Whatnots

Devil's Point Tonight!

Charisse — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:46:43 GMT

Come and check it out! Myself, Stormy, Malice and Miss Steak (the former Ivizia) will be rockin' it from 9-2:30 p..m.a.m. No cover, 21+ please tip your performers! I love seeing familiar faces in there and what else you gonna do on a Monday night?!

Spin Spin Sundays!

Charisse — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:34:38 GMT

Hey friends! Come and play with us every week from 4-7 at the Spin Jam, a fun place to practice, play, learn, share and have fun with other people in your community. All skill-levels and toys are welcome including but not limited to Hoops, Poi, Staff, Double-Staff, Juggling and more. Conveniently located in North Portland with huge roll-up doors for sunny days, space for lots of people and a kickin' sound system with bumpin' music to keep you groovin' and movin'. Located at 2410 N Mississippi Ave. on the corner of Interstate Ave, across from the Albina stop on the MAX Yellow Line $5 Suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds Poi-Spinning and Hoop-Dance classes also available - Contact circusworks@gmail.com for more info Also, I am going to be performing at Devil's Point this Monday! No cover, 21+, bring tips for the dancers. Ciao, Charisse

OMFG!

Charisse — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:29:55 GMT

I burned my fucking uvula tonight! Someone stop me.... Please....

Devil's Point!

Charisse — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:32:50 GMT

I will be performing this Monday and next Monday! Come check out some hot ladies and some fire! No cover, 21+ tip tip tip!

Appreciation...

