Deja Vu

Went to a party in the Hollywood Hills on Saturday with my friend A. It was a "Burning Man" crowd-- hula hoops, tarot cards, dreads. I felt like I was back in Austin.

I enjoyed having the last two weeks off but am now back in limbo, with that Sopranos finale intensifying my sense of drift. My interview with the library won't be scheduled until after the 25th, and I haven't heard anything back from the new entertainment temp agency yet.

I did drive up to Burbank yesterday to check out a digital media company where one of the men I've been on some dates with works. There are only three such companies in the U.S., and this one is the largest. I don't have a grasp on everything they do, but in a nutshell, well, they digitize media. One aspect of that is the restoration of film; I saw someone working on a film in which a young Scott Baio played a Little Leaguer. All that time, effort, and equipment, so a preteen Scott Baio can be restored for our viewing pleasure. Yet it was an impressive place.

The drive up there took me around 35-45 minutes, but then I wasn't driving during rush hour. Burbank isn't on the same walkable, human scale as where I live; it's the land of office parks.

I'm driving out to Point Dume today in Malibu to go swimming. I believe that's Planet of the Apes territory.

Dating on Location

There was a film crew shooting at Greystone Park yesterday when I met my date. We then went hiking in Franklin Canyon, and a woman wearing nothing but a scanty blouse was participating in a photo shoot at the entrance to the hiking trail. Only in L.A.

I was actually asked out on a date in the frozen food section of Whole Foods this morning, but I can't fit in another prospect at the moment. This guy said he was a "producer," but he seemed like a nice person.

I now think that Vogue (or was it Elle?)article about dating in L.A. had some truth in it. I seem to have hit a vein of very nice, smart, successful, late thirties/ early forties men looking for serious relationships. They all seem very sincere and are not the "player" types that one associates with Los Angeles. I don't think they've had an easy time on the dating scene here.

A Walk in The Park

I had a crazy easy interview with another entertainment temp agency this morning. I didn't even have to take their computer tests. It was just, "Oh, you seem like a great candidate, we'll get you out there to assist some top people." There's also some bad blood between them and another agency that put me through the ringer when I first moved to L.A.

As with my parking sticker, I may have suffered for nothing for the past five months. Although now the city has screwed up the parking records and denied my roommate a new sticker because I have one.

After the interview I met a date in the grounds of Greystone Mansion and Park in Beverly Hills. Very peaceful spot in the middle of the city.

Fun Jobs and Other Fairy Tales

I had lunch today with a very nice friend of a friend who works at CBS (walking distance!). He told me to look at their job listings and let him know what I might be interested in. I picked out a librarian job but am not sure I have the right technical background for it. I also chose an administrative assistant position in casting. Sounded interesting and fun! He then warned me, as did my roommate, that casting is the most grueling job in all of Babylon.

If I'm going to make a career change into entertainment, it's now or never, because I'm already so much more tired and cranky then I used to be. I don't know how much job stress I can take.

Living In Oblivion

My roommate had breakfast at a place around the corner a few weeks ago and saw Tim Allen there. She went again on Sunday and spotted Salma Hayak.

I'm sorry, readers, but I'm an oblivious person. I probably pass celebrities all the time and fail to notice them. The last famous person I spotted was the female love interest on the BBC version of "The Office" shopping at Whole Foods.

That's Entertainment

I'm pursuing some entertainment industry leads this week as I wait to hear more from the library. Tried another personal assistant agency on Sunset, but I had to ring a buzzer to get through the locked front door, and then the receptionist would barely give me the time of day. I have an interview on Wednesday with another entertainment temp agency; I'm thinking the best idea is for me to temp in the industry and build some connections during this waiting period. I also have a lunch date planned with an acquintance at CBS.

Coincidentally, I have three dates lined up this week with men who work in the industry. Those "creatives" are definitely my type... for better or worse.

I also caught up with my friend A., who had free passes to a screening of "Ocean's Thirteen" last night. I haven't seen A. in weeks and weeks. It's nice to finally have some free time to catch up with people! But now I know why it's been years since I've been to a theater to see a mainstream film. Pointless, unfunny, lazy,cliched, smug, boring... might as well have been watching paint dry. Of course, the theater was packed and everyone was laughing and seemingly enjoying themselves, proving that I am out of touch with 95% of humanity! I think there were about three other people in attendance for "Hollywood Dreams," which I, of course, was thoroughly engaged by.

Smote In The Eye

I woke up this morning with a scratchy feeling in my left eye. I have very poor health insurance at the moment, so every minor injury looms large. I bit the bullet and (finally) found a good clinic on Sepulveda at Olympic that is open on Saturdays. The doctor theorized that I might have had microscopic particles of sand under my eyelid that were scratching the surface each time I blinked. A Laguna Beach souvenir, if you will.

The only other thing I did today was see Henry Jaglom's "Hollywood Dreams." I confess that I'm a Jaglom fan from way back. The lead character, an aspiring actress, was incredibly needy and neurotic. Oy vey! She made me feel like a stoic.

The movie had me reflecting on my love/ hate relationship with this city. I'll be feeling happy to be here when BAM! all of a sudden I will feel repelled by the place.

While at the movie I saw a preview for an intriguing movie called "Broken English" starring Parker Posey. Burnout, bad dates, sleeping pills! What's not to like:
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/22/sundance-review-broken-english/