OCD Party

I recently attended a party at the OCD warehouse which is a car modification shop run by my good friend Dave Hoag. On this occasion San Francisco's own The OhSees and Sic Alps performed. Unfortunately I did not see a moment of the show as Mariah, Jesse and I spent the entire party tucked away in Dave's studio apartment inside the warehouse. As the evening wore on and after the police had evicted the swarms of part-goers Mariah, Jesse and I had our way with Dave's record collection which resulted in a private, shirtless dance party.



It may appear that Miss Gardner is perhaps drunk but that state was hours off.

Better Late Than Never - New Years Eve 2009

Well I have not posted to Mind-Western in quite some time so I am rewinding the clock to New Years Eve 2009 - seems like a reasonable starting point. The evening began at Mariah Gardner's lovely home. The Governor supplied fine champagne to ease in the evening. Next we made our way to Jeremy Fish's closing party at Upper Playground. After receiving the new year surrounded by saw dust and Jeremy's Barbary Coast inspired artwork we headed off to Miss Julie Carranza's home for libations and cheer. It was a wonderful evening that washed away 2008 which was undoubtedly a tumultuous years for all.






Happy New Year everyone. I love you all.

Cajun Style

Back in July I won airline tickets. How I won them is a strange story, but what matters is that I did. The tickets had to be used within a week of my acquiring them, so I scrambled to find a travel partner, which I did. Ms. Sophia Wang not only had the time, but the desire to travel to my destination of choice, New Orleans. My selection was based upon a desire to visit the city that in my humble opinion best represents the failures of domestic policy by the current executive administration in U.S. government. In addition I wanted to sweat southern style while sampling Cajun food, culture, and the famous streets of the French Quarter.

After a day of travel we arrived in the French Quarter just after 11pm. Upon arrival at the hotel I had booked we were greeted by a locked door, and a closed front desk. Fortunately we stumbled upon a wonderful Inn just a half block away from the seemingly abandoned hotel that we desperately tried to gain access to. Thank god, or whomever you like because our late night discovery was far superior in price, and feel.

After dumping our luggage in our small yet comfortable accommodations we dined at Coops. The restaurant was recommend by Ms. Mariah Gardner, who we later discovered dined at Coops every night of her visit, which we did as well. We then ventured to the R Bar, which provided vintage soul music, and cheap beverages. The evening ended as ever other night of our stay did - with a stoned soak in our Inns hot tub.

On our first full day we toured what remains of post-Katrina New Orleans - miles of boarded buildings, vacant homes, and what I can only describe as the apocalyptic landscape of America's potential future. If you have no seen what remains of the old New Orleans I recommend doing so before opportunistic developers convert the city into a Singapore-like portal of consumer sterility.



The French Quarter, and it's surrounding neighborhoods are a wealth of antiquated architecture, and unimaginable charm.

Just a half block from our temporary home, the Ursulines Inn was the Quarter Master, which supplied us with po' boys, crawdad cakes, and everything else we desired at all hours. The self appointed "nelly deli" was situated in the heart of French Quarters gay district, which provided your sweat soaked San Francisco travelers with an immediate feeling of home.

My lovely companion, Ms. Wang.

The evening of our second day we visited the Saturn Bar for a night of Mod, and vintage soul music. We danced our asses off. The music paled in comparison to SF's Soul Party, but managed to keep us on the dance floor all night.

The lovely mod night DJs.

What can I say? I wish I had taken more photos. If you have the motivation please visit New Orleans. It is a gorgeous city brimming with resilient, and unnervingly warm hospitality.

Buddies!

It seems that Paul Costuros draws from a bottomless well of inspiration when it comes to DJ nights, but Buddies is my personal favorite. What could be better than a night where a collection of musicians, artists, and above average SF creative types get to spin 5 songs? Amazing. I have never heard such a diverse collection of music, and enjoyed it! Look for more photos in the future, and keep an eye out for Buddies at the Knock Out in SF.

Chris Dixon and Debbie work it out.

Paul Paul knows we have no time for psychological romance.

Possibly the best family photo, ever.

Danzing

Recently I visited Philk's basement bike shop that he and Mike Green have built. The duo have created a wondrous space where they spend hours refurbishing and building bicycles. Aside from generating a bit of side cash these two gentlemen are providing low-priced transportation for San Franciscans.


As if the shop were not inspiring enough Mike and Philk recently built a skate ramp in the basement. Apparently indoor skate ramps represent an arm of skating culture I knew nothing about, but encourage wholeheartedly. Did I ride the ramp? Hello no! Transitions and vert scare me something fierce, but Mike and Philk ripped it even with headroom that could not be more than ten inches.

In addition to "getting rad" on the ramp, Mike showed off his skills on a swing bicycle. What is a swing bicycle? Well, along with lawn-darts it is probably one of the most dangerous things ever to reach consumers. Basically it is a bicycle with a spring that allows the frame to swivel. The bike was only produced for a year or so before being pulled because children several injured themselves. Awesome.


Here are some photos of all the radness.