the best books of our lives have not been written yet

I wish this day was more clear, it was my Dad’s birthday and I remember calling him but most of the day was spent around my mom’s house with my broken toe celebrating its 1 week anniversary. I did some mapping of old song references for my band YYD’s Orange County on Google Maps, check it out. (listen to the songs on Cllct). On my mom’s advice I signed up to be a poll worker for the Primary Elections happening in early June. I don’t encourage any of you to waste your time voting for any of the stupid candidates but go check out yer local politicians and ballot issues! (Full Disclosure: I’m getting paid $95 to work the polls, heh wonder what I’ll buy…)

I rediscovered my love of Jamaica musics like reggae and dub, spending a good portion of my dad blissing out to classic dubs by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and King Tubby as well as tracks from Toots and the Maytals. After wasting away at home for long enough I decided to go out and see my friend Matt’s band This Time With FEELING (not super into the all caps but that’s how they spell it). 

I arrived at The Copper Door in Santa Ana around 10:15pm hoping to just see TTWF. They were opening the show that was part of a residency for some other band (that was wholly unimpressive..) After trying some delicious Bootlegger’s Hefe, I watched Matt pound the drums behind Ali, Elliot and everyone’s favorite bass player Tony Dean. They killed it, welling up feelings of jealousy, happiness and awe as they jammed out till the bar had to shut down the live music at midnight. They are playing lots of other shows in southern california this summer check out This Time With FEELING (try to get one of their awesome business cards that Matt designed!).

After our long day of driving the day before, I was reluctant to agree to breakfast with my Grandma. But Korok’s flight didn’t leave till 4:15pm and he had to meet my grand old Grandma P. She’s always full of surprises and stories, as well as the occasional racist statement which makes for an interesting time. We went to The Original Pancake House and had some delicious food, including 2 giant apple pancakes eaten by me and my mom. 

After breakfast we met up with some friends of ours Korok knew from random Berkeley encounters. We then clicked in the car and bolted up to LAX, where Korok flew from back to Texas. We then went back home and met up with some of the usual characters.

At James’ house we kicked back and everyone let their hair down and emotions out. It was nearly traumatic for some, confusing for others, but in a haze of egos and ids cooler heads prevailed and deeper understandings were reached. I returned home after 2am, a trend that would continue to persist the rest of my week in Orange County.

We woke up in Big Sur ready to explore the beautiful wilderness and windy coastline along the Pacific Coast Highway. Turning off onto a one lane road, Sycamore, we winded down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Beach. I shed The Boot and began climbing rocks, ostensibly to find a waterfall I had heard was near the beach. I had heard wrong, but never the less we continued to explore the length of the beach, fighting sandstorms north to a forest enclave near a nude sunbathing grandfather. After Korok climbed on top of this huge rock, we returned to the car and headed to the Big Sur Taphouse.

We snuck a peak at their beer menu and spotted the legendary Pliny The Elder. We knew we had to stop and have some. Another local brew also caught our eyes, Big Sur Golden, so we hunkered down and order some sandwiches. After playing a few games of Connect 4 (where I dominated!) we finally finished our beers and took leave. We then cruised by Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

Evading parking fees off the highway, we slipped down to the trail overlooking a glorious waterfall. The same waterfall we had been searching for earlier at the beach! We made secret plans to return and sneak down to the water (since the overlook trail is only along the cliffside). Korok and I climbed up to a point just above the lip of the falls and shared an epic smoke looking out across the Pacific Ocean. 

After we left Big Sur we started winding down the coast, past Hearst Castle, past the Henry Miller Library, finally stopping off at the Elephant Seal Sanctuary. We took a break at Morro Rock, and then started off on the last leg of our trip. We arrived back in Orange County after getting to the very end of Pacific Coast Highway, serenaded by my band Your Yellow Dress’s 2009 album “Orange County, We’re Nothing At All Like the Shows”. We had finally arrived back at my home, ready for the next chapter to begin.

