So, first story. I'll try to make it a good one.
Let's talk about Venice Beach. Listen to this song while you read it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ridFNolAOcg
I went there during my NASA internship with a bunch of then-stranger fellow interns and had a blast. We first checked out the science museum in LA where they hold the Endeavor. After that we headed for the beach. It's concentrated California there. You drive through rows and rows of million dollar summer homes and palm trees at the edge of LA to the dumpy classic shore houses by the beach. All up and down the beach are shops, an outdoor gym, a very famous skate park, lots of sculptures and palm trees, and finally that awesome theme park pier. Let's call this the promenade. Every 4 shops is a green building with a giant weed symbol and a giant price between 25 and 45 dollars to get a green card. One was a building as wide as the doorway with a window and a dude with colorful sunglasses and a lab coat. Every 8 or so shops was a dispensary. The rest were what you'd expect.
Let's see, first I think we played volleyball. We were short one person so this drunk homeless guy (we could barely understand him) joined in. I found a giant mushroom cap (yes, the fun kind) in the sand there, didn't keep it tho. After that we all enjoyed the beach and ended up in a game of ultimate frisbee with these competitive Cali dudebros who were "Vine famous" and apparently were in a band (duh). We played right next to a huge drum circle that played the same beat the whole time we were there. The leader of the Vine group was the most famous of course and he bragged about the numbers he was getting. They were nice people, but total brojobs. After the game they walked off and were somehow recognized by all these teenagers and college-age girls. I almost wonder if they advertised that they were out there and these weirdos came looking. In the ten minutes between the end of the game and the time it took for us to gather our things and say goodbye, they had already walked back to the promenade, were being crowded, and had something like 13 more numbers. I find that shit creepy.
As I decided to go my separate way from my new friends, a guy who was face down in the sand and grass mumbles something at me from behind. I turn and crouch down, a little concerned, and he kinda turns his face up and asks "are you my friend?" He mumbled so I asked him to repeat himself a few times. Once I understand I reply, curiously, "sure!" Then he asks if I'd give him some cash so he could buy us weed since I was obviously from out of town, haha. I politely declined and he turned his face back into the dirt... I was already good on that anyway. On my walk back a guy gave me this incense stick I had in my car for a few years. He was covered in Rasta and weed related trinkets and, to top it off, had a clay pot covered in weed symbols on his head, a true pothead. He was dancing and selling incense. There was also a freak show and a whole lot of obvious drug dealers. Traffic was a nightmare.
And that was my day at Venice Beach, Los Angeles! Oh man and this tiny lady came up to me on the beach with a giant bag of mango slices for 5 bucks and it was heaven.
Here's what I drew today:
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