Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt.3

Before Mel and I began the big drive from Phoenix to Albuquerque, NM, we stopped in Scottsdale for food.
We hit up Mandala. It was a fabulously decorated cafe attached to a yoga place (a common thing with vegan eateries in the Southwest apparently). I didn't have any tea but the place seemed to cater to tea with a massive selection. The food was only ok.

Scottsdale is an odd/interesting place. It looked a lot like a tourist spot but no one was outside. I am guessing that was due to the heat.

Then began the worst leg of our drive.
Nothing much of interest in between Scottsdale and Albuquerque except some Jesus billboards, more dinosaur "statues" than I ever expected to see, and A LOT of supposed Indian shops.



I never would imagine to encounter that much construction on one fuckin freeway. It got real old especially at night with tons of truckers sharing the road. We actually attempted to make a sign to show truckers that read "10-4 Good Buddy."

I was happy to reach our destination: my parents' house in Albuquerque.

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt. 2

Before leaving LA, Mel and I went to M Cafe for some food with Ben and Florence.
M Cafe is one of my top places to dine anywhere. I had a wonderful (vegan) muffaletta sandwich. We spotted some "wigger" celebrities and got a coffee (cup)cake to go.

As we approached Arizona, the landscape changed and it got hotter and hotter.

My sister and her family just recently moved to Phoenix from CA. It is still hard to believe she left CA.
Phoenix (and its suburbs) is an odd place. It is in hyper-development with houses being constructed everywhere. It seems like there is a strip mall at every freeway exit (all with the same retail spots).

We arrived and I finally got to see my brand new nephew, Jackson!

I have always been fond of children and held parenting in high regards. I was very curious as to what it would be like to see my sister's child.
I always imagined newborns to sleep and then cry when they are distressed or in need. My nephew, however, goes through periods of total calm and then unexplainable outbursts of crying. It was actually less annoying than I thought it might have been.
I think new parents are a little funny at how much they fuss over everything.

Mel and I helped my sister out when we could. A lot of that just included watching Jackson so my sister could get little things (like taking a shower) done. It didn't take long for my arms and wrists to get sore from holding/supporting the baby.

I could barely sleep it was so damn hot in Arizona.

Luckily, my sister has a pool. We hung out in the pool and checked out all the lizards running around.
The dog, Ike, loves the pool too. He jumped in and didn't touch the ground to rest for over an hour! It was hilarious and if you got too close to his pool fun he would snarl.

We all went out to dinner at some place in Tempe (which is a college town) called Greens. It was some hipster type spot and had vegan fastfood and soft-serve (vegan) desserts. We were surprised and delighted to have found it as we expected to find no vegan options in Arizona.

Lou Dobbs: Mainstreaming Fascism

Lou Dobbs is exactly what comes to mind when I hear "old wind-bag." He hides behind the label of journalist when he is nothing more than CNN's angry old White man that yells to scare the faithful and rally the rightwing.

He recently caused a bit of an uproar by giving a nod to the lunatics who claim Obama is not an American citizen. Out of that he has formed a cross-network rightwing alliance with Bill O'Reilly.

The Born Identity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

This douchebag runs rampant with innuendo and lies:
-including his false claims that immigrants were bringing leprosy across the border and that they intended to take back the American Southwest for Mexico.
-He's hosted Glenn Spencer of American Border Patrol without explaining to his audience that ABP is racist and white supremacist.
-claims the xenophobic Minutemen movement is simply akin to a neighborhood watch.
-Dobbs was one of the many right-wing pundits who attacked the Department of Homeland Security for its warnings about right-wing extremists.

2007: the end

I have always enjoyed looking back at a calendar year; remembering good times and milestones, recounting specific art or events that made the year better. Maybe I am just getting older but this year and other recent years seem to have less standout moments and more of a general ongoing vibe.

my 2007 highlights:
I bought more music in 2007 than probably the previous 10 years combined (damn record companies!).
Easily the best song I heard was Kanye West's "Stronger". I got a little sick of it but it was THE BANGER of 07.

Blaqk Audio and M.I.A. are close to the top. However the most solid album all the way through goes to Common "Finding Forever".

The only super standout punk/HC release this year could be Go It Alone's "Histories".

