I ASK YOU TALK: Crushing on a professor is generally weird

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I ASK YOU TALK: Love, Gangs and Celebrities in La La Land

I recently took a quick jaunt to Los Angeles to celebrate the birthday of one of my dearest friends, Jethro. Jethro and I have a lot of history - learning Spanish in Madrid, crashing open bar parties in New York, having Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, and more (my dad fondly remembers Jethro as “Dan”).

His birthday weekend was “wig-alicious” (as in, many wigs were worn), and, surprisingly, I left liking Los Angeles better than I thought I did. I asked current Angelenos and Dallas dwellers about the city and other tangential and need-to-know questions.

Name: Jethro
Years in Los Angeles: 6 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? It's easy to escape. The foodie culture of San Fran is an hour flight away. The excess of Vegas is a four hour drive. My family and the easiness of San Diego is two hours away. And when I'm missing the NYC winter, I can get a cabin in the (probably fake) snowy mountains of Big Bear - just a couple hours away!
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I actually smoked cigs with Courtney Love during the intermission of Frances Bean's school production of Grease! I was there 'cuz my friend directed the musical. Frances Bean played Rizzo and Courtney thought she was being typecast because her mother was,well, not Sandra Dee.
Bloods or Crips? Shoot, I grew up in South San Diego during the late-80s, early 90s. Ihad cousins on both sides, but I was, and always will, remain neutral.

Name: Kelly
Years in Los Angeles: 2 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? Old hotel neon signs, palm trees, graffiti, burritos, little armenia/thai town w/armenian sausage sandwiches, runyan canyon, the formosa, the wiltern, angeles crest highway, PCH1
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Ringo Starr. I saw him at a meeting.
Bloods or Crips? Neither because they were both set up by the gov't to sell guns and ratchet up profits for the prison industrial complex.

Name: Brian
Years in Los Angeles: On and off for 30 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? (1) unbeatable lifestyle opportunities (2) incredible year round weather (3) amazing ethnic food & culinary scene (4) melting pot of cultures and diversity
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Gwyneth Paltrow at JFK - she asked me if I knew what movie was playing on the flight. I turned and said "I sure do...it's Shallow Hal!" hahaha!
Bloods or Crips? No preference. These gangs are a JV version of what they used to be.

Name: Ayyy (not real name)
Years in Dallas: 5 days
What do you love about Los Angeles? The city’s atmosphere and it’s close to the beach!
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Brad Pitt in Springfield, MO, which is his hometown. This was when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
Bloods or Crips? Bloods. I have red hair!

Name: Kayyy (not real name)
Years in Dallas: 4 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? Santa Monica and the culture.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Lyle Lovett in the Austin Airport while waiting for my parents.
Bloods or Crips? Crips – I look better in blue.

Name: Crissy
Years in Dallas: 12 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? The weather – it’s hot but refreshing.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? The Rock! I love the Rock. I saw him at LAX. I didn’t know it was him at first and he walked right by me!
Bloods or Crips? Crips – blue is my favorite color.

Name: Pedro (not real name)
What do you love about Los Angeles? Disneyland. But Los Angeles is a sh*thole.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Leslie. He wears a thong and a cropped shirt. He’s a local Austin celebrity and he hangs out on 6th Ave.
Bloods or Crips? Not answering because I work in Oak Cliff and there are a lot of gangs there. (Ed: Can someone confirm this?!)

Name: Tom
What do you love about Los Angeles? I’ve never been, but I think of Disneyland.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I was on a ski lift next to John Travolta in Aspen. I was in high school.
Bloods or Crips? Bloods. I like the Chicago Bulls.

Name: Ebony
Years in Dallas: 1 month
What do you love about Los Angeles? Everyone hates the pretentiousness but I love it! Stay at a millionaire’s house and you’ll love it too.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I met a real life “Chuckie” on Hollywood Blvd. He was 3 feet tall – WTF?!
Bloods or Crips? Scared. Just scared.

Now I have a craving for palm trees and a LiLo sighting!! Are you in a gang or have a great celeb sighting you're dying to tell people about? Post it here.