jimmy

We sign the papers this afternoon. I’m leaving work early to do it. We chose the 2bd/2ba for $1700/mo. We’ll be moving in on 6/15. I cannot wait!!!!

We’re almost done with settling our housing situation. We’ve spent four hours a day for the last couple of weekends looking at places. Yesterday we found the Holy Grail. Both places are in the Echo Park hills. One is right next to Elysian Park (within walking distance to Dodger Stadium), a two bedroom/two bathroom duplex that has a contemporary layout, killer views and plenty of light. The other place is a three bedroom/two bath 70s-style duplex with the largest balcony ever! The first place is $1700/mo and the other is $2300/mo.

We are torn. They are both great places and it would be a shame to turn down either one. After talking w/ my boss, coworkers and employees, they have me leaning towards the 2bd/2ba place. *sigh* I never thought it would be this difficult. Nuts.

What makes these two places so great is the huge windows they have. Most of the places we have seen have small windows which feels really confining. I figure we live in Southern California. Why don’t these people want huge windows to look at the gorgeous city in which we live? I then realize that people are so scared of crime and burglary that they would rather be confined in their house and feel safe.

Fuck that shit. If it were up to me, I would have an entirely glass house. So what if people see my business? As it is, I don’t have any curtains in my bedroom, and I change in there all the time. Hell. Roomie #3 goes around practically naked all over the house and patio. Big fucking deal.

There was one place we saw on Saturday that had those ugly wrought-iron bars on all of the windows. I asked the landlord if we could have those removed from our apartment if we chose to live there. He gave us the strangest look and asked whether we cared about getting our shit stolen. I told him we weren’t worried about that, but he wouldn’t give us an answer. Whatever.

Once we get this done, we can focus on shopping for furniture. We’ve decided we need to sell most of the things we have right now and get all new shit. She has a preference of aqua; I prefer white. Regardless, the next stage of stress is about to begin.

Things have been really quiet in my life as of late. Despite having to look for a new place to live, getting ready for Vegas and then Europe soon after, things have been pretty calm. My usual schedule consists of going to work, coming home and walking through Griffith Park with Roomie, talking with Roomie, making dinner and going to bed. Very “It’s Oh So Quiet”.

Friday night as Roomie and I were walking through Griffith Park, we saw a bunch of Special Events parking people and an unusual amount of car traffic. We started thinking it was some sort of sporting event, but then what sporting event would be hosted in Griffith Park? Then I realized the Greek Theater is close by. So who could be playing? There were a lot of white people, particularly the trashy ones who would really have no reason to come to the park. I thought Lynard Skynard was playing. We turn the corner and walk up to the theater. It was the Allman Brothers. So I guess I wasn’t too far off.

Yes. This is what has been capturing my interest lately. Yawners!

Also, we’ve sort of “adopted” a skunk that’s been coming by recently. Most of you know by now that we get a decent amount of wildlife traffic through our kitchen where we keep the cats’ food. Several months ago, I saw THE MOST to’ up skunk eating the food. Not tore up. To’ up. It was missing quite a bit of its fur, so it look more pink and brown that the standard black and white. About a month ago we noticed that it was still hobbling around: its right hind leg is broken. So we assume it got hit by a car.

Yes I cannot stand these creatures, but I genuinely feel bad for this one. So when he comes in, we just let him eat the food. This past week, I’ve been sitting at the kitchen table as it enters, about 2 feet away. Poor thing. I’m calling him Little Chairman Mao or Mao-Mao for short. I can’t help it. He’s still very petrified of us and has his stink glands working.

So such is my life as of late. I really do need to get out more.

Well it’s been a while.

Last night, Roomie and I got our official 60-day eviction notice. We need to be out of here by 7/3. The big problem with this is that I am off to Europe on 6/28. So this should be really interesting. Even though we’ve known about this since my birthday, we’ve been doing a half-assed job with finding a place. Blah.

I’m going to go to some open houses this weekend: a couple here in the immediate area, a couple lofts in Downtown, one in the Hollywood Hills. Hopefully something good will come out of this.

And I’m really pissed that I missed New Order @ Coachella playing “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. Pfft.

Eh. It’s such a lovely day, but I just seem to be stuck here at home. I want to drive somewhere and mill about, but I don’t know where exactly. I’m a little trailed out, so Griffith Park is out. (BTW, I totally forgot to share pictures of my ascent of Dante’s Peak. Here are three.)

Guess who’s going to see the Pixies? Me!!! Granted I’m seeing them at the not-so-great Wiltern, but still. I’ve been waiting to see them ever since Moro, my best friend in high school, first put in Bossanova in the tape deck of my car back around 1995. I didn’t get a chance to see the shows last year, so I’m especially pumped to see them.

It’s a really weird time musically for me right now. I was never one to be on the vanguard of music. Most of the bands that have shaped me over the past 5-8 years were long dead or on their last collective breaths. But now they are beginning to regroup and tour. Like Dinosaur. I’m really upset that I missed their show last week @ Spaceland. To see the original line up perform “Freak Scene” would have been awesome. But they’re doing a decent tour, so hopefully they’ll be back around soon.

I made a mix CD entitled Love, Hate, Murder, Heartbreak.

1. Saul Williams – Not in Our Name
2. Nancy Sinatra – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
3. Slayer – Serenity in Murder
4. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Helter Skelter (John Peel Session)
5. Nine Inch Nails – Sin (Long)
6. Weezer – Velouria
7. Unwound – Lifetime Achievement Award
8. Skinny Puppy – Testure (God Lives Underwater Mix)
9. Failure – Enjoy the Silence
10. Monorchid – Bitch Test
11. Bjork – Pagan Poetry (Live)
12. Jon Wahl and the Amadans – Tennessee Waltz
13. Xiu Xiu – Ceremony
14. The Wrens – Faster Gun
15. Pixies – Head On
16. KMFDM – Dogma
17. The Liars – We Live NE of Compton
18. Morrissey – I Like You
19. Air Supply – All Out of Love

If you want to trade or something, drop me a line at jnb3[at]artindeepkoma[dot]com. Cuz frankly I want to hear new music.

Stupid ICQ hackers. I had to get a new ICQ number. Add me. 237847356

It is Friday, and I am refusing to do any work.

So instead, I am going to curate the First Annual Old People’s Cool Music Festival. Here is the line up:

• Big Black
• Dinosaur
• Slint
• Sonic Youth
• Pixies
• Saccharine Trust
• Siouxsie and the Banshees
• Television
• Talking Heads
• Husker Du
• The Minutemen
• Butthole Surfers

This was inspired after reading LA Weekly’s review of Dinosaur’s show @ the Spaceland last week. I guess everyone is reuniting nowadays.

Overheard from my employees today: “I hope you get fat and become a size 12.” I was dying of laughter.

I really don’t know what’s up with the freeways here in LA. Several weeks ago, a guy was shot in his car on the 110 in Inglewood at 2 pm. Earlier this week, another guy was shot on the same freeway several miles from the first shooting at around 2 pm. Today, some “road debris” crashed through a windshield killing two people in a minivan on the 5 freeway by my house.

But does it deter me or anyone else from driving? Go figure.