Monday, January 08, 2007
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.
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