I don't have the answers yet, but I have learned enough to be dangerous, and ask better questions..

On the film set yesterday, it was quite the romantic scene, since we were doing the nightclub shot where the Neptune Cowboy declares himself, in song, to our story's heroine. In real life, the two actors had actually fallen in love, despite being committed to others! So it often goes in Hollywood. At any rate, the lead man had written this gorgeous tune for the lead girl, and he played it with the band like 100 times yesterday. Our director likes to shoot from many angles and redo takes to get just what he's looking for. The song had really kicking lyrics in it - got to get right back right back yeah to you, you are my beautiful girl....and the tune was jumping.

And it doesn't hurt that the guy playing the Neptune Cowboy is the CUTEST Aquarian. He's crazy, eccentric, too skinny, and just adorable. He's also cocky, arrogant, and yet, everytime I turn around he's hugging me, and I realize he's really a teddy bear. How could I not like the guy?

We had a rough glitch - we ran out of extras. GASP! This is a nightclub scene! How are we gonna' shoot without people in the club? Many people did not show - typical of this biz. So, Valerie (another asst director) and I ran off to the Veteran's Day parade, armed with newly printed flyers and release forms to round up wannabe actors for our film.

Unfortunately at a Veteran's Day parade in Long Beach at 10:00 AM there aren't many nightclub scene types. There are a lot of...well, veterans in uniform. Also families.

So, that wasn't working out.

We peeled out of there and zipped over to the mall, where we learned some things:

1. Men greatly enjoy being accosted by women. Any excuse will do.
2. People in Long Beach are actually quite camera shy
3. Men who enjoy being accosted by women encounter great personal difficulty when their wives are standing close by

At one point, we even flagged down two guys getting in their car on a busy street. But the light changed, and we had to go because we were blocking traffic. We were ordering lunch for our kids at the local McD's a short time later, and guess what? These two guys had tracked us down and pulled up next to us!

The whole day had that kind of double feel to it - I am talking on the phone to one person while Valerie is signing someone else. I am ordering lunch for my tot when the guys pull up and scream HEY! Of course, how many times a day are unsuspecting men getting into a car when two women pull up and both enthusiastically yell hey! while grinning madly.

Oh the games we women construct to lure you men in....

We found a cute guy getting into his SUV. We asked him if he'd like to be in the film. He sighed and said he was a single dad, and he had his three kids in the car. Val and I both looked at each other and then turned back to him asking in one voice, well can we have your phone number? We'll share....He immediately dived into in his car looking frantically for something to write on, and after we got his number, we zoomed off in giggles, realizing THIS is probably the way to meet men.

Younger guys - you don't know this yet - but the older guys (read 35+) are really gun shy after years of abuse and bitter divorces. A girl could die of old age waiting for them to pounce. This kind of response is extremely refreshing!!!

We also managed to get a listing posted on Craig's list, and shortly had some people calling us off the hook to get directions to the shoot.

We ended up having EXACTLY enough release forms to cover the extras who came. Isn't that interesting? And here I was arguing with God as to whether it really exists in the Universe or not, because I've seen damned little evidence as of late. I am always breaking up with God, and threatening to return to atheism because there are times when, frankly, I just feel abandoned.

But yesterday was not that day.

The shoot went really well, the band was hot, the extras were there, and we pulled it off.

I LOVE this business!

So men, advice to you. Keep your words of love flowing. Keep your hearts open. And don't be afraid to take up the chase..,,you never know when a woman is eyeing you, just waiting for you to come over and talk to her....