Get away from my torch, Jeff Probst!

On Friday, I went to an open casting call for Survivor. It was conducted by a local CBS affiliate in San Dimas...about thirty minutes away from Los Angeles, or at least the part of Los Angeles that I'm residing in at the moment. Those that know me well know that I have spent over a decade auditioning for Survivor. I got my passport in April '01 for my first audition video when I lived in Beech Grove (SE Indianapolis). I remember my wife recording the video as I crawled around a ditch/water run-off pretending to be on the show.  Over the decade-plus of audition video submissions, I've tried sketches, jokes...I've had students help shoot my video and give me ideas. I've tried everything. My last submission this past May, I cloned myself in the video. The more Bobs the merrier, right?

So, what does an open audition entail? Well, ironically, or maybe not ironically, it's pretty much identical to the cattle calls that I discussed earlier with my Fast and the Furious 7 (and Star Wars 7) call. There was a line, and you stand in it to await your turn. Once your time comes, you get 60 seconds to sell yourself to a video camera. Why would you be the best survivor? What's interesting about you, etc.?

 

I've learned from my past auditions, and expected there to be hundreds, or more likely thousands, of people hanging around. I wanted to be the first one so that I didn't have the literal door shut in my face...like at FF7. So, I arrived early, and being the Scrooge with money that I am, I spent the previous evening on Google maps looking at satellite images of the location. I wanted to find free parking. The auditions were at a water park, and they charged $15. I later heard that they discounted it to $5, and some people paid $10, while others paid nothing. So, there was a lot of grumbling in the line about it.  I don't like to pay for parking...ever. So, I found an apartment complex a little under half mile away. I found a spot, and risking being towed, I parked and walked.

Funny story, I had trouble sleeping the night before, and I contemplated driving there and squatting to be first in line.  I didn't want a repeat of earlier casting calls. So, imagine my surprise when I found the line to be 50-60 people long, and I was there an hour early. I would've looked foolish if I had camped out, or been there 4-5 hours early. I was so close to just doing it. Better safe than sorry.

So, after about a 45 minute wait, it was my turn. We were processed (like Ellis Island, but less degrading) and given a number and told where to stand and what to say. My turn came, and I spoke to the camera for my sixty seconds. When finished, the camera guy had a sincere smile (trust me, I can spot phony) and said "nice job," and while I was going into my spiel for the camera, I could see the people waiting behind me all smiling and giggling. So, overall, I think my personality was shown, and I hope they like what they see. 

The CBS affiliate will send the tapes (or email the video probably) to the Survivor casting directors, and if they want us...they get in touch with us.  How cool would it be to be on the show? The only other obsession/dream that rivals Survivor is (obviously) Star Wars. Survivor is second.

 
Today, I went to my first Dodgers game. They were playing the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams are always very good, and the pitcher for the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw, is the best pitcher of this generation. It was an honor to watch him pitch. He threw a no-hitter last week. They won today 6-0, and he was awesome. He had 13 strikeouts (which is awesome!) in 7 innings, and only gave up 5 hits. It was a perfect afternoon...minus the sun blistering my arms. Next time, I'll go to a night game. But, man, it was beautiful! Oh, and I got TWO Dodger dogs...and a large drink...$17! I saw a sign for beer, domestic beer, for $13 a can. I couldn't believe it. I took in a one-liter of water (factory sealed per the rules) that I got for $1 at Dollar Tree. I should've just gotten one Dodger Dog for $5.50. They've got to pay the largest payroll team in baseball (it's not the Yankees any longer, folks) in some way.

 

 

 

Oh, I almost forgot. I had another audition yesterday. Based on my online submission of my headshot/resume/reel, I got an email inviting me to a video audition/submission. It's for a national commercial (or so they say) for The General Insurance. I've never heard of them, so maybe "national" doesn't include Indiana. So, I had directions to follow, and I set up a camera and recorded a few takes. I picked the best one, edited it down nice and neat, and then uploaded it. Pretty simple.  It costs a small fortune to get any sort of help out here...shooting reels, getting headshots taken and/or printed, etc. I'm glad I can do most of my computer stuff myself. I'll update the blog if/when I heard anything about it. I'm not holding my breath, but they must've liked my initial submission, and I think I did well with the video submission. Ultimately, I don't know what they want, what look, etc. So, I just did the best I could with what I was given, and hopefully that is enough to get me on set, and then take their direction in whatever direction they desire. That... I can do.

