PFUNK1: events

club crasher may 12, 2000 house of blues hollywood
i love the house of blues. this was the first time i was at this place for something other than a concert. club crasher is a high energy dance club (rave?) with live dj and very good sound system, live erotic male and female dancers (one girl went topless, still very g rated). there was stimulating lighting and visual effects, confetti from the ceiling, air horns, dry ice mist, a money drop (dollar bills were dropped from the ceiling mixed in the confetti from time to time) they passed out "glowsticks" so everybody had these different neon colored 4 inch tubes that glowed and were moving them to the music. the whole place is very stimulating to the senses.

the music isnt house, it seems like its just a bit slower than house music and i cant remember any words or any songs that they play on the radio. a good solid "modern" kinda techno groove that didn't stop. it moved me and got my energy up soon as i hit the place so it must have been good. crowd was mostly 21-26 yr old white. dress was modern, some costumey ("nuclear"), sharp, hollywood trendy white funky sexy look. i was probably the oldest blackest thing in the place but it didnt slow me at all. everybody was drunk and friendly. never been hugged so much by non gay male strangers before. had a good time. $20 cover, $10 to park anywhere on sunset blvd...

sundays live may 14, 2000 lacma 45 minute program of classical music by the young musicians foundations, 11-17 years old. it was cool and free...mostly asian kids and the cool thing about them was that a number of them moved their bodies as if they were getting into the music, being moved by the music... the violins were my favorite

jpl openhouse june 4, 2000 every year the jet propulsion labratory (the people who go to the moon) opens the campus and have displays, booths and exhibits from its prodjects and missions. they have food and drink and its very festive but yet very informative. lots of good handouts, buttons, pens, etc. it was also a goregous day. it was my birthday.

dodgers vs astros june 8, 2000 dodgers stadium
now this was nice, kinda felt too nice at times. my company gave out 20 passes to stadium suite #231 in dodger stadium. this place was like an office with one wall torn down and replaced by a two level patio 30 feet above and slightly past 1st plate. carpeted with fridge, a bar, 10+ tvs w/remotes, leather couches, coffee tables and even a kitchen sink. a coworker wanted nauchos (which they dont serve in the suites) so we had to go downstairs with the common people. and it was like a baseball game is supposed to be. noisy, open air, wood bench seats, concrete ground, badly lit, low ceilings and a mildewy old feel. like a game should be. and though the suite was completely catered and had some very good hot wings, the dodger dogs that come wrapped up in foil from the area of the common people were much better.

magic castle june 24, 2000 hollywood
to get in the magic castle you either have to be a member or know a member. it is also semi-formal- men have to wear a suit and tie. so you know what kind of crowd i was expecting...and i was wrong!! the were actually black people there!! and the crowd wasn't as stuffy as i expected. maybe cause they were mostly drunk. the castle is a big house with many rooms and passages containing many bars, dining and muliple rooms that different magicians perform in during the night. it is a fun coool thing... but you know i always gotta go deeper, so here we go- as i watched the magicians, i started to get a feel for what they were doing and the level of deception they are trying to obtain. there was this one lady who was gasping and totally blown away by the "magic" (deception). you can tell she was truly moved by what she saw, maybe even overwhelmed. and it was all pure deception, skight of hand. now you have a "club" (cult?) of people who's life is dedicated to "deception." ok, maybe its just me... but evening knowing these were all tricks, i was still impressed with the ability, cleverness and level of trickery i saw. though i cant get into the deceiving part, these people do "play" with the human mind... the place is really plush, rich and saturated with stuff on walls and lush furnishing, dark wood and it has an authentic "old building" feeling....even with the suit and tie thing, it was a very nice evening-

miss saigon photos june 30, 2000 broadway
the single ticket theory is now a law. got my ticket one week before and i was row 6 left. some people read their tickets wrong and were in my seat so i sat in the aisle seat. legs in aisle, facing center of stage 6 rows back...nice-

the same people who made les miz, did this one and you can kinda tell... both shows had profanity and a few r rated comments (saigon even used the f-word, les miz had a lady who was so dirty & nasty that her dress was red from her period) and they both tried to relay uncut human desire and emotion- this includes sex, love, death, etc...

