Mind The Gap

Sorry for the long delay between blogs. There's been a lot going on.

On the top of the list is the good news that Sandra's last scan came back negative...negative as in "no cancer." If you saw some guy walking down the street in Brooklyn last week laughing and grinning like a goof, that was me. Here's to all your good health! Slainte!

Now I am in California, taking a much-needed and well-earned vacation.

We went to Disneyland. I had not been to Disneyland in many, many years. I have to say, despite the commercialism and overwhelming sensory bombardment, it was fun!
I went on all the rides that I loved from my childhood. Pirates Of The Caribbean...come on! So fun. (I don't want to get too into it, but they added some stuff to the ride. Certain characters from the movies have been thrown in. I don't know exactly how I feel about that, but I wasn't crazy about it. Don't fuck with a classic by adding an animatronic Johnny Depp. It's so unnecessary.)

I went on a couple rollercoasters, which I am usually not a fan of. In fact, I think I went on a totaly of one rollercoaster my entire childhood and I didn't like it.
So at Disneyland, we first went on Thunder Mountain Railroad. I admit, I had been on that one a few years earlier and rather enjoyed it. This trip was no exception.
Then Sandra and her sister Deanna somehow talked me into going on Space Mountain. They assured me, over and over, that it was the best ride at Disneyland and would immediately become my favorite.
They neglected to tell me about the pitch black tunnel, the stars that make it feel like you're going backwards, the unexpected drop offs, and the crazy space music. Despite yelling profanities and blasphemies, I had a good time. The kind of good time that I only need to have once every five or six years. (If you're lucky, maybe Sandra will post the photo that was taken during the ride, where you can see her and Deanna laughing and having a ball, while I am clenching my eyes, teeth, fists, and buttocks.)

A picture that I do have, however, is one taken during Astro Blasters, where you help Buzz Lightyear kill some evil space villain by blasting him repeatedly with laser guns.
Note that Sandra has the higher score. For now.


















Before I left NY for my wonderful California vacation, my acupuncturist taught me how to make a Taoist elixir. Contents are as follows:
-vodka (any quality...it really doesn't matter, because you're not going to be tasting it anyway)
-fresh, whole ginseng root (the bigger and more human-like, the better)
-Ling Zhi mushroom (the bigger and more sceptre-like, the better)
-deer antler (the younger the deer, the better)
-2 geckos, one male and one female (if they were killed in mid-coitus, the better)
You put all this in a jar together and let it sit for one complete lunar cycle.
Then you drink it, and enjoy eternal life. It's just that easy!

Only people who are into chinese medicine and stuff like that will appreciate the photo below, but look at the ginseng I found in Chinatown:



















One of the better roots I've found so far.
I don't know why I can't flip it around, but blogger won't let me. Weird.
Anyway, cool root right?? (Just pretend you're into ginseng roots and nod.)



While I've been in California, I've had the opportunity to try some Mexican food I've never tried before.
Lengua. Lengua is cow tongue. It's damn tasty. We had it in tacos with a little salt and some salsa. Really, really tender and flavorful. All I was missing was a little bit of lime to squeeze on top, maybe some onion and cilantro. Good stuff.

I've had fish tacos before, but we had some that knocked my socks off. A place right around the corner from our home base here in Santa Ana. Tacos Baja. Inexpensive, too. Three tacos-- no more, no less-- does me just perfectly.

Last but not least, I had some menudo. Menudo is a soup with hominy and tripas. Tripas is, in case you didn't guess, tripe. Let me tell you something...don't think the word "tripe" while you're eating it, and you'll think, "Damn....this is good. Chewy, spicy, nutritious, filling, and good for me. Menudo...it's the breakfast of champions."

Looking forward to more vacation time in California, and I promise to update the blog more frequently.

Minutes left on my battery...

I am going to make a quick post and see how much I can squeeze in before my laptop battery bites the dust....

I don't like politicians. Especially ones who wink. I'm looking at you, McCain.

Sandra's fundraiser party was amazing and I'd like to thank everyone who came out and supported. It's really hard to find words to express how amazing you people are. Thank you so much, from deep down in my guts.

Thank you Pete and Dawn for organizing the fundraiser....and for the tasty dinner! And thanks to Jamie Oliver for creating the recipe. It was so good I am fully willing to overlook your Britishness.















