Bubbles of Guilt....burbujas culpable?

Me gusta la mente
que est abajo de mi sombrero
Pero a veces yo pienso
“Quiero mas dinero!”
El viaje de la fortuna,
tiene muchas vias
A veces- el vino perfecto
Otras veces– las uvas son agrias.

I like the mind
that is under my hat
But sometimes I think
“I want more money!”
The journey of fortune
has many ways,
Sometimes- the perfect wine
Others- the grapes are sour.

*there are most likely a few mistakes above. my spanish is suffering. i speak like 2 sentences of spanish now. and i don't even care....

I am a big fan of blowing bubbles at festive events. I am actually a master bubble-blower, and I wow people at festivals and parties with my skills, which includes blowing bubbles inside of bubbles, smoke-filled bubbles, and occasionally, my bubbles actually dance to the beat of the music. I joke you not. But this only happens in the right circumstances.... not everyday. And I have not done a square bubble, but I saw on youtube that it is possible. I don't have the patience for it at the moment.

Anyhow, for a long time, it was my dream to have a bubble gun. I got one at the ghetto mall in Philly; it cost 5$ at Five Below, a large 5 dollar and under store with mostly junk. I don't go there anymore. The gun didn't work. Then I found one that did work in Rome- I bought it from one of those guys on the street, in front of the most beautiful fountain in the world (true- most beautiful fountain in the world... I could barely look at it). Anyhow, as mentioned in this blog's postings back in May or June 2009, I was SO happy I got a functioning bubble gun. I think it was 5 euro. And I lost it shortly thereafter. So, I got a little one in Queens... it worked. I liked it. Nice and portable. But I don't know where it is at the moment.

So, tonight I will be going to a party at Freedom, the bar I dj'ed at lastnight. Then at one or so, we are going to take a boat to the 3-day party, at a really special place on the lake (accessible only by boat). A few years ago, I went to parties there. I rocked it, picked up hulahooping, danced to breakbeats on vinyl played by these French people (who sadly enough were hijacked down in Brasil and some of them were shot dead), and I partied with some people who are still in my life. I am excited to return. Anyhow, back to bubbles... I knew I would need some for these next few days, so I went up the hill to town. I found the a bubble gun... for $2.50 or so... I got it... and it works! Really well! It makes a loud space-gun sound, which I have mixed feelings about.

I also picked up some other bubbles at a different store. They are the same ones I bought in both Italy and Croatia. And now they are here in Guatemala. I like these specific ones because they are small enough to carry around and the top stays on tight. The bottles themselves have a unique design, are made in China, and I assume, that the factory just puts on labels with different languages on them depending on where they are being sent to.

So this got me wondering- what is it like for the people over in China who work at this factory that assembles my preferred choice of bubbles? So much stuff is manufactured in China, because of low labor costs, and as a consumer, I enjoy the cheap fruits of that cheap labor. Anyone can speculate on how widely the working conditions and wages range in a places like China, or Hong Kong, or Indonesia, but in the end I wonder- do most of the people who work in factories, such as my preferred bubble-making factory, like their life? Do they slave away miserably, wishing their lives were different, or do they go to work and accept it as what is necessary order to enjoy the other parts of their life? And what is their idea of enjoying life? Sometimes I wonder about this, and I think of Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when he gets a candy bar for his birthday, and shares it with his family (the creepy, sort of gross old people who lay bed). Sometimes I feel bad that I buy products from countries that don't protect their people's rights to make a fair and safe living. I feel helpless in the situation though, as I do with all global issues. And yes- you can argue that there are socially responsible companies from which products can be purchased. To which I respond that I can only afford some of these things. And I would then present you a 2-folded counter-argument; if I were to reach a position where I could afford all socially-responsible products, One- Many people who can afford socially or environmentally-responsible products are in that position because they exploit others, somehow. That's business. (Or they live in California, which is a less-exploitive business environment and is definitely not the norm). And Two- Even if I could afford to buy only socially-responsible products, the overwhelming majority will still not enjoy the same privileges.

If injustice is just a fact of life, then what part do I play in it? The part that's more fortunate than many but not as fortunate as some? I am ok with that. More than ok.... I live in a garden of the great life (.com!) But in this garden, compassion does not escape me. Nor does guilt.

MY LIFE IS COMPLETE!

Well, I did it. I played dubstep in San Pedro. In the four and a half years I have been living in this small, strange town on the lake, both my music taste and identity have been gradually evolving. Psy-trance has dominated parties and bars here. I used to think that all electronic music was psy-trance, and so I hated what I thought was electronic music. Then drum and bass and trip-hop started to alter my thinking.

Freedom is the name of a dance/live music venue; sort of the only danceclub in San Pedro. A handful of my friends have taken turns owing it/co-owning it over the years. The two owners are away at the moment (one lives in Canada, and one is from Denmark), and there is a chill local lady Rosa who is running it. I got set up to dj the day before new year's eve, and wrote down my information for a guy to make a flyer. I wrote:
DJ MAGENTA
dubstep
electro-house
newest music from california&burning man

The next day, I picked up the flyers (the way it works at a lot of places in San Pedro is that the artists do their own publicity for the show they are doing). I was both pleased and amused with the flyer.

From California
Burning Man:
DJ Magenta-
dubstep
electro-house
newest music

The flyer was done nicely... it was just funny that it said I was from “California Burning Man”. And the guy who did it used pink and teal! my favorite colors!

So, my friends accompianed me while I put up some signs and handed the stuff out. The computer I use at the moment cost $125 on craigslist, and I don't trust it to work the greatest for djing (it is circa 2003, the processor is way slow, etc.) so I burned what I could using my friend Jo's computer. My old friend Ric came to town with his girlfriend Leslie, whom I have heard great things about but have never gotten the chance to meet.

I played music. I used a mixer. I don't know how to use a mixer. But I did, and it worked. A few days before, there was a small bar-owning naysayer who said “They are not ready for dubstep here”. WRONG. At the point when the most people were dancing, I was playing dubstep. My life is complete.

Likes/Dislikes of Winter

I like these things about winter:
- hershey puts out a few kinds of mint-chocolate that they only sell before xmas
- more restaurants have soup, which I eat every day of the year
- fires are nice, and we have a fireplace in philly
- i smell evergreen, pine, etc more, be it naturally or via candle
- xmas lights
- seasonal dark ales, such as New Belgium's 2 Below, an excellent stout

I HATE these things about winter:
- Cold
- The overwhelming, aggravated feeling I get when entering a place with too much heat
- Places with no heat
- Having a Zoolander tickle cough from the change in temperature and dry heat
- Teary eyes from too much heat or the bitter cold
- Headache if I go outside with wet hair
- Xmas songs
- all the rigamarole about buying stuff, and having to watch people be duped into buying un-needed, excessive, or unwanted gifts for people
- the weather prevents me from wanting to go outside, and I can't do what I like to do

My Best Poem Ever.

