Dining with the DWP: Aware of revelations...
Dining with the DWP: Aware of revelations of the Department of Water and Power’s lavish spending on junkets, Dawna Kaufmann of L. A. accepted an invitation from the DWP to be part of a focus group.
After all, a “light dinner” was also offered. Kaufmann figured she might be taken “to Chasen’s in a helicopter . . . or chartered jet.”
No such luck. The 12 participants, chosen because each had complained about the DWP’s “product” in the past, were paid $45 apiece to show up at a “nondescript building” near LAX for the two-hour gripe session, Kaufmann said.
As for the “light dinner,” she reported: “There were eight sandwiches on a platter, cut in halves, which meant that nobody even got a whole sandwich.”
And the obvious question? “Soft drinks were served,” she said, “but not water, bottled or otherwise.”
Floating a white elephant: As tourist attractions go, it isn’t quite in the class of those giant fungi recently discovered in the Midwest. But Long Beach still hopes that some use can be found for the Queen Mary, now that Mickey Mouse has jumped ship.
In the spirit of public service, we’re pleading with readers to send us (by letter or fax) some alternate careers that the QM might consider. And we’ll pass them along.
The individual with the most original idea will be awarded one of the most treasured items in the Only in L. A. warehouse--a button bearing a photo of Richard Nixon shaking hands with the real Elvis Presley.
Boss from Hades: Before we get too many contests ahead of ourselves here, we should announce that Lori Butler of Studio City came up with the funniest story about a tyrannical employer.
Butler recalled a boss who had a gold crown fall out of his mouth and demanded that his minions get down on their knees and search every inch of the office while he went on with his work. He later found the crown himself on a trip to the restroom. It was in his shorts.
We’re sending Butler a bottle of Sonny Tan lotion, adorned with the mug of Cher’s ex--just in time for the gloomy, cloud-bather-type weather of May and June.
Salesman from Down Under: In recent years, some real estate pitches directed at Southern Californians from elsewhere have used such subtle expressions as “excellent quality of life” and “quiet neighborhoods.” But did you happen to see the ad that a New Zealander ran in some sections of The Times the other day (in accompanying photo)? Obviously, he’s decided that this is the time for a direct approach.
Can’t Metro Rail hire them? A team of 1,000 red ants was installed in a giant ant farm in the L.A. County Natural History Museum just a week before the facility’s Insect Zoo was to open. Working without blueprints, they set about digging a series of interlocking tunnels that would criss-cross the entire farm. They finished in three days--four days ahead of schedule.
miscelLAny:
The property with the most self-promotion per square inch? A fence bordering a vacant lot at the corner of 7th Street and Bellflower Boulevard in Long Beach is littered with the placards of 29 political candidates.