So. I’ve tried Batgirl on my own for three days, and all three days she struck out. Maybe this weekend isn’t as good as everyone hyped it to be (which seems to be true all around), maybe I need to be more pushy, but the long and short of it is that women on the boulevard are kinda screwed when it comes to thinking up a good solo costume. Everything that’s come to mind relies on another character, and it’s just very slanted against us. Argh. So, until Catwoman comes back and we can tag team it, I’m going back to shivering in the cold as Padmé and working with Vader and Storm Trooper.

I guess it doesn’t help that the Bats all flaked on me. Bats A & M both promised to work with me, and both have backed out. Stupid men. I don’t know what’s been going on with Bat A since I came back on Friday, but something’s up his arse, so I’ve just been avoiding him. I’m not being mean or spiteful or sulky, I’m just too busy trying to make ends meet and buy my family some damn Christmas presents, so I can’t spend all my time chasing after someone to ask if they’re okay, are the mad at me, blah blah. We can either not ever talk again or he can come to me and open a conversation, it’s not all on me.

This morning Superman was out bright and early, and it turns out he had some business to do. I didn’t hear much about it, but it sounded like someone wanted a bunch of characters for a private event. He’s always in charge of these things because he’s the more well-known character, and also because he won’t let anyone else give out their contact information. Anyway, he was running up and down the boulevard grabbing the people he wanted to have work, and I ended up in front of the Chinese Theatre. Bat A was back in front of the Kodak, but I didn’t stop for him, and he left shortly afterwards. Charlie Chaplin was there, along with Scary Catwoman as Storm (The X-Men) and Captain Spiderman. Bat M appeared a moment later. It was the first time I’d seen him all weekend, and he admired the costume, as did a few of the guys working the tours out front. Bat M offered to work together, and I said yes. I needed a Batman to really work, and maybe he wouldn’t be so annoying today.

Wrong! The subject of Davy and excessive, unwanted male attention came up, and right away it was, “See, that’s why I’m not like that. I’m not like the other guys. I’m a nice guy. Guys are assholes. What I do is…” and then he’ll repeat the same things over twenty times. Annoyed, I tuned him out right away, but kept an eye out for any business. It was still pretty quiet for a Sunday morning, and the crowds should have been bigger for 10 am. He got a few requests for pictures and did his thing, forgetting to ask if they wanted to throw in a Batgirl. Argh! What’s working together if we don’t help each other out? Then we’re just standing around talking, but he’s doing all the talking.

Superman runs past to grab Vader and Storm Trooper as they come in, to ask them about the extra gig. Bat M asked what was going on and I told him, and he started complaining bitterly. “I bet he’ll ask Bat A. He always asks Bat A for stuff like that.” Charlie and Scary Catwoman came up at that point and asked what was going on, and I told them what I knew.
“I bet he’s going to ask Bat A. I can’t believe it,” Bat M kept muttering. “Well, fuck him, man. I wouldn’t even do it if he asked me! Superman’s an asshole, he acts like he’s the boss around here.” I’m sure he kept going, but Charlie and Scary walked off and I wondered if it was really worth a few dollars to work with him all morning. The smell of B.O. and cologne was especially strong this morning too.

Shortly afterwards, Superman called Bat M over. Despite his swearing to never work with Superman no matter what, Bat M sold out in less than half an hour for $150. He left without saying a word, and I was on my own again. The cheese stands alone.

I bounced back and forth between Charlie and Captain Spiderman for a bit, but Scary seemed miffed whenever I came to talk to Charlie, and I didn’t want an ass beating courtesy of her hooker boots. She’s scary. I guess they had a deal going. So I stuck with Spiderman for a bit more, but business was practically non-existent, and he kept making small children cry, and he kept singing Christmas carols to himself.

After only being there an hour, I was through. Spiderman was going down to the Pantages to hang out, and while he offered to have me come along, that was enough for me. $3 an hour was no incentive to stick around, and by the time I bought a $3 muffin to validate my parking so I could get out for free, I’d barely broken even. If you could calculate exactly how much gas I’d wasted driving out there and back, plus all my time getting ready, then I would come out behind. This sucks. And my muffin tastes awful.

I’m more than a bit frustrated right now. California has the third worst job market in the country, and it’s bankrupt to boot. In this state alone, 40,000 people lost their job in November. In one month, in one state. It’s frightening here. I can’t find anything, and I do mean anything. I’m a brilliant woman, well-rounded, ridiculously talented, and not too bad looking, and I can’t even get a seasonal job in retail, that’s how bad it is. (And before you think I’m being vain, I’m trying to keep my head above water, and part of that is reminding yourself of your positive attributes. So shut up.) There’s nothing else to do out here.

On top of that Denim Jack, while meaning well, keeps nagging me to try harder, do more, be outgoing, rah! I love him, he’s a really nice guy and one of the maybe three men out there that I really trust, but it’s not that easy for me. He has the best character out there, the one with a built-in outgoing personality, where you can say nearly anything and people will just think you’re being cute, the one that makes the easiest money. Even on a distinctly meh weekend like this one, with three Jack Sparrows on one side of one city block, they all do well! He sticks to the Chinese Theatre, Homeless Jack has the Kodak, and the third Jack that tag teams with Davy are just a bit further down. They all have people forming lines to shoot with them, and sometimes Homeless Jack and Other Jack will work together just for fun. There’s pretty much no way to fail with that character, so I think he’s a little clueless in this instance. And maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve really racked my brain to think of a good, easily recognizable female character that kids and adults would like that would cause that sort of frenzy. Nothing comes to mind. Am I really missing something? Or does it just suck to be a single chick right now?

No pictures, ’cause I was in a pissy mood.