Los Angeles Adventures: Meet Sam, Meets Venice.

A tractor engine and the scraping of metal brushing the sand was becoming a familiar sound.  As the sun rose I was looked out on the Pacific Ocean and marveled at the idea that I had an ocean view.  I looked over and 'Los was writing in a spiral bound notebook and I barrelled over with laughter.  "Can you believe this is what the first thing you saw when you woke up?" I chuckled.  Carlos smiled and nodded.  It was pretty cool.  We packed up our camp and headed towards the pier laughing all the way.  We passed under the tunnel to the north side and out of the corner of my eye I spied a skinny kid in cowboy boots, a hat and a guitar passed out against the pier with a small guitar, a harmonica slung from his neck and a bottle of Jim Beam in hand.  I looked at Carlos and he looked at me and we laughed and approached the guy to see if he was OK.  

We were within 3 feet or so when this character popped to his feet like someone injected him with espresso and reached his hand out and introduced himself as Sam.  "Sammy Boy" was instantly likable, he awoke with a smile on his face and said he had wandered out from Michigan, originally not alone, but somewhere in the middle he lost his travel buddy so he kept going.  He spoke of how kind the people across the United States where and claimed to have an amazing ride, now he was here next to the pier.  Sam didn't have any luggage other than his guitar so he picked it up and walked along with us to the McDonald's on the corner.  We had some breakfast and got acquainted, grateful that we had all met at this point in our journeys.  Like little children, we were all free and anxious at the idea of endless possibilities, this moment in L.A.

Throughout the wandered around the Boardwalk a bit and eventually headed down to Venice Beach, Sam had not been there yet and I had not explored the neighboring beach nearly enough yet.  It wasn't long that we were in Venice before Sat down on the Boardwalk and decided to play.  I am not a hundred percent that I recall the song he played, but I remember it being "Baby Please Don't Go" by Muddy Waters in an energy unlike I had ever seen by a performer, within  minutes there were camera crews filming Sam play on the Venice Boardwalk on his second Day in town.. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go.......

Thank you for coming back,  I can't explain the positive energy that was buzzing around myself and the people around me during my time in L.A. everything seemed scripted, like destiny and it was, we were living in the moment and unattached from all that's material and we were grateful for living it.  Come back often as I continue my story daily and please visit me on facebook  @ Tilly's

Los Angeles Adventures: Carlos and Content Life

Leaving Hollywood was pretty easy, I really preferred to be on the beach right now so when I awoke from my sleep with a throbbing headache I hightailed over to Santa Monica and Highland, grabbed some "Del Taco" and caught the express bus back towards Santa Monica.  I was ready for some beach time with my book "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.  The beach would be packed and I decided to stay closer to the pier and see how my day would unfold.  I hit the bell at the end of the Boulevard and walked by the famous Pier entrance and headed along the side of the Pier towards the Volleyball courts.  I found my spot about 2 lifeguard towers south and relaxed with my book.

I sat on the beach for the whole day reading my book, I had nothing that I had to do, no calls, no meetings nothing.  Just me, the ocean and Echart.   I was learning a lot from my experience, I realized that as soon as I let go of worry I was the happiest I had ever been and that no matter what the circumstance, something good would come out of it.  I became content.  

Sometime towards dusk I heard a shout " Hey " a big Mexican guy was waving at me from a few spaces over. "I've seen you over there all day bro, what are you doing?".   I introduced myself as Tilly and informed him that I was "drifting" around and writing and planned on doing some odd jobs acting and see what happens. "Right now" I said "I'm sleeping on this beach, or I was before you hailed me."  Carlos told me that he had been in some trouble a while back and he was coming to L.A. from San Diego and he had no plan, other than he wanted to write music.  Carlos had arrived earlier that day by bus and just dropped himself on the beach like me.

Now I have to be frank, Carlos was quite an intimidating dude, he had a friendly warm smile but he was huge and he also had 51-50 tattooed on his eyelids which is California Police Code for "crazy".  Carlos and I hit is up right off of the bat and I trusted him, I decided to make him the first member of my "entourage" in L.A.  What better person to have on your side than a kind-hearted, amicable gangster Mexican guy with "CRAZY" tattooed on his EYE"S, as a roll dog.

Carlos and I spent the night smoking weed and hanging out by my lifeguard stand, he was so outgoing and everyone who walked by got to meet us as we sat on the beach drinking 40's and listening to The Stones.   Pen and pad in hand we both were grateful for where we were, no matter how we got there and we were convinced that this summer was going to be one of the best of our lives.  I told him about the music on the Pier and that tomorrow night the beach would be flooded with groups of people sitting in circles and listening to music.  It wasn't long before my new roll dog fell asleep on the beach and I wandered off for a late night walk of my own down to the bike path.

As I looked up at the sky and the beach and the tranquility of night in this overpopulated place I once again knew that magic was in the air.  I needed a cigarette and there was no store open in the area at this time so I headed past "Muscle Beach" and towards the Pier entrance hoping to find one, as I turned the corner I heard the sound of a bongo and the rapid firing voice of John David Rushton, covering Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire with machine gun blasting speed, in a sort of punk kind of way.

 There were only a few people standing around as John rapidly strummed his little guitar and a young Latin boy played the bongo.  I sat for a while until they were finished and introduced myself.  I told them my name was Tilly and John introduced his friend on the bongo and a guy in cowboy hat with a New Orleans accent.  They told me that they were here for the summer, to play their music on the beach and were staying down the way.  I told them I was here to act and experience life without rules, live in the moment and I was greeted with bright smiles. We are "Content Life" John said. We parted ways and went to our summer homes to retire for the evening.

