The great thing about Santa Fe is that all the buildings (including houses) look like they’re adobe. I think it’s a law. The cool thing about it is that you totally feel like you’re in another place and time, and they’re obviously very serious about preserving their heritage.

New Mexican food is incredible! OMG! Chile in EVERYTHING! I normally only go for spicy foods every once in a while, but I was on a whole kick. The entire time, I wanted everything covered in green chile and red chile.

DAY ONE (Thursday, 4 September 2008)

So the first night, Michelle, Valente and Mark (Michelle’s brother) took us to this New Mexican restaurant called Tomasita’s. This is where we had vegetarian stuffed sopaipillas. I think I’m in love.

It so happened that it was Fiesta Week in Santa Fe, so that night, they took us to The Burning of Zozobra on this baseball field. Families gathered early to have picnics and find their spots for the event. There were some bands playing. One of them had this 15-minute repetitive song about Tito Puente. He rhymed his name with siempre, and that’s all I really want to remember. As soon as night fell and the ceremony began, it felt as though these warm families turned into some strange cult, yelling, “BURN HIM!!!!”

The effigy is also known as “Old Man Gloom”. He’s about 50 feet high. They burn him during Fiesta Week as a symbol of letting go of the glooms and sadness of the past year.

Throughout the whole thing, there was a guy groaning into a microphone. You can hear/see it in the video below. That lasted for like 45 minutes, and after about 20 minutes, you could tell he was getting tired of groaning. It was hilarious at first… then it got old… then it got so old it was hilarious again.

One of the puzzling parts was that they played “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes, so we thought maybe he was a NYC police officer. That was followed by that Jimi Hendrix solo version of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. WTF?

Old Man Gloom… groaning like a mother bitch.

This is Old Man Gloom burning.

So after that, we tried to look for a bar but it was a fail, so instead, we went to Albertsons, bought some beer, and went back to Michelle’s parents’ gorgeous house and hung out for a while.

DAY TWO (Friday, 5 September 2008)

I had a hard time sleeping since the people in the room next door came back late and started arguing about stuff. That was really annoying.

Anyway, Michelle and Valente were out doing family stuff for the day, so Paul, Mairi, Cy and I walked around the downtown Santa Fe area and eventually ended up at Pasqual’s for breakfast. Mmmm… breakfast veggie enchilada with a sweet mole. Mmmm… nice spicy way to start the day off. We walked around downtown some more and eventually split ways since Mairi needed a nap and Cy and I were hungry again. Since the Fiesta stuff was going on in The Plaza, we got some Indian fry bread and agua fresca. Eventually, we went back to the hotel to cool off.

Shortly after that, Paul and Mairi asked us if we wanted to take a scenic drive through the Santa Fe National Forest. So we hopped into the car and made a couple of turns near our hotel, and within 5 minutes, we were literally surrounded by trees. New Mexico has all kinds of shit to offer. We went up the mountain towards the ski resorts, took some photos and commented on the trees, trying to figure out what they were. After a while, both Mairi and I were getting carsick, so we went back to town to find a place to eat. We found Guadalupe Cafe. Mmm… burrito. This time the chile was really spicy. I couldn’t finish my plate. But it was still damn good.

Feeling in a merry mood, we decided to watch a film (Tropic Thunder), which turned out to be much funnier than I had expected.

Cy and I ended the day by watching two more military films (Medal of Honor and A Few Good Men)

DAY THREE (Saturday, 6 September 2008)

Once again, we were kept up by the neighbors… this time they were the ones on the other side. At least they weren’t yelling. They were just talking… very loudly. Cy slept till about noon, when I finally woke him up to tell him that I’d finished the Sodoku puzzle he’d spent several days on and also to tell him that I was hungry. We called Paul and Mairi to see what they were up to, and they invited us to go hiking up near Los Alamos to see the Bandalier National Monument. They’re these multi-story caves where the Pueblo lived. I wish we got to see the whole thing, but there wasn’t any time. We had to get to Michelle & Valente’s wedding.

Video of Cy, Paul and me in a big cave dwelling.

