Nighttime View

The 5th of November

So I heard that the Anonymous hacker group was going to take over the Fox News website today.  I was totally looking forward to it, but as far as I can tell nothing happened.  At least I found this video of Keith Olbermann wearing a Guy Fawkes mask as he gives out some addresses of the Steven J. Baum law firm.  That’s pretty cool.

H. Con. Res. 13

Where Have All The Flowers Gone

At this point in our humanity’s stream of consciousness there are only 2 things that matter.  They are last week’s South Park episode “Ass Burgers”, and the Occupy Wall Street movement (which could be thought of as a much broader world wide anti-globalization movement).

So there’s this Occupy Wall Street.  What the fuck is going on people?!  Why aren’t we all there?!  And more importantly, why doesn’t the youth of today care?  I thought we all grew up punk rock.  I thought we all wanted a better tomorrow.  Have we all sold out?  Is that the real deal?  Are the music and art scenes just full of posers who pretend to be authentic while in reality you couldn’t pry they’re lips from the rotting teat of the corporate man if he kept on punching them in the face?  Because that’s what’s going on.  Make no mistakes.  Maybe you personally haven’t been punched yet, but your friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents have lost their jobs or seen their wages/hours decline, seen cuts to education all across the board, had their houses sink underwater in value, taken out student loans which can’t be paid back because there are no jobs available for college educated individuals; and this, yes all this, due to an irresponsible and unsustainable system that is designed to funnel all the wealth in the country towards the wealthiest 1 percent. 

The sentiment fulfilled by government policy seems to be that corporations won’t have enough money to hire employees unless they have the lowest tax rates since before the Great Depression, and in fact, the major problem with our economy is that of the deficit, which has been bloated by rampant government spending on things like education, and you know…  society. 

But check out this graph, if you will.

 

 

Obviously Obama’s proposal of rolling back the Bush Tax Cuts was blocked by congress, but all the other information is accurate.  If you don’t trust the graph, you can check out the National Tax Union’s website on the matter.  Here you will find the rates for every single income bracket dating from 1913 through today: http://ntu.org/tax-basics/history-of-federal-individual-1.html.  The PDF I downloaded though was literally 130 pages and not practical for blog posting.

What really stands out, at least to me – and mind you I’m no economic scholar - is that the Great Depression and our current recession were both preceded by long periods of record breaking low tax rates on the wealthy.  Maybe that is inconsequential.  You can make up your own mind.

So now we find ourselves in a downward economic spiral that’s lasted for the past 3 years, and we can’t seem to find a way to shake it.  What is the cause?  Well this is complicated, and perhaps I don’t even completely understand it (like I said, I have never studied economics), but the best way I can summarize the epicenter is that it stemmed from a number of policies that work to the benefit of corporations and the wealthiest in our country at the cost of the rest of the population.  These include a lack of regulation in the financial sector, corporate personhood (a convenient legal lie that in this situation allows corporations to donate money  (in these times unlimited) to political campaigns), as well as of course a phenomenally low tax rate on the wealthiest persons, or corporations.

This brings us back full circle now to the Occupy Wall Street protests springing up all over the United States.  This is exactly what the movement is protesting.   There seems to be some confusion about this, yet I don’t understand how there can be.  The Adbusters’ website, where the original call to Occupy Wall Street was raised, clearly states the desire for a democracy rather than a corporatocracy as the purpose of the protests.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out for yourself:

http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html

Still the movement faces naysayers around every corner.

Herman Caine, a popular Republican Presidential contender commented on the protests: "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself!  It is not a person's fault because they succeeded, it is a person's fault if they failed.  And so this is why I don't understand these demonstrations and what is it that they're looking for." 

Wait.  What?  Wow!  I guess he doesn’t care about the lack of jobs in the country.

The Occupy protests have also been criticized for not offering any solutions, but has it ever been the protesters job to offer solutions?  I thought the purpose of a protest was to draw the public’s attention to mass injustices that were being ignored.  The protests against the Vietnam War were not offering methods of getting the troops out of the war.  They were just saying that they shouldn’t be there.  Likewise, the Civil Rights movement was not fighting just one law or practice.  Rather they were protesting discrimination, which was the result of a complicated system made up of multiple laws and statutes as well as lack of protections for minorities.

I recently had a facebook thread interaction with a friend on the protests.  Despite the fact that she is all for fairer tax rates, she was turned off to the Occupy protests because to her, protesting means “mob rule”, and voting is the way we change things in our civilized society.  She couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that a large point of the protests is that the people do not have a voice when they vote because the officials they elect to represent them are actually representing the private interest groups who fund their campaigns.  This individual is not alone in her staunch refusal to join the cause of Occupy Wall Street.  I see it in the lack of posts about the protests on facebook.  I see it in the lack of friends at protests themselves.  I see it in the snide remarks of people who are just scraping by, yet they see the Occupy movement as something to ridicule.  What is going on here people?

