Made to Blog

chickens!

2011-07-06T18:28:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the chickens!
Our 3 new feathered friends arrived over the weekend, and they are charming, from their freakishly large and scaly feet to their fluffy little butts.

Things I can't do in Italy

2011-06-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

It's a pretty long list.
- Speak Italian
- Inflate a bicycle tire
- Open the doors of the house I'm staying at
- Find the @ sign on keyboards (I cut and paste it)
- Read Italian
- Make capuccino
- Start a burner
- Charge anything

Things I can do in Italy:
- Smile
- Wait
- Nod/Gesture
- Eat
- Order cappuccino (fingers crossed)
- Operate a flashlight
- Ride on trains
- Eat some more
- Walk
- Bike up hills
- Swim

The swimming in Italy is especially good. This is our third day here and we're going to set forth after a few more cappuccinos to explore the medieval town of Orvieto. Central Italy, in case you were wondering, was settled by the Umbrians sometime around the 8th century BC, a 'peacable farming tribe' according to my EyeWitness guidebook. They were then were conquered by the Etruscans, a long time ago. In the 13th Century the independent provinces fell one by one to the papcy, who pretty much owned everything and controlled everythign else. Then the area joined Italy proper in 1860, when Italy was unified.

Let's talk more about the house. It sits on lake Cordova, which is calm and pretty and attracts a lot of birds and bugs. One bird has a call that sounds a lot like a cat meowing into a microphone. It travels, that sound. You can't swim in the lake, because it's a reservoir, but you can admire it, and see fireworks across the way, and sometimes hear people partying, or camping, as the sounds of voices carry, indistrinctly, over the water.

Each night we stay up late, trying to digest the 6-course dinners that Lorenzo and his handsome American minions (aka culinary students) prepare for us. The portions are much too large and Lorenzo, who Roger calls 'Chef', glowers at us when we don't finish. We all try to exercise more so we don't earn his wrath. Needless to say, each night seams are split. Dessert wine is uncorked. I resort to lie-downs with a finger of Frenet Branca. (Thank God for digestifs.)

It's a quiet spot, with a lawn for Ruth and Roger's young son and daughter to run around, kick soccar balls, ride bikes, and general be adored and adorable. In the evenings a not-very-stray dog comes and visits us, begging food but otherwise keeping her distance. Duncan, Liz's husband, chases her off. The company is excellent, the food is divine, the drinking is non-stop, and we're all having a lovely time.

Last night, we had a fire in the open pit and watched the nearly-full moon rise. Roger used his iPhone app to locate the big dipper and identify the stars. We have an excellent view of the hill town of Todi, and the lights blinked off through the hours until there was just a single string that defined the battlements that kept the Visigoths (perhaps) at bay.

Italy-bound

2011-05-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Two things never to take for granted: the kindness of strangers, and the generosity of good friends. Some old friends invited me to join them in their house in Umbria in June, so I'm heading to Italy for a week. Super excited to have a trip! It's been years since I traveled and it's remarkable how much things have changed. Guide books, for example, go light on accommodations information, because it can all be found (up to date!) online. I'll also be traveling with a computer, so can make arrangements as I go.

Things have come together in the past week -- my guidebooks and Eurorail passes arrived. Checks came from my freelance clients so I'll have a bit of spending money. And this morning, I tried on all the clothes I planned to take, then cut them in half, then added in a few. Packing light truly is an exercise in discipline.

A huge congrats to my friend Ginger, who bought a bike on Friday. It's a Novara - REI's brand -- and is a fabulous green color. It's chromolly steel, but light and very classic. Kinda makes a girl think about a second bike, with fenders and a chain guard and a front basket for carrying strawberries and daschunds.

Today we're setting up the chicken coop in the back yard, in preparation for getting 3-4 feathered friends in July. But first, a long lope up a hill to feed a friend's bunny rabbit. Go Hoppy!

Stage Dive

2011-05-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

The best cocktail in the Science of Cocktails 2011 exhibit at the SF Exploratorium earlier this year. Yum!

Stage Dive
by Jared Anderson, 15 Romolo

Collins glass

Ingredients:
2oz hangar one vodka
3 muddled kumquats
3 sage leaves
.5 oz honey
.5 oz lemon juice
splash of soda

Random Greenie Tidbits

2011-05-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

Pulled from the many green building pamphlets they circulate up there in the Pacific Northwest.

Event: Coming up this month is the Village Building Convergence in Portland, where urban humanization group City Repair performs "urban alchemy", transforming spaces (like intersections) into places for people to hang out together. Check it out at vbc.cityrepair.org, May 27-June 5.

Get rebates through federal programs for weatherizing homes. MOney for home improvements to the tune of 6 billion is coming through State Energy Program (SEP) and Energy Efficiency and Conservation BLock Grants(EECBG). You gotta be ready to start this Sept, though. Congress also considering Home Star, aka Cash for Caulkers, with rebates up to $4k. See what Portland's offering at www.cleanenergyworksportland.org. Seattle's Earth Advantage is runnin a pilot Energy Performance Score.

Solar water systems can generate up to 60% of energy needs for hot water in the home. Oooo.

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) of smaller than 800 square feet don't require a permit in Portland for the next 3 years. Great for empty nesters who might want to rent their homes and live in the guest cottage. Read about standards for green homebuilding: Passive House (qualifies for Energy-Efficient Mortgage (EEM) money through fed programs) and the Living Building Challenge.

More about EEMs and Energy Improvement Mortgages...
Available through regular lenders, but not promoted, EEMs give you extra money for home projects based on future energy savings. EIMs make you eligible for tax credits to cover new installations. First step is a HERS energy audit (home energy rating system).

Urban Permaculture

2011-04-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

Learning heaps in Eugene, at Common Circle's two-week Urban Permaculture course.
Spent the last 4 days listening to Larry Korn, a 25-year veteran landscaper who studied with Masanobu Fukuoka in Japan, creating a sustainable and productive edible forest. Read more at One Straw Revolution.

Check out this great Permaculture Resource list at Toby Heminway's website, writer of Gaia's Garden. There's everything from soil to water management and aquaculture, Design and methodologies, plant guilds, and composting.

Got to go to Eugene's Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT), where they make custom cargo bicycles (because when peak oil passes and the economic shit hits the fan, we won't be able to source foreign parts anymore) in a youth apprenticeship program. Super cool.

CAT recently got funding in $10 and $25 personal checks as a result of the Superhero ride. Pedal power to the people!

It's halfway through the course and we're all tired, crabby and, apparently, dehydrated. We've also been on a low- to no-fat diet for 8 days. It's remarkable how my relationship to food has changed. I eat like a dog. I don't give it any thought, and then whatever is put in front of me I devour. It's been noted that our living conditions - highly communal with little time for personal reflection; sleep deprivation; very low-calorie diet - maps pretty well to what makes people susceptible to brainwashing. At least we know the course will end, and we'll all go home. Unless someone asks us to lace up the purple sneakers...

Peace and love to all. It's raining in Oregon and the frogs are quiet.

Laundry to landscape greywater notes

2011-04-09T19:13:00.001-07:00

If you ever wanted to put in a quick and dirty greywater system, California law now allows you to use washing machine water in the garden. Constraints are: greywater must not come into contact with open air and you cannot store it, because it will smell within 24 hours. Showers are also legal, but are a different gravity feed system. Kitchen sinks are still considered blackwater, and not appropriate for greywater.

These notes are from a workshop with Greywater Alliance, and 10 of us installed a system in an Oakland home in about 3 hours. Most of the work is in digging the trenches (4-6 inches below the surface).

When you're planning where to put your drip lines, keep in mind that the water's going to be delivered to the garden intermittently, and can be a deluge. A typical top-loading washer uses 40 gallons per load, and a water-efficient front-loader 15-20 gallons. If you do all your laundry on the weekends, it can be 100+ gallons in two days, followed by a stretch of a week or more. For that reason, it's best to use this type of greywater system to irrigate trees or blackberry bushes. There are gravity systems for showers/sinks that operate and designed differently.

Laundry-to-greywater is the absolute simplest greywater system. It has no pumps, or filters, because they're a pain to maintain.

A greywater system isn't feasible if you have a high water table -- less than 3 feet below surface, because of the danger of contaminating the groundwater. This system relies on the washing machine pump to deliver water to plants -- so you don't have to deal with the gradient requirements of a gravity (shower) system, which is roughly making sure your pipe drops 1/4 inch each foot, to keep water moving.

How It's Done
1. From laundry machine
Attach three-way joint valve 1” to wall ($30) near and *above* the height of the washer.
This lets you direct the water either out to the garden or into the sewer. You must use a non-salty detergent like Oasis. If you want to use bleach or another non-plant-safe product, you'll want to switch over to sewer disposal.

Going into the bottom of the 3-way joint is dirty wash water.
Output from the T goes either to the sewer or to the greywater irrigation system.

- Sewer PVC pipe goes down (existing) standpipe about 2 inches. Do not make a seal; leaving it open means it won't siphon, pulling dirty water back into the washer.
- Second PVC pipe goes through wall/floor to garden, ideally immediately. To go through the wall, drill 2 test holes 1.5 inches apart using extra-long drill bit, and see if you hit anything. Use circular saw to drill 1 ½” hole, or round hole saw - Milwakee set is a good one.

2. Outside wall
- Install a 1½” Autovent - use 'bushing' to attach to 1” inside female adapter (threads will be on inside) PVC pipe. Autovent is another anti-siphon device, so system won’t pull the greywater back into washing machine.) You'll need to add a 1” barb by male adapter (need more info)

Putting PVC pipe together will require some tools, like a pipe cutter, and glue. For threaded attachments use 1/2 - ¾” teflon tape to seal connection. 3-4 turns. There is a correct direction to put on tape – clockwise and away from you.

Tubing
Schedule 40 PVC pipe above ground in/out house (avoid Class 20 – it’s crap); pipe cutters, Gorilla Glue is less toxic. Use 1.25” plastic straps (not metal) attached to wood wall.

3. In the garden
Blue lock tubing underground (“HDPV” high density polyethylene) Can also use more flexible black tubing, but less resilient/more prone to damage
Dig ditches ~4 inches below surface (may be easier to move dirt than pipe)
1” mains to mulch shield
OR
1” mains to ½” branches to mulch shield
Must have mulch shields at the end of every line.
You can pay $3-4 for mulch shields or you can create your own out of plastic 1 gal pots
Wing it in terms of water flow. There are thingies to put on the end of the line that allow you to slow the flow through the endpoints. You can always pull your lines higher to slow down the flow, or dig deeper to increase output.

Arrived in Eugene

2011-04-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

I got to Eugene three nights ago, saw my sister's family, and am now settled into Darmalaya, the retreat center where the Urban Permaculture course is being held. The course is put on by Common Circle, and covers everything from straw bale housing to organic farming, solar installations, greywater use, and so on. THe first two days have been devoted to what they're calling Social Permaculture, i.e. the ability to affect desirable change in people and communities. I'm very excited for the hands-on work to begin later this week.

The retreat center has a greywater system installs, which drains to a small pond along with rainwater. It has composting toilets of four varieties: the $1200 kind with nice seats and heaters to dry up and accelerate the composting process of human waste. Then there's the rustic outhouse that lets nature do the same thing. There's a straw bale structure that houses two 50-gallon drums with toilet seats perched on top of them and a hell of a backdraft. And then there's the berm. For men, it's a pile or leaves. For women's it's a block behind the outhouse. This is for #1 only.

When one of the women arrived here, she asked to use the bathroom. The organizer asked her what she needed to do, exactly. She was then directed to the proper toilet.

So far, Social Permaculture seems to studied by engaging in lot of togetherness exercises. I haven't held hands so much since kindergarten. It's nice, in a way. It's also a step or two closer to woo-woo land than I'm comfortable with. What's that saying? Do one thing every day that scares you. Maybe next time a cuddle circle comes around, I'll dive in. More likely though, I'll save my hands-on experiences for piling up straw bales or pulling weeds...

This afternoon -- SWALES! Small ditches that allow you to retain water in a landscape.

on the road

2011-03-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way to Portland! Left SF at noon on Tuesday and headed up the I-505. Stopped in Willows. In case you were curious, Tori Burke is the manager at the Walmart there, and she has hung her photo proudly over the paper towel dispenser in the women's bathroom. Took a detour through the lovely green hills east of the Mendocino National Forest, dreaming of goat herds and strawbale barns, clean rivers and chicken coops and beehives.

And when the dream of a compostable agrarian existence begins to tire, you can go to a Republican pancake breakfast at the local school.

It really is beautiful out here. Last stop was the perfectly adequate Mountain View motel in Yreka.

Fun with greywater

2011-03-27T02:54:00.000-07:00

If you're local to the Bay Area, you can learn how to reuse household water by taking classes and workshops from the Greywater Alliance. Today, I learned about Laundry-to-Landscape, the simplest form of greywater reuse that involves piping water from your clothes washer to drip irrigation tubes in the backyard.

I'm chomping at the bit to put one into my place. Displacing 180 gallons of wash water each week from the sewer will save us money, and also cut down on water to irrigate our young fruit trees. Very tidy.

Now I just need to run 100 feet of PVC pipe around the back of my building and out to the back of the lot. My yard slopes toward the house, so unless we want to tax the pump on the washing machine to deliver it uphill, we'll need to set it up to work with gravity. Now I just need to find a moonless night to drill holes into the fence we share with the neighbors to support the pipes.

Another tidbit: Read in last week's NY Times that you can make cheese using a pillowcase and couple gallons of milk. So looking forward to an evening's entertainment in May of sitting around drinking and making cheese.

Drip, drip, drip.

Where's the beef?

2011-03-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce it's been 18 days since Lent began, and my meatless existence has been relatively painless. My protein buddies are tofu, cheese, walnuts, lentils, quinoa, and eggs. I've lost 3-4 pounds and am feeling cleaner and lighter. Finally the flu season is quieting down and folks are out and about again, in the rain, biking and running and feeling good. Yippee!

There was only one transgression: a lovely dinner party with crab and avocado salad and baked chicken with tomatoes. I ate it all, and it was delicious. The meatiness of it neither delighted nor repulsed me. I suppose righteousness of vegetarianism has not yet set in. And I don't want to be that person, who says, "I don't eat that" when offered food by a friend.

We've got tons of veg groups in the Bay Area, and there's often dinner involved in their meetings.

vegnews.com
sfvs.org
bayareaveg.org
living-foods.com/sflife
peninsulamacro.org

National Organizations
chooseveg.com - for beginner cooks and new vegans.
navs-online.org
vrg.org

More about meat

2011-03-10T10:18:00.001-08:00

If I ever doubted the power of social media, no more. I posted a snippet on Facebook about considering vegetarianism earlier this week, and instantly everyone knows I'm giving up meat for Lent. Amazing!

Why stop eating meat? Jonathan Safran Foer dissects (no pun intended) our cultural decision to eat meat in his quick and satisfying (sortof like a blt) book, Eating Animals. One read through, and you'll never want to participate in the systematic torture of our furry and feathered friends again.

Now, I will miss meat. Foer states that there is no ethical option for meat-eaters in the U.S. You can't buy meat from animals that were raised in a sustainable, ethical, humane way and also slaughtered without unimaginable cruelty. Foer tells us that no slaughterhouse exists that can reliably knock out animals before separating them limb from limb. If you read his description of a cattle abattoir, where cows are routinely skinned, eviscerated, and have their lower legs snipped off while still conscious, well, you will not contest this. He also raises the overall ethical question of eating animals, period. Why not dogs? Kittens? The thought horrifies us. But give me a chicken sandwich and I'm thrilled. With bacon, please.

He suggests maybe we just don't know how delicious dogs are.

There are also the environment ramifications of factory farming and commercial fishing, as well as the injuries to workers in slaughterhouses, one of the most dangerous jobs in America. It's a well-researched chronicle of the American love affair with animal protein.

Well the good news is that here in the SF Bay Area, we do still have a couple options. Not Niman Ranch, which has gone toward commercial methods to maximize profitability. Bill Niman, however, is now goat farming and you can buy his wares at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market on Saturday mornings. You can also join a csa for monthly meat deliveries from Marin Sun Farms, and get beef from Five Dot Ranch in the Sierras at local stores and restaurants.

For now, I'll see how a vegetarian diet suits me. Garbanzo beans! Tofu! Cheese quesedillas! And it's easy to make the commitment not to buy meat from animals that lived in misery and died in agony, so, no meat from commercial farms. Now, what to do about eggs?

spoofers

2011-03-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

OK, I bought this laptop from Toshiba Direct in November, and it's been a non-stop infuriating, energy drain hellhole ever since.

Here's the latest.

The machine has been repaired, twice, and I'm trying to sell it, all loaded up with Adobe software. After two attempts on eBay, someone bought it. She wanted me to ship it to France, so I looked into that. Then she changed her mind and wanted it shipped to Nigeria. (Really?) She sent me an email that "spoofed" the Paypal emails, showing I'd been paid. Great! But, Nigeria?

Here's eBay's response to the matter, which is pretty a 'you're SOL'. Never mind that this person managed to transact without being registered. (Note to eBay: there's no "report fraud" task for sellers on your website. Oops!)

Hello jdemock,

We had to cancel bids for the following buyer because they aren't registered on eBay:

desola4567

Please don't complete the transaction and don't ship the item. You may have received an email saying the buyer has paid. However, that's probably a fake message. To check if you actually received a payment, please log in to your PayPal account. Also, be sure to report fake emails to us. For more information, visit:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/questions/report-spoof-email.html

If you've already shipped the item and didn't receive a payment, you can request a final value fee credit for the listing. To find out how, go to:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/credits.html

To help you avoid this situation in the future, consider setting a Buy It Now price and requiring buyers to make an immediate payment. For more information on immediate payments, visit:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/require-immediate-payment.html

Also, please consider taking the following action:
1. Contact the company that was used to send payment to verify whether funds have cleared.
2. If the funds are fraudulent, contact law enforcement in the buyer's area and give them the buyer's name, address, phone number, and any other information that may be helpful. If someone is assigned to your case, please ask them to contact us so that we can help with the investigation.
3. Contact the shipping carrier to find out if you can stop shipment on the package.
4. If you used the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to ship the package, consider filing a complaint at:
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx
5. File a complaint with the National Consumers League's (NCL) Fraud Center at:
http://www.fraud.org
If you have any concerns or questions, click "Customer Support" at the top of most eBay pages.
We're sorry for this inconvenience, and thanks for continuing to work with us.
Thanks,
eBay

Yesterday, I tried posting on Craigslist. Same thing! I got an oceanographer who was at sea, and wanted it as a gift for his pastor. I got a university professor in Texas who wanted it shipped to west africa for her son. (I mean, seriously, a university professor who can't spell or use proper punctuation? And what parent wouldn't buy their kid a new laptop *before* they left on a research trip?) And then the poor woman whose father was in the hospital but really wanted the system. They all ask for my email associated with my Paypal account.

