My Birthday is on Tuesday

July 7th.  Woot woot, whatcha getting me?

I only want you!

California

This is a post that is a bit late but it showed up before never so what can you do?

Once upon a time I loved California more than most things and definitely more than any locales in my life.  I loved the way the sun felt on my skin (because it wasn’t burning me to death).  I loved the old buildings and rich history in so many of the large and smaller cities.  I loved seeing the ocean and not seeing the ocean but knowing it was near by.  Most of all I loved the people.  There was a time in my life when I was traveling to California every other weekend (the weekends coincided with my bi-weekly pay days) to see one specific person.  When I was in California all was right and on more than one occasion I pushed the days I’d stay out later and later, until I was spending week long trips in California.  These days I don’t go out there so much.  People that used to bring me out there don’t have that pull on me anymore, mostly because the ties have been violently severed, but every once in a while I end up in my home state, and whenever I’m there I remember all of the feelings that make me never want to make the return trip.

A little while ago I became nostalgic for the California state of mind, and fortunately so did a very wonderful and lover-ly lady named Anita.  So after an hour or so of enjoying each others’ company and reminiscing about our first love, California, we decided to go.  And at 2:30am we were on the road to the sunshine state.

We only had a couple days’ time because of responsibilities back home, but the short trip was nevertheless relaxing and exactly what Anita and I needed to “recharge the batteries” so to speak.

Our first day out was mostly spent sleeping since we had come out from Vegas at 2:30 in the AM.  I don’t believe we actually arrived in Riverside until 5:30ish in the morning.  (And here is a good spot to repeatedly thank Brianne for having me & Anita, and actually waking up at 5 something in the morning to answer the door.  You are and always have been an amazing hostess!).  After half a day of sleeping we finally got out acts together and took the show on the road – to good ol’ Downtown Riverside.  I showed Anita the sights of my hometown, including Simple Simon’s sandwich shop, the Historic Mission Inn and of course Back 2 the Grind (only the greatest cafe/book haven/art gallery/hangout spot hybrid ever!).  Take a look.

Photos (click to open full size):

From left to right: Anita, Katie, Brianne & Myself.

Anita enjoying her first trip to the Historic Mission Inn, Riverside, CA.

This face says (to me) “Marie’s got a secret.”  Marie & Brianne outside the Mission Inn.

Anita outside of the Mission Inn.

Our second day in beautiful California was spent sleeping in far too late again – and then going to Los Angeles. We enjoyed some Pinkberry and wonderful scenery at the Grove (Farmer’s Market) in Beverly Hills.  Anita was dying to check out the Supreme store on Melrose so that’s exactly what we did (and of course we made a little time for me to go to the Turntable Lab as well).  After some vigorous shopping we stopped into the world’s shadiest pizza parlor (which surprisingly only received a “B” rating on their health dept. tests) and then headed back to Riverside for some drinks and Apples to Apples.

Photos:

A shady (and in person – much more yellow) jewelry loans shop in LA.

I’ll always stop for a photo of Alfred, even if I’m driving.

Supreme in Los Angeles, CA

Supreme had so many dope decks that I just wanted to devote a wall to hanging ride-able art.

Anita enjoying herself at Supreme.

Maybe Anita was enjoying these decks?

Brianne browsing at Turntable Lab.

Brianne posing with MJ.

Just a favorite shot I took.

Anita crossing the street with her new Supreme swag.

Brianne and Anita headed to the shady pizzeria.

Although the place was shady, they had so many beers and flavored sodas they used a numbering system.

Yeah, You Are Looking Pretty JoBro Tonight…

A word of warning to my curly haired comrades:

IF YOU LET YOUR JEWFRO FLY SOMEONE IS GONNA CALL YOU A JONAS BROTHER.

Now I know what you’re thinking, that your friends are to cool to make references to the Jonas Brothers but let me say that last night one of my snobbiest music elitist post-modern Bauhuas loving acquaintances told me “You are looking pretty JoBro tonight, Kacey.”  So if it can happen to me, it can happen to you.

But I’m not really that upset about it because they are some attractive little people.  And on a side note: they do write their own songs.  Anybody can check it out over at BMI.com.  Served.

I like to think I have Nick Jonas hair and not Kevin Jonas hair.

(On the side:  Look at all that weight I’ve lost)

Edit:  I thought about it for a while and maybe my friends are comparing me to the Jonas Brothers because I pull crap like this:

Hey, Long Beach

The day has finally come.  I am happy and I can’t contain the joy.  I have met two of the most amazing people and because I am obviously the missing leg of the tripod, we have decided to take a huge leap and move together.

