Are You Tellin' Me ta See the Sign?

I just went to the bank, on the way back I saw 2 signs I loved. This first one you cant read in the pictures. Trust me, the white sign on the door say's "The Universe is Friendly"
The Sticker probably looks great on the back of a Prius headed north bound on the PCH in Malibu, here in the valley it just made me laugh.


Not a quater mile away is this sign, which I've always meant to photograph. It's outside an LAUSD Bus Depot, and it is in my opinion the best comment on Bush's education program.
"No Child Left Behind.
Check your Bus for Children"

Blog Birthday Missed

I totally forgot my blog turned 4 on June 4th. I just now noticed that. I'm slipping. Maybe I'll have a big blog party for it's 5th special day next year. Then my blog will have to begin school, and learn how to grow up and be a real blog.

Pra ha!

So now maybe you other blogging slackers will take up the task.

Devin's Blog turns 4 next month! 8/30/04 began his blogging saga

Scarlet come lately, you've got a ways to go, you began on 4/19/07.

Oddie also come lately, but not as bad as Scar, you began 2/7/07.

I've Never Passed a Bar, Without Stopping for a Drink

“I don't like jail, they got the wrong kind of bars in there”
Charles Bukowski


Yesterday and the day before my dear sister toiled away in Jefferson City, Missouri, trying her best to pass the Missouri Bar Exam. She either passed this time or she didn't, but I'm proud as fucking hell either way.

Way to be. Keep it up. Now go and have some fun, you've earned it.

Odd, will soon be moving into a great home in Kansas City, where she will soon begin her working career. I'm just thrilled for her.

Good world.

Stoned

This past week I've been stealing little bits of time to take in a movie called "Stone Reader". It's a documentary, and since it's about a book, and reading books, it's a difficult film to get many people involved in. The pacing is also not up to the moments attention span, which is to say it's actually a really great film to watch.
I began my viewing on Monday night, getting 12 minutes in before I realized I was creating boredom in my household. I picked it up again on Tuesday, and I was able to watch a good 45 minutes or so. To have to stop viewing was very difficult, but I had family in from out of town and didn't feel right about forcing everyone to sit quietly with me while I finished another 40 minutes of a documentary about books. Finally last night I was able to finish it, this time even my other found herself drawn in. It was really a moving piece of work. It reminds a person about the beauty of difficult tasks. It's reminded me why I like to blog in the first place and why I should be doing it when I have the opportunity.
The film focuses on a man named Mark, and his journey through life as a reader, and in particular his love of a book that seemed to be very near to dissapearing. The book, by Dow Mossman, "The Stones of Summer", was published in 1972, it recieved rave reviews then began to slip from the eye of most minds. "Stone Reader" chronilces Mark's quest to find the author, and other people who have been similarly touched by "The Stones of Summer" or even by other nearly forgotten books. You can view the website for the film at:
www.stonereader.net
Or Mark's non profit foundation for lost books at:
www.lostbooksclub.org

If you are so inclined, buy me the book, I can't afford it and really want it.

Transfer of Risks Pt1

As I was crawling into bed last night I made to move one of Amy's numerous journals, it happened to be open, and since Amy is a very public journalist, I read what was on the page. I was suprised to find a poem, relating to the title of the SG album, Free Alongside Ship. I thought that I photographe it in entirety, but I see now that I only got the first half. So here, for your pleasure, more from Amy on what the title might mean.

Watching Weeds Grow

The second season of the Showtime program Weeds came out yesterday and Amy was on the ball in going and picking it up for our enjoyment. I arrived home from work to a great plate of Spaghetti, Salad and little bread balls. We immeadiatly began the viewing of the program. Hour after hour we watched, because that is the best way to watch Television, commercial free and in extreme dedicated concentrated bursts. Lovely. I was reminded of last year when we rented the first season without really knowing anything about the show. I recall the way the bedroom was set up, and how enjoyable it was to take in the whole season in one night, because we are after all extreme freaks.
After about 3 episodes our wine supply dwindled, so we took a short jaunt up the street to Golden Rule Liquor, where we drink unto others, as you would have them drink unto you. I make it a point now to go to Golden Rule Liquor, because they sell Vampire wine and because their staff is fun in a creepy sort of way. I don't even have the luxary of choosing Golden Rule Liquor by virtue of name alone, as the other option is Liquor Time Liqour, How can I be so lucky as to live betwix two of the greatest named liqour stores of all time? It's not that I don't enjoy the staff at LTL, because believe me I do, once an old man was kicked out of the store for accusing me of cutting in line, cause they know I'm a great customer and a balanced human being. Forgive me, I have run on. One other great thing about GRL is that they face the wonderfully bad mural portraits of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean that you see in the background of the photo. Arriving home I was taking notice of the room around me, then I took a photo of the room around me, so I could share that with my future self, and you dear reader.
Weeds is a fun show to watch, our living room was a fine setting to watch it in. Drinking Vampire wine from Golden Rule Liqour adds to the over all feeling of fine in this situation.

