Searching for work, musick, n eventually a lil nookie in tha San Francisco area: An East Coaster's Account! (admittably brought to you in some sort of weird internet psuedo-slang)
So it's been almost 9 days since ah had my last drink n ate any sort of processed food. Ahve still had cheese n dairy n coffee n my favorite medication in my life, but ah am feelin great. Every day ahve had a freshly made juice from my new juicer, mostly w. veggies from my local farmers market (Which is AMAZING! Yelp it --> Alemany Farmers Market). Ah can't wait till tomorrow mornin ta gae back - n this time ahll bring two carryin bags (altho ah need ta nawt buy so much of stuff that will spoil - will need to plan on stoppin by tha Civic Center one mid-week tha next two weeks ta make sure my shite is fresh).
Nawt drinkin is weird, but easy. N ahve stocked up on tha necessary supplements, teas, etc. that ahll need n have been easin myself intae tha taste n routine of said supplements. Ahve also been lookin at all tha stuff ah CAN eat, n ah think that my cleanse, startin at midnite, will be a piece of cake actually. Plenty of stuff ta eat n plenty of ways ta find it. N ahm lovin my juices - they just taste n feel healthy.
Ah also hit up yoga 4 x since ah started n each class was bettah then tha last. Who woulda thought livin bettah meant feeling bettah? KER-AZZY!
It was Pride weekend here in SF - which means everyone gawt completely apeshit crazy (at least most of those attendin pride events). Ah did nawt attend any such events - nawt cuz ah hate on tha gays (ah freakin love queer folk!), but b/c ah had a gig in a touristy out-stretch of tha city, yoga, n had my best move evah - from one room, about 7 feet down tha hall to anutha room!
First thangs first - ah moved n this is epic. Nae pics of tha new pad yet, but lets just say it is a comprable size, more climate (less cold n less hawt at all tha rite times), n a million times more comfy n liveable (not to mention, no more late night latino bar musick from across tha street!). Here's my old room (that had surprisingly interestin acoustics now that its empty!
Then Saturday ah had my first "tourist gig" - Wee the Band played at Del Monte Square up in tha Fisherman's Wharf. Ridiculous. Tourist central, we played in this outdoor square near fancey shops, a couple restaurants w. outdoor patios, "the best ice cream in San Francisco" n even a weddin reception. From 3:30 - 7, w. two breaks, we were on. Ahve nevah played that much musick in front of people in one sittin. All 20 songs, n we repeated two of em. We made a few bux, had some laughs, n paid our dues. Next time, dues pay us!
Sunday ah went back ta yoga fer tha first time in 3 weeks. Ugh, ah know bettah then this - but it wasn't all my fault. Of kerse, some of it was, ah was crazy lazy in LA, n then since ah gawt back, n then thar was tha Journey to tha End of tha Nite, n then the sickness (what ahm callin tha illness that besieged my house last week). But anyway, ah went back, n my body showed me how much ah really need ta actually stay on that yoga shit.
But what was important is it was my first day bangin on my new fawkin drums!
N of kerse, what ah really learned, is what kinds of thangs ta look fer tha next time ah buy drum equipment. But it was a blast - n tha thang ah love about drums, is ah ALWAYS feel progress if ah spend at least 30 minutes playin them. Ah try ta play somethang in tha beginnin of a session that is too hard, werk on plenty of otha thangs, n before ah end ah gae back to that same thang n ken usually play it. Gittin tha limbs ta werk around each otha instead of WITH each otha is tha hard part, but it's comin along. Tha interestin thang about drums is how it nevah sounds like you think it mite.... (Shows you ahm totally nawta drummah, rite?)
Finally, ah cleaned up my old camera (which ahm usin until ah ken git tha review button fixed on my otha one - hence tha shittier pics recently), n found this photo from my last beard, wherein fer 45 seconds ah have a asymmetrical moustache (before ah even knew hipsters grew em). Hope you laugh!
Thanks fer readin folks - 4th of July is comin up soon. Tha only day of tha year ah actively wish ah was in Washington DC....
Tha title of this post is taken from a Wee the Band song - available soon on CD, and thru itunes! Woot! (even tho ah hate itunes).
Let's see, what have ah been up ta....