It must work, or so many people wouldn't be doing it. What's amazing to me is how much time these people spend, just to try to rip someone off. Imagine what you could accomplish if you harnessed all that energy for a political cause, like ending factory farming. Maybe I'll start writing them back with suggestions about how to better spend their time.

$4.19/gallon

2011-03-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

Gas prices have shot up here in San Francisco, none higher than the Chevron on Fell St. Ouch! Who knew 89 octane would be so dear this spring?

Now, you might wonder what the heck I've been doing with myself since I quit the corporate job. The big answer? Loafing. It's been great. Of course, financial pressure will force me back into the fray in the coming weeks. But let's take a quick look at all that I've accomplished after six weeks of self-employment.

1. Fostered a dog - Little Joey came to us with a mild case of kennel cough and intact gonads. Just two weeks later he recovered, got altered, and was adopted. Good boy! The awesome folks at Copper's Dream dog rescue are always looking for help: donations, fosters, towels, whatever you can spare. they visit high-kill shelters in rural areas and get the cutest freaking dogs you'll ever see. Check out their Facebook page for a history of dogs they've saved. Good people! [Editor's note: I'd like to acknowledge the forbearance of Asa, our cat, who tolerated repeated humping attempts by this unfixed 6-pound male chihuahua. A heroic effort all around.]
2. Got into meditation - After only 12 years of an on-again, off-again meditation practice at the San Francisco Zen Center, I've decided to get serious. I've started meeting weekly with a teacher, meditating 3-4 times a week, volunteering in the bookstore on Thursday evenings, attending Saturday Sangha and learning a temple job (I'm doorwatch), and generally being friendly and learning people's names. Even signed up for a 4-day visit to their monastery, Tassajara, in Carmel Valley. Should be gorgeous in May.
3. Urban Permaculture! Ever wanted to learn how to make a composting toilet? Reuse the greywater from your washing machine in the back yard? I have. Now I'm signed up to get a certificate in Permaculture from Common Circle. Of course, I did just learn I'm sleeping in a tent for two weeks. Oh well.
4. Volunteering - Got involved with Edgewood Family and Children Services out here in the Sunset district. Mostly I write press releases for them, but might also help with their website redesign.
5. Personal purge. Like most Americans, I own too much stuff. How many sweaters does one person really need? Not 18. Probably not even 11. Of course, it all depends on what you consider a "sweater."
6. Looking for love - After the abrupt end to my date-a-friend experiment last year, it's time to find a new partner. I tried Chemistry.com and was put off by their kludgey interface and high rate of non-response (it seems like half the folks in their system are not actually members, so can't respond when you ping them). Back on eHarmony.com, I'm swimming in hundreds of matches, some 15 years my senior, and finding some diamonds in the rough. Wish me luck!
7. Waiting for acceptance. This has been the year of joining groups. I've applied for membership to Editcetera and the West Point Inn. One will give me freelance editing work; the other the best view of the SF Bay $20 can buy. Other potential sources of work: KitList and Women in Consulting's newsletters. There are also business referral groups you can join, like BNI and Partner4Leads, although for the money, I think I can start my own. Want to join?
8. House shuffle - We said a sad farewell to our awesome housemate Mary, who moved down the peninsula to be closer to work. Last week we welcomed Sonia and Duke, her dachshund, to the house. So far, Duke and Asa, the cat, seem to be getting along just fine. Until he goes into her litter box in search of tootsie rolls.

Other fun things to get involved in:
Wigg (short for "wiggle") Party
The Green Arcade

puppy power

2011-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

For anyone thinking of getting a puppy, Ian Dunbar has posted his Before and After Getting Your Puppy books online. You can download the PDFs free here:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

I'm now fostering my second puppy, Joey, and boy is it easy to take for granted the things you pick up. This past weekend, I went with dear friends to Tahoe, so re-fosterd the dog with a fellow volunteer for the rescue organization I work with, Coppers Dream. The woman who took him was confused by my instructions that he appeared to be housetrained. "Does that mean," she asked me last night, "that he only goes to the bathroom in the house?" It was a rough weekend for everyone (but me).

Education is a good thing. Also a big thanks to everyone for their fabulous insights and suggestions. G told me about a game where you hide a treat, out of the dog's sight. Then you instruct him to "find it!", giving voice cues: Cold, warm, and hot. Tone is important. Also J showed me how to tip a rambunctious puppy over and rub his belly til he goes limp. Totally chills him out. Now if I could just figure out how to keep him from stealing my slippers...

It's been 10 weeks since I last wrote. (Where *does* the time go?) My freelance work is starting with more of a trickle than a bang. At least this time around, I'm enjoying my free time. Goals: regular workouts, improve diet, reduce drinking, write every day, and meditate at least 3 times a week. How hard can that be?

gardening in Corfu

2010-12-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

This week, I resigned my full-time job at Adobe, and am returning to freelance work. My big idea is to take it easy for awhile, and earn just enough money to get by. The rest of the time, I'll dedicate to taking care of myself, doing yoga, cooking and baking, practicing Zen, going on adventures with friends, and working in my garden.

It reminds me of a line from a two-part TV show 'Crown Prince Rudolph': a doctor told the syphilitic young prince of Austria that he didn't have much longer to live. "If you took up gardening in Corfu, you might live another two years." Sadly, he opted instead for a double suicide with his mistress. But the idea's still a good one: choosing the most restful course of action for a little while, and see what some quiet time can do.

Love and peace to all in these festive holiday times.

Women at work

2010-11-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

I took these notes a year ago, and every time I come across them I think, wow, was that guy ever right. Check it out.

Advice for leadership
1. Extrapolate: have an aspirational vision. What's the larger journey? (Instead of the next 20 steps)
2. Have a range to your style
3. Overcome Imposter Syndrome: do you believe you derserve success? WOmen tend to undersell themselves, lack confidence
4. Build relationships. Women tend to not find sponsors for thei rideas. They build small, deep networks vs. broad ones. Also tend to be "worker bees" and fail to network at all.

Emotional Inconsistency
Women are more likely to:
- Fail to manage up. They want to let their work speak for itself.
- Bring too much energy to their jobs
- Get pigeon-holed based on their expertise
- Not manage perceptions. People are harder on women and therefore you need to have a greater range

Attributes that will help you
1. Conviction/confidence - overcome Imposter Syndrome. Ask for what you want. Sell yourself.
2. Miltitasking - maintain a work-life balance
3. High EQ - maintain emotional consistency
4. Be hard-workign and resilient
5. Naturally Socratic - Women tend to learn things through questioning. This can be an advantage.

winter vegetables

2010-09-22T10:04:00.001-07:00

Took a class at Garden for the Environment here in SF and learned all about growing veggies in my neighborhood. Here's what they had to say.

You can grow tomatoes here through the end of November; tomatillos do better in our climate. It's time to start now with kale, swiss chard, lettuces, beets, carrots and broccoli. November is good for artichokes, rhubarb, tree collards (need clipping) and strawberries.

Also in Nov, plant garlic (from bulb, pointy side up) onions, leeks, peas. With garlic and onions, plants should "brown" in June, meaning a bulb is forming. Stop watering when this happens. If you plan them too early they will bolt before they brown. Alternate root veggies with lettuce or other surface leafy plants. Yarrow is great insect attractor (to eat aphids)

Supplies:
Free mulch at Bay View Green Waste
Free compost at Sonoma Composting and Sunset Scavenger, on certain days
American Soil for bagged soil, stone, and grapesee mulch, which evidently rocks

Tips:
Handpick snails from teh garden at night, and throw them in the city compost bin (put lid down). Check under ledges or in any dark, quiet place. Squish the eggs when you find them in the soil.

Fava beans are great for winter cover. When planting seeds, general rule of thumb is plant the seed 3x as wide as the seed is. Go for short number of days to maturity in this climate.

looking at cars

2010-08-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

It's hard to find a car that's any better than my 1992 Honda Civic VX hatchback. It gets 40mpg, is fun to drive, and even has an airbag. It's also short, so it fits into San Francisco parking spaces. And it's practically free to drive, with low insurance premiums (you can drop comprehensive when the value of the car drops below $2500) and the current federal writeoff of 50 cents per mile.

Here's what it does not have:
4 doors
air conditioning
windshield wiper delay
cruise control
passenger, side airbags

So, what's the market got to offer?
- Toyota Prius
- Honda Fit - ok to drive
- Nissan Leaf - $25k with rebates, 100 mile range, no maintenance for the first 5 years
- Audi A3 diesel wagon

What I really want is a plug-in hybrid that's cute and fun to drive. Too bad teh Cevy Volt isn't zippier!

12 days and counting

2010-07-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have given up looking for my cat. It's up to her, now. to make it back home.

The phone calls have slowed as well. It's lovely that people are concerned, and want to help, so they call the number on the fliers I posted. What's difficult is that the information they have has not helped me find my cat.

I've gotten a wide range of calls. Yesterday, a woman named Victoria told me she had a cat that looked just like Lindy, and did I want her because her landlady found out about her cat and is forcing her to get rid of it. No, I don't want your cat. I want my cat back. "A perfect little set of bookends" she called them. Really?

Lots of people have seen Lindy, but it turns out there's a lookalike cat on Hugo Street, and a set of four strays, two of which are gray. Hugo is a good street for cats - dimly lit, quiet, and full of dark corners to hide in. The calls served to raise and dash my hopes, so I'm glad they've stopped. The last one made me cry. The woman said, I'm looking at your cat right now. She's sitting and cleaning herself.

The happy news is my friends adopted a cat this weekend. So we're all becoming kitty parents. I'll give Lindy a few months. After that, if she returns, she may have a roommate.

Be well and happy, laugh and love, and don't forget to tuck your kitty in at night.

Lost my cat

2010-07-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a bad week. And I was on vacation.

It started out well enough. I spent the 4th in Santa Cruz with dear friends and their dear friends, singing the Star-Spangled Banner from the garage rooftop, watching amateur fireworks lit on the beach. Then it was down for a restful visit to the Tassajara Zen monastery in Carmel Valley. The weather was hot -- just like real summer - and there were cold plunges in the river, hiking to the windcaves, and hot tubs in the evening. Bliss.

Then I got home, and my world got complicated.

My cat Lindy is 4 years old and has lived with me the past two. She's cute, gray, fluffy, a medium-haired American cat with an attitude and heaps of charm. She's got four white paws -- "her go-go boots" my old neighbor used to call them -- and a "tuxedo", a goatee and bib in white. She likes to survey her domain from atop the steps. She likes to sleep on top of the armoire where the TV is stored. Or curled up in a little ball on the square of blanket on my bed. Or in her Scratch Lounge bed, with a good view of the stairs to eye any interlopers. Lindy ruled the roost, the 4th roommate who could get us all to do her bidding without saying a word.

There's still some hope she'll return. My neighbors -- who I'm talking to for the first time -- are all optimistic. I've put up fliers, and taped them to the sidewalk. I've followed up on leads, biking through Golden Gate Park at 5am, calling the cat. Lee called in response to the flier, told me about Lurline street, choc full of cats. I get 2-3 calls a day of people trying to help.

It's like that song, the cat came back, the very next day... I hope Lindy can return to us. The house isn't the same without her here.

Judy buys slab

2010-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

There are all sorts of hazards to home ownership. Just this week, the insurance company notified me that they have no insurance on record for us. Note to self: fax proof today, or they'll buy insurance for us. Not-so-great thing about HOA insurance (since we're a condo now, thank you very much) is that it's technically commercial insurance and you can't cancel it.

One that I didn't count on is impulse purchasing, especially when it comes to building materials. But there you have it: a warehouse sale by Vertrazzo, and just one slab left of Millifiore. (A guy bought the other one at 7:50am - 10 minutes before the warehouse was technically open.) I bit. For a shocking amount of money, I got a 1000-pound slab of recycled glass countertop and a stone frabricator to take it away to his warehouse until I can afford the install it.

Check it out: The green glass is from bottles, the red from car tail lights - or possibly from recycled Tiffany lamps.
http://www.vetrazzo.com/palette_mille.html
I am happy.

house reshuffle

2010-04-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

Who you live with is a big deal. It's whether they balk at your eating their ice cream (or yogurt), if they lock the cat out in the rain, and if they put down the toilet seat. It's hard to put your finger on exactly how we lump along - or don't. But you feel it in every conversation.

One of my housemates is moving out. It's a months sooner than I expected -- I had asked him to start looking a few weeks ago. But he took our chat to heart and has found a new place with great folks in a part of town that's tony, and close to downtown.

So there's some sadness in the house. He's been here a year and has good relationships with the other housemates. I feel a mix of sadness, relief, and financial anxiety. I will trust that I will be able to swing home ownership without the extra income. And I will move out of the dining room and into the master bedroom, with a closet, with shelves, and a window that lets enough light in I can do my makeup in the morning and not turn on lamps during the day.

It's all good, and it's all happening at once, and it's the best thing for everyone. Although the cat will miss rubbing herself on his sweaty clothes. She's a freak for man dirt.

Condo converted

2010-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a wild and wacky spring. Got online this morning to discover that my condo conversion process is, in one huge way, at an end. There are still things to do, but as of Friday April 16, 2010, the city of San Francisco has completed the process of recording a new parcel map and dividing our one building into two units.

Ever wondered what goes into condo conversion? Well, I can tell you.

First you hire a lawyer. They tell you who else to hire, and what to do when. Except when they don't, and you have to tell them things. It's good to know when those times are, but you won't. Too bad!

Then you hire a surveyor, and they come and measure everything, from the depth of the sidewalk to the square footage of your closets. That's your parcel and condo map.

The hair-raising bit is you invite the building inspectors of San Francisco to come and walk through the property, noting everything that's "wrong", which means not up to California Building code, or just things they don't like. For instance, the plumbing inspector didn't like my bathroom sink, because it has chipping around the drain. It's a lovely porcelain pedestal sink, probably original with the house in 1925. Fortunately, we got a different plumbing inspector the second time around. Yay!

So by now you've spent roughly $25,000 and 3 months pulling out your hair. But there's more.

Here's a little glitch that got us. When the city inspectors come back through to complete the "Physical Inspection" and sign off on your repairs, they give you this tissue-paper-thin piece of paper that's your Certificate of Final Completion. You don't talk to them (ever!) so you have no idea what this is for. Actually it's extremely important. You have to give it to the surveyor, who submits it with the parcel map and condo plan; otherwise the city won't start to review the plans. It's your ticket into the bureaucracy of SF building department. We sat on ours for 3 weeks before the lawyer straightened us out. Phooey!

We went to see the lawyer to get our CC&Rs -- Convenants, Rights, and Restrictions -- drafted. This is required by California law, and it's a set contract that determines the rules for Home Owner's Associations (HOAs). So whether you have two units, like we do, or hundreds, these rules govern how you operate as a legal entity. We got to weigh in on things like pet policy, restrictions on numbers of inhabitants, and like 2 other things. We also got a budget spreadsheet for the association, with things like repairs to fences, paint, and water bills. Good stuff!

Tip #1: Memorize your block and lot number right off the bat. Don't wait. You'll need it when you go to prepay your property taxes. I did this twice. I prepaid a year's worth of taxes in Oct. 2009, and then had to go back in April 2010 because the city changed the rules: you have to prepay for a year and a half. So I prepaid for another year. Sadly, the assessor's office wouldn't give me a new Tax Certificate (I tried!), because they'd already given me one. But since the first one wasn't dated in 2010 the Bureau of Street Use and Mapping (BSM) wouldn't accept it, according to the surveyor. So I made another trip to city hall, went though the metal detector, pushed the weird homemade box to get a number and sat for a half an hour waiting for someone to get me a new tax certificate. Saved me $40, though. :-/

What else? Well, we "binded" our new HOA insurance policy on Thursday, and got individual condo insurance plans. We signed the final CC&Rs, which go to the title company -- the surveyor is sending the title officer the final recorded parcel map and condo plan. All that's missing is the Lender Consent.

When you convert a building to condos, and you have a group mortgage with a bank, you are essentially breaking the terms of the loan. So the bank can recall your mortgage, if they want. To protect against this, you request Lender Consent. I did this. And yes, there was an oversight.

Tip #2: Make friends with your title officer. He (or she) can screw you and stop the whole process in its tracks if they won't deal with your bank, or if they won't offer Title Guaranty on the property before it's appraised. Be nice. To everyone. But especially to the title officer.

Back to Lender Consent. Finding the right person at the bank is the hardest part. Happily, our bank is known for being mellow and helpful, which they were. They sent us a list of documents to submit -- a recent tile report, the parcel map and condo plan, a final copy of the CC&Rs, and a letter stating that the conversion will not affect the value of the property. You also have to pay them $500. If you handle Lender Consent yourself rather than having the lawyer do it, you need to make sure you get the form from the lawyer that the bankers actually sign (and notarize). The form is called Consent to Condominium Plan. I got 5 gray hairs on Thursday trying to reach the lawyer to get the form so the bank VP, who's out on Fridays, could sign it. I failed. So at some point on Friday we possibly technically have breached our contract with the bank. Oh well! Should be fixed by Monday. Fingers crossed.

So, the Lender Consent will come, I'll send it to the title officer, who will submit it to the CC&Rs.

Then, we refinance.

Once we refi the final steps of condo conversion will happen. The refi triggers the assessor's office to assign us unique lot numbers, and generate separate tax bills. With that, we will be separate, legal, saleable entities -- hopefully with a modest rise in the value of the property. They say about 8%. Wish us luck. Only a few more weeks to go.

To top it all off, we're also doing work on the garden. Yesterday the Guatemalans shoveled maybe 2 tons of sand out of the back yard. Today we're getting a new fence. On Monday the garbage company comes to haul the dumpster away.

The garden is our greatest opportunity to increase the value of the house, and an appraiser should be coming in the next few weeks to tell us what each unit is now worth. Exciting! Terrifying! A friend at work got an appraiser from out of town who assessed it at roughly $100,000 below market value. So they couldn't refi. Bad times. Don't want that.

