Haloween is coming!

We're doing a Halloween tree at the guesthouse.   my contribution started with these smily face bubble necklaces that we have to hand out to kids...

A few of them were empty and sprung leaks... so I took them out, washed all the soap off, and spray painted them black.

Then a little bitof cheap paint from Wal-Mart,  and ive got ornaments for the tree..

Come Christmas I may re-purpose them by painting them gold and sticking on some acryllic jewels... not sure yet, but I'm happy with how they turned out

It's been a while...

Just busy.   And not feeling up to snuff actually.  It's the old depression issues popping up again... I keep forcing myself to do things to force my way through it, But my energy levels are so low what energy I have gets used up and I end up exhausted. 

But  actually I'm OK.  

Right now... I was working with one of the interactive street artists. .. basically I put on a plain shirt and invite strangers to paint on it... just stand there "being art"  which is ok... but they don't seem to understand that I have to be cleaned up before I can work so I can't do this for hours. 

But the tips are good.

And I've been making these silly bags that we're selling at a store down the street...

Heres one in progress... you start with a pair of jeans that was abandoned at the guest house, the more beat up the better,  then use the legs to make a purse, sew funky crap on it, line it with a cut up shirt or sheet, and sell it off.  

No biggie.  And upcycled!

Anyway... that's abput it for now.   Later

Well damn

So... a couple of weeks ago,... one of my co workers began on the theme of how the evil pharmaceutical companies were enslaving and poisoning is all... which sent my antennae all aquiver.   Primarily because I've been around long enough to know that when someone starts that debate there's a very good chance that said individual is either preparing to stop taking their medications, or they already have.

Over the next few days the debate took the predestined course from debate, into rant, eventually ending at full fledged diatribe, with a couple of side rants about gay marriage, Armageddon, and no one giving him the respect that he deserved. 

There was one rather loud "discusion" about how he should be able to swim in the pool at 3 am even though it's locked at midnight, and he ended up pronouncing us all "dust to the master" -whatever the hell THAT means-  Actually I don't want to know what that means.

So, last weekend, I already knew he was at a boiling point and ready to pop.  Add in that he was with several of our guests drinking whisky in the courtyard (definitely against rules for employees)  Further add that the occasional breeze was wafting the scent of a certain herbal blend of smoking material... because, after all, that particular brain altering substance is evidently much better for you than the pills from the doctor, well, something was gonna happen I just couldn't pinpoint exactly how dramatic and sordid it was gonna be.

What happened is this:

Some male asked about the buildings orphanage past. 

Which is a common question I answer about 10 times a day.  But evidently, when this particular male asked... he was asking because he was a demon incarnate spouting evil  pedophilliac propaganda.  (Honest,  for real...I couldn't make that up if I tried)

The result was me trying to control the front desk (this of course happens while people are checking in) while 12 feet away our 6 foot 4 former marine maintenance guy is trying to get control of a blazing lunatic who KNOWS WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT (even though nobody else knows what he's talking about) And we should all just bow down to his superior knowledge and give him the respect he deserves because he's obviously a superior person to all of us.

Eventually, lunatic goes for former marines throat, lunatic ends up laid out in the lobby floor, and 15 minutes later, about 45 minutes after I called, the cops show up. 

The story goes down hill after that.  Yeah... how further down hill from THAT can you get, right?

But now, two days later, I've gone from part time employee to full time, which would be cool except I DON'T WANNA BE FULL TIME, I CAME HERE TO WORK IN MOVIES DAMMIT.

At the moment, because of the various fall out, I'm the only person who can run the web site, the only one authorised to run credit cards for reservations, I'm basically in charge of internet marketing (despite the fact that I don't know what the he'll I'm doing) And I'm not in a very good mood.

So.  How was your weekend?

Gardening at the guest house

Well, no pics of most of it, But here's what I'm up to... we had a temporary employee that was supposed to clean up the flower beds... for some reason he pulled out ALL the holly ferns and chopped a lime tree sapling down to the ground and was quite proud of that bare dirt. 

He's not around anymore, but the courtyard is now bare... for various reasons we weren't able to immediately replace any plants, and so I've taken it upon myself to aquire cuttings and attempt to fill in. 

Its interesting... many of the plants I'm getting I know as houseplants, but they're outside plants in this climate. 

I've taken three leaves from the Sanseveria on the front porch, cut each sword in three pieces and planted them in the ground... they now have roots and I'm expecting the first growth in about a month. 

There are two vines of ornamental sweet potato that I rescued... they had wandered to far from a public planter and were being beat up by foot traffic.   There's a "chartreuse" And a "blackheart" Just rooted good and beginning to grow.  Since these can grow six inches a day, I have faith that they'll soon make short work of all that bare dirt. 

Currently, there are several cuttings in my bathroom rooting on water.  Its not the best situation, but I'm working with what I got... Lol.

 

This mess consists of elephant ears, (Calocasia esculentia) fibrous rooted begonias (Begonia sempiflorens) Aluminum plant (Pilea cadierei) and a piece of Swedish ivy, ( Plectranthus esculentia  ).  

