~Stripper Circus~, airport experience from hell, cute present
I'm back home now. It was a fairly last-minute decision, I booked a flight just under a week in advance. I had planned on staying through the end of May but when, in the first week OF May, they still had no shooting schedule nor even a general IDEA of a shooting schedule, I decided that my sister's 21st birthday and meetings about projects that I actually get to work on were a little bit more important. Also, the cost of living is so high out there and it sucks not having a car. It sucks even more putting up with those things when you have no idea when you next get to do what you absolutely love.
I flew back on Thursday morning. Tuesday, Tony picked me up and we went to a hiking trail with our cameras. We shot black and white because we both have a huge boner for Herb Ritts right now. He had to do a conference call, so I just traipsed off by myself and I had the most lovely time. I started climbing high, but it all started to look the same and I didn't want to get too lost so I turned straight around. I found a different trail, it was more flat and also more wooded. I stepped into a clearing and just... the fucking trees and the way it was lit, it was a small wonderland. I came across a crown of flowers hanging on a tree, with orange and yellow ribbons in the back. I of course took it and put it on, it was such lovely Liss time. I came across a tiny lizard square in the middle of the path and he didn't run like the others. Probably because I talked to him nicely and constantly assured him I didn't want to hurt him. I just wanted to shoot him with my macro. And he totally let me. He was legit posing and only ran away when I stood back up and kept walking, I loved him!! ♥! I ended up one some road, I wasn't entirely sure I was in the same park anymore but whatever. I sat at a picnic table and called my mom, before Tony randomly drove up. IDEK how he found me or if he was even looking.
We went to the promenade, I got chips and a lemonade and he got a burrito. We walked around and shopped a little before Tony decided he wanted to do some test footage at the beach. So we walked down to the ocean and just filmed me walking to the water and looking around because he wanted to practice some stuff in After Effects. It was fun, we took stills too and then just sat in the sand. It was a really nice pseudo-last day.
We went out on Wednesday, my last night in L.A. - six of us piled into one car and pretty much screamed Whitney Houston all the way there, with the windows down. It was the epitome of young adult. We got to the bar and I realized I had left my ID in my camera bag. Fuck. One of the guys we went with was nice enough to let me take his car back to my house to get it. Halfway there I realized that I had deliberately taken my keys out of my bag because I didn't want to lose them the night before I left. I almost started crying but then I decided that I would absolutely find a way to climb over our deck fence. It wouldn't be pretty, but I'd fucking get in. Turns out, none of my pride was spared as I found a hidden door in the fence. Been there for three months and wasn't even quite positive it was there. I walked right in, lol.
Anyway, I got my ID, and my last night was spent at a ~classy~ little establishment called Stripper Circus. NO, IT WAS LEGITIMATELY THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD AT A BAR IN A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. POSSIBLY EVER. First off, it was a gay bar, so it was really fun to talk to and dance with people who wouldn't get the wrong idea and sleazily grope me. Also, they ttly appreciated my outfit - black heels, fuchsia capris and a matching top with metallic disks covering the entire front, they loved my top. BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN IT - it was like a bar carnival! They had huge circus posters featuring drag queens and circus-y names, naked men dancing on the bar, and games, fucking games! Like one was called Cock-O-Toss, and it was a wooden board with tons of mounted dildos and you had to throw rings at them. If you got 2 of your 3 throws on a dildo, you got a winner's ticket. And another called Tip-A-Tranny, with a bunch of demented/trashy Barbie dolls nailed to boards on hinges and you threw bean bags to knock them over. If you got 4/7 knocked over, you got a winner's ticket. THEN, you take winner's tickets up to the front, where they had a huge wheel you could spin AND a fucking Plinko board! Prizes were drinks, shots, and lube! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN, I CANNOT. Then there was another game where there was poster of a naked man and you had to flip quarters to land on his dick. If you got it on the head, you got a drink, and if you got it on the shaft, you got a shot. I got absolutely wasted for $10, it was such a top night. Never even mind all the ripped strippers.
