Saturday Update and Critical Mass

No one reads this blog yet. I have made no effort to advertise this thing in any way. So I guess it's just for me until I get my act together.

Anyway, for the future people who may one day read this: here is my Saturday update.

I thought I did really well at my audition on Thursday, but since I have not gotten a call I can only assume I did not get the part. Ah, the life of an actor. I am no longer torn up about rejection. There will be many, many other auditions. In college I used to get really steamed when I got a callback, did really well, and then got on the cast list as an "ensemble" role. It was almost worse than not getting a role at all. You know that term "there are no small roles, only small actors?" Well, we all know there are small roles. And some of them are slap in the face small I-can't-even-steal-the-scene roles. C'mon people, we all know it's true.

College was only a year ago, but this real world stuff is so much different. There are thousands of auditions at my fingertips rather than five for the whole year. I have gotten a few student film parts and I am trying to build a reel, and get extra work for SAG vouchers. I have only recently started doing the extra work. It finally hit me that, hey, I should probably get into SAG. In due time, in due time.

Last night, Mike informed me that there was a Critical Mass bike ride about to start. Neither Mike nor I have done a Critical Mass before. I was skeptical because all you hear about is people getting tickets and getting arrested at those rides, and alienating motorists which in turn makes it even worse for cyclists. I was apprehensive about going, but then I walked to Ralph's and I saw all the riders gathering at the Wilshire/Western station (we live two blocks from the Wilshire/Western metro station). They had some music going and looked sort of renegade. Seeing all those people getting excited about being on bikes is what ultimately made me decide to go. So I reported back to Mike that we should go to Critical Mass. He said that he was hoping I'd say no. I wondered why he suggested it if he was hoping I'd say no. Mike is an avid cyclist, more so than me, he was a bike messenger in New York City (and plans to be again), and he's the one who got me into cycling in the first place. We both dislike driving. After some teeth-pulling I got him to begrudgingly come with me. We biked the two blocks over to Wilshire and Western and joined the pack, which was much larger than before. We both seemed uneasy. Mike said, "I don't want to have to talk about bikes." A lot of these hipster bike folks like to talk about bikes, bike parts, bike style, and Mike isn't into that. He was also really worried about getting a ticket or something from the cops. He has gotten a ticket before, when he was by himself on his bike, for riding against traffic. He got it dismissed, however, because he proved to the court that the reason he went against traffic was because they closed off one side of the street for construction. Los Angeles is ridiculous in that way. I won't go off on that tangent.

About 10 minutes after we got to Wilshire/Western, the ride began. I have to say it was really well organized. All the horror stories about Critical Mass were quickly put to rest, at least with this one. I guess maybe it wasn't as packed as usual. We rode down Wilshire to Crenshaw, then down to Olympic, San Vicente, and stopped at a Ralph's. I don't know why we stopped at a Ralph's, I guess to buy beer? But we were there for almost half an hour. Mike called it the Tour-de-Ralph's, which I thought was clever. Finally we got going again, and we rode downtown, through downtown, back to Wilshire, and then to MacArthur Park. Then we stopped at MacArthur park, I guess for another "party session" of some kind. Mike and I were kind of hungry so we stayed there for ten minutes and decided to ride home because we didn't know how long they were gonna hang out in the park for.

I don't know where the ride goes to, or if it ended there or at Wilshire/Western, or if it goes on to the night, no idea. Like I said we didn't talk to anyone. The riding was fun but I could deal without the stopping. I guess if you were drunk and had all your friends that part would be fun. We don't have any cycling friends, though. I guess we should make some. But I was surprised by the organization of it. At every light some cyclists would guard and look-out. It was nice. I like group rides, so much safer than if you were alone.

Anyway, now it is Saturday, I have to head to the gym and then go to the track to run, but other than that I am free as a bird. Have a nice Labor Day weekend!