All in a day's work

All in a day's work

I actually made it past midnight last night (an hour past, in fact), and I'm so damn proud. Granted, I wanted to pass out at around 11:30, but I made myself stay awake. I got a whopping nine hours of sleep and woke up at 10 AM.

At 11:30, I looked at an apartment that should have been condemned an hour and a half after that. It was one of those shoddily made apartment complexes that look like prisons. Think Green Street Apartments but with more open air. There were holes in the walls, what looked like oil stains in the carpets and rooms just filled with junk. They were asking $1800 for a two-bedroom. Fuck. That. I took some pictures, but the camera made the places look somewhat appealing, so I won't post them because they're very misleading.

I got my stuff out of the Echo Park place, drove back across town to watch Shaun of the Dead, then drove across town again to look at four places with Peter at 3:30. I was going to pick up something for myself at Best Buy--an LCD computer screen was looking awfully nice--but then I remembered I still had to pay off a plane ticket and a $200 camera. Maybe I'll buy something later.

Now it's TV shows and sushi. I'm checking out this show called "Spaced" that created by and starring several of the guys who made (and star in) Shaun of the Dead. Now I'm watching the third season of "Scrubs". It's really not very good...at all. I debating on going to see The Brown Bunny tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

Man, sorry that looking for apartments isn't that interesting. I'm trying to think up some good stories that happened today, but none of them are very interesting. Meh, not every day can be a good episode. Have a good weekend, guys.

D

It was really cool. I swear it.

It was really cool. I swear it.

D

"Beeeeeer...I mean, Braaaaaains..."

"Beeeeeer...I mean, Braaaaaains..."



I just watched a bit of Shaun of the Dead, and it is really, really funny. I can't wait to get through all these apartment appointments today and watch the rest.

D

I'm getting some mixed signals here

I'm getting some mixed signals here

So yesterday I had just one day to move out of my old place, move out of my would've-been new place, and move into my co-worker Seth's guest room. Today I'm getting to stay in my old place until September 15 and only pay for half-a-month's rent, I get to sleep and pick up my stuff at 1 PM tomorrow. I also have appointments with several apartments tomorrow. Not only that, I got to be one of the actor's stand-ins for the day. What this means is I stands on the actor's marks so the camera guys can test lenses and camera moves and the grip and electric guys can set up their lights to my positions. It's basically a bunch of people looking at you with rapt attention for doing nothing. It rocks. Plus the light meter's pretty cool. If I may...? Boo-yah. It's been a weird mix of excess and dearth these past few weeks. It keeps me guessing, I suppose.

Someone who doesn't keep me guessing is a girl I work with who today not only offerred a couch when I mentioned that I had to move out (despite my having already mentioned staying at Seth's), she made a point to say how her roommate was rarely home and how that made her scared to be by herself. Oh yeah, and she also gave me her phone number. She's a nice lass, but she's not really my type o' datin' gal.

A kind of bizarre epilogue to the day: I went to the local 7-11 to get beer and cigarettes when the (homeless) guy in line at the register in front of me wanted to exchange a dollar he was given as change for one that "wasn't moist". I'm not sure how he could tell it was (allegedly) damp. He was wearing plastic gloves at the time. When I walked out, I saw that the Nuart Theater across the street is playing Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny. I guess I know what I'm seeing tomorrow.

Burnt to a crisp

Burnt to a crisp

You know it's bad when the native Californians walk past you and say, "Damn, dude. You got some sun, man." It's like that movie Burnt by the Sun except without the father/daughter relationship and the Communism.

I swear I'll have my Collateral and The Bourne Supremacy reviews up on my movie page soon...after I find time...and an apartment...and an Internet provider. It'll happen.

D

That shiny silver lining

That shiny silver lining

Despite not getting the new apartment (and who didn't see that one coming?), today turned out to be pretty entertaining for several reasons. Let me elaborate:

I was supposed to drive John Larroquette to "The Craig Kilborn Show" after work yesterday, but we wrapped early. Because of this, he decided to hang out at his house for a bit and drive himself. No skin off my nose. I discovered today that he'd gotten into a fender bender on his way to the show. No one was hurt, so I find it hilaaaaarious.

I met most of the residents of the trailer park we shot in, and they completely blew away my schema of the kind of people I think of when I think "trailer park". They were clean, kind, well-spoken and had all their teeth.

Because Burkey, my stunt guy friend, was on set today, a lot of cool stuff defaulted to me.

One of the kids who lived in the trailer park asked if this movie was "uncut" because he "heard something earlier". I think it might have been when Larroquette yelled across the set, "Andrew! Where's the fuckin' pisser?" I stifled a smile when I told the kid we worked for the Hallmark Channel.