I am gonna break my own rules and suggest that an album released in 2006 was actually my favorite of 2007...
"The Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance!

I am almost embarrassed to admit it but a year later, I still can't get enough of this concept album.

I enjoyed all the art openings I attended at Shooting Gallery/White Walls and Upper Playground but I think Chris Conn Askew's prints got me more excited.


As for live music, the best of 2006 ended up my favorites of 2007 too: 108 and Never Healed with From Monument To Masses right up there too.
Of course Baader Brains killed it with their live return and lp + shirt.

Maybe the biggest highlight of 2007 was the band that I helped form with some friends. In the end, it dissolves without much of anything. However, it did allow me to sharpen my teeth.
I also enjoyed my first proper vacation in many many years as I travelled across the American Southwest. Along the way, a lot of food, fun, and family were found.

My mood starting 2008 is far far better than my mood a year ago.
I look forward to a year with new beginnings, being more creative, and pursuing interests found in the later part of 2007.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt. 5

Our drive to Las Vegas was less taxing than I expected. Still when we reached The Luxor, I was exhausted and hungry. On top of that, we found out LAX, the club we had banked on going to, was not open on the nights we would be in town. I also had some clothing issues. All of that combined made for a pissy shane.

Mel had never been to Vegas so we headed out onto the nighttime strip. It is beyond overwhelming and quite insane. It is very much like a Disney Land for adults.

Fat Americans ADORE Vegas!!!!! And there were more foreigners than I expected.
We walked from The Luxor to Caesar's Palace and back. I think Mel calculated it to be 6+ miles.

It was basically amazingly designed casino/hotel after amazing designed casino/hotel with plenty of shopping in between.

I made the mistake of rocking my new shoes and ended up unhappy and in pain as I made Mel race back to The Luxor to find food.
As big and fancy as Vegas is one would expect vegan eating options to be quite available. They are not.

With no set plans, Mel and I decided to hit the gentleman's club: Spearmint Rhino.

(I did not take that photo)
Spearmint Rhino had been recommended to us by Lauren and I fully expected it to just be White women straight outta Rock Of Love with big bleached hair and big fake boobs. Instead we found a really packed club with a somewhat diverse selection of women dancing on stages and laps all around a pretty comfortable/plush and very dark club.
One aspect that was pretty damn uniform with all the dancers was fake boobs.

Mel and I settled down and I ordered a $8 Red Bull. We really just kinda watched and took it all in. I was pretty excited in the beginning as a lot of the women were pretty damn attractive (especially the drink servers who are more dressed and do not dance or strip). We really weren't spending any money aside from the $30 cover and $8 Red Bull.
It was pretty hot and I/we were looking to get some lap dance action... and then some uninteresting dancer sat down and started chatting with me. I was trying to ignore her as a hint to beat it but she just kept giving me lame ass sob stories about losing money. Finally she asked if I wanted a dance. I said no and she finally left. whew! What a fuckin boner killer. haha

It was getting late. The crowd had thinned and the staff (aka dancers) began to really thin too.
In the end, we asked a dancer for a dance. She was thick and attractive and had big real boobies. It was maybe a little short but she paid attention to the both of us. Lap dances were actually cheaper ($20/song) than I anticipated after that $8 Red Bull.

As we exited Spearmint Rhino, the fuckin sun was coming up! It was 6am and we had been in that smoke filled den of flesh since like 1am! whoa!

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt. 4

Mel and I spent 2 days and 3 nights with my parents and their 4 crazy cats.

To say my parents overly cater to their pets would be an understatement. The cats are given a veritable buffet of catfood in 4 different locations throughout the house/garage. The 3 "indoor" cats also have a massive pen in a side yard with lattice and chicken wire creating a prison-style fence to keep the cats from wandering out.
The cats are also, unfortunately, highly unsocialized. Only one of the cats was friendly, 2 would rather not be bothered, and a fourth cat went virtually unseen.
It did make me miss having cats.

On the morning of our first full day in Albuquerque, we all went to an outdoor shooting range to shoot rifles. I wish I could remember all the specifics but we shot an 'elk hunting' rifle and a 'deer hunting' rifle. It has been a long long time since I fired a rifle like either of these and I was shocked at the kick. They left us with sore shoulders for days!
We also fired a .40 and .357 handguns. The .357 spit out "shrapnel" that cut both me and my dad. I had small cuts on both arms for the remainder of the trip.



