C-o-m-p-t-o-n and the city they call Long Beach.



I got sick once we landed in LA. Quiz. It was because of:

A. Not having eaten since lunch.
B. The beer I had at SMF while waiting 2 hours for our plane.
C. The cold medicine that I took before I had the beer.
D. All the sugar free gum I chewed to keep my ears from popping in the plane.
E. The scary, turbulent plane landing in LA.
F. The zippy rental car.
G. All of the above.

The answer is G. All of the above. Once we got into Compton, I couldn't keep it down any longer and finally had to puke. There was no exit to pull off of right away, so I just threw up out of the car window, which was not very effective. The puke just flew back in the car. It got on my face, on my sweater, on the upholstry, in my hair, and the outside of the back window looked like an abstract painting. Leon finally found an exit, and we pulled off where I finished it off in a garbage can. The worst part was not having anything to clean myself off with. So I had to stick out the hour drive to get to a safer neighborhood with a 24 hour supermarket. Throwing up in a trash can in Compton. Saying I did that makes my life seem so much more exciting. Blech! I wouldn't do it again though.

The whole trip was fine except for the getting sick part. After seeing some of Leon's family again, I felt more confident that they liked me. That really put me at ease because I had been nervous about it. We stayed with his cousins in their giant house in Yorba Linda. It was huge. They were just about the nicest people ever. The house had softened water, which was kind of weird. The water made it so we couldn't get the soap rinsed off of ourselves, so I was all, "What the shit?!" and they were all "Softened water, yo."

We got to see Mariah graduate, which was cool because hey, you get to see Mariah graduate. But the ceremony was long, religious and very sunny. We all got sunburns.

Later that evening we went to see Mike and Joe in Long Beach. We visited, ate dinner, caught up and went record store shopping at Fingerprints. I found a bunch of mid-eighties english rock. Orange Juice and Shop Assistants were the best things that I found. Then we drove by the coolest apartment buildings ever. It was a huge castle-like place called the Gaytonia.



I guess it's primarily gay residency. The best part was the huge blue neon sign on the roof that read: Gaytonia. There just aren't enough beacons of gayness in the world.

We came home on Sunday dead tired and beat up. Heather's mom was in town and wanted to go out for Cinco de Mayo. We said we'd go with them eariler in the week so we all went and drank margaritas and ate too much food. We had fun. Now I'm at work, but life is more important.

Later.

Sacramento, Los Angeles.



Tonight we are leaving for Southern California. As much as I don't like to fly I was in the air again. Leon's sister is graduating and we're going to attend her ceremony. I'm nervous about seeing his family again, but I always am. I just wonder what they think of me.

We're flying into LAX, which I've never done before. Last time we flew into John Wayne, which is in Orange County. At the risk of sounding like an out-of-state tourist, maybe I'll see movie stars this time! It should be fun, I love flying. Plus, there is a slight chance we might get to see Michael and Joe, our favorite ex-roommates in the history of roommates. Best roommates ever.

I've been pretty stressed about work lately. So much, that I worry about it at home. I've been listening to people tell me their philosophies on work/life. That life is more important than work. That you should work hard and look at everything else in life as a reward. I've been trying to see things this way, so far it's slow going.
Later.

Runaway, runaround.



Okay, my favorite new band is the Mosquitoes. We played with them last night and they rocked us gingerly. I'm not even that tired today, just lazy.
Not feeling eager to get back to work. I've just been catching up on email and voicemail so far. In just a few minutes I'll be dialing people up for promos and artwork. I never said it was a fancy job.
Later.

Unreal



I went to the dentist this morning. Whenever I go to the dentist, for some reason I like to write about it. Today I had two cavities filled. Hopefully they're the last ones I'll ever have. The local anesthetic hasn't worn off yet, so I keep touching my face. My lower lip feels like a huge frankfurter stuck to my face, and my chin feels so unreal. It's the weirdest sensation, I can't stop putting my fingers on my chin because I secretly like how it feels. It's like feeling my own face with someone else's hand. Leon, you lucky bastard. Your girlfriend has the softest face on the planet.
The dental assistant I had today was the same one that I had last time. Last time she went on and on about the doctor's ability to make the fillings look exactly like the natural tooth, how it was an art form and how she admired his skill. This morning she mentioned a fondness for Walmart during two different conversations. She's funny, but I don't think she means to be.
We have a show this Sunday at 8 is at Balazo Gallery on 24th and Mission, in case people care. We will have new badges!
Later.