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Tango!

February 14th, 2006 11:31pm. General

I just got back from Argentine Tango practica (I’m taking a 4 week course at Metronome).

I understand how someone might feel strongly that some types of music and dance are disgustingly barbaric. As I took my partner into my hands, I was struck intensely with how delicate and sensitive an instrument my partner’s body is. At the first touch, when my brain told my body “dance now” it wanted to do that crude American swaying waltz where we lean into one another and push one another around the dance floor. My dance partner Andrea, being an excellent dancer and the class instructor, was so sensitive to my every nuanced move that I immediately felt as if I would rattle her apart if I asked her to ride this coarse energy flow. Like plugging a 110 volt lightbulb into a 220 volt outlet!

Once I got going, the dance was terrific. Just walking around the room can be real dance. I have many contented bubbles of thought and feeling about how pleasant dance can be. Rather than push them out to my fingers, I’m going to go to sleep with a smile on my face.

Thank you Peggy and Benn[something (grr, my memory!)] for the excellent dance and conversation! And to Andrea and the man who was happy to follow my lead.

Web Site Design and Life

February 14th, 2006 5:45pm. General

A friend asked me my thoughts on how he could make a good web site for himself that wouldn’t put off potential employers and that he’d still like for himself. I looked over my reply and realized that most of it applies to life as well.

Do anything. Just do it well. Put care into it and people will notice. Be honest about it. Keep it relatively current.

You said that you wanted to make your site like mine. Mine a mish-mosh of stuff I’ve done over the past 10+ years. My homepage has an ancient design but it’s functional. I have no eye for design and I know it but I forge ahead. I’m sure that my personality shows through in a positive way because I put in the effort.

Last Weekend

February 13th, 2006 4:41pm. General, Product Reviews

My weekend product review:

Marrakesh in Sacramento: Food-excellent. Atmosphere-fantastic. Baklava-so intoxicating I lost my balance. Belly Dancing-the best I’ve ever seen. Her technical belly dancing skills were remarkable with total, very tight control over rapid movements and isolating body parts perfectly.

Gallery Horse Cow, Pink Party in Sacramento- Amazingly fun, Awsome place. They went all out. The cops broke up the party at 12:45 am because uumm because there is no fun allowed of any kind! (I’ll give 5 points to whoever knows where that quote is from. Hint: B. M. M. B.)

Laura in Sacramento: Better than cats. I’ll see her again and again ;-)

The Horse and Goat in Sacramento: (what’s it called again? That’s not the name) Great ambiance, ok omlette.

Holly’s shindig, art and hospitality: wonderful terrific!

My new bed back in SF: great

New shelving in SF: not installed yet but finally in the house

:-)

Seeing Philip Glass Sunday - Join me

February 13th, 2006 4:23pm. General

I’m seeing Philip Glass at Davies Symphony Hall this weekend. Most likely NAQOYQATSI on Sunday night.

Join me!
Write to me and we’ll go together.

I’m reserving my tix very soon. And I’m going to meet up with an old co-worker, Steven Y.! We worked together in New York.

Dancing then dancing

February 11th, 2006 3:39pm. General

This morning I took my first Argentine Tango dance class of 4 with Victoria. Hurray!

This evening, I’ll be having a time in Sacramento and Laura with pink parties and belly dancers!

I’d write more but I gotta run!

Be at the Pillow Fight!

February 10th, 2006 11:51pm. Other Sources

—-/ The Squid List /————————————————–

Pillow Fight!

Valentine’s Day, Tuesday Feb. 14

6:00pm

Free

—-/ Event Description /———————————————–

It’s not a flash mob, it’s a

PILLOW FIGHT!!!

Rules:
1) Tell everyone you know about PILLOW FIGHT!!!
2) Wait for the Ferry Building clock to strike 6:00pm
3) Don’t hit anyone with out a pillow (unless they want it)
4) Don’t hit anyone with a camera
5) HAVE FUN!!!

