| Cooler Tom Schuler |
08-22-2006 02:55 AM |
Alright, here's the full write up, courtesy of my myspace.
Oh my, what a day, what a day. I'm very tired and have a monster headache, but it's been a great day. Here's the scoop.
I intended to wake up at 8am this morning, but due to some noisy greyhounds I barely got any sleep up until that point, and then promptly slept through my alarm. I woke up around 10:30 feeling quite groggy and wishing I had more time to sleep. But- I wanted to be out of here by noon in case of traffic, so more sleep was not an option. Ben made some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which I enjoyed with a large glass of water. After packing my things together and playing a tiny bit of Guitar Hero (never played before, kinda fun) I left the house and got on the 405. I've never driven in that kind of traffic, but I managed, and eventually made my way to my destination. The Radical Media building is kind of hidden away on a small street, I almost thought I had made the wrong turn. However, I quickly noticed the sign on the building and found myself a parking spot. I got out of my car and looked around, a bit confused.
I really had no idea what to expect for the day. I made sure to keep my hopes low, so as not to be disappointed if Al wasn't actually there for this bit, or if he was only minorly participating. I walked toward the building and saw a sign that said something about going to the North gate for casting. That wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but there weren't any other signs so I went that way. I wandered in and saw several people sitting and eating. I figured they were just some employees on their lunch breaks. I kind of looked around for about a minute, probably looking quite lost. All of the sudden I hear someone behind me say, "Tom!". I turn to look, and there's Al. He comes over and talks to me a bit. He mentions my girlfriend Deborah, and says he wishes they would have known we were together, he would have scheduled us together. He also apologizes to me for having me shave my facial hair. He tells me to have a bite to eat, and gestures towards the...um...food-getting-area. I go ahead in there and look around a bit. I'm feeling rather out of place and have no idea what to do with myself. I somehow wind up talking to the costumer, Cathy (Kathy?). After mentioning that she "has something for me", she tells me that I should have some food, it might be a long day.
I pick up a little and go outside to eat. I comtemplated sitting at the table with Al, but he looks to be in a conversation and I don't wish to impose. I go inside to get something to drink and am given the contract for the day. After reading it thoroughly (using up most of my self-designated eating time), I go ahead and sign. I eat a bit, but find I don't have much of an appetite. I feel a bit guilty as I take my half-eaten plate of food back and head to the lounge-type area that seems to be our base of operations for the day. I'm one of the first couple to get into costume, and was slightly disappointed as I didn't feel I reached my maximum nerdtential. I sit in a big comfy chair and make some conversation with the others. The highlights of out conversations include Dick Cheney playing Duck Hunt, nutritional facts on bottles of water, Snakes on a Plane, and amusing yearbook/ID pictures.
The whole time I'm trying to scope out the situation. Al was getting his hair done in the corner, and was constantly being asked questions about costume choices and such. Another highlight was one fellow (whose name I don't recall, sorry) suddenly asking, "...has Al been there the whole time?" as he just noticed him. He seemed a little shaken by Al being a mere 17 feet from him. I eventually come to the conclusion that there are only 10 of us, I certainly expected more. This was definitely a more intimate photo shoot than I had thought. Anyway, after Al is finished, the first few go in for pictures. They're out in about 20 minutes (that could be a terrible estimation, though). Then it's our turn.
I had a lot of fun with the pictures. For those that may not know, I'm rather tall (6'7"), which did present a couple problems, but they were worked around (lots of "hunkering down" as Al called it). At one point I was rather proud when Al and the photographer were looking over the pictures we had just taken and the photographer out of nowhere said, "Tom, you're amazing." I didn't quite know what to make of that, so I just said "thank you". We wrapped up taking the pictures and I went to go change into my street clothes. When I come out, Al is mingling with people. I ask him to sign a water bottle and we chat for a bit ("how long a drive is it from 29 Palms" "3 hours" *cringe*). I ask someone to do me a favor and take a picture and give it to me online, but then I notice someone else was waiting and told him to go ahead and go first. I go to put on my shoes, when suprising Al comes over and sits next to me. He asks if I'm available to come down again on the 27th (27!). I quickly respond that I am (and if I wasn't, I would have made myself available), and he tells me he'd like me to be there again and tells me I'll get a phone call with more info. I thank him, and after a picture and a little more chat I'm on my way. After I leave the building and am making my way to the car, Al pokes his head out the door and yells, "Thanks again!". I quickly respond, "Thank you!" and am on my merry way.
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