Picking Up Sticks

Back!

2008-11-14T14:23:00.001-08:00

Holy crap I've been busy!

Most of my business is on the music front. I've had countless rehearsals to prepare for several shows, one of which is coming up next Sunday!

I designed the flyer, and the wonderful Erica Jones took the photograph. We had a photo shoot a few weeks ago, and the few shots we've seen so far look great. We had a lot of fun with the shoot, and I hope to have the proofs soon so I can upload them to the website.

What website, you ask?? Well, there's not much up there yet, but a few months ago I setup the band website, and have a basic page design up (click anywhere on the initial page to go to the home page). I hope I can get most of the site done over the winter break as I'll have two weeks off and be spending some time in Maryland with Nick's family. Hopefully I'll also get Nick to help me with some of his web coding brilliance so I can get the site up fast and maintain it. In the mean time, I'm going to start devouring some Dreamweaver tutorials to understand this a bit better.

I've been knitting up a storm lately, wonder if it has something to do with the weather. In the summer, I dropped knitting completely in favor of getting out in the world and doing some exploring and getting settled into the new job. After I started commuting on the BART, leaving work at 3:45, and getting a little chilly, my knitting projects have multiplied like tribbles. Since October, I've finished a pair of gloves, a hat, and a vest, and have 3 more sweaters, another pair of gloves, and plans for a scarf in the works. As long as I have soft wool and wooden needles in my hands, I'm happy. Of course, I don't have pictures for any of these things - the lighting in my apartment sucks when I get home. I need to build some photo lighting, but haven't had the time as of late.

Thanksgiving came and went with the event of 13 lovely people eating wonderful food in my apartment. I had to clear out my craft table to make space for everyone, but it was worth it. My immediate family, a few friends, Nick, my neighbors, and even the guy who used to live in my apartment showed up, every one of them with either a beverage or an edible of some sort. I think we cleared about 10 bottles of wine that evening, and let me also give you a sample of the menu:

Kathy's famous Caesar Salad
Deviled Eggs
Crack Stuffing (with sausage and cranberries)
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Greens with Pancetta and mushrooms
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet potatoes with Plantains
Sweet potato fries
Deep Fried Turkey (the best way to do the bird, IMO)
Mom's cranberry sauce
Pecan, Apple, and Pumpkin Pies

There may have been a few more items on the table that were devoured in due time. I still have half a turkey in my fridge, which is saying something for a former vegetarian. We were invited over for another turkey dinner this evening with my Mother, Aunt, and cousins, but turned it down because of the sheer amount of leftovers clogging my aging refrigerator. Despite my best efforts, I am happy to say that after all of this I have not gained any weight after Thanksgiving! I was absent from Wii fit for about 3 weeks, but fortunately not any worse for it. Now I just have to get through X-Mas...

Vote!

2008-11-04T08:53:00.001-08:00

Go Vote. It's critical.

...

2008-10-06T22:43:00.001-07:00

Bacon

2008-10-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

I still think it's way too early for xmas themed songs, but this was funny. The kids at my school have a meat appreciation club - and they decided to have a bacon lunch. This was sent to our online bulletin board. I love my job.

BACON DAY,
The most holiest day, is here! Come to the backyard at 10:45 AM to witness bathrobes and bacon galore! We will be serving:

BACON COOKIES BACON WRAPPED SAUSAGES BACON WRAPPED HOT DOGS BACON-CHIP COOKIES BACON CHOCOLATE BARS CANDIED BACON

Get Ready To Sing Your Favorite Bacon Carols
Break Out the Bacon Tree
Or the Meat-Menorah
Or a prime rib...

CRISPY the BACONMAN

CRISPY the BACONMAN was a jolly happy soul,  With a t-bone pipe and a MEATBALL nose,  And two eyes made of prosciutt-o.  

CRISPY the BACONMAN is a fairy tale, they say,  He was made of MEAT but the children  know how he got grilled up one day.  There must have been some magic in that  Old skillet they found.  For when they placed him in the pan,  He began to dance and brown.

O, CRISPY the BACONMAN  Was alive as he could be,  And the children say he could laugh  And play until he went in my belly!  Thumpetty thump thump,  Thumpety thump thump,  Look at CRISPY go.  Thumpetty thump thump,  Thumpety thump thump,  Over the pan below.

CRISPY the BACONMAN knew  The GRILL was hot that day,  So he said, "Let's run and  we'll have some fun  now before I'm cooked away."  Down to the village,  With a fork inside his hand,  Running here and there all  Around the square saying,  

EAT me if you can.  He led them down the streets of town  Right to the URBAN SCHOOL.  And he only paused a moment when  He heard him holler "Stop, you crispy sizzling fool!"

For CRISPY the BACONMAN  Had to hurry on his way,  But he waved goodbye saying,  "Don't you cry,

 I'll be cooked well done today."  Thumpetty thump thump,  Thumpety thump thump,  Look at CRISPY go.  Thumpetty thump thump,  Thumpety thump thump,  Over the PAN BELOW!

- Christmas Bacon Time Is Here Lyrics-

BACON time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Bacon in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and MEAT to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Bacon everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Bacon time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Something so tasty and crispy
Oh, that we could always see
Such MEAT throughout the year...

Nutella Death Cake

2008-09-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

About a week or so ago, a friend had a birthday. It had been a long time since I'd made a cake, and not to be outdone by Nick, the cake king, I decided to whip one up. My original idea was to make some sort of spice cake with cream cheese frosting. After perusing many recipes, I had a flash of inspiration, and this is what happened:

This has been dubbed the Nutella Death Cake, due to the following reasons:

The cake is chocolate flavored with Frangelico (both in the batter and brushed on the layers)

Cream Cheese. In the batter, in the frosting.

Speaking of frosting - there is an entire jar of Nutella in there. Yum.

Nutella Ganache in between the layers.

Roasted, chopped hazelnuts around the edges.

We also had to make this cake egg free, as a friend of ours has a severe egg allergy. The accompaniment to this luscious, hazelnutty-chocolate goodness? Peanut butter chocolate swirl ice cream, and vanilla ice cream, also homemade and also egg free.

The Birthday Girl? Loved it. She's a big fan of nutella, needless to say.

Here's a shot of that luscious frosting being slathered on the cake layers:

The cake only looks small because of my wide-angle lens, and Nick's hands are huge.

And, because it would be cruel to leave you without one, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake from A World of Baking by Dolores Casella

All ingredients at room temperature.
2 Cups sifted pastry or cake flour (I used AP)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounce package sweet cooking chocolate (I recommend Valrhona)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 cups superfine granulated sugar
2 large eggs (for those that are egg-sensitive, use about 1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Optional: 2 shots Frangelico (hazelnut liquer)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Cream butter + cream cheese until blended, then add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs or yogurt one at a time, then vanilla, then Frangelico. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, and beat until well blended. At this point, if the batter looks really thick (as it did for me), add a bit more milk and blend until it is still thick but pourable. Pour into two 9-inch buttered + floured cake pans, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until done. I recommend these be slightly underdone to bring out the fudgy consistency. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn onto racks to finish cooling.

Ganache:

In a double boiler, warm about 1/2-3/4 cup of nutella and about 1/4 cup of milk, stir to combine. We did this by eye - you're looking for a smooth, slightly runny consistency but still thick enough to stick to the cake. It needs to be less gooey than Nutella straight from the jar so it's easily spreadable.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
1 jar (13 oz) Nutella
1/4 cup whipping cream

Beat the cream cheese and sugar with paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the Nutella and cream alternately until well blended. When done, the frosting should be smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate until use.

