Strike, day 88
We had a big turnout for the Van Ness gate this morning — all of the regulars plus a few visitors. We debated whether that was an auspice or a coincidence. Either way, there were a lot of doughnuts.
The old Russian guy who stands across the street watching us for hours decided he wanted to carry a picket sign for about 30 seconds. When we offered him a doughnut, he asked for vodka. Which made me rethink the past few weeks of watching him watching us: he may be completely blitzed at every moment.
Except for a brief visit on Tuesday to bring cookies and show off my daughter, I’ve been away from the picket line all week. There wasn’t a lot of news to catch up on. Angry Cadillac Woman is M.I.A. — she didn’t show up today either. Beyond that, same old stretch of asphalt.
Today’s principal topics of conversation: dog rescue, Clinton vs. Obama, good-looking Socialist reporter guy, brain tumors, limousine liberalism, pretending to be Canadian, and those guys who paint street numbers on the curb without asking and expect you to pay them.
Articles
January 31st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Thought this article seemed appropriate to share.
–Strike hits a nerve
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-et-scriptland19dec19,0,1689399.story
January 31st, 2008 at 11:04 am
How did the topic of brain tumors arise? What exactly were you talking about concerning brain tumors?
January 31st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
After 9/11, those number painter guys included an American flag icon next to my address on the curb. When I refused to pay them, they left the address (which they are required to do) but painted over the flag. I guess not paying for unrequested services means that I hate my country.
January 31st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Perhaps Angry Cadillac Woman got pinkslipped. Good things have come from striking before.
January 31st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
The Russian guy probably thought such a large group of writers outdoors in cold weather would surely have a hip flask of something somewhere among their number.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
In Burbank, they actually leave a slip of paper on your door for you to sign, giving the mysterious curb-painters the okay to repaint your curb address number. You are expected to leave $10 with the signed slip. The trolls who live in the other half of my duplex must have agreed because their number was bright and clean when I got home that day. It took a mere forty-eight hours for it to be scuffed back into the indecipherable smudge it had been for five years.
I’ve been remiss in my doughnut drop here at Disney. Must… not… get… lazy… must buy… doughnuts…
January 31st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Sean, I was at Disney today, we would’ve really appreciated a doughnut drop.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Unprovoked signage?
Weird. Back in NYC there were plenty of scams we had to dodge on a regular basis, but can’t say I’ve heard of that particular scam before. What is so exciting about having your house number painted on the curb in the first place? Do a lot of Angelinos forget what their home looks like, but remember the number?
The LA Times article above was interesting. Reminds me of what Alice Yu said weeks ago: “If we don’t do this, we’ll end up with 20 really rich writers, and a whole lot of starving artists.” Olsen’s observation about these statements and actions being not rooted in current events, per se, but in the way all people who feel powerless respond, was well observed. I think preserving a middle class of working writers, and their ability to remain in the business via residuals checks when times are lean, is a legitimate cause for a strike. Indeed, it is the sort of thing unions were created for in the first place.
Did anyone on the pickets work on their Taco Bell specs?
http://lhooqtius.blogspot.com/2008/01/taco-bell-offers-exciting-underpaid.html
Hey, $260 is a lot of money — if you happen to live in 1940.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Apparently the number on the curb is to make it easier for emergency vehicles to find your house. As long as no one is parked in front of it, I guess. A week after we moved into our newly purchased house, a guy came by asking if we wanted our number painted on, and asked for $10 to do it. Since most of our neighbours had it done, and since we were new to the neighbourhood, we thought, what the hell. A year later he showed up and asked the same thing, apparently not having had the time to complete it in the past year. I told him we already paid him to do it, but he never did it. He apologized and left. It’s been two years and we’re still waiting. Meanwhile, emergency vehicles are roaming around our street looking for our house…
January 31st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Tim W - as a former 911 dispatcher I can tell you that having a vehicle parked out front is actually one of the best ways to help emergency services find your house. Once they’re in the street, cops find a house much faster if the dispatcher can tell them what cars to look for out front. Looking for street numbers is a lottery. So any time anyone calls 911, make sure to tell them the make and color of any cars out front of your place. It’s a simple thing but a big help.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:47 am
Jake - sorry I’ve shirked my doughnut duties. I’ll bring some this coming week. I didn’t see any Writers passed out on the sidewalk, so I figured you had other nourishment.
Luckily, I live around the corner from the Dough-Nut-Hut…
February 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
John,
Off topic here, but my local video store has two copies of your movie for rent and there is a waiting list to see it… I won’t get it until Sunday… It’s being rented a lot here in Sonoma County.
Cheers,
Michael
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him but the things which come out of him these are they that defile the man. who said it? Jesus Christ