trying new things

On Sunday I went on a casting call for extras for the TV show Grimm.  I had already registered online, but had no idea what this next step would be.  I arrived half an hour before the opening time, and the line was already half-way around the block.  I am so glad I was smart enough to wear comfortable shoes.  This whole thing involved two and a half hours of waiting in line, then a quick photograph, and I was dismissed.  Um, hello?  They said to be prepared for hurry-up-and-wait.  They really, really meant it!!

It was interesting to consider the hundreds of other folks who were also applying to work as extras for Grimm.  We had the full gamut of ages, races, body types and personal styles.  I did notice that white, middle-aged women were perhaps over-represented and African-Americans were decidedly under-represented in proportion to the city's population. Older African Americans who want to work as extras don't have a lot of competition, nor do older Hispanics.

One fellow brought his labradoodle to be cast as an extra.  The dog was not happy, but resigned and polite.  Many younger folks showed up dressed to be noticed.  The thing about extras, you're not supposed to stand out.  You are background.  You should NOT be noticed.  The agency handling the casting has pages of guidelines, and one thing that struck me is that, if you get called for a show, you bring three different conservative, casual outfits unless they tell you differently.  No bright colors.  No prints or stripes.  No whites or pastels. No t-shirts with words on them.  Dark, comfortable, conservative shoes.  Unless they tell you different, you are to become wallpaper.  Good thing I have lots of navy and gray in my closet.

And they stress, over and over, that you will need to bring something to occupy yourself quietly for hours at a time.  Oh gee, what could I possibly do?  Knitting!  Writing! Reading!  They pay you to just sit and wait.  This could be very productive time for me. If I ever get called, that is.

In the meantime, I am sitting in the back yard, enjoying the heck out of the morning.  There are birds tweedleing all around.  A couple of squirrels up in the walnut tree are shelling green walnuts in a pattering rain of bite-sized bits of hulls.  The sun is nestling in the cup of a rose like a small pink lantern.    My tea is hot and sweet, my bathrobe is thick and warm, the air is cool and fresh, and I am so very glad to be alive.  This is what I want to do when I grow up.