Upcoming Trips

I'm just getting back from NY and I did not snap a single flick... but y'all all know what that looks like so I'm not stressin it.

I'm going to Chicago next week... as well as Gary, IN. The next weekend I'll be in either Phoenix or Denver so hopefully I'll have some new pics soon. I'm also trying to get better about taking pictures of DC. I know I take it for granted so I want to force myself to try to appreciate it.

More Pics

San Fran... the end

I walked away because i didn't know how to end it

This blog i mean.

I've wanted to put up that *final* entry but i just didn't know what to type. I didn't want it to be over... but alas.

This summer was amazing. I have memories that will last me a lifetime and a renewed resolve to make it to the west coast sooner rather than later.

We ended up leaving a couple days early so i could get back and get to class. We also drove straight from Nebraska to DC on the last day. I plan to put up some more pics over the next couple of days and throw up some memories... other than that I'll be at: http://gangstamittens.blogspot.com

...

First of all my apologies for getting so behind in the blogging process. Since our time out here got shorter there just seemed to be less time for the blog. At any rate below is a compilation of just about everything we did while we were here. This trip has been amazing. The only two things left are to see my friend George tomorrow and our going away dinner... after that we get on the road for our four day trek home. Friday: Salt Lake City, Saturday: Kearney, Sunday: Chicago, Monday: DC. It's been amazing to say the very least.

We...
Lived on Haight Street
Went to Vegas
Went to LA
Saw the California coast via train
Hung out in Beverly Hills
Partied in Culver City
Drank wine at 2 in the afternoon at the Ferry Building
Took the Ferry to Oakland and back
Hung out in Jack London Square
Ate an amazing dinner at Alioto's in Fisherman's Wharf
Ate Mitchell's Ice Cream
Ate at Cha Cha Cha
Ate at Osha
Ate at In N Out
Ate at Fresca
Ate at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack
Ate at La Traviata
Ate at Fritz
Saw Barry Bonds hit #756
Window shopped in Berkley
Drove across country
Discovered the genius that is "Bitch I Might Be"
Visited family I hadn't seen in almost 20 yrs
Caught up with a good friend that I haven't seen in four years
BBQ'd 3 times in one week just because
Drove to Richmond at 10pm to return an overly affectionate cat
Learned the proper way to taarof
Ate pizza in Chicago
Saw the sunrise in Wyoming
Walked along Ocean Beach and laughed as BJ let the cold Pacific Ocean touch his feet
Walked to the Japanese Tea Garden and back
Took photos
Laughed
Cried
Learned that Fishbone is a bully
Ate at Goat Hill Pizza
Ate at Mamacita
Ate at Sparky's
Smoked a hookah and drank Arabic Tea
Had beer at the Noc Noc bar
Went to Twin Peaks and watched BJ's hat blow away
Witness a recovery effort as Dom and BJ went to find said hat
Found Crystal Meth under the bed
Marvelled at the marijuana growing in our neighbor's yard
Ate at Burger Joint
Went digging for records
Changed directions
Plotted to change the World
Gleefully purchase rum at the grocery store
Cheered on runners in the SF Marathon as they ran past our house
Drank water with lime and cucumber in it
(more to be added later)

BJ Presents "People Watching In Santa Monica"

Falling Behind

Ok so...

We went to LA. We took the train down which was actually quite amazing (we all know i'm not the biggest fan of flying so the train was a welcome change of pace.

We were in LA for like 2 full days and i don't feel like we slept. I don't think we took any pictures. Well I can't find any... but yeah it was a lot of fun. We hit up some clubs, did some drinking and just enjoyed ourselves. There was another incident with a white woman... she told me that BJ had "such a beautiful face." I just nodded politely and kept it moving. I just don't know what to say anymore.

Tonight we're supposed to hit up a Giants' game so hopefully i can remember to take pics.

20/43

So I just want to warn you up front that this is going to be one of those introspective entries where I talk about my feelings. Feel free to skip this one and wait for the pics from tomorrow's trip to LA.

