#Oakland art walk

[brettesims]

ART EVENT

A 21+ First Fridays Event:🍷 ✍🏾 Join me & my art mentor for a monthly drink & draw event @Oakstop_ ! Really happy to be back to hosting IRL events! 🔗 Link below to grab tickets👇🏾:

[baypics]

Lake Merritt, Oakland

3.3 miles of great reading spots. Want people? ✅ Want Solitude? ✅

From the edits started during the 🔴 live stream! Thanks for hanging! -Bay

[perennialwitness]

October 6, 2023

Oakland First Fridays on Telegraph Ave.

By the people, for the people; keep it Oakland.

[allthingsfern]

My 2023 Top 5

Since early May, 2022, when I fractured my right arm (the humerus, right under the shoulder joint), my health, my physical well being, has deteriorated at a fast pace because I stopped being active. Part of that was my not taking pictures because, especially for the first 2 months after the break, I could not lift my camera. Then, this year, my cataracts got worst and I had my right eye surgery in early November, with my left eye surgery rescheduled for next April. (My cataracts in my left eye are not as severe as they were on my right eye and before my surgery scheduled for this month, December, I got a bad case of bronchitis.) It has been a year of deterioration and adjustment and retrospection (in 10 years I will be 80 years old) and of doing photography. Not so much of making pictures, but certainly of continuing my learning my beloved art form and going back and reworking some of my old photos.

So, with all that said, here are my Top 5 for 2023 and why I chose them and what, in some way, they have to do with my explanation above. The first 3 were captured this year and the last 2 are finds from past photos that I overlooked and that the newer, more powerful masking tools in Camera Raw helped me shape into what I think are stunning images. I am getting good at doing the Ansel Adams style manipulations and am also enjoying the process.

Oy vey.

Circles and triangles and shadows, oh my II. Oakland, 01-28-23.

I went to Oakland, which is a city I love and think is sadly overlooked because of San Francisco's grandeur. Had a great time walking around for a couple of hours and got a few solid photos. What more can I ask for.

Portrait II. Davis, 03-20-23.

Had dinner with this young man and got a couple of photos. zTHis was my favorite; captured him at his most comfortable because he was reacting to a comment by his roommate. Not the sharpest image, but I love the sense of motion and his expression.

Roses IX; Municipal Rose Garden. San Jose, 05-14-23.

For my birthday I went down to San Jose and stayed a couple of days. On my birthday, I visited the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden and had a wonderful time capturing gorgeous roses and enjoying the park's festive Mother's Day atmosphere.

The beauty of decay Vintage trailer: Crockett, 10-01-17.

Kinda creepy/post-Apocalyptic/SteamPunk, this photo came to life once I started editing it in Camera Raw recently. The masking, dodge & burn tools are excellent and its tools for manipulating color also helped immensely even though this is a B&W photo.

COVID wanderings Outdoor seating? Pier 1. San Francisco, 09-07-20.

While walking around a deserted San Francisco Bay promenade on the Embarcadero, I was struck by the hard, graphic lines and sharp B&W light/shadows of this, which showed that even in the midst of a terrifying pandemic, there was beauty to be found every so often, in the most unexpected, mundane places.

[spidermaninlove]

Tomdaya Timeline vol. 5

Links to vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, and vol. 6

November 6, 2022

Tom and Z visited Petra.  link link2

December 7, 2022

Tom allegedly spotted at In-N-Out in Northridge.  

December 9 and 11, 2022

Multiple sightings of Tom and Z together in California. 

December 11, 2022

Tom and Z attended RDJ’s Netflix documentary, “Sr”, screening event in LA.  link  Tom and Z spotted at the Sunset Tower Hotel attending RDJ’s after-party.  link2  

Z and Tom got their nails done by her manicurist.  link3

December 14, 2022

Tom with Z at her former school, Oakland School of the Arts (OSA), for an impromptu master class.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8 link9 link10 link11 link12 link13 link14 link15 link16 link17 link18 link19 link20 link21 link22 link23 link24

They were also spotted at Batch & Brine in Lafayette, CA.  link link2 link3

December 15, 2022

Tom and Z at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.  link link2 link3 link4 link5

Tom allegedly called Z his butterfly.  link

December 16, 2022

Tom and Z in San Francisco.  link  While there, they visited the Golden Gate Bridge.  link2

They were also spotted eating ice cream in Sausalito.  link

December 18, 2022

Tom and Z allegedly paid for customers in line behind them at Starbucks.  link

December 30, 2022

Tom spotted at Heathrow (below) and arriving at LAX (link).

January 2023 Month-Long Caribbean TomdayaMoon

Alleged Tomdaya Caribbean destinations include Turks and Caicos, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia (confirmed -- see photo below), and Antigua and Barbuda.  link

Tom and Z in St. Lucia

January 1 - 2, 2023

Tom and Z were allegedly spotted on a flight from LAX to MIA (Miami).  link

Tom and Z allegedly spotted having brunch on Brickell Key (Miami).  link

January 3, 2023

Tom and Z allegedly spotted at the Amanyara Resort on Turks and Caicos.  link

January 4, 2023

Z posted the story below from the Caribbean.

Somewhere in the Caribbean

January 5, 2023

Tom and Z spotted at the beach in the Caribbean.  link link2

January 11, 2023

Tom and Z allegedly spotted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  link

January 22, 2023

According to a credible source, he met Tom and Z on a boat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  link

January 23, 2023

Tom and Z were spotted hiking in St. Lucia.  link link2

February 1, 2023

An airport employee allegedly met Tom and Z in Antigua and Barbuda.  link  

February 2-4, 2023

After a month-long baecation, Z returned to LA and Tom returned to London.  link

Monaco

February 2023

Z was papped working in Menton, France on February 14, and photographed with a fan in Monaco on February 15.  Tom and Z were spotted at the airport together in Nice, France on February 15.  link link2  They were both spotted dining together in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.  link3

London

March 2023

Tom and Z out and about in Kingston.  link

March 8, 2023

Tom and Z spotted buying hot beverages while on a “family walk” in Richmond Park.  link  Dom confirmed the “family walk”  link2 , and Tessa and Noon accompanied them.  link3