I write some of my best stuff driving in traffic. I wrote this in LA 2 days ago. They have serious traffic there. It is about my favorite music- dubstep, which has electronic elements of reggae dub with heavy- horrendously heavy bass. I guess. It is hard to describe, but it is dark and violent-sounding. And I love it, almost as much as I love myself. I have yet to name this, and I will be having it made into a song(s) within the year, using tiptop male voice. And you will hear it.





There are many things
that course through my veins,
A few of which
have me shackled in chains,

But I'll tell you something-
I'm the happiest slave,
For my master is
the sound that I crave

You may have heard of it-
it's called the DUBSTEP,
I guarantee you right now
I'm a #1 rep.

Hey you, yeah you DJ!-
I've got the tournequette tie,
But you've got the needle-
You make me get high

As mentioned before,
It's in my blood red and real,
Just look at my face-
Can you tell what I feel?

I don't think you can call
What I do a dance,
More like a turbulent,
frenzied romance

Alright, I'll be honest-
I'm a true dubstep whore,
I dance so damn hard
that I break the floor

Oh wait up one sec-
Whore aint the right name,
Cause I don't get paid
for my ground-stomping game

Like a popper in bed,
Cozied up with his pills,
Like a wino with bottles
Of endless stained thrills
It's not for the kicks nor the frills

I'm an addict,
I tell you-
My vice tried and true,
And if it courses through your veins,
Then we're related- who knew?!


COPYRIGHT JESS MULLEN, 2009

Friday the 13th...Lots of Laughing and Too Much Driving in Los Angeles

I met up with the people I camp with at Burning Man. They are some old friends from New York. Vanessa, Harry, and Carlito (who is from California). We hung at Harry's in Huntington Beach, got drunk on the beach, and awoke all ready to go camping. We made the mistake of letting him choose where we were going. After 3 hours of driving, it just didn't work out. Road closed. Even if we had gotten to a destination, they don't allow fires, something that is neccesary for us. So, next time, someone who actually researches things such as fire permittance, water access, etc will be doing the planning. I also realized I still don't like LA. No way jose.

We drove another hour or two to find another place to camp. Did not work out. In the meanwhile, I had started writing the best dubstep song ever, in traffic. My best poems, the published stuff, I write in traffic.

We cooked up this pasta on my camping stove at a park we stopped at, and.... not enough butane. Fucking Friday the 13th.

We went back to Harry's. I could not even drink a drop. A few of the girls passed out, and Harry and Carlito and I watched a few episodes of 90210, 4th season. I like guys who enjoy 90210 on any level. There was lots of laughing involved. I love my friends.

I Heard Something I Really Liked

Well, I was at this skunk train costume party up in Mendocino county. It starts at the ocean on a train at 10 am with electronic music, and goes into the redwoods, where it stops at a party with food, booze and a band. Then it returns to the coast, and other parties happen, such as the one at a beach house.

I went in costume as the 9-5 Nemesis, since I am not down with the 9-5. One of the people I met told me something I really like. He said that "it isn't what you do that kills you, it's the guilt about it". This is kind of along the lines of what I say- "embrace your vices".

So yeah, the skunk train party was great.

Got Here

Well, I made it to California. It is too beautiful here, really. I wish that my friends and family in the Northeast would just all move out here. Seriously, it would bring my life to the highest level of perfection. After picking up my car in Reno, I stopped in Nevada City to see a friend. We ate good chicken wings in the Sierras. I like the Nevada City/Grass Valley/Tahoe area a lot. Then I made it into San Francisco, where I met up with Liz. Liz is this hilarious hot chick I taught in Korea with. She is originally from Mattituck, Ny,- out near where I am from, but she moved to North Carolina in high school. True to form, she made me laugh a bunch. We had 3$ margueritas and 2$ quesadillas at some ritsy-looking place Nick's Craspy Tacos. Her friend was with her and also very cool. Then we went to a birthday party at a bar just past one of my favorite bars, and when that place closed I suggested my bar. And we went. I got a cider.

Oh, I also met the creepiest guy who was friends of a friend who was there for the birthday. He was WAY CREEPY CREEPO.

Sundays to Relax... A Great Last Day In New York

There are few things better than going to the Turkish bathouse with my two best guy friends. Tumie and I met Saylor in the city, and we went to the Turkish Russian bathouse. I have been going here lately since first going with a past suitor. (I used to occaionally go to the gym in Park City that had the same facilities... I am an expert relaxer).

The entry fee is 30$, and you can stay all day. There are a few saunas of different level, a few steam rooms with eucalptus-scented steam, a freezing cold pool, and a sundeck to hang out at. It is co-ed, and not creepy like one would maybe think. There is food and good fresh juices. I got a Fantasy Island- pinapple, orange, apple and strawberry, seaweed salad, and then when my appetite returned I got mushroom barley soup. Sundays are not just to relax, Sundays are also the day to hemmorhage money. So, the three of us split of jar of Dead Sea mud, and I got a 20 minute neck and shoulder massage. It was from this Asian-looking, Russian-sounding guy that most of my girlfriends would not get a massage from. I, on the contrary, don't give a fuck. It was good. And interesting, when he pounded my ass (surprise!), with his hands, and then pounded the rest of my back.... (Hey- I though this was a neck and shoulder massage!) All in all, I am glad I did it, since it was 25$ and I really needed something. I carry all these heavy bags all over the place and no one gives me massages. I know, french cries and Whineken are calling my name.

So, we ended the evening with thaifood.... oh, my favorite! Thai iced-tea, vegan duck pad thai as an app to share, and then, my all-time favorite... Prik King (with pork). Then in the cab on my way to the Chinatown bus, I caught this huge fireworks display happening over the river. East River, I guess? It was the finale, so it was grand. It ended, I got on the bus back to Philly, where Bad Patrick and I watched my new inappropriate dvd and ate pizza. Black cherry soda was involved. Sundays to relax, Sundays to piss money, and Sundays to feast! I cannot think of a better way to bring my East Coast summer to a close. Spring time....watch out.

Urban Arts Fest in Bushwick...Mark Batty Publisher

I went to one of the most unique festivals I haqve been to- an urban arts fest in brooklyn, . Lauren Seracene told me she would be there and could put me on the vip list, and that there was free beer and a dance party. Since I was going to New York for the weekend anyway, I figured I would check it out.

