As I mentioned last week I rode in my first Critical Mass this last Friday evening. Held for nearly 17 years on the last Friday of every month here in San Francisco, I can only say that I wish I'd rode in every one of these since I've been here in SF. In no way had I anticipated how amazing it would feel to ride with hundreds of other riders in a show of protest, solidarity, and celebration.
I've seen estimates of Friday's turnout at somewhere between 2500-3000 riders. My best guess was "at least a thousand, maybe a couple thousand", but in all honesty when you're in the midst of the sea of bicycles it's really anybody's guess.
There was a pervasive feeling of justification at completely taking over the very streets we battle everyday. On this day, shutting down the narrow streets of the Financial District was first on the agenda, the mass of bikes slowed to a walking crawl on several occasions. Looping around Union Square, we made a left turn and took over the Stockton Tunnel. Shortly after that, we took over the Broadway Tunnel, before making our way back to Market Street and into my boy the Mission.
We got some encouraging waves from bystanders, some puzzled looks from tourists, and some horns honked in our favor, but of course there were some middle fingers and nasty words exchanged. I didn't see any of the incidents mentioned at SF Appeal, but I'm not surprised. There are always a few idiots who take things too far.
I didn't get any pictures that are worth a damn, but the video above is a nice little documentation of the event. There are also some nice snapshots here. Sadly, your boy bg does not make a cameo in any of them.
Critical Mass ended up being the most fun I've had in a long, long time. I really wish I could get this point across more eloquently, but the fact is I ended up seeing Midnite at the Independent last night and that ended up being one of the most ire, deep grooves I've been a part of in a long time! Yeah boy! Thanks to the resident GQ your boy was up in the VIP and err'thang.
I've got nothin' left, and it's only Tuesday...
Monday, March 30, 2009
chair: camps. foreals
contrary to popular belief and prediction, i was not hungover this weekend! i almost said i didn't drink, but that would be a total lie. gone are the days where the term drinking, air quotes and all, meant getting completely plastered and blacking out. now i'm sipping on alcohol of choice with most of my meals and ending my day with a cold one is the norm (yo). is that progress? or regress? i'm an optimist so let's go with progress.
i've had the outdoor itch for a while, now. maybe it's the nice cali sun burning me brain cells silly; i actually want to be outside, doing stuff. this weekend, i went camping with some girls i've known for over a decade at our 6th grade teacher's ranch in temecula. on the drive up, i noticed we were all constantly checking our blackberries. once in the mountains we lost reception and so we had a nice divorce from those addicting lil fuckers for almost 24 hours!
our teacher, charlie and his wife elivie, are probably the two most nice and generous people i've ever had the chance of knowing. for a few years, i lost touch but they welcomed us back without mentioning anything except they were glad to see us again. charlie is building a dream villa for his wife, a nice two-story clay and wood creation with custom doors from mexico and a charming antique stove. my friend's brother and his friends were there helping charlie install steps on the patio. his ranch is huge and filled with different fruits, but the season is limited to citrus so we just hiked and ate tangerines and kumquats til our bellies expanded and protested (won't say in what manner heehee) for us to stop.
one of the very first times i camped here, we named an oak tree across the stream after me. it's still standing and makes me all nostalgic and shit. i remember admiring sycamore trees on that hike, but he said that despite them growing to be handsome and tall, they also tend to break easily. oak trees are firm and grow to be hundreds of years in age.
charlie is now retired from teaching; elvie is a part-time mental ward nurse. they take care of the thousand-acre ranch by themselves and plan to sell fruits at the local farmer's market once they are both retired. i can't wait to come back this summer to all the flowering fruits, eaten right off the branch. boisenberries, jujubees, peaches oh my~
Saturday, March 28, 2009
agIsh: "Sword Of Omens, give me site beyond site."
Happy Saturday, n-words. I hope bg's Critical Mass extravaganza was an inspiring and safe one (i.e., I hope he didn't get checked off his bike by a faggot cop...). I hope that chair is recovering nicely from her hangover...at whoever's house she happened to wake up at. As for me, I got nothing. I got home at midnight after a chill night of beers and hookah and decided to work on a website.
It's times like these that I'm reminded I have a love-hate relationship with web design. On the one hand, you reap the fruits of your labor immediately - you code, save, refresh. On the other, shit just doesn't work sometimes and the pressure to adhere to "good coding practices" while keeping browser compatibility in mind is ever present. Mind you, I have Notepad, Photoshop, and FileZilla. That's it. So I have no idea why I put myself through these things every couple of years. I just get an itch sometimes and just need to scratch it, I guess.
Anyhways, there were some major changes I wanted to make to Long Beach State Archery Club's website and I think it was worth the four hours invested. Check out the page, n-words! Long Beach State fo' lia nia's!
nv@ag
Edit: Even at 4am, I couldn't figure out why I wasn't able to fall asleep right away. But I remember now having a bag of Skittles earlier in the night! Damn you delicious Skittles! *kicks mirror*
Friday, March 27, 2009
bg/ish: Friday, Effin' Friday
A few thoughts on this gorgeous Friday afternoon in the city of San Francisco...
