Chocolate, textures, glue, Hotmail guy

Here are some things I recently decided I like:


Alter Eco dark chocolate with a dabble of milk chocolate.

Mayang's Texture Library
This site basically makes my life as a computer monkey much easier.

Weldbond Glue
This glue puts Elmer's to shame.

Us over at 3110 Grove Street in Berkeley hosted a rather successful end-of-the-year blow out celebration last Friday. Countless beers were consumed as was a 2.5 liter jug of Maker's Mark. As a Maker's honorary ambassador, I am obligated to serve copious amounts of this special bourbon at any social function I host or help host.

Aside from the good times had from the consumption of Kentucky moonshine, we had an notable guest at our party. The founder of Hotmail, Sabeer Bhatia, showed up at my crummy apartment.


This is Sabeer.

At one point in the evening, someone told me that a rich dude was at my party. Later, I saw some chap I didn't recognize in my kitchen doing yoga poses with some Brazilian ladies who my roommate Pedro invited. I assumed it was the Hotmail guy. Turns out I was right. I later found out my friend Stefan invited Sabeer to our party, so it wasn't like he just showed up unannounced. I wonder if he noticed our dirty carpet...

Haleh Esfandiari

You know the world is a messed up place when someone you used to work with gets sent to an Iranian prison...

Haleh, I hope to all that is holy that Lee Hamilton can get you out of there. If anyone can do it, it is Lee. You are a strong woman but you need help to get out of this one I fear.

My prayers are with you and Shaul.

******************
Tehran Jails Iranian American Scholar After Long House Arrest

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 9, 2007; Page A12

Iran yesterday detained prominent American academic Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Smithsonian Institution's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, according to center president and director Lee H. Hamilton and Esfandiari's husband.

Esfandiari, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who has lived in the United States for more than a quarter-century, has been under virtual house arrest since December, when the government refused to allow her to leave Iran after visiting her 93-year-old mother. Since then, she has been summoned repeatedly for interrogations by intelligence officials about U.S. programs on Iran. In particular, she was questioned about Iran programs at the Wilson Center, one of Washington's most prominent foreign policy think tanks.

Esfandiari was summoned by the intelligence ministry again yesterday but was then taken to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, the sources said.
Esfandiari is one of three "soft hostages," all dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, whose passports have been confiscated by the Iranian government, rendering them unable to leave the country.

The United States has not faced such tension over Americans held in Iran since the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held for 444 days. Until Esfandiari' s detention yesterday, the Wilson Center and her family had sought to avoid publicity in hopes that she would be granted a new passport.

Esfandiari and the other soft hostages appear caught up in an Iranian reaction to the Bush administration's $75 million program to promote democracy in Iran, which was unveiled last year. Tehran has since cracked down on human rights advocates, labor groups and women's rights campaigners, according to human rights activists.
"The government's justification for these actions is usually couched as a response to the State Department's announcement to provide financial support to Iranian civil society and nongovernment organizations," said Hadi Ghaemi of Human Rights Watch. "This has fueled a perception among the Iranian politicians that the U.S. is committed to instigating a 'velvet revolution' in Iran. Ironically, the Iranian Americans who travel to Iran mostly stay away from politics and are not by any means part of the 'regime change' advocates. But they have become pawns in the hands of Iranian government as it charts its strategy in engaging with the U.S."

During her interrogations, Esfandiari was pressured to make false confessions or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no role, Hamilton said. Esfandiari was contacted again a few days ago and asked to "cooperate" with intelligence ministry officials, which she refused. On Monday she was told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence again. When she arrived yesterday, she was taken to Evin Prison. It is unclear whether she has been formally charged with any offense.
Hamilton, a former congressman and Iraq Study Group co-chairman, wrote Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Feb. 20 appealing for Esfandiari to be allowed to leave. "I said the Wilson Center did not receive any money from the U.S. government for the purpose of trying to influence or to determine specific policies or direction of the Iranian government," Hamilton said in an interview yesterday. "We've been very transparent about our dealings. . . . We have offered a wide array of viewpoints. That's our role."

