Yesterday I went in to the eye doctor for a preliminary screening for La-sik surgery. I'd been in about three or four times before just for this purpose. Because contact lenses actually distort the natural shape of your eye, I had to go several weeks without my lenses in so it so my eyes could revert back to their original shape.

I went in to make sure I had enough cornea to operate on. Turns out I did. I was going to get the surgery on May 6th, but they were already booked, so they had to move me to May 20th. This isn't really good, since I leave for the Euro trip on June 4th. So all of a sudden, Dr. Bloekner pops his head in the office and says "Do you want to get it today?". I was like YES!

So I went in at 4:15 PM yesterday and got my eyes lasered. :)

The surgery didn't hurt. They did it one eye at a time. I was looking into a bright light, but it wasn't so bright I felt like turning away. Oooh, look at all the pretty colors! What kind of freaked me out is that they had suction cups on my eye and it made it all bloodshot... I couldn't see that, but I felt it. My eye blacked out... I couldn't see anything. Then the doctor said "OK, let me know when you can't see anymore" and I was like, "Um, now...". :) Then one eye was done, and then the other. Afterwards, I couldn't see clearly right away, though I could tell they'd been fixed because through the haze of all the fluids and bloodshot eyes, I could see details on signs etc, which were impossible without glasses before.

When I got home and the valium and pain killers wore off, my eyes HURT. Not unbearable, but enough to wake me up a couple times through the night. They were burning, like after you swim in a really clorinated pool or something. They gave me painkillers for it, but I was so tired, I didn't get up to take them. I slept with these huge goggle protector things on, like giant fly eyes, to make sure they didn't get rubbed or pressed on during the night.

This morning they still burned a bit, but it was bearable. When I took the goggle things off, I could see! I still see a gauzy halo, like a vaselined camera lens, around bright objects. If I'm in the dark and watching TV, I see a ghostlike image around the TV.

So I went in today for my post-op evaluation, and my eyesight is 20/20 in both eyes! RADICAL! I have worn glasses since I was six years old, so this is pretty big news. I asked about the halo effect. He said that's from the flap they cut in my eye and it should dissapate soon.

So I'm back, and my eyes still burn a little, but I have drops to put in them. After about four days they'll be back to normal and I can go out again. :)

Woo hoo!

I'll tell you what I really noticed about Debbie on VH1 Divas. Debbie is ULTRACOOL. She wore what she wanted (no "diva gowns"), looked great in it, did her thing, and left the crowd wanting more. She didn't have to oversing anything, she just offered up what she's got and said "take it or leave it, baby". She obviously insisted to VH1 that the band get to play as well, because VH1 only wanted Debbie solo, but when you want Debbie, you get Blondie. That takes a lot of guts on her part and shows she's faithful to her peeps... she could have easily done the entire show solo. That's why I love her so much. She's confident in her talent, delivers her own unique style and doesn't give a fuck what people think! That's a real DIVA!

(Also posted to the VH1 Divas Board.)

I packed and came home today. Sean and Dave are such good hosts, it's like being with family. I felt so comfortable, I didn't want to leave. But I missed my family and Butter!

Dave is production manager for a company called Private Screening Inc. We visited his workplace, and I did some work for him... fixing things and setting up emails for the company. This was the place that did the great Blondie t-shirts for the after party. It was fun seeing how t-shirts get screen printed etc.

Sean drove me to the airport, and the flight home was fast. I got the very last window seat on the left hand side. Unfortunately, there was a lady that just kept talking and talking the entire trip... why did she sit by me? I am not a talker. I don't have a friendly face. I don't care about what restaurants are good in Phoenix. Luckily a guy came up and sat between us... he had to listen to her the entire flight while I turned up my headphones.

This trip was incredible and I got to see all my pals in LA... including many I didn't mention due to my lack of time/space comprehension... I know I saw them sometime during this trip, but placing them in the right place and time is hard!

London/Amsterdam/Berlin next!

Today Robert Frain and I went to Disneyland. We never heard back from Michael Schmidt or Jamez Palacio.

