vince ϟ blog

~vince

[rewindtapes]

Bad Shrooms, Dude

I took the subway yesterday with plans to meet my buddy Mario for lunch at Jay’s Deli, one my favorite sandwich spots in the city. He was already there when I arrived. “Dude, mybad for being late.” Mario said it was okay and we ordered our food. They were pretty good except that they fucked up and put one of those shitty purple mushrooms in Mario’s sandwich. He instantly shrank to half his normal height. “What-a the heck-a!” Mario exclaimed. “I want-a my money back-a!” “Calm down, ya filthy little wop,” I muttered. “This is embarrassing for me too.” I walked over to the counter and called over the employee. “Look, I’ll take one single mushroom topping — a red-spotted one.”

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: March 15th

Feeling like crap today. It must be the lack of sleep I’ve been getting. Tonight will rectify that. Work has been slow these past several days but will pick up once new edits are needed next week. Here’s hoping that brings me up positivity-wise. But with that kind of business means less time for hobbies and third places, such as no bicycle riding next Tuesday. This bums me out since I wasn’t able to go last night either. Since Chinese classes are taking a short break, however, I am looking forward to returning for some No Lights No Lycra. Okay! Enough of the downer talk. Gratitude time. Things I’m grateful for at the moment: • I’m doing a good job of maintaining my weight. • Friends coming back into my life that I haven’t seen in a while. • Day drinking last Sunday with my friend, A. Man, I love me some day drinking when the weather is nice. • That I’m constantly improving on my social skills. One recently example is that my slip-ups don’t bother me too much anymore. This stuff is working. • That I’m into the things that I’m into. I really wouldn’t want it any other way.

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: March 8th

It’s Wednesday. Last night’s bike ride was super fun but super short for my tastes. However our stop at the rad bar serving great brown ale and fried chicken fit my tastes damn perfectly. After no contact for a month, I just talked to Dee on the phone two days in a row. Zero idea how that’s going to turn out. Fucking Texas, man. Today I’m feeling drained and lethargic. I blame not enough cycling. At least I’ve got chicken.

[rewindtapes]

Los Campesinos! // February 2017 @ The Teregram Ballroom, Los Angeles

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: March 3rd

Gratitude Friday. Things that I’m extremely grateful in life right now: • Last weekend’s Chinese school party and the Los Campesinos! Gig. • The amazing people in my life — friends, new acquaintances, people who       reach out. I need to get better at doing the same with others. • Getting back to bicycle riding. And this time in groups! Weekly! I’ve done it twice now and it’s really making my Tuesdays. • My new responsibilities at my job. I’m getting paid to write Youtube videos. It’s a helluvah awesome way to become improve my writing and use different parts of my brain. • I’m getting better at controlling my bad habits. Discipline is tough but I’m trying to get there. Another weekend is upon me. It will be a mix of some light editing and heavy Chinese studying, as well as hanging out with a friend I haven’t seen in six years. Looking forward to how that pans out.

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 24th

The weekend kicked off Thursday night by grabbing izakaya drinks and food with M after class in Sawtelle. The good food continued with some Texas BBQ lunch at work and the coming excitement of a new fixie bike joining the family later tonight. Saturday will consist of a hot pot dinner gathering and me seeing Los Campesinos! for the first time since 2012. Consider me a giddy boy.

“Hello Sadness” by Los Campesinos!

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 21st

What a week it was last week. “Valentine’s Day” was made up of being invited to a group bike ride at night — one of many bike gatherings aka “crews” aka et cetera in LA. We were about ten deep full of peeps. It was super fun as we met in downtown, cycled to a Glendale brewery, shared good conversation over food and brews and proceeded to cycle back to downtown by the nighttime L.A. river. It’s nights like those that make life worth it. Following an enquiring email, I suddenly found myself back in Chinese language school Thursday night and threw myself into studying all weekend. I’m actually at a K-town cafe right now where I should be studying but instead I’m blogging right here and now. Oh shite!

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 13th

Another weekend has come and gone. The highlight was having a rip-roaring good time yesterday at Six Flags with friends. In preparation for tomorrow night’s group bike ride, I decided to take my bicycle to work. With semi-warm weather finally showing up, it was a great way to start the day. Looking forward to night riding later tonight as well. I do, however, need to get off my ass and get my bike in for it’s yearly tune up.

