Back in LA

Wow, I was actually missing LA when I was in Boston- hahaha. Can you believe it? I still can't get it through my head how spoiled we are here in LA being able to get anything we need or want for a shoot. Anyways, here are the highlights of the days after Boston.

Wednesday the 30th I just relaxed. I slept in, had breakfast and, well, didn't do much of anything. I watched some TV and cleaned the apartment and that's about it. I called Larry and told him some of my Boston stories and he said that I didn't have to come into work until next month... hahaha: Thursday and Friday the next week. So I just relaxed the rest of the day.

I ended up going into Mole the next day, Thursday, because I had just gotten an email from Ron Hauer(the Cinematographer from the Boston shoot) who asked me to work on his next project, a podcast series for the internet. He said that the budget was tiny for G&E so I would have to get creative with the lights.
So I went into Mole and tested out all the small lights. I checked their flood and spot ranges, their shadow projection, and how much or little I could control them. That is when it hit me: I was at Mole-Richardson testing lights that I would be using on an upcoming project... I was AT MOLE-RICHARDSON playing with their lights. I remember thinking wow, I can get any light Mole makes and just play around with it, test it out, do all the things I've always been curious about doing with a light... and I get paid! It was just a funny feeling to know that I have access to, not only the #1 brand in the industry, but also my personal favorite brand. Brian kept saying it every day of the shoot and he was right, I do have the sweetest gig in LA!
I know that sounds a little like bragging, but I just really excited. So Excited that I called Roy at the cage back and SF State and caught up with him for a bit. It's just a crazy thing to day dream about being able to work on movies all day and then in my spare time to go watch movies... and that is what I am doing right now. I smiled all the way home from Mole.
To make the day better, my paychecks were waiting for me in the mail when I got home. I got 2 checks, I was only expecting 1... and they were for way more then I was expecting. I make $10 an hour to play with lights all day! I couldn't believe it. I relaxed the rest of the day, making a to-do list for the weekend(which still included getting a bed).I relaxed and Andrew and I sat down to watch V for Vendetta, which I loved!

So the next day was Friday the 1st. I woke up early and cleaned more, the dishes were done, the living room was in order, and I was ready to run my errands. Brian Deutsch, the key grip from Boston, called me up and we had a late brunch at Roscoe's. He headed down to the Arclight to watch Quincenera and I walked with him, continuing on to Staples to pick up a business card organizer, printer paper and ink for my printer. I had finally set up my computer(though my internet wasn't working) and so I was finally getting things in order.
On my way back from Staples I picked up the New Swell Season album by Glen Hansard from the Frames from Amoeba. I had been meaning to use a gift card that I found in my wallet from a year ago. I went home and listened to the CD, finished setting up my computer and organized all the business cards I've collected while I've been down here(more then 30).
Andrew and I went out that night to meet up with Tim(Andrew's old roommate last summer, now living with Jenna) and his new roommate Ryan(or Kyle... Tim kept calling him Kyle, but Andrew Introduced him as Ryan... I think). We went to this Irish bar and grill and hung out. It was funny talking to people there because they asked how we knew each other and kept getting confuse with who was who's roommate. It was also funny(but probably only to me) that all four of us are "in" the industry. With me at Mole, Andrew doing music sup stuff at Raleigh, Tim assisting with editing at M-TV, and Ryan/Kyle starting to break in(he literally moved out here 3 weeks ago) we all were an impressive bunch to talk to. Anyways we went home early and I fell asleep on the couch determined to buy a bed the next day.

Saturday the 2nd I slept in, made Andrew and I breakfast, and then did some chores around the house before heading out in search of a bed. I went to two places but swung by a 3rd place I had seen on the way to the 2nd. I knew that this was going to be the place to buy it when the salesman said, "Ok, honestly, let's just be direct with each other, how much do you really want to spend on a bed?" I gave him my honest answer and he made me a deal which was good enough not to go back to the other places. I wrote a check and the bed was delivered the next day.
On top of me getting a bed, USC beat Arkansas 54-10, a win for their first game of the season!(Peter, if you are reading this, I expect you to have the entire USC football schedule memorized by know) Fight on!

Sunday my bed arrived! Yay! I got an email from Larry asking me to call his cell phone. So I called him and he asked if I could come in on Tuesday instead of waiting till Thursday. I was so grateful he called because the sound stage was a huge mess when I went in to test those lights and I didn't get a chance to organize anything.
I felt like cooking so Andrew and I went to Ralph's and got groceries(we needed them anyway) and I made some chicken with stir-fry noodles and vegetables. It was quite good considering the whole thing was an experiment.

The next day was Monday the 4th and I forced myself to finally do laundry. I had been putting it off all weekend, thank goodness the Meyer's so kind enough to let me do some laundry the day before I left Boston. So I did laundry and set up the X-Box. I havn't;t played video games in soooo long. I need to be careful because they are addicting and don't have time to waste on them- haha.

And that concludes the day after Boston.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
80% of all grip equipment, stands, clamps, etc can be repaired, adjusted, taken apart, or put together by a 3/16 allen wrench or hex key. So if you are a grip, you can save the day by carrying a 3/16 allen wrench, hex key, or t-handle.