Instructions on how to get your ballot sent abroad, and an article from the International Herald Tribune on the system's shortcomings. Considering that I sent off for my absentee ballot to vote in California's infamous recall election of last fall and never received it, I don't have too much faith in this system, but it's worth a shot.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, I'm moving to a swing state ...
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Music for your Saturday
Once again, Stijn links up to some good mixes from the Continent, perfect for your sunny Saturday afternoon. Oh yeah, and this month's Dos and Don'ts (at Vice) are pretty funny.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Friday night
Friday night I ventured out to a private party held at the Bayview Yacht Club. Before we found the right venue, however, we came across police tape and some unfortunate news that there'd just been a stabbing and we couldn't pass through on the road. Not exactly promising or good news for four young girls out in a dark, desolate corner of San Francisco. But we found the venue regardless, and upon entering the yacht club's back porch, nicely accented with a gorgeous view of the bay and Bay Bridge, I heard one of my all-time favourite disco songs, Cory Daye's "Pow Wow." Back when I was in about eighth grade, my family rented a house at Sea Ranch, where I discovered a 12" of the single pressed in Mexico on clear, yellow vinyl, tucked away in a stack of generally lame records. I was immediately captivated, by both the gorgeous retro packaging, its kitsch value, and the bizarre lyrics. My love for that single, combined with the frequent visits I made to Village Music in my hometown to browse and search for Deee-Lite 12", led me to request turntables for a subsequent birthday or Christmas -- a request that my sweet father honoured by escorting me out to a few different deejay shops in San Francisco (in the Excelsior of all places) to price them. $800 or so at the time was way out of my middle school budget, so I put my hopes and aspirations to be a disco deejay on hold, and alas, what probably would have been the best career for me has never come to fruition.
After the party at the yacht club ended, a group of us headed over to Matt's in the Mission, where many a party has been held before in his vast, ancient apartment, to find two of my bestest friends in the whole world, Yuka and Gwyn, who'd driven up from Los Angeles after work. Pictures below
After the party at the yacht club ended, a group of us headed over to Matt's in the Mission, where many a party has been held before in his vast, ancient apartment, to find two of my bestest friends in the whole world, Yuka and Gwyn, who'd driven up from Los Angeles after work. Pictures below
John and Gwyn, Sunday Brunch, the Castro. Just as we finished eating, the "Leatherwalk Parade" passed. Neat. Alas, my pictures of the leather clad didn't turn out very well.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Thursday night ...
... I met up with Gina and went to an opening for a new restaurant, Medjool, that's opened in the Mission. There we met some French girls she goes to school with. Then we headed all the way back down to the Marina to go to Silver Clouds for the weekly installment of SF State's international program's Pint Night, which I learned changes location every week. In addition to meeting many German and French people, I also got to meet some British and Tunisian people, who sang football anthems in the street well after the karoake bar closed.
Friday, September 17, 2004
City Street Scene
San Francisco city street. Note how the graffiti is all colour-coordinated to the Budget Car Rental signs.
Monday, September 13, 2004
La mejor telenovela en todo el mundo!
Marc was right. I happened to be flipping through the channels tonight and landed on "Gitanas." Gripping drama, better than any American soap. I will have to watch every night; at the very least it will be a great way to practise my Spanish.
And from the constant use of the words "gayó" and "gayé," I had to do some research into what on earth they mean ("non-gypsy"), discovering some fascinating research on gyspy history along the way. Here are some photos Jason took of Romanian gypsies on our trip through Eastern Europe a few years ago. Not quite as sexy as the tv show, but fun nonetheless.
Update! The "Gitanas" theme song is sung by none other than Spanish heartthrob, David Bustamante.
And from the constant use of the words "gayó" and "gayé," I had to do some research into what on earth they mean ("non-gypsy"), discovering some fascinating research on gyspy history along the way. Here are some photos Jason took of Romanian gypsies on our trip through Eastern Europe a few years ago. Not quite as sexy as the tv show, but fun nonetheless.
Update! The "Gitanas" theme song is sung by none other than Spanish heartthrob, David Bustamante.
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Pocos dias en Miami
Monday night I headed off to the airport and boarded a red-eye flight to Miami to visit the school I'll be attending starting in October and to look for a place to live.
Arriving just a few days after Hurricane Ivan had blown through Florida, I got to witness some of the wreckage strewn around. Realtors were quick to point out that the errant palm frond on the lawn or excess puddles would swiftly be cleaned up and were remnants from the recent weather. What I can't figure out though, is how an entire state that knows every year at least one hurricane is destined to head east from the Atlantic can continue to build flimsy buildings without shutters on the windows! How can you live in what is in essence a swamp in a trailer? So every August and September, plywood sales spike as an entire state boards up their windows for a few days. Hasn't anyone in Florida heard of the Three Little Pigs? I guess I just find it annoying that every year I can remember, the media gets into a huff and puff over the frequency of hurricanes threatening the Caribbean and Florida when, in fact, they have been occurring in that region since at the very least, the dawn of semi-recorded history (meaning, from what little research I've done, since the Mayans and other Indian tribes in the area gave name to them). To read more about the fascinating reasons behind the occurence of hurricanes, please click here.
