Writers Strike - Day 31

After a ridiculous bout of insomnia, I ended up walking the 5am shift. It’s an interesting shift, populated largely with Stragglers. At 5am there are maybe 3 picketers, but by 6:30, there are nearly 20 of us walking makeshift 3 hour shifts.

Some members of the teachers union come and walk with us for a while before heading off to work. Literally every day, somebody comes out to show their support, and it never ceases to amaze me. The show of solidarity keeps us motivated. To entertain ourselves, we make a list of all the dubious organizations who might support us, and wonder what we would do if say NAMBLA actually showed up to march with us.

I meet a couple guys who have been picketing outside the Carson Daly set all week. We talk about what it must feel like to be a writer on that show. When the strike ends, how are you supposed to go back to work there?

As a courtesy, we are no longer encouraging cars to honk before 8am. It’s not easy to do. Other than not carrying signs that say “HONK”, what course of action is there? A few times today when cars pass and honk, we try not to wave and smile back, but it feels like trying to suppress a reflex. I imagine some nice soul driving to work, disappointed that they tried to show their support for the writers and were dissed.

Maybe we should up signs that say “Don’t honk if you support the writers!” That way, when people do honk, we can tell the poor sleep-deprived neighbors that it’s the producers, not the writers, who are keeping them awake.

Now that I think about it, my insomnia has been worse since the strike began, so maybe I can blame the producers are keeping me awake too.

photo by Heath Biter for LAist