Reverend Billy For Mayor!




Today I was at the Whole Earth Bakery buying some cheap-ass vegan delicacies when the wonderful Reverend Billy came by with a small camera crew..He was out and about in the neighborhood visiting local shops, campaigning for the upcoming mayoral race..Yes, Rev Billy is running for mayor. I do love him so, and was honored when he asked if he could film me while I stood behind a small podium and spoke about why I wanted him for mayor..I kind of suck on camera because I always laugh for some reason, but it was fun and I even got to sing a part of a song for them which may be on youtube or something..It was The Rev Billy version of New York, New York..


I felt bad because I had been on my way to visit Biker Billy who is in a nursing home in the west village with a fractured hip...I guess I sold him out for Reverend Billy and my fame-whore side..but I'll make it up to him by bringing him some biker magazines tomorrow and a chicken sandwich. Biker Bill, that is..not Reverend Billy. Reverend Billy probably wouldn't want a chicken sandwich anyway...


Anyway, on a happier note..as I was walking home some drunk guy asked me to go for a drink with him! I told him I have gaping sores on my vagina but they probably weren't that contagious. He seemed sad for a minute and then said, "So the answer is no?" Awww....

Clayton Patterson Captured




Went to see a screening of the film Captured tonight which is about Clayton Patterson who has been photographing and videotaping all the crazy shit that has gone down in the LES since 1979..He has been arrested many times and beaten by NYPD and became pretty well known after refusing to hand over the videos he took of the Tompkins Square Park riot in '88.
The film was really well done and was kind of depressing too..so much life and vibrancy back then...now its all becoming frozen yogurt places and Starfucks..I'd take a little dangerous living and the insanity that was tent city over 2 banks on every damn corner and a Kmart on Astor Place. Ah well..The funniest part of the night was when Oprah was shown interviewing Clayton and everyone yelled "Oprah!" I guess everyone just really loves Oprah!


I tried to take pics but they came out crappy..I only got the one that kinda shows the crowd that was there(it was packed!) with that guy looking all freaked out for some reason. The photo of Clayton getting arrested was taken by his wife I believe last summer..The cops just love arresting this guy!

Shenanigans.

Well, when you are partying over at C squat there is really just one thing to do and that is take each other's blood pressure! That way we can make sure that everyone is healthy and no one is getting beer poisoning. We used to use the toy Stethoscope..you know-"My first stethoscope" by Fisher Price. That one worked fine, but now we have a real one! You will be happy to know that everyone was healthy as a horse,..Not the kind of horse that breaks its leg so it gets shot and people make glue out of it, but the healthy kind of horse. The one that has good blood pressure. Yeah.


For some reason everyone being in good health really pissed off the dogs that were in the room...as you can see in the bottom photos. Go figure!



Jes and Brett

Adam Dog

Columbo Dog

In other news I saw my favorite fellow ED at Ray's the other night. He was all clean shaven, wearing a new spring jacket and talking about how he needs a wife. A Chinese one, preferably...Then he did what Ed always does and told me about all the rapes and murders he saw on the TV that night. I love him!

Breakfast Rides

Cyclists, store owners, restauranteurs, would-be bloggers, and dogs all love breakfast rides. And they have for some time. For cyclists, the craze seems to have started at least as early as the summer of 1896. Consider this description from The Sportsman's Magazine from October 1896:


"It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that the latest fad to be introduced by this class of riders, is the "bicycle breakfast," which has become exceedingly popular of late. These have been indulged in to the greatest extent at the numerous watering places and Summer resorts... The meet is usually arranged to take place early on Saturday morning, thus allowing the gentlemen of the party who have run down ... to spend Saturday and Sunday, to participate. The time for the meeting is usually from seven to eight o'clock. Before starting, the riders partake of coffee or chocolate, and perhaps a sandwich, after which they start off for a two hours' spin, and return to find a dainty but substantial breakfast awaiting them. Whether it is the ride itself, the pleasure of companionship, the breakfast, or all three combined, certain it is that bicycle breakfasts have, during the past Summer, become an exceedingly popular institution at nearly all of the eastern Summer resorts."

A number of our club members have suggested that we consider establishing a regular "breakfast ride" where we can get together, ride, and yes - eat. As a number of us have joined the ranks of the formerly-employed and many of the rest of us are coasting in that direction, it would seem to be a good idea to bring up right about now.

As it happens, I have Monday and Friday mornings free during the week, at least for the foreseeable future. What are good days for the rest of you? What ride locations would be convenient? More importantly, what breakfast haunts would be the most enticing? Where can we find breakfast - "dainty but substantial" - worth riding to? Give me your suggestions, either in the comments below or at hjmerrick@gmail.com, and I'll work on the replies. So "whether it is the ride itself, the pleasure of companionship, the breakfast, or all three combined," let me know, and I'll see what can be arranged.

