Berkeley is a city many people associate with weirdness. Good or bad, the weirdness is usually a result of people wanting to be different or themselves without the pressures of the society. These pressures are usually slopes that tend to roll down people into a pile of red tape, in case someone wants to do something that puts a bad name to the reputation of that society. While Berkeley tends to call itself a hippie or a trendy culture, it can in fact, when observed, can be seen as a city that takes many qualities of San Francisco and applies them to a quieter, less hyper and in many cases a safer area called Berkeley.

Shark van, shark van, who are you?
Shark van, shark van, what are you?
Shark van, shark van, who drives you?
Shark van, shark van, where are you?

Berkeley houses many different types of visual differences compared to many of the neighboring cities. Even San Francisco, which exceeds Berkeley in many levels, has random exhibits of emotions and ideas in people and the artifacts that are visible to both the people and the cameras. Whether one is on Facebook or on MySpace, people in Berkeley can walk around with almost any attire in many of the different areas around the UC Berkeley campus. This Shark Van in Berkeley is one of such artifacts in Berkeley which differs than many, if not most, of the vehicles in San Francisco. While it is unknown whether the Shark Van can conquer the heights of the hilly roads in San Francisco, it is very clear that the Shark Van exists to conquer the curiosity, or visual satisfaction, of many observers.

Who drives the Shark Van? What is is used for? I am not sure. I would love to find out. I have seen the Shark Van drive by me more than once when I used to live in Berkeley. Then, the thoughts of where to eat the next Thai food or which movie to watch that night immediately followed the happy face that came around after seeing the Shark Van. Now, I have to think about the Shark Van and wonder about the reasons behind and around it, and the reasons it creates for other things.

Shark van, shark van, can I ride with you?
Shark van, shark van, I am scared if you carry candy with you?
Shark van, shark van, who was it that made you?
Shark van driver, shark van driver, do you eat vegetables, or do you eat shark and tofu?

So here is the Shark Van. Found in Berkeley in this picture. The actual shark, or the driver, may live nearby.

What is it about Elmo that excites you? Nothing. In my case at least. It is probably SpongeBob that excites me more. Way more. That is like saying exciting excites me. The trains also excite me. I think. BART excites me. Except when I feel I am about to be eaten by creepy people.

So here I met Elmo. Hi Elmo! On the Bay Area Rapid Transit [BART] train to San Francisco. What a happy personality he has! This is the Bay Area, so the destinations are aplenty. Or more than the turns on Sesame Street. The Bay Area Rapid Transit [BART] will take you to San Francisco. And to Richmond. And to Berkeley. And also back to where I boarded this train: Pleasant Hill.

Where is Elmo going? Oh who knows. Or who cares. In an area where many things happen, Elmo could be going to eat Thai food. Or meet his gay lover. Or become the new spokesperson for the National Rifle Association. Or he may be on the train simply to meet me and be featured on my site. Not sure. Many people react differently to the strange things happening on trains. I wonder if I was being ignored by others on this day, because of taking pictures of a red creature who needed to hold onto the seat in order to look at me sitting in the seat behind him.

Maybe they were scared of being eaten by the creepy Elmo and his photographer.

When? Taken July 6th, 2009, at 4:20pm. Somewhere between Pleasant Hill and San Francisco on BART, probably around Orinda. I don’t remember: I was busy thinking of more pictures.

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What to put here,
what do I see.
The pinnacle of the start,
and the start of the “we”?

A different kind of partnership,
something that we have chosen.
A more complete outlook on things,
something that is outspoken.

Here we go, the beginning of life,
who wants to hold the road map?
Here we go, the beginning of life,
time to enjoy the road map.

Let us have fun,
let us do everything.
Time to go out,
in order to stay in.

A wave in all directions,
many leading to the heart.
This ripple effect is like an ecstasy,
since this is all a jump start.

So the road ahead tells us the details,
of how and why it can.
We look at it all and start wondering,
let us relax and focus on randomness with a plan.

Location: The Stanford Court Renaissance San Francisco Hotel at 905 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA.

