WITHOUT A TRACE

The call time was 6 am today so I left early and got there easily without much traffic. It's a bit of a drive to Burbank, but at that time, it doesn't take so long when the path is clear. It was still dark and the moon was still up when I arrived.

I'd been so used to walk away lunches, that each time I'm fed these days, I can appreciate it. I started with a cold breakfast - some fruit and a little oatmeal. Then I checked in and returned to catering for a warm one - an egg white omelet with spinach and ham and some spicy salsa on the side.

Work was quite easy today as the background just milled around the mall back and forth. There were a few onlookers who were curious what we were shooting. Unfortunately, there weren't any stars to gaze at so their curiosity soon turned into idle fascination.

I ran into Laura who I'd met from Jericho and we conversed about whether we should join the union. We decided we would, but then came the question of which calling service to sign-up with. She was torn between joining Aaron's new start-up and the tried and true Extras Management that her brother has had great success with. I told her that we should appreciate the fact that we can even make these kinds of decisions as opposed to Kathy who just had one union voucher. I hope she writes in my other blog about how she earned it. It's a doosey.

We shot much longer than I thought and it ended up being a 12 hour day. I was in such a rush to get out of there, I left my vintage Adidas slippers on the ground. Oh well, I suppose it's time to get a new pair.

CSI NY #2

I was booked as a club goer this time on the same episode. Basically, I stood in line most of the evening waiting to get into the club. There wasn't much to it really.

I ran into Daniel again and he told me his woes about the industry. I was very close to giving him some money to help him out. However, I just didn't know how to do it and he was wrapped before I was.

The most interesting scene was the last one we did where some stunt people were involved. In the episode, someone's mouth gets blown up and the stunt people come running out of the club. Some of them fall over and get nearly trampled. It was kind of cool actually.

Of course, there were beautiful ladies on location and I always wonder how to talk to these strangers. I'm such a wuss when it comes to talking to strangers.

Since we wrapped relatively early, I headed to Hustler to win more money. However, I came out on the negative and began thinking that it would have been better for me to have given some of it to Daniel who probably needs it way more than I do.

MANHATTAN BEYOTCH

Giang's party at Forbidden City was really fun. I saw some old friends and met some new ones. It was a good vibe and I was glad to have made it inside without having to pay for cover. However, the drinks were ten bucks which made me wince.

Tam, her sister and Steph met me there a little later and we began drinking. An interesting conversation came up where we started to talk about what an alcoholic bulimic is. What do you call someone who makes themselves throw up from drinking too much? That is, not someone who drinks too much and then throws up, but someone who feels like they drank too much, and makes themselves throw up.

After hanging out at another bar, and after spending the day lounging about watching Cal lose another game, I wasn't exactly in the mood to go to Tam's sister's party in Manhattan Beach. But I figured I might as well be social and go.

I wasn't feeling good about going into Bruin and Trojan territory, but as I explained to Tam on the way there, I'm already grateful for Cal getting to #2 after decades of having a very sorry football program.

I complemented Tam's sister on her place. It was so pimp. The balcony was a view of the ocean and they were just two blocks from the beach. Then the drinking started. I was pretty tired of drinking so I took it easy. Everyone else on the other hand, were fired up and down to just get wasted. I immediately felt very old.

We went off to Beaches which is a little bar/club on the strand. I felt short and non-white, but made the best of it by chillin' out. The worst part of it all was that I had gas like there was no tomorrow. It hurt like hell, but I slowly exorcised it from my gut.

When we got back to the apartment, the Simpsons movie came on that we laughed at. But I was so sleepy, the next thing I knew, I was sleeping on the couch with Debbie (one of the roommates). However, her feet were on the side my head was on. Oh well, I thought, at least if there was morning wood, it would be on her knees, not on her ass.

After some dim sum in Chinatown, we hit the beach for some beach volleyball. I wasn't that tired and it actually felt great. I gotta come back for some more ball. I just wish it wasn't so far away.

C.S.I. N.Y.

While waiting on set yesterday, Darius was able to get through the Central line and handed the phone off to me and Erick. Erick had worked on CSI NY before so he wasn't able to book anything, but I was booked to be a parent/pedestrian.

Now, I can take playing a parent off my list of things to play. I was matched with a young Chinese boy and we were set in a church where the bikes and things they were riding were blessed by a priest. I always feel strange when I'm in a church where there is a shoot because I feel like we're doing something wrong. It actually got so warm inside, one of the girls threw up.