* * * * *
I'm riding in my first Critical Mass tonight! So damn excited, I think i wet my spandex. Wait, I'm no superhero. For those of you unfamiliar with what Critical Mass is, well, it's not so easy to explain. It's part protest, part social movement, but was originally founded to draw attention to the safety of cyclists. " Critical Mass is sometimes called an "organized coincidence", with no leadership or membership."
Tonight it's kicking off at 6 p.m. at Justin Hermann Plaza (Embarcadero), and as is the norm, I have no idea what route it's taking or where it's going. But I'll be there, and I'll be sure to report back next week with some pics of the ride.
* * * * *
Had a fabulous lunch at Cafe Claude this afternoon. Many thanks to the fine people at Emerge for their time and generosity. I've been researching and in the market for a CRM / ticketing solution and have been very impressed with their products and customer service.
Thanks again.
* * * * *
The month of March (while not yet over) has brought it's own version of March Madness to bg/ag publishing. We've had more posts this month than the entire year of 2008, with ag and our newest contributor chair beefing up the content with some good ish. It makes me proud that some janky little website ag and I started up on Yahoo! Geocities almost 10 years ago not only still exists in some form, but is at the moment full of life and kicking away.
Hell, I might even buy our domain again. Patent pending!
* * * * *
Speaking of March Madness, this happens to be the first NCAA Tournament in 20 years that I have not filled out a bracket or even watched a single game. I've been working on kicking my sports addiction, and no longer worshiping at the altar of ESPN. I don't even know why I bring this up, it's part of a much larger purge of television in general from my life. Despite all this though, I just wanted to say that I'm still picking UNC to go all the way. Go Heels!
* * * * *
I wanted to say thanks again to my brother and good friend John who totally came through last weekend with a much needed furniture delivery. Chewie and I are living quite comfy now. Let's hope this weather holds up and you can catch us in Dolores Park all weekend long.
* * * * *
Well, that's it for me for this week. Have a good weekend and be safe in whatever you do and as always, thanks for reading.
bg/ish: Stars & Stripes - The White Stripes Reimagined
I haven't listened to it yet, but at the very least I'm intrigued, and will give it some PT later this afternoon. Cheggid if you so desire.
bg/ish: Got $3500 To Piss?
Seen over at Uncrate, Brian's Toys has the complete 79 figure set of original Star Wars action figures for the low low price of $3499. You get every original figure (no variants) from Star Wars (pictured above), Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi. Sadly, no Darth Maul, or his Spanish speaking Sith bretheren, Darth Raul.
Interestingly enough, it may take them 3-6 months to complete the order, however you will only be charged shipping once. You can also set up a 12 month payment plan for a mere $299 a month.
Car payment? Complete set of Star Wars action figures?...
Car payment? Complete set of Star Wars action figures?...
I'd buy it for sure, but I've got "some old debts I gotta pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?"
bg/ish: Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog Alternate Tracks
A couple months ago Iron & Wine released some of the alternate studio tracks from the 2007 The Shepherd's Dog recording sessions for free download. Best word there is, that F-word. I swooped them up and shortly after they went away. Well, they're available for download again over at the official site.
1. The Devil Never Sleeps 2. Boy With A Coin 3. Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car 4. Peace Beneath The City 5. Lovesong Of The Buzzard 6. Innocent Bones 7. Flightless Bird, American Mouth 8. Resurrection Fern
Mr. Beam has also announced "the May 19, 2009 release of Around the Well, a 2-CD/3-LP collection of rare tracks ranging from out-of-print to never-before-released", as well as a 10 show Spring Tour which, is sadly SOLD OUT.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
bg/ish: The Man Who Laughs
I saw an interesting post on Laughing Squid about what was fairly certainly the visual inspiration for The Joker, nemesis of one Batmaing... er Batman.
The "creators drew their visual inspiration from German actor Conrad Veidt’s portrayal of the character Gwynplaine in the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs. An adaptation of a Victor Hugo novel, the film was directed by German expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, with Veidt in the title role."
one of the very first things i signed up for when i got the internet was a journal. back then, livejournal was the shiet. but being so avant garde and all, i went and got a deadjournal. i have no idea what that site is like now, but back then if you hit the "random" button you'd get a lot of teenage angst slit-your-wrist type of prose. mine was a lot of the former. guess not that much has changed. shit.
anyway, i will admit that the culture associated with black/skulls/satan/death/the list goes on is way commercialised now. skull-printed alexander mcqueen scarves retailing slightly under a thousand bones (haha i made a pun) were on every fashionista's musthave list mid-2000. i never saw the appeal of those particular scarves, but it doesn't mean i don't succumb to all the other marketing schemes associated with this darkness.
here's the latest in what chair wants...
takashi murakami plush skull:
pam fang necklace (long coveted but i can't justify paying almost 3 hundo for a streetwear brand):
oh yeah, and i remember my favorite mood in deadjournal was "pensive." i'm so cool.
bg/ish: "These Are Not The Beers You Are Looking For"
Over at Mission Mission, they got a pretty cool snapshot of this local Jedi questioning the cops for making people pour out their beers at Dolores Park.