Remember: Life is Short - Breakfast is Waiting.

Almost locked in Tompkins Bathroom with cutest roach ever!





Whilst making a tinkle in the Tompkins Square Park bathroom the other night, I suddenly heard the sound of the door being shut and keys being jangled..I realized they were about to lock the door and I yelled, "Halt and desist!!!" They hadn't realized anyone was in there I guess...but would it really have been so bad if I had been locked in? I had food with me, water, and a plethora of toilets in which to make doody and peepee in. There weren't even any drunks or junkies camped out in the last stall! And best of all, there was the cutest lil roach on there named Shlomo! I named him Shlomo because he looked a little jewish to me. Isn't he adorable?? He has a kind, gentle face and you can tell he likes long walks on the beach and the amusing house wine at his local eatery. Oh the fun we could have had! We would have talked into the wee hours of the morning and confided our deepest secrets to one another...We might have even had a late night pillow fight had there been pillows laying about!


Then when they finally opened the bathroom doors at 7:00 a.m. to find me laying on the floor half mad with roaches and maggots feasting on my innards, the city would have had a big fat fucking lawsuit on their hands!!! JUST KIDDING!!! You know how I love to kid!


Anyhoo, on my way home later that evening I saw some police officers helping out two women who were from out of town. They had their car broken into and seemed pretty upset..Maybe they should have made a similar sign to the one I saw in the car featured in the bottom photo.

I saw Chris Martin. Yes, you heard right.

I've never been particularly star-strucked before.

I lived in Indonesia for around 17 years of my life, for goodness sake. The only famous faces I've encountered in real life were probably just some dangdut singers or local soap opera's actors. Needless to say, it wasn't very exciting.

“That's Bertrand? Oh.” was my only reaction upon seeing this particular local teenage heartrob. So-called heartrob. I've yet to see the appeal of this metrosexual, ex F-4 wannabe. But that's just me. Apparently girls go crazy after him.

During my almost 4-years stay in Singapore, well, I saw VJ Denise, Utt, and Colby, and probably some other recognizable persons, but still, it was nothing to flip about, see.

“Did you see anyone famous in US?” was another thing some friends asked me after I got back. I mean, it's just natural. I went to Hollywood! Disneyland on Christmas Day! Vegas on New Year's Eve! If it wasn't the perfect time for some celebrities-sighting, I don't know when is.

I was hoping, maybe a little bit of Seacrest? Just, whoever so I could boast.

Granted, on New Year's eve, celebrities were coming out to host countdown parties everywhere. In PURE, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wenz were scheduled to come. [I was standing in front of the red carpet there! I could have been just like, five minutes away from their grand entrance.] There was the Kardashian sisters too somewhere in another club. Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and man, I wouldn't even mind seeing Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, even if I risk appearing very bimbotic.

But nope. Nada.

And it's okay. I've come to terms with that. I've eventually accepted that I'm simply not cool enough to spot a famous face. I've long given up that dream.

So last Sunday as I was walking towards the sunset through the beach, I wasn't at all prepared to......................

See Chris Martin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes!! Chris Martin of Coldplay! Yes!! Chris Martin, the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow! Yes!! THAT super-famous-Grammy-award-winner-super-rich-Chris Martin!!!

Let me insert his picture here, for you who doesn't know who Chris Martin is! Dammit, people, where have you been living? A cave?! Hint for my friend Andrew who was like, "Chris who?"

I stood there, agape, unable to believe my eyes. But there he was, in flesh. Chris Martin was in fucking Sentosa.

I've gained back my faith, people! It's possible that one day I would get to marry John Cusack! It's possible that I would be an Oscar-winning-actress! Everything is possible!

I SAW CHRIS MARTIN! VIVA LA VIDA!

This is my first real celebrity-sighting, so forgive me for being so dorky about it.

Demonic Squirrels PLUS Biggest TV ever thrown away!








I love the black squirrels in Tompkins Square Park. They are completely black-no hint of gray at all. Apparently, in the UK there are MUTANT! black squirrels even! Check it out: Mutants!They are really pretty and cool looking..though my photos reveal the truth. That they are possibly minions of hell bent on destroying everyone and everything you've ever cared about in this world..Well, whatever..they still look pretty cool.

The other photos are of some trash on East 9th st. that I came across. BIGGEST FREAKING TV EVER!!!! I'm five feet tall..so you can see how big the damn thing was. Did they throw it out because they got an even bigger one? Or did they finally come to realize that it was controlling their lives and they would be better off buying a faberge egg that is just as huge but a lot more of a conversation piece?