I've been seeing this view a lot. Why am I practicing the drums?
Why not. I like drums.

I wish this horribly drawn-out election were over already.

My mom is on an airplane right now, on her way to China. I am extremely jealous, but I feel bad because I didn't call her to wish her a bon voyage. I thought her flight was tomorrow. Sorry Mom!


Usually I don't like cutsey photos, but this one reminded me of Suzuki-roshi, and I think it says something deeper than, "awwwww, how cute."
I mean, yeah, it's a frog with a snail hat. Maybe I am just seeing something that isn't there. Maybe it's just a frog with a snail hat.






















Will somebody please help this guy figure out the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground?














Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb As A Bag Of Hammers.

Lake Canandaigua

We were lucky enough to be able to take a trip upstate to Lake Canandaigua. We got to hang out, relax, eat food, and be around family. Add those up and you have a wonderful trip. I got to see some of my aunts that I hadn't seen in years and years. I got to meet my new cousin Reid and catch up on family stuff. It was spectacular, I can't wait to head up there again soon....




















Shuckin corn.



















Me and the uncle.
















I really, really didn't want to leave.
This is my reaction upon being told we had to leave.
















Remembering many fond memories of summers on the lake...















That there? Oh, that's just my summer home. (Not pictured: hot tub and fireplace.)

I HATE BARAK OBAMA

Just kidding. I thought maybe I would get some more readers with an inflammatory headline like that.

Right now there's a lot of questioning, learning, discovering, and other elements of change happening in my life. As always, music is a focal point.

I really don't know what's going on with music in my life. It's weird. Gigs are not reliable, nothing is very steady right now. All I know is that when I sit down at a drum set or have a whack on the ol' tapan (no, that's not an euphemism), it feels great. I really enjoy playing music. So what's the problem? Do I really suck that bad? Do other musicians not like me? Do I smell funny?

My homie Don has just moved to New Jerzey [sic], and another good friend may be leaving the damn country soon. (You can't really blame the guy...but come on!) With these two departures hovering around my brain, it's making me think about making some moves of my own.

I've been working on two projects and I think I've bitten off more than I can chew. One is a record of original compositions, the other is a breakbeat record. Most of the stuff has been recorded (with the exception of some overdubs) but the editing, mixing, sequencing, etc., is taking up so much time. Any spare moment I have, I am opening another file and editing music. Unfortunately I don't have any audio to share, but right now at this stage, it at least looks pretty cool:

too crazy for words

no, I am not talking about Sarah Palin.
I am talking about cancer.
I am not going to get too detailed, because frankly, it's too weird and it's too painful to dredge up certain memories from the recent past and write about them. Suffice to say, my girl has some, and she's been getting treatment for a couple months now. She's half way done with her course of chemotherapy, and life and reality feel so different that it's like being in The Twilight Zone (TM).
Neither of us has faced anything like this in our lives before, and despite all the many images that are brought to one's mind when one sees or hears the word "cancer," we are remaining positive, strong, as healthy as possible, and focusing on healing and our love for each other. We're gonna get through this, and the only way through it, is to do it! (TM)
And since we decided we don't want to define ourselves in relation to this disease, I will be blogging about things other than the cancer...because there are so many other things in life that help make up who we are.
Having said that, I want to say that everyone that has helped and supported us through this will never be forgotten. You know who you are, and your thoughts, prayers, deeds, wishes, and love have been invaluable to the healing process. Thank you so much, from deep deep down, deep in the gut. THANK YOU!!!


So, just last weekend we got to dogsit Winston again. He is a lovely dog that was saved from the streets and nurtured back to health by our buddy Matthew Fass, and it's always a joy to hang out with Winston. He's like the Robin Hood of the dog world; he's a rowdy fellow but he's good-natured at heart. He likes to play rough, but all in the spirit of fun. He's a dog's dog. Also, he's living proof that rescue dogs aren't necessarily "problem dogs;" he gets along with other dogs, humans, everyone and every thing (except maybe squirrels). So if you're planning to get a dog...please get a rescue!!! Save a doggy life like Winston's was saved! OK, that's it for today's public service announcement. Now for some cute pictures...

Long Island Sound

So I had a gig out on Long Island last week, it was at a nice, unassuming, outdoor amphitheater. It had a backstage area and changing rooms. Right behind the stage there was a waiting area where past performers had their pictures hanging on the wall. Performers such as:














That's right: Shania's Twin. A tribute to Shania Twain.

