24 hours in the Yay... .:Aug 20 09:.
So now that summer school is over I decided I needed to get away for a
quick 24 hours and rolled to the bay. Mostly to visit fam but also to
get some business done as well… here’s some flicks of my 24 hour SF
turn-around trip… Got off the plane and hopped the BART 
Then took the N into the city and creeped over to visit my folks on
Haight… Amoeba is ALWAYS a must. Had to say what up to Louie and then
snag some wax. (By the way… they now have a FRESH supply of my mix cds…
gettem while you can!) 
One of my all time favorite artists, Jor… this kid KILLS it on the customized kick tip as well. 
BIG UP the homie Lango- No Remorse… SD representin in the Yay!!! 
Then over to visit the fam at True… big ups to ALL the fam there! If
you’re EVER in SF True is an absolute MUST! They have the freshest gear
and the dopest kicks. Plus all the peeps who work there are MAD cool.
Word up!!! 
Be on the look out for my dude Jern Eye… yall aint ready. Hahaha! 
After HOURS of walking and 6 blisters sponsored by my Clarks Wallabees,
I met up with Joel and hias friends from high school Mike and Marissa.
Went for dinner at Nopalito but didn’t want to wait,so we eneded up at
Alembic and then rolled out to meet up with Daeta and Char for ice
cream. THENNNN off to crash out at Joel’s pad in Fremont. (Here’s what
Joel did when we got back… smackin fools on Call Of Duty) 
Woke up the next day and got gas at this gas station that had a… well…
quite frankly… one of the DOPEST ideas for a drive in spot… 
Hopped a plane in Oakland and was back in SD 27 hours after I left her.
Word up… Had the craziest headache, but WILL do it again soon.
(Hopefully for longer next time hahahaha…)
- JABAone
King of Reggae .:Aug 13 09:.
This past July I was
fortunate enough to take a cruise that included a stop in Jamaica. I
had heard in Jamaica there was a tour that took you to the house that
Bob Marley grew up in and where is he is also buried. As a music lover
I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We ported in a city called Ocho
Rios. Here is a pic from the ship when we were pulling into port at
7:00 a.m.
We
got lucky because apparently another group flaked so we basically had a
private tour with just my wife and I and the tour guide in a five
seater taxi. The mausoleum and home was approximately a 1 hour and 15
minutes drive from Ocho Rios. We drove
through the Fern Gully and rural countryside parts of the Jamaica. It was an amazing experience driving through the
countryside and seeing parts of Jamaica we might otherwise never see. The road was very narrow at parts many times
a one lane narrow road. There were random Jamaicans on the side of the road just hanging out and at one time there were goats that blocked the road.
Definitely
not
a place I would ever want to drive on my own without an experienced
guide, plus
in Jamaica people drive on the otherside of the road. Our tour guide
told us about the agricultural
the local plants and the industry of the country, such as sugar cane
and
something they make aluminum out of. We
got to the Marley home really early about 9:00 a.m. and were the first
visitors. There are four levels of the home, the first
level where there is a gift shop, the second level where there is
another gift
shop and restrooms, the third level where there is the bar, another
gift shop,
an outside stage, and the fourth level the gates up to the mausoleum
and walk
up the burial site, the home and Mt. Zion. The grounds were pretty
modern compared to the surrounding area. They had a nice bar that even
had a couple of flat screen tvs on the wall. The place was definitely
done up for tourism.
There is a spectacular view from the bar balcony area. Here is a pic
we took from the balcony of the bar.
Once you drive in, you are immediately greeted
by a couple of guys trying to sell you herb and hash.
It is openly sold and smoked around the
Marley grounds. Also, there is a place
where you can buy a candle to light in the Marley tomb. Walking up to the mausoleum is a small road
where you walk up to a small two bedroom hut where Bob used to stay when he
would visit. We learned that Bob Marley group up in this home with his mother and moved I believe when he was around 10. Outside of the small hut is
a rock where Bob would sit and meditate (smoke) and write songs. Sitting on the rock you see a spectacular
view of the mountains of Jamaica, and one can completely understand why it
would be place of musical inspiration.
They called the rock Bob’s pillow because it was the place Bob would lay
and sit or rest his head to right songs. Our tourguide mentioned many times how Bob
would often meditate (smoke) and how it was deeply part of the culture and inspiration for
music. Our tourguide then took us in the
mausoleum. Bob is buried six feet above
ground. Above his tomb is an umbrella representing
all people and there is a glass star of David on the wall that shines light on
his tomb in the morning when the sun rises.
In the tomb are pictures, things left by fans to honor Bob, and candles
lit around the tomb. We lit out candle
on one of the candles lit around the tomb.
The guide said that once one of the other 6-8 candles around the tomb
burns out it will be replaced with a guest's. 
No pictures are allowed of the tomb.
What an amazing experience. The
best part of the trip was our guide who truly lived the rastafari lifestyle
sharing with us the spirit of Bob and truly making us feel truly like we are
all one people. He would sometimes sing
Bob songs and connect them to places around the home. He would also end many of his sayings with "Rastafari". He told us about the colors
of rastafari, red for the blood of people, the yellow for the sun, and the
green for the earth. One thing he did
say which was interesting is the grounds have gone through many changes
throughout the years and has said the place has changed because of
tourism. He said he felt there was a
little too much "touch up, touch up". I
think that is what he referred to as the commercialism of the place. As a music fan, it was an experience to visit and honor the King of Reggae, but most of all to see and experience a
part of Jamaica I would never ever see otherwise.
It was a very humbling experience driving through the countryside and
seeing how other people in this world live. Based on what I could see
the luxuries we Americans put so much value on seem to be of little
concern to the people who live in the country. An experience I will never forget and an
experience that has reminded me how blessed I am.
Our guide on at the Masoleum was Benji. Here is a pic I took with
him. Our tour to get to the Masoluem was through Ionie McBeam, her
husband Lewis was our driver. Definitely a person I would use again if
I were in Jamaica.
Boom Bap Basement .:Aug 13 09:.
So last night Existence76 and I went to check out a spot in Oceanside
called the Davina's Cabo Grill. I used to live in Oceanside and the
spot used to be the old Margarita Rocks. I hadn't been to downtown
Oceanside for awhile. Scarub, Mr. Brady and Sojourn were performing.
The spot itself was very clean. There was a downstairs basement
section where they had a bar, performance stage and lounge chairs, an
ideal spot for a hip hop show. Really a hidden gem. The vibe was real
good, and the best part about it was that it was FREE, which I think
added to the positive vibes. Also there was also an upstairs outdoor
patio area which was also a nice place to chill. We only got a chance
to see Sojourn and Scarub who were both dope on the mic. I got a
chance to speak to both Scarub and Sojourn. Sojourn is coming out with
a new album on September 1, on the Hip Hop is Music label (Braille,
Lightheaded, Theory Hazit...) Hopefully we'll be able to pick up some
pieces for Fresh Crate. Also talked to Scarub for a second and
hopefully we'll be able to stock some of his merchandise as well. A
couple of pics below of Scarub performing.
- Argonaut
Furry Friend .:Aug 12 09:.
So my mom called me at work today and tells me this fine arachnid was
just chillin' on top of my kitchen counter! I told her to trap him with
a box until I got home. I left early to help trap him in a bigger
container. The box pictured here shipped some mid-top kicks, to give
you and idea of the tarantula's size:
- Bojo
