China (Hoax), IOC (Joke), NBC (Dolts), Olympics (Dope)

I don't know what got me so steamed all of a sudden over the Olympics, but I find myself surprisingly bent out of shape. I look forward to the Olympics whenever they come around, Summer or Winter, because the idea of 4-6 years of training for a once every 4 year event is intriguing, the competition is always tight and usually surprising, and the abundance and diversity of sports featuring countries from everywhere is something that I couldn't get enough of even if I was mainlining it. I should be in the lap of luxury right now, right? How could I complain? Well, I'm enjoying a lot about these Olympic games, but a good portion of it exemplifies the double-speak and lack of accountability perpetuating itself throughout the world.

I see all too often in people an inability to be honest with themselves. Sometimes that extends to being dishonest with others as well. China, in the hosting of these Olympic games, in my opinion, has continued an elaborate dishonesty with themselves and by extension the world. The worst part about this is that they refuse to take any responsibility for the circumstances surrounding them, many of which they themselves have created.

When China was awarded these games, it was with the recognition that there were things that needed to be changed. Human rights violations, wrongful imprisonments, censorship and silencing of the press and protests, suffocating control over minority provinces and Tibet and saturating environmental pollution. It was the agreement between China and the IOC that these issues would be addressed for the Olympics, that change had started rippling through the People's Republic, that these Olympics could be the coming out party to show the world a different face than some of the past memories, including the all-too familiar Tienanmen Square incident.

Well. They lied. And failed. Before the games even began, they were dealing with the results of years of oppression of Tibet. The Torch relay, usually a celebrated and heralded event in other countries, became a lightning rod for violent and non-violent protests around the world against the action of the government.It became so bad that they canceled or hid the torch on its way in order to protect the ability to film positive images to post on the news in China. They blame the Dalai Lama for inciting violence (ya, cause that's what a guy who believes in peace and ethics worldwide really wants for his people).

Fast forward to the end of the Torch relay and the beginning of the Olympics. The Opening Ceremony was absolutely fantastic. I was awestruck by the size and precision of the performances, the unbelievable synchronicity of the performers. The venue of the Bird's Nest is something incredible to behold, and finally, unlike many other Opening Ceremonies I've watched, it didn't put me to sleep or have overly weird stuffed animal characters.

But then, it's revealed that some of the firework footage is CGI and done in advance, patched into the real display in order to present a more perfect, unified vision to the viewers. A very cute little girl sang a rousing rendition of "Sing a Song of Praise to the Motherland." Well, some little girl sang it. Again, to present a more perfect version of a Chinese girl, they had one girl Milli Vanilli to the crowd, while the talented singer performed elsewhere (or was it pre-recorded even?) I don't think it matters. The point is, rather than produce a fireworks display that didn't look perfect, rather than present a fantastic singer with not quite right teeth, they try to pull a deception on a massive scale.

What about the city itself? The massive residences and bustling street storefronts aren't the vision of China that the government wants tourists to see. So what do they do? Well, they build a wall. In front of businesses who didn't move for the "fair" compensation they were offered. Don't like something? Have someone sing over it. Don't like the air? CGI it. Don't like the stores? Build a wall in front of them. Are we seeing a pattern here? To a good degree, the tendency of China is to attempt to show one façade to the world, regardless of what's behind the wall.

But it can't be all bad. The Chinese promised that the media would be completely free to report as they saw fit during the games. Open internet for international journalists. That didn't happen. Of course, they say it's for national security that they shut down sites like Amnesty International to reporters. Could the government possibly allow protests to happen? Sure! Well, kinda. They established protest zones for anyone who wants to protest. But they're far away from any of the sports venues, and, more importantly, you need to submit a protest request, and none of those requests have been granted. Surprise? And when a protest does get under way, it's shut down immediately, and sometimes, violently...

What has the IOC done about all this? Absolutely nothing. Now, they aren't responsible for making sure China doesn't build walls in front of stores, and it's certainly not the care of the IOC if they want to cover up a singer with a different face. But human rights and freedom of the press were definitive requirements for the awarding of the games. As the Committee who awarded the games and oversees it, it becomes the responsibility to enforce the rules. Unfortunately, the IOC is a bit impotent. The games have been awarded, and they're happening, and to try to discipline or do anything now would mar the games and take the concentration off the athletes. They're also afraid of "offending" the hosts. Maybe it's just me, but if the hosts violate the rules under which they became the hosts, they should not only be offended, but they should be made to rectify the problems. By allowing this to happen, not only does the IOC weaken itself in the eyes of future cities, but they allow China to whitewash the issues it said it was going to fix. It again allows the pursuit of a perfect representation to the outside world, when no such pursuit should be allowed.

What's funny to me is that China turns around and acts downright offended that people could even question these things. I read one report where a Chinese official said that Amnesty International, because they spoke out again on rights violations in China, needed to take off their "colored glasses" and see that China can change. But as we've seen in the attempts to silence dissident voices and opinions in front of the eyes of the world with all the things I've mentioned above, it hasn't. That isn't to say it can't, but it hasn't.

So if you haven't changed, how can you act shocked when the rest of the world calls you out on it? If it looks like shit and it smells like shit, it's a good guess that it's shit. If you want the world to see you as changed, do something about it! Open up your press and internet access, allow your citizens to speak out without being detained. Rather than being obsessed with showing the world how perfect you are, be real about how human we all are. It's not like every country doesn't have something to be ashamed of in the past 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. years. Russia and Georgia are at it, genocide is happening in numerous places throughout the world as you read this and America is currently in everyone else's shit when it shouldn't be. We're all fucked up! Stop trying to prove how perfect you are...we simply don't believe it! Say, "yeah, we're working on reform, but we're not quite there yet."

Visual, international perspective aside, you're the host country...you need to at least compete fairly. The disputes over the ages of some of China's women's team members is well documented at this point. You need to be 16 in the year of the Olympics, and three or four of the girls on the team looked about 13, 14 at best. There had been documentation issues with these girls before, but for the Games, their passports were presented and they're clear for competition. But are we to believe that a country that spent millions faking a fireworks display for tv, and relegated a 7 year old girl to a cellar while a prettier girl lip synched, and goes to great lengths to cover up all the other things I've been ranting about here would have any problem faking a passport for some potential gold medal winners for the honor of the Republic?

This would be a great time for the IOC to jump in, right? Seek some definitive end to the controversy for everyone's satisfaction? Once again, they're nowhere to be found. No doubt another need to not offend the host nation. Once again, the IOC has allowed itself to become the butt of the joke continued by a series of China's hoaxes. So, that's where quite a bit of my frustration comes from.

