i want this...

As a science nerd I could use a microscope. The main roadblock to ownership is they are not cheap. My friend Lornia bought one of these digital microscopes that plug into your computer and take digital photos of an object. This would be so cool for looking at insects and flowers. It even has a ruler tool that can be used to measure things (petals, stamens, etc.). I could have used this for my thesis project (well I still can, I guess). The resolution is not that bad (being that it is marketed as a toy) but the photos are not that bad and the ruler tool is nice. A good cheap way to own a microscope. Just saying...

say it loud...

James Brown
1933-2006
The "Godfather of Soul" is gone. His music, dancing, and attitude were the inspiration for countless singers who came after him. He was a legend and a presence. There will never be anyone quite like him.

Merry Christmas....

Well another shopping season is over. Thank goodness. The week before Christmas was pretty hectic what with my love of procrastination and all. Totally self-inflicted. I went to Suisun City to my parents house for the festivities. I was there Sat afternoon until today. Very relaxing indeed. I took naps, watched football, and snacked. I loved it!

Trey was dressed in his festive best. My sis loves to get him in the holiday mood.
We opened presents and my dad was pretty stoked.
not as much as my brother was when I gave him this gold record. I made it for his band and grabbed the image from his my space page. He was pretty stoked...
My parents were pretty excited about the new T.V. we got them. We kids pooled our money and got them a sweet set. Their old T.V. made everything sort of green and if there were any words on the top or bottom of the image you could not read it since it was distorted. What a difference! Now they can fall asleep in front of a clear picture. All in all it was a great time. I love the holidays but I do not miss all the running around!

1.5 shopping days left....

you better get on it. I finished yesterday. Whew! Now it is time to relax!

life... an update

I repotted my plant today.... She has a new home in a much larger pot. I even started another pot using California native seeds. I cannot wait to see what pops up. Life is cool.

the gift of being able to leave the country...

Today I received my new passport in the mail. Yes! I am able to leave on a jet plane for anywhere in the world, whenever my pocket book and other obligations allow me to go.
I really want to go here. I need to make it happen. Maybe Santa will give me round trip air fair for Christmas...

the gift of life...

this year i have been given the best gift of all... LIFE! I have grown a plant from scratch. I received this starter plant system that Betsy hands out to folks at her work. It is called a Money plant or for all you fellow plant nerds, Lunaria annua. I started growing the plant in its little pot about 3 weeks or so. It germinated and started to sprout. Here is what my plant looked liked one week ago...
Here is what my plant looks like today. I need to replant in a bigger pot today.
Life... the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks Betsy!

holiday parties...

'tis the season for the holiday party. My waistline is not excited about it. Here is why 1)there are plethora of sweets and sugary items to avoid then 2) the sheer number of parties one needs to attend: School, workplace, family, friends... the list continues to grow. This past weekend I went to 3 parties and I have another round this weekend. I think I have one more next week then I will be done until the big Christmas show... Whew...
I am excited about the Christmas break in that I am going to take one. Between Christmas and New Years Day I am not going to work at all. No work, no thesis, no nothing. Merry Christmas to me. I am looking forward to this mini vacation in the city. I am going to catch up on all the movies I have been wanting to say. Maybe see some sights here and around the city... maybe even get into the ocean for a little sesh. Hope the weather holds.... I am looking forward to doing nothing for the entire week....
Now if I could only get my shopping done...

photo shoot...

I recently got an assignment from my friend Lindsay to take pictures for her art project. We have this setup where she tells me ideas she wants to paint and I go out and try and make her dreams into reality. I love it! I get a chance to shoot photos and practice using my camera... Lindsay is taking a water color class and thought it would be nice to shoot fall colors. So on my way to work I was on the lookout for fall colors. Trouble is that here on the west coast the majority of trees are evergreen and do not change colors in the fall. I did the best I could and shot unique colors and shapes. here is a sample...








My little digital camera does a good job but I miss my SLR camera. I miss correcting for depth of field by opening or closing the aperture, manipulating light and other issues. Maybe I can control these setting on my digital camera but I haven't figured it out. I need to read my manual I guess... What I do not miss is buying and developing film. Boy that was expensive.
So a friend reprimanded me that I never have people in my photos. True, I never seem to document people in my life or activities I participate in with people. I need to change that and insert myself and my friends into my photos. I really have friends I swear. I just tend to get artsy fartsy with my camera. Anyway here is a start. My two favorite lab mates in line for coffee at State. Craig and Heather. Enjoy.

MOMA, mia...

