Yet MORE goofy sightings on "the hike!"

It's been a whole month since I've posted anything (not much of a surprise, I know)....

Here's a few shots from my daily hike. If I don't end up surfing, which I do two to three times a week, I hike 4.1 miles every day. Rain or shine. Weekdays and weekends.

I see a lot of wonderful things on this daily hike and on occasion not-so-nice things (my route happens to be on part of the same route that the infamous 'tire slasher' here in Marin County did his vandalism on).

This morning I shot pictures of (in particular order) a beautiful stencil piece sprayed on a post, the 232 steps I climb at the top of the hill I hike and some great flowers.

This is a great hike for body and mind... and heck, I feel fortunate enough to live in such a beautiful place.

April 1 would of been D. Boon's 52nd birthday and I was thinking about him that day. I was fortunate enough to see the Minutemen play in San Francisco (I can't remember what club it was) and the very next year being in the opening band (not sure which band it was but it really doesn't matter) on a 4 band bill with them headlining at the Mabuhay Gardens.

By about 1983-84 punk rock began to become a sort of 'rule-oriented-lock-step' movement (pretty much what it is today). By this time most bands were 'hardcore' sounding like an endless army of Black Flag tribute bands. On the other hand, the Minutemen stood out splendidly. They definitely had a sound and style all there own and did what they felt was right. They seemed to approach music without any rules attached, sort of like an experimental jazz musician might have and they made it okay to actually be able to play your instrument well. Hey, I kid you not, I was no Van Halen but I got dogged constantly by other punks for playing a little too proficiently (again, see 'rule-oriented-lock-step' movement).

If you get a chance, see the wonderful documentary, We Jam Econo; Story of the Minutemen.

Great guys. Mike, George and Boon.

Been back in the water as of late 2 to 3 times a week. Starting to get the hang of being 'there' again as well.

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago with my phone. I rode that little right there (which is actually about 3' and the clean-up waves were 4') for two hours all by myself. Ah, Dawn Patrol.

On February 25Th I drove 100 miles up to my home town of Sacramento, CA to see the legendary improvisational jazz saxophone master, Roscoe Mitchell (one of the original founders of the famed, Art Ensemble of Chicago) perform at the 24Th Street Theater.

The opening group was lead by one of my early "musical teachers," if you will, Mr. Tony Passarell and his Thin Air Orchestra. I met Tony over 30 years ago when I was a skinny, little high school musician and Tony was a music major at Sac State. He, along with (the late) Erik Kleven, Henry Robinette, Mike Curtis and Rick DaPrato were my musical "uncles" as we all hung out at the original Esoteric Records (Alhambra @ J Streets... then owned by Rick DaPrato, across from the McKinley Park 'Duck Pond') in the 1970's and I was to be schooled on all things musically cool, informative and groovalicious!

The show was great! After The Thin Air Orchestra performed a flawless set, Mr. Mitchell came out and floored us ALL with solo Saxophone compositions. I was very impressed that at his age he still can play and command his instrument like a man AT LEAST half his age.

Then the Thin Air Orchestra came back on stage to play about three more pieces with Mr. Mitchell. Egad! It was truly AMAZING!

I was also fortunate enough after the gig to meet Mr. Mitchell and get him to sign an LP of his I own (see photos).

Big up's to Tony Passarell, old pal and bad-ass bassist Gerry Pineda and guitarist Ross Hammond (it was great to meet you, Ross) and a BIG gracias to Brian Gorman (Northern California Improvisational Arts Foundation) for throwing the whole shebang together so well!

What a night!

Not only am I hiking daily around the immediate area I live in but I'm also stretching it out to encompass the entire county that I have been living in for 18 years (this coming June). Here is what it looked like from the 6.6 mile Pantoll hike on Mt. Tam Saturday.

pic one... me looking at SF (your point of view is looking South down the coast).

pic two... View of the bay.

pic three.... my personal favorite, view of Stinson, the Callas, Sea Drift, the Groin/Bolinas Lagoon, Bolinas (aka the home break) and Duxbury Reef . Way Cool!

This little sign is stapled on a telephone pole down my street a little ways. There are no other signs like this anywhere else on the street or immediate neighborhood (I've checked). It is so innocent and so perfect I took a picture of it this morning on "the hike" and post it here for your edification.

Another sight on my daily hike. This little, blue (cobalt?) face painted on a tree down the street from my place. I pass it every morning at the beginning of the hike. Could this be a new trend, Suburban graffiti?

During my daily treks I get a chance to see all sorts of fun stuff. Here is a picture of a place I call The Poetry House, which is about 2/3 through my morning hike. The words on the fence are removable so you could (and people do) write a poem. I wish that headboard with the ‘free’ sign wasn’t there to obscure the whole effect of the shot I took this morning.
If anyone is interested where this place is located feel free to email me.

I really don't want to sound like a dick here but is it me, or is our government responding to the terrible crisis in Haiti a HELL OF A LOT faster (and better with a lot more gusto) than they did with the hurricane Katrina crisis in Louisiana/Mississippi?

It took me a little while but here's my first post of the year. Some of you already know that I had a bit of a health issue at the end of last year which landed me in the hospital. Well, it's all better now and as part of my "doctors orders" rehab I've taken up walking (about an hour every morning) to help build me up so I can get back out in the ocean surfing, on my bike, etc.
I've even taken up yoga (!) as part of the new regime.

On my long walks which wind through the hills of Fairfax I've noticed that here in Marin County we are heavily into green velvet (see picture). I took my little camera with me this morning to document this.
Dig it.

The yearend is fast approaching and I’m hanging in there and I hope you all are too. It’s been a big year for us what with our son graduating high school and then later this past summer he goes away to college half way down the state. Where did the time go?

I've had fun opportunities to be in many great group art shows with wonderful artists all around the bay area and I'm still cranking out the comix too!

There’s also been lots of stress in the financial world for all of us and then me ending up in the hospital for a week and getting out just before Christmas. Yeegad!

Still, it's almost a new year. 2010 seems so futuristic…. Then again, it is futuristic.

I hope it’s a good one for you.

1968 Ampeg 'Reverbojet' J-12R. Got this one a couple of weeks ago from my buddy and excellent guitarist, Ron Corral, Jr. (Twang Ten, formerly with the Rhythm Drivers).

Man, this baby is smooth. 18 watts, tube amp.

I still have to put it through a few more paces but so far, I can't complain.

Here's my 1959  Kay "Style Leader" guitar. It's pretty much all original parts except the tuning pegs. Oh, and the strap buttons that I just put on. I'm also not too sure if it originally had a sun burst finish or not. The only pictures that I've seen of this guitar has it with a sun burst finish. 

None-the-less, it's a pretty rare bird and plays surprising well though it has a bit of 'fret buzz' around the 12th fret.

I just can't say enough good stuff about Derf and his excellent graphic novel, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks.
It all takes place in 1980 in Akron, Ohio during the hey day of the punk scene as some of the most influential bands of the day come through Akron as the hero of the book, The Baron encounters all of the shit most people put up with while being a teenager along with discovering punk rock, love found and lost, bullying, bizarre characters in the trailer park, losing a best friend while a lot of the seminal forces of punk rock drift through from the Clash, the Ramones, the Plasmatics and even the Godfather of rock critics, Lester Bangs can be found within these pages.
I’ll shut up now because I don’t want to give too much but this baby is quite the page-turner and Derf’s goofy cartooning style is really fun. It can remind one of Peter Bagge’s Buddy Bradley in a way but Derf definitely has his own style and voice.
Man, I wish we had a place like the Bank (punk club) like they had in Akron, Ohio out here in my home town in California.... but then again, an hour and a half ride down the freeway and I was in San Francisco seeing it all anyway. Great book. Check it out!

