The L.A. Report – Part 26
11-12-2018
Hey Everybody,
My last report was over a year ago so I guess it’s
time for another one.
If you’ve been watching the news, California is on
fire again (when isn’t it?). The so-called “Camp Fire” up north is now considered
the deadliest fire in California history.
One town – ironically named “Paradise” – was essentially wiped off the
map, killing 29 people and burning over 6,500 homes. There are still 100 residents unaccounted
for, too. Down here, the Woolsey fire is
about 10 miles from me, so I’m safe, but the air in my neighborhood was so
smoky I couldn’t do my run Saturday.
Then the wind shifted and it’s been fine ever since, although the fire
is still raging and over 100,000 residents are still evacuated, including the
entire city of Malibu. I could write
several pages about it but you can get more information with Google. There was one in December that was only about
five miles from me but one of the evacuation centers was only two blocks from
my apartment so I wasn’t worried.
In my last report, I had just finished a
programming contract with Union Bank.
That was in August of 2017 but I’ve had a helluva time finding a new one
since then. In fact, I was unemployed
for 14 months! I had several leads and
interviews but they all fizzled out. In
September I was submitted for a contract at UCLA, with the same department I
interviewed with five times in 2014-15.
I got an interview (with several of the same people, who remembered me
from before) and I jokingly said, “hopefully the sixth time will be the charm.” It was – I got the job. I’m working through an agency, though, not
directly for UCLA so the benefits aren’t nearly as good. But I’m just grateful anybody would hire me
after being unemployed for over a year!
My office is just off campus in the Westwood area
of L.A. It’s only 11 miles from home but
it takes at least an hour (sometimes as much as an hour and a half) to drive
there in the morning rush hour. Coming
home isn’t much better – 35 to 45 minutes.
I’m used to hour-long commutes but they’re usually about 30 miles!
Even though my office isn’t right on campus, I have
had to walk over there at least four times to get various administrative things
done (i.d. badge, etc.). Westwood is
very vibrant but I’m not used to that bustling atmosphere with tons of
restaurants, people, cars, busses, and electric scooters.
I got a new agent in December but she’s only gotten
me three auditions. She showed me a list
of dozens of commercials, movies and shows she’s submitted me for so at least
she’s working hard. The biggest audition
I got was just a one-liner in Bird Box, a Sandra Bullock movie. It was for a crazy homeless guy looking up at
an alien monster, saying “Beautiful. It’s so beautiful!” I didn’t even book that one!
In my time off, I decided to write a screenplay
based on a really good book my sister sent me a few years ago. So I read some books on writing a screenplay
and spent about five months writing it (only a couple hours a day). I can’t say too much about it because I don’t
officially have permission to use it yet.
Hopefully I will in February (long story).
My health is about the same (knock on wood) and I
celebrated my 35th running anniversary March 14th. I’ve now run over 37,000 miles.
Still dancing almost every Saturday night.
I haven’t done as much hiking lately but I’ve been
playing lots of golf (about once a week), especially when I was unemployed. I’m getting better but not much – still between
bogey and double-bogey. I’ve parred
pretty much every hole – just not in one round!
Inconsistency rules.
Still loving the weather, although one day in July
it got up to 116 degrees! In the shade
it felt fine, though, because, you know, it’s a dry heat! J
Jay