On the other hand, a vast deal of my aggravation is derived from the coverage given these games by NBC. For starters, NBC stands for Nothing But Costas. Bob Costas, the most idiotic and ridiculous announcer I've had the misery of listening to has his stamp on every Olympics I can remember, and I have no idea why NBC makes him the key anchor man. He stutters, confuses himself and makes inane comments that only he could find funny. The other night I heard him transfer between calling it night and day (confused because it's daytime in Beijing and nighttime where Bob is from), and then making a joke about it, to himself, ending with, "it doesn't matter really, back to the pool." Does he listen to himself?

Tonight, Cris Collinsworth made a bit of a stretch when he asserted that Michael Phelps and the US relay teams were in some ways similar to Brett Favre and the Packers. That right there was some iffy commentary. But Costas, always seeking audience enjoyment, says that he hopes that doesn't mean that Phelps could get traded to another country. Then he laughs. Mr. Costas....you're not that funny, and you're not even that witty....do us a favor and retire.

But Costas isn't the only NBC employee who demonstrates an extreme lack of intelligence. The people over there, in their infinite wisdom, I mean, infinite search for higher ratings, aren't even broadcasting live coverage of the Olympics. At least not to people in the PST zone. These are live games of sport and chance. They need to be shown live. What better way to bring the feeling of Beijing, the atmosphere of the Olympics and the pace of the games to the viewers than to give live coverage? The folks over on the East Coast get the live feed. Yet NBC feels that the Olympics are no more than another show like American Idol or America's Next Top Model where the people on the West Coast don't care if it's live or tape delayed, so they tape delay it with the "Live" symbol up in the corner. Sure, every once in a while they show the "live" time, which further reminds us in California that it isn't really live at all, just canned trash with Bob Costas presiding.

Surely though, there are other viewing options for the Olympics, right? I'd say the answer is kind of. NBC controls the bulk of the Olympic broadcasting, including the "main" events like Michael Phelps in the pool, May/Walsh in beach volleyball, gymnastics and they edit that down and save it all for prime time. The overboard patriotism and editing of the events to cut down to medal winners and American athletes is pathetic. There are a vast number of amazing athletes at the Games, but on NBC, the only channel in the country that EVERYONE can get, it's only the big American names that get shown. Through cable affiliates that not everyone gets (MSNBC, Oxygen, Universal HD, CNBC and USA), they let go of the lesser known sports and anything that doesn't happen to feature an American (although, I've been watching these channels and the majority of the events still feature American athletes). And some of these channels are live. Watching a women's softball game last night I realized that it was raining, yet the pre-packaged NBC beach volleyball showed no rain, because it had been taped before the softball game and shown at the same time.

Furthermore, of those channels that are allowed to broadcast the games live, only two of them are in HD (Universal, USA). The rest, if you want live Olympic action, is going to need to be swallowed in regular format, which definitely takes away some of the grandeur of the Olympics and certainly some of the joy in watching sports. If you're going to purchase a monopoly over 2 weeks of over 15 sporting events, you need to swallow your pride and farm some of them out to other outlets (for a fee of course), promote truly live broadcasting of the events, and give a more complete view of the games than only what you think will gain viewership in America. Unfortunately, NBC lords their complete coverage control over us. Thankfully for me, I have cable and can change the channels, which, at least for HD, opens up two more options for watching. This brings me to my final point....regardless of the fake public face China has put on, regardless of the impotence of the IOC, regardless of the ridiculous farce that is NBC's coverage, the Olympics, in and of themselves, are dope.

Sure, Michael Phelps is an incredible story. If he succeeds in his quest for 8 golds and becomes the first ever to do it in a single Games, he'll truly place himself among the ranks of greatest athlete of all time. Not to mention that most of his golds have come on World Record swims. But we know all that....it's been hammered into our collective American consciousness since two weeks before the Games started. We know May/Walsh are great...at 104 consecutive matches won, how can they not be? But in seeking out alternate Olympic viewing options, I've come across some fantastic events.....here's some of the sports I've checked out and enjoyed that weren't being shown on NBC's "Must See TV":

- Men's Badminton Doubles. The Badminton court is pretty small (I had never seen an official one before), and when you put four men on it, it looks like a couple of giants playing on a tennis court. But don't be fooled, the movement, quickness and agility of these guys is pretty astounding. It looks like four monkeys playing with a cotton ball, but it was pretty exciting.

- Women's Softball. I've only seen the US women, but at least it's a female sport other than swimming or gymnastics. Not to mention that our team has absolutely pounded every team I've seen it play.

- Boxing. I'm still not sure how the Olympic boxing works. Because it's the only sport on between 5pm and NBC coverage at 7 or 8pm, I've watched quite a few matches ranging from 106 lbs boxers to 230 lbs boxers. I've seen Cuba, France, Algeria, Uzbekistan, US and a few others take to the rings, and yet I still don't know how they score the event. You're wearing headgear, so knockouts and beating the living shit out of your opponent isn't really encouraged like it is in the multi-million dollar fights staged in professional boxing, and despite all my watching, I have no idea how you go about scoring a point.

- Women's Field Hockey. This looks like a cross between soccer, hockey and lacrosse. I hadn't seen a game before, so it was fun watching the US tangle with Germany last night. I'm clueless as to how it's even remotely possible or comfortable to run around hunched over with a small stick in your hand, but these women do it quickly and efficiently. With the ball and the turf the way they are, the action is fast paced and enjoyable to watch.

- Women's Badminton Singles. I saw Germany take on China in the quarterfinal event. These women can move and watching the footwork is amazing. The control they have over themselves and the shuttlecock are astounding to watch as they work with lob shots, cut shots, drop shots and smashes. Seeing this truly made me want to go out and try Badminton. What was even cooler about this match was that the German contestant was actually a Chinese expatriate. She had grown up in China and moved to Europe at a young age, becoming a German citizen. People over in China take Badminton very seriously, and here was one of their own in a quarter final showdown against someone who had chosen a different route. The crowd was rowdy, the competition intense, and when it was over and China had won, there wasn't any need for a dispute over birth certificates.

- Fencing. I watched women's team fencing last night between the US and the Ukraine, and that was exciting. These ladies, like the badminton players, exhibit spectacular speed, agility and footwork. The fast moves required to score a hit on the opponent are almost too fast to even see, and indeed they have electronic sensors to help the judges score the match. I had not seen fencing at the world level before, and this match was a great introduction...not to mention the enjoyment from scoring a hit...it's like a touchdown every time.

With these Olympics not yet half over, I'm looking forward to much more in the way of interesting and unique sports from channels other than NBC as coverage continues. I'll press on in search of random and crazy sporting events that Nothing But Costas and the US Patriotism machine won't give me.

