2004-03-24|12:11 p.m.
Earlier this month I went on a road trip with Anna and Jessi to Arcata (in Humboldt County) and San Francisco. Since SF marked the nearly halfway marker, not so much in distance as in actual time it takes to get there (windy, wooded roads), we stayed in the neighboring Oakland where Jessi had a friend who let us stay a couple nights. In SF, we had most of our excitement. SF brought: seeing a transvestite pull a 12 inch blade on a few harassing dudes in the middle of a sidewalk at four in the afternoon; dancing in a cage with Jessi at the Cat Club�s 80s night; dancing again with Jessi (we�re a dancing team!) with two very traditionally attractive men in a near-compromising way who I was certain were gay, but Anna thought were only �European� (so what they had accents!); seeing the photos of Justin (Jessi�s Oakland friend) with the naked, elephantitus-of-the-testicles man from the nearby gay bar, dancing even more; eating and loving We Be Sushi sushi, walking around downtown, going to some warehouse club on 12th Street to see the Gravy Train play where I was pushed on stage and danced all crazy with them; caring after Jessi, Justin and Anna�s friend we met up with there after the three of them got insanely drunk and in Anna�s poor friend�s case very sick; driving up to Petaluma and back to SF (which took around two hours for the total drive) that same night to take aforementioned Anna-friend home because she was incapable of even walking, let alone driving; bonding even more with Anna as we tried to laugh off the fact that we had our night cut short due to drunkard-caretaking; and walking around Berkeley and falling in love with it.
From San Francisco, came a night drive up to Humboldt County and the city of Arcata, which was our essential destination. Humboldt�s list of action is much shorter: we smoked a lot of free pot (Anna and I); walked around forests of redwoods; made dinner nearly every night in Jessi�s old apartment; went to a L-Word party where I kept wanting to draft a joke about how many lesbians you could fit in one small apartment�s living room; and ate delicious hippie, vegetarian friendly foods including my simple favorite�biscuits and gravy. Sounds so calm it could be considered boring, huh? Well, it wasn�t. I actually think I liked the relaxing element of the tiny town of Arcata over the excitement of the fast-paced though friendly SF.
Jessi was there to sell and take back home the last of her belongings. She attended Humboldt State to get her BA in Feminist Theory and minor in museum work, and after finishing she got a rad internship at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA. Her flat-mate was nice enough to save Jessi�s room with her belongings in it until she returned to take care of them free of rent, which is what called on the road trip. We tagged along as company for Jessi. It was super nice that she asked we do so.
Also, on our way back to Southern California, we stopped in San Francisco again for one night, that time staying in SF, itself, at another close friend of Anna�s. That night was pretty mellow as most of us were pretty tired and weary from all the traveling and such.
I did a lot of missing of Abe towards the end of the trip. I think it was mostly due to San Francisco. He and I somewhat randomly stayed up there a several years back after saving as much as we could. It was romantic, innocent, and nice. It made me realize I missed that, more than I really missed Abe as he exists today. And that sounds like it might be the kind of realization that makes you move on, but in a way it isn�t. It�s like missing the way you used to like to dig holes in your back yard or play house with your friends. That feeling never comes back and you�re left only with the memory of it; and yet, certain things trigger those memories all of the time. It�s a mental purgatory of sorts. I went and saw Eternal Sunshine (which I found out about several months ago at randomly looking up David Cross movies on IMDB) on its opening day and I cried through nearly the whole thing. I am tired of finding out about more lies and feeling drained from the pain of it. But what else could I even do? I cannot let hate dry up the pain that love causes to linger. The movie made me certain of that. But I just wish I could be over the sleepless nights and hard-to-get-up mornings caused by this unwanted grief. I am happy with the relationship I have. This person and myself make such a great team; it�s altogether inspiring. So why am I still thinking about you?
Ok, enough of that sappy, crap. Photos of trips are far more interesting:
In SF, The Beauty Bar, Jessi, Anna, and myself. Apparently, you can get a manicure for free at happy hour with the purchase of a cocktail. We showed up too late.
In Arcata, Jessi. She took us to these ocean-side cliffs.
In Arcata, Jessi, myself, and her flat-mate, Margaret. Same cliffs.
In Arcata, Anna, Margaret and Jessi. We are walking down this cliff�s path to a small beach.
In Arcata, Margaret. She�s standing on the beach and I doubt she knew I got this photo. It�s one of my favorites.
In Arcata, that�s me! I am intimidatingly strong, huh?
In Arcata, me again. I am sorry.
Arcata, Anna. Whale Rider, minus the Maoris and plus an old, gross littered joint being fake smoked by some copper-haired misfit.
Arcata, me. Whale Rider, minus the academy nomination worthy acting and plus some weird girl posing as if she were some hot, sorority girl riding a mechanical bull. Gross, but in a self-deprecating kind of way, maybe funny.
Arcata, Anna. Redwoods are amazingly beautiful. These pictures really do no justice.
Arcata, trees. I thought it was really amazing the way that the newer tree was growing up over the stump of the older.
Arcata, tree. This tree, which didn�t look like a redwood, was growing out of the stump of another and in the branches were twenty or so spider webs. It was as if it were decorated for Christmas.
Arcata, �The Plaza.� The Plaza is like the town center and is a square block around. Surrounded by redwoods, occupied by lumberjacks, factory workers, academics, and some vagrant, hippie-types, and supplied by a �plaza� of small businesses, this place is the perfect cute, Northern California town.
Somewhere among the scenic route out of the redwood forest, Jessi, myself, and Anna. Tree-huggers!
San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. We were leaving and entering back into SF and I thought I should get one last picture.
The past week or so, I have been staying at Anna�s (is it ok that I consider them my friends now?) friend�s house. They went to Italy and asked that Anna stay and housesit and take care of their lovely, cute pets. I got to help out and it was super fun. Anna and I got to play house and lounge around. And then Thyme and Adria, who I am going to call my friends from now on, returned with gifts for us! It was more than nice. Plus, they came home and showed us their video diary which made me all excited about traveling someday. Someday.
It�s been a nice, long vacation. School starts next week with a new quarter. I am ready, I think.