Weekend in LA

I'm on the plane home from three days in LA.

I got in on Thursday, checked into the Beverly Hilton, went for a run through Beverly Hills, lifted weights, then ate the $6.50 Snickers minis in my hotel room mini-bar and went to bed.

Friday I helped lead a sales training session, which went well.

Business completed, I spent Friday evening with my sister April, her husband Marty, and their kids.

Ryan is 5. He likes Thomas the Tank Engine, pirates, and Bakugan.

Addie is 4. She likes princesses, the color pink, and...um...princesses.

Today (Saturday) April and Marty both had to work all day, so I babysat Ryan and Addie. I think April felt bad that she stuck me with the kids all day. I don't think she realized that that was my ideal scenario.

We had breakfast at Denny's (Ryan: "Don't tell Mom I had chocolate milk"). Then we visited Marty on the CBS lot in Studio City, where he works on the set of "CSI: NY."



(Sidebar: Stage 2, where "CSI: NY" is shot, was formerly used for "Gilligan's Island," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and "Roseanne." Funny to think that the "CSI: NY" interrogation room is probably in roughly the same location as Ginger and Mary Ann's hut, which is in roughly the same location as the WJM-TV news room.)

Ryan, Addie, and I had Happy Meals at McDonalds (I ate the rest of Addie's burger after she inadvertently ate a pickle, which she found disgusting).

Then we drove to Hollywood, where we met my 21-year-old niece Mary and her roommate, who are both dancers in a local ballet company.

We hiked in Griffith Park, got some color-changing ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, then the kids napped on the long drive back to the Valley.

I'm on the redeye back to NYC. It was kind of hard telling them goodbye, especially with the big hug from Addie. But anxious to be back home to my own little family.