Articles
Short articles on various topics based on my own observations or experiences.
Los Angeles Riots
I covered the LA riots from June 10 - 12, 2025.
While I was there, I never saw the same destructive violence that occurred during the first few days. Usually, crowds did not start to get really big and loud until the early evening hours. After curfew began, I did not get in the middle of anything that may have been occurring, but instead observed from the corner of my hotel.
On Wednesday the 11th, I did miss a volatile interaction between protestors and police in front of LA City Hall. From a distance I heard a couple explosions and saw policemen on horseback.
On my last day, the crowd really got big and most everyone moved between the Veteran’s Affairs building on the southeast corner of the cluster of US government buildings and City Hall. At one point most of the protestors marched north along North Alameda Street and then came back to the VA building. Police and National Guard soldiers donned gas masks at one point, but they never fired gas canisters that I saw.
Background Actor
In 2024, I started working as a background (BG) actor on the TV show NCIS: Hawaii.
If a production is being filmed in your hometown and if you like to watch TV and movies, I recommend you apply. It’s fun, but personally, I also found it to be really fascinating to see how TV shows are made.
Search on Google or social media for casting agencies and follow them. Be ready to take one or two pictures of yourself and when they announce a job, provide everything they ask for. Every ad I have seen says they want a headshot in front of a plain background. Yes, you will need to find an empty wall or come up with some kind of background. I just hung a white sheet on the wall. They will probably also ask for your sizes, dimensions, and if you have tattoos (tattoos have to be covered or capable of being covered with make-up for copyright purposes).
When you get booked, show up with extra clothes. Costume department will go through your clothes and maybe give you something else if necessary. After that, you may or may not have to go through hair and makeup. Even for non-union, there are food service requirements, and I seem to recall NCIS: Hawaii fed us breakfast and a lunch, if the day was long enough.
Then comes the waiting. Sometimes all the background actors move out fast and sometimes they do not. You could be sitting in “Base Camp” for hours. Once you move to the set, you could sit in “Holding” for a long time too. I had one job where we reported at about 4PM and sat in base camp until dark. Then we went to the set. On another occasion, we sat in base camp for about eleven of the twelve paid hours. Then we stood near the set for about an hour and then the director called “a wrap” and we never really worked—but got paid.
Be prepared to stand and/or walk a lot. Actually, in my first job as a BG actor, I sat for about three hours on the set before they moved me to another place for another scene.
Lastly, if you don’t know, you fake-talk while filming if you get paired up with one or more people. You will have to make all the natural facial expressions and body movements, but no talking out loud.
Every job I worked provided really good food. You could get paid union rates even if you are not in the union, but this is rare and depends on extenuating circumstances. And most of my jobs were long days or nights. I’ve literally had to work until about 4AM one time, so you will not necessarily know your start time until you get booked and you will not know when you will get released as it is the director’s call to call it a wrap.
Non-union pay is about $20/hour and after the job you will get a check in the mail in about two weeks.
All three photos here were from two jobs or two days of work, but the scenes were the for the same episode.
Other than NCIS: Hawaii, I worked Lilo and Stitch, Rescue: HI Surf, and a Jason Mamoa movie that has not come out yet..
The opening scene of Season 3, Episode 5 took place at Aloha Tower. The banners on the light poles were changed to fit the scene and story.
Above: This was a scene in Season 3, Episode 5. They filmed multiple takes from both ends of this little walkway. Myself and another person I was paired with, walked toward the clock in the background probably a total of twenty to twenty-five times for this scene.
I got to sit on one of these benches for a few hours while they had two of the actors walk towards the front-left side of this frame for the scene they were filming. It’s always nice to spend a day in the shade and you should enjoy it if you get the chance because the next time you may be in the sun all day.
Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii
Updated: July 30, 2025
Visiting Haleakala National Park is a must if you go to Maui. It’s a chance to get away from the ocean—as crazy as that may sound— sealife, urbanization, and shopping.
However, know this: The elevation is at 10,000 feet. Most people may not feel affected by this. I did feel surprisingly out of breath walking up the stairs to the observation deck. Granted, I also walked from the bigger parking lot at the Visitor’s Center to the summit.
