I have to say it was a very, very good week. I posted that really long diary post a few days ago, but I'd rather not get so backlogged and since I'm awake and somewhat alert and avoiding my inbox, I feel like sharing.
I feel like my vocabulary is so limited these days. Amazing and epic and great and beautiful and exciting seem to be so overused in my posts lately, but when I think about how I was a year ago, dealing with my eviction and moving, I was a total mess, completely depressed, and living in a constant state of anxiety. I was binge-living. Binge eating and binge drinking and binge sleeping and binge working. It wasn't pretty. Since then, work fell into a better place with a Casbah promotion, regular site sponsorships, and it turned out that my eviction was a total bonus because I'm so much happier in my current location than I was in Kensington. And of course, Darren. There's something pretty amazing about meeting someone who is my partner in every way- supportive and kind and loving and funny and smart and an incredible dad and generous boyfriend and no offense to anyone who came before, but this love is completely unprecedented in my life. After 8 months, none of the glow has worn off. Read the post after the jump.
A few weeks ago, I did a little roundup of newsy bits wherein I mentioned that my dear friends Kristian & Pat and their company, MySMN, created a new site for North Park called Living North Park. Tonight, they're celebrating the launch of that endeavor at URBN North Park. You can find the Facebook event listing here. It open to all from 8-11pm and they'll have food and drink specials as well as raffle prizes. It should be a nice pre-gathering for the North Park Festival of Arts happening on Saturday. Meet your friends, neighbors and business owners in the community over some tasty pizza and beer. Be there or be L7.
Incidentally, there's a Pre-Festival of the Arts Mixer at LiveWire from 5-8pm for festival participants. Not really sure if that means vendors or performers because I'm the main stage producer and didn't know about it, but whatever. Sounds like a good time if I didn't have other plans.
My bestie Kristian and his company, MySMN, put together another video for North Park Main Street highlighting the neighborhood of North Park. It's super cute and definitely a reminder of why we live here (or near here). They used Jesse LaMonaca's "Other Side of the World" for the soundtrack, too. Check it out:
I visited my bestie Kristian last night at URBN and his barely-there moustache reminded me that it's Movember! He was starting fresh for the month, though you can see from this picture with my niece Johanna from last year that he's gonna have some serious facial hair before too long.
Cities all over the country will be overtaken with creepy facial hair for the month all to raise money for men's health, including the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Livestrong, and the Movember Foundation.
I dunno about you, but I just found out last week that I got a press badge for SXSW and I'm having a hard time wrapping around the idea that I'm finally going for my first time ever. It's a music pilgramage that must be taken, and I'm finally doing it. You're gonna hear a lot about me, Nima, and our roadtrip (I'll be hitting you all up for donations, too, so consider yourselves warned), but something I really wanted to do was get people together before the trip. If you're a band, a fan, a blogger, whatever, and you're heading to SXSW, or if you've been before and have stories to share or advice to give, or if, like me, it's your first time and you're already feeling hungover before a drop of Shiner Bock has even hit your lips, come hang out.
I'll be at URBN North Park having a sausage and pepper pizza and washing it down with some tasty craft beer as my BFF Kristian (pictured with my niece, Johanna) works the bar. Come hang out. We can coordinate schedules, talk about shows, figure out who is playing and where and really try to represent SD as one beautiful solid cohesive music scene and make all those other cities jealous. Seattle? Where's that? Brooklyn? Pffft. Chicago? Whatchu got??
I hope it is very clear that I hate being photographed. I realize I am not photogenic and it takes a lot for me to post a photo of me and my three chins, but I tried to find a better picture of Kristian's stache and they were all inferior. ALL cancers suck. I'm not the only one who has lost dear friends and family to various cancers, but it's really important for all of us to get checked on the things that are terribly awkward to think about. Everyone knows that men hide from the doctor a little bit more than us ladies, and it's especially important to be tested despite the discomfort. My BFF Kristian, who you can get to know and love in his new position as a bartender at URBN North Park, is supporting a cause and you can help him out. I love this boy with all my heart and we've been friends since he was a mere freshman in high school and I'm telling you to support him and his facial hair and all his awesomeness, and mostly because I'm 34 and I know more people who have died of cancer than I want to. And so has Kristian. And so have you.
