Assisting for the Day

Today is my first day as an assistant. I'm filling in at one my internships and getting some hands-on experience manning phones, schedules, and people. As often as I've compared my internship experiences here in Hollywood with those in The Devil Wears Prada (not even close to the hell that Andy goes through, don't worry), today is the closest that I've come to the real thing. I am "manning the desk" so to speak

Emily: When I am not here... Andrea, you are chained to that desk! 
Andy Sachs: But what if I have to... 
Emily: What? No! Nothing! One time an assistant left the desk. Oh, because she sliced her hand open with a letter opener, and Miranda missed Lagerfeld just before he was about to board a 17 hour flight to Austrailia. She now works at TV Guide

though I doubt the consequences of a missed phone call will be as severe...

So far I've successfully re-arranged a personal training session, started reading a script that I need to have notes on by Monday, made friends over the phone with another assistant while trying to move a lunch with a well-known TV Star, felt stupid for calling said star and leaving a voicemail about moving the lunch because I had no number for a personal assistant, felt a little better when said star called back and was very kind and he could move the lunch to the time we needed, and I have used this small amount of "down" time to write this post.

 Excerpt from The Devil Wears Prada by: Lauren Weisberger
"Ahn-dre-ah, my car needs to be picked up from the place and dropped off at the garage. Attend to it immediately, as we'll be needing it tonight to drive to the Hamptons. That's all." I stood, rooted to the carpet in front of her behemoth desk, but she'd already blocked out my presence entirely. Or so I thought. "That's all, Ahn-dre-ah. See to it right now," she added, still not glancing up.

Ah, sure, Miranda, I thought to myself as I walked away, trying to figure out the first step in the assignment that was sure to have a million pitfalls along the way. First was definitely to find out at which "place" the car was located. Most likely it was being repaired at the dealership, but it could obviously be at any one of a million auto shops in any one of the five boroughs. Or perhaps she'd lent it to a friend and it was currently occupying an expensive spot in a full-service garage somewhere on Park Avenue? Of course, there was always the chance that she was referring to a new car--brand unknown--that she'd just recently purchased that hadn't yet been brought home from the (unknown) dealership. I had a lot of work to do.
                     

So far in my limited experience I have learned the following:
1.Assistants are problem-solvers. Much like Engineers... but with people.
2. Knowing who to talk to to get things done is the easiest way to solve those problems.
3. You can tell who was once an assistant before they "moved up" and they are often kind and have sympathy, empathy, or, at least, pity for you.

Well, the day is almost half-over. Let's hope that everything runs smoothly for the rest of the day with no major or minor crises (even though Culver City is apparently doing a disaster drill at 7pm tonight...should be interesting to see how that goes).

RED

I am excited about Taylor Swift's new album "Red" due to release this coming Monday October 22, 2012 (no, I have not been paid to plug this...unfortunately). This is the first album of her's that I've wanted to purchase. Much of the time I like only half the stuff she comes out with so this is a BIG DEAL. The single "Red" is my current favorite autumn-weather pop-drive to song and would be perfect for a trip down Ivy Road towards Crozet, I suppose Santa Monica Boulevard will have to do. I also have to say that the photos for the album are awesome (vintage filters...I'm kind of a hipster) and I'm impressed with Taylor's new style (much more mature with basic reds, creams, blacks). Right, now that I've spent a good paragraph gossipping...

I'm winding down with my internships and looking forward to whatever is next. Classes are picking up and I will be meeting with agents, researching agencies, and reading as many books/scripts/short stories as possible to start building my slate as a legitimate hollywood producer! (eek!)

Meanwhile, sharing stories at the apartment last night ranged everywhere from a deep longing for forests, Nicki Minaj and her love of Dasani water, and passive aggressive (and not so passive) notes and comments from drivers...only in LA.

Here are some places I haven't been in a while:

My Grandmother's House

Tribe...working Sunday nights keeps me from you

And a place I have been going to very often:

The Grove

My Locker at Anthropolgie

Below My Feet

My absolute favorite song off Babel the new Mumford and Sons CD. Take a listen. Enjoy.

The Getty and Art

A mural in Venice by the hanging "VENICE" sign right off the strip. Randomly included in this set of pictures.