Tomorrow, I have my first film shoot...the one I blogged about last week. I have to drive 90 minutes to reach the set north of Los Angeles, and I'll blog about it in the coming days (probably Wednesday is my guess). 

Oh, and I found Bill and Ted's high school. Wyld Stallyns!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Boom! Booked it!

Well, the phone rang late last night, and I got the role. I couldn't believe it based on the write-up of the character, but they must've enjoyed what I did. The producer on the phone said that they really enjoyed my time with them, and they "want to spend more time with me on set."  Also, he did compliment me on my firm handshake too, so that's a positive. I really felt like I had a great aura about me when I went in, it was a fun interview/audition, so I knew that they had a good time...or else "they" were the good actors and had me fooled. I wasn't nervous at all, which I found a little strange. Typically, I do not get nervous in the least when I do a theater show. I look at it this way, if I was able to perform in The Full Monty a few years back, I have nothing else to nervous about on stage, or in front of a camera.

So, I was confident and relaxed when I went in, and I guess that showed. I'll have to remember that formula for future auditions...hopefully, there are more to come.

It turns out they want me in their short film, Donut Planet. When I find out what it's truly about, I will surely pass it along. I have no clue. Maybe there will be an IMDB link for it, or something. I'll keep you posted.  The only thing I know is that I will be shooting up near Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of LA. Isn't that were Will Smith takes his family in Independence Day to escape LA? Then Bill Pullman has his big "this is our Independence Day" speech. It's just a little further than Lancaster, which is where I intimately became acquainted with the sidewalk last Saturday for the FF7 casting call.

I'm sure the character will evolve throughout the shoot on Monday. I was joking on Facebook earlier that I'm shooting for something between Don Draper and The Yellow King. That would be a nice mix I think, someone that can be analyzed and dissected be the viewers. It definitely would make the character multidimensional and interesting, and not flat and forgettable.  We'll see what happens. Roll with the punches and be flexible...something I'm pretty good at doing, in my opinion.

Other tidbits and random thoughts:
1. I finally found Diet Mountain Dew. It was at a Chevron. I had checked several different gas stations and restaurants, nothing. I'll have to check another Chevron later to see if it was just a fluke. I told the guy at the register that it was the first Diet Dew that I found, and he looked at me like I was weird. He didn't say anything. Maybe he didn't understand me, or he thought I was just weird.  Probably the latter. It wasn't mixed (syrup to carbonation ratio) right, so it tasted weird, but at least it's out here. It does exist. Like Bigfoot.

2. I decided to sign up for Second City workshops out here too. The same improv troupe that is out of Chicago. They have a LA-based troupe too.  I have the time, so why not? So, I'll have completed The Groundlings and Second City introductory improv sessions by the end of my time here. That's being productive, I think.

3. I've got tickets lined up in the upcoming weeks for The Price is Right, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, and I'm going to the Dodgers/Cardinals game on Sunday (Clayton Kershaw is pitching, and he just threw a no-hitter last week, he's the best lefty of this generation).  I'll need some help coming up with ideas for t-shirts for The Price is Right. We've got a few weeks, but send them my way if you've got any good ones.

4. Yesterday on the Walk of Fame, I found the star for legendary film actor/writer W.C. Fields...it was directly in front of a strip club. I wonder what he would've thought about that fact.

First Hollywood Audition and Touristy Things

 

Well, the time has come. I had my first audition (hopefully first of many) while out here. It's for a film titled Donut Planet. I do not know anything about it. The part I read for is an orderly at an insane asylum named "White Shoes." Here's the character breakdown of ol' White Shoes:

50's, male, all ethnicity, 5'5 - 6'0.  White shoes is an orderly for Desert Oaks Psychiatric Care - he has worked there for 20 + years.  He uses his orderly stature to intimidate the patients in order to keep them in line, he also bends the moral rules of conduct from time to time to get want he wants.  White Shoes is a recovering alcoholic but still enjoys the occasional heavy drug if he can thieve it from a patient.  He has a creepy demeanor but has a weird charm about him.  