After walking around the summit and taking pictures, I felt good, so then I got this crazy idea to walk down into the crater.
I was only going to walk an hour and then return. Of course, walking downhill was so easy, I decided to walk a bit longer. I came across a few folks on their way up and I should have taken more note just how worn out they were.
I walked down for one hour and twenty minutes and was still far from the bottom. As soon as I turned around to go back up, I felt winded because of the elevation. However, I am a bit out of shape. I walk a lot at home, but walking even 10,000 or 15,000 steps on flat terrain in one’s neighborhood is not as cardio-demanding, especially at this elevation.
The above picture and the one below are from opposite sides of the crater. Above, you can see the Haleakala Observatory on the left third of the photo. slightly above that is the upper observation parking area. Above that and a bit to the left is the Visitor Center parking lot. The trail down into the crater is just to the right of the parking lot. I was able to take this photo while flying to Hawaii (The Big Island) Island. The Visitor Center is in the upper right corner of the model in the picture below.
Still, I started out strong and went about twenty minutes or so before I took a break and drank some water.
Eventually, my breaks became more frequent, but I never went more than a minute or two of resting. After a few breaks and feeling a constant dry mouth, I assessed I better ration my water. Part of my concern was that I would need to take some sips on the drive back down the mountain. It takes about twenty-five minutes at slow speed just to exit the park and another thirty minutes before you get back into town. People do live on the side of the mountain, and there were some little food trucks and I think a restaurant on the side of the road that you could stop in, if they are open.
However, this woman I met on the trail told me there is a water fountain at the Visitor’s Center, so I did start drinking more and refilled my bottle at the water fountain.
I cannot say what the incline is, but numerous times I could only walk 50-100 steps before I would stop to catch my breath. Every now and then, I could walk a bit further to 150 steps or so.
Eventually, after two hours and twenty minutes, I reached the top. There is no food for sale there, so if you are going to walk deep into the crater or cross it as many do, bring food and lots of water.
I figured I would sleep well that night, but oddly enough I tossed and turned all night. From what little I researched, the insomnia could have been a result of the altitude sickness.
Preparation: Consider preparing for your hike especially if you are not in the best of shape and have never been to 10,000 feet before.
If all you do is casually walk, try jogging and doing squats with low weight, but high reps. Get your heart rate up. I recommend you carry more water than you think you may need at the crater, so start walking with a weighted backpack at home to get accustomed to the weight and the wear on your feet.
Way back when I did a lot of long endurance workouts, experts said to dilute Gatorade with water. I don’t remember why, but whether you do or do not, get used to drinking it when it is warm. You will be out there for hours and if you can’t stomach a warm sports drink, especially if it is diluted, you need to find out before you are hours into your hike.
Also start testing snacks. Read what endurance athletes eat during their races and experiment with various items to see how palatable it is and how your stomach handles them. I once made my own version of trail mix with M&Ms for fast simple carbs, Triscuits for long-term energy, and peanuts for protein.
Consider wearing or bringing something white or fluorescent to wave someone down from afar if you need help. Similarly, if you plan to be in the crater after sunset, you may want headlamps and/or Chem-lights. These can also help someone find you in the dark.
Honestly, I never checked my phone to see what kind of signal I could get, so I don’t know if you could call 911 from the middle of the crater or not. If you go there with someone who is content sitting at the summit or lower parking lot for several hours, maybe get a couple walkie-talkies. You won’t have line of sight the entire time, so they may or may not work.
Consider the opportunity costs. If you do get altitude sickness and/or are just plain worn out afterwards, you may end up needing a day in your hotel room to recover. Relaxing poolside at your hotel or at the beach is fine, but do you want to lose a day of your vacation if you are incredibly sore and depleted?
Lastly, you may think all this training is much ado about nothing. I would say two things: 1) Yes, you are correct. It is much ado about nothing as long as you are relatively capable and do not run into bad luck. 2) You would be surprised to know how many hikers have to get rescued off the trails in Hawaii, so yes, unfortunate things do happen.