Where's my sticker?

Question:

How much would it take to include one of those cute little "I Voted" stickers in the mail-in ballots? I mean, you go to the trouble to vote early and then on election day people don't see that sticker and assume you forgot about your civic duty. They get the sticker for showing up at the very last minute!

It's the little things that count...

That said, I voted for Hillary, with a bit of worry, but I am happy with my (early) vote. Can't wait to see how it all pans out...

Gov. Schwarzenegger's budget cuts for the UC system have got our department in a shakedown. They need to trim 7% from all expenses and issue a report in a few weeks to the chancellor. It really stinks. I heard that the class I TA for is going to lose its lecturer funding. That means a senior faculty member has to volunteer to teach Introduction to Landscape Architecture. It isn't a class anyone would jump to teach, unfortunately, because it is an entry level course for undergraduates (undergrads from other departments, I might add). Not at all glamorous and a lot of required legwork. Someone told me Randy H. volunteered to teach it next spring. I hope that is good news for me as I really kind of depend on the funding the TA position brings.

I just got home and am waiting for my laundry to be done in the washer so I can change it over. Long day ahead tomorrow, but at least it will be low key.

Thursday ramblings

Heard: Looks Just Like the Sun, Broken Social Scene

Labor:
I worked on this ridiculous graphic all week for P'Boz. It is made out of three individual b&w hand drawings that I had to break apart and carefully stitch back together.

I voted, did you? Also, customer service.

With Super Toosday fast-approaching, I completed and mailed in my California Democratic Primary absentee ballot. More and more, people choose to vote in absentia. I think it is probably a good idea, especially for busy or the mobility impaired. However, there is something to be said for going to your local polling station, waiting in line, and filling in a ballot in-person. I am a little miffed that my absentee status means that I will not be able to vote in person come November. However, I think they allow folk like me to drop off their ballots in person. But it's not quite the same thing now, is it?

Today I also experienced two excellent on the phone (OTP) customer service sessions. Dell has a feature on their web site called Click to Call feature. I wondered if it was even worth trying.



Clicking on the button, I was prompted to select a call back time. Choices are immediately, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min. I chose 1 min and got a call promptly back in 60 seconds (but was put on hold for about 25 seconds when the line was answered....but that's not too bad!). What is cool about this feature is that the person who is calling you knows what product you have been looking at on line and they are prepared to answer questions about that product genre, to assist you with an otp purchase, etc. It's very clever. The guy on the phone was also from America, as far as I could tell and seemed to be a reasonably chipper fellow. (Dell's technical support, on the other hand, usually contracts you out to India. A couple weeks ago when calling about a busted keyboard, I talked to Adnan in New Delhi for over an hour.)

Total time on phone to make inquiry and purchase two products: 7 min

Later in the evening, I had to call AT&T to set up a start-service for our phone and DSL service. After I gave her my basic info (name, SSN, DL#, address) she told me that she would call me back in 10 min to save me from having to wait otp with her while she did a residency and credit check. She called back in exactly 10 minutes and was just as helpful as I could ever hope, remembering my name and exactly where we left off when we'd hung up. She even tried to find out if I could qualify for low income land line service when I told her I was a grad student. On top of that, I also found out her and I share the some astrological sign. She was born on the 17th of August. Myself, the 11th.

Total time otp: 20 min



Totoal

The Sausalito Waterfront tour

My spring studio is spending 7+ weeks investigating design interventions along the Sausalito waterfront. Most of Sausalito is tourist central, but there are large expanses of the waterfront that are nearly impossible to navigate as a pedestrian. It will be our challenge to reveal the potential of these many spots.

Just a few pictures....most of the ones I will actually use are too boring to post here. Here are the more interesting ones.


This is a public trail in Sausalito with a rather rigid looking fence that the property owner can close or open without notice.


This is Tuxedo, the mixed lab that accompanied us on the tour of Sausalito's waterfront today.


This is an interior shot of Spaulding Wooden Boatbuilding School. Here is the current project, the Freda, built in 1885. The hull is being reconstructed. Spaulding finishes about one boat each year.


This is the hood of a very interesting set of wheels.

