isla vista was a bubble. a safe, beautiful, debaucherous bubble.
how safe was it? despite having 25 foot cliffs border one long stretch of its most densely packed edge, the worst that would happen from the occasional drunken reveler who would stumble and fall upon the rocks below was a broken bone or two.
i used to joke that the angels would catch their fall.
rarely did anything mortally tragic ever happen at the party school until one particularly raucous February night.
the streets were packed on the two most partying stretches in IV: Del Playa and Sabado Tarde (often dubbed Sabado Party).
18-year-old David Attias, a rich kid from Santa Monica whose dad was a big time tv director (The Sopranos, The OC, Lost) lined up his 10-yr-old Saab at one end of Sabado and plowed through two blocks of horrified students enjoying a Friday night.
the chp estimated that he was going 50-60 mph through the crowd until he lost control and crashed into parked vehicles.
four young people died. it could have easily been more.
SB Fire Chief Charlie Johnson said the street looked like a war zone. he told the Daily Cal, “There was a trail of broken car parts and bodies laying in the streets,” Johnson said. “There were dozens and dozens of kids in the street in shock. They were crying and screaming. It was a disaster scene you just wouldn’t expect to see.”
Attias was found guilty but also insane. he was charged with 60 years that he is serving in Patton State Hospital.
even though in reality, IV was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when “Crazy Dave” went off the deep end, any time i walk past that part of Sabado i think about how fragile we are. how one minute you can be just strolling from one fun party to the next and the next minute its all over.
i didnt want a blog, i didnt want a teenage long distance gf, i didnt want 9/11 to change everything.
shows how much control i have in my life.
in the wake of the tragedy that was my longest relationship ending came a wonderfully strange romance with someone known here as ashley. it started out as an innocent hunt for drew barrymore photos, it ended in some of the more interesting tales ever described in this blawwwg.
speaking of the busblog, it was in august of 2001 that this here thing was formed as a way to blow off some steam as i toiled away in one of my saddest jobs ever.
at first i couldnt believe ashley liked me as much as i liked her, likewise i couldnt believe how quickly this blog skyrocketed to popularity. probably because at the end of the day i would take the bus home and go to my empty apartment and spend the night alone. none of the rewards that one would expect were in my driveway, socked away in a bank account, or waiting for me in my boudoir. for a long time it was all virtual.
then one day i took a chance to meet the girl who i had only known online. it wasnt the smartest thing to do, in retrospect, flying to las vegas alone. any number of terrible traps could have befallen me. she was far too cute for words, let alone, for me, of course it was a trick. of course i would be robbed and kidnapped, and sent to work in some diamond mines in south africa.
when i first saw her she was this little poof of white and blonde and smiles and immediately i carded her and all night i waited for the hotel door to be broken down but all that happened was charlies angels (the movie) on the tv and diet cokes and smiles and the start of something that could not be stopped no matter how many times i tried to pull the plug.
it couldnt have happened at a more important time for me, and im very glad it happened with ashley because i learned far more from her than youd ever guess. the most important lesson being, its ok to ask for love, and its perfectly fine to demand it.
i wasnt born tall or handsome or wealthy or with any magical skills
but somehow ive always been very lucky to be surrounded by really awesome friends.
right around the turn of the century i had a great job, a really supportive boss, and my closest friends were in the best rock band in town.
and they were about to fly to spain for ten days to decompress after recording their debut album.
not only did my boss give me time off to enjoy that celebration with 20 of our amigos, but she surprised me with a little christmas bonus that would allow me to take my true love with me.
it was butt cold in Madrid. especially at night which was the only time that we found ourselves awake. my truest and i were in agreement that after the holidays we would break up and move away from each other, but for that last wintery vacation, we would love each other as if doom and gloom were not right around the corner.
thanks to delicious paella, endless amounts of sangria and cheap bottles of wine, thanks to fresh shrimp and late night subway rides, and thanks to several Tsar shows and the promise of a worldwide computer crash called Y2K, we were able to party like it was 1999 (even though it was about to be 2000).
it was one of the best vacations ever. mostly because it was with so many of my closest friends all gathered for some of the best music. and it didnt suck to be so far away from home – as much as we loved home.
zona: I say the 00’s was a downright crappy decade. even Obama’s election has gone south. can you find me 5 significant good things that happened?
some say its not really our president’s fault that hope ‘n change didnt just sprout out everywhere overnight, magically, like flowers in the springtime after a harsh winter. some say he inherited a depression-like recession, two unwinable wars, and a divided nation so at odds they have forgotten who the real enemy is – indeed, the designated hitter rule continues to mock the integrity of the national pasttime. as wanda sykes so eloquently put recently, “i donated twenty five bucks, i expected change immediately.”
the fact that the usa finally got over whatever it had to get over to elect a black president, in this black man’s eyes, is easily the most significant good thing that happened. it was good not because of the gentleman’s politics or world view, but because racism is one of this country’s most shameful elements, and its erosion can only lead to a greater understanding of our place in the global community.
madonna dancing with xtina and britney comes in a close second.
everything else, i agree, was mighty craptastic.
although it was in this decade that the busblog was created and all the riches that befell yours truly in its wake.
david lee roth reuniting with van halen should probably be #4
18 million people turning its back on terrestrial radio was pretty awesome as well
Aaron: to continue zona’s thought; 5 significant things that didn’t happen.
1. we didnt find weapons of mass destruction in iraq 2. virtual reality 3. the twin towers werent replaced 4. oj didnt keep his freedom 5. the cubs didnt lose one game in the world series
g/d: followed by 5 reminders why I should continue to live in Montreal in spite of all the snow and cold.