I kinda hate that this is a form letter, but I tell you that it covers it all, so if you have the spare change to throw in, please do so. And if not, well, I'm broke, too, and we hope that our philanthropic friends can compensate for the rest of us. I mean, seriously, LOOK AT THAT MUSTACHE!
Sooo, as some of you know, I can grow a pretty sweet mustache, and for those that don't know, I can grow a luxuriously, thick yet soft, world-class upper lip warmer! On November 1st I committed mustache genocide and shaved off my hairy masterpiece for the sake of raising money for prostate cancer research.
This Movember I’ve decided to donate my face to raising awareness about cancers that affect men. My commitment is the growth of a moustache for the entire month of Movember, which I know will generate conversation, controversy and laughter.
I’m doing this because:
· 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in his lifetime · 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime
This is a cause that I feel passionately about and I’m asking you to support my efforts by making a donation to support the great work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG. To help, you can either:
- Click this link and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account - Write a check payable to Movember, referencing my name or Registration Number 742396 and mailing it to: Movember, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726
The money raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others, through the world’s most promising prostate cancer research and LIVESTRONG’s programs that support young adults and their families battling and surviving cancer.
For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please visit here.
I'm not even gonna lie- Friday was a day of really poor planning. About a month ago, Kristian asked me to go to Hercules and Love Affair with him. I've always trusted his music recommendations and a night at the Casbah is usually a no-brainer, but when I agreed, and subsequently worked out tickets for the show, I realized that I would be missing the Swim Party CD release party with Writer at the Whistle Stop.
After the day at work and taking a nap, I made my way to the Whistle Stop, knowing I would miss the show, but at least I could say hi and make appropriate apologies. It was so cool there- so many bands were present making for that family feeling that I love, which of course only made me sad that I was going to have to leave. When Kristian told me they were heading down around 10, I was pretty annoyed, because I knew the band wouldn't be starting until close to midnight and I could've at least caught some of the show at the Whistle. Not to mention he had agreed to drive and suddenly that plan changed and I had to drive myself. Yes, Kristian, I'm calling you out.
Anyway, I got to see three songs from Writer and missed the rest. I was sure someone would record the show, especially with Natalie playing with the band, Alex dedicating a song to me, and the big Writer/Modlins/Swim Party finale, but alas, not one camera, and no, Pete's :30 seconds of filming does not count.
To make matters worse, we got to the Casbah far too early. There was line at the door, and the band wasn't close to setting up. I tried to get over it and turned my mood around. Nobody likes a whiner. Anyway, after hanging out with friends, I was feeling better. Then shit kinda hit the fan.
Apparently Hercules and Love Affair had soundchecked earlier in the day. Sometime between the soundcheck and time to set up, one of their keyboards was damaged. There was an early show at the Casbah and nobody knows what happened, but it almost caused the band to cancel. It is some special vintage keyboard and the band was flipping out. The clock ticked as Tim tried to find anyone in SD with the same keyboard to no avail; in the meantime they called in Derek, some guy who works on vintage musical instruments. I will find out his full name and contact info because apparently the dude is a genius. A cancellation would've meant refunding a sold out show to everyone there, still paying the band, and paying for the keyboard. Not good.
Miraculously, nearing 12:30, word spread that the keyboard was fixed and the crisis was averted. I made my way into the venue to set up for some photos, and this sweetheart guy posed as my boyfriend, letting me worm in front of him. Hercules and Love Affair is a big gay dance party band, reminding me of my mom's brief but memorable disco period when I was a kid. The crowd loved it and danced their asses off. Me? Well, not so much. It was fun, no doubt, and the band certainly was unlike anything I've ever seen, but Swim Party and Writer will always be more my speed than a dance band and I really regret missing that show. I love my Kristian, but this one was a miss for me personally, though I definitely get why other people dig them.