Hazelnuts:

Roast about 1/2-3/4 pound raw hazelnuts for 15 minutes, until they are fragrant and are golden in the middle. Cool in a damp towel for 10 minutes, then rub vigorously to remove the skins. Some will not come off. When skins are mostly removed, chop finely. Note: I tried putting these in a blender - not a good idea unless you want hazelnut meal. a food processor, however, would probably work really well. Or you could go the easy route and buy pre-chopped and roasted nuts, but the flavor would not be as fresh.

Assembly:

Slice both cakes in half (so you have more surface for the ganache). Liberally brush with more Frangelico. You should now have 4 layers. Place a dot in the center of your cake plate to anchor the first layer, and spread Nutella ganache over this layer. Repeat with the next two layers. Top with final layer, and spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Press chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of cake and top if you desire. May be refrigerated. This cake is super dense and chocolatey, so serve accordingly.

Yum.

Knitting!

2008-09-04T19:34:00.001-07:00

Wow, the last two months have flown by! A new job will do that to you I guess. Since I've been taking public transportation a lot more lately, and I want to prepare for "winter" in San Francisco, I've been on a sweater kick. First is a semi-completed Central Park Hoodie which also looks good as a vest - I may re-knit this pattern and alter it after I'm done with this sweater. Only have sleeves and a hood to go!

Next, I have a simple raglan sleeve striped sweater that I've started and not gotten very far on. But hey, it's really easy and good for when I need a mindless knitting project. It looks unintentionally like Harry Potter colors. What's with me and the color brown lately??

It's a sweatshirt tied around your waist kinda day

2008-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Over the past weekend, I was discussing weather with friends, and lamented the adoption of Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, and the irrelevance of temperature anyway. We in the bay area are subject to a constantly changing micro-climate, requiring San Franciscans to be prepared with layers at any given time. Recently, I've been a little obsessed with weather reports, as I have access to a current one on my iMac's Dashboard, and have been deciding what to wear that day depending on the weather. I got to thinking, why not just rate the weather in terms of how many layers you will have to wear that day? On a day like today, it will most likely be in the high 80s. Now, this is normally t-shirt and tank top weather. But if you're out in the avenues, or if it's around dusk or later, you'll need to wear a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt. Too hot for a jacket, but once the wind kicks up, it would be nice to cover your arms as well. A fall day in the low 60s? At least 2 layers and a jacket, or two t-shirts and a hoodie, etc. Anyway, just a thought.

Patriotic

2008-07-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

What could be more patriotic than flag-shaped cakes and BBQs? Maybe being proud of your government, but I'm just not quite there yet.

Nick made a strawberry tiramisu in the likeness of the flag!

We played rock band and drank beer.

A good time was had by all.
Because the weather was San Francisco like, we did not see fireworks.

As is typical for SF during the holidays, the next day was gorgeous weather.

Desiring Rest

2008-06-23T17:02:00.001-07:00

It's 5:03 PM, and I can only dream longingly of my bed. It's been a hectic week, and hectic beginning of the next - Friends were married this weekend, an apartment spic & spanned, and more friends requiring rides from the airport late last night. Nick's friends from the east coast flew in for a few days, and of course were delayed. We rescued them with salad, beer, and banana-pineapple cake. Sleep, when we finally got it, was had curled up with my love on the couch. It would have been more restful but for my terribly sunburned shoulders screaming pain at me whenever I moved.

Staying in a house overflowing with guests paid off, as this morning I could afford slightly longer rest before rising early to go to a second job interview, and a short bike ride to the locale. It went well, a thank you letter was sent, and I am now awaiting reply. Soon, I will be off to the races again - Dot Punto. is recording a song tonight at our studio. I'm hoping my energy will return when I leave the office, so I can play my best as I'll be the first track laid down. Late this evening, I'll trek back to my apartment, and finally reach my destination: sweet bliss of bed, with fresh sheets and soft comforter to cradle me.

Tomorrow, I hope to be rested, and have the evening off for barbecue with the east-coasters and knitting. I'll post the recording as soon as it's done.

Thursday at last

2008-06-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday. I'm bored at work. I'll get to play Rock Band tonight, yay! I scoffed at it a while ago before I had actually played it, but now am hooked. Playing drums in expert mode is actually challenging, but only because I have to turn my musical brain off and remember that it's a video game. I'm only up to about 80 - 85% accuracy in expert mode. The transcriptions are not note for note, and the kit is scaled down to 5 pieces, where one would normally have at least 7 or 8 with the cymbals. If I learn anything musical about this game, it will be how to play well with a metronome.

Tagged (without spraypaint)

2008-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect thing for me to do today, as I'm sitting in front of a computer trying to make it look like I'm working.

What was I doing ten years ago?
Hmm, I was...17! Still in High School, but taking college classes in order to flee early (I would later graduate a semester early). I had been playing drums for about 4 years, and was at that time playing in a garage noise rock band with my then boyfriend and best friend Emily - both of whom are now the only people I talk to from my High School. I still had not learned how to drive, so I counted on both of them to drive me around (funny being that my name is Mercedes!).

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Wake up and recover from my hangover (notice that I'm at work and it's 12:10 PM)
2. knit more on my socks for Sock Wars III!
3. look for a new job + send out a few resumes
4. finish optimizing my iMac + CS3
5. send out renewal check for neighborhood parking permit

Snacks I enjoy:
Ice Cream
More Ice Cream
Milk Chocolate
Spicy Tamari Nori strips
Sesame-Garlic sticks
Bananas

Things I'd do if I had a billion dollars:
Buy the new iPhone (hell I'm going to do that anyway - it's 1/2 the price and now totally awesome!)
Buy a 3-level victorian with a great big backyard and an awesome grill so we can have parties and feed people. I'd live in one flat, and would house family in the other flats (but would not give any family the key to my flat : )
Pimp out my truck (think 4 wheel drive and red quilted vinyl interior).
Start my own school, sort of. I would start a warehouse space with woodworking, automotive, metalworking tools, computers, sewing machines and notions; classes would be held on all different subjects. Would be run as a non profit, with membership scholarships going to those who could not afford to pay.
I would also make sure my family was housed and fed for the rest of their days, and would give money to worthy causes (of which there are many).

Places I've lived:
Sebastopol, CA
Petaluma, CA
Pacifica, CA
Tucson, AZ
San Francisco, CA
Berkeley, CA
Oakland, CA

People I'd like to know more about:
Our future leader, Obama
Evil Mad Scientist Labs
Other than that, don't know - I've been busy getting to know a few new friends in my life that came along with the new boy :)

Now I have to figure out who to tag with this...

Noise from the Pacific

2008-06-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

One of my bands, Dot Punto. recently filmed a podcast. Watch Dot Punto on Pacific Noise

Here's the flier for our show this week!

Cookbooks

2008-05-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I had many cookbooks, which I perused infrequently. Little by little, cookbooks were hastily left in kitchens of houses I fled for brighter prospects. Now that I am nesting in my open white studio, my pitiful cookbook collection mocks my spacious kitchen. I have been referencing many recipes online, but the hazards of laptops combined with foodstuffs make me nervous. Any suggestions for cookbooks? Specifically baking, and possibly Italian and Asian cuisine?

bacon wrapped bananas

2008-05-28T11:56:00.001-07:00

DSC_0214
Originally uploaded by mattdork

Great picture of me, isn't it? A couple of weekends ago, I got together with the neighbors and a couple friends for a deep fried food party. We started with tempura vegetables, lotus and potato chips, stuffed jalepenos, and moved on to plantains and deep-fried grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. What I'm holding in this picture is a piece of bacon wrapped banana. I have gone to the dark side in a big way : ) Though tasty, I have to say I will not indulge in so much fried food again for quite some time. At least we also had a salad to offset some of the fried badness.

