Overheard - Obie dinner edition

you're such a speciesist.

Gawker is better than facebook

I started reading Gawker pretty regularly. It's so great it makes Facebook seem very boring, if it wasn't already. Hearing about how everyone is super excited that finals are almost over this year made me realize that it's really time to give up.

I like to read Gawker at work, especially. Normally I just check NY Times for the news updates, but whenever I mentioned some piece of news, like unemployment rate changes or the healthcare bill, no one would acknowledge my comment. So many things are off limits for discussion, I think that people just like to talk about celebrity gossip and sports. Luckily, Gawker is great for both. I broke the news on every Tiger update there was a couple of weeks ago. The only problem was when they asked me where I read it. Then I would wait for NY Times to update their "sports" blog and send the link around. They respect my news if it comes from there or SF Gate even. Except that no one respects SF Gate. Not even SF Gate.

Feliz día de Acción de Gracias

Here is an email from my Spanish host mom. I wanted to share it because she's so sweet - she emailed me on a holiday she doesn't even celebrate because it's one that means a lot to me and my family.

Feliz día de Acción de Gracias., En estas fechas tan familiares me acuerdo mucho de mi hija americana. Un fuerte abrazo y recuerdos a todos los tuyos. Que disfrutes este día y seas muy feliz en todo lo que emprendas. Con muchísimo cariño. Tu madre española.

California Love?

Not too surprisingly, UC students have been protesting the 32% tuition hike UC Regents approved last week with huge demonstrations involving drums and chants about injustice. It's a tough situation undoubtedly: students who are barely scraping together the money for tuition in addition to all of the other college expenses could be overburdened by the increase, while the state of California is floudering financially and slashing spending anywhere possible, including of course, higher education.

A study my sister worked on is cited this article from UC Davis' The Aggie saying that, "Nearly 90 percent of Californians are "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about student fee hikes." Yet, 56% said they would not be willing to pay higher taxes to deal with the state budget problems. So who do they want to pay for it?

Personally, I agree with this view of the situation outlined by Ian Ayres for the Freakonomics Blog - the people who should pay for it are the ones who have the money. If you can afford the higher tuition, you'll pay it and if you can't then you'll get help. The UCs are high caliber schools that still are not that expensive, relative to private institutions. The wealthier students will pay the tuition, the poorer students will get financial aid and the ones in the middle? That's where I think the burden will be placed and where some kind of assistance is needed... manna from heaven sounds like a good plan.

BeyonceBeyonceBeyonce

amazing video. I can't get enough.

Twitter is only good for finding food

So Twitter is really only good for finding food, right? Scream sorbet is my favorite to follow. They seriously have amazing sorbet that doesn't use any dairy. The best part of their sorbet though is that it actually tastes exactly like whatever they claim it to be. Hard to explain, just try it. I'm in LA right now where the Kimchi taco truck tweets their location and then everyone swarms. I want to try them while I'm here, but I don't want to have to drive really far. Maybe they will be around the corner this afternoon or something.

What else is Twitter good for? Please, tell me if you know.

Happy Halloween!

Why do people say that? It's not a particularly joyous holiday, but it's fun to say it since everyone is so excited to dress up.

It says a lot about a person what they dressed up as throughout their lives, right? Maybe not one year in particular, but all the years together do.

Here are mine(not necessarily in order... if my mom read this blog, she would correct me) :
- clown
- gypsy (i know, totally un-pc, but i didn't know better)
- witch (not too scary)
- little red riding hood
- mime
- Charlie Chaplin (full on, no talking, waddling with cane)
- Phantom of the Opera
- Princess Leia
- Marilyn Monroe
- figure skater from the 80's

and this year?

Family Thievery

I have a HUGE family, a family that I really like being around, even if they are a little insane at times. Since I moved to California, and my family is all in West Virginia and Ohio (more or less), I have been stealing families. It's a very good idea if you decide to move somewhere without any family. Luckily I moved to a city where I already knew a good deal of people from school, some of whom actually grew up here. This means they have families nearby, families you can steal. Money!

