So, a friend of mine quite a while ago suggested that if I wanted to meet people, to pick a bar and make it mine. Go to it every night for at least a couple of weeks, and see where you are after that.
This advice worked for her back in the decades she was carousing heavily, a number of decades past.
I have taken it very slowly, and made my bar mine over months, if not over a year or two at this point. But it has finally gotten to the point my friend was suggesting.
A couple of the bartenders now actually know my drink, and apparently give me a “regular” discount. In fact, the bartender I usually see has finally softened up to me and actually seems to sincerely thank me now for my business. In one way, I may be seen as a benefit for business. Since I always take reading or writing materials, often people stop to talk with me. Perhaps it causes them to linger for another drink, who knows. It does cause them to linger, though.
Last week, I met Michael. He sat beside me, ordered a tall boy, and sat and told me about his screenplay he was working on and his life story in the length of time it took him to consume all 24 ounces. And then he bid me goodnight.
Tonight, Michael said hello to me while I was working on some necessary reading material, and after last call was announced and the lights came up, came over to talk to me. He was considerably drunker than I had seen him before. He told me some more about his life, and mentioned he lived just down the street. After quizzing me on what sort of writing I specialized in, and realizing our preferences were very different, he nevertheless promised to give me his screenplay to read when he was done, and gave me full permission to rip it to shreds, so as to make it better in the next draft. He told me he felt that we were probably kindred spirits in attempting to express our creativity. I was properly flattered. To which I then asked when he expected to complete it, so I could make sure to be present on the expected day.
He told me a month.
It wasn’t until I was on my way home, that I realized that despite the fact I may not have any interest in writing drama, as he does, I do have some expertise in criticism and feedback on screenplays. I did attend a two year program on screenplay writing shortly after I moved down here, and got plenty of experience ripping to shreds other people’s storylines, dialogue, plot points, characters and writing. As they did mine.
In fact, I thought, why was it that I hadn’t put those two years of education on my resume? It may do nothing to land me a job, but it does give a slight indication as to my interests and hobbies. Even an indication as to why specifically I moved down to Los Angeles.
Just a thought. How could it hurt?
Red Room Salon 