In a subsequent conference call with reporters, he added, "The interrogators could have gotten all the information with a few clicks on the Wilson Center Web site."
Hamilton's Iraq Study Group report in December urged the Bush administration to deal with Tehran on the issue of Iraq. "It is our view that in diplomacy, a nation can and should engage its adversaries and enemies to try to resolve conflicts and differences," the report said. "Diplomatic talks should be extensive and substantive." The Wilson Center did not receive a response from the Iranian president's office.

Esfandiari has brought in many scholars and analysts from Tehran to speak at the Wilson Center, one of the few places in Washington to offer a robust range of opinions on Iran. "The irony is, in Washington she faced criticism for bringing in people who were sympathetic to the Iranian government," said Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "By detaining her the Iranian government only eliminates an advocate for diplomacy and strengthens the voices of those in Washington who say the regime is cruel and should not be engaged."

The ordeal for Esfandiari, a Potomac resident married to George Mason University professor Shaul Bakhash, began Dec. 30 when she was on her way to the airport to return to Washington and her taxi was stopped by three men with knives who threatened to kill her. They took her belongings, including her Iranian and U.S. passports. When she tried to get a replacement passport, she was "invited" to an interview with a man from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. Interrogations continued almost daily for six weeks, up to eight hours a day. She was allowed to return to her mother's home at night.

Iran confiscated the passport of Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima when she arrived in Tehran in January, also to see an ailing mother. She, too, has undergone interrogations and was asked to collaborate with intelligence, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Jeffrey Gedmin. Azima's attorney was told last month that she would have to stay in Iran "two or three years." The third, who does not want to be identified, was refused her passport and right to leave the country for six months.

A fourth American, former FBI agent Robert A. Levinson, disappeared after he flew to Iran's Kish Island in March. Tehran has denied any knowledge of Levinson's location.

Imaginary places...

Today's earthquake

A mere 3.0, but Wurster Hall shook up a little bit over here in Berkeley. That's 10 stories of Cold-War era concrete moving around.



Side note: I find it a little troubling that this is the type of map the USGS web site still uses to notify people of where an earthquake took place. It looks like something from 1973. I don't even thing the bridge interchange is like that anymore and I don't know what the radio tower is.

I'm under 100

For the first time in five years, my LDL cholesterol is under 100. Usually, I run about 120, which causes my doctor a little disdain.

I have nothing to really attribute this point loss to other than the fact that I regularly take a lot of fish and flax oil. I began taking the oil every morning at the request of my eye doctor in January 2006. Taking a mixture of fish, flax and borage oils can help relieve dry eye symptoms, especially in the post-opt period after lasik eye surgery.

Apparently, it can also be correlated to improved circulatory health as well.

Reiteration

Albums to pick up...

Sondre Lerche, Two Way Monologue
Kings of Leon, Because of the Times (unfavorably reviewed by Pitchfork)
Bjork, Volta
Panda Bear, Person Pitch

Photoshop collage

Here is one of the multitude of Photoshop collages I will do over the next two years. God help me.

Kites, jobs (or lack thereof), relocation

Quick updates on the fly:

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 26, 3-6pm at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley there will be an amazing feat of kite flying. Students in our department have organized a great afternoon to make and launch kites. Prizes for person most able to maneuver. It shall be grand and amazing. We're closing the waterfront side of the park for OUR purposes ONLY, which is to drink free beer (hopefully), let loose on the kites, and maybe even play some frisbee when our kites fall apart in the wind. Throw in some cartwheels and photo opts while you're at it. Kind of wish I had a real kite...

No job leads for me yet. I am concerned, yet optimistic. The game plan is to relocate to Portland for the summer unless something comes up down here. I figure I can live for free in Stumptown and I'm ripe for a change of venues, anyway. I will look for some kind of menial service work if all else fails (and it probably will!).