The great thing about working on a production that has money is that their holding area is not some kind of tent that has AC blown in it, it's a big trailer with chairs and tables. These things are called lunchboxes and there's actually a company that rents them out. It's nice because it's climate controlled and quite comfortable.

Later, we were driven to where my friend Tyler used to live to shoot an apartment interior. As we finished the alley scene, most of us got to leave, but about three of us were chosen to stay on and finish another scene. Maria and I were sent upstairs to do a cross behind the principals. While we waited and inhaled exhaust from the cars below, we talked about the Secret.

As I told her my story, she had a smirk on her face so I told her not to laugh since it was for real. Surprisingly, at the end of my story, she told me she had her very own Secret story. She asked the same way I did and she got her wishes fulfilled too. I just wish she would post that story on my blog, but alas, she walked away without much interest. The only thing I got from her was to check out the Sedona Method.

Afterwards, I went to the Hustler to try to win some money back. I told myself I would be aggressive and not worry about losing money. Sure enough, I got into a little streak where I caught some cards and ended up winning. I may have won more if someone hadn't caught a straight on the flop and I was caught with just top pair.

C.S.I.

A fellow extra once told me he had completed most of the goals he had set for himself when he started doing background. I know it sounds lame, but I'd always thought it would be cool to work on a strip joint set and it finally happened.

Our scene was shot at the Universal Studios lot and most of the time, shows will give you a walk away lunch when they are shot on a studio lot. However, CSI has been around so long, they've got enough money to feed you breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The one thing that was stressed heavily was that the girls on stage were not strippers - they were actors. But the funny thing was, we found out that one of the girls was a real stripper. Ironically, she was the one with the smallest boobs. The other girls were beautiful, but one of them actually had some gut that was very unflattering.

As a treat, our director was William Friedkin, known for directing The Exorcist and The French Connection. He had a humongous gut and his pants wrapped around his waist like that of a cartoon character. At first, I didn't know who he was. He just seemed like a director on a mission. He was very determined to get what he wanted and wasn't afraid to demand it. Then the PA told us who he was and since most of the guys were all very young, they didn't really know who he was or very much cared.

There was a lot of smoke on set and I actually got some juice spilled on me when a guy moved the wobbly table around too much and spilled the drinks. Friedkin said, "don't worry, I took one for the team earlier when one of the girls did the same thing to me." All I could think was, "yeah, but you're not getting paid non-union rates."

While we were outside, I did a lot of waving to the trams that drove by. I never get tired of it for some reason.

SAMANTHA WHO?

I'd always wanted to see Christina Applegate, and my wish was fulfilled today. She came onto the set with a tight blue dress playing old Samantha. She was as petite as I had imagined and didn't look as old as I thought she would (though her skin was more freckly than I figured).

We shot at the CBS Radford studios which looked extremely familiar. I couldn't figure it out until I got to the top of the parking structure. It turns out I was there with Dennis not too long ago for the first screening of On The Lot.

We were fed breakfast and our holding area was actually quite large. The PA and 2nd 2nd were both very funny and both very gay. They were very cool though and helped set the mood for the scene.

I got a chance to chat with Roxanne who I had met on Californication. That was her third gig and I think that may have been one of my first gigs as well. Roxanne wants to do stunt work in the future and she kind of looks like Jennifer Anniston.

The scene has old Samantha stealing a girl's boyfriend from her by telling her that her boyfriend bought a bottle of wine for Samantha and her friend. The extra world is definitely a small one as the girl whose boyfriend is stolen is Tanya who I met on the set of How I Met Your Mother. If I am going to continue to do this, I've definitely got to get on Joey's List.

The great thing about today is that it was a very short shoot. We got out of there in about three and a half hours and I was able to cruise home before rush hour. You're never satisfied and all I could think of was how much I would have been paid if I was union.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

I woke up late and figured out I had turned off my alarm automatically while half asleep. Even though I got ready with two hours and twenty minutes to get to the 20th Century Fox Studios, I knew it was going to be close. Sure enough, by the time I got to Olympic and could see Century City, I had only fifteen minutes to spare. So I had to call Central and let them know I was going to be late.