It was me, Lindsey, Brit, Gese, and Russell, plus two other guys that I guess Lindsey knew - we ran into them there. Everyone was really nice. We were all outside sharing a massive cigarette when I heard "15 minutes until Strip Down, 15 minutes until Strip Down!" I hit my head on a tree and we decided we needed to go in for ~Strip Down~. I didn't see anything, blah, but my favorite is when we saw flashes going off and the drag queen DJ was like, "NO PHOTOGRAPHY DURING STRIP DOWN, NO PHOTOGRAPHY DURING STRIP DOWN." God I wish we had that place here! And then we danced hardcore for fucking AGES, I was dancing with Russell, I almost fell but he caught me even though I was behind him. And then whenever I'd lose my balance even a little bit, he'd grab me, it was super nice. We all had so much fucking fun, I cannot even state, we just danced like hell.
I felt like shit the next morning, not because I was especially hungover (I mean, a little, let's be real) but because EVERYTHING HURT, UGH I AM SO OUT OF SHAPE. My calves especially, dancing in heels, fuck. Also I only got like three hours of sleep - I was out like a brick FOR those three hours so getting up was complete shit. Everything I had wouldn't fit in my suitcase so Lindsey gave me a huge cardboard box she had been using to keep her shoes in. I got to the airport an hour before my flight left, which... probably isn't ideal but I've done it before and been totally fine, you know? NO. SUN COUNTRY HIRES COMPLETE FUCKING IDIOTS WHO TAKE FOREVER. THESE TWO STUPID BITCHES, THE LINE WAS LONG AS SHIT AND THEY WERE MAKING EVERYONE SHOVE THEIR CARRY-ONS INTO THAT STUPID SIZING BOX. So anyway, I finally get up there, she takes my ID and I ask for tape for this huge fucking box. She sends me down to the other end of the counter telling me there's more room there and she'll run my ticket down. Fine. Except I look over and see her checking someone else in? Are you fucking kidding me?! She finally brings my ticket over and I drop my luggage off. I still have my huge backpack and camera bag, but I feel loads better. I walk all the way down to the other end of check-in (no, seriously, Sun Country is the literal last station on the left and security is the last one on the right. So I get there, wait in line, only to realize that what I THOUGHT were my credit card AND ID, was just my credit card. STUPID BITCH NEVER GAVE ME MY ID BACK AND I WAS TOO STRESSED OUT WITH MY 50 PIECES OF LUGGAGE TO NOTICE. I ask the woman checking if she has any means to call down there and she's like, "It looks like ~you'll have to go get it~" in this fucking.... idek, judgmental tone or something. So I'm freaking out because it's 9:30 and I have to run all the way back across the airport, get through security, and get to my gate. Impossible.
I eventually got into the security line, which wasn't moving literally at all. The guy in front of me, a sweet older man, asked if I was in a hurry. I lol'd and said yes. He let me go ahead of him and then was super helpful, constantly telling airport workers I was in a hurry and asking if they could somehow rush me through. Seriously, it helped me so much just having him there. I heard them calling my name over the fucking intercom and I was still waiting for my shit to come out on the other side. I made my flight by some miracle, but then I was pissed because as THE SAME BITCH WHO FORGOT MY ID was ushering me and one other late guy in, she made a comment about how they wanted to leave a few minutes early! OMG fuck you! Then I was still so pissed off and stressed out that I didn't even come close to relaxing for an hour. Not a good flight. It did go pretty fast, though. The woman next to me was really nice, she's a hairdresser and she's going to New York and Israel! To do hair!
Jason picked me up and when we got to the car, there was a purple present in my seat tied with green ribbon. I already died because I wasn't expecting a present, I was just coming home, it wasn't even a thing. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS. HE GOT ME MOAR RAM FOR MY COMPUTER, I ALMOST CRIED. TELL ME IT IS NOT THE CUTEST. No boyfriend I've ever had before would have even entertained or thought of the idea, I love dating a tech-savvy person, he knows all the things. He even put it in for me when we got home and my computer is so fast now. "But but! Coming home IS my present!" I said. "No, you coming home is my present. ♥"
We didn't have much time to lounge around before we went as surprise guests to my sister's birthday dinner, which definitely needs its own entry! As does the rest of the week lol.
