Action Footage! - Friday 12/7/2007

As a news photographer, I am definitely lacking in skills.

We were working in our office this afternoon when we heard hooting and honking. Lookit! The WGA right outside my window.

Well, almost.

It's actually at the corner of Pass & Riverside, which is very near.

Interesting, as we were just heading into our weekly meeting to discuss just how much work is left to do. Not much.

Oddly, this morning was quite fun at Bob's Big Boy. One of the Three Musketeers was there when I arrived! I'm usually there before him, so I had to give him a little bit of a hard time. He told me his name and a nice little story and the names of the other two Musketeers. T, N and H.

I had a printout about Bott's Dots for them because yesterday they asked what I thought those road bumps were called. I thought Bop Dots. I was wrong. T said he and his daughter always call them Road Braille. LOL.

Holiday Bob - Tuesday 12/4/2007

Large festive balls hang threateningly over my table.

"Write about us," they whisper, "Write about Bob's Big Boy and the fascinating array of waiters, waitresses, regulars and novices. You know you want to."

I refer to my notebook, hunch over my keyboard and try to focus on the scene I'm working on. I know what I want to accomplish in it, it's just a manner of concentrating.

It's a party scene. Hey, maybe it's a Christmas party. Maybe there are gigantic decorations hanging threateningly over the heads of the revelers.



Maybe our eccentric antagonist has decorated his home like a fifties diner, complete with happy statues!

Naw.

Scratch that.

The Etiquette of Restaurants - Tuesday 11/27/2007

A man with a briefcase comes in and stands near the register. He is uncomfortable. He is unsure whether it’s all right to just go take a seat or if he has to wait for someone to escort him past the curved counter.

He is exposed. He is on display. He won’t look at the other patrons who could probably answer his question. He has committed to some rules of behavior.

I look up a couple of times. If he meets my eye, I’ll tell him that it’s okay to sit anywhere.

I’ve been in that position. Most recently in a restaurant in France in which my mother and I made spectacles of ourselves standing and waiting for a cue, then walking deep into the busy dining room, then walking awkwardly back to the door and waiting until we could catch the eye of one of the busy servers to get permission to enter.

Yikes. I felt like I had "AMERICANO" or the French equivalent etched on my forehead.

The waiting man gets the attention of someone in the back. He lifts his chin, smiles, nods, points with one fully outstretched arm toward the back of the restaurant and starts walking.

The rules are different in the early morning hours. Unless the back is blocked off, it's anarchy! You can sit anywhere! If you get here at lunch time, not only do you have to be seated by a hostess, but you might have to wait 10-15 minutes for a table.

A man in the black sweater and baseball cap pushes through the big glass doors. He knows his way around restaurants. Or at least around pre-dawn Big Boy. He slides into the booth in front of me with his back to me.

He orders coffee, ice water, corned beef hash with poached eggs, fruit, and an English muffin with butter on the side without even looking at the menu.

Diner Rock Star!

*******

Oh, and here's another WGA Strike video. A really funny one. Only 2:56 minutes of your time. Free! (Sold yet?)

Up Front - Monday 11/26/2007

Grumble grumble. They've been closing off the back (cozier) part of Bob's for the past couple of weeks. Because they only have one server on duty in the early morning hours. Because there are no production crews coming in before or after long days of shooting.

So I have to sit up front. It's okay. The table's bigger.




But the new waitress, who has now waited on me at least 8 times, still doesn't remember that I take milk with my tea and that I want a glass of water. I miss UT and K. And when E came in today, she was busy setting up the back station and didn't have time to chat.

That's okay.

I'm here to write.

Sniffle.

[On a lighter note, I'd just like to say that I had a wonderful time over the five-day weekend. Wrote for an hour and a half by candlelight every morning. There is no one easier to live with than a writer who has written. We can be very nice people.]

Cool Thing: I learned how to embed a video. Very easy if someone writes the code for you.

Foggy Bob's - Monday 11/19/2007

I was amazed at how the flash revealed texture in what looked like solid fog to the naked eye. It was so foggy I became disoriented driving down Riverside Drive. They even shut down Burbank airport due to the fog.

Cool Thing: Another funny video: The WGA Strike: A Love Story.

And now some thoughts about writing, because it's been going well again for the past week or so. (Rah!) You're excused, if you want to be. But if you do read on, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about the process.

I remembered that candlelight provides a private sphere in which to create. It helps me focus and dims out the rest of the world. I rose before dawn and Saturday and Sunday and had a great time writing in candlelight.

