--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday - 5/29/06 
Los Angeles, CA
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"Odd Jobs"

Hello faithful bloggers. As usual I'm way behind in the blog. My apologies. This time I have a good excuse- I have been working. Nothing to do with music unfortunately, as it's nearly impossible to get paying gigs in LA. I found a few odd jobs on craigslist that have turned out to be pretty lucrative so far. The first "job" I got was the gig I mentioned before chauffeuring the "valley girls" from their home in the San Fernando valley to the nightclub district in Hollywood, and then home again. I have done this twice so far, and it's been a lot of fun. The two girls are really nice, and they tip well. Unfortunately I had to raise my rate to $40 an evening due to the high gas prices. They agreed the gas prices were high, and also agreed to pay a little more for my services. I think the increase was fair, as a taxi would cost twice as much. They are both very attractive young ladies, and they always get into the clubs for free. They said the guys in the clubs usually buy drinks for them, so $20 each for safe, reliable transportation for the evening is quite reasonable in my opinion. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the lovely young ladies. I will try to persuade them to pose for a future blog update. I will hit them up for a picture after they've been out clubbing, as they, like the rest of us, are inevitably more fun when they have a few drinks in them. So for now-

The second job I landed was, and is, to help a family move from their house a few miles away from my apartment to the San Fernando valley. More accurately, I am helping to pack for the move as they have hired a moving company to do the actual moving. I answered an ad calling for help from the mighty craigslist. These people are really nice, and I've enjoyed the time I've spent helping them so far. The woman who contacted me is named Phyllis, her husband David, and their 4 year old son Benny.

I made my way west on my bicycle through the local neighborhoods,
which got nicer and nicer as I made my way closer to my destination

I arrived at 10 am to start the long procedure of packing up boxes with the family's many belongings. I met the homeowner Phyllis at the door, and she enthusiastically invited me inside. Her husband David was off at work. He had landed a job as a script reader for the Fox network. Phyllis had hired another guy who was already there to help out. He had also responded to the ad on craigslist. His name was Johann, an actor from Sweden, who was attending acting school here in LA. Phyllis said that she had about 50 replies to her ad from people anxious for work. She had chosen us because we mentioned that we were just into town, and seeking work while in LA pursuing our artistic endeavors. Phyllis is an artist herself, and had been in "the industry" doing artwork and set design for many years. After talking for a few minutes and getting to know each other a bit, we started to pack up boxes as directed. There was a whole bunch of stuff that needed to be packed. Dinner ware, pictures, knick knacks, and books. A LOT of books. We set about the task of packing, as Phyllis organized and went through things deciding what she wanted to keep, and what was to be thrown out, sold, or given away.

After packing the boxes we stacked them in the garage.

The boxes were piling up fast

She was barely able to keep up with marking the boxes for the
movers, indicating where they would end up at the new house.

They had a pile of stuff that they didn't want, and planned to have a yard sale

(I assure you it's there under the inevitable blue tarp)

The pile of junk was growing pretty fast as well

The family has the cutest dog, pictured below. "Minnie" sort of reminded me of a tiny sheep, and was very mellow for a small dog. By nature, it seems that most small dogs are hyper, yipping and yapping all the time. This sweet little dog was very well behaved. She is very old, which is maybe one reason she is so tame. Apparently she is mostly deaf, and blind in one eye due to glaucoma. I felt bad every time I "snuck up on her" carrying a box to the garage. It was tough not to startle her as her senses weren't what they used to be. Every so often I'd stop to pet her and reassure her.

She even has her own bicycle

Not really. The bike belongs to their son Benny. An only child, Benny is one of the cutest kids I've ever met. Aside from my niece and nephew of course. He is very outgoing, and has a lot of energy as most kids do. He wasn't around too much while we were working. He was off at his first year of school most of the time during the day. Phyllis said this was for the best as he would tend to interrupt our working, as most kids would, excitedly showing us this toy or that toy and asking a bunch of questions. The times I did see Benny he seemed to be a real fun kid, and a pleasure to have around. Not so pleasurable was the dog next door. A Rottweiller who was thankfully behind the fence. He barked at us constantly, guarding his territory from any possible threat.