I flew back on Thursday morning. Tuesday, Tony picked me up and we went to a hiking trail with our cameras. We shot black and white because we both have a huge boner for Herb Ritts right now. He had to do a conference call, so I just traipsed off by myself and I had the most lovely time. I started climbing high, but it all started to look the same and I didn't want to get too lost so I turned straight around. I found a different trail, it was more flat and also more wooded. I stepped into a clearing and just... the fucking trees and the way it was lit, it was a small wonderland. I came across a crown of flowers hanging on a tree, with orange and yellow ribbons in the back. I of course took it and put it on, it was such lovely Liss time. I came across a tiny lizard square in the middle of the path and he didn't run like the others. Probably because I talked to him nicely and constantly assured him I didn't want to hurt him. I just wanted to shoot him with my macro. And he totally let me. He was legit posing and only ran away when I stood back up and kept walking, I loved him!! ♥! I ended up one some road, I wasn't entirely sure I was in the same park anymore but whatever. I sat at a picnic table and called my mom, before Tony randomly drove up. IDEK how he found me or if he was even looking.
We went to the promenade, I got chips and a lemonade and he got a burrito. We walked around and shopped a little before Tony decided he wanted to do some test footage at the beach. So we walked down to the ocean and just filmed me walking to the water and looking around because he wanted to practice some stuff in After Effects. It was fun, we took stills too and then just sat in the sand. It was a really nice pseudo-last day.
We went out on Wednesday, my last night in L.A. - six of us piled into one car and pretty much screamed Whitney Houston all the way there, with the windows down. It was the epitome of young adult. We got to the bar and I realized I had left my ID in my camera bag. Fuck. One of the guys we went with was nice enough to let me take his car back to my house to get it. Halfway there I realized that I had deliberately taken my keys out of my bag because I didn't want to lose them the night before I left. I almost started crying but then I decided that I would absolutely find a way to climb over our deck fence. It wouldn't be pretty, but I'd fucking get in. Turns out, none of my pride was spared as I found a hidden door in the fence. Been there for three months and wasn't even quite positive it was there. I walked right in, lol.
Anyway, I got my ID, and my last night was spent at a ~classy~ little establishment called Stripper Circus. NO, IT WAS LEGITIMATELY THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD AT A BAR IN A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. POSSIBLY EVER. First off, it was a gay bar, so it was really fun to talk to and dance with people who wouldn't get the wrong idea and sleazily grope me. Also, they ttly appreciated my outfit - black heels, fuchsia capris and a matching top with metallic disks covering the entire front, they loved my top. BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN IT - it was like a bar carnival! They had huge circus posters featuring drag queens and circus-y names, naked men dancing on the bar, and games, fucking games! Like one was called Cock-O-Toss, and it was a wooden board with tons of mounted dildos and you had to throw rings at them. If you got 2 of your 3 throws on a dildo, you got a winner's ticket. And another called Tip-A-Tranny, with a bunch of demented/trashy Barbie dolls nailed to boards on hinges and you threw bean bags to knock them over. If you got 4/7 knocked over, you got a winner's ticket. THEN, you take winner's tickets up to the front, where they had a huge wheel you could spin AND a fucking Plinko board! Prizes were drinks, shots, and lube! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN, I CANNOT. Then there was another game where there was poster of a naked man and you had to flip quarters to land on his dick. If you got it on the head, you got a drink, and if you got it on the shaft, you got a shot. I got absolutely wasted for $10, it was such a top night. Never even mind all the ripped strippers.
