Spinning from the
insanity of "Palmolive" today was the day
I was finally gonna get some answers from my
agent and an ex-client of "Palmolive". As my
manager/girlfriend she had me sign with the agency she
worked with and while I was with her she dropped
a client and said: "the agency will drop her
too, they always do when I drop them." I sat kind
of stunned. Clearly I was in a shitty situation
as mixing business with pleasure is always an extreme
risk... but as bad a year as 2010 was for me?
I was happy just to have something else to focus
on besides depression.
As readers know,
within days of meeting "Palmolive" things were
dramatic to a Donna degree and in the infamous
final IM she lost her shit because I gave her cat
worms. Yes, the feral cat she got from the humane
society days before got worms and her first conclusion
is that a flea from CeBe rode MY ass to her
house, the cat ate it (a legitimate way for a cat to
get worms) thus, I gave her cat worms. It's fun
just to type that sentence. Goddamn that's funny. She
blocked me, defriended, de-Managered, etc. So in the
aftermath, a week or two later I decided to meet
with the agent and try to figure out what was going
on. That same day, I had also contacted the girl
"Palmolive" dropped when we were together to meet
at Starbucks and compare notes. I was stunned that a
woman this unprofessional could do as well as she had
in the industry and was anxious to compare stories
with this girl. We decided to meet at the Starbucks
closest to my agent when her improv class was over at
2 pm. To which I replied:
"Yeah I live in
North Hollywood... our agent is actually on Ventura
Blvd. near woodman... 13535 Ventura Blvd is the
closest starbucks between fulton and woodman... I'll
be there at 2-2:15"
So at 2:15 pm,
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 - I walked into Starbucks
and sat down at one of the two comfy leather chairs.
That would be my path to a Starbucks I had never
been to before that moment.
Talya was across
the street at Panne Dolce (where we saw Jon Hamm
earlier this year) having coffee with a friend. When
he left she was trying to waste time before she went
to tutor and looked across at the Starbucks and
decided to get up from the coffee shop she was at and
come to Starbucks 'cause she liked the Chai Tea there.
Something "Best in Show" about the coffee shop
across from the coffee shop aspect of this. Ha. She
had an hour to kill, sits down at one of the comfy
leather chairs and proceeds to see me walk in and take
the other one.
So the stage is
set. And Talya spills her tea.
I noticed her
before that, particularly her fall clothing (goddamn
I love this season), but was noticeably antsy and
concentrating on all that was about to be talked about
with the ex-client. When Talya spilled her tea, I
noticed a ring on her ring finger that just made me
wince. Not because she might have been married, but
because it was just... the saddest excuse for a
wedding ring if that's what it was. It was a long
cylinder type silver jobbie that just looked really
cheap and I remember just feelin' bad for her if she
accepted that. LOL. So I said: "Is that a
wedding ring?" in a tone that dripped with exhaustion.
As if to say, "For your sake, I hope it's not."
She replied that it wasn't and I said, "Good, that
would've been a really pathetic wedding
ring."
Small talk ensued
and I mentioned who I was meeting, she mentioned
she was just wasting some time before her next
appointment. She also mentioned she had just come from
an audition that would have her being flown to South
Africa if she got it. I bet you can see where this is
going...
"No shit?
I married a woman from South Africa... but it was
more for the greencard."
"I married someone
for a greencard too."
Dumbfounded shock
on my face and I instantly asked for her number.
Not even as a romantic play... as
a "HOLY SHIT, I've never known anyone who
has been in that same situation! I would LOVE to
talk to you about it." Kinda like the situation with
the ex-client. You just want to share so much pent up
shit that you dealt with with someone that
understands. She gave me her SAG card and we
continued talking. What a random thing to have in
common, right? I was immediately interested and right
then... the girl I was meeting walked in. We went
and sat outside. When Talya left she walked past us
outside and then turned back to look at me and did the
hair over the ear thing. I waved goodbye and knew
exactly what that meant. So I met with my agent
right after coffee, then ran home and emailed her
within an hour.
TO:
Talya
RE:
funny how...
DATE:
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 3:53
PM
...a
chance encounter can feel INTERRUPTED
by the person I was supposed to meet
anyway (which was a fascinating
conversation by the way). Would love to
continue our
conversation...
:)
-A
***-***-****
- Verizon (though I misplaced my
friggin' phone and have been calling
people from gmail)
3 Hours
Later...
TO:
Adam
RE:
Re: funny how...
DATE:
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 6:45
PM
Yes,
we should. It was good to meet
you!
Talya
Erdy
Nice
non-commital there. 5 Minutes later
I respond...
TO:
Talya
RE:
Re: funny how...
DATE:
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 6:50
PM
<Uhm,
well now what the hell do I do. She
said we should... and then didn't tell
me a place or genre of meeting...
clearly she believes in proper
protocol? Wants me to decide? I think?
God I'm horrible at
this.>
Would
you care to have coffee/tea
tomorrow?
