So apparently, the cause of the Midnight Explosion two weeks ago was this:
There is a tenant in that building across the street who is a used car salesman. And not a very honest one. So apparently, he sold someone a car that was um, shall we say, not a good deal? And said customer tried to return the car, but the dude wasn't having it back. So instead, the customer decide revenge was best served in the middle of the night and tossed a molotov cocktail through the rear windshield of the salesman's car. It burned and eventually, exploded. The second big boom was the car next to it going up. (That car had been removed before I got the picture.) That one was just an innocent bystander in all this. I feel really bad for the owner of the second car. And for the guy who lived in the apartment directly over the cars. But there you have it. Mystery solved. Revenge is fun. Just remember kids, to blow up the car when it won't affect property of the innocent. It's just bad form to involve those whose only crime is living next door to the douchebag.
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Monday, August 24, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
NEW WEBSITE!!! LAURENELISABETHPHOTOGRAPHY.NET
Just wanted to say that I've redone my website. It's all new. New Look. New Site. New Work. Check it out Here:
http://laurenelisabethphotography.net
Or Here:
http://laurenelisabethfineart.net
Hope you can swing by!!! There's new work to be seen and more to come soon!!!
XOXO
The Tank Gyrl
http://laurenelisabethphotography.net
Or Here:
http://laurenelisabethfineart.net
Hope you can swing by!!! There's new work to be seen and more to come soon!!!
XOXO
The Tank Gyrl
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Midnight Explosions
So the other night, I was curled up tight and sleeping very soundly when I was awoken by something rather odd. What sounded like an explosion followed by the building I live in shaking for a second like a very sharp, very sudden earthquake. I was lying in my bed, just wondering what the fuck it was, when I started to hear people screaming. Not people screaming like "AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I'm being attacked by a crazy knife-wielding maniac" screaming, but more like at each other in an "OH FUCK WHAT DO WE DO?" sort of way. Car alarms were going off up and down the street - loudly. And a lot of them. But no one was running or screaming INSIDE my building and the fire alarms weren't going off and it was clear that whatever went all 'splodey wasn't in the specific vicinity of my bed. So I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Just as I was dozing off, there was another one. BLAM!!! Woke me up and shook the building again. This time I got a little concerned. But again, I heard nothing to suggest that my bed (and therefore me in it) was in any real danger, so I left it alone.
Went back to sleep... the rest of the night passed quietly. In the morning, this is what I saw... this is directly across the street from my building. Notice the burned out shell of a car under the carport.
My only thought is what must it have felt like to the guy who lives in the apartment just over it? And what caused it? I've not been able to track down any of the neighbors to find out if anyone knew, cause I'm curious as hell.
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Went back to sleep... the rest of the night passed quietly. In the morning, this is what I saw... this is directly across the street from my building. Notice the burned out shell of a car under the carport.
My only thought is what must it have felt like to the guy who lives in the apartment just over it? And what caused it? I've not been able to track down any of the neighbors to find out if anyone knew, cause I'm curious as hell.
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Why Should I Pay for the Death of A Pop Star?
I'm going to preface this by saying that to the many of you who will strongly disagree with me or feel the need to make nasty comments about my thoughts - well, just remember... opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one and most of the time they just blow shit. So this is my rant.
Yesterday, here in Los Angeles, there was a circus. That circus was also known as the memorial service for the King of Pop (though I have to disagree with that moniker, I don't think he was the king of anything except the crazy train), one very insane, if beloved Michael Jackson. At 50, the most famous of former child stars passed away on June 25th (in case you have been living in a cave, but then again, I think even the survivors on Lost's island heard this news). And so began the media frenzy.
First it was the multitudes of fans and paparazzi that descended upon the UCLA medical centre where he was taken. I happened to be working on a set just down the street that day. There were no less than six helicopters circling the building just after the news broke trying, I assume, to get a shot of the body. Someone succeeded. It was disgusting and horrible and a blatant disregard for humanity. But after a few days, it started to subside... the news went back to talking about things that actually mattered - the state of the economy, the near-revolution taking place in Iran, the fact that our troops are starting to come home from Iraq - you know, NEWS.
And just as the world seemed to be getting back to normal, the announcements were made. A public memorial service to be held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, and tickets were being given away by lottery. Celebrities to play, speeches to be given by friends and family, blah blah blah...
