The light was purple, the walls were canvas on brick and on the walls video clips played morphing into one another; layered over each. Clips that were just out there but interesting and colorful. The music was a mix of everything just like the people there, most on drugs. Past the entry way there were paintings that encourage random user interaction. The place was great. Some industrial type of building in downtown LA the ceiling on the inside was a wooden arch supported by trusses but had a dilapidated look of weathering a lot of years that I found appealing, like I could pinch the wood and a little bit would come off.

photo credit: Marcus Vegas

I was thinking vampires the whole time though.

photo credit: brewedfreshdaily

Let me back up here for a second and explain. I have this thing with new places and peoples and doorways, it’s a trifecta of weirdness. First let me start of by saying that I don’t really believe in vampires. My active imagination again makes use of them. When I enter an unfamiliar building or room full of people I am unfamiliar with and with entry ways and exits not easily verifiable or if there is only one way in and out, I get a suspicious feeling. This could be a trap, sir I think.

My mind turns these unfamiliar people into vampires, and the room I’m in is an elaborate trap for "food" as i’m sure the vampires would call us humans. I see the "people" walk around talking to each other but its all a ruse specifically for me to drop my guard so that I can be their next meal or– gasp– become one of them. I see them look towards me, a giant smile on their face with perfect teeth, except the smile doesn’t end. The corners of their mouths rise almost to their eyes and the canines of their perfect smile grow impossibly longer and saliva drips just a little over their bottom lip and I see that they’ve all stopped talking and they’re staring at me, the room is silent now, as the banter is useless and as most folks say, the jig is up. I think, fuck, I fell for it this time.

photo credit: thp365

Except there is no such thing as vampires and my mind fights itself, a civil war with no consolation. The folds of my brain are the cratered battlefield; the sides of my brain throw artillery of imagination and logic at each other. In my brain its tragic magic.

So at these moments when I think that these new people may be vampires I already dismiss the thought as ridiculous and I tell myself that I know its the anxiety of meeting new people, of being in an unfamiliar place; from growing up with too many bedtime scary stories or TV shows.

So climbing back from the tangent, I would say thats what I was thinking when I was at the rave-ish thing. So out of my element, it was actually exciting to explore this different world. To see a different weirdness than the one I know. Even if they weren’t vampires… or, weren’t they? :][