From September 20 to September 24, 2019, I visited Los Angeles for my first studio scene, starring alongside Alvin Tan and Karla Kush
Friday, September 20
I left Houston via Spirit Airlines NK327. The terminal was packed with people – just the previous day, IAH had shut down because of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Imelda. I shot a quick video to capture the moment:
I arrived at LAX in the evening, rode the FlyAway bus over to Union Station, and the light rail over to the stop closest to my friend Brien’s place. We had dinner together at a vegetarian restaurant – I really enjoyed the food, and commended him on his selection. On the ride there, he told me how he’d brunched at Matt Groening’s home.
Saturday, September 21
Ahead of my travel, I’d reached out to fans in LA, and organized a group lunch.
I didn’t make it in time to catch the light rail, so I had to wait for a while. I briefly considered putting out a blast to indicate I would be showing up late, but settled for this instead:
I arrived at the restaurant, which had just begun filling up with patrons. After hanging around a bit, I determined that no one I’d reached out to decided to show up.
I briefly considered going back to my buddy’s place. I went into the nearby H&M and picked out a couple pairs of pants from the clearance rack.
Anna and her brother arrived. I was chatting with a new friend, while smoking one of his cigarettes, when I spotted her across the street. She sent me a message signaling she was going to leave, and at that point, I walked over.
We sat upstairs and enjoyed a good meal.
Afterwards, we walked around the area. I saw a man with a DSLR strapped to him, and learned that Nerd Con and Bully Con were taking place nearby.
Back at Brien’s that evening, Will Groening came. Brien and Will went to an event – I decided to turn in early so that I would be prepared for the next day
Sunday, September 22
I woke early, and walked the block, stretching in preparation for the shoot
I showed up early to the filming location, and grabbed some fruit to eat from the breakfast area.
Alvin Tan showed up – I recognized him immediately. We went up to the room together, and he ran me through the day’s events.
Next, our cameraman, Slamdogfilms, arrived
Finally, Karla Kush came in with a little wheeled suitcase containing some wardrobe items
The cameraman filmed her as she took a shower
At 1:23PM, I recorded a video using my phone while she acted
Prior to the shoot, I’d done some research on Karla Kush to learn her likes and dislikes. It was important to me that my first scene be a success.
Alvin busted
I enjoyed spending time with Karla Kush one on one, but I kept getting distracted by the fact we were running up against the clock.
We took a group photo after the shoot.
Alvin offered that he could drive me someplace if I needed, but I decided I’d hang around the hotel given I had nowhere else I needed to be.
If you haven’t seen the full scene, consider subscribing through my referral link, https://bananafever.com/members/aff/go/yetieater: you’ll support me (when BananaFever coughs up)
I smoked the cigarette I brought with me, and bummed one off of Johnny, a guest at the hotel who was also visiting from Houston. I went to the store with Johnny, where he picked up a bottle of vodka and some orange juice. We drank together at his hotel room ahead of the cocktail reception offered by the hotel. I wound up crashing on the couch. When I woke up, there was Chinese food. I had some, and went on my way
Monday, September 23
I hung out with Phantaci. We went to the LA Arboretum after getting some poke and tea
Tuesday, September 24
I grabbed all my gear and hit up Santa Monica:
On the plane at 7:30PM for NK326 back home