1.29.2006

Ensenada, Baja Mexico 6PM Jan. 27

Al and I are in our Hotel room watching music videos. It's been a good day so far. When we got here we walked for awhile and found a cigar shop. I recognized some bands and I asked Al what he had tried. He had tried a couple and reached for the Trinidads. We lit them before leaving the store and the flavor was quite different from any other cigar I've ever had. People like Cubans for a reason. We continued to walk down the street when a guy came up and said that we should sit down with a good drink to enjoy with our cigars. Al thought it over for a moment and agreed. Al ordered a fine scotch and I sat down with my smoke. We sat for quite awhile talking to Frank and I enjoyed it quite a bit. He lived in Seattle for awhile and spoke english as a first language. We talked about civilizations, folklore and Alchemy. After we left we got some food and went back to the hotel.

Later that night 3AM

Holy shit. It's like 3 at night and Al's fucking with the heater that does not work. "Everything smells like cigarette smoke." This does not bother me and neither does the fact that we both came back unaccompanied. I met this girl Maricela at the first bar we went to. When we first walked in we were pointed towards the lame half of the bar where 12 old people were sitting around. I'm getting ahead of myself though because the first thing we did was go into a strip club. I speak no spanish at all and this certainly creates confusion for me. The girl dancing was ok but the girl that came up to talk to us was by far the most attractive in the whole place. She was standing next to me and leaned over me to speak with Al. She was beautiful and she put her hand out to me. I shook my head no, not really understanding what it was that she wanted. "Shake her fucking hand man." I appologized and shook her hand feeling very stupid. She sat down on Al's lap and I watched the girl on stage. There was a very tall pole in the middle of the stage and 15 ft. up was this girl taking her top off and she gracefully slid down.
We carried on down the street and stepped into the above mentioned bar the Papas' and Beer. After we were shafted into the loser side of the bar we asked a few questions and were led into the other half. THis place was packed with hot girls. There were seriously 30 women to every one guy. We immediately ordered a tequila shot and some cerveza. The band on stage was playing some funky stuff so I slid my way through the girl-soaked place to check out the scene. The dance floor was already hopping and we got in the mix with little effort. THis place was loud and the lights were bright so many sexy latino girls I had no idea where to start. I was really confused. So far from home all I could do was dance. I watched this girl in a jean jacket and tight pants as I danced close to her our eyes met. She automatically seemed disinterested in me but I had a feeling about her. I ended up buying a pack of cigarettes because she was out and talked to her over the huge sound of guitar and bass coming out of the speakers 10 ft. away. She was leaving and told me to come to the 'mini-bar' a block away. I looked at the rest of the girls in the place and decided that talking to Maricelawould be more fun that throwing what little game I had to the wind. I found her quickly and we talked for awhile about culture and racism and other things like Madonna. I really enjoyed the fact that she was so open to talk to me even though I don't speak a sentence of her language. I went back to find Al who I had left behind and didn't see him in the bar. I walked 10 blocks back the hotel only to find him not there. I walked back up to the bar and see him standing outside. I am quite intoxicated by this point and laughing about nothing at all. Al said that some ladies were going to meet us at a different bar so we tried to find it. As we were walking up to the door the girl that Al had been talking to was sitting in a car outside and she said that she had to go pick up a friend. We went into this kareoke bar and I ordered a beer. We sat there for what seemed like forever and I suggested that we bail so we did and I passed out on the couch in the room.

the next day

was pretty chill. we slept in and watched the Thomas Crowne Affair which I enjoyed and then went out to a nice breakfast before hitting the road. I didn't start feeling hungover until we were sitting in line at the border. We made it back safe and I took a nap before calling my friend Lisa. I rode the bus down to OB to see her and she was getting ready to go see a friend of her's play a show. I sat in her house for a long time looking at her room-mates and talking every once in awhile. I felt like shit. I was sitting on this really comfortable couch and I had no desire to move at all. Eventually I called Al and had him pick me up. Later we went to this punk bar and heard the first bad. After the set I had this to say to the guitar player outside, "Hey man you should fire your singer." he asked why and I threw out, "Because he fucking sucks!" Now at this point I expected one of two things to happen: either he was going to tell me to go fuck myself or he was going to laugh. "well a lot of people don't think so." that's what he had to say. What a puss. "oh ok" I said and then Al and I start cracking up. After that we met up with Lisa and some other bar in which I sat outside in the breeze way smoking her cigarettes and drinking Budweiser that she was buying me. I had this funny conversation with a skater dude which lead to us insulting and generally offending anyone within earshot. I drank someone's Vodka and Al left the bar to go home. Lisa and I and her Point Loma H.S. alumni friends ended up closing the bar and walking to some guys apartment where I got into a really weird conversation. THis guy came up to me and told me that he wants to live amongst the black people so that he can create real contemporary folk-music. His logic was so poor that I was boggled and eventually gave up and told him he should do it and even wished him luck on his venture. I went with Lisa and her friend Kelli down to OB to hang out some more until I was about to pass out. I think Lisa wanted me to stay but she has a room-mate and waking up in OB would have been more trouble than it would be worth so I asked her to drive me back home. Her driving was not so good and when we pulled up I invited her in to crash for a bit before she drove anymore. that was at 7am and I woke up at 9:30. I'm very tired now and I'm going to sleep.