First, I stole Alex's family. Her Mom, Linda, and her sister, Sonja, are great. The beginning of my thievery was probably on Alex's birthday last year, when the four of us went to brunch, then to a 6 year-old's birthday party. There we played with other 6 year-olds and watched a live reptile show - the guy doing the show made Alex touch something since it was her birthday, too. That night I got to meet Alex's brother, Gabe, and his family for the first time (they just had their second baby!). Shortly after that, Alex and I went to Sonja's house for Thanksgiving; Sonja's partner Jim was also there and he is great fun. It was the first time that Sonja had cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner by herself and boy, did she do a good job. I also got to meet their other brother, Anthony, at that holiday.

Now I am on a crusade to steal Julia's and Kim's families. On the day that Kim, my former coworker but now friend, and I decided to put in our joint letter of resignation, I had to take care of some stuff in the East Bay that was going to be very difficult to do by bike. Kim and her Mom were so great - they picked me up at the Lafayette BART station, drove me to my appointment, then we got coffee together and Kim's Mom took us to work all the way in Berkeley. It was so nice to have a Mom to talk to before we made such a stressful career move.

I recently met Julia's parents when we had our Monday Night Dinner Club at her house. We are going to her house for happy hour on Thursday and I am going to put plan Steal-Julia's-Parents into action. Wish me luck!

Fall playlist aka I am trying to make a comeback.

Life has been pretty busy for me since June, which is when I started studying for the LSAT. After having taken the test last Saturday, and also having rid my life of other distractions like a horrible boss and philandering boyfriend, I am back on track. I am making a career move, waiting for the LSAT score to arrive so I can start applying to law school, and just generally enjoying life. I got a new camera, so maybe some pictures will show up on here more often. Also, Unca D, too bad you aren't in town this weekend to enjoy this: http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/
I'm also going to represent my WV roots tomorrow at the SF premier of "Coal Country."
I will make my foray back into blogging by starting out easy and working off of ap's last post.
With such transitions in life comes a new soundtrack, so here is how I am starting out the fall:

• Disappear by Mazzy Star
• Sodom, South Georgia by Iron & Wine
  
• the only king by the everybody fields
• On to the Next One by Jay-Z
• Be So Happy by The Heartless Bastards
• Cry, Cry by Mazzy Star
  

I've also decided that Jay-Z will never top "Reasonable Doubt," no matter how hard he tries.

Lastly, now that I've finally finished the LSAT, I can get back to reading for pleasure. I started with The Night of the Gun by David Carr, which I ended up quitting about 90 pages in (not common for me). This book is basically an extension of an article he wrote a year ago, which I really liked then. That said, I could not handle an entire book of it. The book is a memoir, but written in the investigative genre of a journalist, because Carr was so out of it during these years, he had to interview those involved to actually write a memoir. Sounds interesting, you say? I agree. What I could not get down with was the level of humor Carr felt like he should insert. Being addicted to coke is not funny, especially when you're a privileged, educated white male who could have easily made some better choices. I understand that addiction can be a powerful disease, but Carr did not need to approach the subject in this memoir as though it was actually funny to find out that at one point he owned a gun of which he has no recollection. My coworker, who recommended it to me, insisted that the story redeems itself in the second half, when Carr speaks with impressive candor about his rehab attempts, as well as about his inability to meet a "normal" (i.e., not a prostitute or junkie) woman after he cleans up. Perhaps, but when you've been reading nothing but logic questions for four months, you really want your first book back to be one that you simply do not want to put down - which is why I am now reading The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe. I'll let you know how it goes, but so far so good.

End/Beginning of Summer Playlist

Since summer weather comes late to us here, it's kind of like a summer playlist. I find myself listening to them and sipping iced tea, reading Fitzgerald and lingering with everything I do. Here goes:

• This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by Talking heads
• Dos Gardenias by BVSC
• Naked if I want to by Cat Power
• Essence by Lucinda (B has the live version which is new to me and I LOVE it)
• Life to Me (Love Me) by Hi-Tek feat. Estelle
• La La by Lil Wayne
  

oh, saturdays

I thought today would be a pretty typical Saturday. Turns out it wasn't at all! First, I went to volunteer at the SF Food Bank and just when I was having a great time and decided to come back on a regular basis, the food bank workers came in and announced that a couple of photographers from the NY Times were there to take pictures. They took pictures of us boxing up apples. Apparently grocery stores reject produce that is completely edible but aesthetically unpleasing and the food banks snatch it up. I thought the apples looked delicious.