While unemployed, Lauren started a non-profit called Bags for the People with her friend. They take old clothing and make it into bags that people can use instead of plastic bags. Erin told me about it when she would see my efforts to use as small amount of plastic bags as possible. I am so happy for Lauren- they do sewing workshops, events throughout the city (including giving the bags out at a farmer's marke, and she is going to Jamaica for a month to bring the project down there (they were invited by the Jamaican government.

So, after what took forever, I get to the fest just as the rain subsides. I thought it was going to be at some park, but in fact it is at a new artist loft called Castle Braid. After seeing Laur and getting a can of brooklyn brewery beer, I strolled around. The music was good, the vendors were affordable andexcellent, and the graffitti getting put up was amazing. It was a half indoor/half outdoor thing in really cool space with a cool, diverse group. One of the vendors was selling these homeade, innappropriately funny magnets&ornaments. I had no need for those, but they were also selling dvd's of the same ilk. I got one. It is gross and imapprproiate much of the time (which is what I asked for when selecting). There is a lot of peeing involved, which just bolsters my penis envy. Eventually, Tumie came, the beer switched to Hoegarden, Laruen's sewing machine's went away, and the party began.

Met some cool people, including this chick who made me laugh a lot. I mentioned my new plan I formulated this past week to her. She did NOT like it. The plan was when I get older, like in my 50's or 60's, and am divorced or unmarried, I will switch to being a lesbian, that way it wll be easier to find new companionship. Since I am realizing how difficult it can be for a woman who is older to start a new romance with men. Especially with the hwhole double-standard on aging men vs. aging women. This girl, Michelle, she said I absolutely should not and cannot have this as my plan. She said it's fine if I decide to be with women, but to plan on it as a last resort could just paint the future on the wall. I realized she was right- I know aboutmanefesting things. So, my plan, which only lasted 4 days, is not my plan anymore.

So all in all, I am very glad I went to the party. I mentioned to Mark Batty and his wife that they should do a book on the graffitti art in valparaiso, Chile. Basically, the company is a publishing company for urban art genrre... I got this free book that is about a project called the bubble project, which took lots of little white bubble stickers (blank so people could add writing to them) and the stickers were put all over advertisements in New York. I laughed outloud a few times. Especially at the ad of Jennifer Lopez with a bubble coming out of her mouth that read : “I used to smoke crack on the J train”. I mean, she probably didn't, , but I laughed the hardest at that. So the company deals with art and social commentary. I like these things.

Photos by Vinny Cornelli

The After Effects of The Burn....

I was talking earlier to Tumas Luminous, a very close friend of mine from New York, whom I picked up in Reno and brought to his first Burning Man. He mentioned how he has been all fucked up since Burning Man- physically and mentally. He went through alot out there in the desert; he and his girlfriend broke up, and it really hit him hard.

I can tell you that I also had an emotional, mind-fuck out there as well. I can't pinpoint exactly what or why, but I am significantly different than I was before. I had gone years without crying, save once. Years. I mean, maybe a once-a-year teary-eyed minute or two,, but I don't even think that to be true. And as far as a good ball...nah. Well, it poured out of me throughout Burning Man this year. It was not even sad crying for the most part, which is strange. And often times other people I was with were doing the same. Strange. The air sometimes was so intense. Who knows. I can't tell you, cause I am not used to this. Anyhow, a few days after the Burn, I even felt the remnants of my emotional spooging. I cried again, but this time it was fueled by 10 hours of powerdrinking, absynthe from some weird jar, and pent up emotions regarding a suitor. A quintessential crying combo.

My mind is different now. I can't tell you how, but it is. I am more confused about life- my options, future, blahblah, etc. But I am more sure about what I do not want my life to be. And it's hard- seeing much of the world around me running their races. I step into the race occasionally to secure myself financially enough so I can step out of it again. And although the race I step into is closest to the fringe of races in general, it is nonetheless a race. I make money, I save money, I spend money, I make money, I save money, I spend money. I am a hamster in the wheel. I am not complaining- this is the garden of my great life! The wheel is a luxury wheel. I am by no means simply existing.

This time last year, I believed that yes, I am part of the matrix, but it is not necessarily a part of me. I didn't even know what a matrix was, perhaps because Keanu Reaves is my least favorite actor ever. What I really believed, or hoped, is that I am a part of traditional society, but traditional society is not a part of me. Now, I feel that there are just as many reasons that this is true as there are reasons for it being false. I especially realize the latter when I pay my cell phone bill every few months before they turn it off (even though I have the money to pay it on time). Or when I had a bunch of parking tickets in San Francisco that were later sent to my parent's house in New York. Or when I buy stuff, which I do often. I can't help it- I like stuff!

Now, I know in Guatemala, for instance, if I were to live there more permanently, I know I would still have a cell phone. But it would be pre-paid. And I would not have a car, but I would still pay to ride a bus. And I would still buy stuff- I told you- I like stuff. And yes, I know it is possible to do these things in the US (which I do- ridiing the chinatown bus to ny, riding 3 or 4 subways in an hour, taking the bus to New Paltz, turning a 3 hour car-ride into a 6 hour ordeal). I know it is possible here, but it is just easier to do away from here.

Cause no matter what I am doing here to distance myself from the rat race, I feel like there is just so much more here that reminds me I am in it. It is a conundrum or something. And I did not even plan writing about this rat race stuff here- I'm just noting the emotional after-effects from the desert.

Pinnacle of Successful Weekend in The Paltz

So often, I am lazy, hungover, etc, and do not accomplish as much as I should/could. Not the case this past weekend:

Friday- started with a rest in the park, was hungover from city partying thursday so did not start drinking at newpaltz 2-for-1happy hour til 9. also, ate 2 miso soups while resting at fabulous jackie's. then drank not even that much and got hammered. could not even stay at bar til 4. I have fun with you people up there.

saturday- napped briefly after egg,ham,cheese, then 3 1/2 hour hike with multiple vistas, jackie&her cool friend. saw seriously obese porcupine. got phenomenal rock da pasta (pesto, alfredo, artichoke hearts, sundried tomato, broccoli, spicy bacon, bowtie pasta), took another siesta, then built fire with julia julio garcia at the farm she lives at a few miles out of town. seriously. apple orchard, wine blahblahs, chickens, goats, stars, trickling water over rocks, and us, venting.

sunday- brushed most of the knots out of my hair from the weekend, brought a friend to a place he had never been... bear hill preserve past ellenville. known to some as bear cliff; near sam's point and the ice caves. It is one of my favorite spots because after a 15 minute non-strenuous hike, you get to the cliffs, and you can see Canada. Well, maybe not, but you can see a few states at least. It is perfect for a hangover. I used to call it my church. Now, I would say one of my churches is the Lost City.
Upon returning to Newp, outdoors with a bloody mary, green chile soup, a taco, and a cider. I had this bloody mary at burning man that changed my outlook on the drink. I like them now! Whereas before, I could just drink a half a few times a year. My palette is developing!