Sock Wars III Round two

2008-05-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Friday I received one lone sock and the start of the second, knit in gorgeous yarn by my target (she knit the one on the left). I knit most of the leg portion while watching Napoleon Dynamite, a highly overrated and only slightly funny film that was only redeemed by the beautiful cinematography. Anyhoo, I'm down to the heel this morning and will have these out to my next target on Monday, muah ha ha! We'll see how long I'm in the game...

Cooking

2008-05-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Now, I've always loved cooking, but several factors have been forcing me to break out my cookware much more frequently. First off, there is a serious lack of restaurants and groceries in my area - the only place within walking distance is the pupuseria across from BART. It's good, but not for every day or even every week as it's kind of greasy. Second, I have to drive whenever I need to get groceries, so I've been making much more thoughtful food purchases in order to maximize the time between grocery trips without spending too much or wasting food. Third, I have a huge, well thought out kitchen with a gas stove, and my collection of kitchen tools has grown to halfway decent! These factors combined with no roommates and my dislike of wasting food have caused me to cook food at least 4 times a week, and I'm even good about not wasting or wanting leftovers.

So just what have I been cooking?
Lotus Chips! These were really easy and tasty, though a bit oily as I did not have a proper fryer or drainer. Though, a rack over some paper towels works pretty well. I'm going to make more soon when my neighbors bust out their deep fryer.

Yogurt - I managed to save this when it could have easily become a science project. I made the mistake of trying to make too much at once, and had to strain out the whey after letting it warm all night. No matter - it was thick, tasty, and only slightly curdled when I tried reheating it on the stove top before letting it warm again. I finished it off with some Meyer Lemon curd I made a while back. Yum!

I've also been baking bread with a vengeance - I've stopped buying it and am close to running out of flour! It's so easy for me to make that I'm determined to make a ton of dough one day and freeze it so I can have fresh bread practically whenever I want. We shall see...

Still in the game!

2008-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Huzzah! Just checked my mail and the only thing delivered today was NetFlix! I'm still alive in sock wars and expecting some incomplete socks to be delivered within a couple of days so I can hone in on my next target!

Mwah ha ha ha...

Flamingos

2008-05-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to do some yard work this Sunday, which included relocating a jasmine vine that was root bound in a pot growing into the soil beneath, and rescuing some jade succulents my neighbor pulled out of our communal planters. The pink flamingos came from the dollar bin at Target - I almost want more, but I think two is all my small yard can handle. Next? A Hammock!

They're just so darn cute!

Bang!

2008-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Socks are in the mail as of noon yesterday! My target hasn't completed hers yet, so I'll probably get a new pair to knit, providing I don't get killed in the meantime...

Sock Wars III!

2008-05-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sock Wars III is on. I've got a target, some hand-dyed yarn, a pattern, and the entire weekend scheduled for knitting. I may even leave early from work today to begin knitting my weapon. My goal is to assassinate at least one competitor with hand-knit socks! We shall see...

Maker Faire 2008

2008-05-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Went to Maker Faire 2008 this weekend, and somehow managed not to get overwhelmed or overstimulated despite the thousands of people, hundreds of projects with blinking lights, and huge pyrotechnics. I only had time to go to one brief talk by Syuzi Pakhchyan. She focused on very simple circuits integrated into textiles, such as a headband for headphones that uses velcro as a switch so that it lights up when worn. Neat stuff, not too complicated for someone like me who needs to get a simple project or two under her belt.

I really want to build one of these, but the lack of walls in my house makes me think this would keep me up if it were glowing all night.

This LED display didn't really have anything Snarky to say, but luckily I had someone Snarky on hand to fill in.

I can has new computer?

2008-04-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

So, I waited so long to get a new iMac that they released new ones! Lucky me, I splurged yesterday and bought one. It comes standard now with 2gigs of memory and 320gig hard drive, plus a faster processor and oh so much more cool stuff. I spent last night making sure all 3 generations of computers in my house were networked and able to play nice together, such fun! And it's oh so fast and pretty. This beauty won't get stickers like the once that tattoo my G4 laptop - instead, I'm going to sew a dust cover for it so it stays nice and clean.

So, first impressions? Blazing fast! Photoshop CS2 runs like a dream even over Rosetta. I'll be upgrading to CS3 very soon, which I'm sure will up the performance even more. I was able to load and edit 110 raw files lickety-split, which will certainly make a huge dent in my photographic productivity. And what's also great is I think I can figure out how to write it off of my taxes at the end of the year as either an educational or work expense, hells yeah!

For now...back to work organizing my files!

I Rock

2008-04-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I finally got a chance to try my hand at drumming for rock band, much to the excitement of a drunk gaggle of nerds and video game aficionados at a BBQ. Most everyone was proficient at using the guitar controller, but not so much the drums. I had previously attempted Guitar Hero a couple times before but failed pretty badly, so I was a little hesitant to try out the drum version due to everyone hyping my percussive abilities, and generally I'm not really a video game person. Rock Band is a pretty simple premise - you have guitar, bass, drums, and a singer, or combinations of said instruments, and each player is rated in percentage by accuracy. You can fail a song by missing cues or playing too many notes, and your bandmates can save you up to 3 times.

After watching a few friends mangle some drum solos and attempt to keep time with flashing colored bars, I was coaxed to try it out. I can't remember the first song we played, as I didn't know it, but it was on medium difficulty. But I got through it with 76% accuracy! I think we then proceeded to play Boston and Aerosmith, which I played with about the same accuracy, and somehow managed to impress people. I complained about my wanting to play too many notes, and they decided to test me on Expert mode - so I played the Pixies song "Wave of Mutilation", which I know pretty well. This time, I played solo - and got a round of applause afterwards as I completed with out screwing up entirely. I also got comments on my ability to play lightly and not drown everyone out with the loudness of the plastic pads - go me for technique!

Overall, Rock Band is definitely a video game, and I don't know if I can really get into it, but it's fun and I'll play it again. Playing rock band will not teach you anything about music but the basics of rhythm, though I assume once people don't have the flashing colored bars it might be hard to keep tempo. Well, at least I impressed people enough that they've vowed to come see me play real drums when I have gigs : P

Zombies!

2008-04-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

That's what we were this weekend! My mom, brother, and I visited family up in Willits this weekend. We randomly picked a weekend that my cousin was working on a student zombie film, so we were the zombie family extras! Lots of fun, except the 45 degree weather.

We were asked back to shoot again this weekend, but I've unfortunately got way too much stuff to do to drive 3 hours for another shoot. I can't wait to see it when it's finished!

Whew...

2008-04-15T14:53:00.001-07:00

This month? It's been busy. I'm finally settled in my new apartment, and as soon as I can be home around noon when the light is really nice and have nothing to do for an hour (HA!) I'll take and upload some pictures! Oh, but it's great, comfy and relaxing.

So what have I been up to?

