Got into LAX more or less on time yesterday afternoon. On the drive from the airport, I was struck by the fact that there appeared to be a bunch of tall buildings off in the distance, though they were obscured by what appeared to be a big ball of dirt. As we got closer, I was surprised to see the vague outline of some mountains in the background (again, hard to see through the dirt), and then I even saw the Hollywood sign. Once you’re inside the big ball of dirt, it isn’t noticeable, though I kind of wonder about breathing the air. Not that there’s an alternative, I guess.

Big sports-type weekend here. My hotel is right across from the Staples Center here, and there was a big party going on for the first LA Kings (that’s hockey; yes, they have hockey in LA, but no NFL) game. Lots of excitement, though they wound up losing to Phoenix (Phoenix has hockey?). Everybody was also all psyched up for the USC/Cal football game, too (kind of a Southern Cal vs. Northern Cal rivalry, I guess). A little more luck for the home town team there, as USC won big. Tomorrow, there’s a triathlon going on, and the street my hotel is on is going to be blocked off (hope they’ll let us cross on foot).

There’s a place across the street that purports to have the world’s most beers on tap. I didn’t count, but they certainly have a pretty impressive keg room and distribution system, and I was able to get a good IPA. I just wonder if they flush the lines every night. Sadly, every place around here except for he ESPN Zone gives you beer in a warm (or at least not cold) glass. Well, I suppose you have to make certain sacrifices when you’re out roughing it. Otherwise, I spent a lot of time walking around yesterday before finally packing it in and trying to get some sleep. After a sleepless night the night before and not much luck trying to snooze on the plane, I did get some decent sleep.

Anything interesting on the Boobleheads today? Maddow on Press the Meet’s roundtable. Levin, Zinni, and Skelton on Faze the Nation. Talk about Iran, and an interview with Colombia’s president on Fareed Zakaria’s GPS. Fux still sux. Guess that’s about it.

The hotel gets HBO, so at least I’ll be able to watch Curb Your Enthusiasm (if I can stay up that late, which is unlikely), but I’ll miss most of the football today, which is too bad, though I should be able to catch the second half of the Jets/Saints game (if it’s on out here, which is probably doubtful).

I’m still three hours ahead so now I just have to sit here for a few hours and wait for LA to catch up with me. Have a good Sunday.