China's promise of change...a hoax. IOC's lack of enforcement...a joke. NBC broadcasters and specifically Bob Costas...a bunch of dolts. The Olympics.....still dope.

Happy Birthday Hessica!

That's right...the roomie turns the big, um, I think it's 2-4 today. Having known her for a few years, I think it's safe to say that she's simultaneously one of the most delightful and most infuriating people I've ever met. We think this is because we're too alike. Living together, I can say that she's cleaner than I am and cooks much better macaroni and cheese. But what can one really say about the girl we originally knew as "The Boarder?"

In her years on this Earth, she's succeeded in being a pretty decent human being, she hasn't killed anyone (that I know of), and she puts up with me on a daily basis, and hell, anyone who can do that deserves a ton of credit. We can't celebrate with her, as she's off on a business trip for the government, but we can raise our glasses just the same. Here is Hessica in one of her 23 year old days, before she turned into an overly sensitive blog censor.

Apples to Lakes

Friday night, myself, Hessica, Za, McButter, Bini, Nah and T head up to get some good lake action in. We get up there around 11 or so, have a few cocktails and head to sleep. Good thing to, because Saturday is long and action packed.

We wake up early. As in, earlier than I wake up at the lake. Everyone wants to get out to wakeboard so we head out, watch P take a ski run, watch Hessica demonstrate her skills, and then, in a feat usually not accomplished at the lake, everyone in the boat tries (well, everyone except me that is). There is much success on the boat. Of course, I'm not left completely out of the fun. As the boat is turning, the rope line for the wakeboarder somehow manages to come up to the side of my head, grab the earpiece of my sunglasses and then, miraculously, without decapitating me, pull the sunglasses off and over my head and straight into the water. Goodbye sunglasses.

We get back to the house and have some lunch. This is the time when P usually naps because everyone in the house passes out...but not this crew. Shortly after lunch we're ready for a swim/tubing run and head out to the cove with rum and cokes, coronas and js in hand. At the swim cove, a truly extraordinary site takes place as I not only swim, but join Nah, Bini and Za in diving off the end of the boat to try to catch frisbees. T, with her supreme water proof camera, gets some awesome shots of the dives. After this, we put them in the tube and P whips people around at about 20 mph, giving T what she calls one of the "scariest moments of my life."

Back at the house, it's cocktail time and we start playing dominoes while helping prep the jalapeno poppers. Dinner is steak and poppers, which works excellently with the Cobb salad we had for lunch. Then, it's danger time as I break out a bottle of tequila I had brought just for the trip. I get a lot of shit when I don't provide limes with the tequila shots, but soon they see what I already knew...this tequila doesn't need any limes!

After dinner, it's onto the booze cruise which is one of the longer and more enjoyable booze cruises I've been on. We meander in the lake for what seems like hours, passing around the tequila bottle and staring at stars. Once we're back, we get embroiled in a game of Apples to Apples which lasts until everyone is just too drunk to do anything but pass out.

Next day, it's a morning boat run again and then cleaning and packing to leave. Once everyone is gone though, Nah, Bini and I decide that it's not quite time for reality yet, and from 3 to about 8pm we sit on the back deck smoking and playing dominoes and enjoying the heat. I've never been the last to leave the lake house before, but it was melancholy and sad. Closing the blinds and turning off all the lights, I was no longer filled with the leaving feeling I usually have...that the lake carries on. But, fantastic weekend? I think so. And yes, for those that know that T can't drive, that is a picture of her driving the boat.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

I don't know about the rest of you, but this week flew. I started with the Giants game on Monday, followed up with a frisbee game on Tuesday, a major listing appointment (yes, I do work for a living) on Wednesday, and a club/Colibri run on Thursday with the craziness previously detailed. Now, as I count down the moments to the Lake House, and watch the Friday clock tick relentlessly towards the weekend, I give you 10 things to think about before you start your weekend of glory, whatever form that glory may take.

1) Most everyone has seen the Batmobile (a.k.a. The Tumbler) from Batman Begins/Dark Knight. But how many of you would actually go out and spend 50-70k to not only make one, but make the batsuit to go with it?

2) If you have an iPhone, here's 12 spiffy things you may not have known you can do with it.

3) Raise your hand if you think Reggie Bush is a very lucky guy...

4) I don't know that getting hit over the head with a pipe and dying is the best way to end an evening...

5) The media usually gets up in arms over celebrity parents doing things they shouldn't with their kids. I guess if you're Matthew McConaughy, you can take your baby wherever the hell you want.

6) It's official, and what do you think? Brett Favre is a Jet.

7) How sweet will it be when your entire music and photo collection is available on your iPhone, no matter how much memory you have?

8) How excellent would finding a cure to HIV be?

9) Who is stupid enough to buy a $1,000 iPhone App that does nothing? Apparently 8 people.

10) For any of you who ever met my roommate Andy from SC, you'll find this both fitting and funny...

Cheers and enjoy those weekends!

Send Off

Not one of my more standard Thursdays, but a memorable one, so here we go....I leave work about 4:45 to check out the BBQ at the park across the street. Corona and burger in hand, I make some small talk and chat with this Title Rep who I've known for a few months. From there, I meet Lo at my place and we head up to the city so I can introduce him to the LoveShack. It's Thursday night, so despite the fact that Hessica is a troll and has gone off to Marin for some sort of nonsense, Lo and I head Colibri.

The bartender Adrian is finally back after about two weeks of not seeing him, and he keeps us tasting and testing throughout our margaritas and guacamole. We get to try Mezcal, a jalapeno margarita and Lo gets a taste of the Herencia. They've got a Cointreau event going on so we get free hats as well as samples of their margarita. We also get a picture taken with our free spiffy hats on, which I'm looking for somewhere in the reaches of the internet right now.

From there it's back to the apartment where we decide we're going to get into some Beirut. After Lo demolishes me in the first game (final score 4-0), I beat him twice in a row and am well on my way to my third straight victory when I get a call from the BBQ title rep inviting me over. I think this sounds like a fantastic idea and jump in my car, only to find upon arriving that not only are there some circumstances I was unaware of that would have saved me a trip, but that she's 34 and living at home with her parents. I am sufficiently freaked out by all of this, and despite her telling me to wait in her room while she gets something out of her car, I'm at the front door before she gets back inside.

