I'm at the GoGos Walk of Fame thing and they're playing "Dancing Days". Dancing Days just ended and just when I think it's going to be another band, "Misty Mountain Hop" starts! A Zeppelin mix-tape rocking the crowd at a Go Gos event? Who woulda guessed?

Congratulations to your sister then! I'll have some Frosted Flakes french toast in her honour!

My friend Lydia is treating me to The Griddle...this FANTABULOUS place on Sunset with Gi-normous pancakes and awesome French Toast! Pretty good lunch items, too, but it always seems a waste to go there and NOT order pancakes or french toast.

You bet your sweet bippy! We can always use another Leo in this world!

I rather lke Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. But yeah, Spandau Ballet I've always hated.

"Larry Crowne" is not around anymore because it SUCKED! It sucked donkey balls. Absolutely no chemistry between Hanks and Julia Roberts, who has been overrated for a long time anyway. Stupid story, no chemistry between the two leads meant that it was destined for the scrap heap. Unlike the superhero movies and summer action movies with big special effects, where reviews don't matter as the kids will go like lemmings to see it no matter how foul(and Michael Bay thanks his lucky stars every day that fanboys are so dumb), a movie ostensibly for adults like "Larry Crowne" depends on good reviews to entice the adults out to see it. If the reviews are bad, the opening weekend is slow and the movie withers on the vine. Oh, and Tom Hanks has had a few duds..."The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" was bullshit...and "The Ladykillers" was probably the worst Coen Brothers film of their career. And I am not even going to get into how much I loathed "Forrest Gump". As for Julia Roberts, the only thing she's done recently that's been any good was "Duplicity", with Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, and Tom Wilkinson...yeah, that's a pretty good cast! For once, Julia and her male co-lead, Clive Owen, have a spark of chemistry together. Oh, and also "Charlie Wilson's War". That's the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts movie you should see, NOT "Larry Crowne".

Well, I'm OLD you know... My Joni Mitchell roll call of concerts: 1. November 18, 1972: Troubadour Club, West Hollywood 2. August 17, 1974: Universal Amphitheatre (back when it was an open-air venue), Los Angeles 3. September 15, 1979: Greek Theatre, Hollywood 4. April 30, 1983: Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris 5. April 16, 1998: Wiltern Theatre, LA (STORMY WEATHER-Benefit for the Walden Woods Project) 6. May 22, 1998: UCLA Pauley Pavilion, Westwood (this was the tour with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison...Joni always played second, while Bob and Van alternated headlining slots...on this night, the second of two at UCLA, Bob opened, followed by Joni, and then Van wrapped things up.) 7. May 12, 2000: Greek Theatre, Hollywood (lucky number 7...and barring some miracle, probably my last Joni concert) Now, I decided to go way-way back in the way-back machine...back to when Joni Mitchell was actually Joni Anderson, and she appeared on this Canadian TV show, "Let's Sing Out". These two clips are from a 1965 appearance...if you look closely, you'll spot Dave Van Ronk and the Chapin Family, including Harry Chapin, who went on to have a huge hit, "Cat's in the Cradle" in 1974. So ladies and gentlemen, I give you Joni Anderson...or as the host says, "Joan" Anderson. Hope you enjoyed that.

That's great news Kate! Wow a boy grandkid on the first try...Danny must be puffing his chest out with pride! And how about that...shows how much I've missed over the years...I didn't even know you and BigDan were together!

I swear to you Electro, forget everything you thought you knew about egg salads....this is a paradigm shifting egg salad. One bite will make you a believer. Oh, I am a loyal customer...but Euro Pane could get along fine without little ole me...they have an entire army of acolytes in this burg!

Congratulations first-time grandma!!! As for me...Lunch at Euro Pane in Pasadena(the original location east of Lake, not the newer addition across from the Pasadena Paseo). Owner Sumi Chang studied under La Brea Bakery legend Nancy Silverton before striking out on her own. Euro Pane has been in existence around 15 years or so, and thanks to an ever-broadening loyal customer base, she finally opened a second location about a year ago. But it is still the small, original Euro Pane that I go to most. While there are many heavenly things to eat here: the many wonderful tarts, the exquisite lemon bars, excellent bread, 7 different flavours of delicate macarons(that's right...macarons NOT macaroons), fluffy french toast on the weekends...there is ONE REASON ABOVE ALL why this place should be on your list of places to visit when you come to Los Angeles. They make the GREATEST EGG SALAD SANDWICH I HAVE EVER TASTED!!! It is un-freaking-believeably good, and it will change the way you think of egg salad sandwiches. In fact, it will ruin you for any other egg salad sandwich. I've been eating them for 15 years now, and not only have I yet to find their equal, I am finding that other egg salad sandwiches that I used to like, seem like epic failures in the wake of Euro Pane's masterpiece. You can choose any of the 7 breads they offer for sandwiches, but I find myself ordering it most often on either the Brioche or the Rosemary Currant. Sourdough or the Olive bread would be my next choices, followed by the Cranberry Walnut. They use plenty of eggs, that are perfectly cooked(you'd be surprised how many places can't even boil an egg correctly), and they handmake their mayonnaise. It is served with the eggs still slightly warm, so that when you get a bite of the yolk, it is like eating the sun. HEAVENLY! Have a look... Of course, I never leave Euro Pane without also getting a few macarons...the sea salt caramel and pistachio are my faves; followed by the blackberry and espresso. Actually, I've been on a "happiness buzz" all weekend long...just a carry-over from my birthday. Coming here the other day and finding somebody thought enough of me to start a Happy Birthday Thread made me very happy. Then the mailman delivered a package that contained a book written by a very nice and charming lady that I had been awaiting with bated breath. A very nice present for my birthday indeed...it warmed the cockles of my heart. I feel like Ren & Stimpy...HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!!