Today I met some friends at the SF Museum of Modern Art. It is my favorite art museum in the city.
I went with Betsy and some of her work friends.
This mural is in the entry way/lobby of the MOMA. A rather large piece.
I was really excited about the Kiefer exhibit.
I took this shot of a piece entitled "Book with wings" when a lady came up to me sternly and informed me there was no photo taking in the galleries. Oops! She then stealthily followed me around in hopes of catching me in the act.
I covertly took a photo of my favorite piece. A Michael Jackson golden idol.
This was Betsy's favorite. A Rothko.
All in all it was a great day at the museum!

death cab...

I was treated to a concert on Thursday night. Call it an early Christmas gift. I was so thankful that I got to see Death Cab for Cutie and Feist at the KFOG concert for kids with Betsy. The children. What a great cause.The concert was located at the Paramount Theater in downtown Oakland. I fell in love with it immediately. For starters, what a sweet marque. In San Francisco these old theaters are dying. it is good to see examples of old theaters thriving!

The inside of the theater had this great art deco feel to it. . This theater was designed in the 30's for sure. Back when going to a movie was an event, where you put on your best suit and jacket... I love this period in American architecture. (Another great example is the monument at the Hoover Dam.) I am glad they restored the theater to its full glory. Good job Oakland. We need to save more...

Here is the entryway. They had snowflakes dangling from the ceiling, Christmas decorations everywhere, and a big tree in the middle of the isle. The Paramount is a beautiful theater. I would love to see a movie here!

Betsy and I posed for a photo in front of the Christmas tree. it did not come out but we look hot...

This photo of the light on the ceiling did not come out... but it is stunning in person...
Check out these great seats we got. so soft and velvety!! The crowd was an eclectic mix of old KFOG listeners and young teenie bop O.C. watchers. For most of the concert people just sat there until DCFC played "soul meets body". The place erupted!

DCFC played all their hits and I sang along to my favorites (much to the annoyance of Betsy). The show was awkward in that I have never been so comfortable watching a show before. So comfortable it was like watching TV. The acoustics are amazing and I had a really good time. I helped the children. It's what it is all about!

Imagine...

Today marks the 26 anniversary of the death of John Lennon. The former Beatle and peace activist was gunned down senselessly in front of his home. Sad. He was a champion for ending violence and war . He staged protests and sit-ins, came up with the most heavily used song for the anti-war movement and nearly got deported for his trouble. Tragic how he lost his life so violently. He was also my favorite Beatle.
Ah, people asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them theres no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if Ive lost my mind
I tell them theres no hurry
Im just sitting here doing time

Solidarity....

so last weekend I sold out and chopped down a tree in the most environmentally friendly way. Glad to know that there are others willing to take over where I fall short...

life on mars....

today researchers discovered evidence of ice on mars as shown in the photo below. EXCITING! This is an extraordinary find in where there is water there may be life...
life on mars... This is the stuff science fiction is made of. Sure if there is any life it will be small cells (algae or bacteria) but if we are lucky larger multi-celled organisms may be discovered. We will cease to be alone in the universe. We will have brothers and sisters in the Milky way. True this may be a bit premature but at least now scientists have a place to look for life. Cool.

restraunt review

Someone told me once that in order to eat at every restaurant in San Francisco it would take a person over 10 years. And that is eating every meal out. Crazy. So why do I seem to hit the same places over and over again. So in an effort to branch out and visit different restaurants I went to 2223 tonight with Betsy. It is located on Market street at Sanchez.

Every time I drove by the restaurant on my way to my brothers house or to the Mission I would notice this quaint place. I always thought that it was clever to name your restaurant after the numbers in your address.

On Tuesday night they have $12 night. Basically a select few dishes are on sale. It is great. For starts we had a green salad and flat bread with caramelized onions, goat cheese and tomato's. Soooo good. For dinner I had Red Snapper Tempura over rice with mushrooms and sprouts over rice. Smothered over top was a sweet-and-sour sauce. Betsy had portabello risotto. both were excellent.
We were both too full for desert but I am sure it would have been awesome. the food was reasonably priced. All in all a good recommendation. go eat there some random Tuesday

trey...

Trey is my sisters dog. He is a Pitt bull-Shar pei mix. He used to be a cute wrinkly dog, more shar pei than Pitt bull. Look how cute a puppy he was back in the summer of 2005...
my sister is a dog looover. She owns her own dog grooming business in Lakeport, CA. She loves to buy outfits and trinkets for her pets (she also has a cat, snake, frog, rat, and a fish tank). For Christmas he was sporting this sweet number...
look how sneaky he looks... there must be a bone in that package... As you can see he lost most of the Shar pei and looks more like a Pitt bull.
so today when I visited my family my sister did not disappoint. Trey has a new hoodie. Complete with hand-warmer pocket on his back. He now can re-enact the staircase scene in the first Rocky movie. At least now he will be able to absorb the sweat on those long runs... Trey looks tough!
but he really is a ham. I know Pitt bulls get a bad rap as baby killers and all but Trey is really a nice dog. He loves pets and likes it when you scratch his back and pat his head. He loves to chew on rawhide bones and other various toys. He loves to bark at anything that moves. Very protective which is good for my sister.
My sister and her dog. I think Trey also owns a Raider's jersey for Sunday games... He has an extensive wardrobe...
What a lady killer he is...

thanks....

well this is the week where we give thanks for all the special things in our lives. We give thanks for the people who are in our lives, the jobs we have, the possessions we possess, and the places where we live. I am grateful to live here in California and have the friends that I do. Sometime we forget what with all the shopping and madness of the holiday season.