bear cliff picture from: www.jamesdouglasgallery.com/gallery/

Woohoo, my old news website has been recovered

I used to publish highbrow newsletters in New Paltz, CRAZYTOWN, and San Pedro. Some of them I decided to put in a website, for which I bought a domain. I never renewed the domain, so the website looked like it was a broken link. I just realized how to get it so that I can recover my old site, under a new name for now since I don't want to buy the domain again until I start writing more fake articles.

www.crazytowncrier.blogspot.com

If you click on the ads, I get like 1 penny a year, which I will donate to the Human Fund.

on the way

So now, I am enroute to Salt Lake. The next challenge is getting safely to Reno, which is about 7 or 8 hours away. I am going to get my car checked out tomorrow I think, do some arts&crafts, hang with Erin, infuse 2 large buckets of vodka, prepare and leave Friday night to arrive Saturday am in Reno for more preparations.
By the way, the mp3 player I got in Austria had not been working when I last tried using it a few months ago. Now it is. Cameras&mp3 players have a bad history but I am glad that at this very moment even it it's just for the moment this TEAC thing is working and I am listening to Lee Scratch.

UPDATE: My car was not in storage in salt lake, it was in a parking lot, and half my stuff was gone. stuff stuff stuff. Although I really don't know what's missing besides the snowboard. The guy I stored it with (straight up officially with contract) says there are 2 rubbermaids missing. I don't think there are though.) Either way, I don't have to pay the 600$ to get the car out, but I do have to pay the 700$ to get it fixed. Since it won't run. The past few days have been quite trying, but I am really just letting it bounce off me. I have numbed myself.

Finally, A Stinging Bee

Well, I was waiting for it. My life was going to magically for a while there that I expected something to come and rain on the parade. And this past saturday, it did. It came in the form of thievery- the new fanny pack I decorated was kind of junk and always falling off my waist, so I put it in my larger bag. 10-15 minutes after I had last gone into it, it was gone. My larger bag was in my sight the whole, or so I thought. There was some kid who came and talked to me for a minute or two. This is when I think it happened. I've traveled 17 countries, most of which on my own, with no problems. I think there were pros involved in this. By the time I called my bank the next day to cancel my card, there were alreadys attempts of a 300$ radio shack purchase, 2 89$ subway card purchases, and a 4$ deli charge. The charges were denied. Within an hour of it being gone, I accepted it. Losing stuff that you and society have made almost a requirement for much of your life can be a huge downer. I decided I would not dwell, and I didn't. But, I will reminisce about what I lost here, since this is my place.
So, here is what I lost:
My 2 rings. One is from my grandmother who is dead. I have been wearing it since I was 13. The other I bought when I was 15. These were part of me. I took them off for a project and forgot to put them back on. I also liked to think that because I had these rings, which fit on both ring fingers, that there was no room for any more rings for those fingers, and I would stay happily single forever. Which may still be the case regardless of rings. But it was nice to have those spots already taken up.
Zip car rental card which unlocks the rental car I had for the weekend. This lead me to wait the next evening for 6 hours until past 1am in Queens for a tow truck that never showed up. The next day, another one arrived promptly.
Driver's license- which I needed to register the car I have out in Utah. This was to be done on Monday, and then I was to fly to Salt Lake with the plates on Tuesday am from Philly. Then drive to Burning Man in Reno. Instead of doing it in Brooklyn as planned I drove out to Long Island where my fabulous mother met me with my social security card. For some reason I had brought my passport to NY, just in case I needed it at the DMV. I am witchy like that.
Phone- I hope AT&T can give me back my numbers. I have insurance, and bought a pre-paid to be dealing with my burning man coordination.
Cash
People's cards including a DJ from upstate whom I want to play in NYC
essential oil coconut chapstick and a bottle cap with a good saying, which was to be given as gift
18$metro card
other fun stuff
In the end, everything is working out. I got my car registered, I extended the rental for the zipcar by a few hours, I had to spend a bit of money (I am so good at spending money, I should get paid for it), I met some interesting people while waiting in Queens for the tow truck that never showed up, and importantly, I saw how one person I know acted towards me in my time of distress.

Desiderata...A New Electronic Music Festival

I was fortunate enough to get to go to the first year of this electronic festival. My friend Veronica's fiancee Joey, whom I first met at Mountain Jam 2008 and really liked, had a gig doing glassblowing demonstrations.

So glad I went. I had the most amazing live music experience to date during Adam Deitch and this Dj Muran or something to that effect. They started out with dub step, which happens to course through my veins, and they ended up at one point incorporating what seemed like music from every culture, into one song, into the same moments.

It was also an absolute ball to hang with Veronica (&Joey, aka Jewseppe, and his friend Jeff who is also cool). I have known Veronica for years, and we have the same circle of friends, have hung out many times in group form, but it was especiially excellent hanging out of our usual element after both of us having more insight into ourselveses.

I also met some amazing people from upstate/Utica area. This chick Angel and I really hit if off. She is awesome. Seriously.
By the way, the festival was on this estate with an old, dilapidated castle. I guess the property is owned by Jamaicans now, but it was owned by a Russian guy. There were some beautiful views. The security seemed to be done by Russian people, and there were a lot of people of Russian or Eastern European descent, and lots of Israelis (I believe that hacidic Jews or Israelis were organizing the festival). Anyhow, what was really strange was that Crystal Method got their power shut off, and for a half hour, the two Crystal Method guys were really upset and waiting for it to get turned back on. They were pissed, as they should be- here they are, performing as the headliner, and for some strange, fucked up, politically-fueled reason they can't play. Such is life.

It was the strangest festival I have been to ever- there was no atm, there was no ice for sale, there were 2 tents selling food and one had beer in bottle for sale. Trance dominated latenight into the day on the main stage, so of course I enjoyed the Renegade stage with the electro, breakbeats, etc. It was kind of like taking a vacation to Europe for a festival. So is this the sort of thing that Rainer and Larsen are used to? There was also this fabulous area with all this art& fun stuff, organized by these nice freako people from the Copycat Theater in Baltimore. Should I ever go through Baltimore, I will be sure to check them out. At the main stage, they also had these globes for visuals to be projected upon..- pretty cool.

All in all, it was a very special time at a very special place.

