Sunshine and Sass

So.... I didn't go see Joan Jett in San Mateo (I know, I know you are all shocked) but I guess a little "away" time from her will do me good. Right? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say. "They" also say don't swim for 30 minutes after eating, but I don't believe "them" and will swim right after a meal. Hell, I might even be snacking AND swimming at the same time. And does that go for chewing gum too? Sometimes I wish I had "their" number so I could call and check these things out. Anyway, I'll always have my Del Mar, Alhambra and LA Pride Joan Jett memories. Hopefully, she didn't miss ME too much in San Mateo and was able to push through and rock on without me. Don't worry Joan, I'm going to see you in October at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto - I'm not sure where San Jacinto is, I don't gamble and I'm unclear on what to make of a concert at a casino, but DAMMIT, just like swimming after eating, I am going to throw caution to the wind and jump in.

While detoxing from my Joan Jett inebriation I did manage to get my dogs a little swimming pool so they could hang out and swim with their friends. That's my boy Oliver with his first real girlfriend, Miga. My other dogs wouldn't sign the photo release without a myriad of stipulations, and though I think Miga's release might have been forged by her parents, I'm not going to check it out. Just look at those two - consumed in pure unbridled fun. That's the way to live, who needs Joan Jett? (ok - I admit - I do)
This is a shot from the Alhambra show where we were standing about two folks behind the front and were leaning against the center railing. Let's just say it was within sweat flicking distance. I enjoyed the show - though I think the security and the police were a little overbearing - I'm not sure what was happening so maybe they were completely justified, but it seemed like a lot of people were getting pulled out of the crowd by the police. Maybe since it was a fair and a family event they didn't want people dancing too rough or getting too rowdy? Ah, well, that's the price you pay for rock and roll. I do hope that at the casino show I can hear the non G rated versions of Joan's tunes. I always feel a little infantilized when she sings the "fair versions". I understand it, but still feel like I'm missing some of the stuff I love her for. Rock and punk are meant to be dirty, gritty and make some folks uncomfortable. If we always stay in our comfort zone, nothing will ever change. We sit and stew in our safe little shells and then when we are faced with something that takes us out of that safety zone, we push against it, criticize it, demean it. We fear what we don't know, we hate what we fear, then our hate blinds and consumes us. So do me a favor, step outside your comfort zone today, just once and see what happens.

-peace -

one more thing - if you like the Donnas and the Dollyrots - they are playing at the Punk Rock Social in Long Beach, CA on Sept. 15th at Alex's Bar. http://www.punkrocksocial.com/schedule.html