Michelle and Valente’s wedding was at Hacienda Doña Andrea. It was a beautiful ceremony. I really liked how it wasn’t religious, so it focused on the relationship between M&V. The whole thing felt really intimate, and I’m so happy I was able to be there. The weather was perfect and everything went smoothly. It was really difficult to not get emotional. I finally got to meet and see everyone that influenced their lives so much, and it became really obvious to me how they are who they are.

For instance, Valente and his mom danced to the song that she used to sing to him as a baby. His dad told us that she sang it to him when she came home from the hospital after he was born.

In some ways I’m sort of jealous of the closeness they experience with their families. The whole thing made me really happy for them. I think the wedding made me realize a few things… some things that Leo mentioned to me before that never truly clicked until then.

DAY FOUR (Sunday, 7 September 2008)

Cy left early Sunday morning to go to Phoenix to catch a ride to Mexico in order to meet up with his family in Puerto Peñasco. I spent much of the day traveling and confused about time differences. YAY!

And now, here I am, confused and pensive… sad and lonely. Being around Mairi and Paul and then Michelle and Valente made me realize how terribly wrong Cy and I are for each other… at least for now. It made me sad to wonder if I’d ever find that.

Anyway, here are some pictures to go with the words I just wrote…

Seriously, we haven’t had a show in over a year for several reasons… but this band from San Diego called Wendy Darling asked us to play a show with them at The Key Club on the Sunset Strip on October 9th.

We thought, why not?

So yeah, save the date, come see us. We’ll post another reminder closer to the date…

Where: The Key Club (downstairs) - 9039 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90069
When: Thursday, October 9th, 2008. Show starts at 9:00PM.

21+. Sorry, I know The Key Club is generally all ages, but we had no control over this one.
$10

Two other bands play before us.

Here’s the lineup:
The Murky Water District
Wendy Darling
ELOISE

Eloise went to Texas for our friend Paul Cox’s wedding last month. He and his wife recently bought some land and will be building a recording studio and house. We saw all the plans and it’s totally going to be awesome and gorgeous.

I realize that the Ireland pictures greatly outweigh the London pictures. I’m sorry for that discrepancy. I didn’t feel as touristy as I did in Belfast. Anyway, onward…

SOUTHERN & NORTHERN IRELAND

LONDON, ENGLAND

Well I have successfully paid off my vacation debt. That was fast, right? I figured I may as well pay it off instead of letting the interest accumulate. I’ve still got a pretty good cushion if anything were to happen, but still, my bank account is a bit sad that the number isn’t as high as it was. But I know, life happens, and people make £250 mistakes all the time!

I had a really great time in England and Ireland. I think overall the whole thing was a success. Sure, I used up all my vacation days for the year, but I think it was totally worth it. It gave me a lot of thinking time, and I have to admit, I feel more confident about a lot of things in my life than ever. I feel worry-free and happy. But I won’t lie about the fact that since I came back, I’ve been in a little mess. I did a lot of thinking while I was away, which left me perplexed and sad at the same time. I’m a little confused and I’m unsure about the ultimate outcome of this mess once I sort through it, but this much is true: I have a lot of things to do and figure out. The plot thickened.

Belfast was really interesting. The vibe I got there wasn’t as bad as Portland, but it was definitely weird. I had a couple of people call me Chinese, and one guy got it right that I was Filipino. Vicky said that it’s because he’s one of those guys that goes to the Philippines and spends a month in a brothel. Classy.

But I did get to spend a lot of time with Vicky. I really only met Vicky once before this time, and she was then known as my friend’s girlfriend. I’m really glad that it went beyond that. She hardly knows me, yet she opened up her home to me and went on misadventures with me. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’ve known her for much longer than I really have.

Leo’s awesome. The first time I met him, we actually didn’t interact very much. I seem to remember him acting bitter in one instance, and then occasionally I’d see him sporting a fake mustache or something. It was when we saw each other on MySpace that we began interacting. I think I type at him far too much about all the stuff I don’t like talking or even blogging about, yet over the few years I’ve known him, he has kindly read and remarked, and I truly appreciate that. So seeing him was actually really nice. I wish the opportunities to hang out with him weren’t so few and far between.

