RVA day 3:
So last night after Julio got off work at Crossroads we headed up to 'Lil Florida' - the punk house at 800 W Clay with all ex-florida kids (aaaaaand Adrien used to live there). Julio let me borrow a beast of a beach cruiser (BEAST CRUISER?) - and we went up to a Sushi place called Nara to see the Government Warning show. Apparently, in Richmond, they have shows in sushi places - new to me!
When we got there there were tons of kids and the show was $7 instead of $5 - and, not trying to spend $7, I was reluctant to go in the first place, however, since the place was full they weren't letting people in - so julio and joe dela got in, then some dumpy burb punk with an eyebrow ring cut me and got in as the last one in (after having to go in and spange for the extra $2 he forgot to get from his mom. I was chilling outside and julio came up with a marker so I x'ed up and went right in, saying I paid earlier. Hells yeah, saved me that $7, then julio got me a pbr and we saw cool bands. Greatest heist of the evening went to Kyle from St Pete (now rva) who also x'ed in. He is 21 and the bar tender still wouldn't serve him cos of the x'es, so he went up to the door person and said something like "hey I guess i didn't show you my ID" and she gave him a wrist band to drink - so silly.
Government warning is the shit.
Also at the show were Circle Pat, Jon con and Hannah from BoMA, who were (you guessed it?) driving up to BOMA the next day with (you guessed it?) an empty seat! So today they're dropping me off in philly - philly pals, what up?!
ryan!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Drumble in the Bronx (not in NY content ahead)
Spent the night here in Richmond with Pablo, Josh and Lindsay. Last night we had some fancy beers at the bar that Pablo works at, then went to a Bday party at the "Slanty Shanty" - a hideously slanted row house in the Oregon Hill section of Richmond. Hung out with a bunch of people that I didn't know and had a lot of fun. There were some R.O.T.A. and Cutthroats there too who were very nice. Turns out ROTA and YABAI have similar colors (black and green v. black and LIME green).
I saw a craigslist post for someone going to amebix in philly looking for a ride - I emailed them to see if I could get in on that too. Turns out it was julie (of julie and kyle) from St. Pete - both of whom live in RVA now. FLAVA! Still trying to find a ride - feeling like a baby not wanting to hitch in the cold and rain, but who cares?
Discovered that i'm now missing my Yabai vest - fuck, had my new ID in there too.
Walked "home" and crashed out pretty quick.
Today I awoke to a text from julie about the chinatown bus system, but it's not going to work out - it seemed really early to text someone or be up, for that matter though, as the whole house was so dark, but I looked at my watch and it was already 12:30 - OOPS! Pablo was still spending collapsed midday, so I let him sleep, cleaned up my sleeping spot on the floor and wrote him a note that I'd gone out hunting for ducketts and bean (wow that sounds really funny).
RVA is really really cool looking, and superbly easy to walk around in. Lots of "art/alt school" kids, who don't acknowledge you when you say hello. My kind of place?
I wound up just where I wanted to be, at Harrison St. Coffee House, slurping bean and eating a sandwich - my first "real" food since I left, and my first anything food (save a beanadilla pablo made me) since the day before yesterday/midday. SIFG.
After that, I got a call from Pablo saying he was walking up to Slanty to get his car that we left there last night (drunk-stumbling home/drumbling home). I met up with him and we headed off to meet up with Jeremy and two new characters, Mo (an XVX super-active radical lady punx) and Charlie (probably not XVX or 'x' - still punx) who were working on the coolest punk house that I've been to yet - "Battery Tracks" - a squatted row-mansion of sorts. The house was built in the early 20's they think, and I'd probably agree. It's got the coolest looking, ornately-moulded stairway up to the second floor and a fold-down stairway from the attic (kind of like the dome, but way bigger, fully finished) - the walls are newly re-drywalled and the whole downstairs has been painted wacky colors. - there's also a basement, but that'll be closed off for the time being (if they ever do open it, it'll be a 4-story squat). They, so far have done some electrical work and painted the place - their working on getting the electric fixtures up to code so they can get the electricity turned on. I've got pics, you'll see it - it's amazing.
Next door to battery tracks is the 'Mashup House' where Mo lives. She treated everyone to tea and toast and we hung out with her dogs, Grits and Flapjacks (breakfast dogs, I guess - i told her about bagel too).
Afterwards, we stopped by Josh and Lindsays again to grab some shite before Pablo had to goat to work - then I headed up to Crossroads coffee and food place to hang out with julio (while he worked, lolzzzz) - Might go see government warning tonight.
ryan!
p.s. might head up to dc tomorrow via greyhound ($23) then philly from there on the chinatown ($15) - that is - if new friend Eroll doesn't get us a ride up to philly.