Las Chicas Mexicanas de East L.A.


This is a picture of my mom (on the right) with her best friend from James Garfield high school in East L.A. The photo was taken around her Sophomore year circa 1942. That very summer before my mom was to attend Garfield for her Junior year that coming fall her house burned down and she relocated to the town of San Gabriel and finished her last two years of high school at Alhambra High school.
I found this photo again after she died back in 1998 in her home in Sacramento, California.

Here's my resonator slide guitar. I've had it about 5+ years now. Not too sure about the year it is. My buddy John Pedersen (Amazing Grace Music, San Anselmo, CA), who I bought it from claims that it's from the late 1920's. I'm thinking that's it's from the mid-1930's. I also think that the body is different from the neck....
Okay, here's the deal... I'm thinking that it's probably a late 1920's National body, which someone welded the seams back together on it (why it's probably painted this monkey shit, Krylon brown) and that the neck is probably a mid to late 1930's Dobro. I don't know about ANY of this but I do know that it plays and sounds fantastic!
When I get my video camera back I'll try to learn how to download these guitars in action. Until then, just dig the picture.

Another art show... Yep, it's the Box Show in Pt. Reyes Station. Note that my box for this years show is part of the header this year. Come check out the show, it's a lot of fun!

Here’s a picture of my crappy, circa 1960 Japanese guitar I bought at a pawnshop last year for the HUGE sum of $40. It was pretty much unplayable and I had to work on it a bit to get it running and boy, does it run! YOW!
I like to call it my Hound Dog Taylor model, though it's somewhat like, yet not exactly like the late and great Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor's axe.

I like to use it for open tuning slide guitar stuff. Great and nasty tones emanate from this slab of cheap wood with a couple of tin pick-ups screwed into it and strings stretched across it's heavily scared carcass. I really like it.

Hopefully, I’ll figure out how to post videos on here soon and I’ll put this guitar through its paces and you’ll be able to better hear and see it (while simultaneously being able to mock my playing and my taste in guitars as well).

My dear friend and drummer for my band Los Bottle Rockets, Mr. Curtis 'BPM' Cirillo loves to tease me about never really buying a guitar over $125. I don't think that I do that purposely. I just like the sound and feel of something more than it's label, I suppose.

The infamous, "Heavier-than-a-Samoan" one speed tanker bike I've been carting around with me for most of my life (I even delivered news papers on it for a spell as a young lad). It's a mid-1960's Schwinn "Typhoon" that was originally candy apple red but a relative, who is no longer with us so, out of respect shall remain anonymous painted it orange circa 1970 in East Los Angeles because he, "Thought it looks better orange." I think I'm the second owner as I bought it used for $15 in late 1969 in East Los.
I've given this bike away twice over the years and it still came back to me. It sat in my mother's garage until her death in 1998 and then under my house until a couple of years ago when my wife asked me one night at the dinner table what I wanted to do with it.
I had totally forgot about it and was so stoked that I still had it that I hauled it out the next day, cleaned and lubed it up and ride it to this day.
Here it is replete with the huge, Wald basket (able to hold a few 6 packs of Anchor Steam beer), "Dennis, the plastic crab" on the front, cob webs and rust spots. A beauty to be sure.

For anyone who may read this blog I am in a group show in Oakland, CA this month and next month, July 13 - August 28.
The Many Faces of Frida.
It will be held at the Craft & Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Office Building - Artrium.
1515 Clay, Oakland, CA 94612.

After almost 4 years I have officially moved out of my San Rafael studio and back into my home studio. Part of the reason I was in San Rafael to begin with was because the home studio had someone living in it.

Now, the home studio has been remodeled (slightly) and painted, etc. I will begin unpacking it today and hopefully I’ll be back in full production by tomorrow.

The only downside to being here again is missing all of the nice people I have made friends with in SR. I’ll miss my breaks (walks) for coffee and chatting with everyone. Naturally I’ll be able to go back and visit on occasion as I’m only a town away but with work schedules and all it would require extra time. I’ll try to show up once a month or so for lunch, etc.

In the mean time I have to get back to work.

The frenzy over Michael Jackson’s death is of no surprise. He was undeniably huge in his global popularity. I remember when the Jackson 5 first came on the scene in the very late 1960’s and how all of us kid’s in the neighborhood were excited (yeah, I’m that old).

I admit that the J5 were a small influence on my musical career but I actually lost interest in Michael Jackson’s music sometime after his solo album, Off the Wall (which is still an excellent record). I suppose I'm a pre-Thriller fan.
This all sort of reminds me of when Elvis died back in 1977 and the subsequent frenzy over his passing.

Now, I don’t want to blather on critically about the guy’s music and his bizarre lifestyle. I have respect for his passing.
That being said, I can’t help but feel a bit sad about Farrah Fawcett’s passing as well and even more so because her passing has become quite overshadowed after Jackson’s death.

It feels just like when Robert Mitchum passed away and then the very next day, Jimmy Stewart died and for a week that’s all you heard about was Stewart's death and Mitchum (one of my favorite actors) was almost totally forgotten.

Typical of mainstream media, the protests in Iran, the war(s) in Iraq and Afghanistan and the state budget woes, etc. are all taking a back seat to the (self-proclaimed) King of Pops demise. In fact, I don't think that they're even in the same car at this point.
And so it goes.

I have a little ritual where every morning upon coming down stairs (unless I go surfing that day) I drink my coffee as I watch a little bit of the local morning news mainly to get the weather info before I start my day.
Naturally, I sit through about 10 minutes, or so of whatever stories they are covering while waiting for the weather. This means that I generally space out or think about my agenda for the day.
However, this morning a story caught my attention, or more to the point, the reaction of individuals in the story is what caught my attention.

The (quick) back story is this, last year two road cyclists where training in the hills of the Cupertino area and were tragically struck and killed by a Sheriff’s deputy who had fallen asleep at the wheel of his patrol car while driving.
This is obviously a terrible incident to be sure. Now, a year later family and friends of the fallen cyclists are outraged that the officer isn’t being “punished sufficiently enough” for the accident.
Now, myself having lost far too many family members since I was a young boy I can totally relate to the anguish and frustration of the family and friends of the cyclists, but I am sympathetic to both parties.

Upon seeing and hearing one of the family/friends of the fallen cyclists interviewed for the segment and how he angrily spat to the interviewer that, “the officer was basically on a paid vacation for the past year…” saddened me. The guy was so angry and the hate in his eyes was so deep that he was blinded to the whole picture. I couldn’t help but shake my head and think of the officer who will have to live with this tragedy for the rest of his life! We forget that it was an ACCIDENT. I’m pretty sure he didn’t set out that day on his shift hoping to kill some one with his patrol car. Perhaps there is more to this tragedy but that’s all the information that I got.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how it would be to have to shoulder this tragedy for the rest of my days AND to have a large group of people just hating me for it on top of it all. You try to go on and live a "normal" life after that. I don't really know if that would be possible.

No matter how much this guy is “punished” it will NEVER bring back the cyclists.
I can’t help but feel that the world is losing more and more compassion and sensitivity every day not to mention just plain old critical thinking.

There are more than two victims in this ordeal. I hope the family and friends of the cyclists realize this soon and just try to move on and let this tragedy try to heal with time.

