Headlining

I really want to go to these shows but I probably will be lucky to go to one or two of them.

Nov. 5: Eef Barzelay (of Clem Snide), Cafe du Nord
Nov 17, 18: Hot Buttered Rum String Band, The Independent
Dec. 1: The Dears, The Independent
Dec. 2: Gogol Bordello, Berkeley Community Theater*
Dec. 19, 20: Joanna Newsom, GAMH

*This band is probably one of the best acts to see live....ever. Explosive! I saw them at Slim's in March and was pretty much blown away. I have no idea if the BCT knows what it is getting into by inviting this retinue of overzealous Russian-Serbo-Croatian gypsy punk rockers to perform under its roof. There will be mayhem and chaos. I hope I can make it! Go! Go!

Attended, Bought

Attended:
Friday evening at the Doug Fir in the fair city of Portland, Oregon, I went to see The Heartless Bastards with my sister and brother.

Simply awesome. Even more so after three Maker's Marks. Hoo-yeah. They have some music on their site.

Bought
There is one less ticket available for Joanna Newsom's two night appearance in late December at the Great American Music Hall. Get your tickets, people! Joanna rarely tours due to the cumbersome harp...and her new album comes out in two odd weeks.

Product

This is a drawing and watercolor I did in LA 134a last week. The idea is that I (violently) imposed drainage pools onto a building and eucalyptus tree grove in order to see the impact of built structures on the groundplane. The displaced trees are then exploded into the sky.

It's not meant to be realistic. But you probably figured that one out already.

Complaint

So WHY exactly are hedgehogs banned in the State of California?

Those feet are adorable. What's more...the guy is palm-sized.

Dumpies

It's Thursday. Wait, it's Friday. I have to get up in four hours to pack, shower, commute and attend class at 9am where we present our Vectorworks viewport assignments. Ho hum. I am packing because I am going to Portland for the weekend.

Still, despite the favorable change of venues, I am stuck in the dumpies. I don't know what the deal is, but it needs to be fixed soon. There are still 6-7 odd weeks of school left where I need to produce inspired, uplifted final projects. As it stands, such things won't happen very easily in a state like this.

Perhaps I just need mom....

It was a weekend

This coming weekend I am going to Portland, city of roses, to attend a family celebration. No, it isn't a Halloween party. No, I don't have a costume, either. It is my three uncles' birthdays on Saturday...two of them are turning 58 and my uncle David is turning 60. My dad would have also turned 60 with them if he was around today.

Sixty! I can't believe it. How time flies. Seems like just yesterday they were turning 45 and 43. Alas.

It will be a fun two days of family goodness. I hope it doesn't rain. It always frickin' rains when I am in Portland in the fall. Never fails.

This weekend was good because I took an actual day off for once. I slept in until 1, thereby kind of sleeping part of the day away, but it was still quite fab-u.

This entry is boring. I will write more when there is something interesting to share.

Other news: this week I plan to purchase two new albums: Joanna Newsom and the Decemberists just released new work.

Finally. It's over.

Some time ago last summer I told my reader(s) about my journey to Ko Lanta Yai. Well, even though that trip ended in late June, our class project continued. It only ended TONIGHT, nearly five months after our research team arrived in Bangkok.

From 9am yesterday until nearly 1am today, our team of 10 strong (well, more like 6-7) worked like we had guns to our heads to produce 10 final presentation boards of our recommendations. Our professor, Louise, is going to Thailand on Monday to deliver the proposal to the island. I hand it to this lady for staying at our sides until it was all printed and ready to go. She is confident and excited about the proposal we are making towards this island's (sustainable) future.

But while good and everything, I am just glad to have the thing over with. I feel like I know more about Ko Lanta Yai than I do my own neighborhood. Today, I put in about 12 hours and I am not the hardest working person on the team by a long shot. My friends Rusty and Mike are actually still at school finishing a village axonometric drawing we need for the last remaining board to be printed. But we owe our lives to Ms. Sadie.

Alright....Friday 1am. Glad to be home from school. Ko Lanta Yai....you just wait. You are gonna be impressed.

In other news, my sister bought a house in NE Portland and got a job offer the SAME week. She is psyched. I am excited to see it when I go home next weekend for my three uncles' birthdays. I am missing Halloween to do so, but I don't have a costume anyway.

Part of the whole

Can you find my contribution? It's in the front row of the class model.

This is what I spent three hours doing today.

Weekend wrap up

Stork Club: Friday I went to the Stork Club at 23rd and Telegraph to meet up with my friend Woody very briefly. The two "bands" that I was lucky enough to see were pieces of work. And by that, I mean that their program and delivery was altogether vexing and induced bodilly reactions that approached nausea. I came home and did a little research, these two bands are called "The Hospitals" (as in take me to the hospital now before I vomit) and "The Skates" (the first band that played, "Bobby Blood" was good apparently). Anyway, the Skates were two dudes kneeling on the floor making noise into a looping device. It was very loud and disturbing. Their one song lasted about 14 minutes. The Hospitals took about 30 minutes to set up their drum set. When they finally began, the drummer began screaming into the mike and managed to knock over his snare drum. After the snare was set back into place, the drummer yet again became wiley. At one point, he ran off stage with the mic and disconnected several cables along the way. He then proceeded to tell us he was sorry a few times and insisted on starting the song over. I left at that point because the music was so thrashing my insides became distressed.

Axons: My school project this week is an axonometric drawing of some buildings on campus with some proposed drainage basins to be installed in the glade. My rough is finally complete and I shall put it onto vellum tomorrow if all goes well. Then I have to cut some chip board and fold some paper for my topo models that are *also* due on Wednesday.

Haircut: I got my hair cut on Saturday. I normally hate going to the salon on Saturday because all the picky people show up then. I usually have my appts. for Thursday evenings, but this week it was cancelled because Christine injured her back. I was squeezed in on Saturday. End result is ok, although it looks kind of Carole Brady right now. It needs a few weeks...

Kickball: Sunday at 1:00 Adam scheduled a co-ed kickball game at Rossi field in San Francisco at Arguello and Anza. By 1:30, our group was 12 kickers strong, splitting up into two teams of 5 and 7 in order to account for equal skill level. By 2:45, two more people had arrived and we had a fine core of 14 people playing kickball. Don't remember who won, but it probably wasn't us...

I have touched a Nobel

On Wednesday, Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.

In 2002, the guy was in DC and he was a guest on the television program I used to produce. As the only woman in a production crew of 5 people, I also had the job of doing makeup on the show. I don't remember the exact details, but I think Mr. Pamuk had some pore issues and suffered from an unruly moppish haircut...which he appears to still have.

Blast outta the past

This photo is circa 1986...yeah, people. I was in the fourth frickin' grade. Eat it up. We were in Loreto, Mexico (Baja) with my father for a vacation in July. The setting is the La Pinta Hotel (I do realize I just typed "The The Pinta Hotel"). Yes, we went to Baja in July. And it was hot as you could ever guess.



My sister was in the sixth grade and was practicing being difficult.

Plant life

Here are some favorite plants encountered and photographed at Blake Garden over the last week.


I call these leafy cabbages.


I call these muppet plants.




I call these puffy cabbages.




I call this one "Rachel's shoe on path."

Someone stole my tarp. Well, Jackie's tarp.

Last night and this morning was the first time it has *rained* in the East Bay since perhaps late April or early May. This is not a lie. It may have gotten dewey in between that time, but basically we've been in the dry season for 5 months.

Last night I got home around, er, 2am ish and it was pouring. I walked up my little balcony and saw my two bicycles, fully exposed, drenched and looking pretty sad. I got a camping tarp out of the back of my car and draped it over the bicycles. It was a perfect fit, actually. This morning, it was still raining and the tarp was keeping the bikes safe and dry.

I get home tonight around 1am. The tarp is gone. I may be jumping to conclusions, but I think some damn Berkeley hoodlum stole my tarp. Ugh. That means homeless dudes or ladies are rummaging up my steps. That is so annoying. I hope Jackie never asks for the tarp back. I've had it close to a year now after we used it for a field trip we held last fall. Anyway, what gives? I was excited thinking that I had an answer to my bike weathering dilemma...but now the tarp is gone. I hope the rain stays away so I can figure out a new weatherproofing plan.

Bay Area Derby Girls Night

On Saturday I am going to see the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls showdown near the Oakland Airport. This should be pretty fun and a nice change of pace to what my life is about on a day to day basis. I look forward to cups of MGD and seeing some body checking.

Tonight I took a nap from 7-1030pm, so now I am up and on the Internet. I should go to sleep but I am kind of wired. This week has been hard at the start, but midweek things trickled down. I am trying to enjoy it rather than work to get ahead for next week. If anything I have learned these past few weeks is that I will never likely "get ahead". It is better to use that down time to nap and try to exercise and see Roller Derbys in Oakland.

