The next day had me proclaiming ‘San Rafael is it!’ SM dropped me downtown, and I bobbed along Fourth Street, popping in and out of coffee shops until finally finding the one with free wireless. There I sat down to a proper cup of coffee and negotiated three weeks working with a bus tour in Southern California. After checking the time and packing up the laptop, I circled the block and reached a location near the Mission to work a half-day as a ‘Stand-In Actor.’ That is, we would run through scenes, but just to find the correct placement and movement for the real scenes, to occur later with ‘Real Actors.’ Although I expected a theater show, it was instead for a feature film. A group of about fifteen people gradually arrived, gaining friendliness and soon generating a fun mood in the place. Next characters were assigned, and due to the casting agent’s suggestion, I was cast as Ray, The Artist. We ran through scenes, doing one or two trial runs and then - ‘action.’ The setting was an art gallery during my art opening, and both the characters and actors were chatting it up and flirting away - a good time to be sure, and a great way to earn the cash for a burrito authentico down the block.