I've grown up in San Francisco, which is smack dab on the Pacific Rim, lies conveniently atop several different faultlines of varying strengths and intensities. People who aren't from California (or the West Coast) tend to view the earthquake with fear and trepidation, but at least we try to design buildings that are safe for all but the strongest of earthquakes.
But anyone, enough science for one day. Onto the juicier stuff. I found a place to live with another girl from my course. I visited the school, which I liked tremendously. I stayed in a great, charming, cheap hostel. I had great Spanish tapas at a restaurant next to the hostel on the first night, and spent the rest of my evening swatting mosquitoes in the hostel's courtyard reading up on the Miami Beach scene. I ventured out the second night to two different clubs in the South Beach area, practised my Spanish, and paid a fortune for a mixed drink. But it was great, in ways like being back in Europe (you can drink til 5:30!), as I heard more French, Spanish, Italian, and other tongues in two short days than I have in the last few weeks in San Francisco/Marin. So, it made me both "homesick" for Madrid as much as it managed to pacify some of the things I loved about it there.
I returned to San Francisco late Thursday night. For the next two weeks, I'll be officially working at my old public relations job, which will be fun and a way to stay occupied til I depart in October.
Miami pictures below.
Arriving just a few days after Hurricane Ivan had blown through Florida, I got to witness some of the wreckage strewn around. Realtors were quick to point out that the errant palm frond on the lawn or excess puddles would swiftly be cleaned up and were remnants from the recent weather. What I can't figure out though, is how an entire state that knows every year at least one hurricane is destined to head east from the Atlantic can continue to build flimsy buildings without shutters on the windows! How can you live in what is in essence a swamp in a trailer? So every August and September, plywood sales spike as an entire state boards up their windows for a few days. Hasn't anyone in Florida heard of the Three Little Pigs? I guess I just find it annoying that every year I can remember, the media gets into a huff and puff over the frequency of hurricanes threatening the Caribbean and Florida when, in fact, they have been occurring in that region since at the very least, the dawn of semi-recorded history (meaning, from what little research I've done, since the Mayans and other Indian tribes in the area gave name to them). To read more about the fascinating reasons behind the occurence of hurricanes, please click here.
I've grown up in San Francisco, which is smack dab on the Pacific Rim, lies conveniently atop several different faultlines of varying strengths and intensities. People who aren't from California (or the West Coast) tend to view the earthquake with fear and trepidation, but at least we try to design buildings that are safe for all but the strongest of earthquakes.
But anyone, enough science for one day. Onto the juicier stuff. I found a place to live with another girl from my course. I visited the school, which I liked tremendously. I stayed in a great, charming, cheap hostel. I had great Spanish tapas at a restaurant next to the hostel on the first night, and spent the rest of my evening swatting mosquitoes in the hostel's courtyard reading up on the Miami Beach scene. I ventured out the second night to two different clubs in the South Beach area, practised my Spanish, and paid a fortune for a mixed drink. But it was great, in ways like being back in Europe (you can drink til 5:30!), as I heard more French, Spanish, Italian, and other tongues in two short days than I have in the last few weeks in San Francisco/Marin. So, it made me both "homesick" for Madrid as much as it managed to pacify some of the things I loved about it there.
I returned to San Francisco late Thursday night. For the next two weeks, I'll be officially working at my old public relations job, which will be fun and a way to stay occupied til I depart in October.
Miami pictures below.
My last day there, after a long lunch reading Miami's excellent newspaper at Jerry's Deli over a burger and fries, I walked out to the beach for a little stroll. I guess thanks to the recent hurricanes and typical late summer humidity, the beach was almost entirely empty.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Small Changes
I've added two new sites to the sidebar, Black Snake Moan (friend's band) and Before Design (friend-of-friend's design website).
Photos from my recent two-day house hunting trip in South Beach soon to come ...
Photos from my recent two-day house hunting trip in South Beach soon to come ...
Friday, September 10, 2004
Hyvää onnea!
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Labor Day, I ventured to two parties. The first had a tropical BBQ theme. The second, hosted by lifelong friends, had a fondue-hot tubbing-karoake theme. It was oh so Marin, and oh so fun.
Saturday night I met up with some old, old friends and headed to The End Up, one of San Francisco's long running late night venues, to hear Julius Papp and Miguel Migs spin.
