The monster, the borg, the gigs

cyberdyne's skynet is here! but there are advantages. the all-seeing eye, big bro, the deus ex machina of machine city, the borg, well, it can save us individual minds worry & time. for example, i have an old car, my little ruby. i'm trying to get her to 200k before sending her out on the old-car ice floe. took her in here in the Big City for a battery replacement & suddenly, she has other issues. a quick chatgpt calmly brought solace. reading chat gpt, i hear warmly reassuring, avuncular tones, as if burl ives were narrating. the problem she has is common, & when Dad returns from walking, we will fix it. suggested were simple steps to allow the engine to re-establish its codes.... our gig thursday went well; doug says we stole the show. the joint was beautifully presented with glittery lights. my brilliant sister had cornhole & cake walk going between bands, with americana playlist, too. my heart burst when friends from childhood & my bakersfield years were there, happy lovely friends! the last act was helmed by my former student zane, who now is a boyishly adorable western swing frontman, commendable for carrying forth the traditions of those who came before us, to paraphrase phil alvin. i danced with mom & dad, james, & my delightful sister, who wore spurs (she used to dress like spiderman as a child & never has shied away from costume). she & i went yesterday to see guillermo del toro's frankenstein, which i thought i would have to politely tolerate for her sake because, well, no boris karloff. boy, sure was wrong. what a piece of cinema! what a stirring, memorable, moving piece of gothic humanity it turned out to be! go see it on the big screen before it goes directly to netflix... well, Dad is back & it's time for coffee. may you be well.

deception & being one's own locomotive

images are such illusion. here are some from yesterday, our lucky 13th anniversary.

just spent 45 mins breaking down my gear for tomorrow's show. it is a lot!!! hope it'll be a good show & a fun event for my sister. will get some more ink in the californian to promote the show -- thank you, cesareo... i'm hopeful about making some contacts tomorrow &, if i'm well enough to go, on sunday. here is the biz card i just had made. they're gonna be super rudimentary, which i prefer. my phone number's on there if you wanna call, but you have to tell me who you are or i'll think you're spam! good night for now.

the bride

there's a BRIDE film coming out. we saw the previews &, initially very excited, we ultimately were annoyed, just one reason being Christian Bale's stupid expression. i've been having such huge loads of fun doing the one man band thing, also practicing with james. for next thursday's show, we got some ink & a photo in bakersfield's tenacious newspaper, in its death rattle but hanging on for dear life. (thank you, pat, my beloved former sponsor in bakersfield, for telling me about the picture!) in a long-past life, i perceived the californian to be my press rival (was publishing an underground rag & likely was delusional). by not yet drowning, being print media in a world sick with ai & digital effluvia, the californian now is the little engine that could. so long may it run.......... well i tried to upload a video of me playing my old song the bride of

frankenstein with my one man band but it's too dang big, so whatever... good night! ( p s, " rock and blues duo"... heheheh!)

stompstompstompstompstomp

this will be a fun eve for all. then that sunday, me and my phantoms will open for the formidable & bad*ss whiteboy james blues express in i think pico rivera... new roof on house: it's gleaming metal gorgeous, making up for weeks of crashing, hammering, no internet, yard trash, no driveway access, etc. ppl around town comment on its beauty. how do they know where we live? now we don't have to cover the piano with trash bags when the heavy rains sweep in.

angie's important autumn event -- please gogogo!!!

Event Description Here cousin thomas, visiting from tx, is back in bako with the gias, & my insides are packed with bean & onion burrito. trying to be of some good use, i edited the poster my seester started for her bakersfield event. she & her hubby doug have created a highly-worthwhile drop-in center for women living on & around union avenue. homeless, staying in hotels, sheltering wherever they can, couch-surfing, walking the streets: visitors to the center are doing what they must to stay vertical. the drop-in center is a clean, safe, lovely little refuge where women receive free counseling, food, clothing, & shoes. they can wash up & take a break from the bakersfield heat. i tell you, what angie & doug are doing with this center is their best idea yet, & they've had some good ones. doug has plans to expand it, if the dough is there, so if you are in bako or want to make the drive, this will be a fun as well as spiritually valuable & rewarding investment -- i believe tax-deductible, too. plus james & i will be doing a set. :)

why hate?

it took only 58 yrs, but my mug finally made the bakersfield society pages, thx to rod thornburg, photojournalist. at my left & right, respectively, are dapper dad & handsome hank... well, i read again today that vegans are widely hated, but now typing that, i remember having addressed it already. vegans make ppl uncomfy, it read. since i'm no longer vegan, i can make ppl comfy again. had to add small oily fish *tinned fish!!!! yum!!!!* bc my iron level dropped. should feel bad for the little oily fish, but i don't. must be a character flaw, an oddly empty moral space... well, nothing much is up except this way of eating is causing me to lose chub, but mebbe it's not the food, perhaps i'm just more dad than mama, & the older dad gets, the skinnier he gets. he was a child fatty, like i was. whatever the reason, this is a good health direction to be heading... just went to the ridge rt museum yard sale on this here labor day (thank you, trade unions, for all the benefits you've given this ungrateful society) & got 2 yoga books, 1 vegan cookbook (the veganomicon - what a title!), & the smokey bear comic of my (maybe your) childhood, all for a buck. that is one solid deal. one can never, never, never have too many books... back to food, have gotten to enjoy some superb meals lately. sister-in-law sherri sent me a gift card, so we drove south & had a staunchly middle-class, bustling, air-conditioned time @ cheesecake factory. what you see is the make-your-own lettuce wraps. outstanding!!! the other pic is from the botanist (bakersfield). the blood-suckingly dark, swanky interior made the table top glow with jeweled tones. seester angie had recommended it, & tho i think the botanist is mostly known for its booze drinks, they insisted that they had eats for the teetotaler, too. (that is fun to say aloud, btw.) i was surprised by the posh west-LA atmosphere (difference: only 10 ppl in the restaurant) & had the mezze plate w/very fresh, chunked-up veggies, hummus, & sourdough toasted in olive oil. great stuff!! it was exotic to eat @ such a chichi place in the middle of downtown bakingfield, but i've not lived there for a long time, so mebbe LA has stretched its tippytoes to reach nashville west. when we exited this place, we recoiled & screamed like vampires... i exaggerate, but you get the pitcher.

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