i say hello

sunset boulevard, crossing into the heart of silver lake, was buzzing with energy this morning. i walked down the street to inhale a stack of my favorite neighborhood bluebarry pancakes at madame matisse, passing the ever-popular weekend joint millie's on the way. the tiny farmer's market across the street offered plentious avacados and peaches, and this is the time of year that one can find those enormous juicy yellow peaches that are softball-sized flavor wonders, drippy and melty and saisfyingly scrumptious.

drinking at least five cups of coffee, i sat outside pondering the state of my affairs as an angeleno just breaking through his first four months, and the events of the last week flashed through my mind. i had set monday aside to work on pirates of the caribbean, only to be informed a day earlier that the shooting date was pushed back until tuesday. after receiving a few more postponing calls on subsequent days, the shooting date was finally set for wednesday. the fact is, i don't really feel like discussing it, because despite the fact i locked eyes with orlando in all of his british long-haired and moustached glory, none of us soldiers were used in a single shot during the 12-hour workday, and as a result the non-speaking military boys were canned for the following day's shoot. a supposed multi-week shoot had lasted, in fact, a total of a single day.

despite the inherent woes of the movie-making business, my frustrations were countered by reflections on my burgeoning los angeles social life, like monday evening's greet-and-run episode on my vespa as i was hurriedly riding to a show at safari sam's. a short conversation with two screaming and giggling girls in a car next to me at a stop light turned into an evening's worth of hilarious socializing when the girls later showed up at the venue to formally introduce themselves and inform me that our newly-formed friendship would surely be the basis for a life-long bond.

wednesday night was the final evening of my expected midweek summer's night rendezvous with the lit crowd at hollywood's memphis restaurant. the night seemd to be symbol of the closing of my first los angeles season, as i small-talked my way through the glittering crowd on the outdoor steps of the victorian structure that housed the restaurant. my lips brushed a cheek here and there as i moved on to greet another loyal lit patron. even if it seemed some typical superficial or affected gathering, the truth is i had developed many true and lasting relationships with guests among the crowd.

during the height of business traffic on thursday afternoon, i was perched on my vespa speeding down the wide lanes of wilshire boulevard from the west-side neighborhoods of venice and santa monica. i have driven the posh roads of the high-end beverly hills shopping district before, but why would i cruise the elitest streets lined with gucci and prada when i could seek out just as much fashion inspiration in the hipster-filled corners of the grittier silver lake neighborhood in which i lived? granted, i have been known to lust after the season's new offering from prada's hat department or a simple leather sandal on the shelves of gucci's shoe section; however, as a self-condemned bankrupt wanderer, that has not been the case since my move to los angeles, and my current state has, indeed, kept me from wandering the streets of this particular neighborhood. so my suprise was heightened when my eyes made contact with a fellow on the street, waiting for the signal to begin his cross to the district's infamous rodeo drive, and i recognized a familiar smirk on his face as he raised his arm to wave to my helmeted figure speeding by. only moments before, i had thought about mike, thinking he was the one person i knew in the area, but i opted out of a quick hello because i was in a rush to get to the east side of town for acting class. but there he was, waiting at the corner for me to pull up onto the sidewalk, dismount my ride and say a quick hello.

midway through my rushed greeting and goodbye, i was interrupted by a new friend calling to me has he exited the building next to us. my popularity was overwhelming. the un-premeditated stop on the side of the beverly hills thoroughfare turned into a roadside meet-n-greet where the "hello my name is" stickers were unncessary. apparently my friend zak had just left work for the day, was scurrying to make a screeing in the valley, and left me on the street yelling promises of a phone call later in the evening. mike rushed back to his waiting coworkers after the necessary hug and, again, promises to call. i like the idea of speeding across the city atop my vespa with an imminent possibility of running into a good friend. apparently, my local connections are moving in the right directions.

this morning's pancakes were syrupy and delicious, packed with fresh blueberrys. the coffe was black and strong just as i like. the crowd on the street was chipper as they waited for me and my breakfast to stop hogging the two-seater that we had been occupying for the last hour and a half. and my thoughts on this last weeks events were the perfect compliment.