Last Friday I found myself somewhere in the Sunset District of San Francisco, somewhere out near Geary Boulevard and 20th Avenue or so, at a backyard house party. I think I was one of only a few without a tattoo, or some strong connection to an alternative/punk scene. No matter. I saw plenty of fairly drunk, semi-violent, uber-hip young people there, one of whom went so far as to rip off his Ralph Lauren button-down to reveal a chest vibrant with tattoos and in his drunken moshpit of one, rip his visible underwear for all to see. Lovely. The deejay spun drum 'n' bass, hip hop and the occasional soul record for the crowd to enjoy, while my friends and I pondered the idiocy of a neck tattoo.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
German Food
I'm taking my sister's blog out of the links on the side -- I've been criticized for posting comments on her site that weren't within the unwritten guidelines for approved comment posting. I feel like the father of a high schooler, "Stop being so uncool, Dad! You're embarrassing me!" *eye roll*
Oh I wish people would stop taking themselves so seriously. I went to the Dipsea Cafe today with some friends for lunch and they have this big sign posted that they will not seat you until your entire party is present. Which I understand if the restaurant is slammed and there is a huge wait. But what is the big deal if it's well past the lunch hour rush to seat 2 people when 2 others are on their way? We practically had to bribe the hostess to sit us (in a restaurant less than half full) and then promise her that our friends really were within 5 minutes of the restaurant. I understand having general rules, but sometimes it seems that if people could take a step back and see things in a greater perspective of life or death importancy, the world would be a nicer place. Also I wish that there were high speed trains all over the Bay Area so people never sat in traffic. I think that one of the major contributions to the high rate of heart disease in our country is the stress caused by traffic and parking.
Oh I wish people would stop taking themselves so seriously. I went to the Dipsea Cafe today with some friends for lunch and they have this big sign posted that they will not seat you until your entire party is present. Which I understand if the restaurant is slammed and there is a huge wait. But what is the big deal if it's well past the lunch hour rush to seat 2 people when 2 others are on their way? We practically had to bribe the hostess to sit us (in a restaurant less than half full) and then promise her that our friends really were within 5 minutes of the restaurant. I understand having general rules, but sometimes it seems that if people could take a step back and see things in a greater perspective of life or death importancy, the world would be a nicer place. Also I wish that there were high speed trains all over the Bay Area so people never sat in traffic. I think that one of the major contributions to the high rate of heart disease in our country is the stress caused by traffic and parking.
Friday, September 03, 2004
One Last Thing ...
... before I motivate, shower and get on with having a normal Friday night. I've been stuck at the computer for the last 2 hours (OK, working on uploading those photos, but still) because I can't turn off this girl's dope hip hop mixes.
Email Me
Now, you can click the envelope icon after each post and email it on to a friend. Fun, huh?
Update
I haven't been writing much lately, as my life, although pleasurable, has been occupied with activities other than sitting at a computer. Also, I had to download the camera software onto my parents' computer. Anyway, the photos that follow are a random sampling of some things I've done and some people I've seen since I left Madrid.
Saturday morning I called up Kris to see if she was down for a hike on Mount Tamalpais, the mountain that divides my tiny town from the Pacific. So we drove for a bit, parked, and walked down to Stinson, all to take advantage of the nice late-August weather. Of course 5 minutes after we arrived at the beach, the fog swept in and we shivered until the bus came to bring us back to our car.
New Expression
Last Thursday Gina, Natalie and I headed into the thick of the Tenderloin to attend Lunchboxing's fifth New Expression show. There was art and video and deejayed music galore, even though we sadly missed the live musical performances. Other than the abundance of very-cool art and very-hip music, the real highlight of the night was seeing a bunch of long lost friends and acquaintances, most of whom I knew during my days in Santa Barbara.
John & I were instructed to go to a venue called The LivingRoom, where Butterfly Bar & Restaurant used to be (where, coincidentally, Josh once worked). The music was good, but the scene was ... well, let's just say that paying a $10 cover to stand in a big huge sort-of decorated space to then pay $7 for very, very weak cocktails is not exactly my idea of a good time. Even if the music's got that washed-out, played-out West Coast Deep House vibe, I can't say I really took to this place. But I had some fun anyways.
My last night in Madrid...
Below are the photos from my last night in Madrid. We had dinner at Gino's then headed to O'Neills for a few pints. I ended up with Carlos and Stephen at La Fontana de Oro, where we drank til 4 am (at which point we stumbled back to my apartment, drank a bottle of champagne and put me in a cab).
La princesa está triste... ¿qué tendrá la princesa?
Los suspiros se escapan de su boca de fresa,
que ha perdido la risa, que ha perdido el color.
La princesa está pálida en su silla de oro,
está mudo el teclado de su clave sonoro
y en un vaso, olvidada, se desmaya una flor.
Ruben Dario
La princesa está triste... ¿qué tendrá la princesa?
Los suspiros se escapan de su boca de fresa,
que ha perdido la risa, que ha perdido el color.
La princesa está pálida en su silla de oro,
está mudo el teclado de su clave sonoro
y en un vaso, olvidada, se desmaya una flor.
Ruben Dario
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