To answer how close "THIS" is, I would say less than a foot, but I will get back to that.
So my weekend was a very uneventful one outwardly speaking, but inwardly was bountiful. I continued to read Buddha's Brain, starting in on the how to get better section and got a lot of painting done. I was going to go to a film festival Sunday, but my date cancelled and seeing how it happens every month and I needed a hair cut before going on the red carpet, I decided to wait. Instead I spent 4 hours in the park reading, painting and meditating. My meditation sessions are only 5 minutes at a time at this point, but I am learning things each time. Sunday night was marked by a surprise visit from Jenny who I hadn't seen in a while. Much like every time we hang out, what was supposed to be a quick get together turned into a long talking session. I think we have a good respect for each other despite coming at life from different angles, so end up having a good balance of listening and talking.
That leads us to Bill's butt. Today was my first job as a paid audience member. The show is called Lingo and is hosted by Bill Engvall. The basic concept is the you get a clue and the first letter of a 5 letter word and you have to guess what the word is. You have 5 guesses, as long as your next guess is an actual word and if you get a letter right the board lights up. It was pretty light in theme and the contestants were overly excited about everything. I actually was almost a contestant on the show. They called me, but you needed to have a partner that you know really well and I don't know anyone that well in LA.
So the audience part was pretty straight forward, clap normal in some sections, loud in others, laugh at all the jokes. There were 3 shows that we were the audience for, shifting seats each show. The first show I nailed. I know that sounds kind of funny since it is just audience work, but I like to work hard no matter what. Unfortunately for the 2nd show I was placed directly under a very cold vent. I was wearing a short sleeved shirt today since it was so hot outside and didn't realize just how cold it would be in the studio. I gave it my best, but the cold slowed me down. Finally the 2nd show ended and I got to move. They took my entire row over to the other audience section and sat me right up front, right under the vent on that show. My legs were literally shivering out of control for the 3rd show. That seat did come with one perk though, Bill's opening comments were said directly in front of me. Of course that meant that I will not be seen at all, but hey, what a view.
My spirit drained by the cold, I was hitting my cues, but a lot of my enthusiasm was diminished. It was true of the entire audience. There had been quite a few pick up shots after the 2nd show and everyone's energy was down. Then a strange thing happen. This strangely matched couple, a pair that promised to spend the money on their wedding and/or a race horse if they won, won the grand prize, $100,000. Apparently it was the first time since the show started and there was hooplah. What this means for an audience member is a lot of overtime. Unfortunately, at ten buck an hour, most people just want to go home, especially when somebody with money wins more of it. This is where the catch-22 comes in. You have to get excited enough during the reshoots (and trust me, those people won that money a good 7 - 10 more times today) so that you don't have to keep shooting and you can go home. Oh Alanis Moresette's version of what irony means...
So that is the start to my week. Not a lot of plans coming up, but I have a resume and many submissions out there, so hopefully something will click.
Until...
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