These were found dumped in a nearby vacant lot... it looked like a gardener had thrown them over a fence actually... the Colocasia were all small plants with a few roots and the bare beginnings of a bulb... they were put in water to perk them up more than anything else and they'll go outside in a day or two.  The begonias look like trimmings,  a couple had tiny root balls, the others were just broken off stems.  Rooted plants will go out on a day or two... probably near the pineapple tops I rooted. 

The aluminum plant will brighten up a shadier area... natives of Vietnam, they do like the climate here and I've seen some very happy plantings of them around.  

Same for the Swedish Ivy... its reasonably common around as a kind of informal ground cover.  

And now for a question...

I found this clump of upright elephant ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza)  in a lot thats fixing to be built on... and as much as I'd like to take a giant 7 foot tall clump home with me, i dont have the means.

But I inspected it further and found these...

So...does anyone out there have any clue as to how one sprouts Alocasia seeds?

Ive grown  them Texas, and I've even seem them bloom, but this is the first time I've ever ran across seeds... any help appreciated as the web isn't being encouraging at all

More goings on...

So first... the Sanseveria that seems to have been sitting on the front porch of St V's for about a decade has decided to grace us with blooms.

Next, on tbe career front... Astronaunt Wives Club will be airing tomorrow.  I'm not  in the premier, but i am in the second episode, walking past the astronauts as they load into the parade cars.  I'm also in a tital of 7 episodes, dressed in various costumes... reporter, senator, ruffian, etc... but i don't really know how visible I'm gonna be.  

Also releasing around the corner is ZOO. which is still filming... a concierge in a hotel in Slovenia, And there's a couple of other scenes too... 

So... there's your answer Gary.

Oh dear...

I've mentioned before that you would be appalled at the behaviour that goes on at a hotel.  Even the best hotels have their constant battles.

Last week we had to kick out a young lady that we'll just say was working from her room. 

Occasionally that make it past us at the front... what checked in looking like a  clean young business person suddenly shows up escorting men to her room wearing lingerie... they pay for a week in advance, but they're usually lucky if we haven't kicked them out after 2 days, 3 if they're subtle. 

This one had paid 3 days, and at 3 am of the first nights stay had gotten in an altercation with one of her gentleman callers who'd kicked the door in. 

The room was trashed in less than 24 hours. 

Said gentleman showed up.the next day at the desk demanding the wallet that had gone missing during his visit and then was introduced to the local police.  

Then, the young lady in question showed up later in the evening, with another gentleman friend, demanding another room. 

Failing that she wanted a refund. 

She was also introduced to some fine young people from the New Orleans police dept. 

She came in two days later with cash for damages and picked up possessions, and then last night was seen on the street outside, about a half hour before someone set the laundry room on fire at 3 am.

Nobody was hurt... but there's some damages, and we're sold out this weekend and we now have about half of the necessary linen. 

Cops are trying to track down people with no fixed addresses,  more power to them, and none of the staff has had any sleep to speak of. 

The only good thing to come out of this is that they are definitely putting on a night shift and now I have that job, which was the job I was origionally hired for. 

I'm keeping the cops on speed dial of course.  And practicing up on my huge night club doorman bellow which has been known to freeze people in fear. 

But I'm sure that just having a person at the desk should be enough to deter most idiocy.

Just an update...

Nothing really too interesting to report.   The 3rd shift at StV's got scrapped, not really sure why, so now I'm working random hours here and there which was definitely not the deal.  

I finally said screw it and started submitting for movie gigs... they'll have to work around my schedule... although I could tell you a few stories about management that would curl your hair.

(You would be appalled at the behaviour that goes on at hotels.  Add in the fact of New Orleans... just no,  I can't go there...)

I've been forced to kick out a few people already, but my real job is primarily on the computer doing reservations and billing.  Not fun at all.

One of the movie gigs I applied for I'm rather indifferent about getting.  Playing a racist redneck hurling insults at a group of 8 year old children.  I'm not the type to hurl racist insults and most definitely not at children, but that's the job so I guess I'd muddle through.  These kind of jobs tend to rip your heart out, but they're necessary to the plot so there we are... still, may not get it...

And by the way... anybody know what this plant is?   Several around NOLA... don't think I've seen them anywhere else.  And definitely not hydrangea...

The leaves smell distinctly bad... kinda musty.   But they're handsome enough...

This week...

Finally kinda calm.  Thank you Jesus. 

First... an updated pic of the four headed sago....  

He's looking pretty good actually.  Big and fluffy as much as anything else.  

And next... me on the set of Quarry.

Working those bell bottom trousers...wheeee haw....  they decided against the velour shirt.  

Not good drama

So... I was doing late night laundry at the guest house.  Mine, plus some of the back log of sheets after 2 fully booked weeks... (just for the record, and totally unrelated, life is too Damn short to fold fitted sheets)  it's about 11 pm. 

And fire alarms start going off. 