I saw a craigslist post for someone going to amebix in philly looking for a ride - I emailed them to see if I could get in on that too. Turns out it was julie (of julie and kyle) from St. Pete - both of whom live in RVA now. FLAVA! Still trying to find a ride - feeling like a baby not wanting to hitch in the cold and rain, but who cares?
Discovered that i'm now missing my Yabai vest - fuck, had my new ID in there too.
Walked "home" and crashed out pretty quick.
Today I awoke to a text from julie about the chinatown bus system, but it's not going to work out - it seemed really early to text someone or be up, for that matter though, as the whole house was so dark, but I looked at my watch and it was already 12:30 - OOPS! Pablo was still spending collapsed midday, so I let him sleep, cleaned up my sleeping spot on the floor and wrote him a note that I'd gone out hunting for ducketts and bean (wow that sounds really funny).
RVA is really really cool looking, and superbly easy to walk around in. Lots of "art/alt school" kids, who don't acknowledge you when you say hello. My kind of place?
I wound up just where I wanted to be, at Harrison St. Coffee House, slurping bean and eating a sandwich - my first "real" food since I left, and my first anything food (save a beanadilla pablo made me) since the day before yesterday/midday. SIFG.
After that, I got a call from Pablo saying he was walking up to Slanty to get his car that we left there last night (drunk-stumbling home/drumbling home). I met up with him and we headed off to meet up with Jeremy and two new characters, Mo (an XVX super-active radical lady punx) and Charlie (probably not XVX or 'x' - still punx) who were working on the coolest punk house that I've been to yet - "Battery Tracks" - a squatted row-mansion of sorts. The house was built in the early 20's they think, and I'd probably agree. It's got the coolest looking, ornately-moulded stairway up to the second floor and a fold-down stairway from the attic (kind of like the dome, but way bigger, fully finished) - the walls are newly re-drywalled and the whole downstairs has been painted wacky colors. - there's also a basement, but that'll be closed off for the time being (if they ever do open it, it'll be a 4-story squat). They, so far have done some electrical work and painted the place - their working on getting the electric fixtures up to code so they can get the electricity turned on. I've got pics, you'll see it - it's amazing.
Next door to battery tracks is the 'Mashup House' where Mo lives. She treated everyone to tea and toast and we hung out with her dogs, Grits and Flapjacks (breakfast dogs, I guess - i told her about bagel too).
Afterwards, we stopped by Josh and Lindsays again to grab some shite before Pablo had to goat to work - then I headed up to Crossroads coffee and food place to hang out with julio (while he worked, lolzzzz) - Might go see government warning tonight.
ryan!
p.s. might head up to dc tomorrow via greyhound ($23) then philly from there on the chinatown ($15) - that is - if new friend Eroll doesn't get us a ride up to philly.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I think hair on a man is attractive. as in, it's attractive.
Wow a lot to update since last post
Left you all off in Savannah, GA (well, just outside, actually called "port wentworth"). After about an hour, the lady (edna) who dropped me off there before picked me up again! We went up to Hardeeville, SC to a rest area she thought I might have better luck at. Sure enough, I walked about 20 feet away from the car before I was asked where I was headed. "North," i replied, after they saw my "new york" sign, they told me to hop in the back of their pick up truck.
Commence frozen balls. This was the coldest experience I've ever had. I had a crotch hole that kept my balls a frigid blueish (okay I lied about the color). I put on more jackets and socks and got into my sleeping bag, but was still frozen. When I got out in Florence, SC, my feet were totally numb. The people who were driving were stopping off for some grub, and myself, penniless, just sat around inside the truck stop. After about an hour i went to check on them (as i had been regularly) and they were gone! So I was stranded (well a hitchhiker is perpetually stranded, but this one I felt betrayed a little. I watched "The fast and the dead" in their little tv room-thing until i fooled myself into thinking I was tired, then walked across the street to catch some z's next to the woods.
This morning I got up with the sun with a terrible headache and some coldness, and headed off for the ramp - 2 hours later I was still there. Walked back up to the petro to use the baño, and upon getting back to the ramp was QUICKLY picked up by a trucker named robert.
This guy was a total creep from knoxville and for awhile I thought he was going to try to have "his way" with me. He was very flamboyant, but in a creepy way. He asked me about my peircings and talked about how tongue peircings make for "good head" (eesh). Then later, on the topic of tattoos, my chest came up. He asked if I had a hairy chest and I said "not really," to which he replied, "I think hair on a man is attractive. as in, It's attractive." Weird. So i'm not his type, cool, but still he'd get my attention by touching my thigh and saying weird things. Whatever. He was going to pull off in dortches, NC, but decided to take me up a couple more exits to what looked like a busier interchange.