March 11, 2023

Tom and Z were spotted holding hands while walking in Richmond.  link  They were also spotted having lunch while they were there.  link2

March 11, 2023

Tom and Z were spotted at Chiltern Firehouse in London.  link

March 12, 2023

Tom and Z spotted at Richmond Park again today along with Tom’s parents, and their dogs Tessa and Noon.  link link2 link3 link4

Z spotted watching Tom play padel.  link

March 15, 2023

Tom and Z photographed grocery shopping at Waitrose.  link link2 link3

March 18, 2023

A London-based manicurist made a housecall to do Z’s nails.  In the manicurist’s Instagram stories, Z is wearing a TH, ZH, or T/Z H/C signet ring and the Loewe shirt Tom wore to the Louvre.  link

March 21, 2023

Tom and Z spotted grabbing coffee. link

Tom and Z along with Tuwaine and Noon were photographed taking a walk.  link link2 link3

March 25-26, 2023

Tom and Z spotted shopping at John Lewis & Partners.  link

March 27, 2023

Tom and Z dined at Jamavar, a Michelin Star restaurant link and they were spotted out and about on New Bond Street in London.  link2

March 28, 2023

Tom and Z were shopping for antiques, and then spotted at a play and cuddling at a nearby bar/restaurant.  link link2 link3 link4 link5

Mumbai

Tom and Z in Mumbai.  link

March 31, 2023

Tom and Zendaya arrive in Mumbai for the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) grand opening.  link link2 link3

April 1, 2023

Tom and Z yachting in Mumbai. link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7

TZ sightseeing in Mumbai.  link

Zendaya and Tom at the NMACC.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8

TZ leaving the NMACC.  link link2

April 2, 2023

Tom and Z spotted arriving at their hotel in Mumbia after brunch with the Ambanis.  link

TZ spotted leaving their hotel in Mumbia.  link

Tom and Z were holding hands while arriving at the NMACC.  link

TZ at the NMACC and out and about in Mumbai.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6

Tom and Z sighting at the Mumbai airport.  link

April 3, 2023

Tom and Z departed Mumbai.  link

Noon stayed with Tom’s parents while TZ were in Mumbai.  link

London

April 7, 2023

Tom and Z spotted walking in Richmond Park.  link

Zendaya and Tom explored Hampton Court Palace after hours today.  link link2 link3

Hampton Court Palace

April 9, 2023

Tom picked up a chocolate hazelnut frappe for Z on his way home from golfing.  link

April 13, 2023

Tom and Z spotted at Windsor Castle.  link

April 14, 2023

TZ spotted by a fan in Kingston.  link

April 15, 2023

Tom and Z were spotted by a fans in Kingston.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6

April 17, 2023

TZ were spotted getting coffee this morning.  link

Las Vegas

Tom and Z in Las Vegas

April 26, 2023

Zendaya and Tom at an Usher concert in Las Vegas.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8 (Tom wraps his arms around Z) link9 link10 link11 link12 link13 link14 link15 (Tom holding Z from behind while dancing together) link16 link17 link18 link19 link20 link21 link22

Z posted a story ft. Tom at the Usher concert in Las Vegas.  link 

May 1, 2023

Tom and Z at a Thai restaurant in Malibu.  link link2 link3 link4 link5

May 4, 2023

Zendaya and Tom in San Francisco at the Golden State Warriors game.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8 link9 link10 (holding hands) link11 link12 link13 (Z shielding Tom from the camera) link14 link15 link16 (Tom caressing Z’s arm) link17 link18 link19 link20 link21 link22 link23 link24

May 5 or 6, 2023

TZ returned to London.  link

May 13, 2023

Tom and Z allegedly saw Guardians of the Galazy Vol. 3 at a Kingston cinema.  link

May 13 or 14, 2023

TZ spotted in Notting Hill.  link

Venice

May 15, 2023

Tom with Z in Venice.  link link2

Tom and Z were spotted hugging and kissing, on a boat, and with Noon in Venice and nearby Murano.  link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8 link9 link10

May 16, 2023

Tom and Z allegedly spotted having lunch in Venice at the Gritti Palace Hotel.  link 

TZ photographed leaving The Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice.  link

TZ out and about in Venice.  link link2 link3 link4

May 17, 2023

Tom and Z departed Venice.  link link2 link3 link4

May 31, 2023

During an interview, Tom called Z a saint for putting up with his hair while he was filming TCR.  link

According to Sunrise, Tom wants to spend a bit more time away from the spotlight with his mate and his girlfriend, Zendaya. link

June 2023

Tom liked a Most Beautiful Woman in the World fan post of Z.  link

June 1, 2023, Tom’s birthday and TCR red carpet premiere

TZ shared some Caribbean vacation (tomdayamoon) memories on Instagram.  link link2 link3

Z liked and commented on a video Nikki shared of baby Tom.  link

Z also posted the poster for TCR to her story.  link

During a TCR interview, the interviewer asked Tom, “What is the most important experience in your life that has shaped you into the person you are today, if you could say one?”  Tom responded, “I think the most important experience I would like to keep private because it has to do with someone very special.”  link

June 4, 2023

While answering BuzzFeed’s 30 questions, Tom said, “I’m locked up, so I’m happy and in love.”  link  During the interview, he also mentioned Z was his childhood crush, and that “they” want to go back to his dream vacation spot -- a beach location they visited this year.  link2

During Tom’s UNILAD interview, he confirmed tomdaya 1.0.  link

June 8, 2023

During a podcast, Tom mentioned he’s lucky he has Z in his life.  link

June 9, 2023

Z reposted Tom’s TCR post to her story.  link

June 14, 2023

Tom and Z attended her Challengers costar’s play in London, and exited the theater holding hands.  link link2

June 16, 2023

Tom and Z photographed on an intimate walk in a London park.  link link2 link3 link4 link5

June 24, 2023

TZ spotted at a local golf resort.  link link2

Z had her nails manicured at Tom’s house.  link

June 27, 2023

Zendaya and Tom at the Beyonce Renaissance World Tour in Warsaw, Poland.  Tom is wearing Z’s leather jacket.  