What the hell.

No smoke, no fire, nothing.

It took less than a minute determine that the alarm was set of by one of our residents... to get help.

Said resident is HIV positive, although it is controlled, but also has colon cancer, formerly in remission it has reared its ugly head Again.  I knew this, because he had been going to Doctor appointments. 

We found him in a fetal position beside the fire alarm on the second floor... EMS arrived and began asking questions, and that's how we found out that not only had the cancer returned, but it had metasicised into his kidneys... he is suffering intense pain, had managed to get out of his room trying to find help, finding no one he'd grabbed the fore alarm and collapsed.

So I am currently sitting in the ER sitting room because his son lives inn London, his brother in New York City, and there's no one else... the employees (he does some part time computer work for the hotel) all thought someone should come, but no one exactly volunteered and they kept starting at me, and here I am. 

Just for the record... riding in the ambulance is pointless.  I rode in, got put in the waiting room, and haven't seen hide nor hair of anyone for 3 hours now. 

Furthermore, there's some documentary filming and there's cameras following the firemen and EMTs around and generally annoying the holy hell out of us. 

We don't want filmed. 

Period.

There will be absolutely no chance of you being able to put this in your documentary because no-one at the guesthouse is signing a release... not to mention that one of our young lady employees is about three inches from the camera reciting a long list of words that there is absolutely no chance will ever be allowed on TV. 

Trust me... the infamous FBomb was the least of it... sailors would swoon at the verbosity displayed.  

Regardless,  now I'm here, being completely useless and unnecessary, And slightly hungry. 

So, how long does it take for them to do a blasted CAT scan anyway?  I'm beginning to get annoyed. 

So I go to the intercom and ask for his status...

They say he's been released.

I have been pushing this button asking about him, they've been telling me they'd come get me when I could see him, (after going through multiple ER visits with both my parents, you'd think I'd realize that many nurses are lying sacks of shit, right?)
And now they've just discharged him and let him wander out....

Sorry about my language but... WHAT THE FUCK.

So I try to figure out where he'd be and, hoping he made it home I make the 40 minute walk in about 10 minutes and he's here. 

I ask about the kidney issue and the cancer and he says "what are you talking about?  I had a stroke."

So they let a guy who had a stroke wander out on the street. 

Poor plants

Here's a couple of the guys growing around here...

The first is my Echeveria nodulosa i bought on clearance, and i stuck it in a pot i found with a cutting of topsy turvy, aloe, and ghost plant.  Doesnt look like much of any thing right now, but in a few months itwill look pretty good

And this is a strawberry jar that was growing in the shade and i put out where it'll get some actual. Light .  Again, itll start looking better soon... 

And I'll have to fill out the pockets with something soon...

A new week begins.

So I spent last week training for the new position at St Vs.  Being an employee has advantages... besides the rent situation,  there's also the added advantage of being at the front desk as directly at the epicenter of all gossip! 

After training gets done with, I'll be able get back to movies... only thing scheduled is Quarry... complete with 1970s bell bottom pants, skin tight above the knee and burnt orange.  Worn with a velour shirt, of course...  oh my. 

Weekly update...

Well, it's been an interesting week.   But I tend to have those.  Stocked at Wal-Mart on Saturday night... people moan about Wal-Mart being the evil empire and all... but my experience with them is pretty straightforward. 

As a temp... I've been treated a hell of a lot worse.  Actually,  they treated me pretty damn good. 

I could have worked the Sunday night to Monday morning shift also, but 30 minutes after it was over I was due on a movie set for twelve hours, and that's really pushing it.

So Monday and Tuesday I'm on the set of, "The Big Short" {starring Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling with a small part played by Brad Pitt.  Good cast at least... }

Monday, this involved standing around the blackjack tables in Harrahs casino, which is supposed to now be Las Vegas, while Selina Gomez (who did a Damn good job despite the fact that she plain, flat out, does not look old enough to even BE in a casino) play blackjack and deliver lines. 

Get back to St V's, late and wore out, And they tell me that my roommate and I are being kicked out.  Not going into too much detail... this is about an ongoing situation concerning my roommates actions that even I had complained about.

I then found roommate, twisted his arm to extract a promise, then I wrote a letter to management to be delivered the next morning via the housekeeper where I offered the solution of roommate and myself correcting situation if we wouldn't get kicked.  I then said I had to be on set, but would really appreciate it if we could actually sit and talk and discuss this or any other solution. 

Then I  went off to set not knowing if my possessions would be piled by the side of the road when I got back after 12 hours.

Called about noon, and roommate is beyond saving... but it turns out that a meeting was held and 2 desk clerks, 2 housekeepers, and a maintenance man had all stuck up for me (making cupcakes and cookies for the staff periodically does pay off) And I'm not only safe, they're offering me a job. 

Which is a rather dizzying roller coaster ride, but there we are. 

Anyway... I will have 3 1/2 shifts as a night auditor... which boils down to paperwork, late-night check-ins, and making sure that squatters don't sneak in and sleep in the lobby.  These will be regular days, and I'll be able to do movies.  Essentially, I'll get my rent free. 