Gotta go now -- forgot to tell the lawyer that BSM recorded the parcel map. And Marciale wants to be paid in cash. Happy spring!

getting crabs

2010-01-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

I did it. After years of plotting crustacean-a-cide, last night I picked up 7 squirmy buggers and steamed them in a big pot with a pouch of Zaratains crab bios, some beer, water, and vinegar. So easy! So delicious!

We pounded them with newly-washed 2x4s and my two hammers. The cat did the rounds, begging her little heart out, and was very well fed.

It's another gray and rainy day in San Francisco. The electricians are replacing my ungrounded 3-prong power outlets with ungrounded two-prong power outlets. Thanks, city of San Francisco Building Inspectors!

Great weekend. Thanks Loretta for such a fun house party, and a Big Happy Birthday to my friend Cynthia. Long may you improvise. And a soon-to-be farewell to Geli as she packs up for her return to Munich. See you in April?

Love to all,
Aunt Judy

Places to go

2010-01-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Over the past 10 years, I've had many, many ideas of where to go on vacation. Well, this is it. 2010 is officially, for me, the Year of Recommitting to Fun.

I started the year with a weekend trip to Yosemite. It was fun. Now, I'm gearing up for the first trip on the list, hopefully in April. How is all this possible, being a new (and broke) homeowner? Easy! I got mo money. That, and the City of San Francisco, although it really wasn't looking good, gave us a building inspection that is not so horrendous as to bankrupt us, as we move through the condo conversion process. Hurray!

Here's the bucket list:

1. Austria/Salzberg/Budapest/Prague/Munich
2. Raft the Colorado river
3. Uruguay and Patagonia
4. Costa Rica bike trip
5. Southwest car trip: Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, etc.
6. Spain
7. Alaska
8. South Africa and Namibia
9. Peru
10. Outer Mongolia

What's yours?

giving thanks

2009-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Nearly two months have flown by since my last post. Where does the time go? The Thanksgiving holiday was a delight with good friends and heaps of delicious food. The weather in NoCal has been clear and fine. Warm, even. This week, we're going to pick out a Xmas tree. Cole Hardware is selling Douglas and Noble Fir trees for less than $40. Go Cole.

December also brings family to town. Got my fingers crossed that my niece will get a job that brings here to SF. And got my other fingers crossed that another niece will come to UC Santa Cruz next year. What could be better?

Off soon to soak up the last of the sunshine. Four more weeks of work until the next holiday break.
Love to all,
Judy

That was me who ate your yogurt

2009-10-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not proud of it. But it was sitting there, in the fridge, and I wanted to have some with my fresh fruit. It's a healthy dessert, and my lunch was light -- squash, greens, rice, ginger. You know, I'm cooking a lot more lately. It's healthier, and cheaper, and I know you'd want to support me in that. At least, I think you would, as much as a friendly roommate would.

It's not an excuse for taking your food. I should really get my own yogurt and eat that. But the tubs are so big, you see, and I never seem to finish one before it goes bad. You know what that looks like. When there's a two or maybe three small splots of mold growing on the wall of the plastic container, just below the rim. Smaller than a penny but you still have to throw it away, even when the body of the yogurt looks okay. It's been contaminated. There's no changing that.

Do you remember that cantaloupe I gave you last weekend? It was organic, from the farmer's market. You seemed to enjoy it. Does that even things up? Although, sure, the cantaloupe was freely offered and accepted. The yogurt I'm pinching silently when you're out of the house. I used it first last night, when I needed a dollop for some salad dressing I was mixing up. It was really good in that, BTW. It really cut the acidity of the new balsamic vinegar I just bought.

You're welcome to use some, you know.

escaping AT&T

2009-09-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

I've done it. After years of chafing under my cell phone service provider, I have successfully ditched Ma Bell, and moved to Credo. What's Credo? Credo is the new name for Working Assets, the Ralph Nader greenie phone company. After trying to move to them for years, they've finally got a great offer that gets me a smartphone (Blackberry 8330) and buys me out of my ATT contract. Check it out at: www.credo.com/specialvalue.

Work has slowed down. It's slowed down so much I'm considering evaluating my investment portfolio. And that hasn't happened in years. Call me a Cassandra, but I'm wishing I could remove all my retirement money from the market and use it to pay off my mortgage. The tax implications would be horrendous. Still, the banking situation has me more than a little bit freaked out. Doesn't it seem strange that, now that the government is done bailing out the banks, that the banks are now shoring up the FDIC? Sure, just a measly 45 billion. But still. It's sortof like robbing Peter to pay Paul, and then turning around and robbing Paul to pay Peter. Kindof like the entire banking infrastructure is just a big fat Ponzi scheme.

freaky.

eat prunes

2009-09-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I attended my first Bootcamp session at UC San Francisco's Mission Bay campus. Boy,was it difficult!

First, for those of you who have not had occasion to skip rope in the past, say, 20 years or so, you can pretty much hear the rusty gears grinding in the part of your brain responsible for neuro-muscular memories. For my "first" time, I adopted the strategy of trying to keep one foot off the ground at all times, which helped me go for 3, even 4 times in a row, but my standing leg got awfully tired.

What can you expect at Bootcamp? All the good old fashioned moves, like toe-touches, squats, deep knee bends, lunges. During which, our "instructor" John regaled us with nutrition tips, such as: Don't wait until you're old to eat prunes. THey're good for helping you keep your arteries clear -- as well as your guts.

And: If you're on a desert island what one food do you want to have? Hint: it has protein and vitamin C. He says it's broccoli. I want a second opinion.

I had a nice visit back east, to Rochester NY. Here are things they have in Rochester:
mosquitoes
wine - some good, some not
roadways, miles and miles of roadways
green plants
bugs
piped-in music straight from 1984
Talbots
the Erie canal
clouds
gorgeous full moons (with misty clouds)
rivers, lakes, ponds, streams
locusts
frozen custard
haddock sandwiches
Genesee cream ale
styrofoam cups
sailboats
swimming pools
luxury European sedans
gigantic houses set in fields, surrounded by other giant houses

cricket

2009-09-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Somehow, a cricket has taken up residence outside my bathroom window. It's three stories up, and there's no cricket food to speak of, but it hangs out there each night, rubbing its legs together and cricketing all night long.

The Chinese would say it's lucky.

Lucky is what I've been feeling lately, although it's hard sometimes to remember between the stress of a busy work schedule and the sorrow of friends who've lost family in the last few months. Last weekend, a friend generously gave me 3-day passes to Outside Lands music festival, and 5 of us shared two tickets, seeing Black-Eyed Peas, Ween, Mike & Kim, Pearl Jam. The weather was gloriously warm -- hot even.

It's hot in Rochester, NY this weekend. Almost too hot for a walk along the Erie Canal, or breakfasting on the patio at my parents favorite brunch place. I've joined my family here to celebrate my father's 80th birthday. Tomorrow there is swimming planned, minigolf, and a big dinner. Should be fun.

mulch madness

2009-07-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've discovered the joys of mulch. Specifically, shredded cedar bark. You can spread it between your new plants and voila, it looks like a garden instead of a loose assortment of plants that you dumped out of your container garden and assembled in light-appropriate areas.

The backyard is looking fine. Got viniae ground cover that's spreading well, and finished a raised bed for lettuce and spinach. Planted snap peas this week and a fresh crop of spinach. Life is good.

Also investigating bees. San Francisco has a Beekeeper's Association that's a wealth of information. Chickens are also intriguing -- we could become a regular urban farm out here in the sand dunes of the Sunset.

Speaking of sand -- there's nothing like a mini-sandstorm in your backyard during a BBQ. So another take on mulch is Patio Bark. It comes in fine, medium, and large sizes and is designed to cover rather than enrich your soil. I'm just so pleased that someone, somewhere out there, is putting Forest Products in bags so I can buy them. Wood chips do indeed cover a multitude of sins.

All this home improvement has put me in a frame of mind for an adventure. What will it be? Camping in Calistoga? A bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge? A fling with a divorcee in a corner suite at the Mandarin Hotel? I'll keep y'all posted.

Love to all,
Judy

high dudgeon

2009-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

I don't live what most people would call an exciting life. Far from it, in fact.

Today, for instance, is a lovely Saturday in San Francisco. For a good part of the day I've undetrtaken a Herculean task: to reduce the amount of email in my personal inbox to 0. It started at 3600. It just dipped below 900. This is cause for celebration. If only I had some booze.

Let me be clear about the cause of my dullness. I am poor. That doens't mean I don't go out. Just last night I visited the ballpark for simulcast opera. It was Tosca. It was super-drama, somewhat depressing, but interesting to sit in a stadium with 20,000 other people and have it be quiet. Even the kids were quiet. Even the seagulls. Puccini does that, evidently.

But it does mean that when I go out it's for practical, and inexpensive, purposes. To grocery shop. Work out. Have a swim in UC's outdoor pool with a view of downtown -- I call it the poolscape. Go see my acupuncturist.

And there's so much to do at home! Mid-year accounting. Emailing people I haven't talked to in ages. Clean the bathroom. Do the ironing. Just today, I managed to fit a two-hour nap into the programme. Now I can't wake up.

So what do I have to share about this torpor-filled existence? It's quite nice. Dull. Unexciting. Soothing. And cheap.

Ooops, it's dinner time.

Love to all,
Judy

house help

2009-05-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

It takes a village to renovate a house, or just to make a 1925 flat livable. Here is a list of the capable folks who helped me retrofit the kitchen and bathroom, adding appliances and bringing plumbing and electrical to code. Use them! They rock!

Roman Karpinski, electrician (415) 846-3252; subcontracts to other folks from eastern Europe but gets the job done fast. He had 7 people at my house for 2 days.

Dmitri Gordei, Plumber extraordinaire (415) 505-5723; from Belarus, great to work with, works solo, does research, pulls permits.

Tiling - Mikhail Kosikov; mkosikov@yahoo.com; (415) 235-6658. Completely overqualified to lay tile. Also has skills in carpentry and general construction. Mikhail was a vet in his native land, has 3 kids.

Matt 572-8132, general handyman, baker. Will do anything for practically nothing. Has lots of tools.

Eric Gamay, good, affordable, professional painter and the nicest guy you'll ever meet. 714 809-3943

Mr. Galinda 551-7917; 504-5173 Spent 8 hours rubbing my faux gumwood-painted trim with denatured alcohol.

Additional resources
General - Greg Yates (415) 286-2239, basic electrical, plumbing, appliance, carpentry

Glass man: Tony 25 Virgil between 24th and 25th. 647-7514

2009-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

mellow easter

2009-04-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

The easter bunny did not come this year. I did not have an easter egg hunt, get a chocolate belly, or go to church in a frilly dress. Because, after all, I am not 8 anymore.

Still, there's something about grown up Easter that feels unsatisfying. What's an ex-christian to do? Next year, I think I'll plan a brunch and serve colored eggs in egg cups. Or something. Rabbit hash browns? Then head over and finally see the Hunky Jesus pageant in the Castro. Who knew the son of God could have such beautifully developed pectoral muscles?

All is well here in San Francisco, and that's saying a lot. The unemployment bug is going around, with some new strains like underemployment. One firm I know of is cutting salaries by 20% while still asking employees to put in 50 hour weeks. Another is furloughing FTEs one week a quarter. A friend just had her Blackberry repossessed. Be glad you have a job! That's the message going around. And we are glad, and more than a little bit terrified of what the future might hold.

My company shut down this week, and it's been a great opportunity to get things done around the house -- finally lubricate that car door lock -- and take long strolls in Chrissy Field and other beautiful places. It's also been a good week for health maintenance -- all those things you put off when you're busy and can't be bothered. Now, what do I really like to do with my spare time? I'm afraid I need another week to sort that out. But just one more. Not dozens, thank you.

Attended a lecture on climbing Half-Dome. It's quite a proposition! 6 quarts of water, 16 miles, with a one-mile elevation gain to the top. Did I mention the vertigo-inducing drops down each side of the dome? My housemate is ready to take it on. I am more pragmatic about what 40-year-old knees can do. (Yes, I'm turning 40 this year. Who knew I'd still feel 26?) Perhaps I'll hike up to the base of the domes, and watch others lumber up the cables. Perhaps read a book. Getting from teh library today: Beautiful Children. I'll let you know how it is.

Love to all,
Judy

the first day of spring

2009-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, spring. An excellent time to dust off the bicycle and get a haircut. If it doesn't rain too hard, I'm going to picnic in Marin, and ride my bike to the Farmer's Market with my young, bright-toothed housemate. If it rains, I'll stay home and hire handymen. Have a phone line specialist coming, and trying to find someone to refinish my kitchen sink. (Cheaper than a new one!)

Work is going well, I am happy to report. The Sun-IBM merger, rumored for so many years, seems to actually be happening. Hopefully, it won't throw too many folks out of work.

Image of the day: riding through the park this morning, I saw a group of 11-year-old, running at full tilt down the street. Scavenger hunt, perhaps?

Wondering if I can use stainless steel foil to "rejuvenate" a kitchen counter top. How difficult can it be?

My new dream: to become a slumlord. Anybody want to buy a chunk of Detroit?

Iranian women

2009-02-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

It seems fitting to leaven the Valentine's Day muck with a dose of reality about women's rights, sex, and the institution of marriage. Not to be a scrooge about it, but it's both sobering and very hopeful, the changes that women are fighting for in Iran. Now if there were just a way to give them money...

http://www.meydaan.org/english/default.aspx

http://www.campaignforequality.info/english/

crazy for craigslist

2009-02-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like Craigslist when you need to get rid of things and get new things.

Like a roommate. No, I love my current roommate, but I'm adding to the household to help balance the freakin crazy costs of home ownership. Today, I bought a new dryer. Yet another way to mount up that debt!

And our first tax bill is due in 6 weeks. But I digress.

This weekend a medical student from Germany will be moving in. And hopefully by next week I'll have a second person lined up for my old bedroom. Then my monthly will be vaguely like it used to be when I rented -- and had my own place.

Still, I have high hopes for living communally and well.

Going from two rooms to one has meant a lot of contraction in my stuff world. Most of it is welcome. I'm posting ads on craigslist like a maniac -- enjoying the Santa-like feeling of giving away an old rug and desk. Also trying to make a buck on extra furniture and past mistakes in briefcase choices. Check me out.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/clo/1022971820.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/fuo/1022233018.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/fuo/1022996229.html

What can't you do on craigslist? I haven't found it yet. I'm having fun hiring people in the Gigs section. Got two guys to come over this week and move my bed from one room to another. $40 isn't bad for 20 min of work, though they earned it. My bed is heavy.

Just found a dozen handymen who want to replace my locks and install vents in my building. (I need a lot of venting.) Next I'm thinking of posting an ad for the riding helmet I've had for, um, 20 years. Maybe I can even find someone who wants to buy my EU50 note, no exchange fee.

I wonder if Mr. Newmark had any idea what his "fancy" BBS (bulletin board system) would lead to? Goodbye capitalism friction!

Oops, loks like someone wants to buy my coffee table...

what it looks like

2009-01-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Daily Courier article about the death of my sister-in-law's neighbor in Arizona.

It's too bad they did not find a note.

dishwasher

2009-01-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Home ownership is a lot like puberty. It's hard to get used to all the changes that are going on. For instance, today I have a dishwasher. It's small and white. I think I like it, but it's going to take some getting used to. I guess I might need soap for it. What a pain.

What's incredibly fabulous is the 3 new electrical outlets in my kitchen. Added one each also to the bedroom, office, bathroom, and mudroom. These are very exciting new additions to an otherwise underpowered household. I can't wait to plug things in. Like the washer and dryer. There will be a post-laundromat party. The Po-Lau era will begin.

Got my JCPenny delivery finally, so I'm also the new owner of ivory energy-saving cellular blinds for the office. So now I know how I'll be spending my weekend.

If I'm real lucky, my contractor will come over this week and regrout the tile in the kitchen counter; I'll finish the painting; and the kitchen will be done done done. Chances are, though, I won't be that lucky. There's always February.

Heading out the Arizona next week to spend time with family. Work's going great -- two weeks off gives a girl a nice fresh perspective. Happy new year to all.

cooking with bacon

2008-12-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

I made, hands down, the best dinner ever. Without a recipe. And out of two slices of bacon and some brussel sprouts. I ate it all. Yum.

The trick to ad hoc cooking is onions. Apparently, you can carmelize onions and add just about anything to them and they're delicious. Deglaze pan, put over rice, and fab. A little red pepper, and dang. Move over, Iron Chef.

Today M. moved into my apartment. It was a bit unnerving, someone else with keys who lets herself in and can go wherever she wants. It's going to take some getting used to. So far, though, she hasn't set foot in the kitchen. Perhaps she knows its mine. Maybe a review of a lesson on sharing is in order. (It is mine, though.)

She's heading out of town on Tuesday so I'll get my stomping grounds back, uncontested, for a few days. Already figuring out what to do over the break. Relax. Go to movies, like Benjamin Button at the Balboa. Take walks in the park. See friends. Bake.

Oh yeah, and then there's the painting in my office. But lets not go there. There is much to do, and slowly, I'm working my way through the list.

Just think. Only 3 more days until Christmas.

the joy of blinds

2008-12-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

I am the proud owner of a dishwasher (in the garage, in its box), a washer (connected in a dubious sort of way) and a dryer (with no 220v plug to power it. Today I received a set of 2" walnut blinds for the living room. One of them is actually up and functioning. It rocks.

Consider: living across the street from an apartment complex, my evening pursuits, which involve watching Weeds on Netflix and searching craigslist for a daybed for my office, visible for all to see. No more! Now I can sit with my Christmas tree lights throwing needle-y shadows on the ivory ceiling, in complete privacy. Besides being on sale (Thanks, JCP.com!), the blinds also retain heat and provide a delightful color coordination with window frame.

I never thought I could be this happy. Now, another chocolate and a glass of wine to wash it down. It's nearly Christmas, after all.

OO, dang. I have been remiss. Here's what's happened since I moved.
1) got stove working - This is huge. Even got the broiler working in the double-oven stove. Life is good
2) got half the windows rebuilt - I owe Stacy and Michael my first born. Maybe they'll take chocolates instead.
3) Found a great roommate. Her name is M. and she was a cheerleader in high school. She's pretty much the coolest person on earth, as far as I can tell. She moves in on Sunday. And she's adorable.
4) Got the kitchen floor redone, mostly. Kudos to Tom. Too bad he threw out his back. Feel better soon, Tom!
5) Replace leaking dual faucets in the bathroom with single faucet. Life got noticeably better. Art is my hero for all time.
6) Back threshold replaced and cat door installed. The cat doesn't know how to use it. Doesn't seem interested in learning. She'd rather hunker down outside and glare at me. Smart cat.