Charisse — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:19:57 GMT

I just want to say. I have some of the most amazing people in my life. I'm so blissed out thinking about how much love I have in my life and how grateful I am to all of you for that. I don't know where I would be without my friends. You mean the world to me. 30 rotations around the sun and am I so amazed and appreciative of my life and the wonderful people in it. Thank you! My days would be grey without you.

~~~BETWEEN WORLDS~A Piscean Ball~~~

Charisse — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:33:45 GMT

THIS IS MY 30TH BIRTHDAY PARTY! I BETTER SEE ALL YALL THERE SPANKIN' MY ASS! BETWEEN WORLDS, A PISCEAN BALL Saturday, MARCH 15TH We the cosmic fish swim eternally between worlds, in an ocean of cultures. From the depths of the Pacific Northwest we are bringing together hip hop, glitch-hop, dubstep, tech and spanning everything in-between for a celebration of beats, bass and lyrical poetry. However your stars may be aligned, come celebrate Piscean nature with us in a a night of cultural melding and delicacies featuring: ANA SIA (3WS) Photobucket Small in size but large in presence, ANA SIA has quickly become known as a unique sound in the west coasts music scene. weaving an experience eclectic in rhythms & rhymes, she's sure to get the dancefloor crunked & connected integrating multi-genre music & all spaces between with an honest passion for prayer through movement. what she provides is a little something for everyone: glitched out, sexed up, low freq, bassy & beautiful global slut psy-hop. A.P.O.S.T.L.E. & DJ QUEST Celebrating the release of their new CD: Lyrical Activism A.P.O.S.T.L.E. (Heavyweight Dub Champion) apostle2 Inspired by the political Hip Hop of the late 80's and early 90's, Apostle (also known as Jeff Campbell), is a spoken word and Hip Hop artist from Denver, Colorado. He is also a vocalist and songwriter for underground urban dance music collective Heavyweight Dub Champion, whose release Survival Guide for the End of Time was awarded "Best Local Recording of 2002" by Westword magazine. The group's upcoming release, Rise of the Champion Nation, features tracks with performances by Hip Hop legend KRSONE, as well as Killah Priest, an extended family member of Wu Tang Clan. DJ QUEST (Live Human/Space Travelerz) Photobucket From the stage to the studio, from the classroom to the battle field, for nearly two decades, Quest's enthusiastic character has kept him ahead of the game. In a competitive field, the sport of music has managed to narrow the visibility of many, but Quest's persistence has earned him conspicuous status and a place in the DJ community as a visionary of the instrument of the future "the turntable". DannyCorn (3WS/Symbiosis) Photobucket Danny (The "DC") has been spinning music and laying waste to crowds since he first got his Fisher Price Record player at the age of 1. At age 13, the "DC" trained in the mystical arts subsonic shiatsu with a clandestine society of ninja monks. His musical influences are endless and his dj style is boundless, often bewildering/inspiring people in the crowd to proclaim aloud new genres of music as they convulse on the dancefloor. DJ KEPI (Jet Set Collective) Photobucket A staple in the West Coast dance club and outdoor-festival scene for 6 years running, Kepi and Kat have headlined in the biggest clubs around the country in such places as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and Portland and performed at numerous high-profile outdoor festivals such as the Love Parade (now LoveFest) in San Francisco, LA's cult-favorite Moontribe, and Nevada's now legendary Burning Man Festival. Now, their fans have spoken and voted the duo "Best Electronic Music Act" in the Bay Area for 2007 and 2006! Wherever your Astrological affiliations may lie you'll be sure to enjoy our superbly enhanced environments with Legendary KV2 Sound from Sentient Audio Photobucket SpaceShaping by Mate` Photobucket Delve into a world of the delicious and decadent with our Live Body Sushi Buffet Birthday Cake Snuggle Space Performances provided by Cherry 10pm-4am 21+ Event, Full Bar $11 Presale tickets at www.brownpapertickets.org $15 at the door The Hippodrome 315 SE 3rd Ave Portland, OR 97214

New Tattoo!

Charisse — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:35:48 GMT

I can't believe I haven't posted this up yet. My bad. My especially bad with cameras! So here it is, my new ( and first, yes it's true) tattoo! *Post Notes* Well, I guess I should've explained it yes? Ok, so the idea for this tat come to me after attending an OTO Fall Equinox ritual. I think because the Sun was traversing out of Virgo, I was thinking about my own struggles with my Virgo energy (Rising, Sun/Moon 6th house). The dynamic between Pisces and Virgo is a tricky one and can be quite a bit of a tug-o-war. I have had deal with this game for my whole life. When I was younger, the cycle between the 2 were much longer. I was pretty much a 'Virgo' teenager with Piscean melancholy. Anyway, the gist of it is that I have been trying to reconcile these 2 stong sides of myself for a very very long time. I feel like I have finally figured it out and now just need to put it into practice more The mermaid sybolizes the union of these opposites to me more than any other symbol. I have also always thought that if I ever had a tattoo, I would want some sort of fairy on my feet so Viola! The right one symbolizes fire and air. She is placed on my right foot because this is the side of the body that is associated with yang energy (or positive, projective energy). It is also the side of the body that 'gives' which is why this mermaid is going away from *me*. The left one symbolizes water and earth. She is placed on my left foot because this is the side of the body that is associated with yin energy (or negative, receptive energy). It is the side of the body the 'receives' which is why she is coming towards me. In the symbol of Pisces, the 2 fish are swimming opposite directions but they are joined by a single cord. I have no intentions to get my feet permenetely tied together but I've tried my best to get their hands to connect when my feet are together. The mandala surrounding them also helps 'hold' them together. Seperately, they work on their own but together they create completeness. I placed them on the feet which is the body part associated with Pisces. Virgo is linked to the intestinal system and well, I don't really want a tattoo on my intestines! I am thinking about getting a 3rd (I like the idea of a trinity) on my lower back. I am still coming up with ideas but the idea of a lotus flower came to me today. It would be in the area close to my 2nd chakra and since this has been a chakra that I have had a very difficult time with in my life, it might be fitting. I will probably think about it for a very long time but if any of you have suggestions or find any beautiful drawings of lotus flowers, please let me know!