Here's a little drawing I made about two weeks ago. It's (sort of) a tribute to my skateboarding past in Sacramento, California circa the mid-1970's. I even used the N-men logo on the skate deck. The bee was originally drawn by Walt Disney himself back in the 1930's for the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Disney was commissioned by the McClatchy family. The bee was/is named "Scoopy." There is also a television bee, "TeeVee" and a radio bee whose name escapes me at the moment. Basically they are ALL the same bee but representing the three different media holdings of the McClatchy empire. I think I'll call my bee "Bite Me."
Ah, I can hear the McClatchy corporate lawyers now....

I like to read and I like to write. I like to correspond too. Emails are good. I read ‘em and I write ‘em. It’s nice to keep in touch, let others know you care about them and that you are still out there plugging away.

That being said, Facebook, on the other hand is a total time vampire. Yep, I’m on there but I really limit my time with that thing. Why? Because I really couldn’t care less what party you’re going to, what you ate this morning for breakfast or that you have to go to the store for more toilet paper. So f&%king what!? I wouldn’t subject you to that so why should you subject the rest of us?
It’s difficult enough to try and communicate with these little electronic boxes using words and such and even more difficult to truly express what we really mean when doing this activity but GEEZ, are we circling the drain with this technology or what?

It has become such a pandemic that we now have had to have laws put in place because of our addiction (yeah, I said it) with these contraptions so we won’t drive our 2000+ pounds of motorized steel into other folks while we are talking/texting pointless information concerning pointless lifestyles.

And here I sit writing this using a computer and posting it to a blog that will never be read. Ah, the irony.

Here’s a question that I have been wondering about more and more lately.
Why are more and more white people (European-Americans, Anglos, gringos, gabachos, gueros… feel free to pick one and apply it) celebrating Cinco de Mayo?
I have in-laws in Michigan and North Carolina who were recently on Facebook announcing that they were in the midst of gearing up to get tore up for Cinco de Mayo. I read this and wondered aloud, “why?”
You see, none of my in-laws are Mexican, Mexican-American, Chicano, Latino, and Hispanic (feel free to pick one and apply it). In fact, some of them have never been to Mexico. There are even a couple who are overtly anti-Mexican and feel that Latinos are “taking over the country.” Funny, I’m the ONLY Mexican-American (I like to refer to myself as Chicano) that they have ever come in contact with at any time. Maybe they are anti- me!? I digress.
By-the-way, In May 5, 1862 the Mexican army along with other Mexican troops defeated the French near the town of Puebla and defeated that stumpy punk-ass Napoleon III and sent what few French that were still standing packing. It is said that Napoleon claimed that once the French were successful in capturing Mexico that they would, in-turn help the Confederacy defeat the Union army in the then raging American civil war.
That didn’t quite pan out.
Also, Cinco de Mayo is NOT the Mexican Independence day. That would be September 16. It was also won 52 years earlier (1810) freeing Mexico from Spain.
Still the question remains. Hmmmm.... Well, my thought is this; Non-Latinos like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo because they are drunks.

I went surfing for the first time in 7 months on Thursday. Boy, I’m REALLY out of shape. It took what seemed like forever to get to the line up and when I did get to the line up I had to let a couple of sets blow by as to rest my arms (which felt like lead at this point).

My first ride of the day was smooth. It was a long right on a glassy but occasionally sectioning 3’. I was on my friend, Beth’s 10’, heavily glassed, triple redwood stringer Pearson Arrow. Good board especially though the flat spots. It is also deceptively faster than one would think. Well, faster than my Weber Performer, anyway.
The tide was still out and I rode this wave almost back to the beach, picking up section after section by cutting back left then, once going again bottom turning back into the reforming right and stepping a little forward for speed.
However, remembering how long it took me to get out this morning I wisely decided to kick out a little earlier that I normally would of so I would spare my arms the beating.

After that the next 2+ hours were pure paddling hell. The ocean was punishing me for being gone for so long.

I rode a few more waves but was having problems popping up smoothly. My arms were gone. They felt like they weighed 100 lbs. apiece. Once up the waves quality was changing with the incoming tide and the rides were getting shorter and shorter. Man, my arms were dead. The ocean was punishing me.

Finally I took a shitty, 3’ crap wave all the way to the beach. Once I was on the sand I hopped off the board and bent down to pick it up… that’s when I felt the sharpest, hottest pain snap into my lower back.
I almost screamed it hurt so badly. The ocean was punishing me.
I stood there motionless, hunched over like a Gargoyle on the Notre Dame watching the board surge up and back in the break.
It took me 40 minutes to get back to my truck (generally a 7 minute walk… tops), another 40 minutes to change out of my wetsuit. The ocean was punishing me.

Day 5 now and I’m still flat-on-my-back. I’m popping Vicodin with a whiskey chaser to sleep at night. The ocean is punishing me.

It’s not like I don’t have enough to do already but I was recently approached (by email) by Will Drinker who is a film maker living in Los Angeles. He is in the process of making a documentary film about his brother Dan and his everyday life living with Downs.

Will contacted me, as well as other cartoonists to contribute our talents to stories that Will has written about the daily routines and such from Dan’s life for a graphic novel to be completed sometime in the future.

Naturally, I feel honored to be involved in something such as this. Will has sent me three scripts and I am to choose one in which to illustrate. It was difficult to choose as I like all three but I have picked one. However, I have told Will that I just may end up doing the other two as well. Typical of me, I know.

Between another gig I’m working on I am watching clips from Will’s documentary on Youtube to get a better visual of Dan and Will and what goes on in Dan’s life.
You can check them out as well by going to, www.dandrinker.com

I realize that I haven’t been writing on the ‘ol blog much this year but I am one who believes that if you don’t really have anything to say then don’t bother talking, or in this case writing.
That being said, I’ll just keep the two or three people who may (or may not) read this up to speed with what I am up to.

The first issue of Tortilla, my self-published comic book has been out since November of 2008 but I haven’t put it in any stores yet. That will finally happen next week. However, you may obtain a signed copy by mailing $3 (well hidden cash of money order only please) to; Jaime Crespo, P.O. Box 112, San Anselmo, CA 94979 USA.

Also, Slices, the 40 page “best of” Slice O’ Life collection is also available for $4 (same situation and address as above).

I am currently working on my first graphic novel, Turk Street Serenade which is a factual recounting about my time living and working in a San Francisco Tenderloin Hotel as a janitor during the mid-1980’s when crack first came on the streets and Reagan was in the White House and everything was almost as fucked-up as it is now. Think, Charles Bukowski with pictures.

It will be 200+ pages and the first chapter will be featured in Tortilla #2 due out this spring. I plan on releasing it a chapter at a time in my comic Tortilla until it either gets picked up by a publisher or I just eventually waste more money and time and do it myself. It should be done well before I’ve published 15+ issues of Tortilla. Probably by Tortilla #5 if not earlier.

Also, I have to change my publishing name yet again. Thanks to my homie, Norman Zelaya for pointing out that La Calaca was already taken I now have to change it. So, with that I will NOW publish under the Aegis: Corn Tortilla Press! Be warned.

I attended the WonderCon this year on the Saturday schedule with my buddy, E. Francis Kohler and have to admit I was simultaneously overwhelmed and depressed. Overwhelmed by the multitude of people and nerds swarming all over the place and depressed by the current state of the comics industry. Publishing is feeling a down turn (mostly with my genre, the alternative, underground, non-super hero) and it feels like everything is geared towards movies and TV. I get the overall vibe that certain cartoonists and writers are vying for a movie/TV deal as opposed to putting out a great comic.
Okay, that sounds a bit naïve and I realize that the market and world is evolving and one must evolve with it but no matter how much you polish a turd, it’s still a turd. I see these cartoonists who have become extremely self-involved and have these egos that need constant stroking and just having a great comic (book, strip, novel whatever) isn’t enough. What would one expect from nerds?
Well, we are in a certain “modern day Roman empire” where our culture has become blind consumers, which is corporate and famed based. Why do you think shit programming such as, Dances with the Stars, QVC, American Idol and Maury are so popular?
Okay, time for me to quit ranting and climb down off the soapbox before I hurt myself.