I really don't like my chances for the role. I don't think I'm even remotely passable for 50's, but I do have a pair of white shoes, so there's that plus.  I submitted electronically (see earlier post as to what this means, if you're confused) my headshot and resume, and I got an email response that they want me to audition, so I auditioned.

 

They sent me the above character description and the "sides" for the role. "Sides" is another name for the audition material, or script, that will be utilized in the actual audition. From what I've gathered out here, you usually get the lines ahead of time so that you can prepare a character instead of "cold-reading" when you show up to the actual audition. I actually like cold-reading and think that I can do it pretty well, but given the chance to practice before showing up, I like being prepared more than being surprised. If you get a chance, check out the above link to see the scene I read. Not a very complicated/complex scene, but it's short and sweet. Well, not so much sweet, more creepy than sweet.  But more about that in just a bit. It reminded me of the Die Hard scene with the Family Matters dad buying twinkies at the gas station before getting the Nokatomi phone call. "They're for my wife." She's pregnant."

 

 

Before I went to the audition, I did some pretty cool touristy things today. I went up to Griffith Park Observatory, which happens to be the setting for one of my favorite comedies, Bowfinger. It turns out there's a little space museum in the observatory. Who knew? Probably everyone that looked at the website. I just put the address in the GPS (Garmin), and off I went not knowing anything about it.

 

 

There's also a bust of James Dean up there, not very space-related, so that caught me off guard. There's a plaque on the bust that says that some scenes for Rebel Without a Cause were filmed at the observatory, and it was the first time the observatory was utilized in a film as an observatory and not some other structure. I found some pics on IMDB from the movie, scroll through a few of them if you're interested in seeing the shots from the observatory.

 



After the observatory, I still had some time to kill before the audition, so I went down to Grauman's Chinese Theatre to walk around. It was very touristy down there. Lots of people, noise, lights, costumed people, etc. It had a real Times Square feel to it. Very flashy and crowded.

 

It's nice to see that they rebuilt the plaza in front of the theatre since Iron Man 3. Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen it, there's a lot of BOOM that happens right in front of the theatre.  Happy (Jon Favreau) nearly dies in the explosion.

 

Oh, and the above picture is for all of you Blazing Saddles fans. I spent a good twenty minutes looking for Hedey Lamarr's concrete slab, and it wasn't there. I think they created one just for the movie, but I did find Mr. Fairbanks. If you were curious who has been immortalized in concrete, check out this link for their location. I wish I'd have searched for this PDF before spending time looking around everywhere. Lesson learned.

And my last stop before heading to the audition, I stopped for a little food on Hollywood Blvd, just north of Hollywood and Vine.  I found a rare parking spot on the street, and quickly parallel parked (which I'm a pro at now). I got out and low-and-behold I was on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I had no idea where it was located, and guess who was next to my car? This guy!

I'll take it! It must be a sign! Thousands of stars it could've been, and it's this guy! I instantly started running through all of his gems from Animal House, man, what a great movie. I grabbed some NY-style pizza at a little hole-in-the-wall, and relaxed before heading to the audition.

 

 

 

Audition-time! Actually, I was about two hours early. Better earlier than late, right? So, I killed thirty minutes listening to the Sox game in the car, and then I thought I'd go check-in. Maybe they can see me earlier than my assigned time, if not, I'll just soak in the audition atmosphere. I signed in and then they told me to go to the waiting room.

 

I made small talk with the people in the sitting room. All white-haired, I knew it was going to be like that. People that actually look like they're in their fifties. I feel it is a lost cause, but I'm here to experience the audition process. The rejection...the futility...all of it. So, I sit there for about fifteen minutes before they call me back into the little room.  I figure, I'm going to go "big" because I'm surely going home as this part isn't right for me. So, I start revising what I was initially going to do.

