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Family Christmas Letter - 2012

December 17, 2012

Dear Family,

I hope you’re well.

If you haven’t already, please send me your Christmas or holiday letter! My address is at the bottom of this message. I always like hearing from you guys and I miss the way we used to meet at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This past year has been one of changes for me. I started the year living in San Diego, at The Avalon in Pacific Beach. After my marriage ended with the DEA busting my door down, I spent the next year going through the reunification process to be with my daughter Jordan. After it all, they ended up giving me fewer services and eventually 20% custody for no good reason at all. I was obviously heartbroken and so was Jordan.

I sold my car last December in North Carolina after I visited my Grandma in Yadkinville, NC. She was suffering from dementia and an infection from getting feces in her bloodstream. I talked to the convalescent home about her medications and care and her desire to leave and go home to her house that her sister Dixie Sawyer apparently ransacked after fighting with two of her kids - Casey and Mary Etta.

Dixie bought Ma and Pa Rose’s house in Jonesville and is renting it to Grandma’s son, Brian Sayles. He is going through a separation or divorce after his mail away bride situation didn’t work out. He just doesn’t seem ready for it or she planned to leave him after coming to America with her Mom, anyway. Hopefully, they’ll work things out or at least live peacefully apart.

I don’t talk to Sarine any more. I have no idea what she’s doing and I don’t really care. After she and my Dad told the corrupt Cops in San Diego about our legal, beneficial medical cannabis grow, through the collective, to help hurting patients, just so they could get me out of that picture and stop the good work we were doing, I haven’t wanted to speak to or see either of them. My Mom is caught in the middle and she wouldn’t be if she weren’t still with my Dad, but she has few options, even though they argue and fight all the time. In fact, CPS has it in their notes that while they were Jordan’s custodial parents for 7 months, they argued all the time and scared her. I see nothing has changed. I don’t understand why people like that even stay together. Well, I guess it’s because someone hasn’t tricked law enforcement into breaking them apart forever.

I left Pacific Beach in June, after my lease ran out, and I visited many different cities by plane and bus, including Hollywood, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. It was a heck of an experience and one I’ll never forget. Since my family and my city were intent on screwing me, I decided to leave and start over somewhere else, so I had to figure out where. My Dad encouraged me to stay in Oceanside, but I don’t trust him at all and I certainly don’t trust the Police in San Diego county. Simply because he suggested Oceanside, it may have meant he knows some corrupt Cops there who could do his bidding, again.

New York was amazing. I took the subway everywhere! I met tons of interesting people because I lived on the street. I spent a couple of nights in Chelsea, in a Hilton, due to some mileage rewards, but besides that, the three weeks there were on the street. Well, except for the first week. I stayed awake for 1 week straight, as soon as I got to New York! There was so much to do all day and all night! I couldn’t sleep and I was learning and thinking, looking over my shoulder, and writing.

Before I went to New York, I spent some time in Long Beach, California. Remember all those skaters in the 60s and 70s? They were from Dogtown (aka Long Beach), so I wanted to visit. It’s another beach city, much like San Diego, but a little smaller with fewer tourists. In fact, I bought a ticket to fly to New York while I was in the Long Beach airport wondering where I should go. It was surreal and barely worked out.

While I was in New York for the 4th of July, I took the subway to Hoboken, New Jersey and saw the fireworks over the city. It was amazing and nothing went wrong. I walked a lot in New Jersey and in New York. I really hoped somehow I’d find my long lost sister Crystal Sayles in New Jersey, so I called a few family members from there, but I never found her. Seeing Hoboken suffer Hurricane Sandy’s destruction was sad.

New York was a bit humid and I saw the naked cowboy in Time’s Square. I could have done without that (haha). At least he’s using his skill set. I stayed one night at the Bowery Mission and it was ok. Those guys there are super religious, so it was a little weird. You were encouraged and almost required to attend a sermon before they’d feed you, but their food was pretty good. I had a tiny bit of cash, but not much.

Walking around the city, sleeping under park benches at night or in the park in the afternoon, visiting cafes and Guitar Center, I felt the Cops and firefighters were top notch. They didn’t mess with people unnecessarily. They were cordial and did their job, so they earned my respect; unlike the corrupt Cops I’ve met in the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles.

I stayed at the Bethesda Maryland Hilton a couple of days because of some miles rewards. It was a cool place. I booked it at a D.C. McDonald’s near the train because the train went straight there! It actually stopped by an elevator you could take up to the hotel! I saw a comedy show there and really enjoyed their international TV news stations. Oh, plus their free buffet breakfast and coffee were a great way to start my day! It was a rad hotel.

I tried to take a Greyhound bus to Canada, but they wouldn’t let me in. You know I’m a medical cannabis patient, right? Well, I am because of the pinched nerve in my back that causes muscle spasms. It totally helps, so I brought just a few grams with me into Canada on the bus and they searched my things at the border and wouldn’t let me come in! They questioned me about it, said it was illegal in Canada and they were confiscating it. They probably smoked it, but at least they know what real pot is like now.

They made me sign some form saying I was relinquishing my desire to enter Canada, or something to that effect, and it was very odd. The officers ended up driving me at about 100 mph back across the border and to Buffalo. This posed an interesting question for me. What would I do in Buffalo? I hadn’t purchased a return trip from Canada because I figured I’d stay there for as long as I wanted and I’d figure it out later. However, I was suddenly in Buffalo and wondering if I was there for a reason. I checked out a few hotels, but they were all at capacity and it was late. Consequently, I decided to return to the station and take the next bus back to New York. From the little I saw, it looked like an interesting city.

