Adventures in LA

Last week I was in LA. This is my, um, journal.

LA – day 1

It is nice weather out here, I have to admit. 80 degrees and sunny through the haze. I got a ride from the airport to the car rental place from a friendly shuttle driver, and then promptly drove my rental car out into an hour and a half of traffic to get to Jared's place in Hollywood... Jared is attending AFI.

Jared's place is nice, the room small. There is a pool but Jared doesn't know any of the other people who live there. Jared was very upset about the Nets beating the Pistons when I got there.

My first meal in LA with Jared was at a Taco stand/Car Wash. Very good burritos.

My first drink in LA was at the Dresden. You remember Marty and Elaine, the terrible lounge singers in "Swingers"? They were there.

People are friendly enough. Life here seems pleasant enough. It feels good to be here but I am willing to admit I haven't decided this is a good idea yet. Tonight I'm meeting up with some friends for drinks. We are going to a place called Cat & Fiddle. It is supposed to be like a beer garden. I have called everyone I think I know out here. We'll see what happens. Tonight I know Johnny is having a bachelor party in New York...

So far it feels lonely out here -- not enough people around, not enough people I know, too many cars and everyone in their own space. Maybe tonight will wear down that idea. We'll see.

More to come...


LA – day 2

Today I went swimming with my cellphone -- again. (I did the same thing last time I was in LA) My new phone seems to be working very well...

Today was, as promised, more promising.

Jared and I met up with Deanna and Leslie, two of our friends from our Italy trip. Leslie told me "everyone's moving out here, Joe." Deanna told me she was getting married.

Then we went to a Thai place called The Palms, where we saw an Asian Elvis impersonator, who was very good and who was not wearing a wig but really had an impressive pompodour.

Then we walked from Jared's place to a Hollywood bar, called the Beauty Bar -- that's right, it was just like the Beauty Bar in New York, except not a dive, which at least I thought was the point. Several people met us there, including Ryan Case, a girl I knew from NYU who is now in charge of Post-Production for The Simple Life 2.

It was a fun night. We went to a few different places and I woke up feeling good actually. Then we went to a strange dark place called Ye Rustic Inn for brunch and a bloody mary. Very good.

I have been out by the pool for part of today. I am about to leave Jared's to return my rental car and check into a hotel.


LA – day 4

I am sitting in a room at a hotel by the airport watching planes land. The runway is a couple of blocks away. It isn't as terrifying to watch them from this angle as it is to be inside a plane as it descends. From where I am sitting here it looks graceful.

They have these purple trees here that don't look real. No one seems to know what they are called, and they are in bloom and everywhere. They are something out of Dr. Seuss, and they line the streets. LA is on crack.

I had my big interview this morning. I was in an office with big windows, and you could see the Hollywood sign on the hill outside. I was offered a freelance project working on an old Arnold documentary. As in Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kind of a Pumping Iron 2. It's a test. The owner said I couldn't be hired as a trailer editor (what I thought I might be offered) because ultimately I am interested in film production and not advertising (true). So much for that idea. It was interesting. I was initially disappointed but as the day went on it seemed more and more like good fortune, the way adversity sometimes makes you feel like a hero.

The day was beautiful. I went to AFI (the American Film Institute) and got a tour. AFI is a 2 year graduate film program, divided by discipline. For example, Jared is there in the Screenwriting program. It was a relief to hear about something that I understood -- this other job stuff I may as well put on a suit every day. The odd thing is that that is exactly how the film industry is run, by MBAs. Not a surprise, but surprising the extent to which business has co-opted every aspect of the filmmaking fantasy. But AFI was nice. To tell you the truth, the stuff they do there is exactly what Blatantly Subtle does. They make movies and learn from them.

I must admit there is a calm, numbing overtone to everything in LA... People carry a look like someone just punched their dog. Last night I went to a comedy show. The comedy club was in a strip mall, but was surprisingly good and fun. I do like being out here. And I have to admit that I cannot imagine what I will be doing in New York five years from now, and I can out here. And I feel like it's worth checking out more. This is where the money is, where the jobs are, and where the stinking filthy film industry is. And while there is no major job offer on the table, at least for the summer I have nothing to lose by being out here -- it's summer camp. That said, I won't like having to leave New York or being away from Lily or from the rest of you guys.

I have another day or so to make the decision. I miss you guys and I'll be back in town on Saturday.