We hit a lot of the park, and Robert was impressed by Pirates and the Mansion and especially Indiana Jones. Since we got there kind of late (2 PM I think) and the park closed at 8 PM, we didn't see everything. Robert has to come back for Splash Mountain, the Matterhorn, and all of Tomorrowland. Still it was a good day and we hit most of the park.

Yesterday Robert Frain and I went to San Diego to see Blondie there, and to visit with Darren Whallon and his roommate and good friend Trish. Darren went to the Blondie show with us. 4th and B is his dark warehouse of a venue, with bleachers on one side, an asymetrical stageon the other, and a litle lounge to the side. It definitely looks like a lot of punk bands play there: sticky floors and peeling black paint make up the decor.

Debbie missed a few lines in a couple songs but she was playful with the crowd and talked a lot. She also totally spoofed the Divas VH1 show. Before Rapture "Well, we had our VH1 experience..." and kind of rolled her eyes... not literally that I could see as I was in the back, but she did that kind of movement. Then she said "But we love you anyway" and gave a big smile... referring to the "Divas" fans I guess. Then Chris grabbed the mic and did a "diva" impression, pretending to squeal for a full minute while doing this diva pose... it was cute. You could tell they didn't take it too seriously, which is really the attitude to have with such a bizarre event.

Afterwards, we all went to a bar called "The Hole", and it was. Literally. It's an actual hole in the ground... you walk downstairs to get in. They were having some kind of wet underwear contest, but it was over before we knew it. Met some very nice people there and saw a lot of Blondie fans. Spent the night at Darren's.

Woke up and drove back to Sean and Dave's house today. Trish gave me a banana for the road. The drive seemed really long as I was sleepy but it was probably only about two hours. Sean Niles, my host wile in LA, met me there to let me in and we saw Bill Vockeroth, the drummer from the Angry Samoans clipping vines on Sean's porch, which apparently he's been doing for years. Took a nap then got up for the last Blondie show on this trip... Anaheim. Drove over with Robert, met my host Sean Niles, Jamez Palacio and his friend, Darren Burgos (Keyboard player from Sean's band Exhibition), and finally Brad Jacobson (of Swivek) and Luther Orrick-Guzman (photog... too bad I could not get photo passes..) at House Of Blues in Downtown Disney.

Blondie were incredible as usual. Debbie mentioned the DHBIS during the show ("Nice to see so many old friends here in Anaheim... DHBIS - the list!"). The crowd was very mixed... everything from older people to young teens. A gentleman that apparently went to school with Debbie held up a sign saying so, Debbie saw it and otioned to one of the tour crew to get him an aftershow pass.

At the aftershow, Debbie was mobbed as usual so I didn't want to bother her. I just stood in the sidelines and talked with Michael Schmidt, who is funny and charming as ever. Finally, Debbie was leaving the meet and greet area when she saw me and backed up, calling out "Louis!" which kind of surprised me - I never expect them to remember who I am. She took my hand, pulled me close and whispered "Thank you" and kissed me. I managed to mumble "Thank YOU, Debbie", since my mental faculties had just abandoned ship! And then she was gone.

After we all went to Denny's and had burgers (Sean and Darren had boca burgers). Robert had never been to one. :)

Then we hit the Frat House, a gay bar in Anaheim, for a quick drink. An odd collection of characters filled the place, including drag queens, Latino homeboys, several generally lost looking men, and a rather large older businessman complete with dress clothes and tie grinding to Missy Elliott against a rough looking dude in delicate heels and a miniskirt.

And now I'm home. Tomorrow it's Disneyland with Robert, Jamez Palacio and perhaps Michael Shmidt, if he can go. I fly home Friday night and boy will my arms be tired.

It's late but I'll write in here quickly. The after-after-party was great... Tom Walker once again DJed along with another guy... they played the Good Boys video and gave away lots of albums and CD singles. I actually won a Kill Bill DVD... it was OK, not my fave movie, but I prefer stories to excuses for a lot of violence and choreography. :)

Today we went to Burger Continental, which is a very misleading name, for Champagne Brunch. It was a mostly Armenian Buffet and the food was delicious, the belly dancers friendly, and the champagne free flowing. Of course since it was brunch we got about four hours sleep last night...

