This week I have three scenes to film and two box cover photo shoots. That may not sound like much, but I assure you I will be really, really DONE when we wrap things up.

I checked into my hotel room this afternoon and it’s the biggest room I’ve had yet. I have been staying at this hotel for about two years now and I know all the staff by name. Since this hotel is my home away from home(s) coming from the East or from Palm Springs I have grown to adore the people working there. They make every attempt to put me all over the grounds of the hotel so I do not get bored. This room ROX! BW is going to love this one when we have our long overdue date Wednesday.

I got the chance to hang out with my good buddy Greg Thompson Monday night. He is “it” when it comes to photography and he is also a great bloke who seems to sport a new hairdo every time I see him. BW and I always enjoy his company. We went over to “Here” lounge for an amateur drag show hosted by Jackie Beat with tunes by DJ Chi Chi LaRue. Chi Chi played my song while Greg and I were seated on prime bar real estate watching the patrons. I leaned over to Greg and confessed to him that hearing my song gave me serious butterflies. I didn’t puke, but did leave rather early to make an early call. More on that later.

Last Wednesday I was the guest “star” at a night called “Dirty Deeds” at Fubar in West Hollywood. Usually Chi Chi is the DJ supreme, but this night we had the pleasure of DJ Jastin in her stead. He is in a rock group called Nancy Full Force and was nice enough to bring my single along to play for the crowd. He was going to play it while I was dancing on stage; however, I wasn’t quite ready to “perform” the song. I left the stage and went downstairs to watch the crowd’s reaction from a security camera. It was the very first time I heard my song played to a real crowd over real speakers! I did get one enthusiastic piece of praise from a drunken patron, but since there wasn’t an all-out riot I choose to assume the song was well-received.

Thanksgiving was very low key. I spent the evening with a friend’s family complete with 2 kids. It was very kind of them to have me and the food was tremendous. And I was in bed by nine, so the night was perfect all around.

I spent the weekend with Scott conquering Topanga Canyon and the surrounding areas on an intense uphill hike. I love doing stuff like that. I almost always choose the path least taken when it comes to hiking and so does Scott. We found a tiny footpath up the face of the canyon, crawling on our hands and knees sometimes through brush and over rocks. It was a most enjoyable evening and I was in bed at 8:30 sleeping nearly twelve hours.

It doesn’t get much better.

I am in LA now working on two videos, one for Rascal called “When Bears Attack” and one for All Worlds called “Depraved.” I have some really great partners – this is the really fun part of my job.

Recently I was invited to read for a part in a new TV show. It’s a spin off of the show “Dante’s Cove” called “Dante’s Lair.” It has the same gay theme as DC, but with much more GAY! It is clearly made to cater to the males and also contains a bit of nudity. Go figure.

The audition was on Tuesday in a swanky penthouse in Westwood. I walked out of the elevator into a marble hallway that led to huge black doors. Inside was a waiting room with a TV show projected on the far wall. It was a classic audition scene; people sitting around reading scripts while clutching thier head shots. Some looked at me with a warm look that seemed to say, “Welcome to the cattle call, good luck!” I received my script from the receptionist and glanced at my lines on the leather sofa. As I reached the second page I was interrupted by a really tall guy offering his hand almost to my face.

“I have seen you around a lot, good to see you, good luck in there” he said. He looked like me, dark featured and sort of ethnic; I knew he had just read for the same part as me. That made me feel good and more at ease. I soon met the casting agent who was accompanied by a PA who offered me a glass of water. When he returned he said “I am such a big fan of your work, good luck, I think you will do great!” I must say it felt pretty good to be acknowledged in front of people in that situation. I felt like a peacock showing his feathers. My last interruption was from the Director of Operations on her way out to a meeting. She put her call on hold, held out her hand and said “So good to meet you, I hope this works out for us” and scurried off. It was getting a little “Outer Limits” for me, but it sure felt better that I had been invited instead of showing up for an open casting call.