I think the real problem is actually that our generation has been taught since day one that it’s cool not to care.  That’s what makes you cool.  But we do care.  We care about being cool.  We also care about ourselves.  And we are so proud.  So proud of our individual achievements that we can’t acknowledge that we got there with help from other people and circumstances.  This is very American.  The fiction of the self made man.  That’s who Herman Caine is, right?  Without any help from others he conquered racial prejudice and fought adversity to rise to the status of CEO of the Godfather Pizza chain!  But of course he didn’t take part in the Civil Rights movement, because his father told him to not cause trouble.  What a good complacent Republican.

Ever Since the Occupy movement has shown it’s face, I haven’t been able to really think about much else.  After all, aren’t we supposed to preoccupy our minds with whatever the most urgent and important issue of the day is?  Doesn’t everything start to pale in comparison?  Doesn’t it all just start to sort of look like shit that somehow subdues the rest of society?  “Here’s your Big Mac, Iphone, and American Idol.  Charlie Sheen’s freaking out again!  Now roll over and play dead.  Good boy!” 

In the latest episode of South Park entitled “Ass Burgers”, Stan Marsh can’t help but see everything in our culture entertaining the masses as shit.  President Barack Obama is caricatured as a lame duck signing any bill that comes his way by quacking up diarrhea.  Cartman markets burgers flavored by his farts, which exude the gaseous flavor enhancers of all the fast food chains.  Everybody loves them, and Stan can’t manage to win any of his friends over to his enlightened cynicism.  I saw this as a direct parallel to the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the lack of solidarity by the bulk of my generation.

But I have hope.  The movement is moving towards more of a focus and gaining momentum every day.  Today Kanye West showed up.  It’s about time.  Our generation is in a process of waking up, and if they need celebrities to lead the way, it’s happening.  By the time this is over I predict that everyone will be out there in the streets, because it’s our future, and if this doesn’t help shape government policy, I’m afraid of what will come next.  You should be too.

 

The Shit

Ever since Kurt Vile released his record Smoke Ring For My Halo, everybody has known that it’s the shit.  Now, an EP of songs mostly recorded during the same sessions is slated for an early November release, and tracks keep on being leaked (for lack of a better word) as teasers all over the music blogosphere.  Both tracks "Creature" and "Life’s A Beach" are hard to not play on repeat.  They’re like fucking Frito-Lays.  But of much higher quality.

Some Things That Happened Last Week

Do you ever get upset by all the cool things you see when driving which ought to be photographed?  I do.  Most of the time it’s just too hard to pull over and park.  Some things I have missed:  Some stenciled graffiti (is it still called graffiti then?) on Beverly Glen in the hills stating “It’s the end of the world”, a pickup truck overflowing with cat scratching posts, and actually I can’t remember any others at this moment.

Last Thursday I was driving south on Glendale Blvd. in Echo Park, and right after the beginning of the 2 freeway I stumbled upon this!

It’s a broken water main or something.  I am in fact, crying inside, because I couldn’t park and get some better shots.  Traffic, if you can believe it, was craaaaazy.  If I had been able to step back a hundred feet or so though, you would be able to see how high this jet of water was spewing into the air.  Two or three hundred feet I’d say.  Maybe higher.  I’m sure this inconvenienced a ton of people, but I was so happy to see it.  Totally made my day!  I guess I just like crazy things like that.

Later in the evening Bleached played a party at Paul and Andre’s in Hollywod put on by ‘Sup magazine and Opening Ceremony.

During:

After:

A side note:  Not everyone in the above photograph is actually in the band.

Some other stuff happened Friday and Saturday, but I didn’t take any pictures.

Sunday Allen Bleyle had a BBQ at his house where Devon Williams and the Soft Pack played.  There was a slip and slide as well as a fire.  I think maybe 3 people went on the slip ‘n’ slide total.  The fire was started by one of them because they were cold.

If I Could Mess With Time And Reality And Life And All That…

…Perhaps I would erase the past 8 days.

While my opinion on astrology fluctuates between interest and skepticism, one thing I don’t doubt is the effect of mercury retrograde.

We’ve all had one of those weeks.  You know, the kind that has you just waiting for the next unfortunate happening.  For example; my past week consisted of a terrible date, followed by a completely unexpected fight picked by a sibling, followed by instances of my photos being used yet not credited, followed by my flash failing me on a last minute job.  Oh, and then my car ran out of gas before I could get to the gas station, and then my left brake light went out.  Wow!  But you know what I hate?  Complaining.

Actually the week wasn’t all bad.  I ate some food… saw some friends… went to some parties.  There was definitely steam to be blown off, but I had the faculties to do so.