Have no fear Kiwi...it's still only 7:30pm here in LA...the night is still young. So far the day's been killer-diller. Actually, my birthday started last night when me and a friend escaped the mob in Hollywood clamoring for Lady Gaga and went to LACMA's 24-hour screening of "The Clock". I had already seen it the first time back in May, but my friend hadn't and she wanted at least to see the night hours, as I told her that was the best section to see, especially the midnight hour. We left this morning and had a birthday breakfast at a place in Hollywood called The Griddle...where the pancakes are the size of hubcaps. Seriously, you could feed a village with one of their pancakes. I got the Saturday Morning Fever: buttermilk pancakes with Bailey's & Kahlua...along with a side of apple-smoked bacon, and orange juice and hot cocoa. Then my friend had to go to work...while I had a leisurely nap. Later, I went down to the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. and while listening to my copy of "Burn That Candle: Led Zeppelin Live at the LA Forum June 25, 1972", I communed with the handprints and plaques of Jimmy Page and John Bonham. After that, I checked into the board where I was surprised to see this birthday thread and felt I had to show my gratitude in some small way. After posting, it was off to dinner with some more friends...a Birthday BBQ, Texas-style, at Dr. Hogly Wogly's Texas Barbeque in the Valley. I had the melt-in-your-mouth Beef brisket & Texas Hot Links w/ baked beans, macaroni salad, fresh-baked bread n butter, lemonade, and sweet potato pie for dessert. Now, my friend's treating me to the Jon Brion and Friends show at Largo tonight. Jon is a master musician and his shows at Largo are legendary...anybody from Aimee Mann to Benmont Tench to Fiona Apple to John Paul Jones to Robyn Hitchcock to Elvis Costello have shown up at his gigs. After the show, which usually ends around 1am, I have no idea...there's plans for Saturday and Sunday, too, with my brothers, so I'll need to sleep some time.