So we're on day 20 of a 43 day adventure. We've spent four of those days driving, four days in Vegas and 12 days here in San Francisco. It has been interesting to say the least. Many of the days spent in San Francisco have involved hanging out with Dom, Mariam and Eric a little bit of me and BJ just kind of finding our way around. We've eaten at a bunch of different restaurants and I haven't been disappointed yet. When I decided to go thru with this trip I knew i didn't want to spend 6 weeks doing touristy stuff. So we've walked that line between enjoying what the city has to offer and not finding ourselves in the tourist traps.

For this trip I really wanted to spend some time getting to know and understand the city. I wanted to "live like a local" so that I could see if this was really where i wanted to spend a significant amount of time. At this point i think the answer is 'yes.' I like the feel of San Francisco. It really seems to have a "live and let live" vibe. The only "issue" that I have is that there are so few black folks around. I know there's Oakland and I know that there are black people around, but i've spent the majority of my life in situations where I couldn't go a minute without seeing black people, much less a day. It's odd to me that I have started making a mental note of how often I see a face like mine. While that's not the most important thing for me to have, it is important and it's also something that i'm not sure i'm ready to walk away from.

San Francisco also appears to be a very welcoming place. The people are nice and the smiles seem to be genuine. They also have MUCH better customer service than in the DC area. There's also the issue of the weather. Although the apt we're in has issues with dust and probably mold, the air quality in San Francisco is GREAT. I guess it's the cool moist air, but it seems to keep the air VERY clean which means better breathing for me.

One thing that is particualarly interesting to me is the dreams that I've been having since we've been here. The main thing is the fact that I'm remembering my dreams. At home i could go weeks on end without remembering what I've dreamt about. Here, I can remember approximately 5 dreams a week. At any rate, most of my dreams are about people that I haven't seen in YEARS. Like since elementary school. It's a lot of nostalgia in my dreams and I think it's my mind's way of working thru a bit of homesickness. So how am I homesick if i never want to leave this place? I guess I'm homesick because i know i have to go home. As much as i would love to start living a new life here, the reality of it is, I already have a life on the other side of the country that i need to get back to.

I have really had any mindblowing epiphanies since I've been here, but i do know that i would like to move here for a few years. I can't imagine raising kids here, but I wouldn't mind starting them off here. I guess only time will really tell.

White Women Love BJ b/w I Say Dumb Shit When I'm Tipsy

On one of our first ventures into the city, we hit up the Noc Noc bar on Haight. Within minutes a lovely white woman had engaged BJ in conversation and insisted on purchasing him a drink. "I panicked and accepted" he said. I bitched and moaned about it for just long enough to make everyone uncomfortable, but then i let it go... kinda. Fast forward to last night. We decide to hit up Emmy's Spaghetti Shack for a late night dinner. We're in the bar waiting on our table when it happens AGAIN. A lovely white woman orders up a drink for BJ. This time however i INSISTED on paying for it. I should of course mention here that this woman did not intend to by BJ a drink. In fact she had been ordering her own drink when the bartender misunderstood and handed BJ another beer. Still, the story is MUCH more exciting when i tell it my way.

In other news, I say some assholish shit when i'm tipsy. Not minutes after paying for BJ's beer, we were seated at our table. I head to the restroom and on the way out i'm stopped by a woman who says she likes my Gangsta Mittens hoodie. She asks where she can get one. I thank her for the compliment and explain that it's my nickname and that i had the sweatshirt made. She says something along the lines of "no way, you're kidding." I reply with, "no, i'm dead serious... google me tomorrow you'll see."

Google me?

Who says that? She should have punched me. But she was apparently equally tipsy as she enthusiastically replied "Ok I will!"

Upon googling myself today I found links to OKP and Myspace... wow i suck.

Unless the Good Lord Speaks to me himself...

Dilla will be going home on Sunday.

Now i should preface this we LOVE Dilla. He is easily theeee most affectionate cat i have EVER come across. He would love nothing more than to curl up on your lap and be petted for HOURS on end... but more than i love Dilla, I love Fishbone.

Fishbone has been my baby for about 5 yrs now. He's quirky... not really big on affection... kinda mean at times, but *THAT* is my baby and I won't put another cat ahead of him. Dilla has made it clear that he has to be the dominant cat. Honestly, Fishbone could eventually get used to being the subservient cat. He's been in that position before. But he doesn't deserve that. So... Dilla will have to go back to his owner... not to mention i don't like the way he be hissin at my baby. He bout to catch a right hook to the jaw if he keeps that up.

