Before ah gae....

offta sweaty pretentious Ft. Lauderdale, ah thought ahd make a brief update:

-Ah gawt my 50 dollah haircut today - we'll see if it was worth it in 2 weeks.

-Lawts of potential w. tha jawbreaker cover band, depending on many factors out of my control. But gawdamm did it feel awesome ta sing n play w. a band backing me. Maybe thars a frontman in me still.....

-Takin tha bus on Friday, it began to speed off while an angry patron ran aftah it. He knocked on (more like straight-up punched) tha plastic part of tha front side door n actually broke it. What surprised me is that tha driver still stopped, told him he broke tha window, then LET HIM on, while tha guy mumbled an apology. Tha guy gawt off at tha next stop, n ah think tha driver made a phone call but thar was NAE follow-up. Maybe ahm naive, but that surprises me.

-think13 rawked kimo's pretty good on Friday, fer tha first time it felt like we were a band, nawt provin ourselves ta be a band. AND we gawt a real soundcheck. and drunk. and late-nite supah burritos.

ah guess ah need ta pack. ah dont really think ahm ready fer tha next 7 days.....

Haircuts n Punk Rawk

Even back in tha day, ah did care about my hair. Just cuz ah grew it out all crazy-like didn't mean ah didn't like it ta look good from time ta time. That became both hardah n easier when ah finally gawt rid of it all - easier in tha showah, hardah ta git a QUALITY hair cut - you know, tha kind that looks good a month latah, doesn't grow out all funky, n is maintained pretty easily. Gradually ah began to discovah thar certainly are differences between tha free girlfriend-cut, tha 15 dollah cut at tha cheapo place, n tha 30+ dollah cut at tha salon.

Ahve been makin dae w. tha 15 dollah cheapo cut cuz ahm broke, but General Assembly is next week, then it will be July, n ah want ta look good. Ahm also bringin back some red-dyage soonish, n want a bangin cut ta gae w/ it. But ahm findin in SF thar is nae such thang as a 35 dollah haircut - thars a 12 dollah cheapo, a 20 dollah-decent, n then it skyrockets to at least 45 bux. Findin this was tha case EVERYWHAR (n that many places cuts started at 60) ahve bit tha bullet (baby) n have an appointment fer a 50 dollah haircut on Sunday. This bettah look AWESOME (ahm daein tha dye job myself - ah dont have a hunnered dollahs ta gae red).

This evenin ahm also supposed ta meet w. some dudes ta play some jawbreaker tunes n ah hope they gawt thar shite togetha - in tha last week ahve learned 7 tunes n am ready ta rawk tha hell out. Ah need somethang else ta keep me busy now that my involvement w. Warren Teagarden is potentially ovah....

Fuckin hell, Ft. Lauderdale n a big bag of UU mess next week. 2 fricken years ago ah was inspired enuff ta git voted intae this mess. Full-circle, next stop....

best grocery store evah

is Rainbow Grocery at Folsom and 13th. Of kerse, if you live in SF, this is prolly nawt news in tha slightest. Fer those of you that aren't - this is a great reason ta move out here.

First thang off tha bat, ah found some bamboo stir-fry handle thangs that were really similar to tha ones ahd been usin (n gawt used ta) back in el Cerrito, so supah bonus points thar. It's also a worker-owned coop (of kerse), n gives discounts to members of tha SF Bike Co-op (of which ahm nawt - yet. ah will be aftah next paycheck).

But really, its tha fact that they have everythang - it's huge (largah then most whole foods, yet bettah organized). It carries everythang you'd expect from a natural food store, but tha real treat is in all tha bulk goods they have - 3 full aisles of bulk pastas, proteins, rice, beans, snacks, bath goods, you name it.

Of course ah was overwhelmed tha first time ah went in n spent too much, but thas ta be expected ah think. As ah slowly git used ta how great this store is, ah think ahll figure out a routine.

If anyone is still nawt impressed, they have naked people on tha mural near tha cash registers. Naked people n groceries - does it git much bettah?