This morning as I was ingesting my first cup of coffee of the day as I was greeted by an email from my friend, poet/writer/dj Darren De Leon that our mutual friend, the fantastic Chicano poet, George Tirado was dead.
Man, I can’t say that I was surprised. George shot dope for a lot of years. He lived life about as hard as it gets and weighing in at around 400 pounds on top of all of the drinking, weed, speed and junk, well let’s just say that we were all collectively waiting for the other shoe to drop. Still, knowing all of this doesn’t make his passing any easier. To say George had his demons is an understatement. He indeed had his demons but writing the truth and pain he experienced in his 44 years on this planet wasn’t one of them. His memorial was today in the Tenderloin at the Ambassetor Hotel, which is located literally right on the next block from the hotel I used to live in 23 years ago, so I had no problems finding my way there.
Darren apologized for the short notice but I wrote back and told him no worries, I’ll be there.
I got to Eddy Street a little early just so I could walk around and look at what may or may not have changed since my days in the TL and to reflect a little about George and what he meant to me. I took a lap around the block past my old hotel, the streets still teeming with America’s thrown out and disenfranchised. A line from a Dave Alvin song came to mind, “Everything is different but nothing has changed.”
I thought about George and his poetry, what he and I used to talk about and the artwork I did for his chapbooks and what not. I can still hear him talking about Oscar ‘Zeta” Acosta, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, Aztlan, the Chicano movement, dope and music and all the other stuff Chicanos like us used to talk about.
When I got to the memorial at the hotel they ushered us into a small back room filled with about 30 folding chairs and a TV in one corner and an alter with a huge photo of George looking back. “Aw, yeah. There he is.” I said under my breath because that was how I always greeted Tirado when I saw him.
All sorts of people nervously milled about, eyeing the donuts, candy, chips, salsa and guacamole. There were people from the hotel that were friends with George, people from social services that worked with George and in the back were poets and artists who worked with George. On the phone they had his mother calling all the way from Houston, Texas as she listened in to the memorial.
People read poems they wrote about George or they read Georges poems or they just talked about him and said goodbye. On a TV a DVD played showing George at readings.
Afterwards I left with Darren and Josiah Luis Aldarete and we laughed about our favorite George stories as we walked around the Tenderloin.
No matter what is said or written it’s always the bottom line that is forever. George is gone now and I’ll never forget him.

Just got back from the 2008 APE (Alternative Press Expo) last night and I had a pretty good time, I might add.
I was an exhibitor at the first two APE’s in San Jose when Dan Vado of Slave Labor Graphics was still manning the helm and I hadn’t been back since as I was doing crazy stuff like finishing a college degree while working a whole bunch of jobs while simultaneously being a husband, dad, pet owner and home owner… you can see where I’m going with this.

Now I’m back drawin’ and creatin’ and had both Slices and the first issue of Tortilla with me at a table at APE.

Saw a few of the old cartoonists from the “old days” and we all stood there wondering where all of our time went. It was great to see Megan Kelso again at the Last Gasp mixer on Friday night and again at the show. We both reminisced and laughed a lot about being a part of the second, “Golden Age” of underground cartoonist in San Francisco (the first being the late 1960’s and early 1970’s) back in the very late 1980’s early 1990’s.

My homie, Keith Knight who was also part of that 80’s/90’s SF era cartoonist cadre was also there and is always a great guy by kicking me in the ass to sell myself more.
Lloyd Dangle was there and I have always enjoyed his work and Lloyd himself. I’ve watched his work grow and spread throughout the land as well.

Yakked it up with both Mario and Jaime Hernandez there. Great artists and guys. Saw Javier Hernandez (El Muerto) and he and I had a blast catching up as we met a million years ago at the first APE and would subsequently run into each other at other comix/zine fests throughout the land.

It was a great pleasure to see Dan Clowes again as well. Dan and I used to correspond way back when he was only a few issues into his comic book, Eightball when he still lived in Chicago. Now, Dan is chugging along well with many high-end projects under his belt as well as a couple of Hollywood movies to boot (Ghost World and Art School Confidential).

Met some new folks as well. Edgar, Enrique, Eric and a whole crew of extremely talented, up-and-coming artist at the table next to me. Great guys with excellent work.

Big Up’s to my buddy and stupendous cartoonist/artist Larry Rippee. I’m trying to get him to through his hat back into the ring. I know he has projects going but soon he’ll be back. Oh, and thanks for the ride too, Larry!

Well, I had fun and now I have the first cold/flu I’ve had in years (had too much fun, I suppose).
I’m going back to bed.

No sleep, no surfing but I do have a lot of work. I've never been too good at math but this equation isn't adding up.

Anyone out there wanna' buy a bike? It's on Craig's List as Marin 'Highway One.'

Sleep deprivation is a funny thing. It’s after 8 in the morning on a Saturday as I write this. Big deal, right? Well, I’ve been awake since 4:20 this morning after going to bed at 12:30.
In the past couple of years I have been having trouble sleeping. Sometimes I sleep off-and-on for 8 to 10 hours a night but in reality I’m awake for a couple of those hours, in during those rare nights.
The rest (most) of the time I’m averaging about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night.
This really sucks.
I’m always tired yet I can’t seem to sleep.
You figure the average person sleeps about 56 hours a week. These days I’m lucky if I sleep 24 hours a week.
I take ‘power naps’ every-so-often at my studio, which average about 10 minutes. They actually work (for me anyway) and after one I’m ready to go for hours.
Coffee fuels the rest of my day. And don’t get started with the, “Well, maybe you should quit drinking coffee and then you’ll sleep.”
I already did that and it didn’t work… besides I tend to have coffee in the mornings and maybe a small one after lunch. After about 1 in the afternoon I rarely, if EVER have more coffee.
I drink more water than anything during the day (I average 1 to 2, 1.5 liter bottles daily).
Anyway, I’d rather sleep soundly for 8 hours straight a night like a regular person than take a power nap a couple of times a week.
I’ve always heard that the older you get the less sleep you need. However, that’s usually for people over 60 and I’m not even to 50 yet.
Ah, sleep… perchance to dream.

Was just up in Sacramento for a wonderful reunion with some childhood buddies from East Sacramento (and I mean the original East Sac). We all congregated at the Espanol restaurant (Folsom Blvd.), which is an Italian restaurant and I have never understood the name connection.
I was the first to arrive and was freaking out the whole way there as I was stuck in traffic on I80 from the bay area and thought I would be late. Well, I wasn’t and everyone else was a little late.

It was great to see the guys; Doug, Mark, Tony, Herb, Paul, Jeff and John. There were a few more missing but we had such a great time that we’re going to do it again next year and try to get EVERYONE to go. We’ll see.

After the food and a few drinks we went down the road a little ways to the local, East Sac watering hole, Club 2-Me (J street @ 48Th). What a blast! We grew up with the owners sons (Craig, Brian and Richard) and we were easily the oldest group in the joint that night and to my surprise, one of the bar tenders (Chris, aka Mickey) was another guy we grew up with in the neighborhood and he and I were totally stoked to see each other again. He wants to join in next year! Oh, yeah Mickey…you’re in, bro!
Oh, and the drinks were incredibly cheap (by bay area standards anyway) as I bought a round of 3 pints of Fat Tire Ale, two tequilas (NOT Cuervo!) and a grey hound and the bill came out to $16.50!!!!!! Whoa!
Man, I’m glad I don’t live around there anymore or I’d be in big trouble.

