After recieving much pressure....a second update

Although I would normally apologize for such a lengthy absence between posts, I think that it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that I just can't do a daily blog post. I just can't do it. Me and routines, we just don't get along. Also, the days tend to look the same so I don't feel a great push to do many many blog posts. That being said, I'll fill you in on what's been going on out here.

I think the last time I checked in I had just finished my first day. Well, by now I've gone through an entire work week and the weekend, and things have been moving along quite well. One of the things I was waiting for after my first post was for the staff to become accustomed to my presence in the office, and I really think that is going along well. I'm starting to finally be given things to do beyond sitting and observing. They are menial tasks that one would expect an intern to do at a normal office (get coffee, put together lunch orders, grab scripts, copy things, etc.), but menial tasks are better than no tasks. Besides, I didn't come out here with any expectations to do things beyond the aforementioned list of responsibilities, so really the goal is to do the things that I am asked to do quickly, expeditiously, and with as much enthusiasm as possible. So that's what I'm doing. Also aiding the sense that I have that the writer's are becoming more accustomed to seeing me on a daily basis was a fairly lengthy informal chat that I had with Shawn Ryan (one of the showrunners and Executive Producers) and a large chunk of the writing staff. It was mostly Shawn asking about Middlebury life, but eventually evolved into talking about the film and television industry, school, and other topics (one of which was this little nugget of information: Shawn Ryan's wife apparently had a crush on Midd film professor Chris Keathley. It's a small world).

So, I guess, in summary not a ton to report. The writers are still hammering out the story details for the C plots of episodes 417 and 418, one of which (417) is only four days away from going into pre-production. I'm almost positive that I'm legally obligated to keep my mouth shut re: story details. But I will say their problem is that their C-story just doesn't seem to be congealing in an interesting way that has an intriguing dramatic arc. For my part, I'll say that it feels like they're getting closer every day, but with pre-production coming up so fast it seems like it's really coming down to the wire. Not that that is anything new in television.

The other interesting things that have been happening (for me, anyway) are what happens when the writers aren't discussing story details, because inevitably the talk moves to the business aspect of TV. Several of the writers are in the process of submitting pilots to studios and networks, and there are very real questions about whether or not The Unit will be picked up for a fifth season. There seems to be some consensus that it will (solid ratings in a fairly difficult Sunday at 10 PM time slot help that along), but it is still interesting to see the more human side of the possibility of cancellation. There was also a visit from a representative from the WGA to talk about the ramifications and after-effects of the writer's strike, which postponed my trip out here by a year. The conversation was a bit tough to follow because I wasn't (and still am not) savvy about the agreement reached by the WGA with producers, but to think that a year later there are still conversations happening about the strike is interesting.

In other L.A. related news, I spent most of the day Saturday walking around Hollywood and West Hollywood on foot. I tried to make my way over to Echo Park (the Williamsburgh of Los Angeles), but I got on the wrong bus. The bus system here is mammoth, and of course they don't have small maps that you can take so there is no way to get the large scale picture of the L.A. bus system. Figures. Anyway, what I've found, especially in Hollywood, is that for every two blocks of nice neighborhoods there is one that is not so nice, which is nestled right up against a neighborhood that is nice. So if you're on foot you've got no choice but to wander through these moderately sketchy neighborhoods. I just kept my head down. Saturday night Brett, Jared and I (my fellow Midd travelers, Alane) had our super expensive meal-out for the month. Sushi on Sunset. It was expensive (sixty five bucks for this kid), but it was the best sushi I have ever had. Plus it will be the last expensive meal we'll have here. I have a feeling I'll hate pasta and chili by the end of the month.

Sunday we tried to see what was going on over at the Golden Globes, so we wandered over to the Beverly Hilton, only to discover you couldn't actually get on the red carpet. Lame. But we did see the limos arriving at the Hilton, where naturally there was a crowd of people screaming, "roll down your window," at every arriving limo. It must have been awkward for the not-particularly-famous people. I mean, it really is a quandary, to roll down the window or not roll down the window? Either way you're going to do nothing but disappoint people. Apparently Beyoncee and Jay-Z drove past while we were there, as did James Cameron, which prompted a whole lot of fuss, which was kind of puzzling. I mean, who gets excited about James Cameron? Not this guy.

So I think that pretty much covers the past five-ish days. I'll do my level best to update more often (and by more often I mean, daily-ish), I promise.