In San Francisco, I stayed up all night, on the street a night or two and at the YMCA. Their subway and bus system isn’t as good as New York’s, but it’s still good. However, it takes quite awhile to travel over or under the water and I did both.

I actually took the bus from LA to Oakland, arriving there at 5:05am. They lost my luggage, so I didn’t have my clothes or stuff for several days. It was a hassle, but at least I got to check some stuff out without having to think about my suitcase.

I visited Harborside - California’s largest collective - and it was ok. I had hoped for something a little more amazing, but it wasn‘t bad. They’re more advanced because they’re testing the medication and they offer numerous strains (but no vaporizers!). They have an interesting situation because they serve law enforcement and high society tourist types at the end of a bad area in Oakland that suddenly turns into a nice area! They’ve been featured in the news and in Weed Wars and I think they’re finally being left alone, now. However, their landlord was being threatened by the government and responding by trying to get them to leave.

The cafes in San Francisco were interesting. I also liked the atmosphere and the vibe. People were interesting and yes, it was chilly. I had already visited Alcatraz, so I didn’t go there, again. I had also visited the aquarium and the wharf, so I didn’t spend too much time in the trendy places. However, the mall was cool and the quaint cafes were exciting. I did a lot of writing and even though I didn’t take any yoga there, I found a ton of places teaching it. I took a bunch of yoga classes in New York, though.

There was an amazing 24 Hour Fitness in San Francisco that had an upstairs, outdoors jacuzzi! They also had saunas, so I went there a couple of times. Like all of them, there is no internet access, but the Kinko’s below them had it and it trickled into their gym, so I used it while I rode their exercise bikes.

I really liked Berkeley, as usual. It’s the electric city where people found a soul in the 60’s. Experimental music was born, art took off. People routinely wore Birkenstocks. You’ve seen pictures. Well, I applied to Berkeley City College and was poised to register for classes there until I found a better option. I did like their campus a lot and of course, the Univ. of California at Berkeley is awesome, nearby and notorious, too.

Returning to Long Beach, I considered giving Hollywood a chance. I had visited a few times and I thought it might be the best place for me. However, after the LAPD’s unprovoked brutality on me on June 18 (right before I left for Long Beach, then New York), I had doubts. Nonetheless, I thought I needed to give it more of a chance before deciding and I never did. I chose Long Beach.

Long Beach is really cool! It truly has it all. There’s the beach (which I never end up actually going to), the gym, parks, libraries, lots of cafes and tons of interesting people. Plus, there is a great bus system and a metro train that goes to places like Hollywood, Pasadena and Redondo Beach and everywhere in between. I use what they call an EZ Pass and I can take any train and any bus in Los Angeles county (LBC is in LA county). Needless to say, since it’s so big, there are some places I still need to explore. In fact, I’m writing a book right now about all the interesting metro train stops because I have 2 months off school now. Its tentative title is The Los Angeles Metro Train Book.

School just let out! Yup, I went back to school! I’m a college student at Long Beach City College. I signed up at their Pacific Coast Highway campus and figured my classes would be there, but after registering and looking a little closer at my schedule, I noticed they were all at the Lakewood campus! This turned out to be a good thing because the Lakewood one is much nicer and newer, but it does take 2 buses to get there. Next year, it’ll only take 1 bus because they’re introducing a new line - 176.

Who did you vote for? I voted for neither candidate. In fact, I wrote my name in the blank. I’m the only one I trust and those two people cannot relate to me or most Americans. Never again will I pick "the lesser of two evils". In fact, I hope our system includes 200 candidates every year and does away with the two, major political parties (Republicans and Democrats). There is no need any more for such entrenchment.

This semester, I took journalism (with a focus on news writing), guitar and bass, poetry writing and fiction writing. Looking back, those were amazing classes! Exactly what I needed and like nothing I’ve ever really experienced. Journalism was exciting and I want to be a journalist now! My teacher Pat McKean was fantastic and really inspired me. I want to get closer to the actual news and the truth and I want to write about it and/or report it. God knows I’ve been lied to enough. Right? There’s really nothing I want to do more now than write and report! It’s so exciting.

Next semester, I’m taking 21 units and going to school Monday-Friday. I’m weightlifting 5 days a week (P.E.), plus I’m taking 4 journalism classes (one is writing for our Viking newspaper), novel writing and piano/keyboard (I’ll bring my synth). I had to get special permission to take 21 units (and I originally wanted 23.5, but 21 is the maximum) because 18 is the typical maximum. See what being an overachieving, only child does to you! ;)

I’ve been trying to find music students to teach in Long Beach, like I was teaching in San Diego, but it has been very difficult. I’ve made a new web site called calimusiclessons.com and I’ve been advertising in Craigslist, too. I think the slow economy has hurt people’s finances to the point where they can’t afford lessons. I also think they’re more into rap and acting here. Nonetheless, I was hoping to teach a bunch of students like I had done in San Diego for the past decade, but it hasn’t panned out. I still have sdmusiclessons.com online and I still get emails and calls from students who want to learn in San Diego.

I’m considering two exciting, life-changing endeavors. One is joining the Navy Reserves and the other is attending the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York. I’m undecided about the Navy and I go back and forth. However, I’m 99.9% certain I’ll be getting my Masters degree at Columbia in the near future. I’ve been speaking to their admissions department and with my B.A. degree and credentials, I’m a likely candidate for admission. It’s a 10 month M.A. or M.S. program and one of them will require me to report on my own beat in New York city! Can you get any more exciting than that?

Well, I miss you guys and I can’t wait to see you and talk, again. Please keep in touch.

Love,
Jason