On Food:

Friday night Flaunt magazine had a dinner to celebrate their Neo Golden Age issue.  It was at this restaurant Phillipe Chow.  The best things were the sate skewers and the peking duck.  There was also some green shrimp, filet mignon with broccoli, and champagne.

Appetizers gone:

Green Shrimp:

 Plate mid-meal featuring green shrimp and peking duck:

Champagne, white, and red:

 

On Sunday I had a late lunch with my mom at Ernie’s Jr. in Eagle Rock.  We used to go there all the time when I was a kid.  I got my favorite entrée called the “Torta de Guacamole”.  It’s a very thin egg omelet stuffed with guacamole, and then covered in enchilada sauce and melted cheese.  I still love it to this day.  A warning though:  the beans can be hit or miss at this place.  Today they were kind of a miss.

   

I have also been working on perfecting a sort of vodka lime/mint/basil soda.  More on that in a future post.

Oh, Yeah...

And Woods continues to release more great songs.  This one's off a 7" released back in July, called "Find Them Empty".  That's what the song is called too.

"Find Them Empty" by Woods by forcefieldpr

What To Do With Cats

Starring Pony, Chicken, Sara Bauer, and Wendy Garrett.

Institutions

I’m still trying to wrap my head around eating out in Los Angeles.  You see, there’s this phenomenon out here that both astounds and confuses my delicate palate.  Maybe I just know some weird people, or perhaps my disposable income is just much less than it used to be, but there seems to be some sort of proliferation of old timey dining institutions out here.  These institutions are matched by a large number of more traditional ethnic restaurants, and while ethnic food is all well and good, I lived in New York City for 10 years, where a mid-priced amazing and innovative meal is rather commonplace.  This seems to be harder to come by in L.A., and when you do, it’s often in the $30+ price range.

 

Taylor’s Steak House is one such institution.  I have been there 3 times, most recently yesterday for my father’s birthday.  The first time I got some kind of filet mignon with crab on top.  That was a bad idea.  The second time I got their burger, which was totally overcooked and dry.  This time I got their rib eye, which was actually pretty good.  It came with a side of broccoli (not shown).  My stepmother got the crème brulee (also not shown) for desert.  That was actually the best thing I’ve ever had there.

My very traditional steak dinner: 

Another such institution is Taix (pronounced like Tex).  I either get their Croque Monsieur, or their Moules a la Mariniere.  Their Gratin de Macaroni is not bad either, but if you expect anything more out of this place than comfort food, you’re going to be disappointed.

My very comforting Croque Monsieur:

Perhaps the worst of these institutions is the infamous Dan Tana’s next to the Troubador.  Everything here comes with a side of spaghetti.  I can only ask “Why?”

Fortunately, despite my highly limited budget, I have discovered some restaurants worth trying out.  They are (in no particular order) Lil’ Doms, Folliero’s, Lou, Mandarette, Masa, and Auntie Em’s.

Some restaurants I am interested in:  Animal, the Kitchen, and The Allston Yacht Club.

A side note or afterthought if you will:  the french fries at the Mondrian Hotel’s Skybar, are actually quite good.  

Inspired By Me

About a year and a half ago I found my old high school English class journal.  It’s the inspiration for this blog.  I just got it back after a year of floating around in the windy L.A. air.

This is the cover:

The cover art features a drawing off the cover of my elementary school writing journal as well as some contact sheet cut-outs from highschool.

 

Here’s a sample entry!

 

These Things I like

When it comes to things I like I’ve got to admit I’m pretty particular.  I’ve been told that this is a sign of intelligence.  Perhaps instead of IQ tests we should actually have “well developed taste” tests.  We could ask questions like:  “What is the best place to get a burrito in Los Angeles?”, or “What is the best beach on the southern Californian coast?”  I mean, I guess everyone already knows that Benito’s has the best burritos and to visit any beach other than El Matador is an exercise in not enjoying the finer things in life.  Let’s try some more difficult questions.

What is the best cheese to purchase at Whole Foods? 
 

Fromager d’Affinois is a french double-cream soft cow’s milk cheese quite similar to Brie in appearance and taste.  However it undergoes an ultrafiltration process, which results in extra flavor as well as a higher fat content.  This cheese is the best cheese I have ever had, aside from some other variety quite similar with an orange rind, which I had the pleasure of totally pigging out on at an event catered by that Artisanal cheese restaurant in New York City.

What is the best facemask?

Aztec Secret sells and packages this calcium bentonite clay, which possesses a negative electrical charge.  Some science for you guys:  Toxins, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other impurities carry a positive charge.  When introduced to the human body, this clay’s negative charge attracts and bonds to all those bad things with a positive charge, effectively sucking them out of your system.  Some people eat this stuff!  Me, I mix it with apple cider vinegar, and put it on my face. I leave it on as long as I can stand.  If I wore this facemask in public, people would be scared of me because I look like Frankenstein!

