Crazy Days and Nights

JACKASS v KINDNESS

JACKASS

This past weekend I was leaving one of my favorite restaurants in LA. I love a good steak and this place has the best. Like everyone else does here in LA, I was waiting in line for the valet. There were about four people ahead of my group. I had seen this actor inside, and although we are not friends, we certainly know each other enough to say hello. Throughout the evening I had seen this actor enjoying drink after drink and growing louder and louder. He was being obnoxious, but nothing out of the ordinary or worth a mention here. UNTIL, he and his companions emerged from the restaurant and proceeded to push their way through to the front of the valet line. For some reason there was only one valet working and so things were moving a little slow. However, everyone was in a good mood and no one was complaining because they could all see how hard the one valet was working. He was not walking anywhere. He was running flat out. The valet looked to be in his mid 20's and was from Mexico. His English was poor which was going to cost him in a few minutes. When our actor came outside, the valet was not there because he was running to get a car. This immediately sent Mr. Ass into a rant about how no one has good service anymore and he had a movie opening soon and companies just did not value customer service.

So, the valet comes back with a car and now there are three people ahead of my group and the first in line prepares to give his ticket to the valet. The valet is about to grab it, when Mr. Ass says, "Hold it, I need to go first. I have a talk show I am supposed to do in twenty minutes." Well it is almost 11pm and no one is buying that story. The valet did not really understand what Mr. Ass was saying, just that there was an angry man getting more angry by the minute right in his face. The valet kind of gave a half smile and a shrug, and went back to the person who was first. At that point, Mr. Ass decided to play the do you know who I am card. I hate that card and to have this almost A lister recite what he has done and is doing to a man who did not understand a word was really humorous if you were not being the guy yelled at. It is so LA and so annoying. At that point, Mr. Ass lost it and his friends were trying to slink away. Mr. Ass said he would just go get his car himself and where were all the damn keys. The valet pointed and Mr. Ass got his keys and then asked where the cars were parked. It turns out the cars were about two blocks away. That sent Mr. Ass into a rant about how could the cars be protected if they were that far away and there better not be any damage to his car, etc. BUT it was too far for him to bother with it and that the valet should get it NOW. Well, it looked like we were in for another outburst of yelling and screaming, but everyone agreed Mr. Ass should go first. We just did not have the guts to watch it and you could tell the valet just wanted to escape the wrath of Mr. Ass.

The valet got back a few minutes later with the vehicle and Mr. Ass actually had the nerve to say it’s about time. No tip, no manners, and not the first time. Needless to say, the valet made a ton of money off the rest of us, but Mr. Ass needs a good ass kicking.

KINDNESS

This actress has not been in many things, but everyone will know her for all time anyway. Went from bit player to big star almost overnight. A lovely woman who never let her stardom give her a fat head like Mr. Ass up above. Anyway, it turns out that our actress has a habit. Every Monday she gets $500 in fives from the bank and over the course of the week gives it all away. She generally gives away $100 a day, five days a week. A homeless person asks for money, $5 and she just keeps on repeating this over and over. She knows how lucky she is to be where she is and never wants to forget where she came from. Each day as she runs into people who ask, and in LA there are plenty, she never says no and always gives $5. Homeless people who have no idea what she does for a living, just know she is someone they can always count on for a kind word and that $5. Just in her $5 plan she gives away almost $26,000 a year. She does not do it for publicity and obviously does not get receipts. She does not try and claim it on her taxes. She does it just because she cares. The $26,000 is not a bunch of money, but it is 5,200 people she has helped over the course of the year. She has looked in their eyes and knows she has a made a difference.

In reality, the $26,000 is not all she does in public. From Thanksgiving until Christmas, she raises the $5 to $20 and for one month, she gives away about $400 a day. Each person she runs into gets a $20 bill which can mean several days of food or even half the cost of a hotel room. Homeless people stop and thank her and quite often do not ask for the money again. They instead bring other people or tell her a story of what happened after she gave them some money. It is truly incredible what she does each and everyday, no matter where in the world she is. What makes it even more incredible is this story which I have heard once or twice before was a topic of conversation during the dinner with Mr. Ass.