What is Well-Planted Will Not Be Uprooted

It was the Lantern Festival. She bowed three times in quick succession, in front of a waist high metal bowl. In the bowl was quiver of long thin wooden sticks, with numbers carved into the bottoms. She asked a silent question, and then withdrew one of the sticks. She noted the number, and retreated to the back wall, were little cubbies were numbered to correspond with the sticks. She took out the paper, and was visibly shaken by what she read. She needed some space. Tears welled up in her eyes and she laughed a nervous, resigned laugh. Noone spoke. The temple wasn't very busy, because of the virus. A few hot tears made their way down her cheek. She looked utterly defeated. Sometimes it's better not to ask, she told me. We walked back out of the temple in silence.

I want to know my fate if I keep up this way

I got a new neighbor. He was a brit, but he's been in Morrocco for a bit. I coached an interview that went well. Too bad I didn't make any money. A few hours til morning. I'll proably skate again one day

Tradition, and heritage, it's dead people's baggage, quit carrying it.

went to redpoint with scaryt. drank a lot of beers. overcast sky. not cold but not hot. people are masking up cuase of the virus. met a texican who is working in hk. discussed things. came home. ollied some stuff. counts as a trick if you drink enough

Every Good Man is a Compatriot

Once before, when I felt like giving up in Taiwan, because I had been fired from my first job here, I was walking across Taipei bridge and a rainbow appeared in front of me, an omen. On this train trip, I had the same feeling, especially coming back to Taipei. I walked the same (freezing) streets as usual, but when I arrived at the food street, every table greeted me with toasts and happy new years. A man coughed some food into my beer and I drank it anyway and his brother told me he had just come from Wuhan, but maybe he was kidding. A Swedish (?) Danish (?) euro pair drank there too, so I got their beers on my tab even though I didn't say a word to them, since Taiwanese people did so much for me on this trip. The barkeep wanted to know why, but wasn't too surprised when I tried to explain that I love Taiwan and I want them to also love Taiwan. I probably didn't say it right, but he seemed to get my drift. 

Now we wait on the plague. I'm guessing a week to two weeks. Get your shit together China. Fucking Gross.

I heard that lonesome whistle blow

I woke up with the lust for wandering. Time to get out of town.

clubbed to death/idioteque

"you look like you regret this," said RTF. I paused for just the wrong amount of moments before changing my expression and issuing my denial. 

"I'm sorry. I just want you to know I'm so happy to spend this time with you."

Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up.

We looked out and up at 101. The music thumped behind us. Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. 

We tried a korean bbq first, and it was closed, so we tried another by my house, and it was closed too. Then we went to the food street where I knew we could get liver, smoked chicken, pork knuckle, and dumplings. We decided C*********'s was a good place to spend the rest of the evening, but neither of us had cash so we went to the ATM and spent the next hour trying to find out why neither of could get cash from any ATM. Eventually, we got cash. We went into C********s. It was a row of oscar meyers so we spun on our heels and debated for half an hour about the next landing spot. It was as critical as when armstrong landed on the moon. 

We reubered and ended up at a very popular club with no people in it called w****. Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. Actually, the cover was half what we expected, and it included all you can drink, which is of dubious value for me on early friday morning  with work to be handed in in a few hours. Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. I'm not good at dancing or socializing or watching other people do those things, and poor RTF felt compelled to escort me through the evening/morning instead of having fun. The club was actually not filled with young rich taiwanese, but instead with Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up singaporeans and Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up indonesians and Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up a variety of Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up other nationalities who Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up seemed to enjoy screaming Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up in my ear Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up, Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. 

I had some transcendental moments on the dancefloor, before I got drunk enough to actually dance. The lazers and the beats and the people were just so forgettable, so utterly bland that I felt awful for not being impressed with the experience. The MC was bleating over the not unlistenably bad music, but he was just jiggling his gold chains and babbling the english phrases that he knows: Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up, and, shots shots shots shots shots shots shots, and Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up, and yeeeeeeeeeeeah, and awwwwwwwwwww yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh and Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. I had fun looking at the equipment, especially the Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up.upstairs duo coordinating the lights and confetti show. Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. A group of dudes wanted to dance with us, and then more. I dont Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up.think it was a gay thing, I think they just liked dancing. Either way, I didn't like it. I just don't like dancing. I like getting drunk. They had Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. all you can drink free drinks with admission. I ran through a half dozen gin and tonics, without and gin, and switched to beer, because Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up they can't water down the budweiser, it's already Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up water. RTF stepped on some local toes and some local hoes Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up danced with us Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. Eventually, I decided it was time Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up to try and get out of there, and RTF showed me the kind of indefatigable enthuThrow your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands upsiasm that only hte young and french can feel about the world. I'm sorry if he reads this, truly sorry. I know he wanted me to have the best possible Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up time. I had a good time, but I don't think I'll be clubbing anytime soon Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up. It's just not something Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up that fits my lifestyle. 

The Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up elevators were completley full so I ended up taking the stairs down to ground level after a final shot of Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up absinthe. People above me in the infinite Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up stairwell were singing and tapping things on the metal stair rails, and it was like being chased down an emergency stairwell by zombies. I filmed part of it. We kicked an emergency exit open adn sounded alarms throughout the building, Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up and the security rushed in to escort us out. We laughed it off, the zombies and i, and it turns out they were Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up from bangkok, and still singing Throw your hands up, throw your motherfucking hands up because it was bouncing off the buildings outside. 

Year of the Skate Rat

everything's beautiful
cause we're delusional
yeah I think I figured it out

a day of rest
cant get the knots unknotted
another day
on the roof as the rain comes
Peggy gave me some dried fish eggs
thanks
I chopped some vegetables and put them in brine
I washed some meat and gave it a vinegar bath
drying out


at the bridge, it was like old times, but green
we stacked the stuff and slappied the curb with a little bank up to it
IS and RMJ skated the things
and a local homey who wanted the swag, but the easter bunny had taken it

tehn we went ot macdo's and the streets, but it was spitting rain
the city was five hours ahead, like 10:00 to 03:00
security at the bridge yelled at us for not putting away our toys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f11OAA0_dx0