Now that I have a continually clean kitchen and can cook without fear of strange creatures rising up on their pseudo pods to attack me, I've been baking, cooking, and eating way more fulfilling meals at home. Most recently it was a (much less gringo than usual) version of Chicken Curry, using a free-range organic and tasty whole chicken from Trader Joe's. Combine that with fresh naan cooked in a 500 degree oven on a cast iron skillet, yummy raita, and rice cooked with saffron and sliced almonds, and you have a fucking meal. YUM. I'm anticipating future curries but I need to know a bit more about the spices and quantities; this was pretty successful but I think I'll have to add more onion in the future. A couple weeks earlier, I had a friend over to help me make fresh spaghetti in my Atlas pasta maker, found by my mother at the ever popular Urban Ore. I still have leftover family-recipe tomato sauce in my freezer, and most of a focaccia slab that's now waiting to be turned into breadcrumbs. Oh yeah, Italian sausage and mushrooms were also consumed.

Look - it's pasta drying on my dish rack!

About the recent conversion to carnivorous behavior: Back in November I decided that it was OK to occasionally eat meat if I knew it was ethically treated, i.e. free range / organic and all that good stuff. I was already eating dairy, eggs, and fish on a daily to weekly basis along with vegetarian fare. I know it doesn't really mean a lot now as organic standardization is not really up to snuff, and there are a lot of food manufacturers slapping a big "O" on packaging nowadays, but I can tell when it tastes better. Ethically treated animals are indeed tasty - I think my major reason for going vegetarian years ago (outside of health) was that meat just didn't taste good to me anymore. Lately, tasty critters have been infiltrating my diet, and I've noticed some interesting things happening:

My stomach is tolerating meat products very well. No stomach aches, *ahem* flatulence (which I'm kind of known for in many circles), or feeling like I'm going to pass out after eating meals.

My sugar cravings and pint of ice cream or two per week habit have gone away completely. I've been able to turn down sweets - shocking!

I've lost weight and have more energy, but this is probably a product of slightly increased exercise, and a decrease in carb and sugar consumption. I also don't feel as hungry or want to snack all the time, and smaller meals fill me up.

I discussed this with a friend who is the same blood type, similar age, and also a recent carnivore convert - and she had the exact same conclusions. Since she's in a program studying Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and is generally very aware of health and her body, I trust her opinion. I've been a vegetarian off and on for the last 10 years, with varying degrees of strictness, and I finally feel now that I will not go back as it's not necessarily the most healthy option. Now, this does not mean that burgers and fries are going to be staple in my diet. On the contrary, this allows me more freedom in the kitchen, and when I occasionally go out to eat I don't always have to choose the vegetarian option, which is most of the time not vegetarian at all! Right now, for my body, I feel it's OK to eat animal protein 2-3 times a week. Other days, vegetarian is the best option. I've heard it many times before, now to beat a dead horse: It's all about moderation, people.

Other than food and nesting, I've been playing with the bands 2x a week, and we're gearing up for recording and a couple of gigs lined up. Exciting! I feel like I have my rhythm and energy back after the last 4 lackluster months. There is also small progress on the photography front - for the first time in months, I've been shooting at least a few days a week, and shot another wedding a few weeks ago which I still have to finish editing and send off to the lucky couple. I hope to do another bit of a shoot this weekend at my Cousin's place, where she's helping shoot a student Zombie film. We'll see if I can shoot without getting too much gore on my camera, as theoretically I'll be in the film too.

One thing I've not been doing much of? Unfortunately, knitting. It's for the best though, as it's now approaching summer (not that we really have one in the bay area), and I need to take a quick break to work on other projects. However, I have been working on a few knitting patterns, and eventually I'll finish the garments, write up patterns, and distribute for testing.

'Till then, Ciao!

Netflix withdrawl

2008-03-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

I would like to express my utter frustration and rage at the Netflix site outage. I'm sure they are losing a lot of business as it's been down all freaking day! I just discovered the wonders of Netflix last night (well, I know about it, but had not signed up or explored until yesterday) and was totally thrilled, adding tons of movies and shows to my queue. That is, until this morning, when I checked the site to add a few things, and it was down. "Ok, it will be back soon," I mused. 7 hours later it's still down! GRAWRRR! This had better not effect the delivery of LOST season 3 to my mailbox tomorrow. And when the site is up, I had better be able to add MST3K to my queue, dammit. I just want to watch some movies while I knit!

In other news, I finally signed up for cable internet, so hopefully I'll have a modem by Saturday so they can install it. Soon I will have connectivity at home...Wheee! I did get to play around with an EVDO WiFi router this weekend thanks to work, and it's pretty neat. Unfortunately I can't keep it all week as we need it for testing. This would be a great device for traveling - anywhere Sprint Network goes, you can have WiFi and net access. You could probably even use it in the car with an AC converter. Sweetness. It's amazing what technology can do these days, and how swiftly one can become frustrated and angry due to lack of said technology.

No offense to knitting blondes...

2008-03-20T15:32:00.001-07:00

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!

Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, “PULL OVER!”

“NO!” the blonde yelled back, “IT’S A SCARF!”

Sanctuary

2008-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

I finally spent a night in my new casa last night! It feels great to be in my own space. I realized after not staying in my old house for over a week that it was making me sick - coughing, sneezing, wheezing, feeling miserable. I've been really ill off and on with respiratory distress for the past 4 months. I still don't feel 100% better but am about 95% there, with no more wheezing and haven't used any allergy medication in 2-3 days. Woo hoo, now I don't feel so decrepit! I've warned my ex roommates about the possibility that there is toxic mold in the house, but we'll see if they do anything about it. I'm powerless, as I was not on the lease.

Anyway...that's all over now! I have a huge studio to live in! Despite my exhaustion from moving all day Saturday, I manage to get my kitchen unpacked and the beginning of my workspace setup. I'm hoping to section off the bed and my workspace so it's not immediately visible as I walk in the door - I think a clean living area will help keep the feeling of sanctuary and inspiration. Since my yarn was already packed in clear totes, it was easy to find, and I've already started swatching for a new sweater now that my first one is already done...

In any case it's a relief to be done, and know that I have much more room for creativity and sanctuary.

Countdown

2008-02-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

2 days 'till I get keys to my new place! Yup, I'm finally moving into a large studio on my own. No more roommates, no more fighting with roommates about being too loud or not cleaning up after themselves, no more ridiculous energy wasting resulting in exorbitantly high electricity bills...more nesting and being comfortable. The last 2-3 months at my current residence have been far from peaceful, to the point where I am so done with living there that I'm staying at the SO's place this week until I can move into my new place. I can hardly wait any longer. I will have more space to breathe, and space to cook, make art, knit, build things, and might even have the ability to use the space as a photography studio from time to time due to the fact that there's a lot of space and high ceilings. I'm also excited about having concrete floors - I will be able to use my tools indoors! I've already been dreaming up layouts for the apartment, looking at IKEA for things I can't really afford right now, and dreaming of all the creative things I'll now have space (and peace and quiet) for.

In knitting land...I now only have to knit sleeves for my sweater, and have finally finished some socks, minus the leg hem and blocking. New project for new space: Dye some yarn!

I also have an idea for a rug - I really like the cheap flokati rugs from IKEA, but I'm not too keen on owning a white one. Since it's wool, theoretically I could dye it...but would it be too much of a pain in the ass? I think I'm going to try, maybe for deep reds or earthy greens...

Braiiins

2008-02-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, I had a great and productive weekend! Friday night I stayed over at Harvey's house, knitting up a storm and watching Lost. I got a good 5" or so done on my sweater, up to the bust shaping at least. Saturday morning was spent knitting a bit more, then a visit to ImagiKnit in San Francisco. I can't believe I've never been to this shop before! Amazing fibers, and so well organized. The first huge room is for yarns of 50% or more animal fiber, while the second huge room is for 50% or less animal fiber. And the colors! I couldn't resist buying a huge squishy hunk of Schaefer hand dyed, in colorway Elena Piscopia, from their collection of yarns inspired by memorable women. At 600 yards, it will make a nice vest or shrug, or an immense claptois. I also bought some Noro cotton and rayon cord, which is gorgeous crocheted! I think I'll have to go back there and purchase a couple more skeins for my mother who will probably crochet something much more amazing than I ever could.

