Good News, For A Change!

I get to stay at the show! The audience department, which is run through an outside contractor, hired me on specifically to stay at the show!

I had been talking to them about freelancing at other shows since I had thought they were staffed up at the show, but I got the good news tonight during the taping of the 2nd show.

I had already been telling people goodbye, and taking some souvenir photos with people who don't work on Fridays. That's how sure I was that I was gone.

I was so fucking happy, I actually cried. I can't even remember the last time I was that happy. I love this show and I love the people, and to get to stay is fucking awesome.

Sure, the pay's going to bite (on the upside, it's still more than none), and the hours are going to be a bit odd (2-11pm), but I hadn't heard shit from the dozens of resumes I had spread around Hollywood and was getting really, really nervous.

To be able to not worry about that crap is great, but to be able to stay at a place I love so much, especially after resigning myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen, is just amazing.

So it appears Wednesday was the fulcrum of my week, since Tuesday blew big time, Wednesday was kind of neutral, and today just fucking rocked.

Thanks to all those who lent me their support during this bizarro week. You guys rock.

Better

Well, today was better than yesterday.

Bear in mind that today I bought four new tires (to the tune of $510 with labor and taxes) and was three hours late for work after sleeping for only three hours.

I hope the uphill swing continues, though I think I'd probably be pushing my luck to ask that it go just a wee bit faster...

Bad To The Point Of Ridiculous

My day got so bad today that I ended up laughing hysterically at how ridiculously bad it had become.

So things started out poorly, finding out that the show's not going to be able to hire me now. I was really sad about this, because this is the only job I've had that I've really loved.

The upside was that the door was left open for possibly being hired next season, but it still really bites that I'm going to have to figure out what to do at least until then, and also if that falls through.

So that was bad and depressing enough, but then as I was leaving to go home, I went to turn onto the freeway, and hit the curb hard enough to pop a tire.

I make that turn every day. I've never even hit the curb before, let alone hit it hard enough to pop a tire. Fortunately, I was able to pull over on the on-ramp and not the actual freeway, but it still sucked.

So I called AAA, and the guy came, a very nice young hispanic guy named George, but apparently he had thought I had a smaller car, because he brought a really small jack. No problem, we'll just use the one that came with the car, I said.

So he pops the jack out of my car, and slides it under the car. As he's raising it, he looks at the jack critically and says, "I think it's bending."

And then, as he raises it up a bit more, it creaks over towards the front of the car, and breaks. Bear in mind that this is the jack that came with the car.

So, of course, he had to go back to his shop and get another jack. No problem, it's not like I was going anywhere without him. I decided I'd just call some people and whine.

So I'm standing there talking to Other Ellen, and I feel a slight sprinkle. Then it starts drizzling. Then, it starts raining for real.

I don't know how to explain what an exceptional phenomenon this is for Southern California, except to point out that San Diego (which is only slightly drier than LA) went 181 consecutive days without precipitation in 2003.

It rains an average of 30 to 60 days a year here. For it to start raining at that precise moment just sent me over the edge from pissed off and depressed into hysterical laughter.

There's just a moment when things move from the terrible to the hysterically funny, and I think the rain was it.

Of course, once the guy finally came back and the tire finally got changed, it then took me an extra 1/2 hour to get home because I ended up taking surface streets instead of the freeway because you can't go over 55 on a weeny spare tire.

Plus, I get to be late to work tomorrow, because I have to go buy a replacement. But not only do I get to buy one replacement (no no).

I was already planning on saving up for new tires, since you're supposed to replace your tires about every 50,000 miles, and this car has had the same tires since it rolled off the lot and it has 65,000+.

But I was planning on waiting until I was gainfully employed to make this investment. But now, I get to buy four new tires a bit early.

And of course, this means I'm going to be extremely late for work tomorrow. I even called my boss from the side of the road because I was like fuck it, I already know I'm going to be very, very late.

But at least I don't have to worry about getting fired now!

Fun With Craigslist

Still no word on the job, but I think it was worth it just to see this post as I was looking through the LA Radio/TV/Film job listings:

i need someone to write me a song about chapter 3 in my american history book. the chapter is about Thomas Jefferson, The age of Jackson (Andrew JAckson), Manifest Destiny, The Industrial Revolution coming to America, and Reforming American Society. I can give you exact details later. If you are interested PLEASE RESPOND NOW!!! I need this tomorrow, but i can get an extension until TUESDAY!! thank you

I find two things highly amusing about this post.

1. Some teacher was actually bored enough with normal assignments to assign something like "write a song about this chapter, instead of just writing a report."

2. This person is so terribly behind and concerned about their grade on this silly assignment that they are willing to contact and possibly pay a total stranger to write said song.

It's always nice to know that there are people out there more fucked than you, especially if it's amusingly so.

Good Luck Charms

Beware: Angsty post ahead. Approach with caution.

Anybody out there got any good luck charms they can lend me? I'm pretty much willing to try anything short of animal sacrifice at this point that might help me get this job.

I've already done the whole Homer Simpson "Jesus, Allah, Buddha, anyone!" thing, including lighting a candle to St. Jude (patron saint of hopeless causes). Hey, it worked for Mark.

I'm leaving the voodoo doll I used on the Atlanta Braves put away, since that one's more for causing destruction, and I really need more positive things here.

At this point, I'm beginning to worry that I've got too much riding on getting this job for it to actually work out. I know that's kind of silly, but that's the way I worry.

I know I'm not completely fucked if I don't get it, but I really love my job and the people I work with, and I don't want to leave.

Gah. I just want to know, and I know I'll know at the end of the week, since Friday is my last day, and they know that. But Tom Petty was right: The waiting is the hardest part.

Anyone got a rabbit's foot I can borrow?

Project Part 3

The continuing presentation of my roadtrip photos continues. Today's installment: Devil's Tower, Wyoming (make sure to click slideshow for the best way to look through 'em).

Trailers vs. Movies

When you're pairing trailers and commercials with a movie, generally it's a good idea to pair them properly, like a big-budget comedy promoting a big-budget action-comedy.

When I went to see Monster tonight, there was one commercial and one trailer that made me get out my ticket and make sure I was in the right theater.

The commercial was for the DVD release of My Boss's Daughter, complete with "hilarious" deleted scenes (which would really be something, since the movie itself was widely panned as not funny in the least).

The trailer was for some thing called Motorcross Kids, about a motorcycle racing kids, a chimpanzee, and Gary Busey. The trailer was nonsensical, but then again, most everything featuring Gary Busey is.

Now, for either of these things: Why on earth would they advertise them in front of a stark, independent drama about a serial killer? This deeply, deeply confuses me.

Monster, by the way, is a very good movie. I definitely recommend it. Just pray the trailer coordinators aren't as dumb as the ones in Santa Monica.