I just heard the door open, so that means Pedro is home or someone with a key to our place just broke in. I am hearing the stove flame light up under the tea kettle, so I am assuming it is Pedro and not some burglar.

Sunday morning pet peeve rant

I just got home from nearly an all nighter in studio. Typical story, but anyway, I just need to vent an annoyance before I get a few hours of shut eye (gotta be back at school in 8 hours!).

My irritation stems from the uncouthe practice that young people my age have for using Mason jars as regular drinking vessels. Do you know what I am talking about? These jars are ridiculously oversized and inappropriate for using as a water glass. They are clumsy, dangerous (glass breaks) and garrish looking. I am not referring to those little jam and jelly jars that some folks use to serve orange juice in. No, sir. These jars run anywhere from 28-32 ounces, maybe more!


This is *NOT* a glass. It is a jar for pickling and preserving food!

Imagine having to watch someone quench their thirst with a large emptied Best Foods/Hellman's mayonaisse jar? This is what I am talking about! It's vulgarity and unrefinement to the tenth power. The most inane thing about this whole situation is the fact that most of these jar abusers have two or more personal Nalgene or Nalgene-esque bottles at their disposal to use. Yet they still reach for the jar! Society's underlings have found a way to mock the upright and steadfast practices of the proper glass and cup-using cultures. And to my estimation, it won't be the last time, either.

Say no to drinking out of scuzzy old jars. Reach for a clean, 12 ounce glass and join the normal people.

A coup as "smooth as silk"

This morning, Thailand's military successfully overthrew the government headed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Read article here if you haven't heard anything about this yet.

I wrote one of my friends I saw recently in Bangkok this past summer saying I hoped that things were alright and that what ultimately comes out of this is a better situation for the Thai people. This is what she wrote back:

Dear (Miz E),

Thanks for your kind concern. I think this coup is not that bad, you know Thai coup smooth as silk :P There are many army tanks rolling around the city last night but there's no threatenning or fighting happened, only an order from the coup leader that today is a public holiday, but I still want to go to work....cos no transportation system is disrupted. The only thing I hate is all the TV channels have been re-showing similar programs and annoucement again and again. CNN and BBC here is unable to access.

Thanks again for your email, I am still fine, no injury and a bit excited to involve in this situation- as living in the heart of the city. that's all.

Best,

Yui

Party recap and other great music shows

Friday evening on MLK Jr. Way provided nearly 5 hours of intense partying fun. Attendence was off the charts, beer and spirits consumption also reaching record levels. Only one glass of wine was spilled in the course of the evening.

At one point, I noticed about 6-7 thug-clad white people in my apartment, holding paper bags and drinking Colt 45s. I had no idea who these people were, where they came from, or why they decided to stop by. Because they appeared to be behaving themselves and causing no difficulties, I didn't interrogate them and moved along to go chat with Jackie. It was only this morning that I found out they were the butt of some practical joke. My roommate Pedro had emailed a handful of people saying that the party had a gangster theme. They arrived and were pretty much the only people wearing heavy oversized winter coats, rhinestone jewelry, and baseball caps worn askew. I noticed they actually finished that malt liquor, all 280 or so ounces of it between the group. All I have to say about that is *impressive*.

Here are some shows to take notice of...

September 26, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Fillmore
October 7, Magnolia Electric Co., Great American Music Hall
October 11-12, Sufjan Stevens, Zellerbach Auditorium
October 14, The Elected & Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos, Cafe du Nord
October 16, Bettie Serveert, Cafe du Nord
October 21, Two Gallants, Bottom of the Hill
October 25, Lucinda Williams, The Fillmore
October 30, Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins, The Fillmore
November 9, Islands, Great American Music Hall
November 17-18, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, The Independent

Can't sleep

So I got home at 2:53 am from studio (assignment complete!!!! woo-hoo-yah!) and I really can't sleep. I am kind of wound up. I am not totally doped up on coffee (I had a coffee about 12 hours ago) but working so fast and furious kind of makes one a little stir crazy. This is what I've done since I got home:

1. watered the plants on my deck
2. swept the kitchen floor
3. ditto bathroom floor
4. clipped and filed my fingernails
5. got on computer
6. cleaned out my school bag becauce an After Eight dinner mint got smashed into a crevice of the interior

I have to get up at 7:00 am and I havent slept for neary two days. I got about 4 hours of sleep on Friday and 3 hours of sleep last night. Tonight I will get about 3, too. This gravy train ain't stoppin' at the depot anytime soon, either. There is another drawing assignment due at midnight tomorrow. Er, I mean, midnight today.

In other news, Adam is leaving for home this week and will be gone until the end of next week. He also got a new kitten which he is very excited about.

Hm, my eyelids suddenly got super tired...zz..zzz.........zzz..z

13 days into a journey of neary 1000

Today was day 13 of being back in school. So far we've already turned in about 5 or 6 assignments. We have an enormous piece of work due at 9am this Monday morning, which I am about 40% done with, so I will likely be only ONE place this weekend. Such is the life of a planner-landscape architect in training. It's very much like design bootcamp. Oh, did I mention I just got home and it's nearing 1 am...and that I have to be back on campus in less than 8 hours?

Still, I write to my loyal reader(s)! Now that is dedication worthy of reward.

Tonight was the inaugural College of Environmental Design happy hour down in the landscape courtyard. New to happy hour this year is the required presence of a staff member chaperone. Although most of us in this college are over 25 years old (and some older than 35) we apparently still need someone to check IDs to get through the liability issue of serving alcohol on campus. Even so, tonight's happy hour was a nice break and people seemed to enjoy themselves. There were two grills going, a bowl full of Cheez-It's, peanut M&Ms, and a flowing river of Charles Shaw. Can't ask for much more than that.

Tomorrow is another long day but I remain content. The work in this program is so different than anything I've ever done so it's a rather invigorating experience. Still, I really need to learn to stop what I am doing, look around, and appreciate where my two feet have landed me this time around.

There is word of a party celebration to hit Martin Luther King Jr. Way next Friday. The plan is now being hatched and I will return with more details when they become available. This party will commemorate the 28th birthday of a good friend, Jean Paul Velez, Colombiano and fellow city planner.



I have been told I shall make a chocolate devil's food cake. I'll see what I can do...

Take me to the ferry!

On Saturday, Adam, Maria, Mike, me, and some of Maria's relatives went to the Ferry Building for the S.F. Farmer's Market extravaganza. Taking the 38L Geary from The Richmond District, Adam and I arrived in style. In less than two hours we spent $12 on three yogurt vessels, $15 on some delicious Mexican food, many dollars on organic beef (I was not in charge of this item), and I also took a lot of photos (for a school homework assignment).

Here are a few from Saturday.


Ferry Building, North side


Tasty food from the Primavera food cart (ceviche tostada and a white corn tamale with black beans)


I love red bells...


Ghandi is at the back entrance of the Ferry Building. Go figure.

First day of class

Today was the first day of class. Since someone *might* be curious what I will spend all semester doing, here is a breakdown:

1. Monday/Wednesday, 9am-1pm, LA 101: Fundamentals of Landscape Design
This is a design studio. It has 4 undergrads in it and you can probably guess that we are doing basic stuff. Today, we measured our bodies and have to draw them smaller to scale, and in 3/4 of an inch = one foot. This first exercise gets us ready to draw things later on in the studio that *actually* have to do with landscape design. I learned that I have a 2 1/2 foot walking pace and my armspan is only one inch taller than my overall height.

2. Monday, 6-8pm, LA 301: Methods of Teaching in Landscape, Environmental Design and Architecture
This is a workshop seminar for grad students that are or want to assist the teaching of classes in the department. GSI's (Graduate Student Instructors) are required to take this course at least once during their time at CED (The College of Environmental Design).

3. Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30-2pm: LA 170: History and Literature of Landscape Architecture
This is a basic history class all 3-year students have to take. My academic adviser is the professor. If I am lucky, I may be able to TA this course next year and get my fees paid for.

4. Wednesday, 6:30-9:30pm, LA 134A: Drawing Workshop
This is a fundamental drawing workshop that is taught by Walter Hood. I've heard it is very hard.

5. Friday, 8:30-11:30am, LA 134B: Computer Drawing Workshop
Here we learn the fundamentals of the Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), SketchUp, and AutoCad. I am a little frightened about AutoCad. It looks like a rudimentary video game when you first open it. It's interface looks far from user friendly.

6. Day TBD, 3 hours per week, Thailand Studio Workshop
This course will meet through Sept and part of Oct. In this course, the people who went to Thailand over the summer to do field work will write up our final report.

7. Try to fit time in for fun, exercise, socializing, and doing errands.

Saddle Rocks!

Saturday night's festivities at the Saddle Rack in the belly of suburban Fremont, CA were an overwhelming success. The night almost got off on the wrong foot, however, when we were momentarilly lost in the large office park where the establishment happens to be located. We took a wrong turn at the Sysco compound and ended up going a half a mile or so out of our way, but no great error. We were hardly fatigued by the time we arrived at the door.

The large warehouse that IS the Saddle Rack offers a multitude of sensory offerings to please a variety of club-goers. As you walk in, you are greeted by the Beer Goddess. She has a large tub full of ice and domestic beers available for $4-$5 right away. You don't even have to stand in line at the bar.

The enormous dancefloor is framed by a central stage area (where the 80s cover band plays), a dance cage to the left, and a large video screen on the right. The video screen happens to play live footage of the people featured inside the dancing cage, by the way. Anywhere you happen to be inside the Saddle Rack complex you get a great view of women shaking their butts inside a steel cage. It's brilliant indeed.

In the back left of the warehouse is the mechanical bull and ring area. People sign up and pay a paltry $3 for a go on the bull. Watching a few rounds you learn the gist of how one is supposed to conduct themselves once mounted on the rigid beast. You can only use one hand to hold yourself up and you are supposed to wave around the other arm in wide, erratic circles to counterweight yourself as the bull jostles around beneath you. It's hard to believe that women in miniskirts are allowed to take on the bull, although they end up giving everyone a free peep show getting on and off (or getting thrown). One woman even thought she'd be able to ride the thing sidesaddle. It was ridiculous and she was promptly disqualified. Men on the bull tend to leave the ring cluthing themselves between the legs with a painful grimmace on their faces. Apparently, the ride tends to bruise those regions of the body quite easilly.

In the other wing of the warehouse is something called a "game room." I think there are some pool and fooseball tables there and people selling things like Club Nachos and Saddle Dogs for those with a latent hunger brewing.

The best part about the Saddle Rack is clearly the spectacular opportunity to people watch and people gawk. I declare, these people KNOW how to have some fun in the least likely of FUN places (Fremont). People come to dance, shake their butts, simulate sex on mechanical animals, drink terrible booze, and boogie until they can boo-gie no more. I guess Fremonters don't live those sleepy little existences that I assumed they did. Why would they when they have the diversions of the legendary Saddle Rack in their backyard?

The end of the night was wrapped up at the Hawthorn Suites where 14 of us slept in two hotel rooms. It was quaint indeed, and only $17 a head which included a continental breakfast in the lobby.

Observed today

The following I saw on the dry erase board of the real estate office I am working for this summer (and beyond I suppose, since I am only done with one of three phases of the project).

Oh, I should note that the company is owned by a Persian woman with 4-5 agents working for her.

*******************

Needs and wants:
1. Hours of operation
2. Phone #s
3. Mass mailer to all Persians in S.F.!
4. Easter promotion for next year, include hunt, eggs, prizes, clues, etc.

*******************

Is it me, or do #3 and #4 seem a little strange next to each other? Hmmm...

Wound status

Getting "oriented"

Tomorrow is orientation at Wurster Hall. In my two year history at UCB, I have been to one previous orientation (Fall '04). Last year I skipped it because I didn't really care about meeting the new first years in our program.

But now the tables are turned a bit. Because I am entering a new program, I am again a pathetic "first year". Lucky for me I won't be confused about how to do things, but unfortunately that doesn't get me out of attending the mandatory orientation. I don't really feel "un"oriented per se - I know the faculty, the gist of the curriculum, I know how to use the library, I even have the computer lab manager's phone number programmed into my cell already, etc. - but despite that I will be forced to become more oriented. Is it even possible?

Peer pressure and the risk of not making those critical connections with my future 14 or 15 classmates is the main reason I am going. And the class photo. We can't forget the class photo. Next year I will probably find myself going again, to help out or something. It's the same over and over. Now I know why the faculty all grimmace a bit about these functions. It really takes an immense amount of time and creativity to make these events seem at all different from the previous year's. Alas.

That said, things will become a tad more exciting on Saturday. A plan has been hatched to reunite a core group of city planning compatriots. Of all places in the Bay Area (out of our FREE choice) we have decided that THIS is where we shall descend. We are even organizing some slapdash hotel reservations so none of us have to drive home. So far, we have Mike, Julie, Tom, Eliza, Katherine, and Maureen enlisted to go. I hope more people jump on the party train.

I talked to Mr. Gougherty today and he confirmed that, yes, he will be riding the bull on Saturday evening.

Wound

Today, I did this in a foolish, clumsy tripping incident:



While jogging around a man on the sidewalk, I sidestepped right into an area of the sidewalk where plants are supposed to grow. Basically, in front of a stranger, I tumbled on the sidewalk at least twice and landed on my hands and knees.

I was surprised this was my only wound because essentially i used my palms to stop the trajectory of my body down the sidewalk. Would have expected more gravelly skin scrapes.

The annoying this about this wound is that it occured in exactly the spot where my wrist rests on my keyboard. Therefore, I am leaving little bloody patches on the side of my laptop near the little 'Intel Inside Centrino' foil sticker most of us find on the lower right side of our keyboard area. That is, unless you own a Mac. You wouldn't find those stickers then. Although things are changing....

I've come full circle

It's week three in my new apartment set up on good ol' Martin Luther King Jr. Way. As I said earlier in a previous post, it is certainly a different kind of neighborhood. No more street parties for the kids on Hillegass Avenue. No more visits at my front door from 'Crazy Mike' with his radiation reader. No more views of Lew and Amy with their enormous earphones on. It's good in a way to be in such a different environment.

There is, however, one thing that remains constant in the short relocation to MLK Jr. Way. That constant, of course, is the presence of the infamous procyon lotor, otherwise known as the urban raccoon.

My encounters with the coons are to be different now. In my second floor apartment (I live in a small 3-unit building - two one-bedrooms on the ground floor, and our three-bedroom unit on the second floor) I do not hear their scrambling and carrying on in the crawl space. As well, since we have no pets or outside feeding dishes, I do not hear them pilfering Emily's cat food anymore around 1:45 a.m. Apartment life is good in that way...fewer foraging beasts to irritate you. However, my neighbors with free standing (and for a good part, disheveled) homes still face the same challenges to their management and abatement as I knew on Bateman Street.

Today, for instance, I was walking north on Ellis Street after a casual 3 mile run through Berkeley. Despite the overwhelming volume of my ipod device, I heard a familiar noise which caused me to take a pause and check my surroundings. The noise I heard was coming from two raccoons, recently trapped, sitting outside 3143 Ellis, a drabby beige Victorian with purple trim. They looked and sounded awfully dismayed. They were even using their tiny raccoon thumbs and hands to try and manipulate the door on the traps that caught them.

I decided that I would do the only thing a citizen of Berkeley, CA should do at that moment: call animal control and involve myself needlessly in a situation that appeared pretty much under control. I felt bad for those critters, and I was hoping I could find a way to assist their lawful release. Hell, now that I am on the second floor (safe from their wrath) I can now help my former enemy escape. Karma, people.

I called "Animal Services" and the dispatcher assured me an officer was going there right away. I asked if trapped raccoons are by default the responsibility of the City. She replied "No, not all the time." Therefore, the coons would likely not find freedom today.

An hour later I got a call back from the officer who did the site visit. Apparently, the coons were caught in humane traps by a licensed animal control company and they were awaiting pick up and release. She was kind of annoyed they were trapped and she told me she wanted to release them there but the tenant refused.

Why would anyone *so* pretend to be Annie Lennox?

Tonight, I was in the city having dinner at a very trendy spot to celebrate the late birthday of my ex-roommate Christina. At the close of dinner, two women entered the bustling restaurant and began attracting a great deal of attention (admittedly, mostly from me).

One of the women very much resembled Annie Lennox. So much that she was even wearing clothes that Annie Lennox probably has been photographed in before. She has the same haircut and facial features that Annie Lennox has. Mannerisms and gestures, slightly Lennox-esque.

However, it probably wasn't her because closer inspection of photos on the internet show that the *real* Annie has more wrinkles and is a little thinner than the *Annie* I spied at said establishment. It really made me wonder why a person would ever go to so much trouble to repeatedly and continually be mistaken in public for this singer.

It is very strange indeed. I think even the waitstaff at the restaurant thought it was Annie.

Anyway, I am still a bit miffed.

Such is the ending of my first SF-pseudo celebrity sighting.

Last few days of freedom

Shit. School starts in about 13 days. Holy mother of .... I bester make these last ones count! I am filling in the calendar with things as they come to mind.

Tuesday, Aug 15: Lunch with Brooke Ray
Wednesday, Aug 16:
Thursday, Aug 17: Haircut at Barbarella, car appt at Karmakanix, dinner with Christina at NOPA
Friday, Aug 18: Snakes on a Plane premiere with 456 House
Saturday, Aug 19:
Sunday, Aug 20:
Monday, Aug 21: Dinner with Karen Mauney-Brodek in Hayes Valley
Tuesday, Aug 22: The Clientele
Wednesday, Aug 23:
Thursday, Aug 24: Wolf Parade
Friday, Aug 25:
Saturday, Aug 26:
Sunday, Aug 27:

Trail riding, daith procurement & parking lot checking

Activity: Horseback trail riding
Location: Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe
Date: August 11 (11am-1pm)
Horse: "Mustang"
Cost: $58 for a two hour ride
Grade: C-/D+
Summary: Trail riding is boring to me, and I never remember that until just *after* I've mounted and rode 15 minutes away from the stables. The ride was made challenging due to an exceptionally slow steed, immense amounts of dust particulates in the air, and the glare of the overhead sunlight. Also, the view you get during the entire ride is of the Squaw Valley Resort and Golf Club.

Activity: Ear piecing
Location: Braindrops, Hayes Street and Masonic Street, San Francisco
Date: August 13 (2pm)
Cost: $41 + $9 tip (includes cost of special cleansing soap for post-op care)
Grade: A/A+
Summary: I've been wanting a new kind of ear piercing for a while and I finally got it yesterday at Braindrops. Braindrops is not your average piercing/tattoo shop. It's appearance from inside looks more like a jewelry shop and spa treatment place - very inviting. There wasn't a wait at all, I got pierced within 15 minutes of arrival and signing my waiver. The person performing the piercing took great care with me and I *swear* it didn't hurt very much at all. My original request, for a rook piercing, was denied - my ears aren't the right shape for a rook. Therefore, I settled for the next closest thing to that, a daith piercing. I guess the shop has a pretty loyal customer base in the city. I can see why..I am glad I waited to come here.
So far, things are dandy in daith-land, except for the fact I have to stick my ear in a coffee mug of heated saline water for 10 minutes 2 times a day. I guess it's better than getting an infection...

Activity: Ground truthing the base map I have created for South Beach
Location: Area of San Francisco bounded by Market Street, The Embarcadero, King Street, and 4th Street (it's BIG!!)
Date: August 12 (4-6pm)
Cost: $6.30 (BART fare, roundtrip, from Ashby to Embarcadero)
Grade: B
Summary: Over the summer, I have created a base map for a large area in San Francisco using aerial photographs from 2004. This part of town has changed a lot since 2004, so after I created the first draft of the map on Illustrator, I needed to print it out and go check places I thought might have new buildings. Basically, in a nutshell, I spent a couple hours riding around and checking on the status of South Beach's many parking lots. Since 2004, many of these parking lots have been sold to developers who then build highrise condominium and apartment buildings and these buildings must show up on the final map. This activity was accomplished on my road bike on a lazy Sunday afternoon, in good conditions with hardly any street or foot traffic to irritate me.

It's definitely a new neighborhood

Day four has passed on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. (Wow, that's a mouthful after using "Bateman Street" for the past two years!)

Today after returning from my brief jog around the neighborhood, for 90 minutes I observed (listened to) one of my neighbors beat the shit out of a punching bag from his yard. Let me explain some logistics: I have a second floor balcony that allows me to observe the activities of my neighbors around me. I can basically see for three parcels in every direction what my neighbors are up to. It's very interesting and I hope that my perspective allows me to learn a great deal from this lot of folks.

Another thing I learned is that our neighbors to the south have their computer station and a digital camera positioned directly in front of both our kitchen and our bathroom. Their computer area, upon closer inspection, appears to have a digital camera pointed toward our bathroom window area as well. This I discovered today as I was towelling off in what I THOUGHT was the privacy of my bathroom. Word of caution: never assume your bathroom privacy is sacred. Always assume someone is peeping. Most likely, this is the case. Do what you have to to safeguard your alone-time in the john.

Another slight disappointment to the move this week is that already I have lost some items. The woman moving out of my room, in the chaos of her own relocation, packed up some of my belongings with her kitchen stuff. Essentially, she swiped three dessert wine glasses. I got them at a yard sale, but I don't think that is adequate reasoning for her to swipe them so callously! I shall inform her of the crime and hopefully they will be fully restored to MLK JR WAY by the end of the week. I have some nice late harvest wine from DeLoache that really NEED those glasses, afterall.

Moving blows

Well, I've up and moved. I am still at my old house tonight, but 95% of my belongings are NOT here. It's lonely and strange to stay in a house you are very familiar and fond of without much of any of your belongings. There are a few remnants to make me feel at home, though.

The things that I've kept behind for tonight's stay are: TV, ipod, camera, computer, Brita water pitcher, curtains & blinds, a suitcase of clothes, flyswatter, two 8 lb weights, Brother printer and cables, carved wooden lizard from Oaxaca, several power strips, my Miyata bicycle.

Yesterday, I moved my roommate C. to her new place at Larkin and Filbert (Russian Hill). After the move was complete, I got picked up by Sripal and Adam and we had lunch at Boulangerie de Polk. It was very crowded and trendy, but the food and service were adequate. Later, we shopped for bicycles on Stanyan Street. At 3:00 PM I took the 71 bus back to Market and 2nd, where C. picked me up to head back to Berkeley. We had to return her U-Haul van by COB.



On a side note, U-Haul offices shall be rightly understood as the closest thing to purgatory as can be experienced here on Earth. Three times during the 40 minutes I was waiting to get my vehicle, customers in line verbally challenged the management practices of the staff. ("I have to wait in this line for 45 minutes to return a dolly? This is bullshit!....etc.") And each time this happened, the U-Haul employees openly heckled the challenger in front of all the other customers. So much for respecting the customer. While in line, many people were talking about the simple changes that could be made to make the process of truck pick up, drop off, and equipment return more streamlined. Some pretty good ideas were thrown around. Unfortunately, the monopoly that U-Haul has on local moves in most U.S. cities precludes the company from ever having to enact any changes that may improve customer service.

I can think of no other worse pain than to having to report to work everyday to a U-Haul office.

Up chest high

I am up chest high in boxes containing all my paltry and frivolous belongings. Out of the approximate 40 boxes I have personally packed, I estimate that the things I actually use on a semi-regular basis is found in fewer than 10 of them. Many of the boxes were never unpacked from the move to CA in 2004. However, I am still holding onto them for some crazy reason.

Here is a sample of the contents of some random boxes:

1. Holiday ornaments, string lights
2. Camera boxes, lamps, hair dryer, GSM phone
3. Special magazines/newspapers, medical device literature, resume paper, framed pictures
4. Cube lamps, planter pots, fish bowl
5. Design supplies (watercolor kit, chart pak markers, colored pencils, triangle, two engineering scales, filled drawing tablets, some blank ones, drafting dots, exacto knife)
6. Bedding, pillows, coffee maker

I could easily continue this litany into the evening but I will spare my reader(s). But there are a couple gems within:



I was going through box #3 a couple days ago and found I have nice, clean copies of the Washington Post and the New York Times from September 12, 2001. I didn't read them over...I'll save those for a rainy day or something. There is also a copy of the Times from January 1, 2000. I also have a copy of Time magazine commemorating the death of JFK Jr. in July of 1999. I think there was also a Vogue magazine with Hilary Clinton on the cover. I'll save that one in case she ever hits the big time....could be a nice little keepsake, but most likely it will end up in the trash come November '08.

I just need two hours...

I am on day two of my most recent lifestyle change decision. Well, to be reasonable, it will likely only last for the next few weeks considering school will begin very soon. What I am doing is trying to walk/run for about two hours each day to achieve a higher state of physical wellness. In other words, my thighs need a little whipping into shape. Grad school is a known source of distress on otherwise healthy and toned thighs and hips.

For most employed or otherwise engaged people, two hours of exercise per day may seem extreme. However, for a person who really isn't working this summer, it is not very difficult to stay on top of. Why yesterday I walked/ran from Berkeley to El Cerrito with hardly much difficulty. It took me about 1:35. Today I walked/ran from Berkeley to downtown Oakland and circumnavigated Lake Merritt, a solid two hour endeavor. I took BART home from 19th Street.

Tomorrow I have no idea where I will go. Perhaps I will do the fire trail which runs for three miles behind the Berkeley science laboratories in the hills. Ususally I drive to the entrance of the trail, but I suppose I can walk this time. I DO have two hours to burn, right?

What will you do with two hours today?

Civic duty

Several weeks ago in the mail I received a summons from the Hayward Hall of Justice, a.k.a. the Superior Court of CA, Alameda County. The paper informed me that I had been selected for jury duty. Having lived here in Berkeley just shy of two years, I suppose I was due for my day on the bench. However, that does not stop me from moaning about it.