I had a great time and a lot of laughs. I’ve known all of these guys since we were all little kids and it is always great to remember where you came from. Sure, there were a few sad spots too as some guys folks have passed away as well as news of other kids we grew up with are no longer alive but all-in-all it was a wonderful time.

Wait ‘til next year! Whoooo!

I now have all of the programs and whatnot to maintain my website myself except… the actual ability. It’s a very slow learning process for me.

Also, I’m in a couple of group art shows at the moment. The first is going on right now in Point Reyes Station at Gallery Route One (google the gallery for more details). It’s the 10Th annual G.R.O. Box Show. I’m in there somewhere…probably way in the back next to the bathroom.

The other show will be at the MCCLA (Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts) in San Francisco. It’s a Cartoon/comics deal and I have an original two-page comic in there, which is for sale by the way (hint-hint). This show starts on August the 15Th, I think. Once again, google the Mission Cultural Center for all of the details, as I am totally useless in this capacity.

I’ve been surfing again and even though I am absolutely and unequivocally out-of-shape and stiff I still feel as if it has been a homecoming of sorts. I’m feeling much better and becoming rejuvenated again.

Otherwise, I am penciling-in a comic book (Tortilla #1) and trying to produce more Slice O’ Life strips while rewriting the graphic novel in between it all.

Well, it looks like it’s going to be a bit longer before I can get to my site and make any changes, hopefully just another week.

Also, I’m going to be in the Gallery Route One Box Show in Pt. Reyes Station again but I think after 7 or 8 years of being a participant that this is going to be my last year. The box takes a lot of time and it’s now becoming time that I can’t really spare anymore. I understand that there is one heck of a waiting list of people who want to get in on the box show, so I’m certain that someone much more talented than myself will step in and really make G.R.O. some money.

Check back later for more…

Okay, kids. I have about another week before I begin to decimate…er…I mean, begin to act as the sole custodian of my web site. The web queen herself, Lisa Long is getting me the proper programs and a few pointers on which way to go and then it’s off to the races… I hope.

I’ll keep you all posted. In the mean time I am working simultaneously on the first issue of Tortilla and my box for the G.R.O. (Gallery Route One) box show in Pt. Reyes Station, California.

Also—I am setting up to print a few Slice O’ Life t-shirts which will be for sale through the afore mentioned web site as well as a couple of other designs. As I said before, check back for when all of this will happen this summer.

In the mean time, try to stay cool in this heat!

Forgot to mention in the last post that as of last night, July 1 my radio program, Fault Line Radio (www.kwmr.org) is now broadcasting at the new time slot of 9 pm to 12 am midnight. It’s still Tuesday nights only now I shut down the station. Not much else has changed except that my good buddy, Tony Palmer has moved to Wednesday nights and is now on at 10:30 pm t 1:30 am.

Since we moved the station from the Red Barn to the Creamery Building years ago Tony, Charlie ‘Chazmo’ Morgan along with yours truly have been the Tuesday night line-up and it feels that it’s been like that forever. Charlie has always referred to us as, “The power hitters of the line-up.” Yeah, both Charlie and I are life-long San Francisco Giants fans who both go back to the days of Willie Mays!

In all actuality it’s probably been about seven years but that still is a long time as we do this around 52 times a year, EVERY year and add a couple of years on to that as all three of us have been at the station from the beginning in different time slots. Radio Dogs we are!

As much as I love having three hours instead of the former one and a half I already miss seeing Tony for our program transition. Still, I see Tony socially and we have a band (of sorts) together that needs to get dusted off and begin to play music again. So it’s not a loss for anyone really… it’s just a little different.

I guess this long winded explanation is to say that, as corny as it may sound we are one huge family at KWMR and even though change is sometimes met with indifference it is also necessary and for the over-all good for our personal and collective journey in life.

Change is good.

Tune in tonight (if you live in West Marin, 90.5 fm Pt. Reyes Station or 89.7 fm Bolinas. Or, you can stream it on the web at www.kwmr.org) and every Wednesday night at 10:30pm for Sonic Sunspots and listen to Tony and you’ll know what I’m rambling about here!

Great Oogalee-Boogalee. I'm really bad at keeping these posts going. I just have a hard time wanting to write about every damn thing that goes on.

Okay, I have one thing. I have been corresponding (by email) with one of the big cartooning influences on yours truly. One Mr. Robert Armstrong. I have been a huge fan of this guy since I first saw his work in Arcade (R. Crumb's precursory to Weirdo) in the 70's when I was an impressionable high school kid. Armstrong was the creator of Mickey Rat comics, The Couch Potatoes and is one of the founding members (along with Robert Crumb and Alan Dodge) the musical group; the Cheap Suit Serenader's, painter and modifier of hand-painted Ukuleles and guitars, he is also the musician you hear playing the saw at the end of the film; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to name but a few of his accomplishments.

He has a web site and naturally I can't remember the web address but you can Google the guy.
Check out his work you won't be disappointed.

I've finally made the plunge into the Mac world everyone. Bought a MacBook today and am fixin' to learn how to maintain the website and whatnot. So far, so good. I'm pretty lame when it comes to computers and such so I'm going to take a couple of the classes they offer and also see what the web site queen, Lisa has to impart on me as well and I guess the rest we'll just see what happens.....wish me luck.

Once again, fight fans my new 40 page comic book, Slices, a selected collection of old format Slice O’ Life strips is available directly from me at $5 ppd. a copy (well concealed cash or money order only)….

Jaime Crespo
P.O. Box 112
San Anselmo, CA 94979

I will soon have a complete listing of which comic book stores in California that carry copies of Slices as well. Stay tuned...

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I’ll be re-vamping the old web site…actually my web master, the incredible and talented Lisa Long will be doing that as I am pretty much a Luddite with these matters and anything else to do with computers.

I’m looking to have a “store” or “la tienda” page on the site where I will be pimping…er…uh…selling my wares such as comic books, chap books, t-shirts and even a few original art pieces from time-to-time. Who knows what strange and goofy sh*t I’ll have on there…stay tuned.

Other news—I have a piece in the KWMR silent auction/art show at Toby’s Feed Barn in Pt. Reyes Station. There are over 80 artists in this show and tomorrow, Saturday May 31st is the final bidding. Get out there and throw down. You don’t have to bid on my piece by any means but bid on something you like out there…heck, you can bid on as many pieces as you want (hint, hint). The money goes to KWMR which I am also involved in and we really need the $$ to stay on the air and pay our bills (rent, utilities, small staff, equipment and equipment repairs, etc.). If you wish to be more direct with helping out KWMR go to the website at: www.kwmr.org and follow the prompters there. Help support community sponsored radio. Thanks

Is it me or are there an unusually large number of African email scams floating around this year? It seems as if there are way more than usual.

I have received three (3) in as many months informing me that I am to receive somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty million ($30,000,000) from a “distant relative” who perished in a tragic plane crash on March 31st, 2000. I always laugh out loud when the actual locations of these crashes are NEVER in the same place. They have been in either Paris, France or in two different parts of the African continent….but the date is always the same (March 31st, 2000) and if I send certain personal information to the said concerned African bank manager I will receive my “departed relatives” money…..right!

If the nimrods who send these scams would only realize two basic things they might actually have a sucker-on-the-line. 1: You can’t send the exact email scam three (3) times citing different locations of the plane crash in different parts of the globe with the same, exact date and 2: (the more important issue) is that if ANYONE in my family, distant or otherwise had THAT kind of money we would have been all over that pendejo for loans and whatnot from day one!

Okay, Kids here’s the low-down on the Slices comic book.

