filming

so there I was on the curb pulling the paper out of its yellow plastic sleeve. the lead story was that "Rent" wd be filming on the plaza this ayem. so I ran to my bus stop. in town fake autumn branches had been wired to trees. nothing else seemd to be happening so I poppd into Plaza Cafe for eggs & hot cakes servd by Karen Webb (who is featurd in the recent doc "American Waitress: New Mexico").

Plaza Cafe is probably my favorite restaurant in Santa Fe. to me it's the heart of the city. today I sat at my usual small table next to the counter. sitting near me was dashing Officer Barnett of SFPD's K-9 unit. 2 tables away a woman celebrating her birthday was being serenad'd by a guitarist & singer (& this at 7:15 a.m.) as I was waiting for my check Karen came up to me. seeing a pile of money on the table she pickd it up & startd to go thru the bills to extract the amount due. "good thing you didn't have yr money in yr pocket" she winkd at me. it's that kind of a place.

while crew members were transforming the plaza I sat on a bench to write. across from me a visitor wearing a name tag identifying him as Lee Stein sat on a bench writing in a yellow tablet. he'd look up from his writing & smile at me writing.

I detectd activities around the corner so I walkd to the cathedral. extras were milling abt a bus with a Denver sign parkd where buses never park. apparently something had been shot while I was breakfasting. I saw equipment being movd back to the plaza. there I spottd Adam Pascal strutting around in worn jeans. he was joind by Rosario Dawson in a skimpy skirt & high boots. they went into their trailer.

director Chris Columbus scurried around the Palace of the Governors. Pascal & Dawson emergd from the trailer puffing on cigs. they met Jesse L. Martin. while Columbus was setting up a shot the trio walkd down San Francisco. they went into Starbuck's but came right out without purchase & window-shoppd at several stores. Pascal & Martin startd back toward Starbuck's while Dawson went into Collectd Works. she bought 5 books including a Milan Kundera. Pascal on his cell phone & Martin sippd coffees in Starbuck's front window where they where eventually joind by Dawson.

just before shooting Columbus read aloud from a book on Graucho Marx. Dawson put down one of her new books to pose with Barnett & his fellow officers. Columbus seemd everywhere -- looking thru the camera   constantly supervising details. before rehearsal he personally positiond extras. finally -- the shot: Pascal leaning against the nearly 400-year-old building playing guitar with his case open for change. between takes Columbus consultd with Pascal who in the next take lookd in a different direction. then it was time for lunch & I jumpd back on the bus.