WCS 14 Kiss me on the bus
In this journey you’re the journal, I’m the journalist
There’s an exceptional new re-isssue of The Replacements’ classic wrekkit, Tim. More about that later. First let’s look at my first time in Los Angeles since February.
This sojourn began with a Saturday morning Lyft in Fresno’s Tower District. The Nigerian behind the Camry’s steering wheel informed me that he has wives in Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, and… Chowchilla.
“I have many wives,” he said in heavily accented English, though I ain’t completely sure which accent. “I’m African.”
Then my phone rang. It was the first child from my long-ago marriage. As we spoke, I felt better about how my amorous nature was expressed back in the day. The Nigerian polygamist dropped me at the Amtrak Station and I hopped a train to LA, with a Bakersfield connection.
In 10 short months LA has changed. Extending the Long Beach Blue line so that it connects with Union Station and becomes the Pasadena train has altered the vibe of MTA life. Confused by the new train arrangement, I accidentally rode two stops toward Pasadena and Azusa and the bustling train looked more like the demographics of the city than before.
Yet, as my friend in South-Central who hosted me explained, this new LA can feel like a small town. Here’s out front of the queer punk rock house where I’m crashing.
A really diverse, engaged small town.
A really diverse, engaged small town with a super chill dispensary about four blocks from where I stayed.
On Sunday at GOAT Global, I experienced something of an Ice Cube unification.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. (If you know, you know)
A 30 percent first-timers discount got me an awesome deal on a very live eighth of Curators cannabis. (Don’t see it listed online!)
The strain I’m smoking on is Plum Sauce, aka Sherbet OG x Frozay F2. Super nice.
As the effortlessly diverse bike ride petered out, and the loudspeaker funk began to fade, I ordered a double cheeseburger from Just Pop’n Burgers and Wings.
Historic South Central Los Angeles is presently being gentrified by Koreans and Russians. There’s a house packed with the latter next door. The burger guy’s kids are some kind of brown that I cannot deconstruct.
At the punk rock house with my burger and banana pudding, I had an embarrassingly good time consuming the youth soccer comedy Kicking & Screaming with Will Ferrell, the late Mike Ditka, and Robert Duvall at his Great Santini-est. Then I lay in bed to write this, relishing not knowing LA.
But enough about me.
10 Does the failure of X mean SF gets Market Street back?
Before the recap, it must be said: the way media outlets engage only the antisemitic content of the Tweet undoing Elon is enough to make you susceptible to globalist conspiracy theories. The South African dissed all non-white people.
Last week everyone’s favorite Ketamine head imploded publicly, too indulged to be embarrassed.
SF Gate/Platformer
In response to anticipated denial of responsibility by advertisers for killing his company, the CEO blurted, “Tell it to Earth.” For SF Gate, Drew Magary writes, “If you imagine Will Smith delivering that line, it REALLY hits. But this was coming from a purported titan of industry, who was seemingly unaware that no one gives a holy s—t about his social media platform anymore.”
Zoe Schiffer’s Extremely Hardcore will be published on February 27.
Lil Hit
For what feels like the 700th consecutive year, Oregon has grown too much cannabis. What gives?
Willamette Week
A Brief Programming Note
By the way, this is not a legitimate map… at least, I’m fairly certain that it isn’t.
Some novel Constructively Stoned items have been rolling in. Every gift guide is a learning experience. So far? Kratom turned out not to be at all what I expected.
It’s a chore, credibly sampling all of these products while keeping the metaphorical car on the road.
I’ve had worse gigs though.
You have until the 12th to submit your products, trips, or, as with one creative example, your bargain Cameo. This last-minute gift guide lands in your mailbox on December 14.
And as a Constructively Stoned companion, we have my conversational interview with Jackie Bryant. In case you missed it, on Wednesday paid subscribers get the talk in podcast form and Thursday brings every reader the print option.
This week we’re doing the same deal with The Holly creator Julian Rubinstein.
9 You mean Lebron didn’t bring up Nia Long?
It’s rare to see a coach ejected for beefing with a player, but on Friday Houston’s head coach Ime Udoka got the the hook for shit-talking Lebron James. Leaked audio from the conflict reveals King James taking a gallant stance against use of the word bitch.
Or else, LBJ only meant, Don’t be calling me no bitch.
House of Highlights
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to West Coast Sojourn to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.