But I didn't get really excited until I realized I was about to be on the same stage that had been occupied by:














Sync In. An N Sync tribute band. God, I wish the photo hadn't come out blurry.
But then I saw this:














And realized....ok, so this stage hasn't been performed on exclusively by cheesy tribute bands. That's Richie Havens and Celia Cruz. Just in time, I felt better about heading out onto the stage.

Demon Wisdom Tooth

this isn't exactly cutting-edge news, but this is the monstrous chunk of enamel they pulled out of my head, complete with evil hook.

Afterwards, I met author Frank McCourt on the street.

Nil, baby, nil

I'm watching Rudy Giuliani speak at the Republican National Convention. Smug, self-righteous bastard.

SO FUCKING AWFUL.

People actually buy this shit? Are you kidding me?

It makes me really scared, but mostly really sad.

"Drill, baby, drill," the crowd chants, like the brain-dead sheep they are. I am not going to compare with anything like, say, the Nazi's in the '30s, but....step one towards that?

Oh wait, here comes Sarah Palin (the gun-toting, homophobic NRA member with a pregnant 17 year-old)...

...and she has them all drooling like Pavlov's dogs.
"America"
(crowd drools and cheers)
"9/11"
(crowd drools and cheers)
"I'm a mayor."
(crowd drools and cheers)
"Nonsensical gibberish about fishing and eBay."
(crowd drools and yuks)
"Talking shit about Obama. Fabrications and rhetoric. Repetition of 'community organizer.'"
(crowd drools and claps)

thank god she stopped before I vomited all over my keyboard. Oh wait, here's McCain.

¡muy picosa!

I made some of the best salsa ever, as well as some of the hottest. Why? It wasn't my intention to, but sometimes you get a couple of jalapeños that for some reason are incredibly spicy. Just luck of the draw, really.


Anyway, despite the extreme spiciness (almost too spicy for me or Sandra to eat), it was some of the best salsa I've had. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for it, because I learned the ancient and secret recipe from Señor Louis Holguin.




















Roasting the chiles and a tomato on the comal.
Roasting gives it mucho sabor!




















Smashing everything up in the molcajete.
This salsa contained a lot of onion, cilantro, and tomatillos.
















The final product. Qué sabrosa but sooooo spicy.
Made my hair curl like Sandra's!

we keep it real on 3rd Ave. son!

I WANT THIS BEAT...

...and the laid-back attitude as well

Desert Island Discs

So I was listening to a Ricky Gervais podcast, and he was being interviewed about his Desert Island Discs. He had some good ones on the list, like Blood On The Tracks, Tea For The Tillerman, The Bends, and Space Oddity.


It's so hard to decide. There's too much funk, too much jazz to list, too much reggae, and how could you take only one Afrobeat record?? As of now, some of mine would be (in no particular order):


1. Rama Sreerama - U. Srinivas
This might be my favorite record of all time. It's so complex and yet instantly gratifying; it really is the best. It's something you can listen to over and over and still get more from it each time.

2. Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath
Simply beautiful music. Perfect parts big band, free improvisation, groove, noise, and lush ballads. Amazing playing of amazing compositions and improvisations by amazing musicians.

3. Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin
Maybe I should have picked Zep IV, but this one has "The Song Remains The Same." It has "The Rain Song." It has "D'yer Mak'er." It has "Over The Hills And Far Away." It has "The Ocean." Come on!


4. Music Has The Right To Children - Boards of Canada
Somehow BOC got inside my brain and made a downtempo, ambient score for a wacky night of dreams I had, using analog synthesizers and '70s cassette tapes found in somebody's attic. It's trance-inducing, but the song forms develop so subtly and deftly that you can't deny the high quality of the trip you're having.

5. Antibes '60 - Charles Mingus
Eric Dolphy. Mingus. Need I say more?

6. Nevermind - Nirvana
They just don't make rock like this any more.

7. Djabote - Doudou N'Diaye Rose
OK, so maybe this isn't one of the greatest records of all-time, but it reminds me of the best concert (aside from GYBE!) that I've ever been to, and this record reminds me of it. The CD has the same "band" (about 50 drummers...can you really call that a band?) and the same leader: Papa Doudou N'Diaye Rose. I had never seen music like that before in my life, I was on the verge of tears the whole time. It was raw. The music was so organic and connected that it seemed like it sprang up from the core of the Earth.


8. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly - Ennio Morricone
Best score, hands down. Just the ingenious instrumentation alone makes this a desert island keeper.

9. Laya Vinyas - Trichy Sankaran
Just one Indian guy drumming. So complex, so simple. Relaxing, invigorating. To be enjoyed on so many levels. Just listen to the sounds and tones he gets from the drums, or try to keep tala and have your brain melted.

10. The Road to Kesan - Selim Sesler
The way it's recorded sounds so raw and powerful...the drums sound huge, and therefore I never tired of this record. It's inspiring in so many ways, it just makes you want to play drums, dance around, travel, enjoy life.

And I'd have to take OK Computer along with me, too.

OK, feel free to tell me all the essential records I missed...

Party's over, America!

Well I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th of July celebrations, because now the party is over. I don't just mean for the weekend, I am talking about the 60-year party we've been having since World War II. We've been top dog since 1945, and the idea of not being #1 any more is probably unthinkable to a lot of Americans. Sorry, but get over it. It's over. It's been 60 years, hope you enjoyed the ride...because now we're the very definition of complacent. Our education system and health care system is a travesty. Oil prices are at an all-time high. (You know, oil: the fossil fuel that is supplied by middle eastern nations that we're utterly dependent upon.) The dollar is tanking. The euro and pound are kicking ass.

Just a small example that made it all seem a bit more real to me: I went to buy some drum sticks. The kind of stick I like was almost completely out of stock. This was weird since they're American-made and I figured that the one thing that I could rely on in a drum shop is an abundance of sticks. (Well, that plus annoying salespeople and loud, terrible drumming.) I asked the clerk what the deal was with all the missing sticks. Apparently, because the dollar is so weak right now, drummers from Europe (especially the UK) are coming over here and buying as many sticks as they can - buying them in bulk. Then they take them all back and have a massive supply of sticks until the next time they fly over here. It's good for the UK drummer, it's good for the stick manufacturer, it's good for the drum shop, but I still need sticks, dammit!

Now, I am not saying that America is a bad place to live, not at all. I am just saying - get used to more and more things like that happening. Your Hummer SUV will be seeing its last days before too long.

中道龍

so it's been brought to my attention that my Blogger address (zhongtaolong) is wrong...or at least inconsistent. the correct pinyin should be "zhong dao long."
basically it's a transliteration of this:

中道龍


see? glad that's all cleared up!

i probably should have just went with "westcoastgreenteamellow" instead.

oh...to continue this thread: this is a wonderful site dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture. They definitely have their work cut out for them.

expire like a magazine subscription

pea soup vomit from The Exorcist

my current layout is way too green. will be updating the layout soon, for the sake of all our eyes.

first blog...welcome!

So I am not sure what took me so long, but I guess it was inevitable that I start a blog. When I first thought about blogging it seemed pretentious and self-indulgent. Maybe it really is. But since then I've read some blogs that aren't that way at all. Blogs can be a fun way to share ideas, thoughts, goings-on, and of course, ridiculous YouTube findings. I hope that's the kind of blog I will have.

Immediately after starting to write the intimidating "first blog," I've become aware of just how guarded I feel about sharing stuff in my life. I mean, I don't feel like I need to be enigmatic or secretive, I am talking about the self-censoring that happens. For instance, I feel like I am writing for certain people; people that are likely to read this. Then the self-censor kicks in: "What if so-and-so reads this? What if you-know-who reads this?" So in other words, hopefully this blog will be written in my voice; my authentic voice that isn't being tweaked for this person or that person, but just my voice as it is, to be listened to or ignored as you might see fit.

So having said that, I am just back from a lovely trip to Italy. You can read about most of it in Sandra's wonderful blog here. I am slowly adjusting to the pace in New York again, as well as the time zone. The incredible heat just makes me want to stay at home and nap. But that's not what NYC is for, is it? No, no, no. It's for movers and shakers. Now I am wondering where I am going to move and what I am going to shake. Actually, I know where I will be moving: into Sandra's place! I am very excited.

In the interest of keeping the "first blog" succinct, here's Stoyan to help welcome you to my little corner on the interwebs:

Thanks and stay tuned!