My editing class was intense this past week and my project came together nicely the last 1/2 hour of class. Found some hilarious music to go over the really lame footage they gave us to edit. I know I'm there to learn the basics of this program but I can't help but feel the knowledge might be better enforced if we were allowed to work on projects we felt connected to.
I didn't have my open mic this past week so that gave me some free time to work on some personal projects. I finished a Bio video for P.M. but after posting it realized the audio needs to be re-worked and when that's done I'll make sure to post it up in here. That poor dude, been working like a dog at his new job, so you make sure to give him a big hug when you see him.
My improv class has sort of leveled off. The people who have a natural talent for it seem to be still gaining new skills but a lot of the class has hit this comfort zone. Pushing themselves past that seems to be a difficult task. Now as I think about it, most of us don't really like to push ourselves past those comfort zones, and I'm no exception.
Fooooooooood!!! I love it....mmmm....Tasty delicious food. Can't say I eat the healthiest but I know I'm definitely no where near the worst. However, I've been noticing lately, that most of the "good" girls (good being relative to my search for companionship) are extremely health conscious. Either vegetarian, vegan, or some sort of compassionate diet. So when i went shopping this past week I made some changes, nothing cold turkey, but ya know baby steps. Mind over matter, to be a part of a global solution, and I must say I don't know if I have what it takes. Time tells all and it ticks away so slow in between my meals. HOORAY FOR RICE!!!!
My weekends have been starting on Thursday lately but this means I make it back to the lab by Sunday......instead of Monday night. So I rush home from the gym and begin packing up my place. Joe stops by and we chat as I load up my iPod for the weekend. He tells me his plans for the piece and we go over where and when will be meeting up. I love that kid, he's become an amazing ray of sunshine in my life, and were doing a lot of amazing work together these days. After he leaves I catch a quick shower and stuff my life into that silver beauty of mine.
I take to the city with the quickness and pick her up outside of her jobby job. She comes across the street umbrella in hand, steaming mad, feeling the pressure of a really long work week, and I know what my objective is this evening. We race towards the north loop to catch a movie she has free tickets for, talks of one upping, a little THC, and we come to find that there is no room left in the movie. She seems bummed, also a bit tense from her 11 hours days this week, and defeat seems to be creeping into the evening. I make a suggestion, drinks, possibly an appetizer, and definitely a shedding of her ungrateful boss.
We walk into the "Rusty Spoke" and I bump right into Pueblo. He's my best female friends husbands best friend and him and I usually watch a lot of the Bears games together. He takes us to a table with a nice view of the corner outside and from where I sit I can actually see Izidora's house. She drinks beer, I drink whiskey, and we share a quesadilla. The conversation is comforting, and after I have 1 1/2 I'm able to say what I've wanted to say most to her. I get a little misty and it looks as if she does too. I'm in no hurry, taking my time, building a bad ass friendship, and really really enjoying the view. I let her read something from my book (actually turns out both the things I let her read are already on here (!!!lame!!!) and excuse myself from the table. I bump into another friend of Christo's, (Izzi's hubby) Tommy, and we get to chatting and telling jokes. We both give this nod and I say something about seeing him in August. Back at the table she smiles something slender and silky at me. I stare over her shoulder and out the window at this little boy. We begin to make faces and play hide and seek. He's cracking up and shortly his mother shoots me an approving glance, like, thank you thank you, he's a rambunctious tike, and any form of entertainment provided by someone other than me is much appreciated. I think, maybe I should start up a daycare service, and then I think....well....I think how I was suppose to have my own by now.....sadness....for a moment. Then, i re direct my attention to my company and with a bat of her lashes years get swept into that whole meant to be category...yeah...even the really gory. Watching her eat the last quesadilla has to be one of the funnier things to ever happen to me over drinks. I asked her later what her thoughts were as she piled as many condiments as possible onto it. She said something along the lines of..."I knew it was the last one and I didn't want to waste anything." Thats what I thought she might be thinking but getting the conformation was a lot like singing in the rain. We pay, step outside, she saves my jacket from being left there, and I tell her a funny story about how I seem to like to lose things, especially back packs.
