Mark M's Halloween Report

Before heading off to Toronto this weekend to attend an airport concessions conference (which he anticipates will be interesting), Mark shared his Halloween report:

"Halloween was interesting; I wore an Obama mask, but I really got attention when I took it off. I shared my story with everyone at the party (parents of kids that our kids go to school with). It turned out that that several of us had been to New Zealand previously, so we spent about an hour recounting our adventures and favorite places down there. I think the consensus was that jet boating and black water cave tubing are tops!"

WOW! I was looking forward to adventures scuba diving in Northland and the Cook Islands, white water rafting and parapenting in Queenstown, NZ -- and now I must research jet boating and black water cave tubing!!!

Gee, will we billboards want to return once we arrive in the land of adventure?

Vann Johnson's Halloween Adventure

San Diego 10/31/08

Vann reports that his Air New Zealand walking Cranial billboard costume attracted a lot of attention. As you can see he tried to capture bits and pieces of the land of adventure with pictures of rugby, beer, sheep, an Air New Zealand plane along with a map of New Zealand from Kia Ora (Air New Zealand's flight magazine).

No trick, heading down to New Zealand will be a treat!

HURRAY! OBAMA is our new President!

Since many of the cranial billboards expressed a willingness to have a henna OBAMA tattoo put on the side of their head, it seems only fitting to say THIS BILLBOARD WILL SLEEP WELL TONIGHT.

Change has come to America.  Many who first saw "change" on the back of my head initially thought I was promoting Obama rather than Air New Zealand.  See how powerful subtext can be?

I've Developed Empathy for the Follicle-Challenged

Gee, having my head shaved has been an eye-opener and a head chiller. How do bald men or women do it? My head shivers as I walk to the bus stop in Santa Monica each morning. I now have some pimples on my head from the oil of sunscreen. I didn't want my head to burn. Now I don't want my head to have zits. Geez.

Prior to being a billboard, I was a bit of a hair bigot. I could appreciate a bald man having nice features, but I'm definitely more drawn to guys with thick luscious hair.

Now on the elevator with my head covered with hair about 1/20 of an inch long, I'm envying the men who are bald on top with hair on the sides (whom I used to think of as "chrome domes").

At least now I know one of the things I'd like for Christmas -- got my two front teeth -- NEED HAIR.

"Hey, I love flying Air New Zealand"

I forgot to mention that along with my cranium, Air New Zealand was well received at today's wedding. Todd and Bea have flown Air New Zealand a few times from LAX to London. Todd suggested when I fly to New Zealand I should try to get in one of the back rows of coach where there are just two seats per row rather than three. Although they haven't yet been to New Zealand, they love Air New Zealand!

Others at the wedding said I have a great cranium for a billboard and think a cranium is a clever way to promote an airline. One wife told her husband who is a pilot with United, "United ought to do something like this." Lloyd told me that he had read about the Air New Zealand promotion this summer in the LA Times but thought they were only looking for Kiwi heads to shave. Had he not been in Palm Springs last weekend, he definitely would have offered his cranium to the airline!

Neal and Gordon's Wedding - Shaved Head Acceptance

Today, at my dear friend Neal's wedding, I realized why I was so upset the other day when a man gave me a card for a "women seeking women" website. Since I still long to meet Mr. Right, the notion that my shaved head was some sort of Lesbian beacon made me panic.

This doesn't mean there haven't been times I have thought "If I can't understand men, why can't I be attracted to women?" But I'm not. Instead I'm drawn to men, usually one who is my polar opposite and very mysterious (like "why doesn't he call?").

After a week of mixed reactions to my cranial billboard, I felt greater acceptance at a gay wedding than I had anywhere this week - other than Fairfax High last Sunday and the Air New Zealand office Thursday night when our heads were re-tattooed.

The crowd of about 80 people was an equal mix of straight and gay friends and family. Perhaps I experienced such acceptance in my current state of "hairlessness" because gay people and their families know what it feels like to be ostracized for being different. This was very comforting since I had to drag myself to the wedding. As I dressed I kept thinking "How can I attend a wedding with my head shaved? Yuck. What was I thinking?"

Then I arrived at Maggiano's, felt great acceptance and witnessed a loving couple commit themselves to each other before God, family, friends and the State of California. I was once part of the Christian camp that uses scripture to discriminate quoting Genesis as stating: "God created Adam and Eve" -- not Adam and Steve.

I have since evolved and no longer try to pigeon hole people. Some people are wired differently than me. Who am I to deny any loving couple an opportunity to marry?

This is not to say I've evolved to the point where I am comfortable seeing two men kiss. But then again, I prefer movies that cut to the ocean and leave something to my imagination.

Don't all Americans have a fundamental right to the pursuit of happiness under the Declaration of Independence? How can anyone deny Neal and Gordon or any other couple (straight or gay) the right to marry and pledge themselves to each other if that gives them happiness?

Say Hello to my Old Doctor in New Zealand

This morning at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, a woman read my head and then said: "My old doctor lives in New Zealand. Will you please say hello to Dr. Millford (or something like that) for me? Say Marla (or Marie or something like that) says hello."

I explained there's a North and South Island in New Zealand. She just said to please say hello. So I said okay. I hope her doctor goes white water rafting, scuba diving or parapenting because I'm not planning to schedule medical visits on my adventure. . . .

Later this morning I had a cranial doppler test to make sure a procedure I had in July definitely closed a flap in my heart called a PFO (google it). They wanted to make sure I didn't have any bubbles in my brain (they inject some agitated saline solution to determine this). The two first year residents, Andre and Te (sp?) who administered the test were pleased to see my shaved head as it made their job easier.

My doctor, Jonathan Tobis, M.D. was glad that there were zero bubbles. The irony is that I expected nothing less than zero bubbles, while he seemed a bit relieved. Given the fact I had my head shaved for a flight to New Zealand, perhaps it was logical for him to worry I might still have bubbles in my brain.

Which just goes to show Los Angelenos need to know more about the marvels of New Zealand and the importance of my mission as a cranial billboard.

Anyone I meet who has been to New Zealand seems to understand my willingness to give up my hair in exchange for a ticket.

Tomorrow I go to Neal and Gordon's wedding. They are tying the knot while it's still legal in case Prop. 8 passes. I've already warned them about my shaved head b/c I thought they might think my missing hair was a bad omen if I surprised them. Instead, I hope my cranium will signal great adventures ahead.

One question I have is whether a bouquet will be thrown. If I catch I'm assuming I'm promised the partner of my choice, despite my short, short, short hair status.