Character Profile
Name: Marina (?)
Occupation: Record store clerk; aspiring ghosthunter
Background: Army brat; mixed Chicana; recovering (cocaine and/or molly) addict; partied too much in Ibiza; trying to get back on track;
Marina is a former army brat who is a mixed Chicana. Her white father is not very present, often sending her to boarding school because he doesn’t want to deal with her. Her mother was a Chicana and either died during childbirth or leaves Marina’s father because she is unhappy (does not keep in touch with Marina). Marina acts out and runs away from boarding school to Ibiza to party. She survived by hustling DJ gigs, helping push product at parties/raves, and record store clerk. Learns about La Llorona and gets an “awakening” as she is passed out on the beach. Moves to Los Angeles to explore identity and clean act up.
Trip to Amoeba on MetroBus 2 around 11:15 a.m.
Name: Marina (?)
Occupation: Record store clerk; aspiring ghosthunter
Background: Army brat; mixed Chicana; recovering (cocaine and/or molly) addict; partied too much in Ibiza; trying to get back on track;
Marina is a former army brat who is a mixed Chicana. Her white father is not very present, often sending her to boarding school because he doesn’t want to deal with her. Her mother was a Chicana and either died during childbirth or leaves Marina’s father because she is unhappy (does not keep in touch with Marina). Marina acts out and runs away from boarding school to Ibiza to party. She survived by hustling DJ gigs, helping push product at parties/raves, and record store clerk. Learns about La Llorona and gets an “awakening” as she is passed out on the beach. Moves to Los Angeles to explore identity and clean act up.
- Where should she live? Finds a job at Amoeba through a connection she made back in Ibiza
- Decides to explore East LA because it’s as “Chicano as it gets” and shares with a co-worker her hobby of ghosthunting. Co-worker tells her about Linda Vista Community Hospital and she decides to check it out
- Finds Linda Vista gone and instead sees it is now a senior living apartment complex; disappointed; sees a figure near the lake but it disappears as she gets closer; believes she has seen a ghost
- Discusses experience with co-worker and decides to read more about the hospital. Realizes a lot of Raza died there because of gang violence; attributes La Llorona appearance to this
- One day she comes across a first pressing of “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now/Suffer Little Children” 45” with a note inside from the previous owner (not sure if the note should say something about how the record brings up bad memories or the owner was a teenager forced to give it up, etc. because of “what happened at Linda Vista”); Marina decides to investigate
- Goes to archives at UCLA and finds out the forced sterilization that happened at Linda Vista
- Debating whether I should have Marina reach out to the women, be inspired to become an investigative journalist and/or lawyer for reproductive justice; how to resolve story; how many characters to include
Trip to Amoeba on MetroBus 2 around 11:15 a.m.
- Bus driver appears to be Latino; pretty empty bus since I got on Gayley/LeConte; bus seems clean
- More people get on Westwood/LeConte, diverse crowd, Panamanian woman trying to explain to bus driver where she needs to get off
- Latina/o riders either got on or off in the Beverly Hills area
- More riders start to get on once we reach the end of Beverly Hills and go onto Sunset strip
- Bus gets crowded and rider comments on the obnoxious line outside of The Griddle Cafe
- Filipino man sits behind me and is conversing with someone on his phone about medical issues
- Get off on Ivar and am surprised by how many people are at Amoeba considering it is Sunday at noon.
- Amoeba has that L.A. feel of being a “well-known landmark” but when you are up close, you see how old and dirty it is from the outside
- Once inside, ask three different employees where the RSD section is because I’m desperate to get my hands on the Happy Mondays release
- Manage to find last copy; section is mostly taken up by white, 35 and over, record shoppers/enthusiasts
- Browse around the store since I can’t remember which records I wanted to pick up
- In the rock/vinyl section (S-Z), a white (?) dad is shopping with his (mixed race?) children and I overhear his son, who looks about 7, say, “It’s Johnny Rotten!” referring to a poster on the wall; happy to hear some kids are being raised correctly these days
- Go to film section upstairs and browse, shoppers don’t really stand out
- Go back downstairs and decide to get the Ramones limited edition turntable but change my mind once in line
- Overhear people in the shop who seem to be in the store for the first time, get lots of tourist vibes from people
- Clerk who helps seems tired/unengaged, probably tired from RSD
- Walk out and cross the street to get to the other bus stop
- Surprised Jack in the Box scent across the street isn’t strong, day has gotten super hot fast
- Wait in the shade for the bus and people are around the stop but not everyone gets on once the bus pulls up
- Driver is Black and I ask if he goes to Westwood (I’m paranoid) and he says yes
- Manage to find a seat next to Latina who is wearing a McDonald’s uniform (probably on way to work), I ask her if I can sit next to her and she says yes and scoots over
- There is more traffic now and lots of older folk on the bus who sit towards the front of the bus
- At one bus stop, an elderly woman is trying to make her way to the seat and is having a hard time and the older Black man standing in the front yells at a younger (white? Iranian?) man for not moving out of the way, they argue; unfortunately, they get off on the same stop which causes another confrontation, surprised driver or other riders don’t get involved
- Bus becomes more empty as we enter Beverly Hills and go on to Westwood
- Get off on LeConte/Gayley and treat myself to In-N-Out because I’m feeling Californian