Nevertheless I will enjoy the next few days, but on Sunday, I'll be back to one cat.

Round 1.... FIGHT!

In this corner... from Washington DC... weighing 20lbs...

FISHBONE

And in this corner... hailing from The Bay Area.... weighing about 10 - 12lbs...

DILLA

I dunno how this is going to work out but these two have been circling each other for about an hour now. No one is scrapping but they've been hissing and growling. I'm honestly not worried too much about them. They've both been around other cats. My only concern is that Fishbone doesn't go back to being a recluse. I like the "new" Fishbone and i don't want a new cat to compromise his progress. We'll see though. The next 48 hrs will be interesting to say the least and i don't think i'll be leaving this house.

Wish me luck, it'd be nice to have two cats again

George and Kristy ride bikes... we walk

We walk far too.

I'm sitting here writing this blog when i should be icing down my knees and sleeping.

Today we walked from the apartment to Golden Gate Park. That in and of itself isn't that big of a deal, but we walked into the park and to the Japanese Tea Garden. While the walk was worth it, my knees are killing me right about now. I know that means I need to walk more but that shit is painful.

Golden Gate Park is great. Besides the fact that if we ever managed to walk all the way thru it we'd end up at the Pacific, it's just a dope ass HUGE park in the middle of the city. It's like it's a completely separate entity. The entrance to the park off Haight St is a bit seedy. Lots of homeless folks and druggies, but pressing along a little further will reward you with peace and quiet and LOTS of nature.

One thing i like the most about San Francisco is the weather... or rather the oddness of it. You can be in our neighborhood (Haight Ashbury) and it'll be cool and damp. But a 10 minute bus ride downtown will take you to an area that's sunny and 10º warmer. I'm not really used to that so maybe the novelty will wear off eventually, but for now i like it. Walking thru the park was kinda like that. We managed to out walk the fog and cool weather and stay in the warm sun for the most part.

So we walked this far:


Yes, that shit is *JUST* as far as it looks. But like i said, it was well worth it:













Full Gallery here:

San Francisco - Golden Gate Park

Vegas

So on 7/19 BJ turned 30... I know he doesn't look a day over 15 but trust me, i've seen his birth certificate.

Vegas was hot... and that's a HUGE understatement. It was like 91º at night... what kind of crap is that?!?!? But we still had fun. I was once again reminded why i don't gamble regularly. I lost my gambling allotment plus the dinner money on the slots. My luck at the Casino War table was no better. I did double my money on the black jack table in a matter of minutes... and managed to walk away. I went back ten minutes later and gave back half my winnings.

We drank amazing Mojitos and I spent a lot of time laffing at people. I don't think BJ appreciates my meanness but some ppl need to be laffed at. It's just a part of life. Despite the heat and losing money, we had a great time and BJ even alluded to going back to Vegas in the future.


At any rate, here are some pics that we took in Vegas.








We're not mad in those last photos... just hot and tired.

I realize we haven't been taking nearly as many pics as we should and I assure you I am making an effort to fix the situation.

Here's the full "gallery"

Vegas

Oh yeah... pics

Utah

Utah

Truckee, CA

California

California

The Mighty Mississippi

Iowa

Sunrise over Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming

Indiana

Indiana

Chicago

Yes, the presentation/arrangement leaves a LOT to be desired but I have 2 million other things i need to do today... sue me.

We didn't take a lot of pics but here they are

Cross Country

You over did it homes... you had too much to eat

Ok... so in celebration of BJ's rapidly approaching 30th Bday, me, B, E, Dom, and Mariam headed out to celebrate.

We started out with beer (Mariam and I had the pomegranate cider). From there we crossed the street for Thai Food. The restaurant was absolutely gorgeous and the food was good too. We had tofu satay, fish cakes, and prawn summer rolls as appetizers. For entrees there was yellow chicken curry, spicy mango chicken, garlic basil chicken and a beef and spinach dish that i can't remember. Every single thing was DELICIOUS.

Our next stop was supposed to be La Rondalla for margaritas, but they were closed. So, we headed to the Pride of the Mediterranean on Fillmore for hookah, tea, coffee, and as many inappropriate comments as we could come up with.