link link2 link3 link4 link5 link6 link7 link8 link9 link10 link11 link12 link13 link14 link15 link16 link17 link18 link19 link20 link21 link22 link23 link24 link25 link26 link27 link28

TZ serenading each other to Love On Top at Beyonce’s concert.  link link2 link3 link4  

TZ lovingly looking into one another’s eyes and Z caressing Tom’s face during Beyonce’s Love on Top performance.  link

June 28, 2023

TZ returned to London.  link

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Twelve

Day: Monday, November 13th Time: 7:15 AM EST

"Could you at least tell me why you brought a racquet into that room?" "Do you own a gun?" Neil asked, and when Betsy shook her head, said, "Imagine you did. One night you wake up because you hear someone moving around in your house. You have the right to confront them and, not knowing whether or not they're armed, are smart enough to bring your gun with you. If he attacks you and you fire on him, the police will call it justified self- defense. I don't have a gun, but I had a racquet." "I understand what you're getting at, but no one else suspected Andrew was in any trouble," Betsy said. It wasn't really a question, so Neil didn't answer. When they stopped at the next red light, Betsy considered Neil in silence. Only when the light turned green again did she say, "There is a fine line between self-defense and premeditated murder here, Neil. Why did you bring the racquet upstairs?" At length Neil grudgingly said, "I knew who Drake was." "How? Did Andrew tell you about him?" "He told me parts of the story, not enough," Neil said. "I knew the Oakland police were investigating the Spears and I knew Cass's son was a Marine. I can't take on a Marine in a fair fight. That's why I grabbed my racquet." Neil stared out the window and wished the conversation was already over. "I gave it to Aaron so I could break down the door, and I didn't have time to take it back." "You stormed the room," Betsy said. "What did you see?" "Drake attacking Andrew," Neil said. It was the truth, but it felt like a lie as it rolled off his tongue. Three words were a pathetic description of what he'd walked in on. "I was off-balance from kicking in the door, so Aaron was faster than I was. He caught Drake right here." He touched his head where his racquet had shattered Drake's skull. "It was a heavy, so it only took one hit. If Andrew gave you the p-card, that means the police are keeping my racquet, aren't they?" "Would you want it back?" Betsy asked. "Do you have any idea how much it cost?" Neil asked. "Yes, I want it back." "It wouldn't bother you that it was used as a murder weapon?" "It didn't kill anyone important."

Art used with permission by Masthya. Thank you @masthya

[shezamaverick]

25 Years of Black Sails

Into and Out of the Sunset

By: Davey Havok

Not long before the final tour of the A Fire Inside EP, a mutual friend asked Mark what type of AFI record he planned on writing to follow our third full-length. His earnest reply: “Unlistenable. Something everyone will hate.” Though this was the type of chaos I would have certainly supported, he never said this to me. He’d stopped speaking to me sometime in the fall of ‘98. Jade took his place shortly thereafter.

The first time I wrote with Jade was in my room beneath the stairs at the defunct frat house that AFI lived in at the time.* That evening in 1998, promptly at our scheduled hour, a knock came upon my thick wooden door. I opened it with an anticipatory smile and nod. “What’s up man?” Jade walked into the shadows of my ill-lit room carrying his acoustic guitar. My mattress and boxspring, set under the flight of stairs leading to the third floor, was the only place to sit. Our new guitarist sat on its edge. I sat on the floor with my microcassette recorder, facing him. The room was scented of cheap vanilla candles. Peter Murphy stared at me from a poster behind our new guitarist. I was excited. Jade was then and is now one of the greatest songwriters I’ve known. My band of seven years was about to begin its metamorphosis. “So, I was thinking,” he offered. “I miss the melodic stuff in AFI. How about we add some of that back in? Nothing crazy, just a bit.” As genuinely ready as I’d have been for Mark’s repellant HXC vision to take AFI down a path that forked toward cacophonous supernova (or 2024 Taco Bell commercials?) I felt Jade’s as well. Limiting myself to screaming limited my abilities of emoting and evocation as well. It was becoming unfulfilling and suffocating.

Jade picked up his acoustic, strummed some chords, and in falsetto sang, “We all begin to burn…” He’d come prepared with these parts and I was immediately hooked. Working from the scratch lyric intended to act as a gang callout, I expounded with conceptual responses and so came the rest of Malleus Maleficarum. I believe some weathered copy of the tome itself had been lying about my room—if not, some witchy text that referenced it. Malleus was the first song we’d ever written together. I can recall our writing of Clove Smoke Catharsis and God Called in Sick Today in that tiny dark room as well. With those tracks, I felt certain our next record was going to be well beyond anything I’d ever thought I would have been capable of being a part of. I was utterly inspired. In our latest writing sessions together, 25 years later, I’ve felt beyond this. What a luxury.

During that late '90s East Bay winter Jade, Hunter, Adam and I put BSITS together in our tiny Oakland practice pad, off 20th, then tracked it with Andy at the Art Of Ears in Hayward. I shredded my voice during my allotted two days of time, screaming out 15 tracks that defiantly sat steadfast at the top of my range. Oh, but to have my 23-year-old healing powers back.

Weeks later, I pulled the advanced master from the mail and squirreled to my parking space by the dumpsters behind the frat house. Sat in the faded burgundy upholstery of my driver seat, I slid the cassette into my ’83 Accord’s silver player and depressed the play button. Click. Adam’s ominous preface to Strength Through Wounding began. The gang of Skinhead Rob, Fritch, and our buddy Dan followed the warlike beat. Then came the impure chant, ominously brooding through my crackling speakers with all the blasphemous piety I’d hoped. I was so happy with what we’d made.

When Dexter Holland, singer of The Offspring and owner of the label we were on at the time, first heard Black Sails in the Sunset he told our A&R guy, “I don’t get it.” Commercially, this wasn’t a great sign. Artistically, it was affirming.