Last Wednesday ah went to a bday party for the guitarist in the pop/rock band ahm playin in. We currently don't have a name, so ah refer to us as tha Junk Bumpers. It's a long story how my friend n ah came up w. that, n while ah think its actually a decent name, it doesn't fit our musick. Anyway, tha bday party was at a Karaoke Bar in Fisherman's Wharf. Fisherman's Wharf is a touristy obnoxious part of tha city that you see if you visit (ah don't really know why, except that tha cable car gaes thar), n then ignore completely when you move here cuz it's fawkin lame. Generally, ah dont gae out like that (party started at 11) on weeknights, but when ah told Lavi that, he made such a sad face ah reconsidered. It was a pretty good time, ah sang a Pink song (ah let tha cat outta tha bag about my crush on her), n we took tha first pics of us togetha. Of kerse, ah ruined it by wearin my glasses, so it's nawt very indicative of me. But check out my beard (n tha fact that ahm smilin! Ahm tryin ta git bettah at that in photos):
Howevah, this next picture is much more what yer used ta:
Saturday aftahnoon ah took a Bikram Yoga MASTER CLASS w. head Teacher Trainer Craig Villani and it kicked my ass. Ah balanced on my tip toes in awkward pose until ah fell outta it - twice. N awkwards my GOOD pose!
Then think13 played a set - what tha? Yes, thar was a VAGABOOM! fundraiser featurin us, a performance troupe, a contortionist, some dude on a guitar, a synthesizer jam-band, a dj, and BURLESQUE. And what burlesque - ah was swoonin durin thar brief set (which featured big band versions of "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Baby Got Back"). On a total whim (meanin, ah saw them n made sure our drummer shared) ah snagged a bit of some "truffles" in chocolate form. Ah sorta fergawt about them, n was startin ta git concerned w. how funny everythang was when ah was reminded what ahd ingested, n thangs gawt really nice n relaxin aftah that. Ah spent tha nite laughin w. friends, talkin shit, n bein loud. Finish it off w. a nice bike ride home - aww yeah.
Sunday ah wen ta see Anvil: The Story of Anvil and it was really awesome. Thars a reason this movie has been gittin rave reviews from everywhar - it's fantastic. It's one of those movies you certainly don't need ta enjoy tha metal genre (er even be aware of) ta appreciate, n ta those of us in tha know, its amazin. It's so good, ahma include tha trailer here:
Now, tha rest of my week hasn't been THAT excitin, but yestahday ah bought some organic black beans n bulk n they are currently makin my kitchen smell really really good. Ta self-sufficiency!
Anyway, thar were more shenanigans this weekend in tha best city evah. On Saturday I spent some more time in my backyard moving shit around and trying to figure out what kind of gardening is tha best. Here's that spot that until 3 weeks ago was 5 ft tall weeds:
Tha weirdest thang was before ah was out thar werkin, ah saw some smoke. Ah figured it was just a neighbor smokin a cigarette next door, n then my door bell rang. When ah answered it (which ah usually dont dae unless ahm expectin somoene) my neighbors told me they saw smoke comin from my backyard. Ah went out back n found that our stairs had spontaneously caught on fire! Ah don't know what tha fawk caused it, ah couldn't anythang that indicated flame. We eventually smothered it out, but it is a mystery....
My old Mysterious Odors bandmate, Andrews (also a richmond native) was in town with his band Beatnik Jr as well as their friends Mahi Gato which featured Willie (Also of tha odors, n tha guy in tha previous post who was here last weekend) on bass at the Fat City. Drews came by in tha afternoon n we shot tha shite, n then ah met up w. them latah n gave them some California Cookies that came out excellent. Both bands rawked pretty damn hard n then thar was some hangin out....
These guys are all on drugs.
I wanted to be a rockstar w. sunglasses too!
I stayed out until 4 in tha morning in tha tenderloin (NEVAH a good idea), gawt back, had a catnap, n then it was off ta my yoga werk trade. Tha nite of boozin n tha afternoon of shovellin made me HORRENDOUSLY sore. If ah wasn't such a bikram rawkstar, I wouldve probably died in class. Or something.
Then, despite tha fact that it was unbelievable gorgeous outside, ah had WTB practice, which was fun, but nawt as much fun as outside. Aftahwerds, it was intae the Inner Mission fer pitchers of margaritas and local beer w. tha remainin Beatnik Jr/Mahi Gato folks.
Drew's rock star face is almost identical to his non-rock star face.
Before we parted ways, we talked about me comin ta visit LA fer a reunion show. Ah think it's gawna happen. Oh sweet sweet stank....
Anyway, Monday has kicked my ass and it continues to be gorgeous out. Ah am tired as fuck n my stomach is PISSED fer all tha booze. Ah promise ta be nicer ta you fer tha rest of tha month stomach.
Ah didn't gae ta yoga today. Ah really haven't been enjoyin tha last week er so of gaein everyday, n it's started ta feel like an obligation instead of somethang ah dae fer myself. In ordah ta dae tha 30 class challenge, ahd need ta gae nawt only every day through next Wednesday but also gae twice on both Saturday and Sunday (tha only days ah could afford it schedule wise). This also meant on Thursday ahd hafta gae ta 8 am, take tha bus (w. my bass and gig stuffs) to work, work until 6 pm, and then head over to the gig (10 minute walk from work), and be there until relatively late. Then work as normal on Friday - it just isn't all feasible. The only external kind of incentive was if ah could dae tha studio's 30 days (instead of just my personal 28) is ahd be entered in a raffle ta win prizes. N ah refuse ta kill myself just fer some prizes - yoga is about me.