When my turn came I found myself standing in front of the agent, director, and one of the producers. I was so nervous that I began to smell. I do not wear deodorant usually and my body temperature had risen so high at this moment that I wish I had. I read my lines and then had to pee, in the worst way. It was very cold in there and it made me so jumpy that my voice cracked on several occasions. They said the infamous line “We’ll call you” and I was on my way.

Right as I got to the lobby my phone rang. It was the casting agent wanting me come back upstairs and read for another part. I had a bit more confidence knowing that I didn’t have to memorize the lines this time, just read them from the page. For some bizarre reason I felt as if I had to memorize them out of habit, after all I have never done a “cold read” before. This time it flowed, I knew now what they were looking for based on reading the prior script and felt much more comfortable with this character. Apparently they felt the same because they were very pleased with this performance. The director clapped his hands and cooed with delight when I finished. Always a good way to end an audition.

Later on I met BW and our gal pal Michelle at a bar called The Falcon in Hollywood. They had just come from a screening of “For Your Consideration” and wanted to take advantage of our mutual availability. I rarely get to see Michelle due to familial obligations and schedule conflicts so it was good to have both BW and Michelle under the same roof in a social setting. Michelle has always been and continues to be a bit of social hub of West Hollywood. Before I lived in CA and was out here from Boston we would go out and she would swing from clique to clique doing the rounds “Hello how are ya, hello how are ya” It was a great evening and a good way to begin my time here in lovely LA LA Land.

This weekend I went to Philadelphia to see Scott, who was there for the week seeing his folks. He had an extra ticket to Cirque Du Solei “Delerium” and I thought this would be a great way to forget about the previous week and have some fun.

Scott took me on a history rich tour of the city starting with Carpenter’s Hall where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. I must say to be in the same room in front of the same chairs and under the same roof where all of this started was wild.

Next it was on to Independence Hall where we saw the first courtroom and saw why people “stood trial”. From there we were taken to the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Again, to be in the space where revolutionaries first snubbed an oppressive Great Britain was moving. The concept of “taxation without representation” was but a distant memory from some long lost history class for me. It was good to be reminded what the Boston Tea Party was all about. Seeing all of these places and remembering what democracy used to mean was a very enlightening experience.

We ate at a place called Tangerine. The room was illuminated with, you guessed it, orange lights. I ordered a bottle of Morgon and a first course of scallops over potato brandade and artichokes. Scott ordered the tuna tartare followed by spiced chicken over couscous with green olives. I enjoyed a grilled pork chop with a chorizo corn fritter and a pomegranate relish. It was the best all around dinner I have had in a while.

The show was AMAZING with an emphasis on visual effects. The stage sat in the center of the stadium where it was capped with two huge screens to show what was happening on stage. The people in charge of projecting the images used layering and overhead cameras to add more depth and interest. To further entertain us, the stage was equipped with sheer curtains that covered both the front and back. Every now and then the curtains would close. They were sheer enough to allow us to see the stage and the performers, but solid enough to show stunning effects like flames or water. Meanwhile, the screens on either side showed what can only be called “dreamscapes”, random images that one would associate with dreams. The show ended with me feeling quite out of shape and a strong desire to sign up for the next Yoga class.

Scott’s mom lives on the Delaware River where Washington crossed in the Battle of Trenton. He took me a short way from her house to Bowman’s Tower. This is the tower that Washington constructed in hopes of seeing any intrusion during the time of the battle in 1776.

Walking up the same stairs used by George Washington was too cool. History takes on a new meaning when you are actually where it happened; it becomes more real and more tangible.

It is always nice for me to meet the parents and family of people I care about. It lends much more to their character and gives me a deeper understanding and appreciation of them. Hanging out with Scott in the home he grew up in was fun. It was very comforting to be in that space and a little part of me really liked messing around with him in the basement downstairs. I liked seeing his high school and hearing stories of him growing up right where we stood. His mother and mine share similar traits. I cannot wait to have the two meet in January when Scott will come out and later accompany me and Milo on our cross country trip back to California.