the engineer was good (he took the last bow), he was an america loving capitalist who would do anyhthing to get to usa. he was the pimp of kim, the herione. the story was based on tradegy, love and the desire for success and a better life. kim wish was a better life for her then for her...i hate to tell the story so i wont.

very well done show, smooth, entertaining, funny and exciting...

part of the experience is being on broadway, being a part of the broadway crowd. times square. crowd was mostly white, but a few more black people than im use to seeing in LA.

since this was set in vietnam, and referenced that era- it didnt have the "prestige" of les miz's french revolution setting...

there was a black dude in this show with a major part, and he was coool...

phantom of the opera photos july 1, 2000 broadway
scored this ticket after i got home from miss saigon over the internet. row 4, center. this one was the best show ive seen yet...ballerinas, comedy, sex, deeeep deeeep love. the dancing, singing, set changes, all very smooth... in all the shows i like when the performers sing different melodies at the same time, they did this numerous times in phantom.

the sets and scene changes were ingenious. its almost like a magician and slight of hand how they get your attention on one thing and change the set & scenery some where else...

(this show desrves more "write up" than this, but da'blur been so good im posting this 2 months late)

china club july 10, 2001 new york city two things about this place.
i had just left phantom and was walking around times square feeling the new york city vibe and diggin a "i just saw phantom row 4 on broadway" buzz. i wanted to go to a club, so i peeped the china club- i wasnt up for kickin out $20 so i kepted walkin, vibin and buzzin. then there is this guy giving out coupons to get in the china club half price. i snatched one and went running...i gets there and the guy at the door says $15 with coupon- i was like "but the guy ...blah blah blah" i am convinced it was a game and then i said in a soft, strong voice "do you believe in god?" "this is very bad karma, somebody is gonna have to answer for this someday, somewhere" and i meant it. and i meant these simple soft spoken words to tear through his soul. whether it did or not, doesn't matter. im sure he will remember cause i felt the power in my statement as i looked deep into his eyes and i will not forget that feeling...

the other thing was this place had dance floors upstairs and down- upstairs was high-energy house type music and downstairs was modern nyc hip-hop. what struck me was the amount of inter-racial couples in this place on the lower floor. brothas and white girls groovin to biggie smalls and hardcore but not gangsta rap. strong powerful beats without the negative lyrics. there was a "velvet rope" and i asked the guy why. he said he doesnt let everybody in. if the club upstairs filled up he wouldn't let the spill over in. he would only let in people he thought would apprciate the hip hop vibe... hmmmm, now that i think about it, that would explain the high number of white girls and bruthas in the place. one time he let a bunch of white girls in and we exchnaged smiles... racism? maybe...discrimination definitely, but i liked the demographics nonetheless

de la gaurda villa july 2, 2000 new york city
this was an audience participation show that probably was designed to turn into an orgy. the show has music, lights, water (it was almost like standing in the rain), fog, balloons and the performers fly through the air on trapeze type ropes.

it seemed strange that we paid these guys and girls $45 to molest us, but thats what happened!!! the goal was to get eveybody wet, into the music and naked. the performers circulated through the crowd doing whatever they wanted. rolling on floor, grabbing, touching...there were girls and ofcourse i got my grind on with one or 2 of the performers

one performers dude was telling people to take off their shirts and a couple girls did.

one performer was just going thru crowd touching and feeling people when i felt him on the top of my head and shoulder. next thing he was on my back and i was slightly bent over and i kept bouncing him to the beat. i was groovin with this guy on my back dead on beat. he called me "loco"

they took girls up in the air strapped to a performer on the trapeeze type ropes.

the performers were wild, crazy and basicly

i was into it, relaxed and wanted to get crazy but most of the crowd was young and white and "scared." they werent ready to be that free yet...most stood back in awe

there are no seats. the show is in a big black room covered with paper that the performers eventually flew through and tore up...