Actually gaein n takin class wasn't all that hard necessarily. But, ah realized ah was startin ta dislike gaein ta class, n that ah was intentionally takin it easy so ah could save my energy (instead of take tha yoga as deep as ah could ta really push myself) because ah wasn't enjoyin class. N it wasn't about gaein fer me - it was about gaein fer some amount of time ta see what it was like, n ta see if ah could dae it. Ah think ah could dae it - maybe ahll try again. But ah didn't want ta - ah didn't like it, it was makin life harder, n ah missed lookin FORWARD ta yoga class.
Tha hardest part fer me was actually quittin. Ah don't quit thangs very often - ah quit tha cello in 4th grade n ah still wish ah hadn't. Ah quit algebra in 8th grade. Ah dropped a few courses at Berklee n ah quit my job at Great Bay. Ah know thars some otha stuff in thar as well, but in general, ah don't quit just cuz shit is hard - er even cuz ah don't like it. Ah've tolerated wrestling in high school, years of shitty waitin jobs, livin at home fer way too long, n a bunch of otha thangs ah didn't like w.o quittin. Ah like finishin thangs, sometimes just fer tha sake of finishin thangs. But last nite tryin ta pass out at 1 am (aftah a day of work, yoga class, n 3 hours of jammin w. some new folks - more ta come on that if it manifests) ah realized ah just didn't want ta gae ta yoga anymore - fer me. N while ah took my clothes ta werk today, ah have forced myself ta quit tha concept of 30 classes - n that ah dont really care if ah dae 28 in a row eitha. Life's just too busy, especially w. Crazy Paul's weddin next week, a WTB gig on Thursday, n practicin w. some new folks.
So ah quit. Doesn't feel good, but ah ken also live w. myself fer daein as much. Ahm still gaein ta gae as many times as ah ken - which will be 25 classes in 28, a numbah ahm pretty happy with. N if latah on down tha line ahm still really dissappointed w. myself, ahll try it again. Which ah wish ah could say about tha cello....
So this morning I did something really weird (for me): Ah woke up early fer yoga! Yes, ah forced myself outta bed at 7:30 am so ah could gae git hawt n sweaty.
This means of kerse, that ahm on pretty good track ta hit my goal - altho in ordah ta git credit at tha studio, ah need ta dae 30 classes in 28 days. This mornin was #15 - halfway thar. Ah don't know if its gawna git easier er hardah from here on out, altho my schedule is gittin busier n busier. BUT, ahm also committed ta daein this cuz ah said ah would - doesn't sound like me at all does it?
Ta recap: 1st class = awesome! Next 3 classes = sucktastic! Next 5 classes = awesome! Next 4 classes = less then awesome! Yesterday = pretty good Today = damn ahm sore!
Don't know what it is, but February has me writin a lawt of blog entries thus far. Don't git used ta it necessarily...
Yoga - Day 5 was AWESOME. Strongest class probably evah - felt like a champ pretty much tha whole time through, breathin was steady n intentional, n went pretty fawkin deep on some poses (rawked triangle too, hell yeah!). Ah think part of this had ta dae w. more then 24 hours between classes in addition ta otha circumstances (this time ah went ta tha noon n then tha 4:30). Howevah, ahm concerned once ah throw my 8 hours of werk back on top (as well as tha bike ride ta n from werk) tomorrow n tha rest of tha week will come back n hurt.
Pillow Fight - Laughing Squid (a blog I read pretty regularly about fun stuff, specially in SF) compiled pretty much anythang werth lookin at regardin tha pillow fight on Sunday -> It's all right here. Also, San Francisco is so weird.
Finally, ahve recently listened ta both this and this via myspace recently n have enjoyed both artist a lawt - hip hop typed stuff w. guest stars. Altho ah realize tha first one has a lame deal gaein on w. Target.
Think ah mentioned this a few posts back, but ahve decided ta see what gaein ta yoga EVERY DAY fer 4 weeks feels like. My studio is daein a 30 day challenge startin tha 15th but ahve started early as ahll be out of town fer a few days in tha middle of March fer Crazy Paul's weddin. Also, ah miscalculated, so startin today will give me at most 28 days. While daein more then one class a day is allowed, ahll prolly be makin up at least one day a week once WTB starts practicin again, so it's doubtful ahll be able ta pick up tha slack. Ah also will nawt beat myself up if ah dont dae all 28 - if ah hit 20 ahll be pretty fricken happy!
