sǝuoſ ǝuıɥsunS

1. I feel more comfortable sending you an email than I do replying on your blog

Fair enough. Though I do like an open dialog. I prefer it to behind the scenes communication.

I might also make mention that you shouldn’t be offended if I don’t ever email you back. I find that email is unreliable, and there is simply too much of it to make use of.

If you really want a conversation, then pocket your fears and your doubts and post a comment.

2. Sunshine, what’s wrong?

Hehehehe… nothing’s wrong. I’m ok. this journal was born out of a desire to pull my thoughts together and get some sort of a dialog going between myself and my inner child (the 17 year old junkie punk rocker who hates you and everyone else.) I decided early on that I would be as fearless and honest as possible and simply use this place to express the contents of my heart. I felt trapped by the costume of “Dubtribe” and the misconceptions about them. I am not all about love, nor am I a particularly optimistic person. I am complex, generous, thoughtful, philosophical, neurotic, and full of love and devotion. I write from the place that I am, and never worry about what you might be thinking about me, or my writing. So, Lovesick, sad, happy, cynical. Love me or hate me, I am definitely me and there’s nothing I can do about it.

3. Your photographs are weird

Thank you. Though I think your praise is too generous. I am an average photographer, and stilted designer. My photoarchive is really just an imported version of my flickr account. I take photographs almost every day with either my Nokia 6600 smartphone, or with my Nikon digital camera (which sucks.) I take pictures because I like to, I share them because I want to.

4. I don’t like your writing/There’s too much sex in your fiction

I’ve actually asked myself this as well. I can’t seem to write anything without sex, love, or some sort of activity which goes beyond the realm of the ordinary innuendo, or PG-13 experience. I am not a purveyor of adult erotica, and find pornography to be tedious at best. It’s a snooze-fest in my opinion.

Ultimately I could go on and on about how I feel we’ve traded sex for violence in our society and why I think that’s a shame, but what’s the point? If you are offended by sexual dialog, or intimate prose, then my guess is that my writing, my essays, my point of view is just not for you.

Maybe you should go read something more wholesome and leave me alone. It’s not like I’m haunting your web site hassling you about how “nice” and “pure” your writing is. I really haven’t got much interest in the things I don’t like. I tend to ignore them, half out of respect, and half because I just can’t be bothered to pay any attention. What a terrific waste of energy. Get a job, hippie.

5. Why are you so sad?

I’m not sad. I am a very happy man. I am serious, and intimate, and sincere. If you can’t handle it, maybe you should read lighter, more pleasant things and stop worrying about me. Really, I’m ok.

6. Are you a punk rocker, or a raver?

I’m both. I come from the roots of San Francisco punk rock, and when that seemed to come to an end, I went to college and tried to improve myself. When that failed, I discovered house music. What I found there was more punk than punk. Grass roots people who wanted to get together and change the world with a more sophisticated, more challenging, and more personal method than the fury of bar chords and hair spray ever offered me.

That said, all things change. Change is a wonderful thing. As punk rock dissolved into the skate-fest of alcoholism, so house music collapsed into cocktails and expensive clothes. Communities and their hiding places seem to have finite lives. It’s sad to see things go, but for me, the spirit of gathering, self expression, acceptance, and the joy of letting go is what it’s all about. I’m not saying that I have the world’s most open mind, or that I always know what I’m talking about. But I’ll keep trying if you will. Deal?

7. Why do you even keep a blog? How come you don’t just post on your message board?

I enjoy the imperialdub.com community message board as an admin, and as a designer. I am a member of a community there and feel that pouring all my personal rubbish into that space is unfair and somewhat inappropriate. So I post, reply and operate in that context as one among many. Here it’s all about me, my inner life, my fiction, and anything I want. To me, these places serve very different purposes.

8. How did you do that thing?

I have no idea, Fernando does all of my artwork. In fact Fernando is not really a person, rather the name of my design company. My first year graphic design teacher at CCAC loved my work, but could never remember my name. He would put his index finger into his mouth during the weekly project critique, stare into space and call me “Fernando” which produced the tittering of munchkins in the classroom. I corrected him the first few times, but afterward embraced it and felt that somehow it was just right.

9. Aren’t you that girl from Dub Tribe?

Yes and no. I used to be in Dubtribe, but Dubtribe Sound System are no more. I am not a female, I am a man. People often get confused and that’s ok. Now you know.

10. What blog software do you use?

I use WordPress. The greatest web authoring software ever created. You can too, it’s free.

11. Your site looks bad, it’s impossible to read

My guess is that you are using Internet Explorer, and probably an old version of it too.
First thing I’d assume is that this is not the only web site you are having trouble with. If you just want to resist and complain about it, well, you have, and have fun!
If you want to do something about the problem, I suggest you download a better browser.

12. I posted something in your comments and they didn’t show up. What’s up with that?

Well, first of all, if you don’t include all the information in your comments the first time you are here, or the info you add is garbage, chances are I’ll never even know you were here. My anti-spam protection is pretty good, and several other plugins are in use to filter through the crap. If by chance you actually posted something which was either moderated out by me, or was sincere and got filtered then either my server doesn’t like your server, or I didn’t like your comment.
Best not to worry about it really.

13. I hate your blog. I just want to smack you dude.

You may not be willing to take my suggestion if you actually feel this way about me, but I would persist and seriously insist that you stop reading me at once and go read something you really like. Really, g’wan, be free, be happy. Shoo.

14. You say “you” a lot in your creepy, abstract writing. I’m worried that you are speaking globally, and trying to tell me something about me/ Terrified you might be talking about me or someone I love/ All hot and steamy with anticipation because I am sure you mean me

Oh love. No.

Read this I hope it lightens your load.

15. I Think your photographs/fiction are about me

There is only one person in the whole wide world whom I write to, and about in the abstract. They know who they are. I have told them. If I didn’t tell you, “My writing is about you.” Then you can rest, assured, that it is not.

16. I think I’m in love with you. I am obsessed with your blog

Again, I really prefer the word Journal can we please start using that word instead of blog? Please?

To address your question: I take your feelings as a compliment, but I see a clear distinction between myself, who I am and my content, and my Journal. I am not my journal. I am an actual person, I have to bathe, shave, shower, go to the bathroom, earn money and organize my time. I’m not even entirely sure where all this creative output comes from, but you can be sure that to know my journal and it’s contents is only a fraction of who I am in total. You may love my journal, but you can be pretty sure that you don’t even really know me.

So I accept your compliment with fondness, and a gentle smile. But with all due respect, I would appreciate you turn your affections toward someone in your town, in your life, someone you can see, and speak to, walk beside, and discover in person. This is just a journal, and while it certainly needs love, care, attention and friends, it is only reading material, visual images, and occasionally music for your soul. Let it enrich you, and then take that with you, out into the world.

I am not currently dating, and not at all interested in changing my status in the foreseeable future. So let it go. Have a party. Enjoy!