A couple weekends ago now I went to The Getty for the first time. The Getty is an art museum on top of a rather large hill. You have to take a small tram to the top, in fact. It's quite fun rising up and out of the city for a while. I was able to picnic outside with some yummy Trader Joe's food and then wander around the different exhibits. There is also a great garden outside that is fun to walk around in. Later on that evening I went to an open mic night of sorts at Mosaic's "Living Room" in the downtown art's district. It was a happenin' place Friday night as (I'll admit it) mostly hipsters roamed in and out of small shops drinking wine and eating cheese. The Living Room hosted it's first event focusing on storytelling. People recounted memories, sang songs, and recited spoken word poetry as we got into the fall spirit eating pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pear and walnut bundt cake, coffee, and tea, A great day in LA.

View of the city from The Getty art museum. Really cool "trees" of vines.

Architecture of The Getty

Inside The Getty

Garden from patio

Outdoor patio

Garden maze

View of The Getty building from the garden

my attempt at artsyness, what the heck I'm at an art museum

again, attempt at artsyness. This was a small stream with stone steps leading towards it. The stream runs from the top of the hill at the end of the building into the garden.

My new favorite mural, if it can be called that. Let's just say it's my favorite street art just outside of Mosaic's Living Room.

Again, a random picture. The Grove, where I spend many a late night folding the beautiful clothes at Anthropologie. This is probably my favorite. It's outdoor, has lots of live music and activities, attracts families, teenagers, young couples, and tourists. Sinatra and Michael Buble and Regina Spektor can be heard over the sound system. There is a lovely lit fountain, trees, a grassy spot to hang out, a movie theater,some of my favorite stores (including a candy store and a whole "Farmer's Market" of delicious food of all varieties). And, the best part is a little section of strung lights in a small corridor that looks like a street in Europe (a very very clean and commercial street mind you). 

Catalina Island

The Queen Mary and the shuttle (mid right) 

I apologize. It has been much too long since I've updated this blog. It's been a whirlwind past couple of weeks as I finished up a few days of internship and work before my mom came for a week for a lovely vacation. Now I've finally gotten back to the grind so to speak. 

When my mom first got to LA I picked her up from LAX and we spent the rest of the day touring Los Feliz, the neighborhood I live in, and the Hollywood area.  We saw the Chinese Theater, Walk of Fame, and where I have my internship Mondays and Tuesdays. We even had a celebrity sighting (Dominic Monaghan) at House of Pies as we were walking back from dinner in Los Feliz! The next day we ventured through Century City and on to Venice to take in a bit more of the city finally ending up back at my house for homemade pad thai and mojitos with my friends from LA. The next day we were off to Catalina. For those of you who don't know, Catalina is an island off of Southern California where many people go to vacation, particularly to dive or "summer". It's a beautiful island and has a very small town feel to it although it's filled with big city people. I guess that close proximity always creates that kind of vibe no matter where you spend the majority of your time. I was amazed to meet some of the true locals who have grown up on the island going to the K-12 school that is further inland. One of the unique things about Catalina is that it's a golf-cart town. There are limits on how many vehicles can be on the island so the majority of people get around by golf-cart.

Goodbye Long Beach

Hello Catalina

In order to get to the island we left from Long Beach Pier (I really need to re-watch Gone in 60 Seconds and see if I notice anything about Long Beach now). The day we left the space shuttle Endeavour was doing flybys around Los Angeles and we were able to see the shuttle from the ferry as we started out towards Catalina! Once on the island we enjoyed our hotel, walked around the art fair that was going on that weekend, and ate delicious fresh seafood. On our last morning we even braved the cold and incredibly clear Pacific water.

Morning from the hotel room

After Catalina we drove down the PCH to Dana Point, just past Laguna Beach in the OC, and stayed at a lovely Inn called the Blue Lantern. I highly recommend them. Service was friendly, rooms were cute, and there were several complimentary things that I enjoyed (who doesn't like free stuff?) including complimentary bikes (a trip down to the harbor was very fun), post cards (they mail them for you and cover the postage, great marketing!), California wine and cheese in the afternoons, and freshly baked cookies, coffee, and tea 24-7!

Blue Lantern Inn

Dana Point Harbor

View from our table at The Chart House

Morning walk through the neighborhoods overlooking the harbor below. Cool trail on the hillside that you can walk on.

It's a neighborly day in Hollywood

I had to take a picture of this run-down building. The contrast not to mention the Looper billboard were just too cool not to capture.