Here's my Honey Do list. Need more honeys.
- Replace deadbolt on front door
- Replace garage lock
- replace water heater with Takagi-3 ondemand water heater
- exchange electric dryer for gas one
- run gas to dryer; install vent; replace drain
- install dishwasher. You don't even want to know what this entails but it'll cost more than $1k. The higher you go, the more it costs to have work done. I'll be sure to enjoy the view from up here.
- finish painting trim in office
- get daybed; futon; loveseat for unexpected guests

housebroke

2008-12-01T14:46:00.001-08:00

I moved over the weekend. My life is chaos. Last night, a giant picture fell off the wall. The cat is meowing and periodically bites my arm, as if to say, what the heck did you do to us? On the other hand, the place is coming together. And it's big.

Tea is still not a possibility. The 60-year-old Wedgewood stove is in (dirty) pieces in my kitchen. The new, bright yellow vinyl composition tile floor is covered with "base shoe", which will get nailed into place just as soon as it gets painted. Hopefully magic elves will take this on while I'm at work, earning the money for the mortgage. Through the magic of the Internet, an 18-inch Danby dishwasher is winging its way to my curbside. A young woman named Kendra wants to see the place, and possibly rent a room.

Just a few more boxes to unpack... And a Takagi on-demand water heater to order.
Love to all,
Judy

sunny November

2008-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

THe holiday season is nearly upon us. What, oh what, will I do?

Perhaps instead of gifts I can take photographs of my new floors and tell people, look where my money went! They are, I must say, beautiful. Yay Treelovers!

Here is my revised plan for finishing the work that's underway and actually getting to move into my new house this month.

Big milestones:

Thurs. 11/13 -- can walk on floors. Things to do: decide about whether to upgrade electrical; replace rear door and dryrot on threshold; fix windows; put new lock in front door.
Start painting the walls throughout, to erase "tweety bird" yellow, per Andre.

That should take the better part of the weekend. Then, apparently, I'll have to go back to work.

My mom may be coming for a visit after the Thanksgiving holiday. It'll be nice to show off what we get done. Very few "before" photos. Must remedy that soon.

Love to all,
Judy

homeownership

2008-11-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

Home ownership is good. Daunting, and I wish I had endless gobs of money to do everything beautifully. It's a bit of a relief not to, though, and to just live with things for awhile. Make do.

Here's what I learned today:
* You can always find wool carpet at a lower price
* It's no use trying to find most materials used
* Spend heaps on carpet padding
* Buy what you like, and don't worry about matching colors
* There are too many shades of white/tan/beige to consider the merits of all of them
* Listen to everyone, and make up your own mind
* Retro will always be in

Had my first major snafu today: arrived at the house this morning in my painting gear, to find the floor guys there and sanding. They were due to start 11/12. We rolled.

Here's the plan: they'll come back in two weeks to do the top coat, which will minimize any paint splotches that may happen. Voila! And I might even be able to move in sooner. Also heard that the rain is good for them; they'll swell a bit and fill in any cracks.

I've just about decided on all the paint colors: got seafoam green in my bedroom, a gray-beige in the office, and going to try a muted shade of "popcorn" yellow in the living room. It's tough to match the trim, which is brown with gold and rust. Evidently they did this thing in the 20s where they painted real wood to look like gumwood. There's actually a painter in SF who specializes in touching it up, because other people like me don't want to paint over it (it cost a fortune to create) but don't want to live with the dings and scrapes in their faux wood grain.

Colorwise, the trim is tough to complement. White looks gray, tan looks pink, green looks off, ivory looks stark. There's a muted "popcorn" yellow that might work in the living room, and I'm hoping a brown-beige can go on the stairs. Which, as of today, are getting recarpeted. Now I just need the money to hold out, so I can get a new kitchen floor.

It's not materials that are so expensive: it's labor. There's little point in paying $600 to lay a $300 carpet. So, of course, you get nicer carpet you can look at for 10-15 years.

Poll: what color linoleum flooring should I put in an all-white, 1925 the kitchen? Choices are: maroon (this is surprisingly cool), gold yellow, mottled red, bottle green, blue, a pale mix of blue, gold and gray/white. Keep in mind my dream is a bright green silestone counter (this won't happen). The insides of the cabinets are going primary. Everything else stays white. Should be fun.

Things that won't kill you

2008-10-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Wrangling over money
Breakups
Going into debt
Commitment
Hard work
Rice and beans
Being an unmarried woman
Hiring a lawyer
Commitment
A raw deal
A good deal
Just about everything besides speeding trucks, guilotines, immersion in toxic waste for extended periods of time, and falling from a great height.

Although there was that one girl who fell a mile from an airplane and survived. So you just never know.

Retreat

2008-10-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

For every major milestone in life, there is always a retreat. For instance, with the prospect of home ownership, I'm finding there's (ownership) excitement, (financial) dread, and (perverse) non-materialism. Perhaps it's hard to let dreams come true.

One great idea is to sell everything I have and go on a retreat for real. There are so many cool places to go -- you could spend each month in a different retreat center, and never run out.

Perhaps...
November: Enjoy the leaves at Zen Mountain Monastery
December: Ski in Vermont while hanging with the Tibetans at Karme Choling
January: Check out the Garrison Institute, a former Catholic monastery
February: Break bread with the Christians at Abby of the Genesee
March: Help with spring plantings at Green Gulch Farms
April: Celebrate spring in Sky Lake Lodge
May: Take a trip to Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village
June: Go to Alaska and commune with whales.

Alas, it looks like I'll be signing away my life's savings next week, and calling an electrician. If you're footloose, enjoy it while you can!

happy happy loan time

2008-10-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today my partners and I received the big thumbs up from the lending community. We had gotten approved for two loans previously, before the rates dropped. Today we got approved for a third at a full point less. Happy happy indebtedness dance in San Francisco this day.

I've scaled back my move-in plans, and may take most or all of November to get settled. And I'm getting movers for the first time in my life. I feel so grown up.

house work

2008-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

My close date is now and forever: October 30, 2008. It's all very exciting.

A: I will be moving from my home of 10 years
B: I will be changing all sorts of things in my new flat
C: I will no longer be paying rent
D: I will have a debt load that's going to keep my life free of martinis, full-price movies, and a heated tent cabin at Yosemite.
E: I will have roommates

Now, what will my life by like between Oct. 30 and Nov 15? I'm only trying to guess. This post is me, getting organized. If I were you, I wouldn't even bother to read it. But I'll be back.

Oct. 29: Write a huge check.

Oct. 30: Deal closes. Get keys. Check paint colors. Take to new house: shop vac, garbage can and bags, toilet paper, hand towel, soap, broom, my two screwdrivers, a step ladder, paint gear, rags, paper towels, folding chairs.

Oct. 31: Take day off work. Buy paint. Ask Tom to check staging plan for work. Show house to prospective roommates. (Shoot me an email if you know of someone. Costs are: $850 small room, $1250 large room.) Get fireplace guy to seal chimney and extend flue. Make sure to have lots of checks on hand. Paint entryway, hallway, my bedroom, sunroom/office, living room. See if fridge and stove work.

Nov. 1: Paint in morning. Attend wedding in Guerneville in afternoon. Buy appliances: washer/dryer, stove, fridge as needed.

Nov. 2: Finish painting. Start on wood work: repairing back threshold and windows. Add splash guards to tub. Secure heat duct on furnace. Fix hole in garage plaster ceiling and reroute heat ducts. Find access to attic.

Nov. 3: Ask Tom to let floor guys in. Can also: add face plate ("dead front") to fuse box. Add phone jacks? Need to ground power? Check power at box. Remove back thermostat. Strip and repair 3 wood windows. Replace tile on kitchen counter or regrout. Paint trim.

Nov. 4: Vote for Obama/Biden.
Nov. 5: Send change of address letter to friends and family.

Nov. 8: Paint bathroom. (kitchen?) Finish trim. Complete any wood work. Start electrical at box. Hang shower curtain.
Nov. 9: Run wires. Get filthy. Showers for everyone. Appliances delivered.

Nov. 10: Pack up old apartment.
Nov. 14: Cleaners to new house. Finish packing. Camp on floor.
Nov. 15: Movers come a.m. Cleaners to old apartment p.m. Roommates move in (fingers crossed). Order out, light Dura Log, toast to new home.

Things to do later:
Fire rock under front stairs. Replace metal ladder to roof. Bolt foundation. Remove eucalyptus tree. Landscape. Repair back fence. Bring rear stairs up to code. Get Nolo Press book: Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide. Egress lighting. Replace 1 pane cracked glass in french door. Get termite work done.

wish list

2008-09-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

Buying a house is a lot like getting married: you're making a massive commitment to remain in a certain state for what feels, at the time, like forever.

Like a marriage, a new house also comes with new requirements for a whole bunch of new stuff. Here is my wish list, mainly for me to get organized over the coming months. But who knows -- maybe I'll decide to register somewhere. Love is in the air!

Cat door
step ladder
back door outside mat
front doormat
magnetic paint
no-kink garden hose
fridge and stove
front-loading energy-efficient washing machine (PG&E rebate $200)
stackable gas dryer (any color)
secure mailbox
Home wiring book
plastic mat for under a desk chair
address labels for new house
outdoor broom and large dustpan
large wrench to turn off gas line in case of earthquake
those little plastic guards to keep water from splashing out of the shower-over-tub
new washers for faucet on pedestal sink
new carpet for front stairs (any color)
tools
place to rent/borrow power tools
circuit breaker panel
potting soil
movers
grout for kitchen sink
automatic garage door opener
insulating blanket for hot water heater
*or* solar hot water heater
8 gallons Kelly Moore paint. Colors: Snippet of Blue (3 gallons latex flat); DIamond white (1g semigloss); Provincial garden (semigloss for bathroom; 1 g); Liquid light (2g; flat); 1g red of some sort

I'm sure the list will get longer...
Next step on home-buying train: debt!
Love to all,
Judy

In memorium: Virginia Carol Kennedy, July 2,2008

2008-09-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't known how to write about this. My sister-in-law of 22 years was murdered in July, and there's still no information about who could have done such a thing, or why.

Prescott eNews

Carol's obit

RIP Carol.

Going (for) broke

2008-09-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

At last, I have news to share. Last week my offer on a house in San Francisco was accepted, and I am now officially "in contract" after having "ratified" the "counter-offer" on Friday. Good times.

If all goes well with the inspections and the loan, I may very well go $1+m into debt this fall. I couldn't be more excited.

With the possibility of home-buying comes austerity measures. I no long eat out, unless someone else is paying. (Thanks, Michael!) I drink only at home. So far, it's a fair amount of beans and pasta, and nice wine. Soon, though, I'll be down to cans of diced chicken and the sake in the back of the cupboard. Just a couple fewer things to move, come November.

The house is a 2+ unit in the inner Sunset district, and it's beautiful. A 1925 Edwardian, my upper unit still has all the period details, including beautiful wood cabinetry, floors with a narrow strip of mahogany inlay, and an arts & crafts style banister. It's a 3-bedroom, so the plan is to get roommates--or the first time in 10 years. My "tenancy-in-common (TIC) partners" will take the lower 2-bedroom and the bonus inlaw unit. Close date is Oct. 30, which means on Oct. 29 all my worldly wealth will be transferred to the bank. Or the title company. Or escrow. I'm not really sure which.

It's been a beautiful Labour Day weekend in Stinson Beach. My dear friends Stacy and Michael invited me to Stacy's step-mom's vacation rental, right on the beach, and the weather's been unusually fine. Nothing like the sand, sun, and surf to take the edge off the end of the fiscal quarter.

Valencia the Destroyer

2008-06-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today I got my scooter--an Aprilia Scarabeo from a woman heading to South America for 3 months of hiking. (Jealous!) She's orange, and Italian. The previous owner dubbed her "Valencia" and it's sticking. She and her 50cc of unbridled power putt along the streets of San Francisco with a lawn-mower-like buzz that alerts everyone to her presence, and mine. It's great fun to have an open-air ride, and we've been having fabulously warm weather out here. I can not go back to life without scoot.

Today I'm also learning the ins and outs of mortgages. I have learned: full assumability is critical for group loans; negative amortization is evil; 30-year fixed (aka FRM) is not always the best way to go (gasp!); and upfront points are not the same thing as a mortgage origination fee. Two good websites: Mortgage Professor and HSH. This financial stuff is expensive, man. And there are hundreds of ways to get ripped off. Happily, I like our mortgage broker. He is stiff and uncommunicative. I know just how to deal with him.

Next stops to home ownership: find a financial accountant and a TIC lawyer. (In SF atty. Andrew Sirkin is king.) Apparently it can take a couple weeks longer to structure a TIC agreement than it takes to close on a house. There's a promising listing my TIC partners are going to see on Sunday. Check it out.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Eugene Ore to see Scottie May- graduate from college. There will be much celebration. COngrats to grads everywhere!

scooter withdrawal

2008-06-06T10:02:00.001-07:00

I have found something I love almost as much as my cat: riding around SF on a scooter. My neighbor took it in for servicing yesterday, and probably won't get it back until Monday. I am in deep scooter withdrawal. How can I go to work and not pay for parking? I can't. Going downtown? Forget it. It's public trasit, baby. And when I go to my acupuncture appt this afternoon, I'll have to make sure to park in a 2-hour zone, or it's a $50 ticket. Cars are a total pain in the rear in this city.

So I'm thinking of getting a scoot of my own. Considering the $10k Vectrix, which is a big maxi-bike, and electric with a range of 50 miles. Also looking at small gas-powered ones: The Aprilia Scarabeo 150cc and the Kymco People 50. SO far nothing is perfect. A $3500 electric 150cc would be perfect.

This week I bought a Shoei helmet. I spet a lot because it is, after all, my head. And it occurred to me that all the money I've ever earned I've done with the help of that most important organ. Did you know that helmets have little valves you open? I didn't. Also a chin curtain, to keep air from blowing up at high speeds, and my neighbor Ash confided that you have to actually clean the air intake slots on occasion, when they get gunky. I have full-finger leather gloves and a highly visible (used) white leather jacket. Just a pair of sturdy boots, and I am fully equipped.

They say you can't be unhappy riding a bicycle, and it's true. It's even more true on a scoot!

sleeping around

2008-03-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

A strange new thought occurred to me: maybe everyone feels love for their kitties, just as I do for Lindy. My friend Michelle worked from home on Wednesday and was making goo-goo noises over chat about how cute her cats, Flo and Rocky, were being. Of course, I was compassionate but utterly unmoved. Yes, of course your cats are being cute.

Probably all cats have an adorable array of chirps and squeaks they make while you're petting them. Chances are, each cat is real cute when it's chasing a toy, batting wildly, leaping, doing back flips with the velocity of the chase and a sudden skidding turn. It is hard to believe though that Lindy, asleep not 3 feet from me, stretched out on her kitty window seat, face buried in synthetic sheepskin, is not the best kitty of them all. But then, different strokes for different folks.

I worked at home (WAH) today, so I had lots of time to watch her do her business. This cat sleeps everywhere -- she's completely undiscriminating. Then again, if we slept 16 hours a day, we'd probably be looking for some variety, too.

Today was a good day. I got the perfect pillow, finally. And a Meyer lemon tree, grafted onto dwarf stock, so I can grow it in a container. I weeded, swept with my new outdoor broom, and cleared yet another section of my apartment building's back yard. Soon, I will have everyone in on building a container garden and having BBQs. I looked at a BBQ today, big one. A fire pit might be a better bet -- and a heat lamp.

Oo, and I joined the loyalty program at Sloat Nursery, a stone's throw away, so there will be more herbs, veggies, and flowering plants in my future. Probably, my near future. Variety truly is the spice of life.

Next weekend: Urban Composting workshop. Another week or two, I'll be a regular worm-wrangler.

lil gray easter bunny

2008-03-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to overestimate my affection for my cat. And twice this weekend I've been validated; friends have met her and been astonished at her cuteness. James coudl see why I was so taken with her. (He's British-like.) Barb was amazed that anyone would ever give her up, as someone must have or she would not have arrived at the animal control center. I'm just so fortunate she was lost in my neck of the woods. Good kitty!

Today we woke late. OK, I woke late, she did everything in her power to rouse me at 6am, 7am, 8am, and 9am, and she nearly succeeded. Alas, I have returned to good health in order to abuse it with drinks and smoking. And French food. And very slinky black silk designer dresses, compliments of Barb. Still, exercise will come soon, and when it does my head will be much clearer.

To give the cat somewhere to play, I started last month to work in the garden behind my building. It's horribly overgrown, snail- and flea-infested, and I'm suspecting ticks as well, although my vet doubts it. (The vet also thinks she's "very nice-looking.") It's become quite lovely back there. I dug a zen fountain out of the weeds, many planters, and a statue of a woman 3 feet tall, torso snapped in two. In the raised garden bed I'm growing peas, tomatoes, squash, and strawberries, and I've planted herbs: parsley, cilantro, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender. It's great fun to water the wildflowers and watch them grow. In a few more weeks, I'll have bachelor's buttons and poppies.

Finally this weekend I got some backup on the weeding front. Amanda, a lovely young woman who had a disastrous weekend seeing her ex-live-in-boyfriend, was thrilled to plant night-blooming jasmine outside her window, in the new kitty play area on the first floor stairwell. I completed my outdoor carpeting projects -- all for kitty's benefit -- covering the under-stairs area, taping cat-traction strips on the railings, and perching rugs in her favorite hang-out areas. My carpet connection is a woman named Amelia who works at FloorDesigns, which has the most beautiful carpets I've ever seen, and has two cats. The last time I went in, they found me a whole roll of gorgeous light brown wool carpet. Tomorrow I'm plannign to stop by with kitty photos and project pics, so they can see how well I'm putting their high-end scraps to use. Maybe I'll get some silk carpet samples next. I'm sure Lindy and I could find something to do with a section of two-inch-thick silk pile. Amelia just inherited a new kitty from a friend who passed away, so I'm also taking her a noodle toy, to see if she can lure the shy boy out of the closet. Poor kitty!

