October 11 - October 21, 2002
Steve and I were close friends in high school but we had lost touch for over ten years. Steve is now a television host and I join him while he films first a news broadcast and later a game show episode.
Shad is a former co-worker and band-mate. He is focused on music and I join him and his band at a studio where I meet their producer, who has worked with legendary acts including the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.
Maureen and I were classmates fourteen years ago at the University of Massachusetts. She has found a new apartment in the area and we load up The Chief with her belongings. We lock ourselves out of both her old and her new apartments and we spend two days camping on the streets.
Camping in Los Angeles is challenging. Some areas seem unsafe and all streets have complicated parking rules. In Beverly Hills, disgusted residents confront us and then summon the police, only to find that I have every right to live for a while in front of their homes.
As with any stop in a major city, I take The Chief in for repair. This experience teeters between frustrating and comical as each repair effort breaks another part. While fixing the wiper motor, a mechanic breaks the speedometer cable and consequently the odometer; while fixing the speedometer cable, the mechanic breaks the cruise control.