Given that the lake house is looming, E tells me to come up to the I so he can send me off properly. I park around 11:30 and as I walk up, there's 4 guys standing outside. They offer me free admission if I give one of them a dollar. I ask why I would do that when I can get in for free. They tell me there's no way I can get in for free so I ask them if they want to bet. I quickly have four guys telling me they'll bet 10 bucks each that I can't get in. I say, "alright, 40 bucks, you all in?" They all agree and I walk up to the door, Lonnie the bouncer sees me and let's me in and E's right inside. Not surprisingly, all 4 of these jackasses refuse to pay up, but hell, it was more about proving I could than actually taking their money. E's in fine form, and after some general carousing and merriment, including a sip of brandy, most rare for me, it's already 2 and the bar is closed. I wonder how I got here on a Thursday night.

Jack in the Box open 24 hours a day? Bet your ass that's saved my stomach more than once from curling up on itself and devouring me whole the next morning. A sourdough jack, bacon cheddar potato wedges and a steak sirloin breakfast burrito put me to bed nicely. And E has properly sent me off.

Forever will....

Dr. Dre Knows Vodka

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

From the N.W.A. days to his tone setting 1992 gangsta rap album The Chronic and its follow-up, 1999's The Chronic 2001, Dr. Dre has been innovative, imaginative and a savvy entrepreneur when it comes to his music, production and artist discovery. He even had the good sense to abandon the Death Row ship before it sank. But 7 years is a long time between first and second albums, and he's trumped that now as it's been 9 years since the second.

According to Dre, however, the long rumored final solo project he's been working on for years, entitled Detox, is just around the corner. And in conjunction with Detox, Dre has teamed up with some liquor specialists to release a cognac, as well as sparkling flavored and regular flavored vodka. This type of collaboration is an interesting mixmatch of music and alcohol product, and embodies some of the themes we've been examining and discussing here at Evolving Music in terms of the new methods artists are using to cross-promote and increase revenue.

For more on the good Doctor's booze plans, click here.

Thoughts from a Giants Game, Solo.

About 6 o'clock, I've decided to head to the Giants game solo. I've had a general amount of enough of other people for the day, and the thought of enjoying the ballpark and the anonymity of the crowd for a few hours is more than I can ignore.

Some people shy away from eating in a restaurant alone. Others have dropped jaws at the thought that I not only do enjoy, but frequently do go to movies alone. The idea of going to a baseball game? How many would think about it?

Truth is, I sometimes don't want to be around anyone else. And in certain settings, ones where the experience and the surroundings lend to a series of events that can only really happen in the randomness of one person, I prefer it. Some of the most enjoyable moments for me have been ones where I can easily and quietly sink into an entire ocean of people around me, with no interaction and no need for recognition. Feeling a mass around me, and not needing to worry about who I'm with that is either following or leading me. Picking a route and becoming a pebble moving upstream that even in the most minute way forces the water to swell and react around it.

I had the opportunity for a few nice pictures this evening. Through both the arena of the game and the amphitheatre of the headphones, I had a few moments worth sharing...

- I came in through the Dugout store entrance. I had been looking at hats, but had also previously been in an alleyway partaking in a 5 minute break of sorts. I open my bag for the checker who asks with her partner looking on, "No bottles or cans tonight?" "No," I reply, "just warm clothing."

"And pot." she says. I maintain eye contact and reply,
"That's on me, not in my bag."
Even through the music, I can hear them laughing when I'm up the ramp and clearing the turn.

- Standing by the water and enjoying a beverage, I was dancing a little bit. The usher person came over and said, "you're too young to be drinking, let me see your ID." I'm still feeling good about that one.

- It's very easy to fake sitting down on a toilet in order to hang your backpack off the door, remove the flask you brought in and mix a drink. Simply pick the next bathroom down the walk to actually urinate, as the whole stall/urinal thing in the same bathroom would probably draw more than a few weird stares.

- At one moment, while waiting for the above-mentioned stall in order to spice up my roke a little, I stopped and looked around. Regardless of how I had come to be there and how rational the reasons were, I thought, "I'm standing in the middle of a men's bathroom at a baseball game by myself, waiting for a stall and listening to Barbara Streisand show tunes." 'Don't Rain on My Parade' no less...

- If there is a more beautiful view from a ballpark than the view from the promenade in San Francisco's stadium, I need to see it.


- And for some things...if you share them with someone else, anyone else, they just won't mean the same.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

This is not such a hard Friday. Certainly not as hard as I imagined when I was tequila tasting last night. But the weekend is here, we can all rejoice, and you can stave off boredom and the pre-5 pm Friday anxiety with 10 things to think about...

1) You either want to play football or you don't. But making $20 Mil for NOT playing football isn't such a bad deal either...Personally, I hope Favre plays for another team this season.

2) Georgia the #1 team in the country? I'll believe it when they actually play and beat a quality opponent. The SEC is overrated.

3) I love a good copyright argument. This dispute over the Storm Trooper outfits and profits is a decent one...

4) When you're 2'8" tall, and your ex is 5'5", maybe legal recourse is your best bet when she leaks your sex tape.

5) When you're rolling with 2 ounces of pot through Texas, updated registration stickers are probably a good idea.

6) Ah, the message of God and religion...why do the people carrying the message usually have the hardest time following it? Like this preacher who stuffed his wife in a freezer.

7) $10 worth of copper...worth staying for 12 hours underneath a trash bin?

8) So you get on a bus with a "Rambo" style hunting knife, and in the middle of your neighboring passenger's slumber, you stab him repeatedly and then cut his head off. This isn't considered pre-meditated?

9) Come buy the new house I'm listing....

10) If you could be Brett Favre or Steve Young, which would you be?

July's Film Study (13)

It's the middle of summer, and traditionally that means big budget blockbuster action movies. This July was no exception as I watched a bunch of action, and some other very good Summer movies. If you haven't seen The Dark Knight in IMAX yet, you haven't seen The Dark Knight.

4: The Beast with a Billion Backs
6: Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Hancock
7: Sin City
13: Watching You, (this was a collection of short Lesbian films from around the world)
14: Boogie Nights, Batman Begins
16: The Dark Knight (IMAX)
19: Live Free or Die Hard
21: The Dark Knight (Regular)
28: The Golden Compass
29: Out of Sight
31: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Saturday, Part 2 (Chaz's Birthday)

I get back to my car at around 8-8:30 on Saturday. I take off my button up short sleeve and replace it with a long sleeve, throw a hat on, and scare passerbys as I stand on the sidewalk next to my car brushing my teeth. But when I'm done, I feel like a new drinker and head to Zeitgeist to meet up with Chaz for his birthday.

Over there it's Jarles, Gavroche on hiatus from his study sessions, Mau, Hessica, Topher and ChengJ (inexplicably out of the Marina), Loe, Da, Forte and some others. Zeitgeist is excellent as usual, providing cheap drinks and a place outside to smoke. We spend about 2 hours or so there, joined by the Glass brothers, before we decide to leave. Chaz leads the way and we head over to Elbo Room, which, unsurprisingly, is elbow room only. That place, I swear I don't know why people go there...it's always too packed to move, and really, too packed to even have much fun in. Talking to people is impossible because of the volume, and it's across from a police station. I just don't see the appeal.