The time comes! They introduce me to the producers and writers, and we start chatting.  I think to myself, "Good, chit-chat. I can do this really well." We talked for a good 5-10 minutes, and I'm cracking them up left-and-right. They start talking about how the character is "disturbed," and I give them my little theory as to his purchases in the scene, and what he's going to do with them (see the above "sides," I'm being vague because children might be reading this). One of the producers shouted, "YES! That's what I'm talking about. No one else has thought of that. These guys (indicates the others in the room) thought I was crazy." I said that the thought came to me pretty quickly, and I cited Kill Bill for inspiration.

They mentioned that they see the character as being older, and they wanted to be honest with me upfront. I told them that I was surprised to even get an audition because I don't appear to be in my fifties. I showed them my resume, they seemed really impressed by some of my credits. I talked about my limited film experience, but they kept coming back to the different/varied theatrical roles I've done of late. They seemed pretty impressed when I started talking about my thoughts for this character that I on-the-spot created based on what they were feeding me. They just shook their heads as I went on and on.  I guess muddling my way through certain literary pieces over the years has paid off.  ;)

So, anyway, we get around to reading the scene, and we do it a couple of times. They had a quiet, sweet college-age girl reading with me. I kept making her blush each time we did the scene, she was too sweet. She did the lines well, but you could see her get red whenever I turned the charm on. Think Flynn in Tangled..."smolder."

After I got done, one of the producers said that it reminded him of Tea Bag from Prison Break, and I instantly offered him my pocket to hold on. He about fell out of his chair laughing.

They thanked me for coming in, and then we shook and I left. I felt pretty good about the audition. I'd feel a lot better about the audition if I was twenty years older, but whatever, I wanted the experience, and I got my first Hollywood audition out of the way. Done, done, done.



The Fast and the Furious 7

 

I can't believe I didn't mention this in my previous post, so now, it will get it's own post. So, big movies have these things called "casting calls." It might as well be called "cattle calls." Seriously. That's what it is like. This is my second casting call. Back in the fall, Star Wars 7 was having casting calls around the country (and the UK). I drove down to Nashville at 4:30 in the morning with my dad (thank God he went with me, it's a long drive solo). We got there an hour or so before the meetings started, and the line was already several thousand people long, seriously, thousands of people. I knew my chances were slim to none of getting cast, but after seriously thinking about it, and prodding/kicking/pushing from those near and dear to me, I took a personal day and went for it. The weather was freezing, and the wind child threw it into the low 20's at least. Then, I stood in line for 5ish hours, if I remember correctly, and eventually, I made it inside the hotel's convention center...where another 3-4 hours of waiting commenced. At least I was out of the cold, man, I hate the cold, which is why I'm finding LA's weather is right up my alley.

So, I was expecting to have an audition and a chat, boy, was I mistaken. Now that I look back, how could they possibly hold 7,000+ auditions in one day? I didn't find this little nugget out until the very end of the of the line. The website had PDFs of "sides" (the script for auditions) for those that submitted electronically on the internet. I never got around to doing that. I can't remember why. But in preparation for my casting call, I memorized the sides, and I was ready to perform them when my time came. Unfortunately, my time never arrived. I really felt that it would distance me from the hundreds and hundreds of people that were just doing this as a joke, or a thrill. I felt like it would be an opportunity to show what I can do, and what I sound like.  Now that I think about it, I really should've done that video submission.

When I got to the front of the line, it was finally my turn, I was able to talk to the casting representative for about one minute, maybe two minutes. They wanted to see personality, looks, etc., and I was polite, and I made her laugh a few times, which I take great pride in doing.  She commented on my theater credits, and we chatted a bit, and she thanked me for being so calm and polite.  While I was standing outside all day, the casting people were sitting down going through thousands of little interviews, etc. They actually started seeing people a few hours earlier because of how cold it was outside.  So, it was a long day for all involved. Several people were losing their cool, and I was not one of them. I was tired, but I kept my head about me, which is impressive in its own right. I kept remembering that I was creating a memory, and I actually auditioned (or casting called) for a Star Wars movie. Those that know me know that Star Wars is kind of a big deal to me. 

So after the SW meet-and-great, I gave them my headshot and resume, and my dad and I drove back to Fort Wayne...but, I was obviously hungry since I hadn't eaten or drank anything, so of course, we hit White Castle. One of the best restaurants to go to when you're starving. The food tastes infinitely better when you're starving (or craving, as they put it) for food. It's on another level depending on the degree of your hunger.