 Mr. Rogers would be proud of me. I spent my Saturday, one of the hottest days that I've been here for in LA, walking and exploring the Los Feliz/ Silver Lake area. I set out with my water bottle and book headed for the lake (yes, there is an actual lake in Silver Lake). I turned left down Hollywood Boulevard, said my goodbyes to the Griffith Observatory, passed Barnsdall Park and into the heart of Los Feliz. I passed the Vista theater, a beautifully old single screen place where you can see movies for cheap (at least for LA). Continuing on past the Circus of Books that I've admired from a distance for a while now I discovered a farmer's market and a couple stores I'm looking forward to popping into.

 I was on my way up the road towards the lake when the heat took it's toll and I decided that I simply had to turn around and go home (seriously guys it was 105, maybe hotter). I was out of water at this point and came across a yard sale off the main drag. I asked if those holding it if they wouldn't mind filling up my water bottle and, as one of the women went inside to kindly keep me hydrated, I chatted with them a bit. Turns out the man and woman who were having the sale are about to embark on a year-long road trip to the tip of Argentina and back. If that's not enough adventure they have a one-year old and are taking her along for the ride! He's a skateboard/snowboard artist and is hoping to get some inspiration from the trip and learn to live simply with his family. It's amazing how many awesome things the people around us are doing and the stories they have to tell.

My neighborhood adventure went well with the subject of a discussion I was involved with on Sunday morning. We asked the question "Who is your neighbor?" It's something the culture at large doesn't seem to spend much time on. We talk about eating local and buying local and doing a lot of "local" things but I feel that sometimes the people who are involved in all of these things get left out. Sometimes buying/eating/being "local" fosters relationships between seller and buyer of goods but even if you know your local farmer's market vendors by name I think the most we do for or with them is buy their products.

The concept of a neighbor has changed dramatically in the modern age. Conveniences like cars and air conditionings are keeping people holed up in their personal spaces and iPods, iPads, iPhones, etc keep us in our own heads even when we are physically with other people. Then you have the added factor of being in a city like LA where you are passing people all the time and you live next to hundreds, are you supposed to get to know everyone?

What we concluded as a group on Sunday was that in the grand scheme of things everyone is your neighbor. We all have connections to each other in some way, shape, or form. The things we consume, food, clothing, services, all have attachments that are linked with the people who work behind them. Nothing we do is ever truly independent of anyone. Someone had to plant a field of cotton, harvest it, turn it into thread and fabric, cut a pattern, sew it together, ship it a store where someone else unpacked it and put it out for you to try on and buy (even if most of that was done by a machine, there are people who work those too).

My point is that if it's established that everyone is your neighbor, what does your relationship to those you meet look like? Some things we thought of on Sunday were smiling, saying hello, helping someone who clearly looks lost or in need of some help, paying for someone's toll or meal behind you, giving out water bottles and granola bars to the homeless. Perhaps this sounds idealistic, but I don't want to do this out of some belief that I am changing the world or that I am making it a better place one person at a time. Being a good neighbor isn't about me or my gratification. I think that this is a duty we have to other people. Anything that I have ever gained from serving others in any form has always been humility and a greater appreciation for others. If everyone is my neighbor then everyone is just as important as me, right? Time to golden-rule it up.

The Sea In Between

Last night I had the privilege of being treated to see Josh Garrels and Mason Jar Music (MJM) perform. My friend Alyson met me at my house and we walked the 2 miles (yes, Alyson, you were right) to the Hotel Cafe, a small venue just off of Hollywood Blvd [as a side note I'm happy that 2 miles "doesn't seem that far" to me walking but I apologize to all of the friends who have had to keep pace with me while walking on the crowded, hot streets of Hollywood as I march them on towards our next destination--read: Kelsey, Ava, Alyson].

The Hotel Cafe

The Hotel Cafe is a smallish venue that is quite basement like, dark, square, and dimly lit. It was the perfect place for the unexpected opener to the band: a screening of The Sea In Between, a documentary about Josh Garrels' life and music process and his collaboration with MJM. I highly, HIGHLY recommend watching this film if you get the chance. I only saw an abridged version last night but it was completely wonderful with many Josh Garrels songs recorded live (in full) with talented musicians from NYC outside in breathtaking British Columbia. I pre-ordered the film while at the concert and would love to screen it for anyone who is interested!

Alyson, who didn't know about Garrels until I told her abou the concert, left a fully supportive fan. To make the night even better I ran into a friend tending bar and was able to chat with her for a minute or two before Parker graciously picked Alsyon and me up to spare our feet the walk home.