One question - does anyone not remember that this man who has passed, no matter how groundbreaking his music may have been at one point in the past, was all but convicted of being a pedophile? That his acquittal was questionable and the victims of said behaviour seem to be a lot more well-off these days than they were before. I'm not blatantly saying that he or his people paid off the plaintiffs. I'm just saying that it's strange that the case had so much convincing evidence, yet he got off.
But I digress. My issue here isn't whether or not Wacko Jacko was a pedophile. My issue is that the quickly announced memorial service was estimated to cost upwards of 4 million dollars. The city of Los Angeles, has for some time now, been broke. And I do mean BROKE. If a city could file for bankruptcy, I think LA would have several months ago. Teachers are getting laid off, school programs are being cut, police forces are being downsized, and construction sites have ceased to construct half way through projects because they don't have the money to finish.
So enter the overindulgent costs of a memorial service for Jackson. Who is going to pay for this? In fact, the nightly news brought it up. Amongst the repeated coverage of the memorial itself, the next highest news story last night was that in a city with no money, how did Los Angeles get stuck with the bill for this?
Someone I talked to yesterday insinuated that there was a city fund that was designated for "extraordinary events." Fine. That may be, but somehow I don't believe that the death of a pop star counts as an extraordinary event. I think that fund, if it exists, was started in the wake of the Northridge earthquake 15 years ago intended to be there in case of another massive seismic catastrophic event. I don't think that the taxpayers money set aside to help them in their time of need should be used to pay for a circus.
My friends are getting laid off from their jobs, but you expect that my tax money should go to pay for a port-a-john at the Staples Centre so that some deluded fan who "knew the real Michael" cause she met him once at a meet-and-greet way back when he was still Black can take a shit in a city parking lot while she stands crying about her personal loss? I don't think so.
The Jackson Family realized that there was a need for MJ's fans to say goodbye. I get that. I get that he had a lot of fans. I don't think he should be canonized as anything but what he was - he was a pop star. He wasn't a great humanitarian like Princess Diana. He wasn't even a good human, as witnessed by his constant plastic surgeries and deluded way of living. Sure he grew up in a bubble. He was not a normal well-adjusted person. He had problems. But that doesn't excuse his insanity or questionable behaviour over the years.
I think that the Jackson family needs to cough up the money. So should the friends and family. (MJ's estate was estimated at a worth of over 15 mill, no matter his financial difficulties at the time of his death.) If this media circus was their idea, then they should pay for it. Don't make the citizens of Los Angeles suffer further for the fiscal irresponsibility of one family whose patriarch drove his kids crazy.
Now, who should we send the bill to?
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Yesterday, here in Los Angeles, there was a circus. That circus was also known as the memorial service for the King of Pop (though I have to disagree with that moniker, I don't think he was the king of anything except the crazy train), one very insane, if beloved Michael Jackson. At 50, the most famous of former child stars passed away on June 25th (in case you have been living in a cave, but then again, I think even the survivors on Lost's island heard this news). And so began the media frenzy.
First it was the multitudes of fans and paparazzi that descended upon the UCLA medical centre where he was taken. I happened to be working on a set just down the street that day. There were no less than six helicopters circling the building just after the news broke trying, I assume, to get a shot of the body. Someone succeeded. It was disgusting and horrible and a blatant disregard for humanity. But after a few days, it started to subside... the news went back to talking about things that actually mattered - the state of the economy, the near-revolution taking place in Iran, the fact that our troops are starting to come home from Iraq - you know, NEWS.
And just as the world seemed to be getting back to normal, the announcements were made. A public memorial service to be held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, and tickets were being given away by lottery. Celebrities to play, speeches to be given by friends and family, blah blah blah...
One question - does anyone not remember that this man who has passed, no matter how groundbreaking his music may have been at one point in the past, was all but convicted of being a pedophile? That his acquittal was questionable and the victims of said behaviour seem to be a lot more well-off these days than they were before. I'm not blatantly saying that he or his people paid off the plaintiffs. I'm just saying that it's strange that the case had so much convincing evidence, yet he got off.
But I digress. My issue here isn't whether or not Wacko Jacko was a pedophile. My issue is that the quickly announced memorial service was estimated to cost upwards of 4 million dollars. The city of Los Angeles, has for some time now, been broke. And I do mean BROKE. If a city could file for bankruptcy, I think LA would have several months ago. Teachers are getting laid off, school programs are being cut, police forces are being downsized, and construction sites have ceased to construct half way through projects because they don't have the money to finish.