We don't even get a drink there as we decide to leave for greener pastures and settle at the 500 Club. This is the dive bar I used for a bathroom stop at last year's Pride parade, and it's the most crowded I've ever seen it, but still better than Elbo. At this point, following an entire afternoon of drinking, Chaz is pretty well snookered. Glace is sobering up as she's driving later, and we all make the trek to the crepe stand. Pretty simple evening, if you don't take into account that I started at 2pm.

Next up....the end of summer.

Saturday, Part 1 (Delicious Fruit)

After getting up and heading to Best Buy to replace my camera, I hit Nini's for some of that drinking food and then race up to the city in time to go get my hand stamped. The destination is Mango, a day dance party that happens every last Saturday at a bar in the Mission called El Rio, and it gets so crowded by the middle of the afternoon that the process is to go when they open at 3 to get your hand stamped for easy re-entry past the line.

I meet up with McButter, Za, Xena, T, ACha and her girlfriend to head over around 4:30 or so. When we get there, there still isn't much of a line, and as we get inside I'm a little underwhelmed. There's just not that many people in the bar. We get our drinks and I follow T outside to find where the real party is. The bar opens up to a back patio type area that is huge. It's got a deck with a bar at the end, a huge open area for dancing, a stage/deck for more dancing and a little area in the back for what appears to be smoking. Now I see why the bar is virtually empty because the weather is fantastic and everyone is outside dancing.

Once there we run into Bini, Nah and Lei, Lina from the Carol and a blast from the past in Take. At this point, counting the one I had on the car ride up, I'm about 5 rokes in and starting to feel blurry. Za says we should go outside for a smoke, to which I wholeheartedly agree. While out there, I get embroiled in a phone conversation with my Grandpa, which I handle surprisingly well considering how faded I am. Now if only I could remember what date we agreed to have dinner.

When I get off the phone, I'm for some reason no longer at Mango, but Za and McButter have walked me, phone call and all down Mission to La Taq. It's right around 7:30-8 now, which means that the quesadilla I have is the perfect dinner interlude. I'm parked strategically back by Love Shack and after dinner, McButter and Za head home and I put on the headphones and go back to the car.

Once there, I change my shoes, shirt, put on a hat, roll up two more for the evening and brush my teeth while standing on the sidewalk. By the time I lock my car and head down the street to find Zeitgeist, I feel like a new man, and I'm ready to start the second part of my Saturday...Chaz's birthday.

I'd show you pictures but...

On Friday night it's off to ChengJ's and Topher's for a house warming party. They've set it up with Liar's Dice indoors, Beirut on the outside deck and tons of booze in the kitchen. I get up there about 9 o'clock or so and carry on drinking.

It's your standard house party with your typical debauchery. Some really old school high school folks are there, and nothing extraordinary takes place. Until I hand my camera to ChengJ. He's taking some pictures, attempts to take a picture of a girl and she freaks out. Now, I've had people run away, cover their faces or attempt to cover a camera lens if they didn't want to have a picture taken of them....this girl screams, "no!" and bats the camera out of ChengJ's hand, onto the floor and landing directly on its lens, jamming it up and breaking it.

Watching my camera die right in front of my eyes, my night now turns sober as others head out to bars and Mel's, Hessica and I return home. I mean, hey, we do have Saturday to prepare for. This is the last picture taken on the camera before it was thrown to the ground...

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

People! Friday is here! Not only did I get to see the Dark Knight again this week, but I also played ultimate, went to the excellent Giants game on Wednesday night, and had some tasty margaritas to bring in thirsty Thursday. Now, I look forward to a weekend celebrating Topher and ChengJ's quasi-new apartment, as well as Chaz's birthday. It's gonna be a doozy. As we creep closer to the weekend debauchery, here's a few things you can think about before 5pm.

1) Now here's some literature I can get excited about....the behind the scenes look as told by Screech of Saved by the Bell.

2) Sometimes when I listen to the current rap music, I can't help but think that this article about Cliff Clavin is more true than funny.

3) Would you rather be Baron Davis, an oft-injured point guard making money for the lowly LA Clippers, or Monta Ellis, the up and coming now multi-million dollar 22 year old signed to take his place?

4) He may be a bit old, but you can't tell me you wouldn't want Brett Favre qbing your team.

5) You gotta love an 11 year old who, when attacked by a dog, bites back.

6) Makes me feel safe to know that our highly trained Air Force personnel are falling asleep with nuclear launch codes.

7) Imagine...a President being impeached for something other than a simple blow job.

8) This picture caught my eye because I've been to the train station where this coke machine was walking around.

9) I'd love to think that someone else could play the Joker in subsequent DC Comics movies, but I just don't think it's possible to best Ledger.

10) If you need some new music for your summer listening agenda, look no further.

On a Wednesday? Why not?

Last night I forgo the usual ultimate frisbee in Mateo and take to the streets with two 16th row tickets to the Giants game. Bini and I go, and I'm a rum and coke (hereafter to be referred to as roke...for those unaware, I'm on a hiatus from rodka after feeling like I was having a heart attack last time I was drinking them)...

The Giants play a fantastic game where they blow the lead but get huge clutch hits from Aurilia and Vizquel to eventually win the game. Things are a bit awkward when I run into some of my track runners, but I disappear quickly.

On the drive back, I realize it's Wednesday, which means Coach and E are running at the 7 Mile. I head over there to hear about an hour of some very energetic and sometimes surprisingly good karaoke. The bartender says she remembers me, and as I'm leaving I go to thank her again, but E spills the fact that I don't remember her name. She goes, "Thanks Adam. Last time I do anything nice for you." Ooops.

On the way home, I'm hungry (having only had a half of a free burrito at the ballpark), so I figure hey, it's Wednesday, I'm faded, it's almost 1...Jack in the Box sounds like a good idea. Bacon cheddar potato wedges are good...but try this....their BBQ Bacon Sirloin burger topped with onion rings. Boom!

July iPod Update

{For all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

For last month's installment of What I'm Hearing, click here.

It's that time again people...the monthly update coming from the iPod. July's update carries 102 songs with it, with some great tunes for the middle of Summer. We've got some new favorites, some old classics, and a few that fall somewhere in between.