Around 2, I met Matt downtown for a Brain Machines build. It's bascially a set of goggles with LEDs that pulse or blink patterns in conjunction with tones. The patterns correspond with brainwave sequences to bring you into a relaxed meditative state. The patterns are stored in a firmware which can be edited to make them longer or shorter. The build was pretty easy, we each purchased a kit which included all LEDs, caps, resistors, and a chip which runs the firmware. I pretty much finished mine, but still have to make it pretty with fake fur - I'm envisioning a helmet sort of thing. I did try it out for a bit, and can say for a fact that it relaxed me and got rid of my headache. I'm going to go through the full sequence when I have a spare 10 minutes or so.

Sunday we left at 8 am (grrr) to drive up to Sacramento to visit Two Rivers Cidery. Normally I don't drink at all before early afternoon, but Vincent, the owner and brewer, is truly an artisan. Everything we sampled was amazing - Pear, Pomegranate, a wonderful blend called Seiser of apples and honey, and my favorite, Gravenstein apple cider. Oh, I've missed Gravensteins! I was born in Graton, an unincorporated part of Sebastepol, and growing up in the North Bay has led to a real appreciation of this wonderful fruit. Gravensteins are classified as an heirloom fruit, as they are not grown anywhere else in the country. Sadly, land owners in Sebastepol and Santa Rosa are favoring vineyards over orchards these days, so gravensteins have been falling off the radar as of late.

Though this was a hectic weekend, I did manage to get some knitting done, and even crocheting! I made a bowl with the wonderful cotton cord and am going to make a belt with the second skein. Yay!

Bit of a break

2008-02-15T15:46:00.001-08:00

So, I've been voraciously knitting lately, and have many plans for future knits - a mohair skirt, cabled cardigan, top-down simple raglan on the needles, more socks. It seems as if my creative brain has the inertia of a locomotive these days. I finished 2.5 projects on wednesday - scarf like things that are late xmas presents for family! I've also been rehearsing a lot, or at least the 2x weekly rehearsals with my bands have been extremely energetic. Also being on the computer for 10-12 hours a day combined with a bit of stress due to searching for a new apartment = body pain! Ugh. I think I'm getting a little tendonitis in my wrists, and my shoulders are constantly sore. I never though sitting or resting would be so painful to the body. I really need to take some yoga classes after I get settled in my new (pending) place.

So, I've unintentionally taken a couple day's break from knitting. I forgot my needles on Thursday, even though I had yarn! A day and a half off of knitting hasn't helped a ton with my wrists, which aren't really all that bad, but has made me realize that I can afford to take breaks from time to time. I'm planning on trying to finish the projects I'm outlining in my nice graph-lined moleskine, and not buy any more yarn until next fall.

Theoretically, a knitting break is possible - I have so many more projects to be done!

10 most miserable cities

2008-01-31T11:41:00.001-08:00

1. Detroit, MI
2. Stockton, CA
3. Flint, MI
4. New York City
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Chicago, IL
7. Los Angeles, CA
8. Modesto, CA
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Providence, RI

I find it interesting that 3 out of the 10 are in California, two of which are in the "extended Bay Area". Hmmmmm.

(mostly) vegetarian

2008-01-25T01:54:00.001-08:00

37%

Scanning Darkly

2008-01-23T11:54:00.001-08:00

After owning my Epson 4490 for 6 months, I've finally gotten a chance to fire it up. (Excuse: I moved right after purchasing it and have been out of town quite a bit this year :) One friend and one professor have raved about this particular model, particularly the resolution (supposedly on par with costly Drum Scanners) and ease of use. I can now say that I am smitten with this scanner! Up to 12 negatives can be scanned at once, with selections for black and white and color film. One thing I do like is that black and white film can be scanned for RGB output, which is kind of critical for photographic minilab output as well as if you'd like to manipulate the tone of the image. Another great thing about slides and negs is that you can batch scan them, and all frames are scanned to individual files that are named sequentially. This is going to make archiving all my negs soooo much easier and enjoyable. Negs and Slides take longer to scan, but this is to be expected with high resolutions and small areas. Overall, this is one of the fastest scanners I've had the pleasure of using.

The only beef I have with this particular scanner so far is that any photo near the bottom edge of the scanner will be cut off slightly. I don't know whether this problem is inherent to this particular scanner or the model itself, as I purchased a refurbished model directly from Epson for a very good price. It's not too big of a deal as I'm seldom scanning flat art or photos, but slightly irritating nonetheless.

Now all I have to do is get more ink from my printer and find my duratrans inkjet paper...

Pacific Noise interview

2008-01-21T10:59:00.001-08:00

I forgot to post this after it was done. The folks at Pacific Noise have a weekly podcast of local bands in SF and the surrounding areas. Enjoy!

@!!$%&*)

2008-01-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

I love this amp!

Check it out at Metasonix.

It has two channels: HAPPY and ANGRY. Verdict: the Fucking Fucker looks Fucking awesome.

Product Description from their website: "One sucks your face, the other gnaws your foreskin off."

Found at Boing Boing Gadgets blog.

Anyway, I have some posts queued up...been pretty busy as of late, but getting lots of knitting done as usual!

Ciao,

Merc

Dunsmuir Estate

2007-12-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't done much exploring in the southern region of Oakland, but today I got a chance to head down to the Dunsmuir Estate. It's tucked away on the border of Oakland and San Leandro, about 20 minutes away from Berkeley. I was invited by my best friend Emily and her family, who had an extra ticket to tour the house and have afternoon tea. I guess the tea is a special holiday event only held during weekends in December. It was really cute, endless pots of tea with scones, cookies, cucumber sandwiches, lemon tarts, plenty of butter, jam, and even lemon curd.

After tea, we toured the mansion with tons of rooms, lavishly decorated xmas trees in every one. My favorite part was the kitchen: A well-worn floor, humongous wood burning stove complete with gas broiler, and a separate pastry room for baking. It doesn't look large in the picture, but the cast iron skilled and dutch oven look like they would have been weilded by someone very intimidating.
It was a nice day, I even managed to get a little knitting done when we sat down for a bit while chatting. I don't normally go for hoity-toity outings, but the company and pleasant atmosphere was nice for a change.

Knitting in transit

2007-12-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've now lost the equivalent of an entire set of DPNs on BART, the plane, and some other mysterious place while in transit to work or home. Today one of my #6 US needles flew out of my hand, out the doors of the train, into the crack between the train and the platform. Damn my clumsiness! At least I still have 5 needles - which means I've now lost an entire set of #6 DPNs on BART, the plane, and some other mysterious place while in transit to work or home. Grrr. I guess this is one of the hazards of transit knitting, and given that the bamboo needles I use are only $3-5 a set, I'll continue to pass the time on BART by knitting. I'll just note to make sure I don't use expensive needles (if I can ever convince myself to buy some) on public transit.

On another note - I love this Riding Hoodie from etsy seller bonspielcreation. It's a tad pricey, but really nice - too bad it's only a small size.

Do these look manly enough?

2007-12-14T01:35:00.000-08:00

I had quite a bit of tea today. So much, in fact, that because of the caffeine and the cold weather, I've spend all evening sprawled out in bed with yarn, needles, knitting books, and google. Here's the evening's productivity:
I love these! Look, a real thumb gusset! No more wimpy cheater thumbs. This is a lot easier than picking out waste yarn, and fits a lot better. They are not really perfect, but good enough for a start, and definitely good enough to give as a gift. Woo Hoo, and fast too! Ok, now of to bed.