Both Vicky and Leo are two people in my life who I spend much more time typing at than talking to. But there’s an interesting dynamic in that; I don’t need to catch up with them about my life’s news by the time we get around to actual personal time. It’s sort of strange, yet refreshing. I can pretty much just be myself.

London was fantastic! It made me really think about moving, but I know that’s just the quixotic behavior that a good vacation inspires. Hey, maybe it’s not a bad idea though.

I know the true sign of a great holiday is not wanting to come back. I felt that way the whole time. It makes me realize how jaded and annoyed I am with home. I’ve lived here or within an hour of the city my entire life, and maybe it’s about time I changed that. I think I need to live abroad, or at least somewhere different. Maybe I should move across the country. There are places I’ve been to more than once, and I am pretty much ready to go home by the end of it. I didn’t feel that way this time. I know it’s definitely something I want to do at some point in my life.

Though, if I were to move away, I’d miss this things like this.

(Pictures will be up this week)

So it has been a couple of days since it happened. And I figured I shouldn’t write about it until most of the memory comes back. You know how when you get shitfaced, the events of what happened start to come back slowly over a couple of days? Well that’s the way it happened.

Early in the day, I woke up and forgot it was my birthday until Cy called me to sing “Happy Birthday”. We spoke for a bit and then Leo called to sing it too. Well, after a nice beginning, I tried to figure out what to do. Leo had suggested the Victoria & Albert Museum because of the clothes and furniture (the two things I absolutely love looking at in museums). So I went on down there, and took a gander at the awesome stuff and took my sweet ass time.

I called Nick and met up with him at Piccadilly Circus to grab some lunch. It was awful. After that, I made him go shopping with me for tchotchkes, cookies and candy to bring back to friends and family. We took an hour break from each other and then headed up to Camden for Oppenheimer’s show at KOKO. We got there earlier than expected, so we grabbed another crappy meal at this Thai restaurant. Man, it has been a long time since I’ve had really bad Thai food; it was absolutely flavorless.

After that bad experience, we met up with the Opps and hung out a bit backstage. Rocky got me a Stylophone! The funny thing is that earlier in the day, I saw one in Hamleys and totally thought, Should I get one? Hmm… no… maybe I’ll just order one online when I get home… hmm… I was on the fence about getting it. And then Rocky got me one! AWESOME!

We hung out a bit and then Oppenheimer played. The crowd was so small that Shaun started picking people out of the audience and dedicating songs to them. It was funny and charming, and I think people really dug them. Leo showed up in the middle of their set and broke his “no drinking on Tuesdays” rule since it was my birthday. He left promptly after finishing his drink to finish up a bunch of work, but I continued and went out for more with Oppenheimer at this bar across the street. That’s when it gets hazy because I’m pretty sure I don’t remember all the details. I just remember saying bye to everyone at some point, knowing I’d really miss them but also knowing that I would see them again soon since they’re always in the USA. I managed to stumble home okay without getting run over, but as soon as I sat down, the room started spinning, and I got really sick. I hadn’t been that drunk since I was about 19 or something. I just remember kind of diving face first into the mattress, then getting up with my knees on the floor and pushing off against the wall to turn over. And I didn’t want to turn off the lights because then I would trip over. I did manage to do the whole nightly routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I also remember dialing Cy, but I didn’t remember the majority of the conversation that ensued. I just know I was under a blanket with my eyes shut. I also remember texting people.

The next morning I woke up around 5:30 to 6am, still drunk and trying to figure out how to get out of it. I remembered why I hate getting drunk. I don’t like having to wait it out. I don’t like feeling like I’m not in control of my own body. Leo texted and called at about 8:30 and set up breakfast in Notting Hill. I couldn’t get myself to eat more than a couple of bites, but I stuck the chocolate croissant I’d ordered in my bag with the plan of eating it later on. Leo suggested I walk back, but I ended up getting lost (go fig) and realized I was too far northwest. I got back alright with a good amount of time to get to the airport. I eventually ate the croissant on the train, hoping that it would soak up whatever toxins were lingering. It didn’t, but it was delicious.