Pride, Fun, Music & Wine in Santa Barbara

SG just played a Pride Festival in Santa Barbara the weekend before Gus slipped loose the mortal coil. It was a wonderful time. We played first, which was a bit annoying because we had played late the night before in LA, and then had to wake up at an impossible hour to arrive on time. The show was wonderful, our second show playing with Drummer Alexa. She was very spot on, as were the rest of us. had there been more people around at the time we played the show would have been near perfect.
After the show we had occasion to wander around the grounds and get acquainted with folks from Santa Barbara, which in my opinion were not all that easy to get acquainted with, a prevailing snobbishness being on the surface so common. I like this photo of Coco, standing by her special ladies room drinking beer while listening to the sounds of DJ Billdup!

Amy found it shocking that this bench was dedicated to Happy & Pill!

After wandering todder and frodder in the festival grounds, Amy, Marc and I decided to get a break from being so queer and walk over to the pier. It was much further than we thought, so we all got in a long line in the shade of a Palm tree and took respite from the toils of our gay. On the way back we happened to spot this woman. Her jacket says "Swine are Fine"

Our accommodations for the weekend were provided by Billdup and Theo. This is their computer work station area, which is pictured here because this very chair in this very corner was filled by Billdup when he was creating his fabulous remixes which grace Sidesaddle Sweet Talk. They had a rad upstairs apartment right near the beach and bars. After the festival we all sat out on their balcony and slowly chugged Bud Light & Corona like it was going out of style. After while everyone else wandered inside to take showers & harass the cats, I sat out on the balcony having a moment with myself. I pondered the flight of seagulls. I gazed at the mountains which separate Santa Barbara Valley from the Santa Ynez Valley. I could be wrong on the actual geography/topography of the area, but at the time that is what I was thinking, and since it was my moment even if I'm wrong I'd just as soon preserve it the way it was that day. It was a very special few minutes. When traveling in a group one often prizes a few moments spent alone.

Our nightlife began at a place called "Couchez". Billdup was spinning and we were all ready for drinking. We were lucky then to be joined by a special odd human Bett, who is always a bundle of fun. Growing tired of Chouchez; Bett, Amy and I finally made it to the end of the pier which had seemed so much further away in the harsh light of day. At the end Amy and Bett posed for this picture.
Evening turned into night and we continued to walk, stopping by the odd bar here and there but most often finding ourselves going back to the roots of what is apparently a historic fig tree. Bett, a Santa Barbara native brought us much laughter with the passing on of a quaint upper crust Santa Barbara bogey-man; apparently bad children were led to behave by being told that if they were not careful, they would end up living under a fig tree. Those of you too lazy to click the fig tree link need be informed that apparently the fig tree has in times past been a very popular bed of the homeless.

The next morning I awoke on the floor, happy to have slept in a place that didn't have a number in the title. slowly our band of "mary" travelers found our way washed and fresher to the annual French Festival. We enjoyed a very delicious crepe breakfast, and took in a few of the Poodles, who no doubt starred later in the Poodle Parade which we missed. After breakfast, Devin, Dylan & Marc hit the beach. Amy and I instead skipped across town to the Kalyra Tasting Room, where our wonderful host Billdup proceeded to take us on a journey through the wonderful wine of the Kalyra collection. It was all SO good. I had never been able to get into desert wine until Bill introduced us to their Orange & Black Muscats and the Tawny Port. My Lord. Heaven. We left with a bottle of 99' Australian Shiraz that I am so excited to enjoy with a nice steak or lasagna. Bill was just wonderful to talk with all weekend, but when he's holding these special bottles of wine he is just dandy and half.

We spent the rest of Bill's shift at the Tasting Room, then decided to repay his grace with a bit of food at a place across the street which I think was called enterprise fish company (I can't be arsed into finding the link since they were ever so busy as it was). Bill entertained us with deep see fishing stories, and a fun little tale about a deposition. Always fun to talk and drink and eat.