Hercules and Love Affair Set List
My night wasn't bad, I did have fun with my friends at the Casbah for sure, and as I posted earlier in the week, I ended up at a couple friends houses and pulled an all nighter, so it wasn't bad by any means. And I know I'll get plenty of Writer and Swim Party shows to make up for the one missed show. But damn, people, doesn't anyone else take video of shows?
I was a little bored on Saturday because Kristian pushed back our day. I thought we'd be at the Con most of the day, but instead, we went arrived at 5, which ended up being fine. We parked at the place he was housesitting on Cortez Hill and walked to the Trolley and caught it over to 12th and Market. The walk to the Convention Center, though short, was unbelievably hot. I look forward to more of the trees on that side of downtown filling out and actually providing a shadier and cooler walk. As far as I'm concerned, the trees should be the first thing that go in on any new development.
Fortunately since it was so late into the Con, there was no wait for his badge and we entered the floor. We decided to play a "spot the biggest dork" costume, but once inside, it was just overwhelming. I get the Star Wars costumes, the creepy movie characters, but the Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes? Dude, you're 250 pounds and I don't need to see your hairy ass in hotpants and fishnets. Really. Anyway, we wandered the hall and spotted this little gem:
So geeks can get their toy fetish on, now with breasts! If I was a collector of anything, I might've bought the Wilco statues, but I'm not and I didn't. Doesn't mean it wasn't really cool.
The guy at the booth told us that 1000 sets were made, Wilco got 250 and they were selling the other 750, and it is possible that if they find the right band, they might do more band sets in the future.
It was fun to bump into friends...seeing Randall (Kleeman and Mike), and seeing Jamal and Ruggy, Nathan at the Bongo booth and stuff, and I didn't really expect to get stoked on any celebrity sightings until I saw Henry Rollins at the IFC booth. I wasn't so much starstruck as intimidated because he's a pretty intimidating personality, but I was stoked to have seen him.
After a full back and forth through the hall, we decided to bail and get dinner, fighting through the throngs of people attempting to leave ComicCon to find the next thing.
We went to Dussini looking for Kristian's friend but she wasn't there, so we decided to catch the trolley to Old Town for some grub at Old Town Mex. I got my favorite, the steak azteca and we sat at the bar to avoid the almost 2 hour wait. After dinner (and a pitcher of margs), we trolley back downtown. I met Ken Kramer ("About San Diego", NBC) and talked to him for a bit while we waited for our transfer trolley back to the Convention area. We went back to Dussini to meet K's friends, had a drink, then caught a cab to the car in Cortez Hill, picked up a friend from Parkhouse, then they dropped me off at home. By that time, it was nearly 11, and though I wanted to get to the show, I had to take a shower and get the downtowniness off my skin.
I am a total phony. I really don't know anything about music. On the other hand, one of my best friends, Kristian, knows everything about everything. Over the years he's turned me on to some really good stuff far in advance of any huge commercial success of bands. It's because of him that I am really looking forward to the Peter, Bjorn and John release. It is also his fault that everytime you see me out on a cold night, I'm sporting a Wisconsin hoodie as that was his graduation I went to a few years back in Madison, Wisconsin.
He is also the person that called in a favor and made sure that I didn't pay for a drink the entire night at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego pre-opening.
I respect his opinion of music immensely, so when he sends me an e-mail like this, I listen.
I have 2 friends that are in a DJ group called Flosstradamus, they’re from Chicago and they fucking rule. They’re playing at the Beauty Bar tomorrow night in SD and you should post something about them. I just saw them last night and they killed it…again. Great dance music, perfectly normal to hear Daft Punk into Michael Jackson into Phil Collins into Rapture into Sigur Ros. Don’t sleep on it. Here’s their myspace.
Looks like I have new plans for after TNT. And in appreciation of being put on the guestlist:
