Bought, enjoyed

Breakage

Fact 1:

The wrist is a complex joint that you use to accomplish an infinite amount of activities each day.

Fact 2:

Breaking your wrist will suddenly make you half as fast at doing everything. Washing your hair takes about 10 minutes, drying off about the same. Typing is labored and strenuous, if typing can ever be considered strenuous. In public places, you are conscientious about your enormous immobilized arm bumping into strangers. And your clothes do not fit.


I have a fracture on the radius where it meets the wrist bones.

Basswood model of Los Clubes, Cuadra San Cristobal, Mexico City by Luis Barragan. The site is a combination residence and horse paddock with accompanying horse-scaled swimming pool used to train thoroughbreds.

We have some big deadlines this week, this model included. The final will include pieces of cut up loofah sponge along the walls to mimic climbing vegetation. Believe it or not, this model cost about $150 to build.


Analytique to supplement the model.

Plants, funeral, woodshop, ethics

Thursday was a whirlwind of highly diverse occurances and events.

First, starting at 8:30am, I had three hours of class for plants identification. We learned about 8 shrubs and 3 trees. It is still very much winter based on the temperatures we experienced during our field walk. When is it going to finally rain so we can get closer to spring?


This is called Rhus ovata, or Sugar Bush.


This is called Schinus molle, or California Pepper Tree.

Next, at 12:30pm, I went to the funeral of a great woman who happened to suddenly pass away last week. She had been the graduate assistant and resident mom for all graduate students in city planning for the last 20 years. The funeral was held in a modest church in Richmond, CA. The church was jammed packed to the rafters, mostly students and people from Berkeley. It was amazing to see how many people's lives Kaye had impacted in her role as both administrator and confidant. As an example of how wide Kaye's reach was within the University, I recognized someone there who I would have never guessed knew Kaye - a man who drives the night door-to-door shuttle for students needing rides home between 9pm and 3am. This guy happens to drive me home 2-3 nights a week; never for one minute I expected we knew anyone in common. I saw him at Kaye's funeral today. Students who graduated 10 years ago came all the way from Los Angeles to pay their respects. It was astounding.

I returned to school and from 6-9pm I attended an architecture woodshop orientation. I learned to cut things with the band saw, radial saw, table saw, panel saw, drill press, and spindle saw. It was a very strange thing to do after having just returned from a funeral.

Now I am doing the GSI teaching ethics course online. I am taking a break between the sections on student disability accomodation and sexual harrassment.

All at once it has been a very odd and touching day.

Alter ego

Today I created a much-inferior web site in order to fulfill requirements for my LA 132 course, Computer Applications in Environmental Design.

Don't get too excited, this site is pretty much a snoozer. Hopefully, as the term progresses, I will have some interesting images of environmental analysis for your viewing pleasure.

In other news, my studio is very busy figuring out how to build some models. It is our first real non-cardboard scaled model, so we are a bit frightened. Tomorrow I will do the wood shop orientation and will soon be ready to saw, plane and sand things.

People line up for this shit

This morning, around 10:45 a.m. I found myself across town near the intersection of University and Shattuck. I had gone on a run and needed to buy something at the art supply store along the way. At this particular intersection is a McDonald's. It's kind of a grungy McDonald's....the outside facade of the structure is shabby and it's on a very busy corner where a lot of street people tend to congregate. However, it is always busy in there and serves a purpose to feed and provide bathrooms for customers in Berkeley.

This morning, the place was a madhouse. I noticed the mayhem from outside on the sidewalk no less. There must have been 30 people in line! I immediately wondered what the hell must be going on. It's not like McDonald's is new or anything. Did someone fall from a heart attack? Did someone start a fight? What could the draw be?

Then I saw a poster in the window which read:

"Filet-O-Fish $1.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays"

Wow! All these people were there for a damn greasy fish sandwich. I really couldn't believe it. You'd think people in Berkeley wouldn't be such suckers for this kind of ridiculous advertising scheme. In my eyes, it's not even that great of a deal. First, you have to eat the Filet-O-Fish which is probably not too healthy or even filling. Second, to get in on the special you have to go inside the McDonald's and wait in line for 20 minutes while everyone else orders the same damn sandwich. Third, quality (if such a term applies) is likely to suffer: because the demand for the FOF is sky high these three days of the week it is likely that production standards fall along the wayside. Filets get forgotten in the fry daddy, some get dropped on the floor, lettuce is sparse, tartar sauce is forgotten, and sandwiches are hastilly crumpled up in their signature blue wax paper.