I just at a box of Good & Plenty. Now I will close up shop here at school, and wander down to catch the Door-to-Door shuttle.

Long day, but a good one.

Guilty

I've done this.

Some new clothes, a fundraiser, and Spats

Nothing has been happening on this blog lately, save for a rollerskating ipod-listening Ray Smuckles. My life has been kind of boring lately, just working a lot, and feeling depressed about not having a job. The big job I wanted in Portland I ended up not getting. Not really a huge surprise, but I was actually hopeful about it. So now I have to figure out a backup plan. I wish I had more time to devote to this.

Last weekend I went to crappy Bay Street and bought some clothes. They weren't fun clothes, but just some things that I needed - jeans, sweater, tank top, and pants. I was quite economical in procuring the items. I spent about $250 in 2 hours. I felt good that I got something out of it. Spending time shopping and coming home empty handed is more than frustrating.

Saturday night I am going to a fundraiser in the Haight in the honor of Kaye Bock. She was our graduate advisor who suddenly died in January. People have raised several thousands of dollars since then to create a memorial scholarship in her name to help graduate students entering the city planning program at Berkeley. There are several fundraisers happening over the next few weeks. I have a ton of work to do, but I am going to cut studio and go to this fundraiser. It should be a nice party.

Thursday night some of my classmates took one of the undergrads in our department out to celebrate his 21st birthday. It's kind of strange, but all of us old folks have a great friendship with him, and we were all really happy to take him out to the bars. I think he had a good time, despite the fact we ended up at one of the creepier bars ever, Spats on Shattuck. They have a very precise bartender and a list of some of the weirdest drinks ever. I give them points for detail and presentation. The "Fog-cutter" is such a drink that draws wows. It's a small snifter glass serves on top of a large mug with dry ice in it. It comes to the table billowing fog. What I didn't know about dry ice until last night is that it is actually a heat-expelling reaction. The dry ice gives off heat as it interacts with air. I had no idea about that one.

Inspire

Here is a picture of the lifestyle I lead:



This is what the studio appears like after we've had pretty much three all nighters. Before I took the picture, I removed about 8 beer bottles and pizza crusts from the table in the center.

Two new albums

I've been in studio since Thursday pulling all nighters in anticipation for this Wednesday's final pin up. We are designing some artist's studio spaces that are built out of containers. Yes, freight containers.

During all this worktime, we listen to music together as a group a lot. Today, for I swear no less than an hour, someone was playing possibly every Van Morrison song ever recorded. It was AWFUL. I cannot stand Van Morrison. Listening to him is the worst torture. Anyway, it was during this torture session that I stormed off to Rasputin Music. I needed some new music that I could concentrate on and hopefully turn up over the drone of Brown Eyed Girl. Ugh.

Here is what I settled on, both albums are really quite good:

Willy Mason, If the Ocean Gets Rough
I saw Willy Mason live almost two years ago. I predict he is taking off. Soar-ing.

Stars of Track & Field, Centuries Before Love and War (not sure I understand why it's called this....)

Gee, thanks.

Today I received a check in the mail from the IRS. Strange, seeing that this year I owed money and actually wrote the government a check about a month or so ago for upwards of $3000.

The check just came in a simple window envelope with no note attached (perhaps saying something like "Hey, idiot, you overpaid your taxes. We are graciously cutting a check, but watch it next time....."). But I really do not think I overpaid my taxes. The only thing I think it might be is the Earned Income Tax Credit option. Last year, I filed my taxes, got a small return back, and later received another check in the mail with a note that said they figured out I paid too much. But this check had no such note attached. Just a check for $495. I wondered if it was some check cutting scheme (like the one Bush did in 2001), but I asked around my apartment and none of my roommates had heard that was happening again.

Has anyone else received such checks from the IRS?

Portfolio redux

The title page is still hideous, but here are some of the rest of the pages from aforementioned portfolio.