Albert Hammond, Jr, Como Te Llama?: The Strokes' frontman comes out with his sophomore solo album that explores various rock, ska and reggae themes that might not fit into the groups' repertoire. The songs on here are heartfelt with glimpses of his proficiency on the guitar. Lighter in fare than the work of the group, Como Te Llama? offers some idyllic music for the Summer cruise. Don't Sleep On: "Borrowed Time," "G Up" and "GfC" with the lilting blend of upbeat tempo and slightly melancholy guitar.

Various Artists, Delicious Vinyl, RMXXOLOGY: This album is the epitome of some MixMatchMusic in action. Following Peaches' remix of Tone Loc's "Wild Thing," Delicious Vinyl decided to open its vaults to other artists who might want to delve into the iconic catalog for remixes of their own. The result is an album that blends the electronic and the hip-hop, the frenetic and the calm. Fatlip, The Pharcyde, Young MC, Masta Ace and Tone Loc are all featured here with remix work provided by Eminem, Peaches, Hot Chip and the Philippians. The result is an album that successfully takes some of the most recognizable rap songs of the late 80s and early 90s and updates them for today. Don't Sleep On: "Runnin'" (The Pharcyde remixed by Philippians), "Sittin on Chrome" (Masta Ace remixed by Mr. Flash) and "Wild Thing" (Tone Loc remixed by Peaches).

Nas, Untitled: In case you missed the extreme buzz surrounding this album, Nas had originally intended it to be titled, "N*GGER." But following an uproar from Black community leaders, a backlash from entertainment writers and a general recoil by the population, Nas backed down and left the album untitled. Although, this hasn't tempered his reasons for the title, nor his knowledge that most people will recognize it and call it by its intended name. The first release since 2006's Hip Hop is Dead, this album finds Nas waxing more politically than on previous outings, and in some cases sounding like a toned down pop version of Immortal Technique. Unfortunately, having built his reputation and riches on the back of modern hip-hop, some of his attacks on the industry sound hollow and insincere. It's hard to believe attacks on the music industry and the political infrastructure when other songs have lines about him jumping on yachts and traveling the globe. Still, his penchant for carefully crafted lyricism in poetry form and some very strong beats make this a solid, though not stellar, album. Don't Sleep On: "N.I.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)," "Y'all My Ni**as," and "Hero" feat. Keri Hilson.

For reviews and descriptions of the rest of the July iPod update, click here.

The Dark Knight

Alright...for all you movie fans, don't worry, I'm not going to put any spoilers about the movie in here...I know how much I hate that crap. Last night, Hessica managed to score two free tickets to a sneak preview of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. She tells me we need to meet at 6:30 at the Metreon to get in line.

When I meet her and her friends there, we walk upstairs and the line is huuuuuuge. I'm looking at it thinking, "there's no way we're getting decent seats here." It's at that moment that we walk up to a girl with a clipboard who has our names on a list, and they send us in. Security for this is tight. They're checking everyone with a metal detector and double checking you with a hand stamp before you go in, making sure that your cell phone is off. They're very clear about this...not on silent, not on vibrate, OFF. They inform us on the way in that any on cell phone will result in you getting booted from the theatre.

Now remember, I said I wouldn't spoil any of this movie for you. But I will say that it was better than the first one (Batman Begins). I'll tell you that the scenes shot in IMAX film are spectacular, a view of the Chicago cityscape and intense action scenes like you've never seen before in a movie theatre. This isn't like the Matrix where they project a regular film onto an IMAX screen...this is actual IMAX footage and at times it's breathtaking as you see aerial shots that make you feel like you're flying. Chicago in these shots looks larger than life.

I'll tell you that Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is everything it's been hyped to be and more. So incredibly frightening and disturbing, it's one of the best, if not THE best villain portrayal I've seen in a movie. You have to remind yourself who's underneath all that make-up to even remember it's Ledger. Every scene brings something different, from humorous to angry to disturbing and unhinged. His unpredictability even further ingrains the Joker's instability.

The action sequences are tight and well focused. Christopher Nolan makes excellent use of camera angles, and, more importantly, Batman's abilities. What stands out here is that the movie is an action movie, it's a superhero movie, and it's a drama, but it never has to choose one over the other...it's balanced so well that it's all of them at the same time. Because most of the action was done without the help of CGI, it's unbelievable to watch and never feels fake. And at no point does Nolan sacrifice character development for any of this.

I'd love to say more, share a few favorite scenes and lines, but I know how I feel when I get spoiled, so I'll just say go see it. And make sure you see it on IMAX.

Throw Me the Statue Interview

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

It's always nice to see the story of a local person doing good, and in the case of Evolving Music and MixMatchMusic, two entities growing into the music industry out of the Peninsula Bay Area, seeing our long time friend, Scott Reitherman, grow in success with his new group Throw Me the Statue out of Seattle has been an excellent journey. From the first show we saw as an opening act for Jens Lekman at Bimbo's 365 club, the inclusion in the Take Away show phenomenon, to his Rhapsody commercial and now a music video for their song "Lolita" on MTV2, the growth of the band and the potential for them to turn into actual stars has reached a high pitch. Following positive reviews of their debut album Moonbeams on Stereogum and Pitchfork Media, Scott sat down with me to talk about the transition from a self-started label to an Indie label, the process of making music and the new and changing landscape of the current music industry. Enjoy!

AC: Throw Me the Statue (TMTS) is based out of Seattle. Most people tend to associate that with Grunge, rain and Starbucks. Do you feel that stereotype has gone on a bit too long, and how do you feel you fit in there as a native Californian?

SR: The stereotype is definitely alive and well with people who are not from Seattle, that’s for sure, you run into it a lot. I don’t know if I’d say it’s gone on too long here at home, although you definitely have a generation of people who still dress grunge, although nothing to the extent of torn up jeans and baggie flannel shirts. You see it, it’s there, sorta an undertone from people in their late 30s. Being not from Seattle originally is interesting, that I’ve come to this place that does have that sort of mystique or cliché about it. But you quickly realize that just like a lot of cities, past stereotypes are false, and I guess it has gone on too long. It’s funny to still run into it with people who aren’t from here and you’re kinda like, “No, ok, it’s not like that, we’re not a grunge band, we’re just a band.”

AC: The music on Moonbeams has a wide variety of instrumentation and genre influences in there. Talk for a minute about your musical influences and what you listened to growing up that still speaks to your music writing today.

SR: With Moonbeams I was in a spot where I was trying to make a debut record that would show that I do listen to a variety of music. I didn’t want to make a record that was going to be easily typecast, I guess not typecast, but I mean to say I didn’t want to make something that would fit in a box easily. I also wanted to make a record that various people might be able to hear because they might like a song here or a song there, and sort of give something for everybody, if that wasn’t too lofty of a starting point to attack it from. So that’s what I did, and I tried to make it a collage of aesthetics because I do listen to a variety of stuff.