(Rain plan: put your pillow in a plastic bag, see Rules 1 - 5)

Links:

wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow_Fight_Club
London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63511593@N00/sets/19017
Madrid: http://www.madridmobs.net/correveidile_coment.php3?
id_breve=16#forum148
Tel Aviv: http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?
contrassID=2&subContrassID=3&sbSubContrassID=10&itemNo=549086
Toronto: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/archives/photos_concerts_events/
051114_1362.shtml

—-/ Venue Info /——————————————————

Justin Herman Plaza, by the fountain
Market and Embarcadero
San Francisco

—-/ Additional Info /————————————————-

p1ll0wf1ght@hotmail.com

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Registered for Bay to Breakers

February 9th, 2006 11:38pm. General

I’m signed up for the Bay to Breakers 12km/7 mi running race on May 21st. I sat for a long while thinking about whether I was going to register for the “under 2 hours” group or “over 2 hours” group. The difference being that the former group are runners and the latter are there for the fun of it. I took a look at some photos of people on the web that were in it for the fun-run… and I signed up for that one :-)

Laura, thanks for telling me about the registration opening up!

Cheaper and Cheaper Computers

February 7th, 2006 3:52pm. General

Tivo just came out with a deal: an 80 hr Tivo for $70. To get it, you have to subscribe to their service for a year at $13/month.

Think of it this way: You get a 400Mhz linux computer with a TV tuner, a great TV output card, modem, ethernet, remote control, a 100 gig hard drive, TV Guide-like services, and the amazingness of Tivo for a year for $226.

Walk into Comp USA and ask for a computer with those specs for that price. They’ll stare at you as if you dress funny.

Out of Storage

February 5th, 2006 8:33pm. General

I moved out of my storage space today. It’s almost like I live here. And I finally got that library card. Now to find some good books on CD. Any suggestions?

Pandora.com

February 4th, 2006 9:47pm. Distractions, Product Reviews

I heard about Pandora on Inside the Net with Amber MacArthur (and Leo Laporte. It’s an internet radio player with a powerful recomendation engine behind it. All I know is that it plays a really good music fer free. And it runs inside Flash so even Trav can use it if he’s got speakers.

going ons

February 4th, 2006 8:28pm. General

Went to the Exploratorium show “Reconsidered Materials” last night. I hadn’t been in the place in 20 years. It was still pretty cool. I watched Icy Bodies by Shawn Lani for like 20 minutes. Very very cool. This photo doesn’t do it justice; the speed at which things move in the tank is like… like how you envision things moving in outer space or something. The rest of the museum was pretty cool too.

Today, I went to a Tango/Ceviche class at the Red Poppy Art House. Dancing felt terrific. Now I need a dance partner to practice with.

Tickets to Burning Man

January 31st, 2006 4:58pm. General

I have two tickets to Burning Man in my hands. Along with 2 Atomic Fireball suckers. Man it’s hot!

The War on Comment Spam

January 31st, 2006 1:50pm. Wordpress

I just gave another donation to Dr. Dave in the fight against comment spam.

A Boring Chronology of the Day’s Events

January 29th, 2006 11:17pm. General

—- Didn’t Fix Computers
I tried to fix Deann’s computer tonight and failed. Bean found a fix for her problem on her own. And last night I was unable to fix Sam’s computer. And I thought I had gotten out of the Computer Guy business. Grr.

—- Missed Kite Fight
I was at Bernal Hill for Kite Fight again. Again, there was no one there. It turns out that while Kite Fight happens every 2 weeks, it doesn’t happen on the same day of the week. This time it was on Saturday. Grrr.

—- Missed Lunch
I got to Boogaloo’s at 3 for a late lunch. I walked in and they told me they were closed. Grrrr.

—- Found Pointless Stores
I wandered into several stores on Mission looking for nothing in particular… for stuff on my long list of “it’s be nice if I had”’s. police tape, tupperware, a thing to tell when I should stop my car in my small garage so I don’t hit the wall, a small dish rack for the office, whole peppercorns… crap. I found none of what I was looking for. I was most pissed off when I saw they had a giant selection of tupper-like products and none of them were well made. Grrrrr.