Glam crack habit

Do any of you out there have a web site addiction that you are even a little shy about telling people about? Sure you do. The usual suspects are suicidegirls, CL, online betting, or online porn. My addiction is the stuff of grocery store checkout lines.

Yes, it's the online version of US magazine. I simply can't get enough. I check this stuff 2-3 times a day. I yearn for new entries. I love all the vicious camera angles and the dirty looks celebrities give me day in, day out.

First I started here.

Now I go here, too.

There is a whole smattering of celebrity blogs out there but these two tend to have the best stories and angle. My professor caught me looking at one of these a while back and I really had nothing to say for myself. These are the kinds of web sites that make celebrity life really the last thing you'd ever want to dabble in.

I've done my work to get a job

This entire past week I've been at the damn computer screen resizing, reformatting, exporting maps, and touching up a bunch of my work from the past year. It's a tedious and tiring process, but as of this minute I am done!

Welcome to portfolio production 101, ladies and gentlemen.



The entire purpose of the portfolio is to impress people you don't know and will likely never even meet. You have to carefully choose your layout and template according to the types of places you are applying to. It's all about selling yourself, and boy, I see myself as just a couple weeks from being moved to the markdown pile. I'm doing this all not for permanent work, but for a mere internship that probably pays piddle-squat. Still, I continue to plod on...

Now I move on to my Computer Applications in Environmental Design midterm, which I was supposed to have started last week. It is due in three days and I have piddle-squat done for it. I put finding summer work before my grade in this class. We will see how that pans out next week.

Movies I watched while performing the portfolio assembly tasks:

The Princess Bride
Match Point
An Inconvenient Truth

I wine, I dine.

This week, despite my aversion to streaks of eating out, I have dined at some rather amazing eating places. Here is the low down. Portland is a gem when it comes to the dining life. There is no restaurant tax, so that saves you about 10% right off the top. The food prices at nice places, however, is about the same you'd pay anywhere in San Francisco.

Genoa, SE Belmont. Legendary establishment in Portland, since probably before I was born.

Andina, Pearl District on Glisan. A new flashy Nuevo-Peruvian Andean cuisine place. It was nice, if a bit too clean and sterile. Good service from a red headed white dude who attempted to use a Latino accent in his menu pronun-cia-ciones.

Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill, NE Alberta near Wilshire Park. Haven't eaten here YET, but I will have by 800pm PST.

A Kia will do me in.

While in Portland this week I am driving a Budget rental car, a Kia Spectra. At first, I thought the car was fine (even nice), but after tonight I have decided the car wants to ruin me somehow.

Problem one began on a rainy evening with family members in the car impatient to get to the restaurant we had 7:30 reservations for. I couldn't get the damn car out of park. The button on the shifter would not fricking BUDGE, no matter how I tried. I tried all the things you are thinking - having the e-brake on/off, putting pressure on the foot break while trying to disengage, turning it on and off and trying again, hitting the dash, etc. Nothing worked and we ended up having to leave the car and taking someone else's. Everyone got wet changing cars and were crabby for the whole ride over to Genoa.

Later I discovered that the only way to get it out of park is to have your damn foot FULLY down on the foot break as hard as possible. It's the only way the button will budge out of park. So I felt a little dumb, but I was willing to give the Kia another try. Tonight, however, was the last damn straw. My whole life almost was obliterated into a million pieces on a very busy road.

It began as I was leaving (another) restaurant. I used the key lock button to open the car, put my foot fully on the break, disengaged it out of park, and began rolling toward home. As soon as I get on the freeway, I notice in my rearview that the fucking trunk door is rising. The trunk is now OPEN and I am on the FREEWAY and my LAPTOP is laying on top of the baggage quite UNSECURED!!!!