WOW! This is the first birthday thread anyone has created for me here...so THANK YOU - MERCI BEAUCOUP - VIELEN DANK and MUCHAS GRACIAS ELECTROPHILE!!! And to all of you who have joined in wishing me happy birthday, I thank thee and I salute you for your kindness. I'm a long time member, even going back to the old Electric-Magic days, although you wouldn't know it by my post count...it's always been pretty miniscule. Recently though, I've tried to make more of an effort to come out of my shell....a relationship break-up and hospital downtime will do that; leaves you more time to spend on the computer. I've been on lots of boards over the years but it is here that I return to more often than other sites. The fact that Led Zeppelin's music and spirit still is a part of my life is one major reason. Another is that I find the design and user-friendly aspect of the board here better than many other sites; kudos to Sam Webmaster for his excellent, hard work here! But, thanks must also go to the people here...there simply are a number of people here whose company I enjoy. Almost every time I come here, I'll find something amusing or informative...or both. Even the people I don't know...and there are plenty of threads I've yet to venture in ...or the ones whose views on music, politics or religion don't mesh with mine, are mostly agreeable if you give them half-a-chance. At the very least, I know we share at least one common bond: a love for Led Zeppelin. Granted, some of my views and posts have probably pissed some people off, but I've never been flamed or banned the entire time I've been here. Which is not something I can say for other sites. Regrettably, the surprise post I promised for today is not feasible. Due to a last-minute family visit(which mentally exhausted me), and then coming home to a riot on Hollywood Blvd., followed by more craziness last night thanks to Lady Gaga on Jimmy Kimmel, and 4 days of birthday activities scheduled, I just don't have the free time to write a concert post at the time being. FYI, the 1973 concert posts took 4 to 5 hours each to write. Sorry I promised something I couldn't deliver. Another time soon, I hope. Buuuuuuut....as thanks for all of your birthday wishes, I will leave you with a couple of tasty mementos of previous birthday concerts. First clip is something from the weekend in 1984 I spent in England going to see Roy Harper and Jimmy Page...first July 28 at the Cambridge Folk Festival; and then July 29 at Battersea Park, right across from Battersea Power Station! Alas, no flying pigs. Not only was this my FIRST TIME to see Roy Harper in concert(having missed his set opening for Zeppelin at Kezar), but it was the ONLY time in nearly 40 years of going to concerts that I was able to see a member of Led Zeppelin on my birthday. This was when I was stationed in Nürnberg while in the Army, and fortuitously, the concerts fell on a weekend, which allowed me to get back to the base in time on Monday. There are no clips for the 29th Battersea show, but here's one from the Cambridge Folk Festival on July 28, 1984...one of my favourite songs from the set "Elizabeth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nbJmNisaxs Many of the songs they did would end up on the album Roy and Jimmy did, "Whatever Happened to Jugula?", released the next year in 1985. It was all part of the re-emergence of Jimmy after his long hibernation. Being an American, I hadn't seen Jimmy in any capacity since the 1977 tour until the September 21 ARMS show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1983. Then, there was his encore appearance with Plant in December 1983 at the Hammersmith. With his appearances with Roy Harper the summer of 1984, it seemed Jimmy was slowly building momentum...that soon he would appear with his own project. A thought come to fruition later in the year when The Firm was born. My main memory is of how Jimmy played mostly his brown Tele that he used for "Ten Years Gone" in 1977. And how he kind of looked like Jimmy, but also a Jimmy with some wear-and-tear apparent...and he wore those sleeveless t-shirts that were all the rage in the 80s. I didn't have a clue about the rest of the band...except that when the Firm was announced, I recognized Tony Franklin as being the bass player from these Roy Harper shows. Oh, and I couldn't stand how those Ovation acoustic guitars sounded. But it was ROY HARPER, who I had wanted to see ever since hearing "Hat's Off to (Roy) Harper" back in 1970 and JIMMY PAGE, my guitar-hero supreme, on-stage TOGETHER!!! On MY birthday no less!!! So, yes, the shows rocked in my mind, no matter what bootlegs and youtube clips may say otherwise. Here's a second clip, a song called "Highway Blues": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy1NJ_xjUf0&feature=related Finally, I leave you with one of the stranger birthday concert memories I have. The time: July 29, 1973. The place: The Hollywood Bowl. The show: Sid and Marty Krofft Present the World of H. R. Pufnstuf w/ The Brady Bunch Kids, Jack Wild, Johnny Whitaker and Billy Barty. Yes, two months after Led Zeppelin fried my mind...after seeing everyone from Jethro Tull, Grateful Dead, the Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, the Eagles, Roberta Flack, Al Green, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, Steveie Wonder and Iggy and the Stooges in the two months since, my grandmother, bless her heart, thought it would be a great birthday present to take me to this wild and crazy show at the Hollywood Bowl. What could I do? She was my grandmother...she would have been heartbroken if I said no...and my folks would have killed me. So off I went, that Sunday night July 29, 1973. Sure, I was a fan of the Brady Bunch TV show...most kids in the 60s and 70s from broken homes were...and I had the hots first for Marcia; then as Marcia became annoying, poor overlooked middle-child Jan. But I had no taste for the horrible spin-off The Brady Kids and their 'orrible noise. The show began around 7 or 7:30pm and with all the cameras, it became obvious that this was due to be cut and edited for a Sid and Marty Krofft TV special later...which it was. Later that year, around Thanksgiving I think, it was aired as a 1-hour tv show. The show in real time ran about 2 hours, with intermission. Johnny Whitaker was first, and it was painful to see the red-haired star of Disney's "Tom Sawyer" and "Sigmund and the Sea-Monsters" struggle through his lip-synching and bad jokes and self-promotion. Fortunately, it only lasted about 10 minutes. Then, it was 40 minutes of The Brady Kids...and well, words cannot describe the jaw-dropping awful bad-taste their set left in your mouth...after awhile, even the limited appeal of looking at Marcia and Jan had worn off...I was aghast, and spent most of their set slack-jawed. And I'm pretty sure, I wasn't the only one. Oh hell, see for yourself...here's a clip of The Brady Kids in all their 70s fashion and groovy choreography: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcUSO0xelk&feature=related After that mess, the crowd needed an intermission to gather itself...and thank god we got one. The second half of the show was devoted to Jack Wild(he played the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver") and the entire crazy world of HR Pufnstuf, including Lidsville and the Bugaloos. Actually, given the druggy nature of those TV shows, this part of the night actually was an improvement. Anyway, so now you know, it wasn't always cool concerts I was going to see in the 70s...there were a few dodgy ones, too.