Dolores Park is pretty much my backyard. Literally. I'm right on the corner of 18th and Church. I was in the park that day, although I didn't see the SFPD making people pour out beer, I did come across this particular Jedi fellow. If I recall he had a Doberman named Mary Jane. Her and Chewie played for a bit. I love how he's holding a lightsaber.
Funny thing is, I saw the same dude a few days later dressed like a woman. He was mildly surprised I didn't recognize him and his dog. But there are bigger issues at stake here...
Why are the cops rolling people for drinking beer in Dolores Park? Lots of locals hit the park on nice days (or any day for that matter) to chill out and have a beer after work, or before work, or just because. I'm there at least 3 times a day with my dog, and I can tell you that what these cops were doing is absolutely unnecessary. I see crack deals in broad daylight no less than 4 blocks from this park!
So far during my time here in SF I've had no reason to have anything other than respect for the police. But lately I've had a couple mild run-ins I've considered to be foolish, and I've seen some pretty harmless people getting rolled and hassled for minor, if not petty offenses.
Note to SFPD: You may have thrown a wrench into a few relaxed and well meaning peoples plans the other day, but beyond that you've accomplished nothing. Why decide to hit DP at all? Did a resident call to complain? Was there violence? No. My guess is boredom.
I hope this doesn't become a trend. I'm looking forward to a brilliant summer by the park. I don't want to be hassled in my neighborhood by a few cops who's intentions cannot even be classified as "well meaning".
Monday, March 23, 2009
bg/ish: Dark Was The Night
The Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to "dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture" recently released it's 20th compilation, Dark Was The Night. Produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from my boys The National, this compilation features plenty of quality musicians, and is def worth checking out. Here's the track list:
THIS DISC 1 Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne 2 Cello Song (Nick Drake) – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez 3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) – Feist + Ben Gibbard 4 Brackett, WI – Bon Iver 5 Deep Blue Sea – Grizzly Bear 6 So Far Around the Bend – The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly) 7 Tightrope – Yeasayer 8 Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) – My Brightest Diamond 9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson) – Kronos Quartet 10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan) – Antony + Bryce Dessner 11 Big Red Machine – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner 12 Sleepless – The Decemberists 13 Stolen Houses (Die) – Iron and Wine 14 Service Bell – Grizzly Bear + Feist 15 You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens
THAT DISC 1 Well-Alright – Spoon 2 Lenin – Arcade Fire 3 Mimizan – Beirut 4 El Caporal – My Morning Jacket 5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis) – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs) – Dave Sitek 7 Blood Pt 2 (based on original song “You are the Blood” by the Castanets) – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti) 8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer) – The New Pornographers 9 Gentle Hour (Snapper) – Yo La Tengo 10 Another Saturday (traditional song) – Stuart Murdoch 11 Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps 12 Amazing Grace (traditional song) – Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues 13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family) – Andrew Bird 14 Lua – Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch 15 When the Road Runs Out – Blonde Redhead + Devastations 16 Love vs. Porn – Kevin Drew
Check out a few of the tunes below: (Note: May not work in Firefox. Proven in IE and Chrome)
This compilation may or may not be available via some torrent sites. I'll never tell. Afterall, how would I look advising you to steal something so charitable. HMM? If I wasn't a Jamaican, then why would I be wearing this hat?
Friday, March 20, 2009
bg/ish: "Photoshop Phriday" of Sorts
Back when I was a Technical Writer and had lots of time on my hands and Adobe CS2 at my disposalag and I would often follow the Photoshop Phriday threads over at Something Awful.
I'm no good with Photoshop, I'll be the first to admit that, but occasionally I would attempt to create an image fitting with that week's theme. This thread on children's books was the only time I ever came up with something that I liked. I was looking through an old hard drive this morning when I found it. I seem to remember ag making a pretty cool fake iPod ad but I can't find the file. Must have deleted it out of spite and jealousy.