Many people build connections based on their kids, their work, their religions. Me, I reach out and connect to provide the best possible life for my cat. I've now met everyone in my building -- the last being Tanya, whose cat Roxy weights 18 pounds -- twice Lindy's size! Tanya admitted she likes to pick Lindy up and carry her around because "she's so small." For the last 8 days, I've been giving Lindy the run of the apartment building. So far, everyone's enjoying her. Tomorrow, the 8-year-old Ukrainian girl is coming over for her first kitty play session. My across-the-hall neighbor Julie is officiating. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

Happy easter, everyone! And thanks for all the chocolate.

Feeding Royce

2008-03-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

I love my kitty, Lindy. And I like my new job. I've been distinguishing myself around the halls of Adobe by making my workspace cozy, aka "pimpin' out da cube." There are green plants, a dishrack, flowers, and a palm tree. I like it. Next week, my air purifier arrives. Since there are a lot of design/interiors stores in the SoMa neighborhood, I'm also thinking of a small silk oriental rug.

The people are great. My fellow editorial manager David just won the commuter alternatives raffle, which I turned him onto. $25 in gifts certificates to the cafeteria and a $25 Amex cash card. He and I promised if either of us won, we'd split the prize. Or maybe I just promised that. We'll find out.

One of the designers, Kaschka, has two adorable daughters--and a birthday party this weekend that threatens to be ruined by the school headlice scare. Did you know? You can pay someone $95 an hour to physically remove headlice from your child's head, thereby avoiding harsh chemicals. Note: it takes quite a few hours to accomplish this.

Royce is in the cube behind me, singing to himself. He's bitchy, fun, and a tad overweight. Today I started feeding him. Half my Morning Bun (best thing on earth; Rainbow grocery bakery aisle), organic New Zealand blueberries, a carrot strip. He has superhero paraphernalia in his cube: oversized plastic hands that, when you smash them together, superhero style, give off a loud roar . He has the shoes, too, but had to deactivate them because someone wouldn't stop running around, putting passersby at risk.

I'm kicking ass at work, too. My manager rocks, we have lots of funding and a good rep, and I am onteh fast track to Getting Things Done. Alternately irking and placating people with way more power than me, and generally having a good time.

The fluffy gray kitty is at home, meowing loudly for my return, then meowing some more. She likes to be the center of attention. Cats are like people that way.

11-inch puma

2008-02-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

I am sharing my studio with a very small, not-very-ferocious cat. And I'm mad about her.

I sing her songs, made her special food treats with yeast and wheat germ. I get up early so I'll have more time to pet her and play with the noodle toy. Last week I bought her a bird picture for over her food bowl. When i go to work I hide treats around the house, including dessicated fish filets that she can find when she's along, prowling the shelves and levels of h er cat tree. It's hard to leave her all day, and I frequently miss her when I'm at work. She's just so cute, you see. And fluffy. And smart. (My mom's rolling her eyes right now.) And ingenious and lithe.

She can have more fun with a stick and a bag than any person I've ever met. Good kitty.

My mom came out to San Francisco for a visit two weeks ago. We spent the better part of a week shopping and eating. It was a delightful way to spend my time between jobs, and I got a good many things, like a fabulous new McKroskey mattress, that will make my life oh so much better. My mom bought me the best pillow in the world -- feather and it cradles your head.

I've been at Adobe for a week and two days now and I like it. People are nice, normal in a hip, creative sort of way. Doesn't seem like a lot of bullshit or politics. Then again, it's only been a week. The location is more interesting than I expected, and even taking the CalTrain to SJ was fun. Like a rail adventure, you know, through Silicon Valley.

getting the knowledge

2008-01-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

I am learning all kinds of things about cats. Training, for instance.

You can train a cat. To sit, lie down, and stay. To come to its name. You can encourage behaviors you want (no meowing, using the scratching post) with treats, and set up avoidance methods for those you don't want. For instance, I do not want Lindy to ambush me at the door and slip out. So I have a trick. I stand outside the door, jiggle the handle, open the door an inch, and squirt her with a spray bottle. It freaks her out so badly I feel guilty. And she knows it's me. But it keeps her at a safe distance.

There's lots of free advice in the kitty world. Two tips today: to discourage undesirable behaviors, put pennies in a jar and shake it. They hate the sound. Cats also dislike citrus smells. And a good trick for keeping your cat stimulated is to get a Fedex box, cut holes in it, and pour the food inside. It takes the cat 15 minutes or so to pull each nugget out through the holes.

I'm going to have my hands full with Lindy. She's smart as a whip. She goes into the closet where I keep the interactive "noodle" toy and drags it out, stick and all. She gets naughty when she's hungry, jumping onto the dining table -- a definite no-no. Just wait until the penny jar is assembled, little kitten.

My favorite moment so far: Tonight I introduced her to the last room in the apartment, my bedroom. I let her wander, having spent 30 minutes cleaning all the baseboards, behind the couch, and under the bed. (Apparently cats each a lot of dust and it's not "clean" or good for them.) I turn around and she's frozen at the edge of the couch cushion. She'd leapt up and come face-to-face with a round, sausage-shaped pillow of buckwheat hulls she's never seen before. It has a gold cover that leaves one huge black "eye" looking right at her. She's terrified, staring at this thing, head down, waiting for it to strike, growl, advance. Cats are super territorial, which is why new places are so dicey for them at first. I took the pillow and dropped it on the ground, rolling it with my foot. She relaxed maybe an iota. I was kind enough not to laugh at her.I run into huge-eyed pillows all the time, myself. Terrifying.

Meet Lindy

2008-01-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have secured a fluffy new friend. Her name is Lindy and she's gray/blue 2-year-old with very cute white marketings: a vest, goatee, and four white paws. She's pretty much the cutest thing ever, still kittenish, with yellow-green eyes and medium-length fur. She likes to stare at me a lot, and meow. I'm hoping she'll get more independent as she settles in.

Upsides to Lindy: friendly, bold, sweet, cuddly, playful, cute as hell.

Downsides to Lindy: intrepid, escape artist, sensitive to noise, meowing, diarrhea, biting herself.

She's into everything. Her favorite activity is to watch water dribble down the sink drain. She also likes the noodle toy, eating, my lap, following me, talking, and when the toilet flushes.

We have a big day planned, including a trip to the vet this afternoon, possible flea eradication efforts, a session or two of apartment exploring (the bathroom is her "safe room" for the first 24 hours), an evening feed, and a final play session. Routine is important, and early training. And I have a lot of cat-related shopping to do.

So far I am an awesome mom. Lindy's got a behavior problem of biting when she gets overstimulated from petting, but so far I haven't seen this from her yet. She was spayed just last week, so we're taking it easy for now.

Photo soon!

scaredy cat vs. ugly tail

2008-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

My cousin said something very wise: wait a few weeks, it will be spring, there will be lots of kitties. She's right. Only I'm not going to make it that long.

Tomorrow's a holiday, and I have all day long to play with my new cat. Here are my choices:
- "Dolly" a charming tabby cat, 6 years old, with an excellent mew and gorgeous markings. She also has a kink in her tail that really pretty much grosses me out. I'm wondering if this is something I can "work with" as the Buddhists say. She does cute headbutts and her mew is to die for; it's like a doorbell: "excuse me but I'm mewing now." She's soft and lustrous and built like a German milkmaid.
- "Candy Cane". I know. So stripper. And this cat is anything but an exhibitionist. In fact, this little 2 year old is so skittish she will actually hiss at you if you try to pet her. For me, she just shuddered with distaste. She's a lovely black shorthair, which is what I wanted, with lively green eyes.

It's an overcast Sunday and my laundry is in the wash cycle. Definitely a day to drag a friend to the pound.

Hot for Kitty

2008-01-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here were the two jobs: Product Marketing Manager at Autodesk for their online products for architects, construction professionals, and engineers; Web Editorial Manager at Adobe Systems. Upside to Autodesk: continuity, already know the politics, bonus in April, location of the office. Downsides? Travel.

They told me officially 25%, which is one week a month and doable. Someone unofficially told me to expect 40% or more. My would-be manager travels 98.9% of the time. He's a fiend for the Blackberry, replying to emails within seconds.

I chose Adobe, deciding to stay home (all the time) and get a cat. Now I have everything I need: litter box, litter, food, treats, toys, scratching post (Thanks, Peggy!), bowls. Just no cat.

Which is not for lack of trying. Tried to get one at the SPCA over the weekend, but they were running low. Turns out kitten season starts in the spring, and their inventory is depleted. People come in for a kitten and go home with a cat. I am so hot for a cat that I almost took home a 15-year-old gray ("blue") long-haired animal named Casey. I changed my mind when they told me he's been having issues with diarrhea and vomiting for the past week or so. There are many things I can deal with; catshit on my new duvet cover is not one of them. (Thanks for the duvet mom!)

Meanwhile I am truly suffering cat deprivation. It's like all my maternal urges have been redirected into cat acquisition. It's a little scary. I can see how people end up with 3. Or 6. Or 8 cats. Will this stop with one? Will I have the self control? Only time will tell.

I already have narratives about what I will do with my cat: we will watch movies together. He will chase a feather on a string. Eat skin from my fish dinner. Lap up unused chicken broth. We'll have a negotiation game around coat-brushing, just like any good relationship. There's even a scenario where I make him warm milk at bedtime.

Clearly, I am already in a lot of trouble. Last night I went to a work friend's house. She's just been "given" three cats. I practically mugged her for a 9-year-old tabby named Owen. And I wanted a black cat. At the last moment our mutual better judgment stopped me from taking one home right then. I did, however, threaten to come back later. The cats came froma household of 6 cats, one woman. The woman had taken two of the cats with her to England. I'm sure it was very Sophie's Choice.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Things I like about 2008: Getting two job offers
Things I don't like about 2008: Even the gray hairs are falling out

So far so good in the new year. I have a new job I start in early Feb., at Adobe Systems (finally, discounted software I can use!) here in San Francisco, at the old Macromedia offices. The location is not as good as Autodesk, which is in One Market, the best location in the city, right across the street from the Ferry Plaza and the biweekly Farmer's Market. This last Tuesday, I invested in Fuyu persimmons, and they are wonderful.

But the location is okay. It's in an industrial part of town, 7th and Townsend, near the Rainbow Grocery, which rocks, Costco, my friend Ginger's workplace, Trader Joe's, and a few other useful tidbits. I might try riding my bike, easily doubling the amount of exercise I'm getting these days.

The first week of the New Year was rainy and dreary, but in true Northern California style, that didn't last. These days it's brilliantly sunny, crisp, and gorgeous. I love my town.

winter solstice

2007-12-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

It's only 3 days until Christmas, and the shortest day of the year. That means every day after today will have more sunlight. And that is a very good thing.

This holiday season has been an exceedingly mellow one for me. Almost no gift shopping, few parties, lots of talking on the phone to loved ones, lots of warm visits. It's nice to be rested, clear-headed, and calm.

In a few minutes I jump in my car, laden with food gifts, snacks, and outfits for every occasion, and drive to Weed, California. There I'll be staying at Stewart Mineral Springs, and completing the drive to Portland on Sunday, where friends await. It should be a mellow holiday with overeating, basement soccer, and excellent conversations with dear friends.

Happy holidays, and a peaceful week of rest to folks everywhere.

What do you love?

2007-12-09T14:00:00.001-08:00

I just made myself a spectacular lunch. The secret is to spread out the work: marketing one day, prep in the morning, then a reheat/wrap up just before you eat. On today's menu was potato leek soup, braised swiss chard with shitake mushrooms, and fresh ravioli with butternut squash filling.

I am considering vanilla ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce and cashews for dessert. Just as soon as I can move.

It's been a wonderful weekend. Last week it was rainy in San Francisco, and I was down for the count with a flu bug. Three days of doing very little in my apartment was remarkably restorative, and I've recovered well enough to make it to the gym today, primarily to use the hot tub and schvitz (steam bath), but got a few laps in there.

It's sunny, crisp, and lovely outside. The Christmas/Hannukah spirit is in the air, and I'm thinking of treating myself to new window shades.

Last night I went to a Shuso ceremony. At the end of a practice period at Zen Center, the head student has a formal stepping ceremony in which everyone asks him or her a question. I asked: "What did you learn as a Shuso that you did not expect to?" Zackery (for that is his name) answered: "I learned I need a lot more care and nurturing that I thought I did."

So it's the time of year to think about that: what sustains us, from the network of farmers, grocers, truckers, laborers who deliver food to our local markets, to the people, places, and activities that humanize us, and bring to each day the possibility of pleasure and real joy.

Another questioner asked the Shuso some heady question about dharma. Zackery replied, "What do you love?" The questioner was caught off guard, looked down in intense concentration, then bunted, replying, "I'm asking the questions here." Everyone laughed.

But it's a good question. What do you love? You can make lists of things: a walk on a fine day, a dear friend, your mother, a new window shade that fits exactly right. Your home, the smell of pine tree boughs in your living room. Cooking beautiful food. But somehow none of these things quite captures the What. Is it life? Being of service? Accomplishing what you feel only you can do? Maybe it's the pep, or verve inside each of us that makes us grasp new experiences, extend our minds to new ideas, open our hearts to people and their intimate thoughts and habits.

Speaking of new experiences, I've discovered Netflix on demand. There had been these "free" hours on my account to "watch instantly", but I'd ignored them. No more. I'm hooked. The first night I watched, amazing, as a Morgan Freeman movie started right when I pushed play on my laptop. Cool! The next night, things got out of hand. Turns out Sense and Sensibility, the British version, is 3.5 hours long. 7 episodes. I couldn't stop. My friend Peggy says Pride and Prejudice is even better -- all 7 hours of it. I can't wait until January.

Get out there and take in some holiday cheer. The lights are out, the decorations festive. If you're not out shopping, you might just have yourself a nice night.
Love to all, in all the towns and cities and treelined streets where you may find yourselves for the holidays.

Green Festival

2007-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I went to the San Francisco Green Festival, on a date. It was interesting.

First of all, the nice young man invited me to the keynote, Deepak Chopra. Now, I'm not a big Deepak Chopra fan, but I figured maybe there was something I had missed here, so agreed.

We stayed 4 minutes. There was Mr. Chopra, talking about how humans are the only species to wage war on our own kind, to murder, to poison the earth. I said to Guy D: "That's not exactly true," and he replied "Nothing he's said so far is actually true." So we left. Nearly a thousand slack-jawed neo-hippies folks stayed behind.

The exhibition floor was very interesting. Did you know you can buy a mattress made from ("natural") rubber? It's pretty comfy, too. There are small group eco-vacation outfits like Gap Adventures, and resorts like Maui Retreat. I learned about the chemicals in common makeup like formaldehydes and parabens, which "may play a role in decreased sperm count and increased breast cancer." Recommended are the usual natural cosmetic suspects: Weleda, Aubrey Organics, Dr. Hauschka, and Jane Iredale. You can buy purses made from truck inner tubes (English Retreads), tote bags made from recycled billboards (Reusable Bags), and organic cotton underwear (EnvironGentle).

Want to be a little greener? Here are resouce websites for the rest of us.
www.idealbite.com
www.greenmaven.com
thedailygreen.com
grist.org
treehugger.com
greencar.com
greatgreengadgets.com

Me? I get excited about organic bedding (A Happy Planet), Print Raw and Design Action Collective eco-printing services, and the guy in San Rafael who makes furniture out of recycled lumber, Bill Callahan.

doing myself favors

2007-11-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been doing myself plenty of nice favors. On Friday, I upgraded my seat at the symphony to premier second tier, effectively doubling my ticket price. I enjoyed Mendelssohn's violin concerto so much more without a 15-year-old texting into her phone next to me.

Symphony seating segments imprecisely along age lines. The power couples and family money are in the orchestra, the somewhat tired and rumpled but still kickin' are in the balcony. The septuagenarians sit nosebleed, center, and the kids and schoolteachers are in the wings. My favorite is with the fogies. No one looks around. When it's time for intermission, they're all looking at their feet.

Last weekend I met another new guy, thanks to my online dating service eHarmony. In 6 months of surfing profiles, I met two guys. They're both great. Maybe Dr. Warren is on to something.

I said goodbye to a disappointing love affair, finally.

Lastly, I'm interviewing for a new job. I've done my best to get along with colleagues and have done a passable job. I'd say I have one and a half head these days, Al. It may be that I'm not in the right sort of environment. I'm shooting for a product marketing manager job that would give me lots of new connections to other parts of the company and, with luck, a less political environment. There would be travel, to Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston, and possibly overseas to Europe and Japan. Oh, I bought a new suitcase, just in case. It is green.

Off now to meditate, have a swim, and meet the (long-suffering) Guy A for brunch. It's not clear if he saw me on the news or not, the night I canceled on him. He didn't mention it. He did however made me promise not to get sick again before scheduling a second date. Which in some ways is a perfectly reasonable request.

Aside: Guy B wanted me to meet his girlfriend for dinner. And some guy she has a crush on. It's all a bit too modern for me, so I passed. You really can't be too kind to yourself.

Oops

2007-11-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

apparently, I appeared in a ten-second clip on NBC news last night.

Oops.

Good news: there is a Guy C.

the wild world of dating

2007-10-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am back on the dating market. And I'm rusty.

For instance, most women would probably know instinctively that, if you cancel with Guy A because Guy B can only meet that same night, then it's probably better not to get interviewed for the evening news. Especially, um, if you told Guy A you were sick.

In my defense, I am sick. Just not sick enough to pass up meeting Guy B.

Here's what happened. I'm sitting in Bar Bambino with Guy B, and we're having a lovely time flirting. He's showing me pictures of his airplane on his iPhone, which has a pretty nifty feature of being able to blow up the photo with the flick of the owner's fingers. There is much flicking. We are drinking Italian pinot nero wine, eating wild boar salami, and fighting over the last remnants of the best cheeses I have ever had tasted, hands down. Then, the floor begins to move.

It was a 5.6 earthquake, centered in the south bay just after 8pm. Guy B thinks at first it's the underground BART train. He looks deep into my eyes and says, "Do you feel that?" and I think, um, yeah, right down to my toes, buddy. Then I do. The floor is rocking and tilting, more like an undulating aftershock than a sharp quake. It seems to go on forever. "60, 80 seconds," I estimate for the cameraman from NBC Nightly News. The real time was 15 seconds, but it seems longer. Maybe that's because your brain is grappling with the fundamental paradigm shift of 'ground is moving' along with the awful possibility of 'walls crumbling' and 'building collapsing' not to mention the horror-show image of 'ground opening like a giant maw to swallow you into the bowels of the earth.' Longest 15 seconds I ever felt.

