Didier Leplae

I called up Didier (DDA) Leplae to play bass guitar for Oumar Sagna’s CD release party last Saturday. DDA really came through, and playing music with him again was such a great joy. Additionally, spending time with him felt like being a kid again, and we spent a great deal of time laughing about nothing in particular, but it was something important enough to laugh about, for sure. On a whim, I did a Google search on “Didier Leplae” and wasn’t really surprised to find countless entries. He’s been quite a prolific individual over the years.

Bizarre dreams

I had some weird dreams last night. I was still dating Nicole, but I had decided to take a solo trip to Southeast Asia or Japan or some place. However, I secretly visited the Carribean en route, apparently to hook up with an ex-girlfriend. When I got there (to the Dominican Republic), I had a key to a house (that I had lived in before, apparently), which I used to unlock the front door and enter. Within minutes, the occupants of the house, 3 or 4 college-age women, were freaking out, threatening to call the police. And there I was, scrambling verbally to come up with an explanation for my presence there. Somehow, I convinced them that I was harmless and a friend, and we all went to sleep in our respective beds.

Later, still on the island, I was walking around with Julio when we were approached by a totally hot woman, who was trying to pick both of us up. We vibed, etc, but moved on. Much later, I was alone, and was approached by the woman’s sister, who was a former teacher of mine (but looked totally different). Strange. Anyway, she wanted sex, so I agreed, and as we were walking to her hut, we were passed by her sister. That’s when I realized I was being used as a tool in some bizarre sibling feud or competition. Anyway, I think we got it on… end of scenario.

Dialogue from Yesterday

Me: “You’re keeping your fu-manchu moustache in your ears?”

Bootz (seemingly irritated): “Where else am I supposed to put it when I shave?”

Run over by a tank

Today, I feel like I got run over by a tank emotionally. Don’t ask me why. Perhaps it’s the erratic weather, or the fact that I tossed and turned last night.

On a cheerful note, happy birthday to David Wake! The first people I interacted with this morning were Dave and Jeremy Kuzniar, who were downstairs at Jer’s house mixing the forthcoming De La Buena CD. I passed along the pix I took on March 3 for inclusion in the CD art. They’re also available for viewing on Flickr.

This day is not yet over. Although I spilled tea all over myself at my desk, it has since evaporated. I have a chance to recover from this day attitude, and it’s all in my able hands.

I Rode My Bike Last Night

Last night, I did not see the Chicken. I moped around my house until just after dark, got a sandwich from the Fuel Cafe, rode my bike to Lake Park, and ate it there, watching the city lights grow brighter. Then, I rode to Blockbuster and rented another 2 movies (I don’t watch movies, I just copy them – I paid $15 for one month’s worth of rentals, and I’m trying to make the buck count because my month is over on the 19th).

Then I ran into Matt Turner and Ethan Keller just outside of the Jazz Estate as they were setting up for the Chicken and we talked music and websites for about 10 minutes. Matt offered to pay me in rupees and Canadian pennies to build him a website. I’m considering it. And I’ll hold him up to it.

After that, I was biking home and I bumped into my friend Doug. He was one of the 2 guys present in the house when I ripped out my teeth back in 1992. We go way back (to high school & middle school). We were best friends for a long time, then grew apart after I quit using drugs. Since then, he’s traveled the world extensively on a shoestring budget. He’s an artist. A painter. And has really nice, interesting works. We don’t actually hang out much anymore. Ever. But when we run into each other on the street, we both stop and talk for about a half hour or more. I kind of miss him sometimes. I told him about new developments in my life, having a new girlfriend, etc. And I told him how I feel stuck, like everything I’m doing in my career feels like a dead end. And he recognized that my bicycle bell came from China.

Then, I went to the hot tub. I need to go more often. It is incredibly relaxing. I saw a young couple there (mid-twenties) and the guy has been coming since he was a kid, because his mom was a member since the 70’s. He’s really fun to talk to – a very loving, open vibe. And after they left, an older woman came. She knew me from One Drum shows, so we sat and talked about spirituality for a while. It was cool, and had the effect of centering me somewhat.

Afterwards, I went home and started backing up my laptop for the new upgrade to OS X Tiger. And I prepared to go to sleep. I think I finally got to bed at like 1:30 am. Had strange dreams. I remember waking up this morning because my door suddenly opened, and there was nobody there. Kristin & Yoshua hadn’t opened the door. It was weird. I had slept through my alarm, and the resident ghost was waking me.