This week has been especially thankful for me. For one I turned in my first draft to my thesis. I am well on my way to graduation! The thesis is nowhere near finished but I gave a copy to my advisor for feedback. I am shooting for a late January-early February graduation. I am planning to travel somewhere for a month or so then get a job! Yikes. responsibility... Not looking forward to that.

The other thing I am thankful for this week is I got to see this band perform live last night. That was a treat. I am grateful for my brother for loaning me their CD. Thanks bro.... it was a great show.
Have a happy thanksgiving...

Impressionist

Today is Claude Monet's birthday. He is 166 years old. He is famous for the Impressionist painting style that is showcased below. I noticed when reading about the period that the term impressionist was given by a critic who used the term sarcastically but caught on. I think that happens quite often in history. I cannot think about an example right now but I remember hearing about it. Monet was not the greatest artist in the world but I do enjoy looking at his work. He was an innovator and started a movement. Happy birthday Monet.
I received this image as a thank you card once. This bridge exists near his home.
Boats! I want to sail again. I have always wanted to take lessons but never seem to find the time.
Monet's waterlilies paintings are some of his most popular. Someone gave me a print of one a long time ago. It is over my bed right now.

Movie review...

This week has been a week of comps. Comped to the Rolling stones concert on Monday and yesterday my roommate invited me to a screening of Stranger than Fiction. Will Ferrell's new movie. It was good. Will's humor was subtle in this movie and not over the top like he usually does. Harold Crick is a IRS agent who winds up being a character in a novels story. He has the authors voice in his head who dictates every detail of his mundane life. Things get interesting when she says he is going to die.
All in all a good movie. It explores fate and how much we are in control of our life and if we could change it. I do not want to give things away but you should see it. Especially if you like the band Spoon because they are all over the sound track.

the results are in...

So out of 165,293 votes cast for governor in San Francisco, 437 were write in votes. So I received 0.000605% of the popular vote but 0.23% of the write in vote. Yes!!! I want to thank everyone for working on my campaign...

In SF 40% of the registered voters turned out to vote. Not bad for a mid-term election. We live in a left bubble in SF. All the democrats (governor, lt. governor, etc..) won huge margins in SF but that margin shrinks when looking at the entire state. California mirrors the US in that it is blue on its borders (ocean, mountains) but has a red center (central valley). California is fair and balanced which is a good thing. It looks like we will have a Republican governor and a Democratic lt. governor. Nothing will get done...

The dems won control of the house of representatives yesterday. What does this mean to you, you ask? I do not know. Hopefully they will find a way to pay down our deficit that bush has created with his war and policies. This should be their top priority but I think it will get trumped under gay marriage or getting the troops out. Politics as usual. I am glad I voted for myself.

voting rocks...

Today is mid-term elections day! So excited. I have been waiting for this since 2004! Senate races, state propositions, judicial nominations... it just does not get any better than this! Mid-term elections usually have the lowest voter turnout but since the guerilla movements to get more young voters active in the election process so I was confident things were going to be different.

so here is our sweet polling place in the persidio... So rustic, so pioneer...
I went inside and noticed there was a line to wait to vote. All the voting stations were also filled up. Good sign. P diddy did not let us down!!! (of course they were all working professionals in line)
Here is our gynormous ballot. It is huge! 5 pages too. Boy there were many ballot initiatives and propositions to get through as well as judicial candidates I have never heard of. These things take a while to fill out. With all the activity on the ballot and the negative political ads it is hard to keep all the issues straight. I did the best I could...

so when it came time to vote for governor I decided to vote for myself. I know this sort of is self-aggrandizing and silly but hear me out. Both candidates are smucks. Arnold is doing an ok job I guess and Phil, well he is a Republican in disguise. I was not sold on either one of them. I tend to vote 3rd party every election, since I feel the 2 parties do not represent me or my issues anymore. I know this sounds cynical but there are too many special interests in politics. Money rules our political system. I feel that since I am not corrupt and stand for my political issues and cannot be bought by special interest, my vote was not wasted.

So all in all I am sure whatever I vote on will not pass and all the bond issues will pass forcing us into debt. Well at least I got this sweet sticker for my bag. Happy voting!