How interesting! My bad guy, who would spend a lot of time in firelight, came out of the dark and had so much to tell me.

I planned to write in third person from the points of view of the three other characters and let him be a mystery, but when it comes right down to it, a good villain is someone we can relate to on some level.

He has a whole different perspective on everything that happens in that canyon. Of course. His set of recent experiences has been vastly different from anyone else's

In exchange for letting him express his point of view, he showed me how to address a couple of plot problems.

I guess it takes me a lot of writing and thinking to get to the point where the characters start showing me things. Kind of like acting, where you have to learn the lines and really own them before you spark to the character’s perspective and motivations.

It’s interesting to know that others are doing NaNoWriMo right now, and to reflect on how good it was for me. I’ll always know I started this novel on November 1st, 2006.

Writer's Strike Hits Big Boy - Thursday 11/8/2007

As you can see, it was a bit of a gloomy day in Toluca Lake yesterday. This is a side view of the Big Boy sign from across the street.

I walked in after a 2 1/2 week absence (the morning regulars hadn't seen me on Monday with Mom) and opened my laptop and got started.

Waiter D came by just before his shift started at 6:00 a.m. and said, with a smile in his eye, "You're writing? You're writing again?"

"Yep! Back at it." All proud of myself for finally showing up after so many days of not really concentrating on anything.

"What about the writer's strike? You'd better be careful!" he said, sliding a tray of glasses into its slot beneath the wait-station sink.

"Oh-- It's not that kind of writing. I don't write scripts. I'm not in the Guild."

"Still, watch it. There was a guy came in here yesterday asking how far our security cameras reach. He was from Universal. He had some kind of argument about the strike out there, and the other guy tried to strangle him!" D demonstrated two hands around an imaginary neck. "It's getting crazy already."

Wow. No kidding.

Later, on my way out, I stopped to talk with the 3 Musketeers who were curious whether I'd been laid off or what. They are two older guys who own a printing business and one younger guy who I found out today owns a gas station. They are more regular regulars than I, hardly ever missing a weekday.

The younger guy asked if I know a location scout.

"No, but I might be able to find one. Why?"

Turns out that a location scout asked about using his gas station as a location and asked what he'd want for compensation. I told him what I've heard from people whose houses have been used. That they usually get the amount per day of their monthly mortgage payment.

He seemed happy about that. I said that he should probably also take into consideration what it might cost him in lost business.

"So?" one of the older guys asked, "Is $5,000 enough for the inconvenience to your customers?"

"Are you kidding?" The other one said, talking to me now, "For $5,000 he'd stay there all night serving coffee and donuts!"

We also talked about the strike. The previously funny one said, "The way to end it? Dissolve the union."

"Oh no," I said, "I'm not with you on that. And what they're asking for..." All stuff you've heard me say here.

The two older guys have heavy Russian accents. Now I wish I'd told them that I'm practically a socialist. I'd have liked to have seen their reactions. I sure wouldn't want to work for them. They always seem to think their employees take advantage of them simply by asking for a paycheck, let alone vacations. I try to tell myself it's just blowhardiness.

While we were talking about the strike the 5 or 6 big burly men at the next table kept glancing over at us. Probably teamsters. Truck drivers who have a real moral dilemma at hand.

They don't want to cross picket lines, but have reportedly been told by the studios that they are free to strike, of course. But if they do, they will be replaced and if the new hires don't volunteer to leave after the strike, they won't be let go. Aha. Very nice.

Cool Thing: an unofficial, but very interesting WGA strike blog called United Hollywood, which has great tales of real-life experiences on the picket lines, etc.

Cool Thing #2!: you really should take a minute and thirty-one seconds to watch this funny strike video submitted to YouTube by Daily Show writer Rob Kutner.

[Thanks to The American for keeping me abreast of all the latest news, and passing along great links like the ones above.]

Mom! Bob! Mom! Bob! - Monday 11/5/2007

Overload!

My favorite mother and my favorite diner! Together at last!

Yeah. I copped out and didn't take Mom to LAX. Usually we drive down there and have breakfast at Dinah's before I drop her off. But the timing was bad today, and it was my first day back at work, and... We opted for a SuperShuttle from Bob's Big Boy in Burbank.

We had a nice, unhurried breakfast. Her: pancakes and scrambled eggs. Me: two poached eggs, fruit, dry rye toast. After two weeks, we still had plenty to talk about.

We always have a wonderful time together and it's hard to let her go. I'm a very lucky person to have such a terrific family.

Stormy Bob - Wednesday 10/17/2007

The drizzle was almost gone by the time I took this shot, around 6:30 this morning, on my way out of Big Boy.