Korok and I woke up in Santa Cruz ready to head out for a monday full of adventure. We first headed to The Crepe Place for breakfast only to discover it wasn’t open till 11am! The Crepe Place is a restaurant and music venue located in an old courthouse just south of downtown and the boardwalk (Seaside I think?). Since the restaurant wasn’t open me and Korok killed a half-hour down by the marina, warming up for the a long day of sightseeing. 

After dining in the quaint back garden (which reminded me of so many cafes in Berkeley), we headed toward Castroville and the GIANT ARTICHOKE. We took pictures, got some food (and fresh produce!), and then checked out the Steinbeck House in Salinas (which was closed on mondays). Making our way down to Monterey, we stopped in Sand City to kick back on some sanddunes (although not before getting sketched out by the police after we finally found a parking spot near the dunes). We rested in a little valley, shielding us from the wind, enjoying the panoramic views of the Monterey Bay. I warmed up my toes in the sand, and took a nice respite from The Boot. 

We had a hard time locating some of the historical building in Monterey but after a short jaunt down Cannery Row we decided to forget Monterey and head to Pebble Beach for the 17-Mile Drive. The drive was beautiful, taking us past lush golf courses, forests and seaside outcroppings of trees and rocks galore. We saw the Lone Cypress as well as Spyglass Hill during our quest, stopping off at a few golf courses and points of interest for drinks, clicks and relaxation. 

Exiting Pebble Beach into Carmel, we stopped by a Frank Lloyd Wright custom home then made our way to Safeway to pick up supplies for our stay that night in Big Sur. After loading up on beer, cheese, sandwich material and gasoline we drove down the coast along the truly winding parts of PCH, past the D.L. James House (designed by Greene and Greene) to Riverside Campgrounds and Cabins. Me and Korok rented Cabin 5 and began our rage as soon as we opened our curtains to reveal a quaint view of the camp and the Big Sur River. After copious drinks, food and Mad Men, we passed out.

We slept in after the rage of the night before, then prepared to head out on the the open road. We got held up in Berkeley for a few hours but boy was it worth it! We couldn’t contact a friend to see him before we left but luckily he was able to meet up with us before we headed out. I traded for some supplies we needed on the long roads and in good spirits we all said goodbye and parted. 

To avoid the traffic on the Bay Bridge, we headed south to the Dumbarton Bridge to take us over to Stanford and the Hanna House (another home designed by F.L. Wright). We explored and clicked Stanford, laughing heartily at their giant boob-penis anti-clock tower. The Campanille, here at Berkeley, may not be as wide and fancy, but it sure does exude more elegance and strength than that awkward sausage (which doesn’t even have a clock face) at Stanford. 

Tracing Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s tire tracks, we strolled down Perry Lane and flew through the hills of La Honda, where Kesey legendary ranch/flophouse for acidheads. We emerged as night fell over San Gregorio and sprinted to Santa Cruz to meet up with our host for the night, my friend Eric. Once we made it to his place in Santa Cruz, we drove along the cliffs observing the Boardwalk, the ocean, and the stars, the beautiful beacons hope fluttering in the sky.

This was suppose to be the third day of Korok and I’s end of the school year road trip. The sights of San Francisco was on the docket as well as a graduation party later that evening.

We took the morning easy while Korok moved his stuff out of his room at his frat house. Then we headed on over to the gift shop at 140 Maiden Lane, designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The gift shop was designed for V.C. Morris but is now occupied by an art and artifact gallery. There is no public stairwell to the second floor, instead Wright used this commission to test a prototype circular ramp that he would go on to use in the Guggenheim museum in NYC!

After, we headed toward Washington Square Park, hoping to stop at City Lights Bookstore along the way and get a drink at a secret bar Korok knew of. Unfortunately none of those things happened and we ended up climbing around the Coit Tower as well as checking out a click-worthy views of the bay in the trees below the tower itself. We drove on down to the waterfront, by Fisherman’s Wharf, but found nothing of interest until I spotted one of the signs for San Francisco’s famous 49 Mile Drive. 

Winding through the Presidio we discovered new museums, points of historical interest and beautiful views surrounded by the breezy trees that dot the hills of San Francisco. The road closed as we hit the coast, forcing us to stop-start through the Sunset and Outter Richmond down toward SFSU. Finally gaining bearing, I piloted us to our final destination: Tim’s Graduation Party!