I Made It!

Charisse — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:17:48 GMT

In case anyone was wondering, I made it to Italy ok. It took for fuckingever but I'm here! I'll post some travel details here soon. I'll be here for a month!

I LOVE fire

Charisse — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:28:10 GMT

No seriously, I love it in my mouth, on my body, around my aura. I LOVE it. I have no idea why but it feels good!

I just wish I could find the time...

Charisse — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:55:58 GMT

I miss writing. I really do.

Come Vote for Me!

Charisse — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:05:25 GMT

I'm performing at Dante's tonight. $5.00 cover~ I need your votes! Muah!

OMFG!

Charisse — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:00:09 GMT

Our Burning Man Troop fucking rox! http://www.garnishfire.com/movies/greenman9.mov

Poi Classes! Spin Jam!

Charisse — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:19:19 GMT

Hello Friends and Community! I am happy to announce that myself and a friend are re-starting poi classes in Portland! We are going to start offering 2 classes on Tuesday nights starting on November 20th. Classes will generally run every week but there may be a few cancellations during the last part of December. Also, due to my absence in January, Beginning Poi will be offered as a drop-in class with full 7-week sessions starting in February. Also! I am going to host an indoor spin jam THIS Sunday (Nov. 18th) from 3-5 p.m. at the same space. This is a NON-fire jam in a large indoor, warm space to practice! I'm hoping this will become a regular event! $5.00 donation is requested to help pay for the space. Winter is way too cold to not have some fire and movement in your life! Want more details? ************************************************************************************ *If you are planing on attending classes, PLEASE read the entire email. Almost all questions are covered in this one email* Thanks! Beginning Poi: Time: 6:30-7:25 p.m. Location: Hippodrome, 320 SE 2nd Ave. Cost: $12.00 per class Teacher: Cherry Description: Beginning Poi is taught in an intensive 6 week series. The main focus of this course is to get the student oriented with the basics of poi spinning and will later in the course expand on these basic movements into more fluid and beautiful techniques that the student can combine to create their own choreography. It is highly encouraged that students be able to make it to all 6 weeks as there is a lot of information covered in each class. The teaching space is quite large but it is still recommended that you contact me before the first class so I have an idea of how many students to expect. Beginning Course Schedule: Nov. 20th: The basics swings, turning, and many many variations. Nov. 27th: The butterfly! Forwards, backwards, extension and alternative timings. Dec. 4: The weave. Forwards, backwards and turning. Dec. 11: More variations on the Butterfly; Mexican Wave and Spanish Lady Dec. 18: Corkscrew and Windmill Dec. 25 and Dec 31 are holidays. If there is enough interest and the space available, I may offer classes on another night during these weeks. January: No Beginning Classes Intermediate/Advanced Poi Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Location: The Hippodrome 320 SE 2nd Ave. Course: Drop-In Cost: $12.00 per class Teachers: Cherry and Dustin (alternating weeks) This course is taught in a non-chronological, on=going series. Intermediate and Advanced poi classes have an incredible amount of various movement and techniques (tricks) to be covered! The classes are not chronological meaning you don't need class 1 to go to class 2 etc. I encourage students to look at the schedule and choose which classes they feel they would get the most out of. All classes will focus on ONE area of movement. For example, one class may focus on wraps, another on behind the back weave, another on chain wraps etc. Every 8 weeks will be a review/open-question class where students can work on particular moves that are giving them difficulties. Advanced students will work on the more difficult variations of those moves being taught to the Intermediate students. I let the students decide for themselves which level they feel they are comfortable with in any given class. Students need to be able to comfortable with the Butterfly (both directions and over you head), the weave (up to 3 beats, forward and backwards), and be fluid with the corkscrew and windmill. (Check www.homeofpoi.com if you are not sure what these moves are) Intermediate/Advanced Poi Schedule Nov. 20: The Weave...4&5 beats, Behind the Back Nov. 27: Extensive Turning Dec. 4: Wraps...simple to complex Dec. 11: Stalls Dec. 18: Windmilling...low, combos, behind the back For All Students: All classes are information intensive! My goal is to get students to where they can understand the movement well enough to be able to practice it at home. Very few movement is perfected in class, that happens with a lot of practice in class but primarily outside of class. All students will need to have their own set of poi for class. I will provide practice poi for the beginning students in the first class but students will need to have their own pair by the second class. I have practice poi for sale for $25.00 which are yours to keep. You can also find practice poi at Serious Juggling in the Hollywood District or order them on line. I also have fire-poi for sale for $50.00. If you bring fire poi to class, please cover them with socks or some other fabric that will help keep the space soot-free in case they go flying. It's also a lot nicer on your head (which will probably get whacked a few times) if you bring more forgiving poi to class! Also, if you have poi with ribbons or flags, I highly suggest wrapping them up with a rubberband for class. They tend to get in the way when learning new movement and can cause a lot of frustration. Some students ask what type of clothing to wear to class. Very few clothing interferes with poi movement when they are not on fire but I do recommend avoiding really loose clothing, especially very full skirts. ******************************************* To Sign Up: Name: Email address: Phone Number (Helpful in case of cancellation): Course