May 31, 2006

cake and cars

for the third time, henry is in the hospital.

monday, as i was heading toward redondo beach (it wasn't malibu, i realize. sometimes i must make sacrifices for friends), i started hearing some funny noises coming from my little green vespa. it was a sort of high-pitched whirry thing--the kind of sound that annoys me but i usually ignore because, really, what could go wrong? my vespa is fine. well, the thing that could go wrong is, when cruising at seventy-five, headed south on the 405 amidst memorial day traffic, you feel this sudden lurch. a jolt. a throw-you-over-the-handlebars braking feeling. it's then that you wonder about the irony of the signs lining the freeway that yell "click-it or ticket." for me and henry, at least, it's ironic.

in hyperbolic fashion i flew over the handlebars, then slowed down to a stop as henry slowly coasted down the side of the interstate.

fortunately, i had half a piece of california's most tasty red velvet cake to keep me company. unfortunately, i had to make a piece of california's most tasty red velvet cake last for an hour and a half.

hours later, me, henry, and a greasy tow-truck driver rolled into an empty vespa store parking lot somewhere near newport beach. and that is where henry is at the moment. i could sit here and complain about the bus system in la, or decry the american love of large cars, or rant about la's disregard for the environment. but i will not. instead, i will sit quietly, and--in honor of henry--have a silent moment.

May 28, 2006

church and cigarettes

over a mai tai and a cigarette, i was discussing my recent plight as a kicked-out college student with my new acquaintance, emily. as emily puffed away, i unraveled the gritty, ugly details of the workings of the baptist college that practices little of the christian principle it supposedly stands for. and here the two of us were, nestled together on a leather couch in a tight corner of a smoking room, hidden away from the rest of the club goers at this little venue in hollywood. hidden away, in fact, from the rest of the world--christian and not.

as i finished my story, i noticed a familiar look in emily's eyes, that somehow easily concocted mixture of concern and repulsion: care for my situation, and disgust at those who have brought me there. emily's wrist slung the butt of her cigarette down and rubbed it harshly against the glass of the ash tray.

"well, if you still want to go to church, my boyfriend and i found this really great place that meets just around the corner. and just so you know, you'll be totally welcomed there."

something between the words that were spoken and the obvious concern behind emily's voice captured me. two years ago, i would have seen an ironic contradiction in this scene: a smoky lounge, alcohol, talk of church, and me. the gay one. now, however, i see more humanity in this situation than i would ever have seen in many of the places i was hanging around. overshadowed by love, sympathy, and the intricate workings of daily life, our vices took a back seat to that small glimpse of truth that was ultimately of importance.

May 27, 2006

the secret life of vons

settling in santa monica for a few weeks before i find my own west hollywood pad, i thought i was safe. but that was before yesterday. i was in desperate need of a few essentials, so i made the trip to vons grocery store on lincoln boulevard. i stopped by the "eye care" isle for some contact solution and then grabbed a stick of axe effect deodorant (in defiance of the anti-pop culture side of my personality), becasue it was this week's 50% off deodorant deal. i can handle that.

after finding the short line and waiting 10 minutes longer than anyone els in queue, i stepped up to the register to check out.

"do you have a vons club card?" is all that i heard from the guy at the checkstand. unfortunately, i didn't. and i knew that little card was my only ticket to this week's 50% off deodorant deal. don't worry, this happens to me all the time. just ask nicely and the guy will swipe his own vons club card for me. and in case that doesn't work, there are always other patiently waiting customers who i can bum a card from. so i asked "do you have a card i could borrow?"

there was a pause, and i started getting scared that i would have to pay all $7 of axe effect. the checker guy began scanning the isle in front of him, looking to his right and slowly to his left. He said something, quietly, and it was good thing i was concentrating on his eye movement, or i would have missed it.

"let me ask you again" he said without making eye contact "do you have a vons club card?" and without looking, his hand moved under that check-writing platform and, palm down, slid a hidden vons club card in my direction. i looked at him, incredulously. but he din't waiver. still composed, he waited for my reply.

"um, yeah. i...do."

"slide your card then, sir."

i felt a little strange that this apparently invaluable piece of plastic was treated with such contraband connotations. but i was happy, at least, that i only paid for half the axe effect. the guy didn't say anything else, and i obviously didn't offer a thanks, afraid of even acknowledging that anything had even happened. silently, we finished the rest of the transaction.

slowly and discreetly, i slid the the plastic back towards the guy. there is no way i wanted to be the one caught handling the goods. it was a little to intimidating for me.

as soon as the card was placed in front of him, and without taking his eyes off the next customer in line, the checker said calmy "that's yours" and went on checking the next customer. i took the card and ran. i wasn't about to find out what would happen if the wrong person found a vons club card in my possession. i don't know what would have happened. but i assure you, it wouldn't have been good.