All that for $1.00.

Day one, spring semester 07

Day one back in the saddle and things are already off to a fast start.

Depending on how I play my cards this week, I might only have to take three courses this term on top of being a Graduate Student Instructor for an introductory landscape architecture course. Right now I am in four courses plus the teaching gig and things look extremely tight.

Let's hope the dealer gives me a good hand on Friday allowing me to finagle one or two course wavers and get something called "blank" credits. Sounds like a scheme to me - I'm in all the way. Blank credits are essentially a professor's ability to say you took an individually designed course to fulfill a requirement when in actuality you do squat. Blank credits sound downright suspicious, but they are needed in certain situations like one I currently find myself in. Here's to the nuances of higher education.

Tomorrow is the first day I assist in the teaching of a course at Berkeley. I have to operate a slide projector (two actually, side by side). I have never done this but I had a class last term in which this apparatus was used. I have a good sense for the rhythm of the operation. Hopefully this will be enough to get me through without really screwing up.

All the Mexico photos

This is me on top of the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan. This is a pre-Aztec city abandoned mysteriously in 750 AD.


In the same position from left to right is our professor Walter Hood and classmates Elizabeth and Sara.


At five o'clock the Mexican flag at Zocalo Square is lowered with the help of about 200 military personnel. Overkill?


Yummies for the tummies at a place called Pasteleria Ideal near Zocalo. You enter the store, grab an enormous tray and a pair of metal tongs and get to business!


Right after coming out of the pasteleria, we saw a curious truck at the stop light...


A good portion of the trip was spent trying to get people to let us into the homes designed by Mexican architect/landscape architect Luis Barragan. Here is one of the homes he designed in the El Pedregal subdivision. El Pedregal was the first occaision Barragan entered into the speculative real estate biz....apparently a success, too. This house was an amazingly intact example of his modernist design (exterior and interior) from the period 1945-1950.


This is the musical amphitheater-grotto of Chapultepec Park. There are interesting benches to lounge on while you listen to a strange selection of music play from mounted speakers. Mexican park police hang out in here, so it's safe. When we got there I think Vivaldi was playing, but soon was interrupted by what I can guess were Mexican show tunes.


Here I am at Luis Barragan's Los Torres de Satelite, or the Satellite Towers. These things are located in the middle of a freeway median. The towers were meant to be a visual gateway to the growing subdivisions of Mexico City in the mid-1950s. It was very polluted despite the sky looking so clear. Stinky!!!


Worm's eye of the towers.


This is the library at the Universidad Nacional Autonomous de Mexico. The entire campus uses a variety of modernist styles embedded with cultural markers, such as this mosaic tiled main library building.


We went to a famous lava flow on the campus of UNAM. Artists built a large ring of concrete right triangles around it.


Me and my shadow...

Being sick in DF

I ate a bad taco or something last night and ended up getting sick at a Luche Libre (Mexican masked wrestling) event. As a result, I missed the group trip to Coyoacan today. I got up around 1:00 pm, and managed to drag myself to Coyaocan to look at the weekend market. It was kind of a waste of time because I ended up leaving after an hour due to still feeling sick. Now I am back at the hotel watching Fox News.

So the day has not noticably improved.

Otherwise, the trip has been awesome. I will try to get photos up soon.

Besos,
Miss E

Happy belated, Alyssa

Alyssa joined the 29 crowd this past Saturday! Hope it was a fun one. I'll eat a celebratory taco for you in DF.

Me get on plane, me go see pretty things

My flight to DF boards at 7:40 am tomorrow. It's 9:39 pm and, of course, I have yet to pack.

Packing has got to be the most boring things ever. I do this everytime, I resist packing for trips. At least I am well fed and rested. One time I had to pack for a month away in SE Asia having not slept for 3 days. The flight left at 10am. I waited until 2:30 am to begin packing. It wasn't fun, it was no picnic.

We have a very loose itinerary proposed by our professor. Here are some images from the Interweb of some of those things we will visit.

This is our hotel, the Maria Cristina. We are located near the U.S. Embassy. Good thing?

Here is something called Los Torres de Satelite. Translation: The Satelite Towers. Built by Luis Barragan, one of Mexico's most prolific modernist architects.

The floating canal gardens of Xochimilco promise us wide-eyed landscape architects-in-training untold sights and wonders.

The urban "Grasshopper" Chapultepec Park houses the world famous Anthropogy Museum.

We will experience the immense demonstration of power and space at Zocalo Square, the heart of the city.

The trip will culminate with a visit to the past at Teotihuacan's Aztec ruins.