The flight back felt like an eternity. The man next to me was unpleasant and grumpy, and I just kept feeling nauseated from everything they were feeding us.

Cy picked me up from the airport and brought me home to a clean house. He cleaned and organized my entire apartment, added plants and paintings and showered me with presents galore, one of which was a new vegan cookbook. I’ve missed good vegan food. I’ve also missed cooking for myself.

I called in sick yesterday. I had tremendous stomach pain and then I think I had a fever. I slept most of the day and I was soaked in sweat, which pretty much never happens to me, yet I was still freezing. Cy and I watched half of The Mighty Boosh DVDs I got at HMV. We also got lunch at Veggie D and dinner at Real Food Daily– all of which was still part of the birthday present to me.

And now I’m back at work. :-\

I have some bills to pay.

Oh yeah, so Nick and I walked into this one store in Camden Town and the guy in there asked me where I was from:

Dude: Where are you from?
Me: California.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
[Pause]
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
[Pause]
Dude: Originally?
Me: Yes.
Dude: Okay, because I tell people I’m from Persia.
Me: Well my parents are from the Philippines, but I’m not.

So today was a little different. It was pouring rain outside, and last night I’d made a comment about not believing in umbrellas. But today I ended up buying one from Next. Yeah, I caved in because it was raining pretty hard and I was soaked.

But anyway, I went out to Covent Garden for a little bit. It’s interesting how it totally felt strange… like it didn’t change at all since the last time I was there.

I don’t know what it is, but this city totally makes me want to move. Like, I want to forget about my previous life and start anew right here.

Later on, Leo and I had cakes at a patisserie, where this rude French waiter probably had beef (boeuf ) with me for being American. I felt tempted to order some “Freedom Fries”. Anyway, after some delicious cake, Leo once again appeased me with some delicious wine, consumed outside while the rain was pouring. Yay numb!

And after that, I went to get some drink(s) with Nick at Covent Garden. We kind of also met some obnoxious and LOUD Americans outside. Hmm…

I just realized how Debbie-Downer my last entry was, so let me resolve it. It did read badly.

Camden was really cool, actually. I got these eyeglass frames that pretty much look like the ones I wear… except they’re little and a hair barrett. I like the clothes they have there, but I didn’t really find anything in particular that struck my eye, though I know that these types of markets are sometimes hit or miss. Though now that I think about it, I think I saw some pretty awesome jewelry that I’d meant to buy, but completely forgot about. See, that’s how I control my shopping. If I’m still thinking about it later on, that means I will probably get it. And I rarely get that feeling. I would look at something, and the guy would say it was £30 and I would think, Would I really want to pay £15 for this? (It’s definitely one of those places where you’d bargain.) This one guy kept talking me down on a belt buckle, but I really didn’t even want it. But I did buy a few crappy touristy things for my family at home. They eat that stuff up. Everyone else really just asked for Cadbury’s and other chocolate you can’t find at home.

Then we went off to Harrod’s, a really intense shopping experience. It’s so crowded, and I can only imagine what it looks like during the Christmas season. Bought a couple of things, but then I realized I was so overwhelmed that I forgot to pick up a couple of other things. I hate it when stores are like that. It’s like one of those places you have to bring a list to.

So Nick and I took a break, and we each took naps. I napped for about 10 minutes and realized, What the hell am I doing in here? I should be out walking or something! So I set out to go to HMV because I wanted to get The Mighty Boosh on DVD. They were closed by the time I got there, so I went to Sainsbury’s for candy and cookies for the family.

Then Nick and I met up again for dinner at this place called Eat and Two Veg, which is a vegetarian restaurant. The food wasn’t bad, though it was the first place that I’ve seen tofu on a menu. Everyone’s been saying that I wouldn’t be able to find a decent salad around here… that seems pretty true.

So we walked down the street looking for a place to get a drink and stopped at this one pub with a bunch of Swedish people drinking and singing outside. We stopped in for a couple of pints, and then who should happen to walk by but Leo and his friends. Leo bid his friends adieu and then had a couple of drinks with us… and then I got drunk and stupid and clumsy. We shimmied a little (Leo naturally shimmies when cold) and then went home. YAY!