New plan - talked to Mccains friends from asheville who said they might be able to get me in richmond on the way up to NY tomorrow, then called suntrust and saw that there are branches in Richmond, then remembered my good ass friends (ass for emphasis - they are not "ass friends") jeremy and pablo, who live in RVA - all signs pointed there, and I felt good - I haven't eaten since some pretzels in Georgia, midday yesterday, so the prospect of getting some ducketts and eating at harrison st. cafe seemed like the polar opposite of where I was the night before.
The reality was that I was still in the middle of nowhere (Halifax, NC) in the rain. Three hours went by, soaked and frozen, with a popped bubble of RVA hope fading with little hope of getting anywhere, much less anywhere dry. I called pablo to say hey and to expect me later or tomorrow and I let him in on the situation and he even offered to pick me up if shit stayed bad. What a guy - Walking back to the gas station to sit down and warm up for a sec, a guy in a uhaul asked me where I was going.
Fast forward, I'm in the back of his unlit uhaul with his 16- and 18- year old kids (who were nice as fuck, btw) after numerous reassurances that i didn't have drugs or weapons (i even gave him my knife to hold, because, well, I needed to get out of there). They were super interested in punk and moving around a lot so I told them about Richmond, Best friends day, the republicorpse tour, alex fromdeland teaching everyone to pee standing up in Raleigh, etc, until in kind of a cheesy way I realized they didn't really get it and that I probably sounded like some New Orleans Bro talking about mardi gras or something but in this case, about acting stupid, activism and funny shows and dumpstering. Cheesiliy as it sounded, It made me so thankful for punk and the sense of community and optimism I have. Without it, I'd've probably become something really abhorrent.
Right now i'm on the outskirts of RVA - pablo is on his way to come get me.
I'm taking pics too, i'll put them up when I get somewhere with a card reader..
////////Miss U Orlandbro
//////Miss U Friends
/////H8 U 'truck towns'
741 Miles In
334 Miles To Go
Left you all off in Savannah, GA (well, just outside, actually called "port wentworth"). After about an hour, the lady (edna) who dropped me off there before picked me up again! We went up to Hardeeville, SC to a rest area she thought I might have better luck at. Sure enough, I walked about 20 feet away from the car before I was asked where I was headed. "North," i replied, after they saw my "new york" sign, they told me to hop in the back of their pick up truck.
Commence frozen balls. This was the coldest experience I've ever had. I had a crotch hole that kept my balls a frigid blueish (okay I lied about the color). I put on more jackets and socks and got into my sleeping bag, but was still frozen. When I got out in Florence, SC, my feet were totally numb. The people who were driving were stopping off for some grub, and myself, penniless, just sat around inside the truck stop. After about an hour i went to check on them (as i had been regularly) and they were gone! So I was stranded (well a hitchhiker is perpetually stranded, but this one I felt betrayed a little. I watched "The fast and the dead" in their little tv room-thing until i fooled myself into thinking I was tired, then walked across the street to catch some z's next to the woods.
This morning I got up with the sun with a terrible headache and some coldness, and headed off for the ramp - 2 hours later I was still there. Walked back up to the petro to use the baño, and upon getting back to the ramp was QUICKLY picked up by a trucker named robert.
This guy was a total creep from knoxville and for awhile I thought he was going to try to have "his way" with me. He was very flamboyant, but in a creepy way. He asked me about my peircings and talked about how tongue peircings make for "good head" (eesh). Then later, on the topic of tattoos, my chest came up. He asked if I had a hairy chest and I said "not really," to which he replied, "I think hair on a man is attractive. as in, It's attractive." Weird. So i'm not his type, cool, but still he'd get my attention by touching my thigh and saying weird things. Whatever. He was going to pull off in dortches, NC, but decided to take me up a couple more exits to what looked like a busier interchange.
New plan - talked to Mccains friends from asheville who said they might be able to get me in richmond on the way up to NY tomorrow, then called suntrust and saw that there are branches in Richmond, then remembered my good ass friends (ass for emphasis - they are not "ass friends") jeremy and pablo, who live in RVA - all signs pointed there, and I felt good - I haven't eaten since some pretzels in Georgia, midday yesterday, so the prospect of getting some ducketts and eating at harrison st. cafe seemed like the polar opposite of where I was the night before.
The reality was that I was still in the middle of nowhere (Halifax, NC) in the rain. Three hours went by, soaked and frozen, with a popped bubble of RVA hope fading with little hope of getting anywhere, much less anywhere dry. I called pablo to say hey and to expect me later or tomorrow and I let him in on the situation and he even offered to pick me up if shit stayed bad. What a guy - Walking back to the gas station to sit down and warm up for a sec, a guy in a uhaul asked me where I was going.