of interest: Will you be buying poi: Also, I am always available for private lessons if the above times don't work for you or if you are interested in learning staff, double staff, hooping, or fire-eating. My rates are $25.00 per hour for one person, $45.00 for 2 people and $60.00 for 3 people. Groups of 4 or more are $15.00 a person. I also have equipment for sale via custom orders for those interested! Practice Poi: $25.00 (add $10.00 for ball-chain and hardware) Fire-Poi (4'x2" on each, ball chain, leather handles): $50.00 Long, Single Staff (Custom made with 3' of wick on each end): $40.00 Double staffs (3' long with 3' of wick on each end): $45.00 Fire eating rods: Regular $12.00, Large $15.00 per pair. Add decorative hardware for $10.00. Colored Flames are going to be available soon! Let me know if you are interested. I have Blue (maybe), green, red, orange and pink (pinkish orange) coming. Colored mixes are $10.00 a quart. I also offer sliding scale to those who are unemployed, working part-time or students. I am also open to work trade. Please contact me and discuss before class. Thanks for reading and burn something this winter! flamingcherryc@yahoo.com Cherry p.s. Please feel free to pass this email onto anyone you feel might be interested!

Poi Classes Starting Soon!

Charisse — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:34:04 GMT

I'm so excited to get this started! We are looking at starting on 11/20/07! Save the date(s)!

Out of Touch

Charisse — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:54:52 GMT

Hey Lovelies, My internet has been down all week so I haven't been able to check messages and such. How was everyone's Halloween?! Mine was fantastic! Rabbit in the MoOn was incredible! Share stories!

Yeah!

Charisse — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:29:12 GMT

I got my inbox down to less than 100 messages! Woo-hoo! And I'm feeling much better. Thanks to all of you for all the love! I so so so so miss my hair (insert INSESINT whining here). Waaaaaahhhhaaahhhhaaaa. Ok. I'm done. Sandra Collins tomorrow night? Anyone?

SF Visit continues for Lovefest (9/29) and HBO premiere (10/6)!

Charisse — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:40:35 GMT

Hey Lovelies! So I saw this magikal piece of paper fly in front of me while I was dancing to Hallucinogen and was happy to see Sasha and some of my other favorite dj's playing in SF this weekend! So! I'm stying in town until Sunday. I've been lucky to catch up with some of you but would love to do more visiting. Also, I need a place to stay on Thursday and Friday and am looking for a group (large or small) of friends to run amuk with at the parade. Check it out if your curious! www2.sflovefest.org/ And in other news...The HBO show that we filmed years ago is *finally* going to air! Rumor has it that it will on October 6th at 11:30 p.m. So, um, I don't have a t.v., or cable so if anyone in Portland wants to watch this and invite me over...that would very much rock :) Real Sex 32: Some Like It Hot Late-Night Documentary Film Hot! Hot! Hot! From an uninhibited troupe of naked fire dancers...to an all-female "masterbate- a-thon" for charity...to a fantasy-fulfillment website for real people...to a kinky birthday party for adult-baby fetishers... this all-new edition of HBO's most sizzling adults-only series promises more outrageous antics of real people...and Real Sex! Premieres on Saturday, October 6, at 11:30 p.m. And while I'm here and putting some buzz buzz in the ear... Be on the lookout for upcoming classes in Portland. I'm hoping to get them going this month! I'm also planing on having a housewarming party very very soon! And! If any of you are venturing down to Vegas for Halloween, myself and some of my hot hot friends are going to be performing at the Fetish Fantasy Ball Halloween weekend! More to come! I love and miss you all! Xoxoxoxo Charisse

Weekend shows and my first tatoo!

Charisse — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:04:34 GMT

I can't believe I jumped in the tattoo sheep herd but I did... OOOOWWWWWCCCCCHHHHH!!!! Fuck! I always wanted to have my feet sliced up with a dull hot blade! Um, yeah Pictures later, it's not done yet but it's, like, so totally cool,... And in other news... 4 shows this weekend! I'll be doing some fire burlesque in the BOOBS show at Berbati's this Saturday night. Fire jam *possibly* on Sunday Berbati's Fetish night on Sunday (earlier set) Dante's on Sunday (Later set...I hope) Mmmm hmmmm And I'm coming to Cali soon!

Sociatas Insomnium Viewing at the Clinton!

Charisse — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:15:24 GMT

Sorry for the late notice but if anyone is reading... We are showing the edited video of the King Cycle SI show at the Clinton Street Theater today (Monday) at 2:00 p.m. Bring stuff for Bloody Mary's to cure the Monday morning hangovers and loose your lunch one more time...(in a good way!)

Show Show Show!!!

Charisse — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 01:03:14 GMT

Hey y'all, I didn't feel like putting out a listing but I wanted to let you all know that me and the fantabulous Ivizia will be performing at the Fez tomorrow night! I don't know the cover. Probably not very much. Please come out if you can! Other upcoming show that are mostly solid: Dante's on the 26th and 1st (Sundays) and pretty much any Sunday I like after that. *possibly* Devi'ls point on the Mondays following the above mentioned. It depends on how the new stage is coming. Fetish night at Berbati's on Sept. 16th Fire jams Maybe more!

Medical Advice?

Charisse — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 02:06:53 GMT

Ok, so now that I'm back in the states, I'm currently being reminded of how much it sucks to get sick in this country. Obviously I don't have medical insurance like most of us don't and I have a problem and not sure where to go. With that said, does anyone know a good eye doctor in Portland that will not rip me another ass hole (causing me to have to go to a proctologist) for paying out of pocket. It could be something as simple as I may have somehow lodged a contact way up in my eye that is now collectin bacteria causing an infection OR it could be something I can't even think of. I did get shit-faced in Greece one night and wasn't entirely sure if I got my contact out that night so it could be that. Regardless, I have an infection, I feel the pain in my eye socket and I'm getting freaked out as it's getting worse. My eye is swollen and I'm getting pain up in the socket and sinus area. Any advice? I don't need to go to the hospital but I really shouldn't wait on this much longer.

