I've been gone for a long time, mostly because I've hit a rut in writing and listening. For a while there I couldn't really enjoy anything that I put on. Maybe I was sick of my music or my work life bled over into private time, but a recent trip to San Francisco (for work, ya) again renewed my interest and faith in the human forces of life and love. Funny how a simple change of scenery can get the blood flowing again.

My first day was spent travelling. I woke at 6:45 for an 8:00 flight, first word out of my mouth being "f---". I threw everything I hadn't packed into a bag and ran downstairs to find a cab to take me to the airport. Luckily, everything worked out, I made my flight and even had a chance to grab a sandwich for the miserable 6-hour flight to San Fran. I didn't listen much to my iPod as I had planned, mostly because I realized I needed to make the juice last for the whole weekend. I forgot the charger. I did listen to the Boredoms' Vision Creaton Newsun (missed 20 minutes in the middle for some shut eye) and some of the new Destroyer, but I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on.

Once I landed in San Francisco my plans were only about an hour of work, setting up our booth for a convention. I did that and got my chance to go to Amoeba records in the Haight-Ashbury section. It's a grand store, huge and has everything I've ever really wanted to find. I got a few things: Fela Kuti's Expensive Shit (awesome), Boredoms' Super Ae, Love Is All's Nine Times the Same Song (eh), Green Milk From the Planet Orange's City Calls Revolution, Om's Variations On A Theme, and Smog's Red Apple Falls. I did have a chance to flip through these records a bit back in my wonderful hotel room (TV in the bathroom!), but the real pleasure was elsewhere.

What other city has such great people? I mean, nearly everyone is nice and doesn't suffer from that big-city aversion to conversation with strangers. Maybe it's a California thing, but everyone seems willing to talk about their past, their future, whatever. That first day was the best, talking to Russian cabbies, hipster goofballs in Amoeba, the Palestinian guy. It's such a romantic city, perfect for walking and smiling at complete strangers. It sounds hippy, but it's a great tonic for getting back into living, man. Sometimes I get so shut off, it's good to throw yourself out there and experience rather than wait for it to come to you.