Be they pretty fly, or even barely fly, BSITS did alienate a lot of fans (as had Shut Your Mouth and every record thereafter), but with it we gained more fans who were ready to join us on the ever jagging sonic journey we’d begun. My look at the time was arguably even more confronting than the relatively unorthodox sounds of Black Sails. The rigid regulations of the extremely masculine ’90s hardcore scene didn’t make much room for a singer in whiteface, black lipstick, fishnet, and PVC. Philosophically this remains unacceptable to me. Our fierce and fabulous ancestors gave us our glitter. I’ll leave you with one of the more delightful heckle memories from the unparalleled Life on the Ropes Tour with Sick of It All, Hot Water Music and Indecision:

INTERIOR: a compact second story theatre, packed with hundreds of hardcore kids. AFI is onstage somewhere in the midwest. Clouds of fog spill over the carmine valance as Jade begins the opening riff to their final song. God Called in Sick Today whispers to life as your author crouches in the crawling billows, his vinyl pants reflecting red light into the baffled eyes of dreadlocked white boys in capacious corduroy JNCOs and commodious VOD tees. They impatiently await the NYC legends, SOIA.

A heckle bursts through the gentle riff. “Let’s go, Trent Reznor!”

Your author rolls his heavily shadowed, lined, and mascaraed eyes. How elementary, he thinks. The opening riff continues.

“Come on, Peter Murphy!”

Begrudgingly impressed by the boor’s finer reference, your author’s plucked brows slightly raise with imperceptible surprise. He gives the heckler no acknowledgment, remaining in the song. The opening line of the verse is seconds away when the boy barks,

“Ok, Count Chocula!”

Grinning, your author chuckles for the first and last time ever before singing, “Let’s admire the pattern forming…”

25 years later, the pattern continues to shift.

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

omg about accessibility- i went to the oakland zoo with my girlfriend a while back and we rented a wheelchair to avoid triggering its foot injury, and the paths were So Steep that at one point we lost control of the wheelchair on a downhill slope. we were Really Lucky we didnt hit anyone or crash too badly or get injured ourselves.

100% this. Oakland’s paths are so steep and dangerous and not super well maintained. I remember thinking if I was struggling to walk them, how bad it must be for people in wheelchairs or scooters. I’m glad you were okay and I hope you told the zoo about the problem.

The other mobility thing that struck me there was that, down by the bottom of the zoo, there’s a bunch of bronze ants and bugs embedded in the pavement. It’s a cute art design and naturalistic and stuff, but they’re not flush - they’re raised from the surface of the pavement just enough to be a tripping hazard. It seemed like such a weird choice.

[stephxgingrichx]

„I can never decide if Steph is the coolest or nerdiest person in all of Blackwell. Maybe both? She's definitely queen of the indoor kids, with all their weird roleplaying games and sci-fi shit.I guess her dad is a video editor. She makes some sweet cash by selling bootleg DVDs. Don't knock the hustle. And I'm pretty sure Steph does all the backstage technical work for the school plays, which checks out. Another thing about Steph: she's into girls, and she doesn't give a shit what anyone else thinks about it.“ - a special walking weirdo about Steph

Friends describes Steph as a "restless type" and as "queen of the nerds" who has grown her passion for tabletop role-playing since her time at Arcadia Bay. Moreover, she's characterized as a "creative force of nature" and as a "queer and proud, musical, nerdy powerhouse.

Steph was born in Oakland, California but was raised in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. After graduating from Blackwell, Steph moved to Seattle, Washington to study video game design but ended up being pulled into the art and music scene there, and teamed up with her then girlfriend Izzie to form the two-piece punk band Drugstore Makeup, with Steph on drums. The band eventually wound up in Haven Springs, Colorado playing at the local bar the Black Lantern. Steph ended up falling in love with the small town and its charm and decided to remain there. Her passion for music ended up landing her a job at Rocky Mountain Record Traders becoming both the store's manger and the local radio DJ.

[captain-willard-1968]

Not Like Us (Shakespeare Version) by Sir Kendrick Lamar of House Duckworth:

(Pls note; this will not rhyme💀)

[Intro]

Psst, I comune with the dead

(Mustard on the beat, ho)

[Verse 1]

Ayy, mustard on the beat, ho

Deebo any poet whelp, ‘tis a free throw

Man down, retrieve an amberlamps, bid them ‘breathe, sir’

Nail a whelp to the cross, indeed, he shalt walk around like Teezo

What is with these foolish whelps attempting to see Compton?

The industry can loathe me, away with them all along with their mothers

How many foes dost thou have? Ist too many options!

Indeed, I am forwarding this body, proclaim me John Stockton

Thrash thy ass and conceal the Bible if the Lord be watching

Often thou must step up and beat whelps

Mandated specter, ‘tis I that ups the score with them

Biting my thumb at him, meanwhile, I know’ist he hast some ho in him

Brandish a blade on him, force shit, mock Death Row on him

Say, Drake, I hear thee likeliest them young

Thou best ne’r go to cell block one

To any wretch that discourses and they art in love,

Thou must hide thy child sister from him

They ‘claim to me that Chubbs ist the only one who retrieves thy hand-me-downs

Along with Party ist at the party picking at his nose now

And Baka hast an odd case

Why art he around?

Mandated Lover Boy? Mandated PAEDOPHILES

Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, do away with them

Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, ‘tis I who does mine stuff

Why art thou conniving like a whore, aren’t thou aweary?

Attempting to strike a chord, perchance ‘tis A minor

[Chorus]

They art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us

They art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us

[Verse 2]

Thou thinkest the San Francisco province ist going to let thee disgrace their knight Sir Pac, whelp?

Methinks that Oakland show shalt be thy last stop, whelp

Thy put a plague on Cole, I know not why thou ist still feigning

What ist the owl? Bird whelps along with bird wretches

The audience be not foolish

Mold the stories however thou want, hark now, Drake, they are not slow

The rabbit hole be still deep, I canst go further, I swear

Is that not something? B-Rad meaning wretch and thou ist Malibu’s most sought after

There is no law, sirrah, thou art a ball sirrah, go and fetch Gatorade or something else

Since 1609 I hast these wretches jumping

Thou whelps shalt get wedges, shalt be flipped over thy trousers

What dost OVO stand for? The “Other Vaginal Option”?

Marry?