What is the most prolific and consistently good band of the past 5 years? 

 

Since 2006 Woods has put out 6 amazing lo-fi folk rock albums.  That’s tough to do.  They’re the best.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  

These Things

Sometimes things get wet.

Sometimes you take a photo by accident.

Warped Tape

I would like to introduce a new method for deducing the allusive quality of greatness in terms of a musical release.  Let’s call it the “warped tape test”.  The premise is simple yet profound:  try listening to a new album you’ve never heard before, in warped tape format.  If you find yourself coming back time and time again, to that same warped tape for a listen, then you’ve got yourself a really great album!

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you all to the first candidate of the harsh and brutal, yet delicately revealing warped tape test:  Devon Williams.

While the official Slumberland Records release of Euphoria will not be out until later this month, Devon had some cassette copies (released by Burger Records) lying around.  He gave me one.  It was warped.  I think he did it on purpose.

But I digress; after all, we are here to talk about the warped tape test, not the situation that led to the occurrence of such an event.  After an initial listen, I have to say, I was hooked, albeit a bit peeved.  I mean come on.  Who gives out warped tapes of their music?  Regardless, the warbly and sometimes almost indiscernible sounds emanating from my car stereo could not hide the almost divine candy land staccato accenting album opener “Revelations”.  I listened to it 5 times in a row right off the bat.  Delving deeper I found the moodier piece “Tower of Thought” quite stunning in a Def Leppard ballad sort of way.  You know, the kind of song that really moves you.  I could talk more about the album but I’m sure it would just bore you.  If you like carefully crafted pop songs with interesting arrangements you’ll probably like this.  And I’m not just saying that because he put my photo is on his 7”.

 

Here is a music video for one of the songs on the album that I didn't talk about at all.  It's still good though.

Overheard In Los Angeles

Location:  Thai Patio restaurant, Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, USA

Woman 1:  “This is delicious.”

Woman 2:  “Is it like Thailand?”

Woman 1:  “It’s like Heaven in my mouth!”

While I am starting to find myself quite fond of the “Thai Patio” restaurant in Hollywood, I’m not sure if I would go as far as declaring its holiness out loud.  You see, the food isn’t bad; in fact it’s pretty good.  I just know that there are other places with much better food. 

When it comes to lunch specials however, Thai Patio can’t be beat.  For $4.99 you get a quarter thai bbq chicken, complete with a salad (the kind you really eat), fried wonton thingy, and rice.  I’ve been there twice for that special so far this month.  Today though, I opted for the “Drunken Noodles” to go.  While satisfactory, and quite the deal at $6.51 (including tax) I felt the pad kee mao I had 2 weeks earlier from “It’s Thai Hometaurant” (courtesy of Jenny Sayaka Norris) was actually waaaaaaay better.  It was also prettier with more vibrant coloring.  Perhaps it was fresher as well, and had more vegetables.  Regardless, I have no pictures to share for proof of that experience, so I will just indulge these shots from today’s drunken noodles.


Before:

After:

The following song would be perfect if I was eating cambodian food in Cambodia in the '70's instead of thai food in Los Angeles circa 2011, but hey - you can't win everything (for example my favorite songs from this album are nowhere to be found on youtube, and they're also all called "unknown" by "anonymous").

My Favorite Meal, Snack, Or Whatever

Near or far, I here you calling my name

Early in the morning, late at night

Sometimes in the afternoon

Cheese toast!

Cheese toast, I hear your call

Echoing through the canyons in the moonlit night

Where art though?

It makes me sad when I can’t feel your luscious flavor on the tip of my tongue

Gruyere

Emmentaler

I love you both

With all my heart

And all my taste buds

I cannot bear to be apart

You enter my life

I hear the trumpets rejoice in the distant hills

I have won, once again

And you take me off to that far off land

Heaven.


Before:

After:

 

Going Live #blogging

Venturing on through this tumultuous universe of ours we often find ourselves at a juncture.  A crossroads if you will.  Looking into the distance you see the road diverge.  Ahead lies not just one path, but in fact two.  I believe Robert Frost wrote a poem about it once.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la.

Here is some atmospheric music by R. Stevie Moore, as well as some photos and words to help with the contemplative mood of this very personal first blog entry.

Roads,

Vistas,

Plateaus,

Fences,

Clouds,

Jacuzzis,

Full size swimming pools in the desert with bougainvillea,

Stuffing your face,

More clouds,

Ducks in lakes,

Photobooth style photos without a photobooth,

Pastoral fields,

Swimming in the ocean,

Afternoon BBQs,

And even grander vistas...

Yes, quite possibly these topics and many more will be illuminated through my visual and oral explorations to be discussed in future entries of Ojos y Boca.