We crashed a car into one of our own trailers as part of one of the stunts.

I got home and found a fat paycheck waiting for me with a lot of overtime tacked on. I thought I was only going to get about $375 after taxes, but due to overtime pay it turned out to be $475 after taxes.

And I got a Friendster message from this guy, who I don't know.

Rick
Subject header: hey bro
Message: What's up man, you into dudes?

It wouldn't feel like home if gay men were't sending me half-naked pictures of themselves and inquiring about my sexual orientation. Apparently they tracked me to California. God bless you, Friendster. Rick, man. If you're reading this, I gotta tell you that I'm straight. I really should make that clearly known on that site. I believe you are lucky number seven.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's everything off the top of my head. Yeah, I don't have a place to live yet, but I had such a great day to make up for it. Chalk it up to karma.

I'm also squatting in my own (current? old?) apartment until August 28 when the landlords are supposed to return. Loopholes, go!

D

[UPDATE: I forgot one other great thing that happened today. Seth, a fellow PA, usually has classic rock playing on the radio when he uses the production van to shuttle actors back and forth from base to set. I never changed it when John and I hopped in the van so I could take him home at the end of the day. We drove in silence for about twenty minutes with Larroquette in his typical passenger-pensive pose with the radio down low when Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" came on. We both sat there doing nothing for a few seconds. Then Larroquette's hand moved slowly to the dial and cranked that mother. It was amusing and something I wanted to do myself at the same time.]

*Tick-tock*

*Tick-tock*




Welp, here's a picture of the new new place...maybe. I find out tomorrow if Bonni, my co-worker, wants me or a girl who also saw the place tonight to move in with her. After that it's a credit check, an application, signing a lease, and deposits. I have until tomorrow at my current place and Friday with the Echo Park place before I'm kicked out onto the street. Am I worried? You bet your ass. But if I learned anything from Harold and Kumar--and I like to think I learned a lot--the universe has a way of righting itself. I like to think I've been rolling with the punches so far, and I'll just have to keep doing it if Luck ain't no Lady tonight. We'll see.

After today (and maybe a bit of tomorrow), I'll be radio silent as far as my Internet is concerned because I have to get all of my shit out of the Brentwood place after work tomorrow. I'll try to keep in phone contact with most of you guys so I can keep you posted and (hopefully) prevent you from worrying too much.

Also, not only am I personally "intercontinental/when I eat French toast", I'm international with my blog now, too. I don't know if she's a regular reader or was just visiting on a whim, but say hello to Queenie and check out her kick ass fiction blogs Rolling My Eyes and THE BUS "Tales From the 2A Dundas". Keep up the good work, Queenie. Hope you come back soon.

I can see that I'm nearing the dark side of the moon, so I guess I'll talk to you guys again whenever my orbit sends me back your way. Take care, guys. I'll talk to you soon.

D

[UPDATE: Hey, if anyone gets this before the Craig Kilborn show airs tonight, could someone watch it for me? Larroquette's going to be on for another show he did with the same company, and I'll be in bed well before it comes on over here. If not, it's all good. I just wanted to get a third party opinion of his public persona in addition to what I get when I ask him about it tomorrow.]

Oh, you're going to love this

Oh, you're going to love this

And thus starts the slump in my luck. With the missed flight on Thursday, I think I've shifted to the negative slope of luck. I got a call from Peter, my would-be-maybe-still-possibly future roommate, after I'd moved most of my stuff to the Echo Park address.

"The cockroaches have invaded! I'm going to find other some other shelter! They're here! They see me! Oh dear Gooooo--!" he explained.

"Peter! Peter, are you there?" All I heard was static. I hung-up my phone and thought, Well, this means I'm once again out of a place to live if the infestation is so bad that Peter's moving out. Then I thought about 705 for a moment, and for a moment...no. No, that was crazy-thinking. I couldn't go back to a place like 705 after college. I'm a grown-up now. I should move out because the landlord's cutting corners and allowing cockroaches to invade.

Peter and I have until August 27 to figure out our situation. He's looking at a two-bedroom place North of Downtown LA. I'm looking at a co-worker's place tonight who's been trying to find a roommate for a while now. She's got another person coming to look at her place tonight, but she kind of knows me, dammit. I should get priority. I guess we'll see what happens with that tonight. I have an extension of two days from my original move-out date to find a place, and I'd like to have a place to sleep as soon as tomorrow. Finding apartments in LA is like a game where the rules keep changing. It's a game I apparently suck at. At the same time, I found a great deal on my sublet this summer, and I keep thinking that maybe the Echo Park place has always just been a waypoint (a meantime place where I can keep my stuff) to my co-worker's nicer place in a nicer area.