Photos will be posted at earliest convenience, but most likely not until week after next.

Vaya con Dios, amigos!

Raquel

Movie count

The last few days while I have been at home sorting and organizing paperwork has been filled watching some movies and films.

Here is the list:

Cool Hand Luke (1967) Paul Newman
My Architect( 2003)
A Prairie Home Companion (2006) Meryll Streep
Kinsey(2004) Liam Neeson

Cool Hand Luke is an interesting prison genre film and I recognized quite a few faces in it, including a young George Kennedy and Dennis Hopper. I'm rather intrigued with the films of the late 1960s, and hope to see a couple more before the end of the week.

I was a tad disappointed by A Prairie Home Companion. I am an AVID listener of the weekend radio program and I kind of anticipated it to highlight and discuss the comedic genius of the series - but no such luck at all. The movie is essentially a behind the scenes look at the cast of the program who are reminiscing about their last 20 years together. There is a weird sub-story going on about a woman in a white trench coat who happens to be a ghost...I found that kind of silly. I shall stick to the radio series...

My favorite movie of all these is My Architect, the story of the life of architect Louis Kahn as told by his distant son. What a fascinating film. In my landscape architecture history course, we learned a little a teeny bit about Kahn in his work on the Salk Institute. The son tells the story through a carefully chosen melange of mixed recovered video of Kahn at work, pictures, drawings, and by methodically visiting each of Kahn's commissioned structures and interviews with family and professional associates. You learn about the very torn man that Kahn was, and at the same time you learn why he was so important to so many people around the world completely outside of his personal sphere.

Purchase

At midnight, I made this purchase. This item will hopefully resolve the problem I have been having with my testy bicycle tires. Soon enough, I will be on the road whizzing by all you car bound schmucks.

New Year's Even

A few things:

1. I have to have a gum graft on one of my lower central incisors next time I am home. My addiction to brushing my teeth has taken a toll. My mother suggested I do this and also said she would set up an appointment for me.

I wonder if this means she will also volunteer to arrange payment for such a procedure?

2. My auto repair shop still hasn't called me back. I fear that the Fox has been looted during its 12 day and nights stay in the bowels of West Berkeley, and the employees are hesitant to share the sad news with me.

3. There are many errands and chores to run the day after returning from 12 days away from home.

4. Looking back on 2006, I don't have any glaring regrets, but I do wish I would have been a little more bold with the designs I did for school. I think 2007 will be a year of remarkable boldness.

He's gone

Saddam is gone. I don't really know if this is good news or not.

Trip concludes

Tonight is the last night I am in Portland.

My brother Matt is having a show at 7pm at some coffee/bar place. Matt's music is sounding really superb these days. He was upstairs practicing for tonight's performance last night when my friend Alexa came to pick me up. She thought it was the radio or cd player going. Even when rehearsing, Matt is impressing people.

Yesterday's luncheon went very well, a great time. It is nice to have new friends to visit when I visit Stumptown. It is even more convenient when they live near my sister's new place.

My step dad Bruce got a wide screen computer monitor for Christmas. But it isn't one of those cool Apple display units. Rather, it is a Samsung. I have no idea why my step dad needs this thing. I guess it might be useful for him when he has large spreadsheets open in Excel. I am not so impressed with the product. The screen basically stretches your view, so previously rounded features, such as words, come out all pixelated and long. I think the screen is actually supposed to be used for HDTV.

Update from Karmakanix. The Fox is still undriveable. The expansion the shop was doing this week apparently prevented them from squeezing in the repair of my vehicle. I hope it will be ready on Monday. They've had my car since 12/20.

Four things. Wait, five!

1. The smoking allowed in bars law in Portland must be changed. The last two nights I've come home and my hair smells. Normally it smells wonderful, but now it smells rather awful.

2. I used a Foreman Grill today. Do those even sell anymore? I was just cooking vegetables on it.

3. Visiting Pier One Imports the day after Christmas with your mother, who is on a mission for the last of the marked down red glass water goblets in existence, is a recipe for a meltdown on the daughter's end.

4. Lunch on Thursday with some guy I've been trying to meet up with for nearly one year. Persistance pays off? Hrmmm.

5. I forgot probably the BEST of the upcoming musical acts on its way through the Bay Area very, very soon. What a dolt I am. Anyway, it's gonna be a pretty amazing show, I hope.