First instance of my old location bein bettah then my new one:

It is 53 degrees and partly cloudy in tha mission.

It is 67 degrees and sunny in el cerrito. n bikin ta berkeley is outta tha question.

Church should be gittin started downstairs sometime soon - actually ah thought it was supposed ta kick off at 10 er somethang on sunday. Since it hasn't ahm prolly annoyin my roommate w/ efforts at severe bass, even tho its too early fer my voice to actually function.

N thars tha drums from downstairs. Happy Sunday!

Weekendin'

Thursday night was my last gig w. Warren Teagarden fer who knows how long - he's takin another bassist and drummer on tour at the end of July so tha next SF show will be w/ tha new guys. It's a bit of a bummer, as we've gotten pretty tight over the last couple months and I can only think of how solid we would be after two weeks on the road. But its nawt meant ta be - altho ah think thars a pretty decent chance he'll be in touch when they return. We shall see.

We rawked Kimo's pretty good, openin was some dirty punk kids from Spokane, WA (tha Sissies) who played a jawbreaker cover (boxcar) and were cool dudes. Aftahwerds tha Interchangeable Hearts did thar thang - they were tha first band WT played w. so it was a nice kind of "full circle" thang. Ah chatted up tha soundguy n scored a think13 show fer next friday - hell yeah. Aftahwerds some guys told me how awesome ah was but didn't offah ta buy me a drink - gae figure.

This mornin think13 (minus percussion) played at a Burning Man picnic thang in Golden Gate park, which was fun and relaxed. Free food and beer is always a good thang - even if tha burners are a bit too intentionally out-thar fer me. My old boss came out which was nice - apparently he's been playin tha game pretty solidly out here (tha datin game) so we made tentative plans ta hit up tha town togetha one of these nites. Then ah went to bikram - prolly tha first time ahve evah gawn on Saturday evening (usually ah gae on sat. mornins). It's quite impressive actually - tha last couple months ah haven't had tha time ta gae regularly n was losin some muscle definition and tone. 3 classes this week n ah feel like ahm almost back ta tha excellent shape ah was in late March/early April. N this studio is even closah then my old one - w. nae big hill ta bike up on tha way back!

Tonite ah should totally gae out n party my ass off as its my first weekend in tha Mission, but ah don't really know whar ta start. How dae you make new friends when yer 27 n nawt in skool? At least folks are friendly out here (if ah was in Bawstan ahd prolly die lonely), but despite tha tons of kickass places around tha corner from me, how dae ah know which ones are good, n what does it take fer me ta strike up a conversation w. strangers? Cuz ahm nawt at tha point whar ahm gaein out by myself to a bar - at tha very least ah need a wingperson. Maybe ahll figure it out in a few weeks, but fer tonite ahll prolly just continue ta frustrate myself w. tha best way ta put my room togetha - hurray!

Also, ah gawt tha new Weezer album n ah like. It's nae Pinkerton, but those are high standards, n its way bettah then tha album they put out aftah that. A review may be comin....er may nawt. Ahm unpredictable like that!

ah, tha mission...

Today when ah came home from band practice a latino couple was making out in my doorway. CLASSY!

hmm

ahm pretty sure thars a latino band playin somewhar on my block - ah ken hear tha I's n V's from tha bass, n it has tha same timbre from song ta song. If it weren't almost midnite on Sunday n ah wasn't exhausted ahd gae find tha source n have a beer.

Ah did move my headboard away from tha street howevah, n apparently nawt an evenin too soon! Ot also gave me tha confidence needed ta plug in fer 20 minutes just now n play some severe bass. Visions of buskin ran thru my head.....

Back to Back Shows fer this rawkstar....