When I was first starting out buying CDs in the 3rd or 4th grade, I definitely had a strong pop mentality. At first it was a serious obsession with New Kids on the Block, which transitioned into Beastie Boys, Paula Abdul, Boyz II Men, Bobby Brown…Bobby Brown being a part of the record collection.

AC: Some of our readers are rolling their eyes right now.

SR: Yeah. When you’re a kid, that stuff just hits on an instinctual level. You don’t realize how overprocessed it is, but it was a while before I finally started listening to what people think of as Indie music or stuff that falls underneath that umbrella. More in college I guess I started finally getting turned on to the bigger Indie bands of the day and doing some homework and going back in time, catching up on stuff I needed to know about or needed to understand the history of Indie. I think looking back on high school, I wish I had listened to a wider variety of stuff, but I think that’s a product of coming from the California peninsula and having a slightly homogeneous cultural background with that.

AC: Talk a bit about your musical development in terms of your instrumentation. Did you start classically with a piano or guitar, and how have you gone about learning new instruments and incorporating them into your style?

SR: I learned how to play guitar at summer camp when I was in the 6th grade. Basically I stuck with that for probably 6 or 7 years. Along the way, my brother started taking drum lessons and for a couple years, my brother, who’s younger than me, had a drum kit in his bedroom and I immediately took to that and started playing his drums a lot more than he would play them. When he stopped taking lessons, the drums went away and I didn’t pick back up with drums or any other instrument until college when I started fooling around and teaching myself piano through my knowledge of guitar.

For the rest of this interview, click here.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

So I was torn on this one...not only is my time short, but I'm personally a big fan of "Gloaming" and was unsure I wanted it to get topped so soon. But 5 pm is still 3 hours away, and someone is going to need something! So here you go, you cretins. Enjoy.

1) 50 years is a long time to wait for a family reunion. Especially when you live with the guilt of pushing them away the last time.
2) You would think that when you're about to unleash the iPhone in 21 countries, you'd have your servers beefed up.
3) An NBA player not keeping his word? No way! You don't say!
4) Favre doesn't want to retire. Now can the Niners get him?
5) Ah...a baby gift from Tom, Katie and Suri to Keith, Nicole and Sunday!
6) Good news for any PETA people going to the Olympics...no more dog meat!
7) I read today that John McCain hasn't shown up to vote on a Senatorial matter since April. Does he count this as doing what he's paid for?
8) Why are so many people sold on the idea that Obama is Muslim?
9) If you were going to end up in jail no matter what, what kind of crime would you commit?
10) And finally, think about this tattoo...

Gloaming

The gloaming set on and forced night towards dawn,
the last morning rays in my brain were already gone,
leaving shadowed pillars of lost thoughts and found translations,
the Babel created by too many interior nations,
divided against themselves,
no longer one mind and one health,
but one splintered platinum brick showering mental coins of wealth
into the overflowing fountain of my energetic youth.

And the water was the proof,
the truth that the platinum will rust,
and the coins will clog the drains before they add another day
to stave off the dust,
the dust that drifts daily,
Neverending -
no end and a beginning too far back to recall,
stretching deep into the dark of some past sparked December,
every moment of which helps me remember
to rip false promises from my life like pages from a calendar at midnight,
a sight to behold as real people turn to gold,
and the false fall to a discarded heap and fester to mold,
So many lies and forced memories sold,
purchased by the lowest bidder,
an auction for the weak with no one the winner,
and a place where both buyer and seller are sinner.

So the platinum coins stay mine,
a divine bounty saved for the right time and matching mind,
a frame of twilight that will never see dark,
and rays of sunshine that will never allow the gloaming to start.

Pride: The March

I wake up around 10 on Saturday morning, surprisingly hang over free from the evening out dancing late the night before. I head south, hitting Nini's and a much needed Katie Mimosa before heading home to roll-up, change, pack my bags and leave. I'm back in the car around 11, and parked outside the Love Shack around 11:30. After stocking up, I walk myself over to T and Za's place to drop off my bags, mix a drink and head down to the park.

Anyone who knows Dolores Park knows that on beautiful days, it's packed. Then, when you combine a beautiful day with a parade/gathering/party of some sort, which seem to occupy the park often, it turns into a very fun zoo. On this particular day, given that the Dyke March starts off from 18th and Dolores, the park is wall to wall people...You have, of course, the police contingent, but they kindly stay at the perimeter of the park...there if you need them, but not looking to interfere. Other than them, the crowd is a very diverse group of people, and about the only thing everyone has in common is their consumption of alcohol and/or pot.

The stage has some bands on it, and there's quite a few in the crowd who don't have a problem getting naked, or at least partially there. Basically, forget everything you know about large crowd gatherings that usually turn into some bad vibes. This party goes until the march starts, and I didn't get one sense of bad vibeness throughout the afternoon. I found it a little funny when Kler mentions that I must not meet many girls for me at these events, but what can I reply other than to tell her that's simply not why I'm there?

Three joints, a bathroom stop back at T and Za's and several rodkas later, we're back in the park to watch the march begin. But, eager to avoid the stamped, Za, McButter, Marge and myself head to Taqueria Cancun for a quick burrito, then we're back right in time to see the bikes go by.

For anyone who hasn't seen this parade, I highly recommend it. For about 5-10 minutes, every manner of motorcycle and people on motorcycles rumble past to the constant cheers and inebriated greetings of the people along the route. Then, as the bikes subside, the actual walking portion of the parade begins, complete with banners, signs, floats, trollies and people in windows and on rooftops partying and throwing beads. It goes on for quite a while, during which time I get the very cool videos posted below, and also have, unknown to me, a picture taken as we're watching the parade....Za points out that this is why you need to be careful...you never know who's looking at you with a camera.

When the parade ends, the goal is to head back to T and Za's, regroup, then head back out for the evening. At this point, I'm starting to doubt the intelligence and reason behind drinking rodkas for an all day drinking binge, as my heart starts to pound and I become reasonably certain that a heart attack could be in my near future. I decide that following this day, there will be no more rodkas for at least two weeks. I mean, hell, I'm not going to turn out like that guy in the midwest who drank 4-6 RedBulls on every graveyard shift and died.

I spend our "regroup" time rolling more, watching a tv show, and then taking a very refreshing and much needed shower to change clothes. But, McButter and Za use the time to nap, and the foreseen happens...they never make it out. From elsewhere in the city, we get a call that Bini has passed out in a car and will not be making it out that evening. This leaves T, Tri, myself, Jason and some of his friends to go out and explore the city. A word to the wise here....try exploring when you're sober...when you're drunk, have a plan in mind. We leave and go to Pancho Villa so some others can get some food, but by the time we're done there, no one can think coherently enough to present a plan or destination that everyone can agree on.