Knitting Frenzy!

2007-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Xmas is upon us, fortunately or unfortunately. Fortunately, I have the week between xmas and new year's off of work, so I'll be driving up to Portland, OR to be with family. And so, I've decided to knit gifts for *cough* twelve people! I'm about 60% done. The rest will be knit in transit, with the exception of the Argyle scarf. Fingerless gloves are perfect BART knitting, and I suspect I'll be knitting in the car on the way up to Portland (not while driving though). The Argyle knitting is quite a bit of fun - intarsia is challenging in a relaxed sort of way, as I actually enjoy repeating the same stitches over and over, but color changes and weaving yarn into the work are keeping it interesting. My enthusiasm for intarsia, however, has been sparked!
I found the basic stitch chart and instructions in Knitter's Handbook, which is an excellent reference book which covers all the basic techniques and has some great stitch patterns. After doing a bit of research on Ravelry and the web, I stumbled across Eunny Jang's work. Oh my god, she is such an amazing knitter / designer. I've been spending all my spare moments today drooling over her colorwork, laces, cables, and some of the best fitting garment designs I have ever seen. Her cabled socks are so elegant, and her colors so perfectly matched that even I (not a girly girl in the slightest) was in awe and envy over her pink and green, argyle, knee-length socks. She has quite a few tutorials in her blog, too - I'll be learning quite a bit from her site. I'm amassing quite a stash as it is, and many projects to follow after holiday knitting is out of the way - but now all I want to do is go out and buy lots of fingering weight yarn in many colors so I too can knit intarsia! Swatches, yes, I will knit lots of swatches, until I figure out exactly what to knit with this technique. For now - back to knitting!

awesome

2007-12-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

I Love Philip Glass. I love Sesame Street. What more could you ask for?

chat avec un chat

2007-11-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

10:29:31 bluesforharvey: i'm going to take a shower. back in a bit
10:38:36 bluesforharvey: 788888888888888888888--[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ -?????????YJKK^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^K""""""""""
10:38:47 Mercedes: hi irving
10:38:53 bluesforharvey: IIIOOOOOOOOOO::::::::::::::::::::UUUUUUUU'''''''''
10:39:02 bluesforharvey: 66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
10:39:11 bluesforharvey: ,.7777777 WMSSWWWWWW
10:39:12 bluesforharvey: '[

My friend stepped away from her computer, and her cat decided to say hi.

Cold beer and a warm soldering iron

2007-11-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

I hadn't gotten out the soldering iron in a while until the decision to put LEDs in my cape for my halloween costume demanded I do so. I finally sat down with wires, solder, my radio-shack 15W iron, and a couple of good tutorials (One,Two) and really taught myself how to make quality solder joints. The beer my roommate bought and is from a Mendocino microbrew, I think.

Here's my messy desk in all it's glory, just for shits and giggles. I finally migrated nearly all my computer equipment to the smaller desk directly in front, and am now using a 6' long conference table as my craft / hackspace! I'm very excited to have this much room. I do still need to get rid of some things, such as my large collection of analog recording equipment that I never use...

Lastly, here's a pic of my breadboard with a row of LEDs to test out linking new LEDs to an existing IKEA power supply with 10 LEDs off of it. Seemed to work ok, I went a slightly different route for my halloween costume - I should have some pics of it up this weekend.

final t-shirt logo

2007-10-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

Blech, I've been sick this past week with a horrible cough and haven't gotten much done. I'm finally feeling better today and just figured out that I have exactly one week and a half to finish my costume! My goal is the 27th as Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, so parties are inevitably going to fall the weekend before that. This Saturday I'm planning on storming Fry's and the fabric store, and Sunday I'm hoping to put it all together. Hopefully before that, I will have finished stenciling my t-shirt with the following:

I decided to go with font that was easy to cut out and stencil since I don't have time to get supplies and make a silkscreen.

In other news, I finally started organizing my yarn stash and my photos this past weekend while home recovering from the plague. The yarn is now organized by color neatly in two clear plastic bins, plus a third bin for current projects. My digital photos are a different story...I'm converting to organizing by date and then subject, which is a huge improvement over the last system - folders with vague descriptions of the contents. This will be much easier to navigate, and soon I hope to upload stuff to flickr or smugmug for online organization and archiving.

I also ordered a new lens this week, and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival so I can fully use my DSLR again! I ended up purchasing slightly used from keh.com and saved almost $100. It's really comparable to the kit lens in focal length (about a 26-70mm 35mm equivalent) but has a fixed 2.8 aperture, which means it's lots faster and lots sharper. I've been really skeptical about buying zoom lenses so far, as I've gotten such great results with prime focal lengths (tack sharp 16x20s with my Olympus that can probably stretch to 20x30 or bigger with little loss in resolution) and really poor results with zooms. However, this lens had great reviews, has all the focal lengths I really use, and was highly recommended over at Strobist. I'm really excited to test it out and get a lot more serious with my photography.

Halloween Costume

2007-10-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, I had a brainwave and finally figured out what to do. My friends have always joked around that my alter-ego superhero name is Gadget Girl - so naturally, what else should my Halloween costume be? I quickly made a mental inventory of all the things I would need: Tools, cat5, pocket protector, LEDs, computer parts, boots, tool belt, cape, logo...Logo! That's where I can start! Ok, so I've found some fonts I like for the design, picture your basic white oval on a t-shirt, except the words will be stacked sort of like:

Gadget
Girl

Anyway, there are six to choose from - pick your faves and let me know in the comments!

p.s. I kinda like the last one the best.

Current listening fave

2007-10-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Bad Plus. Composed of Ethan Iverson on Piano, Reid Anderson on upright bass, and David King on drums - they are fantastic! I'm going to go buy all their CDs soon. On my way home from work, the song "Lost of Love" from the album Suspicious Activity really caught me. It's one of their more mellow tunes, but I was struck by the delicacy of the phrasing and the ease at which the three sync together rhythmically. They are most known for covers of popular rock tunes such as Smells Like Teen Spirit and other 80's / 90's hits, but also write amazing original music. I highly recommend a listen or two.

I'm Back!

2007-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Back in the bay area after europe...It was a lot of fun, to say the least! I love Berlin and can't wait to go back sometime soon. For now, it's back to starting some new projects (mostly knitting) and finishing some work on my room so I can really setup my loft as a craft/hack space. Yay!

I'm setting up this blog to focus more on knitting and music (as is evident from the title I'm sure). I've recently started using Ravelry, an online workbook for knit and crochet projects. I'm really excited and can't wait to get a day free to shoot all my yarn and past / current projects to fill out my notebook! Yay!

It's raining

2007-09-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

So it's been pouring the last two days or so, making venturing out to explore kind of strenuous. Yesterday I came back soaking wet having to change clothes as I stupidly didn't have an umbrella. I also nearly lost my wallet, which was a harrowing experience! I ate dinner at a falafel place, paid, went to use the bathroom, and left. After going one stop on the train, I thought it would be a good idea to check for my wallet before I got home. Lo and behold, it was not there! I raced out of the doors of the subway, found the next train back, and practically sprinted through sheets of rain back to the falafel place. I was only gone for about 15 minutes or so, and fortunately I know my way around Berlin well enough that I knew exactly where the place was. I walked in, checked the bathroom, and sure enough, my wallet was sitting exactly where my jacket had been, with everything still in it. I feel really lucky for that. I have never really lost my wallet, only misplaced it for a few panicked hours or minutes every so often. Loosing my money and passport in a foreign country is not something I want to experience, especially since I am leaving for home in 2 days.