Wow, what an eventful afternoon. I went to an amazing asianfood superstore. Dangerous. Of course, I bought way too much stuff I did not need but will definitely enjoy. Other places that are dangerous for me to walk into include Michael's Arts&Crafts and the duty-free liquor shop at the airport. These places are my downfall, for real.

Then, I was severely harassed in broad daylight outside of a liquor store by a truck full of ghetto boys in camden just hanging around. new jersey ;(

Then, i couldn't find a parking space in Philly. Parallel parking a long stupid car like my mom's is annoying. And people in Philly are not nearly as nice as they are in New York. it is official.

So I crashed into a car. Or two, as I thought at first. Neither of the cars had anyone in them, since they were parked on a strange narrow side street. Yeah, I used to drive all the time everywhere. not sure what happened. I could not drive away, as some guy was hanging around making sure I would not drive away. Plus, I don't do that anyway. Not that this has happened before. So I called my friend Rachel, since I was incapable of doing anything in my irrational state of mind. I was shaking too much to hold a pen to write notes to leave. My parents would not be pleased. Rachel shows up and we discover that one car had a big smash up with rust from a previous accident, and that in fact, I only hit on car, we think. I guess I hit the one car twice and thought it was 2 cars. I guess I really am retarded. So, After some thinking, I call the philly cops to come check out the car(s). And, the chick, oh boy, I LOVE THIS CHICK COP, in the report, which is NOT an accident report, I possibly grazed the mirror of the second car. That's it. The one time when it really payed off to involve the authorities. She had me reverse my car and as it turns out maybe I really didn't hit either car too much. Just the mirror, " Maybe".So, I went from thinking I would be leaving 2 notes telling these people i will pay them anything not to involve my parents' insurance company to having an official report saying maybe I hit the prius mirror (which is retractable).

When I thought I'd be paying thousands of dollars for being retarded, I still had visions of Burning Man, and no intention of cancelling that. I told myself 'well, you did it last year and were broke and you will do it again should you have to". But, I don't have to. all cause I called the cops. the cop even laughed every now and then. The weirdest thing was I was not on drugs, but felt like I was on drugs after the multi-uni-weirdo-fender maybe-not bender(s) happened.Finally, good parking spot right across from "accident(s). I don't have to move my car until I leave this place.

My big computer is dead, but my computer nerd roomate (Rachel, friend from above) hit it a bunch and it turned on just enough to get my work portfolio pictures off, which are the only things I have not really backed up but sort of the most important. i can't blame my computer- she is so old, and has been AROUND the block a zillion times. I am tempted to give her a real memoriam, or at least, some flowers. Rachel said "if you spank your computer a bunch, it might turn on". like owner, like computer. And my tiny computer's screen is cracked... badly. So if you see typos, which you won't too often, that is why.

I also learned about this jetblue special for flights, but at first, in the text message I got about it, I thought it was for a year and not a month. I went crazy, running around half naked with my debit card, dizzy, TOO excited. Now I know the terms and it will not work out for me, but I was estatic for a minute and it felt nice.And so, I am going to make an udon noodle soup, with bok choy, scallion, spicy red pepper, and either a miso base or a tom yum goong thai base. or a simple soy&red pepper base. garlic and tofu are also involved.

I spoke with an AMAZING chick I met at a festival. And with Myk Tumelo, with whom I have decided to throw a party with in NY at the end of September. Pick Your Poison Potluck. Perhaps.What an eventful afternoon.

All Points West... free tickets thanks to Lauren Seracene.

Alright, Lauren Seracene hooked it up with free tickets for myself, Erin, and this crazy kid Brett to go to all 3 days of All Points West, a 3-day, no camping, festival in NJ. Going for free was amazing- if I actually had to pay for a ticket, I would not.

Here are some good points of All Points:

-great lineup varying from Jay-Z, gogol bordello, pharcyde (who put on a really funny&entertaining performance), kool keith, mstrkrft, coldplay, vampire weekend (so impressed with, in addition to gogol bordello), tool, list goes on.

-some cool sculptures

- full-time electronic area with GREAT music by dolab

- great view of manhattan skyline&statue of liberty

- nice vibe overall in crowd; douchebag level was low

- i got a veggie jalopeno corndog, which is impressive

OK, just some the bad points:

- public transportation took WAY too long for where it is, and is way too complicated, with many transfers, etc

- not enough portapotties, AT ALL> the lines had literally 50 people waiting at times; a line that winded across the span of the concert field

- beer garden is the only place to drink booze& on top of it, it is way too far from any stages to benefit drinkers

- garbage cans were made out of cardboard, for a festival that rained 2 of 3 days

-recycling not up to par, if even existent at all

- large screens would list who played previously, which is of no help to concert-goers looking to see what's next where

-after arriving from public transportation, there is a 1+mile walk to the actual concert

-No parking if you drive

- Much of the food& other areas were set up so you could hear 2 of the stages at once, which sucks if you have ears

- No where to do a renegade piss/ no trees hide behind

- My luxury sandals were stolen when I was busy

As I said before, I very much enjoyed myself. But if you are going to throw a festival, you should know what you are doing, and if you don't, then do some research. I guess people from the city just don't know any better, so the All Points people don't have to go by the standards I am used to. There really were like 99 reasons why the festival sucked

And by the way, I missed Sunday, cause it was torrential downpour. Instead I had an amazing time at these Turkish/Russian baths. Then indian food at a weirdo place. I laughed so much i ended up not being able to stand by the end of the evening. I was literally falling on the ground cause I could not stand up.

Greatest Time as Usual

Alright, Camp Bisco is an electronic festival I have been attending for years, and will continue to do so, probably forever. I will not volunteer at it, because I will not jeopardize fulfilling my maximum level of absolute enjoyment there. And so, as usual, best time ever. Don't forget CRAZYTOWN was founded during Camp Bisco a few years ago, and now serves as a model to all benevolent and malicious dictatorships, universally.

I missed some of the music I went for (too much rain&exhaustion), but in exchange discovered artisits I did not know about. BOOMBOX really blew me away. I also met some great people, and got down with an old friend Vanessa with whom I don't get down with too often.

On the otherhand, Gathering of the Vibes, which I have also attended for years, I can deal with having to compromise my time&fun a bit. My friend Kevin (who happens to be the best) ran a beer tent, which happened to be the cool beer tent, with magic hat, sierra nevada, and awesome people. He got Erin&I in early for volunteering, and we were all set to float around selling beer. We painted a bunch before the festival even started, and I created this survey, sponsored by the FDA, the Fruity Disco Alliance, to find out people's favorite fruits. Why? Because I felt like it. It is what I have been asking people for years. I particularly like getting people to think about the things they love and enjoy.