Yesterday I woke up at 1 a.m. and got so caught up in the book that was supposed to lull me back to sleep (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen) that I was reading every last morsel of the author interview at the back when my alarm went off at 3:50.

So I drove down to Burbank but instead of going to Bob's I went and made a little nest on the floor of my office and slept during my usual writing time (5:15-6:30). I really needed it.

Today I was back at Bob's, making notes about the current novel as a whole. I recently wrote a scene that changes things and adds to the stakes and I feel good about it, but am taking Tomasina's advice to figure out where to go next rather than just charging happily forward.

This whole structuring thing is a puzzle. But I guess that's what makes it fun. The bulk of the plot as written during NaNoWriMo 2007 is still ahead of my heroine. Where does the new scene fit in? At the beginning? As back story after the original beginning?

Bobless - Tuesday 10/9/2007

Big Boy was closed for their monthly deep clean. Sigh.

It was kind of nice to hang out and have a good cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. Mmmm.

Portos Revisted - Thursday 10/4/2007

Emily, the waitress at Big Boy, was telling me how to avoid the always troublesome transition from the North 170 to the North 5. I recognized the route as the one I take if I'm picking up from Porto's on the way home (which is rare.)

She said, "I love those guava and cheese strudels! They're so good!"

Oh, they are. Later that morning I got to thinking about those and the Pan con Lechon (fabulous pork sandwhich), so I went around the office taking orders. Ah, the flutters! The cries of guava strudel! potato ball! Cubano! butter cookie!

They're so good on the same day they're made. I stopped by Big Boy in the middle of the lunch rush.

"Emily!" I said, finding her next to an empty table, "I went to Porto's!" I handed her the small waxed white paper bag.

"Oh, I love you honey!" she laughed, taking it, "See you tomorrow!"

As I made my way back to the front, the waiter D tapped on his watch and shook his head.

Hee hee! Fun.

How Many Photos Can You Take? - Tuesday 10/2/2007

My fascination with the Big Boy holds after all these months. Well, yes, there was a 7-month itch along the way, I guess.

But it's coming up on a year since I started driving in early and writing at Bob's, and I'm more and more comfortable. I finally got UT to stop bringing me oatmeal without asking first. A lot of mornings I don't have anything to eat there, just tea. I'm pretty easy and I tip pretty well for the amount of service I require.

The sign is almost always impressive to walk beneath. There are probably a hundred more ways to photograph it.

Yeah, brace yourselves.

Bob Bob Bobbing Along - Monday 10/1/2007

Fooling with the camera settings a little. This is part of the sign in front of Bob's. The woody actually drives forward across the bottom of the sign.

Good morning. Writing is moving too.

Doodle - Wednesday 9/5/2007

Why is the mug empty?

Why is the page blank?

Why does she doodle on the inner flap of the teabag wrapper?

These are the riveting questions we pose for ourselves as we pursue literary excellence.

Habits - Friday 8/17/2007

Apparently, we humans aren't as unique as we'd like to believe ourselves to be. I sat at a different table this morning at Bob's. (Damned interlopers! How dare they!?)

Anyway, I put my spoon down exactly in that worn out place on the counter. What's up with that? We aren't even all proportioned the same. How does this happen? I guess when the diner's been here since 1949, these things will happen.

Of course, I had to take a picture of it.

The nice police officer sitting in my regular booth peered over the frosted glass divider at me right after the shutter clicked.

Having made this astonishing discovery, I could no longer be disgruntled with him for taking my spot.

Nice Logo - Thursday 8/9/2007

I just liked this logo. It was painted on a truck that was parked outside of Big Boy when I came out.

Waitress E told me that one of her regulars committed suicide on Friday night. Not someone I know. He used to come in with his wife for breakfast around 8:30 or 9:00. His wife came in on Saturday to tell them about it.

There's a lot more that I took quick notes on as Waitress E kept stopping by to tell me. She was partly choked up, partly very curious.

Martino's Bakery - Thursday 8/2/2007

Hmm. Okay, you work in a research office with 8 other women. The television season is heating up and everyone's working through breaks (what breaks?) and lunch. In other words, the stress has hit the fan.

What would be the logical response?

Tea cakes! Of course!

A dozen of them, from Martino's Bakery in Burbank. Just another one of those urban delicacies that you (almost) wish you didn't know about.

OneL brought these in to share. I love the box design.

You can tell they have been made this way for a long, long time because they are a reasonable size (like they show you in Weight Watchers as an example of what a serving used to mean and it's actually--gasp!--smaller than your head), they aren't too sweet, and they haven't been embellished with some fancy squiggle or white chocolate aspen leaf.