Down with the Sickness

I'm sick so I've been trying to stay indoors..Well, I had to record friday afternoon which went fine due to mass amounts of cold medicine..Then we played last night which went ok, but I felt delirious the whole night..Couldn't wait to come home and lay down.
Our new cd is coming along..9 songs down that sound pretty good. Dom Flemons and Eli Smith sat in on banjo and harmonica and sounded great.

There is so much good stuff on youtube..I've been watching all night..I don't know if you can upload stuff from youtube on here-I couldn't figure it out dammit. But I found this great weird film called The Secret Adventures Of Tom Thumb on there in all its entirety..6 parts all together. I LOVE this film-it's beyond creepy. And I saw Little Otik is on there too..that's another strange one. And this bizarro banned cartoon that someone posted..
CreepyShit

Piggy Bank - 2008

Piggy Bank - 2006

Springdale Chamber of Commerce's bank and American Express statements from 2006

Piggy Bank - 2007

Teen angst.





The other day I stopped by the Tompkins Library to see a panel of young adult authors read old stuff they wrote when they were in junior high and/or high school. I love young adult fiction-though I'm in my 30's I read the stuff all the time. Partly because I am trying to write my own YA novel, and partly because I just like it. The reason I stopped by was because Scott Westerfeld was speaking..I love his "Uglies" trilogy..and so do many others judging by the amount of folks who showed up to hear him, both young and old. The panel was really funny..their old writings were so painfully bad. They could barely get through them because the whole room was in hysterics...Scott won the crown and the title "King of Suck" because his writing was voted the worst..They were all pretty damn bad..and now they represent the most popular authors in YA fiction. The pics I took are pretty lame..they all have demonic eyes and look annoyed I was snapping pics..Such is the price of fame!



Well, if my YA novel never gets written or doesn't sell I can always try to write some Dr. Seuss in yiddish I guess...

Think Spring!


Ray and Jane are spending the late Winter cycling in the Sunshine State, and they have sent us some dispatches to let us know that Spring is on the way:

"I'm writing this from Englewood, Florida, near Venice (south of Tampa). We arrived here just before the big storm last Monday (March 2).

"We have our bikes and joined a bike club down here (Coastal Cruisers). I took my first ride with them yesterday morning (March 3). It was cold - in the 40s - so only about 3 dozen showed-up, half the normal number. They break the group down into sub-groups depending on speed. I found this out when I went off with the first group, which was doing 20+ mph, which is fast, even on the flat with a little tailwind.

"Lots of retired folks - it's Florida - and very friendly. They have 3 standard rides each week. There are various bike paths and bike lanes in the Venice-Englewood-Northport area. But yesterday most of our ride was in a large sub-development, adjacent to a 5-mile long pike path, which had very few houses. Most of the roads in the development were vacant, so they acted like big bike paths as our group zoomed around them. They mark routes with colored circles and a line indicating a turn. Nonetheless, I managed to get a little lost when I left the fast group and headed back toward the trailhead using just the sun as my directional guide. No hills but the winds can be strong.

"We hope the weather warms in Maine by April, because we'll be used to 70-85 degrees by the end of March, when we start our return drive. The weather has been, and is forecast to be, like a perfect summer day in Maine: 75-80, with RH around 50%. The air feels so wonderful after the dry Winter air of home.

"We took another ride with the Coastal Cruisers Bicycle Club today (March 10) - my 4th since last Tuesday. This one, like some of the others, was a breakfast ride: bike somewhere to eat, then continue biking. We must have had a total of 50 people, who did the 28-35 miles split in 3 groups, depending on pace. Some others, including one 78-year-old in the same condo complex we're in, biked from where they live and did a total of 60 miles. We went to the monthly meeting of the club last night and they had 90 people there, out of a membership of about 325. Almost all are retired and most are snow birds. Very friendly group - an instant community for us.

"The area has a lot of bike lanes and many roads in subdivisions that didn't get completed: long avenues with many side streets, yet very few houses. Essentially no cars in some areas. One area, called Rotunda West, is circular - about 44 miles of radial and circumferential roads. I wouldn't want to be in there on a cloudy day without a map and compass!

"I'm including a couple of photos, although I haven't taken many while cycling - too hard to stop.

"See you in April." - Ray and Jane

Behavior

Here's one interesting thing that I discovered recently.

A girl tends to behave unlike herself, in the company of someone she fancies. One-hundred-and-eighty-degrees-difference, in fact. She would eat a lot less, she would laugh a lot softer, she would not talk as much. A girl has to be in her best behavior, especially on the first date, right? No reason to scare the guy away too fast. Give him at least three or four dates, and then, he would find out that she eats like she hasn't eaten for a week, that she laughs like a donkey, and that she can't shut up to save her life. Hopefully by this point, the guy has liked the girl enough to tolerate and even appreciate her sudden change of antics with affection.

At least this is what I found out from my girlfriends.