Who: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
When: January 5, 2007
Where: Bimbo's 365 Club
Whadda it cost me?: $20

Live tunes

Jan. 6, 2007, Sat, The Devil Makes Three, The Independent
Jan. 24, 2007, Wed, Pirate Radio, The Makeout Room
Jan. 30, 2007, Tues, Deerhoof, The Great American Music Hall
Feb. 4, 2007, Sunday, Ray's Vast Basement, The Makeout Room
Mar. 2, 2007, Friday, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The Great American Music Hall
Mar. 3, 2007, Sat, Clinic, The Independent
Mar. 7-8, 2007, Wed & Thu, The Mountain Goats, The Independent
Mar. 9, 2007, The Mountain Goats, Bottom of the Hill

P.S. Merry Christmas. My family is watching Talledega Nights and I snuck upstairs to see what secrets of music the internet held...

Bob Sagat would make this a little more tolerable

Tonight, Christmas Eve, is the first night I've stayed at my parents' house since I arrived in Portland on Thursday. They live in Murrayhill, a subdivision in Beaverton, Oregon. Murrayhill is a virtual outpost in terms of being located near things, places, people or amenities I like to visit. The place has a nice view, I guess, and enjoys the benefits of existing within a homogenous community (low crime and neat yards).

Tonight I volunteered to make my parents dinner. The materials were already purchased. All that was required of me was to slice and cook the stuff. The dinner was stir fry, and like the neighborhood, the meal was sterile and predictable.

During the meal my parents turned on "AFV", which is a version of the series Bob Sagat used to host in the 1990s, "America's Funniest Home Videos." I thought it was a joke that we were watching it, but I soon realized that my parents actually adore this program. At one point, they were laughing and pointing at the TV monitor when someone sitting down on a bench made it collapse. I wish I was kidding about this.

Anyway, the host of this program isn't half as dynamic as Bob Sagat, who despite his reputation of being "America's Favorite Dad" possesses a certain brand of vulgar humor that makes him admirable.



Finally, after many long minutes of agony, AFV ended. Now my mother is watching Ocean's Eleven. So the cycle of madness and bad TV continues...

Oh, yesterday I saw "For Your Consideration", the newest Christopher Guest feature film. While it's no "Best in Show" it's quite good and worth at least a cost of a matinee ticket.

Flash back

This is my mother in 1972.

Chanteuse

This is the beautiful and talented Joanna Newsom. She played three sold out shows in the city this week. Mon-Tues-Wed shows at that.


Here is another.

And on quite a different note, here is a photo of my chipboard model from studio.

Waiting for my tow

Yesterday I consulted with Nino at Karmakanix about the sorrowful state of my VW Fox. He advised me to arrange for a tow to the shop and they would take car of the problem over the next ten days while they are expanding the shop. I will be out of town after tomorrow, so the idea of having a fixed vehicle upon arrival home is appealing. On the other hand, leaving my car parked on the curb of an industrial and transient neighborhood for such a long period of time, where Karmakanix happens to be, is not so appealing. I suppose I will take all the precautions I can against theft - remove the CD faceplate and stow all my loose cds in the glovebox and activate my crappy alarm system.

I called AAA at 9:00 and customer service rep "Dee" readily handled my tow request. I am covered for 5 miles of tow (lucky me, Karmakanix is about 2-3 miles from here). Perfect! The process to request a tow is altogether too easy. It's pretty awesome. So I am just waiting for him/her to arrive with the truck. Should be here before 9:50.

The Fox shall be reformed!

steeeeeerike!

Yes, torture has ended, I took my last exam today and I also went bowling with some of my classmates and a couple of hopalong architecture ladies from the 9th floor. Our evening took place at Albany Bowl, the most reputable alley in the East Bay. When we arrived, a big party was just finishing up having some kind of wicked bowl buffet. There was containers of bbq pork, 3 picked over bundt cakes, cornbread and baked beans. Not quite the meal I would advise before exercise, but then again, this is bowling.

First game I scored an 83 and the following game was an 84. Highest mph was 15.05. I roll a slow ball I guess. However, I did manage two strikes and a number of spares (some following a gutter ball) during the course of the two games.

I am very sleepy right now. I just feel like I should be up because I don't have any homework to do. It is a strange feeling.

The Fox is still out of commission. The damn heat gauge is unconsolable, even after I added coolant. I suppose it will need to be serviced. I am rather pissed. That car gets treated so well....how dare it double cross me! Blasted radiator.

Tomorrow night I will attend one of the three sold out shows for Joanna Newsom at the Great American Music Hall. I am really quite excited.