Now, back to FF7. It was the same premise as Star Wars. I woke up early on Saturday, and I had to drive about an hour north of LA to Lancaster, California. I drove over mountains, and the only green that I saw was on baseball/soccer fields. Everything else was the color you think of when you think of Nevada/Arizona. It was still beautiful, but not much color. I had no idea how mountainous Los Angeles is. I didn't say hilly...I said mountainous. It really is a beautiful place to live, and the smog you hear so much about isn't really that bad/noticeable...thus far, at least.

I got up there right on time, and I should've gotten there even earlier (like I did for Star Wars). By the time I showed up, I saw that the line stretched out the door and around the corner. I found a parking spot pretty easily, so I didn't think much about it. I walked over to the front of the line, and started walking and walking, and then I hit the corner, and turned it. Holy cow! It stretched the whole next block leading away from the street I was on. So, I started walking and walking, and a few minutes later, I hit the end of the block, and turned left again, and boom, it kept going...this went on for FOUR blocks. It was 90+ degrees, so it was much warmer than Nashville in November, and since I hate the cold, I could tolerate the heat. I listened to the entire White Sox game from start-to-finish (a loss to the Twins), and I still wasn't at the front of the line.

Four-and-a-half hours later, I get to the front of the line. The guy that had been behind me the entire time, a chatterbox mind you, which is another reason that I kept my earbuds in the whole time...somehow he jumped me right at the end, and he was the last person in the door. It was now 3:00, and they were done. Seriously, the door was closed in my face. The workers were chatting around for 10 minutes, and looked at me and said, "Thank you for being so calm." I was just standing there, others were grumbling. Really, what would complaining accomplish. I said, "No problem."

Just then the casting director came out and said that we needed to hand in our headshot and the form we filled out, he stapled them together, and said the director would look them over, and then they'll call us next week or so if they're interested. In my four seconds with the guy, who seemed pretty nice (especially after a busy/stressful day of cranky, heat-exhausted people)...I made him chuckle twice. So, maybe I made my mark. Only time will tell. I'll post if I hear anything.

So, I handed over my stuff, took a dead breath, and then exited the line for the first time since 10:30 that morning.  When I got back to my car, I sat down and felt AC for the first time all day. It was heavenly. Then I began the long trek back to Los Angeles...after a stop at Taco Bell, of course. Of course.

 

One Week Down

Well, a lot of stuff has transpired in my first week out here, and hopefully, a lot more will happen as the weeks progress. I haven't posted in awhile because in someway I felt like I had posted recently...I guess three posts in three days warps my sense of time. It's been awhile. I'll try and be better keeping everyone up-to-date...when there is something worthwhile to update. Let's see, since my Groundlings workshop, I changed housing situations and a friend-of-a-friend was gracious enough to let me crash in her room while she is house-sitting elsewhere. Couldn't have asked for a better situation.

Industry-wise, I've realized at this early stage that there isn't much "pounding the pavement." The internet appears to have streamlined the process. Without a manager or representation (an agent), it appears that self-promotion and the internet are the best way to submit yourself for consideration of parts.  As a result of meeting another friend-of-a-friend(s), my new friend Jill was able to steer me into a better direction that what I had been doing. I changed what websites I use, and subscribed to a few others. It's a lot like Craigslist that you pay a monthly subscription rate for. You scour pages-after-page of listings of roles that are looking to get filled (commercials, short films, tv, feature films, student films, training videos, etc.), and then you read the fine print to see what they're looking for in their casting. If I'm right for it (in my opinion), then I submit my headshot and resume for consideration.

 

After my Friday lunch with Jill in Beverly Hills, I subscribed to Actors Access and Backstage. Take a look at the links to see what I see. So, I stayed up "really" late that night...Hoosiers were probably waking up for their Saturdays when I was still working, and I submitted to a dozen or so projects. I went to bed, and when I woke up there was a hit for an audition opportunity. I have to check my schedule over the upcoming days, but I think I'll be able to do this audition. So, we'll see what happens, and I'll here when I have more to share about that one, or any other ones for that matter.

