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bookbag



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my cat's new favorite bed is my bookbag. this means she's pissed off every time i study, and every time i leave for ucla. she's pissed off frequently.
yesterday went to ralphs on bike. the return trip was somewhat harder, balancing a 12-pack up and down these hills. i waited til Eli arrived in his giant van, showed off his new scars (he's been working "aerial construction," that means he strings cable lines and falls off poles). we headed downtown to ArtShare, hung out with Daniel, Chon, and Jaime in some art studio until the beer ran out. watched Cava - a fun and strong offshoot of Quetzal/domingosiete - and Mad Marionette. i don't know whether they were Chicano or Jewish or neither, but they sounded like a Chicano Jewish variation on Gogol Bordello. the dancing was odd, one guy doing a cossack dance, some couples trying a stuttery cumbia, a few rockabilly dudes jumping or skanking (that's the category i was in).
you know how some bands switch instruments between songs? these guys switched instruments during songs. the drummer would hand off his sticks to the guitarist, who kept the beat going while the drummer picked up an accordion, then after the accordion solo, the organist held out his chords with his left hand as he blew into a trumpet until the guitarist switched from drums to banjo. they should've thrown a cowbell in, but you get the idea. as i said to Danny, they got potential, but mad marionette is more interesting than good.
after that, rode with Jaime over to the 107 bar, where the bouncer wouldn't let Eli in without id. so we hung out outside, saw Miguel Mouchess (of NALIP) and Priscilla (of Grupo Animo). weird. she's just passing through after visiting Beva and Mika in Albuquerque, on her way home to Portland. and i met a new SF State professor of "media culture." the bouncer almost punched a drunk hipster. for walking on the hood of a car. you could tell he's a hipster by his skinny 80s tie and dickhead charm. so that was enough of 107 bar, we hadn't even gone inside. after a bit more meandering through the Former Skidrow Republic, headed home.

there was a play in houston last night, obviously i didn't go. because i spent all my spending money to get to san antonio last week. i need to earn money to fix my busted-ass car (i've replaced the filters and sparkplugs, and examined the fuel injectors, hoses, catalytic converter, throttle body; i have total loss of power, and very rich mixture out the exhaust -gotta be either too much fuel, or too little air, right? one of the sensors?).
so now i'm leaving for work with my bookbag at 7:20 in the morning and hating it. my cat's hating it too.

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