Whelps must straighten thy postures, reached fame hood in Compton

Perchance compose this for the title of ‘Doctor’, proclaim unto that pop star stop hiding

Forget a caption, crave action, nay accident

I am hands-on, he fools around, get dispatched

Intercoursed with Wayne’s maiden whilst he were away, ‘tis conniving

Then got face art like a wretch apologizing

Art I happy DeRoz’ is back, ye didst deserve him neither

From Alondra down to Central, thou best not discourse on Serena

And thou brethren must be subpoenaed, that predator moves in flocks

His name must be registered and placed unto village watch

I put pressure on you whelps like another line of Wock’

Aye, all eyes on me, and I am going to deliver it up to Sir Pac, ayy

Force the wrong label on me, indeed, I shalt have it dropped, ayy

Sweet Chin Music and I shan’t deliver the aux, ayy

How many stocks dost I truly have in stock?

One, two, three, four, five, unto five, ayy

The Devil be’ist a lie, he ist the 69 Lord, ayy

Freakish whelps must stay inside, ayy

Roll themselves up like a fresh pack of lettuce, ayy

The city is back up, ‘tis a must, we are outside, ayy

[Chorus]

They art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us, they art nought like us

[Verse 3]

Once upon a time, all of us were in chains

Man still spoke again and proclaimed us slaves

Atlanta, t’were the Mecca, constructing railroads and trains

Hark unto mine words but for a moment, hark unto mine council

The settlers were using townsfolk to make themselves wealthier

Look unto, 1624, thou hast the same plan

Thou flees to Atlanta when thou need’est a shilling balance

Allow me to make it smaller for thy brain, this be the true whelp contest

Thou called upon Future when thou didst see the club

Lil Baby mentored thou on thy language

21 bestowed thee false street cred

Thug made thee feelst like thou hast membership in thy head

Quavo discourses thou may be from Northside

2 Chainz discours’t thou fine, but he proclaimed false

Thou flees to Atlanta when thou need’st more shillings

Nay, thou art not a collague, but a falsifying colonizer

The family matter along with the truth of the matter

‘Twas the Lord’s plan to show ye the wolf upon the flock

[Bridge]

Mm

Mm-mm

He art a fan, he art a fan, he art a fan

He art a fan, he art a fan, he art a

Freakish whelp, he art a 69 Lord

Freakish whelp, he art a 69 Lord

Aye, aye, aye, flee for thy life

Aye, aye, aye, flee for thy life

Freakish whelp, he art a 69 Lord

Freakish whelp, he art a 69 Lord

Aye, aye, aye, flee for thy life

Aye, aye, aye, flee for thy life

Allow me to hear thee ‘claim “OV-ho!” (OV-ho!)

Proclaim “OV-ho!” (OV-ho!)

Afterward, step this way, step that way

Afterward, step this way, step that way

[Outro]

Art thou mine ally?

Art we focused?

Afterward, step this way, step that way

Step this way, step that way

[brostateexam]

Today was a great day! Shane and I woke up early to get brunch with my family at Saul's. I found out my cousin moved from Berkeley to like one neighborhood over from us here in Oakland, so now we will hopefully see one another more.

Then, we did some shopping and amiable ambling and I ended up buying two pieces of art from that food exhibition I posted some pictures of earlier. I think they'll look great in the kitchen. Once we paint the kitchen, but one thing at a time.

Went to a cafe in Oakland because the rain had every single spot in Berkeley completely full of students in their laptops, and then walked over to Making the Most of It, the exhibition with some photos I just posted.

Yesterday, we went to the plant store and got a feijoa (pineapple guava) as well as some ornamentals, then went to the landscaping store for more mulch and soil. By the time Shane is done with the garden, I feel like the entire thing will be terraformed from the impacted clay that came with the house to aerated, fertile topsoil.

Now we are safely ensconced at home and I feel good about this weekend.

[feverinfeveroutfic]

The Confectioner’s Tale | Chapter 4

On that night, I knew that I was going to have to hustle, between hanging out with Alex's band before their set, and then going over to Pete's band to be with them afterwards, and thus, I had to keep my strength up for the time being. It was going to be a long night hanging out with all of those boy, but I knew I was up to the challenge. If I could spend six hours on a big wedding cake, then I could spend six hours with a bunch of guys.

I clocked out for the day at around two thirty, and I returned home to change my clothes and run a brush through my hair. Some slinky black for the darkest, hottest boys I could ever possibly think of meeting, and the black shirt with the low plunging neckline as well as the fitted black skinny jeans and the red and white studded belt. I was the confectioner and the baker, but I knew how to dress away from it all.

I was once told I look like an artist, after all, especially when I dressed in that way.

I never could be sexy for a moment in my life, and especially not for Ben. There was so much that happened there that I simply could not afford to show myself to him, and yet in hindsight, I knew that I had to have done something like that for him if I wanted him so much. I told myself that I wanted him all for myself, but something held me back. Something tugged on my leash and told me to stand back and let the real ones flaunt themselves for him.

Something about working around food ascended me to a different level, however, perhaps more so than making art. I could feel the food and I could feel something within me as I handled something as malleable as bread dough or poured my heart into a cake or a pie.

A quick spritz of perfume on my neck and shoulders, and I picked up my purse and walked on out to my car, and I headed in back to the bakery as well as the hotel in question. 

Pete and his band had already left for the venue, which meant I was going to follow Alex’s band instead on the way over. The five of them had tucked themselves into a robin’s egg blue van which had an Oakland Raiders sticker plastered on the back window: no way I could miss that as they led me through the narrow side streets to the theater, the one that rose up against the gray sky in a tapestry of eggshell white stucco and scarlet trimming. It looked like something straight out of a painting, and more so when I parked behind the van and followed the five of them into the backstage 

Pete’s band had pitched their tent at the place right across the street, which meant I had to run over there after their set, and I hoped that the shadowy-looking guard over by the door of the tour bus could let me in at such a short notice. 

Alex’s band had a small van barely big enough for five guys and their instruments but Pete had a big luxurious bus. 

Then again, I was the kind of person to trade between two extremes no matter what the cost.