danced with 3 of the performer girls. one took me by the hand to the "middle" and i was groovin part of the show without even knowing it...i look up and im in the middle!!!

there is a story to the show, not sure what it is- but im sure there is one.

j paul getty museum july 18, 2000 took kids.
showed them how one time period was dominated by pictures of jesus and how the next time period didn't. i told them that where jesus lived the people didnt have blond hair and rosey cheeks but the people who painted these did... i let them know that it was cool, just recognize it. i showed them my favorite painting in the place and told them why i liked it. the slope of the back, curve of foot. and how you can actually feel the struggle of the cherub not to get down like a toddler. they are 14 & 12 and lasted about 2 hours...

knotts berry farm photos july 28, 2000
this place was coooool, not too crowded and the lines weren't that long either. the wooden rollercoaster ghostrider had the longest line and is the longest and most exciting ride. best surprise ride was hammerhead where about 40 people sit in an open face row of seats and are turn upside down while going in a ferris wheel type spin. the biggest thrill was at supreme scream when your sitting 8 miles off the ground waiting to drop. the loop the loop rollercoaster boomerang was fun and the line was short so we rode it a couple times if not more...chillin with my kids, we had fun and got to ride all we wanted (lines weren't long at all). there were lots of teenagers there, lots of cute young girls and boys doing the teenage thing and all were "well behaved." i was the one acting up; screaming for no reason and just being completely crazy...eating funnell cake and diet coke, singing crazy songs and taking pictures...tickets are $21 at ralphs...

magic moutain photos aug 3, 2000
went on a thursday to avoid too big crowd. we did all big major rides and the looney toons parade was cool too. got there around 1pm, park closed at 10pm and we "hurried" ourselves and didnt eat to get in these rides, kids also rode goliath & pscyclone 2x and tidal wave...crowd was mostly teenage with a few cute mommys scattered around. very goood vibe, very "well behaved." even i didnt act up that bad... goliath: very very deep 250ft drop on first hill is the best part and the best rollercoaster drop i have ever been on batman: rollercoaster where your suspended and your feet hang down with loops and twists and is very fast superman: huge structure and a lot of technology for a so-so thrill. uses magnets to shoot you down and up a track to a height of maybe 200ft? at a very very high speed. the structure is so massive that based on the amount of thrill that i figure they are developing the magnet technology... free fall: this is my scariest ride. the moment before the drop while suspended a mile in the air scares me collosus: slow old wood rollercoaster ninja: suspended train of cars that travel down a rollercoaster type path thru very tight and different areas riddlers revenge: this is a semi standup rollercoaster with an amazing number of loops and twists pscyclone: wood rollercoaster so far off there was no line, weak but still better than collosus. favorite: riddlers revenge

date	event	location
08-26-00	fantasy football league draft	the plaza - las vegas, nv
08-03-00	six flags magic moutain	los angeles, ca
07-28-00	knotts berry farm	anaheim, ca
07-18-00	j paul getty museum	los angeles, ca
07-14-00	universal city walk / x-men opening	universal city, ca
07-11-00	texas stadium (dallas cowboys home)	irving, tx
07-08-00	a taste of dallas - carlos guedes / o'brien's bbq	dallas, tx
07-02-00	de la gaurda villa villa	daryl roth theatre - new york city
07-02-00	the metropolitan museum of art	new york city
07-01-00	china club	new york city
07-01-00	the phantom of the opera	majestic theatre - new york city
07-01-00	american museum of natural history	new york city
07-01-00	rose center for earth and space	new york city
06-30-00	miss saigon	broadway theatre - new york city
06-29-00	empire state building	new york city
06-24-00	the magic castle	hollywood, ca
06-08-00	dodgers vs astros	dodgers stadium - los angeles, ca
06-04-00	jpl openhouse	pasadena, ca
05-14-00	sundays live	LACMA - los angeles, ca
05-12-00	club crasher	house of blues - west hollywood, ca