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(Gonna be jumping around a bit - Vancouver, Edmonton, Nelson. Going back to Vancouver for the next few posts...)
2 Weeks worth of set dressing put to rest with a single nights filming.
And now, a week later, they're cleaning it up. The brief neon cleaver, gone, scraping the letters off the tiles from the wall, undoing the floor, cleaning off the gilt on the windows that advertised the "Tongue and Tail", all the fridges, plastic meats removed, 2 weeks to build, 1 night shooting, another week to "restore" the property to the condition in which they rented it. A very short lived gentrification.
An older couple, walking past, looking at the "Tongue and Tail" writ large on the alley wall, discussing loudly "They better clean that up..." - when in fact the clean-up is the damage to the neighborhood, the film crew is busy scrubbing, replacing the gum, filling the doorway back up with the syringes, foil, feces, trash, graffiti tags on the window and alley, they'll have no improvements here...
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I meet in the common area Steve from Cafe Beano, apparently he's one of my bunkmates, I didn't recognize him without his beany on, but something about him seemed familiar - from my old hood in Calgary, we chat about Calgary, he's here to promote his chapter book, he's serialized it, selling it on chapter by chapter, self-published, he's escaping his old life to live about here on the breath of the wind. He sold 24 copies today in 4 hours, on the streets of Gastown. And there's the Yogi, the guy I'd noted was perpetually on his computer, He's lived and hitch-hiked everywhere in the world, India, New Zealand, the US, Europe, the world, quite literally - almost every continent less Antarctica, He's on a quest for enlightenment, he's the chosen student of this Yogi (? don't know who, not so much into Yogi's) now discussing with Steve the drug addiction problem - and 'Krishna' announces (his name from the Upanishads, Red hair and freckles make me suspect it was chosen, not given) - that he has no interest in helping these people. Any people for that matter. He's got his own problems.
And I'm thinking ... the essence of enlightenment is compassion ... and - for someone so concerned - the solution is in front of his nose - and yet - he's turning away from it, a distaste for the work, he has all the understanding of a computer programmer trying to explain love, ghosts, anything outside of the directly quantifiable, measurable universe.
I ask about what he's doing on the computer all the time - apparently mixing music. He's a musician.
Other conversations fade in and out...there's a fat girl on the sofa, going on about how hot Justin Trudeau is, she's stayed in Hostels all throughout the US, she's got recommendations, talking about all the countries she won't visit because she's afraid of being raped, discussing her favorite porn, what she likes, getting drunker and drunker, sloppier and sloppier, she has opinions, for sure, and she's only too willing to share...
It's insufferable.
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Walking down a side-street, 3 younger homeless people set up in front of a garage, backpacks in front of them. 2 guys, 1 girl, although the general fashion amongst them it's hard to tell. An earnest conversation. The guys are quizzing her: "But she was breathing when you went to sleep, right?"
The other guys asking the same question and the girl is reiterating her story...
Ten seconds to walk past them and the conversation is carried to the wind, but there was a tragedy there, you know...
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A question which comes up far too often, which you're to interpret as "Are you willing to break all of health-Canada's rules to accommodate my pet..."
The answer is always, unequivocally "NO". We hear it all - "Emotional Support Animals" and "But she/he's so cute/well behaved/gentle/etc, etc."
I imagine asking them if they'd mind my waiving the rule that requires me to wash my hands after shitting. Why not? Rules are made to be broken. Or the rules around storing and preparing food? Leave that fish out on the counter for a day or so - we'll feed it to our rule-breaking customers.
Rules are rules. Pets, like children, are rarely as they're described, and the law forbids having them in the restaurant or on the patio. The only exceptions are recognized "Service" Dogs, which have an orange vest to identify them. We do concede they can dine on the beach with their pet - we have picnic tables, and if not too busy we'll serve down there - but ....
The dog, it's a foot in the door - a way of getting people to break one rule so you can break a few more, rules regarding good manners, tipping, etc, etc. You give in to them on this one small thing and always you'll regret it - the "Are you dog friendly?" is a flag for someone you most certainly don't want to serve, it's the tip of the iceberg for someone who is most probably a celiac, needs honey and soya or almond milk with their caffeine-free tea, the list goes on and on....
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While out thrifting I came across a treasure trove of old Lord of the Rings postcards. Ten cents apiece, and so I bought them all up, now - who to send them to?
I do miss the habit of writing, and seldom get letters (probably related to my lack of fixed address, surely not the letters I send out), and - you know - I could use a new pen-pal. And, coincidentally - it just happens to be Tolkien's birthday.
Hmmmm.
It doesn't take long.
Ken.
Ken has a double -no - triple - benefit - not only does he get the postcards, but being a local the postmaster - who doubtless reads the back of all the local postcards - and gossips to the locals - and the owner of the restaurant - who would be curious who's writing Ken and who picks up the postcards before delivering to Ken - why, I've tripled my audience!
Dear Ken,
- While action figures of the more popular characters do exist, we are unaware of anyplace that sells life size silicon realdolls of Frodo or Legolas.
- While we enjoyed your theory that "Gandalf the Grey" becomes "Santa Clause" after his encounter with the Balrog, we feel obliged to correct you. "Gandalf the Grey" became "Gandalf the White", Gandalf is a Wizard, Santa Clause is an Elf, and the 2 mythologies do not overlap. You will need to forward that list on again, a quick Google search should provide you the correct address.
- It is true that Galadriel and Legolas are both Elves. They unfortunately, however, do not know Santa Clause. Please see our previous note about how to go about addressing your Christmas requests.
- You are aware that this is just a story? Are you reading the books or watching the movies? In any event, Ken, we feel compelled to remind you that the people and events described are entirely fictitious.
- We do believe there was good reason J. R. R. Tolkien did not elaborate upon the sex lives of Dwarves and Hobbits. If you attempt to publish this piece of fan-fiction you've written and persist in using the names "Fili", "Kili", "Balin" and "Bilbo" we will be forced to litigate. End.
- While we appreciate your interest in portraying "BOMBUR" in the movie adaptation, please be advised that a movie adaptation has already been made. And that dwarves wear clothes. No, seriously, WTF, sending us nude "glamour photos" with a teddy bear covering your privies is not "dwarvish", it's obscene. Although everyone in the office agreed you'd make an excellent Troll.
- If the fellowship of the ring is for any reason re-convened we will be certain to let you know.
- The other side of the postcard is an ILLUSTRATION, not a PHOTOGRAPH. Yes, it's easy to get the 2 confused.
- No, Ken, none of the cast of "LOTR" have an "OnlyFans" page. In the work described by Tolkien the characters lived in a comparatively idyllic past without need to recourse to sex-work to survive.
There will be more, I'm sure.