M0st people would have probably called it a night at that point. In fact, we probably should have... but instead we went to a place that serves Belgian fries... and crepes... and we ate some more. My stomach is full... it might be overfull... but it was fun... LOTS of fun.

Tomorrow evening me and B head to Vegas for more excess and hopefully a rewarding dance with a slot machine. Wish us luck!!!

Sometimes liking mediocre rappers has its advantages

Upon learning of my love of Schooly D, BJ came across this shirt:

At first it was supposed to be a surprise but after searching high and low the shirt was nowhere to be found on the east coast (at least not where we were). Today, on a whim, we stepped into the Stussy store on Haight, and low and behold, there it was.

The guy behind the counter was so impressed that we knew who was on the shirt that he gave us a 10% discount.

So i guess that means that it's ok to like mediocre rappers as long as you get something out of it.

Safe and Sound

At about 11am on Saturday we made it to Oakland. We crashed at Dom's house until about 2 and then we headed for the spot.

After fighting a losing battle with traffic, we made it to the apt and checked in. For the most part it's cool here. I say for the most part because of my stupid allergies. I had to go out and get some anti allergen febreeze and some dampers to take the moisture out of the air, but it's getting there. Oh... and there was that little bit of crystal meth we found under the bed... but we promptly flushed it.

Despite those little setbacks, we're very happy here and definitely looking forward to the next several weeks.

I know i promised pics, and i'll upload them soon.... well before the trip to vegas.

North Platte, NE

That's where we are right now.

I guess it's a decent enough hotel. When we checked in we got a letter about some bugs we might see. For the record they are NOT cockroaches... although apparently they can be mistaken for them...

Fishbone spent most of his day sedated... he didn't look good at all but he wasn't foaming at the mouth or anything like he did on day 1 so i'm guessing that's a plus.

On Wednesday we drove from Maryland to Chicago. That ride was spectacularly uneventful. MapQuest and GoogleMaps got us to our destination safely. I got to eat some of the best pizza ever and I watched my cat bitchslap another cat.

We left Chicago at about 4am and made our way to North Platte, NE. We crossed the Mississippi River at about 9am. The ride here was EXTREMELY boring... like my GOD. Luckily BJ is pretty much a soldier and drove like 7 or 8 of the 11 hrs we were on the road.

Tomorrow we're supposed to get to Salt Lake City but we may try to push it a little further. I'm about to go look like that up now. Hopefully I'll get to upload some photos a little later tonight.

So Like It's Here

In 24 hours I will be on a plane on my way to San Fran for the All Star Game. In 108 hrs, I'll be boarding a plane to come back to DC. In 129 hours, i leave again for San Fran. It's crazy because i've been waiting so long for this and now that it's here, i don't know what i feel.

There's definitely still excitement. I can't believe that i'm fortunate enough to actually be able to do something like this. There's also a bit of fear... I'm not really one to take myself out of my comfort zone so this is a big deal for me in that sense.

I'm really just ready to get on the road. Leaving behind the things that stress me on a day to day basis will hopefully open my mind to new things/experiences. I'm interested to see if i can figure out how to really relax while i'm out there. I guess only time will tell.

bj finally post/HELP NAME THE WHIP

I know everyone has been eagerly awaiting my contribution to this post (humor me bastards) so I shall start with an apology (mainly to Mitttens because really she's the only one that cares) for taking so long too add my two cents too this blog documenting what is for me a bit of a spiritual pilgrimage to the west coast. Being the goal oriented persona I am I came up with a few important objectives for this trip for myself to make the most of this month and few days i can keep in memory for life.

A. Disappointed with what I perceive to be America's culture of hate, ignorance, fear, self deprecation and close minded ideals I will engage and interact with the locals on our cross country road trip in hope's that I either find the root of these evils or that my assessment of my homeland is somewhat misconstrued and there is a lot of right when things look just so very wrong.

B. For those who don't know I'm a producer/beatmaker/engineer and will be toting my mpc/laptop setup along for the trip and I hope to find music in myself i might not otherwise have found in my local locale.