It’s $5 ppd. by mail. (Sorry, but I don’t make the postage prices up. Blame the USPS. I know that sounds like a lot but this book is HUGE at 40 pages and the mail, like every thing else has gone way up. It costs over a buck to mail just one book).
Sorry, I also don’t except personal checks but do except well hidden cash and money orders.
If you buy the book from me in person (sans mail) it’s a mere $4.

It’s already in Blue Moon Comics in Novato, though I’m not too sure how much they charge. I’ll be distributing it further in San Francisco/Berkeley/Oakland as well as the Sacramento and San Jose areas. I’ll also have it in a handful of stores in-and-around the Los Angeles area as well within a week or two.

I was a bit surprised to find out that the Santa Rosa area stores don’t and won’t carry Slices at all. Slice O’ Life did get its start in the wonderful North Bay Bohemian (where it still appears bi-weekly) which is headquartered in downtown Santa Rosa.
I was told by the store managers that, “People who read comic books don’t read comic strips.” I am not making this quote up. They absolutely and totally said that to me. After I was done laughing I told these incredibly “hip guys” that I found that comment short sighted and profoundly ignorant considering that these “strips” are now reprinted in a “comic book” and comic books started as strips and that I must then be the last person on earth who reads both comic books as well as comic strips. Hey, I figure if you don’t like my work, just say so. I'd respect that.

If anyone reading this lives in Sonoma County either drive to Napa or Marin County or save the planet and gas and just shoot me an email or send $5 to:

Jaime Crespo
P.O. Box 112
San Anselmo, CA 94979

And I’ll send you a signed copy ASAP.
Other than that, Slices will be available on my website and just about everywhere else in California…EXCEPT Sonoma County.

Boy-oh-boy. I finally got into the surf today and even though it was in the 1’-3’ range it was glassy, good shape, un-crowded and even sunny for a change. I had the place to myself for close to an hour (just like the old days…pre-internet) and then Big Ben and a friend of his eventually showed up and the session was on. Fun was had by all.
Missed Mary and Marty and John P.

Well, I picked up the books last week and they look better than I thought they would. I’m figuring out a price (40+ pages means it’ll be a bit more than usual, but not a whole lot) and a way to get them on the web site and also distribute them and get ‘em into a whole mess o’ stores. I’ll try to not drag on this one.

Been riding the “Tanker” to work again and that is where I am going…right now.

I just rode my bike to and from the studio today. No, not the tanker…the “other” bike with “all the gears.” The one that hardly weighs anything. I won’t lie…it wasn’t easy coming home with a head wind being as out-of-shape as I’ve become. I felt like one of those bears on a tricycle you’d see in a Russian circus, only change the bear into an elephant…an elephant that is really out-of-shape…and who can’t spell worth a damn.
One of these days I’ll learn how to import photos from my digital camera onto this here blogger thing and then I’ll be able to give those who don’t already have to endure me in person visuals of the crap that I go on-and-on about.

Anyhow-it was actually nice to be able to roll around again. Now if we can just get some freaking surf I’d be set.

Thanks for the interest in the upcoming Slices-Slice O’ Life “original format” collection. I’m hoping to pick them up this week. They’re all ready to go but the printer doesn’t take credit cards so I’m getting the cash together. Ugh.

I dropped off the Slice O’ Life original format collection at the printers today. I about gagged when I saw how much this is going to cost me for a 40+ page comic book.
Prices have really jumped since I last did this…obviously it’s been quite a while.
They should be ready by next week. Check the website (probably the “news” button) to obtain a copy and when and where I’ll have a signing.
I’m going to eventually have a “store” page on the website very soon to purchase books, t-shirts and other ‘one-off’ art pieces.
Yes, I am a busy little beaver.

Back from Sacramento and boy am I tired. I’m not too used to staying up past 2 am anymore. I hope Steve got what he wanted as he had a few snafus with his recording equipment but I think it all turned out okay. The guy is good.
I also enjoyed recording with my old pal, Marty Montana. Marty is an excellent bassist and musician. He and I go all the way back to playing in some of our first bands in the mid 70’s in Oak Park with our buddy Art Arias when I was a sophomore and they were both juniors in high school.

Sacramento, on the other hand looks almost nothing like how I remembered it when I moved away 26+ years ago. Sure, I’ve been back there countless times since I left but I rarely went anywhere other than my mom’s house. I rolled around a bit after I left but that was the first 5 years and not much changed in 5 years.

She’s been gone for 10 years this coming August and since then I have been up there maybe 5 times and most of those 5 times was right after she had passed away. The other time was for Aldo’s funeral a few years back literally a couple of days after I was out of a 5 day hospital stay (I had no business behind the wheel. Man!). I never really explored the place like I did yesterday after say, 1982.

I spent most of a day just driving and walking around and I was almost heartbroken to find that most of the stuff I remember is gone and what’s left has changed so much I don’t really recognize any of it anymore.

I did drop in on Esoteric Records which hasn't been at it's original location in about 30 years. I got to shoot the bull with my old pal (and once employer) Denis Tomassetti and have a Fat Tire Ale too. I used to hang out then began to work a bit at the original Alhambra Boulevard location when Rick DaPrado owned it (across the street from McKinley Park) and then it's 2Nd location on Broadway (right down the street from the original Tower records). During my visit yesterday we were laughing our asses off about all of the characters that came into the shop(s) and crazy times we had at those places. Thanks, Denis. A great guy from a great family!

Almost every one I grew up with that I was real close to, like myself have moved away. What parents that are still alive have also moved.
There are still some folks I wonder about and have lost touch with and I don’t know where they are. There is even one person who (I thought) I was pretty good friends with but he got real pissed off at me for wishing him a happy birthday last year on what I thought was his 50Th birthday but it turned out it was his 49Th. Geez, how did I know he was going to be such a jerk about it? At least I remembered his birthday, right? Now the guy doesn’t speak to me. Oh well. Life’s too short to hold grudges or to drink crappy beer.

Anyway--Sacramento is about twice the size (population) as when I lived there. It’s somewhere in the area of 470,000 in the metropolitan area. Hey, at least it isn’t San Jose…I mean, I have nothing against San Jose but they were always roughly the same size as Sacramento and today they have just topped the metropolitan population of 1,000,000! That’s not counting the surrounding areas. Yikes!

I miss a lot about Sacramento but most of those things I miss are just memories from a different time and places just change, for better or for worse things just change. You can’t stop time.
I suppose that old saying applies here; “You can never go back.”

Oh, last thing…Big ups to Alex Pearlstone for his excellent job at the scrimmage today at the Coliseum down at UCLA! Home boy is a walk-on for the Bruins football team and it looks like he may have made it through what is the 2Nd phase of a 4 phase situation. Way to go, bro!

Geez-Louise! My back is still a little stiff and sore. I'm just now able to do some stretches and sit-ups. Hopefully this will all mend sooner than later.

I'll be in bee-u-ti-ful Sacramento (aka; Sac, the Bag, Sack-o-pimentos, Psycho-mental)recording with guitarist extraordinaire, Steve Brooks this weekend. Though Mr. Brooks is primarily known as a bad-ass jazz guitarist he can also play any style that you can think of...and sometimes things no one can think of. Yeah, he's that good. He and I have a loose sort of guitar duo that we've been fooling with since the mid-1980's and we are recording this weekend for a goofy project Steve is involved with.

Oh, I will also be at the APE (Alternative Press Expo) this coming November in San Francisco. I was at the first three APE's when they started in San Jose back in the early-mid 1990's. I'd be great to see you all. I'll have a couple of books by then and hopefully a t-shirt or two as well as some original art for sale.