The good and the not so good

Today's pick: Chris Walla's new tunes
Today's punk: Another dude on Capitol Hill. Go figure....

Fred Thompson's company

Today, in step with Fred Thompson's announcement, my stepfather dropped out of the City of Beaverton mayoral race. See the full story in today's Oregonian.

Bruce cited problems relating to his health as being the main reason for stepping out. I believe he would have made a good mayor. That aside, I am actually relieved I didn't have to hear about the race antics, hob-knobbing, administrative drudgery, fundraising events, uninvited photo-opts, and all the related angst entailed in a typical municipal election.

I have a sense that the prospect of avoiding any one of those things would improve one's health...

I like it when my truck's balls get noticed....

There is a line of vehicle accessories available for purchase that allow you to give your truck or motorbike a pair of big silicone balls. Who ever came up with this shit amazes me....I'd love to meet her/him. In any case, the state of VA is considering banning those balls as they constitute a real distraction to drivers.

The add-on accessory of a pair of lipstick prints on the ball-sack of choice resolves the question of why the Muslims hate us.

But before the Muslims blow us away, they should consider these fine set of special-edition balls as an indicator of American virtue....link to video.

Best new thing to eat

This yogurt is the most delicious. It isn't diet food, but it's not full fat either. Too bad only one store I know carries it...

Wire-tapped

TV status: Tonight marks my completion of Season 1 of The Wire. At least for this viewer. Could I get through Season 2 before next week?? It's possible, but I should probably save it for the hard times I'll see over the next few months.

Neck and headache discomfort status: worse than ever....will seek professional advice..

Work status: progress comes slow....meaning I can't take off after sunset anymore

Computer status: new keyboard, hibernation button, and right speaker. This thing is actually looking real good!

New roommate status: Arrival TBA, but this weekend is the best guess. She is quiet, and doesn't seem to answer emails. Ever. It's weird.

Happily wired

...starting episode 10 of season 1 of The Wire. I am content with this broadcast addiction.

Mavericks, couch chicks

This Saturday was the amazing annual event for the surfing world, Mavericks. I've never actually attended the event, but I usually spend a good day or two marveling over the photos that result from the competition. Here are a couple I swiped of the Chronicle.



Friday, January 11 (1/11/08) was an event for Mr. ??? at 111 Minna Gallery. It was a free event, which was nice, but it also got rather crowded. Some of the pieces I thought had more entertainment value than others....but it is all very subjective.

Hope for Hil yet

Hillary's unexpected victory in NH disrupts Barak Obama's hopes for an early sweep. I am very glad the race is still head to head. Leave it to those New Hampshire-ites to go against the popular grain.



Live free or die, you dirty Iowan scum!!! Or at least I imagine that's how it might go down in a state to state faceoff.

The next primary (So. Carolina?) will be full of tension, as it should be.



And, of course, the Republican primary in NH also delivered favorable results. The most favorable.....Still, that's not saying much!

Fun at the slide library, Apple style

Since about 1pm, I've been in the slide library. It's a somewhat dreary place. Full of old fashioned slide drawers with dusty tops.

I haven't been pulling sildes from these drawers, per se, but I have been getting some practice on an Apple computer they have in here as the patron workstation. I can't say the thing has a ton of advantages in terms of navigation. The mouse can hardly do a damn thing. So much for scroll capacity. It takes twice as much mousework to move files around as it does on an IBM computer. I have no idea why they don't incorporate a more dynamic mouse.

In other news, it is raining hard.

Update to come.

Making mom proud on the New Year

My final grades for Fall 2007 are below. My name isn't on the readout, but trust me, they are mine. And no, that is not an A- for the drawing class. It is an A+.



I slipped marking the New Year. Since I had this blog, I think I've mentioned the New Year regularly. As it stands, I am one week late to do so. But better late than never.

Here is to an exciting 2008. Looking forward to early November, when things really start to get shaking!

Until then, I will be a slave-student and shall continue to eat most of my meals out of plastic containers.

Oh dear, my tea is moving.