<hope
that was right>
Adam
And then
nothing the rest of the night! Was sure I seemed
over-anxious. Right before
midnight...
TO:
Adam
RE:
Re: funny how...
DATE:
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 11:32
PM
Sorry
it took me so long to respond...my
phone has the battery life of a mayfly,
and I just got home from a long day. I
really did enjoy our conversation
today, but I must be honest with
you...I literally just got my heart
totally broken, and I'm not in a place
to date. I'd love to have coffee/tea
with you as long as it's without any
sort of romantic intentions. You're not
horrible at this, you seem like a very
interesting guy, and I would love to
get to know you, but I'm really not
ready for any sort of real dating. If
you still want to have coffee/tea with
me, that'd be great, if not, I
understand and apologize for any sort
of leading on.
Talya
p.s.
Actually I think I'm the one that's
horrible at this :)
Saw her on
G-Chat a few minutes later and this conversation
rounded out the day...
Adam:
:)
Adam:
only intention is to keep talking.
:)
Talya:
Ok, sounds good to me
Adam:
it was fun, right?
Adam:
clearly romance is not fun to you at
the moment.
Adam:
boy do i understand that...
Adam:
wait'll you hear all my fun.
:)
Talya:
Yeah, that's the truth
Talya:
Lol
Adam:
and you know damn well
Adam:
that last smile was coy
Adam:
HAHAHAHAHA
Adam:
so it's in there somewhere
Adam:
but i totally respect how you
feel
Adam:
(i was referring to your smile as you
walked past us at the
table)
Talya:
Relationships suck
Adam:
they are the most infuriating thing
ever made
Talya:
Oh. See I must be crazy because I
didn't even realize I did
that
Adam:
you're not crazy, just a little more
awake than you feel right
now...
Adam:
are you typing on your
phone?
Talya:
Yes it's very difficult
Adam:
well shit let's stop typing
:)
Talya:
I hate this phone
Adam:
what's your schedule like?
Talya:
just switched to my
computer
Talya:
much easier
Adam:
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeew
Talya:
yeah, i know
Talya:
um, tomorrow i have an audition, then
work, then kung fu
Adam:
NICE
Adam:
kung fucking fu?
Adam:
who does that?
Adam:
<you>
Talya:
yeah, i do kung fu
Adam:
that's badass
Adam:
i am totally intimidated
Talya:
hehe
Adam:
alrighty... how's bout
thursday?
Talya:
Thursday is good, any time before
2:30
Adam:
oh and btw - i just have to tell you,
when you didn't respond to that last
email?
Adam:
i was like "really?
really."
Adam:
LMAO
Adam:
just when you think you understand how
your gender works...
Adam:
i'm all rereading the email, thinking -
huh?
Talya:
what do you mean?
Adam:
: well you didnt respond...
Adam:
so i figured i said something
wrong
Adam:
i'm a bit hypersensitive to crazy
unfortunately
Adam:
so i parse my words
Talya:
oh, no, sorry
Adam:
thinking i've upset some fragile issue
that has yet to be revealed
Talya:
no
Adam:
good, good
Talya:
soon after I sent you an email, my
phone died
Adam:
alright - thursday morningish, same
starbucks is fine by me
Adam:
no that makes sense
Talya:
i was working, and then i went to the
gym and just got home :)
Adam:
really, i'm just excited someone may
understand the greencard
thing
Adam:
there's an isolation there
Adam:
that...
Adam:
hard to explain
Talya:
yeah, i know
Adam:
and people look at you like an
idiot
Talya:
totally
Talya:
been there
Adam:
however, my entire life has been online
and public for 11 years
Adam:
(world's first and longest running
video blog)
Adam:
so it's helped to just kind of laugh at
all
Adam:
and realize... it's all just
life
Talya:
very impressive
Adam:
dont lie
Adam:
there is nothing impressive about that
title
Adam:
lol
Adam:
the geekiest title ever
Talya:
yeah, i find life much easier when
you're just straightforward and
honest
Adam:
well being presently honest is
easy
Adam:
being PAST honest?
Adam:
hard.
Adam:
in fact.. how funny that should come
up
Talya:
ah, true
Adam:
Adam:
"to everyone who runs from their past,
you're not that fast"
Adam:
:)
Talya:
hahaha.
Talya:
that was great!
Adam:
just did that yesterday
Adam:
looooooooooooong story
Adam:
thank you!
Adam:
or as my mother would say "dear, you
forgot your shirt"
Adam:
seriously - my failures are about the
greatest things to ever
happen
Talya:
the only way to learn
Adam:
well the only way to show you've
TRIED
Talya:
true
Adam:
man the ***-*** thing is spooky isn't
it?
