This city is great for music. I honestly need to stop looking at show line-ups or else i'm going to end up LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER. I randomly got to see a pretty stellar Joy Division cover band one night when I was out (lead singer totally committed to all the mannerisms of Ian Curtis, kind of funny and a bit awkward looking).
Sunday night was a great show at my new favorite spot in the city called Bottom of the Hill. It's a low-key venue equipped with cheap beer and outdoor smoker's garden (not that I smoke, I swear).
Horse Feathers: I highly recommend this band to anyone, and not just because it has the word horse in it OK GABI. It would have been a great show but unfortunately the band had all gotten sick on the road and ended playing about 5 or so songs...total bummer, I wanted to hear so much more. What can I say, I have a major weakness for sweet-voiced, flannel shirt-wearing, bearded men with guitars. The night was still completely worthwhile, I enjoyed some QT with another great musician who came with me due to my intense ravings about the band. He plays the fiddle and is beard-less so his standing in my world is still unknown: )
Next up is a show tomorrow night at the same fabulous venue and the band is Vetiver, a band I got into a while ago in college yet still haven't gotten the chance to see live. Rob gives two thumbs up and he is one picky asshole so its got to be good!
Tomorrow is the first and probably last day off and free for a long time. Going to hang in Dolores park with some good company, including the pup and possibly a bottle of wine, hopefully the fickle SF weather will delight us with some nicer weather, but probably not.
Oh and lastly, my mom says that my blog is becoming "sophomoric" due to my rantings about alcohol consumption and public urination. But as I was looking up how to spell sophomoric (I know i'm ashamed) I happened to glance at the thesaurus and it read "brash, foolish, reckless and naive". Ummm, yup, all of the above sound about right for me and my life right now. I will see what I can do mommadukes but those words ring so true.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
"If I had nine of my fingers missing I wouldn't type any slower." Mitch Hedburg
Let's be honest. Blogs are pretty lame. Who honestly gives a rat's ass what some bum said to me on the street or what inner epiphany I happen to be experiencing or what band i'm totes stoked about seeing. Should I keep spouting nonsense now that my whole reason for writing this silly thing is over (eh hmmm road trip? I think it ended awhile ago right?) As a friend of mine just asked, "are you worried about the readership?" Errr by readership, I think he means my dear family and closest friends who are somewhat obligated to pay attention due to my absence from their lives (I still can't even get my sister to read it). Well...the only other option is to stop writing so I guess I will keep chugging along until someone calls me out for being vainglorious or self indulgent, and in that case I will probably just agree and then blog about them and their shitty attitude : )
Coincidences. The next time I have to fill out one of those gay questionnaires about likes and dislikes I am definitely going to file coincidences under likes. They are awesome.
I had to drop into my local copy shop today to print some final forms to obtain my CA CMT license and copy my ID. The store was totally empty except for the owner (an adorable Indian woman who was nervously looking over my shoulder as I searched the internet...I guess no quick porn peeks for me in this joint) and another mid twenties looking girl who resembled me (or me her, I dunno). As I was cashing out with the nervous shop owner, she accidentally handed me the other girls form. The form read "Smith College Social Work Program Loan Application". That's weird, my mother was in the exact same program and used to drag me to classes with her constantly when I was just a whipper snapper. I handed the girl her form and struck up a convo about Smith and why she was in the Bay area. She said she was just home for a break and was trying to get loans to start summer school there (Northampton, MA that is and for those of you who don't know, Smith is a relatively small, all female college in a small liberal town). She was equally as surprised at the little connection and we had a little chat about New England and the mission, she lives on my block)...then out of nowhere the little owner lady chimes in saying "My daughter went to college at Smith in 2002, I never heard of it before she went." We both immediately replied with a somewhat surprised look and agreed that it was pretty rad how three women in California all had a significant connection to one tiny school on the "other" coast. The nervous owner soon turned into a mother figure of sorts and offered us fruit, life lessons and warnings about San Francisco men. After about 20 minutes of chatting and learning about one another, the other girl and I exited the small store and each gave the shop owner a hug...i'm not sure exactly why, but it just felt right.
So far, it's these moments that have put a smile on my face the most on rainy, cold days like today. Month 1 is almost up and i'm still floatin on a cloud.
Coincidences. The next time I have to fill out one of those gay questionnaires about likes and dislikes I am definitely going to file coincidences under likes. They are awesome.
