wow... just wow...

so there I was... living my life... and no blogging...

wow.  just wow.  a matter of years has gone by.

interesting.

So let's catch up... I'm still working at the hotel despite one of the messiest buyouts in the history of mankind, with new owners now and we may/should be closing for renovations after which I have no idea if I have a job or what...

I now have an acting agent and am attending workshops for voiceover acting and occasionally going on auditions because they treat extra/background pretty obnoxiously bad in this town and I decided to step up my game....

Despite the fact that this started as a gardening blog, I don't really have any gardening area unless I find a new place to live and I can get back to it....

A whole bunch of things that are life changing and probably fascinating to hear about have happened but all of them happened over the last 2 1/2 years and I'm not really inclined to dig them up right now... especially since I'm supposed to be working on the work-book from an acting workshop that I paid good money to utilize and am now eye-rolling my way through...

And you know the only reason I found my way back onto this blog is because a friends cat I'm cat sitting (for the past 8 months-don't ask) decided to do a fandango dance on the damn computer screen and I stumbled upon blogger trying to recover my other stuff...

Such is life

Many of my old blogger friends seem to have moved on with their lives... and good for them... many are still around so I will probably spend a bit of time catching up with them...

Maybe I'll start posting here again... we'll see...

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.