So it works. 

Unfortunately, there's no way I can explain it to my roommate without looking like I threw him under a bus to save my own ass.  

Which I didn't do. 

Although, I might have if I had to. 

Regardless,   Wednesday is off,  waiting to see if I got Badlands on Thursday, and Friday I have costume fittings for Quarry.  

I think I'm gonna jump in the pool.

Strange week...

It's been a rather bizarre week altogether.  Worked 2 days as a bus boy in one of the best hotels in town.  Of course, they cheated me on the paycheck, and refuse to make it good so I won't be working there again.

Then, the TV series ZOO has been filming at St Vincent's for 3 days.  I've already been on that series twice , and just rolling ought of bed and being on set would be far too convenient, so I didn't work in the scene filmed here...

  I've been doing minor chores for people and getting a little extra cash.  Minor things like running to the corner store,  hemming pants (how a woman got to the age of 50+ without knowing how stitch a hem is beyond me)  And patching someone's favorite jeans (Which weren't worth patching but there we are)

And I'm getting a few crocheted bottles and skull patches together to sell in the quarter. 

Basically, getting my hustle on... altogether having a good few days.  Except I did have to point out someone that while they drink and have a grand ole time, one glass of wine is enough to put me too sleep... a rather new development probably due to trying do too much and not sleep enough, but as far as they're concerned I'm just being a snob. 

Sago Update

As you can see, he's proceeding nicely.  There's a few other wayward plants that the guesthouse has around that I'm probably going to be adopting... at least maintaining even if I don't keep them.  I honestly can't stand plants to be not cared for...

There's definitely 4 growing tips on this plant, although the two inn the center are smaller and maybe less defined... 

Cycas revoluta

So... haven't been blogging lately... there's  reasons... working my butt off its on top of the list, not really having anything to say except about work is another,  and that's just boring.  Not only for you, is not much fun for me either.

But I'm going to be in a bunch of movies and TV shows coming up, and I'll try to post warnings if I can keep them straight, but that's harder than you'd think... one of the best games on set is "were you on..?"

It goes, "Were you in ABC's set?"

"Ummm... maybe?  Did that film in Algiers?"

"No, Harrahan... or was that Kenner?"

Face it folks, sets all run together after a wee bit.

But I've managed to get a calm enough day to notice the world around me. 

Cycas revoluta at very popular around town... and this time of year, when the summer sticky weather begins to set in, is when they begin to put out new whorls of leaves before they sit there for a month or two and put out another. 

This one at Saint Vincent's is doing the same, but in a very atypical manner...

First of all... the old leaves are spread way to flat... they usually are held more Upright.  But more impressive... the growing point has split into four.  

I first noticed this about a month ago, and ever since I've been checking out the Sago Palms around town (Thats what they're referred to, even though theyre not palms as Sago Palms are another plant entirely) And of the hundreds around town, most have single growing points, a few have split into 2, and I've not seen a solitary triple much less a quad.

I'll update the progress, as theres a chance it will be an unattractive and highly undesirable development.   But maybe not.  Any body out there ever heard the like?

So..this casting director calls

And they showed some tv director my picture and he wants to cast me... that's cool. 

So I ask what I'll be playing. 

A vagrant. 

So he sees my pic and thinks vagrant.  What bloody pic are they showing him? 

I mean... I'm doing it,  But the only pic they have is a suit and tie thing... damn

So... remember a while ago when a roommate disappeared with my rent?  With a couple of drug addicts?  Well he showed back up. 

Crying. 

Ugh. 

Here's the story.

So RM ( Room Mate) got involved with MF (male freak) And FF (female freak).  Their hold on him was primarily drugs.  Specifically marijuana and MOJO (artificial marijuana, which can be kind of dangerous)

And just for the record... RM is a senior citizen,  so he should know better. 

FF managed to convince him that I was planning on skippng town.  He therefore left town with those two and they ended up in a rural area of Louisiana where FF had family.  

FF' s family didn't want anything to do with her.  MF got arrested for sex with a juvenile (what most of America calls statutory rape but in LA they have different names for everything) 

FF stole his car keys to keep him from leaving then hit the local bars to turn tricks and support her drug habit. 

He found the keys, got back to New Orleans, showed up here crying, begging forgiveness, cigarettes and money. 

Forgiveness he can have, but after stealing my money... Not one red cent, assuming I have it to spare, and I don't. 

After about am hour of listening to him whine I sent him off to the VA.  He's a vet and they have options for him there.  And the hotel had let it be known that he had to leave the property IMMEDIATELY or they were calling police.

So.... there we are. 

Yeah... I feel a little cold blooded, but it's like this...

I strongly believe in the whole balance of positive and negative energy... to invite this kind of negativity into my life, knowingly and willingly, isn't going too happen. 

Yeah... I feel sorry for him, but when you throw in with drug addict child molesters and prostitutes, well, crap happens.  

