Saturday morning (7am): Rachel retrieves her 1989 VW Fox from the tow lot at Brannan and 7th Streets. Yes, my car was towed. I had parked in the Richmond district and apparently was blocking a driveway by 15 inches or something. That night, I returned to my friend Adam's house around 1:00 am and my car was not in the place I'd left it 5 hours before. Luckilly, it was only towed, not stolen.
Cost: $215 to get it out of the impound lot and a $75 ticket from DPS. It is my first ever parking ticket in SF. At least I did it in style and got the full service tow treatment.
Saturday afternoon: Rachel and many others in the two year Master of City Planning program graduate! Brock Winstead delivers magnificent and cheeky student address. We all loved it. This blog writer did a good job in her responsibility to thank our staff, I even got a few laughs. Parent unit enjoyed ceremony, which ended with a nice reception with a variety of cheese cubes and toothpicks, overly frosted brownies, cut up fruit, and Martinelli's. We all left hungry, but probably thankfully, as all of us had dinner reservations elsewhere in two hours where we are served more than snacks and tidbits.
Sunday morning: Wake up to drippy rain, although sky looks promising. I can the idea to take my parents to do Bay to Breakers (dumb to miss it again this year) because I have a hacking couch and congestion. Of course, the weather continued to improve and the race would probably have been a ton of fun. I will have to make due with the collection of photos on the race site and from stories of my brave friends who wanted to drink starting at 8am on the streets of SF.
Sunday afternoon: Begin fiddling with my ipod that was recently replaced thanks to the Apple Care Insurance program. Damn thing was broken for months, and then Apple offers to allow people like me to buy insurance to extend factory warranty. Dumb idea, Apple. I just got my ipod replaced on your dollar.
Sunday evening: Go to target to procure items for month long trip to Bangkok and the rural south of Thailand. Yes, I know that they have everything I could ever want in Bangkok for much cheaper. Yes, I know that lugging this stuff across the Pacific and South China Sea is probably stupid. But I like MY stuff. And I will have it this way. Including my mini hairdryer that can switch to 220v.
I also looked at an apartment I may live in next year. It is almost to terrible to think about, but I may have to leave Bateman Street. Seeing as I am likely to rarely be home next year (7-8 hours a day to sleep, shower) throwing down the $780 + utils at the place I am currently in seems rather insane. I need to cut expenses. My friend Pedro has a cheap apartment with a room opening up. The only snaggle is that I won't be able to meet Garret, his roommate, before I leave for Bangkok. So I truly hope Garret doesn't find someone he prefers while I am gone. I think Pedro has the upper hand. This place has a washer/dryer and it is across the street from the Ashby BART station. There is also a place for me to park my car off the street. Plus, Pedro is a nice person and I think it would work out pretty well.
Time to go pack. The next time I write, it may be from the developing world.
Peace.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Time at home spent doing not much is grand
Since Friday, May 12, at 6:45 p.m. I have "officially" been done with grad school. Sure, I had a few loose ends to tie up (which are done...as of today). But overall, for the last week I've had some time off. Well-deserved time off.
The end of my city planning grad school career came with momentous build up. I'd been up since Wednesday straight working on my board for our final design review for studio. Basically, from Wed morning until Friday afternoon, staight, with only two shower breaks and a couple trips to the local salad joint, I worked in studio doing a variety of coloring, scanning, plotting, more coloring and shading, and formatting. It turned out pretty good, visually. My presentation didn't have enough "meat" to really mean much (I had only shady estimates of housing units and parking spaces my proposal would create....that didn't please the panel of reviewers all too much). However, I was pleased. My board looked very good: very colorful, cheerful, and interesting.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I attempted to do work (those loose ends), but only until yesterday did I get my shit together. I sent off the final deliverable today at 9:50 a.m. I do hope my client doensn't attempt to reach me after this transaction.
On the bad side, I caught a sniffle. It is one of those itchy, runny nose things where you sneeze a lot and are uncomfortable, but otherwise you are fine. I hope I get over it before I have to get on that long flight to Taipai on Monday night.
In other news, my ipod replacement scheme is currently in the works. I just got word that Apple has received my unit and is being analyzed by the repair division. I do hope they get something to me by Saturday, Monday at the latest. I really need my ipod for Thailand.
The end of my city planning grad school career came with momentous build up. I'd been up since Wednesday straight working on my board for our final design review for studio. Basically, from Wed morning until Friday afternoon, staight, with only two shower breaks and a couple trips to the local salad joint, I worked in studio doing a variety of coloring, scanning, plotting, more coloring and shading, and formatting. It turned out pretty good, visually. My presentation didn't have enough "meat" to really mean much (I had only shady estimates of housing units and parking spaces my proposal would create....that didn't please the panel of reviewers all too much). However, I was pleased. My board looked very good: very colorful, cheerful, and interesting.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I attempted to do work (those loose ends), but only until yesterday did I get my shit together. I sent off the final deliverable today at 9:50 a.m. I do hope my client doensn't attempt to reach me after this transaction.
On the bad side, I caught a sniffle. It is one of those itchy, runny nose things where you sneeze a lot and are uncomfortable, but otherwise you are fine. I hope I get over it before I have to get on that long flight to Taipai on Monday night.
In other news, my ipod replacement scheme is currently in the works. I just got word that Apple has received my unit and is being analyzed by the repair division. I do hope they get something to me by Saturday, Monday at the latest. I really need my ipod for Thailand.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
Gotta kick this habit...right after this post...
...I am the biggest procrastinator. It is going to KILL me. I've got to find a way to attain more focus when I need to be working on something.
