Saw some cool things today, whilst doing all the things I set out to do yesterday. San Diego is certainly a city, an American city ( I say this to rightly distinguish Boston as a more European city where a car is unnecessary). I like being able to know the heart of the city, setting up there, and then moving from there outward. That doesn't really have any bearing here. Everything is a series of neighborhoods, all of which comprise the city as a whole. I'm adjusting to this, and by no means am I unhappy, I'm just seeing a different way to go about it all. Downtown here, for example, is just another neighborhood, no better or worse than any other, it just depends on what you like. You could live downtown, but that would only mean you know what goes on downtown, and would be detached from what is going on everywhere else, all of which is equal to or greater than what you would be experiencing elsewhere.
Went to a number of shitty apartments today. Like, terrifyingly awful. Didn't hear much back on the jobs I inquired on yesterday, either. I sent a number of new notices out today on both fronts.
In the midst of all that, saw some very cool things. Been a big fan of La Roux since I heard their song, "Quicksand" on a French compilation I picked up in December of 2008. Found out they were playing here on the 14th and was thrilled I could check them out. A good friend of mine (former workmate) moved out here 8 years ago and we hadn't caught up yet so I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to get together.
I went downtown this morning to score the tickets and found myself in an exposed venue, which was thrilling, because I love restaurants, bars, and clubs when no one is there. It's seeing the side that no one else sees, very enticing.
A bouncy redhead finally made her way down to the box office and sent her smiles our way. Ours implies me and a jacked 20 something blond kid buying a RATT poster. "Are you going to see RATT?, " I asked him (having seen their name on the marquee for a show over the weekend), "Hell yeah! I'm scoring VIP tickets!" As I told him how I had few friends that would love his enthusiasm, I found out that he was originally from Columbia, MO, out here for his service in the Navy. We were both excited at our shared affiliation and I felt I was in the right place, removing all the doubt I felt when I quickly determined the flow of my daily tasks earlier that morning. I had figured it right.
Only twenty five minutes later, I was pressing away on the ellipsis machine at the gym, listening to Genesis, when a lady came to the machine in front of me with her assistance dog. She went to work on her cardio, and her German Shephard settled down to the floor with his pack over his back and stared down at the reflection of the check-in desk, before finally settling in for what I'm sure was a well deserved nap. I felt lucky to witness this.
The afternoon, filled with horrendous domiciles and unanswered phone calls blurred by. I made a quick stop to the beach along Grand Avenue to indulge in the Pacific. The water was numbing but invigorating, no sign of those horrifying jellyfish the news had warned about earlier today.
Once the evening came, it was on to meet my buddy and check out the show. He was un-indoctrinated to La Roux but totally up for a new band. The show was incredible. We changed vantage points three times, taking in the light show, the differences in acoustics/sound mix, and the energy of the audience. The show went far beyond both of our expectations, with hypnotic beats, incredibly soulful singing, and a completely charged up crowd. The tiny club felt like an arena. Blurring lights, rich, heartfelt vocals, pounding rhythm leading us all into shared fixation. Elinore (lead singer) even fell over dancing during one of the songs, and though she could off have played through for all of her Elvis/Michael Jackson inspired moves, she owned up, smiled, and did a bow. Even more ingratiating, she kept thanking the crowd for their support, and signed off for the night by saying, "You stay classy, San Diego." God Bless, Anchorman.
Spilled out into the streets after the show and rolled through the Gaslamp. Went back into Xavier, the karaoke bar where I sang Julio Iglesias last week. I wasn't carded, and was given a hero's welcome by the security staff and bartenders who all remembered me, which was shocking since I was dressed quite differently and had only stayed half an hour. Buoyed by my reception, I sang "Faith," and brought the house down.
Rob and I carried on down the street, which was largely populated by tourists. A frenchwoman stopped us at a corner, and I immediately motioned to take a picture of her with her daughters. "No," she insisted, "please, in photo with girls, as joke," she replied. "As joke?" "As American time," she answered. So Rob and I filled in the photo, careful to avoid the 16 year old girls' lit cigarettes. "Thank you so much, merci," their mother said. "De rien, le plaisir c'est nous," I answered. "Ah, quelle surprise! Merci bien," she exclaimed.
So that was today. Much work, good play. On to tomorrow...
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