I threw in with negative people when I agreed to share a room with him.  Crap happened.  Under no circumstance will I throw in with that again.  I learned my lesson. 

Moving on. 

Plants around town...

Since I don't have as opportunity to garden, I'm.having to appreciate other people's gardens. 

So I'll be doing plants around town posts...

Here's some azaleas used rather actively down the road...

And we keep carrying on...

So... it's been an interesting week.  Weather had turned nice, so they're working on opening the pool.  Last year it was was too green, but they seem to be doing it right this year. 

Filmed Scream Queens on Monday... kinda... they held us in holding for 10.hours without putting us on set... turned out they rewrote the scene and ended up not needing us,  but I still get paid, And I'll be eligible for other shoots since it won't mess with continuity.  Just won't be in the premier episode. 

My roommate, whom I  rarely see due to our work schedules, got mugged.  In broad daylight.  He's not sure exactly what happened as someone came behind him, whacked him in the head and he woke up 7 hours later in the hospital ER.  All I know is he looked like someone tried to stomp him flat.   He evidently went face first into a brick paved road and it's not pretty at all. 
So I'm helping him come up with at least an amusing story... "you should see the 4 long shoremen I took out!"  Or something along those lines. 

I also worked in the tea room at Audubon Zoo for an evening as a dish washer/general back room helper.  No biggie, except that the boss kept bellowing "uncle Pete" asset me and getting pissed off when I wouldn't answer.  I'm under the general impression that I was being insulted, but no one I've asked, while agreeing with me, can really figure out exactly how... won't be a problem as I told day labor I refused to return, and why... they agreed with me but again... they can't figure it out either... but said they'd monitor other employees as they don't want their people insulted or abused when they send them out. 

Did get a pic of a peacock while I was there tho...

I'm killing time, having a lazy day since I'm working graveyard at WAL Mart this weekend... and I really should go down and see if I have a movie check in yet...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Of course, St P's day,  throughout most of America, involves at least a modicum of beer or whisky, and therefore in NOLA we're gonna do it up right. 

Here, it involves large amounts of the above libations, and a loud parade (4 actually) involving thrown plastic beads  and airborne cabbages.  

No, really, they throw cabbages.   Here's this morning's haul...

Well, minus one head... it's already being cooked up.  Its in a baking pan, wedged,  sprinkled with salt and hot sauce, And will soon be placed in the oven and served creole style.

With beer, Of course.  

Yum, actually.

And just for the record...  i am perfectly willing to admit that the thought of a parade float throwing cabbages is kind of amusing, but it's much less amusing when you have five pounds of hard ass vegetable aimed in the general direction of your head.

Regardless... cabbage is much more useful than the plastic beads... 

A plant post!

Finally... I broke down and bought me a plant... Echiveria nodulosa,,.. aka painted echiveria. 

I almost didn't have a choice... Wal-Mart had somehow managed to underwater it.  I had to rescue it.  

Here it is after he's had a drink.  He needs a bit more light too. 

And now... back to my usual self centered crapola...

I 

have officially beem cast in Scream Queens, which is a new series by the creators of American Horror Story.  I film on Monday.  Just extra work but theirs something weird about how the casting process is going there... anyway... right now I'm supposed to be a dad helping his kid mov . To college.  the series is centered around a serial killer on a campus... Jamie Leigh Curtis is starrng, an  I hope that she'll be on set.  Ive always be a big fan...

A wee bit o' luck...

Went ro.the rent a box post office today to see if any movie checks came in... 2 showed up, actually.... so i walked through the historic Irish Channel to get where i be to cash then... the tiny lawns are full of white clover in bloom, and i can't really think of more appropriate place to find a lucky four leaf clover than the Irish channel... 

Various updates

Just to catch up... more for myself than anything else... I'm back on my feet.  Kinda.  Right after disastrous roommate situation, I took a day job at an office.cafeteria for one day.  One day was all it was, I was replacing someone who was coming back the next day, and I didn't think anything of it... I mean I can scoop up green pees onto plates as good as anybody...

Next day I hear that they fired someone, And needed someone else but they most definitely didn't want me because I had cussed out a customer, and I was just trailer trash. 

I have never cursed a customer in my life, the temp service usually sends me out to country clubs where I get rave reviews, and we were all just befuddled.  Trailer trash is a new one... usually I get called arrogant if anything, but I'm not gonna worry about it...

Then, I hear from the guy who got fired and he said he was fired because he walked into the managers office and caught the manager and the chef snorting cocaine... and everything started to make sense. 

Coke?  Really?  How two thousand late...

Regardless,  the roommate from hell still hasn't turned up.  We did find a pic of the young guy He took off with in one of those
Awful papers that shows mugshots of wanted people... turns out he has a charge of' Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile'  

If I'd have known about that, I would have called the cops.  To tell them what tree I'd  hung him from. 

After we found the pic in the paper, the management got a call from his girlfriend saying he'd gotten arrested for a traffic ticket and she needed money to get him out. (After they'd stolen from me and the hotel and snuck out a back door.  She's got guts, I'll give her that.) 

