Thirteen was my grandfather's lucky number. In fact he used to talk about all the random things he would end up finding while out walking the dog on any Friday the 13th. He was a pack rat so some of the things he would bring home did not thrill my grandmother, but occasionally he would stumble upon something good and once he even hit the jackpot. Literally. He came across a paper bag full of cash once that someone had left on the street. I think that would be enough for me to believe that there is nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th. Obviously, today is not Friday the 13th, but I couldn't help thinking about it since today is my Day 13 and today's event included my dad, I think my grandfather would have considered it another lucky 13 day. Most people know that I've been spending the last few months standing in on the TV show Royal Pains, a show on USA about a concierge doctor in the Hamptons. Awhile back I had told casting that my dad had been forced into early retirement due to the shitty economy (and an even shittier disloyal company-much like the one I used to work for) and they should use him as an extra, since he was a fan of the show. And today ended up being "Bring Your Dad To Work Day!" The entire way to work, I explained various terms and phrases thrown about on set that I knew he would find foreign. I told him to turn his cell phone off. To not speak to the actors. To not talk when cameras are rolling. And just do EVERYTHING the PAs and ADs tell him to do. Before the day began I was able to introduce him to most of the crew and the director of the current episode before I was whisked away to a tandem unit. Luckily I was able to entrust him to the watchful eyes of a couple wonderful people whom I've had the pleasure of working with time and time again (you know who you are!) When our tandem unit wrapped and we were reunited with the main unit, I came to find my dad being placed front and center by the camera under the director's specific instruction, looking right at home as if he'd been doing this for years. During a break, I asked him how it was going and he told me about how some woman behind him wouldn't stop talking when the camera was rolling, how her phone rang AND she tried to take pictures of the principal actors. Then he shook his head. If nothing else, my dad can pick out a flaming idiot a mile away, even in an unfamiliar environment.
I was able to watch the rest of the scene before the extras were wrapped and crew members continuously came over to me-including the director-to say how great my dad looked on camera, how professional he was and that he could come back anytime he wanted to work again. I think I had some sense of how parents feel on Back to School Night when a teacher says that their kid is pretty fantastic since I was probably beaming with pride the entire time. Working side by side with my dad made for a pretty great day and watching him see what it's like to film a television show (especially one he enjoys watching) was amazing, since he found everything he experienced to be utterly fascinating, which in turn made me realize all over again how lucky I am to work in such a crazy/cool industry.
Off to bed! Day 14 awaits....
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