50 Couches in 50 Nights

My name is Dean MacKay. In June and July of 2010, I slept on 50 different couches in 50 consecutive nights. I took photographs of the couches, both as a couch and as my bed. I took portraits of my hosts and interviewed them. I documented their homes on film and digitally as well as in a journal. I was treated to home cooked meals and intimate secrets. I was cared for when I was ill and checked in on after I was long gone. There were sleepless nights and busy days and times spent discussing the past and dreaming about the future. I drank a lot of coffee at a lot of different coffee houses. There were old friends who became closer and acquaintances who I now call my friends. There were even strangers who invited me into their homes. Threads were woven among them all. My skills were honed as I practiced my craft on a daily basis. I learned many things about my hosts and I continue to learn many things about myself. These times are unforgettable. This journey was initially born out of necessity. The economic times had taken their toll. But the fruit of this labor is not simply financial. It is emotional and spiritual and societal. I tapped into something that is still developing. And as it develops I will share with you this knowledge as well as providing you a way to share it with others. I hope that you will support me as this journey continue and grows. I plan to unveil many things from this work including a coffee table book on the couches, and perhaps other books and a documentary. I'm also hoping to get the blog carried on a major website. Of course, and second project is also in the works although what form it will take has yet to be determined. Any assistance or advice that you can offer to further these projects is welcome. Your support, both financial and emotional, is crucial to my success. Thank You. © Dean MacKay 2010

50 Couches in 50 Nights has written 48 posts for 50 Couches in 50 Nights

Couch #15 – Ryan and Mariah – June 14th, 2010

Posted by 50 Couches in 50 Nights ⋅ August 2, 2010 ⋅ Leave a comment

Couch #15 belongs to Ryan and Mariah. They bought the couch about 2 years ago. The previous couch was not comfortable. You would sink into it and Mariah was even having back pain. The current one is bonded leather. Ryan has taken some long naps on it and finds it comfortable. They live in a beautiful home in Woodland Hills, California at the far west end of the San Fernando Valley. They have 3 children, Gwen and Grace, twin 3.75 year old girls, and Billy, 10 months old. They don’t have pets yet, but the kids are starting to ask for them. Ryan works at Summit Entertainment in Technical Services dealing with DVD production and TV Versions and stuff like that. Mariah is a stay at home Mom. They like to go to the movies and dinner as a couple. Ryan likes to golf, he used to ride bikes and should more. He likes to swim. He watches way too much TV including the Lakers and the Dodgers and, of course, spends time on Facebook. Mariah hasn’t had much free time since the kids were born, but she used to like to hike. She does still work out, and does crafts, including sewing, when she can. She also likes to read. Ryan is also on a softball team as well as in a band. The band rehearses 2 or 3 times a month on Sunday nights and plays the occasional gig. It’s 5 middle aged guys, 4 of them, with kids. They love to rock out. Ball and Chain is the name of both the team and band. Mariah makes all kinds of different baby gifts and has some stuff in boutiques. Ryan won a reality show, it was a weight loss reality show, but ha since gained most of the weight back. He was The Biggest Loser back in 2005. He was also Laker Boy. According Ryan, Mariah drives like a maniac. Mariah grew up in a small town of a thousand people and was student body president. Ryan and I met at and worked together at MGM for about 5 years from 2000 until 2005. Since then, Ryan finds it easy to follow along with people lives on Facebook, including me. Ryan and Mariah have found that once you get married and have kids and move to the suburbs you start get complacent and have to make a conscious effort to bring something new and different to your life. Having some guy you knew from work come and stay on your couch is kind of fun. It brings something new to the mix which they don’t do enough of. Ryan’s phone ringer is the Black-eyed Peas “I Got a Feeling”. Mariah sings “You are My Sunshine” to her kids multiple times each day. She used to love Depeche Mode, but not so much any more. It definitely doesn’t work during spinning class. So maybe one of her favorites would be Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”. Mariah also likes Yozen Frogurt (Frozen Yogurt), and has that almost every night. Ryan’s biggest weakness is donuts. I was wearing my Randy’s Donuts shirt that day but had not brought any donuts. Mariah likes the film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” which had been mentioned by one of my previous hosts. Ryan likes “Pulp Fiction”. Ryan thinks that this 50 Couches project is either really awesome or an incredibly inventive way of being homeless. Either way it’s fun and interesting. They are both interested in seeing the culmination of the whole project. Mariah wondered if I ever get nervous. I told her that I’m nervous staying with complete strangers. I mean how do I know that they aren’t rapists or killers? And how do they know that I’m not. It’s a bit crazy. My whole life is a bit crazy.