Original:
bg Version:
It's pretty obvious where my head was at...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
chair: stop, do not pass go.
california. sometimes you are so warm and lovely and bless me with sunshine while i eat my korean bbq ribs like i'm in asia, cigarette breaks and all. then other times you remind me of the quirks that make a light bulb go off in my head--oh shit--this is why it sucks. the california roll? i am too lazy to go look up the statistics but southern cali must hold one of the highest records for peoples getting pulled over for a stop sign yes? someone verify/deny.
yesyes, it happened to me today. the thing is i saw the motorcycle cop in the corner of my eye and panicked because i was on the phone. i should have just stayed on the damn phone and made a proper stop and save myself a couple hundo. damn. but the thing is--the cop was really fucking nice. not the atypical condescending jerk, just a friendly sun-speckled dude who forgave me for freaking out after shifting through my glovebox full of coffeeshop napkins but no registration or insurance. i got the ticket afterall, but i can't hate him. and i don't feel like hating myself so someone do something stupid so i can hate you... gracias.
bg/ish: The Greed of AIG
I touched on this somewhat last week. The government is spending vast amounts of your money to bail out crooks, liars, cheats and pigs. The "Generation of Swine" that Hunter Thompson wrote about has truly come to pass.
It's been well documented in the press that AIG, recipient of at least $170 billion in taxpayer "bailout" money, went ahead and gave bonuses to employees totaling somewhere around $165 million. Public outrage and disgust quickly followed. President Obama and Congress did their best to wipe the AIG jizz off their faces by demanding they return the money. Whatever. I'm not here to pile on that.
The thing is, these sums of money that are being tossed about, I don't think people comprehend just how much money it really is. We need the occasional reality check to put things in perspective.
That's why this article over at Socialist Worker is the tits. "Sarah Knopp, a public school teacher in Los Angeles, looks at what we could pay for with the federal government's bailout money that went to bonuses for AIG executives."
"HOW MUCH is $165 million? It's the amount that AIG says they need to pay in bonuses to executives in their financial products division. Since the U.S. government has given AIG over $170 billion so far, and controls 80 percent of the company, we can safely say that the money being given to these loser execs is our money.
$165 million also turns out to be almost the exact amount of money that it would take to save all of the 2,000 permanent elementary school teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District who were just given pink slips (assuming an average salary and benefits cost of $80,000 per teacher).
So for the same amount of money that we gave to the people who helped to invent things like "credit default swaps" and "collateralized debt obligations" that threaten to pull down the entire U.S. economy, we could keep 2,000 more teachers in the elementary schools in Los Angeles."
Just a little perspective. Let us not give into despair.
bg/ish: Great Way To Stay In Shape
Something happened to me last week on Friday after leaving work. Something that after some consideration I'd opted not to write about on this blog. For starters, although a completely true story, it was so far over the top I wasn't sure I could eloquently lay it all out here, and by Saturday night I'd told the story so many times that quite honestly, I was over it.
Then I saw this video posted on Bike Jerks this morning, and it brought the whole situation up in my mind again:
I wouldn't waste a whole lot of time watching that clip. It's essentially about a cyclist who has mounted some cameras on his bike so he can have evidence of chumps in cars squeezing him out. He yells a lot. Whatever. If only I'd had his camera setup on my bike last Friday...
* * * * *
I commute on a bicycle everyday in San Francisco. I've fallen once when my back tire lost traction crossing a MUNI track on Market. I've had several other close calls involving the MUNI tracks and "meat grinder" grates that are all over Market street. I've run pretty flush into the back of a car during a drunken mash up Market on Chinese New Year. (Sorry!) Too many times to count I've encountered cars who simply were not paying attention and as a result spiced up my ride with a bit of peril. And last week on Friday, my life was threatened by an angry driver.
I left work at 5 p.m. and headed towards home west on Market. I usually link up with my roommate on Market and 6th, so having just left work I headed down New Montgomery and had made it as far as Market and 3rd when the light turned yellow. I slowed. It turned red, I stopped. I was in the middle of the lane, which I have every right to. The driver of the car behind me took exception to my stopping, and started blasting me with his horn.
I turned around to see a bright red brand new Porsche being driven by some 40 something chump. I turned my bike around and rode up to the driver side window, and with the biggest sarcastic smile I could muster said to the driver, who had his window down, "What's up man, do I know you?"
"No, do I know you?" he shot back.
"Nope, but the way you were honking at me, I figured I must have known you."
"I was honking at you cuz you were in the middle of the fucking lane!"
"Oh! So you're in a big fucking hurry right?"
"I'll be in a hurry after I run your fucking ass over!!!"
"Really? So you're threatening me with vehicular..."
Before I could get the word out of my mouth, he shouted out, "...Homicide! Vehicular homicide!"
"Haha! You're hilarious. Go fuck yourself you cocksucker motherfucker!"
I circled back around as the light turned green. He floored his Porsche off the line, nearly swiped me, and narrowly missed hitting a car that was still crossing through the intersection.
I started my way down Market when another car pulled up along side me. The driver of the car shouted out to me, "Hey!"
I looked over at him, and he continued, "Don't be such a jerk!"
"Man, you have no idea what just happened back there, so go fuck yourself!"
"I ride a bike too y'know!"
At this point, my adrenaline is pumping... I'm so fuckin' pissed. I meet up with my roommate, and immediately start giving him the rundown of what had just happened. I was pretty charged up, and ended up getting separated from my buddy going through a red light. I made the left onto Valencia from Market, realized he wasn't behind me, and dipped into the shady little cul-de-sac, circling around and waiting for my roommate.