It is fun to practice shooting. I was pretty happy with my aim too.
I think Mel really enjoyed trying out the different guns too (aside from the sore shoulder).
_____

My parents drove us to Santa Fe to check out some gallery openings.
I wish I could remember the artists' names because I saw some really nice pieces.
A gallery that recently began representing my mother was having a not-too-exciting show but it was very nice to see my mom's work hung in a gallery (again).

After the galleries, we went to eat at Body in Santa Fe. It is a hippy restaurant attached to a yoga center. The food was not too exciting (although the portions were giant). We did have a really wonderful raw berry "cheesecake."
My dad was very confused by the notion of raw foods. haha It was very nice that my parents went to such a place since it is pretty fuckin far out of there usual faire.
_____

On the last full day in New Mexico, we headed to one of my favorite Albuquerque spots; Sportsman's Warehouse.

It is a massive hunting supply store. Upon entering the store, one is confronted with a big board displaying people's photos of recent kills they are so proud of.

We saw pics of children and adults posing with all kinds of dead animals ranging from zebras to orix to elk etc. The store is full of taxidermied animals as well. I had hoped to find some interesting camo gear but nothing was available in anything close to my size (as Mel speculated a Small, or Medium for that matter, would probably be too gay).
They do carry Anti-Monkey Butt Powder though.

That store is quite an experience.

Mel and I explored some of Burque and went to Stay Gold.

It is a tattoo shop that Mike Giant used to be associated with. I had hoped to find the awesome shirts he designed for them but they had none.

The rest of my time in Albuquerque was essentially spent going through TONS of stuff my parents have been storing for me for over 10 years.
I found all my old art, every note/letter/gift my high school girlfriend ever gave me, photos, more comix than I expected, a lot of cool toys, hardcore zines and fliers, etc etc. I threw out so much and still couldn't bring it all to CA.
(I also found stuff I aim to sell such as Master P's autograph, Smurfs, Bay Area graff trading cards, and Garbage Pail Kids cards. Want em??)
It sure was a trip going through so much old shit. It reminded me of who I was and how much I have remained the same. I can't wait to share my findings with friends.

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt.1

It had been FAR FAR too long since either Mel or myself had taken a proper holiday. Since my sister recently had a baby (my first nephew), we took the opportunity to drive through the Southwestern corner of the USofA.
_____

As we drove the 1st leg of our trip to LA, the soundtrack of the journey was John "Bloodclot" Joseph's reading of his autobiography 'Evolution Of A Cro-Magnon.' This book is going to be great and it only gets better as it is read to you by NYHC's "Bloodclot." I won't tell you about it. I will just insist you download it and listen immediately.
DOWNLOAD HERE:


Upon reaching LA, we met up with DP, Amber, and Ben Edge at Real Food Daily. Pregnant Anjie was to meet up with us but we received no word. Too bad because I miss Anjie and a pregnant Anjie is something I still need to see to fully believe.
I had forgotten how fuckin wonderful RFD can be!

After RFD, we all ventured to Scoops for some vegan ice cream. We were joined by Ben's girlfriend Florence who it was far past time I met.

NOTE: For full details of the food aspects of our roadtrip, of which there is plenty, visit Mel's Veglicious.

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt. 7

On the evening of our 9th day of vacation, Mel and I got back to LA.
We went to Pure Luck for some dinner with some cool folks Mel met via The PPK forums. Pure Luck is like some former Korean restaraunt that is now a vegan Mexican joint apparently run by bike punx on a block dominated by bike punx. The food was amazing. I had a side order of fries and fried pickle slices with a "carnitas" torta. The "carnitas" at Pure Luck is jackfruit that is put through some unimaginable process to end up looking HELLA like chicken and tasting the part as well.

After this insane meal and talk of Motorhead and working for AVN, Mel and I headed across the street to Scoop again.

