It’s 4th of July… and I have nothing to do, surprise! Considering that we burnt down our deck last year, maybe it’s better this way.

I got up early and headed to the de Young museum to view the visually stunning interactive Jean Paul Gaultier fashion exhibit (which I highly recommend). Afterwards, I strolled through Golden Gate park, walked to the inner Sunset and sat down for lunch where I then inhaled an ungodly amount of kimchi and rice cake – quint essential 4th of July cuisine. Feeling guilty, I decided to walk it off and headed to Cole Valley, through the Haight and wound up at the Pan Handle.

I sat down on a bench to figure out my next plan of action, when “Little John” approached me. He jumped off his skateboard, plopped himself next to me, cap bent upward, diamond earring glistening in the sun, flashed a wide grin and asked me for a favor. Reluctantly I told him that depended. Of course, because random people apparently approach me about this all the fucking time, he asked if he could borrow my phone. I feel like this is such a weird  thing to ask of a stranger. He handed me his dead phone and said, “Here, you can hold my phone if you want. I’m just tryin’ to find my friends in this park and I don’t wanna walk the whole thing.” I laughed and exclaimed, “This park really isn’t that big.” He smiled and said, “I promise I won’t steal your phone.” – This of course, is why asking a stranger to borrow your phone is weird because we’re both thinking about that possibility. So I smiled and handed him the phone. “Little John” yanked the headphones out to make his call (to “Big D”), and this song (that I’d been listening to on repeat during my entire walk-a-thon through the city), came blasting out:

MVSCLES – Sweet N Sour

I can’t find much about MVSCLES (because they’re new!…?) aside from the fact that they’re a duo hailing from Boston and this is their debut track. This jam is sickeningly addictive, full of synth-y greatness, bouncy beats and simple but smile-inducing lyrics like: “If I hadn’t met sour, I’d have never known sweet.” Here’s their bandcamp (for a download!) and their Twitter page if you feel like stalking.

After “Little John” finished his phone call via speaker phone, he jumped up, said, “Stop wasting all this beauty on a bench!” then told me to join him and his friends for BBQ, beer, fireworks and fun.. especially since I now knew where they were all sitting. I smiled, said I’d think about it, he jumped up on his skateboard and rode off.  I should’ve taken him up on his offer because now, this is what I’m doing instead. Hah… lucky you!

Happy 4th everyone!