However, when I got to the gates, I noticed there were several other people in the same situation I was. I didn't feel so bad, but still, I hate being late these days.

I thought I hadn't ever seen this show, but seeing Neil Patrick Harris scooping up some eggs next to me at crafty helped me realize I had. He was quiet and looked like he was going through the motions. He probably wondered why the hell there were so many extras at the breakfast line. Normally, hot breakfast isn't given to extras, but when the bandwagon is rolling, you might as well jump aboard. I suppose there were extras who had been on the show before and knew it was cool to snatch up the food.

This gig was my first live audience tv show. In the scene we were in, there was no studio audience, but you could tell the show normally has one. The nice thing about being in this kind of gig is that they use four cameras and digital media. That means that there are no turnarounds and there aren't too many cuts. That means a shorter day.

I was paired with a very attractive young lady named Tanya. She looked like a pretty seasoned veteran because she looked so bored. She told me that it took her about four months before she became SAG eligible and that she joined fairly quickly after that. She had earned her union vouchers when directors called her back for some scenes. That made me wonder if she did a little couch casting. She also said she was on Joey's list and that made me think she's the type of girl that is used to getting her way.

The scene had us in a restaurant and the principals sat in the middle of the stage in a big table. I wondered if I was seeing Jennifer Love Hewitt but it turned out to be Alyson Hannigan. Tanya noted how she wasn't aging very well and I told her that was because she was white. I kind of laughed inside wondering if Tanya took offense to that remark.

The special guest was Lindsey Price. Although her face kind of looks Asian, she has the body of a full-blooded white girl. She was getting a bit older, but her body was definitely bangin'. No one could figure out what show she was from, and when I suggested Beverly Hills 90210, no one seemed to know what that was. That's when I felt like an old geezer.

The call sheet said lunch was at 2pm. We checked-in at 9am and right before we broke for lunch, we were wrapped. I tried calling Aeron to see if he was anywhere near the lot, but by the time he called me back, I had already left.

For lunch, I decided to go to CJ's where Vanessa and I ate lunch long ago. I had their torta which was as good as I remember. The only thing that was missing was Vanessa's company.

Afterwards, I headed over to the Hustler casino to get back some of my money. I started off okay, going up about $30 in about three hours of play. But I didn't feel like leaving since there might still be traffic at 7pm. I should have left, but instead, I ended up losing. I hate limit poker. It is so damn frustrating. However, I am resolved to beat the game, whatever it takes. In fact, when looking at my records, I noticed that I'm pretty much even with the game, having won early on in my sessions. It's just the tourneys that I've played that has weakened my bankroll.

LAS VEGAS (THE TV SHOW)

Thank God there was a call-time change because otherwise, I would have arrived at the Culver Studios with only about four hours of sleep. That extra hour really helped and I was able to take a shower and get to the studios with extra time.

Wardrobe was cool with my outfit, but they put a tie on me that perfectly matched my shirt and slacks. Then I went back into holding where I took a little nap. Then it was time to get on the set.

The Montecito set actually looks like a small Indian casino, but obviously, you can tell it's a set. We were held in the sports book area where the giant screen tvs are actually just video tapes that are projected on a loop. It was nice to be able to watch some UFC, but then it got old real fast. Then again, you can't really get sick of watching Chuck Lidell knock Tito Ortiz out over and over again.

You gotta be careful about asking for things because sometimes, you'll actually get it. In this case, I'd always wanted to work Las Vegas, but when the day got long, I started to wish I could just rest my aching feet. The only thing keeping me afloat were the sexy outfits that I saw on most of the women.

I met Jocelyn, Sema and Stephanie on set and introduced them to Jesse who I had met at Journeyman. We shot the shit for some time, but after a little palm reading, we zoned out into nothingness.

We left the set for lunch and Jesse and I ate at In-N-Out while the girls did their own thing. I was reminded of my days at EJL advertising when we used to hit this In-N-Out for lunch sometimes. I never knew it was in Culver City.

Then, on one of the final scenes, I was grouped with a guy who had an easy-going demeanor that the ladies loved. I usually shy away from sex talk when working, but the girls loved his dirty talk. He just kept talking about sexual positions in a comedic manner and even the hot married waitress couldn't stop touching herself. I always have to remind myself that women think about sex probably just as much as we men do. The only difference is that they think about it in a different way - but they still think about it.

CARPOOLERS