Then, it was back to casa de Ben Edge. We got to meet Ben's roommate who used to be in Undertow. I displayed my Undertow stickers and fliers for his amusement.
Before bed we engaged in discussions of politics and deep music snobbery. I ruin everything for Ben by claiming (rightfully so) that everything is right-wing and racist.
_____

The next morning we had to hit up M Cafe again. I stuffed myself sick.
I do highly recommend M Cafe for the (pricey) food even if the crowd represents all that I hate about LA.
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What a fuckin highly deserved holiday! What a fuckin wonderful time!
I have realized that my life (and my relationship with Mel) would be greatly improved if I don't stick so strictly to my regimented schedule as some form of desire denying and gratification delaying 'waiting.' As if something supposedly worthwhile will come.

Now back to the grind.

check my Flickr account for more photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanedanger/

HIATUS

This wonderful "blog" will be on hiatus as I travel to the SouthWest for turquoise and silver.


I suggest checking out the links to the right for news.

Use the comments option to let me know if anyone actually reads this (please).

Roadtrip: SouthWest. Pt.6

After Mel and I woke up, my eyes in bad shape from days of dry ass climates and a night of cigarette smoke, we got some infamous (vegan) donuts from Ronald's. Yum!

I finally played the $10 my dad gave me to gamble with. In about 60secs, my $10 was eaten by an electronic slot machine.
I cannot understand people pouring money into these machines. At least with card games, there is some element of skill. With slot machines it is essentially throwing money at a casino in hopes that you will be electronically chosen to be the one the casino computer determines should win some money.
Fat Americans love these machines especially combined with cigarettes and alcohol. haha

For lunch, we hit Rainbow's End Health Food Store. It was kinda odd and my raw tacos (not the kind found between women's legs!) took hella long to make because apparently food made with love takes longer than food made with indifference. Nonetheless, these "tacos" were pretty good. It was essentially like eating a salad with my hands.
The other clientele were pretty awesome. That store has got to be near a retirement home!! We saw an old lady irate that her clothes had to be labeled with her name and an old couple resembling some sea Skipper and the pill-taking SNL character. The lady informed us all when ordering that she was constipated.

After a nap and a walk to The Bellagio, we decided to hit our favorite spot Spearmint Rhino again. Knowing what to expect, we aimed to not spend our entire night and morning there again.

My plan was to get several lapdances with at least one of them involving fake boobs. I had never felt implants before and was naturally curious to touch 'em... Even though fake boobs are disgusting.
When my jam, 50 Cent's "Ayo Technology," came on, I jumped up to get near the main stage. I must say I was surprised at getting pulled up into her odd bossom for a dollar bill. haha
Later on as Mel and I were chilling on a couch, that same dancer approached us with another dancer. They did the usual fawning over Mel and asking her if she liked girls routine. They enthusiastically told us how they wanted to dance with each of us. I kinda looked at Mel making her decide and we went for it. They both ended up having fake boobs and gave pretty enthusiastic and hot lapdances. As we handed our fuckin grip of cash to them, they offered to go to the VIP room with us but we informed then of how they broke us. haha
Before the night dragged on too far, I wanted one more lapdance. The hot woman we wanted stayed in some VIP section with an old dude so we gave up on her. This cute dancer approached me and started talking... big mistake. This woman was so fuckin dumb it was painful. She dropped gems such as saying that Chinese women all have long hair and that I looked "mixed." I got the dance anyway (her dancing skills were top notch!)and we bounced.
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For our last day in Vegas, Mel and I started it off at Ronald's to pick out over 2 dozen fuckin (vegan) donuts to leave Las Vegas with!

We picked up some music for our soundtrack home (I highly recommend Common's "Finding Forever!").

Then we hit another highlight of the trip: The Gun Store Las Vegas!
This place lets you rent an assortment of weapons including automatic weapons for use on their range. Mel chose the AK-47 and I went with an Uzi and an AK-47 as well.
The place is totally set up for tourists to shoot and get a photo. It was so fast and the range masters did so much for us that it was kinda unreal. We did get to shoot fuckin automatic weapons though!! whoo hooo!




After the full 15 minutes that took, we looked for food.

We went to what has got to be one of the largest Whole Foods Markets in the world!!
This place blew my mind and the salad bar area was amazing. I had one of the best salads that included Gardein some Whole Foods (vegan) fake chicken that rules. When will Berkeley Whole Foods get that shit.
I also don't think I have seen so many cosmetic surgery victims in one place! whoa!