my summer intern

From a very young age, Alexander has been enthralled with movies.  

There was even a time when he knew the movie ratings (and the reasons for the ratings) for every imaginable film.  It was an unusual obsession.  He also used to write little illustrated books of fantastical adventures. 

Alexander started Cornell as an Economics major, then switched to History.  This past semester he took both a screenwriting and filmmaking course, and loved both.  

As the spring semester progressed, my friends told me of the jobs their kids were getting.  Mostly in banking, mostly in New York. 

I remember how I spent the summer between my junior and senior years of college.  I hitchhiked (mostly alone) through Europe, sleeping on people's floors and in questionable hotels.  I would not be happy if Alexander were doing that. I wanted him to get some good experience doing something he thinks he might want to do when he graduates.

And so began my prodding. 

Hey, have you been looking for a summer job?  

You know, it’s getting late.   

Are you using the school’s resources? 

Have you had any interviews?

Why don't you make a list of companies you'd like to work for then check out their sites?

Do you want me to make any calls for you? 

I never got an encouraging answer.

Then one day Alexander calls me with his news.  “Hey, I applied for an internship with Mark Gordon Productions (Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Saving Private Ryan). They sent me a script to analyze, and guess what?  I got the job!”

I’m thrilled.  Until he adds, “It’s in LA.  Oh, and it doesn’t pay.”

My son is 21, and I don’t want to get in the way of his dream.  The company is an excellent one, and the job is very hands on; he'll be reading and evaluating scripts.  I tell him if he can figure out how to make it work, he can go.

And so he does.

• He's working for his grandfather for two months to save money, before starting on June 30.
• He targets the area around UCLA to live.
• There's a bus he can take to his office in Santa Monica, under five miles away.
• A good friend from college who lives in LA is going to live with him.
• And, they find an apartment.   

Well, actually it's a room in an apartment.  But it's only $650 each for two months.  They'll be living with a couple of UCLA students.  It sounds great.

Although this now introduces a new host of worries for me:

Is the neighborhood safe? Google gave it a C+ for crime, whatever that means.   

Alexander hasn’t driven since he got his license three years ago.  Now he’ll be getting around in cars, driven by people his age, on major highways even.  Cabs aren’t a big thing in LA.

And then there’s the big fear: What if Alexander loves LA and wants to live there after college?

When you want something badly enough, you figure it out. 

I’ll have to remind Alexander of his competence, next time I send him to Agata to buy tomatoes and he calls three times with questions.