Um...ok...?

Charisse — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:44:44 GMT

I post a listing saying I'm home and loose 3 friends? Fuck you too.

Bavaria! mmm....castles....and rain...(merde!)

Charisse — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:38:04 GMT

The train to Germany was alright but I had to change about 4 times which got annoying. I noticed that Germany’s train networks are just kind of like that. It took almost my whole day to go a not very far distance. It was comfortable enough and the day was nice and sunny for a change. I went through Austria as well so it was kind of fun to be in 3 countries in one day. My point of going to Germany was to explore a little bit of Bavaria. I originally wanted about 2 weeks there but my time had been widdled down to about 3 days. Quite a contrast! I really didn’t know where to start but I was told by many friends that I really needed to see this particular castle in the south of Bavaria so I headed to Fussen which was the nearby town. I love castles. I’m such a dork that way but I do. I was able to see the fairy tale castle from far away when I arrived. It was really hot and I had some difficulty finding my hostel which is never fun when the weather is disagreeable. Luckily, as I was walking down the road realizing that my hostel was very far away, a van stopped and asked if I was heading to the hostel. I said yes and he told me he had a room in the same hostel but at their central location. Sweet! He gave me a ride there which was sweet since my suitcase had become a lot heavier from collecting wine and chocolate and other assorted goods along the way. It was bloody hot but he informed me that there was a really nice lake nearby that I could swim in. The hostel was really cozy too and not so expensive. It also had a great view of the castle and the Austrian Alps. Not long after I got there and settled in a bit…it started raining. WTF? Grrr…. Oh it was frustrating as even though I wasn’t on the beach, getting some swimming and sun in sounded so nice. At least the rain cooled the day down though. The town was a cute little German town. It didn’t take very long to walk around it so I just picked up some food and some other essentials and headed back to the hostel. After I made dinner I wandered around to the backyard of the hostel and was very pleased to see huge patches of wild strawberries! It was funny because just earlier the day I was pondering about where foods really come from. I mean, there has to be a wild food for everything right? So viola, there was my answer. The berried were really small but they were everywhere and really sweet. There was also wild St. John’s wart, chamomile and red clover so I made myself a nice, fresh pot of tea and attempted to do some reading on the balcony in the storm. Lovely. I drank some really good German beer and headed to bed early. I know, I know, the excitement is intoxicating. I decided to stay 2 nights in this place just because I was a little burned out on traveling so fast. Since I only had one day left I made it the tourist one and went up to see the castle. It was quite expensive to visit the inside but walking around the grounds was free. I bit the bullet and bought the entrance tickets which came with an obligatory tour. Both were really intriguing though. The large one that everyone talks about was almost like a psychedelic fairly tale on the interior and I was really sad they wouldn’t allow any pictures and the details will probably fade my memory quite quickly. The day was also still stormy and the tours were short leaving me outside for quite a bit of the day. It was alright though, and I found more strawberries in the hills by the castle. After a long day of it, I headed back into town, made dinner, drank more fantastic German beer, hung out in the trippiest internet café’ chair ever and headed to bed late again. The next morning I decided to venture out on to the ‘Romanitishce Strasse’ aka zee Romantic Road which is a popular driving route in German known for its beautiful little towns and countryside. I didn’t have a car but I found out that you could buy a train pass for the day for 21 Euros for travel anywhere in Bavaria. What sucked though was that you could only take the slow trains so I ended up living on the train almost the whole day. I left early enough to get in some sightseeing and some of the larger stations had luggage lockers so I could drop my load and wonder uninhibited. I went to one town that is still completely enclosed in the old mid-evil wall. That was pretty interesting. I ate lunch in the rain (grrr…) and ducked in a café when the rain really started to hit. Keep in mind that this is mid-June kids! Luckily in Germany you don’t pay extra to sit down so I was able to actually enjoy my coffee and pastry without standing at the bar. I have to admit, the town really wasn’t what it was advertised to be so I decided to head to another town that sounded much more beautiful. It took some time to get back to where I was storing my lockers and by the time I got even somewhat near the town I wanted to go to, it was already starting to get really late. I didn’t realize how big Bavaria was! I was to stay with a friend of mine for the night as well so I needed to factory that into my travels. God train travel is expensive. I was really disappointed at having to miss this little town but that’s how it goes sometimes. My bad for spending too much time in Greece and Italy! Wait, what am I saying?!! Did I also mention that trying to figure out the German train routes is quite a mind fuck? I mean, they have little towns EVERYWHERE. I finally started taking pictures of the regional maps on the trains so I would at least have some clue as to where to go next. I looked at routes that sometimes had up to 8 changes! Merde. Anyway, I slowwwwllllyyyy fooouunnndddd thheee rriiiiigggghhhttttt traaaaaiiiiinnn toooooooo Heidelberg which was where my friend was living. I really knew nothing of the town and probably would have never gone there but it was on the way to Paris so why not?

Switzerland

Charisse — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:47:02 GMT

