Thursday, May 31, 2007

One reason I miss LA...

...and believe it or not there are a few. Mostly, I miss my friends, my dear creative, fabulous mom friends. And I miss the city itself, the burnt tawdriness of it. I DO NOT miss how desperate it feels to be there. You might think I'm talking about getting the job, and you'd be wrong, because from the minute I set foot there, I knew that artistically it wasn't my mecca. No, it was more about everyone around me - it was so hard to see what that city could do to people I loved. It was painfully expensive to live there, too. My husband tells me about the old days, when there were little pockets of affordability, but we saw that go out with rent control. Also, there is a lot of hot air in LA. I'm talking about the weather, hot, hot weather that I manage to sweat like a pig in, but also just about the amount of talking that goes on - about screenplays in process, about auditions and such. I could never muster up enough to say about myself and my process and my art. I was an actor who never acted. Something long ago I never, ever thought I'd be.

I am not at all bitter about it though. Truly. I have an incredibly rich life here in my little town, and it seems ripe with possibility. I feel more creative here, and more excited about what might be the next chapter of my life than I've felt in a long time.

But there is one thing I miss and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it. It is one of the less hip things about me, in a loooong list of things about me that are unhip, but this just feels more embarrassing. Anyway - here it is...

In LA, it is entirely possible to spot a celebrity EVERY SINGLE DAY. There are some that you don't want to see; Kato Kaelin springs to mind. But while we lived there I saw some true heroes of mine, and it made me feel like I was about ten years old: Bonnie Raitt hiking in Runyon Canyon, Steve Martin in the same canyon on his bike (he actually said "hi" to me - he saw me first!), Steve Carrell after "Anchorman" and before "40 Year Old Virgin" at the Grove, hanging out listening to some A Cappella group with his kids.

But today my best pal Jana called me, breathless, saying "Guess who I saw at Barnes and Noble? I had to call you - I knew you'd appreciate it! DWIGHT!"

She was right - I screamed. And I missed LA so much. But I missed Jana more. It would have been so much fun to see him and dish about it after.

6 comments:

Claire Thompson said...

I'll trade you your small town for this big one. Eric and I hope to do a trip up the coast sometime, maybe we could stop by your little town and check it out? Its hard when you miss friends but you know there are always new ones and sometimes it takes a little longer, Eric and I moved from SC to Sherman Oaks and even though its only about 5 miles away it was a little wierd at first, I get set in my ways.

Anonymous said...

Oh...I would scream if I saw Dwight. If I was cool enough (I wouldn't be) I would walk up to him and say "FACT: You rock" and just walk away. But I would be too intimidated.

And I read www.tmz.com every single day. Several times a day. I have it updated on My Yahoo. So no judgement here.

karigee said...

OMG, Dwight!!! I would have just followed him around like a total stalker, which is not cool and not at all like me, just to keep breathing the same air. And Steve Carell! That physically pains me. I keep my eyes open around here, but they mostly blend into the neighborhood, which is also nice. I look but don't touch.

Donna said...

The Mighty Hunter was in Portland this week and basically blew a chance to say hello to Anthony Hopkins as they walked out of the Benson Hotel at the same time! And we checked out of a hotel in Phoenix right behind Robert Picardo (Star Trek's holographic doctor and Kevin Arnold's gym teacher).

Not much chance to spot the rich and famous here in NE Kansas. So I live vicariously. I love this encounter with James Garner from The Pioneer Woman: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/confessions_of_a_pioneer_/2007/04/i_kissed_james_.html

Donna said...

I don't know if it will print the whole URL or not.
http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/confessions_of_a_pioneer_/2007/04/i_kissed_james_.html

If not it is on www.thepioneerwoman.com, and it is the entry for April 10, 2007, titled I Kissed James Garner in an Elevator!

anniemcq said...

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that goes gaga for Dwight! And Donna, THANK YOU for the link to the James Garner piece. I've never read her blog and it is SO right up my alley. Thanks, friend!