I am currently very drunk right now, but here goes.

I went to Camden Town for the market today. Think of it as a Chinatown in every American city. I found a few things I liked, but not enough to bargain down. I did, however, buy some crap for friends.

Afterwards, Nick and I went to Harrod’s and bought a few things. I think I may have to make a new trip over there because I forgot a few things.

We went to dinner at this vegetarian place nearby and got some vegan food. Overall it wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t exactly the best. Otherwise, I would be excited. Most of you know about my reaction to awesome vegan food…

Anyway, after that, we kind of found a bar to have some drinks and Leo happened to walk by and have a couple with us. Then I got drunk and stupid, and that brings us up to date. I hope this doesn’t read badly in the morning.

POST!

P.S. Leo shimmies when cold.

Today, Leo took me cycling through London. Holy shit, I needed the exercise. Went all around London, and it all feels like a blur… probably because it was so windy that crap kept getting caught in my eyes. I kept tearing up. But also, Leo is pretty fast (well much faster than me anyway), and I’m not used to it. We went from the South Bank of the river and went all the way up to Portobello Road where there was a market. We ate some veggie sausage and mash and then headed back to the bike shop. That was ridiculous and tiring.

At one point I shouted that I hated him but he quickly appeased me by offering some delicious wine in this cellar bar. I laughed randomly because I was drunk. Okay, I wasn’t that drunk. I was just tipsy.

Went out for Indian food in Bangla Town with both Leo and Nick and then got a drink on this weird street. Really weird.

I’m tired.

In short, I really enjoyed driving in Ireland. I would do it over again… and just for the record, I seriously think my next car will be a manual.

Some things:

Tuesday, 20 May 2008

After some stupidity and almost missing my flight (because Gatwick had to be evacuated over some stupid fire alarm), I got to Ireland later than expected, but I picked up my car and hesitated for a moment. I realized that it’s not EXACTLY the opposite. It’s exactly THE SAME except for the side it’s on in the car. And I have to say that I honestly like shifting with the left better. I think driving was the best choice I could make, and I wouldn’t take it back. I didn’t stall at all! Plus my hill technique was awesome.

So anyway, I got to Vicky’s somehow, even though she didn’t know how to give me directions (she had just moved). I found it though. Belfast really is as small as everyone says it is.

When I got there, I got a bit settled, and then we went out for dinner at this fair trade, non-profit cafe around the corner from her. It was pretty awesome. Then we hung out at her place and retired early.

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

The next day Vicky took me to the town centre to check out some awesomely inexpensive stores. We ate lunch at this Argentinean place with a hot host and took a tour of Belfast in the really touristy double decker bus. I thought the city was bigger, but at the end of it, I realized that it was all an illusion!

After that we ate at that cafe again, got crunk at home (I had a giant bottle of cider) and then got crunk some more at Lavery’s, when they were doing last call.

Thursday, 22 May 2008

We decided to go to Giant’s Causeway by booking a tour group. That was the worst idea ever. You’re just surrounded by tourists the whole time. I mean, I know I’m a tourist too, but I didn’t come to be surrounded by me… There were these motorcycle bitches that were totally being pissy at us and kept stealing our seats. And then there were these really annoying American tourists. Then on the way home, I got separated from Vicky and I was forced to sit next to this greasy man who needed a shower and really reaked. I was getting motion sickness because of the scent.

After that, we met up with Tom McShane and Beth for some drinks at this cool bar called the Stiff Kitten. Got home past midnight, and then Vicky’s neighbors (Declan, a French man named Yves and Declan’s friend Stephen) decided to come by and ask for booze. They just wouldn’t leave! They finally left at about 4 am or something, when they’d insulted us. That one guy Stephen grabbed my ass when he hugged me and lifted me up… and then tried to get me to sit on his lap. I think he was having girl issues or something…

Friday, 23 May 2008

At the end of it all, I stopped by Rocky’s studio and checked it out. It was really cool, and I met another engineer, Ben McAuley. He was really nice, and suggested I go to this international market that they have going on in the centre. I wanted to, but I had a feeling that I would get lost… and I did… twice. I started going on the M2 Northm, instead of the M1… and then when I got onto the M1, I accidentally STAYED on it… and then realized I was wrong when I thought, “this doesn’t look familiar at all” and then started seeing signs for (London)derry.

