California Love Fest

"ARE YOU FROM AROUND HERE? NO. OKAY, THERE ARE SOME PLACES TO EAT AROUND HERE, JUST DON'T VENTURE TOO FAR OFF BECAUSE THIS IS A SKETCHY PART OF TOWN. WELCOME TO FRESNO"--Promoter at CYC

We ventured off to Central California to check out California Love Fest, a straight edge music fest taking place in Fresno, where dreams died a long time ago. That's as much shit talking on a town that I've never lived in that I'm going to do. Dreams did die there, but the newer generations are trying to change that. Chinatown Youth Center is a great example of kids coming together to bring safe, fun, all ages shows to their downtown area. They did a good job of putting together an all day music fest with 16 bands in a small space: bands setting up quickly, merch tables outside, making sure people respected the properties of their (few) fellow businesses.
Aside from a few minor fights that took place when shit got too rough in the pit, it truly was a peaceful and amazing festival. California Love.

Bands that were worth the 3 1/2 hour drive to and from (we drove back home that same night, no stopping). You can check out the links to the bands here at PARA MORIR NACIMOS.

CYC is in Downtown Fresno. 

2 years in

Today Bearded Man and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We've been through a lot these last 2 years, but I've never been happier growing older with the Bearded Man.  Sometimes it felt like we wouldn't be able to get through the shitty times, but we have. It's a part of life.

Bearded Man got me this orchid, since I'm not much of a fan of flowers. It's a new addition to our relationship.

Year one.

Year two.

Metal girl/woman stereotypes

Ever seen that show That Metal Show? If you haven't cause you don't like metal or even if you do but haven't gotten around to it, you're not really missing much. They show the same metal dudes from the same metal bands all the time. Unless they one day interview the members of Ghoul, Kylesa, Municipal Waste, or Venom, or whoever, then maybe I'll watch willingly. But this isn't what bothered me about the show, it was the fact that they found the most stereotypical Sunset Blvd metal girl you could imagine to do some segment (what the segment was, I can't really recall cause I wasn't paying attention). They just had her for show, didn't ask for her opinion on anything, just treating her like eye-candy for all the burly metal bros.
Who am I to judge this woman, maybe she really does like really good metal and not just.....Motley Crue. I just didn't like that she wasn't more involved in the show. She was just brought in and out.
As a person who goes to metal shows quite often, I can tell you that girls who love metal come in all shapes, colors, hair colors, backgrounds. Some dress one way, others dress another way, but we are not just one cookie cutter way: think of every woman in the mid to late 80s hair metal scene, that's who they want to portray as "metal women" but really, it's just a fucking stereotype.

Comfort in hiding

Today I was looking at past photos and found a pattern. There are a ton of photos of me with my sunglasses on. I'd told Bearded Man about my realization and he told me I was more comfortable hiding my face than showing it. This is very true. I am not comfortable showing my face. Not that I don't show my face, I don't wear my sunglasses at work, people still do see my face. Maybe it's because I was teased as a kid for being "ugly" (standard shit kids say to other kids), I think it's best to just hide behind my sunglasses. Or maybe it's because I saw photos of Jackie O in her signature shades, I started emulating her at a young age. Walking out the door with my shades on. Whatever the fuck it is, I find comfort in my sunglasses, hiding. 

The Compound

You tell me how you can top a place with skating, bands, booze, crusties and skaters coming together, beer-drenched circle pits, and beer can volleyball? Please tell me, I'll be waiting patiently.
For band info, check out Para Morir Nacimos.

Photos by Bearded Man and myself.