CA Days are not counted anymore – Oakland & heading south

Yesterday was a great final for my Bay Area session. Morgan’s friends RJ and Maia took me to a small artificial island-like thing called the Albany Bulb, which literally is a huge dumpyard for all kinds of trash. Not like food remains, packaging and shit like that, but for parts of buildings and huge things that no one could ever carry around. What people did with that island wasn’t complaining and shaking their heads, but they abused it. For making art.

So walking around there gives you all kinds of weird things: A castle, a skate-area, awesome sculptures, pretty much everything. This definitely is a place where you can feel the hippy-independent-spirit california is famous for. I advise everyone to grow up there.

Before this, actually, we met up with the Oakland-Gang again. These guys are awesome, they were some of the best people I ever met! I had a lot of fun this evening, a lot of fun, fooling around with the Oakland-Gang and heavily enjoyed the movie-like youth-gang spirit, when we hung out at the cafe where two of the gang-members are working, right beneath two other shops where some others of them work, enjoying uncharged but well-tipped (got the idea?) coffee and fooling around a little more. Damn, I like them.

Talking people I start to miss home. Not because of home, but because of the people. I wear my brother’s and mine duality-kind-of-thing necklace since I’m travelling and I catch myself every once in a while holding it and thinking about home. It’s like carrying a piece of there around and I’m glad I have it around. I especially miss two people by now, number one clearly being Julia :), closely followed by Philipp. Not only because he cuddles almost as nice as Julia, but travelling with a well-known companion makes things easier, especially in times when I feel tired or out of talking-material I often think of our Ireland-trip and what damn great travelling-mates we make.

Lucky enough I’ll go see you people in only a couple weeks.

Afterwards we headed back to Morgan’s place, picked up a friend of her and had a real mission trying to find green cabbage for my to-become-standard krautfleckerl-cooking-thing and after dinner and picking up Tome again the target was “The Gilman” in North Berkeley, where a folk evening should take place. Actually it was punk, but no one seemed to care much. Since we were somewhat late and only got to hear the last 5 or 6 songs I didn’t care much anyways. Next stop: Pizza & a pitcher Hefeweizen!

Some relaxed talking and then back home, where I adviced the girls NOT to invite a guy who is into them to their party to tell him that they have a boyfriend already and ASK HIM IF HE WANTS TO BE FRIENDS INSTEAD. As if the latter wouldn’t be enough of a DONT already, they’re seriously considering the addition of more cruelty. RUTHLESS CREATURES!

I saved someone’s life with this.

Next day starts with my first pancakes for breakfast and Tome-weirdness. You have to know that Tome is enlightened and knows everything about the future of mankind. Nah, I’m overdoing it here. He is a nice guy to hang out with and has some good views on life, not to forget his awesome guitar skills, but something’s wrong with him. He just “knows” that he’s wise and isn’t cheap on giving advice on how to live a life. However, his wisdom somehow couldn’t help in the end, due his parents kicked him out of home and after a panic-attack (his text-messaged words) he decided to travel with a homeless guy he just met at a bus-stop.

All the best, Tome.

Morgan dropped me off at the Greyhound-Station in Oakland. Greyhound-busses are two things, mainly: Cheap and filthy. Dirty things, strange people, unfriendly (for california) personell and an allover awkward feeling. But they managed to bring us to Santa Cruz 15mins early and 13$ for 85miles bus ride isn’t bad at all. Therefore my conclusion shalth be: Greyhound good. Aga. I spoken. I then made my way to Joe’s place and got to know a bunch of people here, some of them living with him, some of them visiting, I’m not quite sure who is what, but there’s a whole crowd hanging around here.

Which is good. Alex & I went to the liquor-store to grab more coke & a bottle Jim Beam (1 litre for 9,99 USD, by the way) and I had my first “7up-jimmy”, which sounds weird but works just so fine. The lemony flavour works pretty well. Joe made a whole pot of vegan, but definitely eatable, chili and the evening ended with the miniseries of Battlestar Galactica Episode one, properly viewed via projector and sound system. Oh, by the way, this house’s wireless network is called “anus”, which I find is probably the most proper name for a wireless network I ever stumbled upon.

Now I go sleeping. Check out the flickr-account, for there be more pictures.