 



"Bob, Tell Your Agent to Expect a Call from Lorne"

Today was a day of firsts. To begin with, I started my Groundling workshop, and secondly, I cheated on Taco Bell. Sorry, Taco Bell. I had to try Del Taco. Let's discuss the latter first...well, because I can.

Again, the servers were very polite and smiling. The menu was much more appetizing than Taco Bell's. The prices were pretty good too. They had a dollar menu (which I abuse at other establishments). So, I got a soft and hard taco...both higher quality food content than Taco Bell, and they were fuller, but I'm still undecided if I liked the taste. The crunchy taco did NOT crumble the entire time I ate it, so that was a huge bonus in their favor. The spicy chicken burrito was loaded with real beans (not the refried paste that is at TBell), and there was a lot of rice in it. Very filling, but I couldn't find but a few chunks of chicken, and there wasn't even a smattering of taste let alone spicy. So, it was filling, but not very tasty. I'll have to do a second trip pretty soon to see if the tacos were a fluke or not. Taco Tuesday, baby!

 

Then I trekked down to Hollywood for the first day of lessons with the Groundlings. I ended up getting there an hour early, so I walked around Melrose Avenue. Imagine shops like Hot Topic, but more hipster...if that's even possible. Dozens of these stores on both sides of the street. And this little establishment thrown in the middle (or on the corner, rather). Gee, I wonder what they specialize in prescribing?





 

 

 

 

 

So, I eventually killed enough time until it was close enough to hover around the theater.  I'll get more pictures next week (if I remember) of the inside of the theater and our rehearsal/performance space. Once two o'clock came, our instructor, Sean Hogan, corralled us and we went a block down the road to a separate building labeled Groundling School. He was a very confident speaker, and seemed like a combination of Ty Burrell (Modern Family) and Peter Krause (Sports Night, Six Feet Under, Parenthood). Imagine if they had a kid together with equal parts of each...if that's possible, I'm no biologist. He wore a black hat and glasses, which made him look like Burrell, but up close in talking to him one-on-one, I got a LOT of Krause mannerisms. A nice guy. He was a Groundling for ten years, but quit in '03. He said that there' s a time when you're expected to move on to make room for others. Might explain the continued pipeline to SNL and TV after a few years on the Groundling stage. He was in the cast with Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan, and he told a few Will Ferrell stories.

 

So, what did we do in class? We had a three hour concentrated introduction to improv. We did activities/games that helped to tear down our insecurities. He discussed how our mind typically works, and how we typically think while we're improv--ing, but if we do it that way, we're out of the moment. Don't worry about mistakes. Listen! The various games were designed to help us get over the fear of failing, and more importantly, when we do fail (which he assured us that we will) we will be able to move on without much of a hiccup.

The first activity was to go around the room and say our name followed by our favorite movie (Bob, Star Wars). This was not to see who the quickest person was at remembering names...we were all assured we would fail and call "help." He wanted to see how our mannerisms/body language changed when we were grasping for something. Improv is listening and helping, it's NOT asserting your character ONTO them, it's a tandem, a dance. So, since I was sitting on the dealer's left (poker jargon), I went first. And as my friend and fellow teacher Seth will attest to, I'm not the best at names. So, one can pretty much guess how I did with the names. Ironically, I was able to remember probably 80% of their movies, but their names didn't make an impression in my mind. Shocker, I know. Again, it wasn't a complete memorization activity, it was to concentrate on how we hold ourselves up when we fail and need help. When we don't know a name, or movie, we were supposed to say "help" without changing anything about ourselves (voice, inflection, body language, eye contact, etc.)...almost as if their name was "help."

Oh, before I forget...this guy is in the class, former NFL linebacker T.J. Slaughter (NFL stats): http://tjslaughter.com/.

A real nice guy. I got to chat him up a bit, but I hope to talk to him more down the road. He's just started up in the last two years acting-wise, so it will be neat to hear about some of his hurdles/obstacles along the way. Because in looking at him, we are obviously going to be going for the same roles, and the same career path. Obviously. He's airing right now nationally in a commercial. If you see a truck racing a man through a gravel tunnel (like under an overpass), it's him. Really a strong guy...obviously.