We part ways and I head to the smartest bar in all of Chicago. I pull up as TMY pulls up and I make sure to step out in ninja like fashion. We head down into the bowels of smart bar and meet up with the rest of the gang. Tonight, excision has come to slay and were all to willing to destroy our eardrums. Been waiting to see him for quite sometime now and he drops a lot of my favorite tracks. Highlight for me was watching this little girl curled up next to a speaker passed the fuck out. Like dead to the world with bass lines hugging her body as she lay on the ground motionless. The security comes by to wake her up and she gives them that shove you use to give your mother when you needed some extra sleep before school. A real live mash pit breaks out, almost got elbowed in the face, and still she silently sleeps...
...About half way through my great smart bar session I get a text from her. Informing me of a free give away, 50 back packs to the first 50 shoppers at the grand opening of the new Columbia store on Michigan ave, and I think to myself how long I've waited to experience that sort of thoughtfulness...
...The night ends with me dropping The Turtletarian off at his residence...but wait...the night ends with Kevin and I rolling through kinetic playground to do some promoting for Leprechaun Disco. Handing out some flyers, bumping into the Only Tom, and getting bitched out by Sunshine. YIKES!!! Handed out a nice stack to the party goers and packed up the car towards the Hostel. Kicked it with Kev, Delila, Cadet, Steve, Loren, Matty.........this could go on for a while :) Yeah on a thursday night, great chunes just kicking out and it's like 5am. I eat a delicious breakfast sammich I purchased from Dunkin Doughnuts, couple munchkins and some tasty chocolate milk. Puff puff pass with a couple of laughs and it's long past my bed time. I do some daps, hugs, half hugs, shoulder bumps, and I'm peace. Hop in my car to put myself in position to score a free back pack after a few winks. Parked around the corner I bust out the sleeping bag, pillows, jackets and I drift off comfortably in a few minutes.
I wake up sweaty and not to refreshed, maybe caught like three hours but I have a large day ahead of me. I step out into the springy chicago streets, feet feeling light, and "the Darkness" rattling round my dome. I round the corner to see a long...LONNNNNG line and I think to myself, who'd a knew a lot more people besides myself lose their backpacks. I cycle through some tracks, boogie down a bit in a large glass window and I'm handed a free hat. I peak around the corner to see just how long the line is and I'm really surprised by how many people have come out on a friday morning for a free pack. With that, I head back to my car to pick up Tom, not tommy, or thomas, but TOM......to many Tom's these days.
I scoop from an afters where he'd just been dosed a few hours after us parting ways the night before...hours before...whatevers. We drive towards Orland park, I get us lost, but eventually we find our way...wait, did I say I got us lost? I meant the crazy meth head at the speedway got me lost...I took that left women and it took 20 minutes out of my life in the wrong direction :( We right our route and proceed to the Orland Park Mall attempting to catch some kids on lunch. We find few but then we decide to hit up all the stores they will be going to after class. A sprinkle here, a drop there, and flyers can be found all through out the mall. Still not feeling satisfied we roll through this high school parking lot, 5 dollars attached to a stack of flyers, and we comb through to find no one. But THEN!!! Tom spots two auto shop doors that are open with students working on cars. He tells me to wait and within minutes I see some 16 year old roaming passing them out to his friends. Tom comes back to my car with a grin a mile long. We both crack up and head on down the road. Still not satisfied...We pop over by a community college. I find an extremely pretty girl, pay her a compliment, and then offer to pay her five bucks to pass out some of these flyers to her friends and class mates. She smiles and can't really believe I'm going to give her five bucks. Finally feeling like we made something of the day we head back towards our neck of the woods. We stop off at a Portillos, Tom says he'll take me out to lunch and I couldn't think of a better place. Before heading in I end up wailing some blues out for this older man whose standing round singing. It's a real surreal moment but it keeps me smiling through out the rest of the day. We polish off our food, pass around a few more jokes and head back towards Oak Park. He hops out my ride but not before blazing me down with some fantastic smoke.
He's a lot like me in a lot of ways but he knows a ravaging pain I dare to never understand. He's a commendable man in a lot of forms and it feels like Tom and I will be helping put together parties for a long while. He loves them almost as much as I do, if he didn't have those beautiful kids maybe he'd love them just as much.
I head to Hall of Fades and wait for my new barber "Angel" to get me in his chair. I'm crunched for time because I'm suppose to be meeting up with my gooderest female friend Izidora. I show up a bit early in hopes to catch his chair empty and this is clearly not that type of barbershop. After sometime I get to hop up and shoot the shit with Angel. I'm glad I decided to come here and try a new barber. His work is just ridiculous and worth every penny. He's a bit rushed and it's still by far the best graphics job I've ever had done in my head. On one side it says Dott and on the other it says Com. This shall go wonderfully with the "womp womp" cape I made sometime after Halloween. Angel and I talk about the next time I come through and with that I'm dust.
