Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Home in LA

I'm back in LA and feel like I never left...but it was a chore getting here. My flight out of Buffalo was late and packed and I wound up with a couple of Canadians sitting next to me who were scared of flying and would not shut up. For the four and a half hour flight to Phoenix. The woman next to me finally had a glass of wine and zonked out while the boy got into his book, so I was able to do some editing on POS and planning for what's next, but then she woke and I needed to stretch my legs so the last hour of the flight was shot. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet people; they just could not take a hint that I had other things I wanted to do besides hold their hands while the plane went through some turbulence.

And there was some FUN turbulence landing in Phoenix. Then the second leg of my trip, from Phoenix to LA, got off on time but landed late. Head winds was the excuse. Still I got my car, got the supplies I needed and still made it to the hotel by 7:30. I'm now fed and happy and feeling the 3 hour time difference though not by much since I usually don't go to bed till 1:30 or 2 am anyway.

I learned a long time ago I'm a solitary traveler. I like to go where I want to and change my mind as to what to do and just wander, sometimes. And I don't like to socialize much. Never have, really. Of course, that's one of the reasons I got nowhere in the film biz. 90% of business is done at parties in this town, and to me that's like torture.

ANYway...I brought the printout of POS with me and tried to make it through the first section before hitting LA. And I almost made it. What's nice about having a hard copy is being able to make notes wherever I want when I think of things and outline other things I need. I think I have about 50% of this part written, now that I've had a chance to really look it over, and there are places I repeat myself and have thing happen that need to be taken out or shifted to another part of the book...but I'm comfortable with the direction it's going and Brendan's voice is solid, so far.

Now if I could just figure out some way of keeping people from talking to me on the long flight between Las Vegas and Buffalo...but I have a feeling it's going to be loaded with broke Canadians heading home after doing the things in Vegas that really need to stay there. I think on that flight I'll get an aisle seat.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you asked this important question. "What can I do to keep others at bay so as not to be bothered on long flights?"

I have your answer.

Get yourself a copy of Sarge and the Sailor Boy. When these irritating people begin to pester with things like, "Let's hold hands and say a prayer for a safe landing." You can give them, Sarge and the Sailor Boy. It's worth the cover price. Once they get to page two and it doesn't take long, especially if you read the first two pages out loud to them. There will be a hush all around and everyone will quiet down.

No more irritating questions. Like, "I hate to bother you again, but I have a weak bladder, especially when in a plane."

Hell they would just as soon pee in their shorts as to ask you to move. It works every time for me. Try it.

JamTheCat said...

LOL -- though thinking about it, I could have tried that with "How To Rape A Straight Guy." It would have been better than listening to her read me parts of "The National Inquirer." Did you know there are some celebrities who got really, really fat or are now morbidly thin?

Unknown said...

One day years ago, my aunt asked me if I read about a butcher who murdered children and sold their flesh in his shop as beef.

No was my answer, followed by, "Aunt Dottie, I read the paper every day and I listen to the news. I would think if something like that happened, I would have heard about it."

She slaps a National Enquirer down and said, "Right here," using her index finger to point at the article.

I read it and yes, there was an accusation of a butcher in the Seventeenth Century doing this very thing in Germany.

If it's in black and white then it must be true, and to think these people are allowed to vote.

JamTheCat said...

Ah, the literate crowd.