When: December 31st, 2009. 8:34pm.

Who: Katie & Me. Wedding night.

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Electric Towers Fading Against The Sky.

Electric tower against the sky,
what are you doing?
You stand there flaunting,
where are you going?

The sky looks at you,
wondering why you cry?
You start gesturing back,
enabling civilization to survive?

No one comes near you,
for the fear of death by you.
Everyone wants the sky,
for the fear of mortality in you.

You are all alone in the deserts,
and in the backyards of those homes.
Your loneliness is hard to notice,
even though loneliness is in your bones.

So there you stand,
all alone and against the sky,
fading away with civilization,
wondering why no one else cries.

Location: Unknown. Somewhere in the Californian Deserts.

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IT is coming for you,
you better run and hide.
For hiding gives you time,
before IT starts your demise.

IT is coming for you,
for Halloween is the night.
You better start thinking,
for the plan is full of fright.

IT is coming for you,
you better not shout out.
For any sound may start,
the real reality and doubt.

IT is coming for you,
you never knew all along.
That the story had started,
and that life may not be for long.

IT is coming for you,
calling anyone will bring the end.
No time to tweet or ask on Facebook,
if anyone is willing to help you as a friend.

IT is coming for you,
turn off and dim the main light.
For the light will turn on and off by itself,
to start the process of the real fight.

IT is coming for you,
no time to warn anyone else.
Either you save your own self,
or start smelling like a rotten body smell.

IT is coming for you,
you wonder why you will die.
No place to hide in a building,
and no place to hide out under the sky.

IT is coming for you,
time to spread the fear is getting less.
Save yourself and hope for a train,
IT is Bes.

Location: BART, 3700 Port Chicago Highway, Concord, CA 94520.

Photographer: Katie.

Person: BesZ.

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Dolls can chill. Or Die. By Bes Zain

Ahh yes, the doll. An abomination. A scary beast. Something to not look at. Something to not touch. Something to not talk about. Some things that many typical guys think of when they think of the word “doll.”

I found this with Katie outside of Popeye’s in Pittsburg in California.

What to write about this thing,
that lays on the ground,
is it ok to call it a “thing”,
or does it have a real crown?

A “doll”, many people call it,
an abomination, as many people see it,
it is something used to define sexes,
it is something used to bring happiness.

She lies there looking up, if she is a she,
looking at others pass her by, are they all free?
People look at her and get surprised,
they take her pictures, and then they pass her by.

Do people wonder what she is doing there?
Or do people wonder why she is not theirs?
What do people think when they accidentally step on her?
What does she think when people ignore her?

Does it matter if she does not move like others,
she is laying there, like anyone would on a bed,
it seems as if she is simply bored, or is observing everyone else,
trying to see what others do and try to move ahead.

All dressed to party, or all dressed to die,
either way the concept of her, really wants to fly,
so someone takes picture, of this particular doll,
off to do other things, passing by the doll.

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One day in SF I saw two heads,
one was leaning & one upset,
I wondered “wth?” and what they wanted,
heads heads heads heads heads.

I asked the head on the left,
“why you rolling? is that your bed?”,
I got no reply, just a weird wince,
wince wince wince wince wince.

I was kind of scared to talk,
to the upset face on the right,
he was yelling & did not see,
me me me me me.

Apparently the two had somehow met,
earlier in life on an emotional set,
the two had never gotten along,
fight fight fight fight fight.

The one on the right felt ignored,
he felt like the other always acted bored,
the one on the right had many complaints,
damn this damn this damn this.

The one on the left felt abused,
he was asked for favors and kind of felt misused,
by the one on the right he always accused,
used bruised refused confused.

So now instead of a visual landmark,
I got stuck with two fighting sharks,
oh I just wanted to make new friends,
dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.

I could ask the right what he said,
and I could ask the left what he felt,
but then I thought of the pain that would ensue,
subdue subdue subdue.

So I decided to bid farewell to the two,
but talking or listening would only be moot,
so I jumped through the danger loop,
jump through escape through jump through!

Photographer: Katie.

Related: “Communicate yes or no.”

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