Blessed Be Your Name

Have you ever had a terrible day or week immediately followed by the polar opposite day or week? That has just happened to me! Two weeks ago was collectively one of the worst weeks I have had in Los Angeles. Nothing seemed to go my way. I could not get booked for any work. I could not get a response from the agent that contacted me. I kept getting rejected for background work... background work. I mean if you cannot get cast for background you might as well hang it up. It is worse than being picked last for dodgeball; at least that kid got to play, I was told to just stay inside. It sucked.

How does the saying go? When you are down there is only one way to go, and that is up? Well last week was the absolute best week out here! I was booked to work four days! Three of those days I got overtime and the other day I got featured! Which means I may get a credit and can put it on my actors resume! Currently that resume only consist of theatre productions preformed last decade by the prestigious Holt High School Drama Club. This week was such a huge blessing. I could not believe how perfect the week was. To close off the week, Sunday I had an audition that went really well! In fact, earlier today I got a call back, meaning I am one step closer to getting the part! Not thirty minutes after getting that call I received another for an audition this Thursday. I am so excited!!

Despite the excitement of the week and my Sunday audition, came the one year reminder of my Grandmother's passing. That day at church we sang "Blessed Be Your Name."

Wow.

I was moved to tears. This moment could not have better summed up the past two weeks. This passage and song can be such a hard pill to swallow sometimes. It can be hard to see God's love during the hard times and pain. We can be quick to anger and question God instead of giving him praise. "Blessed Be Your Name," I believe is arguably one of the greatest worship songs written in our lifetime. It reminds us that God is always in control, always loves, always has a plan and always is praiseworthy.

Reflections on 100 Days!

One of my new friends out here suggested that each month I write down a list of my accomplishments. Times can be very emotionally difficult out here, and having a positive list can help you stay mentally strong. Do not worry, I am not going to turn this into a pat-myself-on-the-back post.

Over the past 100 days a lot has happened for me! I can definitely tell that I am where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. Of course there has been several instances and days, like today, where you feel super down on yourself and you are ready to pack it all up. However, I am going to start back at day one and try to point out positive, affirming things that have happened.

By back at day one I mean bag check at the airport. My bag was over weight, instead of the charging me an extra $25 the attendant let it slide. On the plane the woman beside me bought my dinner. Within a week of being in LA I had a potential roommate and job. (The roommate worked out, the job did not.) I went out to LA with no means of transportation because I planed on using the metro system. My third week out there a family went out of their way to let me use one of their cars for the next four weeks. On my official move to LA in February, it was a complete work of God we made it through Texas. Most of East Texas was iced over and probably had one of the worst winter storms they have seen. We bought our refrigerator from a guy at In-n-Out. He asked where my parents and I were from, so naturally, that lead to him selling us his fridge. My first day working as an extra I met a guy from Tuscaloosa who grew up with my brother-in-law! After joining LA Casting within a week I had an agent contact ME, instead of having to send out my information to a several agents hoping to hear back from one.

All in all I am pleased with how things are going. Some instances are still open without conclusion yet, like the agent or a job. But you have to take one day at a time, right? They say it takes five years for someone to become an overnight success and ten years for everyone else. So, we will see. I am just trying to serve God and pay them bills!

Make it Count

Last Friday a new page turned. In fact, the twenty-fourth chapter began, and I usually do not read books with that many chapters; however, in this case lets be glad I did. I turned twenty-four years old! Can you believe it? I am growing up! Here I am almost done with the first quarter and I am still trying to get over the disappointment that kindergarten nap time set me up for.

Besides my birthday happening, so is Spring! I love Spring, it is by far my favorite season. For starters its about the only season in Alabama that the temperature is actually bearable. It host my birthday, talk of the upcoming fall football season and college spring games. Easter, which is my favorite holiday and with that comes the best candy. The colors and the flowers are fantastic, especially all of the tulips covering the Alabama campus. All of the green grass and trees. I could continue but I will save us all the time.

All of that aside, I hate that I will be missing Alabama in Spring time. It seems as though part of my journey so far can be marked by things I have missed. Christmas. My brother and father's birthdays. My birthday. I will miss my sister's birthday and Easter. Probably my sister-in-law's birthday and my grandfather's. It makes it hard and causes me to question my being in Los Angeles. Sometimes I am afraid that when looking back on these occasions it will be as though my life was void during this time. I will not be in the family photos or the stories. Almost non-existent in reminiscings.

In stead of allowing this to get me down, it has encouraged me. I cannot make up the events and holidays I have missed, nor can I prevent my absence at future ones. What I can do, however, is make it count. Failure is no option, that only means it was all for nothing. I am setting goals and fighting to reach them, striving to make it all count. If I achieve my goals and serve God in whatever I am doing, I believe it will all be worth it.

