I’ve sat at this computer with this same document open three different times, in three different locations.
The First location was at my usual spot at Steph’s picnic table at her house. I was ready to relive the fun she and I had in Wisconsin and Minnesota but I was really into the Hunger Games book and wanted to finish it. The book turned out to be a trap, I thought I was going to get some “Running Man” type story, and was rewarded to a bit of a Twilight, teenage-girl-angst ending.
The second location was at another familiar spot. The Burnside Café at my Apartment Complex. I usually come here to edit video and chat it up with my Swedish Barista buddy Robin. Unfortunately I was feeling particualry cynical that day about my horrible job situation and feared that my entire blog would reflect that, so I stuck to editing the Nepal video and waiting to hear back on some job opportunities – fruitless.
Now I’m here a week after my first blog attempt. Sitting in Steph’s room while she is away at work and I do laundry (it’s a bit cheaper at her place).
OK
I definitely want to highlight how great it was to meet my lovely little niece Sammie (not the aforementioned “Sammy” – which seemed to add an inappropriate amount of masculinity to the child, which she could do without seeing how most passerby thought she was a boy despite the pink and polka dots, Sure, dress your boy in pink, who am I to say he doesn’t like pink.)
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| Stressed over the confusion |
Now I’m not an expert on babies, but I have the sense to ask if it’s a boy or girl if I'm not sure. It upsets me enough when people get my dog’s gender confused.
I am getting a kick out of this latest Canadian fad though. Apparently this family has been raising their child in a "gender free environment" Not admiting to the gender of the child until it's old enough to choose. Very forward thinking, definitely worth the years of torment and bullying to finally admit that “Yes, I am still a boy”.
I've decided to go the other way with child rearing, I'm gonna go with my gut and make predictions about my niece from some initial observations.
I am pretty sure that after spending just few days with my niece, I can not only guess her preferred color pallet, but can accurately determine just about every interest she will gravitate towards in the next 30 years of her life.
For example, when I first held her, she gave me this fish-out-of-water look that (to the layman) would suggest that I was holding her incorrectly but I soon realized that she was making a desperate plea for individualism.
The way she fought to kick her sock off, dismissed as “being squirmy”, was actually a message that this chick is a naturalist – she wanted to go barefoot and feel the breeze.
The way she rolled her eyes around the room in search of my face told me that she was adventurous, athletic, and will be an excellent reader.
Later when I had her balanced on my legs, she reached up with her hands and scrunched her fingers – a clear sign of leadership, probably a candidate for school president, or captain of her hockey team.
And the way she pooped her pants, smiled, and fell asleep indicated that she is a woman who gets what she wants.
People always wonder what their kids are going to be like, just pay attention people, not that difficult.
I can’t wait for Halloween to see if Sammie will go with the “cute bug” “jack-o-lantern” or “peapod” option.
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So Wisconsin was amazing.
Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Nate and Kasey Johnson (or Coatta? wink wink) on a fantastic wedding and for including me on the big day.
I had the pleasure of performing the tasks of both usher and musician. Now I must say, I always thought the usher position was for those friends of yours who are reliable but kind of an embarrassment so you make them seat people and give them a thumbs-up at the end, but I was wrong. Ushing might be the most stressful job at a wedding, a position for your “Top Dudes”.
It didn’t help the stress level when the pastor said “if somebody has a heart attack during the service, who do you think is responsible for reviving them? That’s right, the ushers.”
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| Listening to our job detail at the rehearsal |
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| Karly, Kelly, and Sammie |
I was happy to escape to the stage and play some music with my brother John during the later part of the service.
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| Ben examining his child in the sight of God before the wedding |
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| Julie reading a passage at the wedding |
The real joy was on the bus ride was after the wedding. Driving on a bus through Wisconsin prairie and farmland, cold Miller-Lite in my hands, it was exactly the kind of stress free medicine I had been craving since living in LA.
I even got Steph in on the action with a beer, she was distressed not to see any Smirnoff Ice around but darn those manners of hers, she couldn’t say no.
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| Yum! |
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| Visiting the old Reynolds cottage |
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| Lake at the Cottage |
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Now, what better way to finish off a great wedding than by celebrating your Great Grandma’s One-Hundred-and-swear-to-God-Fourth Birthday?
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| Great Grandma Reynolds |
Yes. Great Granny Reynolds turned the ripe old age of 104 and has never looked better. We popped on over to The Attic Angel Retirement Community to give her our best and had quite the experience.
Now I’ve never had a great track record at retirement homes. They tend to make me antsy, what-with the stiff couches, floral wallpaper, doilies, and figurines of forest animals, not to mention the oxygen tanks, orthopedic shoes, or the shelves containing various ceramics and urns (Class of ’96?) – Jk, although I was wondering about that, but I must say that this place was pretty nice.
Anyways, Grandma is something of a legend at “the Attic” for obvious reasons, but the gaggles of old ladies who hungrily surrounded us could barely contain their excitement as they helped us track her down, with several eyewitnesses relaying that they had “just [seen] Helen in the cafeteria” moments before.
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| The crew, looking for cheeks to pinch |
Right on queue, the elevator doors opened and out WALKED the lady of the hour. Amazing that she walks around, unlocks her room door with her key and has a DVD player.
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| This is a Hallmark card |
After a few pictures, she decided her room was a bit cramped and moved us down the hall to the “Quiet room” where there is ample space, a piano, and a window that she favors, “You can see the highway from here, and the garden”.