The cameraman wanted to know what the earthquake felt like. I told him it felt like an earthquake.

I have had a crush on Guy B for 9 years. A good crush is like an acorn: you can bury it someplace and come back and dig it up later when you need a hit of excitement. No girl should go too long without a snack.

The date went well. It turns out Guy B has got himself a girlfriend already, however, so there won't be more meetings. (I do have scruples about some things.) That brings us back to Guy A, who graciously agreed to take me out for dessert, even though, technically, he won our bet: Beethoven's 9th is in fact his only choral symphony. That's true, however, only because Choral Episode is an opus. Who knew a piece of music had to have four movements to qualify as a symphony? I didn't. Now where's my ice cream?

Stay warm and well out there tonight, tricker or treaters. And let me know if I show up on the evening news.

Yay Debbie!

2007-10-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is doing relief work in Tanzania. A perk of the job is meeting celebrities, when they come calling, and Debbie got to meet Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and wrote about it in this article. Now what those AIDs patients really need is a couple of good action movies, to clue them in to the identities of their famous guests.

"Nous voulons parler Francais!"

2007-09-24T09:59:00.001-07:00

Evidently the Quebecois wanted so much to speak French a splinter group kidnapped Labour Minister Pierre Laporte and left him dead in the trunk of a car. That group was dismantled, but the act of violence showed how high passions ran in Montreal in 1970 for a francophone lifestyle. Voila, a french-speaking haven for artists and revolutionaries was born.

Montreal is a wonderful city full of grassy parks, sparkly bodies of water small and large, and people sporting tattoos and tiny skirts, and sometimes both. The people are fit, skinny, scruffy and extremely hip-ly dressed. After NY and LA, Montreal is a clothing design mecca. Folks here stay out late, frolic to electronica music, drink excellent coffee and even better beer. There's art everywhere -- even the Metro subway stations. Sidewalks are calked with alien symbols, and graffiti is technicolor and semi-abstract. The architecture is either very old or very new and there is some freaky shit in the skyline. The most endearing quality of Montreal-ians: their penchant for free pools, none of which I've managed to hit yet. (sniff.) But if I hurry, I'll catch the latern-lighting at the Jardin Botanique.

Au revoir!

letting go and having less

2007-09-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

First, a delightful thing: I had no idea I had comments on my blog. I was noodling around, trying to figure out how to link to friends' blogs (forgive me, fellow bloggers) and I discovered comments. How fun! Thanks to PW, Mr. and the Alster for commenting on my posts. Who knew?

My post today (since I now know I have actual readers) is about the painful topic of loss. In my case, it is about loss of possessions, and, um, my relationships with my family, which at the tender age of 38 I have finally come to realize are not ever going to change. So they are what they are and that's all they'll ever be. Oh well!

There's good news. The world is full of wonderful people who will tickle your funny bone (and maybe your bippy) if you give them half a chance. This blog entry is dedicated to all the wonderful people I am not related to, and one that I am, just a little bit.

Now, back to the stuff. What is it about trips that makes one have to get new stuff? In my case, it's a suitcase. Some shoes. 3 handbags -- hey I got a computer bag that looks like a purse -- cool! New flip-slops, a pair of flats. Silk shoes (it's a trip, after all). I would stop but I have coupons. So there's a chance of a new Timbutk2 bag, which actually would be great because mine is 14 years old and looks it. A baby could drool on it and no one would know the difference. So maybe there's some merit to keeping old things.

There is a time to move on, however. Like people, the world is full of wonderful things. You shouldn't keep your old things just because their yours, just because they're what you used to. You should try new things. You should throw away what's worn out, what no longer serves you. Or better yet, live without it and see how need feels. Or barter!

But back to the people. More to come!
Greg's website
Mark's blog
Al's blog
Alex's blog
Janice's site

French is sexy

2007-09-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

I have been brushing up my French. And throughout my French 1 and French 2 tapes, I have relearned quite a bit about the French. Consider this: 3 of the first five lessons were about meeting members of the opposite sex and arranging to have drinks or a meal at one place or another. In one great exchange, a man and woman (because what else is interesting, really?) went back and forth about a lunch date, each naming a time an hour later than the other, until they agreed to have lunch at 11 at night. (onze heures chez moi). It was sortof like a cross between a booty call and my last relationship: we're not entirely clear what we are agreeing on. At least, if you're French, there will be food.

This weekend I voyager a Montreal. At least, I'm pretty sure I'm keeping my engagement to myself and having a working vacation. There is still a glimmer of doubt, as a friend is attending services this weekend for her father. It is a sad time in the great San Francisco Bay Area. And, as I am a femme libre, I can always fly another time.

So we'll see. Until I decide, there are all the pesky things of life to do: laundry, smog checks, cleaning, and a critique of a short story for a writing group member. Ah, the life of a (semi) creative (semi) professional.

Last week I underwent professional training. I learned Successful Communiation Strategies. Translate: how to get what you want using jedi mind tricks that won't offend anyone, unless they discover what you're doing. A fellow classmate tried out the "reflection" technique on his wife and she immediately yelled at him to stop it. You have to be subtle, especially if using empathy for the first time.

OK, I'm tired. Yesterday I swam in the Pacific, and evidently made a commitment to swim in the bay at the Dolphin Club early in the morning, which is great fun, if very very cold. At least there is a sauna.

Sleepytime.

a carrot and a beer

2007-08-21T22:11:00.001-07:00

My title is what I ate for dinner when I got home. Technically I also had a small chicken burrito, but I liked the title better without it.

I am now one and half sheets to the wind because the beer was a Delirium Tremens which clocks in at nearly 10% alcohol. Being tipsy, I am not afraid to tell you about my pending existential crisis.

Tonight I went to a Board meeting of the Hands On Bay Area foundation and I presented, with my team of compatriots, their new branding and marketing guidelines. It went over pretty well, actually. Something impressed me when I was sitting in the room, which was a conference room of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 33 floors above the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco. Actually, in the same building complex I work in, just one of the newer towers that goes much much higher, so the view's a lot more impressive.

I was impressed at how calm and excited everyone was. The board were all good people. Different backgrounds and opinions. Dedicated, intelligent, engaged. I thought, now where do I get me some of that?

Board members are cool. I got to meet the board members of the Long Now Foundation last Friday night. A friend gave a talk about his new book, Glut, at an event they hosted, and then they took us out to dinner afterwards. It was a slow start. I was gunshy because the board of Long Now includes Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly, and, newly, Kim Polese. I am not good with celebrities. At best, I quip. At least I quip well.

During the discussion of freeze-dried DNA, I likened the process to creating jerky. When the founder of another startup wanted a specific skillset on the cheap, I volunteered the magic word in HR circles: intern. I did okay. It was great to be in a (private dining) room full of smart people, though, talking about ideas.

Once I was good with a celebrity. A couple years ago I had dinner with Hollywood producer Joel Silver. His wife Kathryn is the aunt of a guy I was dating at the time. I totally nailed it. I entertained Joel, hassled him about getting Producers tickets, like everyone else he knew, and generally walked the line between insouciance and charm. I was delightful. My boyfriend kissed me happily in the car afterwards. Then, I promptly forgot Joel's name. Once or twice I tried to name-drop, but all I came out with was "Joel something. The guy who produced the Matrix movies."

I have not yet told anyone I had dinner with Kim Polese over the weekend. At best, I told my sister, via cellphone, while I was on the bus. One person turned his head. It was like the white-hot light of fame briefly seared my flesh. But not really.

I think what's hard is tha tmy life hasn't gone anywhere. And it really should. I've got game. I just don't have self-control, professionalism, or discipline. Perseverance? No, it's really more like I can't make up my mind. So my blog is now dedicated to me making up my mind, finding my calling, and applying myself rigorously to some new path. Because believe me, corporate work sucks.

Simpsons Avatar

2007-08-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm joining the movie buzz.

Make your own Simpsons avatar by visiting the Simpsons movie site.

go figure: Prom Queen

2007-07-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me how life works. I went in this morning shaky and anxious, convinced I would lose my job any hour. Then I proceeded to have an absolutely wonderful day.

Maybe it was because I'd only had three hours sleep. Or soaked up wisdom from a heady psycho-Buddhist self-help book I read instead of sleeping. Or gotten excited about my trip to NY tomorrow. Or maybe it was because I had just stopped caring so damn much.

It didn't hurt, of course, that I got a call and email from a recruiter from Adobe for an editorial management position. No, that didn't hurt a bit.

There's something of a relief when bad things actually happen. Like, people don't all like me. (Oh No!) The reality is not nearly as bad as the fear of having people actively dislike you.

It reminds me of the first time I rode a motorbike. It was in Thailand, and traffic was hairy, and I was convinced I would be killed because, you know, poeple get killed on motorbikes all the time. Then I laid it down on a gravel-strewn hairpin turn. And it really wasn't that bad. It wasn't nice -- I had a nasty road rash. But the lady at the roadside shop fixed me right up with bandages and antibacterial. Evidently it's a popular place to wipe our.

Here's my day in a nutshell. 1: The marketing dept went to an All Hands meeting in San Rafael, except new people like me who figured they could call in, which we couldn't (oops) 2: no one came back from the meeting because it's Friday 3: My archnemisis held a meeting, ostensibly to tell us about things they way they really are and should be on the web site, according to her 4: she made the mistake of inviting impartial outsiders, who were interested in my ideas about packaging and handling content and creating pathways with a strategy behind them
5: I had way more fun than my archnemisis did, because all her friends were gone and mine were around, fun, friendly, and loud (HA!) 6: the archnemisis caved. It was a little sad. She talked about how she didn't like working in a stressful environment, with tension. Can't we just get along sort of stuff.

My cohort thinks perhaps the archnemisis is not behind the smear campaign. I'm not convinced.

Well, here's life in corporate politics/court intrigue. I'm sure next week it will change. For now, I'm going to stick with not caring so much and see where the cards fall. Toodles!

corporate road kill

2007-07-19T20:54:00.001-07:00

I wish I could say my new job was going well. Alas, it is not.

If marketing writing were a profession like, say, acting, than corporate Web work would be in the vein of television work. The money's good, the work is steady, and you work with a team that all aspired to be somewhere else and aren't. Journalism, or freelancing, is closer to film acting: you go from project to project, so the financial risks are higher, but so are the potential rewards. You could write an exceptional article, or land a lucrative contract, and reap the benefits of self-determination and creative license. Writers with literary ambition are like Broadway actors -- the odds of success are long and the pay is terrible, but there's the potential for recognition of your innate brilliance, social prestige, and the chance to work with truly gifted people.

In this scheme of things, to stretch a simile to the breaking point, my current gig is something like a sit com with bad ratings and a cash-strapped network. The gist is that the person who created our little Web editorial team was fired, and now management seems confused about why we exist. We occupy territory uncomfortably -- several on our immediate team also wish we were not around. And now we hear that the viewers are not excited about our show, either. It's hard to see a happy ending for this story. For now, I'm taking the money and running.

Quite literally. In two days I am off to New York, where I will work remotely and call into meetings. I am hoping this time will give me some distance from the brutal political warfare that I have blundered into. Needless to say, as a new employee with a couple powerful enemies, I am not guessing I will be on the winning side of this equation.

Which is too bad because, to paraphrase a colleague, I like my job. The location is great. The people, except for those offended by my ongoing presence, are friendly, smart, and competent. And the company's makes interesting products for a wide range of users. It's cool.

What's happened? Today I found out that my entire team of 3 has been branded as "difficult to work with." There has been an attack, and it has stuck with our management. Which makes ya wonder if it was unanimous. Ideas like these make it hard to go into work without a lot of paranoid thoughts. We'll see how I do tomorrow!

I hope you're life is going better than mine. At least the weather is gorgeous!

an expensive parking place

2007-06-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where nothing went right.

I got up early and went to the SF Zen Center, but forgot to call a friend. I ate delicious Zen soup and salad, and learned how to be a doan. I met the friend (hours late) at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, bought beautiful and incredibly expensive food -- and got a $50 parking ticket for an expired meter. Was late to meet another friend and we went for Thai food which I didn't eat. I just drank cup after cup of tea. Then we wandered to Green Apple bookstore, which is great fun and has wonderful book islands for browsing and I had to pee and there was no bathroom. (Get the gist? Nothing worked right.) Then I made carrot soup, added $4 worth of gorgeous tomatoes, but used too much lemongrass in the soup stock so the whole thing had the aftertaste of vomit. To cheer myself up, I tried to go buy fabulous purple-blue sheets, only to find they were out of the bottom sheet. They ordered it from another store, I bought pillowcases and a top sheet, and will have to go back in a week.

So basically a day of wandering in circles and almost, but not quite, getting lots of things done.

At least the weather was nice. And nothing really lousy happened.

It's been ages since I've blogged. Life has been busy, mainly with the new job and trying to keep up with people and hold myself together. I've been taking a Math Refresher class the last four Sundays, and there's nothing like algebra and geometry homework to put a damper on a social life. So far, the job is going all right. Learning to work with people -- really closely with the same people over and over again -- is a skill I admire in anyone who has it. I do not, so learning to become a collaborator, a "meeting person," a team player is like trying to grown another head. I'm working on it. If you see a newspaper story about a woman with two heads, you'll know I've succeeded.

It's nearly 11pm and I have not done this week's homework. I have a friend coming into town tomorrow and my apartment isn't really clean. Most of my bills are paid. I have $7 in my wallet. And now I have to write a really big check to the DPT. I hope they spend it wisely.

The New Job

2007-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I started a new job. I am now a Senior Web Editor at Autodesk, which reported yesterday it made more money last quarter then ever. (I paraphrase.) Having a job is really nice in one way: security. My first day HR took us through the many benefits we will enjoy as Autodesk employees. They are numerous. For instance, I have access to legal software to allow me to write up a simple will, name a health proxy, or complete a no-fault divorce. If I have a pet, which I don't, I can access pet medical insurance. Gym membership is $100 a year. Yesterday I learned I have two vision coverages which can be used independently, leaving me to consider just how many pairs of glasses one woman can have. (If you're my friend Cynthia, that number is 8.)

So far, so good. I'm still me, I was chastened to realize the first time I ran my mouth in a meeting. But so far the other folks seem to be putting up with me well enough, and my manager is overjoyed. My work is extremely similar to what I was doing at Sun, with a less lofty title, which is fine with me. It's remarkable how many of the issues are exactly the same from one company to the next. My first projects here are identical to my first projects at Sun: look at the Web style guide, write edit guidelines for new components in a redesign, look at feature story layout ideas. At least it's all familiar, with a new cast of players and a rather different culture.

First, Autodesk is much smaller than Sun. And it is profitable, wildly, actually. It does only software, so there's only one type of product to market. The office I work from, in downtown San Francisco, is mostly Marketing types, so there is a lot of interaction, which is quite novel to me. They have a lot of meetings. You can tell how popular you are by how many meetings you get invited to. There is also a lot of drinking. The folks I sit near have many ways of discussing their favorite pasttime, whether it's noting the time as "beer-thirty," or talking about where they go to drink, what they drink, how much they drink, or who they drink with, and how often. The boozy focus seems to extend just to the small group around me; I have noise-cancelling headphones on order.

To cope with new job jitters, I am getting up early in the mornings and joining the 5:25am meditation session at the Zen Center. I make it about twice a week, and the affects of mindfulness practice seem to last throughout the week. A friend has begun to go with me. It's good for what ails you.

Last night I went to a lecture at UCSF by a research psychiatrist and it was super groovy. Sophia Vinogradov talked about Mixing Memory and Desire: The Interplay of Brain and Mind. It turns out, they are two different things. She studies physiology, and took us through some basic freshmen topics like memory encoding, left-brain, right-brain attributes, and emotional processing.

Gotta go. Tonight: seeing Lama Surya Das speak, and helping him sell books. Go Lama!

bumpy roads, new endeavors

2007-04-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I ate dinner with a friend at Jeanty at Jack's, the San Francisco restaurant of Philippe Jeanty. We were underdressed, and it was late, but the maitre d' graciously seated us and then they proceeded to stuff us so painfully full of excellent French comfort food that I wasn't sure I was going to make it home. The city roads are rough, and every time I hit a bump, the stays of my already distended stomach stretched just a millimeter more. I was not sure I would survive. The coup de grace was dessert: chocolate mousse brulee. Asked whether it was more fluffy or creamy, the waiter, without missing a beat, said "creamy. Yes, more creamy." He was wrong. It was both.

What they had done, those dastardly French, was place a layer of chocolate mousse over a layer of creme brulee and top the entire mebob with melted sugar. I won't say it was wholly successful. The mousse was flabby and the brulee too chilly. It was delicious, but also sortof wrong, like a pig-dog of the confection world. But we ate the entire thing with hardly any conversation between us. Ooo, dang.

Yesterday I went to see the Dalai Lama, compliments of my almost-ex-boyfriend, who couldn't use the tickets because he had to move to NY and start a new job. It was pretty amazing. I am not one of those people who believes in "transmission" or gurus or karma or reincarnation, but, well, he had me. His Holiness, tiny on a stage surrounded by thousands in the sold-out Civic Auditorium and huge on the video screen flanking the stage, emanated calmness and clarity. I have never seen anyone speak with so much traction. It wasn't conviction per se, or certainty, it was more a sort of tightness between what he meant and what he said that bespoke of integrity. This man knew what the heck he was talking about. Maybe authority is the right word. He talked a lot about compassion, of having a flexible mind that does not label things good, bad, or better than. He talked about caring for others, and of being warm-hearted.

The theme of the talk was Creating Positive Change. He had two short pieces of advice: have full self-confidence, and work hard. He talked for a long time about how mental states are often more powerful than the physical world, aka reality. He probably wasn't saying anything that was radically different from what you can pick up in a Buddhist text or a garden-variety self-help book, but from his lips the messages were somehow irrefutable.

Funny thing was: I was not bored, but he promptly put me to sleep. I was not the only one. The guy in front of me conked out, and two kids were felled across the aisle. My theory: the tremendous sense of calmness and well-being just put me out. It was relaxing, like being held in the arms of a really good parent. Hats off the the Lama.

