I had the opportunity of a lifetime a few days ago, so I decided to write a bit about it. Clint Eastwood, my favorite actor/director, chose a ballpark and a bar in my hometown as locations to shoot scenes for an upcoming movie he is starring in. I knew I had to try and figure out a way to get in the middle of the activities. The following are my experiences. I had forgotten about any calls that might have gone out for extras in either location, assuming that they had enough people this close to shooting. This past Wednesday was the start of shooting at the bar, which is a couple of minutes from my house. Curiosity got the better of me and I drove by a couple of times to check things out. No luck. Everything was closed off and it was clear that nobody would be able to get near the place. Strike one. Fast forward to Wednesday evening. A friend who knew about the filming asked me if I had signed up as an extra for the scenes at the ballpark Thursday. I told her I had not, guessing that they had enough people. She told me to send my information in. I did and was promptly told that I was in and to show up on Thursday. I was very excited. One reason for my excitement was because I had never been a part of a movie. The second was that this was a Clint Eastwood movie. In my mind, when it comes to film actors/directors, there is Clint Eastwood and then everyone else. I love everything he has ever done, period. Could I possibly get to meet Clint Eastwood? Unfortunately, I did not get the chance. But I did have a fun experience. I spent from roughly 3:30-11:00 at the ballpark for the scene, along with a couple hundred other extras. Two or three camera angles included me in the background, so it will be interesting to see if they use any of the film I was in for the final cut of the movie. For about twenty minutes of the day, Eastwood was actually in the ballpark filming his scenes, but I was far enough away that I couldn’t actually tell he was there. I just heard other people saying so after seeing a lot more lights and cameras behind home plate all of a sudden. Even though I didn’t get to meet my favorite movie star, it was a fun day. I have been interested in the behind-the-scenes goings on in productions such as this for years. It was interesting watching everything happen on the other side of the camera. I get to check this off of my list of things to do before I die.
Spina Bifida
I thought I would devote my second blog post ever to a subject that is near and dear to me. Many of you might have sensed that I had some sort of physical issue and been curious, but never asked. I have a birth defect called Spina Bifida (SB). In my case, it is a malformation of the spinal cord where the nerves around the spinal cord fail to connect to the right places. This results in muscle and nerve damage to the spine and spreads throughout the body. I am able to walk as a result of a couple of surgeries and by wearing short leg braces.
I use the words, in my case, because there are several different forms that SB can take; each differing in characteristics and severity. Along with the physical issues there are other things I have to deal with as well. SB patients, at least at the time I was born, typically have some sort of learning disability. For me, this made studying and school in general difficult, but not impossible. Having a teacher as a mom helped a lot as she was able to help me learn study habits that have helped me work all the way to a Masters degree.
An important part of this whole experience is the role of family and friends. I have been blessed with tremendously supportive family and friends who have helped me get to where I am by moral and financial support, thoughts and prayers. I am also fortunate to live an hour away from one of the best hospitals in the world for treating SB (Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital).
Part of writing this post was for it to be a kind of public service announcement. One of my goals is to spread the word about SB to make more people aware of it. I typically have not talked all that much about it. I’m trying to change that, but hopefully not in an obnoxious way. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have about SB in general or my specific experience with it. As always, thanks for reading.
Introduction
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to visit/read my blog. I’m new at this so I thought it appropriate to make my first post an introduction of sorts, and to preview what to expect from me. My interests include reading, writing, History, music, wetshaving, fragrances, and football (soccer) among other things. I haven’t done much writing for a long time, and the itch to do it is the main reason for starting this blog. I know it will be fun to write and hopefully it will be fun to read as well. Until next time. -Niles
jamesdennard.com 