Friday nite was tha first think13 gig in way too fricken long (late March) n we only gawt 30 minutes so we had ta make them count. On tha up side, it was at tha very swanky Red Devil Lounge, w/ a backstage n everythang. Us n 3 otha bands gawt a half hour, n then thar were two headliners who gawt a bit longah. B/c we are 5 fricken people that are a combination of picky about thar sound n nawt especially skilled at at effective soundchecking, we did nawt git a great mix. Howevah, tha energy was up, n ah had a blast. We revealed a brand-new song, as well as one that had been provin especially difficult to "nail" n gawt pretty close ta nailin it. The Red Devil Lounge also sells 24 oz. Red Stripes fer 6 bux, which is sweet (altho someone fawkin stole mine from tha stage while ah was fiddlin w. tha amp - bollocks!). A late nite of alcohol ensued, but eventually we took our cabs home n said adieu.

Then Saturday mornin Warren Teagarden went ta Reno! It's about a 4 hour drive n we left w. plenty of time - almost too much. Showed up at Warren's neice's place who has 4 kids n a puppy. It was a lil hectic. Eventually made our way down to tha Zephyr in downtown, nestled between porn stores n tattoo parlors - my kind of place! Tha second we gawt thar two locals were "fighting" w/ each otha, throwin a drum skin at tha street n stealin each othas beer. We quickly learned that thar wasn't much of a PA n crossed our fingers that Trigger Effect would be prepared to help us out - Ah still don't have an amp!

Trigger Effect were really nice guys who totally had thar shite togetha - they showed up w. a full PA, bass amp, guitar amp, n monstrous drum set in a case (played by a huge Navy guy they called "Animal.") We figured out what we'd be borrowin n started drinkin - fer free cuz renos good like that.

Tha Teagarden boyz had potentially thar best set - high energy, well-performed songs, n tha small-but-thar crowd seemed pretty intae it all. 3 songs in tha bass amp started smokin - apparently this is a new problem they've been havin w. it. ah plugged intae tha PA which sufficed, but tha sound was nawt quite as good aftah that. Nonetheless ah had a total blast on tha supah-tiny stage n Trigger Effect seemed ta really enjoy what were spittin out.

Trigger played some very enjoyable punk/metal w. some green day influence, n had high energy. Thar drummer was a fawkin machine, n by this point in time Teagarden n company was feelin good. A good nite was had by both bands n Reno secured a lil place in my heart - altho ah don't think ah could live in a valley like that. A local was tellin me how Reno had everythang: nature, hiking, geology, mind shafts, history, skiin n then tha convo went sour when he also told me thar were hills ah could gae ta n shoot autmoatic weapons n that it was completely legal ta carry one in Reno. Yikes. He latah told me ta "nevah stop rockin n ah mean that. Keep on rawkin hard, please." Ah assured him ah would think about it.

Ah thought it was ovah but instead we ended up at a pool hall until 3 am eventually gittin home n crashin out on some flimsy bunk beds that had pink sheets (we were in tha girls room). A long drive back finished us both off.

Ahm quite sorry ah dont have any pictures of tha good times fer any of you :(. Perhaps next time.....

Ah know you want some pictures....

Of my new digs, rite?

So just ta reiterate - ah live on one of tha busiest streets in tha city, nawt quite at tha busiest intersection thar is, but its nawt small potatoes. This does have its advantages - fer 1, three buses stop rite outside my door that take me directly to werk (ah actually werk on tha same street ah live on, just 28 blocks south), as well as tha UU Church w. tha most young adults. Ahm also a 5 minute walk from tha Light Rail n a 10-15 minute one from tha BART. Ahve biked to n from werk all week in about 25 minutes each way (its a touch faster going to b/c of tha slight hill ah live on - but nuthang even close to tha hill ah used ta live on). Ah also live at tha bottom of Bernal Heights - which is big fawkin hills. Honestly, anutha block er two east n my commute would blow donkey goats. So its convenient as hell - but also loud, busy, n a bit run-down. My biggest concern actually is that ah have a glass front door w. nae grates/etc. Ahm hopin ah ken git some installed - if nawt, its almost definite ah wont stay here all too long. Ah did install a werkin deadbolt on my room - it werks, but its nawt a glove-tight fit exactly.