My life is about to change. I have taken a new job. The offer letter is due to arrive today, and without much ado I have agreed to go in-house at Autodesk to be a Sr. Web editor. They have a rather fabulous downtown office, right across from the Ferry Plaza, with free drinks and an espresso machine and their entire marketing department. I will commute there and be close to friends and excellent lunch spots and the farmer's market on Tuesdays. The city has a new website, Nextmuni.com, which tells you how soon the bus will come, which will ease the public transit angle a bit. It's part of a new system which also broadcasts the info on electronic signs in the bus kiosks. Nothing like a little information to take the sting out of public transit unreliability.

I hope to spend my last week of freedom seeing friends, shopping for clothes, getting all my ducks in a row, and getting pampered. I'll let you know how it goes.

the rant against plastic continues

2007-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

A Canadian friend sent me a copy of Azure Magazine, a big glossy design mag with fantastic ads. In it, incongruously, is a great article about plastic, Water to Go (Sept. 2006), mainly as it pertains to bottled water. Here are some high points.

North Americans drink bottled water for fear of contaminants in tap water. Europeans drink it because of the taste -- they have a palate for the mineral content. Plastic is the dominant packaging, but the article points out that phthalates, additives to plastic such as polyvinyl chloride, "are known to leach into water and are considered hazardous."

Then, they give the resin codes and breakdowns.

1 PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a member of the polyester family) is the most common plastic used in bottled water. It leaches the metal antimony, a suspected carcinogen, over time, according to a University of Heidelberg study published in Journal of Environmental Monitoring in 2006.

2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) used for containers, bags, piping, and so on. It's "relatively safe."

3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) leaches Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, which adds flexibility to plastic, should be "avoided at all costs." It contains an endocrine-disrupting compound that is hazardous to boys and young men, according to Dr. Frederick vom Saal, a biological science researcher at the University of Missouri.

4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) is a soft, pliable plastic used in plastic bags and food containers. No info.

5 PP (polypropylene or polypropene) used for food packaging, textiles, automotive components and reusable containers of various types. "Relatively safe."

6 polystyrene is a hard plastic used for CD cases, and can be expanded by heat ("extruded") into foam, Styrofoam. Which, oops, is toxic.

7 other: hard, glass-like clear plastic made from acrylic, polycarbonate, polylactic acid, nylon, and fiberglass. Usually not recycled, this plastic does not need to carry a number on teh bottom, but if it's hard and glass-like, it's probably in this class. When heated, polycarbonate bottles "release biphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting agent linked to reproductive and developmental problems and cancer." Originally, the material was researched as a birth-control chemical.

As I read this, I realize I must give up my Brita water filter. It is hard and glass-like, so most likely polycarbonate, and it's aging, so it's leaching BPA more rapidly than a newer pitcher. There are also dangers, I read, of the charcoal filters "leaching accumulated chemicals", and it incubates bacteria because I keep it at room temperature. (I dislike cold water.) The problem is, it's relatively inexpensive and I like the taste of the water that comes out of it. What about lead? I live in an older building, which likely have lead solders on the pipes. Is leaching and incubation worse than lead poisoning? It's like the old Joe Jackson song: everything gives you cancer. There's no cure, there's no answer (refrain). I'll toast to that. Even the water cooler at work isn't safe. Those big bottles? BPA-leaching polycarbonate.

We can make antimony-free polyester; the article suggests the same process could be used to manufacture antimony-free PET, so the plastic industry can continue to help me meet my food-containing needs. Problem is, there are no safety guidelines for BPA or antimony ingestion, so there's little oversight or demand for change. So I guess that leaves me with Sig water bottles and tap water. Cheers!

exercise: better than drugs

2007-03-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

I got on my bike last week, rode downtown, took a train to work in Berkeley, then in the evening rode to Noe Valley for my therapy appointment, and then topped steep hills on my route back home. Exercise is amazing. It was better than drugs.

How much better? Much better. The high from exercise lasts all day. It relieves stress, is good for the skin, and makes you smile. It also has many benefits to your heart, lungs, and muscles which I doubt crack can deliver, although I'm sure no studies have been conducted.

San Francisco makes a big effort to support biking. We have a good network of bike lanes, drivers are pretty aware of us, and even local transportation (BART, Muni buses) allow bicycles. There's even free secured parking at the Embarcadero bikestation, which is extremely handy if you can pick it up before 7pm.

There are none of these amenities provided for crack, heroine, or any other hard drugs. Unless you count our new municipal potties, which I understand are often used as private places to take drugs, and to defecate everywhere but the toilet. City workers hose them out regularly with big hoses of hot water, and the spray smells of bleach.

In sum, I'd argue the greater merits of exercise for the following reasons:
* its salubrious effects to the physique
* relative lack of expense
* civic engagement and support for local transit
* non-polluting and emission-free
* encouragement of recycling of all empty soda containers

OK, time for a run. I fly to Las Vegas tonight for the IASummit conference. I dislike Las Vegas. I had a bad experience there once, and I don't like to gamble. Gambling, someone famous once said, is like flushing your money down the toilet and expecting it to come back.

burning down the house

2007-03-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

I came home last night to a stinky apartment. It smelled bad, real bad. I'd been out with a friend for dinner and a talk by Joel Cohen, lead writer for The Simpson's, and got in around 10. Mr. Cohen had many interesting things to say about the popular TV series, now the longest-running TV comedy in history. Currently, the show has just one female writer, which of course got me to thinking. They have the largest writing staff (15) of any show in history, and the writers are predominantly white, male, and Harvard graduates. Still, I'm sure I have a chance. Fun fact: Many elder male characters' voices are patterned after U.S. presidents. (Monty Burns=Ronald Reagan.) Fun!

But back to the smell. Where did such a terrible, smokey smell com from? Why, my charred comforter, of course. Yesterday afternoon, while I was at work in Berkeley, innocently editing catalog copy and ferretting out instructor bios from the trady and infirm, the temperature dropped. That triggered my thermostat, which is normally set to zero because I don't usually heat my apartment. But it had been a cold night and I forgot to turn it off. Oops!

All of this would have added up to nothing more than a warm apartment when I got home, except for one thing. I'd just rearranged my room, which when you live in a studio apartment, can have some exciting consequences. In my case, it put my bed, mit blakies, right next to the heater.

I don't really understand why it didn't catch fire. My duvet and comforter cover were both cotton, but only blackened at the corner, scorching about twelve square inches. And generating that terrible smell of burnt feathers. It was like a satanic cult had invaded my personal space and spent the aftenroon immolating chickens. In any case, it smelled bad.

Needless to say it shocked the hell out of me. It's not like I have a lot of stuff, or much that's valuable, but just trying to think about facing life without underwear threw me for a loop. So I bought renter's insurance. And wondered about my secret dark destructive urges.

It took about four days for the smell to air out. By then, I'd already bought a new comfroter (much warmer) and disposed of the evidence. Except the duvet cover, since it's Calvin Klein. It, I cut up into inch-wide strips, and am using it as "yarn" and knitting a rag bathmat. So far, so good. And Allstate just got a new customer for life.

home-buying, writ small

2007-02-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

I have a dream of buying a house. Today, that dream looks something like a plot of land with a tiny prefab house on it and, if I'm lucky, electricity and running water. Happily, there are kinds of cool prefabs to choose from these days.

Here are a few from an article in today's NYT.

Alchemy Architects does the weeHouse
Bluesky Mod in Toronto (pay Canadian!)
Cavco Industries in Phoenix
Cusato Cottages in NY
Modern Cabana here in SF
Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. here in N. Cal.

Sears kicked off the big idea a hundred years ago with their Modern kit houses. They fetch top dollar these days by collectors, or you could build you own using the plans posted online.

Now, where is there affordable land in California?

toilet troubles

2007-02-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's Day, and I've got toilet troubles. It's been acting for about, oh, seven years now, and I've had it. I begged the handsome Russian building manager to get me a new one. He seems sympathetic. The plumber comes tomorrow. Tonight I will dream of polished white ceramic scentless basins and the noble chrome handles that control them with precision and dexterity.

All is well in San Francisco. (I mean, seriously, when aren't they?) Today I am home, cleaning my apartment, hanging pictures, and picking up my dry cleaning. And working. The sun is shining. And did I mention how handsome my building manager is? He was wearing a cute retro leather jacket over a down vest because, apparently, Russians are always cold.

Tonight I will cook a simple dinner for some friends, drink wine, and avoid the thronging crowds of happy couples. VD is a rather cruel holiday for singles, and we're in the majority these days, at least on the female side. Maybe we should get our own saint, who champions love of self, interdependence on friends and community, and self-fulfillment through pursuit of knowledge, hobbies, and service. Our day could be sponsored by Good Vibrations, great take-out places, and NetFlix. Ah, what a day that would be.

I am having fun, figuring out what to do with my life. Last night I spent two hours online, and finally purchased a car stereo (Mine was factory-installed in my Honda Civic in 1992. What a bargain!) and a digital camcorder. I am officially launching my media training business. I'm working on a brochure and planning a mailing to local PR agencies. It turns out this whole entrepreneurial thing is not that difficult to do. Next there will be professional associations to join and hobnobbing to do. Then maybe when I'm done working at UC Berkeley in April, I'll have more interesting work waiting for me.

OK, off to read more pages of the summer 07 catalog. Yippee!

the end of the world

2007-02-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was cold and gray in downtown Berkeley. Just outside the BART station, a local crier hollered to the commuters coming out of the station: "The world will end tomorrow at six o'clock."

So we have that to look forward to.

Maybe he read the NYT article on Tuesday about the Doomsday Clock. Its keepers have moved the time up, to 11:55 from midnight, because of the threats of global warming. The time doesn't map to anything official--at least not anything they're going to talk about publicly. But some have put an actual timetable to the end of man's rule on earth. Doomsayer Martin Rees gives humanity a 50-50 shot at making it past 2100 in his book, The Final Hour. He publishes his bets on longbet.org, along with a bunch of other bright lights in the tech industry like Freeman Dyson and Mitchell Kapor. Interesting reading.

stuck in place

2007-01-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am growing my hair. This is big news in these parts.

My new stylist insisted. He showed me how to stick my bangs in place with gel, so I could handle the growth without going bonkers. He also flipped my part, which threw me for a day or two. "Some days, you will hate yourself," he told me, "but keep going."

Ah, the New Year. I sit working on a story for a yet-to-be-launched website, my straggly hair tucked into a hairband. A cold knocked me out for a week, and I am behind. My best-paying client has had to wait. I hate it when that happens.

Yesterday I tried on a pair of seductive green eel-skin pumps. They were so soft; a friend rubbed them on her cheek. What did they do with the rest of the eel? Sushi, perhaps. The same store also stocked fish-skin pumps in bright colors, scales and all. San Francisco rocks.

My parents may have sold their house in upstate New York. This is great news. Change is constant. It seems like change always has to do with loss, but maybe it just depends how you look at it. In this case, loss came with a full-price offer, which you can't really beat. A friend finished a screenplay. Someone's divorce got finalized. And what, I have to wonder, am I doing with my life?

Well, the winter practice period begins at the San Francisco Zen Center in a few weeks. It will also be Chinese New Year on Feb. 18, which is better than regular new year because restaurants don't jack up their prices and most of the irritaing people stay home. The parades are better. And we get a new mascot: a boar (pig). Face it: the Chinese have been at this longer than we have. It's 4704 on the CHinese calendar, which is pretty impressive.

Speaking of time going by, I have another story to get to today. It's cold here in California -- they even predicted snow a couple nights ago. But the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I think I'll wear a hat to brunch.

home for the holidays

2006-12-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

I have been busy, like everyone else on the planet in the throes of holiday celebrations. At the moment, I am up late in my hometown of Rochester NY, having a swell time with my parents' laundry-doing equipment, and getting ready to fly down to Richmond, Virginia to be with my honey.

Christmas with the family was swell. We even got a smattering of snow which we managed to scrape off the green grass and hurl at one anothe rin icy snowballs. Mostly, I packed snowballs and handed them to 5-year-old boys who hurled them at taller relatives. It was good fun. The best part was making snow monsters and throwing ice balls at them. When the snow ran out, we kicked them over. Job complete.

Rochester is like every other medium-sized city. The mall is big, the downtown is dead, the weather is cold in the winter, and the ladies dream of thin arms, a size 6 waistline, and diamonds. I know this because there are special circulars here from major retailers, even Sears, that show gemstones and gold chains in glorious full-color detail, with the prices (always something-.99) in a big red font that seems to leap off the page. I found myself, entirely against my will, looking. At sapphires.

My family is doing great. We've got a new addition, my 3-month-old neice, who is cute as a button, especially when she smiles. Her looks of consternation are also good, as they exactly mimic the expression of consternation on a wise but harrassed old man. Go girl. She's also a champion burper.

I got everything I wanted for Christmas, because, well, I didn't really want much. A friend's father distinguishes himself when he opens his gifts by declaring after each, "I don't want this." My thought is just that the things I wish for don't come in boxes.

Off to further exert my will over my parents' large appliances. Then, to bed. Happy holidays, everyone!

p.s. Zen Center update: I went back to Zen Center a few weeks ago, to turn in my key and pick up my oryoki bowls, which I had left in the room I shared with Hiroko. Several mysteries were solved. First, she informed me that she was suffering from bed bug bites, a minor epidemic that had gained a foothold when I departed ZC. Hapily none of the slow-moving parasites got into my gear, for I am free of them. Second, the room was trashed. I mean, beyond dorm-room, beyond frat house. There were dirty dishes on every surface. There was bedding on my (old) bed, on her bed, and various places in between. There were piles of stuff. It was hard to walk across the room. I got my eating bowls and beat it out of there. Now I know: Hiroko was not apologizing all those days for the mess she was making; she was apologizing for the mess she knew she was capable of making, that would would make imminently, as soon as my disturbingly tidy presence was withdrawn. Poor girl. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

a quiet Thanksgiving

2006-11-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

We had a nice turkey day here at the Zen Center -- without the turkey. I helped prepare the afternoon feast of vegetables, casseroles, and pies, then skated off to join friends at McCormick & Kulettos for meatier fare, avec oysters and martinis, and fabulous bay views. Walking through the quiet streets of SF was a real treat. No holiday travelling! Yay!

Let's see. What's new? My roommate is new. Here are a few thoughts about Hiroko.

She walks loudly, taking short, stamping steps that make it real easy to tell when she's coming down the hall. She has a high, breathless voice, which, combined with her spotty enunciation (she is Japanese) and her tendency to be out of breath to begin with (apparently the stamping really takes it out of her), she is often hard to understand. Fortunately, she's usually apologizing, which narrows things down. Then I just have to figure out what for.

A few times it's been easy. Like when she came in at 11:30 at night and hung up her wet socks to dry, which then dripped rhythmically onto the carpet. I might not have noticed had I been asleep, but I woke up when she turned on the overheat light at full blast. She apologized for that. If I wake her up in the afternoon, she apologizes for having been asleep. Mostly, though, she just stares at me bug-eyed, and apologizes for not having cleaned her half of the room. I have no idea why this is a repeat conversation: I have never asked her to clean the room, though she has certainly witnessed me cleaning my side, which I do fairly regularly. Frankly, though, she doesn't actually own much: a couple toiletries, a small statue, a computer, a fold-out twin futon, and a cardboard box. I did learn she keeps dirty dishes in a garbage bag in her closet. So there's that mystery, solved.

Before ZC, Hiroko lived in New York. She left Japan, I'm told, because she felt she had nothing in common with Japanese people. Tough luck! I can't imagine not finding my place within my culture, or trying to carve a niche in someone elses. Happily, there's room for everyone here in SFZC.

I've been reading up a storm, 2-3 books a week. Like:
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Hadden (loved it; can't believe I hadn't heard of him. Where have I been?)
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (loved it. Super haunting and disturbing psychological portrait of human veal cows)
3. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (they're making His Dark Materials into a film trilogy; good for 13-year-olds)
4. Idoru by William Gibson (ok; compelling in a jumbly sci-fi way)
5. Empire Falls by Richard Russo (fab; intimidating. I loved it. I guess the Pulitzer people know what they're doing, after all.)
6. Durable Goods (ok, suitable for the under-18 crowd)

Seifenblasen

2006-11-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

It's not that I don't have a lot to say about the last few weeks. It's just that I was waiting for the right title.

My roommate moved out last week, and left me a bottle of German bubbles with a teddy bear on the front that only a German would describe as cuddly. Yes, I have something against Germans. There was a saying when I was traveling: If you meet a nice German person, they're Dutch. For a year, I found this to be, for the most part, true. In New Zealand I traveled with a German guy for safety reasons. He annoyed me for days by instructing me about the right way to do every last thing: hitchhike, pick a campsite, pitch a tent in the rain. Then one morning we had a campfire and I suggested making egg-in-an-orange. Here's what you do: slice an orange in half, scoop out the fruit, leaving the rind intact. Crack an egg into one half, add salt and pepper, seal with eggwhite, and put it (carefully) into the fire. We got through the first step, the German and I. Then he stopped. I explained again how it works, going into some detail about how the eggwhite seals the halves of the orange peel together as it cooks, keeping out the ash. He still just looked at me. "I don't know how," he said. "It's okay," I reassured him, "just crack the egg and I'll show you how to seal it up and place it on the coals." Again, the look. "I don't know how," he said again. To crack an egg.

Turns out he was fresh out of military service, and had lived at home before that and never helped his mom in the kitchen. He'd just never had a chance to learn about egg-cracking. Maybe it's a guy thing. But he was much better company after that.

German-bashing aside, I had a very nice German housemate when I first moved to San Francisco, and my sister was married to a German who had his good points, like punctuality, and who loved to cook. So you really can't make generalities. But that doesn't stop me from doing it anyway.

Life at the ZC is going well. Actually, it sortof feels like 4 lives: work, personal, career development, and Zen-ification. I return to UC Berkeley next week. I got my website up, with help. I started back at the career transition place, and remet some of my fellow Sun ex-coworkers in a class on interviewing. We were videotaped answering typical interview questions -- just the sort of thing I used to do to executives preparing for press and analyst tours. Interesting to be on the other side of the camera, for a change.

A friend came to town; his dad had a stent put into a major artery near his kidney yesterday morning. He's doing fine, but the doctor said he'd had a better shot at longevity if he lost some weight. In this case, 50 pounds.

Now, 6 pounds was disruptive for me. My pants didn't fit. I feared muscle wasting. I hoarded Newman's Os. I gained it back. But 50? I can't imagine it. What you would eat? How would you adapt? I've heard hypnotherapy can be helpful, to get you through the shock of the change. Aye.

