The sounds of silence

Today the American writer Norman Mailer died. Always sadden when a literary voice is silence forever. We'll miss you.

For it's one, two, three strikes your out ...

Today's StarBucks looked like a ghost town. Usually when I walk in there to get my Grande cup of Refresh tea the place is packed with people writing a screenplay, reading a screenplay, or pitching a screenplay over their cell phones. Today only a hand full of people were in place. Another factor is that you can't help but notice how young the strikers are! No one looked over thirty! Well, the Entertainment Industry is know for being youth driven and often skilled writers are kicked to the curb once they reach forty. It's hard to feel for some young twenty year old kid, who is holding a Blackberry and got his job in the first place because some relative got him in. In a studio everyone , not only the actors but down to the grips have a relative working in the studio. I can understand their point on one end but usually when people strike it's due to fighting for Health Care, a actual living wage and safer work conditions. If you get to be a writer for a sit-con (for example) the average income is $200,000! Life if rough! Still, the studio heads should share the profits. What is interesting members of SAG can't strike but Teamsters won't cross a picket line so most productions are down.

Tour of Duty

It was a hot, clear, beautiful Saturday in Southern California, a day where most people head out to the beach but I hate crowds and prefer the beach on cold, gray days where it's just me and a few crazed suffers enjoying the beauty of the Pacific ocean. So after my yoga class in West Hollywood I jumped on the 110 freeway and went to the Mountain View Cemetery for more ghost busting.

There are two mausoleums at the Mountain View Cemetery. One is adjacent to the graveyard and the other is behind the graveyard on Margeno Avenue. The first is white and pristine like a fine art museum and the second is simply gorgeous and like a fine art palace. It has beautiful frescos, enchanting stain glass windows and grand staircases. It was breath taking walking along the hall , discovering the buildings many treasures! And goodie, goodie, it's haunted.

There are tales of a sweet, old man giving guided tours of the building. I spoke to a woman who worked there and she stated, even though the reported ghosts of the building have always been friendly and have caused no mischief she won't walk around the area alone. She told me about a young college art student often visited the building and one day reported running into the ghostly tour guide. She said that the young man stated the ghost was kind and helpful but disappeared when he walked up the main stair case into thin air. He show her a photo he had taken of the man and both were shock that only half of his upper body was visible in the photo!

So I walked and walked but didn't get a guided tour. Sigh!

Main Staircase of Mountain View Mausoleum

Interior of Mountain View Mausoleum

Fresco in Mountain View Mausoleum

Trick or treat

Am I hung over or what! Halloween is a National Holiday out here in Los Angeles. If you don't want to deal with the parking headaches of West Hollywood you can deal with the headaches of parking in Pasadena or City Walk in Studio City. After handing out candy to the trick or treaters I headed over to West Hollywood to stay over night with a friend who lives just blocks away frim the big Halloween parade but wouldn't you know it I left my digital camera at home so no photos! What a show it was! Some people most plan their costumes a year in advance very creative! After the parade was cleared out my the police , we headed back to my friends house where I did card reading and drank far too much spiked, warm, spiced cider. I didn't fall asleep until 4:30 a.m. then I had to teach a 9:00 a.m. class. Drove home and went back to bed. Awoke to my head trobbing, down two bottles of water and now walking around like the dawn of the dead.