Day 29. So Close To The Finale. Leaving LAX

The last day of any trip is the same. Wasting time to get to the airport. Well my flight wasn’t until 21:30 so I had a while to wait. I made a lame attempt to pack and then said ‘I’ll leave that for later’. We went into town and after transferring some more money over I felt like a king. ‘To Abercrombie’! What? Everything is cheaper over here! Now that is justified, ‘To Superdry’! I picked up a few bits and then we headed down to the beach. It was a very hot day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I looked out to the sea, taking in everything I had achieved, enjoyed and indulged in over the last month.  Just to reflect on the list I created on my way out here;

To have three meetings with agents/managers- well I had two, so fair enough not fully achieved.

To catch up with a director friend I know over there. Yup, I did this. And also caught up with an old lecturer.

To distribute 100 CV’s- Well I smashed this target and posted 20 CV’s and e-mailed around 250 out to different Managers, agents and casting directors. Of which I have built up quite a database of contacts.

To keep a blog up to date. Here it is in all its glory. Hopefully keeping everyone reading it as entertained as it has made me to write it.

To go to a gun range. Dear God did we do this! A hand gun and an assault riffle any self respecting hardnosed Russian would envy.

To see the Hollywood sign. Those photos with what looks like a whiter version of Arnold Swazanegger blocking out the sign. Yep, that’s me.

Plus so much more. Both industry related and touristy. Going to the gym so much and coming away the best shape and fitness I have ever been in. As well as getting a nice tan. I really feel that although more could have happened professionally I can’t be blamed or feel bad for the outcome. I have truly enjoyed my adventure and can’t thank Tristam enough for having me and putting up with me while pretending to like it. So as we said goodbye and I wiped a tear from his cheek. I was on my way. He must have won the lottery as he drove away because he was cheering like anything,

As I walked up the stairs and into the queue for the scanners I recognised someone. I couldn’t quite place her, but our eyes met and I smiled, she returned the smile and just as I was about to say ‘Hi, how are you’ and work out later on into the conversation exactly how I knew her and who she was. I now knew I recognised her from TV. She was the lady from ‘Extras’ with Ricky Gervais. How awkward that would have been if I arrogantly said ‘I am sure I know you, but where from’? The scanners they have In LAX are the first in the world of their kind. They don’t do a full x-ray, but show you in all your light and glory. These machines see through any material, so the person behind the screen sees you completely naked! You can opt out if you want and you get frisked down, but the queue was longer. So I went for the naked machine. Nearly made the ‘Is it cold in here or is just me’? But feel joking in or anywhere near an airport is an arrest able offence abroad.

Like Heathrow you expect Los Angeles main airport to be the same. Well it isn’t, at all! There is a delicatessen, a man with a trolley shop and a bar. I couldn’t believe it, Tris talked me into getting here three hours before my flight and now I have nothing to do. I nursed a beer at the bar and enjoyed the waitress ID’ing everyone. As a veteran propped at the bar with a walking stick in hand, ordered a beer and got ‘Can I see your ID’? I found it intriguing.

The plane was late leaving as the President decided to drop in and apparently his line was non-existent. Cheers Obama! As I sat back and smiled at the distance LA lights, it was again a marathon of films to commence. What’s this? The screen keeps freezing! Of course it is, I wouldn’t expect anything else. ‘Miss, not being funny, but I can’t last 10hrs with nothing to do’. I wanted to finish it with, turn back and get me on Air Force One. It was the classic ‘I’ll reset the system’. Which basically means, ‘I’ll turn it off and on again’. That hasn’t worked on anything electrical for the last 60 years! Sure in 1959 page one of the TV handbook probably said ‘Turn off plug, and turn back on again’. Well what do you know it didn’t work. ‘This is your captain speaking, we realise a lot of people are having problems with their TV’s. We will be switching the whole planes systems off for an hour’. As annoyed as I was I took a sickening pleasure in ‘If I can’t enjoy my movies then no one can’. And while we’re at it, why do planes allow the person in front to put their chair back! If we crash I can’t even scratch my nose, never mind pulling an oxygen mask down over my face!

This trip sure has given me a new found inspiration and drive to do what I love. Acting is my passion and this hasn’t stopped me, only determined me to chase down my dreams even more and to come alive back in the UK. 

Lesson Learnt, amongst Many: If you want to do something, DO IT. I'll only remain a regret later on in life, and that is worse than failure.