—- Almost Got in a Fight Over a 12 Yr Old Litterbug
I was standing in front of one of those pointless stores and watched as a twelve year-old girl took the batteries out of her CD Walkman one by and and chucked them across the sidewalk. They skittered across the concrete and then just lay there. I considered saying nothing. I didn’t. “What are you doing?” And with the kind of derision an older sister would offer a younger brother, she said, “The batteries are dead. ” “Use the garbage can. Are you stupid?” She shrugged and walked into the pointless store.

I looked around to evaluate the situation and a man standing near me gave me an appreciative smile. I could see through the window that the girl was standing next to someone older that looked related. I walked in and told the man, “You should suggest to her to use the garbage can. There’s one right [pointing to the can that she almost hit with her errant batteries] there. I stood for a moment and then left.

A few moments later, as I was walking down the sidewalk, I heard some yelling behind me. I turned to see the father. With more than a hint of anger in his voice, he said, “Did you call her stupid?” In a neutral voice, I said, “Yes.” His ire catching up with him, he said, “If I punched you in the face right now, would that be stupid?” As I had already started planning tactics and what I’d say in the police report, I wanted to say ‘yes’. But that wouldn’t have given the girl the right impression about littering. So I carefully thought about a defusing thing to say. “I couldn’t say,” is what came out. Apparently, it was the right thing to say. He was caught off guard and blinked. “Well, you should apologize for saying that.” I nodded and said, in a more earnest tone than before, “I apologize.” Placated, he came back with some mutter of, “Ok,” turned and went back to the pointless store.

I think I got the littering message across but it took way more effort than I was planning! Grrrrrr.

—- Missed the Library
I walked into the library at 4:58, just in time for them to tell me they were closing. Grrrrrrr.

—- Laura was good to me
Laura helped me unwind with some visualization on the phone. :-)

—- Saw a fun movie & Got a Part in a Play
I went to Bad Movie Night at The Dark Room. They showed The Astounding She-Monster. As the title promises, it was astoundingly bad and we had a great time laughing at it.

Most extrordinarily, I was chatting with some folks after the film. I was plugging Emporer Norton to this one group so much that they wanted to see it and were asking if it was still playing. After the new Nortonians left, I was rewarded with a wet nap by one of the Dark Room guys. Overjoyed, I did the old, “read the back of the wet nap dramatically” bit. Turns out, I was talking with the producer of some upcoming Dark Room shows and they liked my delivery so much, I may just get a bit part in an upcoming show. Wee!

Goings on

January 28th, 2006 7:14pm. General

Bought a “Calder” bed from Room and Board.

Bought “Benton” shelves from Pier One.

Both will arrive within the next two weeks.

The hike was cancelled due to rain :-( but I drove all the way there anyway. The fog and steep hills and rain and twisty roads and winds were intense. I decided not to try hiking myself after I walked 50 feet from my car, turned around and couldn’t see the car or any distinguishing features of the landscape. Intense.

Got a running shirt and stuff to waterproof my jacket at REI. (a shirt that is fairly warm, light, breathable and does that moisture wicking thing)

Helped Dorty with her computer today.

Helped Samantha with her secret project yesterday.

Friday, I broke the new Feed Automator at work (that’s a good thing when you’re QA :-)

Got a Bed

January 27th, 2006 10:19am. General, Notable

I got a mattress. I slept well last night. The Swedes are helping feel a bit more at home with their Sultan Hasselbäck. And thanks to Linden for helping me get the bed home… again! He helped get the first, failed bed home as well.

Next up, a bed frame that costs almost 3 times what the mattress costs.

But I’m returning the $1,500 rug. I just can’t conscience walking on something that expensive in this place. I’ll buy a vacation in the desert or something with the money saved.

