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You said NO to The Man…
Say YES to MIDNIGHT RIDAZZ!

RIDE for you rights on two wheels in the night.
But beware, operatives are stationed at every corner.
Defend your freedom and KILL the MESSENGER!
MOBILIZE your operational units, RIDAZZ style.

This was the email for Midnight Ridazz this week, which is the late night ride through NELA, starting at Sunset/Echo Park and ending in Silverlake. I’ve been meaning to go. Perhaps this is the week! The recent biking has helped get me back in shape, and I could join the posse that bikes from Westwood across town to get there.

There’s also a First Annual Tamale Festival in East L.A. all weekend (http://www.eastlosangeles.net/tamalefestival/index.html). Since I have been trying to get to Elysian Field (http://www.historicechopark.org/id31.html) for some time, and it’s right next door, it would be a perfect field trip. Visit historic park and eat tamales? Who wouldn’t think that was fun? Communists, maybe.

And then next week there’s a discussion at the Hammer. Independent Media: What’s Wrong with Television News…and another Hammer all-star cast. Including Gore Vidal. (http://www.hammer.ucla.edu/calendar_full_Nov_2005.htm#day16)

And then it’s a good friend’s birthday celebration on the 18th, and then early on the 19th, Roomate-Andrew and I are going up to the Bay Area to see Nine Inch Nails. Again. We’re both lifelong fans, and while neither of us are particularly angst-ridden anymore, I’m pretty sure I can scare up enough anger to get into it for the time being. Besides, I left my heart in San Francisco, once upon a time. I’ve always loved it there, and I’ve made at least one trip to the City every year since 1998 or so. I could use a vacation to see what the new exhibits are at SFMOMA.

And then on the 21st, it’s DEPECHE MODE in L.A., which I am counting down to as if it was Chrismukkah. I cannot wait to hear “Precious” live.

And on the 23rd, I go home. Home to BC, home to my family, to my dog and my parents in the little barn house by the sea. I can’t wait to get home, to spend the time with them, to spend time going for walks and to the gym with Mom, and watching CNN and comparing it to 1984 with Dad. I’m so glad I have a place to call home like that, with parents I love.

Tonight, I was at Busby’s, with some of the Band Nerds, connections of my adopted cousin via his concert band. I needed to get out, even though I was tired, and should have been sleeping. But it was good to get out, to laugh, because band nerds are always hilarious. Normally, I hate Busbys, but we had the back room, far from the fratboys and the cover band. (By the way, the cover band did “Hit Me Baby One More Time”, and it was pretty much identical to the Rymes with Orange version) It was fun.

There’s a lot happening, again. It’ll be Chrismukkah before I know it. I have two awesome concerts coming up within two days of each other, for two of my favorite bands of all time, and I get to go home for Thanksgiving for once this year. It may have been a rocky start, but I think November is actually going to be fantastic once it gets going.