C. Lastly and not leastly (yeah I made that word up so what/ wee's uh creative pepole) I hope to get drunk, experience cali's finest greenery, meet cool people and party like its 1999 (fuk that rockstar bull ish).

This beautiful Sunday morning G.M. and I did a full inside detailing of our fully luxurized ( yep made that up too) cross country mode of transportation (her 2005 grey 4 door Toyota Carolla). We vacuumed up the heron gray interior wiped down the hard shell vinyl and simulated wood accents to a shine and scrubbed the lush cloth seats clean and after getting her all shiny and new (just on the inside not the out) I asked her what she had named the car but she said she didn't have one!! Whats a whip with no name right?????? So I suggested she come up with one but she was stumped. So I thought I would turn to you folks for help. Please respond to this blog with any suggestions on what to name this baby.
Holla
BJ

2 weeks

In two weeks I will be at the airport, about to get on my plane to come back to DC.... upon arrival in DC i will buy a few last minute items from the store and then i will go to sleep. When I wake up I will shower, get dressed, pack the car and start my journey across the country. To say that this trip has been a long time coming is an understatement. It's been months since BJ gave the idea the green light but it's been even longer since I first decided to spend a significant amount of time in San Fran. Now that I'm this close I'm ready for the day to just be here already.

This weekend is my last in DC for awhile. While I'm not really bothered by that fact, I do want to go see my families before I go. My dad asked me the other day "is there anywhere you haven't been?" I smiled and told him there were tons of places i still had to get to. He just smiled, shook his head, hugged me extra tight and said goodbye. Thru all the ups and downs that he and I had when i was growing up, he's still like my number one fan. I love to make him smile and I think he likes laffing at me. I also need to sit down with my mom and tell her to take it easy while i'm gone. She likes to get worked up about things to the point that she gets sick. She needs to stop that. I also need to check out my brother and sisters. I'm not that tight with them but I still love em. The only other person that I really NEED to go see is Leena and her family. I'm praying that the twins won't get here before i get back but she already looks like she's about to pop so i don't think that's an option to be honest. I want to make sure i spend as much time as possible with Kayla too. Her life is about to be all topsy turvy, i want to make sure she makes the transition to big sister as smoothly as possible.

I feel like everything is going to be so different when i get back... This is going to be an interesting summer.

156 dollars later

Mr. Fishbone is now travel-ready. We got up early Saturday morning to take him to the vet. He actually did pretty well in the car. He talked quite a bit but he wasn't obnoxious. The vet gave him a clean bill of health... kinda. He officially went on a diet :( and he has gingivitis, but he's otherwise healthy. I'm just mad it cost $156 to find out what i already knew.

So now the main thing that needs to be done is operation cleanup. I plan (hope) to use this week to straighten up a little here and there so that i don't get overwhelmed. I've stopped caring about the money because at this point, come hell or high water, we're going so... I just trust that it's gonna work.

The anticipation is really starting to get to us. It just needs to be time to go... we're just counting the days at this point.

Flares and Chargers

Today's task is to buy flares and a charger for my sidekick.

Remember when cell phones came with car chargers, but not the house chargers? I guess that was back when ppl only used their mobile phones when they were mobile and still had house phones. I also remember when long distance calls at 25 cents a minute was a good deal. When it dropped down to 7 cents I thought I was going to lose my mind! Now, it's all included in the regular phone bill (yes, i still have a house phone) and i don't even have that many long distance folks to call any more :(

As for the flares... neither of us knows how to use them. BJ uttered those famous last words, "how difficult can it be?" Pray for us.

A task a day

That's the only way we're gonna make it thru the next 21 days.
Today the car is at the shop getting some new tires, an alignment and a last minute check for whatever might go wrong out in the middle of nowhere.

I have come to the conclusion that BJ is NOT going to blog here so i'll just hold down the fort. I can't believe how this has gone from "July is so far away" to "There's no way we can do all of this by July!"

I'm doing my best to stay sane. The planning portion is complete. Now it's just all about execution (and enjoyment).

It's been almost a year since our last visit

So we're about six weeks out from our cross-country adventure. We spent most of the day shopping for trip related stuff to try to keep us safe on the road.

I'll let B blog about the stuff we got today, but for now, enjoy our pics from last year.