11. katherine bearie

That's Bubbles on the left. Katherine on the right. They became sisters from another mister when they were about 4. Their parents fell in love while working at a hospital. Katherine's dad was a doctor. Bubbles' mom, my sister, was a nurse. Julie had 2 boys (Trey & Parker) and a girl. (Brooklyn, aka Bubbles.) Dr. Brian had a little girl (Katherine) and a little boy (Brian, aka Rusty). They've been married for a solid decade now. And I can always remember how old Katherine & Bubbles are because Katherine turned 11 on 1.11.11. I'm a sucker for those kinda things. So why did I miss her 14th birthday this year? Because I'm terrible with birthdays and cards and gifts. I suck. So maybe this project will allow me to be an open-ended birthday card. Happy birthday, girl! I definitely won't forget you when you turn 15 in 2015.

10. quentin tarantino

*Careyas, Mexico. Post-party with QT. 2002*

Okay, this is a bit of a stretch. Not the best photo, but I can't go paparazzi style on these people. But if you look closely, you can see Quentin against the back wall. Just beyond the drunk guy toasting himself for getting group couch time with Quentin. We were all at Jon's house in Mexico for his 40th birthday. Well, some of us were. Quentin crashed this party after about 20 or 30 or us from Jon's shindig showed up at Quentin's Kill Bill wrap party down on the beach, thanks to Jon's friend Mike Karp, who knew someone on the production. When the booze went dry on the beach, the party moved back to Jon's place up on the hill. Thus the Quentin couch session. I'd met Tarantino once before, probably more. The one encounter I can verify was the time he lined up behind me near the men's room door at Ago in Hollywood. I proceeded to let him know that during my decade in Manhattan Beach I most definitely had a membership at Video Archives, the video store on Sepulveda where Tarantino famously worked as a clerk for 6 years. Just as we were getting into a rhapsodic remembrance about the late, great Video Archives, I got the conversational cock block by a pushy woman in pearls who couldn't help but interrupt to tell him how much she loved his last movie. Are you going to the Globes? You've GOT to go the Globes. Everyone gets drunk. It's sooooo fun. It's cool. We'll see you at Jon's birthday in Mexico, Quentin. Here's what the rest of you missed.

9. jon congdon

*Pacific Palisades, CA. The house that P90X built. 2002*

Welcome to Jon's starter home just south of Malibu. To his left is a sweet view of the Pacific Ocean. Purchased with P90X money. There's a decent chance some of your very own sweat helped to pay for the remodel on this place and the one that's even bigger and nicer up the road in Malibu. But this house sits just above Gladstone's, the busy seaside fish restaurant where Bubbles, my college girlfriend, worked during our last year at UCLA. Around the corner and up Sunset Blvd. is the Jack-in-the-Box where I experienced a turning point in a memorable evening during my first post-college job, when I was playing chauffeur to a limo full of partying teenage high school girls during a sweet 16 party. But that's another story for another time. I'm sure Jon's had his share of good times in the neighborhood, too. Jon's had good times in a lot of neighborhoods, of this I am certain. (Here's one in Mexico where a bunch of us had a bit of fun at his 40th birthday.) His 2 Degrees of Jon numbers, what with all those P90Xers he's met all over America, has gotta be off the charts. I've taken a few cross-country drives with the guy myself. He's no shrinking violet. At this point in time, I'm guessing he's met millions of people! And chances are good they're gonna remember the fit 6'5" guy with the calves like healthy yams. Now excuse me while I head out to start P90X for the 25th time. I got this.

While it's true, Beachbody, Tony Horton and P90X have been a happy addition to my life, it's this idea Jon and I hatched back in '92 that he'll be forever linked with in my mind. The fact that his mind and wit immediately took to the notion of swapping titles and writing drunken poems on cocktail napkins sparked my enthusiasm. Barstool Poetry was a damn good idea and it only took one night for us both to realize it.

