 | Forgive me family and friends - it's been six weeks since my last confession , no - blog! and so much has, and is still happening. My Californian Life is still unfolding happily...
Main state of play is that I'm currently in the throes of developing the art of the balancing the creative soul and corporate life in America. Work has essentially been all-consuming. For these first few months at Disney it has been a tad tiring as I've been getting to know the job, and on a sharp learning curve. Settling in to the American Corporate world while ingesting the Disney culture and work methodology has left me with little energy or time for much else, but I am slowly coming to grips with the subtle ebb and flow of my days, and am finally feeling creatively inspired again.
I decided that, as the sedentary office sloth life is adding to my girth, I would ride a push bike to work. But in the first week I got knocked off my bike, so ends that adventure - took me a while to get over that bump! Have to find something else to do at either end of my long work day...
One fun thing outside work has been that I won ticket to see the LA Dodgers play and went with pals Rory, Nina and a host of Aussies - only to meet more there, including Ms Missy Higgins. Thus town is teeming with Antipodeans. Great time to be in LA, that's for sure.
Have been thoroughly enjoying my membership of Australians in Film with a flurry of excellent film screenings including - Eastern Promises & Elizabeth of The Golden Age. I'm also now a card carrying member of Australians in LA and the Australian American Association too. We have a Malibu picnic coming up soon - should be fun.
And, finally, I've been accepted into the Women in Film Association in LA as a professional member.
A few weeks back I also attended a wonderful 'dual birthday gig' performed by Aussies Kelly Rowland & Ian Hopkinson at Genghis Cohen which also featured the amazing and talented Neil Murray (of Warumpi fame) who has been touring and adventuring across America. The music on this night was sublime and the poetry of some lyrics of a few songs stays with me now...Kelly musing over trading wings for diamonds on the eve of her engagement and Ian being more than the dust at his feet as he finds his way in LA. We coerced Neil into singing his brilliant composition 'Island Home' which always arouses a certain nostalgia for Australia...
I celebrated my birthday in style this year - my first in America. Jen and I took a trip to the central coast to get out of LA.
Jen traveled ahead on Thursday, and on the Friday after work I took the Amtrak train coastal ride to meet her. Excellent train journey right alongside the pacific ocean - Time to reflect on life while looking over the water and thinking of home...
After a rather bumpy start late on Friday night with some idiots at the train station hassling me we went to a wonderful restaurant where I found an unlikely glass of Coopers pale ale!!! The taste of Australia.
While there on the balcony chatting we met two great gals -one a chef who'd just had the soft opening of her cafe. We were given the inside running on the vineyards to hit on Saturday and then they took us to another bar where we danced with the Pasa Robles Friday night crew... a lot of fun.
We slept over at Jen's niece's place who lives up there. Saturday, after an early morning stop to acquire the requisite bottles of delicious Almond Champagne (Jen introduced me to this wonder and it's a must for a birthday celebration!!!) at Arroyo Robles Winery tasting room we put the top down on her sweet red convertible mustang. With the wind in our hair, we left town and wound our way along the winding, scenic cliff-hugging road of the 46 across to the Pacific Coast.
At the shimmering blue we turned right on the 1 and cruised up to Cambria to have brunch with the gorgeous pal of Jen's, Brad at the Creek Cafe where I breakfasted on fabulously drowned Eggs Florentine.
Then began our true vineyard adventure...
With Brad as our designated driver we wound our way back across the 46 and our first stop - Lone Madrone.
This vineyard has the most wonderful herb and flower garden you could imagine. Eight varieties of lavender, ten of mint, etc and the blooms were all buzzing with bees. Wandering amongst the flowers, we enjoyed their beauty and array of scents in the sunshine, and watched the amazing hummingbirds enjoy the various nectares...heaven.
Finally ambling back for our first initial taste of Vino we noticed a side entrance , and discovered Vin Fusion.