Ants. Ants tend to invade Bay Area homes during spells of wet weather, seeking a dry refuge and perhaps a snack. Since I've lived on Grove Street, we've suffered a couple ant attacks after seasonal rains. This weekend, the entire Bay Area has experienced more than a few days of downright damp weather. Fittingly, the ants returned to our abode, uninvited, and in great numbers.

I first noticed something awry from a distance when the cup of tea I'd left full on my nightstand appeared to be moving. Inspecting it closer, I found about 50 drowned victims inside the mug, with at least 25 comrades circling the perimeter of the cup edge. Those guys got flushed.

Along my wall, a trail of several 100 strong was homing in on my small bedside trash can. No food was in there to speak of, only some empty Reese's wrappers (Halloween candy leftovers) and a damp tea bag or two. Despite the lack of adequate food, the ants had invaded the trash bag without any hesitation to note.

The rest of the devils were given the ultimate ant treatment. Sprayable bleach. So now my room smells like Clorox, but at least it is ant free. Ants die immediately upon bleach treatment. However, it is unclear whether hardy survivors may later breed to create a super generation of ants that withstand most chemical assaults. It is the risk you take, I suppose.

I will continue to monitor the source of invasion (a crack in my wall) until I am confident the ant warriors are disbanded and in full retreat.

This is Josie, the Australian Shephard I helped dogsit over Christmas.

An evening with friends

Tonight I attended a very pleasant post-holiday gathering. It took place at friends of my sister's, just down the street near NE 40th and Skidmore. The theme was, specifically, "Port, wine, chocolate and cheese."

The hosts supplied a hefty amount of all promised menu items. The favorites were these homemade dipped caramel-filled peppermint chocolates, with crushed candy cane garnish. We also sampled a tempting white port (more light brown than anything) directly from Portugal that our hosts, Brett and Jessica, picked up in Lisbon this past fall.

There were only four other guests at the party apart from the two hosts, my sister and myself. Two couples, both residents of the same neighborhood, provided intersting stories and commentary.

The first couple operate a high end office and accessories store on NE Alberta.....they were responsive when I asked them if they were planning to carry any of the Freitag line. They responded that this Spring was the launch date, given some delays to shipping and product line agreements....I am not particularly fond of the Freitag line, but I do recognize its current market potential. To set the record straight, I am not a fan of the line because I find it panders to a crowd of snobby status-seeking design types who pay too much for a semi-decent product line. In any case, the brand promises a lot of profits to upscale retailers and apparently it was of current interest to these guys. Perhaps it was the port?.....

The next couple was a nationally known band member and his girlfriend, who also works in the music production biz. Chris W. of Death Cab is an easygoing and relaxed dude and his girlfriend is equally or more as engaging and interested in all things ranging from academic to domestic. It was fun to hear about their on the road stories. I really like the fact that Portland breeds of an atmosphere where rock star profiles find time in their (post-holiday) schedules to fraternize with locals in their neighborhood, talk about things outside their sphere of knowledge (or interest), and do it with amazing success and clarity. I could hang out in Portland on a permanent basis with great happiness with friends of a similar caliber....

Aside from the great party, I leave for Berkeley tomorrow night. For the next several hours I am supposed to figure out how to feed 16-18 people over three days....

It's gift giving day

Concert wrap up:
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks played on Friday night. From what I did hear, it was a fine performance. However, circumstances required a rushed departure. Pre-performance we visited Ron Tom's, also on Burnside, where my sister and I met a couple of annoying dudes whose version of mingling to us seemed more like medieval torture.

Saturday I was a shopping drone.

Sunday it is very wet here. I am going to go food shopping with Sarah and then I am off to Vancouver for an annual gift exchange tradition.

Shall I return not bearing candles or themed socks.

Destination: Malkmus

Off to see Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Report following....

It's a holiday tradition

Shopping for the holidays is an annual rite of passage. I tend to try and do all my shopping in 1-2 days, sometimes with favorable results, sometimes the opposite. Today was a decent attempt. Several gifts were procured:

1. Pirateology - gift for nephew Everett, age 7

2. Life of Pi - gift for nephew Alex, age 15

3. Pacifica lotion - gift for exstepmother Stephanie. This particular one smells like Chai. It is amazing.

4. Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolour set - gift for sister Sarah