Waiting at the station wasn’t so bad after I made friends with a really good bottle of Whisky. It was a loooooong ride home with a stop in Zurich to get my luggage. Simone lives on the German border and the festival was in the middle of Switzerland. The sucky thing was when we arrived in Zürich, I couldn’t’ get into my locker! You had to ‘go to the office’ to pay which is shit. The office closes at 9:00 p.m. Most lockers you can just put in the amount you owe in coins and get your stuff. Wow. I asked her how much a ticket one way to Zurich was from her house and she said about 25 Francs which is about $20.00…each way! Fuck! Luckily, the guy we were with offered to pay for all of the food (even though he swore I would eat it all…) and Simone ended up refusing my money for the ticket other than the original half price we agreed on. It was still exhausting though to go back. Her dad picked us up at about 3:00 in the rain. He was super nice which was a relief since Swiss people in general are pretty straight laced and I wasn’t sure how her parents would react to this crazy American girl. Their house was INCREDIBLE. Wow! Simone swore I would get bored there but even though it was sort of in the country, it was bordering a huge lake (small sea) and there was a small village you could walk to with a close by train station. I even had my own room which was actually disappointing as I was hoping to be ‘forced’ into staying in Simone's room. *sigh* We got settled in and crashed out. I woke up a little late the next day but not too late as I still had to go back to Zurich. Simone left a very detailed note for me, some cherry candies, money and lots of maps. I guess she hadn’t realized that I had been traveling for a year and could do fine but it was really cute anyway. I had lunch with her dad who struggled with his English a bit but was very nice. Their backyard and garden were as incredible as the house and they had a really cute Boston Terrier who I tried hard to hide that I was more interested in him than the people. After lunch I took the long, expensive ride back to Zurich. My cold had let up but was kicking in again so in a way it was nice to sit and do nothing on the train. I could’ve walked around Zurich when I got there but it was late afternoon and I wanted to make sure I could actually get my suitcase. Not to mention that everything in Switzerland is expensive and I needed to watch my cash. The locker ended up costing another $25.00 on top of the train ticket. Fuck me. Oh well, I bought some Swiss chocolate, ate a small (expensive) lunch in the train station and headed back. Luckily, the ticket from the festival was good for train travel away from the festival, even through Monday so I didn’t have to pay to get back. I also found out that you can get a day ticket for anywhere in Switzerland for 30 Francs which isn’t too bad if you are going really far. When I got back, her mom came to get me and I was relived to find that her and Simone's other sister (she has 2) spoke excellent English so I could chat with them a bit more. They were super nice. Her mom took me and the dog down to the sea and we chatted a lot and got along really well. On our way back we ran into Simone. We had already eaten dinner so she and I hung out for a bit and ended up talking in my room until about 1:00 a.m. How many times have I stayed up with another gorgeous human being into the wee hours of the morning because we just can’t seem to admit that we want to ravage each other in bed so we just talk about everything under the stars until we give up? Damn. I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. I mean, she is 19, beautiful enough to intimidate the fuck out of me and we were in her parent’s very very quiet house. But still, damn! I kind of thing something would’ve happened at the festival if we had our own tent but with 5 people in there…not so much. Plus I noticed that her other sister was very goody 2-shoes and would probably start crying if she knew her sister was ‘that way’. I reluctantly went to bed. Harrumph! Her mom was home the next day as well so I slept in and had lunch with both of her parents. I’m really glad they were cool as hanging out with my friend’s parents in a really nice house usually makes me want to take my freaky ass as far away as I can. They were nice enough though. Her mom made me laugh when she gave me 10 Swiss chocolate bars. Um, good thing I have, um, room in my suitcase? I went down to the lake in the afternoon and laid out in the sun but got there too late to justify swimming or lying out in my bikini. I did some writing though and caught a nap in the sun. When I got back I had missed dinner so Simone and I made some dinner together and ended up staying up pretty late again. It was my last night there. Alas. The next morning we got up fairly early and her dad was nice enough to take us to the train station. We hung out for a while and she was very sweet and seemed a little sad I was leaving. She is the only European I’ve met that actually really wants to live in America. She says she just needs to save the money and she can come back. I really hope she does! We said goodbye (sad) and I hoped on my really expensive train ride to Germany.

Greenfield! Switzerland!

Charisse — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:06:47 GMT

Thursday I had a ticket to Switzerland so I met Dario for lunch in the train station and got ready to go into a new country. We were sad to say goodbye again as usual but I made him promise he would come visit me in Portland after Burning Man so that is something to look forward to. I had an afternoon departure which would put me in Zurich close to 11:00 p.m. which was just enough time to catch the last train to the festival… Let me back up… So, right before I left Utah, I met this really cool girl with a cute accent. When I asked her where she was from, she was Switzerland. I said it was too bad she was in Utah because I was going to Germany and Italy and Switzerland is in between. Then she told me she was going back and I should definitely visit. Well ok! Then she told me about this festival they hold every year in this incredibly beautiful part of the country which brings some of the biggest bands in the world. I said yes and bought my train ticket… Anyway! Crikey (how do you spell that?), so I thought it would be a hassle to get into the country after the 2 hour search I had last time and we weren’t even stopping in the country that time! This time they didn’t even check passports! I don’t get it sometimes… The bad thing was our train was running quite late. Simone sent me a message saying that I would have 3 minutes to check my luggage into a locker and catch the train or we were sleeping in Zurich that night! Shit! I went to the door early so I was the first to get off. I saw a group of 6 old Italians with huge luggage start making their way to the front and from what I already knew about Italian culture was that they would definitely try to get in front of me and then take their sweet sweet time getting off the train. No way! Not this time. When we stopped I leapt off the train and right there was