This is home to an independent winemaker also residing on the Lone Madrone premises. We met and had a lovely long chat with the Vitner, an ex copywriter from New York who has upped and changed her life, for the better it would seem! She and her offsider introduced us to her magical blends of organic wines infused with herbs and flowers - delicious. We left having purchased a few bottles including two named Amethyst & Onyx plus some Mexican chilli-chocolate. A stop into the actual Lone Madrone shop brought us face to face with the usual wine- tasting weekend crowd crush and a quick purchase of their Syrah (after a poll of the existing wine tasters who'd already paid for the tasting!) got us out of there quick smart...
Next stop was Summerwood, a large well known company, but we three decided we didn't want to do the big industrial wine tour, and actually didn't even like the wine so it was only cheese and olives purchased on that stop.
Next we hightailed it off highway 46 and turned onto the rambling Vineyard Drive to venture to Pasolivo, home of the best Californian Olive Estates, good friends of Brad's too!
The Pasolivo Ranch has 45 acres of olive trees and make all the Oils in their own press. The switch from wine to bread and olive oils was divine intervention. We sampled a superb array of products and left with a lot of booty - Oils: Lemon flavoured, Lime infused, a Kalamata Extra Viirgin and the signature Pasolivo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, an excellent balsamic vinegar, bottles of olives, candles, creams and a hat!(the Californian sunshine beating down in a convertible can be too much sometimes!).
Next we followed our chef friend's advice and searched for the tiny Poalillo Vineyard and Winery nestled on Willow Creek Road. This proved to be the diamond Vineyard of our little tour.
Of course there's a story, Poalillo is not listed in the Paso Robles Wine Country Guide, and that in my estimation is a crime. Our Vitner was the sweet Charlie Poalillo.
Charlie and his wife were once a young couple struggling in Los Angeles in the 1950's when Charlie tasted some wine. He loved it, became inspired and decided to become a winemaker. 10 years later - he owned the very Vineyard of that wine he loved so much and had renamed it for his families moniker - Paolillo.
In the tasting room there's a wonderful black and white photo of Charlie and his wife pressing their first crop of grapes. They're standing in the wooden tubs, his trouser legs are rolled up, his wife's skirt is hitched high and they're both laughing at the good fortune of their lives.
And all these years later Charlie is still at it, making wine that he likes with his wife, son and daughter. And they are winning awards. The wine is elegant, uncomplicated and simply beautiful. Charlie is part of the charm. On their 60th Anniversary a few years back their son and daughter took an old photographic portrait of Charlie and his wife (taken by a photogrpaher pal in LA during a hot summer in the 50's) to an artist who sketched it in a De Vinci style, and this is now their label. Sweet.
Take note that this was the only vineyard we visited that did not charge to taste...that's the way in the USA. Pay to taste - and only if you're lucky will they deduct the fee when you buy.
So the best of Charlie's crop (which I purchased) are the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 Chardonnay, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2004 Zinfadel and the sublime masterpiece is Charlie's Extreme Reserve II 2003 Zinfadel.
After the vineyard tour Brad, Jen and I, sated and well stocked with wines traveled back to the coast and headed down to the Abalone Farm which Brad manages. This is a very special part of the world.
Officially known as Cayucos, Brad's home is a wonderful cliff-side 'beach-shack' sitting above the Abalone Farm The Farm comprises of a series of water channels pumping sea water through buildings housing abalone growing in huge tubs and and sea-scoured concrete tanks hanging over a windblown bluff on the Pacific coast just north of Morro Bay. Abalone, which are now so rare in the wild that it's illegal to catch it commercially are nurtured and grown and sold to the US and a growing overseas market.
The area reminded me of my old home on the Northshore of Port Macquarie. In Australia the environment was windswept beaches, dolphins, whales offshore and oysters. Here it's stunning cliffs, seals on the beach, whales offshore and abalone.
And in this heavenly place live two wonderful men who I know will become close friends over time. Brad and Mike, with Mike's teenage son Aaron - these three were our gentlemen hosts. Brad of course manages the Farm, Mike is a Radio DJ & Teacher and Aaron has aspirations of becoming an animator (more on this later). Jen has known them for years from when she lived up here as a Radio DJ, and I first met Brad when he came down during the summer of Allioti fun just after the Mexico trip when I made almond tequila margaritas for him on a hot summer eve.