There were a few others games. Stand in a circle, and say a word to the person to your left, and whatever letter that word ends in...the next word has to begin with it. We need to tell a story, a story that makes sense, not so much funny. This forces us to listen as well as think on our toes.  There were a handful of other principles/activities, but I won't bore you with each one. They were all helpful, and the energy that Sean had really presented an environment to explore without feeling judged. Granted, some people opened up a little sooner than others...like me...and this one girl that has JEDI tattooed on her lower lip (on the inside). I think she's my new best friend in that class, along with Mr. Slaughter. I wonder if anyone ever called him "Sarge" or "Seargent," hmm...

Other observations of the day:
1. Oh, so that's LA traffic. Ugh.
2. They don't put exit numbers on the signs leading up to the exit. They only put them on the sign immediately where the road forks off. Glad I have the Garmin.
3. The parking enforcement people are borderline Nazis...according to stories I hear. Two hour parking spaces, they will spray your tires with a solution. Two hours later, they come by with a UV light and if your tire is inked, then you get ticketed because you were there over two hours. This didn't happen to me, but a great story nonetheless. I was sweating as I approached my car after sitting on the street for four hours. Thought I wasn't in a two-hour spot.

I Hopped Off the Plane at LAX with a Dream and My Cardigan...

 

 

 

See what I did there? I actually have a cardigan on too.  What a first day! 9 hours before takeoff, my flight was cancelled and rescheduled for half an hour earlier. I got nowhere near enough sleep...probably three hours in all, and I was the most tired when we got up this morning. Both kids bounded awake, and I as usual took the longest to get functioning. Made it into FWA easy-breezy and in-and-out of Detroit just fine until I landed in LAX. Then the adventure began...in more than one way.

 

A word of advice: pay the extra money to get a rental car from a dealership you know. I found a company that quoted me $400-500 less than the other major chains for the same seven-odd weeks of renting.  So, I waited for the shuttle to come around, and after awhile, I checked the sign and every major brand was listed but this one. So, I called the number, and I was supposed to have known this already (obviously)...I was supposed to take the shuttle/bus to "Parking Lot C" and "look for the cell phone waiting area." That's all the direction I was given, and miraculously, the bus came pretty quickly after that.

 

Upon reaching the parking lot, I was directed by the bus driver to go sit on a bench until the shuttle came from the car rental agency. I felt like Forrest Gump minus the box of chocolates.  After twenty-plus minutes, I called their agency to find out where the shuttle was...since they were 1.6 miles away from my location at that moment, I was stunned as to why I hadn't been picked up yet. So, after two calls, they eventually showed up, and drove me to the dealership. Once there, oh boy, once there they couldn't figure out the quoted estimate that I had online. They wanted me to pay $400+ more (on top of my online confirmed price) for their car. Ummm...I have an online reservation for "this" quote, I think I should get the car for this quote.  An HOUR later, they figured out how to manipulate the numbers to get me the agreed upon pricing. They were really sweet and nice, and I never lost my temper, which kind of amazed me. What schedule am I on? None, really.

 

So, once I had my car, I commenced driving around town. I drove for a few hours and miraculously got 35 mpg in city travel with a handful of interstate travel too. Not too shabby. Oh, and no power windows, or power locks either. Just like back home with my good old Neon. I saw a few of the sites, but I did not get out and park. Everything costs a fortune to park, and I drove all around looking for a free parking space (I'm cheap, get used to it!). In a drive-by fashion, the Grauman's Chinese Theatre looked cool, and literally, it was like a Times Square meets Gatlinburg vibe for the few blocks surrounding the theater on both sides. I drove out to the Santa Monica Pier, but again, I didn't want to pay the parking price for the last few hours of daylight. It looked gorgeous though, and I think I'll splurge for it someday and do it right.

 





 

 Other random observations/thoughts of the day, and in no particular order:
1. I couldn't find Diet Mountain Dew at any of the pop machines that I checked throughout the day.
2. Oh, yeah, and it's not "pop" either, it's "soda." Not too shocked by that though.
3. Gas is $3.99-$4.40 at different gas stations within a few miles of each other, weird.
4. You can buy booze/beer on Sunday. Again, not a real shock. It shows how weird Indiana is when I think it's a big deal that you can purchase alcohol on Sunday.
5. You can buy TAB at the grocery. Seriously, TAB!