I called up the jury hotline last night hoping my group would not be called to court. Sadly, my group, G-2000, was selected. I then had the option of pressing "3" on my touchtone phone for directions to the courthouse. I pressed "3" and was informed I was not to report to the Hayward Courthouse (as described on the summons), but I was to go to Pleasanton's Gale-Schenone Courthouse located on Stoneridge Drive. Stoneridge Drive is otherwise known as a street within a maze of a business and office parks. It is a very unlikely place for a courthouse, I will tell you that.

I decided to take my bicycle on BART because the thought of a 30 odd mile drive on I-680 in the middle of rush hour, not knowing where I am going, seemed like a pretty bad idea. I left Berkeley at 6:50 a.m. in order to make the 7:04 train from Ashby. I managed to make it to the courthouse without much delay by following the Sherrif's paddywagon that was making a left onto Stoneridge Drive assured myself I was not as lost as I felt. In general, lost is a good description for what one feels upon arrival in Dublin-Pleasanton.

Next thing was to check in with the jury clerk and then sit down and wait. Soon enough, the room was filled with about 40 other people just as lucky as I was. Once we were all sitting, the clerk began an instructional video about how to be a juror. In this video, a variety of ethnic minorities who have participated in jury service provide perspectives on their experiences. As a feel-good device, the video seemed to keep people's attention. After the video was over, I put my head down on the table and drifted into a nice slumber, almost forgetting where I was for a little bit.

At 10:30, after nearly two hours of sitting in the jury lounge, we went into court where we were greeted by the slimy counsel. Judge enters, sits, and proclaims that we can all go home because the defendant failed to appear in court.

What I surmise is that the judge had us wait for two hours hoping this dude/dudette would arrive, late as he/she was. However, I guess you only get a two hour forgiveness window for being late. I wonder what the hold up was. She seemed annoyed.

At this point, the jury audibly burst out in relief - apparently we'd forgotten the enthusiasm for jury service we promised after the video had ended. People streamed out of the courthouse, into the blistering Dublin heat, and got on with their lives.

Flunk Craig

It is now Thursday. The biodiesel is still at Bateman Street.

What is the world coming to?

Biodiesel status

It is 11:15 p.m. on Monday. Five gallons of once-used peanut oil are STILL on my stoop. I would have guessed that even homeless people would have swiped it by now. It remains undisturbed and untouched on Bateman Street.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I have doubt that Craigslist can deliver. Could it be? Was my wording of the post too vague? It must be something.

I really wonder because a couple years ago I put a free ad out there for someone to haul away 100 odd pounds of trimmed aloe plant from my driveway. Said aloe was gone in less than 10 hours and I really thought I was gonna have to haul that crap to the dump myself. I would have guessed in these times where gas prices are nearing $3.50 that people would be pouncing on an offer of five free gallons of pure aceite de cacahuate. Especially here, in CA, where everyone seems to be refitting their cars with the biofuel engines.

Guess my expectations are askew.

Craigslist activity

This being near the end of July, there is a wave of relocation activity in many of America's college towns and adjacent urban centers. Year-long leases generally come due in August, so you must decide whether to renew or get-out. Obviously, many people choose the latter, therefore creating the conditions for new tenants to take their places.

Sadly, this flux of activity for movers, U-Haul franchises, tape purveyors, dolly-lenders, painters, carpeters, etc. is a signal that summer's end is approaching. Bummer!

While some move to prepare for the upcoming academic year, others, recently graduated, move to celebrate the end of their period of student serfdom. My roommate, C., is part of the recently-graduated contingent. She is moving into San Francisco to share a new apartment with someone named Carrie in a neighborhood near Polk Street.

I am moving in-town within Berkeley in order to reduce my housing expenses. While I have also recently graduated from my master's program, I am also newly matriculated into a new program. Therefore, my serfdom continues for a matter of three more years. Yes, three more years, people! Feel my pain. Or, rather, anticipate the string of blog entries over the next few years from yours truly complaining about the lack of sleep, funds, and spare time. Either way, you win and I lose.

I will return to the POINT of this entry, which is that ALL THIS MOVING MUMBO JUMBO MAKES US ALL THANKFUL FOR CRAIGSLIST AND THE CONVENIENCE IT PROVIDES US IN OBTAINING MOVING BOXES AND GETTING RID OF RUBBISH AT THE LAST MINUTE.


Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. What a dude!

Yesterday, Craig helped me requisition no less than 40 boxes. I also posted a "free" ad myself this evening. It appears as follows:

Free biodiesel (berkeley)
Reply to: sale-182778852@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-07-16, 6:46PM PDT

Five gallons of strained peanut oil, used once to fry a turkey, available immediately to the first person that wants it.

It is on our stoop for the taking.

3027 Bateman Street. Cross street is Woolsey.

The ad was posted around 7 PM and now it is 10:38 PM. The oil remains on our stoop. I wonder for how long. Biodiesel is a hot item here in Berkeley.

Ten years after writing those geeks off....

Think back a decade plus readers. We were still in good old high school, conforming to our respective clique, and getting drunk at football games on Friday nights. My life revolved around these mind numbing activities, I admit, and I was kind of close minded and snobby. I wasn't ever so popular to have any real impact on the social milleau that WAS Beaverton High School, but I certainly did not make an effort to make friends with members or perceived members of groups far outside my comfort zone.

Let us review some of the main high school social clicks:

Sports people
Stoners
Drinkers
Theater geeks
Goths
Band people
Cheerleaders
Straight-arrows (non-religious)
Nerds
Rich kids with new cars and zero personality
Trench coat clad
Mormons
Asians
Shut-ins
Drop-outs
People who accelled in what most considered weird things, like archery or 4-H

These labels, while certainly limiting, do function to organize the ratty teenagers that attend our public schools in the past and even today. Labels in high school are de facto realities of life. We all know it, so why fight it?

I will fast forward to the POINT of this article, being that labels can be overcome once we leave high school and anyone is capable of achieving their dreams.

I sound like I could give some kind of bad, shoddy graduation speech right now...

Last night I attended a music performance of the Everyone Orchestra at the Independent in the grand city of San Francisco. I don't normally go to these kinds of shows, but my roommate C. happens to be a devoted fan of the lead musician, Steve Kimock (formerly of the Grateful Dead). The Everyone Orchestra is a unique concept in that it features a gaggle of established and up and coming musicians that agree to work together for a short period of time and play gigs that feature their wide and impressive improvisational talents.

So the show last night featured Steve, other musicians and one Asher Fulero.

Asher Fulero went to my high school. I think he graduated with us. A few weeks ago when looking at the lineup, I immediately recognized his name. Anyway, from my shady recollection, in high school Asher used to belong to the trench coat and band contingent. He was kind of not involved in mainstream high school activities, and was therefore snubbed by most of us middle-ground schmucks.

As it happens, Asher is now some kind of pimped out and rocking keyboardist these days, and last night he was playing with the legendary guitarist Steve Kimock and the Everyone Orchestra! We showed up to the show and there he was, getting funky on his Nord keyboard/synthesizer unit, impressing the crowd with his melodies and even singing a bit.

I am excited about my little tally of strange people from high school going gold. So far we have:

1. Ari Shapiro, high school theater nerd, currently a correspondent for NPR
2. Asher Fulero, high school band and trench coat kid, current a keyboard pimp

This list is to be continued...

Footballed

It's a beautiful afternoon in Portland, Oregon. I am sitting at home, fighting the sleepies, and wishing that the Comcast high speed internet installer guy would hurry the fuck up and get out of the guest room so I can take a nap. I had no idea up until NOW that Comcast even scheduled appointments on Sunday. I think that practice should stop immediately - if not for the sake of the poor Comcast guy, whose weekends are now nonexistent, but for the sake of poor souls like *me*, who are hung over on a Sunday and cannot nap in the guest room because someone is drilling a hole into the side of the wall.

I am weary and tired after nearly 3 days of wedding activities in which I played a bridesmaid.

I also just got scolded by my step dad because I announced that Italy and France were in a shoot out period for the World Cup title game. (I guess they "were" in a shoot out...Italy just won a few seconds ago). While we were out at the post-wedding brunch, the final game was on and I assumed he had watched the game like all other NORMAL people. This wasn't the case, apparently. He was taping the game, to be watched later on sometime.

This man would probably find it completely within reason to wait 2-3 days to watch the final game at his convenience but would yell at anyone for talking about it in public where he can overhear who won or who scored the goals. This includes hearing the game's winner being announced on the radio. I've heard him scold the radio announcer before and seriously get mad for the simple act of listening.

