11 20 pm pdt   [ Weed, CA ]

I kid you not. I spent the evening in Weed, California. The entrance sign declares, "Weed like to welcome you." Need I say more?

I got picked up from Berkeley in the afternoon and the director (Tita), cameraman (John), and I drove straight to Mt. Shasha for the Wesak conference. We arrived a little late, so we waited outside during the opening meditation. An older man approached Tita and I and inquired where we were from. "Los Angeles," I answered.

"Welcome to your true birthplace, Mt. Shasta." I eyed him warily.

"My true birthplace is -------." and then I said the name of the small town in LA County. It is a hippy neighborhood, and I was certain he wouldn't argue with me.

"Well," he conceeded, "------- is a very special place." Thankfully we went in right after that.

After an encounter with a very grouchy old man who was upset that our camera was blocking his view, we settled in for the evening's entertainment.

The room was decorated with flowers, gold ribbons, Buddhas, little lights, and hung art, but there was no real way to conceal that it was a college gym.

I recognized familiar symbols from my reading, such as the Flower of Life, seen below below Buddha's face.

The highlight of the evening was Bob Fickes "channeling Lord Buddha and The Earth Mother" for 1.25 hours. Thankfully, a guy played some improvosational light music on a nearby keyboard throughout.

The remainder of the evening was spent on music. I held hands with a guy in red. I didn't film much at all, but I gawked at the Sony DVCam, and Canon GL-1. John was shooting with a gorgeous new JVC DV camera. I conforted my camera for being so much smaller.

I must admit that I find pleasure in the fact that we were in Weed, California, so I made an effort to say Weed as often as possible in all ensuing conversations. But even Weed was no comparison to reading the following on our program: 9:55 Manose and his Flute. If that doesn't make you laugh, you don't have the same sense of humor as me.

There was harmonica, bells played by a wonderfully still woman, and the harp. I swear by the fact that the harp man kept playing the five note tune from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

There was also a woman who did an incredible sing-along to a resonating crystal bowl, but also managed to show off her underware as she sat down, causing us to refer to her as the Panty Woman for the rest of the evening. I admired the art on the walls.

Tita put too much wasabe on the Japanese food we had for dinner, causing me to bring up wasabe all evening long. After the performances, I told her she looked like she had a wasabe hangover. She agreed.

The women with the golden hair really appealed to me for some reason.

Unfortunately, all of the hotels in Weed were booked, so we are staying in exciting, downtown Yreka. I have told my travelling companions that we must go boozing with the locals tomorrow.

* * *

two years ago today: I didn't write, for reasons unbenownst to me.

one year ago today: "Up at 6:30 on my graduation day..."

May 1998
May 1999
May 2000

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