So we end up walking around the Mission/Castro area for a bit, while drunkenly playing with a bouncy ball that lights up in erratic ways. I'm not kidding when I say we almost cause a car accident, and I come very close to chasing the ball into the street before we make up the "don't chase the ball into traffic" rule. It's a very necessary rule while playing chase the bouncy ball in San Francisco while drunk. We get back to T and Za's place, and everyone is tired and needs to pass out. Unfortunately for me, still amped up and near cardiac arrest due to all the Rodkas, sleep is simply not an available option. So, between around 12:45 and 2:15 or so, I enjoy the front steps of their place watching the people walking back from Pride festivities and to and from the bars.

During this time, while feeling like someone out of Friday or Boyz in the Hood, I sit on the stoop, lighting js and blowing the smoke out into the sidewalk. During this time, I befriend and talk to a group of semi-pro women football players who give me a Red Stripe while I give them some Irie. One of them is a quarterback, one a linebacker, and a linewoman. Two of them I don't think are on the team. They spend about twenty minutes chatting it up with me. Later on, a guy comes up and stands by me, waiting for me to hand him a j, while asking me if I have my hat on because I'm going golfing (it does have argyle on it). Finally, I know it's time to go inside when a very large black man walks by and asks me if I have a girlfriend, and simultaneously a large group of cops descend on the area and start telling people to get out of the street.

So that's that....another successful and completely debaucherous Pride. I was too torn up to do anything on Sunday other than eat breakfast at a pretty sweet place called Boogaloo's on 22nd and Valencia...it's no Nini's, but it was very good, and the Mimosas were cheap and large.

Up Next...4th at the Lake!

10 Things to Think About on a Thursday

The Lake is once more here, and a Friday 4th of July finds me (and most other well meaning citizens) not at work, and certainly not at a computer. If you're like the very unlucky few that are caught behind your desk right now wondering when that cruel ass boss is going to let you go early for the day, take heart...you have 10 things you can spend some time thinking about. Have a great weekend!

1) Should we stop the insanity when it's considered news that Mary-Kate gets a coffee? I think E! Online should be shot.

2) More stories from the "Rich Dumb Rapper Who Wants to Spend Time in Jail" files.

3) Privacy continues to head down hill. Do you really want your YouTube views and preferences publicly known?

4) California's Grass...its largest cash crop at $14 Billion/year. 1.5 Million gallons of water/day. Would legalization and taxation help Green the green industry?

5) Domino's Pizza trying to get in on the film preview industry?

6) Got an iPhone? Like GChat? Welcome to beauty.

7) If you needed Viagra, would you be willing to eat 6 cups of watermelon instead?

8) This is what happens when you steal a childhood from someone to make them a star...They go on crazy drunk benders, get in trouble with the law, and then use their money to pretend they're still in high school.

9) I've now tried the iPhone GChat mentioned above...fast, you can see them talking, and you can jump between conversations. Too. Friggin. Sweet.

10) Would you rather be a streamer or a firework?

Pride: Lollipop

After a fun BBQ on Thursday, and knowing that the actual day time party and march was on Saturday, I figured Friday would be the one night I didn't have plans and didn't know what was up. That was solved on Friday afternoon when McButter asked me how to spell my last name because she was buying me a ticket for Lollipop, a themed party for the ladies at Kelly's Mission Rock in China Basin.

I head up to Za and T's place around 10 o'clock, and we're immediately faced with the fact that Tri is in another part of town. I know this is a time for Maurod, who comes through once again, picking her up at her place, driving down to T's place, picking us all up (it's Tri, T, McButter, Za, myself and Marge), fitting us all in, drinks included, and then sharing a j with me on the way across town. When we get there, the line is huge, but it seems to be moving well because of the guest list. In line we meet up with Nah, Bini and a few others. We get in where Xena, Arlene and a bunch others have been for a bit.

When we get to the front, I'm amazed at how little time it took. The girls all think that this was a horrendously long time to wait, which brings out an interesting contrast in the way girls and guys see lines outside of bars and clubs. Of course, the tables are turned once I'm inside and all the women are using both bathrooms which makes it the longest time I've waited for a bathroom line, so this proves as an interesting point of comparison for the lines and length of time spent standing in them. None of the women I was with felt that the bathroom lines were too long.

When we get past the ticket check, this place is awesome. It's a huge outdoor area with a walk up a flight of stairs to get into the bar/dancefloor area. The entire outside area is centered around patios and balconies that look out over the bay providing for some amazing views. It also helps in terms of getting outside and getting fresh air when necessary.

Inside, the place is packed. Estimates for the evening range from 400-700 people, and they are all drunk and dancing. Never before have I been to a venue with that many people and seen that few just standing on the wall. They've got some beautiful go-go dancers, and the DJs, throughout the night, are dropping some sick mash-ups. As we walk in and I realize that aside from security, I'm pretty much one of the only guys there, Za recognizes the same thing and turns around to tell me that I'm lucky to be there. I couldn't agree more. After the longest bathroom line of my life, and getting my ass grabbed on the way out of the bathroom, we're back for drinks and more dancing, and have managed to carve out a nice spot behind the DJ stand to dance and be more or less out of the way.

After a bit, we take in the bay view from the smoking balcony, which is awesome. The security guard doesn't say anything to me about the j I light, and I make some new friends as I pass it around and start talking to people around me.

The party is slated to go until 4 am, but about 2:45, the drinks have been shut off for an hour, and despite the fun we're having dancing, most everyone is ready to call it an evening. Back outside on the street, we look at the ridiculous amount of people looking fruitlessly for a cab before giving Maurod a call. He's there in 15 minutes with no fight with others for his car. You gotta love this guy! We get back to T and Za's place a bit after 3, which gives me about 7 hours before it's time to get up and get ready for the main event...the parade!

Apologies for the lack of pictures here, but I try not to be too obtrusive with the camera for obvious reasons....the main dance floor pictures were taken by Za, and I was having fun with the color accent feature on my camera with the funky blacklight/glowing glasses they were serving drinks in.

Joyous Movies of June (13)

Had a great month with baseball games, Pride weekend, Father's Day and of course the Immortal Technique interview which was awesome. I also got a good number of movies in, when you compare it to what I've seen in the last few months.

4: The Darjeeling Limited
7: Black Snake Moan, Into Great Silence, Ratatouille
9: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
11: Death to Smoochy
17: The Incredible Hulk
22: City of God, Secret Things
24: Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs
29: Chasing Amy, The Happening