Whiskey Tasting Party and stuff

January 26th, 2006 12:15am. General, Notable

Tonight I met crism, who I had been introduced to by Charlotte, who I had been introduced to by Fiz and Jeremy. He held a whiskey tasting party. Twas a good time! There was whiskey and bread pudding with whiskey and salad with whiskey flavored dressing ;-). The bread pudding was actually excellent!

I gave Sean (who had just tried out for Jeopardy in LA and sadly just missed his shot) a ride home and met a bunch of nice folks. Crism even plays Cosmic Encounter. I’m going to have to ping him on that!

Wee!

Bed time now.

Running/urban hiking in the morning. I’m going on a hike in Sonoma County Sunday and want to be as ready as I can. This is my last chance. I might try to tackle Twin Peaks. I’ve already gotten my running times in the last 3 weeks down from a hopeless 18 minute mile to a pitiful 11 minute mile.

Then testing the latest server-side feature of TVTonic, sucking blogs into our distribution system (with permission, of course). And trying to do some good marketing for TVTonic. I’m liking the marketing stuff.

I may be soon buying weights to excercise at home. But then my apartment might get stinky sweaty and my downstairs neighbor might think the sky is falling…

I’ve been feeling pretty good lately. Running has taken off a few pounds and Laura even said my arm muscles felt tighter (flattery is the devil’s food cake (-; . I’ve been eating/drinking lots of veggies with the Veg-o-mat^H^H^H^H Magic Bullet that Carmen gave me (in response for me giving her a Magic Bullet).

There is even a good chance that I’m getting a bed tomorrow!

Pony Trouble

January 24th, 2006 12:50pm. General

Pony Trouble is a very werid movie from my good, werid friend Warren. You should watch this movie while on drugs.

See the new Pony Trouble trailer

Emperor Norton I

January 22nd, 2006 11:03pm. General


Last night I saw Emperor Norton: A New Musical at The Dark Room with Laura. I thought it was going to be fun by wacky. I was so wrong. The show was terrific! The musical numbers were very well composed and excecuted, the storyline was fairly tight (and mostly historically accurate, we are told!) the talent was top notch, the message was upbeat and very well delivered, and our seats were excellent!

It really was a most enjoyable show!

For this, I resolve to go to more shows at The Dark Room, especially shows producted by this team. I hear The Gong Show will be a fun thang.

Fancy Food

January 22nd, 2006 8:48pm. General

I went with Laura to the Fancy Food Show with Laura today. What a great time. And yum! It’s all about the samples. I think I might end up buying a few pallets of yummy things. Oh wait, I’m not in the industry.

I was most impressed with:
Bongo Microwavable donuts - It’s got Krispy Kreme appeal, from your freezer! They’ll be in Costco shortly.

Walnut spread..butter - From this Italian company who has no distribution in the US :-(

Peanut Better - They had some powerful savories there. Though the Spicy Southwestern 0wnerized my palate for 10 minutes.

Delallo antipasto - great selection, great taste (doesn’t that sound like an ad for them)

New Tree Gourmet Belgian Chocolate - 73% chocolate bars that weren’t bitter at all. They also had these 99% chocolate covered somethings that kicked savory ass.

Pizza Romana from North La Brea Ave, LA, CA had pretty awsome pizzas. I think they just sell “frozen imported par baked wood fired pizza crusts”.

Mark & Stephen’s Handcrafted jams & mustards - Wasabi Lime Mustard, Hot & Sweet Mustard, Course Grain Mustard with Garlic and White Wine… lemon marmalade that wasn’t bitter. All very good.

Western Specialty - has all manner of containers in glass, metal and plastic

Remember the movie Chocolat? Chuao Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate is a good candidate for that ultimate hot chocolate drink. I’m getting some.

Labels West makes labels of all types

Macarob has a very interesting carob syrup and powder from Australia.

Highland Sugarworks is a Vermont producer of maple syrup (think “American Grade B”!) and they have a northern California distributor called Renaissance Speciality Foods in SF. I’m gettin me some.

We saw Yan (who Can Cook) and Chef Paul Prudhomme hanging out and then Yan cooking and joking.