In my Zen life, I have study, meditation, comraderie, and a delightful stint doing bag lunch prep on Tuesday nights with a sweet Michiganer named Mary who always wears a hat that covers her ears. It is cold here, and it's been raining. I also have a few people that I'm having difficulty with, mainly because I don't like them and who knew? They picked up on that. To use a Buddhist phrase, it gives me a lot to work with.

In my work life, I wrote an article this week for a new client in NY who's launching a website. I'm also slated to start next week with a super groovy consultancy here in SF that does executive leadership training; I'll ghostwrite the consultants' blogs. I got great feedback in my class yesterday, both about my presentation skills and also the quality of my feedback to the others in the group, so I'm considering restarting that business, and hanging out a shingle as a media trainer. I'll let you know how it goes.

I hope everyone's well, and has something fun planned for Thanksgiving next week. I'll be with good friends, sipping martinis and eating turkey. Don't tell the monks.

a hall of hungry ghosts

2006-10-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

There is a mythology in Buddhism of the hungry ghost, a non-living, non-dead being that wanders around, starving because it has either a tiny tiny mouth or a very skinny throat, so anything it tries to eat cannot actually sustain it. It's a pretty scary image, because, as you start to look at yourself, suffering, and the general state of your life, it begins to seem as if you too are one of these creatures, living amidst banquets of emotional fulfillment, but unable to take part.

Anyway, I bring it up because the ZC is celebrating Halloween with, among other things, huge portraits of hungry ghosts in the Buddha hall and going up this great flight of stairs we have. They're big ink drawings of tall men-like ghouls, spilling soup on themselves and sitting in meditation postures, and their necks are very long and very skinny. No, I don't think I'll dress up.

All would be well here in enlightenment land except I have a cold. I have been sleeping for three days. Besides looking ghoulish myself, it hasn't done me much harm. Issues: there is still a shortage of showers. There is a small kerfuffle over who uses which bathroom (there are two showers on the second floor) and some friction as I make my way through the rules and personalities of the ZC. THere is a saying: the only thing wrong with Zen is Zen students.

On the work front, I'm pleased to say I'm getting nibbles through my network from some pretty interesting clients. This makes me happy. I'm also working on posting a website for myself, with all my professional accomplishments. It's actually kindof fun. Although I haven't published an article under my own name in 4 years, it's impressive (to me anyway) to see all the stuff I have written. I'm noticing I have a tendency to work with open source companies and early-stage startups doing their positioning and helping them with their presentation for press and analyst tours.

a piss and a moan

2006-10-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

First, a disclaimer: I am PMSing, and I am sleep-deprived. Ergo, I am crabby.

I am beginning to think it was a mistake to come to the ZC. I'm attending a class on Monday nights to study the Six Paramitas with ZC Co-Abbot Paul Haller -- the paramitas are the theme of the Fall Practice Period, so they're what I'm here to learn. Haller's Saturday morning dharma lectures have been great; he seems an upright, sensistive, tuned-in-to-a-greater-reality kind of guy. The experience of his Monday night class, however, has left me confused, irritated, and thoroughly unenlightened.

Here are my greivances:
- overreliance on sanskrit words I don't know (ex: nirmankaya, viyasa, and a bunch of others I don't remember)
- "homework" that includes self-examination of "what gets in your way of awakening." Last time I checked, I had not made any promises to uphold any code of moral conduct, even nice ones. So indoctrination is in the air. Bleck.
- reading list: turns out the 5 books are optional texts and will not be referred to during lecture. Goodbye, $40!
- readings: these are handed out in class. Not in advance of class, so you have a shot at understanding the sanskrit words (see above) or the Big Concepts. When they do hand them out they don't make enough copies for everyone, so many of us have to go download the docs from the Web site and print them. This wouldn't be difficult if I were at home, with my own printer. But here at ZC, they don't keep the printer stocked with papger. So you need to go get some of that. Oh, and the docs aren't always posted to the Web site in a timely way. So there's that, too. Let's say you succeeded in printing out, only for some reason the paper you're using contains someone's idea of paper art and you lose a page. Well, don't fear. You can read the electronic version, only you'll have to cock your head at a 90-degree angle, because the PDFs are not saved in a landscape format. Why not just buy the book the copies came from? You bought all the other ones. Well, you can't, because it's out of print. Fun!
- class discussion: evidently Paul is really busy because he relies a lot on discussion for the format of the class. There are about 40 people in the class, although I've now heard a count as high as 70 for folks participating in the practice period, so maybe it's that many. It's pretty hard to have a discussion among 40 people, but that doesn't stop some people from trying. There are ample opportunities to share personal experiences, and we've got some big sharers. So I get to learn a lot about the personal lives of people in my class. And their names. I am not told where they live, however, so I really can't do anything to improve the situation.

Here's my takeaway from all this aggravation: It's hard to get off the angry bus. Once pissed off by the lousy class, it was a small step to really getting steamed about the lack of decent shower facilities in the women's third-floor bathroom, which leaves 15 of us battling for shower time at 4:45am. There are two other showers there: one is full of supplies and the other sports a water-saving head that's so aggressive it's like trying to bathe with a plant spray bottle.

So what did I do? I skipped kinhin, the second sitting, soji, and service. I sat with a cup of coffee and tried to calm down. The sunrise was beautiful, the building smelled like waffles. Trouble was, there weren't actually any waffles in the building. So I contemplated the smell, which was wonderful, and the reality, which was millet.

Pema Chodron wrote a book called The Wisdom of No Escape. I've got it upstairs, in my shared room, on my new bookshelf. Help, Pema, help! What do I do now?

Back in the cult

2006-10-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Life in a cult is not so bad. The food's good, the people are reasonably nice--friendly and helpful--and if they'd just let you sleep in instead of waking you up at 5am every day (but Sunday), it would be a lot like a spa.

I like it. I like sweeping out front during morning soji. It's at about 7am. The air is fresh and clean, and morning sky is gray and somehow tender. The idea with soji, or work period, is that it's not so much how much you get done, it's how you do it. You sweep as if you're polishing your grandmother's priceless silver. You concentrate, you feel the broom, and you look at the leaves and seed pods and focus on "just sweeping." It's interesting. People walk by us, a small army of sweepers in black, on their way to work. Some walk their dogs. And then there's us, daubing at the cement with little straw brooms. If you come by 300 page St. at Laguna, you can see us there.

Some of my friends have reservations about my being here. It was okay as a summer thing -- 3 weeks, meditate, find yourself. It's not that unusual. But when I told folks I was coming back, and for 10 weeks, there were noises. I can guess at what worries folks: that I'm losing it, can't cope with the real world, am hiding from my unemployment, will turn into a mush-brained drone that spouts dogma (or, in this case, dharma) and is no fun at all at dinner parties. I don't really have anything to say about all that, except, well, anything is possible.

And I guess that's what appeals to me about Zen Buddhism, loosely translated as "just sitting" -- you start to find the reins of your mind and can develop yourself. In my case, I lack discipline, so I am frustrated in my attempts to write fiction. I've brought a stack of stories, workshop feedback, and my laptop. The deadline to apply to the Iowa Writer's Workshop is early January. I'm not expecting to get accepted, but I would like very much to complete three stories that are the bulk of my application. Bug me about it. I could really use the hassling.

My living situation has changed. Last week I moved into the main building with my old roommate Abi. She's great -- a retired schoolteacher who's just entered a chaplaincy program. Last night she was on night watch, which means she had to camp out in the Buddha Hall, looking, I suppose, for signs of trouble. We are in a relatively shitty neighborhood. The projects are a block away, and the foot traffic downtown is not cosmopolitan. When she finally wakes up, I'll have to ask her if anything untoward went on.

That's it. I was offered a seasonal job at Sur La Table, which I am still debating about accepting. Did you know retail only pays $10 an hour? I was shocked. The discount, however, is 40 percent. That means a springform pan and mandolin for Judy, maybe a nut grinder, and/or a food mill. And all my Christmas presents. Don't want any more cloth napkins? Tough, here they are. Merry Christmas.

I am going to owe this company so much money. Because why should anyone have to live without a Le Creuset stock pan? Or the All Clad 2-quart sauce pan, which is actually the right size for oatmeal, not the 3-quart one, like I thought. And then there's knives. The discount applies to knives. Like a Global boner. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) Because you never know when you're going to learn to bone a duck. And perhaps a little paring knife that you never have to sharpen.

I'm in big trouble.

sleeping in a deathbed

2006-10-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

My first week at the SF Zen Center has not gone smoothly. The fall practice period, a 10-week session of meditation, classes, and communal living, is very full -- about 60 people are participating. So housing is at a premium. To accommodate new residents like me, they got "overflow" housing at a building across the street, the Zen Hospice Project. Most of the room are lovely -- and empty. Mine was not. My roommate and I were treated to a large and quite beautiful room in a two-story VIctorian with a number of hospice-related items included: stained carpeting, adjustable hospital beds, and a closet full of vecro restraints, hospital gowns, and adult diapers.

Needless to say, I have not been amused. After washing everying I could detach, and then wiping down everything else, the place is still stained, dusty, and just a tiny bit stinky. Happily, the manager has been able to secure new housing for me and I move into the main building on Friday.

Lesson for the week? There are a lot of personal proclivities that are very helpful to work with, to have bent now and again, tested. Then, there are those that just don't ken to bending. For me, it's germs. And, ok, smells, residues and smudges of bodily fluids, stains that smell, and finding a dead-lady jewelery box in my drawer. I know, it's a lot. Perhaps I'm not cut out for this spiritual enlightenment stuff, after all.

Here's to Friday.

on the move

2006-09-28T22:35:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to return to the San Francisco Zen Center for the 9-week Fall Practice period. I am excited. There was an orientation meeting last night, where I got a look at about 30 of the 50 participants. It's a larger group than I did the summer intensive with, so we'll see how the dynamics are. Maybe Aaron will finally start showing up for his shift on dishes....

Deep into my newest venture (quit selling books and CDs on Amazon) which is pimping out my apartment. It looks like I have it sublet nearly the entire 9 weeks. So much for Thanksgiving at home; I'm figuring McCormick and Kuleto's will take care of me and my friends, turkey-wise.

Work? I call it trabajo. It's going fine. There's some pleasure in doing something well, even something Byzantine and not all that significant. On the other hand, how else will all those UC Berkeley Extension students find their classes and continue developing their skills? I have a list of courses I think I might try out, on my quest to determine what I really want to do with my life.
Classes Judy May Take:
- Presentation Skills for Training Professionals (in case I want to start doing media training again. HIRE ME - only $500 a half day.)
- a Certificate in Finance (I've met a lot of those morons -- and they make a lot of money)
- Leadership Management (I don't know what I am thinking here; neither leadership nor management appeal to me, but I wrote it down, so I guess I'll look at it)
- Applied Market Research (finally learn to read and understand a company annual report. Imagine!)
- Brand Management (There may be more to this than the bull-puckey I've seen. I lived through two branding projects at Sun. Results of the first: "talk like Tom Hanks in Apollo 13". Results of the second (and boy was that expensive!): "look at our pretty photos. They are large, colorful, and provacative. Look, Mennonites roller-blading! Monks on a roller-coaster! Don't ask me what this has to do with IS managers, computer servers and storages, or developers that we hope will keep our UNIX platform alive and provide us with a competitive differentiator in a market of dinosaurs." I shared my chagrin at a recent meeting with volunteer group, and the brand guy volunteered that yes indeed Sun is floating RFPs for yet another round of the Who Are We exercise...Good luck, Sun!
- Biocemistry

In addition, I've figured out the following key lifestyle choices:
- Shopping
- Sitting still on a cushion, facing the wall
- Siphoning money out of my possessions

Strangely, and I hate to mention this for fear it will be corrected: Sun paid me again. I have no idea what they're doing, but it's always a pleasant surprise when they've dumped more money into my checking account. I figure, I suffered from the organizational incompetence when I worked there; perhaps I can benefit from it, now that I don't.

OK, off to wash shirts and pack things into a bag that's far too small. Peace out.
JAD

Cafe Gratitude and ritual flensing

2006-09-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a ton of petroleum jelly would look like if you put it in a big mold, let it harden to a semi-solid state, and then took away the mold, letting it ooze out over the deck of a Japanese whaling ship? Well, now you can. The only hitch is, you have to get to the SFMoma museum before tomorrow, when the Matthew Barney exhibit ends.

Barney's stuff is pretty wild. He's into documenting the process of creating art, so his previous works include videos of him clinging to a wall, drawing, while attached to the floor by a rubber restraint. Hence the title of his latest works, "Drawing Restraint." It takes a good bit of athleticism which, fortunately, he has. Evidently he was inspired by hypertrophy, which my brochure describes as "the process by which muscle tissue grows larger after having been broken down through strenuous exercise." Barney's been at this for awhile, so this is #9 in the Drawing Restraint series. He hangs the resulting pictures in frames of self-lubricating white plastic. They are pretty.

This installation hosts the snowy deck ooze, along with a 25-foot-long baton of shrimp shells, rebar, and petroleum distillates and two recreations of a flensing deck (where sailors hack blubber off a whale with a "flensing" blade -- a curved knife on a 7-foot stick), complete with barnacles. All are props from his feature-length movie in which he and his wife, the singer Bjork, undergo a ritual flensing on their wedding night. This takes place on a giant Japanese tanker (yes, whaling vessel) after a tea ceremony which I swear was in real time (i.e. interminable). After they've hacked each other to bits in a sensuous but detached display of mutual destruction, they swim away as whales. Show over.

Last night I dined at Cafe Gratitude before seeing Berthold Brecht's anti-war play, Mother Courage. The food's pretty good there -- all fresh, vegetarian, organic. But it's the menu that keeps me going back. They name their dishes with self-affirming titles like, "I am loved," "I am dazzling," and "I am kind." It's sortof hard to choose. The kicker comes when your waittress returns with, say, a mixed green salad and pronounces, "You are Fulfilled."

Thank you, very much.

The play was pretty good, too.

You wouldn't believe how much work unemployment is. Today I have to sign up for Cobra, open a Personal 401(k) using the EIN number I got from the IRS on Thursday, and read a 68-page blueprint for my volunteer branding project. That, and I started work at UC Berkeley this week, editing their Spring catalog. It'll take me through the next two months, and then I'm hoping to pick up seasonal work at a retail store where I will basically just hand over my paycheck and take home beautiful things -- at a significant discount, I hope.

My sister had her baby this week, a healthy 8-pound, 8-ounce girl whose name will soon be revealed. Our mother says she's beautiful, but that "maybe that's her grandma talking." I'm sure she's right.

Last tidbit: Been taking lots of tests lately, and assessing my career options using the career transition services Sun pays for. According to the personality tests, I'm a hardcore introvert. Who knew?

Evolving, and standing still

2006-08-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I celebrated my improving health by drinking a glass of really nice wine, a Viognier named "Cold Heaven." It was a friend's birthday dinner at Coco500, which was nice but didn't live up to the hype. For the first time, I suspect bias in blog. (gasp.) Who says you can't blog for fun and profit? Well, foodwhore is not getting my repeat visit.

Job update: I start at UC Berkeley in two weeks. That will give me a buffer for the fall, and more time to lollygag and consider all the many possibilities open to me. Adobe is still around, but they've hit "an administrative roadblock." Read: I'm a new manager and I don't really know how to hire someone. Oops! Sun hasn't gotten back to me about either of the jobs I've interviewed for, which is just fine with me. There's a caveat on my severence payout that says, if Sun rehires you, you have to repay the amount left from the hire date to the end of your unused time on your severence payment.

I don't think so.

Heading out of town in a couple days for an extended long weekend in Reno/Tahoe. Planning to meet friends for rafting, biking, and perhaps some casinoing. This morning, a friend taught me how to play craps, and we then proceeded to win $1200 worth of peanuts on the strength of a $200 (peanut) stake and my lucky rolling. (Evidently I have the potential to be a "hot" roller.) The betting still flummoxes me, but, hell, I can roll dice. Perhaps I have found my new calling? My parents would be so proud. I just learned that my father had a reputation for foresight in his school years. Now, if I just inherited the gift...

New thoughts of things to do with my life:
- Attend VCU AdCenter to become branding czaress
- Pick up someone's tutoring clients in Silicon Valley; help overprivileged children score better on SATs
- Reenter Zen monastery, learn about six paramitas (Generosity, Discipline, Patience, Energy, Concentration and Wisdom), all of which could be very useful
- freelance, but for new companies like biotech

I can't believe i only have two more weeks of free time. Oy.

back to the drawing board

2006-08-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. This week, I reentered the land of the unemployed. Technically, I have work. I start in three weeks as a part-time contractor editing the catalog for UC Berkeley Extension. Still, it's sad to watch my paychecks cease (and my leisure time no longer paid for), and my health, dental, and vision benefits come to an end. Oh well!

Here are my options:
1. Write fabulous short shories and land university teaching job
2. Become high-paid TV comic
3. Do freelance marketing writing for technology companies
4. Get another job
5. Marry well-employed man, get pregnant, keep house

My friend Alex has added one other possibility:
6. Become crack whore

OK, back to nursing my respiratory virus and considering my options. Oh, and making naan. What a Wednesday!

getting things done

2006-08-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today I signed up for the career transition services that Sun pays for as part of my severence package. They're pretty luxurious. For two months I can go into the office downtown, use the computers, print things, make long-distance calls, and filch office supplies. I can also access their databases, like OneSource, for an in-depth job search, take classes, and do all sorts assessments designed to help reveal what I really want to do with my life. It's pretty cool.

Other things I have done with my time:
- Made bread with new mixer (too yeasty; need practice)
- Discovered old mixer is collectible; one went for $80 on eBay
- Cleaned out file cabinets
- Sold old books and CDs on Amazon Marketplace. Made like $17, after costs.
- Got residential parking permit, freeing up garage space for guests or subletters.

A word about my subletters. I am still finding evidence of their residency. The toaster set on dark, so my nuts got burnt. The radio with the presets gone, so I can't get NPR at the click of a button. Urg. I'm not sure my money-making schemes are really that sensible.

Today, I applied for unemployment. One of my fellow unemployeds recommended filing before your termination date, so benefits start immediately. Amazing the things people pass on. Handy, too.

Still no word from Adobe, in spite of a phone call. I am planning to accept the UC Berkeley catalog editing job. Not exciting, but it's money, it won't commit me to anything long-term, and I'll get to keep my severence package and EPP. Hopefully, it'll also put me in a 1099 tax status, so there are deductions to be had.

All in all, not bad for a Tuesday.