Strawberry won, and pineapple, banana and mango came in 2nd basically. I'm not sure, there was a huge bar graph I did with all of the results. I was happy and surprised at teh banana, because before I did the survey, I thought banana did nto get as much credit as it should. Thiis, I gathered from my informal surveys.

I had another ball, all and all, at Gathering. I took it pretty easy, really. Technically, I even took it easy at Bisco. Believe it or not.

cookies

The grocery store knows we are willing to pay top dollar for certain cookies, and so, they won't produce store-brand versions. It is a pretty smart route. I really wanted to buy a generic, cheap brand of chocolate, minty cookies. Also known as thin mints. Instead, I spent 4$ on a small package of Keebler grasshoppers. Which are extra delectable when kept in the freezer. I just had to have them, and the grocery store knows this. And so, as mentioned above, they do not sell a cheap version. They capitalize on my weakness. Which is understandable, since they are a corporation.

And then, there are those humans (whom I do not appreciate); those people who capitalize on weakness.

The Whambulance is Better Than the Fire Truck

I hulahooped with fire on the 4th of July at a party. Almost everything went wrong and almost everything went right... AT THE SAME TIME! How is this possible?

My hulahoop was left out in the torrential downpour during CAMP CRAZYTOWN a few weeks ago. The wicks were wet forever. The new crappy fuel I got would not light the wicks at the party. The whole hoop was sticky- really sticky, fucking up my hands, because the tape on the inside all came off and there was gunk all stuck there. So, not the most ideal. And I burned my hair for the first time. Not badly. And I dropped the hoop a million times.

However, I did put on a show, and I did have a good time. It was hard to really get into what I was doing since I was so saddened and alarmed by the stuff that went wrong. But it was a good time, and the firetrucks did not have to come. Now, I will get goo-gone stuff to get the goo off the hoop, and I will not be using that sub-par fuel. By the way- thanks Daniel(l)e Viscosi and Reilly for helping me light the hoop. You were lifesavers. Oh, and the strawberry vodka I have been doing is TOO GOOD FOR ITS OWN GOOD. You have been forwarned. I went through 3 1.75 liter bottles of my infused vodka in 24 hours. 2 strawberry, one mango. Oh yeah, and a liter of pineapple the next day.

Also interesting was the day after July 4, when I was lucky enough to go on this boat shaped like a dragon. Wow! It was made from garbage found in the water in the 1980's by the Rockaway Artist Alliance. Cool people and a perfect day. I drank alot in the sun, which is unsual for my nocturnal self. Perhaps it was being on boat that contributed to my change of habit. I should be aware when I have my radiostation (and my pony) on my boat LALA.

The Mountain "Hut"

After another delicious feast for lunch, Rainer and I went up to what he calls a “hut”, but really, it is a cabin. A half hour drive or so from their house, up into the Alps, is his family's amazing escape place. We were in mountains maybe the biggest I have been in...not sure how they compare to the ones near Snowbird in Utah or in Colorado except they are greener. There were 2 places where we drove across water from melting snow that gushed across the road. We passed some rivers and streams, one of which passes right by their picture-perfect “hut”. For a few days I hung out on the set of Heidi, seriously. Or the Sound of Music. One of those alpine, kitchy films with a lot of blond people.

There is a spigot with water that runs right from the mountain, an outhouse, a fireplace to warm the place, a wrap-around porch, you know the deal. We ate lots of food including this smoked pork that is from the region we were in (Corinthia). It was ooooh so good, and kind of tasted like smoked salmon. There was this window in between the main room and the kitchen, and it had a bell you could ring to let your servant know you needed something. Or maybe the servant rings it to let you know the food is ready. Either way, I named it the glory hole. Got trashed off of wine and pear shnapps, playing with strange-looking cards by candlelight. At night, all these cows came and were mooing really loudly.

Corinthia, Austria

We are at Rainer's parent's house, which is where he lives when he is not traveling. It is in a small village in a valley amidst the mountains of Southern Austria. An hour after we had bread with good cheese, his mom made a feast for lunch- pork (oh I love pork!), this stuff where the name sounds like Canoodle, as in people kanoodling together, and some other stuff, complete with candles. Delicious. I always knew Rainer ate a lot, and now I understand why.
Along with some beer, we drank some pear shnapps, then his parents brought us to this river that has cut through a narrow rock gorge. There is a walkway built alongside the river and frequent waterfalls, and you walk up the river in between the tall walls of rocks for an hour or so. Cool place. We got some drinks on the way home, then ate some vanilla icecream with pumpkin oil on top. Oh, that was good.
By the way, my sister has been reading this blog and says “you talk about food ALOT”, to which I said “of course I do- everyday I look forward to the food I will eat and enjoy, and technically, I was a professional chef for a brief time”. So, yes, I will talk about food a lot.

A Bit of Trouble At The Border

Rainer has convinced me to go to Austria. I was a bit hesitant, but since it is clear that we are now platonic, I figured, OK. Why not? When leaving Croatia to enter Slovenia and the E.U., Croatian border guys gave us a bit of trouble. Rainer has long dreads. I am American. They had us pull over and searched everything for twenty minutes. The one guy in a suit was really intrigued by the jumbo-size chapstick with the silhouhette of a sexy girl on it. The other guy was pretty much a giant, and scary. They eventually let us go, and at the E.U. Slovenia crossing they let us in, no problem. After dealing with authorities, which is nerve-wracking even when you have nothing to hide, we WOOHOO'd as we made out way across the border. Our glee was a bit too soon... Rainer got pulled over for speeding a minute or two later. Everything was fine though, after he paid the 40 euros for the ticket. Apparently, you can just pay cash for tickets in the E.U.

Rainer and I have had some interesting experiences at borders. Going from Guatemala to Mexico, the shuttle we were in (wasted out of our minds, having not slept the night before) stopped before the border and had everyone get out and walk almost a mile across into Mexico. Mexico is very tight with their border control with Guatemala, and so another shuttle run by the Mexican counterpart of whatever company we used picked us up once we were in Mexico.

Another time, we were in Argentina and for just a little but more than the bus, we took a cab with our wine in the trunk across the border into Brasil. Not any crazy amount or anything- just for us personally, but we did not want to run the risk of giving it up. I had, after all, just been dealing with some bullshit hassle for a few days with the consulate and visa blahblah because Brasil likes to reciprocate the pain in the ass the US causes foreign travelers. And I just remembered- there was the one time I went to Canada, and declared that I had pepper spray, which they took away from me (fine- it just means I need to buy more when I return to ghetto Philly). But then they separated me from everyone else on the bus to Montreal and searched my stuff unfruitfully for a half hour, trying to be all tough Canadians. As I now say in German.... LONG VIE LICK.....BORING!