So enter the overindulgent costs of a memorial service for Jackson. Who is going to pay for this? In fact, the nightly news brought it up. Amongst the repeated coverage of the memorial itself, the next highest news story last night was that in a city with no money, how did Los Angeles get stuck with the bill for this?
Someone I talked to yesterday insinuated that there was a city fund that was designated for "extraordinary events." Fine. That may be, but somehow I don't believe that the death of a pop star counts as an extraordinary event. I think that fund, if it exists, was started in the wake of the Northridge earthquake 15 years ago intended to be there in case of another massive seismic catastrophic event. I don't think that the taxpayers money set aside to help them in their time of need should be used to pay for a circus.
My friends are getting laid off from their jobs, but you expect that my tax money should go to pay for a port-a-john at the Staples Centre so that some deluded fan who "knew the real Michael" cause she met him once at a meet-and-greet way back when he was still Black can take a shit in a city parking lot while she stands crying about her personal loss? I don't think so.
The Jackson Family realized that there was a need for MJ's fans to say goodbye. I get that. I get that he had a lot of fans. I don't think he should be canonized as anything but what he was - he was a pop star. He wasn't a great humanitarian like Princess Diana. He wasn't even a good human, as witnessed by his constant plastic surgeries and deluded way of living. Sure he grew up in a bubble. He was not a normal well-adjusted person. He had problems. But that doesn't excuse his insanity or questionable behaviour over the years.
I think that the Jackson family needs to cough up the money. So should the friends and family. (MJ's estate was estimated at a worth of over 15 mill, no matter his financial difficulties at the time of his death.) If this media circus was their idea, then they should pay for it. Don't make the citizens of Los Angeles suffer further for the fiscal irresponsibility of one family whose patriarch drove his kids crazy.
Now, who should we send the bill to?
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Friday, July 3, 2009
ALL OF THE ABOVE
In a couple weeks, several of the pieces from the Carnival Series go up in a group show in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Hope you can make it.
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Who Do You Think You're Kidding...
I would like to dedicate this blog shaped bit of ranting to delusional models everywhere.
Before I begin, I would like to preface this rant with the following statement:
I LOVE what I do. I LOVE being part of the creative process. I LOVE the people I work with. I LOVE my work crew. I count myself fortunate that in this economy I continue to get work and have managed to continue to pay my bills on time, even though my income and industry have been severely affected by the recession.
HOWEVER...
Recently, I had a casting to do. It was a HUGE job. Three days of casting nearly 50 roles from 25 age/ethnic categories. It began as most castings do. I prepared the list of roles, wrote out the specifications of what we were looking for in age range, ethnicity, and even hair colour as per the client request. They were specific in what they were looking for, so in turn, so were my casting requests.
Late in the morning, I sent out the call. It was only a matter of minutes before the submissions started to arrive. Actually, that's an understatement. They began to FLOOD the casting service mailbox. And that's fine. I expect that. In a town like HellAy, there are a ton of models and actors and agents who submit to every casting call there is. This is fine.
I started to scroll through the submissions, which had jumped in number to several thousand in the matter of an hour. This also is normal, expected and I mentally prepare myself for this whenever I plan a casting.
And here is where my ranting will begin. And it is directed at the talent submissions that came in for several of the categories I requested.
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE KIDDING????
I asked for 18 to 22 year old college students. I got women and men who are clearly in their mid-30's. I get that you look younger than your age, and perhaps you can pass for 29 in the right lighting with really good hair and makeup styling, but there is NOT A CHANCE IN HELL that you actually can pass for 21. Really. Give it up.
I blame the industry of course, where many of us working now spent our formative years (Beverly Hills 90210 anyone?) watching 30 year olds play high school students, and that practice has warped our real vision of what under 21's look like. It's still going on. Regularly, 29 year olds play 22 and 25 year olds play high school. It's a disservice to everyone honestly and it pisses me off. So now, instead of scrolling through a manageable 400 submissions to find those kids we need with the "right look," I have to scroll through over a thousand submissions for one role, more than half of which are immediately disqualified because they are just TOO OLD. These extraneous submissions just serve to waste my time, and irritate my wrist from all the mouse clicking.
C'mon people, be nice. Your silliness and delusion makes my brain cranky and my eyes water. And I'm trying to HIRE you people. You should be nice to me so I will hire you for appropriate age range roles (which - oh by the way - I have TONS of).
