| 10-04-01 It's 11:11 as I write this, past my usual school-day bedtime, but we went out tonight. We saw The TEETH! Yeah, Steve Buscemi's Teeth! Two of my friends are in a band called Steve Buscemi's Teeth, and you could describe them with reasonable accuracy as Punk as Fuck. Except for a couple broken strings, it was a pretty kick-ass performance. I was impressed. They haven't played out too many times yet, but they are hemmin' it up, yeah. I guess I can say now, that Mild-Mannered has fallen apart, at least for now. Because my two co-conspirators have separated. It has been a very painful situation, but I think the worst is past. I'm sad that my friends are separating, but I'm sure it's for the best. I don't want to go into any detail here because I'd make them uncomfortable, so let's just wish them well. I'll still be friends with both of them, I hope. Returning to Amsterdam…ah, I can smell the White Widow like it was yesterday. I highly recommend the Global Chillage; it was our favorite coffee shop. It's small, intimate, there's a relaxed, positive vibe, and the music is mellow electronica. The female barista was quite cool, and she told me all about the amazing painting on the wall of the Chillage. It's a huge surrealist piece, very intense, and the artist who painted it still lives in Amsterdam. Even though he was paid for it long ago, he still pops in every week or two, and adds something new. It's constantly evolving. On one particular evening when we are the Chillage, I started a conversation with this guy across the aisle. He had long, somewhat stringy hair, and rather long fingernails with a chain attached to his finger; he looked somewhere between a hippie and a punk rocker plus the chain added a touch of goth. But he spoke with sincerity and was a great listener - we had a really profound conversation. Within minutes of meeting him, I was telling him all about my ex-brother, and he was giving me thoughtful advice about the situation. This guy, I think I remember his name was Mike, was from London, and he was a drug rehabilitation counselor. That explained why he was such a good listener; he really cared about other people's problems. Amazing. He works with thousands of drug addicts every year. Eventually he came over and sat with us, and we talked until the coffee shop closed. I also had a few "friends" who live in Amsterdam, people I met before…but I'm going to save that until tomorrow. |
previous || entry index || next