I'm not sure what kind of communication they have at the farm but I'll be there on Tuesday morning. I'll be sending post-cards in the snail mail to everyone I have an address for and if you would like to write me send me an e-mail with your street address so that I can write you something first.

Nick C... My writing only gets better from here on out.
I got to San Diego on Tue. and my brain was so melted that I just took a shower and passed out. On wed. Al worked and I did laudry and skated downtown. Thur. I went to OB for awhile and hung out with some street kids. We walked out to the cliffs and smoked, it was nice. I've been congested since the bus trip and it's been irritating but I think now i'm starting to get over it. Fri. Al took off work and we went to Mexico. We stayed the night after some dancing and drinking and then came back on Sat. I went down to OB again to see Lisa and skated a little. We went out to a couple bars last night and I got home at 6AM to wake up at 9:30 ish. We celebrated Chinese new year today with Al's friends. We ate so much food.
I leave tommorow.

I'm freaked out.

I Love You all...

I have a lot more written about San Diego but I don't have time right now.
Later

1.25.2006

Phoenix, AZ 8:15 AM Jan. 24

I've gotten little sleep and I'm about to start to last leg of a 6 hour trip. The guy on the other side of the bus just did that cross thing on his chest, what's that called? There was this girl sitting in front of me from Dallas to here and she often spoke to herself. I thought she was just mumbling until I started listening. She was speaking for two distinct voices, a mother and a daughter. I thought that was weird enough but then she started making these noises. Puh hu ha ah... sortof a whimper or cry but then I realised that she was laughing. What she was laughing about I'll never know but it was irritating.
Texas is the deadest damned place I've ever seen. Dead cars dead houses, buisnesses, farm machinery, oil drill parts, dead grass, dead gas stations, it seemed like the air itself was dead. Hardly anyplace looked inhabited. I almost tried to get some weed while I was in Dallas. This guy came up to me and asked if I needed some green. I said yeah but just a dime or something. He walked around the corner so I asked the eminem looking cat watch my stuff. I turned the corner and a new guy was standing there with the guy I had alreay talked to. "here's the deal" I felt like I was getting ripped off just by talking to this guy. "I can only do a quarter, you understand, It's some hydro." I asked the guy how much and he said "25 but I'll do 20 for you, we just can't be standing around this is primetime for the cops you know, my man'll just go round the corner and get it, what do ya say." 1.. 2.. No man, I'm just going to pass. I'm not sure that he was going to scram with my 20 bill but I couldn't afford to find out. Weedless and annoyed I tried to sleep. Texas is all day long and our last stop was in El Passo. I needed a fucking drink and announced so to the people standing around smoking ciggarettes. This Gene Wilder looking guy told me that there's a cantina down the street. Shady and I had been exchanging stories of general knowledge and torture so I asked him if he wanted to go with me. He jumped to and as soon as we got out of the parking lot we saw the glorious neon glow of a Corona sign. I ordered two and looking at a map of El Passo I saw that we were within spitting distance from Mexico. I was glad to be on this side. We got back on the bus and the beers helped me to sleep. I woke up shortly before this town called Calexico. We had an hour layover so I walked around for a bit. The town had a border crossing and I couldn't find any signs in English. I went up to what I thought was a burrito place and stepped inside. There was this old asian guy frying something behind the counter and I said hello. He mumbled something and I looked around. What I would assume to be his wife came out from the back room and said something to me. "I just want a burrito." she looked at me and said no shaking her head. I was puzzled and walked out the door. The rest of the day was uneventful except for the guy with a Jesus Saves tattoo with needle marks in it.

I arrived unscathed in San Diego and It was fucking beautiful!!!
6:30 AM Dallas, TX Jan. 23