Fer tha record, it's suggested that you gae at least 3 x a week in ordah ta really heal yer body, but ahll admit aftah my first couple months ah sorta petered out ta twice, MAYBE three times each week. Howevah, tha wintah break gave me free time so ah tried ta step it up - n ahll be damned, ah felt much healthier when ah started gaein 3-4 as opposed ta 2-3. So we'll give this a shot.
Wish me luck everyone - today was day numbah 1 n my class was pretty awesome actually!
In addition to this, ahve also decided ta completely cut out any weeknite drinkin until tha weddin as well - this is sorta a health thang - but really a money deal.
So ahll gae intae details(ish) (maybe) when its nawt 3 am, but today we dealt w. a pretty a somewhat-expected surprise.
A long, weird day, consisting of more drinks then usual, n said drinks hittin my blood stream earlier then is tha norm. Fer some reason, karma wanted me ta walk tha 3+ miles home (which took way longah then ah thought it would - almost an hour! must've been one of those contemplative walks....)
anyway it was frustrating. ahll sweat it out in bikram tomorrow at noon.
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!
So fer tha past 6 weeks, ahve been daein Bikram Yoga which is hard as hell. Ta continue along on tha hellish metaphor, its also done in heat...100 - 110 degrees farenheit ta be a lil more specific. Tha instructors are like drill sergeants, constantly pushing you hardah, n tha workout is EXACTLY tha same EVERY TIME! 2 breathing exercises (one at tha beginnin, one at tha end), and 24 postures, more er less half standin n half on tha floor. Exact same ordah, exact same length, w. people shoutin commands at you. Ah don't RECOMMEND Bikram, but ah really like it. Must be tha yin to my yang, er ratha tha M to my S. It also reminds me of wrestling in high skool, altho less gross n w. bettah scenery.
Ah have also been gittin acupuncture fer a lil ovah a month ta help w. my right hand/wrist/arm/shouldah injury. Ah fawked my right wrist up a few years ago at a desk job, n its been gittin worse until when ah moved here n decided ah NEEDED ta dae somethin. Ah git acupuncture at tha Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Clinic in downtown Berkeley cuz its VERY CHEAP (as in, if you make an appointment with 24 hours er less, n have a referral from one of tha interns, it is only TEN DOLLERS!)
Both of these thangs are helpin my wrist and arm n shoulder feel much much bettah thank you, but today ah learned that while Acupuncutre AFTAH Bikram is AWESOME, but Acupuncutre BEFORE Bikram is AWFUL!
Somethin about stirrin up all that chi was just NAWT good fer me today. Ah had my worst class EVAH, eventually leaving 3 postures early because it was becoming tortuous (n nawt in tha good way). Ahve nevah left early before, but ah just couldnt relax.
This is especially unfortunate b/c my cheapie 1st-month trial will be ovah on Friday. Howevah, ah have made some pretty good improvement since beginning: 1)My first class, ah could nawt dae camel pose, n now ah ken 2)Ah am able ta lean back VERY FAR now 3)Ah ken ALMOST git intae "toe stand" (gittin out is anutha thang altogetha) 4)ah unnerstand how triangle is supposed ta werk, even if ah cant' dae it rite n today 5)ah was able ta lock my elevated knee (briefly)in Standing Head to Toe
Ah also dae bikram w.o a shirt (cuz its fawkin hawt in thar) n it always amuses me ta be called "Dragon Tattoo."
How much will it cost to pay my ticket for running a stop-sign?
Background:
December 1st, 2007 - Ah promise to spend at least 4 months regularly updatin this blog w. whatevah my heart desires. If you (n currently this is more like "you" cuz as far as ah ken tell, no one actively reads my blog) have anythang YER heart desires ta read about, lemme know. If aftah 4 months, ah still feel positively about keepin a blog, ahll prolly keep with it. Howevah, if 4 months passes n ahm nawt enjoyin tha fruits of my labor, feel like no one reads my thoughts, n am just generally disheartened by tha whole process, ahll likely stop.
Tha best way fer me ta feel like this isn't a complete waste of time on my part is ta receive positive feedback. N if you leave me some love, ahll prolly return tha favor. If you don't feel like givin feedback, ahd appreciate it it at least if you let me KNOW ahm nawt typin fer myself n tha strangers out thar. N if you send me any anonymous comments, ah hope you'll give me a chance to figure out who tha hell you are, cuz strangers readin about lawts of my personal life ken kinda weird me out.
Electric Bassist with a strange sense of humor, love of weird movies, and appreciation fer screwy spellings n avant-garde-ness in most capacities. Currently werkin a customer service/database desk job fer an environmental organization in downtown SF n rawkin tha hell outta tha electric bass whenevah possible.
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