If it has fallen out of the trunk, what will I do without this laptop? It's like thinking what you might do without basic bodilly functions you take for granted everyday. You really don't ever want to consider that this MIGHT happen. And most likely, you have done zilch to prepare for such a thing to happen (I recently bought an external backup drive, but I haven't yet put ANYTHING on it, so that doesn't really cut the mustard now does it?).

I belted out a couple Kia-themed expletives and looked for a place to pull over on 26. The layout of this freeway, you might want to know, is NOT a place anyone should EVER pull over if they can possibly avoid it. People die all the time doing the exact same thing I was about to do, which was to exit the Kia and inspect the trunk's contents, resecure it, and be on my way.

You may have gathered that the laptop was still in there when I got out of the car. You are correct, but I swear it was only in there by the pittying grace of God.

I will now only put junk and garbage in that jerry rigged trunk. For God sake, the thing opens up without any notice. What kind of trunk is that?

Maple

These were produced for my plants identification class. Today we had our midterm, which involved a long walk and identifying 30 plants by their scientific and common names. Sadly, Acer palmatum was not part of the selected plant palette.

Update on the rodent: He's been quiet as a, well, mouse. No evidence suggests he is either dead or alive, though.

Mouse

There is a tiny mouse living on the other side of the apartment in Garrett's room. Pedro and Garrett almost caught it in a likewise tiny trap the other night, but it managed to escape after both of them surrounded it in Garrett's room.

I hope to God that thing doesn't migrate over on my turf.

Paper topic change

I recently found this note attached to the sheet I have posted outside my desk for office hours. It is hilarious that she acknowledges slackerhood in a note. I feel like that might be something you mention verbally, but should never make a written record of. Kids...

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

Hi Rachel -

I've only gotten some sources but haven't organized them in a way that I could present them to you for help. Can I email you with questions tomorrow or Wednesday?

Sorry I'm such a slacker. I'll see ya in class.

Thanks a lot,
May*


*named changed to remain anonymous

Plug

Here is a link to my latest assignment for Computer Applications in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning.

Returned to service

Today the evil cast unit was removed. The experience was not something I want to remember. A vibrating saw is used to get it off and they cut right down to your arm. Supposedly, the saw cannot break skin, but all other indicators told me this was the real deal. And I was afraid and would have preferred scissors.



The scratches and red spots are places where the cast was bothering me and where I itched it with the handle of a plastic fork.

Black babies, shoeboxes

This disturbing black baby was encountered at 1820 Harmon Street today. We went there to interview an artist. I sat opposite the little guy and he was creeping me out. This picture doesn't convey his sinister smirk very well.


Malus floribunda, Japanese Flowering Crabapple


Strelitzia reginae, Bird of Paradise


Fun with shoeboxes...

ATV and Sunset Magazine living

Here I am busting around the Sierra Foothills in a sweet all terrain vehicle! Note that I am NOT wearing a safety restraint. Also note that the ATV is actually stationary.




We were on a 47 acre plot of land in the Sierras this Sunday. We took a hike through the manzanita groves.


We ate dinner under this loggia thingy. It was all illuminated by candles in a very Martha Stewart-esque fashion.

Beer and broccoli

I just had an interesting dinner of goji berries, steamed broccoli and carrots, and one Anchor Steam Beer. I feel a little bloated by all these dinner ingredients. Hopefully this will pass soon enough because I have to FTP my GIS (Geographic Information Systems) assigment before the clock strikes 12.

Beer is delicious at school. Second only to bourbon.

My cast is beginning to turn to graveyard dust and is falling apart. I might turn this mother out in a day or two or if I get drunk enough, which ever comes first. My appointment for official removal is Thursday, but that is just hella long off.

Headed to Portland this Friday to surprise my mother at her 60th birthday party. I am supposed to show up at a bowling alley unannounced. I got an Evite from my step dad...apparently the crew is going to Red Robin before bowling to consume vast quantities of calories. At least it won't break the bank. I will hopefully be eating something very delicious and not prepared in a fry daddy.