So this is it…au revoir, Las Vegas.  I can’t say I ever truly loved you, in fact for a while I down right hated you – but you had your moments.

In 2 1/2 years I’ve become my own person, fallen in love, fallen out of love, made money, met amazing people, gotten into bike riding and I’ve grown to truly appreciate the place I come from.

…and now it’s time to come home (sort of).

We are moving to Long Beach (Wrigley to be exact) and I couldn’t be more pumped on being stoked.  I’m within riding distance of the beach, the Queen Mary, the Aquarium, Long Beach City College, Cal State Long Beach, and also right in the heart of downtown LBC.  I’ll be immersed in education, sunshine, sea water smells and great company.

My two new roommates:

Cathy – is incredibly funny and outspoken, talented, giving and totally going to be a masterful wing man for me.

Cassie – is incredibly intelligent, gets my wacked out sense of humor (or at least laughs at my stupid jokes for my ego’s sake) and is totally going to become a lifelong friend.

Our new place:

Is incredibly cute.  I’d go on describing it to you, but there are photos.

(Did you notice the hella cute built in shelves? Lurve it!)

So that’s about it.  I am beyond coming up with the right words to express how incredibly happy, relieved, anxious, impatient, excited and giddy I am at the thought of our move.  We leave on Saturday, January 31st.  I had a hunch 2009 was going to be an amazing year despite the rocky start.  I always have a good time if it’s an odd numbered year.

Excitement!!!

I’ve Been Ommitting Things

…from this blog, so lets take a little walk down memory lane…

“Gimme Sunshine” [Ryan Adams]

I recorded this as what may have been the first homage for Lisen.  I had heard the song online that day and completely fallen in love with it, much like how I was feeling towards Lisen at the time, so I smushed the two loves together and learned/recorded the song for her.  She said she loved it a lot, but we all know how little that means in retrospect.  That last comment sounded much more bitter than I actually am, I just really don’t feel like deleting and thinking of how to rephrase.

“Puzzle/Align” [Kacey Cash]

This was an original song I had made up about 95% on the spot – while the camera was recording.  I wish I remembered how to play this.  I’m sure if I took the time to sit down at the keys with the recording going I could figure it out – and maybe I will.  Anyway, the audio isn’t that great singing wise because it was around 6:45-7am and people were sleeping, so I very well couldn’t be wailing like Bob Marley or the Wailers.

“Cath…” [Death Cab for Cutie]

This song was so amazing for me to hear the first time.  I was in my car coming home from work at dawn’s crack in the morning and this song came on my iPod (on shuffle).  I had downloaded “Narrow Stairs” with about 8 other albums, and had yet to really give it the attention a DCFC album deserves, but when this song came on everything else took a backseat (haha it’s funny because I told you this is all happening in my car).  The lyrics spoke to me, a story of a woman with someone well enough intentioned – but not as right for her as the protagonist singing the song.  To me it became a song for the helpless – for people that know what’s right but are morally/ethically bound by “doing the right thing,” i.e. staying out of your ex’s business while he/she makes their own mistakes. I really love how at the end of the song it comes full circle to  say (paraphrasing) that if most people (including the singer) were in the same position, they would have most likely acted the same way. While I don’t necessarily find that true in all cases, I could see where a 19 year old version of me would’ve gone running straight into the easiest pair of arms available (and I mean easy like – it’s easy to be in a less responsibility-laden relationship, not easy like a ho).

“I Will Follow You Into the Dark” [Death Cab for Cutie]

I recorded this song one day before I met Lisen, and I recorded it for my ex Brittany to see.  I guess when you think about the fact that I was making videos for my ex up until a day before I met Lisen, it looks a little bad on my part to even join into a relationship with someone.  I’ve found over time that while I don’t really consider being with Brittany again, I project a lot of our past relationship onto new girls.  I want every girl I date to remind me of Brittany – because let’s face it, your first love is always your most intense love (in good and bad ways), but what the two of us had was amazingly awesome and I want every meaningless date in between her and the next love of my life to at least be as exciting as the past.

Either way, this song is the quintessential “I’ll love you forever, no matter what” song because the lyrics plainly say “If you die, I’ll be right behind you – because basically loving you is all I’m here for.”  Awww.

and finally…

“Where I Stood” [Missy Higgins]

I have no idea why the hell that black spot only sticks on my face, or why I look like Grimace by the end of the clip, but you’re watching for the audio more than the video…I’m not that interesting to watch (in other words I’m no John Mayer).

And that concludes the little video update/walk down recent memory lane.  There are more videos coming soon (Monday/Tuesday?) so stick around.  They are always available at www.youtube.com/kaceycash and eventually the “better” ones end up here.

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Love each other.