[They don't laugh like donkeys, and all those things. I'm just putting it into the extreme.]

“You won't believe how she's like in front of this guy,” a male friend told me one time. Apparently he tagged along in one of her date, and he found her dating behavior to be quite amusing. “She didn't even touch her food,” he said, in between laughter.

It's really cute. And the guy must be damn special for her not to eat, that's all I gotta say.

But unfortunately, for some reason it works differently with me. A sign when I really like someone, is when I'm being truly myself in his company. I like someone when I eat like I can eat a whole cow alive, when I laugh like a donkey, and when I can't shut up.

On my first date with this guy one time, the first thing I said after we finished our dinner was, 'I'm still hungry, what's for round two?' He looked at me as if I was insane.

I have different disposition when it comes to dating than my girlfriends. When I do all these things, it goes to show that I'm making effort to keep things light and fun. And I keep yammering on and on, because I find him interesting. I'd like to see his reaction and opinions on the things I said because in my twisted mind, I'd like to get to know him better.

Weird logic? I don't know. I think they're great enough as they are, and they shouldn't even attempt to behave any differently, because if they're really trying to impress, then they should just be themselves.

Which guy would like a girl who doesn't eat anyway, right? Just a penny of my thought.

A Video from Biker Bill to Biker Billy the chef.








Tonight Biker Bill was in a mood..and that mood was pissed off! That pansy assed chef Biker Billy is out there in the world receiving all the accolades and respect that come when your name is Biker Billy..yet he is a total tool. One might even call him an ass clown..So here is a little video I took of Biker Bill sending a message out to Biker Billy the chef. And if you've guessed that Biker Bill is not fond of Biker Billy, then you guessed right!

Myspace Versus Facebook






I will admit that I am addicted to Myspace..Oh, the fun I had! Uploading photos, sending out bulletins, posting obscene horrifying photos on my friends pages(until photobucket deleted them all)..It's a dumb site but it is fun..There are so many hilarious fake profiles on there..There are pages for God, Satan, a toilet bowl, a dildo, serial killers..just about anyone you can think of. My friend made a page called A Photograpic Study of Myspace where he steals all the really disturbing, crazy photos that weirdos have up and collects them onto one page. Myspace even has a founder that everyone loves to hate..Tom Anderson, or as I call him Fake Tom. The real Tom isn't on there anymore(if he ever was), but the corporation that bought myspace acts like he is..He is in charge of the place and people love to make fun of him as you can see in these pics I posted.



Now everyone is in love with Facebook. Facebook is where all your old childhood friends are..People post links and stuff but it just doesn't have that psychotic edge that myspace does. People there just constantly update what they are going to eat at every meal and that they have a headache. I miss myspace..Myspace needs to entice people back to their site..Offer everyone free candy or something. I post weird stuff on facebook and everyone seems confused and uncomfortable. I have the urge to update what my bowel movements look like every day-complete with photos-but I have a feeling if I did that everyone would delete me. I never thought I would write a blog complaining about how no one goes on myspace anymore..but there it is.

Bad Weather

Images courtesy of Anderson.

I loved these. Thought I'd share one or two here.

Isn't that just so intense?

Singapore has officially entered the rainy season, and it rains almost everyday nowadays. Sometimes it's even more like a storm than a rain. But the picture, man!

The cloud looked like it's gonna eat the whole city.

Brace yourself. It's gonna be a wet, windy and bumpy month.

Happy Birthday, Charles E. Pratt!


It was on this day in history, March 13th, in the year 1845, that there was born in Vassalboro, Maine one of the most influential cyclists in American history - and one that you and Wikipedia have probably never heard of.

Charles Eadward Pratt was born 164 years ago in Vassalboro on the banks of the Kennebec River to a prominent Quaker family. He grew up in Roxbury, Mass. (now part of Boston) and graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania in 1870. He was small in stature, rather frail and sickly, and given to bookish pursuits. He was a member of a number of literary clubs with names like the Papyrus Club, the Odd Volumes Club and the Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains of Paris (did I mention he was fluent in French?). He studied law and entered into legal practice, focusing on patent law.

There matters may have stood, except that in the 1870s young Charles discovered bicycling. He took to the wheel with unbridled enthusiasm, his health and spirits soared, and he was soon doing century runs on his high wheeler. Drawing on his literary talents, he published in 1879 the first cycling guidebook in America: The American Bicycler: a manual for the observer, the learner and the expert. He followed that up in 1884 with one of the first full-length cycling "FAQs": What and Why. He became the editor of The Bicycling World and used his position in 1880 to call for a national gathering of "bicyclers" to form a national organization of cyclists, and later that year in Newport, R.I. the League of American Wheelmen was formed. The L.A.W. members elected Pratt their first president and he served two terms from 1880-1882.