Simone. Running with my luggage and a really bad cold was adventurous to say the least but we managed to get my suitcase in a locker and catch the train with the rest of the army. No really, I mean the army, they were EVERYWHERE on the train. I guess Switzerland is one of those countries where 1 year of military service is required, same as in Greece. I have to say too, Simone looked fucking HOT! God, I think the whole military synchronized their head turning when we walked by. She is easily 6’1” or 2” barefoot and greeted me in short shorts, fishnets, boots and a SL,UT shirt which was given to her before she left Utah. Brilliant. Ok, I admit it, part of why I wanted to visit her was to just drool over her…*blush* So yeah, we got on the train with her friend and started getting into our groove. There were already some drunk lads on the train who offered us some beer and we were off. We arrived 2 trains later and about 2 hours later in time to miss the shuttle bus. There were some other girls there so we got a taxi together, got into the site and set up Simone’s tent which was older than her! Even though it was June, it was still very cold and wet and my the bugs in my body were not helping the situation much. She told me we would have 2 other people joining us as well, her sister and another friend. Luckily they all spoke English quite well so I didn’t feel too left out. There were no bands the first night just really expensive food venders and 18 and under little dance area. Kind of boring but the line-up for the festival? To name a few…Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, SONIC YOUTH (OMF’ckin’G!), Therapy, Reel Big Fish, Slayer, Incubus (and other top 40 bands I could care less about), hmmm…and a lot more! Modest Mouse (I don’t think they showed). Sweet! The other nice thing was camping was included in the festival ticket AND free train travel anywhere in Switzerland for the whole weekend! Sweet! We went to bed fairly late even thought nothing was going on and it was a cold night…. Oh! And remember the rain? It wouldn’t be a proper holiday if the rain didn’t follow me right? Ugh! The next morning it was raining pretty had but this time we weren’t on the beach in the Mediterranean so it was a lot colder and I pretty much gave up and any hope of my cold going away. We went into town to get food. That was interesting. So they put sausages, beer, fizzy water, and chips in the cart. I timidly told them I was a vegetarian and I knew if I ate shit all weekend I was going to get really sick. I think they were annoyed since we were all sharing food but whatever; veggies are A LOT cheaper than meat. He one friend was a total dick saying that I only pretend to eat healthy and pretend that I’m a skinny person and that I was in fact going to eat all of the food (real winner this guy…a chubby one too I might add). Fucker… Anyway, we headed back in the continuing rain and crowded onto the bus with all the other marlin Manson wannabe’s (Swiss style, how chic). Since there was no music until 4:00 p.m. and it was pissing we just stayed in the tent and drank. I wasn’t going to but then I figured I already felt like shit so maybe the alcohol would make me feel better? Actually it did and I found out the Simone gets really frisky when she’s drunk. Damn my shyness! Damn it! Ahhh…alas. We did venture out finally and see some music. It was still cloudy but not too bad. Sonic Youth was playing that night and since they were my priority for the festival I went back before dark and took a nap. Her friend (the jerk) got really drunk and kept trying to wake me up to go see Slayer. I kind of wanted to see them just because I hear their name over and over again at every high school assembly but I really needed the nap and stay put. I woke up freezing and went with Simone to see Marylyn Manson. The show was actually alright even thought I’m not into them. They seemed quite minimalist in their presence though and Simone was disappointed that she couldn’t really hear his voice very well. The last song they played was high energy though and I even got jumping pretty hard. I was worried to be in the crowd because I knew what it was like 12 years ago but Simone said that the Swiss are more show than action and I didn’t need to worry about it getting crazy and it didn’t. I was worried I was going to miss the opening for Sonic Youth so I left Simone and her other friend joined me at the other stage. I got there just in time and found nice spot near the edge of the stage. I got chills when they came out and freaked out when they started. I don’t think many of the people there knew about them since it was a very very young crowd and even though Sonic Youth is the shit, they are not anything you’ve heard in top 40 in the past 5-10 years. There was a small crowd in front getting pretty bouncy so I pushed my way all the way to the front and very actively ignored the fact that I was very sick. The bugs will NOT defeat me at a Sonic Youth concert! Bounce Bounce Bounce!!! It was one of the funnest times I had my whole holiday! I couldn’t believe I was there! And not only that but the setting for this festival was mind boggling. EVERY American band that played said the same thing…”wow, um, thank you for having us…you have a very beautiful country…*stunned*”. I was blissed out and Simone managed to find me and handed me a huge bottle of water. Perfect! Even if it was fizzy water… After the show we all met up and Simone was very impressed as well (she didn’t know them) and she helped me deter strange drunk Swiss boys who kept trying to fondle my hair. I guess it’s better than fondling my ass…well, hmm, not sure actually! I was actually really surprised at how early the shows ended. The last bands were finishing around 1:00 a.m.! I guess I’m a raver. It’s not over until the sun comes up dammit! We tried to find some decent music to dance to but were quite unsuccessful. It was funny, Simone kept complaining about how young the people were and I found out she was only 19! Wha? Yeah girl, think how I feel! Oh! How could I forget… Some guy saw Simone’s SL,UT shirt and came up to her and told her he was from Utah! How bizarre! He had met another guy from Minnesota in a hostel. They had been camping in a cave and heard about the festival and snuck in! It was actually really fun to meet some other Americans who were traveling a little more adventurously than most of the others I had met. They had no idea where they were going to sleep but I told them they could hang out with us for awhile. I went to the tent and grabbed my fire gear and did a little show in the street for them. I didn’t have enough fuel to do a full