That's another beast I rode around in the rain yesterday - Berlin is a great city to bike in, and step-through frames are very popular. I've seen very few sleek italian racing machines such as the ones that are oh-so popular in SF.

Berlin Wall

2007-09-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Gazing at the kilometer-long still standing section of the Berlin Wall, I am overwhelmed. The graffiti splashed and collaged on this atrocious structure stands as a portal into people's hopes, dreams, stupidity, and comic relief. I had a hard time keeping it together - so many colors and words represent so many people's frustration, pain, sadness, joy, heartbreak, relief.

I take my time strolling past this monument. At the beginning I see a young couple attempting to chip a piece out of the wall to take home as a souvenir. It's unfortunate that much of the phrases now scrawled on the surface are mostly tourist sentiments (so and so was here European vacation 2006, etc). Much of the original art has been spray painted over many times. Still, much remains in the way of references to peace and hope.

Bike rides and the Pergamon museum

2007-09-26T11:08:00.002-07:00

I've been doing a lot of walking, sightseeing, and eating of Falafels in Berlin. It's hard to get lost here as there is a subway or tram within 10 minutes or less of anywhere in the center of the city. Plus, there is food everywhere; like I said, I've been eating a lot of REALLY GOOD falafels as they are vegetarian and cheap! A falafel sandwich costs between 2 and 3 Euros, or about $3-4. Food is really cheap and very good quality here, even fast food.

Monday I took a bike tour which was a lot of fun, and our guide was pretty knowledgeable about Berlin history. We rode around for about 4 hours, stopping at the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, Museum Island, and of course checkpoint charlie. She regaled us with tales of escape over, under, and through the wall from East to West Berlin, as well as describing the reconstruction effort after each war. The weather was beautiful and warm, and I managed to get a little sunburned (but not badly).

I'm now staying at the home of Fabienne and Khorben, who've been in Berlin for 2 years. Fabienne is French-American from California and has been out of the states for 4 years (2 in Paris, 2 in Berlin); Khorben is also French. They are great company and know the city well, in addition to knowing a lot about computer hardware/software hacking and sock knitting!

Tuesday it rained, so I headed off to the museums. I first toured the DDR museum, which is an interactive walk through life in East Berlin during the communist era. The curators did a good job of showing typical life of an average East Berliner from birth to middle age. I next visited the Pergamon museum, which has a ton of classical Roman, greek, and islamic sculputures and structures. It was absolutely amazing, with huge reconstructions / restorations of buildings inside the museum.

Berlin is really a beautiful city, with rich history. It's been in near constant turmoil in the 1900's, but is now bustling with hipsters, travelers, food and culture from all over the world. In essence, a big melting pot.

Mauer Park Flea Market

2007-09-24T09:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I stumbled upon an awesome flea market in Mauerpark, within walking distance to Lette'm Sleep, the hostel I've spent a couple of nights in. I was starving, and of course there was food - but mainly bratwurst and bread. Fortunately, I found some pretty good fries with ketchup and mayo.

After silencing my rumbling belly, I had a walk around. It was unfortunate that I was unable to find an ATM before getting there, as there were a lot of things I wanted to buy. It's comparable to several flea markets around the bay, but better as everything is a little different. I'd say the best values are for housewares there (one girl was walking around with the most awesome hanging lamp I've ever seen), but that kind of stuff is just to big to really bring home to the US. As with most flea markets, the vendors to the front have the most expensive things, while those in the back are a little cheaper.

It was great to walk around and take in the sights and sounds of a local event. There was music and art everywhere! The first group I saw was this jazz/r&b group that played on top of a Mercedes-Benz RV. They were pretty good, and people really got into it.

I sat and watched these guys for a while, the bass player/drummer was pretty good. Kind of psychadelic hippie jamming but it was still nice to listen to. When the saxaphone player passed his hat around, I dropped a Euro in.

I wandered around for a bit and finally settled in on the hillside to peoplewatch and peruse my German phrasebook. I still can't speak German, but I'm not expecting to really learn much. Probably the best part of the afternoon, besides sitting in the sun and relaxing, was seeing a group of people spread out on the wall behind the park to paint murals and Graffiti.

This flea market happens every weekend in Mauerpark, so I'll definitely be back next weekend to check it out again before I leave.

Berlin!

2007-09-23T02:42:00.001-07:00

It's a wonderful city. I arrived on Friday night, a little tired from waking up at 5:30am (ugh). I flew into Frankfurt and then took an ICE train (high speed long distance train) to Berlin. The train ride was very pleasant. It's quiet, you can get pretty good food, and look out the window at the rolling green hillside. I was very surprised to see that it reminded me of California! Maybe that's just my homesickness though. But really, it reminded me of taking long drives in Northern California to my cousins' place in the woods. All of the houses, however, are a lot different. Europe has a typical farm house or structure - cream or bright white with red rooftops.

The S- and U-bahns (main subway and metro trains) are amazing here. Most of the day they run every 3 minutes, and at night and sundays every 10. Normally, I feel I have no sense of direction, but in Berlin, I have found it very easy to get around by train or by walking. In many respects I feel like I am in San Francisco, but it's bigger and with much better public transportation. There are all sorts of colorful people here, many of them friendly, and every building is different.

Last night I met with a knitting group that meets regularly at a cafe in Berlin. It was pretty nice to go and meet, even if I don't speak German. A few of the people there spoke english, however, so I was at least able to chat with them and get some names of a couple yarn shops. We all shared our knitting projects (I showed off my gloves and hat that I'd made a while ago) and gave feedback - one woman called my fuzzy turquoise gloves crazy! But I think this was a compliment. I was invited by Kim, who is a friend of Fabienne, who I'm going to stay with for the rest of my time here. Fabienne is a friend of my friend Matt, who met here at CCC in Berlin around August. Fun stuff - it's great to make foreign connections.

I've met quite a few cool people on this trip, given out my e-mail a few times, gotten a few more - I hope I can at least remember to keep contact when I get back, as at times I'm so bad at it. I think I will need to make better effort in the future.

Au Revoir, Paris

2007-09-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

So today I left Paris bright and early at 6am. I was actually happy to leave. I, unfortunately, was not terribly impressed by this place, except maybe by the Cemetier Montmartre. Cemetaries are a bit amazing to me - the aged, rotting tombstones and crypts, strewn with dried flowers and leaves left by mourners long ago. Cemetier Montmartre is a huge, sprawling lot, with lots of family crypts and families of cats. I've dubbed them "les Chats de Mort" (the cats of death), even though they don't seem remotely deadly to me.

I wandered around for about an hour and a half, enjoying the peace and quiet, so to speak. I was in photographic bliss! I love picturing rust, and the delicate stains of dirt, smoke, and pollution.

Bonjour, Comment ca va?

2007-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Paris is weird and expensive. I've been here since Saturday night. Sunday and a portion of Monday were spent mostly sleeping as I've caught a bad cold (or, en francais). I've been staying at the Montclair hostel on the 6th floor. Other than the strenuous climb up 6 flights of steep, winding stairs, the hostel is pretty nice. It's really clean, fairly comfortable, and the staff is really nice. Our room has its own bathroom that only three people share - a lot better than the previous. It's also got a kitchen and a lobby - probably another reason I've been here so much.