After maybe a minute, this red Porsche turns down Valencia, and into this same cul-de-sac. At this point, it's clear to me this guy is looking for me. So I pull up right in front of his car, look right at him and say, "You motherfucking piece of shit."
Dude jumps out of his car, and is screaming at me, "You want a piece of me!?!"
"Man, I said you were a fucking piece of shit! You threatened to kill me with your car!"
"That's because you're an asshole!"
"How am I an asshole?"
"Just because you're on a bike doesn't mean you can be an asshole and take up the whole lane!"
"So you threaten to hit me with your car?"
"Ya! And the next time I see you, I'm running you down! I'm fucking hitting you!"
"You aren't going to do shit. You aren't hitting anybody"
"It wouldn't be the first time!"
"You ain't shit! You ain't gonna do shit! So get back in your fucking car and go home!"
"I'll hit you and the cops won't even take me to jail!"
"You ain't gonna do shit!!! So get back in your fucking car, and go home!!!"
Going through my head were thoughts like, "smash his face with your U-lock" and "bring the pain to this fool, make him cry and spit up a cocktail of teeth and blood", you know, things of that nature. An angry bg however, remained a calm bg. My buddy had rolled up at some point during this exchange, and saw most of it go down. Oh and the chump got back in his car and went home.
Will I see this guy again? No doubt.
Am I worried about him hitting me with his car? Not in the least.
A car though, doesn't need to hit you to fuck with your shit. All he has to do is squeeze me out, cut me off, stop short in front of me, or swerve in my path. Do I think that he will try any of those shady maneuvers? Absolutely. And when he does, I'll survive, because I'm smarter than he is, and I'll be happy to report about a brand new red Porsche with some fresh dents and scratches.
Maybe some bike cams wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. As it is, we're Always Mashing / Never Not Mashing, so this probably won't be the last time.
I'm almost annoyed with myself for retelling this story, so let me just say, that portions of the Channel 6 Investigative Report clip above oh so gloriously reminded me of this classic Family Guy clip...
It's a great way to stay in shape.
bg/ish: His Fist?!?
Started my day this morning with this lovely exchange on Google IM...
____: so, last night saw my first sexual encounter in the car parked outside my gate
they didn't even stop
just keep on going
me: no shit?!?
hahaha
____: i'm for real
i was like, oh no
me: was it one of the hoes you recognize?
____: and he was sticking his entire fist into her mouth
never seen a white one with blonde hair before
not sure who she is
me: his fist?!?
____: yea
me: cutty shit!
____: his entire hand was in her mouth
and he was f-ing her
but he must have just unzipped his pants cuz u couldn't see his butt
haha
me: i don't even know what to say
____: right?
...
dude
they soo knew i was there
didn't stop at all
at all
all in the passenger side seat
me: wow
* * * * *
I <3 SF
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
agIsh: RE: RE: So Much Angst...
I would cast Leah Dizon to play the one known only as "Xuan"
and Kim Jong Il to play our nemesis, "Kim".
Since we're throwing money around, I'd opt for Common or RZA or both for musical score and Industrial Light & Magic to cover for the few stunts we won't be doing ourselves (we won't have enough money left over to cover insurance for Nick Cage and unknown-white-guy-with-fro).
nv@ag
bg/ish: RE: So Much Angst...
indeed.
i would cast nicolas cage to play you in the movie.
that's hollywood ag right there.
i'd cast an unknown to play me. somebody like this guy...
It would go straight to DVD and we'd all be better people for it.
bg/ish: So Much Angst...
I was browsing through the "sale" at the soon to be defunct Virgin Megastore here in downtown San Francisco yesterday, when I came across the Rescue Me Season 4 DVD. It's cover struck me as oddly familiar...
...I fumbled through my bag to release ag and get his opinion on where we'd seen a similar style of image before, only to find he had escaped. Later that night, I tracked him down on AIM, and put the question before him...
"Is this a ripoff of a comic book image?"
Turns out the answer is no. However, way back in the days of 56k modems and BBS e-mail systems, around the time bg/ag publishing was born cold and alone in a Del Taco bathroom, your boy ag and I wrote a little book called "Recognition Day". It was a violent affair full of angst and hatred for people of every race. Especially ninjas.
Envisioned at one point as a graphic novel, ag was tasked with creating the artwork, while I stuck to manipulating the words. As the story goes, ag's inherent laziness derailed the entire project, but not before some of the early sketches were complete. Including this very sketch!...
So, it turns out the producers of the Rescue Me DVD stole nothing except the whims of a couple of lazy bums who never saw thru a single good idea they had.
Of course, since the image has no date or signature, this is all heresy and means nothing at all. But I'm telling you, there was a time...
Good sketch ag, you make me look gooood...
bg/ish: World Premiere - "Chewie vs. Phoenix"
I was in the mood to make something incredibly cheesy that wasn't a Mexican food dish. The results are as follows...
