Almost
threw caution (and a couple of hundred quid) to the wind yesterday when I went
online to look at alternative AirBnB accommodations for the remainder of my
trip, but then the idea of packing and sorting, booking an Uber with enough room
to take my suitcase (huge, long story, don’t ask), transferring to new place,
unpacking etc., left me feeling exhausted in this heat and all. Thus, have
decided to smile politely and put up with my current base. Needless to say, if
you don’t like having people in your home, DON’T SET UP TO DO AirBnB! Most
peculiar, to say the least. Yes I could leave a scathing review, but these days,
unless it’s for big hotels, I either leave a good review or no review – silence
can speak volumes.
Perhaps no surprise to hear that the loveliest time here
in LA is between 6.30am and 7.30am, as the sun lifts itself into the sky, and
everything is covered with dew. The nights are warm and, even with the ceiling
fan (I love ceiling fans!) spinning like helicopter blades, it can be
oppressive. Then, just for a while, between 4.00am and 6.30am, the temperature
drops and it becomes deliciously cool. During the day it’s not dropped below 28
degrees (85F) outside, and has been 30-plus most of the time. Provided I am
suitably protected (short hair and fair skin means I can get sun-burnt scalp in
seconds flat!), I can wander around outside all day in the heat, although am
reliably informed that this is pleasantly cool for LA. You will probably be
aware of the long drought that California is enduring. The day before I arrived,
it rained for three or four hours. There were over 600 road traffic accidents as
a result!
Spent
yesterday morning sitting outside with my laptop and notebooks, frantically
typing up assorted scribbled notes and scraps of information. Ideas are forming
in my fevered brain, something about looking at each 20th century
decade of film and (then) television to examine the depiction of women and how
it was influenced by changing social attitudes and values in the US. There
really is a fascinating evolution, with an extraordinary back-wards step as the
1940s turned into the 1950s. Also, by looking at the films and TV shows of each
decade, I can look at what roles were being played by women over 50, the
fledgling idea being to weave interview subjects’ comments and observations into
the narrative. My head buzzing, I then Ubered (how long before that becomes
common parlance?) over to Ventura Blvd, the journey including a cross section
with Hollywood Blvd, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre just over to my left, the
pavements heaving with tourists. My rule of thumb is always to arrive early at
whatever location I am meeting an interview subject, so to avoid running in and
peering around. Sitting in The Marmalade Café (not nearly as nice as it
sounded!), which was deserted, I had a moment to reflect on the woman I was
meeting. British, but long time US resident, member of an acting dynasty, she
has run the gamut from child, to ingénue, to leading lady, to supporting actress
to character actress (her phrase). Yup, I was extremely nervous, but she greeted
me warmly and we retired to a more private part of the restaurant (yes, it was
deserted, but as I sat and waited, two guys came in and insisted on sitting at a
table right next to me). Now my approach when meeting these women is to offer
them the opportunity to size me up, interrogate me and then decide if I am
legit’ and they are interested in contributing. This delightful woman was having
none of it – “but you’re supposed to be interrogating me!” – so we launched
straight into discussion, me scrambling to set my recorder going. She was great.
Again, given her background and history, a charming, funny woman who has no
affectations and was quite philosophical about her career. She only had an hour,
which was challenging as the more we talked, the more questions I had, but as
she departed, she encouraged me to follow up by email as and if I have more
questions. Couldn’t ask for more!
I
worked out that there was a multi-screen cinema up the road from the café, so I
strolled up there, deciding to go see whatever was about to start. Mission
Impossible: Rogue Nation! Bought a ticket and just time for a glass of wine
before taking my seat (there were only four other people in the cinema!). Two
hours of fantastic, action-packed, entertaining nonsense, although I do think Mr
Cruise is starting to look a bit ‘tired’ and, given that Simon Pegg is seven
years younger than me, frankly he looks seven years older - haggard and ill. All
very silly but lots of fun. Tom Hollander (Rev) was a hoot as ‘the British Prime
Minister’.
Am
sure most of you know that, when using Uber, you can choose ‘car pool’ or solo
passenger. Using car pool can cut costs but may lead to a longer journey, if the
driver has someone else to pick up. Well, it’s about 30 minutes from where I was
back to base, but we were soon off to collect someone else, which seemed to have
us zooming towards Santa Monica, then in the direction of San Diego, hopping
back and forth across the five motorway lanes. The other passenger cancelled in
the end, so finally we headed off ‘home’.
Oh
good grief, there’s no loo paper!
No comments:
Post a Comment