It was me, Lindsey, Brit, Gese, and Russell, plus two other guys that I guess Lindsey knew - we ran into them there. Everyone was really nice. We were all outside sharing a massive cigarette when I heard "15 minutes until Strip Down, 15 minutes until Strip Down!" I hit my head on a tree and we decided we needed to go in for ~Strip Down~. I didn't see anything, blah, but my favorite is when we saw flashes going off and the drag queen DJ was like, "NO PHOTOGRAPHY DURING STRIP DOWN, NO PHOTOGRAPHY DURING STRIP DOWN." God I wish we had that place here! And then we danced hardcore for fucking AGES, I was dancing with Russell, I almost fell but he caught me even though I was behind him. And then whenever I'd lose my balance even a little bit, he'd grab me, it was super nice. We all had so much fucking fun, I cannot even state, we just danced like hell.
I felt like shit the next morning, not because I was especially hungover (I mean, a little, let's be real) but because EVERYTHING HURT, UGH I AM SO OUT OF SHAPE. My calves especially, dancing in heels, fuck. Also I only got like three hours of sleep - I was out like a brick FOR those three hours so getting up was complete shit. Everything I had wouldn't fit in my suitcase so Lindsey gave me a huge cardboard box she had been using to keep her shoes in. I got to the airport an hour before my flight left, which... probably isn't ideal but I've done it before and been totally fine, you know? NO. SUN COUNTRY HIRES COMPLETE FUCKING IDIOTS WHO TAKE FOREVER. THESE TWO STUPID BITCHES, THE LINE WAS LONG AS SHIT AND THEY WERE MAKING EVERYONE SHOVE THEIR CARRY-ONS INTO THAT STUPID SIZING BOX. So anyway, I finally get up there, she takes my ID and I ask for tape for this huge fucking box. She sends me down to the other end of the counter telling me there's more room there and she'll run my ticket down. Fine. Except I look over and see her checking someone else in? Are you fucking kidding me?! She finally brings my ticket over and I drop my luggage off. I still have my huge backpack and camera bag, but I feel loads better. I walk all the way down to the other end of check-in (no, seriously, Sun Country is the literal last station on the left and security is the last one on the right. So I get there, wait in line, only to realize that what I THOUGHT were my credit card AND ID, was just my credit card. STUPID BITCH NEVER GAVE ME MY ID BACK AND I WAS TOO STRESSED OUT WITH MY 50 PIECES OF LUGGAGE TO NOTICE. I ask the woman checking if she has any means to call down there and she's like, "It looks like ~you'll have to go get it~" in this fucking.... idek, judgmental tone or something. So I'm freaking out because it's 9:30 and I have to run all the way back across the airport, get through security, and get to my gate. Impossible.
I eventually got into the security line, which wasn't moving literally at all. The guy in front of me, a sweet older man, asked if I was in a hurry. I lol'd and said yes. He let me go ahead of him and then was super helpful, constantly telling airport workers I was in a hurry and asking if they could somehow rush me through. Seriously, it helped me so much just having him there. I heard them calling my name over the fucking intercom and I was still waiting for my shit to come out on the other side. I made my flight by some miracle, but then I was pissed because as THE SAME BITCH WHO FORGOT MY ID was ushering me and one other late guy in, she made a comment about how they wanted to leave a few minutes early! OMG fuck you! Then I was still so pissed off and stressed out that I didn't even come close to relaxing for an hour. Not a good flight. It did go pretty fast, though. The woman next to me was really nice, she's a hairdresser and she's going to New York and Israel! To do hair!
Jason picked me up and when we got to the car, there was a purple present in my seat tied with green ribbon. I already died because I wasn't expecting a present, I was just coming home, it wasn't even a thing. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS. HE GOT ME MOAR RAM FOR MY COMPUTER, I ALMOST CRIED. TELL ME IT IS NOT THE CUTEST. No boyfriend I've ever had before would have even entertained or thought of the idea, I love dating a tech-savvy person, he knows all the things. He even put it in for me when we got home and my computer is so fast now. "But but! Coming home IS my present!" I said. "No, you coming home is my present. ♥"
We didn't have much time to lounge around before we went as surprise guests to my sister's birthday dinner, which definitely needs its own entry! As does the rest of the week lol.