Perspective and Perception

I had an audition scheduled for this morning. I had to change it to Thursday morning. I got a later start than I wanted this morning and by the time I got a 'bus shower' I was running to far behind. I think this will be great, something else to add to my film reel. Slowly but surely, I will make something happen.

I'd like to take a moment to discuss Perception, Perspective, POV (point of view), and first impressions. I like to see things from different perspectives...a road seems so much different driving down it than flying over it. You could be looking at the same place but from such a different perspective. You might not notice that the road has a long gentle curve that takes you from West to North in the space of a couple of miles, from the air it is much more obvious. This reminds me of the saying you can't see the forest because of the trees....You are so in the forest you can't see the big picture because you are too close to the trees. I love to change perspectives, to see thing from many different angles. And I like to perceive how others view me. Some are more obvious and tell me, they think I must be a hippie or something. Others tell me by their body language. And it depends on how I choose to present myself that day. If I am dressed in dirty clothes because I am working on my generator and I go into Walmart, people tend to avoid eye contact. If I am standing beside the bus in the same condition people usually drive by and stare. If I am dressed nicely, and the nicest I dress is club nice these days, then I get treated much differently. Lots of eye contact, sales people resume calling me sir, just a feeling of general helpfulness from everybody. I am the same person, but something as simple as cleanliness and decent clothes goes a long ways. I am not pretending this is all new to me, but it is much more noticeable. I forgot to mention that it does take some people aback when they see me in dirty clothes, grease on my face and in my hair, trucker hat on and they hear me talk. I think in their mind they had already colored me dumb or ignorant. When they hear that I must have had some education they still look skeptical but they start moving their thinking about me from not so smart to unknown. And most people don't like the unknown.
I, too, am guilty of judging a little too quickly on the same credentials I just mentioned. And like most people, I think that I am usually dead on 95% of the time. And in my case it is particularly true, just because I believe it to be. Ergo, it's fact.
POV is really a term used in film making to describe the Point of View given to the audience by the director through the camera. The way a character can be intensely disliked at the beginning of the movie but as we (the audience) learn more (through POV) we can come to understand and even like the character. A good director makes the audience feel like they discovered this truth on their own, not that the director led them by showing them what they needed to see.
I have many deep, profound thoughts on this subject. But I have lost the mood to be deep and profound today. Another time.

Reggae

About an hour ago, as I was walking out to my bus from the library, a van pulled up. A guy with dreadlocks asked me about the bus. He guessed it was a 1950-something bus. Very cool guy. He invited me to a Reggae festival this Saturday. He even gave me a ticket and some brochures to hang up on the bus. I will hang one small poster up until Saturday. I consider this my first sponsorship deal, for an $8 ticket. I really enjoy meeting new people. If I had my camera on me I would have taken a picture of the guy and girl in the van.

Vanderbilt Study

One of the creative ways that I can get money is to participate in studies at Vanderbilt. The current study I am applying for is a HIV/TB study. They need HIV negative candidates to test how a new TB drug interacts with an already approved HIV drug. It requires a couple of 3 night hospital stays and some blood drawings during the week. For being in the study I get $1000. The trick is getting into the study. My body has been having some liver enzyme issues, they are slightly elevated. I quickly became much more informed about my liver. The enzymes that are elevated (ALT and AST) are alerts for liver damage that can be caused by Cirhosis of the liver, having hepatitus C, taking too much Tylenol, or eating Fast Food too much. (See Also documentary Fast Food Nation) I don't eat fast food much but I eat just as unhealthy. It is not unusual for me to eat a dozen eggs a day, a box of Nutty Buddy candy bars, High sodium noodles, on special days I can scarf down a dozen donuts in two days. I eat too much unhealthy food, combined with not much exercise in the winter time and not drinking enough water leads to some internal health issues.
Yesterday I bought some fruit and vegetables in an attempt to get my liver enzymes down before my blood retest this Thursday. The good thing about these studies is that I get some free comprehensive physicals. My blood pressure is good...they even did an EKG, which was fine, they test to verify that I am HIV-negative. I always figured I had a strong metabolism that could be fed junk food and keep working strong, after all I haven't gained alot of weight or other signs of getting unhealthy. These test were a good wake up call.