In fact, in this same casting, I called for a mix of ethnicities of ALL age ranges. Seriously. So if you're say, I don't know, 40 for example, then perhaps it's best if you submit yourself for the "Late 30's" age range. I for one would be so much happier if my inbox wasn't flooded with trash from deluded people who can't see their reflection in the mirror clearly.
Not to mention, if these people would start to play actual ages, then maybe the world wouldn't have such a FUCKED up view of ages and not be able to recognize an actual 18 year old when they see one. If casting directors started a trend of casting appropriately aged talent then maybe this warped perception could shift, even just a little bit. And then maybe, just maybe - people over 25 could then stop being obsessed with looking 18 and just let themselves age gracefully and beautifully as they were meant to.
Of course, this would then put a good number of plastic surgeons in the LA area out of business, but somehow, I can't be convinced that would be a bad thing.
I work and live in a world that is obsessed with youth and beauty. It's sad actually that people my age feel that they have to look perpetually 25. I am not in that age range. I haven't been for a while now. I am better now at this point in my life than I ever was at 25. And there is no way in hell I would want to go back. I was a mess back then. I like myself now. Aging is a good thing. I keep getting wiser and funnier and just plain better as I age, and screw it if there are a few more grays along the edge of my hairline and a few more laugh lines around my eyes. I'm still cute. (And yeah, you know that's not a statement of ego, just a fact.)
I want to start the age revolution. Let's hear it people. If you're 30 - be 30. If you're 35 - be 35. If you're 45 - be 45. Enjoy your life, your world and yourself. And if you're not too busy - wanna start to help me shift world perception just a little?
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Before I begin, I would like to preface this rant with the following statement:
I LOVE what I do. I LOVE being part of the creative process. I LOVE the people I work with. I LOVE my work crew. I count myself fortunate that in this economy I continue to get work and have managed to continue to pay my bills on time, even though my income and industry have been severely affected by the recession.
HOWEVER...
Recently, I had a casting to do. It was a HUGE job. Three days of casting nearly 50 roles from 25 age/ethnic categories. It began as most castings do. I prepared the list of roles, wrote out the specifications of what we were looking for in age range, ethnicity, and even hair colour as per the client request. They were specific in what they were looking for, so in turn, so were my casting requests.
Late in the morning, I sent out the call. It was only a matter of minutes before the submissions started to arrive. Actually, that's an understatement. They began to FLOOD the casting service mailbox. And that's fine. I expect that. In a town like HellAy, there are a ton of models and actors and agents who submit to every casting call there is. This is fine.
I started to scroll through the submissions, which had jumped in number to several thousand in the matter of an hour. This also is normal, expected and I mentally prepare myself for this whenever I plan a casting.
And here is where my ranting will begin. And it is directed at the talent submissions that came in for several of the categories I requested.
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE KIDDING????
I asked for 18 to 22 year old college students. I got women and men who are clearly in their mid-30's. I get that you look younger than your age, and perhaps you can pass for 29 in the right lighting with really good hair and makeup styling, but there is NOT A CHANCE IN HELL that you actually can pass for 21. Really. Give it up.
I blame the industry of course, where many of us working now spent our formative years (Beverly Hills 90210 anyone?) watching 30 year olds play high school students, and that practice has warped our real vision of what under 21's look like. It's still going on. Regularly, 29 year olds play 22 and 25 year olds play high school. It's a disservice to everyone honestly and it pisses me off. So now, instead of scrolling through a manageable 400 submissions to find those kids we need with the "right look," I have to scroll through over a thousand submissions for one role, more than half of which are immediately disqualified because they are just TOO OLD. These extraneous submissions just serve to waste my time, and irritate my wrist from all the mouse clicking.
C'mon people, be nice. Your silliness and delusion makes my brain cranky and my eyes water. And I'm trying to HIRE you people. You should be nice to me so I will hire you for appropriate age range roles (which - oh by the way - I have TONS of).
In fact, in this same casting, I called for a mix of ethnicities of ALL age ranges. Seriously. So if you're say, I don't know, 40 for example, then perhaps it's best if you submit yourself for the "Late 30's" age range. I for one would be so much happier if my inbox wasn't flooded with trash from deluded people who can't see their reflection in the mirror clearly.
Not to mention, if these people would start to play actual ages, then maybe the world wouldn't have such a FUCKED up view of ages and not be able to recognize an actual 18 year old when they see one. If casting directors started a trend of casting appropriately aged talent then maybe this warped perception could shift, even just a little bit. And then maybe, just maybe - people over 25 could then stop being obsessed with looking 18 and just let themselves age gracefully and beautifully as they were meant to.
