Ah don't even know whar ta start....

Yes, ah know, it's been a while. Unfortunately, ah don't have all tha pics ah hoped ah would just yet fer this update....but ahll try ta give you a quick run-down on all tha awesome shite anyway....

9/12 was Power to the Peaceful a big free hippy festival that features a two hour set by Michael Franti n Spearhead (who is a main organizer of the whole shebang). think13 actually played this festival on tha kids stage last year - which ah shouldve blogged about but didn't. Anyway, it's a big free festival n ah gawt ta hang out w. a bunch of irish people that make me smile n ah don't see that often. Even bettah - ah missed tha acoustic Alanis Morisette set n showed up just in time fer Mr. Franti. Too bad tha weather was cloudy. After that ah went to a basement show at an art gallery ta see my local bike mechanic hit tha skins. Ah think ah gawt pretty drunk that nite in retrospect....

As cool as this was tho, it is completely in tha shadows of 9/15 whar ah saw tha original Bad Brains on a short West-Coast tour tear tha fawk outta Slims here in SF. Opening fer them was my new favorite SF band Sistas in the Pit, a black female power trio. Also this loser rapper POS who was way too emo n whose DJ sucked. But Bad Brains was nothing less then epic AND punk rawk. When they played reggae, ah felt like ah was on mushrooms. Too much fun.

On 9/26 ah partied again like a rawkstar at tha Tour de Fat, a bike festival put on by tha good folks behind Fat Tire. Ah poured beer fer a few hours as a volunteer fer tha San Francisco Bike Coalition (which is full of all sorts of win), n then spent tha rest of tha afternoon drinkin beer n watchin crazy people play musick n walk on stilts. Really. That evenin was topped off w. a (free - awesome!) dinner at the Beach Chalet on Ocean Beach, n then drinks-while-dressed-up fer my friends Bday party in Noe Valley.

Then on 9/27 ah went to tha worlds largest leather/fetish festival, tha Folsom Street Fair, gittin some footage fer an eventual Wee the Band video. Fer tha most part it was a lawt of fun, altho every once in a while youd see some naked dude wankin it, which ah couldve done w.o.

Speakin of my dumb vocal-pop band, we did anutha Ex'pressions video (minus the bass disaster) yestahday n will have new videos up on youtube soon w. our new songs - which are gittin pretty crazy. It's been exactly a year ah think since tha last one - which was our first gig togetha. Despite how weird it is that ahm in that band, ah really continue ta enjoy playin w. them. N they nevah fail ta mention how tha band is completely different since ah joined it (thas what happens when you git a bassist that doesnt suck!)

Anyway, ah hope ta put togetha some pics of my backyard n tha last couple weekends soon n post it fer ya. Howevah, please stay tuned fer my October update - ahm gaein on a detox!

Reflections on My Bike Ride to Work #5

There are few bettah ways ta start tha day then eatin a banana in tha backyard, waterin tha plants, then hoppin on my bike fer a 4 mile ride in tha sun, without the need for a protective layer on top of my t-shirt.

Of kerse, tha fact that church started practicin at 7:30 am (which only happens like once in a while) is a less then perfect way ta start off, so ahm givin today's mornin a 5.5 instead of tha 9 ahd like ta give it.

btw, this is my 200th Post since moving to California n startin my blog back up!

Anutha weekend in the Mission....

I love love LOVE the mission. Today I went out for a couple hours, bought a suitcase (thats small enuff fer carryon but big enuff ta hold stuff!), a new backpack (old one died n tha ones from werk are junk), a soft zippered hoodie (from a thrift store), a tamale, a belt, and some socks for 60 bux. I almost bought a grinder but it was too expensive - next paycheck tho!

Last night was a fun night - I went to this work/live/artspace studio in the lower Haight where a bunch of bands played and they had a bake sale to raise money to get tubes to bring light from outside into their work space and not to spend money/energy powering the tons of lights they have in there. But the really cool part was actually the journey to/from. About 9 of us met up at a local bike shop, had a beer, and then biked there together. While not Critical Mass it did give us the presence of a vehicle. We stuck to traditional bike routes so we didn't really fawk up traffic that much, but it felt really awesome to be part of a temporary bike gang as we all made our way to alcohol and musick.

Oh, and this is my 3rd week anniversary of my near beard. here I am in my new hoodie!

How weak

and unprofessional!

We'd been contacted by what ah will say no more about then that they are a country-western band from las vegas if we could help them git a gig. Well, favors are good, rite?

They decide instead that they'll play anutha show but maybe they ken swing by tha bar we're at at like midnite?

No thanks.

Ahm still pullin triple duty, unless, like ah said, ah pussy out.