Another milestone this week: I successfully lectured for 8-10 minutes in front of my LA 130 class. I talked about the landscapes of Mexican Architect Luis Barragan. It went pretty well, partly because I actually prepared and practiced my talk, making sure there was consistency between the verbal presentation and the slides. Today I helped with the midterm exam review session where I spouted off some facts and observations with great ease, surprisingly.

Who have you lectured lately?

Smell

Today I noticed that my cast now officially smells like feet. I thought that since it is a waterproof cast that I would never be bothered with this problem. However, technology is just that, it is not perfect. The cast has been retaining water more and more. It is usually semi-damp in there.

Typing on my computer today, I noticed that it smelled fainly like feet. Immediately, I assumed it was the guy across the studio divider from me. He is Australian and tends to walk around with his feet exposed, so I just blamed the smell on him. I mean, after all, he is Australian. These people come from a lineage of pirates and thieves tossed away by the Crown - it's likely they have poor hygiene, too.

Happy to have found the culprit, I rested my chin on my casted palm and noticed the smell suddenly grew in intensity. I put my nose down in there and really gagged. I can't wait to get this petrie dish off of me. Yuckos.

The Bomb, Survival and YOU.

Today I was in our environmental design library looking for a book with pictures and diagrams on tree houses and yurt-like structures. In the same shelf, an old book caught my eye. Turns out it's a genuine real-deal artifact from the Cold War. I love this stuff! Remember the turtle and "Duck and Cover"?

Published in 1954, the book speaks of quite a different world than we find ourselves in today:

Model student

I am considering copyrighting this...

Limb update

My left wrist is still rightly broken. It's been approximately three weeks since my fall. Cast: adequate condition, takes longer to dry lately than it did last week.

Many x-rays have been taken...two in the last two weeks and another one when I first broke it. Doctor assures me healing process is going fine. When I asked him whether it was ok that the cast is getting loose, he replied something like, "Well, casts don't really secure the limb that well, anyway, so don't worry. They really just are there to remind you to be careful with it." Hmm.

I should be doing push ups in no time, right?

I need to get back to my diagramming...

Yes, that would be mine. Thank you.

I arrived home tonight around 1:42 a.m., arms full of groceries from Safeway, and happened upon a little discovery. Clumsilly ascending the steps to my personal deck entrance, I noticed something very familiar draped over the railing.

Yes, that would be my black bra right there. It's outside. In the parking area. Hung over the stair railing. For me to happen upon it.



Hmm.

Well, I guess I am impressed that someone in this apartment community figured out it was mine. That was nice of them, I think.

This week's plants

This is called Michelia doltsopa - Michelia


Chaenomeles cvs. - Flowering Quince


Phormium tenax - New Zealand Flax


Corylus avellana 'Contorta'- Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

Proper search

You can install greasemonkey to add script that makes your Google search page look a bit different...ala Ray and Roast Beef!

Snap shot

Last night, I managed to get tickets to a sold out Camera Obscura show at Bimbo's in SF. The band performed very well and mentioned they liked the 70 degree temperatures in the city that day.


Tracy Anne Campbell, courtesey of Woody's blackberry-phone-computer-camera-all-in-one-office-apparatus.

Hamburger

This evening, while crossing the street in the pouring rain, I was stopped by a woman in a large late model Cadillac who wanted to know where she could buy a quality hamburger.

I had no umbrella, had a cast on my arm, and was literally getting soaked by the second, but this lady had no qualms about stopping me in the middle of the street to ask where she could get her grill on. I told her the places she could go in matter of a few seconds, but then she wanted directions. Oddly, I was patient with her and told her the location of the Smokehouse, at Telegraph and Woolsey. Then I gave her a backup alternative - Jack in the Box - just south of Alcatraz.

People that are so demanding for hamburger information astound me.


I really don't think the burger I sent this lady after looked anything like this...

Casted

This is my current inconvenience, possibly lasting for the next 5 weeks.

Bought, enjoyed