...more...

...the first couple days after returning from SF, I didn't have work because of the afore mentioned management mix up, however on Thursday the 26th I did background on Weeds.

Weeds seemed like a good show to work on.  Everyone was friendly and laid back, but getting stuff done.  In fact after my initial nervousness of the day (couldn't be helped) that was relieved by some sit down potty time (also couldn't be helped), the rest of the day was easy.  Some highlights include the fact that I was almost picked to be the hot dog vender when he apparently didn't show up, but then he did and he was so much better than I could have ever been.  Basically he looked like a real life Mario or Luigi.  (This episode takes place in NYC I might add.)  Also I was picked to be the "fast walker", which I volunteered for, which meant that I had to weave in and out between the other extras as we walked, which was hilarious when we got to the close up work because basically they would yell action and I would take off and then they would yell cut after I made it ten feet and then I would have to turn right around and do it again.  I made a friend on set and we went out and got a beer after to avoid traffic.  She lives near me, but we haven't been in contact since the show, which is par for the course.  This LA-ness can be both a curse and a blessing as it makes it easy to let go of people you didn't really connect that well with, but hard to reconnect with people you want to bond with.

The next day following the Weeds shoot I was of to Lighting in a Bottle, a 4 day music festival in Silverado, CA, which is about an hour and a half from me in the valley.  You might call L.I.B. Burning Man light if you didn't know the difference between the to.  At its most basic it is a bunch of people (I think it was about 4000 total) camping by a lake, making art and listening to music.  To go into detail about it would take more words and time than I have in a week.  I do invite you to go to their website to their website http://lightninginabottle.org/ to learn more.  You actually might want to stop in their now so the rest of this blog makes more sense.  Go ahead, I'll wait...



Back so soon?  Well I hope you learned a lot and are excited as I was to go to this event.  Before I start, I should say a heartfelt thank you to my friend Sam who GAVE me a free ticket because he wasn't able to make it.  I'm assuming karma will take care of him, but if not, he is on my list of people to shower with gifts if I ever make it as an actor.  Ok, now back to the blog...

So my friend Mona hooked me up with her friend Katie to carpool with to the event since Mona left the night before with her roommate/Katie's BF.  It turned out to be a very advantageous paring as Katie and I appear to both be on similar paths on self-enlightenment and had a lot to talk about.  The natural report got me psyched up for the weekend, which was good since I honestly hadn't rested enough coming home from SF and still felt a little ragged. 

First stop was the parking lot at a local college to pick up the tickets.  Mine took a little longer since it had been transferred to me from Sam.  Then from there it was a 3 mile drive up some hills and then down into a valley, letting off at a beautiful lake and camp sight.  Then forward into the immense parking lot.  Here was our first snag.

They had "people movers" to take people to the upper and lower camp sites, which was great since people had lots of stuff.  However they didn't have enough people movers, so the lines were huge.  I hadn't packed very economically, so I knew I was going to have to leave some blankets behind, but I was confident I could come back or find some on camp grounds, so I took my load and waited in line.  Katie had just one giant bag, which wasn't hard, but not impossible to carry.  So, seeing how long the line was and being antsy to begin our fun we decided to walk to a closer bus stop.  This bus stop while entertaining and fulfilling (I returned two people's items after they had fallen off the truck by running after them), it was ultimately not successful.  Eventually Buzz, Katie's BF showed up and the decision was made to walk to the campground.  It actually wasn't that bad and I probably would have decided to do it anyway if I had known the distance, but it was uphill and took a lot of energy.  On the way I ran into several people I knew and even got a hand with some of my stuff up the hill.  That hand, Mona, also helped me find the people I was not camping with, but that happened to be right next to the people I was camping with.  My camp mates quickly offered me a place to sit and a beer and Lighting in a Bottle began!