Drippy pouring rain, hookers

Yucko, it's raining so much outside. By tomorrow, there will be a huge 4" deep puddle where my car is parked. My shoes always get soaked when I try to get into my car after it rains. I should park on the street more.

Yesterday was my final studio review for school. It went so so. I have a history exam on Monday for which I haven't studied one iota. I have the book open and next to me right now, which makes me feel at least a little better.

This afternoon, around 1:30 pm, I saw a peculiar thing while waiting at the ol' F bus stop. Across the street, in front of the corner store, was a hooker and her pimp. She was hella interesting. Decked out in a mini jean skirt and suede boots, she spared no effort in trying to get the attention of people driving past her. She'd halfway lean out into the street, and kind of motion to people with strange gestures and facial expressions. I found it altogether kind of groddy. I wish that kind of shit didn't happen 100' feet from my house.

I am feeling lonely and reluctant. I think it is the lack of a social life outside my studio that is the problem, but maybe it is just the rain.

4 days, 15 hours

In the past four days, I have gotten less than 15 hours of sleep. We are countdown 36 hours until our final review (Wed at high noon). I will likely not sleep because my list of things to do is enormous.

After the final review is over (12-6pm), I have another final to go to from 6-8pm, just to add insult to injury.

Persistance

Received today at 10:45 a.m. from suspect obsessive girlfriend/fling:

"Arik, did u tell any0ne and u better n0t lie t0 me *wedding d@y 9.20.06*"

The mystery of the bad grammer lady continues - the torrid event referenced in the earlier email was apparently a wedding. Perhaps something scandalous happened before, during or after the wedding between Arik and the crazy lady.

I felt bad having not responded to the message from yesterday. I began to weigh the pros and cons of texting her back to say this isn't Arik's phone. I kind of like being at the receiving end of drama so far removed from my life. It kind of riles me up to get these kinds of messages! But then I thought about pathetic Arik and this crazy lady trying to reach him with these ridiculous messages.

I wrote her back around 3:30 to tell her that this isn't Arik's phone. She didn't write back. Strangely, I hope that she begins to wonder if Arik is just lying to her about it being the wrong number. Maybe she will send even more enraged messages later.

I can only hope.

SMS gone awry

At 9:21 a.m. I heard a familiar "beep" sound from my cell phone during class. A text message had come in. Who would be sending me something? I don't really use text messages much lately.

This is the message I received:

"Did u tell any0ne 4real. and if u did i swear t0 g0d i will never4give u and never speak t0 u again *it began 9.20.06*"

My first reaction was worry. Did I screw anyone over recently? The number did not come up with any name I recogized. Just a 510 number. I couldn't think of anyone I associate with that would use the term "4real". Still, I worried. Then I shrugged it off. I couldn't think of anything that "began" on Sept. 20 anyway.

Everyone reading this, please send a kooky message back to whoever sent me this...and make it very confusing. That would be funny. The number is 510.672.9052

Mwahh hah hhhaahha.....

What happened today

Today in history class we learned about Dumbarton Oaks, designed by founding ASLA member Beatrix Jones Farrand. When I lived in Georgetown from 1997-1999, I jogged by DO nearly 5-6 times a week. It's on "R" Street, NW next to the weird Rock Creek spooky cemetary. Anyway, in my Georgetown days, I was aware of the importance of DO but only because it was the site where dignitaries met to discuss the creation of the United Nations shortly after WW2 ended. I had no idea it was more than a fancy shmancy Georgetown house.

Apparently, DO is also one of the premiere examples of eclectic private garden design from the early 20th century. Go figure.

Anyway, all of this recalling of old times made me think about something rather remarkable. When I was in 7th grade, the rage of fashion was to have collegiate sweatshirts. People would wear Harvard, Penn, and Columbia sweatshirts. It was all very well intentioned, although I bet most of the people ended up at state schools when we graduated high school. Anyway, my sister and I got two such sweatshirts, which we shared. The sweatshirt I got was a Georgetown University sweatshirt - it was navy blue with the school's seal on it (with the eagle, not the Hoya or bulldog). The one my sister had was a Berkeley sweatshirt. It was white with blue and gold lettering and had some scrolls on it or something.

It turns out I went to both of these schools! I never even remembered this coincidence until today. Something about those sweatshirts...

Thinking about DO and that ratty old sweatshirt, I recall how much I like the environs of DC. Not particularly the social atmosphere, but in general the whole weird assortment of people, places, landmarks, diversity, politics and shenanagins. Berkeley is much different, but not worse or better. Just different, and more Asian people.