Of course, this would then put a good number of plastic surgeons in the LA area out of business, but somehow, I can't be convinced that would be a bad thing.
I work and live in a world that is obsessed with youth and beauty. It's sad actually that people my age feel that they have to look perpetually 25. I am not in that age range. I haven't been for a while now. I am better now at this point in my life than I ever was at 25. And there is no way in hell I would want to go back. I was a mess back then. I like myself now. Aging is a good thing. I keep getting wiser and funnier and just plain better as I age, and screw it if there are a few more grays along the edge of my hairline and a few more laugh lines around my eyes. I'm still cute. (And yeah, you know that's not a statement of ego, just a fact.)
I want to start the age revolution. Let's hear it people. If you're 30 - be 30. If you're 35 - be 35. If you're 45 - be 45. Enjoy your life, your world and yourself. And if you're not too busy - wanna start to help me shift world perception just a little?
XO
The Tank Gyrl
Monday, June 8, 2009
I am a Twit.
Yeah, okay, so I think the proper verbage for it is "Tweet" but somehow I find "Twit" more appropriate. Because seriously, does anyone need to know what little 160 character thoughts are going through my head at any given time during a day? I began the tweet, because sometimes, not often, but sometimes you can have an actual text conversation with someone you know who lives far far far away... (yeah, there are three of you who know who you are, ahem)
When used properly, Twitter can be used as a proper good marketing technique. And I'm all for using it that way. It can be used to let your friends know en mass major news of your life... It can be used to entertain and expand (briefly) on the stupidity of what you see in the world. (Which is by the way, my personal favourite use.) But is it really necessary to "tweet" every stupid thought you have during the day? Really? It's as bad as the crazy Twilight fan who video'ed herself reacting to the new movie trailer. People, again, my problem here is this - why spend your entire life interacting with internet "friends" when you can actually go out and make friends and have a life? And I count myself amongst the guilty. There was a moment recently, when I spent a bit of time ranting about the necessity or the actual value in a show called "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here." But I suppose no one cares for my opinion any more than I care for the random typings of Ashton Kutcher or Shaq.
I've seen some of these twittering types. I do have at least one actual pseudo-celebrity on the list of people I follow (a writer whose work I love). For the most part, the tweet is nothing more than yet another way to say "Look at me, Look at me!!!" And most of the people tweeting the most often are those who desperately need people to pay attention to them. But I suppose it's a harmless outlet. Let's just call a spade a spade - it's a trend. It'll be over sooner rather than later once the shine rubs off and the stupidity of it all sinks in.
But in case you do care - come follow "thetankgyrl" on Twitter. Tweet at me. Sure. Why not? It's one more thing to keep me from dwelling on the absurdity of life in Los Angeles. Or perhaps it's one more way to dwell on the absurdity of life in Los Angeles...And it'll be somewhat entertaining... or at least I think so.
XO
thetankgyrl
When used properly, Twitter can be used as a proper good marketing technique. And I'm all for using it that way. It can be used to let your friends know en mass major news of your life... It can be used to entertain and expand (briefly) on the stupidity of what you see in the world. (Which is by the way, my personal favourite use.) But is it really necessary to "tweet" every stupid thought you have during the day? Really? It's as bad as the crazy Twilight fan who video'ed herself reacting to the new movie trailer. People, again, my problem here is this - why spend your entire life interacting with internet "friends" when you can actually go out and make friends and have a life? And I count myself amongst the guilty. There was a moment recently, when I spent a bit of time ranting about the necessity or the actual value in a show called "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here." But I suppose no one cares for my opinion any more than I care for the random typings of Ashton Kutcher or Shaq.
I've seen some of these twittering types. I do have at least one actual pseudo-celebrity on the list of people I follow (a writer whose work I love). For the most part, the tweet is nothing more than yet another way to say "Look at me, Look at me!!!" And most of the people tweeting the most often are those who desperately need people to pay attention to them. But I suppose it's a harmless outlet. Let's just call a spade a spade - it's a trend. It'll be over sooner rather than later once the shine rubs off and the stupidity of it all sinks in.
But in case you do care - come follow "thetankgyrl" on Twitter. Tweet at me. Sure. Why not? It's one more thing to keep me from dwelling on the absurdity of life in Los Angeles. Or perhaps it's one more way to dwell on the absurdity of life in Los Angeles...And it'll be somewhat entertaining... or at least I think so.
XO
thetankgyrl
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