Land Of A Thousand Waterfalls... Plitvice Lakes

Today, we went to the Plitvice Lakes National Park, even though it was gray and rainy out. Rainer was vascillating about whether or not he wanted to go, once we were there. I know and he knows that he can be a complainer sometimes, so I told him he could just wait for me, and chill in his warm, dry, comfortable car. We had camped out for 2 nights just a mile from this place, and judging by the food, I will be in no hurry to return to Croatia, so there was no way I was not going to see this place.

So, I was on my own. This place was really beautiful; amazing, actually. There really are thousands of waterfalls; they just seem to shoot out from everywhere as you hike down from lake to lake. The most interesting thing I saw was a waterfall that was maybe four feet or so in width. Its water coursed though a hole in the ground. I have never seen a waterfall shoot straight through the ground in that way.

Despite the rain, the lakes were still very aquamarine. The whole place reminded me a lot of Semuc Campey in Guatemala, and in some parts, of Iguazu Falls, where Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay meet. I have never been to Niagara Falls, even though I am from New York. Some day.

From the Sea to the Mountains

Rainer picked me up, and we both favored going inland to the mountains, rather than hang on the coast. My friend Trent had told me about these lakes in Croatia, and I looked them up on the internet. We made our way to the area and drove down this desolate tiny dirt road until we found a good place to camp. You could tell that no cars go down this road for days at a time, so we just left the car parked in the road and played our music as loud as we wanted. I drank tons of wine, napped by the fire, then went to sleep.

The next day was GRAY and cold. Seriously, not my favorite, especially since these lakes are aquamarine and would shine brilliantly under the sun. It was also Sunday; stores to buy food are closed and only restaurants are open. We went to this restaurant that had wifi, and stayed for hours. The waitor was a teenager and very nervous; it must have been one of his first days. I really ended up liking the mushroom soup, so, in the course of the 4 hours or so that we were there, I ordered 3. For those of you who do not know me- soup is my favorite food. And when you find something that you love in a country with mostly stuff that is not appetizing to you, stick with it, right? They also had pumpkin oil, which tasted and smelled like peanuts. I liked it; Rainer says the kind he has at home is even better.

I am not sure what I am going to do after we leave Croatia. I can get a ride back to Northern Italy, I can go to Austria, or I can go somewhere else and fly back to Rome just in time for my flight. I was kind of thinking it might be cool to take the train somewhere and catch a flight back. Like Prague or Budapest, or someplace. Or maybe, I could go to Milan and firehoop on the street for money, like I planned, you know?
I guess we'll see.

Bidding Farewell

The Swiss are moving on more south, down the Coast, and I will not be joining them, as I can get a ride closer to where I need to fly from in a week and a half. Oh, it has been a ball! Beforehand, I really was not sure how long I would want to hang with them, but it turned out to be so much fun. Larsen is going to come to New York (but not just yet since the Crazy Swiss Fire Bus continues til October and then he wants to go to Argentina to find some treasure). He will be quite a hit with my friends and family; I cannot wait. It will be the best comedy performed live wherever he goes, for whomever is around him.

My former suitor Rainer, from Austria, will be picking me up on his way back from teaching at a tennis camp in Croatia. Not sure what the plan is; I need to be in Rome by the 9th, and he flies to Thailand out of Vienna a day or two after me, so maybe we will hang for a few days, and get me closer to where I need to be. I use the term former suitor because at this time, we both have our hands in some other cookie jars, and I think we will be enjoying eachother's platonic company.

VIP PARTY!!!!

Portraits of Very Important People



Larsen and I have been planning a VIP party. The VIP room is the luxurious room in the back of the camper. By room, I mean bed from wall to wall, with a curtain, and the ability to sit up or even stand. We decided we are going to throw a VIP party, with fancy drinks, and invitations. The invitations went to Prisco, Rahel, and Bjorn, and included:

-state of the art light system (which is actually this headlam that has a strobe setting)
-delicious ice cold vodka drinks (until this point, we had been drinking wine and beer, no ice. And...I LIKE COLD BEVERAGES...so the ice was of utmost importance)
-phantastich mode... aka fantastic fashion
-XXX and non-XXX cinema (played on the laptop)


Now for the setting- we went more south on the Adriatic Coast. Senj is a small touristy town, much of which is encompassed by a fortress-style wall. We camped in this sort of parking lot on the water, with a rocky beach and a sort of boardwalk. I built a really good dam or cooler in the water with rocks, so even after a few hours when the water rose, some of the beverages I'd put in were still secure and cold. I just wanted to make sure that we had cold beverages, just in case we could not find ice.

And finding ice in this town in Croatia, oh boy, what a feat. I searched 13 places and finally, after some inquiry and at least an hour, the gas station had bags of ice. WOO HOO! The VIP party, as are all of my parties, and contingent upon ice cold fancy cocktails. And so, I wrote up a VIP drink menu, which we taped outside of the VIP window, where we would be serving our guests. All were available sprudlen (fizzy)

Eyes of The World: vodka with this orange, carrot, lemon juice. Named because it said “For Better Sight” on the carton.
Red Ruby Slipper- Special blood-red Orangina with vodka
Hawaiin Dreamcatcher- Pineapple juice and vodka. By far, the most popular, fortunately since we had lots of pineapple juice
Blue something blahblah- I forget the name now, but pomengranate and blueberry juice with vodka and club soda)
Prosecco
Cabernet Sauvignon

Not on the menu, but served that evening were:
Bluebird, Bluebird, Through My Window- Prosecco with a splash of the blueberrypomengranate juice

Absynth

I was the dj for the night- Afro-Cuban Jazz Project, Jazz Mandolin Project, and Amon Tobin. Larsen cooked this Swiss food that was great, and I did the gorgonzola, cream cheese and scallion dip I love. We dined as the sun was setting over the sea; as all people should when they are VIP.

This older Austrian couple hung with us for a long time. I talked to the bottle blond biker-ish lady a bit; she was nice enough. The guy I did not talk to. But apparently, he had made some comments to Rahel that did not please her to say the least. And by the end of the smash hit VIP evening, I realized he was one of those older guys who is gay but will never ever be able to admit it to himself. The next day, they had left before we awoke, and he had left a letter thanking us on the camper. Included was his business card...............massage therapist.

The day after the VIP party, I ate grilled squid stuffed with cheese and ham. I ate it, and it was not horrible, but when I think of it now, I am grossed out. Honestly, the food in Croatia has not been that good. And I am not picky, really. Much of it seems to be a strange combination or variation of dishes typical to the countries surrounding it. And in addition to the dishes not being cheap (expensive, actually, especially for what they are), they give you bread (which is usually not good bread) and they they charge you for it, when you do not ask for it and do not eat it. So, not impressed. And at one place, you could tell the guy was really trying to get us to order expensive crap. This was the same place that charged like 5 or 6$ for a large mug of coke.