It never ceases to amaze me how goddamn exciting my life has become without me actively pursuing any excitement at all. In the past few weeks alone I've gotten a job as a celebrity's driver; I took my first solo flight; I've stayed up almost all night for five of the past seven nights; I visited Champaign; I missed a flight; I found an apartment; I moved into a new apartment; I lost an apartment; and we all learned a valuable lesson.

All I want to do by the end of this week is go to a theater and watch a good movie. I can tell you right now that I'm going to spend all damn day at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.


D

I feel like I was bit by Mike Tyson

I feel like I was bit by Mike Tyson

As I was taking the exit from the 10-E to the 110-N, I finally lost it. The whole ride across town I was thinking about this past weekend and how it was so easy to just slip back into my role in Champaign-Urbana. I was so happy to see everyone, and I had the best time there than I had several months here. Getting back made me realize how much I missed every single one of you. So, as I was driving across town with all of my stuff shoved into every crevice of my car, I started crying because I miss you all so much it hurts. Having impaired vision on the highway is dangerous, however, so I sucked it up for the rest of the drive. I'd like to just say how much of a great time I had this past weekend, and invite all of you to my new home to see how the other half (me) lives. I'd also like to once again wish Eric a happy birthday and hope he got what he wished for this birthday. I hope you're all doing well and, of course, don't be strangers.

D

Watching:

"Scrubs"

"Brisco County, Jr."

Listening to:

The Shins, Oh, Inverted World

Music from "Scrubs"

Brian Eno, Another Green World

The Kinks, Muswell Hillbilly

A weekend in Champaign in pictures

A weekend in Champaign in pictures

Seeing as how I only got my camera on Saturday, I subsequently only captured that and the following day on it. First off was a trip to Guido's place on Saturday night to watch the Bears play the 49ers in pre-season exhibition.


Here's Guido looking up some stats for a recently aquired Bears player. He got really excited about it afterwards.


Eric showed up eventually to help with the beers. We were also watching a football game here; I swear it.

After the game, Eric and I went to pick up Kate from her work. We went straight from picking her up to Rentertainment for a night's movie-watching.


You might not be able to see it, but we settled on Orgazmo...unfortunately.

So we went back to Eric's place for some drinks, fine film and a small gathering of friends.


Here's Courey being seductive and out of focus.


Here's Kate looking up something on Eric's computer. I'm sure it was something lascivious.


Alex ended up showing up...


...along with Nadine.


* * *


Here's me having stayed up most of the night and--believe it or not--freshly showered. This was, mind you, before the Midway missed flight incident. I look fucking fantastic now.

D

[UPDATE:
And here I am. Back in my bathroom this morning (Monday) and no worse for the wear. You might notice that I am, in fact, wearing the same shirt as in the previous picture (Sunday) and that I am very much not showered in this shot. Oh, what a difference a day makes. ]

Before I get to this past weekend, let's jump ahead to Midway airport -- Sunday night...

Before I get to this past weekend, let's jump ahead to Midway airport -- Sunday night...

So when Regan and I were heading up to Chicago to drop me off at the airport, we ran into a little snag. 57-N out of Champaign was at a standstill about seven miles outside of town. No cars were moving, even looking up the curve that disappeared out of sight about a mile up the road. Regan thought we were looking at a parking lot at first. I supposed it depends on your definition. We broke out the map and saw that--a-ha!--Rt. 136 (which was right in front of us) leads to 74 if taken West toward Bloomington. We could then catch 55-N--our eventual destination anyway--shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, this meant going straight West then Northeast instead of North then Northeast. Our choices were limited, however, because our other option was sitting, waiting, and hoping.

Zip to Midway:

After a jam in the Arrivals/Departures ramp, Regan finally drops me off at my terminal, and I walk through the doors to check my bags and get my boarding pass. Unfortunately, I had missed my flight. My options? Get put on standby for a flight for LAX at 6:55 AM. That was pretty much my only option. I quickly called Regan and asked her to come back. She did, God bless her little heart. So we went out to some dive restaurant and had some cheap dinner before she had to leave to get back to Champaign at a somewhat decent hour (1 AM). After that, there's not really a story. I slept in one of the airport's seats and woke up at 4 AM to get my ticket for my flight. Then I fell asleep at my gate while I waited for my flight. Then I got on the plane and, yes, fell asleep again. One shuttle after that I'm back at my apartment and packing up my stuff for the move to the new apartment. I learned I had the day off when I called my boss for the third time this morning. Ah fate, how I love it when you interfere in my favor.

I'll post about the weekend soon.

D