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 10th

It’s Friday. Free lunch at work today which blew my mind. Saturday will be full of work and Sunday I will be going buckwild at Six Flags. As for tonight? Date night with myself. It shall include some podcasting and watching The Empire Strikes Back. Am I too full to order pizza? Maybe. Will I do it anyway? Probably.

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 9th

Last night was the second week in a row that I hit up No Lights No Lycra after work before heading to HMS Bounty for a drink and dinner. Unfortunately the bar was full when I arrived and I had to eat at a table. No bar banter that night. But having a chance to read and eat without too much thought was pleasant enough. After dinner I had a nice short chat with my apartment’s desk reception, T, which was the best chat we ever had since we usually end up saying awkward hellos. Social tip: when someone asks, “How’s it going?”, instead of replying with, “Good and you?”, actually say what’s going on. Replying with, “I just went dancing in the darkness with a bunch of random people,” leads to some good conversation. Today is apparently National Pizza Day and some of my co-workers let me know on the fact. Pshhhh, everyday is national pizza day for this guy. Also, I’m not a fan of these fake holidays. National Sibling’s Day can go take a hike. My brother’s birthday is Sibling’s Day. Ditto with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. This was my favorite song from last night’s dancing. The genre is electro swing and I lost my shit when I heard it. 

“Dramophone” by Caravan Palace

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Seventeen: February 8th

Things have happened since my last post in July. Some quick recaps:

• I made a new zine titled Suckburbia. • I tabled in two cities: returning to Portland Zine Symposium in July and checking out Short Run in Seattle.  • I finished editing a dramatic short film called Good Timber that just got accepted World Fest in Houston! • I began taking Chinese Mandarin classes. Difficult and fun. • I was dating, women from Tinder and surprisingly a long-time friend, with the latter not ending well. It shook up the tail end of 2016. • I visited Egypt, which was an entire different world. It included two twelve-hour stays in D.C. and London. • I saw Star Wars: Rogue One seven times in theaters. I loved it. And that pretty much catches us up. I’d love to post photos of my travels at some point when I have a free weekend but I really want to get in the habit of writing regular blog entries, just for the sake of the introspection that comes with daily journaling and the good habits that form with daily writing. But I’m gonna aim for “regularly” before “daily”.

It’s been raining a lot lately and I’m currently on my break at work. One hour to go before I start my Wednesday night: dancing at No Lights No Lycra and then dinner/drinks at the bar next to my apartment. So far the biggest change of the year has been my return to drinking black coffee. It’s good. You should do it.

[rewindtapes]

“Grass Stain” by Waxahatchee

[keyframedaily]

[rewindtapes]

Batwings Catwings // August 2016 @ The Smell, Los Angeles

[rewindtapes]

Drive it like you stole it.

[likelikezine]

Like Like Zine Launch Party

[rewindtapes]

I went back to Hong Kong in May for travel AND for the release of our new zine! Here’s the reblog from Jeane and I’s zine site. A non-zine Hong Kong post coming soon: Like Like Zine #3 is finished! And it was kicked off on May 21st in Hong Kong with Small Tune Press hosting A Cinematic Zine Launch, a release party for our newest issue of Like Like and Zinema by our fellow awesome zinster 4Res.

It was a super rad event, complete with best humans, Jeane’s band JEAMES performing, a movie projector and easily our best zine release ever.

As for the actual zine, the theme Like Like #3: Shhh! is movies — featuring short stories about embarrassing theater going experiences and other movie related tales, artwork, photography, an interview with Hong Kong’s experimental PUFF Film Festival founder, glorious movie lists and loads more.  We’ll be adding the new zine to Like Like and Small Tune Press’ online stores soon and will be hitting the festival circuit ASAP — starting with Berlin Art Book Fair as part of Small Tune Press’ exhibition happening right now!

(Zine photo by ONION PETERMAN)

[rewindtapes]

Twenty-Sixteen: May 11th

I’ve had a sore throat since Sunday and it’s been a total bummer. I get sick way too often nowadays. I’m going out drinking tonight so we shall see if it makes me get worse or if me being game for it is a sign that I will be getting better.