Ah live w. 3 otha guys (all of whom ah think are gay), but one of them is nevah here (only one weekend out of tha month - altho ah guess he has friends that stay here from time to time), tha otha is barely here (werd is he spends most nites at his boyfriends place and is currently bikin to LA so he wont be around til mid next week at all), n tha otha does sleep here most nites (21 year old, slightly shy, just moved outta his rents n werks front desk at a hotel downtown).

And now - tha pixs!

My living room (which ah think functions more as bike storage):
(not pictured are various board games ah doubt have evah been played).

my giant kitchen - fully stocked w. pretty much everythang imaginable (except fer a cheese grater - wtf? n an electric kettle - ah bought both today) -
(thars two bad thangs about tha kitchen - 1)nawt enuff outlets which is a bit scary, n 2)stupid electric stove. Otha then that its tha best room in tha house).

My bedroom, messy n outlookin tha main street itself, but a decent size w. a walk-in closet (a weird one, but ah ken walk in it) -

AND tha ginormous backyard overrun with weeds -
Tha big bushes ahm pretty sure are fennel. Tha first buildin in tha foreground is actually nawt on our property, but tha second one is, which is a cool lil enclosure space. Tha yard does extend all tha way back to tha bbq n lawn furniture (n that is astroturf). Most of tha weeds are actually growin outta concrete, so tha potential fer gardenin is nawt quite as great as it seems. Thars also a fallen hammock in thar somewhar.

This will be tha last update fer a couple days as tomorrow nite is friday which has a pretty high-profile n important think13 gig, n then Saturday Warren Teagarden gaes ta Reno. Pretty spiffy, eh?

barghen

- my ampeg is dyin. Lettin out sad tremors undah every string pluck, snap, er whap. It's nawt suitable fer tha publick anymore. thar gaes payin off credit cards this pay cycle!

- my room is soooo fricken loud - n my headboard is currently next to tha thin windows. Have ah complained enuff about how badly built houses are out here? cuz they sure is. Anyway, ah think ah ken git used ta it - but ridin my bike home this evenin at 930 n when it was quiet in areas nawt all that far from tha bump n grind of tha mission was much nicah then my first nites sleep as ah struggled ta ignore drunks, cell phone talkahs, n vehicles (especially tha stupid buses) sos ah could just pass tha fawk out.

BUT ah did ride my bike to n from werk today in half tha time it used ta took, so if you factor that in w. all tha sleep ah missed ahm really only like 3 hours down!

tha adventure continues

boy howdy it does (ah promise nawt ta make boy howdy a regular expression) ! Ah moved all my shite today intae my new bedroom - directly above a spanish church w. live bands n full pa. It's nawt LOUD-loud, but it is audible. Will it be somethang ah eventually cannot stand, er will ah git used ta it? ah dae plan on attendin at least one service.....

ahm back in el cerrito fer one last nite sos ah could clean up n also return tha van, etc. My housemate (who is lame n anti-social...landlady says hes shy, ah think he's rude) has been in n out of tha kitchen today n yestahday, n despite tha large suffle of activity, boxes around, etc., hasn't said a word to me. Whats surprising is nawt that he's refrained from speakin ta me about tha obvious move, is that he's been in n out of tha kitchen. Ah swear ta gawd, he bought bags of chips from safeway yestahday n two bags of somethang from trader joes. Fer tha first time as long as ahve been here, ahve seen him both bring food intae tha house as well as gae intae tha kitchen! (ah shite you nawt, ahve only seen him gae from his room intae 1)tha laundry room, 2)tha bathroom), n 3)tha front door. Ah have NEVAH seen him in tha kitchen, nor seen any evidence that he keeps food in it.

Perhaps knowin my jerk-ass won't be around has given him some balls er somethang. ahll admit ahve nawt been shy about loud musick late at nite, singin, n drum playin tha last few days. on drum playin - ahve turned a cornah on drummin (albeit it is a very minute degree of a turn) n ken now sorta play some basick beats that resemble actual drum playin! tha last week ahve been bangin on tha drums downstairs - of kerse, rite before ah move out. Maybe tha church will let me practice on thars......

stay fawkin tuned! Life is about ta turn tha hell up!