In this wired and media-centered day and age we live in, it is quite ridiculous and silly to assume you can *avoid* hearing news. I think it is even more ridiculous to get mad at people when they casually and without harm in mind announce that teams are in a shoot out, too. I understand that it IS the world cup, and this is important, but he is not a soccer or football fan in the first place anyway. It's just the hype of the media and the fact that David Beckham might flash us his abs in the course of a match that Americans are readily watching soccer this summer.



Plus, everyone likes to watch the French get beat on international television.

Mall rats

Weekday trips to the mall reveal a certain detestable segment of suburban society. These people should be avoided and/or one should avoid trips to the mall on a Thursday afternoon.

I am no snob but I must draw the line somewhere. This afternoon, on an errand to find something to wear to a simple event tomorrow, I encountered WAY too many career professional mallists at Washington Square. Yes, mallists. Mallists are also known in San Francisco and Marina chicks. Or anyone living in Walnut Creek. The definition is flexible and generally refers to the kinds of people you would sidestep to avoid and hope to Jesus you never have the bad luck of standing in line next to. Especially if they are making a return.

The first mallists were in the TBD department of Nordstrom. TBD, for most people, means "To Be Determined." The acronym is in the same family as TBA (To Be Announced), etc. Very simple. The TBD department is located in a very conspicuous part of the ground floor. There is a reason for this. It is the section where the younger, financially-endowed people shop in. The clothes are cute and it is also where the expensive jeans are. I surmise the reason it is located in this part of the store is because it looks GOOD for the store to have all its other shoppers be able to see these attractive people buying somewhat expensive and very trendy clothing. It makes the store look hip and that is what is important in retail.

I shop there because they sometimes have cute tops and jacket thingies. I can't really fit in the jeans because my body works hard to retain its Russian roots and I tend to have difficulty finding things that fit my lower half. I dont really have the money to shop there, but on occaision it is okay and doable.

I encountered a mallist there being helped by a TBD worker. They were in a very serious discussion and it went something like this (forgive me if I get the brand names wrong, I don't pay too close attention to that but I need to include them here):

Mallist: "So I definitely wouldn't describe myself as a Citizens person - which make their clothes for very tall people. I guess I have been known for my AG's, Seven's and sometimes I will even wear Paige. It is just so hard, you know, to choose between all of them for once. I am just sick of being in between all these brands. I just don't know."

TBD Saleswoman: "Yes, it is very difficult. Why, these Citizens I have been wearing just don't feel right. I mean, they look damn good, but I don't feel like a Citizen girl. You know?"

Mallist: "Completely!. Oh, it is nice to know I am not the only person feeling this way."

TBD Saleswoman: "Indeed. Well, what do you think about the colors of these? They are so reminding me of that run of Sevens that came out in Spring '05. Wow, that was a hot season!"

Mallist: "Oh, right. But I wouldn't want anyone to think they are from '05. What else have you got?"

It went on an on ad nauseum. All I could think about was escaping, but not before I tried on a cute Ben Sherman top. Which, of course, I ended up not getting. Instead, I went to boring JCrew and found some things on sale.

Success of this outfit? TBD, of course.

It all happens at the fair!

This Sunday I attended the Marin County Fair in San Rafael, CA. I haven't gone to a county fair in some time (10-12 years?), a period of time that clouds the fact that most of my childhood summers featured a journey to the Washington County Fair in Hillsboro, Oregon. It turns out things have not changed too much in terms of fairgoing over the last decade. There is still a long annoying line to get your tickets. There are still senior citizens at the gates who tear your entrance ticket in half and tell you something about having a great time today. There still are a lot of creepy carnival employees and trashy bean stuffed animals. The funnel cake still reigns supreme, although now I guess there are more options in terms of toppings (soft serve, caramel sauce, and apple pie filling). They also serve cappuccino at some of the food trailers. That astounded me almost as much as the price tags for these food items - $8.75 for a smoked turkey leg; $3.75 for a roasted ear of corn, corn dog, or french fries. Burgers start at $4.75. Funnel cakes are $5 and your choice of fillings are $1 a pop. Surprisingly, 16oz. of microbrew served to you by a senior was just $5.

During our visit to the fair today, my companions Adam and Christon and I wanted to accomplish a few things. First, we would kill some time visiting the petting zoo. Second, we would attend the sheepdog trials at the main pasture area from noon to one. Next, we would go eat some fair fare. After lunch, we planned to go to the exhibition hall and perhaps attend the guacamole preparation contest. In between all these events we anticipated on making light of the carnival and county fair culture.

No, we didn't forget the rides portion of the fair - we walked through there for about 30 minutes after lunch observing the activities of the booth jockeys and dads that readilly won their sons and daughters inflatable AK-47s decorated by the pattern of our Stars and Stripes and donning a proud "USA" label.



The rides looked prety tempting: They had the Zipper, the Fun House, something that functioned like the Viking Ship, and much more. Sadly, my campaign to get us all to ride on the Gravitron was voted down by our stomachs which had just moments earlier consumed a rather greasy and gut-busting funnel cake.


Here is a picture of two of the entrants of the Marin Co. Fair Guacamole Contest. We were rooting for the neat gentleman to the right, who we surmised may have been ex-military. We called him the Admiral.


Here is Adam and Christon at the petting zoo making friends with a brown goat. This petting zoo was awesome - it had potbelly pigs, llamas, a kangaroo, fawns, goats, sheep, chickens, and some other beasts I can't remember. It did not have a hedgehog, which kind of disappointed me.


This was a snoozing potbelly pig.

Un-bowling

About every two years I get invited along to go bowling somewhere. Usually, I give in (without much fuss) and try to have a little fun down at the alley. However, because I pretty much stink at the sport, it is hard to do. This is especially the case when the people you bowl with claim they aren't very good bowlers - then, just as soon begin to each get three strikes in a row, including the person you are dating.

After my fourth gutter ball (follwed by a fifth, sixth, and so on...), I realized that it may also be the choice of rental equipment that was holding me down. I was using the same bowling ball that the three men I was with were using. The lightest ball we could find, an eight pound pink marbled, had a thumb hole I could barely get my pinky in. I actually bowled with it for the first frame and the thing managed to pull my thumb out of the joint momentarilly as it left my palms. Giving up the pink, I had to settle for an 11-pound green pea thing for several more frames. Shameful frames at that.

My sixth frame complete, I went to go look at the ball racks for something in the middleground and settled for a 10 pounder. As I brought it back, the boys began eyeing it and ended up using is a great deal also during the last half of the match. Therefore, I still think I was bowling with a ball slightly too heavy for me. But that probably can't completely explain my 30 point game.

The bowling alley we went to was very nice, it was called Sea Bowl. Located in Pacifica, CA, Sea Bowl offers well lit lanes, video scoring screens, a nice enclosed bar area, and decent requisite bowling alley food. We settled for two pitchers of MGD and one order of garlic curly fries. I would have tried the hot dog, but I am now vegan until sometime this summer I finally feel cleansed and healthy.

Sea Bowl is expensive. It is $25 and hour plus shoe rental, which sets each person back about $12 not including beer or food.

Not a drop of milk, not a yolk, and no meat either

Hello people.

It's me, reporting from day six of a diet which approaches as close to vegan as a first timer might dare. Despite my strict adherance, I've not dropped any weight (my body is a superior survivor...i could maintain weight for a long time probably given just 500 cal a day).

I started this diet upon returning back from the US last Saturday. In Thailand, I was eating all kinds of meats and meat-products. I did not eat any cheese, though, and very little sugar. Therefore, coming home and starting the diet hasn't been so hard seeing that I've been without a lot of foods for more than a month anyway. In fact, it's been pretty easy.

For sanity's sake, I am allowed red wine and some dark chocolate. We all must find someway to enjoy ourselves, right?

Back for SE Asia Summer Music Picks:

June 19, David Jacobs-Strain, Biscuits & Blues, SF
June 22-25, Built to Spill, Slim's, SF
June 25-27, Neko Case, Bimbo's, SF
July 1, Band of Horses, The Independent, SF
July 15, The Devil Makes Three, GAMH, SF
July 20, Camera Obscura, GAMH, SF

Photos of the journey

Greeting from Gate C7 at the Taipei Airport. Free wireless here and my three hour layover prompt me to update this page.

Here is a selection of photos from the Thailand trip. Most of them are from the fieldwork portion of the trip, which lasted from May 28-June 6. We stayed on the island of Ko Lanta Yai in Krabi Province.

I am not going to meticulously order these, so if the picture I provide is a little jumbled, I apologize. The field work we did was extremely interesting and I got to meet a lot of people, poke around their homes, go underneath their hotels, and ask people questions about their toilets. All in all, it was super fun.


This is the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po. It is the largest reclining Buddha is Thailand.


This is the Village Headman. He met him at the recycling facility and he then invited us to his house so we could look at the village well that is in his backyard.


These are your two main beer choices in Thailand, Chang and Sing-ha.


