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03/13/2006: "Wow, it's been a month"

since I left the redwoods and got back to LA. I went for EJ on a walk around the neighborhood last night and like every other time I take a walk, I can't beleive how much I missed the place. It's gritty, it's funky, it's honest, it's home. Stopped into Mondo Video-A-Go-Go and said hello to the Colonel. A good time was had by all.

This morning, I went to a meeting of the IATSE Local 150, the LA projectionists union. I cold-emailed a projectionist last week to see if he would meet with me and talk shop. I saw him on Saturday night, and he was impressed enough by my credentials to send me over to the union meeting this morning. After a grilling by the business manager, it was agreed that I could have an evaluation. The business manager said there was a lot of work around, but they want to see what I got before they send me out. If they like my Tyler Durden-esque projectionist stylings, I could be sent to screen dailies in the movie studio backlots or project at some of the world's top movie theatres like the ArcLight or maybe even Mann's Chinese!!! I can't even begin to express what an honor it would be- it would be like a baseball player finally getting to the major leagues. After the interview, all these old-timer projectionists shook my hand and looked with great interest at my Massachusetts Projectionist License (I mean Liscense- haw haw!).

And the best part...if I did get in the Local, not only would I get all the benefits of being in a real union (health, dental, retirement), but I would make approximately 3.5X what I got paid as a union projectionist in Boston, and 5X what they paid in Humboldt County.

As the Reverend Josiah A. Perkins is wont to say, "Whoa punk."

The other best part is I have a bunch of other really keen meetings lined up for this week and next, with the very real possibility I might get "evaluated" this weekend. Went to karaoke last weekend, my rendition of "My Prerogative" brought down the house. "American Idol" here I come!

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