On Monday night, I was a bit relieved to hear another American voice in the kitchen. I introduced myself to Shavonne, a bartender from Seattle, and two Hungarian youths (I forget their names!) and was promptly handed a beer. We chatted for a bit and quickly became friends, eventually wandering out to a bar nearby to talk loudly about English language, rugby, football, and other miscellany shared over several bottles of wine. We eventually made our way back to the hostel to hang out in the Hungarian's room, and were interrupted several times by the staff on duty to keep the noise down. I guess laughter carries in the corridors.

Shavonne, me, and Shavonne's roommate, an Australian, met the next day (Tuesday) to head to the Louvre. They were hungover, and the Louvre was closed, so we didn't get very far. All city museums in Paris are closed on Tuesdays. It was, however, a beautiful day. Shavonne took off shortly after we arrived to get a train ticket to Amsterdam, where she was headed the next day. The Australian (I'm so terrible with names) and I wandered around for a bit, and I eventually found an english language bookstore where I bought some short stories by Roald Dahl, some pens, and a pretty good map of Paris. I've been dying for something to read since I got here. Since we were both exhausted, we headed back to the hostel to nap.

My days in Paris have been spent getting up late, wandering for a few hours, migrating back to the hostel in the afternoon, napping, and wandering again in the evening. I finally got a chance to do a little clothes shopping today, and found some excellent (and expensive) new duds. I've been really frugal so far, so I think I can splurge a little bit. Now that I'm starting to feel better (thanks to french over the counter cold remedies), I'm going to try to spend my last day at the cemetary in Montmartre and on a bike tour in the afternoon.

The coolest glasses ever...

2007-09-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Are these! Too bad the shop was closed, or else I would have had a picture of them on my face. I'm really thinking I should switch to contacts so I can get a ton of cheap frames and deck them out so I can have weird glasses all the time and not have to spend a fortune!

Amsterdam is full of all kinds

2007-09-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

Just days after 9/11anniversary, we are in amsterdam. a city with tolerance for everything except intolerance. on our second night, we are walking back towards our hostel, near centraal station. there are so many people in the street, so many languages, the background is chaotic and exciting. two voices are heard singing an unfamiliar tune and lyric. Hola! shouts a man as he passes us. Hola! Harvey shouts back. we intercept them as they slow down to meet us, two tan skinned men, one graying, one more baby faced. We exchange pleasantries and they ask us where we're from. San francisco, my collegue replies. "Ah, san francisco"! Where are you from? Spain? no, Italy? no. Israel! he replies. no, you don't have the right accent. "Iraq" is the final answer. Only for a moment, my brain states "woah". But in another moment, we see that they are friendly indeed. They introduce themselves (eventually) as Sale (pronounced sal-uh) and Muhammed. We ask them what they were singing; the reply was, "an old arabic tune, to which we've altered the words." I don't remember what the song used to be about, but the new words were something to the gist of "ali, why have you lied to us?"

Sale has been in Amsterdam for 9 years, working as a playwright and actor. He speaks fluent Dutch and Arabic, and only some english. Sale is extremely excited to learn that Harvey is also an actor, clown, and musician. Our new acquaintances convince her to sing a song. She chooses "a day in the life of a fool" and belts out a beautiful melody. I have heard Harvey sing many many times before, and again sat back to listen.

Muhammed has been living in the UK since he fled Iraq in 1996. He's a psychiatrist in Sheffield. He started off his introductions to us with the fact that a close friend had been killed in an explosion in Baghdad only a few months before. He, nearly laughing and close to tears, seemed to be at the edge of shock and grief. I tell him that I can only imagine such a tragedy.

Muhammed and Sale talk us into heading to a cafe (Dutch version of a bar) with them. As we walked, we discussed poetry - Muhammed is going through his grieving process by writing a poem together with a dear friend still in Baghdad. When we arrive and get drinks, he launches into another story about his return to Baghdad a year prior. Without telling his family or friends (except one), Muhammed books a flight for 2 weeks to Baghdad. He said he felt a sudden urge to go, and he had a pending sense of meeting what he thought was to be his own death. His family gets word of his arrival, and there is a tearful reunion at the airport. He then told of how he had not seen any of his family in ten years, and could not recognize his own brother.

His reunion with his family was extremely happy. About a week after his arrival, he meets up with an old friend who has since become a successful reporter in Baghdad. They make plans to meet the next day. Sale described how he phoned his friend many times the next day, and was finally contacted by another friend who told Muhammed that he was in a coma at the hospital. Muhammed only found out after he arrived at the hospital that the sucessful reporter was killed from a bomb explosion earlier that day.
I'm not too clear on what he mentioned next, but he described missing another explosion by 10 minutes as his brother was driving him to the airport. When he arrived, he found that all flights were canceled, but they did not recommend he travel home, as the road to the airport was unsafe and nicknamed the "way of death". Muhammed spent two nights in the airport and was finally able to return to Sheffield.

After this sad tale, the bar closes, and we're invited back to Sale's apartment (affectionately called Little Baghdad) to view a dvd of excerpts from a performance titled "Waar is Daar?" (Where is There?) It's a solo piece of words and dance, entirely in Dutch. Since Sale doesn't speak enough english to translate, he translates it from dutch to arabic, and Muhammed translates from Arabic to English for us. Basically, the play asks the questions, where have I come from, where am I going, and why am I tortured in both places? It's an interesting piece that incorporates bits of Iraqi and Dutch words and culture. We drink more beer while listening to traditional Iraqi music played on an ooud (sp?) which is a stringed instrument. Arabic music, like Indian music, does not operate on the western 12-tone scale. The result is that music is less concentrated on the note and more on the tone of the instrument. Meter is different too, being more relaxed and pulsing rather then metronomic.

Eventually, they ask us to stay with them. We decline, preferring the hostel. Fortunately they hail a cab for us so we can get home - it being very late and dark, we have no idea what part of town we're in. What shocks me is despite the fact that our home countries are still at war, they did not blame us or bash America for any wrongdoing. Had we each met in one of our parent countries, things would have been radically different.

A few pics of Amsterdam

2007-09-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

More can be found on my flickr page...

Goedenavond, Amsterdam

2007-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

After 3 planes and about 16 hours of travel, I arrived in Amsterdam exhausted with luggage and my former roommate Harvey in tow. The most stressful part of getting here was locating her in the Frankfurt Airport. We each paged the other a few times and finally met at one of the information desks about 50 minutes before our flight was scheduled to take off. Close call, but mid-day on a Tuesday has the place pretty empty. It only took us about 15 minutes to get from check in to gate, which is remarkable in my opinion.

The previous two flights (UA SFO-Heathrow and Lufthansa Heathrow-FRA) were pretty uneventful, although United was cramped, crowded, and long. I was able to nap a bit on all three flights, but not enough to really be rested. When we finally arrived at our hostel (The White Tulip in the Red Light district) I passed right out for about 5 hours. Harvey, already acclimated to the time change after spending the last month and a half in the Czech republic, decided to check out the neighborhood. She returned at 10:30, and dragged me out for a beer. Heineken and Grolsch the standard here, and are very good especially on tap. We sat outside for a bit and chatted with some Welsh travelers who had also arrived that day, and had only decided to come to Amsterdam a day or two before. After our beer, we headed back to the hostel - I was still tired, although in better shape than earlier.

What was kind of shocking at first was that this has been a lot easier than I anticipated. I was freaking out a bit the evening before my departure, but once I got on my plane at SFO, I felt pretty much ok. Amsterdam seems to be a good place to start out with for traveling overseas, as english is a second language to nearly every person to set foot in this country. The Dutch grow up with English spoken on television, and are pretty much automatically bilingual.