I find it very appropriate that I have begun this new season of life during my favorite season. The Spring season is significant of a fresh start, starting over. Is that not what Easter is all about? Jesus bringing new life? A second chance? Now, during Lent and with the start of Spring right around the corner, is the perfect chance for each of us to make our lives count. Let us not leave our hardships and struggles in vain and bitterness, but in strength and with determination. Let's Make it count!

Fabulous Life of an Extra, or Something Like That

I have gotten some questions about my background acting gigs and how that process works, so here it goes!

I have found out that there are talent agencies for everything under the sun. Acting, modeling, singing, writing, voice overs and background acting all have separate agencies. I am currently signed up with an agency called Central Casting which is a background talent agency. What this means is that casting directors for television shows, movies, commercials, print ads and so on, will call up Central Casting when they need extras and stand ins for their projects. To do background there is no talent needed, you just pay $25 for a three year membership to Central Casting and you are in.

After you sign up you are given a pin number and a little online profile. Each day I have a number that call to listen to see what the different casting directors are looking for. If I feel as though I fit the description, I call up the director. At this point it kind of turns into a radio show contest. Busy signal, after busy signal, after busy signal until hopefully I get a ring. If I get through and they answer I give them my pin number and they pull up my profile, which has my picture and measurements. Right there on the phone they will tell me if they want me or not. Sometimes they say you are not what we are looking for, but you cannot really take it personal, although it is hard not to. If you are booked, they give you another number to call which has all of the info you need for the shoot. What to wear, where to go, when to be there, where to park, if you will be feed, etc. Most of the work is for the next day so you call on Monday to get booked for Tuesday and so on. Sometimes they book a few days in advance and sometimes they are booking for multiple days.

You do get paid to do background work which is great! You are paid a set $64 for eight hours of work. What that means is that if I only work three hours I will still get paid the full $64, and if I work longer than the eight, I will get paid overtime! So that is a great deal!

Being on set is fun and I do enjoy it. You get to see all the background action and learn all of the filming terms and lingo. What is not too fun about it is that you are at the absolute bottom of the totem pole. You do not want to mess anything up because they will not hesitate to chew you up and out. I was on one set and the actress stopped the filming to fuss at one of the background actors for clinking his dishes during the restaurant scene. Another director yelled at a background actor for missing his cue and was sent off of the set. So it is very important to pay attention and not get in the way at all! For the most part the actual actors have been nice! While doing Extra with Mario Lopez he would joke around about his lines and make fun of them. He would call the writers out for the lines not making any sense or for being lame. It is nice to see when actors realize they are just a normal person who has been very blessed!

So far I have been able to work on Mad Love, Extra, Cougartown, The Event, and 90210. I filmed the season finale for each of those, except Extra, so it will be awhile before I can watch to see if I made any face time. You never know where background stuff may lead. The chances of anything coming from it is very very slim. It is about like a janitor of a fortune 500 company becoming the CEO. However; I am making lots of connections with other people who are working to become actors and directors. Do you remember Gunther from Friends? He was the Barista at Central Perk who had the crush on Rachel. He was just a background actor that they decided to make a regular. So, you never know.

Coincident or Destined

Have you ever been faced with a mind blowing small world encounter? Disneyland and Disneyworld have a ride called "It's a Small World," which is a different kind of mind blowing. It is a Disney original that you must go on, it is terrible, but you cannot enter those parks and not ride it. It would be like going to college in Tuscaloosa and never going to City Cafe or Dreamland. Going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty; New Orleans and Cafe Du Monde. I digress. I have a small world story that will probably put your small world story to shame.

Last Friday I booked a gig as a background actor in an episode of the new CBS series, "Mad Love." I got paid to stand in the background of scenes and pantomime conversations with other people. It was a lot of awkward and a lot of fun! The show was taped in Culver City on the Sony Studios lot, which is about thirty minutes away from my apartment. When I got there I got my visitors' pass and made my way to the stage where we would be filming. This was so exciting! My first Hollywood experience! After I got there I was directed to the background actors' holding trailer where I set my bags down. Part of doing background is that you have to bring your own wardrobe. It is a long story, but you bring all these clothes options and then go through the wardrobe department and have them approve your looks.

On my backpack I have a small Canadian flag patch from when I spent the summer with World Changers in Canada. There were about fifteen to twenty extras in the room and one asked if I was from Canada. Upon responding that I was from Alabama someone spoke up from across the room and said, "ROLL TIDE!" Excited and disoriented I said, "ROLL TIDE... are you from Alabama?" Here is the rest of the dialogue:

Him: "Yes"

Me: "What part are you from?"

Him: "Tuscaloosa"

Me: "...No way! I'm from Cottondale! Where did you go to school?"

Him: "I went to Central."

Me: "What year did you graduate?"

Him: "'92"

Me: "My brother-in-law graduated in '93! Max Karrh?"

Him: "Dude, my sister used to babysit Max!"

