luna llena y tetris

a full moon illuminated night
after a beautiful-blue-skied-
with-big-fluffy-white-clouds day
in San Diego
a blurry sort of bad photo
but that i think captures a bit of the dramatic
effect of this full moon with clouds



just waiting for a little witch to appear
from behind the branches of the tree
ridding her broom while cackling

and celebrating the 25 year of Tetris
i decided to play some online
hours later and with sore index and middle finger
i post this and go to zzz
here in case you want to loose yourself on the 80's too
free tetris

rain on the weekend is always better than a sunny Tuesday with an unexpected root canal

the weekend was gray and drizzling
for two days i didn't see the sunshine
and that's a lot to say for San Diego

yet, it was a good weekend
my cousin JC was visiting
so we went to a couple of my
favorite places around the city



we visited again my favorite used
bookstore in the Hillcrest area (my prior neighborhood)
Bluestocking Books


this photo above is from this weekend
and here an older sepia photo of this beloved place of mine
i remember e-mailing this photo to the store owner
and telling her to use it if she'd like to
i think is the same photo she included on her website!
i am flattered!

and then we had a hot plate of Phở
at my favorite Phở place in El Cajon Blvd.
Phở Hòa



I have eaten Phở in other places
but this is for far the BEST Phở not only
in town, but after reading many online reviews
apparently is even better than many Phở in
Saigon itself, oh well well
no wonder why my mother insists on going there
at least twice while she visits
(here a sunnier shot of the happy cow)

and so it was a good weekend
but a little of tooth pain started sinking in
so today i decided to visit the dentist
only to confirm that i have an infected canine
and below a bridge, so with no more time to waste
and in the same visit the dentist tells me
i must have a root canal, the sooner the better
so, just like that, without being 'mentally'
prepared, nor prepared in ANY way
after what i thought might be an almost preventive
visit to the dentist, i had a root canal
only a couple of hours ago
of course there's the magic of anesthetics
sadly i had only local anesthesia, so i was
rather aware of the procedure

and as i type, i feel it wearing off
leaving turn to a mild strange pain

ah i just hope the Advil works so i can sleep

i guess i'll rely on the good moments of
the weekend, the mild rain in the morning
my fingers caressing the books at Bluestocking books
and the wonderful fragrance of a hot plate of Phở at
Phở Hòa

i still have many visits to the dentist until
this procedure is done, but at least the worst part
is behind... i truly hope this was my last ever root canal

i know i know
what a boring post!
but if you live in San Diego
(hint hint mister Smorg)
you have now the tip of where to eat the best Phở in town
and where to find used (and new) books in a lovely atmosphere

maladjusted

'It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.'
- J. Krishnamurti

Ps. mein Kopf tut weh
Pd. me duele la cabeza

Requiem for the Boa

mister boa in a bag

today is a very sad day for the feline world
a super cool specimen of cat has died
my beloved friend Boa
who my beloved friend Perro took care of
for over 15 years of his little furry life
he had to be put to sleep today

after living with Perro for 15 years
Boa, the cat left us a trace of memories and adventures
hard to forget
i had the pleasure to roommate with Boa
for about 1 year and a half
and i've been knowing him as long as i've been
knowing Perro, that is, since June 2001

Boa had a great 'personality'
he wasn't your regular shy cat
oh not at all! maybe 'cause he was a stray
before meeting Perro, he indeed captured
the cheerfulness and savviness from the
streets of San Diego

I remember him, 'hanging out' at parties with us
his brother, cat Gibby, more like a 'normal' cat
(and not that Gibby is normal but...) but Gibby
would go to Perro's room and sort of hide of the
group of friends while we were drinking beer
and talking out loud... but not Boa!
he would just seat around us, even if falling asleep
paying attention to what anybody would say
fighting to keep himself awake
with a group a lunatic humans
(i bet he thought that of us...)
and he always behaved as a part of the 'gang'
& whenever there were people around
he would jump on some unknown guest lap
specially on laps of pretty girls
he was not a silly cat!
he really liked girls' laps
and he indeed made his human dad Perro
very mad at many times, jumping on top
of counters, decks, and forbidden spaces
until a couple of days ago
Perro tried to educate him
Boa always got away with whatever he wanted
and being his crazy self active cat
until this his last day in the land of the living


Gibby (full name Gibson) and Boa, back in 2005

and just as it seems to happen with humans
the cool ones seems to go faster, somehow
but I am glad that the Boa lived to age 16
and of having meeting him and getting
some of his feline cheerfulness

sure he's already having a blast
in cat heaven, rolling on heavenly catnip
and eating cloudy endless fish at all times

here a couple of photos of him from 23
a couple have several comments
worth mentioning, from friends in Europe
and New York city
Boa had his
moments of internet stardom too!

and as i've been learning
specially on this 2009
death is the only certain part of life
but anyhow...

long live the Boa cat in our hearts!