The backstage door stood wide open and I gingerly stepped inside: I hoped that no one would object to me being back there as I spotted Chuck, with the long hair that was the color of molasses and with the behavior of static, right near a long low table covered in a bright red cloth. Those eyes seemed to follow me like the northern lights, and more so when he approached me in all of his towering might.

“Hannah, right?” he asked me in a voice that sounded like the same color as his hair.

“Yes!”

“Oh good!” He brought a hand to his chest. “We meet so many people while on the road, such that it’s hard to remember their names. Alex told the rest of us all about you and the beautiful cake you made for him.”

“And?” I asked him. “What did you all think?”

“I should probably tell you that that cake is truly delicious,” he told me with a smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. “We seriously can’t get enough of it. In fact, Eric—our other guitarist and the band founder—wants you to make another one for us.”

“You know, now that you mention it, I want to make more stuff for you fellas now,” I confessed. He put his arm around me and guided me over to the table in question.

Alex then breezed into the room from behind a separating black velvet curtain on the other side of the room: he was wrapped in a black button-up shirt and snug black jeans: big chunky white sneakers donned his feet to the point he almost looked like a cartoon character. It took me a moment to see that he had only fastened two buttons on the shirt; he had fully exposed the buttery skin of his chest as well as the sprigs of hair at the dead center.

“And it’s the man of the hour!” Chuck declared, to which he let me go and helped himself to another slice of the cheesecake: by the look of it, there were only two slices left behind, and I knew I had to get to work soon enough for them. Meanwhile, Alex showed me a smile as he took his seat on the spindly, shabby-looking couch of scratchy-looking tweed tucked in the far corner of the room.

“Hey, you,” I greeted him as I walked on over to him.

“Hey,” he replied back, and the bottom hem of his shirt lifted up to show me a bit of his slim, slender belly.

“Peek-a-boo,” I said with a finger to his exposed skin, to which he flinched back at the feeling of my finger there.

“Hey, watch it!” he quipped, and a warm blush crossed his face.

“What’s the matter, are you ticklish there?” I teased him as I took my spot next to him.

“I guess you could say that I am,” he confessed with a slight bow of his head, and a few locks of hair dangled down over his shoulders and onto his chest. He moved his hands out from his waist a bit, just enough for me to see the bottom hem and button over his belt. He was so slender, elegant even, that I never would have believed he loved to eat as much as he did.

I glanced over my shoulder to the rest of the room, only to find Chuck and Eric congregated over by the rest of the cheesecake together. I then returned to Alex and the slight soft rosiness to his face: thin and elegant and yet there was this sweet roundness to his face. Still very much a young boy.

“It’s so really sweet of you to have a slice of my cake,” I told him in a low voice.

“I like to eat,” he pointed out. “I found your bakery quite attractive, too.” He showed me a sweet little smile.

“Well… there’s something just so personable about working in food, especially with baking,” I clarified for him. “You put your heart and soul into it, like it came out of you in such a way that you can only feel with the swipe of your tongue.”

“So, it’s kind of similar to the whole thing with music,” he followed along with a little nod of his head. “Putting yourself, your blood, sweat, and tears into it all so when someone says it’s terrible or it sucks, you feel it in your bones.”

“And when someone praises it, it gives you a shot of good feeling, especially when you thought it wouldn’t go very well.”

He licked his lips ever so slowly, and then he peered over his shoulder right as the other two guys of his band emerged from behind the curtain. They all had long dark hair, and they all were wrapped in solid black and had those big sneakers on their feet, such that I wanted to laugh a bit.

“Did I ever tell you that I’m also an artist?” I started again, that time with a clearing of my throat. He turned his head to me with his eyes lit up.

“I don’t think you did, that literally explains everything!” he proclaimed, excited. He leaned forward so he could be so much closer to me. “You have the heart and soul of an artist. And you have the gift of making things that feed your fellow humans. You and I, we can make things out of nothing. In fact…” He turned to his band mates again, and then back to me. “…come with me. I’ll introduce you to Eric, Greg, and Lou in a bit.”

He took me by the hand and guided me back to the velvet curtain. I bowed my head even though he lifted the edge for me, only to be met with a stagehand who extended his arm out to me to stop me right in my tracks.

“It’s okay, Bishop, she’s with me,” Alex told him off.

“Oh, okay—my bad.” He flashed me a thumbs up, and I walked on up to Alex to be side by side with him.

“Thank you for that,” I said to him in a hushed voice, and he led me to his dressing room tucked back in the corridor away from the rest of the room.

“I mean, it is true,” he assured me as he nudged on the door panel and then held it open for me. I was met with a little chair before a vanity mirror surrounded by those golden yellow lightbulbs and a heavy cherry wood table, as well as a small but cozy-looking loveseat on the right side of the room. Beyond the loveseat stood the doorway to the shower.

“Fancy,” I remarked as I stepped over to the loveseat. “Cozy, too.”

“It’s actually the runt of the bunch, if you can believe it,” he told me. “Chuck and Eric have minibars in their rooms. Greg has this big floor where he can do some exercise before the show. And Lou’s got not one, but two couches!”

“It’s like it was made for you and me, though,” I pointed out to him as I took my spot on the loveseat. I leaned against the arm and pulled my feet up so I could strike a pose for him.

“Ooh, hello,” he quipped with a run of his fingers through his black curls. He then turned to the table before the mirror, where I spotted a pair of hairbrushes, some combs, and what appeared to be a cloche, the latter of which beckoned the raise of an eyebrow out of me. He held the cloche by the handle and showed me another slice of my cheesecake, like he had taken it all for himself and hid it away for me to bear witness to when I saw him again.

“You saved yourself an extra slice,” I gasped, and I gazed up at him.

“Well, you know what they say: the gateway to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” he explained as he set down the silvery dome on the tabletop behind the slice. He picked up the fork there on the plate’s edge and sloughed off a small piece. He gestured for me to come on over to him. With a lick of my lips, I stood up and sauntered over to him.

He pointed the tines of the fork towards my lips. I opened my lips and took the bite for myself.

Creamy, smooth, silken, and lush, just like Alex himself.

“All’s fair in love and baking,” I told him once I swallowed it down.