I get to Izzy's place as quick as one possibly can, shifting through rush hour traffic, I'm pretty good about cutting through the dead zones. Once there I'm tackled with sharp humor and stabbing remarks that only a friend of many years could conjure. Her husband (Mr. Chicago as I like to call him) comes home and hands me one of the most touching letters I've ever read. He's an amazing writer and put his words together perfectly to show his admiration of a gift I gave him a few weeks ago. Not to much time, Izzy and I head out the door into the rainy Chicago night. Were suppose to make it way the flip north by Evanston in not a lot of time so we decide to do the next best thing....GET DRUNK!!!
First we hit the blue light, I gush about the night before, she speaks of the argues process of getting a grant for the book shes been translating, and we swig back our drinks to the soundtrack of Guttermouth and other punk bands. Dipping back into the rain we head towards the very packed and excite able Beat Kitchen. More drinks, photo opps, foods, and important conversations. Things about the friends that didn't make it this far, hopes about this impending year, and what "it" all means. I'm blessed to have this women in my life and will forever be grateful for her abducting me from my home all those years ago. I live where she use to live and I'm constantly reminded of the wealth of potential each individual person holds with in them.
We head back to her casa and I swap words with Mr Chicago over another cocktail. We discuss the recent trades with the bears, how much of a genius there baby is, and what it is I run and round doing through out the many weeks that pass. I don't stay to long, because I'm suppose to meet the gang at Kinetic Playground to listen to the delicious sounds of Mimosa. Cart my ass across town and show up to shake hands with Rob, Kai, TMY, and the always fabulous Nereida. There are various others that filter in through the night but these be my equals my peoples....peoples peoples peoples
The music is meh, the company is great but my gOd what a fucking day. I feel heavy, I feel spent, but my hair is looking so mighty nice I must show it off to everyone. I also must hand out more flyers...MORE FLYERS....AHHHHHHHHHHH! I grow tired of this grind but I do it because I know October will be that much more enjoyable. Plus, it's nice to be helping new promoters in the Chicago underground scene. It's good to be with peoples from the beginning and watch them rise to the top. I seem to get a sense of satisfaction from it time after time. I call it an early night and head over to HQ.
Mr. Cadet, Steve-O, Emily, Delila, Randy and myself all chill and some marijuana is blazed. Tunes are once again bumped and we begin to compile more inside jokes to share out at later dates. Seems like a healthy recipe for success, good tunes, good peoples, and a great house. So...she texts...and i get all types of fluttery. I invite her over to come smoke a bit with us and she says her phone is about to die. So I say "take belmont to kedzie and then make a left...I'll be at the first marathon on your left...can't miss it" I run out the house with the quickness and begin to blow some tunes into my blues harp. The rain is cold, calculating and I'm left out in it for quite sometime. After a few moments out in the rain I realize I don't have my cell phone on me. So I dash back to the apartment and grab it...sure enough...missed call. I attempt to dial her up but it goes straight to voicemail. So i head back out into the mist and for the most part I'm a smiley guy. However, after sometime I'm not so smiley and I figure she's given up as well. I get a call from her once she's back at her house safely and there is a lot of back and forth laughter. She's worth it...on so many levels. Hang my clothes to dry and FINALLY!!! I close my eyes.
possibly 5 hours of sleep and then I roll over to call her.
"Do you want french toast or pancakes?"
And so begins an hour long conversation about how she's particular and doesn't know about me coming over to cook her breakfast. Then there is this bit about all the laundry (that I've offered to help take care of now) and other things that need to be done. So we decide to not be a distraction to one another and she says she might come out to "the Disco" with me this evening.
I get up and take to my day...
First Randy, Emily, and myself head to the party store so I might buy some supplies for a carny game idea I have. Then we head towards the loop so Randy can get a lens and drop the lovely Ms. Emily off at her dorm. I love that young womens wit...she keeps speed like few I've seen. Randy gets what he needs and we head back north, deciding to go outside of the city to pick up spraying paints...GREEN...and along the way we have a discussion about how we think to much. This might be true of some of you reading this. You over analyse every possible situation because your more then just a little shit scared of making mistakes this late in the game. Breathing helps, busying your hands with a million fantastical activities seems to calm the urge, and I usually attempt when I do veer off in my mind to keep it as positive as possible. That's been easier these past few months but I remember failing at that the winter previous.