Phyllis ended up hiring Johann and I one at a time over the next few days, as we were packing up faster than she could collect and organize the items she needed packed. She even needed a couple days to herself to go through everything before having it packed up. A couple days later I showed up by myself to help with their back office.

Her and her husband worked back there much of the time. After being
there four years they had settled in, and there was a lot of stuff around.

I was doing a pretty good job packing up. I have always had a knack for packing.

I'm thinking that maybe my time spent playing Tetris helped
develop my packing and organizational skills even further.

The second day I went back, Phyllis decided that a yard sale was too much work, or would
take too much time, and she opted to have me put the stuff out by the curb for people to take.

I could tell even from her quickly drawn sign that she was an accomplished artist. While I worked packing up boxes, I noticed the pile by the curb getting smaller and smaller as the day wore on. People in LA seem to be anxious for free stuff. I myself refuse to take anything, except a fan for my window which was in the pile under the tarp. It has helped quite a bit vent my room now, during the onset of the hotter months.

I plan to go back and help them pack some more after my trip to Monterey to visit friends (you know who you are) Actually by that time they may have moved, but Phyllis asked if I would help unpack at the other end, and assemble shelves and cabinets for them to store their stuff at the new house. I gladly accepted the assignment, and am anxious to see their new home in the valley. Phyllis said that it was a much bigger place, and had a nice yard for Benny to play in.

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The second job I accepted was located high in the Hollywood hills. A guy named Larry had contacted me after I placed an ad in craigslist "services offered" section. The ad was as follows-

Able bodied Versatile worker available

Hello, I just moved from the northeast to the LA area, and am seeking employment off all types until I find a regular job.

I am a hard worker, dependable, and very easy to get a long with. I am looking for jobs such as helping with moves, landscaping, and general labor. I have many skills. if you have something that needs doing, don't hesitate to send an email to see if I can help out. I will be honest if I feel I'm not qualified for the job. I also have a good sized SUV if anyone needs help from someone with a truck.

References available

Thanks,
Greg

I have had numerous replies to this posting, but unfortunately had to turn many people down as I was busy with helping Phyllis and David move much of the time during the week when I had posted the ad. I figured it was better to go with the old adage "a bird in the hand...", as many of the gigs on craigslist ultimately don't pan out. I opted to take the work I already had other than offer my services to a source that may or may not actually happen. Larry wasn't one of these. He was prompt in his replies, and very accommodating in scheduling a time when I was available. He had a broken hip and fractured pelvis from a bicycle accident in Griffith park. Right away I felt obliged to help, as I know how it is biking in LA. It turns out Larry had been involved in another biking accident a few years ago, but this didn't seem to dissuade him from getting right back in the saddle. I definitely shared his fondness of bicycling. When I corresponded with Larry over email, he said he wanted to clean up the place a bit as he was going to sell the house and move to Austin, Texas. He bought a pressure washer, and needed my help in assembling and washing as he was on crutches after his injury. I arrived a few minutes early on Saturday, and he met me at the bottom of the cement staircase, which was one of the areas in need of a washing.

Larry is an IT for a music company in LA, and has worked behind the scenes for many years helping to bring music to the marketplace in the form of cassette tapes and cd's. He had even worked on LP records briefly before cassette tapes eventually took over, and then cd's. We talked a bit, and he explained the various processes involved with making the different types of media. As I said he had been in the music industry for many years, but said he had never met a "rock star". He had met a few actors on various movie sets he had been through. The most memorable story he told me was when he saw one of my mom's favorite actors Peter Falk (Columbo) in a cafeteria. There was apparently a guy at the salad bar, leaning over the food smoking a cigarette. Larry was about to say something to the guy, when he suddenly realized who it was. I agree that smoking over the salad bar is a bit uncouth, but I would have refrained from saying something to a well known celebrity as Larry did. He told me that approaching celebrities on the set was frowned upon, and I guess I can see why.

Larry had some interesting furniture around his house.
One piece I really liked was an end table he had refinished.

The table had blue mirrored top. I took a
picture as this is my favorite shade of blue.