The last lonely tea cake. Who will put it out of it's lonely misery?

Maybe you?

(Oh, and BTW, I'm pretty sure that they sell these very tea cakes at the cashier's counter at...drumroll please.... our very own Bob's Big Boy!)

Bob Bob Bobbin' Along - Wednesday 8/1/2007

The Elegant E gave me a Big Boy bobble head last night!

I love him. He's the perfect size for my slimline monitor!

Now it's all Bob, all day long.

There's so much to tell you about Bob's. I was in there Monday morning, and the Old Lech (trust me, I'm sure about this moniker but I can't tell you everything all the time or this would be the Big Boy Blog) was joined by a friend.

The Jolly friend was named "Man of the Month, well, Person of the Month" at a nearby country club. It was his fifth time and he was overjoyed. And loud about it. I was sitting probably 30 feet from him.

"I have five stars now. I'm a five star general at the Blank Club now! The wife and I had the haddock. It was delicious. " He pours sugar from the container into his coffee cup. "I feel just like Doug MacArthur."

Now that he's on a first name basis with the generals of World War II will he continue to patronize Bob's? I ask you.

On a less than cheery note, another guy was giving Waiter D a hard time. I found out when I went to the cash register that the customer had fallen on the freshly cleaned sidewalk out front. Luckily, Waiter D had put out the "Wet Floor" signs.

They comped him his meal, even though it really wasn't their fault. "Should I put it down to 'spillage?'" The cashier asked the manager. Sure. That's just good business. Easier to appease in the moment than to let something brew.

Ah, the high drama, the passion, the nitty gritty of life that we Morning Hawks witness...

Back in the Saddle Again - Thursday 7/26/2007

The view from my usual booth, around 5:20 this morning.

The night manager who used to talk to me quit. Hmmm.

The morning waitress gave the new young night manager the most evil laugh yesterday morning when he was in for training. I think he was moved up from being a waiter. (Which never seemed like a good deal to me when I waited tables. Let's see...work more hours, make less money, wear a different badge. Nope.)

"You don't want to get on my wrong side," she said to him, "You'll never know what hit you, honey."

Yikes. Probably true.

She's the one who scared off Grumps.

On a lighter note, three or four people said nice things to me today. It was the first time since the infamous back injury that I had my laptop with me. Working on a short story that may demand to be a novella.

And doing my small part to keep the wheels of commerce oiled.

If there really is a writer's strike and I and the crew people who come in at all hours of the day aren't around, it's going to put a big dent in the whole economy. We're all just waiting.

Let's Hear it for the Boy - Monday 7/16/2007

Yeah. I think he's happy to see me, too. [blushes]



Okay, so I took the photos on Monday, but I'm writing this on Tuesday. On Monday the back, where I usually sit--under the big chandelier in the distance--was blocked off for cleaning. So I sat up front with the big kids.

Ooh, it caused such a ruckus!

The Russian Muskateers each stopped to comment, along with JudyJudy, and the night manager on her way out.

This morning I sat up there again, even though there was no barrier to my usual spot. Only 1 Muskateer commented this time. Just to spice it up I ordered a BLT.

Rebel, rebel...

Anyway, Big Boy and I had it out. I told him it was me, not him, and I meant it. I had a great writing day on Sunday. Wrote from 6am-10am, really working an old short story and having a blast.

I think part of my recent creative struggle--which included a weird resistance to Bob's Big Boy--has been that I was focusing so hard on the Basura Canyon (novel #2's tentative title) rewrite that I was trying to shut down all the other voices in my head.

They got mad. Those creative voices, if you tick them off, they'll rally the voices you do want to hear from and then they'll all go on strike.

I've had three really wonderful writing days in a row. I'm not worrying about the fact that it's been a short story and not the novel.

"If it be now, ’t is not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all." - Hamlet, Act V, Scene 2, William Shakespeare.

Big Boy To Go - Sunday 4/29/2007

Not everyone gets to travel with Big Boy. But I do! And Hydra does. We're going on vacation starting Thursday.

So's Big Boy. As a luggage tag. Easier to get through inspection than the bobble-head doll they also sell behind the cash register.

I have been having some trouble with my laptop again. It's in the shop as we speak. So I haven't been as steady as I'd like in posting the photos. I expect that I won't be able to--or want to--stay away from cybercafes while we're traveling in France! You can bet I'll be taking lots of photos everyday. I have a 1 gig and a 2 gig card for my camera.