LA story

A beautiful day. There's an outdoor artisanal festival outside my door lining two streets that lead up to my street. They're playing music. They really like Supertramp here. Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger". Probably made famous by the film Magnolia. I know this, because I have the soundtrack. I prefer "Logical Song", especially for karaoke. They've played Supertramp every day of the festival. It's kind of funny.

I love this video because it's quintessentially LA, and LA is home. And these guys just have a really funny presence the same way you can look at David Cross in "Arrested Development" and crack a smile. How can you look at him and not smile? Whenever people ask me where I'm from, I say LA because it's easier than my own humble city that's located smack between LA and Orange County. Technically, I am in LA county. I never say OC. God...the OC. Blurg. Nothing's wrong with it, it's just the connotations and that stupid tv show.

Anyway, after watching this video, it really made me miss LA. I just feel really lucky and blessed to have grown up there. If I lived in any other city in the world, I wouldn't be who I am today. Dad used to work for the city of LA, fixing air conditioners in city owned buildings like libraries, firehouses, and police stations. He'd tell great stories about the people he met, he'd take us to all these great hole in the wall restaurants. He'd drive us around, and I'd sit in the back starry-eyed at this city 30 minutes away from my own, hoping, someday, to live in a quaint dump that was close enough to a crappy (but a good beginning) job so that I can bike it. He'd know shortcuts, the best public building to take a crap, the best burritos, and the best fried chicken. Yum.

And it's the metropolis of filmmaking. People come here to make it big or serve dinner to people who made it big. I, myself, have several brushes with celebrity which I will brag about right now:

1. Sean Astin: Right after the first LOTR came out. Was on my flight from Portland to LAX. I yelled, "GOONIES!" at him from across the terminal, and he kindly waved. He also helped my friend with her suitcase at baggage claim.

2. Jamie Lee Curtis: At California Adventure. I ran past her, turned around, and walked by her and said, "Hello" as my friends watched in complete astonishment. She said "hi" back.

3. Mike White: You probably don't know him, but he was Jack Black's roommate in School of Rock. He also wrote the film and is an accomplished screenwriter. He was on my flight from LAX to Heathrow. Sidled up behind him like a ninja when boarding the plane and told him how I thought the film was pretty funny. He seemed kind of nervous.

4. John Gulager: Director of Feast at CineGear 2007, which I'll be missing this year!! Boo.

5. Laszlo Kovacs: Cinematographer for Ghostbusters, Easy Rider, along with a slew of other films. Also at CineGear 2007. He signed my book that I got on his work. This meeting was really special since we talked a little about film school and his love for San Francisco to which I told him he should go back to my school and have a workshop. He past away a month later.

4. Various Production Crew: On my numerous flights from SF to LA, I've met a computer designer that makes creatures for films and video games. I've also met some guys that just worked on the last Star Wars at Lucas's ranch and were returning back to LA for a premiere. These people are just as important as screenwriters, directors, and actors, and they're celebrities to me too. Wow, I've been pretty lucky at airports...

So yeah, pretty cool. People always talk about the "move to LA", what a big change it'll be and so forth. But I think I've been spared the orientation since LA is home.