His cycling guidebook (chock-full of good information surprisingly still relevant 130 years later) brought him to the attention of the editors of Scribner's Monthly Magazine who approached him with the idea of doing a major article on the radical new sport. Pratt did them one better - organizing a special two-day "invitational" ride for all the bike clubs in the Boston area, called the "Wheel Around the Hub." Pratt's colorful article on the event, illustrated with some outstanding photographs, did more to popularize the new sport of bicycling than any other single publication. It was on the ride that Pratt came to the attention of Col. Albert A. Pope of Columbia Bicycles. The rather portly Pope (Pratt playfully nicknamed him "Colonel Bounce") was an aggressive businessman who often needed an army of patent lawyers, and he soon hired Pratt to head up his legal staff. The two men would leave their mark on the cycling industry that is still felt today.

In addition to cycling sport and manufacture, Pratt was also a tireless advocate of cyclists' rights, leading the L.A.W.'s early legal battles for bicycle access to roads, parks, and trains, and promoting the League's efforts for Good Roads. Pratt's most enduring legacy comes from his behind-the-scenes work in promulgating the "golden rule" of bicycle advocacy: that bicycles are vehicles and that their drivers have the same rights and responsibilities as the drivers of other vehicles.

It happened like this: in the 1870s concerned citizens in many U.S. towns and cities began to agitate for regulating the new menace on their streets - cyclists. Boston was no different, except for a young City Councillor named Charles E. Pratt. When the first motion came up to refer the matter of regulating bicycles in Boston to the hostile Committee on Public Safety, Pratt employed some deft parliamentary maneuvering to shift the proposal instead to the Office of the Police Commissioner. In so doing, he only had to persuade a single person to his views, not an entire committee. Pratt then went to work on the Police Commissioner, no doubt cornering him in one of the legendary "smoke-filled back rooms" of the social clubs of the day. Pratt convinced the Commissioner that he didn't have to add any new laws to the books regarding the use of bicycles, since bicycles were vehicles and thus the existing laws regarding vehicles would apply. The Commissioner's ruling established a solid legal precedent for the first time in the U.S.

So there you have it. The next time you hear the expression "Cars, Bikes - Equal Rights" remember that you owe it all to the young man from Vassalboro, Maine. Happy Birthday, Charles E. Pratt!

Someone violated my terms of service..

At least that's how my head feels today after numerous glasses of white wine last night. I am so glad we played at jalopy..What a great night of music..We had fun playing, and Dom, Blind Boy, Eli and Elizabeth Butters were sounding amazing..It really felt like a special night. I guess that's why I got wasted and giggled like a moron for hours..Then I got home and apparently sent all these drunk emails out to authors that I like on myspace telling them how much they mean to me..I guess it was appreciated judging by the nice emails I got back from them today thanking me..It made me really confused for a few minutes until I checked my sent mail! Whee! My head is aching! White wine=delicious=pain. I must keep that in mind.

Well, at least I didn't put anything like LOL! in those emails or ROTFL or whatever the hell all those cute terms are that people have for abbreviating their messages and emails..I actually have some of my own that I use frequently. Like SYTYDW stands for Shut Your Trap You Dirty Whore. And IWFYSTMCMC, is obviously short for I Will Feed Your Spleen To My Crazy Mexican Cat. And how can I leave out YTYACSCBITYAAHC. Yes, that's right..it's You Think You Are Crazy Sexy Cool But I Think You Are A Huge Cockwad. I do use these cute little fun phrases often! I also often get these weird, confused emails back from friends telling me I need "help" and that I'm "really screwed up." But life is strange!



So here's a nice pic that my friend Steven Aloyisis took of us playing yesterday. And a pic of a solution to drunk emailing.






Bits of Vegas

Vegas is somethin' else. It's a city full of energy, of excitement, of contagious wildness. It was intoxicating just being there, in the midst of crowds on the evening of December 31st.

We weren't ready to leave San Diego yet at that point, so we were pretty sullen in the bus to Vegas. It wasn't a short ride, either, and the bus was full that we had to sit separately. I had a black kid sitting beside me at the first half of the drive, and the next half to this gigantic, talkative elder man who wouldn't shut up. He just wouldn't. I was still slightly hungover (excessive drinking!), so I spent almost the whole ride sleeping. We stopped at this small town called Barstow, which consists of nothing more than open land and short-buildings and a transit centre where we grabbed a bite. I was this close to fainting, and seeing the faces of the girls, I was sure they weren't far behind me either. By the time we reached Vegas, it must have been at least 8 pm at night. I was disoriented, tired, and feeling sick to my stomach, literally.

