Ricemix by Joe Helgeson

It was the middle of the summer of '00, a truly epic summer.  I had received an email (or call) from my Barcelona roommate Jordi.  He said he was flying into LAX at the end of the month and could I pick him up at the airport?  I was living in San Francisco at the time, a mere 8 hour drive from Los Angeles.  So I made a trip out of it.  I had 2 dear friends living in So Cal at the time and one of them had actually stayed with Jordi while she was visiting me in Barcelona.  I booked a flight to LA and Pam picked me up in her red Mustang.  It was a totally LA kind of trip, if I do say so.  Trip to the beach?  Check!  Laying out by the pool?  Check!  A trip to Hollywood and Venice Beach?  Check! Pink Floyd Laser Light Show at the Griffith Observatory? Check!  We also visited the Getty, the Huntington Botanical Gardens, and Japantown, where Jordi got to try sushi for the first time.

There are so many fun memories and we jammed an insane amount of good times into Jordi's and my visit.  I suppose I should just expand on a few, including of course, the impetus for today's post. You've got to be curious about Ricemix, right?  

• Alex only had a car with a manual transmission and some kind of funky engine, if I remember right.  I did not drive a stick.  In fact, I had scant driving experience at that point.  I was nowhere close to confident enough to brave the 405 and the 5 and the 10 to Cahuenga (don't correct me as I am definitely poking fun).  Alex's boyfriend Joe had a car that we later borrowed and Jordi, yes, the Spaniard, drove all over LA.  But in the meantime, we decided to take the bus and train to Hollywood.  There we were, sitting at the bus stop in fancy pants San Marino.  The cops pull over and start grilling us.  Where are you going?  Why are you here?  Can we see some ID?  I finally asked them what the problem was and I don't remember what they said, but obviously, it was highly unusual to be taking the bus in that neighborhood.  We made it the rest of the way to Hollywood with no incident! 
• We had a little dinner party on Jordi's last night.  Jordi did the cooking and we all enjoyed the food, the drink, and possibly even some other refreshment, if memory serves.  Alex's parent's house has this great interior patio. It was very pleasant.  We later got to listening to music in the living room.  Joe is a composer of electronic music and Alex played some of his stuff.  Ricemix is amazing.  I was amazed that he created it, thrilled to be hearing it.  I love how it starts off  naked, just drums, until a very 90s techno beat kicks in, and then it keeps building up with awesome crescendos and phrasing, and finally just kind of explodes!  I still listen to it on occasion today.  It is by far my favorite of his creations, but track #2 is a close second.  There may have been some teasing, as Track #2 has a section where it sounds like you can almost hear the clubgoers cheering for the DJ up there, spinning away, like Joe giving himself a little credit.  Ok, there was a lot of teasing.  But honestly, I kind of dug that he was owning it, owning the awesome that is his music. 

If there is a place to stream Ricemix, I will post it here for you.  It's a must hear.  

Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

It was Moms Night Out, specifically my last Moms Night Out in Fresno.  I was about to move back to the Bay Area and quite frankly, a bit torn about it.  I had made some wonderful friends in Fresno and I was going to miss them desperately.  In fact, as I sit here today, I do!

I planned the perfect night at the perfect venue.  Englemann Cellars hosted a Friday night event with live music, 21 and over.  It sounded perfect - no "scene", wine, music?  Yes, Please!  Logan T, Heather R, Allyson S, Kristin J, Cassandra W, and Sarah W were in attendance and we all brought an impressive array of sweets and savories.  Heather even brought a tiny princess folding table.  We were all in fantastic spirits, as we were away from the kiddos, enjoying the wine and the company.  The band was excellent, playing a mix of 70s, 80s, and 90s.  After about a half an hour, they announced that the lead singer had gone home with heatstroke.  We found this odd, as the band is native to Fresno and we figured he should've known better, but regardless, the show must go on.  The band continued and they still sounded great to our ears.

Later still, the band announced that they were just making do and if anyone cared to sing, they would welcome it.  Well I am hardly one to turn down an opportunity to be onstage, so I asked to peruse the set list.  Cassandra and Heather joined me for the first number.  We had a blast and the band was ever so grateful.  They welcomed us to sing more. So we did.  By then I was hooked on the energy and adrenaline of a live audience.  It was so much different than karaoke, I found out, as I started singing the chorus and realized I had backup singers!  I was really starting to get my groove on and requested to sing Flagpole Sitta.  It's a one-hit number from the late 90's and a good one.  It's not the easiest song to sing as it is pretty quick-paced, but I had the lyrics up on my phone and I totally pulled it off, if I do say so myself.  Heather said that I might not be the best singer (I wholeheartedly agree), but I have a ton of stage presence and energy.  There was jumping.  There was gesturing.  There was grabbing of the mic.  And I even got to yell "a 1, 2, 3, 4!" which is always fun to do.  This is totally my new karaoke song, by the way, although how can I go back now?  Afterwards my friends were blown away, which I found funny because anyone else wouldn't be surprised by my performance at all.  My Fresno friends only knew me as a stay-at-home mom and our kids usually steal the show.  It was fun to show them the real me before I left and now we have a song to remind us of that epic night.