While the party could encompass a whole other blog entry, I’ll just say that it was so much fun to hang out with Tim’s various relatives I have met over the years! We listened to great music from the 60s/70s, ate some professionally catered food from his Aunt (who LOVED to dance and tried to get all us young guys to dance with her) and drank copious amounts of Anchor Steam provided by Tim’s uncle who works at the brewery! Finally the adults cleared out after 5 or 6 hours of celebrating, food, dance and talk; the young folks took over and clicked it into the night. 

Korok and I returned back to Berkeley well after 1am, resting the night for our journey down the coast that was to begin!

ps: congrats TIM for finishing yer degree in history and getting into USF! Teach ‘em kids their history!

So I woke up with terrible pain in my toe. Not taking any chances, I made contingency plans to go see the doctor in Urgent Care at the Tang Center. My friend Matt’s brother Tim had been staying with me for the week. Him and his girlfriend (who are moving to Berkeley!) took me to Urgent Care where I got x-rayed. 

After giving me THE BOOT, a big black plastic and velcro-ridden stump that is vaguely like a ski boot, I returned to Koroks to waste the day away with Mad Men and clicks galore. I hobbled around the town, trying to keep pressure off my toe (this is where THE BOOT greatly helped) the rest of the day and night. 

It could’ve been an epic Friday but I was exhausted from the hiking and broken toe, so I wearily retired in anticipation of San Francisco adventure the coming day. Saturday, Korok and I continued our summer road trip by heading out to The City during the day before a graduation party that night. 

The day truly began when we (Korok, Ryan and I) crossed the Richmond Bridge into Marin County, sliding up Highway 37 to the Sonoma Valley. We drove up and down the Highway 12 Sonoma Valley Wineries sampling various free wines, gently saucing ourselves in Dionysian nectar. We met a fellow Cal Bear at the St. Francis Winery, she was a teacher as well as wine wizard, telling us stories of the beginning of California wineries, port and meritage. She gave us a free tasting with 3 extra glasses, plus a comp for the next time we’re in Sonoma!

We made our way to Sugar Loaf State Park to check out its beauty before the state closes it due to budget cuts.. such a shame, it was magnificent. We sat at the junction of two streams gently flowing through the long grass and green foliage of the forest. Unfortunately for me, as I was climbing down the the stream bed I suddenly slipped and began stumbling down a hill toward the water. SMASH, and SPLASH; one foot into a rock and one into the stream. I broke the front of my big toe and broke part of the underside of my big toe. 

After we clicked on over to Napa Valley, Gott’s Roadside cascaded into our bellies. I had a delicious pulled pork chipotle BBQ sandwich on cheddar baked bread. The garlic fries were a bit overwhelming but the atmosphere a total throwback to the fifties and completely charming.

We finished the night with a drive up to the Marin Headlands, just North of the Golden Gate Bridge (which I have still never set foot on..) Tiptoeing through WWII bunkers and tunnels, we arrived at the edge of the sea. 500 feet suspended in the air on a great balcony facing the West we shared a sunset smoke as the night settled in over The Bay.

(Of course, we did run into one other major problem.. we were out hiking the headlands too late, after 9PM. We saw a cop light up our parked car so we dashed for cover waiting for it to pass. After it did we made our way to a locked gate. Assuming the drivers seat, I powered us off road and home free to drive back to Berkeley.)

I spent the morning preparing for the road trip I was going to leave for the next day… but as you will learn that trip derailed… Honestly I was so psyched from the previous day’s beach trip that I took it super easy all day, clicking and watching Mad Men. 

I was pleasantly interrupted by Kareem, who tipped me off to a graduation party for one of our friends! We pregamed at the BMUN House with the the crew and then wandered our drunken way to the party. 

Last time I went to a party at Nir’s house, I jumped out their window in a stunt of Sauced GLORY. I avoided that this time but did get to flow with my guys and talk about hockey + hip hop with some cool dudes from Jersey.

I got straight A’s this semester!! WIN!