Wednesday, March 25, 2015

New Orleans from That Old Trip



Many of you followed me across the country as I posted daily things about my life on the road as I moved out here to Los Angeles.  Well, I did videotape some of it as well.  I had intended to get more footage than I did, but I was more interested in the experiences for myself rather than filming them so I could remember them late.

However, I did manage to film quite a bit, and I made something of a highlight reel for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy the video!


As an update to last week.

I was committed to eaking out a living doing this acting thing, and I for sure still am.  However, the well has all but run dry.  I was working quite prolifically and then... nothing.

I like eating, sleeping, and having a place where I can do both in comfort.

SOOOOO!

I've been job hunting.  I dare say, it is much more difficult out here than I anticipated, and while it is a shitty, dead end job I hunt for, I'd rather entrench myself here and work on getting more gigs than crawl back home.

I love home, I would love to be home, but home isn't for me right now.  

Sticking this one out, even if I have to crawl through some shit to do it.
 

Monday, March 9, 2015

Moving, Filming, and Financial Insecurity

I realize feigning like I'll write another post soon and on a time schedule is probably not my best move, people don't like to be jerked around and it seems that's all I do when I make promises.  So, no promises, but a statement.  I'm going to work on making these normal again.



Kate and Lauren at Blues Liberation Front
I'm no longer roaming around the city, a vagabond with no home.  I moved in with two lovely people.

Joey, a fellow from Nashville and a friend of a mutual acquaintance between us,
and Megan, a sweet heart from Chicago who has sailed the world and seen it's wonders.

Megan comes with a +1 named Zoey who is an absolute treat. She has hair all over her body, she's always excited to see you, she's mellow, and she never makes a peep.  Honestly, I'm worried Joey and Megan might kick me out and then just give Zoey my room.


Feb 14th I was to be out of the apartment I had in Glendale.  I met Megan and Joey that day on the 14th to ensure that all 3 of us were not shit faces and could actually room together.  Happenstance brought us together, and it turns out that none of us are crazy

(I wouldn't say that Kevin, a lot of signs point to you being...) 
QUIET!

Nasty chair out in the desert with The Hundreds
Once established, we were off to the races finding a place. Unfortunately fortunate of me, I was filming all week, from the 15th-21st.  I had a shoot that went from Sunday to Wednesday morning, Wednesday afternoon I had a UCB class, Wednesday evening I drove out to the desert with a bunch of strangers and we filmed there until Friday evening when we drove home and got in late.  Saturday I worked on a show and Sunday I did that show at UCB Franklin... it was a busy week.


 During that time, Megan and Joey hunted for, found an apartment, and put in the applications.  I needed a place, I trusted them to make a good judgement, my judgement was not misplaced.  Our apartment is better than I deserve.  Wood floors, my own room, nice kitchen, closets upon closets of storage, large bathrooms, washer and drier, my own parking space...  this place is very nice.

So, now I live in North Hollywood, and I will until next Feb.  Hell, I might keep living here next year, who knows. That's a long ways off.

Courtyard of the Apartment

Megan and Joey on the "balcony"




















Of course, it dawns on me that I've been living out here for 5 months.  5 months I've been out here.   I have seen many sights, walked many places, done many things, and I've still got savings left.
Everyone, you may applaud.  
I made a budget, and then I tossed that budget and did what I wanted, and somehow I kinda stuck to that budget.
Of course, those savings I have left are dwindling rapidly now that I've got bills to pay. I am avoiding getting a "real" job like the plague, but its getting to the point that I may need to...

Here is my reasoning behind not getting a "real" job.

Nashville is great.
I love Nashville, I love the people in Nashville, I love the things in Nashville.
I could live in Nashville and work a shitty, dead end job and have a pretty good time.

L.A. is fine.
The people I hang out with are great, but most other things, while fun, are things that can be trumped by Nashville.  

I love Nashville, I think L.A. is fine.
So, if I love Nashville and I think L.A. is fine, I am not going to live in a city that I think is fine and work a shitty dead end job when I could live in a city that I love and work a shitty dead end job.

I moved out here to act and damn it I am going to!

I've met so many actors out here who are all doing what I'm doing.  They are working at getting in and making it, but I know a lot of them are bogged down with their shitty dead end jobs.  They are consumed by them.  "I can't, I'm working tonight." "I couldn't make that audition because no one would cover my shift." "I'm a server and every night I'm working on the threshold of hell."

Not to mention I worked the food industry in Nashville where the vast majority of people have manners and they seem to forget those manners when they are at a restaurant.  I've met a lot of people from here.  Manners are not something people are into here, nor is common courtesy a large thing. 
I don't need that... not in my life.


So, I'm scrambling around, hunting for paying gigs and jobs around town.  Picking up shifts here and there, working on keeping my head above the ring of debt that acts like a black hole for so many people.

I'm an actor, I'm living in LA, and I'll be damned if life gets in the way of me doing what I'm here to do.

What could go wrong?


MORE PICTURES DOWN BELOW


 
Megan and Munchkin, board game night #1
Photo shoot with Jamie. Tim Burton themed
Pink's Hotdogs are quite good
Squirt is a big deal out here. Squirt is a big deal, period