I woke up startled and immediately decided to check my bus ticket not so surprisingly my bus was to leave Nashville that day. I got dressed and told Micah. He had to work at noon so Ingrid told me that she would take me. Micah and I smoked a parting bowl and we dropped him off at work. We had some time to kill before I needed to be at the station and Ingrid said she needed to go to the library so I had her point me in the direction of a bar. I'm starting to feel comfortable on a bar stool. I sat down to a mostly empty bar save the two guys chatting it up a few seats away from me. It was your typical sports bar and Nicole brought me prompt drinks. The guy sitting closest to me had a crappy cowboy hat and a ridiculous grin on his face. He was talking about music. I heard him say that he just got signed and I congratulated him. He mentioned that he had a published deal as well. You wrote a book? "No I just sold some songs, this place is real fake, but there's a lot of money if you want it." Oh, so no one really wants people to hear their music? "Anybody who says that is full of shit, it's all about the money and chicks." Well, I wouldn't know anything about that. I drank more and contemplated the amount of people in the bar at that moment who were trying to 'make it.' The bar was starting to fill up and I wasn't sure why until I heard boomer's voice spouting football jargon. I thought about Nick and wondered if he was watching football at the same moment and I figured that he was. That guy loves the Bengals and he was devasted by the loss to the Steelers. This is the first year I had any interest in football at all and mostly just for a good reason to wake up on Sunday and start drinking. The bar was bordering on packed and a young couple was trying to find some seats. I was taking up two seats and there was an empty one next to me so I moved down for them. The guy was thankful and he told me that they stopped in town just to watch the game. He was on a trip from Denver to Atlanta for his job. He was starting a new branch of his corporation that sells alchohol monitoring systems to the government. I wasn't sure what he meant. You know how if you get put on house arrest they put a ankle pack on you that monitors where you are, well this alchohol monitoring is put on the same way and checks for alchohol through sweat glands. I had no idea. I would image that states will start using this and his company stands to do well.
So i find myself drunk and on the bus just another one of the freaks. This is not exciting or fun but it's not that terrible either. I wish I had some weed. I'm tired, I've yet to sleep and I had to sit in the bus station for 2 hours.
Volcano Skatepark

I'll be posting the bus trip soon butI'm tired and I need to eat.

1.22.2006

I almost really fucked up. I told Micah that my bus out leaves on Mon. I woke up this morning thinking about my ticket and thinking that I had better check. Sure enough my bus leaves today. thank the stars I looked. SO i guess I'll write more when I get to San Diego. It's raining here today and cool. Not much possibility.
I've had a great time hanging out Micah and Ingrid. We went to this sweet pizza place yesterday called Mafioso's. One of Ingrid's friends from High School was there and I actually met her like 3 years ago when Micah and I randomly went to Chilocathe? I have no idea how to spell that.
I have to get everything packed again. My backpack when I got here was far more heavy than it should be (not for the airline but for my back) so I'm going to shift some stuff around.

1.21.2006

wow... there's a raging party going on downstairs from Micah's apartment and I don't have the balls to go down there. I'm out of my element. My mojo is fucked. Watching Wilco and drinking weidemans. shouts from below and building tension in my head from this weed. I'm here. not for long. get to the coast soon and beyond. 6 times zones from home. this is where i freak out this is where it all happens... something else.
and I don't really know what it's going to be. I've tried to image standing on cliffs watching the sun fall on a snowcapped mountain when it's 85 degrees where I stand. I can't image the ferns and the trees. the waterfalls and glaciers of once molten rock. I can't imagine paying soccer without shoes on a green lot next to the sand. I can't believe it.. .yet.
I woke up early this morning at fooled around in Micah's apartment for awhile. Music and stories. Micah had to go to work at 2ish so I skated downtown. I found this indoor skatepark and skated there for awhile. I decided to try riding the bus back up the hill to the V Campus but I got on the wrong bus and went way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. Eventually I got to Micah's and cleaned myself up. I walked back down to the blue bar and hovered around some pool tables for a while. I got in on these guys table and gave them a firm beating.

1.20.2006

i love cincy and my 513 crew, the kids, drugs, booze, rock&roll, love, girls, excitement, dissappointment, plans, failure, ludlow, coffee, cigarettes, phone numbers, balcony, this is the life I've lived here in this place and I must neverforget that I was destroyed and reborn into a new world. Everything is spontaneous when actions preceed methodology. I have been fortunate enough the avoid conflict and confusion through my open mind and blunt honesty. I have known the touch of lovers and friends and have found little difference. These are the stories of homeland. This is my memory and the lives of libertine intersections. We are the free minds of this world. Our power is conscience choice and nothing can change that. You are the next step. You manifest this flow through yourself.

1.13.2006

It was fri the 13th. now it's not. I'm at jacobs right now and Sammy is around somewhere along with other crew members. member. I have a lot of things written down on my hand right now and I ve decided to write a novel from the 17 days counting until the night before I leave. I must dance

excuse me

1.08.2006

11 days...

what the fuck.


"My name is Jayshree Tajpuria, I not the beginner in this area, but at your site it is possible to gather a lot of interesting and new. YOUR PAGE IS GREAT. IT REALLY HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC I was really surprised when came across your site on the web!"

this is what I get on my guestbook now. this confuses me. I don't know Jayshree. Is she real? Is it a guy or a girl? Why is this happening?

also the Bengals are playing today and we estimate that around 60% of cincy is watching the game right now.

1.06.2006

Everything is coming together. I'll going to do a trial packing of all my things and make sure that all three bags are under 50 pounds a piece. My financial situation isn't what I would like it to be... but it never is anyway. I've been totally girl crazy lately. it sucks actually.

I think I just need to sleep for days. oh and I'm going to be cigarette free by the 19th.

1.02.2006

I went out with said girl last night. I told her that I'll find her later in life and take her away on my sailboat. She said that she won't forget and that I better find her.
What is the point you might ask?
give myself a goal i guess. I work harder if I think that it will end with happily ever after.