Surreal Barely Describes It

On Thursday, June 2nd, I participated in my very first movie shoot. It's one of those things that on one level I've always fantasized about but in the realm of reality truly never thought I would partake in. Kinda up there with meeting a famous movie star. You always WISH and dream of that moment but when that moment actually occurs you're still sorta left with the bizarre thought of, "Did that really just happen?" Seriously, I still question whether I truly met Viggo and talked to him and if it wasn't for the photos that my sister in-law took I probably would of labeled it a dream.

But when all normal attempts at finding a job come up with not even a pile of dust bunnies you begin to reach into that basket labeled "fantasy" because in the end, Why the hell not?

And that is how my Thursday ended. Driving home from Santa Fe, from the movie set of "Odd Thomas" talking away with David (whom I had only met that afternoon), I once again had that odd sensation of, "was that me on a movie set with Willem Dafoe and Anton Yelchin a few meters away?" "Did I just get paid for a job that I never truly believed I would put myself out there for?"

To add to these bizarre thoughts bumbling around inside my head was the weather. Being on a movie set is unlike any environment I've ever been on. From 10 a.m. until 10:30 pm when I got home, I had zippo contact with the world in terms of current events. If I lived in a larger city/state where there was 24/7 radio news then I probably could of turned the car stereo to such a station but alas we have no such media resources here in New Mexico. And NO I do not own a smartphone nor do I have satellite radio in my car.

Turns out that while we were standing and screaming our little voice boxes into oblivion acting like we owed our entire lives to some young kid with magical talents named "Odd Thomas," southeastern Arizona was ablaze and oh so obligingly sending the smoke into New Mexico. The drive home was bizarre as both David and I searching thru the dark looking for any sparks of red that would tell us where the immense thick smoke was coming from. From the middle of Santa Fe proper into Albuquerque the world was hazy and creepy and we had no clue as to why.

It wasn't until I got home that I reentered reality and learned of the insane and so horridly huge fire. It's been almost a week now and the fire, according to tonight's news, is now at 5% containment. We had a brief respite this evening from what has become a typical evening of intense smoke and ash but apparently it's to return with renewed vigor over the weekend.

Six months into this year and about the best word I can come up with is Surreal. Good and bad versions of it. The amount of stress and frustration that has accumulated surpasses just about most of my 41 years but then if I toss in the various activities I have participated in, the people I've met and the changes I have made to myself...well, that's all surreal too. The good kind.