There is another study that they are running some genetic testing on me to see if I am eligible to participate in. This one would involve taking a medicine and then they perform a spinal tap to see how much of the drug got into my spinal fluid. That one pays $600 and is a shorter study.

My new love

I have been watching this little dream ever since fall. She caught my eye as I was walking down the aisle in Walmart one evening. She stopped me dead in my tracks, I couldn't help but stare. Ever since then, whenever I was in Walmart I would look for her. Sometimes even when I was in other stores I would look for her. She is a thing of beauty. She has a sexy shape and is very appealing to the eye. I was not the only man checking this little beauty out.
Well today I took the plunge, because today I woke up cold and I knew she was just the thing to properly warm me up. Plus today she was cheap...and I like 'em cheap.
She is a sturdy thing I like to call my 'Tough Buddy'. The perfect companion for a weather wearied nomadic traveler like myself. And she smells sooo good. She makes me smile as I type. And now she is mine...all mine. She is a little gluttonous but she is worth it.

Mr Heater must be her daddy's name.

TB can be such a flirt...here she is winking at me.
This heater is 1/2 the size and twice the BTU's (heat) of the kerosene heater I have been using. It has always been too expensive to justify buying, plus it consumes a small fortune in propane. But today I have upgraded my heating options. No more sloshing kerosene fuel or rattling kerosene cage as I drive down the road. This is much safer to use regarding carbon monoxide poisoning. It also has a fan that is run by 4 'D' cell batteries. I can also buy an optional hose to be able to hook it up to a 20lb tank. I truly have been wanting this heater since I first laid eyes on it. Perfect for the bus. And in the dogs days of summer, it is easy enough to store away until next season.

My photogenic Bus

It still amazes me how many people take a picture of my bus. No matter where I go, barely a day goes by without someone taking a picture of it. About half the time they don't know (or don't care) that I am on the bus. I know the look, they casually walk out of their way to the remote part of the parking lot where I find it easier to park the bus with their cell phone or camera in their hand. They snap a couple of shots of the front and side and go back to their vehicle. I am always flattered, nobody has ever taken a picture of something I drove before, at least not without me asking them to. I take dozens of pics of my bus, but that is because it is my pride and joy. I know it is unusual and special. It does stand out and I never see other RV's getting their picture taken. My bus is a star! But there is a down side to being a celebrity bus, there is no covert parking in certain lots after hours. I use to worry it was because it was the RV version of the bearded lady at the State Fair, but the people who actually talk to me after taking the pictures have nothing but positive comments about the bus.
It is a pretty cool thing.
I caught this sneaky Canadian taking a picture this morning. He was a little surprised I wanted a photo of him. He was a really nice guy named Richard. Him and his wife were returning from Florida heading back to Canada (evidently he has to cross the border by Thursday...no real reason given. Hmmm) He was a talker, so am I. I wish we would have met sooner, I could have talked for hours with him. He had that real strong Canadian accent, pretty cool.

Here is a picture of my 'urban camping' spot. It is a real busy place for RV'ers and big rigs. But my bus hides nicely in the middle of them. (Richards RV is peeking out on the right side)
This is the Nashville library branch I have gone to occassionally. It is a very small library. Someone needs to hit that roof with a pressure washer. But Nala makes me go cause the squirrels in the surrounding park are plump and slow.

Successful Weekend

Ahhh, Spring is in the air. My favorite season of all.
My PSA for the American Lung Association went well. I did not have a speaking part, but nobody did. I am thinking it will be a voice over type thing. This was a first rate production being filmed instead of video taped. They had other parts to shoot in Tampa and Washington DC. Here is a pic of the Assistant Director.

After the shoot wrapped I went back to my Keith's and got online. Craigslist had a futon that someone was giving away.
This was an amazing find because several planets had to align for this to happen.
1) I had to find something that would fit in a specific space
2) I wanted to find something for free (other used futons are $50 and up)
3) It had to look decent
4) It had to be relatively close
5) I had to have a vehicle to pick it up.
6) It had to be recently posted or else someone might beat me to it.
7) It had to be something I could move by myself.
It was a really fortunate find. Now I have a comfortable place to sit and somewhere for a passenger to ride comfortably. Plus it has the added benefit of the arms folding down to make a single bed.