“I love that,” he declared, and he hooded his eyes a bit. It took me a second to realize he was looking at my lips. He lingered closer to me, such that I could feel the delicate nature of his body even from a few inches away. He had such a beautiful body, and one that I wanted to feel all the way from that long lush hair down to his toes.

Those soft lips grazed my own, as smooth as the outside skin of a cherry. I moved in a bit closer for some extra spice on the cake, and he rested a hand on the small of my back.

He was the musician. I was the confectioner.

That is, until someone knocked on the door panel.

“Alex? We’re about ready to start rehearsals.”

“I have to go,” he whispered into my lips, and a shiver shot up my spine. He then turned to the door and opened to find Eric there on the other side.

“We were just talking,” Alex assured him, to which Eric dropped his gaze to me and squinted his eyes.

“Talking about cake?” Eric then joked.

“Talking about cake, yes!” I went along with it. I followed them out to the backstage area once again, where Alex walked on over to a little red guitar leaned against an amp about the size of a breadbox.

“I’ll see you later, baby,” I said to him in a low enough voice for us to hear over the noise of that strip of floor, and he showed me a little smile from over his shoulder at me. Alex ran his fingers through his black curls and turned towards his little red guitar there on the wire display. I watched him from behind as he slung it over his slender shoulders.

I knew I was going to taste him for the entire evening thereafter.

But there was simply no way I could go over to Pete’s camp without that in mind at all.

[living-n-theastraldigital]

I haven’t really been in the bay for this extensive a time since I was 18 and it’s trippy. I love Oakland with all my heart and I’ll always put on for my city but I don’t feel like I belong here. Went to sf to see Megan thee stallion and i got confused on Muni. I cringed at the crowd that the big screen was showin. Rich white gays who could afford to be in the pit, I was like Meg this is not usssss. But it is! Bay culture is beat up Teslas. Bay culture is beige friend groups. Bay culture is white women smiling so aggressively at u when u walk by them as some sort of reconciling with their self hatred.

Oakland is such a special city though, Revolution!!! Is born in Oakland, which is why it’s been destroyed in the way it has. Mayor got her house raided by the FBI last week for embezzlement. Was talking to my friend whose also Oakland native ab the state of our city, especially the arts culture which has been so pink and white washed here. Black creatives move out of Oakland. Not all but a lot. I feel so guilty. But living in ny at this point in my life is like a rebirth for me. It feels easier, maybe not easier, but tangible to chase my dreams there. So cliche. I am motivated and I move in NY in a way that I don’t in Oakland. Oakland for me in rest and grounding. I plan to move like the how I moved into this planet, born in a brownstone in bedstuy and rooted in the town. Oakland I promise you I’m bringing you a big gift.

[seattle-to-san-diego]

Sun, June 9

Ann, Aaron and I started our beautiful Berkeley day with a long walk to the farmers market. Picked up some artichokes, apricots, Rainier cherries and ripe yellow peaches, all while listening to a jazz ensemble. Lucky Californians.

Telegraph Avenue is not what it used to be. George and Ann were determined to help me find a pair of earrings by a local artist. We persevered and scored! Saw a lot of stunning art work along the way, including wood layered cutting boards made by none other than David Eichorn, the famed Berkeley High teacher. He was at one of the artists’ galleries and George had a nice chat.

Lunch at Saul’s, another of Bob Kelly’s favorites.

George got us tickets to the California Jazz Conservancy to hear original compositions by Doug Morton, all played by the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra. We were . . . absolutely . . . blown away. So interesting to hear George and Aaron talk music theory and work through their responses to the performance. The group is recording the same set on Tuesday ~ hope to get a CD so we can relive the experience!!!!

Had a couple of drinks and some apps at Lake Chalet on Lake Merritt in Oakland. Then back to George & Ann’s for some fruit and port.

Returning to places of the past can bring up big things. I had a pretty profound experience this time. I was talking about how sorry I was to blow thru Cal in 3 years. I didn’t take advantage of all that it offered. It’s a remorse story I tell a lot. (George played music, including a European tour and leadership of the Jazz Festival and rowed.) Me? I got a diploma.

And then for the first time last night, I allowed myself to really feel for the young woman I was. So much happened in the first quarter alone that really penned me in.

I feel sad for that young woman now. She didn’t stand a chance to be free to really explore. It’s okay tho. She did her best and a lot of wonderful things happened. What really matters is now. And life now is way, way good.

[catdotjpeg]

High school students across San Francisco walked out of classrooms Wednesday to protest Israel’s bombing of Gaza and demand a cease-fire in the Israel-[Palestine] war, organizers said. The walkout came a day after a hospital in Gaza City was destroyed, killing hundreds of Palestinians and others sheltering there... High school students have called for nationwide walkouts to “protest the ongoing killing of Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli military and to demand an immediate cease-fire,” the San Francisco-based Arab Resource & Organizing Center said in a statement. At 10:30 a.m., Yousra C., a student who declined to give her last name and is president of the Middle Eastern North African Club at Galileo High School, walked out of AP calculus to lead a protest. She was wearing a white hijab and the flag of Palestine on her cheek. She estimated that 150 or 200 students joined the protest, who she said were excused from class to take part in the protest.  They marched around the block at their Marina District school, waving flags and carrying banners. Some chanted in Arabic, “With our souls, with our blood, we will bring you back, Gaza.” “This is our first walkout, but if the civilians of Palestine continue to be bombed, we will continue to speak,” said Yousra, who described herself as Algerian and expressed frustration that the history of Palestine is not taught at her school. [...] “Students know what’s going on, and they want to protest against the genocide,” said another marcher at Galileo High, a junior named Halima L., who declined to share her last name. “This is not about the bombing of the hospital. It’s about 75 years of oppression.” The students did three or four laps around campus, accompanied by a car with its horn blaring and students hanging out of windows waving the Palestinian flag. They finished with a final chant and rally in front of the school before ending the protest by midday. At a morning news conference on the steps of City Hall organized by the Arab Resource & Organizing Center, activists made urgent calls of their own before the 10:30 a.m. walkout. San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen — the only elected official to participate in the news conference — called on President Biden and other congressional leaders to do “everything in their power” to secure a cease-fire. “Every day since Oct. 7, I have been living with a pit in my stomach. I know many of you here live with that pit every day,” she said. “Collective punishment is a war crime, and what I watch Israel doing every day in Gaza is just that.” [...] In Oakland, about 30 students gathered at Lake Merritt, holding signs that read “California stands with Gaza” and “Stop killing the kids,” according to social media posts. [...] Another speaker at the City Hall event, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, called the war a campaign of mass killing.  “This is not an open-air prison,” she said of conditions in Gaza. “It is a concentration camp.” [...] San Francisco parent Dr. Manal Elkarra, whose family is from Gaza City, listed the casualties from the blast at a Gaza hospital that Palestinian officials say has left hundreds dead. “Doctors in the Gaza strip are pleading for your help,” she said, choking back tears. Battling Israel’s blockade of water, power or help to Gaza, medical professionals are running out of body bags, have been forced to reuse surgical gloves, and store the deceased in ice cream trucks due to an overflow of corpses coming through the morgues, she said.