Frisbee toss

After almost three months hopeful suggestions that it might do us some good to throw a frisbee around, my classmates FINALLY relented. Saturday Dec. 2 marked the inaugural LA 101 frisbee toss. Sunday there was another frisbee event, this one held out in front of Boalt Hall, where there was more room for our athletic maneuverings.

There were several findings from these two activity-laden days:

One, I am bad at throwing frisbee uphill.
Two, my classmates like to dive, even when not necessary.
Three, none of us are that great of frisbee players.
Four, frisbee induces smiles.

I think that as long as the weather permits, we will have somewhat regular frisbee tosses around 4:00pm. So far the frisbee crew has included myself, Nat, Sam, John, Tim, Nicole and Chris. The others will be won over in time, although I don't suspect any of them are really that great at frisbee.

Booking and tow

I returned home around 1:30am. I have been walking home from school lately, but today was different. It being a Sunday, I aimed for convenience and drove to school. Headed down MLK, I spied what appeared to be three police cars in front of my apartment. Terrible thoughts ran through my mind? Robbery? Homicide!? Then I remembered I have very little that would be worth stealing...certainly not a robbery. Maybe a suspect was being chased and he ran into our complex's back parking area and now he's hididng behind all my landlord's shop equipment. Heavens! What is going on this Sunday night anyway? People should be asleep.

Then I saw it: a shoddy late 90s Cadillac Seville was pulled next to the curb and some frightened woman was standing on the sidewalk next to four officers. Apparently, her boyfriend was already in the back of one of the police cars by the time I got home. Soon a fourth police car showed up. He must have done something kind of stupid.

Now I am sitting in bed listening to the tow truck pull that car up onto it's back end...(screech, clunk, clunk, whirrrrrr, beep-beep-beep). On its way to the ol' impound lot, no doubt.

Song

This is a good song:

Peacocks, The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats have planned a tour along the west coast in March. They will be in SF on March 7 and 8. I hope to go on the 8th, but I may be in Portland to celebrate my mom's 60th. Here is a good site with a lot of their mp3s. I don't think Peacocks is a featured track, so you might need to search a little further yourself. It is worth it.

Here is a group photo from Thanksgiving!


From left to right we have: Katherine, Mike, Pedro, Miz E, Jean Paul...we've all been drinking a lot of wine and Maker's Mark by this point.


Yours truly carving the bird. It is actually very easy.

Slightly improved

So as most of you know, Google bought out Blogger a whiles back. Today I upgraded to the new version of Blogger that is supposed to have more bells and whistles. But it looks exactly the same and works exactly the same as far as I can tell. The only difference is that now my gmail address is posted on the banner. Gotta figure out how to remove that...

In other news, I went to see Borat tonight as a break from our studio toils. Sacha B. Cohen put his face into some serious ASS for that movie. He must have nightmares about filming those scenes.

Life at Wurster plods on. Tomorrow there is more serious work to be done at school but I stay optimistic because there are only numbered weeks now until the end of Fall 2006. Rest in peace.

Our Mexico City trip is still in the air due to funding debacles. I am somewhat hopeful Walter will cancel the trip, even though it would be fun to go. Planning a trip like this so last minute just would add to the s-t-r-e-s-s-i-n' levels!

I've been walking home from school the last three nights. It's been nice but I kind of fear for the safety of my valuables as MLK Jr. Way is not the most secure of streets in Berkeley. The journey has been pretty uneventful, except for when I finally get within a half block of my building. The last few nights, a young guy has been hanging out on the corner of Prince and MLK looking like he is up to something. I have no idea what that something is (or was). But, if he insists on doing it on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 2:15 a.m., then my deductive reasoning leads me to think it might have some legal implications. C'est la vie.

Thanksgiving interrupted

Yesterday, with Jean Paul and Pedro in the car on the way to our friend Mike's house, we encountered this scene:



We had to turn the car around on Telegraph Avenue and go around the blocked off area. We had a nice dinner at Mike's and later checked the paper.

This is what we found:

OAKLAND
A family dispute ends with 3 killed, 2 in custody
People dive from windows to escape gunfire after holiday gathering turned violent
- Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, November 23, 2006

Click to ViewClick to ViewClick to ViewClick to View

Three people were killed and another wounded when a North Oakland holiday get-together turned deadly Thursday afternoon. Two men were taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

There were nine people, including a child, in the third floor apartment at 5321 Telegraph Ave. when gunfire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. One man and two women were killed and another man shot, while another man suffered a broken back when he leaped from a third-floor window to escape the bullets.