mogwai, tomorrow

Friday night
i am seeing Mogwai
at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach
always some structured melodic noise
is good to smear on one's soul

their Stanley Kubrick song



and opening for them
Dead Meadow
[worth checking out their website...]
never heard this band before
but they are with
Matador Records
and that's a good start
and if all their songs sound like this one
somber, dark
then i am gonna like them
yes, i think so...

of skunks and homemade music

it seems that i am making friends with
Pepe Le Pew, this little mister skunk
he's one of the three who live next door
sometimes i see two of them, or one at the time
they come around for cat leftover food and seeds that
from the bird feeder, lately, i've been sharing
scraps of food, left overs of fruit and veggies
since they are messy eaters, when i saw this red little
double dish at Target for only 0.89 ¢, i bought it
and mister Pepe Le Pew, he seems to like it!
and every night they are a little less afraid of me
just hoping they won't spray me!, but it seems
that we are becoming friends



and along with the discovery of this stinky friendship
last night came too this great homemade music
that my friend perro found on FAWM.org
February Album Writing Month

now this is a very cool website where 'amateur'
musicians composed & upload an album in just one month
and this is a short month too! being February it

perro (as Looprication) composed a great album
a wonderful piece of electronic heaven/mess
some tracks have some obscure great lyrics
click on the link below to listen to his songs
Songs for the Darkness, Songs for the Dawn


and yesterday he gave me a copy
of these duo that have a set of clever, ironic,
soulful, superb lyrics, with a very fresh sound
and music
worth checking them out!
Ben & Petie
every song is a jewel

and to think, this is only some
homemade music...

feliz día de las madres

Happy mother's day!
Zum Muttertag der Mutti das Beste!
¡Feliz Día de las Madres!


mi mamá, Doña Berenice Navarro in Autlán, México - December 2008

and a special congratulations
to my dear friend Lisa
who celebrate her first mother's day
as her lovely daughter Saskia was born
in April

thank you! to all the mothers in the world
who have taken the big responsibility with love
of continuing this rather unique human race

posting via e-mail, a photo and a soul song

i found this feature
posting via e-mail
just checking if it works

and with an attachment too
this old photo
a man meditating in Ocean Beach

i wonder where the e-mail
is going to attach the photo
in which position and size on the page

this happened, the man meditating episode
in what it seems
a long time ago...

where does the time...
all together go?

since i became 40
i seem to be able to hear
the time slipping by
every second, somehow
i feel the transitory/brief
state of life

i think i feel like this
'cause i enjoy the birds
and looking for the lost cats
i enjoy the sun, the light,
the early mornings with coffee
and the late nights with books

even if i am calmer lately
and i don't talk much or go outside
i do enjoy more life
and i feel it's brief
'cause i don't want to die
i do now realize
i like to be alive
i'd like to last for a while now
but without changes
just an eternal afternoon
seated on my patio outside
alone, with birds chirping
cats walking by
soft breeze on my face
and a Haruki Murakami book
with an endless story
a book that as i turn pages
seems to always grow...

Into the Wild (film)

I watched this film
Into the Wild
this past weekend
it left echos in my soul
that will resonate for a long time



directed by Sean Penn
the film is based on the book
of the same name by Jon Krakauer

the book and film follow
the true story and adventures of
Christopher McCandless
an American dreamer, walker, who looked
to escape from the chains of 'society'
immersing himself 'Into the Wild',
he changed his name for Alexander Supertramp
and followed his dreams all the way to Alaska...

here McCandless
on his last self-portrait as found in an
undeveloped film in his camera in the
"magic Bus", smiling, fulfilling his dreams



the film, as the life and dreams of McCandless,
is full of controversy, but also full of
beauty in many ways, visually, literature-wise,
and even if hearth breaking, i found the film
rather inspiring

if you appreciate literature, this movie
will capture your heart too
full of insight and quotes
most from McCandless himself
and others from authors such as Lord Byron

the soundtrack of the film by Eddie Vedder
has its dose of controversy itself
I personally think he did an excellent job
and each one of the lyrics go according
McCandless notes and thoughts
here one of the songs that won a Golden Globe
the more i listen to it
the deeper it engraves itself into my little heart
Guaranteed



On bended knee is no way to be free
Lifting up an empty cup, I ask silently
All my destinations will accept the one that's me
So I can breathe...

Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
Half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know
A mind full of questions, and a teacher in my soul
And so it goes...

Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Holding me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you...

Everyone I come across, in cages they bought
They think of me and my wandering, but I'm never what they thought
I've got my indignation, but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive...

Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere
Underneath my being is a road that disappeared
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead
Overhead...

Leave it to me as I find a way to be
Consider me a satellite, forever orbiting
I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me
Guaranteed

[another great song]

Coachella by el perro

my super friend perro
has been writing these amazing
reviews from the Coachella festival
if you like 'indie-alternative' music
rock, or whatever that means
you'll truly enjoy them
full of the richest media!

here one of my favorite videos
this is what i call being in a rock festival