My heart felt condolences go out to the family of Phoebe Washer who died last Monday when hiking the Marin Headlands. Phoebe was a gifted young artist whose life was cut way too short.
You can see some of her work by going to www.phoebewasher.com.

I forgot to mention in my last blog that I had the opportunity to interview Leon Redbone on the radio (by phone) at KWMR in Pt. Reyes Station this past Tuesday evening. He is truly a rare performer these days and quite the gentleman. Thank you, Leon for the time and a special thank you to Kay Clements for setting the whole deal up!

Oh, for those of you who may be wondering how I was able to interview Leon Redbone on a radio station… I am a programmer (this is what a radio “DJ” is called these days) at KWMR which, as I stated before is located in West Marin County in the beautiful town of Pt. Reyes Station. My program is called Fault Line Radio and I’m on every Tuesday evening from 9pm until 12 midnight PST. It’s a music show where I play “random music randomly” and occasionally have interviews or a tribute show focusing on an artist or particular musical genre. I’ve been there almost 9 years now just 3 months short of the actual on-air beginning of the station.

You can stream the station on-line by going to www.kwmr.org (or go to my links page and find the address there) and then clicking on the little cow standing on top of the flashing “On Air” sign you can just follow the prompters from there on. There are loads of excellent and interesting programs on our little, listener supported station. Check it out.

My last visit to my chiropractor for this freakin’ back pull is today. I can’t wait. I’ve been a pretzel for 8 days now (a personal record) and though I am far from being hunched over and in excruciating pain and walking with a cane, which was the case for three days I am still a bit stiff and slightly tilted to one side. I missed an entire week of work to boot. I tried to work last Monday but spent about 10 minutes in my chair and the rest of the time on my back on the floor, so I bagged working last week until I could actually sit down for more than 10 minutes.
I miss the ocean, surfing, paddle boarding and riding my bike to work and just around in general.
Well, looks to be light at the end of this long, lame-ass tunnel.

Other news—I’m looking to send off the Slice O’ Life ‘original format series’ collection to the printer this week. I am also thinking of having a book signing for this collection as well. I’ve never done a signing before and I’m not too sure how it works or if anyone will show up. I’ll probably hold it in Santa Rosa some where since Slice O’ Life is in the North Bay Bohemian and that paper reaches three counties (Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties) but is based in Santa Rosa, so….Stay tuned and I’ll keep you few who look at this blog posted on the date and location.
For those of you who are not near the North Bay location or in this part of California (or even in the great state of California for that matter) the collection will be in comic book and book stores as well as available from my web site.

My next project is to re-work and then release Throb. This was a 24 page, 9 panels-per-page wordless comic, somewhat like Istvan Banyai’s Zoom but different I created several years ago. I’m changing the ending of the book and adding a few extra pages, changing the entire cover (front and back, inside as well). This book wasn’t even distributed and I think I may have taken it to a comic/zine con somewhere but don’t really remember when and which one.

On top of all of this I am currently working on the first issue of Tortilla and a couple of poetry chap books and of course more Slice O’ Life strips.
All of these will be with me at this years APE con (Alternative Press Expo) in San Francisco. I was at the first three APE’s when Dan Vado ran them down in San Jose. I haven’t been back and am pretty excited and curious as to how it all shakes out these days.

When my back is out...so is my work. Between my back and my right knee 2008 is turning out to be a painfully crippling year.

Okay, okay, oh-f%#king-kay already! The reading is on SATURDAY the 5Th. 8pm. I have received six (6) emails including Norman Zelaya who is hosting this event already on how I effed-up on the actual day.
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y. A-P-R-I-L 5Th! Got it!
An aside, I'm surprised that six (6) people actually read my blog....

Hey, if you happen to be in San Francisco’s Mission district on Friday night about 8 pm you’ll be able to catch me reading….poetry (yeah, you read that right). It’s a fairly well hidden fact that I not only read poetry but I read my own poetry.
Now, I’m not saying that it’s any good but it is mine.
If you do show up you won’t be totally disappointed as Norman Zelaya is hosting this event and his work is GREAT!
It’s at the Galeria de la Raza located on 24th @ Bryant.
Check out the website for more info….

www.galeriadelaraza.org

I was recently sent one of those annoying “group emails” where it had something to do with “…if you’re over 30 you’ll enjoy this,” Type of thing. I don’t like these type of emails and please never, EVER send me a chain email. I hate those most. I automatically delete those without even reading them.

Now, this particular email focused on how easy kids have it today. I for one wouldn’t say that kids have it any easier today compared to back when I was a kid because things are pretty much circling the drain today (increased violence, AIDS, over crowding, global warming, war, value of the dollar dropping, gas going up to name a few). Where the email went wrong was it stated a lot of technological things we didn’t have, which is true however that had very little to do with “how easy” kids have it. I would say that it’s just different now and will continue to be for every single generation to come.

However, coming from a bit more of a challenged socioeconomic background as I did we didn’t have a lot of the things most middle class Americans did have back then and that’s where I had even further issue with this lame-ass email. But that's not what I was trying to get at here.

Even though we didn’t have a lot of the technological advances that are available today and the fact that my family were poor I still feel the exact opposite of how easy kids have it today because it wasn't so bad then compared to how kids have it today. Things were less crowded and a little less hectic…even in the ‘hood! I’m not saying that it was “the good old days” but it wasn’t so bad either. Sure, we had gangs but not as many (gang membership and activity has grown ten-fold since I was a kid) and I didn't have to worry about what color I wore to school for example.

I was going to write my own comparisons to what we did and didn’t have when I was a kid but I’ll spare you.

It's a pretty stressful world and I feel that even though kids may have a lot of advantages it still ain't no picnic.

Went to the doctor yesterday to get my creaking and sore knee looked at. The good news: I don’t need any surgery. The bad news: I screwed up my ACL way back during my college baseball years (27 years ago!) and I didn’t get it treated properly (ah, macho youth) and now the ‘ol knee isn’t what it once was.
The doctor’s solution; two weeks of horse-sized ibuprofen and NO bikes, surfing or skateboarding for two weeks.
My studio is a three-story walk up and stairs hurt the most and I look like Fred Sanford when I traverse them but one figures out how to handle these things. It just takes me a little longer to go up and down them.
Save some surf for me…I’ll be back sooner than you think.

I was gliding along on the tanker bike this morning on my way to make goofy pictures and as I was enjoying the weather while listening to my knees creak-and-howl a huge, black Chevrolet Suburban (also known as a Land Yacht) chugged by being operated by a single occupant.
I rode behind it for a few blocks on the frontage road that I often use to get to work. As I’m inhaling the fumes I read the sole bumper sticker on the back; Keep Tahoe Blue. I couldn’t help but wonder if the irony of that bumper sticker on that vehicle is lost on its owner.

What with the nice weather, a nice swell and a mid-day dental appointment I played hooky yesterday and went surfing at the “good spot.” I paddled out with fellow Set Wasters Jim Lerer and Steve Braun. Though the surf was shifty it was worth it with such a beautiful day. Also, a shout out to Water Polo/Swim Guru, Mark Anderson who was in the drink with us as well as the bad-ass surfer and retired Fire Chief, Tim Eke. Fun was had by all.
There were even two male Sea Lions snoozing in the sun, on the beach, up in the Ice Plant.
Take a day every now and again. It’s good for your head.