Los Angeles Adventures: Hollyweird

I was erratically navigating my way down through a maze of tourists and old washed up Super Hero’s as I passed the ChineseTheatre at 10 pm.  My day was one for the photo albums but I had no pictures, just my pen.  I swiftly scurried to the Gym to pick up my back pack with the intentions of renting a room at a dive somewhere on Sunset.  When I got to the gym I was pleased with how the day had went and whether I had $250 or $2500000 I felt like the world was mine.  I walked through the 2 story labyrinth of sweaty, plastic, beefy folks and went straight to the hot tub, to relax and shut off my head.

 Shutting off my head seemed like a perfect idea when I peered across at the vacant hot tub surrounded by glass so I showered and then I hopped right in to soak in the day.  I wasn’t in the tub long before a (or what looked like a) 18 or 19 year old girl in a bikini sat beside me.  Reflecting on my day was not going to occur in this situation.  The girl introduced herself as Joy we began talking to me about normal stuff, where she was from and where I had been, when she looked over to me and asked me to touch her breast.  I was in shock and sort of thrown off at what was going on during this small talk and shyly asked if she was serious.  “Touch it” said Joy, tell me if it’s real.

As I evaluated the situation rapidly in my mind I was confused a bit, Joy did not have a big pair, maybe a “B” cup and she had a very petite frame, I wondered why she was asking me if they felt real.  I am a very analytic person and Joy thought is was funny and very laughed and told me her real name was Carlos.  Carlos informed me that he was only 15 years old and from El Salvador and had been living in L.A. as a 21 year old prostitute to the stars.  Carlos, had been in bed with lots of FAMOUS straight men and actually respected my keeping it real and we chatted a while and became friends. Hollyweird.

Regardless of the interesting conversation, I had no desire to sit in a hot tub with a man alone, ESPECIALLY not a man who was a boy, who was living as a 21 year old female model in Hollywood.  I said goodbye and headed up towards the Boulevard once again where I found a 24 hour Internet Café across from a liquor store and a dive motel.  The man at the front window was speaking broken English as he handed me my form and told me by NO mean was anyone to visit my room without checking with him first.  I snatched up my key and hit the liquor store for a scratch off ticket and a fifth of Jim Beam.  When I arrived at my room it was musty, with some mismatched dingy furniture.   I popped my laptop up on the desk and set my music to Corey Smiths “I’m in the Mood” wrote in my journal and drank that bottle to sleep.  Tomorrow I would head back to the beach, but tonight I was in Hollywood and I was Beat.

~Thanks again for reading my ongoing memories of my Los Angeles adventure.  I hope my story brings your day jot and inspires to keep going, no matter which way

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Thanks for coming back!

~Tilly

Los Angeles: Don't Forget the Lyrics

Hastily I showered and hit the pavement.   I had a few blocks before I arrived at the studio, not worth a taxi but I did not see much of Hollywood.  I was on a mission.  I hit the security card and quickly showed him my identification and was directed to the other side of a large concrete building to a door where there would be a line of people waiting to enter the show.   This is how it works; a lot of people come to L.A. on vacations and obtain tickets to these shows various ways; however there are a lot of pretty average Americans and also A LOT of shows being filmed.  The TV companies need to fill their audience and put good looking/interesting people in front of the cameras for screen shots when the show is aired, they pay people to do this.  I was selected to be one of those people and was paid $100 to clap and make crazy noise and look like I was having fun.  I was having fun.

I walked up towards the door and I noticed that there were 2 lines.  It was very clear to me that one line was for ticket holders and the other line was for “paid” help.  The line I was to go in was very diverse, there were hipsters and rock star types, some middle age, well dressed couples and various “pretty” types.  I am really not sure what category that I fit into, but I felt good so I was on center stage in my own world.  A MTV types with mouthpieces ushered us into the building and told us to wait as they selected and paired us into various pairs and selected our seats in various views of the cameraman. I got a spot directly in front of the stage.

It was not long before a “cheerleader” type guy came out and shouted a bunch of rules and stuff and instructed us in ways in which we should react in certain situations throughout the show.  Within an announcer came on and introduced “MR. WAYNE BRADY”.  In an instant the Improv specialist was running out onto the stage and the audience erupted with cheers, the show wasn't starting Wayne was just coming to work and we were told we would be filming 2 episodes, on featuring En Vogue, the 90’s Diva’s and another Famous 80’s singer who was kind of washed up and his daughter, who ended up singing a duet with her father later and made him look like a fuck-up.  Anyhow, I am rambling on here, we were told what to do and Wayne came around and said hello to us individually before the first show and thanked us for coming.

Once again the lights went out and Wayne emerged again with the contestant of the show and the show began.  We all erupted in cheers.  It was hysterical watching the various people who I “knew” were actors being overly dramatic fools stirring energy in the audience.  I immediately became one of those crazy actors and just went insane making noise and hooting and hollering throughout the whole act.  I was on camera and this was ridiculously fun and I was going to get paid at the end. 

The shows were both a blast, throughout the entire filming Wayne Brady was very interactive and personable with us all as individuals and that really made me have a lot more respect for this guy who I already held in wide regards for his talents in improv. It was at this moment that I decided I was going to experience L.A. in a way that not many people do.    A feeling that I had felt in the past and as a child had arisen once again in me when the lights and the camera’s turned on.  I was going to live like there was not tomorrow and this would be some of the most positive moments of my life.  The lights went down and we were ushered out and lined up one by one, I was handed my hundred dollar bill and I headed towards the sunset, to my temporary home under the stars.  It was at this moment that I realize that no matter how bizarre life was right now, I was grateful.

Thanks for reading on with me and I hope you continue to read.   Like and Share on Facebook  TILLY'S

~tilly