LOS ANGELES

Depending on how you look at it, growing up in Los Angeles in the 60's/70's is the reason I only reached 5'10" (poor air quality and/or smoking can seriously limit your growth; which is why my 10 lb. 2 oz. baby in a British hospital caused such a fuss - 80% of all the other mothers in that maternity ward had smoked through their entire pregnancy, so the next-closest baby in weight was a mere 6 lbs.), or growing up in Los Angeles (which was the original thought but since I had already wandered so off base felt was worth repeating) is the reason I can recognize so many completely and totally random parts of television shows and movies. A house in San Marino was used in "Back To The Future" and "Firefly." A bridge in Pasadena, locally labeled Suicide Bridge because of so many people jumping off it, shows up regularly on Jay Leno and about three national newsbroadcasts. Tujunga Canyon seems to fit the ideal alien landscape, because a whole lot of sci-fi has been shot there. And I honestly do not know how they ever get permission to clear an entire freeway for a week's worth of shooting for almost any car chase sequence. I know they do some on freeways that have not yet been opened, but too many times it's actually the Harbor Freeway - how do you get it empty in daylight? Threats of a bombing of one of the overpasses? Evacuation for a terrorist bio attack? Multiple police cars actually issuing tickets for going over the speed limit?

Thank you - I needed this little trip down memory lane (at least to distract me from a coughing, doped and chatty individual who keeps popping out asking for Mt. Dews).