on show but enough to impress a French guy enough that he came and handed me 10 Francs (about $8.00). Sweet! We also found and ‘American’ bar there (they had an American flag…I don’t know...) and danced there for a bit. I was a little bummed that Simone’s sister was uncomfortable having the guys crash in our tent even though there was a lot of us for safety and I didn’t want them to have to sleep in the rain. We gave them a blanket and I gave them my email so I could hang out with them in Utah (haven’t heard from them though). The next day I finally let myself sleep in a bit. I was so beat! In a good way though. Everyone else went back into town to get more food and by the time they came back, I had taken some photos, drank some coffee and almost felt like a human again. It’s funny, I found the Swiss culture (at least at this party) to be really similar to German culture but almost more red neck if that makes sense? Some of the people (mostly guys) were so fucking out of control weird and rude. Simone even said she thought it was weird and then it dawned on her. ‘Of course’! She said that in Swiss culture, they don’t ‘mix’ anything. Meaning, if you’re into rock, that’s ALL you are into. The fact that I was wearing funky clothes and have pink dreads suggests that I must be into *something* else which is why she said they were so weird with me. 2 guys came right up to my ear and made a loud “baaa” in my ear inferring that I was a sheep! Come on! Ok, well, sheep means something different to them than it does for me. Anyway, true to ‘German’ ish culture, they LOVE their sausages (well so do I but I don’t actually eat them...) so we headed to the huge grilling yard that was set up. I got my veg grill on and then got the ‘oh my god, do you actually eat that?’ grill on. Ok, I’m sorry, I’m not that grossed out by meat but sausages are just nasty! Anyway, I started to teach Simone how to spin poi a bit and another really cool girl came and joined us. I asked her if she had any fuel to spin for the night but she didn’t bring any either. That day the music got started at noon so we quickly rushed to see some of the bands. I was unfamiliar with some of them but one of the German bands was super fun and rockin’. There were more shops than bands set up so we browsed and walked around a bit. There were 2 stages so we just bounced back and forth between the 2 all day. We had fun, my cold was still kicking my ass but it was alright. At least the rain had stopped! Hurray! I wasn’t quite familiar with the evening bands either but I did recognize some of the songs from having to listen to top 40 radio at work all winter. It was entertaining enough. I really wish they would’ve had a dj or something after the shows ended though. Their was one really heavy metal bar blasting music that we moshed to a bit but the pavement was so covered in trash and liquids that it was really hard not to slip and fall all the time. On the way back to camp, we did find one booth that was playing some decent electronica so we grooved there before turning in for the night. Her jerky friend had decided the night before that since his girlfriend is convinced that he is cheating on her, that he would actually follow through with it so we had a little more space in the tent. This night though he actually moved his ‘bed’ so that he was closer to me and I was thrilled that Simone woke him up to tell him to move so she could sleep next to me (I win!). Again, I hate being shy… Sunday I finally felt really good! I think dancing and rocking out actually helped kick the cold out of me a bit. I heard Therapy was playing and it was really fun to rock out to them as I hadn’t heard them since high school. I finally broke down and paid the extortion rates for a bear and relaxed a bit. The festival was expensive and I still had to get my ass through another week in Germany and then get to Paris so I was trying to watch my spending. Simone originally offered to pay half of my ticket but then asked if I could pay the full amount which made it $160.00 instead of $80.00. That’s a lot of money! I wasn’t too stressed out about it though and I really was having a good time. So my disappointment of the day was that Smashing Pumpkins were playing and even though I am not much into them now, I was back in the day and never got to see them back in the day so I was really excited to be able to do it now. The rest of the group was really worried that they would miss the last train home thought and wanted to leave early. I finally decided that I couldn’t come all that way and miss them so if they left, I would sleep there and meet them in the morning. Simone and I had packed everything up that morning while the rest of them were out partying so we didn’t have to worry about breaking down and we could stay longer. Luckily they started right on time. We had moved close to the front and all hell broke loose which is exactly what I wanted! I thought it was still pretty mellow for a rock show though as people really only got crazy in the beginning of a song and then chilled out. Oddly enough though, a full cup of beer made it’s way to my head and spilled all over me. My friends said ‘it’s only beer’ but what they hadn’t realized was that the impact had actually left a large bump on my head! That’s alright; Simone said that 2 years ago her nose was broken at this festival so my battle wounds were alright. One of the other girls with us fell while she was drunk and broke her front tooth. Aw yes, battle wounds. So Smashing Pumpkins was great! They had made a faux-American flag with their names on it and after singing a song about revolution, they dropped it. I loved it and was probably one of the only people who recognized it as a ‘fuck you America’ song. Our entire group left the show except me and Simone who held out to the bitter end. We left during the song ‘Disarm’ which was invoking such odd feelings of nostalgia in me. I mean, the kids I was with were about the same age I was when their songs came out. It really brought back a lot of memories about High School and that era of my life. Kind of a bittersweet type of feeling as I hated that time in my life but like any time in your life, there are some rally sweet moments. I think the music from that era was really good and even though I didn’t see many of the bands then, it was interesting to see them over a decade later. When we go to the rest of the group, they were just sitting in the sprinkling rain doing nothing. What a waste! We decided to walk to the train station since the shuttle was full and slow and ended up sitting there for 40 minutes. We totally could’ve stayed for the whole show! *Sigh*