On Sunday I fixed my Clutch problem. I just rehabbed the rubber seals on the slave cylinder. Amazingly it worked!! Only took me an hour and a half to re-install. Bus shifts and runs like a champ. But as to be expected, I discovered a new leak, this time it was antifreeze. I will have to see if I can track down the specific place its leaking from. Might be a loose clamp.

Bus Repair Video

I am in the process of repairing the slave cylinder so that I can drive the bus again. Right now, all the hydraulic fluid that works my clutch immediately dumps on to the ground anytime I depress the clutch pedal. After reading up online about slave cylinder repair, I believe this is a job I can handle. My only concern is that my politically incorrectly named slave cylinder might be too strong and tell the master cylinder where to shove it. Next project might be master cylinder repair.

Jeep Painting video

Here is a video of my jeep project. A real confidence builder. A true labor of love.
Enjoy.

Landed One Cool Job Today

I got the word today that I am booked to do the Public Service Announcement about smoking. It is a paying job ($100) but more importantly it is a resume builder for landing even better parts in film and video. I am so stoked to get this opportunity. It is exactly why I chose this lifestyle. I don't worry about conflict between my 'day job' and following my dreams, where ever they may take me.
On a sadder note, the slave cylinder on my clutch has given up the ghost. I am stuck. I am going to attempt to fix it myself. I am crossing my fingers there is a $10 kit NAPA carries that will provide rubber seals that I can fix myself. If not, I am going to be in a very unhappy situation. Also my power steering still has a leak, that is thus far, manageable. Also my generator won't start. Aside from not being able to microwave popcorn, brew coffee and have electric heat, the big issue is that I can't recharge my batteries. Nashville has been overcast about 85% of the time I have been here, which literally does nothing for my solar panels.
I must confess something. I have bus envy. I have been taking the city transit bus to get into downtown and they are NICE. Headroom galore, Big Windows all around, air suspension ride, automatic transmission, no condensation on the windshield....Mmmmm, all the good stuff. I look around and I can envision where I would put the bed, kitchen, cabinets, bathroom, 60in Plasma, Leather sofa and recliner, jacuzzi. But I still love my bus the best, it's got character and originality. Still I can't help but notice some of the nice to haves of the city bus.
I am working on a couple of video's to post. Keep an eye out for those.

Creative Jobs

Living by your wits is very hard work. It can get stressful at times, but surprises have a way of turning up. Although my monetary needs are about a fifth of what they use to be, I still need to have a steady source of income. Although I will work up an exact budget of my expenses later this week, I estimate that I can live very comfortably on $100/week. More if I eat better food and my automotive leaks increase.
I find I am quite resistant to actively seeking out a typical job. I could probably pick up a dishwasher job or something like it in a day of job seeking. I have been passively (ie online) looking for a bartending job. But even that doesn't fire me up. So I have been spending a great amount of time and energy seeking out any and all other types of jobs. I have sold Plasma for cash and can do so twice a week. Kind of a hassle, I have to catch a metro bus into downtown and it eats up about 3hrs of my day, when all is said and done. I am very much into earning money in non-traditional ways. Two maybe's right now are: 1. A public service TV announcement on Smoking that pays $100 and 2. Vanderbilt Clinical Trials-MRI brain scan and skin biopsy that pays $200. I am keeping my fingers crossed on these last two. Much more up my alley-unique and interesting.
But I may have to bite the bullet and get a traditional job just so I can save up enough to move on to tornado alley in a month. Plus there are many upgrades still to be completed on the bus...indoor plumbing at the top of that list.
Keith and Bethany have gone above and beyond in helping me out. They are renovating their house and have given me some projects to help out with for a little extra money.
Anyhow that is my report for now...
Sign of my side of Nashville
This sign at my bus stop. I understand no parking...but no standing?? at a bus stop?? Me confused.