to Rodeo, and I told them I'd have to pass. I then headed up to the balcony to have a drink with Katie. We both revealed deep-seeded plans to escape the Midwest, and wished each other the best. Then Shannon Mruzik interrupted. Aside from being an unwelcome interruption, he was also slightly drunk and quickly brought up that he had seen me in the debates, and was of a different political persuasion. Katie and I escaped as soon as we could. I returned to a dark room, two girls together in bed...and a separate, empty bed with my blanket on it.

|||110946262912865127|||To Live and Die in LA