1. when you speak french people dont say “qué?” 2. you have the best poutine anywhere 3. the habs are due for a return for glory any year now 4. warm weather and ocean breezes are overrated 5. if everyone left MTL, the arcade fire would be sad
timmay!!!!!: can you add the 2004 red sox to zona’s list?
although the busblog doesnt officially recognize the junior circuit, especially a team that turned its back on the Moneyball philosophies when it shelled out tens of millions for several stars (papi, manny, pedro, schill, et al), that league championship series was easily the most fascinating television since ojs slow bronco chase.
Andrea: To go with the five theme, name your five favorite bands/movies/books of the decade.
top 5 bands who released their first record this decade 1. Tsar 2. Kanye West 3. The Grates 4. Arcade Fire 5. Quiet Company
top 5 movies 1. Kill Bill Vol. 2 2. The Fabulous Mr. Fox 3. Lost in Translation 4. Moulin Rouge 5. Fahrenheit 911
Second Time Long Time: To continue with the theme of five, what are five things you would do if you were able to backpack through Europe for a month?
1. id land in amsterdam so i could see art and ride bikes with bicycle mark and JaG. 2. then germany for the beer in the huge mugs served from the big ladies 3. then sweden, because the people are extremely nice 4. then prague cuz they too have good beer, im told 5. then italy because its amazing
jessica: what is a girl who got kicked to the curb to do? (aside from send you naked photos, sorry tony)
the only reasonable thing to do after a breakup is to move on. if that means sending innapropriate photos to bloggers half way around the country, so be it. whatever helps ease the healing process. unfortunately romance rarely lends to reasonable thought and not only do we have a hard time running in the opposite direction of those who are no longer good for us, but we obsess over the past. thank god the sun stays in the moment. thank god tv doesnt pine over yesterday. thank god life moves on even when we are so resistant to the here and now. we are humans, not boulders in the river. its our job to ride the rapids, not sit and wait and watch.
meredith r. mistletoe: a) i object to this being the last ask tony of the year. b) give me back sass c) what do i want for christmas (my birthday!!!!!!!!)? d) can i have everything that i ever dream of?
a) next friday night i fly into The Windy, and the friday after that is a little thing called Christmas Eve. not the best days for silly blogging traditions.
b) sass is ours forever. shes even stated how her feelings about this strange and unusual town have changed for the better. in fact this afternoon i believe shes going to a flea market with a scruffy young colleague of mine. her life will be changed forevermore. good thing you took pictures cuz thats all you’ll have to remember her by.
c) you want world peace and for all the little babies of the world to feel loved. your so sweet.
d) yes but since youre canadian you have to give 60% of it back to the state.
Steven Allen Adams: Hey T, I know you say design isn’t important, but I’m looking to redesign my personal blog at www.unsilentm.com and I’m looking for someone to design me a original wordpress template. Who would be good to go to for something completely original?
design is a fakeout. ask drudge, ask the wall street journal, ask the google homepage. its the content that matters. some would say its all that matters. ask donald trumps hair how much looks matter. ask susan boyles accountant. but since youre here ask the design team of the world famous busblog who hasnt had a redesign in 8 years.
nature has created things to look a certain way for one reason only: to trick you.
start with the heart and work outwards. make sure the content that youre providing is special and unique and timely and insightful and meaningful and interesting and delightful and funny and smart and useful.
then paint it if you must.
but until what goes in the box is spectacular, theres no reason to even spend a second on what the box looks like.
Matt Welch: To put an optimistical spin on the questions above, maybe five reasons for hope that the twenty-teens will be maybe almost as good as the ’90s?
1. the stock market seemed to have found a bottom and is slowly bouncing back. 2. the real estate market seems to have found a bottom and is now coming back. 3. theres no future for the yankees 4. theres a nobel prizewinning brotha in the white house 5. there are plans for not one, but two NFL teams in that cultural hotbed: irwindale
raymi: when will the anonymous turd be permanently phased out? and why do they think we care?
for every action theres an equal and opposite reaction. thats the theory of relativity. its also the theory of douchebagivity. its also a good measure to find out exactly how edgy and popular you are: how many negative anonymous commentors muddy yr waters with their ignorant bile. yes, its a measuring de tool. the only way to rid yourself of the opposite reactions is to stop producing the awesome.
first we have the most adorable lil kid who could be a mini rivers cuomo he plays the ukulele and makes his momma laugh. but all it will make you do is hate john mayer more and curse yourself for never learning chords
next we have a homeless man being interviewed by Opie & Anthony on Sirius/XM during the interview its revealed that the gentleman used to be a musician so they get a guitar and let him play and its amazing. and nsfw.
and now you realize that a homeless man and a little kid both shred better than u
ive been clammed up in this apartment for two days now.
my nose is raw from blowing and sneezing and wiping and sniffling.
thought i had the swine but this morning it was half what it was the day before.
so if it was the swine it either was a little piggy or no match to my mcdonalds interior.
regardless, this poorly shot video brought some sunshine to my cold dark existence.
if i was a musician giving a live performance i would do this: i would pose in rock poses for 5 minutes before the show. that way everyone with a camera would get a good shot. then id figure out the three people in the crowd with the best cameras. if they swore theyd post a few dozen pics for Flickr and any video onto youtubes and that they would grant access to bloggers etc via Creative Commons, id let them work their way to the front of the stage. then id tell them they have to crouch down or sit on the stage. etc.
then id demand that everyone else puts their damn crappy ass cameras in their pockets AND ENJOY THE SHOW.
in the wake of the tragedy that was my longest relationship ending came a wonderfully strange romance with someone known here as ashley. it started out as an innocent hunt for drew barrymore photos, it ended in some of the more interesting tales ever described in this blawwwg.