I had to drop into my local copy shop today to print some final forms to obtain my CA CMT license and copy my ID. The store was totally empty except for the owner (an adorable Indian woman who was nervously looking over my shoulder as I searched the internet...I guess no quick porn peeks for me in this joint) and another mid twenties looking girl who resembled me (or me her, I dunno). As I was cashing out with the nervous shop owner, she accidentally handed me the other girls form. The form read "Smith College Social Work Program Loan Application". That's weird, my mother was in the exact same program and used to drag me to classes with her constantly when I was just a whipper snapper. I handed the girl her form and struck up a convo about Smith and why she was in the Bay area. She said she was just home for a break and was trying to get loans to start summer school there (Northampton, MA that is and for those of you who don't know, Smith is a relatively small, all female college in a small liberal town). She was equally as surprised at the little connection and we had a little chat about New England and the mission, she lives on my block)...then out of nowhere the little owner lady chimes in saying "My daughter went to college at Smith in 2002, I never heard of it before she went." We both immediately replied with a somewhat surprised look and agreed that it was pretty rad how three women in California all had a significant connection to one tiny school on the "other" coast. The nervous owner soon turned into a mother figure of sorts and offered us fruit, life lessons and warnings about San Francisco men. After about 20 minutes of chatting and learning about one another, the other girl and I exited the small store and each gave the shop owner a hug...i'm not sure exactly why, but it just felt right.
So far, it's these moments that have put a smile on my face the most on rainy, cold days like today. Month 1 is almost up and i'm still floatin on a cloud.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Officially Square
That's right, no more hunting, no more ramblin...it's on. I was offered the job I wanted (weird right) and I tried my best to accept it without sounding like I would body tackle her with excitement. I got the news Monday afternoon after an incredible weekend and an even better Monday morning. I am now working with an editorial team (goal numero uno) and a therapeutic massage spa (goal numero dos-o), so now all I need is about 5 more jobs to supplement my income to survive in this swanky metropolis and I will be gravy.
But for now I am wayyy too busy trying to find my next ghetto apartment for me and the D.O.G to live in so peace in the middle east for now. I should actually start saying peace in Thailand, my stepmom's franchises were just burnt to the ground yesterday due to political unrest : (
Peace in Bangkok : )
But for now I am wayyy too busy trying to find my next ghetto apartment for me and the D.O.G to live in so peace in the middle east for now. I should actually start saying peace in Thailand, my stepmom's franchises were just burnt to the ground yesterday due to political unrest : (
Peace in Bangkok : )
"Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness" (Ginsberg)
Madness indeed. As I embark on my very first "festival season" (as the locals call it) I can now say that I survived two of the many to come. Oyster Fest was on Saturday and was mediocre at best. With a $30 ticket for admission I was expecting some amazing freebies coming my way, no dice. The line to get the oysters gave me bad flashbacks to my days of waiting in the GA unemployment office with no end in sight (I never ended up actually getting them), there was a line to get beer "tokens" which you then bought and proceeded to wait in another line for the actual beer...dumb.
Bay to Breakers is the Big Poppa of them all and man, they were right. I have been to many a festival in my ripe old age of 25, but this day definitely takes the cake on a few different levels. Let me break it down:
1. Public nudity (surprise surprise most of the nude people were dudes and old and totally shouldn't be naked, but for some strange reason that's the way that always works out)
2. Creativity (so many amazing costumes to choose from, top 2 are double dare from Nickelodeon including "slime" colored beer and the never-nudes (a somewhat obscure reference to David Cross's character on the tv show Arrested Development).
I pranced around all day with a particularly lame pairing of costume closet throwaways and my own personal leg warmers. I was upset with myself for a brief moment for being completely unoriginal and not funny but I was soon drunk and forgot why I was even there in the first place. As you walk through the city streets, people stand on the side walk and gawk at all the freaky looking people and take tons of pictures. The bathroom issue is a tough one for the ladies because popping a squat in a alley with 100 other people hardly goes over as well as just turning your back to the crowd (damn men have it so easy). But with that said, I am glad because I asked this nice older looking gentleman standing outside a beautiful victorian if I could use their bathroom, half expecting to be spit on, he kindly let me in where I was greeted with the most amazing place I have seen in the city so far (and there was cheese and wine to boot whatttt). As I sat my cold, drunk butt down on their gold plated toilet (no joke) I started laughing to myself at what my life had brought me thus far. What a weird, mad year this has been!
Bay to Breakers is the Big Poppa of them all and man, they were right. I have been to many a festival in my ripe old age of 25, but this day definitely takes the cake on a few different levels. Let me break it down:
1. Public nudity (surprise surprise most of the nude people were dudes and old and totally shouldn't be naked, but for some strange reason that's the way that always works out)
2. Creativity (so many amazing costumes to choose from, top 2 are double dare from Nickelodeon including "slime" colored beer and the never-nudes (a somewhat obscure reference to David Cross's character on the tv show Arrested Development).