To: Support Staff; Secretaries Subject: Juices on the 4th Floor
Apparently someone decided to hoard about 30 cases of juices under a cabinet on the 4th floor. I'm not sure why someone thought the 10 or so people on the 4th floor would need that many juices but now most of them have passed their expiration date and will have to be thrown out. Please do not hoard things around the office in places where Y___, A___, and I do not know to look for them, especially perishables. Thanks!
*ahem*
In case you're wondering, yes I sit on the 4th floor. No, I did not hoard the juices. I have my own juices.
agIsh: That bitch crazy!
In spite of my run with D-Link, I still love technology. Here's another example of the hard-working Japanese taking the lead over the lazy Americans.
Fucking. Amazing.
nv@ag
bg/ish: Essay on Walt Whitman
I have no point of reference for this at all. Saw it on Bike Jerks. It has nothing to do with bikes. It is however, dementedly insane and apparently composed by one of ag's people.
agIsh: In the good Las Vegas way...
For some reason I smell coconut lotion in my lab today and I can't find the source. The odd thing is that it's floating about a foot above my desk and is a ball of stripper goodness. This, of course, reminds me of Olympic Garden in Las Vegas. I had my best lap dance there ever from a fine young lady I know only as "The Venezuelan".
In the St. Patty's tradition, I raise this ale to you, my dear Venezuelan, wherever you are...
nv@ag
Friday, March 13, 2009
bg/ish: A Must Read, Howard Zinn on Obama and the Future
If you're not already familiar with the writings and speeches of Howard Zinn, lower your head in shame. Do it! I'll wait...
Socialist Worker has run an article containing the transcript of a speech Zinn gave in Washington D.C. a few weeks after the inauguration of President Obama. I found this speech, as with most everything else Zinn does, to be intelligent, logical, engaging, and damned important. Here is a not-so-brief excerpt:
"I'm going to talk about Obama and his administration--what's going on, and what there is for us to do.
Because we are citizens, and Obama is a president. Obama is a politician. You might not like that word. But the fact is he's a politician. He's other things, too--he's a very sensitive and intelligent and articulate and thoughtful and promising person. But he's a politician. We have to remember that. Lincoln was a politician, and Roosevelt was a politician.
If you're a citizen, you have to know the difference between them and you--the difference between what they have to do and what you have to do. Although there are things they don't have to do, if you make it clear to them they don't have to do it.
From the beginning, I liked Obama. But the first time it suddenly struck me that he was a politician was early on, when Joe Lieberman was running for the Democratic nomination for his Senate seat in 2006. You may recognize that name with the same amount of distaste that I utter it--Joe Lieberman, who says he's a Democrat, who's really a Republican, and who's actually worse then both.
Lieberman--who, as you know, was and is a war lover--was running for the Democratic nomination, and his opponent was a man named Ned Lemont, who was the peace candidate. And Obama went to Connecticut to support Lieberman against Lemont.
It took me aback. But I say that to indicate that, yes, Obama is a politician. We have to understand that, and understand therefore that we must not be swept away into an unthinking and unquestioning acceptance of what Obama does. He will do some good things--he has already done some good things. He will do some bad things, and has done some bad things already.
Our job is not to give him a blank check or simply be cheerleaders. It was good that we were cheerleaders while he was running for office, but it's not good to be cheerleaders now. Because we want the country to go beyond where it has been in the past. We want to make a clean break from what it has been in the past. We want to go farther than where another liberal Democratic president will carry us."
Zinn goes on to discuss the current state of health care in this country, as well as the overwhelming financial crisis the United States now finds itself in.
I feel it's important for people to continue to hold the President and his staff accountable for what happens over the next 4 years. This country is so clearly in a transitional state, the foundation (or lack thereof) for the future is being molded and shaped right now. Every day.
The day Obama was inaugurated was not a day for people to then sit back, kick up their feet, and wait for things like "change" or "hope" to come knocking on their door. I've had private conversations where I've essentially compared the Obama election to 9/11 - a rallying point for an entire country, an event that get's people thinking in literal terms in relation to government. After 9/11 the populace shook with fear and then gave the government a free pass to do as they saw fit. I'm saying this population cannot afford to give the same leeway to this administration based on satisfaction and contentment.
Think about where your tax dollars are going right now, it's hard not to be slightly outraged. Think about where this nation, this economy, this way of life we've all grown accustomed to will be in 5, even 20 years. Remember this government is supposed to represent you, the People.
"Some people might say, "Well, what do you expect?" And the answer is that we expect a lot. People say, "What, are you a dreamer?" And the answer is, yes, we're dreamers. We want it all. We want a peaceful world. We want an egalitarian world. We don't want war. We don't want capitalism. We want a decent society." - Howard Zinn
agIsh: Plan B
The baking soda did not work. So I resorted to spraying the shit out of my shoes with rubbing alcohol. But before I could do that, I had to get rid of the baking soda...and it reminded me of this scene from 'The Big Lebowski'...
