coconut milk

to start matters off, we left 4 hours late. but all the laughs were worth it. tossing around a deflated ball, and getting ready to sit. in the van, cramped but happy. socio-cultural music and democracy. we got to seattle; sci-fi and rock 'n roll. hendrix and the mother alien. "hey, remember that movie where..." "yeah, i just watched it" "what was it called?" "i have no clue."

driving to a place with no name, eating mexican food and laughing over forceful toilets. "i'll have the nachoes chicken." laugher for "oogedy-nine" minutes.

we got to the campsite later that possible, and drove around for hours trying to find a hotel. no luck so we stopped at a rest stop. uncomfortable sleep and a stern no-laughing rule. i woke up at dawn to a sunrise over the desert and the windows were crying. on the road again to another town with no name. waiting for the grocery store to open and eating dried mango in a nondescript farming town with four cowboys in a row.

we arrived at the wonderful gorge, "you are all pretty tame for a gorge full of people on drugs. i don't think i've ever used 'gorge' in that sense before...'gorgetastic.'" why not gorgeous? anyway, we set up tents and caught the shuttle. air conditioning for 5 minutes. 55 spf and a whole bunch of new freckles. bjork, arcade fire, two gallants, beastie boys and more. bitter cold times and fighting the urge. $5 water and $10 beer. beverage enforcers patrolling the grass, and we were napping anywhere.

we got lost in the cold after that.

the second day i woke up cold, then too hot. waiting in line for 45 minutes for the shower, and then having the shower curtain fall twice in front of a roomful of people. i didn't even charge them for the double show. "today is going to be a good day." we packed, then went back to the concert grounds. minus the bear, helio sequence, the dandy warhols, spoon, more beasties, interpol and more. blistering winds and 3 hours of "letting mother nature pass." a white blanked with too many holes in it to do any good. running into old friends with big hugs. a beautiful new girl in a white bunny costume carrying a flask. sunset and long hills. an evening of alone, not by choice. they found me at last, curled up in a ball on the grass, watching the show, freezing.

after everything we packed the van and left. i fell asleep and woke up in time to find my ID. we got back to burnaby and i laughed too hard at a spring. i almost died! "pttangg!" "you're a menace..." oh the pain! i laughed myself voiceless!

after that it was cookies and hot chocolate, talks about sci-fi, and time to go home. a big hug at the car ended the whole trip. i'll never forget it.