Uh huh....NO.

Regardless... got a new roommate... who lasted less than a week... no one knows what became of them, just disappeared leaving all the luggage being...

Moved to a new room with another guy and we're getting along ok... primarily because we never see each other... but he's nice enough.  I lent him the yellow Mardi Gras jacket for a date and it came back clean so we're good...

Did another movie which was ok,  except the director was an ass and the extras were plotting to kill him, (no really... if you've hired several real live bikers and their Harleys, you might wanna watch how you talk to them.  They're usually nice enough guys but they can take offence to being treated like sub humans.  Real extras are used to it... bikers aren't)

Onto another TV series this week where I will playing a desk clerk in a Paris Hotel... they called saying I have a great European look(which translates to a big nose far as I can tell) so we'll see how that works out. 

And there we are.

Just an update

So... today I went to day labor at 6 AM, and they gave me a ticket for 10 PM to work all night stocking shelves at WAL Mart... (this glam life of mine.... I'm sure you're just seething with jealousy) but that meant I had all day to find something too do with myself...

Of course, the proper thing to do, the SMART thing to do, would be to take a nice nap so I'm fully rested for work tonight. 

NAH. 

It is Mardi Gras... and the parades are going... but quite frankly they've been going and after you 've had to fight through them to buy a fast food hamburger three times, they start to wear a little thin.   And yeah, It's fun to stand there and scream"GIMME SOMETHIN'..." And catch beads, but there's always the problem of what the hell are you supposed to do with a gazillion cheap plastic beads when you get home... and I just generally wasn't feeling it. 

Then I realized that I've been having a problem getting certain parts in movies... and I looked at my pics on file and I figured out a certain part of the problem... I can't get upscale looking parts of all my pictures are showing me looking blue collar at best and homeless at worst...

I'm not complaining, those pics are getting me gigs, but I don't want to spend my entire career playing disgruntled workers and homeless guys.  

So... found a shirt and tie, cornered one of my fellow inmates, (here at St V's, we call ourselves inmates.  Hell the building has ASYLLUM carved into the roof, and there's some residents with a rather tenuous hold on reality, so why not?) and we had a little photo shoot...

I clean up pretty good, if I say so myself. So now maybe I'll get office guy Jobs.  Or disgruntled psycho office guy or something.  Well see.

Then I took a nap.  

Now , back to bluecollar clothes to work stocking shelves.  

My life is kinda schizophrenic,  isn't it?

I'm ready for my close up....

Well, technically, I've already had my close up... the NCIS episode aired last night and I spent the next few hours fielding phone calls and texts and Facebook...

Yep... That's me looking threatening and slightly cadaverous.  (And why do my ears look so bloody HUGE?)  

In case you missed it, they thought I had a gun and i didn't... And all in close up and some slo motion, and it was less than 30 seconds, but it was a really important 30 seconds.  And I did pretty dang good if I say so myself... 

And now I can see why they were worried about me being recognised from episode to episode cause my face was all up in it.

Now... if I can just convince the people on the street that it's traditional, or good luck, or something to hand money to people you recognise from TV, (and yes, I've had a few already) then I'd be all set...lol.

Sts Peter and Paul church

Filming on NCIS again today. Hoping I get off in time to see myself featured on the episode tonight....  the Extra Holding is actually in the Sts Peter and Paul church which had to be closed after hurricane Katrina. Its a fantastic 160 year old building... the scene is being filmed in what used to be the priory, and is actually older, having been built in the late 1700's. 

One of the co owners of the property  is here, he tells me that they're going to be refurbishing the building, keeping as much origional as they can (thank you) to be used as a nondenominational wedding venue.  The other buildings (church school and offices) are going to be converted to hotel.  Since its within walking distance of the French Quarter, I'm sure it will be successful. 

The interior had a pink and cream color scheme, which is unusual... but it worked... and now it had a lot a peeling paint and cracked plaster which thrills me for some reason. 

Keeping NOLA wierd

Ok. I'm not usually one type really appreciate graffiti... but every once in a while, you see something interesting...  i do like the bee. ..

And 

thisis really interesting ttoo. ..

Camellia season...

Actually, camelia season had been here for a while... all through Christmas locally, and there are some stunning displays locally.  But I decided to post a pic of this growing down the street from me. 

1)  I figured you and me both needed a break from acting posts broken occasionally by drama posts. And

2)  when life gets ugly, I try to find something pretty focus on and

3)  I don't actually know much about these plants, since I've never grown them, But they are nice, aren't they?

And so we carry on...

After the events of the disastrous room mate situation,  leaving me less than an inch from homeless, I've began rallying back. 

Just now... it strikes me that with my age... maturity, lets call it maturity... with maturity, I've actually gained some things.  If this had happened when I was in my 20s, it would have thrown me off balance.  I would have spent the next 2 week's raging, screaming and basically feeling sorry for myself, blaming the planet, and being useless. 

What did I do now?