(posted 7.1.14)

8. carl daikeler

*Hollywood, CA. At Quixote Studios with the Beachbody.com geniuses, pre-P90X. 2002*

I believe this picture was taken around 13 years ago. Those 2 guys to my left are business partners, praying for a little luck to come their way in the business world. The guy shoving his lips onto the poster for a good luck kiss is my friend Jon Congdon. Less than 10 years before this photo was taken, Jon and I were roommates at a condo in Redondo when we stumbled onto the Barstool Poetry idea. Jon and Carl were introduced by our friend Ben, who lived with Jon next door to me in Manhattan Beach one summer in the '80s after we'd all graduated from UCLA. Turns out Jon's air kiss and Carl's praying—and a whole lotta hard work, I'm sure—paid off a few years later. Another 10 years after this shot was taken, these guys and their company, Beachbody, had unleashed Tony Horton on the world and everybody in America was either doing P90X—or feeling guilty for not trying. I'd like to think I was their lucky rabbit's foot. In fact, it was probably at this very moment that I morphed into the Human Good Luck Charm.

7. don makela

Yucaipa, CA. Big Daddy rockin' hard. 2002 — *Yucaipa, CA. Big Daddy rockin' hard. 2002*

Look at the crazy old man with no shoes on. That's my tone deaf Dad, rocking hard at the backyard stage during Sister Julie's 30th birthday party in Yucaipa. I used to be embarrassed of my Dad. He stuttered, drove a creamsicle-themed Pinto for 240,000 miles and had a strange sense of humor. Now the guy can do no wrong. I love this guy, as does just about everybody who knows him. Not a mean bone in the man's body. Which is a minor miracle for a guy who had quite the temper many decades ago. But he has softened and mellowed with age. And I hear he's still not afraid, at 75, to get on the dance floor and pull off an excruciating singalong to Madonna's "Lucky Star." Keep rockin', Pop!

6. eddie elliott

*San Francisco, CA. A golden moment with me & Eddie E. 2007*

Nearly 7 years ago I took a 13-day road trip with my musician friend Eddie Elliott. Thanks to a guy he'd met at one of his shows in Arizona, we got to take an elevator to the top of the Golden Gate. Quite appropriate, seeing as how one of my favorite Eddie songs is called "Build a Bridge." Here is a little video I made from Eddie performing the song live the night he opened for David Wilcox at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, CA. And this is an album of photos I put on Flickr to document my various pit stops around America as an Ed Head.

5. brian phelan

*Los Angeles, CA. Cinco de Denver. 2002*

This guy HAD to be #5. For crying out loud, he's the only guy I've actually referred to as "5" due to his quasi-obsession with the number. I think he wore it as a standout Denver high school QB. I'm pretty sure he wore it during his baseball playing days at Arkansas and Southern Illinois. (Go Salukis!) His indie comedy, Skills Like This, which he starred in and co-produced with his Oscar-winning mother, was listed #5 in the program the night the film won the Audience Award at the SXSW film festival. (Or did they get seated at table #5? There was DEFINITELY a 5 connection that night, I remember that.) I met 5 nearly 13 years ago working on a reality TV pilot for David Duchovny that sent us on a couple road trips out in America. One of which allowed me to witness the guy winning around $800 bucks at about 4 in the morning after throwing down a $25 chip on, of course, his beloved #5. He ended up living in apartment #5 in Venice, too, around the time his life was to change in one of the craziest ways imaginable. But that's another story for another time.

***

(posted 4.10.14)

I just noticed on Facebook that Brian's movie is on Hulu. Don't just sit there. Check it out!

4. katy benoit

The last of my 6 sisters. Sister Katy, bringing the love. All joy and acceptance. The love never fades.

3. judy benoit

*Murrieta Hot Springs, CA. Mi Mamacita. 2008*

I met this fine woman the day she gave birth to me one afternoon in 1961, although the details are thankfully hazy. She was a child raising a child—a few children eventually—and I'd say she did a pretty decent job, all things considered. All her kids get along at the holidays. Everyone actually enjoys each other's company. With 4 kids and 3 marriages—#3's going strong after 30 years—under her belt, she's done some living in her 70+ years. Maybe one day she'll start getting wrinkles.

2. molly owen

On October 3rd of this year I'm marrying this girl. If you knew her you'd understand.

1. bob makela

Why am I putting myself first on My Big List of people I've gotten to know over the years? Why wouldn't I put myself at the top of my list? It's my list. I'm the common denominator. Besides, during the course of connecting with all these people you're about to meet—some more deeply than others—I'd be a fool if I wasn't also forging a deeper connection with myself. YOU are the person who spends the most time with you. Might as well learn something from the person you're spending all that time with.

the LIST