AFTER PARTY

I Hate Nightclubs I Was A Cub Scout (UK)

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TOW TRAP

after i got my hair chopped off, i went out to the rickshaw and realized that so many of the people i’ve been partying with associate haircuts with identity so much. so many people ignored me out right as they talked towering over me or walk past me without a hint that the normal looking little asian guy was the same person they claim to be a good friend of. without my hair, i was a nobody. it felt great!!! revealing, indeed. i missed my old chums.

last night, i went out for the first time in a long time since. it turned out that my old audiovisual band project mates were all in town at the same time by fluke. one from montreal, one from portland, one from nyc, our good friend who wrote the article about us which is now published in several languages (just google my name ‘joselito sering’ and all that shit pops up!), my good friend who just came back from travels in asia, a guest from turkey, friends from LA, and their chums, all congregated at Zeitgeist, our favorite biker bar here in SF, to raise pitchers and clink to genuine brotherhood and good times. i enjoyed myself catching up with these guys and i felt, for the first time in a long time, that i was among people who will recognize me for life. what a feeling.

we were bounced out at the end of the night and as i got out of the bar, my friend 4D pointed out that my car was gone from the jiffy lube parking lot across the street. i was like, “WTF?!!! was i towed? there aren’t visible signs! oh wait…there it is…” but the other cars that were parked there were still there. was it stolen? we all marveled as we stumbled around trying to figure out what to do next. we started walking towards City Tow when we realized we had no phones. they were in the car. we darted back to catch the other guys to use their phone so we could make sure it was towed and not stolen. only the canadians were left and they had no working phones. we were confused…until the smart (ass) from canada asked, “what kind of car is it?” i answered, “a geo prizm.” he wisely replied, “…it was towed.” lol. he said it with certainty that we all relieved from the idea it was unretrievable.

when we got to City Tow, they had no record. we called the police station for tow reports and they had no alert. they gave us a number of the possible private towing company. no record either. we went home and postponed our worries.

this morning, i found the car. it was towed by the same private towing company but they didn’t report it until this morning. $190 towing fee, $50 storage fee, and an $80 gate fee (that’s right…$80 bucks to open the gate! fuckers!), i knew i was had. the parking was made to look available and the sign hidden. i fell into a tow trap. those fuckers.

still, $320 didn’t phase me. even though i needed that money for other more pressing shit, it was worth seeing my chums. i’ve got friends after all.

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i was surprised i got so many calls from different people last night wanting to hook up. i never hear from people anymore but for some reason my phone was ringing off the hook. as if, there was an annnouncement that i was out for a change. buddies were calling to check on me. girls were calling to actually set a date for spending quality conversation time (instead of the usual ‘hey! where’s the afterparty?’ it’s nice to be missed.

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when i was in 2nd grade, i was a cub scout in the international boy scout organization. looking back, i realize that it was a preparatory kid club for ROTC. i did learn how to tell time with the sun, seasons in stars, what leaf in the forest to use for wiping yer arse, delicious bugs, and respect for animals and the land we live on. plus, girl scouts are hot.

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afterpartying.