Reflections on Los Angeles
I fell asleep at an AFI screening of Dracula in September ... not one of the countless rehashes, but the original, Bela Lugosi badass vampire movie from between the World Wars. I couldn't help but feel ashamed as I left the theater that I had missed part of what is probably the oldest film print I will ever see projected. (The second being The Flicker ... I don't suggest seeing it if you're epileptic).
After nearly six months in Los Angeles it's time to wake up.
And stay awake.
I will remember Los Angeles as my final destination, something to inspire my return in a few short years. I don't want to remember the too-hot climate, the self-centered masses, the horrendous movie ticket prices, the horrible traffic, or the tragic failure of so many filmmakers turned waitstaff of remembering my order.
I'll remember ...
... watching a door get blown off its hinges on a sound stage.
... a sunset vigil on a beach.
... looking at puppies at PetLove.
... bagel Fridays and cake-days at Regency (and any other free-food/free-drink opportunity while at Fox Studios).
... turning down the first job I was ever offered ... with the hope that something better would come along.
... taking up the "something better."
... having a wrap party ... at 9am ... on a Tuesday ... at the dive-est bar in all of Valencia (or SoCal, for that matter).
... meeting an ex-girlfriend of Scott Peterson's.
... winning big money in Vegas ... losing big money in Vegas ... and the best (and most expensive) buffet you'll ever have (Paris).
... asking, "Are you kosher?" right after eating a hot dog ... wrapped in bacon.
... seeing William Hung, with the whole Arrested Development cast, shooting a scene during a tour of their stage.
... an agent telling me during an interview why he loves his job: Because he gets "to sleep with celebrities ... alright, B-list celebrities ... well, honestly, she was only low B-list, but I'm moving up!"
... living in four different apartments in as many months.
... three crazy Halloween parties ... and broken kegs.
... random lost Australians on Poinsettia.
... seeing Terminator 2 at the Arclight ... and trying to see Serenity later but four different fire alarms interrupting the show.
... Baja Fresh ... too well ...
... Pink's. And what a disappointment it was.
... Diddy Reise - always.
... shots of tequila poured into my beer when I wasn't looking.
... "non-toxic soap snow" at the Grove and the El Capitan.
... racing our Director of Photography to the Emergency Room to get some stitches ... only to return to set three hours later to finish the music video.
... getting hit on the head by a mambo combo stand - it floored me.
... VIP box seats at Padres stadium, with a bottomless fridge of beer and a never-ending grill of hot-dogs.
... coming out to my car and finding it buried in ivy that was most certainly not there when I parked it.
... dinners and wine with great company.
... open bars ... and apparently not much after that.
The next two weeks see me go from Los Angeles to San Francisco to the US Army Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky. New Years will most likely be spent with strangers somewhere between Colorado and the Bluegrass State. And I'll be driving a new car (TBD) out on my road-trip.
There will be plenty more to write about once more exciting things happen to me.
And enjoy what sunshine you can, wherever you are. One of my first tasks at Knox: running two miles, outside, in the snow.
After nearly six months in Los Angeles it's time to wake up.
And stay awake.
I will remember Los Angeles as my final destination, something to inspire my return in a few short years. I don't want to remember the too-hot climate, the self-centered masses, the horrendous movie ticket prices, the horrible traffic, or the tragic failure of so many filmmakers turned waitstaff of remembering my order.
I'll remember ...
... watching a door get blown off its hinges on a sound stage.
... a sunset vigil on a beach.
... looking at puppies at PetLove.
... bagel Fridays and cake-days at Regency (and any other free-food/free-drink opportunity while at Fox Studios).
... turning down the first job I was ever offered ... with the hope that something better would come along.
... taking up the "something better."
... having a wrap party ... at 9am ... on a Tuesday ... at the dive-est bar in all of Valencia (or SoCal, for that matter).
... meeting an ex-girlfriend of Scott Peterson's.
... winning big money in Vegas ... losing big money in Vegas ... and the best (and most expensive) buffet you'll ever have (Paris).
... asking, "Are you kosher?" right after eating a hot dog ... wrapped in bacon.
... seeing William Hung, with the whole Arrested Development cast, shooting a scene during a tour of their stage.
... an agent telling me during an interview why he loves his job: Because he gets "to sleep with celebrities ... alright, B-list celebrities ... well, honestly, she was only low B-list, but I'm moving up!"
... living in four different apartments in as many months.
... three crazy Halloween parties ... and broken kegs.
... random lost Australians on Poinsettia.
... seeing Terminator 2 at the Arclight ... and trying to see Serenity later but four different fire alarms interrupting the show.
... Baja Fresh ... too well ...
... Pink's. And what a disappointment it was.
... Diddy Reise - always.
... shots of tequila poured into my beer when I wasn't looking.
... "non-toxic soap snow" at the Grove and the El Capitan.
... racing our Director of Photography to the Emergency Room to get some stitches ... only to return to set three hours later to finish the music video.
... getting hit on the head by a mambo combo stand - it floored me.
... VIP box seats at Padres stadium, with a bottomless fridge of beer and a never-ending grill of hot-dogs.
... coming out to my car and finding it buried in ivy that was most certainly not there when I parked it.
... dinners and wine with great company.
... open bars ... and apparently not much after that.
The next two weeks see me go from Los Angeles to San Francisco to the US Army Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky. New Years will most likely be spent with strangers somewhere between Colorado and the Bluegrass State. And I'll be driving a new car (TBD) out on my road-trip.
There will be plenty more to write about once more exciting things happen to me.
And enjoy what sunshine you can, wherever you are. One of my first tasks at Knox: running two miles, outside, in the snow.
posted by Violent Traveler at 12:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home