Went on a ride to downtown LA last weekend to witness and take part in the protests going on against Prop. 8..we got there late so it was kinda mellowing out but the coppers were still in full force moving people along “you can’t stand here” and riding on horses and bikes. How do i get that job!? Could i ride a brakeless fixie though? Talk about easy money…until you have to ruin someone’s day by giving them a ticket or hassling them. I’m too much of a softie..
Then we rolled out to this inner city garden project of a friend of a friend that was down on Martin Luther King blvd and Normandie…a really inspiring project to see people growing there own food in the heart of the city. I thought food just appeared in the grocery store and i just stuck it in my face….Don’t they have big farms fields in the back of Von’s?! Just think, if you can grow your own food and have your own transportation how efficient one could be not having to rely on major corporate grocery stores and gas stations to take all of your hard earned chedda?! In a perfect world…but since i don’t have a garden in my closet apartment i guess its more 99 cent store hot dogs to live on for the next week or so. Those dogs taste soo good going down until the salt intake headache kicks in a bout 10 minutes later. I finally sold my Jeep too, i guess the old myths about “don’t run a car completely outta oil” is true…yes it does seize up and yes it will be a piece of useless shit after that!
Anyway screw it, i’m being way more “car lite” in my lifestyle and it was a gas guzzler to boot! I still got my old pickup truck “hooptie” as its been refered to…i mean i ain’t gonna attract any girls or look cool pulling up to the valet at the club but who cares, cars are metal coffins and LA is way too obsessed with them, way more than any other place in this country…i feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and i’m doing my little part to decrease my imprint on this earth. Awe how sweet that sounds.

On my ride to work this morning i was like damn did Obama really win!? I always pass by this hugh banner with his face on it that someone has in there back yard facing the lake. I looked up this morning and it was still there ..i wonder how long they’re going to leave it up.
It was going off last night in Silverlake i could hear people driving down the street honking and yelling..it’s kinda weird aren’t we supposed to be radically progressive on this side of town. Do we really think that this guy is our savior…doesn’t he have to play in this Capitalist game with all the other crooks? Are the major candidates really that different from each other? (i don’t think so but in this case i hope so). Nonetheless, i’m glad that he is in office and maybe we could see some change for the better for a while. He reminds me of a tan JFK with his good looks, pretty wife and excellent orating skills. I wonder if all this green environment talk and shiz will bring about more bike lanes/roads haha.

So me and Mikey rode to Rise Against at the new Palladium last night only about 5 miles from the eastside/Silverlake. Yes, it is really awesome to be able to live in a city very close to Hollywood and be able to ride a bike over to a gig. Seeing all these people pay $20 to park there metal coffins just doesn’t sound appealing to either of us!
We got there about 10:30 and hooked up with his cousin who does tour managing for Alkaline Trio, he gave us passes and we walked right in the back door, the place was going off, electric energy! But before we walked in i grabbed a couple of beverages out of my mini green Ninja Turtles backpack! that i was sporting last nite (gave Mikey a good laugh)…its a choice little backpack that can fit a couple of tallboys and one that i can leave locked up to the bikes and no one will probably want or mess with What self respecting thief would want a 10 year olds bag to carry around, with green ninja turtles grafix?? (I can barely get my shoulders in that thing anyways). Hey, i mean i’m not going to leave my Chrome bag locked up to the bikes….fer sure that $100 puppy would be gone! Since i was going to a gig i didn’t want to carry around a bag inside the venue and LA club security is soo F’ing cool and all! They woulda went through that bag with a fine tooth comb!
I had never seen RA before and they rocked that spot hard, big ole pits were breaking out…reminded me of my old early 90’s Hollywood Palladium days of seeing the Chili Peppers, Janes Addiction. Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Pixies and countless other bands that i have witnessed kill that club!
After the gig we cruised down Sunset west over to the swanky part of town…Standard Hotel, Whiskey, Saddleranch even though its a stuffy part of town it gives alot of eye candy when your cruising at 12:30am slightly buzzed Mikey is turning into a good little rider, usually i lead the way on our runs but last night he was leading a few stretches and blowing through lights riding all confident….he’s got a good cadence working and he’s been riding alot he said, pretty much leaving his car parked.
After the gig there was like 10 latino/a hot dog vendors cooking up hot dogs (murder dogs, we call them, because after you eat one your hearts going to stop!) to perfection on outdoor stovetops on the sidewalk with onions, peppers, cheese and bacon slapped on them..um tasty, we said “oh lets ride and we’ll come back and grub” but after our loop to the westside and back we get back to the club there was no dog to be found…damn! Oh well there’s always next time…i wonder if they make veggie murder dogs?