Noise in the Shape of Writing

Went to a cool bar near Los Feliz called "4100". It's near the very east end of Santa Monica Blvd. where it hits Sunset. It has a sort of arabian look inside with curvaceous Moroccan doorways and velvety fabric on nearly every ceiling and wall. Prices are decent ($5 as opposed to $6 at many Hollywood bars) and there are quite a few taps with Newkie, Guiness, and several other great beers). The crowd is mainly a sort of nerdy end of the trendy scene with mostly guys looking to score on girls. Place is crammed, but I kinda liked it. Bartenders were nice to the patrons and very attentive. Music plays constantly and is quite good but also trendy. I think I will go back sometime.

Took in a showing of Big News at the 24th Street Theater south of downtown, near Vermont and 24th. Kinda scary neighborhood... not far from USC, but also not far from the edge of gangland. Very nice venue for a play or sketch show. Industrial feel inside. $5 comedy at midnight on weekends. It was nice seeing our material on a different stage than it is ont he other 51 Thursdays of the year. Seemed like a hip area of town, as far as south-of-the-10 Freeway places go. It's sort of to USC what Westwood is to UCLA, as far as I could tell. Too bad I had just finished reading the Daily News' weeklong series of articles on how gangs have taken over much of L.A. Now that I know where the Rollin Rich Neighborhood 60s Crips and the Eastside Crazy 18 Swan Bloods gangs' territories are, I don't feel like going south of the 10 at all. (Watch out, Brian and Amy, you are about a block and a half away from the Rollin 60s' turf... seriously! And they are supposedly the WORST out there.)

Attended my 20 year high school reunion meeting on Wednesday and, assuming we can get anyone to go to the thing, it might just end up being a decent affair. Also, it turns out I was having far too little sex in high school (read: none) compared to others. What was I doing wrong? I wasn't literally calling girls up and saying "I have a crush on you. Want to make out tonight somewhere?" How did I not realize it was as easy as that all along! And it wasn't cause no one noticed me cause I was apparently quite well-noticed among the gals back then... even amongst the supposedly out-of-reach, hip, school council types. No one ever told me!

Oh, the wasted hours playing D&D in the back of study hall.

Pat.