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April 29, 2005

H&M

Until there is an H&M store in the Bay Area, buying relatively inexpensive yet well-designed clothing is relegated to just the East Coast. I had several hours of free time in New York City, and was able to secure many pairs of brightly-colored underwear and socks. Me like-y.

Posted by Charlie at 09:38 PM | Comments (1)

April 27, 2005

ABC

Ashley and I had our interviews at ABC last night. I was a little peeved that it was at 11PM, thus killing any chances of catching up with Kevin, but once at the television studio I realized that this will probably be the last time that I would be interviewed for an international show. I soaked up the experience, being the quintessential tourist and taking pictures left and right. The anchorman worked in Seattle for several years for FOX, and we made chit-chat about Seattle and such. Good times.

Posted by Charlie at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2005

Oh Yes

We had our keynote presentation today at the Smithsonian, hosted by the Asian Pacific American program there. It was a crowded venue, perhaps our biggest since the Seattle stop. We were eloquent, articulate, and well-spoken. We kicked ass. I had never felt more confident in the five of us. And then I look down at my pants and saw that my zipper was undone.

Posted by Charlie at 07:09 PM

Picking Up Pace

The New York Times article came out today, and although it's great to be featured in such a prestigious publication, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't enough coverage on the Tour. Pretty much the only soundbites used from the four-hour interview were of Geetha's dating habits and Aaron's violent tendencies. All in the name of a good story, I guess. But still...

So things are finally picking up pace. We have five back-to-back events this week, and it's going to be an extremely taxing process. I'm worried that my body is going to collapse at any moment; we all haven't been getting enough sleep or eating well, but the experience in itself is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we'll still young, so I'm confident that we'll hold up. It's going to be an interesting experience, though, interviewing Senator Obama after driving 6 hours through the night without so much as a shower or nap beforehand. Hmmmm...

Had breakfast with a reporter from NPR today. She is sooo fucking awesome and refreshingly sarcastic and witty. It did become a little unsettling having her recording our every conversation, and I did my best to not say anything I would not regret, like the fact that I haven't been regular for the past few weeks.

Posted by Charlie at 08:22 AM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2005

A Photo Gallery

This photo was taken at some bar in West Hollywood. I don't remember too much about this place, seeing as I was pretty lushed, but I do recall go-go dancers in tiny white briefs and whole lotta gay men.

We stopped somewhere in the middle of Texas and had a wonderful discussion with a fellow cross-country traveller, a driver of some really heavy furniture with a lot of interesting stories to tell. He told me of how a fellow coworker of his got killed when the truck he was driving crashed into a tree, trapping his body under the 20 tons of paper that he was transporting. Sick way to die, huh?

New Orleans really is a pretty place, but man, it can stink sometimes.

This guy's my idol. He was playing one of those guitar-shaped synthesizers, playing some electroclash-influenced tune while mumbling something about milk. To top it off, even though you can't see it in this picture, he's standing on a red plastic crate. Awesome.

Posted by Charlie at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2005

The Middle of Nowhere

Our RV broke down outside of Montgomery, Alabama yesterday afternoon, and we had to spend the night outside the RV repair shop, using the Mad Max - as we like to call it - as a makeshift house. It really was a fun experience, the five of us enclosed within a small-sized bus, just having random conversations about nothing and everything in general. Even though we were in the middle of nowhere and the thoughts of us getting murdered in our sleeps entered our minds (ever watched Easy Rider?), we were able to stay distracted by watching Mean Girls and goof-off in front of the camera. Good times.

Posted by Charlie at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2005

The Big Easy

I am having a love/hate relationship with New Orleans. Things I love about the Big Easy: beautiful architecture, rich history, and delicious food. One word about the cuisine: succulent! So far I had seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, Cajun fried chicken, red bean rice with sausage, and rabbit jambalaya, po-boy, fried catfish, and beignets. I've never been happier gastronomically. The architecture here is so interesting in that there are three primary influences that came together in a wonderful fusion of art and culture: the West European (French and Spanish), West African, and Native American. As a lover of art history, just knowing the minute differences in the influences between one building to the next is personally intoxicating. We took a tour of the history of Creole culture here, a time in pre-American history where people of many races were able to coexist quite peacefully without much regard to skin color.

Things I don't like about New Orleans. I visited the (in)famous Bourbon Street and I must say, I'm just glad I decided not to drink that night. Nor do I intend to drink anything for a while, especially after witnessing what went on there. First of all, the entire place smelled of vomit, cigar smoke, piss, and alcohol. Second, and even more convincing, is seeing 50 year old woman take off her top in hopes of garnering a few beads while her husband cheers her on. There are drunk people everywhere, stumbling over each other, trampling on horse shit, vomiting in the streets, all in drunken debauchery of the worst kind. I left Bourbon Street with a sour taste in my mouth and my clothes reeking of funk.

But the rich history and food definitely makes New Orleans a place I would want to visit again in the future, when I have more time to do a more thorough exploration of this magical place.

Posted by Charlie at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2005

The Deep South - Kind Of

We just arrived in New Orleans, after a six-hour drive from Austin. I absolutely cannot wait to go out to the French Quarter and eat some Cajun food!

