Shi
I met Shi six years ago last summer. At first, I had no suspicion he suffered in love like me. He didn't seem the type. Extroverted, percievably grounded, focused on the task at hand, and especially conversational, Shi was, and is, an enigmatic soul. In the case of last July, outside Early Bird, a piano bar right off Sunset Boulevard, Shi thanked me for coming to see him perform. I said my attendence was soley due to the fact that I had wandered by, while on tour with a comedy show from NY, and heard his piano playing from the street. I was immediately drawn to the venue. Most of all, I was excited to be the patron again at a piano bar, without having to man the controls, and be swept away by his performance prowess. I felt a connection with Shi right away. I thought we were only alike in the sense that we both play piano and sing. Little did I know we would connect at a much deeper level, once he shared his struggles with me over a freshly rolled midnight joint. "I ...