May 23, 2006

podcast//14


on old ranchers, sunset rubdowns, and erasers

May 15, 2006

things i saw today

marfa, tx • el paso, tx
valentine, tx • lordsburg, nm
on the road

May 13, 2006

i HEART marfa

and let me tell you why. here are a few things to do in town:

get up for a breakfast at austin street cafe. the perfect blend of country simplicity and modernist sensability. the food is delicious too.

go for the early tour at the chinati foundation. view the installation works of donald judd, john chamberlain, and ilya kabakov. the afternoon tour includes pieces by dan flavin and john wesley. beautiful, perfect.

grab a coffee at the marfa book company. an extensive list of art titles combined with the usual bookstore fare in a store which also hosts its own minimalist gallery.

keep an eye out for your own celebrity sighting. films from elizabeth taylor's classic giant to an art film by the band secret machines have been filmed in marfa. currently, both the coen brothers and p.t. anderson are shooting in the area.

visit the marfa ballroom, an old dancehall-turned-gallery space. the most exciting news about this gallery is their collaboration with moma to create the first fine art-based drive-in theater. included in the line-up this fall will be the wind, a silent film that will be accompanied by live orchestration.

after dinner, drive 8 miles out east to see the marfa mystery lights. the source of these desert lights continues to remain a mystery to locals and scientists, even though reports of these floating spectacles have continued night after night for centuries.

when the day is done, crash at the hip thunderbird hotel. a renovated mid-century roadside hotel, this hipness doesn't miss a beat. relax by the pool or fire pit, borrow a turntable and vinyl from the front desk, or even a check out a typewriter for catching up on tardy correspondences. and enjoy. enjoy marfa.

marfa

the last time i felt like this, i was playing an admittedly immature drinking game with a small mismatched group of new friends on the balcony of a hostel in northwest italy, overlooking the sea. sometimes, being alone brings feeling of happiness and relief. sometimes, the emotions creep towards a melancholy joy, or a bittersweet contemplative quietness. on that night, any of those feelings was tempered with a rush of excitement from the familiar and brief kinship with those around me.


tonight, rolling into a dusty mountain-desert town in the middle of western texas, i had no idea what i was looking for, and no idea what i would find. usually, when i'm traveling, i'm happy enough to get a kitschy mom-and-pop motel and a local restaurant with food that is at least decent. tonight, i didn't eat. tonight, my room and board are less mom-and-pop and more aunt-and-uncle visiting from san francisco (which is a treat because they usually travel to new york or overseas, never here).

marfa, texas is an oasis. although it lay, unassuming, between brush and rock, and the only water in sight is the shiny blue pool out my window, the town offers rest for another sort.

at this moment, i'm sitting before my desk in my room at the thunderbird hotel, listening to a vinyl edition of dylan's blonde on blonde. the front desk had a stack-o-matic and various records (as well as an available typewriter and various well-picked dvd titles) available for guests. someone out there was thinking correctly about the needs of the particular guests at this comfortable, happy, hip little hotel.

my vespa ride today was long and hot. the lights of the local eateries were shutting off as i chugged into town, so the only food would have been a frozen burrito at the gas station down the street. i opted to forget about eating. across the street, the hotel has set up a new little bar. a beer is just what i needed.

this town would be nothing if it weren't for the chinati foundation. now, artists and creatives worldwide have descended on marfa texas, population 2100, turning small corners and forlorn spaces into works of art, galleries, and even a trendy little hotel. and that is the reason why, tonight as i drank my beer, i was sitting with an intern from virginia, a girl from nyc who was back to visit, an artist-in-residence from germany, and a girl from australia. certainly not what i expected in this small texas town. but certainly this was the type of unexpected meeting that stretches my nerves, tweaks my curiosity, and shoots through me a touch of excitement for all the undiscovered secrets the world has to offer.

-----------------

tonight, my playlist includes these vinyl selections:
bob dylan//blonde on blonde
harry belafonte//calypso
the muppet movie//original soundtrack recording
ian&sylvia//northern journey
david bowie//let's dance

argentina

scenes from argentina:

1//paragliding in la cumbre


2//the strange shrine of the difunta correa


3//breakfast in argentina: coffee and croissant


4//argentina road trip 2006!


5//mendoza hot springs


6//mendoza wine tasing: bodega la garde


7//back to buenos aires


8//a night at the opera, the beautiful teatro colon

May 2, 2006

zander and mate


on the road to mendoza, zander and i took part of the argentine ritual of drinking mate (it's pronounced ma-tay). in the past, the yerba was known to offer medicinal or healing powers. now, it's just a cultural ritual bringing together friends from all walks of argentine life. and it's delicious...once you get past the distinct hay-farm-horse taste it seems to have. let's just say it's an acquired taste.

May 1, 2006

buenos aires

i'm trying to fit in all of the strange and beautiful things bsas has to offer. like gettng my hair cut at the salon/bar club milano. however, if that doesn't happen, i still manage to fit in a good amount of fun. like this:


breakfast on the patio of our apartment


football game. boca juniors.
things can get pretty rough...look at those cops
and we look a little rough for a reason: don't want those crazy fans to know we're foreigners


delicious argentine grill


walk around the old part of the city, san telmo
for you madonna fans, that's the "don't cry for me, argentina" balcony


dinner and drink with friends at sucre


a drink and a night out with new "friends"
then off to bed at six am...