 



 6. The lanes seem to be narrower than normal, and when you're in a traffic jam...motorcycles like to blast up the lanes between the rows of cars at a very fast clip. One guy was mere inches from my mirror...which instantly made me feel like I made a mistake in not getting the coverage at the rental agency.
7. Most people have been very nice (see the above story about the rental ladies). The waiter and other business people that I came into contact with were smiling and engaging to me. Maybe they could sense my laidback vibe, or something. Regardless, they've been pretty enjoyable thus far.
8. With that said, within moments of pulling out of the car lot, I was informed by a passing motorist that I am his favorite (Number One!) driver, or at least that's what I choose to think of his hand signal.
9. And I may, or may not, have signed autographs as Matthew McConaughey for a couple of Japanese teenagers at baggage claim while I was waiting for my bags.

One Day More...

Well...the time has come. In my best Valjean voice (Wilkinson, not Jackman), "One Day More." I've had the entire week off from school (got done with grades/clean-up early), my sister and her kids came in from out-of-town, my mom had a week-long retirement celebration, my wife had tech week and opening night for a musical that she's in...oh, and my kids had baseball/softball every night.  It's been a busy/fun week that has flown by, and on the back end of the week, I knew that I was leaving so I tried to enjoy every last second with the kids/wife.  The inevitable plane ride was always on the horizon, and it's something that I was looking forward to but I didn't want it to come any sooner than necessary.  The summer is going to be an adventure for myself, but also for those that are staying at home. They'll have a busy time of their own, but it won't be the same as us being together.

So, Saturday, I've spent the entire day with the kids, and we crashed through the last five episodes of Agents of Shield (gotta finish a season before taking the summer off...continuity, and all), let's just say I'm glad I took them to see Captain America 2 earlier in the week.  So, put them down a bit ago...and a little under 9 hours to go and I'll be heading to the airport. Maybe I should start packing now? Just a thought.

T-Minus TWO Weeks and Counting....

 

Two weeks from today, I start my Groundlings improv workshop, which I'm pretty excited about. I have no idea what I'm walking into...seasoned actors, complete newbies (like me), or somewhere in between.  Will it be scene work, which I think I'd be okay with...or will it be improv games like in some beginning acting class, I have no idea. Either way, it will be an experience, and an experience I hope to chronicle in this blog.

A lot of people ask me, "What are you going to do out there?" My response: "I have no idea. Really. I don't know what to expect." That response, that honest response, seems to scare a few people, and it does open up my eyes a bit to the enormity of this opportunity. I'm giving up a lot to be out there...summer with my family. My family is giving up a lot for me to be out there. My wife is the true MVP, seven weeks with the kids and no sub.

I do not look at this summer as a vacation, or if I slip into that mindset at some point, it will be viewed as a working vacation. I am going to soak up anything-and-everything that I can. I foresee sitting in a lot of waiting rooms for a few hours, reading a few lines...then they think I stink, and I go to the next one. And, you know what, I'm okay with that. I want to experience the honest struggles that the beginning actor goes through, and in doing so, I hope to capture that experience in this blog.

I still have a ton of stuff to do...not only am I trying to soak up any-and-all family time that I can (ball games, practices, etc.), I still have to get things lined up for the move out there.  What do I pack? How many socks, shirts, etc.?  When do I pack? I'll probably pack the day before the flight, but I'll have things figured out by then, and then just drop the stuff in a suitcase.  I don't know if I'll have easy access to a washer/dryer, if I do, I guess I can take fewer things out there.  Who am I kidding, I won't do laundry very often even if I had the option.  This will not be a glamorous excursion to the coast. I imagine sleeping on floors, not eating very well (fast food!), etc. Very much the poor, struggling, beginning actor that I want to be for this experience. No comforts for me, I predict. And I'm okay with that.

Oh, and it's final exam week here at school. So, tons of grading that still needs to happen in a short amount of time. Busy, busy, busy...