I believe we should be handing out compact discs of Mozart in the streets. Get these people hooked. Maybe they'll play it for their children, maybe they'll play it for their elderly, or maybe not. Who knows? But I strongly believe that music is a tool as much as a weapon;, to flood their ears with higher, nobler truths. In the world of today, we don't need religion to know the voice of God, all you need is a piano.

This week, I've been off work so I've taken the time to get out more.

Last night I walked the streets for hours. No time for bars. I've got nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be home to. I've had a lot of time to waste, which is good. I feel that by walking I can get an even closer look into things; see the glint of broken glass on the pavement first hand. I missed the bus on University Ave and had to walk all the way to 58th to catch the last one of the night. Buses don't run late here, no later than 11:30pm which is outrageous compared to the Baltimore/NYC or any major city standard. The air has settled into a nose-drying, throat coughing briskness. No moisture. Aired. There is a tinge of static electricity in the atmosphere that keeps the hairs on your arms standing upright, and if you're not sick or ill from it, the feeling keeps you alert and awake. Makes you want for coffee or mint tea. Still walking to the stop in the darkness, hands in my pockets. I'm surrounded by auto repair shops, tortillerias, adult boutiques and old movie theaters converted to episcopalian churches. We're near Euclid Ave now, the 'Bend as it's called because University Ave literally 'bends' mid-city around Oak-Park. I've even heard it referred to it as 'the elbow' for the same reason but also pertaining to the frequent muggings and beatings that happen here. But on this Sunday, they're wasn't much going down. A perfect night for observation gleaming. Across the street from 58th stand two Moreton Bay Fig trees, planted ages ago when the city was young and have become synonymous with this city - A giant stands in Balboa Park that I climbed as a boy. Strange things emerge and disappear from the shadows - the local hoodlum take on a ghastly appearance, shifting back and forth under the lamps of crime-light inspection. The bus arrives and I'm on my way home. Back to the safety of my room. More to come Later this week.

"...it was on the tip of everyone's tongue. Tyler and I just gave it a name."

4:46pm

Today they came for the car that had served as their home for 3 months. The man - multiple narcotics violations, petty theft, had served jail-time before. His voice was hoarse as a dry riverbed from all the drugs and alcohol that he had washed down over the years. The female - older, mid-50's, not much on her. She really got me. As the police loaded the car onto the flatbed tow-truck, I could hear her cries - tears that could fill an entire planet with oceans, a world of thunderstorms and agony. "How did it come to this?" I hear King Theoden's words bouncing off the castle walls...A people turned to exile, no room, no stars, a place where the people roam lost. There was a social worker, bald white man in a grey tweed sport coat to provide counsel to the couple. He spoke mostly to the female, The male fleeing across the street in a fit of rage. For them today was a visit to hell. They lost everything. Intervention came for them too late. Would she go to a shelter? Would they be out on the streets? I have more hope for the woman than I do the man. Today I bear witness to what the various stages of abandonment, depression, addiction, can do to people. It turns people feral, expels them from themselves. Today I stare at injustice face to face. What can we do, what can I do, to reign in true justice among my fellow people?

Another stunning song. There's been an increase in homelessness around the city heights neighborhood as San Diego becomes more like its ugly big sister, Los Angeles. Outside my apartment, homeless couple living out of their car. The car isn't working. It sits up on blocks as the man pulls parts off the machine, leaving trash and the car's guts lying everywhere. The car is packed full of personal belongings. They've been there 3 days. The recession has killed the hope of some people.

This song is smooth as fuck.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/10/15/162949884/for-about-20-cardboard-bicycle-could-change-the-world-inventor-says

Rain falling on the roof @ 3:00am. Beautiful. Went outside a little while ago. The air smells great. Hasn't rained in months. Finally, the long, hot summer of 2012 has packed its bags. The air has been washed clean of over 6 months of constant stench, pollution and heat in SD. I am ready for you, cold. I am ready to be comfortable again, I am able to deal with you cold. It's easier to cool down than it is to heat up. Now I can start putting things into order.

Solitude is a hard won ally. Faithful and patient .Rollins

Follow me @ http://velospace.org/user/35164

This week I bring you one of Kondo's most exhilarating jazz works. Part industrial, part avant-garde jazz, this Bowie-esque album provides the listener with a quiet, disconnected musical experience. The music is clearly inspired by Miles and Handcock but its coupled with unique Japanese flair and electronic beats. The way Kondo warps the sound of the trumpet gives this album depth and a darkness that contemporary jazz lacks - and yes, I'm talking about that crap you hear playing live @ every coffeehouse around the country. This classic 80s album wipes the floor with all that crap. Hard to find, but it's definitely worth a listen.

One pedal crank over the other cruising, cursing the streets. Left, right, left, right. I hear your empire-down.

The days go on and on frenzied
I think if you were to lay beside me
I could finally close my eyes
And get some sleep

The music. THE MUSIC.