Larry has a cat named "Boomer", and was around most of
the time investigating the goings on around the property.

It was nice to have a cat around that I could stop and pet every once in awhile. As we know, my roommate's cat doesn't like me very much. She is more of a "one owner" cat and despite my many efforts, refuses to be friendly. Boomer was a little skittish the second day I was there, but is still a much better companion than the un-named cat back at my apartment. After talking for a few minutes, I assembled the new pressure washer, and started washing a stone wall down at the base of the property, It had been subjected to runoff from the irrigation system for several years, and really needed to be cleaned up.

I wish I had taken a "before" picture, as the
wall looked much better when I had finished.

After washing the wall, I headed up to the patio, which needed a wash even more than the wall. There was years of buildup on the stones and mortar that also looked a lot better when it was cleaned off. Again, I didn't take a picture of the patio before I washed it.

I wish I had taken a "before" picture, as there
was a big difference in the "before" and "after"

Larry asked if I would also wash the back stairs leading to a terrace.

This didn't clean up as well as the wall and patio,
but my efforts did make a little bit of a difference.

There was an abundance of snails on one wall that Larry said were starting to
become a nuisance. They eat the leaves off the plants, and are a little unsightly

They don't like being pressure washed, that's for sure
(heh-heh)

It was a really nice environment to be working in.
There were some spectacular views from his property.

Hey mom, how'd you like to eat breakfast to this view?

(That was a rhetorical question, you don't have to call me.)

Although Larry had put together a list of things he needed help with, the pressure washing took all day. He patiently waited all afternoon for me to complete the patio. Once I got started, I realized that it could be cleaned up considerably, and set about the slow process of washing the patio to nearly the same condition it was in when it was first laid. Larry was very pleased with the result, and understood that it took some time to clean up right. He agreed to have me come back the next day to finish the list of chores. At first I told him I could only work a half day, as I had told Phyllis I'd help her out some more on Sunday, but I was happy to end up able to give him the whole day, as Phyllis was still busying herself organizing things to be packed. I went back and finished up the washing for an hour or two, then I helped him move some boxes around, and straighten up his office. I helped him put his weight bench inside, as he wanted to do some upper body workouts during his recovery from his accident. We ended the day by successfully installing a shelf unit with a towel rack in his guest bathroom. Larry seemed very pleased with the work I did, and we got along really well. He wants me to go back after I return from Monterey to paint some chairs out on the patio. I will surely give him a call when I return.

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Another "job" that came somewhat out of the blue was helping my new friend Sebastian move. Sebastian is originally from Boston, and is a film maker and musician. His main instrument is the trumpet, but plays keyboard, guitar, and also uses a computer for recording projects.

He is a great guy, and a really good musician. I met him at a party I went to in Venice, and was introduced to him by a friend I had met when I advertised in the rideshare section of craigslist looking for someone to go to Las Vegas with to see my friend Ben the CK model. Though the Vegas trip never panned out, I made a good friend who has shown me around LA some more in the last few weeks. I agreed to help Sebastian move from his apartment in Venice to a great one bedroom apartment he found in Santa Monica. I was to help him move after I finished helping Larry on Saturday. I wasn't expecting to get paid, other than to ask for a few bucks for gas. When all was said and done, Sebastian insisted I take a full $100 for the move. We spent about four hours moving, and ended up making four trips back and forth between places to move furniture and heavier things he would have had trouble with by himself. When he broke out his wallet as I was leaving, he handed me the $100 saying "I know how it is". He had moved to LA about 9 years ago, and was familiar with how it goes not having a job and trying to get established in a new town, especially this one. I would have gladly helped him move for free, especially since he was from Boston, and a fellow  musician. I gladly accepted the money without much hesitation, and will help him out in the future free of charge if he ever needs it. As I left, I was tired from working over 14 hours that day, but glad that I was paid well for my hard days work. When I got home and was cleaning up, I remembered Sebastian's words as I accepted the handful of cash he gave me. "One hand washes the other", he said.

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John Barry - Goldfinger Soundtrack - Odd Job's Pressing Engagement

 

Instrumental

 

I chose this song of the day for obvious reasons.

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