I went to work. 

True...that may have been the most uncomfortable set I've every been on.  Its less than 40 degrees, we're at the South Side Harbor Marina, there 20 mile per hour winds coming off the water, and we're dressed for summer in Florida. 

Hell no.

But, I got my stuff... I moved into a cheap dorm, and I just carried on.  This isn't going to set me back.  Other people's karma is their problem.  My roommate was a senior citizen with a steady government check.  The young couple that he took up with are drug addicts who are taking advantage of him.  

Yes, there is a chance that they will find him by the road and his car long gone. 

I tried to block them... the hotel banned them from the property a month ago, but roommate was sneaking them in at night so they could squat. 

I would go to work in the morning, and he would sneak them into the room all day where they would sit and whine at him. 

God only knows what they've managed to manipulate him into... (I did get wind of one plan to run drugs across state lines and I certainly thought I'd squashed that...But when I'm working 12 hour days there's so much going on when not here, who knows)

He's decided, and he's not stupid so it was a decision, to steal my money and throw in with them.   So be it.  I can't worry about this.  You make your bed... you lie in it. 

I've got more movie checks coming in... the hotel is working with me (along with some of my stuff, the microwave, a space heater, and a few other things of theirs disappeared) and I'll just carry on.  It will mean RAMEN noodles for dinner for about a week, but I've survived worse and I get good food on set.

I apologise for the last post.   It was moment of self pity and angst that I'm getting past, all though I'm sure there will be a couple of flare-ups over the next few weeks, but I promise I'll to keep my head up and attitude positive.  

Carry on. 

Well Fudge

I'm sure y'all are getting really tired of my constant  drama. 

God knows I am. 

Here's the latest... a bunch of checks came in from the movie gigs all at once... I cashed them, and since the rent is paid tomorrow,  when I'll be on a movie set, I gave the money to my roommate, since the lease agreement is in his name. 

He, a senior citizen,  sent me to the store, took the money, all the food (he took the bloody Ramen noodles!) the hotels microwave and space heater, and, with the help of a couple of drug addicts who've been sucking up to him, took off in the space of 20 minutes. 

I've been working 12 hour days on set,
Days off set I work manual labour and/or banquet service, and now I have nothing to show for it. 

I'm left with about 20 bucks in cash, and basically trying to figure out if I'm homeless or not... the hotel is working with me, but we've got to figure this out... and there we are... 

Damn Damn Damn.  

I've often joked on Facebook that the starving actors gratefully accept donations.  Now I bloody mean it!

Grrrrr

Well, not been posting, I've been scrambling.  They raised my rent with 4 days notice, which isn't legal, but I can't really afford a lawyer to prove my point, so I've been doing day labor jobs and I'm wore the hell out and still got more scrambling to go...

I am keeping up with y'all, but just haven't had anything of even moderate interest to post...  sorry. .

A moral Dilemma.

Well... that does presume I have morals... but here's the thing...

A casting call came through from The Church Of Latter Day Saints... seems they're doing a series of internet spots promoting 'traditional family values' which isn't really one of my favorite phrases. 

Quite frankly, it's a phrase that's a bit TOO open to interpretation, but considering the source, is probably boiling down to anti-gay, although it could be anti-abortion, anti-divorce, anti-  Well anti lots of things which I may or may not agree with. 
Of course, I am am actor, and its my job to portray lots of things I wouldn't actually do or think. 

And its strange... I would quite willingly, without a second thought, portray a mass murdering psychopath, so why am I drawing the line at conservative Republicanism?

I think that it's the nature of the presentation... if I was portraying a mass murdering psychopath, it would be in a setting of the hero trying to stop me.  Well... usually, and everyone watching would know it's a fictional portrayal, at least on some level. 

These web infomercials are presented as a nonfiction," this is what you should do with your life thing," and it's pushing my comfort zone.

But... I did submit...

Not sure how I feel about that... I'm not confident that I'll get it, I'm not gonna be upset if I don't, And the moral dilemma can be dealt with If I  do.  maybe I'll just show up for the shoot wearing a leather bondage harness and rainbow cape...

In other news,  I'm filming another episode of NCIS Monday.  Thats cool.  No dilemma there...

Pfhhht

I'm starting to look back on my day labor days with nostalgia... working in the movies to the point that I don't have to do day labor, and don't have the energy to anyway.

After my final day on GeoStorm, which will soon be going to CGI digital effects for about a year before it's released, I was a journalist on Astronaut Wives Club, then, after a refreshing total of three hours of sleep, another scene for NCIS... this time one of the people at the Mardi Gras parade ... 

Looking pretty spiffy if I say so myself.  Not that it matters... this is the same episode that I got featured in, so there's no way in hell they're gonna let me get near the camera and be recognised as the guy from earlier... and there were over 400 extras on set.  

But I'm getting my money anyway... 

Tomorrow brings more costume fittings for Astronaut Wives, then Friday I film a crowd scene for 'Daddy's Home' which stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlburg.  Not real hope of any close ups there, and I'm beyond the point of worrying about it.