The first thing that greeted us when we alighted at this sin city wasn't the dirty smell of cigar, or the sexy sight of roullete tables, but a full-packed bus station. Black people were everywhere, their asses at the big risk of dropping down due to their low-waist pants they were wearing. What is it with this desire to show off piece of cheap underwears? Oh, I can make a whole new entry on this subject itself, I need to stop myself now.

Our hotel was out in the boulder area, it was a typical casino-hotel. The casino was always full with middle-aged people playing slots machines. Bonnie called it a 'retirement hotel'. We were the hottest people there, yeah, because we were the only ones under sixty!

We spent the next four days exploring the Strip. With the new year looming in, Vegas was at its most crowded state.

The three of us didn't love Vegas as much as we thought we would. Looking at the pictures now though, I thought, "What didn't you like it?" and I came up empty. I didn't know why we weren't loving it as much as we were San Diego or San Francisco!

It could be the fact that we couldn't watch any shows because everything was sold out, and it could be because we weren't swimming with money that we couldn't simpy spend a hundred bucks to get inside a club for new year's eve countdown. It could be because our hotel was far away from the Strip that it took us 2 bus rides and at least forty five minutes to go back and forth between the two. It could be because walking around in the Strip with heels was tiring and waiting for cab for two hours at 3 am on a cold, chilly night wasn't much fun either.

But I guess that's just the circumstances. The city itself is crazy beautiful and only there I have seen a beer bottle so big!!!

The street in Vegas, bursting of lights and energy.

A glimpse of Paris.

...and New York too.

More pictures here.

We certainly had eventful time there, that's for sure. Yeah, my two-hundred-dollars phone bills was definitely eventful. Dammit.

Seeing Vegas pictures leaves me feeling the most nostalgic! I wish we could have given the city more credit, I hope we can go back there one day and re-experience it again.

Today kinda sucked.





Well, now I'm sort of drunk so I feel ok, but today was just kinda bad. John and I found out our friend and fellow musician Bob Guida passed away today. Apparently he had a heart attack..Bob was a great person. Beyond talented-he was one of The Otis Brothers and was just an incredible musician. We have played many shows with the Otis Brothers, and he always amazed me with how good he sounded and how laid back he was when he performed with Pat Conte. He would be chomping on gum or a toothpick and just be so relaxed on stage, and somehow project his voice so the whole world could hear it...If you search on youtube for Otis Brothers there's all kinds of footage of Bob playing..all of it just amazing. Bob was always extremely kind to me...making sure to tell me that I sounded good after a gig because I'm always so insecure about playing out..Today the world lost a great big guy who had a great big heart.
RIP Bob...You WILL be missed.

"transition"

Just a quick update! Yes, yes, I haven't been yammering here at all! Not because I'm busy or anything, in fact, it's the complete opposite! I'm so jobless it's not even funny anymore.

When I thought I would have had to start working last week, the night before I was with my friend and I was whining continuously, hoping I could still have a week or two of freedom before adulthood started. Guess what? I got what I wanted, and now I would give anything to be working. Be careful what you wish for, that's all I've gotta say.

Well, nah, in case you're curious, I wasn't fired on my first day! There has simply been a problem regarding my work permit, suffice to say I decided that the job wasn't worth it. So I'm back to square one, unemployed and broke. And it's not a good position to be in, especially when everyday you keep spending and spending, sometimes without even knowing what it is you're spending your money on. It's still a mystery to me.

I'm so stressed out and I need to know there will be light at the end of the tunnel! I need to know that I won't have my sexy arse kicked out from Singapore!

I'm just gonna be brainless today, but I'm gonna write something significant for a change later, I promise.

Shayne Speak.




Hmmm..Not too much to write about lately...John and I are playing a short set at Jalopy tomorrow with Dom Flemons, Feral Foster, and Blind Boy Paxton so that should be fun..anyway, the free wine I get will be fun for me!
The other day was so nice and spring-like and now it sucks again. I'm trying to figure out if I can sue the weatherman somehow over this. There has to be a way to cash in!



I did hang out with my friend Pezent Shayne who says the wackiest things..Let's see...He stated that Daylight Savings was a gyp and someone should figure out a way where we gain an hour in the winter AND in the spring. He seemed pretty outraged over this. Then while I was speaking to his girlfriend Jes on the phone, he told me to tell her that, "It's okay to almost get arrested." Then he mentioned that fireworks are not good wall insulation.

Whose watching the Watchmen?