Upside - Today ah biked ta berkeley. Ah really like how that sounds n what that meant. Walkin that first couple blocks on Telegraph on a beautiful Sunday w. my bike = excellent. N aftahwerds came home ta play some surprisingly rawkin musick somewhat out of tha blue. We felt like a band, just about, except ah had nae idea what they were gawna dae until they actually did it. Sounded pretty good tho, whatevah it was.

WORST VALENTINE'S DAY EVAH!

No really.

Ah hadn't been to yoga since Saturday. Tha Bikram folx recommend 3x a week, or more, n ah really try ta keep ta that. Howevah this Monday, ah just needed a day off, n then was busy w. band practices in conference calls on Tues n Wed. While thar was a MASSIVE PILLOW FIGHT happenin literally across tha street from whar ahm werkin rite now at 6 pm, ah forced myself home on tha BART fer a 6:30 class. Ah was fallin asleep on said BART, yet remembered that it's important fer me ta take care of my body, n that bikram yoga makes me feel really good, n biked a couple miles to tha hawt sweaty room, instead of up tha hill to my warm cozy bed.

My class was pretty okay, n ah had a feelin of unsettlement about me. About two blocks from my closest BART, ah see a kid in his late teens standing on one side of tha path. Gettin closah, ah see anutha one step out from behind a BART support beam, n ah slow down ta swerve away from him. Upon gittin closah, ah realize thars a THIRD one behind tha support beam, n that these kids want what ahve gawt.

As my momentum on tha bike had slowed down, it was too late ta dart off in anutah direction. Ah gawt off my bike so that ah wouldn't be knocked off, n instead of wailing on my asailants, tried to stop them from hitting me, which didn't work. Ah remembah a crash in tha face, relatively weak, n felt my lip git busted n tasted tha blood. While ah can't imagine that my eyes were actually closed, pretty much everythang since then is remembered as blackness (perhaps ah did close them at some point in time).

Ah was wrestled down to tha ground by one of them, who did somethang ta my bicep n focused all his energy on holding me down. Ah was prolly told somethang along tha lines of "yer nawt gaein anywhar," n felt fists and feet on my chest and head. Ah think ah still had my backpack on, n my helmet was startin ta strangle me, so ah focused everythang on gittin it off first (altho this left my head unprotected from some hits). Someone grabbed my phone out of my pocket (ah was leaning against tha pocket whar my wallet was) n they kept askin if ah gave up. Ah did, nawt knowin how long this could continue er how far away help could've been. One of em picked up my bike, n they ran down tha path n around tha cornah. Ah tried to compose myself, n ran aftah them, tryin ta flag down passin cars (at 8:30 pm), but ah couldn't see them by tha time ah gawt around tha cornah. Fortunetly, they'd been waitin just two blocks from tha BART, n ah knew thar would be cops thar. We took a ride in tha direction theyd been headin, n a call was put in that my bike had been found, nae sign of suspects.

Tha Dyna Mo was found literally at tha same post where they'd been waiting, my burts bees lip stuff on tha ground. Tha cops couldn't find anyone, so ah gave them my info, n shakily, biked home.

Tha sheer immaturity of it is what kinda gits me. These kids could NAWT fight, they were weak, n a bit scared. Howevah, thar numbahs were more then ah could possibly handle, n they had surprise on thar side. My guess is they returned tha bike when they saw it had a National Bike Registry stickah on it, n that it could be traced. Of kerse, my phone ken prolly be traced as well, but ah haven't followed up on that yet (ahve spent tha last two hours on tha phone w. internet people cuz our modem is wonky apparently).

Honestly, ahm fine, n totally grateful ah still have my bike. Without that, ahm nawt sure how ahd be coping. Ahm sore as hell, fer sure, n its totally surreal, n ahll prolly be stickin to tha main roads from now on, but ahm really fine, just down a phone. Which ah insured, n pay a small fee so that ah don't lose numbahs, n have suspended service on, so except for tha MASSIVE inconvenience of nawt havin telephone, isn't so bad. Gittin a replacement could take a lil while, as my insurance is through tha National Cellular Owners Association, (ahd nevah heard of them eitha, but bought my phone cheap through an outside vendor) n they have bad bizness hours fer a group that offers insurance, but ah should have a new phone relatively soon.

My landlady's friend told me "that means you've arrived," which is prety much what ah thought when ah was walkin from tha scene of tha crime to tha police. N it does seem like my gittin robbed stories have a similar thread:While it sucks, and sometimes it costs me a lawt of money, tha thangs ah REALLY want are left behind (usually bass guitars, in this case my bike). N if thas tha way tha universe wants ta punish me from time ta time, ah guess ah can't complain.

Anyway friends, be safe. N don't call me, cuz ah won't answah.