One more day in the Bay

I got up early today and drove to Berkeley. There is a little breakfast place on Shattuck that has great croissants and wifi, so I spent about 3 hours there catching up with email and stuff. It’s not easy to constantly do biz even on the road but today is kind of open. I only have to give a lesson in Oakland at 1 pm. Around noon Erik calls and gives me directions. He lives close to the Grand Ave exit, half a block from the lake in a nice house with a white picket fence.

We have a nice lesson and I leave around three and take a little walk. I come by a cool car creatively decorated with shells and stuff.

Later I call Susan Klein at KVMR. I have a phone interview with her at 4:30 pm. I thought I would still be over at Eriks using a land line but he has to leave, so I have to use the cell phone. I drive back to Berkeley and get a Tea at the Nomad Café. I remembert rying to book a gig there but they only do locals. I’m glad it didn’t work out, it’s another internet place packed with people staring at their screens. Kind of scary actually, it looks like everybody is drugged out. I find mysel driving again looking for a good reception and a quiet place to park. I find it in some side street just a block off Shattuck. The interview goes well and Susan plays a couple of cuts of the album and pitches the concert.

All my attempts to for an overnight didn’t work out and I decide to go and watch a movie. “Unknown white male” is a documentary about a very rare form of amnesia - I can’t really decide if I should leave half way through but then the movie does the trick and lures me in.

On the way out of the cinema I try to reach again a couple of friends for a place to stay -still no luck. I call Evo in Fresno and we brainstorm through the Sweetsmill list and finally come up with some names. Eva is currently in the Bay Area staying with friends so I give here a call. This time I’m lucky and 45 minutes later I get there.

Eva’s friend Monica lives with her German husband Gerhard, Her mom and two kids just across the Berkeley hill off highway 24. I stayed with them last year and am looking forward to seeing them again. We chat into the late envening while the storm outside slowly picks up and gets bigger and bigger...