Posted by Charlie at 06:13 PM | Comments (1)

April 15, 2005

Good Eatin'

Food here in Texas is fantastic. Portions here are HUGE and extremely fattening; I love it! Last night we went to this place in Austin called Polvo’s – that was probably the finest Mexican food I have had in recent memory. You guys should check out that place if you're in the area!

I am constantly surprised by the level of hospitality here in Texas. I must admit before coming to this state I had a few reservations about how I, we would be treated here. My initial impressions have been mainly influenced from what I have seen on the television and read in the magazines, but through interactions with the locals here I've come to see Texas in an entirely different light. The people here are courteous, polite, and seem genuinely interested in what we have to say about mixed race issues. I mean, it's inevitable that we're always going to be approached by strangers drawn by the colorful RV!

One of the best things about going on the Tour is being constantly surprised from these experiences, and how they reshape any preconceived impressions. We are going to be hitting the Deep South in a couple of days, probably the furthest from anything I've experienced in Seattle, and although I don't know too much about the cultures there, I am very much excited to again be wronged by what I experience there.

Posted by Charlie at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2005

Stuck in Texas

I’m not sure when or how this happened, but somehow in between El Paso and Austin the RV was not able to kick into third gear. Even on flat terrain we’re not able to accelerate over 55MPH. After making some phone calls we’ve decided that it would be best to drive to the town we passed back and try to find a mechanic to help fix this monster. I’m a little disappointed seeing as we probably won’t be able to get a full day of exploring Austin. I hear that city is more liberal than your typical Texan city.

My impressions on Texas are slowly changing. People are really nice, especially when asking about the RV, and nodding politely and listening patiently even if they don’t get the message that we’re trying to share with them. I haven't gotten any blatantly racist comments or vibes yet, and I'm not going to not expect it. Texas is a huge state, and so far there’s nothing but flat desert-like terrain everywhere. Strangely shaped mountains litter the horizon, and while the scenery is pretty, I wouldn’t want to live here.

Posted by Charlie at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2005

I Miss LA

Posted by Charlie at 09:56 AM | Comments (1)

April 10, 2005

Water Water Everywhere

Yesterday I went to this place – RAGE. Goddamn were there a lot of Asian gay bois there. And in so many shapes and sizes no less! I suffered whiplash quite a number of times while in that club for sure.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually starting to like LA, and I’m not really sure why this is so. That's saying a lot, really. My last memory of LA prior to this trip was of flying garbage in the streets of downtown. It's changing, however. My initial image of this city as being a superficial, Botox-crazy land of aspiring actors is slowly starting to be replaced with something much more complex and diverse – LA is such a large city, encompassing of so many cultures that it’s easy to get lost within them. The food is amazing; the people seem genuinely friendly; the shopping isn’t so bad; and the weather is perpetually beautiful! The days here remind me of summertime in Seattle.

I was able to talk to a lot of people, some who are born in the area, and others who moved here. They have bad and good things to say about LA, but the general impression seems to be the same as mine: being astonished about LA being more than just a land of superficiality. The testimonials from former New Yorkers surprised me the most, since I've always came with the impression that cynical New Yorkers avoided LA at all costs. I am not a cynical person by any means, and it's a little unsettling for me since LA might be a better fit for me than New York.

There is Yoshinoya here too! I’m so excited; I didn’t know there were any in the US. I’m gonna hit some places before I leave to see if the beef bowls taste anything like the ones in Japan.

LA is definitely a city I'm going to be visiting soon, again. I won't be able to do a lot of sightseeing here, unfortunately. I can't even go out tonight since the New York Times is going to be interviewing us tomorrow. Yippy.

Posted by Charlie at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)

April 08, 2005

Showered and Primmed

Okay, problem solved. We were able to get another room and now I'm just resting in my hotel room, all nicely showered, waiting for PJ to call me once he gets done with his birthday celebration. We're staying at a hotel in Chinatown, and already I love it here. Los Angeles is definitely a city to be seen at 60MPH; the large signs and colorful adverts cannot be viewed effectively any other way. I don't know too much about the nightlife here since I don't really have any friends in LA save for PJ, so I'm just going to play it by ear when heading out. We have one non-work related free day here and I'm going to make it last!

Posted by Charlie at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)

Los Angeles

Okay, so I'm in Los Angeles right now, across the street from the hotel that we're supposed to be staying at, but since the booked room is only for two people, three of us are going to be roughing it somewhere else. I'm able to update this blog since I'm within range of a wireless network. I feel so dirty; I am in desperate need of a shower and laundry services! Los Angeles people are nice though, so far. I need to find someone to take me around...

Posted by Charlie at 08:11 PM

April 06, 2005

Cooper & Me

Meet my new friend. His name is Cooper. He's very cute. I like him.

Posted by Charlie at 01:15 AM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2005

Restless

Do you guys remember that one episode on Sex and the City, where Carrie starts dating her fuck buddy? And do you remember that specific term she used to describe being absolutely horny? Well, that's me: I'm "restless."

Posted by Charlie at 08:41 PM | Comments (1)

My 5000th Photograph

Not that this is any big news or anything, but I took my 5000th photograph today while waiting for my legal training to begin. My trusty S400 has been trusty for the 1.5years that I have had it, and I see no end with its use. I think I'll post some of my favorites, but seeing as most of them are trapped in my other laptop's broken hard drive, that's going to have to wait. Here's to another 5000 pictures.

Posted by Charlie at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)