-- From "S.F. students walk out to protest Israel airstrikes on Gaza after Hamas attack" by Jessica Flores, Annie Vainshtein, and Sam Whiting for San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Oct 2023

The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) lists the participating schools as Life Academy, Oakland International, Latitude High, Fremont High, and MetWest High in Oakland; Galileo Academy, Lowell High, Balboa High, Mission High, San Francisco School of the Arts, Ida B. Wells High, Lincoln High, George Washington High, June Jordan School, and City College of San Francisco in San Francisco; Oceana High in Pacifica; and Berkeley High in Berkeley. Over 1700 students are said to have participated.

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Two

Day: Wednesday, August 30th Time: 8:30 PM EST *Art used with permission by @ouijacine

"Why didn't Aaron know he had a brother?" Nicky winced, but Neil didn't know what bothered him more: the question or the rough edge in Matt's voice. "They're twins," Nicky said. He waited for them to catch on, looked from one blank face to another, and frowned disbelief. "Think about it for a sec, would you? Imagine you're my Aunt Tilda. How eager would you be to tell Aaron you gave up his brother at birth? She hoped that secret would stay buried forever." "But Aaron found out," Neil said. Nicky flashed Neil a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah, and that's why I believe in fate. See, Aaron was born and raised in San Jose. Apparently Aunt Tilda got bored of dating locally and started going to online matching sites. Right after Aaron turned thirteen Aunt Tilda hooked up with this new guy up in Oakland. Her boyfriend thought they should meet at a Raiders game, something nice and public and fun, so she stuffed Aaron in the car and off they went. Aaron said he was at the concession stand when this cop walked up, calling him Andrew and talking like they knew each other. Aaron thought he was either crazy or confused, but it didn't take the cop long to figure out something was wrong." "Higgins," Matt guessed. "Yeah. Soon as Higgins figured out he had the wrong brother he made Aaron take him back to where Aunt Tilda was. See, Higgins thought Aunt Tilda was another foster mother and that Aaron and Andrew had somehow gotten split up in the system. Higgins wanted to reunite them, so Aunt Tilda gave him her phone number to pass along and took Aaron home again. I don't know why she bothered. Maybe she was too embarrassed to say no or didn't want to explain to a cop what was going on. Either way, Andrew's foster mother called the next day to set up a meet-and-greet, and Aunt Tilda refused. She told the fosters she didn't want anything to do with Andrew, didn't want to know what he was like or how he was doing, nothing. She even made them promise to not contact her ever again." Nicky finished his second drink and mixed a third. "But Aaron knew who was calling, and he was too excited to wait on his mom to hang up to find out the details. As soon as she picked up in the kitchen, he ran to her bedroom and listened in on the upstairs phone. That's how he found out the truth." Nicky looked down at his drink. "Aaron said it was the worst day of his life."

"Jesus," Matt said. "I don't blame him. Did he tell her he'd heard her?" "Oh, yeah. Aaron said they had it out. But Aunt Tilda wouldn't budge, so Aaron went behind her back and called the Oakland PD. He found the PAL coordinators and gave them his information to give to Andrew. Two weeks later he got a letter in the mail that basically said 'Fuck you, go away'." Matt rubbed at his temples. "Yeah, that sounds like Andrew." "Some things never change," Nicky said. "So how'd Aaron change Andrew's mind?" Dan asked. Nicky gave her an odd look. "He didn't." "Wait," Dan said. "What do you mean, he didn't?" "I mean he didn't try again. I don't know who told Andrew's foster parents about Aaron, if it was Andrew or this Phil guy, but Andrew's foster mom wrote Aaron a letter. She wanted Aaron to try again in spring and said something about holidays being rough and there being a lot of changes at the house. So Aaron waited, but he waited too long. In March Andrew went off to juvie, and Aaron started rethinking this brother thing. Two months later Aunt Tilda sold the house in San Jose and moved Aaron to Columbia." Dan looked bewildered. "Then when did they meet?" "Dad found out about Andrew five years ago, so..." Nicky counted time on his fingers. "Four and a half years ago, give or take a bit. Dad went to California to interview Andrew's foster family and stop by juvie. A month later he flew Aaron out so Aaron and Andrew could talk, but I don't count that half-hour supervised session as a first meeting. They met for real when Andrew made early parole a year later and Dad bullied Aunt Tilda into bringing Andrew home." Nicky nursed his drink for a bit. "Weird when you think about it, right? They've only really known each other for three years." "That's messed up," Matt said. "Yeah, and that's the nice version of the story," Nicky said. "Anyway, that's how Aaron and Andrew know Higgins. I don't know why he's calling Andrew now, but I'm not going to ask. I kind of view Andrew's foster life as an off-limits topic. I don't bring it up until he does." "Is that really okay?" Dan asked. "It didn't sound like a 'Long time no see' kind of phone call. What if someone's dug up some past crime of his that could get him taken off our court? Maybe Phil was calling to warn him about an investigation." "Andrew will take care of it," Nicky said. "That's not comforting," Dan said, but she let it drop.

Art used with permission by Ouijacine.