We also hiked around the old LA Zoo and tried to go to the Observatory but it was closed for renovation. We did see the Hollywood sign though.

So Divas with Debbie & Blondie was great, strange, sometimes quite bizarre but memorable nonetheless. I'd say Debbie stole the show with her honest, raw and real performances, in comparison to many of the overwraught squeal-fests of SOME of the other ladies. It seemed a little crowded, but Blondie and/or Debbie got four songs in, so I can't complain much. Eve was great with Debbie on "Rapture" and Joss Stone, bless her heart, has a good voice, but doing "One Way Or Another" with Blondie really isn't the way to show it off. She totally drowned Debbie out, and I found that a bit disrespectful, although at 17 she probably didn't even realize what she was doing. I would have liked to have seen her do something like a Taylor Dayne song instead.. that's more her forte. Anyway, Debbie looked GREAT and if you haven't seen it, keep an eye on VH1... they'll play it into the ground over the next few weeks.

Lastly we watched "Kill Bill" and now I'm typing this.... gotta get some sleep.. niteeeeee

I'm having a great time here in LA with my hosts Sean and Dave. First day we went to see Blondie at Craig Kilborn and the show was perfect. Blondie was the main guest on the show with two songs ("Good Boys" and "Dreaming") and a Debbie interview, in which the Diva was mucho charming and funny.

We got to see how the show is taped. There was a really funny "warm up" guy who basically hosted the whole thing (I'll insert his name here later when I can find it). Since the music portion of the show is so hard to set up, with Blondie's crew having to pack a concert stage and soundboard etc into a TINY studio and get everything working properly, they taped the musical portion first. That means as soon as the warm up guy was done, he introduced Blondie. The studio only hold 87 audience members, so when you hear the screams and laughs on TV, you have to know that's all real and genuine excitement. It really is an exciting moment to be there so close to the stars and band and to see how show biz professional everything is.

OK so Blondie came out, and immediately this absolutely sexy presence is gracing the stage, and jaws are dropping. Then the rest of the band follows Kevin out... :)

Debbie is wearing this SLINKY purple number, and I haven't seen the show on video yet, but I can testify in person she's a damn stone cold fox. Very Marilyn Monroe curvy sexy body and of course she's got that gorgeous face. No words can describe seeing her in living color, in 5-D. They launch into what's the best version of "Good Boys" I've seen yet! After there's a pause while the producers check each performance to see if there's any technical flaws. None. Flawless! Then the band does "Dreaming", and afterwards it's decided that one of Kevin's keyboards wasn't loud enough or something, so we are treated to a second "Dreaming". By this time, the once freezing studio is all heated up from the energy coming off the band and it's appreciative audience.

Debbie's interview later was peppered with some serious flirting from Mr. Kilborn. Debbie didn't remember what his "Sunday Girl" experience was about (he mentioned the last time Debbie was there that he lost his virginity to this song), and Craig called Chris "Slick" (which will be his official nickname from now on) during a particularly funny bit.

We met lots of fans at the show, including the webmaster from the Delphines site (which I can't find at the moment - send me the link!) and a band called Holy Hydraulics who had both a very cute drummer - Juan - and a very cute singer - Elizabeth - and their CD, which doesn't suck, contains a cover of "One Way Or Another" to boot!

So next day is the big Blondie day - the opener of the new tour - and it's all a blur of running around and getting this and that done. Tom Walker from MJ's Bar comes over in the morning to pick up the DVDs that Jason Shaeppart graciously made for us. I went off to 10th St., Blondie's management, because somehow the "Good Boys" video that we were going to debut at the party got lost (the curse?) and 10th St. said they'd make a copy for us. WHEW! Thanks Kevin and Laure and Laurie! Then it was off to the soundcheck at the House Of Blues to film the band's greeting for the MJ's crowd. Debbie suggested we tape the band while they're eating backstage... so the segment was really funny and I'll post some outtakes from it later. All kinds of strangeness occurs backstage, including Clem in Robert's car on his way to get Rodney Bingenheimer, and foodstuffs being moved en masse to the hotel "because it's more fun to eat at the hotel".