Oakland police described the incident as a family dispute gone horribly wrong.

"There was an ongoing disturbance within the group,'' which had started well before the bloody Thanksgiving shooting, said Officer Roland Holmgren, an Oakland police spokesman. He declined to elaborate on the dispute or say what connections the shooter or shooters had to the victims, whose names have not been released.

While two men were arrested, Holmgren would not say whether both men had been directly involved in the shooting.

The hail of gunfire and the heavy police response sparked near-panic in the sprawling Keller Plaza apartment complex, which sits in the shadow of Highway 24. Police SWAT teams, searching for the armed suspects, banged on doors and sent residents at home for a holiday feast scurrying out onto Telegraph Avenue with only the clothes on their backs.

About 200 people were evacuated from the apartment complex, according to a Red Cross volunteer. While most were allowed back Thursday evening, the apartments around the site of the shooting remained off-limits as police investigators continued their work.

"The police told us to get out of the building and just handed us a blanket," said one man, wrapped against the evening cold. He declined to give his name.

Helicopters circled the apartment complex as police armed with assault weapons shut down four blocks of Telegraph Avenue and moved people a block away to Shattuck Avenue as they searched for the shooters. SWAT team members, including snipers and a hostage negotiator, finally tracked at least one of the suspects to another apartment in the complex, which he had barricaded against police. But after talking with the negotiator, the man surrendered without incident. At least one of the men was taken out of the complex in handcuffs shortly after 6 p.m.

Red Cross workers were on the scene to assist displaced residents. Buses and cars were rerouted. Onlookers, at least one of whom carried a paper plate filled with Thanksgiving turkey, stood on street corners and watched the police activity.

Police Lt. Kenny Whitman said several handguns were recovered at the scene. "It was a family dispute," Whitman said. "It wasn't a robbery, and it wasn't drugs."

The names and ages of the victims and the suspects had not been made public as of Thursday evening. A spokesman for the Alameda County coroner's office said that the names of the victims were being withheld pending a "police hold" on the information. The wounded man was taken to Highland Hospital with what Whitman said was a "grazing wound.''

E-mail Steve Rubenstein at srubenstein@sfchronicle.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

Toast the cornucopia and pull those yams out of the oven. 'Tis Thanksgiving and entitlement to take the day off!

All of my studio mates have promised NOT to step foot in Wurster Hall tomorrow. That said, I brought as much work as I could home. Hopefully I will be able to work on my clay model while the cranberries are sim sim simmering.

Roommate Pedro and old classmates Jean Paul and possibly Pete are headed to our good friend Mike's house at 37th and MacArthur for a little holiday cheer aroun 5:00pm. It's kind of a potluck, hence the cranberries. The meal will be followed by an episode of heavy drinking (pending how full we are).

What is going on for your Thanksgiving? Hopefully, family and friends.

Pictorials

This is Doyle Drive of the Presidio-Crissy Field area. Imagine if this elevated highway was brought below into a tunnel and earth was filled around it. How would you design the space above this underground freeway? This is our final studio project...


This is the enormous German chocolate cake we ordered for our aptly-themed happy hour earlier this month. Stilgenbashen is a wordplay on our Professor's name. She LOVED the cake. We scored brownie points for that one! Um, I mean "cake" points.

There is a door. Use it.

Apartment life, as opposed to Bateman Street life, has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage one is that there is less to take care of at our place on MLK Jr. Way. Advantage two is that the rent is less. Advantage three is that my room has its very own external exit making it possible not to ever have to leave the apartment through our front door. Advantage four is that my room's internal door is the closest to the bathroom - I can hear when people slip out of the shower and don't really have to bother to leave my bed to check. I just use my powerful sense of hearing.

That very sense of hearing, usually a blessing, has sporadically caused me great qualms when I find myself actually hanging around the house. Normally, I am at school the entire weekend. This weekend, an odd one, I find myself on my bed writing a little history paper. Anyway, the hearing problem has to do with the fact that my roommates like to use the bathroom faclities without fully closing the door. Twice alone this weekened I've been here in my room, which is less than 8 feet from the bathroom door, and heard the very noticable audible chime of peeing. Yes, loud audible peeing. Something about the way my room sits next to the bathroom makes it like an echo chamber in here. When the bathroom door is closed, this really isn't a problem - although I can hear it a little bit. But as stated, the door is regularly being left more than half the way open when my roommates relieve themselves.

