Street cactus..

So... what do I find ambling around town but a Cacti enthusiast that has decided this sub-tropical climate would be perfect for a Tricocereus pachanoi.  

And hes put a little sign in the yard to ID it for passers-by, telling me it was planted in 1999.  

An just to prove we're in NOLA... that's a pothus beginning to climb it...  it will be interesting to see how both fare over the next year or so...  cacti arent usually  given to Tolerating tropical vines ambling over them, and pothus usually want more shade than cacti provide .

More movie extra drama

So locally, they're now filming Joe Dirt 2 with David Spade.  Unfortunately, it's filming in Covington, on the other side of the lake, and they're having a very hard time finding enough extras over there.  I've had 3 different calls from the same Damn casting agent, and I keep saying... I would love to work on that project, (although actually I'm pretty indifferent, but you don't say that)  but I still haven't got a ride out to Covington.

I know they've had to delay at least one scene...
You'd think they'd get the idea And charter a bus. 
Other than that. .. I did just get cast as a drinker in a dive bar.  There's only 3 extras in the scene, so I might get good face time on the shot... and if there's less than a dozen extras we get to eat with the real cast... usually... we'll see...

Still, I'm thinking if I really want to nail the subtle nuances of "dive bar drinker" it might require some intense research... (I can see me now... yes officer, I did drink an entire bottle of tequila... but it was for art...)

Well... at least it's not a movie post...

So... I spent the day working day labor on this building....

The really interesting thing about this building is that it was origionally slave quarters.   

Here in New Orleans, many houses have these smaller buildings across the courtyards that were originally used as housing for slaves.  Of course, after the end of slavery, they were either used as servants quarters, or converted to carriage hpuses or garages.   Now days, since live in servants are rare, the ones not converted to vehicles are being converted to apartments for family or rental.

This one, as far as we can tell, was never converted to much past servants quarters.  About 50 years ago, it appears a cement floor was laid down and tje interior walls that separated it into 4 spaces(2 up, 2 down) were removed, And seems to have been used for storage and not much else since.  The exterior has siding covering the 14 inch wide knotty pine boards So  that it matches the main house.

BTW...a far we can tell, this building is much older than the main house which was replaced aproximately 100 years ago, and updated with an American Craftsman look in the 40s.  

They taught me how to run a jackhammer.  I then proceeded to take out the concrete floor.  Not the most fun I've ever had.

We then spent a while discovering the original fireplace site... some old animal bones, a couple of buried bottles... all that sort of thing.  We then cleaned up some more.  There was some minor drama around another temp that came in with me... but he was gone by noon and the less said the better, and I have to go back tomorrow.  

And that's my day...

I really need another movie job.  One where I sit around doing nothing all day.

Another pic of my wonderful career

Ok... I know this blog started out about gardening, and lately, my total lack of a garden is interfering with that... hard to grow anything when you're living in a guest house, and now we're kind of going off track with the movie thing

This is me on the set again.  I'm supposed to be a spectator at a congressional hearing.  Actually, i think I look like one of those pillars of the community who get caught running a prostitution ring on the side but there we are.

Just submitted for a bigger role as a White House Aid in a Movie that starts filming in January.  Good wishes, prayers, finger crossings all gratefully accepted... I need the higher pay grade...

Another post about nothing at all...

So... Tuesday and Wednesday I spent on a movie set... playing an International Space Station worker up in space.  Which sounds cool enough, but it basically boils down to 1 of 50 guys in a jumpsuit.  We looked like a convention of janitors. 

That's me in my jumpsuit.  And yes, since we're all international, we have different flags on our arms, and yep...thats the United Arabian Emirate on mine. I was like... Really?  Have you even looked at me?  Arabian?  Im not the swarthy type...but There we are...

The first day was easy enough.  14 hours of sitting in a holding room doing absolutely nothing.  Except occasionally sneaking down to raid the craft services table.  Got there too late for breakfast, but lunch was salmon, chicken in lemon sauce, green pees,  carrots, mashed potatoes , salad bar and chocolate cake. I could live with that.

Dinner was Chinese food.   I had rice and. Pork broccoli something or other. 

The next day, i did get there for breakfast.  We had a buffet with grits, sausage patties, biscuits, hash browns, scrambled eggs, gravy, and some mixed fruit salad.  (We were a little miffed because the crew and the stars got yogurt and had an omelette chef.  Snots)

The PA's (production assistamts) told us to load up, because we were gonna work today, and we did... i ran down stairs, across the loading dock and up the ships ramp at least 35 times.  My poor knees.  

Lunch was beef briskit, tilapia, broccoli, yellow squash, salad bar and pecan pie.   Since they had too much for the cat and crew they told us to help ourselves in the other room if we wanted chicken kabob. And ice cream with our pie.

Then we ran some.more.  Then I came home.

Thursday, i recovered. 

Today, I'm at the day labor service.

And thats it.