I pranced around all day with a particularly lame pairing of costume closet throwaways and my own personal leg warmers. I was upset with myself for a brief moment for being completely unoriginal and not funny but I was soon drunk and forgot why I was even there in the first place. As you walk through the city streets, people stand on the side walk and gawk at all the freaky looking people and take tons of pictures. The bathroom issue is a tough one for the ladies because popping a squat in a alley with 100 other people hardly goes over as well as just turning your back to the crowd (damn men have it so easy). But with that said, I am glad because I asked this nice older looking gentleman standing outside a beautiful victorian if I could use their bathroom, half expecting to be spit on, he kindly let me in where I was greeted with the most amazing place I have seen in the city so far (and there was cheese and wine to boot whatttt). As I sat my cold, drunk butt down on their gold plated toilet (no joke) I started laughing to myself at what my life had brought me thus far. What a weird, mad year this has been!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
"I'm running out of everything now. Out of veins, out of money" (Burroughs)
Life is funny. I used to always joke around and say that if anyone ever stole my identity I would feel bad for THEM. Normally, my bank account is dismal to say the least and my assets, well, I don't even know what that means. But as my own identity is constantly evolving and adapting to it's new surroundings, someone must have caught on and wanted to come along for the ride. Apparently someone in Nashville, TN that is and boy were they hungry! Two grand later and about 10,000 calories, I finally got hip to the fact that someone had stolen my identity and went to town. For the first time in a very long time, I had money to burn and that's exactly what the Nashville bandit did. He also dropped 300 at a Finish Line, so at least he got some fresh kicks to start off the summer in style.
My bank has been pretty understanding with the obviously obese and stylish human who has currently hijacked the numbers on my plastic. The money will be back in my account tomorrow and I already have a new card, kudos to the scam artist who pulled it off (my guess is it was that sketchy gas station in Texas where the bathroom had no lock, their only souvenir was a gun holster and ella refused to get out of the car). In regards to my own identity, it is fully intact and feels good.
My bank has been pretty understanding with the obviously obese and stylish human who has currently hijacked the numbers on my plastic. The money will be back in my account tomorrow and I already have a new card, kudos to the scam artist who pulled it off (my guess is it was that sketchy gas station in Texas where the bathroom had no lock, their only souvenir was a gun holster and ella refused to get out of the car). In regards to my own identity, it is fully intact and feels good.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
"I want your lingual spontineity or nothing else!" (Kerouac)
This is it. My last day as an unemployed bum, rolling like the desert tumble weeds of Texas, aimlessly driving then walking through city streets hoping to find a target. My life and my journey no longer consists of being a student or being in transition. I am here and life has begun. Phew.
Even with all the fun I have been having in my first few weeks in a new city, I am pleasantly surprised how productive I have managed to stay. Who knew I could function so well on less sleep and more booze. (no worries parents, I will take better care of my liver in the coming weeks). I had an interview today with a cool company, and I think it went well. I didn't break out in hives, or get that big lump in my throat or fart so those are all good signs that I didn't totally blow it. I did have the overwhelming feeling that someone was taking a hammer to my frontal lobe (damn Ketel One party) but other than that I managed to put my best front on of professional, aspiring editorial assistant. I even wore my black rimmed glasses to really drive it home (left the pencil out of my hair though). Fingers crossed.
Spa job starts tomorrow which will consist of me following my fabulous gay boss around and me trying to find out if I get any free perks as an employee (tanning maybe? I hear all that nonsense about skin cancer is all a liberal conspiracy just like global warming). In the meantime, I have been obsessively listening and finding new music due to my lack of cable television and inability to move (so soar from walking). I am going to have one heck of a walk soundtrack to my morning stroll to WORK.
Even with all the fun I have been having in my first few weeks in a new city, I am pleasantly surprised how productive I have managed to stay. Who knew I could function so well on less sleep and more booze. (no worries parents, I will take better care of my liver in the coming weeks). I had an interview today with a cool company, and I think it went well. I didn't break out in hives, or get that big lump in my throat or fart so those are all good signs that I didn't totally blow it. I did have the overwhelming feeling that someone was taking a hammer to my frontal lobe (damn Ketel One party) but other than that I managed to put my best front on of professional, aspiring editorial assistant. I even wore my black rimmed glasses to really drive it home (left the pencil out of my hair though). Fingers crossed.
Spa job starts tomorrow which will consist of me following my fabulous gay boss around and me trying to find out if I get any free perks as an employee (tanning maybe? I hear all that nonsense about skin cancer is all a liberal conspiracy just like global warming). In the meantime, I have been obsessively listening and finding new music due to my lack of cable television and inability to move (so soar from walking). I am going to have one heck of a walk soundtrack to my morning stroll to WORK.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Quick note
I added a few more tracks to my playlist including a great song by The Dodos which they played at the show. I also have my first visitor on the West Coast about to arrive. Woot woot! Deanna travels a lot for work and just happens to be in the bay area for the next two days so I get to have a little slice of ATL with me for a few. Ridiculous stories and happenings to ensue I am sure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