I clearly do not understand. From my earliest memories, I can only recall that proper etiquette dictates we should make effort to reduce exposure to other people of the realities of our biological functioning. For example, most people will ALWAYS flush the toilet when leaving the bathroom. The idea of intentionally exposing someone to the visual of an unflushed toilet bowl is kind of preposterous, don't you think. Another example is that farting or belching loudly in public is considered very uncouthe. Sure, a quiet burp is ok and emitting some kind of silent gas at times is critical for survival. But the point of this is that we take EFFORTS to mask or reduce the impact on others of these trivial facts of life.

I would like to have this problem resolve itself and the only way I can think to do it would be to walk past the bathroom while the noise is happening in order to shock the user into exercising better privacy strategies (i.e. shut the door). I could also ask directly for the door to be shut, but I do not think that would ultimately prove successful and it seems like an awkward kind of conversation to bring up ("Say, that's some LOUD-ass peeing you got going on in there!").

They emerge at dusk and take refuge in our sewers. Beware.

Today at dusk, about 4:45 p.m., I threw on my running gear and headed out the door to get a little ejercicio. I headed up Woolsey Street from Adeline, hung a left on Claremont, then began running due west down Channing. At this point, it was about 5:20, still light out to some degree. I was passing through the area of Berkeley understood to be the fraternity and sorority area. It was rather loud on the street due to the USC/Cal showdown that day. Down the block, I had even passed a fire engine and EMS crew giving aid to some hopelessly drunk member of Delta Tau who'd taken pregaming to new and dangerous levels.

Let me get to the point of this....

On a fraternity porch, sitting like content housecats, are three enormous raccoons. Procyon lotor strikes again! I couldn't believe their audacity to just hang out like that. What I find even more strange is that they could have cared less about being seen or all the ambient noise around them. I think urban raccoons are getting a wee bit too casual and comfortable in Berkeley. They should at least stay in their dens until 9:00 p.m. or so.

A few days earlier, on Thursday night, I ended up walking all the way home from campus at 2:00 a.m. in the drizzle due to a wiley and incompetent shuttle bus driver who never showed up for the 1:15 a.m. pickup route. I was pretty lucky to have gotten home without a slip. I think the rain kept all the downtrodden criminals and such at home that night. I hardly saw anyone the whole walk home. However, I did see some coons. Crossing Adeline Street (an 80' wide street) I saw two large raccoons trotting toward me. I wanted to see what they were doing in the street like that so I veered off the sidewalk onto the road at a brisk pace. At this point, the raccoons suddenly disappeared into a storm drain. I walked by the drain and could see their glowing eyes in the moonlight and their tell-tale chittering noises.

Damn coons. Before we know it they are going to be surfacing in our toilet bowls or something.

To El Distrito Federal

It appears as though my class (well, 12 of the 14 of us) are going to Mexico City over the winter break. I am excited because this is a place I have always wanted to go. There are some fabulous sites to see from both a landscape and a city planning perspective. I even have a friend living there now. However, I am equally as unexcited because of the fact we are doing the trip over the winter break and that it has the slight potential to be a logistical night terror.

We find out about departmental funding for the tickets tomorrow.

In other developments, I am going to a movie this Friday. I can't believe it, it's been many months since I've seen anything. I have a history paper to write by Tuesday and a 30 scale chip board model to build for studio, but somethings must wait. I wanted to go see The Queen (Helen Mirren) but it looks like we'll go to another queen-genre move (Marie Antoinette). While I haven't heard anything spectacular about the performances in the latter, at least there will be some great shots of the Versailles compound to ponder.

I miss you

I really miss you, Dad. I cannot believe it's been almost three years.

In memoriam - Dale William Edmonds, b. Oct. 28, 1946, d. Nov. 14, 2003

The Apples in Stereo

Here is a link to The Apples in Stereo. Good for listening at your laptop unit...

Impressive

This picture is from way back in September, but I just found it again while looking through my old folders. You see the progression of the rebuild of the Bay Bridge, which spans from Oakland to San Francisco. Eight miles of bridge!

It's going to be very interesting when they get to the point of switching traffic from old to sparkly new...



This picture was taken while I rode the F Transbay AC Transit bus.

Oakland revealed

Although Oakland is well-known for its robberies, skuzzy burger drive-ins, Gold Teeth shops and gang-related violence, there are some overlooked gems one shouldn't miss! Let your eyes be amazed at Oakland's Morcom Amphitheater of Roses. Yes, Oakland has a Italianate renaissance rose garden, complete with water chain and grotto element.

This game is fun

Here I am playing shuffleboard. I enjoyed knocking the other team's pucks off the board.

The white junk on the board is salt.

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.