My shoes stink. My feet do not. I'm sure it has to do with that wet grass I frolicked on. I'm not sure what decay and stench has clung to my shoes but it's on there pretty good. I've tried scrubbing with warm water and soap. I'm currently trying baking soda. I'll try alcohol next. The point of this post is that I found the following while looking for shoe odor remedies:
Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever come across that combination of words before...in any context.
nv@ag
bg/ish: Caffeinated Comics
I recently heard about a new comic book store that opened in the Southern Mission called Caffeinated Comics. Here's a description from their site:
Image is important to us. Come by and Marvel over our collection of current comics and graphic novels. Discuss current events, neighbor-hood happenings, or what's going on in DC with Dark Horse political candidates. And you'll go Bongo over our food and beverages.
You are sure to have a great time in our relaxed and (usually) sunny setting. Caffeinated Comics strives to serve the best coffee, juices and donuts in comic book store history."
So, I'm pretty stoked on heading down and checking out their store soon, hopefully this weekend. Seems really cool and I'd like to snap some photos of their whole setup. Oh, and I might even buy an issue of Detective Comics while I'm at it.
My buddy (and roommate's brother) Ariel had an assignment in his film class to put together an opening credit's sequence for a film. Amidst a class of submissions on the straightforward, cinematic side, his clearly mashed them all.
"Authorities charged a man with driving under the influence early Monday after police pulled him over for driving a car with only three tires. Police said an officer spotted a 27-year-old man driving without a rear passenger tire.
The officer reported that the man displayed uneven balance and had bloodshot eyes. A Breathalyzer test he took registered a 0.2 blood alcohol level."
A 0.2 BAC is well below the Florida legal limit of 0.8...
bg/ish: Awesome Older San Francisco Asian Defeats City In Badminton
Oh dear Lord I couldn't wait to retype that headline. It makes me giddy like a school girl! I can't even process it. I mean really?!? Older Asian gentlemen and badminton go together like kibbles and freakin' bits. They will rock you in some badminton. Just ask ag's folks! They don't even require a net! That's some damn skills for your ass!
"Meet Ed Leong, a Sunset resident and avid badminton player. Recently, to save money, SF Parks and Recs started charging local badminton players $4 to reserve a court for 45 minutes. Makes sense, right? We're short on money -- in fact, our favorite swimming pool in the Mission was furloughed for the same reason. But.... why was it that the city only charged for badminton players? Why not charge for volleyball courts? Is it because..... badminton is a sport played primarily by Asian-Americans in San Francisco??? Do I see racism here???
Ed Leong was outraged! So what does he do?..."
WHAT DOES HE DO?!? Well, you'll have to read the damn article to find out what he does. I'm not into spoilers.
I fear I may have incurred the wrath of ag. Thank the gods I am out of the range of his bow...
bg/ish: The San Francisco Appeal
A new online newspaper, The San Francisco Appeal recently launched, and although still in it's infancy, it looks to be pretty legit. If anything, it has already provided me with the context for what may go down as my favorite blog post in the history of my blog posts. Now that's sayin' something!
I'm sure I'd find this video infinitely funnier if I had any preconceived notions of the "Bang Bus" videos it is intended to spoof. Apparently, a few fellows calling themselves the "Bang Brothers" got themselves a van of some sorts and went around luring (paying in advance) young women (porn stars) into their bus where they would film themselves engaging in the most lewd and debased sexual activities.
Sounds awful really. Just awful.
At any rate, I'm sure you'll find this video spoof by the "Math Brothers" equally as unfunny and confusing as I did, being that you are certainly not a filth monger, trolling free porn sites into the wee hours of the morning. I'm sure you're pretty clueless as to what this whole "bus video" trend is all about, being that you've never seen, for example, a pretty young lady being sprayed with jizzums in the back of a moving van.
Well, there's no question as to where this is leading...
But seriously, this is one of those issues that people will likely remain divided on no matter what. I searched my local paper's website for "stem cell" and the search results basically run the gamut...
See. Scientists are happy. Religions are pissy. Paralyzed fools will take any bone you'll toss in their direction. So that's that. I mean, really, at this point, the best we can hope for is to see Christopher Reeve on Larry King Live munching on the spine of an unborn fetus.
Wait, Christopher Reeve is dead.
Even better!
Monday, March 09, 2009
agIsh: "Da! Da! I haychu! I haychu!"
I had to post something just so that chair's post would move down. Having that picture be the first thing I see here was starting get to me.
Anywho, I just wanted to say that my effective kill range has increased to 40 meters. I'm currently working on 70 meters. What now, bitch!?
That is all.
nv@ag
Sunday, March 08, 2009
chair: No Pass Out Zone
this is what happens when you pass out at evil friend's house... keke.
couldn't look at him for too long cos he started to freak me out. would love to see his face when he woke up, though.
p.s. for the visually retarded, he's asleep. those eyes drawn on.