Yesterday was mostly traveling back to England. Last night, I met up with Cy’s friend from high school, Nick P., and Leo and went out to this restaurant with tons of Belgian beer and delicious Belgian food, with monks as servers. I felt like I’d seen that place before, and I’m almost certain that it was from a TV show. Afterwards we went to this place called Garlic and Shots, where they really only have food with garlic and shots of liquor. I got this sweet caramel and chocolate one. Leo and Nick P got this one with chili powder in it.

I know this entry is really sterile, but it’s mostly filled with points for me to remember so I can put down a real reaction at the end.

Hello from London!

On the plane over here, I met a woman named Laura, who was making her way back home after her trip around the world. Amazing! She gave me a few tips and a few places to eat and check out, but because I left late for dinner, I basically walked into the first place I saw was open, which was a mediterranean restaraunt. I have no idea what it’s called, but it was alright… very cheap too! Even by American standards.

I also watched Into the Wild on the plane. What a great movie, and what perfect timing for me to see it!

Leo is, unforunately, working tonight so I won’t get to see him and give him the present I have stashed in my backpack. I accidentally stepped on it a couple of times, but it should be alright.

I’m still getting myself acclimated. The weather is definitely colder than I’d expected, so I’ll probably go looking for a coat or something to keep me warmer. Or I will wear about 5 sweaters. I dunno. Me so tired…

I think the jetlag is starting to hit me because all of a sudden I got a wave of sleepiness. I was contemplating going out for a pint of cider or something, but since I have to get up early for my flight, I might as well save the cider for another day.

I’m frightened about driving tomorrow, but it should be hilarious. Definitely. I’m so sleepy. Good night!

Maxeene’s (my god-daughter’s) birthday party was yesterday. She turned 6. It’s hard to glamorize being in inflatable jumping houses filled with kids who just ate pizza and cake. I think my hand went into some kid’s spit.

But Cy, the cousins and I managed to make a good time out of it.

It’s incredible how this is much more fun than it looks.

That’s me and Janice (left) going down, belly first, on fake bear and lion rugs.

Afterwards, we retired to my cousin Eden’s house, and Maxeene opened presents. Then we went swimming and took the most unprovocative, unsexy photos you’ll ever see in your entire life. If only it was on MY camera! I seriously do have a fat, unsexy little belly, and it’s amazing how obvious it is in a swim suit.

Ajay had me install this face recognition software, which tracks your facial expressions and will have an avatar mimic them. You can also add facial accessories (like the goatee in the picture) and filters/effects and video masks.

Oh yeah, and I had french fries today. They were awfully delicious.

And in actual news, in case you didn’t hear, the California Supreme Court overturned the gay marriage band. Cool!

I have abandoned my love of french fries for ice cream. It’s 92* F. I think that’s fair. I’m eating my lunch for breakfast and ice cream for lunch. It’s decided. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE french fries with all my heart, but I think I really need ice cream.

…or I shall die.

That reminds me. The other night I had this terrible dream where someone I love got cancer and died. I looked up what that meant in a dream dictionary, and I realize there are a lot of changes that have to take place in me. Fuck.

This is so awesome!

…and bizarre!

It’s fucking BREAD!

What a great month this has been! The band (Eloise) has FINALLY finished recording the album! I laid down my last guitar solo just over a week ago! Now off to mix and master and duplicate! I hope you all are as excited as we are!

In order to properly celebrate my 25th year of survival, I’ve decided to take a trip to London and Belfast to visit some friends and also to see some new faces and get away from it all. If you happen to be in the UK between May 19th-28th, email me for a good time: mapmusic@gmail.com. I shall send along my UK number and we can hang out. Seriously.

Also, I decided to hire a car in Ireland, so I’ll be getting around the island. This should be HILARIOUS because I am neither good at driving a stick shift nor ready to drive on the other side. Irish peeps, be merciful!

♥
May