C: Not here for sightseeing, I'm guessing.
S: What gave me away?
C: The huge camera on your hip. The fact that you're looking at the architecture of the place maybe more than the exhibits.
S: Maybe I just needed to get out of the house.
S: And hungry.
C: That, too.
S: Don't forget the fact that this big brain had little tiny arms.
C: Some things have never evolved with men...ooh, is that the Hall of North American animals?
S: Sure, umm...okay. Hall it is. So...wait up, is there anything wrong with changing my scenery?
C: Of course not. Look at that mountain diorama with the goats!
Annoying Father: Bobby, look on the other side, raccoons!
The boy glances, but shrugs it off.
S: That was interesting. He was pointing to the beavers. Yeah, I hate it when beavers go through my trash.
C: You know what that just looked like?
S: What, the...guy?
C: No, you. You recognized it. Someone trying to evoke an emotional response with careless words. Is that pretty much it?
S: Well yeah, I recognized what he was doing. So?
C: Hmm. I'm just saying...it looked like it was familiar to you, like you've seen it recently.
S: What are you getting at?
C: Back up to the big window over there. The moose. I want to take your picture.
S: Careful, it's a new camera. So what are you saying about me recognizing...what, someone being careless with their words?
C: Move to your left and turn to your right a little. I want it to look like you don't know there's a huge moose behind you. Who was talking out their butt recently?
S: People do it every day. I see it in the things people write about thsmselves, the things they say. I hear their expectations of others and where their letdowns come from. Then I see what they do, and it's a total contradiction. It's crazy.
C: Ever think you're putting attention in the wrong places?
S: Christy, what options do I have? I am where I am. I'm not working on anything all-consuming, so wherever I stand, I'm wide open. The simplest exchanges are meaningful and when I'm out, especially with a camera or notebook in my hand, I go exactly where my heart dictates.
C: Come with me. I can't have a serious conversation with a moose looking over your shoulder. So...if you're still so open and always have something creative with you, why aren't you doing something?
S: I don't know. Blog entries don't count, do they?
C: Nope, not by themselves. Ooh - let's go to the room with the stones and gems.
S: I don't...I don't know about the creative stuff. I usually just wait for insipration...or an opportunity. Remember the two year span that led up to the musical? I was blogging, writing poetry, multiple plays....
C: All because of a girl.
S: No...no, no. Not just because of her. It was the girl and the outlet. I had the theater company back then and a bunch of collaborators.
C: Ohhhh look at all this gold. That's amazing. I'd probably pick up one of these rocks and not know the difference. (pause) So that's your plan? Wait it out?
S: I really don't know what to do. This stupid strike kind of sets a precedence, doesn't it?
C: That's right...I was going to ask you about your disillusionment with the entertainment industry.
S: What did you want to know? I haven't even written about this.
C: As soon as you were laid off, you were excited about the chance to jump in. Now, after you did you research and interviewed some people, the writers strike actually killed your love for it before you even got in the door?
S: No, that's not it. How can I explain this to you? Look, over here...look at this opal.
C: Beautiful.
S: But look at the rock next to it. It's unrefined, right? There's an opal stuck in the huge rock, and you could leave it alone as whatever nature designated it to be, or you could work on it and shape it to what you think it should be.
C: Okay, I'm with you so far.
S: Before you even chisel it out of the rock, you have to have that idea of where it's going to end up. You have to balance dissatisfaction and optimism, constantly correcting whatever it currently is all the way through the process. Grinding, buffing, chiseling, all the time knowing how beautiful the finished product already is, hidden somewhere inside this lump of rock.
C: The 7 Habits guide to Jewelry?
S: That's where I am in the process of looking for the next job. Dissatisfied and optimistic. The difference is, I don't know if there's a gem in this one. I look at these underpaid people walking the line, and I wonder how the industry appreciates talent, whether it's marketable or not.
C: Or relevant. You're worried about that, aren't you?
S: Yeah, well....the transition at this point is a little hard. I'm right in the middle of it. Let's get out of here. Upstairs or downstairs? Uhh, dead birds or American history?
C: History, always. So...okay, here's one thing I don't get. How is it possible that so many things completely shut down right after the layoff?
S: That's part of that same relevance mystery. Who knows how all this stuff happens? People change quickly...or, actually...wait - this is my theory: Sometimes people are forced to play roles because of the circumstances and the environment, but that's not an accurate reflection of who they are. Maybe it's more along the lines of who they want to be, because otherwise they would have changed their...situation, right?
C: I don't know...it's hard to just let go of responsibility to the life around you. You can't just...well, look at you. You had a job you didn't like for years, but you justified it because it afforded a lifestyle that you wanted. If the job wasn't an accurate picture of who you are, you would have gotten a better one a long time ago, wouldn't you? They forced your hand in the end.
S: Yeah, I guess so.
C: And another thing - you have to be completlely honest with yourself...I mean, you can't fool me, obviously, unless you're really trying to write me into a story. I don't think that's what this is about. The real truth is that if you wanted to stay in touch with a lot of the people you used to be in contact with, you would have made the first move.
S: There are some people I can't contact first.
C: You are defining the "can't" in that thought, my friend.
S: Huh. Good point.
C: This is a weird place for a skull. Who is this? La Brea Woman...about 8 million years old. Ha - take that, creationists.
S: She was tiny.
C: Do you think she died alone? It isn't a display of La Brea family. It's just...well, it's just her head. Her tiny head.
S: No, of course not. That would be just...sad.
C: Why do you sometimes believe you will? (pause) No answer?
S: Let's...not get ahead of ourselves, okay? The spanish haven't even conquered California yet.
C: "The deepest, the only theme of human history, compared to which all others are of subordinate importance, is the conflict of skepticism with faith." Goethe said that.
S: You're so lucky you only exist in text. I'd love to hear how you pronounce Goethe.
C: I can look it up on Wikipedia as easily as you can, mein freund.
S: For the win. Come on, let's worry about the future when we get there.
C: Uhh, you do that. I'll be busy savoring the irony of that statement.
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