Creepy Spot in Croatia

Today it rained, and we left for Croatia. We are camping near some place I am too lazy to find the name of right now- this spot is strange. There are TONS of bungaloes and empty campers; as it turns out, the ownership is changing hands in a week or two. Not sure what that means exactly, but there are electric hookups and we are right near the water. It feels creepy here- all these old, empty places with no one here in the high tourist season.

We all left to go to the far away town for a bar/restaurant, because some of the Swiss want to see some football soccer game. Rahel and I took bikes in case we wanted to leave early. Well, there was the craziest of ominous winds and I would say maybe 2 thirds the way there, I told them I was going back to the camper. If they want to watch sports and drink, let them, but I will not expend my energy, pedaling with little gain except getting practically blown over, just so I can eat, drink a few blahblahs and return in the stormy dark to where I started from. If the bar they were at happened to be showing a Curb Your Enthousiasm marathon, or Beverly Hills 90210- no problem. But, come on.

And so, I went back. And..... Wow, AMAZING sunset. The tiny beach, the sailboats, the mountains across the clear turquoise water (and I cannot forget, the nearby industrial something, perhaps powerplant) had the backdrop of electrified rainbow sherbert. It was ridiculous. I do not have a camera; mine is being repaired by fuji and the one I bought from the pawn shop didn't work ;(. So I took the one I could find in the camper, took some great pictures, and the camera case blew away. I was really scared for a minute or two about having to tell whomever's it is that I used their camera and lost the case. But, I found it crammed between some rocks. I told you the wind was crazy. Even my beer blew away. It was almost full and a tall boy.

Another Night In Slovenia (And Another Little Camper Crashing Situation)

Last night, we stayed at another place in Slovenia. Bjorn made quite the entrance. He pretty much slightly crashed the camper, with ease, into part of a house or porch or something... the town cop´s house as it turned out. The cop, who does not speak English or German, told the lady who owned the camp place to tell him he was a bad driver. Bjorn agreed, and then the matter was resolved.

The place was a family farm with a bit of a camping area. The lady who we dealt with spoke great English, and had the stature and haircut of a rotund 13 year-old boy, but when I saw her face I must say had beautiful features. Strange (cause at first I thought she was a boy, but it turned out she was a short, hefty, beautiful woman). There was a barn, some houses, fields, mountains, and... this tiny white creepy church. I only call it creepy cause the setup of the place was a small family compound, not a village, yet there was a tiny white church. Or maybe it just had a cross on it for decoration. A quarter a mile away, there was a smaller white, new building with a cross on it (it was the size of a closet, whereas the first was the size of a room). If you have read my previous posts, you can gather an idea on my feelings of organized religion intertwined with politricks. There were 5 or 6 black cats, whom I loved (but the 4 I dealt with all had colds and sounded like sleeping fat kids when I pet them.)

Slovenia Is My Favorite Place So Far, Definitely

(top picture is of this rotten milk we left out in view of the field we were camped in, the milk which later larsen peed in when he was drunk. next is larsen, known to his friends as "lazy" or something sounding quite like it. below that is the great food we had, and a picture of the road just where we got stuck, then a picture of the tractor that had to pull us out, then a picture of the camper, stuck between a pile of rocks and a guard rail)

What a pleasant surprise Slovenia is. It is a hidden jewel of Europe. It is a very small country next to Italy, and above Croatia. If I remember correctly, it is the setting for the movie Hostel. Well, it is nothing like the movie. I am almost mad at that movie for portraying such a beautiful place in a creepy light.

We went to these HUGE caves (Park Skocjanske), and it was one of the coolest places I have ever been. Astoundingly so. Indiana Jones, for real. The landscape of where we are bears a striking resemblance to upstate New York. Like the Catskills or the Adirondacks.

After the camper got stuck going down a hill, wedged between rocks and a guard rail, we had to have a farmer pull us out with a tractor. It was silly, and a one of a kind moment. We are camping at an amazing place. Next to a tiny waterfall, river, in a field of tiny purple wildflowers, amidst a mountain. Yeah, it is so amazing I must write a specific entry about this spot, as free advertising to the lady who owns the place. I used her internet (which is how I found out about my Uncle Brian's death), and her husband had just harvested some of their favorite mushrooms. She invited me to eat the mushrooms in eggs and onions, and drink beer. It was great. So yeah, entry will be a little travel review piece as thanks for it her being so nice and it being so beautiful here. Plus, I notice she does arts&crafts.

I brought this blowup tube and sat in the river, just under the tiny waterfall that is next to where we were camped. I ate pretzels and read this non-fiction book I bought in Tuscany about a serial killer in the villages surrounding Florence. I am done with that book now (The Monster of Florence)... it was long and good. I have one more- The Bonfire of the Vanities, that will hopefully last me through my remaining time. If there was no such thing as internet tv and arts&crafts, there would be nothing left for me to do in Philadelphia. We used this pink canoe on the river. We also had the best dinner.... some sort of meat (pork, maybe, oh my favorite!) with some sort of baconish thing on top, then cheese on top, with tomato stuff all up in it. And, saffron mushroom risotto. Larsen made the former and Prisco made the latter, and they were both AMAZING. Oh, by the way, the wine made in Slovenia is not as bad as I expected at all. It is totally drinkable.

To end the night, another game of Risk was played. The first time I played with these people, I almost won. I held the power for much of the game. But on this evening, Lady Luck was not so kind. So I drank a 2 euro bottle of brut, and gave up. Then, as the game was winding down, we all did our fire stuff in the field. It was great. Rahel, who had just tried the firehoop a week or two ago, is getting less afraid and better acquainted. She was particularly fabulous while James Brown was playing. Although I sort of thought we would have been doing fireshows on the street while I was on this trip, we have not, and I am ok with that, as I am having a ball.

Dujceva Domacija

This place is amazing. Just 10 or so minutes away from the Skocjan caves, there is camping amongst trees, a field, river (with free use of a canoe), a tiny waterfall, horses to ride, electricity hook-ups and more. For camping, there are nice bathrooms, hot showers, hot water for washing dishes (not the case with other places we have stayed). The women who runs the place is the best, and she runs a great hotel on the property. The price was quite reasonable, so I endulged. The rooms smelled amazing (my nose rules me at times), there are common balconies with mountain views, adorable hand-crafted décor, and internet access if you need. You could call it a boutique hotel, but better yet, it is a boutique guesthouse. Three thumbs up.