Fast forward, I'm in the back of his unlit uhaul with his 16- and 18- year old kids (who were nice as fuck, btw) after numerous reassurances that i didn't have drugs or weapons (i even gave him my knife to hold, because, well, I needed to get out of there). They were super interested in punk and moving around a lot so I told them about Richmond, Best friends day, the republicorpse tour, alex fromdeland teaching everyone to pee standing up in Raleigh, etc, until in kind of a cheesy way I realized they didn't really get it and that I probably sounded like some New Orleans Bro talking about mardi gras or something but in this case, about acting stupid, activism and funny shows and dumpstering. Cheesiliy as it sounded, It made me so thankful for punk and the sense of community and optimism I have. Without it, I'd've probably become something really abhorrent.
Right now i'm on the outskirts of RVA - pablo is on his way to come get me.
I'm taking pics too, i'll put them up when I get somewhere with a card reader..
////////Miss U Orlandbro
//////Miss U Friends
/////H8 U 'truck towns'
741 Miles In
334 Miles To Go
Monday, January 26, 2009
Baby, she's hunting ghosts and we're running from them
Took the amtrak to jax last night - slept at my ol' pal lee's house. He picked me up, then treated me to beer last night, then tea this morning - what a guy!
After some coffee, I got out to 95 at around 10 AM - got my first ride around 1030 up to Yulee, FL, then another ride at 1230ish to savannah, GA, now i'm eating chips at a pilot station, about to leave again - more later...
ryan!
301 miles in,
798 miles to go
After some coffee, I got out to 95 at around 10 AM - got my first ride around 1030 up to Yulee, FL, then another ride at 1230ish to savannah, GA, now i'm eating chips at a pilot station, about to leave again - more later...
ryan!
301 miles in,
798 miles to go
Sunday, January 25, 2009
First Legs
Captain's Log
6:39 PM January 25th
Orlando, FL
I'm going to try not to dork out on documentation too much; After some confusion and a train cancellation, I'm still in Orlando until 7:24. After that I'm amtrakking up to Jacksonville and possibly staying with some friends from deland who live there now. The original plan of this trip included myself, kaysie and derek, but derek's going to fly due to time constraints with school, and kaysie is unfortunately stranded in naples. I hope we wind up meeting along the way.
"Starting" in jacksonville will give me the advantage of 150 miles and already being on I-95. This leaves only (gulp!) 940 miles after that to cover in 3 and a half days - sounds like a lot, wish me luck!
ryan!
6:39 PM January 25th
Orlando, FL
I'm going to try not to dork out on documentation too much; After some confusion and a train cancellation, I'm still in Orlando until 7:24. After that I'm amtrakking up to Jacksonville and possibly staying with some friends from deland who live there now. The original plan of this trip included myself, kaysie and derek, but derek's going to fly due to time constraints with school, and kaysie is unfortunately stranded in naples. I hope we wind up meeting along the way.
"Starting" in jacksonville will give me the advantage of 150 miles and already being on I-95. This leaves only (gulp!) 940 miles after that to cover in 3 and a half days - sounds like a lot, wish me luck!
ryan!
NY bound
(hopefully) leaving later on today 1,072 miles up the coast to see:
AMEBIX
NEW YORK CITY
@bowery ballroom
AMEBIX
KYLESA
THOUGHT CRIME
ATTAKE
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday january 30th
Boston/Providence
@TBA
AMEBIX
KYLESA
MORNE
--------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday january 31st
PHILADELPHIA PA
@Starlite Ballroom
AMEBIX
KYLESA
MISCHIEF BREW
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
PARASYTIC
LOST CAUSE
AMEBIX
NEW YORK CITY
@bowery ballroom
AMEBIX
KYLESA
THOUGHT CRIME
ATTAKE
--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday january 30th
Boston/Providence
@TBA
AMEBIX
KYLESA
MORNE
--------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday january 31st
PHILADELPHIA PA
@Starlite Ballroom
AMEBIX
KYLESA
MISCHIEF BREW
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
PARASYTIC
LOST CAUSE
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
According to iTunes, my "most played":
EYC - serious side effects
EYC - diamond in the muff
After the Bombs - this is hell
EYC - cops win
Minutemen - viet nam
Minutemen - It's expected i'm gone
Minutemen - #1 hit song
Axegrinder - hellstorm
Axegrinder - life chain
CCR - lodi
EYC - i was an angel
Frigöra - barbarernas offer
Fugazi - public witness program
Hüsker Dü - something i learned today
EYC - serious side effects
EYC - diamond in the muff
After the Bombs - this is hell
EYC - cops win
Minutemen - viet nam
Minutemen - It's expected i'm gone
Minutemen - #1 hit song
Axegrinder - hellstorm
Axegrinder - life chain
CCR - lodi
EYC - i was an angel
Frigöra - barbarernas offer
Fugazi - public witness program
Hüsker Dü - something i learned today
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