Lots and lots of rushing about, then I end up passing out for a little bit, some much needed zzzzz's to give me a boost for what was sure to be a crazy night.....I wake, ready, and in the middle of this Joe arrives at randys. This dude...let me tell you...What the holy hell...who could have ever telled. The witty dialog that spills out his mouth naturally is amazing to me. Mixing profound zen ideals with every day situational humor and doing it all so carefree.
Note To Joe: Next time you take that damn star off your forehead when your trying to have a serious conversation with me...How old are you...and WHERE DID YOU GET IT FROM?
End Note to Joe:
So everything gets loaded and I'm off to HEDGE! From what I gather the passing days have been a constant grind. She's frazzled and I'm sure she's looking forward to getting away from the crazyness of it all. It's always a delight to watch friend get lost in the lights. I pick her and mr DJ from her aunts, and we speed off towards the venue to get Tom some much needed back up. An impromptu scavenger hunt at Kmart gets, us prizes for "Flozo Buckets", Randy a dope as car, and a few pizzas. THEY ARE 5DOLLARS!!! what do you want from me??? Afford ably delicious...yum and yes please.
Once Randy and the gang get there we strategize along with the Sheesh. Were sort of making a team it would see. Artists, hustlin, together helping each other out and who knows hopefully getting ahead of the curve. We dig out our own little corner in the party and proceed to go about our personal plans. Jewelry, with gorgeous meaningful stones, and crafted in the darkness of the party. Photomagraphs on a sick improvised back drop (The real sickness coming very soon by Mr Matt Vreeland) and then the floasis fun.
As I mentioned Joe came out to help us again and his piece was nothing short of stunning. This drippy rainbow exploding with layers of color and intricate smears placed about his canvas masterfully. From what I'm told he made a few friends that night and even maybe strengthen an older bond. I set up a BOZO bucket style game along one of the walls. I only saw it once...ONCE...well wait first let me explain.
People...FUCKED UP....like ya know, substances, rave, loud music, low light settings but prizes need to be won. So with inferior depth perception and no patience they'd come to try and sink a ping pong ball in all five buckets. Mostly they didn't get past the second and it was pretty fun to watch (for my enjoyment and the people playing the game) and I'm thinking about filming next time ;) However there was one man, a mighty man, with a laughter that could sheer wool from sheep, and will forever be known as the man that defied the rave carny gods. His name was Michael and the last time I saw this dude he was bailing me out of an intense situation in Wisconsin. This time however, he pays a dollar and I hand him the ping pong balls that have periled so many He step up to the little glow bracelet line and starts sinking shots like left handed free throw specialist. ALL FIVE...in this crappy lit setting, i'm pretty sure he was fucked up, and ALLLLL FIVE!!! I couldn't believe it man...one was a bounce in too. SOOOO dope! The carny game proved a real nice way to generate buzz about the conference and it helped bring in some loot.
!DottCom! He's been doing his thing for years and recently he's let me come jump around up there with him. It's so much fun, I get to connect with an entire room of people, speak positivity, prosperity, and my humor all because of him. So I lined his name in my head, dawned the "WompWomp Cape", and brought some leprechaun robots out with me for his set. It's by far the most fun I've had with my old four square rival. He dropped what has so far been my favorite dubStep track and I remember jumping off this massive sub into a grip of kids to start slamming. OHHHHHH WHAT A NIGHT!!! and she wasn't even there yet...anticipation...Springs the season for these things.
It's getting late...r and still no words so I text, I get this weird text about what highway to take. So I call. HAHHAAhA Then I run around outside to talk to the security guard who supposedly knows the best directions on how to get there. With some 3 person navigating we get her from Indiana to the party safely. Oh WOW...soft...and smelling like something I'm so sure I recognize. It's specific and from my childhood but I can't make it out and I won't dare ask for the answer...yet. We toast like we said we would and she scoots about the party dancing. I handle my responsibilities at the booth but the party begins to pick up speed and I'm thinking I've had enough work for one evening. I mean, running the booth, running to the second stage, and side stepping little bouts of adversity all abouts me. So I pack it up and kick it with the company I've so longed for long before this company was at my door...comfortably in case I haven't said that before.