And now he cooked up a storm. I, loving the chance to cook as well, assisted. Another couple arrived, this was a cinematographer pal Cameron and his gal. We enjoyed the sunset on the balcony overlooking the ocean and dined in the guys wonderful home on delicious food and fine wine. A truly wonderful night with great company.
Sunday morning dawned slow... Brad gave Jen and I a tour of the Abalone Farm. When we returned to the house Mike had whipped up a yummy Frittata for brunch to set Jen and I on the road for our trip back to LA.
But of course a trip up to Californian Central Coast wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Madonna Inn. This is an iconic, bizarre 119 room Inn where each room is themed. And extravagantly so. Ostentatiously so. It's like Barbara Cartland meets the Flintstones on acid. A real treat for an Aussie - that's for sure!
Jen and I then sailed along the PC1 back to LA enjoying the sea air with the top down and the sun still shining...just a wonderful birthday treat for me to spend time away from LA with my new American friends.
The eve of my American birthday Jen and Gilli took me to Olivio - a wonderful Italian restaurant in S.Oaks, and then on my actual birthday I was treated to delicious massive cupcakes (an American style birthday treat) then Gilli and Jeff took me to Senor Fred for dinner where we ate some excellent Mexican fare with wonderful Margaritas. The lovely Jane Johnston rounded out the week when she invited me for a brilliant meal and a night of fun at her West Hollywood pad. A few care packages (from Mum and Ang) and message from Australia made me a tad homesick, but Cherie's offer to make me a flight buddy of her hubby's makes it all fine! I can fly QANTAS on the cheap for a while! so happy about that perk. What a present!!!
My birthday present to myself was to attend the Entertainment Forum on Saturday October 6th and Sunday October 7th (9.30-7pm both days) at the InterContinental, Los Angeles/Century City on Avenue of the Stars (I love that street name!) After 2 days I felt completely inspired and informed by the amazing array of panels discussing all kinds of topics, consisting of entertainment veterans and decision makers - filmmakers, showrunners, executive producers, bankers and actors who variously discussed equity, budgets, scripts, shows, jobs, how to get where and who to contact to do so..it was incredibly enlightening for a newcomer to La La.
On the Saturday - a glorious sunny autumn day they included the Women In Film Business Leadership Awards Luncheon which honoured Iris Grossman, Talent Agent, ICM and Michelle Satter Founding Director, Feature Film Program at the Sundance Institute. Both wonderful women who have achieved so much in their careers.
A highlight was to attend the discussion with Robin Swicord about The Jane Austin Book Club. After my time with Robin last year during the Aurora Screenwriting Workshop is was fun and educational to see her in her own land. Robin proved quite giving and frank as she shared many stories about the experience of directing her first feature in Hollywood.
This week, due to young Aaron's mention of wanting a career in animation I invited them to town and organized a tour of the Disney Online VR studio(where they're created the Pirates Online Game), then we took a trip over for lunch at the Commissary, a tour on a few of the Disney Lot Sound-stages and (jewel in the crown) a walk around the Feature Animation (ABC) building.
What an excellent day we had. It's one of the perks of being in this amazing company that I have access to this kind of thing - but even better to share with a young kid with ambition. The Feature animation tour, arranged by our lovely guide was so inspiring - she showed us so much that most aren't privy to. We sat in the Roy Disney Office which is located in the 'Magician's Hat' (an architectural feature of the Animation building) and watched in-house clips of project being developed..it was quite simply, magical, and so rewarding to see young Aaron's face light up and his eyes shine with the certainty of desire - he has found his career path. I loved being part of that experience.
And now I am on the cusp of another big change in this American adventure...
On Monday, October 15, I officially join the Disney Company. It has taken four month of 'contract probation', and an intense investigation into me, my abilities, qualifications and my past to get this approval. Disney seriously doesn't let everyone in. It takes time to prove your commitment and interviews to assess whether you are of the right type to fit in to the fold.
In fact I, forthwith, will be what is known as a 'Cast Member'. A real part of the team - with all the adjuncts and booty too! - brilliant health care benefits (so needed in the US), a solid and reassuring wage package (plus overtime) and best of all free access to all Disneyland's, huge discounts on Disney events, package trips, merchandising and shows.
Let the magic begin. |
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