I for one thought Watchmen was really well done. Saw it tonight in IMAX which is NEAT-O in case anyone was wondering...I read some of the lousy reviews saying the actors weren't allowed to bring anything to their roles and it was TOO faithful to the comic..It was incredibly faithful for sure..some changes to the ending but nothing that bothered me too much. I LOVED the fact that so much of it looked exactly like the panels of the comic book. I was really blown away that this movie finally got made and that obviously so much time was spent trying to make the comic come alive exactly as it was written. When I read stuff online about Keanu Reeves playing Dr. Manhattan or Tom Cruise maybe cast as Adrian, the nerd in me cringes. I felt thrilled with this film and relieved... I was scared they were going to change it and make it ridiculous..give it a happy sunshiny ending where everyone teleports to Cabo San Lucas and drinks fruity drinks while working on their tans. Apparently Alan Moore wants nothing to due with Hollywood and the film industry, but I would like to believe he is okay with what they did with this. A film should be made about Moore himself I think...he's quite the character.

This is from his Wikipedia page:


......Moore was born in Northampton, England to brewery worker Ernest Moore and printer Sylvia Doreen. He lived in a very poor area, and was expelled from school in 1970 at the age of 17 for dealing LSD,[13] later describing himself as "one of the world's most inept LSD dealers".[14] With his first wife, Phyllis, he had two daughters, Amber and Leah. The couple also had a mutual lover Deborah.[15] In time, Phyllis, Deborah and the two children left Moore. [16] On 12 May 2007, he married Melinda Gebbie, with whom he has worked on several comics.[17] He currently lives in Northampton. He is a vegetarian, an anarchist,[18] a practicing magician and occultist, and he worships a Roman snake-deity named Glycon, which he acknowledges to be a "complete hoax.".....






I mean , how great is this man? I just love him to pieces..


On a separate note I saw Jack Ferver in the subway on the way downtown from the film..He played Jimmy Tickles on the best TV show ever created, "Strangers With Candy." He is also The Little Lad in that weird Starbursts ad (berries and cream, berries and cream, I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream!!!)...
Jack is awesome and has a dance show going on at St. Marks Church in April..I'm going check it out-it's got to be interesting!


Behold, The Little Lad:

All Things Bright and Beautiful (and Cheap)


Last fall I was riding into work along Rt.27 in New Portland when I chanced upon another cyclist and struck up a conversation. "Say," he asked after a time, "where'd you get that shirt?"

I told him truthfully that I'd found it on the side of the road and he laughed - "That's even better!"

The "shirt" - bright neon yellow with broad reflective silver stripes - was a 'can't miss' roadside find - I think I spotted it 50 yards away. It's what's known as a high-visibility shirt ("Hi-Vis" in the trade) complying with ANSI Standard 107-2004 Class 2 Level 2, which, I'd guess, as a standard, ensures that the shirt is naturally garish and gaudy - two things that I can only pretend to be.

My find was up to my standards, and amply cut, too - a size Double XX, which I might "grow into" some day, although I hope not to. As is, I can wear it comfortably over a rain jacket. It even comes with a vest pocket, intended, I think, for a pack of cigarettes. (I'm told that long, long ago, cycling jerseys came with similar vest pockets for similar purposes, but you have to be a real old-timer to have experienced anything that retro.)

For cycling, the shirt really comes in handy during the "dim time" between equinoxes when daylight is short and the sun sits at low angles making roadside things harder to see. It stands to reason that whenever motorists have a hard time seeing moose that one should not dress like a moose. Or, as aptly phrased by the legendary Dick Burns (of the Rochester, NY, Bicycle Club): "It is better to look like a blot on the landscape than to be a blot on the landscape."

I told my envious friend that I had seen similar shirts (in Neon Yellow & Blaze Orange) for less than $20 in Renys - which, as he was from away, I explained are a chain of locally-owned Maine department stores, remarkably still located for the most part in accessible storefronts in downtown business districts - a business model all but extinct elsewhere in the country. I also mentioned seeing the shirts in the anti-Renys - Wal-Mart (he'd heard of them).

While I find the shirt comfortable to wear, eminently practical, impressively visible (and, in my case, you can't beat the price) - still, I confess I've longed for a fancy glow-in-the-dark cycling jacket - a proper jacket - if I could only justify the expense in today's economy.

You can imagine my surprise when I happened to visit Marden's in Waterville a week ago and was stopped in my tracks by rack after rack of high-end illumiNITE cycling and running gear. Marden's (for those reading from afar) is a local chain of surplus and salvage goods, and their slogan: "I should have bought it when I saw it at Marden's" was about as subliminal as the $100 neon yellow jacket with the mark-down tag of $39.99, and the temptation was too much to bear. If you're in need of a new cycling jacket you might want to check your local Marden's outlet.

Still, I intend to keep my Hi-Vis t-shirt for really sloppy weather and grunge commuting. It has crossed my mind that these shirts might make interesting KVBC club t-shirts, too. You think perhaps a Blaze Orange shirt would look avant-garde with HEAVY LOADS LIMITED printed on the back? Ye gads - less than a week into the blog and already he has a "marketing concept?" Oh, the shame of it. Who wants a 'large'?

Virgin gives it up..