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| 5 Generation Photo |
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We then headed back to Minnesota for a little more R&R with friends and fam and kicked things off with a sweet reunion at the newly revamped Psycho Suzies restaurant in Minneapolis. This place has everything you could ask for in the way of Polynesian Tiki-style drinks and amazing pizza.
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| Patio at Psycho Suzie's |
Where else can you get a drink that comes in a ceramic volcano? The tattooed servers at PS are way rad and seem to be a bit more hardcore than your average LA hipster.
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| Amazing |
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| The future Mr. & Mrs. Barr, this should be in your slideshow |
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That night the party ventured on in Mahtomedi of all places at the home of Dusty Wahl. Together we headed into Willernie, a town known only to locals, to a bar called Frigaards, where ordering anything more complicated than a Rum & Coke might halt the juke box and cause the pony-tailed bartender to inquire what “city folk like [us] [were] doing there”.
Lucky for us, it was “Dollar Keystone Nite” so we were set. Dusty attempted to keep a low profile as the place was crawling with old Mahtomedi Alum. Of course, being an all-star highschool runningback sits somewhere between President Bush and War Hero in Willernie and he was immediately recognized.
“D WAHL!!! The F*** Have you been up to man!? we heard you’d been comin’ out here lately.”
The Surly locals kept Dusty on his toes all night, he was even offered to “bump some cocaine” in the bathroom, an offer he humbly declined.
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| Dusty Wahl: Mahtomedi King |
This bar had it all, free pool, dartboard, and even had some dice so we could play a fantastic drinking game.
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| Steph Wins/Loses with her "Dead Nazi" |
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| Casey and her "Crystal Virgin" |
The only thing missing was an old toothless woman named “Skeeter” sitting at the end of the bar... Oh wait, scratch that, there she is greeting Dusty.
Woman at Bar: (Offering a crooked hand) Name’s Skeeter
Dusty: (Shaking Hand) Hi Skeeter, I’m Dus….
Bartender: SKEETER!! Quit Hasselin’ the Customers!
I am counting the days when I can go back for Dollar Keystone Nite in Willerni.
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The rest of the trip was spent relaxing at the Home of Ben, Kelsey, & Samantha Curtis.
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| Biking around in Minnetonka |
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| The Chocolate/Banana Malt at Snuffy's: Divine |
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| Reading my roommates Kindle, definitely on the wish-list |
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| Our "Last Supper" at Jimmy Johns - these do NOT exist in LA :( |
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Back to Reality
Things started quickly when we got home. I was back at Paramount for two days, running one of my favorite errands, gathering props.
I had to pick up two rubber pistols and two sets of handcuffs for a cop show and they needed to be sent within the hour, I had to hustle. The prop place is one of the coolest places I have seen.
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| Showing me how the handcuffs work |
When I say they have everything, they have everything. This place outfits most movies and has everything from hospital equipment to stuffed bears to military equipment to scuba gear to home furnishings, everything. I was in awe when I was taken to the gun room and asked to take my pick.
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| "Take your pick" |
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| Wow |
Unfortunately I was running out of time and had to get the items to Kinkos in a hurry. I hopped in the car and flew to the nearest one I could find, parked my car and ran in. Now it took me a second too late to realize that I was carrying two very life like pistols in a clear plastic bag and gave the clerk quite a shock when I tossed them on the counter and said “these need to be sent right away!” His first words, after he put his hands up and backed away a step were “Man, what is this?” I had to quickly explain that they were fake. Only in LA.
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And since then….nothing, Unfortunately I’ve found myself back to square one with the job situation, After the guns were sent off, the show wrapped and there hasn’t been enough work to go on around the office.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tired of this.
Living week to week, hoping that I can get enough work making copies to pay rent in an overcrowded apartment thousands of miles away from friends and family. The glitz and glam of Hollywood have grown dull in these past weeks.
This industry is wearing me down, and I find myself peeking at the calendar more and more at the prospect of visiting home.
I know that my time out here has not been a waste but that’s just about the worst pep talk you can give yourself when you’ve eaten nothing but PB&J’s for 2 days and listen to a boss who has a knack for treating you like a 4-year old.
Point is, If I’m supposed to last another month out here, let alone another year, I’m gonna need some big big changes in my life.
I don’t even know what to pray for, maybe just that my attitude improves, or a little direction in my life. Finding a lasting job wouldn’t be the worst thing either.
If you have time enough to read all this crap, if you could toss up a prayer for myself and Steph, that would mean a lot.
This blog has probably been the most rewarding thing I’ve done out here.
I love hearing feedback from people and hearing about their own crazy situations. So let me know!
OTHER NOTABLE MOMENTS:
Some of the Roomies and I drove out to beautiful Ventura for some Mini Golf Fun and then on to Santa Barbara.
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| David and Jeff, ready to putt |
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| Harbor in Santa Barbara |
Got to see Kneen! Picked up Josh Kneen from the Amtrak Station, and got to hang with him for a couple days, great time.
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| Explains it all |
Steph and I were invited to my pretty-much-cousin Chelsy’s birthday party at Malibu Wines! It was a beautiful place and we had a great time “sipping” wine and listening to some Jazz.
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| Malibu Wines |
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| Saw this guy at the beach |
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| Santa Monica Iguana |