Im a little wiped out, in case you can't tell... i mean, its nice too be working,  and in demand, but there comes a point that you begin to wonder if there's any other actor in town they can call for this stuff...

Just tired.  

Good night

More busy

So.  The NCIS shoot I talked about in the  last post turned out interesting.  I was more or less featured at the protest as the Suspect in the Crowd.  One of the advantages of looking like I do is that although I can clean up pretty good, I can also look a little scary without too much effort... yeah, I've got character face.  Its an advantage... Vincent Price made a lot of money with that and I have no problem following on his footsteps

So, when we break for lunch, and I'm surrounded by about a hundred extras who are hating on me because they think they should have got the featured shot and could have done it better,  I turn on the phone and a casting director is calling. 

Can I run over to anothet set to film something else?

Um... no... I'm on a set now and will be the rest of the day...

Could I schedule a shoot for next week...

Uh, sure, why not?

All while people are glaring holes into me. 

Bite me weasels. 

So...Scary suspect at protest... NCIS episode 15... if you wanna see it.  And more Astronaut Wives Club.   And I'm off for my final day, I think, at GeoStorm in a few minutes. 

Busy Busy busy

Haven't had time to blog... which is upsetting actually.  I like to keep track of my friends and writing on here keeps my priorities in order. 

Last Friday,  I filmed on Astronaut Wives Club again... This time I was a "roughneck"

It was my job to sit with 2 other guys on the tailgate of a pickup truck.  An astronaut comes out of the bar,  guy recognises him and wants to have a beer with him,  He turns us down, so we kick his spaceboy butt. 

It started out with wardrobe putting me in something that made me look like one of my high school math teachers,  so we changed out to something else, and spent the next 5 hours sitting outside in weather that started out about 37 degrees and steadily dropped.  My sinus cavities were not happy.

Then the next day... I get an emergency rush call to be a spectator At the WAL (that's Worldwide Armwrestling League) championships that they're filming for ESPN.  This isn't as uncommon as you'd think.  With certain sporting events, people come, see the match they want to see then leave.  ESPN and WAL want the stands full so that the event looks exciting, so they pay extras to fill the stands and cheer and generally act like they're having the time of their life. 

Which is difficult to do, Because, let's face it folks, everything starts to get boring after a couple of hours.  Besides, being locked in a room full of sweaty arm wrestlers starts to get rather fragrant eventually...

But I dressed the part... workboots, jeans, black t-shirt and camo hoodie, and cheered the guys on as best I could...

Today, a day off,  tomorrow NCIS New Orleans.   I'm a protestor.  Don't know what I'm protesting, but I'll probably wear the same clothes and take a few options.  And then. .. I've got to be in a Mardi Gras parade on the 21st... but the final day of Geostorm is in there somewhere, and I'll probably come up with a few things in between.

Howdy

First and foremost, for those of you that read my last few posts... I'm not homeless.  My living situation has changed... for the better... but I'm not going to go into it for the moment, because there's still a chance that the situation may further change...

And in the grand tradition of "my life is a roller coaster" I go in for costume fittings tomorrow (weds) film Astronaut Wives Club on Friday, NCIS on Monday,  and Geostorm next Friday.  I'm also up for a couple of more things and haven't heard yet, So I'm gonna be overworked, and hopefully over fed.  

So, I'm on am upswing now and I'm gonna try to concentrate on keeping it upward...

new years

The last year, actually the last three years, have been an emotional roller coaster.  Some of this was my fault and my own bad decisions, for which I take full responsibility, I'm not a drunk, I'm not on drugs, so I can't blame no one and nothing but myself for it.  Some of this was just the world at large, and I got caught in the same hole other people did.  That's the way it is.

This day, the first day of the year, is traditionally when we feel somehow obligated to look at the past and muster up what hope we can for the future.

When you've been on a roller coaster, hope is sometimes in short supply.

I have a list of things I am grateful for.

I am creative.  I am talented.  I am healthy.  I am a good friend.  I am inventive... the list goes on...

The only thing I can think of for a resolution is this... I promise to not be so hard on myself, and to take better advantage of my talents.

Right now,  I'm sitting in a guesthouse waiting to see if I'm homeless.

The owner tried to kick out a young lady last week, and I stood up for her because I knew she had paid because I was standing at the desk when it happened.  However, since she paid in cash, and the only record is a file that seems have disappeared... she was out on the street.

The file turned up 6 hours later, but now I'm a troublemaker, and my rent is a day late... I've already got a job lined up for tomorrow, but that won't matter... he's gunning for me.  He kicked out a mentally ill man last week whose government check got delayed, and kicked out someone on Christmas Eve in the rain... he's a real class act...

Of course, even the Salvation Army is closed, or at least the intake offices are, so if I'm out, I'm on a street, all the other guesthouses are filled to capacity, (the sugar bowl is in town and New Years is a very big day down here) and I'll be on a street for a night. I can survive that, I just don't want to...

We'll see what happens...