We ended the evening in Santa Barbara back at Couchez, finally getting out of town around 11pm. It was by far the best time I've ever had in Santa Barbara.


From the wiki:
Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree
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Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree located in Santa Barbara, California is believed to be the largest Ficus macrophylla in the country[1]. It is believed the Moreton Bay Fig Tree came to Santa Barbara via ship from the Moreton Bay region of eastern Australia.

Originally planted between State and Montecito Streets, the tree was transplanted, by Hannah Crabb and her daughter Adeline, when it was "as tall as a walking stick"[1].

In July 1997 the circumference of the tree at 4-1/2 feet above ground was 498 inches (41-1/2 feet). The average crown spread was 176 feet and the total height was 80 feet. Measured in November 1991, the branch spread was 167 feet with a total height of 76 feet. The trunk diameter above the buttress roots is 12.5 feet[2].

Stacking the Agenda

Over the past few weeks we've been writing on a song called "Stacked", which will be featured in a documentary about the book tour the author of this book went on. The song is really a bit different from our normal work that people would be familiar with. Those who really know our band though could tell it's lineage. It's int eh vein of our B-sides like "Nutragen" or "Zero Cool". I've been enjoying working on it and imagining it finished.

Here are a few shots of me working on it, because I never post pics of myself at work:

The photo in the background as painted by SG Associate and former member Von. It's called "Julie Can Too". I like it.

It was a warm day yesterday. Amy and I had gone to see that rat/food movie at Dyldog's theater on Saturday night, with Dylan, Bernie, Leah & Bun. Devin attempted to catch it but instead he ended up being 2 minutes late, and at the academy theater that means no go go for Devin.
The movie was very cute and I enjoyed it. Very much in fact.
Actually the evening kicked off well when Amy and I decided to leave a bit early and have Dinner at Pit fire Pizza, which happened to have a fricken' line out the door. Well, we though that was not worth waiting in so we strolled down the street to The Eclectic Cafe where we dined on Stuffed Mushrooms, A strong cheesy pizza and drank Pinot Noir. YUMS. I was a happy lad.

So to complete the skewing of the timeline in this post... After the movie we went home, watched 1 episode of the 4400 and went to bed early. This was nice. It allowed us to awake early the next morning, and begin cleaning our messy hole of an apartment. Amy is more effective at cleaning than I, so I was promptly dismissed and sent on a mission to retrieve Bagels from Noah's on Larchmont, and Champagne and OJ fro Mimosas from Golden Rule Liquor.

We were joined in our bagel feast by Devin, Dylan, Von, Jessica, and Marc. We ate, chatted and then watched the film "Flirting with Disaster", which I very much enjoyed. It was Ben Stiller when he was still capable of displaying relate-able human emotions.

Speaking of that, and while my timeline is fucked, I should mention that last week Amy and I watched "Zero Effect". This has got to be one of my favorite 90's movies. I used to watch it every 5 months or so, and usually by myself. I don't know why no one else ever likes this movie as much as I do. I will now go read about it after this and find out whats up with that.

Anyway, bagels, mimosas and movie finished all peoples departed. Amy continued to clean I began doing what I'm pictured above doing. Playing guitar and taking pictures of myself. I'm playing an Ebow on my trusty Fender Telecaster. It was warm. I drank iced tea.

The song will be in develpment further this week. We shall see what happens.

My agenda is stacked.

One Last Voyage, The Good Ship Gus

At 6:30 pm, 7/18/07 the Gustavo Crosby-McElroy met with the rest. He was a great Cat, and his soul implied something deep and meaningful. He hunted, for food and balance. He purred, as a leader. He lead with the hand, followed by the teeth, all guided by the gut and heart.

His ears and face showed signs of the years. He bore scars, but he left more than he took. He was orange.

Gus began life in Santa Monica. He adopted Amy at the shelter for people in the same municipality. He helped Amy on her way, until he realized he could help Christopher more, and that soon Amy would need help from Arthur & Henry.

Gus is survived by a song, a story, and many the many lives he touched and scratched.

Blog Neglect

I've been very bad about blogging. To make up for it I'm typing 2 sentences on a Saturday. YAY! We are at work today on a song called "Stacked", which if liked by the filmaker, will appear at the end of a documentary.

It's a nice day. We are at Devin and Dylan's. There is a breeze. The sun is shining. I slept a rare 14 hours last night. Devin fixed what our family calls "Chinese Cassarole" for lunch. It was good.

It's a good day.