Friday, March 06, 2009
bg/ish: Zoetrope: All-Story
I received a tip recently from undercover agent D. The D. Whilst encouraging me to write, he hipped me to Zoetrope: All-Story "a quarterly magazine devoted to the best new short fiction and one-act plays".
"Along with new stories, each edition of the magazine presents a Classic Reprint—a previously published short story that inspired a great film—to illustrate the narrative relationship between the art forms..."
"Zoetrope: All-Story is also an art magazine, as the editors invite a different contemporary artist to illustrate and design each issue. "
It's pretty cool, although I'd like to be able to read more of the content online. I'm a cheap bastard, I know.
They also accept submissions. ag! Dust off that copy of Recognition Day!
Wait, don't do that, that's a bad idea...
chair: GimmeGimme
looks like both dw and nv found their respective passions for bikes y archery. i'm jealous! i can't think of a single thing i can consume myself in these days. all my interests are short-lived obsessions until i decide it/they bore me. of course i love books, shoes, fashion, technology, music, boys ; i have quite a collection of everything (jk on boys) but most of the time i just feel like a consumer whore, collecting for the sake of having things so that other people can't.
i'm trying to change that. you know, do the whole appreciate life for what it is. i'm definitely the type that's neversatisfied, neverhappy. there's two extremes to my mentality, though. one is retrospection on what i could have done different (aka regret) and the other is anxiety over things that might not turn out the way it should.
i don't know if finding something to focus all my energy on will change the way i think, but it's a start. a lot of changes* happening in my life right now, so i hope i find something a long the way...
*i know i promised to post under the influence but i've had this bloody itch around my stomach for some time now, so i'm going to let my poor liver heal for a leetle bit. i know, so sad.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
bg/ish: Speaking of Deja Vu...
All this talk about Deja Vu lately has given me deja vu. weird.
Anyway, here's a little Deja Vu love for those of you who might miss the best pizza this city has to offer.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
bg/ish: Full Tilt
as seen at Deja Vu Pizza tonight...
bg/ish: Hammy Says Yes To Organic
CooksDen decided to test whether organic food actually tastes better than conventional food using Hammy the Hamster as an unbiased test subject.
I recently retired my old BlackBerry Pearl and moved on to a 8310 Curve. Before tossing the phone into the nether regions, I made a point to grab all the photos off the device. I've been shooting crappy low res digital photos for years. Give me a 1.3 megapixel and let me go to work! That's just my style.
It was nice going through these photos. I got that phone a week after I moved to San Francisco, so in a lot of ways looking back through those pics was a bit of a stroll down memory lane. Some good, some bad, none I would trade for anything.
At any rate, I wanted to post a few of my favs. Not a lot of exciting stuff here, but some pics that despite their low quality hold some special meaning for me. Enjoy.
Like Peas In A Pod
I snapped this shot about 2 weeks after moving to SF. Danielle and Lil Girl were pretty much all I knew. I walked into our room and saw them sleeping together and ended up with a photo that will long be a favorite of mine. It's a little sad looking back on it now... eventually Chewie came along, Danielle and I broke up, she moved out...
This pic reminds me of a simpler time when things felt easy...
Lil' Girl In Da Hood
I should just warn you now, get ready for more than a few dog pictures...
Clearly Lil Girl is 5 pounds of pure gangster. This shot always cracked me up, and looking back on it I'm reminded of the eye problem Lil Girl used to have. All that filthy discharge around her eyes is gone now, thanks to a healthy Jeffrey's diet.
A Night Out With Jesse
About 3 months after I moved, I got a call from my good friend Jesse on a random Tuesday night. He was in town. He had driven up with some friends of him and we ended up hitting quite a few spots around the city. In one of the more cutty locales, I snapped this shot of Jesse having a smoke. I've always loved it, and it sums up that night in so many ways.
Along Came Chewbacca
Chewie came into my life on June 28, 2008, and immediately took to Lil Girl, emulating her, learning from her... even sleeping like her. Super cute. Ok... no more pictures of sleeping dogs...
Black President
Election night 2008 was huge here in San Francisco, and in many ways bittersweet. People took to the streets in celebration of Obama's ascendancy to the Presidency. I was having drinks at a bar in the Mission, where this artist, seemingly pretty confident of the outcome, paid tribute to our Black President.
2 Nights Later...
...people took to the streets to protest the passing of Prop 8. See, bittersweet. I took this picture outside my front door, then walked up to the MUNI stop and got a glimpse of this very simple message that had been left behind.
Back To The Beginning
I took this shot in a cab one night, a week after I moved up here. Danielle always had a smile and a laugh that I found infectious, and even now I can't help but smile when I look at this picture. It reminds me of why I moved up here in the first place.
It's true, things haven't worked out quite like any of us had hoped, but like I said, these memories, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