(The
first 6 digits of our phone numbers are
identical)
Adam:
i'm so proud of that being my number
too
Adam:
seems so cool to say it
Adam:
ha
(There's
a cool rhythm/pattern to our shared
numbers)
Adam:
and **** for you? totally
pimp
Talya:
yeah
Talya:
i got lucky
Adam:
that so beats my ****
Talya:
when you dial it, it's diagonal
line
Adam:
GET OUT
Talya:
totally awesome
me:
WOW!
Talya:
well, except for the ***
part
Adam:
right right
Adam:
i mean, you're kind of a geek for
mentioning it?
Adam:
but i dig that
Adam:
so... nice.
Adam:
:)
Talya:
yeah, well i'm a geek
Talya:
i've already come to terms with
that
Adam:
i play one on TV every once and
awhile
Adam:
:)
Talya:
i never had a chance at being
cool
Adam:
my "real" facebook page
Adam:
is one of my egos
Adam:
i did a bit on cbs called adam and the
egos
Adam:
and my "brother" is a geek named
cameron
Adam:
(who is really me) and the Adam is this
arrogant metro douche
Adam:
:)
Adam:
who wears douchebag hats like i wore
today
Adam:
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Talya:
lol
Adam:
alright i won't bug you anymore... is
10:30 cool for thursday?
Talya:
can we do a bit later?
Adam:
yup
Talya:
I'll have my morning things to
do...um
Talya:
is 1 ok?
Adam:
indeed
Talya:
sweet, ok, see you then!
Adam:
sweet.
Adam:
ha
Adam:
hello 8th grade
Adam:
how are you?
Adam:
:)
Adam:
k - see you then.
Talya:
i work with kids
Talya:
their lingo rubs off on me
Adam:
suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure
Adam:
:)
10
Minutes later..
Talya:
alrighty
Talya:
i must be getting to bed
now
Adam:
night
Adam:
see you thursday :)
Adam:
nice to meet you
Talya:
nice to meet you too
Talya:
till thursday
Talya:
goodnight
And there you have
it. Rereading everything I sure seemed
overly-anxious, but it honestly wasn't because I
wanted a romantic relationship... it had EVERYTHING to
do with wanting to compare notes about the stress of
helping someone get a greencard. In both of our cases
we really did love the person, wanted it to work out,
but when it didn't? Felt completely used. All your
friends and family think you're nuts... and you just
feel isolated. It was so fortunate for me to have met
someone who had gone through the same
thing.
That Thursday
lasted 3 hours and continued next door at Subway.
Where, remarkably, when asked what her two favorite
movies were... she responded with my two
favorite movies (Eternal Sunshine & Lost in
Translation) which has never, ever, ever happened to
me. So spooky. We were also both born premature around
6 weeks... there was most definately a bond on a
several levels early on. However, true to our word we
did not commit to anything with each other.
I mean, we "dated" as they say, but we were both
uber-commited to being non-commital. A couple weeks
later she went to Peru, then a few days after she got
back I went to Columbus for 3 weeks. And although
I enjoyed the time we spent together? She was so
quiet at times I honestly started losing interest.
Told several friends at the time there was nothing
there. Then when I got back from Columbus on
December 10th, she picked me up, spent the night, and
the following morning when I asked her why she is
so quiet she replied:
"No man
I've ever known has ever really cared what I had
to say..."
Well I did.
And from that point on, we were together everyday. She
never left my house and two weeks later we looked at
each other, smiled and said: "We're in a relationship
aren't we?". December 28th we made it official and
what a year it has been since. It's been as effortless
a relationship as I've ever known. We just kinda work.
We just kinda fit. It allows us to fight the battles
outside our home... and there are always tons
of those. Inside? It's a bubble. A kind of
sanctuary where we refuel for the next fight. We both
feel so fortunate to have found that peace and are
always eager to share it with others. It has angered a
few of her friends who are decidedly not
peaceful (funny thing about showing your light, it can
act like a mirror to those who are unhappy), but we
are who we are. Incredibly fortunate, incredibly
giving people that can't wait to spend our lives
together.
So tonight (yes,
this entry took me all day to write) we went back to
the scene of the crime which sadly was totally
rennovated last month so we couldn't sit in the seats
we met in, but that's kind of our life. The world
changing and swirling around us while we float
downstream. It's kinda cool to have a coffee
anniversary and a dinner anniversary in the future.
We're fortunate to have a cool story like
this.
And
wouldn't you know? Starbucks was selling
their "Anniversary Coffee" for 2011. I looked
over at it and shook my head. I guess
they were selling that the day we met, but it
never would've registered to us then. I guess
it's their anniversary too, but let's just
act like they started it for us.
:)
In fact,
that'll kinda be a cool tradition to buy a
bag and save the labels each year. As
"corporate" as it feels to surround so much
of our history with Starbucks, the truth is?
Fuckin really good coffee. You know?
Hopefully there isn't some horrendous
corporate scandal with them someday that
taints all our memories. They seem to be one
of the better run companies. <shrugs>
They just shouldn't be considered "people".
Alright, time to
upload this monstrosity of an entry and the video.
Love it.