WHAT? Are you kidding me? I am currently 2,035 miles away from home, in a metro with over 10 million people and I just met a guy who is not only from the same state and town as me, but whose sister babysat my brother-in-law!? Coincident or destined?

This Sunday after church a few of us walked to a Denny's that was across the street. I cannot tell you the last time I ate at a Denny's. I am pretty sure there is a faded plastic kid's cup in a Cottondale cabinet that marks that occasion. These days I am trying my best to not eat out. It is just cheaper and healthier to cook and prepare the food yourself. However, it is very nice to fellowship and get to know new people after church, especially being new, so I went along. I decided before hand that I was only going to eat half of whatever I ordered so that I could eat the rest for dinner. If I could turn one meal into two I could justify spending the money on eating out. I got a delicious hamburger and fries that I would have normally finished but found myself full with half a burger and half an order of fries left. I asked for a carryout box and packed my food, I was the only one that had any leftovers. After taking literally four steps out of the door there was a homeless man standing there, who simply asked for my leftovers. He had no clue what was in the box, but he was hungry. Coincident or destined?

These things happen more often than we notice, sometimes we deliberately ignore them. It IS a small world, and God is in control of it. Sure, I believe that somethings are just a coincident. My roommate and I both wore green pants to church on Sunday, nothing spiritual about that. But let us not overlook our situations and environment. Instead of taking the time to complain about the weather or about the length of a line, lets take the time to see why we are in them. God may have us in a place for a reason.

As for the homeless man, I told him to get a job and kept walking. Just kidding, I handed him my food. My goal was to turn one meal into two and I did. There is no way that was a coincident, God provided for him.

Is the Real World on the Map?

(written for last Tuesday's post, lack of internet prevented that. So pretend it's last week.)

Has anyone actually found the real world? Not the MTV show, but the “Real World.” This post, in sorts, is a continuation of last week’s, “A Tale of Two Cities.” While packing and moving back and forth from Tuscaloosa to Los Angeles, I have thrown around the term the real world more times than I have had birthdays. When coming home after being in Los Angeles I said I was going back to the real world. Then when packing to head back to Los Angeles from the previous said real world, I said that I was going to the real world. Lost yet? Now my parents are leaving for Tuscaloosa tomorrow and I will be on my own once again, and you guessed it, I will be in - the - real - world.

This Matrix of a situation is not just a recent phenomenon. For anyone who has ever been to a church camp, mission project or a regular summer camp, when it is time to return home we say we are headed back to the real world. When we are students and it is time to return to school from summer or Christmas break, we are going back to the real world. When we graduate from college we are then welcomed to the real world. So where is this so called Real World, do we even know? Do we each have our own reality that we are bound to? Is it always the unpleasant like school, work, or a land of bills; or can it be an enjoyable place?

I for one cannot answer this question entirely or give you a mathematical equation to find the answer. I do believe that none of us have reached our real world yet. Without turning this into a huge theological debate, our real world is our eternity. None of the stresses or worries we have today will matter in the future; most will not even matter one year from now. Remember junior high drama? None of that mattered! Who we are now, what we do, what we believe and whom we worship all determine where our real world will be. This is what does matter. I challenge you to reflect on your life, your frustrations, your joy, and your beliefs. Where is your real world?

A Tale of Two Cities

As I lay in my bed for the first time last Saturday in almost two months, I found myself in an odd situation. Something just did not seem to be right. I was in the same house, same bed, same family so what was different? The answer to that question is still unknown but allow me to walk through my hypothesis.

For nearly two months I have been working on making Los Angeles my own. I was making new friends, constantly searching for a place to live and visiting different churches of all types of worship styles. I was finding a roommate and looking for new shops. I was applying for jobs and going on interviews. Simultaneously, however, things were just as progressive back home. Friends moved, my childhood pet died, holidays were celebrated and degrees were earned. Wedding plans were made and dates were set.

Somewhere in my psyche I convinced myself that everything back in Tuscaloosa would be frozen in time while I moved ahead. As I lay there I realized this place was no longer mine, yet Los Angeles was not mine either. I found myself in some kind of limbo, not the game with the broomstick unfortunately, but more of the unknown. I had a Home; it is where the heart is, right? And rest assured, that was in Tuscaloosa! Nonetheless, I have discovered that I am a man stuck between two cities. My home in one but now my life in another. I can only assume that this is what most people will feel at one point in their life; whether it be from going away for college, work, or marriage. It is all just another part of growing up and making your life your own. This perspective just adds to the excitement and anticipation of what is to come! Because of this, clutching to my faith and values is ever more important.

I am writing this the day before I head back to Los Angeles. This time my stay will be for a much longer period of time. I am positive that I will have these feelings all over again when I get to my new apartment. My parents will be helping me move in and I have brought some special things from home. Hopefully, this will potential help bridge the gap between my two cities.