I guess the rumors are true and Virgin MegaStore is closing both locations..Times Square AND Union Square...Circuit City is shutting down too..and there is a whisper in the air about Walmart taking over the spot where the MegaWhore once was.
That shiteous Kmart on Astor Place is enough. Now there's going to be a freaking Walmart here? I used to read a lot of horror novels and one of my favorite authors Bentley Little wrote this book called The Store. It was about an evil Walmart type place that took over towns and made horrific events transpire. It caused people to commit rape and murder..anyhoo, that's what will probably happen if they open here.
I did a shit-ton of research too, yes, a shit-ton, and Virgins closing is DIRECTLY related to them not carrying CD's by East River String Band. This may sound hard to believe, but believe me..after hours and hours of googling my own name and updating my status on FACEBOOK, there is just no doubt in my mind about this. I am a professional when it comes to this internets web thingy, after all.

apology

I have an awful feeling that I haven't been a pretty good friend lately. What's worse is that, I think I've been that way to everyone. And for that, I'm really sorry.

I hear people say 'it's not you, it's me' all the time, and I used to mock the clicheness of it all, and it's not even an excuse, but that's how it is with me lately.

I feel like, I'm in this shit hole and I don't even wanna get out, you know? I guess, I'm just struggling with my own things, and while I'm at it, I can't focus on doing something else, something fun with my friends. And each time I'm 'neglecting' them, the worse I feel about myself, but at the same time, I'm unethusiastic about the idea of trying to be all cheerful and excited when my mind is occupied with other things. Trust me, I wish I could just leave all that at home. I'd love to welcome any distraction.

I wonder if this is how all depressed people started out. I mean, they can't just be depressed overnight, can they? It comes in stages, I assume. First, they're constantly worried and feeling meh about everything, and then they just don't go out anymore and they have no more friends, and they end up being miserable and grumpy and lonely and nobody would stand even being in near proximity with them.

Oh, god. Am I on the road to depression?

When people are going crazy, do they know that they are going crazy?

Okay, stop. This isn't helping at all. It's not even as if I have enough life-and-death situation to be depressed about. I'm not severely heartbroken, I'm not chased around by loansharks, or gangsters. In fact, I just graduated!

Everyone who hear this always say, "Congratulations! You must be excited!" But the truth is, I'm still waiting for the moment for the excitement to sink in. Any minute now, I hope. Yeah, that was what I thought a week ago.

It's just funny how sometimes your entire life could be filled with just one problem. Do you remember as a teen, all you needed to worry about was to get good grades at school? At the time, it seemed enormous, difficult. Now? It was nothing. Does it mean that it was silly to get stressed over it? Well, no. I keep telling myself that this isn't a big deal, that later ahead I would look back and laugh about it, but it doesn't make me feel much better now, to be honest.

Well, I'm rambling again, as always. The whole point of it all is, just to admit that I've been a terrible, shitty friend lately and I'm disliking it myself. I need to, figure things out first. But even with that said, I should have handled it better, I shouldn't be this way, no doubt about it. So friends, I'm really sorry.

And to one particular friend whom I've been verbally abused all the time since I've been this tense, moody and irritable bitch. I'm sorry for being extremely difficult to hang out with, to not reciprocate when nice things are said, and basically, for not appreciating you enough for being patient. And a good friend.

I'm gonna try to make it better. And one more thing, don't let me be depressed. Please.

Random Crap.






Not much happening lately...I am in denial about the snow and freezing temperatures outside so i've been indoors a lot..Pretty dull, but i try to keep busy by sliding the take-out menus back out into the hallway a second after they slide them under the door. I like hearing the confused silence out in the hallway as they try to decide whether to try again...It's also a lot of fun to try and keep the telemarketers on the phone as long as possible when they call to sell me shit..I keep telling them how lonely I am and then start reading to them from TV Guide.
I did go out today for a bit and took some photos..The first couple are of the wonderful Whole Earth Vegan Bakery on St. Marks by Avenue A. This place has been under threat of eviction for years now, but are somehow hanging in there. Peter, the owner, is awesome and I try to support them as much as possible even if I just buy the day old two dollar specials that they have out daily. They still taste pretty damn good! Whole Earth is Reverend Billy approved...I just love Rev. Billy and am ever so pleased that he is running for mayor! He's totally got my vote, unless of course David Cross decides to run too.
That dirty beer ad is in the window of someone's apartment on 7th St. This window looks like a storefront of a great old junk store..but I think it is just someone's apartment who decided to put a bunch of cool old stuff in their window. There's all kinds of old puppets and vintage toys on display as well...
Half of the shops on East 7th st. seem to be closed now...It's a bad luck block for retail it seems. I hope the Whole Earth Bakery sticks around, unlike the pricey dress shop I saw today which had the sign displayed in the bottom photo.
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