No, this isn't a Thai military officer. It's just a hired hand from the village to look important outside a new resort compound. It was too bad they had no idea all the photos we were taking were for the purpose of documenting unsustainable design. Ha ha ha...


We talked to people at the Elephant Trekking place. The elephants looked bored.


Powerlines sure do make that beach look darn purty!


Emperor Hirohito from Japan showed up on campus one day (two people to the right of the first white pagoda thingy). There were many dignitaries in Bangkok last week for the King's celebration commemorating 60 years on the throne of Thailand.


Here are five of the ten Thai students whose we really depended on to understand anything on the trip.

Pet finder

Puppies under the bungalows

Darn right, I'm mysterious!

I know more about an island 1/3 around the world than I do my own home

I've been on an island in Thailand for the last week studying its potential to improve its tourism sector to be more sustainable. This place has a ton of work to do. In the last few days I have done the following:

Visited the local landfill
Asked pressing questions about infrastructure provision to local community leaders
Watched how rubber is processed from a rubber tree forest
Visited a "green" bungalow development
Tried (but didn't) to enter an "anything but green" 5-star deluxe resort to do undercover work and ask the staff about maltreatment
Saw baby monkeys in the national forest
Got stung by migrating jelly fish in the Andaman Sea
Had a Thai massage at the Wat Po Thai Traditional Massage School in Bangkok
Ate a lot of Thai food
Ran into the former Mayor of Krabi City at a roadside foodstall (met him last year, he's an insanely rich developer who owns tons of beach property and his younger brother is the current Mayor)
Visited the Sea Gypsy villages of Koh Lanta
Had a meeting with the Governor of the Province

This list is only partially complete. I left out a lot of stuff. I will try to post some pictures very soon.

Good night.

Graduation, packing, non-B2B fun

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.

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.

Links to new Walkmen singles - A 100 Miles Off

Brandy Alexander.

Don't Get Me Down(Come on Over Here).

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?

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

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.

Eating and drinking strange chemical things

Over the last few days my diet has take a south turn to what many people would be ashmamed about. I find it slightly amusing.

Last night I drank 32 ounces of Diet Peach Tea Snapple and ate Frosted Mini Wheats from an oversized economy cereal bag. Tonight, I guzzled something called "Vault Zero". It functions to deliver a high dose of caffeine to my system. Caffeine is needed: I've slept about 4 hours in the last two days. I had a meeting to go over edits with my Master's project client today at 3:30 pm and I literally fell asleep at my chair while he was babbling something to me about "demand-driven workforce strategies." I could actually feel my eyes closing and my balance shifting, but I could not resist the pull to rest.

I also bought a chocolate bar from downstairs. Vault Zero and Hershey's! I also have an old fashioned box of Cracker Jacks with me. I am very healthy.

I am listening to Destroyer. I need their albums.

Late night sloat-tunes

It is 3:46 a.m. and this music is my only companion here at Wurster Hall tonight. It's kind of...hmmmm....very cool.

Anything upbeat sounding is cool at this point.

My PR is less than 24 hours to its happy little grave!

I just drank 32 oz of diet Snapple....and other tales from Wurster Hall

We're officially in high gear, ladies and gentlemen.

I am VERY behind in a lot of work. Projects that should be nearing 70% completion are at a dismal 15-20%. However, my master's project is in a better state. It's at about 93%. In fact, even if I don't squeeze out those last 7 percents, it will (must) get turned in this Friday. For I shall host a party for all my classmates to mark the date we have all (mostly) finished this major stepping stone. It shall be grand. Right now, I am taking a mental inventory of leftovers we STILL have from our last party in December...which was a ton of fun, I might add, but left us with a whole lot of remnant Yellowtail!

Tomorrow I shall also get my haircut.

Multi-tasking and procrastinating. These two activities shall generally characterize the pace of my life for the next several weeks. There will be little sleep, much snack food, overload of caffeine, and social life repression.

Kid fun in Sherwood, Oregon

This is the city of mud I played in a lot as a kid.

What I will be doing M-F next Fall

My new status as a graduate student of landscape architecture will prove to be challenging when I begin the three year master track program next fall. Here is what I am slated to do:

M-W 9am-1pm LA 101 Fundamentals of Landscape Design Studio (yes, that is 4 hours of class twice a week)

M-W 6:30-9:30pm LA 134A Drawing Workshop (yes, that is another 3 hours of class on the same day as the 4 hour studio!)

T-Th 11-12:30pm LA 111 Plants in Design (we must learn about the leafy greens)

T-Th 12:30-2pm LA 170 History and Literature of Landscape Architecture

On top of this I was considering applying for a GSI position in City Planning which would be M-W 2-3pm and Friday 9-10am and 2-3pm. Four hours of teaching and sitting in an Intro to City Planning class in exchange for my fees (about $3700 a term). Is it worth it? It remains to be determined...I am really strapped for money, though.

This is why I am so busy I have no time to go out, exercise, wash my clothes, or go on dates, do any yard work, or keep in touch with family. This is why life as a graduate student generally is equal parts joy and indescribable pain.

They know more from the television box

I was back in Portland this weekend for a bridal shower. After the shower festivities were completed, I headed to my brother's house where there was a birthday party for my little nephew, Everett. Everett is six. This I didn't know for sure before I looked at the cake and read the "Happy 6th Birthday, Everett" message. Don't think I am a bad aunt, because I am not. It is just hard to keep track of how old they are because they are much larger than normal children. Everett could be a seven or eight year old. His brother Alex is only 14 and he is about 6'2. The daughter Emily is actually of normal child size, I think, at 9 years old.

Over dinner, which consisted of BBQ hamburgers and chicken, I sat around the table with my mother, stepfather, brother, and two of my uncles on my dad's side. I was tired so I wasn't in the mood to lead the table talk, so I just decided to observe my family unit to see where they'd go conversationally.

The talk turned toward television, of which I have absolutely no clue about. I am familiar with the names of some of today's popular shows, and perhaps even about their concepts, but I have not watched a television show regularly since late '04. I have no idea who is on television nowadays and I have an shadier idea of what networks feature what programs.

People were going around the table admitting their television weakness. My brother sheepishly admitted to loving American Idol and that he feels it is ok since he is also a musician. This set the table off. Apparently, everyone there is a big fan of American Idol. All these people are 55+ excluding my brother, who is 37.

Soon a debate began to form, my mother citing an objection to one contestant she considered to be a rapper, although I am sure his identity is actually more nuanced than she afforded him. My stepfather then chimed in making a comment about one fo the female contestants and provided some illustrative aspects about her visual appearance over the last several weeks. He apparently approves of her physically but feels her range is limited. My brother then began to advocate on behalf of someone named Katharine McPhee. The name caught my ear because I am a fan of the writer John McPhee, but I soon surmised they are probably unrelated.

All this is kind of boring but here I am writing about it. The question remains: Do I have an objection about my mother, uncles, stepdad and brother being dedicated fans of AI? Should I have suggested they tune into something like Frontline instead? Don't my parents realize that this show is unlikely to turn out anyone who will really CHANGE or have an IMPACT on music today? After all, all of these contestants are vying to become a mainstream musical breakthrough. The last I looked, Kelly Clarkson was playing at some place in Reno and then a couple back to backs in Fresno. It might be me, but I don't consider these places where many musical breakthroughs happen at all, if ever.

It's a *Full House* of *Growing Pains*

I was listening to the radio or surfing the internet the other day and something prompted me to find out what Kirk Cameron is up to lately. I knew he'd become a Jesus freak over the past five or so years, but suddenly I wanted to know MORE. With the grand Oracle, otherwise known as the Internet, I am able to quench my thirst for knowledge with a few clacks of the keyboard:

"Kirk Camereon" "evangelical"

There were my search terms.

This is what I found: Please enter via The Way of the Master

I'd recommend following the "I am a Christian" prompts, even if you aren't one. I mean, unles God is really watching, then you can lie here. It would be cool if the web site actually had the ability to detect liars or imposters, and you'd be sent directly to virtual hell.

Then my curiousity shifted to another member of the Cameron household: Candance Cameron, otherwise known as D.J. Tanner from ABC's Full House. It appears as though Candace is doing her own Internet-based work for the man (men?) upstairs. However, I am suspicious because the site also functions as her marketing platform for her tawdry acting career. I give it to Candace, though, she looks pretty good and very fit!

Next on my list of "where are they now" was another Full House alum, Jodie Sweetin, also known as the precocious Stephanie Tanner. (Anyone recall the phrase, "Oh, that is so RUDE!"???) It appears as though Jodie was once on the road to uprightness, marrying a police officer at age 20 (don't you love it?). However, her path took a dark turn and she became addicted to meth. It looks like Jodie is pulling through though. I actually HIGHLY recommend the little video link from her appearance on Good Morning America. I was really surprised at how adult, with-it, and well-spoken Stephanie Tanner is. She is rather adorable, too.