Finally show time comes around. The band's scheduled for 90 minutes, but the showtime has been moved to 10:30... so the 11 PM party at MJs is suddenly thrown into disarray... will there be enough people at the club? Blow Up opens up with a nice DJ set of their current mixes including Madonna's "Hollywood", their collab with Debbie "Uncontrollable Love", and the brand spankin' new mix of "Good Boys" which is a guitar-laden, raunchy rock and roll/disco concoction. Unfortunately the crowd didn't seem up for a DJ set. Blondie fans are notoriously impatient when it comes to opening acts! Nonetheless, it was a tasty set which also included Iggy Pop and Joey Ramone. (Blow Up are set to open up for San Diego and Anaheim too).

The anticipation at the breaking point, Blondie took the stage at precicely 10:30 and opened with Giorgio Moroder's "The Chase", and then melded into "Atomic". Debbie once again looks incredible, wearing the black feather top dress from Letterman and the arm/glove fishnet thingie from the "Good Boys" blonde video segments/promo shots. Her voice was in fine form and the band was tight as usual. Sound was great in all areas of the venue, save for a bit of missing guitar right in the front... at times I couldn't hear Chris' guitar, but this only affected the very front first line, who were listening to the smaller speakers on stage.

The set list included many new tunes, including "Hello Joe", "The Tingler", "Diamond Bridge", "End To End", "Good Boys" and a delisious "Undone", which should definitely be the next single!

At Midnight the band has just begun their first encore, so Sean, Dave and I decided to leave early and get to MJs late to deliver the "Good Boys" video and give away prizes. I was kind of worried that there wouldn't be very many patrons with the show running late. Turns out there were TONS of people there all night and they'd been playing Blondie videos the entire evening. WHEW 2! We gave away exclusive RED Blondie Ts and promo singles, albums and posters to the crowd, and what with all the socializing and dancing going on, before we knew it last call came around.

All in all a successful Blondie day and night! The After-After-Party is tonight... hopefully as successfull as last night...

So I go to Los Angeles on April 15th (tax day) to hang out with Sean And Dave and Robert Frain and Brad and Luther and see Blondie on Craig Kilborn and see three Blondie shows and attend the After Party...

I also go to the dentist for a check up Monday (the 12th) at 10:45, then I'm off to the back neurosurgeon at noon to see if I really do have a herniated disc (ouchie), then at 2:45 I'm off to the eye doctor to see if I can officially get Lasik surgery.

Talked to Leroi last night from Midnight til about 2:30 AM, woke up at 6 to tape Blondie on the Today Show, and you know what? I think I'm going to take a nap...

Each of the four main acts on this year's Divas show *is* a true diva.

I'm here to explain the true meaning of "diva".

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary ( http://www.m-w.com/ ) reveals the definition of Diva:

Main Entry: di·va
Pronunciation: 'dE-v&
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural divas or di·ve /-(")vA/
Etymology: Italian, literally, goddess, from Latin, feminine of divus divine, god -- more at DEITY
: PRIMA DONNA

In this case, that would mean a diva is a "prima donna deity". Let's see what that means:

Main Entry: pri·ma don·na
Pronunciation: "pri-m&-'dä-n&, "prE-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural prima donnas
Etymology: Italian, literally, first lady
1 : a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization
2 : an extremely sensitive, vain, or undisciplined person

Main Entry: de·i·ty
Pronunciation: 'dE-&-tE, 'dA-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English deitee, from Old French deité, from Late Latin deitat-, deitas, from Latin deus god; akin to Old English TIw, god of war, Latin divus god, dies day, Greek dios heavenly, Sanskrit deva heavenly, god
1 a : the rank or essential nature of a god : DIVINITY b capitalized : GOD 1, SUPREME BEING
2 : a god or goddess
3 : one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful

So basically, the way VH1 is using the word, a diva quite literally means:

"A principal female singer in a concert organization exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful"

That wuld cover all four of this year's divas. Each one, Patti, Debbie, Gladys and Cyndi, are principal female singers in a concert organization exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful.

I wouldn't say the other four performers have been around long enough to be "exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful", but others might say so. The definition does not mention age, or popularity, or the horrifying ability to break glass with a single note.