I just got back the other day from a week spent in Santa Barbara. I haven’t been there in several years and was a bit bummed to see that State Street is looking more and more like an even-more-plastic-version of Orange County.
I also paid a visit to the Santa Barbara Surf Shop and what a great shop it is! It’s a great surf shop for having all of the gear a surfer needs to the amazing collection of historic surfboards that are hanging all over this huge shop. Man, looking at the old, balsa Yater’s was worth the visit alone. Reynolds Yater is one of the last great shapers from the golden era of surfing. If you’re ever in town, even if you don’t surf you should stop in and check it out because anyone with any amount of soul would definitely appreciate the art and craftsmanship that goes into his boards.
Oh, the last thing about State Street. I saw a white rat riding on the back of a calico cat, who was riding on the back of a dog as they were being walked up and down State Street. I know that sounded a trifle “Dr. Seuss” but it’s what I saw. In all of my travels half around this globe thus far I had never seen anything quite like that before.

I ended up watching the Academy Awards last night. One of a few surprises to me was the Borne Ultimatum winning anything! That movie made me wish I took Dramamine before I watched it and it wasn’t nearly as good as the first one was.
I was also surprised and disappointed by how tame and restrained Jon Stewart was. I guess he was too worried about pleasing the Hollywood machine. He lost a couple of points from me.
I really liked the film No Country for Old Men, though I was surprised by how many awards it won. I pretty much like most if not all of the Cohen’s films. However, was it me or were the Cohen brothers just a bit too smug and ungrateful? I can understand not really digging the whole, phony Hollywood scene but if you’re going to behave as if your mom has nagged you into taking out the trash I ask; Dudes, you’re grown men, why even bother to show up?
The event on a whole was pretty boring. Still, my biggest question is; how does one “judge” something as subjective as film?
I’m just glad that Juno got a few nods.

I'm now riding my old, beater 1967 Schwinn "Typhoon" with the huge, messanger-stlye basket on the front of it to work every day. I'm even running errands on it as well. Man, do those 4.1 miles (each way) seem a lot longer and a HELL OF A LOT HARDER on that thing, especially with a head wind. Still, the down hills are worth it. There is nothing like bombing a hill on an old tanker bike. Nothing.
Which reminds me, if you ever get the chance to rent (buy or borrow) a copy of the documnetary, Klunkerz do it! It pretty much covers the history of the Mountain Bike (which was done right here in Marin County)and is really interesting and fun. My buddy, John Pedersen's group; the Road Oilers has more than a few tunes in it and I even know a handful of the kooks in the film that were there (inadvertantly) making history.

As for me opting to ride the balloon tire bike over my titanium/carbon fiber bike is so typical of me trying to keep it simple. It seems most things in my life: transportation, surfing or whatever; One Fin, One Gear, One Kid, One World. I like it.

I had less than an hour to kill last night and I wasted that time watching TV. After I just wrote about how the writers strike is probably a good thing, less TV, blah, blah and I'm here writing about a lame-ass TV show.
Anyway, you wanna know what I wasted 40 minutes of my life on? A game show about being smarter than a grade school kid. If you haven't seen it, good! If you have seen it, do you feel as amazed by its stupidity as I do? Man, the questions were INCREDIBLY easy as they are for a bunch of grade school kids and, in this case one arrogant, ditsy blond who kept yammering on about every thought that bounced into her amply hollow head.
It seemed that every question that the host would ask the blond would boast on how she's really good at that subject and how she aced that course in college (must of been Whopper college)...and oh, the host is one of those "We're Rednecks" comedians from Comedy Central, Jeff Foxworthy; nice career move, Jeff. As if I didn't think you were funny in the first place, apparently you're not very bright either.

Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I answered every-single-question correctly almost before good 'ol boy Foxworthy was done reciting them from his index card. I was like Kevin Bacon from the film, Diner when he was answering the questions for a game show he was watching.

The final question for a million bucks, no less was; "Who was the first pilot to break the sound barrier?" Geez-Louise! THAT was the million dollar question? What the hell!? How stupid have we become??? Why not ask, "Is the world round?"
I sat there bored, finger on the remote ready to change the channel when I mumbled, "Chuck Fucking Yeager. Everyone knows that."
Well, apparently not everyone knows that.
To my astonishment the blond begins to roll her eyes sky-ward and begins to tell everyone how her favorite museum is the Smithsonian Aerospace museum in D.C. and then she rattles off some pseudo list of great aviators out loud starting with the Wright brothers! The fucking Write brothers!!! C'mon, sweetheart we're talking the sound barrier here not the Flintstones for Christ sakes!
After she recites Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart she then says..."Hmm...Howard Hughes was the Spruce Goose.....hm. I think it was Howard Hughes.

I could of won a million dollars last night but I really don't want to meet Jeff Foxworthy.


By the way...R.I.P. In The Nite Press (1994-2007)
My new "self-publishing" aegis is now; EL COMEX PRESS.

I know that I am not the most fashionable guy around. Heck, my son continually reminds me of this. I own a few nice suits and I clean up good but I’m no fashion magnet.
Well, an incident that happened to me yesterday proved my son right.
It was around 1 pm and I was working away at my studio when I figured I needed a quick break. I heated up the few pieces of chicken quesadia I brought from home (yeah, I’m hopelessly Chicano) in the microwave and then decided to eat them while I take a long walk as I do a few errands around down town.
On my way back from the computer store I was carrying a plastic bag with my small purchases in it and eating the last, little piece of quesadia while walking along a frontage road between the freeway and the old, abandoned railroad tracks. I was on my way to pick something else up and then grab a coffee to go and head back to the studio for more work. It’s a nice little 35/40 minute walk.
Suddenly, to my left a new, white Mercedes Benz slows down and comes almost to a stop as the window rolls down. I hear a familiar voice; “Hey, Jaime! Is that you?”
I turn to look to see who is calling me from such a nice ride and I recognize an old acquaintance, Dave who was a customer of mine when I once owned a record store.
“Hey, Dave! Nice car, bro!” I answer back.
“You need a ride?” was Dave’s semi-concerned response.
“Naw, I’m just out running a couple of errands. Thanks anyway.”
“Are you doing okay?” Dave says a bit more seriously than before.
“What? I…huh?” was about all I could muster when it finally dawned on me what Dave was getting at. Dave thought I was homeless.
“What the fuck, Dave? I fine, bro. I’m just out enjoying the nice weather we’re having.”
Dave looked really embarrassed as we exchanged a few more pleasantries and before you knew it we were both on our separate ways.
As I was done with the errands and returning to my studio I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a store window. There I was with my full salt & pepper beard, glasses with dark ski cap, beater pants and beat-to-shit Converse and an old, dingy zip-up hoodie sucking on my coffee and carrying a white, plastic bag. All I needed was a shopping cart full of belongings. I laughed out loud upon seeing myself.
Man, no wonder my kid shakes his head at me sometimes.

Is it just me or are we better off with the writers strike? It seems that people may be watching less TV because of the striking writers (meaning; no new programming) and I feel that’s a good thing. I’m not trying to be high-minded or self-righteous here. I’m not one of those people with the “Kill Your TV” bumper sticker affixed to my ride. No. I like to view the Lava Lamp with sound (aka TV) every now-and-again but it seems to me that as a whole we watch far too much TV instead of reading or listening to music.
Then again I have also noticed how most people seem to have either a cell phone or an ipod attatched to thier noggins, far too busy to actually interact with other human beings...well, unless they are on the other end of the cell phone. I just worry that the collective critical thinking is getting as flabby as our bodies are.
I notice that most of the people I come in contact with talk about TV show’s more than anything else. The only other thing they may talk about more is what they found/saw on the internet….seems appropriate here, doesn’t it?
Ah, but what more should I expect? When I do turn on my TV just about every-other-morning to the local news to get some weather up dates I first get inundated with what really concerns our modern American culture: Brittney Spears. Man, I’ve walked through puddles deeper than that.