See? Meth addicts can amount to something in America...they just need a second chance.

I didn't bother looking up what happened to Uncle Joey or Uncle _____ (I forget his name).

Bob Sagat, who played the all-knowing Danny Tanner, is pretty effin' cool! That guy is twisted if you've ever seen him do stand-up comedy. And it looks like he is also attracting a church of his very own, though I am not surprised.

Shows I must sacrifice...for the Thais

Due to travel abroad, I must be absent at these, but highly recommend the following:

May 25: Beck, The Fillmore, SF
June 7: Josh Ritter, Great American Music Hall, SF
June 12,13: The Walkmen, Great American
Music Hall, SF
June 12,13: The Mountain Goats, Bottom of the Hill, SF

Makeup shows I JUST might be able to catch:

June 19: The Walkmen, La Zona Rosa, AUSTIN, TEXAS (requires flight but it's in the planning stage already!!! Watch out Hamilton Leithauser... here we come!!)
June 21-24: Built to Spill, Slim's, SF
June 25: Neko Case, Bimbos, SF

Thursday's revelations

Two things I learned today:

1. One should avoid riding the bus across town from Berkeley to Oakland during mid afternoon if at all possible, esp. if you are in a hurry. During these precise hours, between 1pm and 3:30pm, a masssive influx of the maimed, aged, blind, smelly, mobility challenged, nursing mothers with enormous strollers, people in wheelchairs, and generally testy people flock to our cities' buses in a free for all.

Don't think I am picking on the marginalized. I'm not. I've been a bus rider all my damn life, in some pretty tough places at that. I know what kinds of messed up stuff happens on the bus. I simply hypothesize that during said peak hours, there are more marginalized on the bus then at any other time.

The resulting delays are beyond simple tally counts. The accompanying smell is even more discouraging.

I board at 2:14 pm.

At 2:18 pm the bus stops to pick up a man with a walker at 51st and Broadway in Oakland. The hydraulic lift lowered and delivered him to the main cabin of the bus (taking at least 2 minutes, but who's counting). A woman sitting there with her enormous stroller and baby unit also happened to be in this main cabin area. As soon as he was free from the lift, the man in the walker immediately began to scold her for taking up seating designated for people such as himself (see above, or old, testy, mobility challenged, etc.). The mother fooolishly decided to ignore him. With the speed of a threatened sloth, he rolled up to her and begins to push the stroller to the side with his walker's wheel set, nudging it between two seats. Then all hell broke loose - with the old man ranting something about seniors' rights.

At this point, everyone on the bus is wondering if the mother is going to bust grandpa on his ass. Luckilly, fate intervened. Bus pulls over, driver enters cabin, rightfully annoyed, and proceeds to forcefully direct the old timer into an empty seat (which was right in front of him, of course.) Old timer murmurs something about "no respect for seniors", etc. We shake our heads.

2. The second thing I learned today is that I am engaging in activities of late I always said I would not do. For example, instead of correctly dicing up and skinning an avocado, I am beginning to just cut it in half and eat it out of the shell (salted) with a spoon (that sounds gross...). It must be out of laziness. The other things I am doing are ignoring my bills until two days before they are due, turning in late rough drafts, and letting other people pick up my slack in studio.

All these things make me feel like altogether a bad person, but I like to think of it as a temporary digression.

3. Lastly, I am not managing my money very well.

Try as I might...

In my continual endeavor to attempt to eat as healthy as possible given the less than ideal lifestyle that I currently lead as a grad student-workslave-bureaucrat/designer in training, I have gotten on the fiber kick. I have no less that three varieties of 100% Fiber cereal in my house. See below:



Here you can see Kellog's All Bran (best when on top of something with substance, like yogurt), Fiber One (the champ of all fiber varieties, and approved by the American Diabetes Association!), and a fiber knock off from TJ's. Missing is the Bran Buds, a new variety by the makers of All Bran. That is delicious.

You will also see below these cereal boxes a Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate bar. It is my roommate's, actually. I just broke off a small piece from it (after finishing my cereal, of course!). You see, despite the fact that I am in virtual fiber abundance, that does not immediately translate to always eating healthy. Some days I pair my fiber intake with chocolate, other days wine, and even other days, a cookie.

Toilet turf

This posting could be classified as a rant, so beware.

I spend a great deal of my time on the 4th floor working at my studio desk space in Wurster Hall. It's a nice set up. This studio space has desks for 15 of my classmates and on the other side of the room is a smaller area where the MUD (Master of Urban Design) students work. There are about 6 of those people. Approximately 10 faculty members have offices on this floor. There are another 15 PhD students that also have offices here.

We all share a single bathroom that is located in the hallway. It is a single unit, i.e. no mens and women's room.

That's one toilet for up to 30-45 people, depending on who shows up for the day.

Well, over the last 3 months or so, there have been many instances when I am working here late at night and so are one or two other people in the MUD unit. I've noticed a strange pattern when one of these people uses the bathroom. I go in there 30 min later and the place is a mess. Not just a soppy mess, but a hairy mess as well. And from the looks of the evidence left on the toilet, I have my suspect narrowed down to a specific individual. I don't mean to get all CSI on you all, but it's rather obvious. Even for a city planner in training such as myself.

What irks me and astounds me is that there is absolutely NO way this marking of the toilet can be done without at least some effort. Because every time this individual uses the bathroom, there is evidence left behind. EVERY DAMN TIME. It is quite strange. What would lead someone to take up such a abberant hobby? The guy seems perfectly normal, but all he does in the bathroom is sick and rather twisted.

For heaven's sake, it warranted a long blog entry. It REALLY is THAT BAD.

I wonder if anyone else in the class has come across his hairy offerings? I'd ask my classmates, but just the idea of bringing up such a topic makes me shudder.

Pithy apples - yech

Pithy apples have got to be the worst. Especially the ones where there appears to be no outward evidence of defect from the outside of the apple. You take a big ol' bite into it and BLECH.

Today's culprit was a 3.5" Braeburn I purchased at a coffee cart. Should have known better...

Gut busting and procrastinating to the deep end

Returned from dinner to open my computer and find myself completely unmotivated. Started dinking around on the web, obsessively relogging into a site that is apparently down tonight. Annoying. Now I am intent on getting logged in, so I am distracted. And for what? Nothing except to know how many schmucks have viewed my profile today.

I have a 40 page rough draft I received comments on from the organization I intern for. I have no motivation to go through them and accept changes. What a drag. I am worried that the further I get into correcting the comments, the more and more problems there will be with the paper in their eyes. I am worried about finding notes like the following:

"This needs to be revised. Completely."
"Where is the data to support this point?"
"Please call Susie asap to discuss this section"
"Yes, we will need to discuss the relevancy of this point"

The prospect of coming across a statement such as this makes me really unmotivated to keep on with the edits. But I have to, because it is due to my advisors on Friday, COB.

On the sunnier side of the mountain, today I received more assurances that I will be going to Thailand this summer again. I can't say I am looking forward to preparing for the trip. Getting ready for it last year was absolute hell. I hadn't slept for 48 hours, it was 2:15 am, and I still hadn't packed for the month long journey overseas..and I had to leave the house for the airport at 9:30am. I have a feeling this series of events will be recreated come late May.

Just when you thought you could throw out the Zithromax

About a year ago I got a prescription for Zithromax as a precaution when I took a month long trip to Thailand last summer. Pfizer makes this antibiotic. Basically, it's a last resort if you happen to get some kind of bacterial (diahrrea) infection in the developing world. You don't want to take it unless you're going to die. That's what the pharmacist told me, anyway. It may be that using it is thought to lessen your resistance later on. I never used the prescription and it's been sitting in my cupboard for about 9 months.

A friend of mine left for Thailand a few days ago. Out of the goodness of my heart, I willed away my pills to him. Basically, I figured they'd go to waste if he didn't take them.

So today I hear some exciting news. The gist of it is that I shouldn't have thrown out the pills. I may be going back to Thailand this summer! The details have yet to be worked out and I will give a fuller report next week. Until then, I am really hoping Dan doesn't manage to get a bad case of the runs and use up my Zithromax. I may need it, afterall.

We come to brawl and drink light beer...

Ever heard of Fight Night?

Someone I just met is going and there is a possibility I could get in on the action.

I know Oakland is kind of rough, but this whole event looks like the responsibility of a group that usually flies under my radar, namely Oakland's white, disenfranchised blue-collared contingent. Sure, there are some colored faces visible in the crowd, but it's eerie resemblance to WWF makes me think this event is the official territory of the don't-fuck-with-me white homey crowd.

The event takes place in West Oakland, in some warehouse. God knows, you may not come back alive.