The party mysteriously ends early, with some un-seen guy on a microphone, Tom and I are baffled...like where the fuck is this guy talking from. People scramble for an afters, I pass around my LED frisbee in the rink. Phil hits me with a pass in stride, Scott joins in, and there is a group of the greatest party kids I know giggling where we were working so hard all night. It was Little Rachels plan to dose a grip of us this night and it was my plan to dose her and jOe...so there we all are. No motivation to leave the comforts of our roller rink but somehow we pack up cars and head back to HQ.
I decide to leave my car at the roller rink and ride in her car. This turns into me driving her car and a hell of a story I don't dare share with the world. So much hilarity and anxiety...this is her in prime time and I'm fine. However; LONNNNNGEST CAR RIDE EVERRRR!!! SO warm!!! TOASTY.
We pick up some stragglers and shake them off after a few hours. Distortion does the beat machine better then I've heard up to this point. Many tree's are smoked, phil finally gets his pupils right, turtle reminds me of Master Splinter, Randys Bed slays two more unsuspecting peoples, and there is more laughter then anyone knows what to do with. I love it...after a long night of "working" it's great to kick it with quality people and music. It sounds if bills will be paid on time and later I'm told a nifty nostalgic sleeping bag is bought. I'm happy for my friends and I take my two trippers to my most favorite place in Chicago on a sunday morning.
THE pickME Up
It's the best, dank jukebox, amazing eats for all diets, and this amazing ambiance. So many conversations have splashed these walls but few would match with this morning. I hop from one side of one booth to the other, sharing stories, stealing French Toast, and switching beverages to frequently. Oh Lord!!! That girl slays me...in a many many many ways but combo it with Joe and I was done. My sides splitting as I'm trying to shove food down my throat. She tells us about her non-cruel beliefs, Joe spits about truth and nothingness, and I do my best Steve Martin. We leave a respectable tip because after all, the weathers getting warmer, and I'll be filling those shoes all to soon. Hop out into a fresh day, with two amazing peoples, Joe jumps in his ride, and I'm left standing there with her. She wants to give me a ride back to HQ, I say something about helping with the laundry and she laughs ?with me? We part ways with a batt of eyes, hug and trailing laughter.
I hop a bus, lose the two most important books i own on that bus, but not before getting to play 21 questions with one of the few promoters I enjoy working with. The day is falling out from under me and panic is mixing with rage. Luckily for me, Kevin is back at HQ and he let's me just run my mouth up the wall and back round......
....WHOA TOMMY!!! wish you could have seen the eats Scott was cooking up...Major WTF...oh wait...actually you can see....end whoa!
So morning meets afternoon and before to soon I'm packing back up everything I brought with me for this crazy long amazing fantastical weekend.
Melinda and Rachel are nice enough to give me a ride back to the roller rink. We fight through some traffic, I scribble words that I don't dare say to her in the back seat, and we talk about the coming months. Ohhh Yeah, there is that anticipation again..........I love it. Not nearly as much as fall but it's my favorite part about spring.
I get to my car...she sits shining something stunning. So many miles, so many stories, and I love her like it's what keeps her running. I decide to peak into the roller rink...ya know...see it when it isn't all ravey. There is a birthday party going on and you totally can't tell there was a group of people in there the night before liberated under one slamming ass party. Losing and finding themselves all over again as laser spliced through the crowd and bass pumped louder and louder. I hop into my car and start heading back towards home.....whatever that is :D
I call her up because I assume she'll be on the road to Wisconsin and I assumed correctly. We have a really sick way of shaving hours (not minutes) away with a phone call. I like that, it's been a lifetime or two since I've shared that with someone. No lies, she makes me want to be better, and actually before meeting her I thought I was the best. Friends first and foremost because what else do we really have in this life. Aside from family and well, this isn't a stab at mine in any way but I haven't always had family. FRIENDS!!! amazing mountains of all I could ever hope to be, enabling me to continually dream...friends, thanks ;)
As my life is growing increasingly busy it would seem that writing these long posts will become a thing of the past. I'll continually update but YIKES!!! not like this...that is until next winter starts the cycle all over again or I start finding larger pockets of free time.
Jimmy's calls to me and I must answer...I must make this conference a reality and that's only going to come from asserting myself in ways I never knew possible.
Your lucky numbers are: 23, 13, 7, 56, & .34
Peace peace, thanks for reading.
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