Perhaps it is just because I am tired. Perhaps it is just because I don't really LOVE the project I am working on (no, it's actually not that...). Perhaps it is because I have writer's block. Perhaps it is because I have been working weekends for the last two years. Perhaps it is because I have been a socially and physically deprived human being for way too long.
All these things contribute to my inability to get my work done. I just spent an hour on ebay looking at messenger bags that I don't need. Then I began looking at pictures of Eva Longoria on MSN.com. I also looked at the IMBD site for the Golden Girls series. You do no even want to hear about the wasted time I've spent on Craigslist. I started out in Missed Connections and then ended up in housing for rent. I sent an email to someone about an ad for a room in a house. All the above occured while I am supposed to be writing this rather large, significant term paper. All the while, I've been distracted even more by my itunes and the logistics of finding a decent and worthwhile show to see at one of 8 music venues in San Franciso for next Tuesday evening.
I have web-induced ADD/ADHD. I am self-diagnosing. I should go to Web MD to see if such a condition exists.
How are you battling your web-facilitiated mental and health conditions?
Perhaps it is just because I am tired. Perhaps it is just because I don't really LOVE the project I am working on (no, it's actually not that...). Perhaps it is because I have writer's block. Perhaps it is because I have been working weekends for the last two years. Perhaps it is because I have been a socially and physically deprived human being for way too long.
All these things contribute to my inability to get my work done. I just spent an hour on ebay looking at messenger bags that I don't need. Then I began looking at pictures of Eva Longoria on MSN.com. I also looked at the IMBD site for the Golden Girls series. You do no even want to hear about the wasted time I've spent on Craigslist. I started out in Missed Connections and then ended up in housing for rent. I sent an email to someone about an ad for a room in a house. All the above occured while I am supposed to be writing this rather large, significant term paper. All the while, I've been distracted even more by my itunes and the logistics of finding a decent and worthwhile show to see at one of 8 music venues in San Franciso for next Tuesday evening.
I have web-induced ADD/ADHD. I am self-diagnosing. I should go to Web MD to see if such a condition exists.
How are you battling your web-facilitiated mental and health conditions?
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Sleeping all day
What a damn waste of a day!
With time being a rare commodity these days, I just wasted all my valuable time coupons. I got up at 8, proceeded to go back to sleep, tried to get up, checked email, got coffee, came home and napped again, and then took a shower. It is now 1:00 pm. I have to be at school in 2:10 in order to fill out a class evaluation form for a colloquium series I rarely attend on Thursdays. Usually I am in Oakland in boring meetings all day. But if I don't get to school and fill out the eval form, there is a risk I won't get credit for the class. Although, I think that is not true because the evaluation forms are ananymous. Maybe I shall stay here. It is all very negotiable.
But today I slept. I also trimmed my bangs.
I hate days where from the get go I am struggling to get my shit together.
Graduation countdown: 16 days
With time being a rare commodity these days, I just wasted all my valuable time coupons. I got up at 8, proceeded to go back to sleep, tried to get up, checked email, got coffee, came home and napped again, and then took a shower. It is now 1:00 pm. I have to be at school in 2:10 in order to fill out a class evaluation form for a colloquium series I rarely attend on Thursdays. Usually I am in Oakland in boring meetings all day. But if I don't get to school and fill out the eval form, there is a risk I won't get credit for the class. Although, I think that is not true because the evaluation forms are ananymous. Maybe I shall stay here. It is all very negotiable.
But today I slept. I also trimmed my bangs.
I hate days where from the get go I am struggling to get my shit together.
Graduation countdown: 16 days
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Coon audacity
Yes, this is another raccoon posting. Procyon lotor has once again tested the Bateman Street boundaries.
About 2 min ago I am sitting at the table, debating about how to begin this project that is due tomorrow, and I heard a suspect shuffling sound on the front porch. The motion detector light was not activated despite the fact there was clearly something less than 3 feet from me. Whatever it was, it was moving around the cat food bowl with mighty vigor.
I opened the front door with great exclamation and the lone clever coon jumps off the deck and turns around in the driveway. He looked at me. I looked at him. He sized me up. I sized up him. It was strange because usually these things travel in coon posses. Appparently, this one has been abanoned by its fellow coon brothers and sisters. (Poor thing)
Now in the driveway, the damn beast proceeds to get on its hindquarters and begins to approach (walking upright!) the edge of the deck, looking hopeful I will put the bowl of food back on the porch. It even attempted to shimmy up the porch side. I leered at the damn thing, it made a noise, and galloped into the street.
That said, the food contents have been removed from the porch and I am wondering when and if this species knows how to operate a door knob.
About 2 min ago I am sitting at the table, debating about how to begin this project that is due tomorrow, and I heard a suspect shuffling sound on the front porch. The motion detector light was not activated despite the fact there was clearly something less than 3 feet from me. Whatever it was, it was moving around the cat food bowl with mighty vigor.
I opened the front door with great exclamation and the lone clever coon jumps off the deck and turns around in the driveway. He looked at me. I looked at him. He sized me up. I sized up him. It was strange because usually these things travel in coon posses. Appparently, this one has been abanoned by its fellow coon brothers and sisters. (Poor thing)
Now in the driveway, the damn beast proceeds to get on its hindquarters and begins to approach (walking upright!) the edge of the deck, looking hopeful I will put the bowl of food back on the porch. It even attempted to shimmy up the porch side. I leered at the damn thing, it made a noise, and galloped into the street.
That said, the food contents have been removed from the porch and I am wondering when and if this species knows how to operate a door knob.
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