The second unusual thing that happened was my espresso from the cafe in the title photo of this blog. It was incredible, entirely notable Blue Bottle espresso, prepared to perfection. I sipped it while reading Fitzgerald and came across this quote from Gloria Patch that I identify with immensely at the moment:

Everything I do is in accordance with my ideas:
to use every minute of these years, when I'm young, in having the best time I possibly can.

Lastly, I was running in Golden Gate park and smelled something, um, chronic. That's not so unusual. In fact, I probably smell that every time I go to the park. What was so unusual though, was that it was coming from a middle-aged man who was walking with his middle-aged wife and what looked like his teenage son. THEN, he passed it to the boy! They were just sharing a joint walking down Stanyan along the park like that's completely normal. Whatever brings a family together, I guess.

The day's not over and I can't even imagine what else this city has in store for me...

sending flowers

Here's a useful guide for sending flowers to someone you care about:

• Carnations are tacky. Unless the person specifically says, "I love carnations! They're my favorite flower!" you will come across as cheap if you send them. SATC ruined it for carnations.
  
• Tulips are a fantastic flower to send.
• Daisies are cute, but you know, a little boring.
  
• Baby's breath went out with shoulder pads.
  
• Lilies are risky if the person is allergic to them, which a lot of people seem to be. I think they're pretty though...
  
• Roses are tacky. Especially red roses. Be very careful when giving them.

There are a lot of amazing flowers to send, obvi, but these were the highlights from a conversation at work we had about it. Apparently guys, the ones who send them the most, thought it didn't matter what kind of flowers are sent. Fail.

summer fog

I've been in a blog fog - not a ton of inspiration, but here are some updates and tidbits until there's something really great to write about.

I ran my first post-collegiate race last weekend. Can't really say I "raced" but I did run hard and have a lot of fun doing it. If you're planning on doing Hood to Coast and somehow get in and then need another team member, let me know.


B's little brother wrote a fantastic Op-Ed Piece in the Charleston Gazette.

Brüno! Not as funny as Borat, but has a great message. Baron Cohen is the man. B and I went to see it at the Kabuki. Fun.

My mom joined Facebook. B's mom had joined a while back, so I added her as a friend. She didn't sound too happy when I wrote on B's wall saying, "I'm friends with your mom. no joke." Oh well, I think it's fun, but also funny how our worlds are meshing.

B and I are going to kill our TV! Celebration details to follow. . .

Eminent Domain and Art in SF

77 Natoma Street will be demolished in October 2009 unless people at this party can stop it. In all fairness, it sounds like a great show with works from 200+ artists and a handful of people, musicians and artists in attendance. If only Matt Gonzalez hadn't run with Ralph Nader in 2008 for the White House ticket, I might be impressed that he'll be there.

This past Friday I met this guy, Mr. Lucky. He was wearing exactly what he's wearing on his website and told us he got his hat in the 1960's (maybe 1950's. Long time ago, that's the point) in Oakland. A little eccentric, but I always appreciate an artist who's serious about it.

I also met the owner of Grasp, a gallery in North Beach. Intriguing but I need to learn more, so there will be more about that later.

Finally, yesterday at SFMOMA yesterday I saw the new Georgia O'Keefe/Ansel Adams exhibit. It was truly fantastic. The juxtoposition of painting and photography of some of the most beautiful images in our natural world was done exquisitely. Five stars for sure. I also finally got up to the rooftop garden and liked all the sculptures, with the execption of that weird spider. Ugly. There's also a very cool trailer on that top floor that's super retro and fun to daydream about taking a road trip in like the people in the video that's alongside the actual trailer. I took a few minutes to see William Kentridge's exhibit one more time before it was gone and didn't regret it. He always blows my mind.

Overheard in Russian Hill

"Ugh, my boyfriend's getting mad at me."

-Man mooning/flashing us from a neighboring balcony while at a rooftop BBQ.

Overheard on Arguello

"We need to get some weed."

This morning AP and I decided to venture out a little early to look for a birthday present for her niece. It was not a normal morning in SF as Bay to Breakers is taking place today. As we left our apartment, we passed a group of kids dressed in neon green and yellow spandex shirts. One guy was wearing a huge straw hat around his neck and was speaking very loudly about the group's agenda. I hope they were successful.

Bette Davis Eyes

AP and I are pretty much obsessed with this song at the moment and found this AMAZING video of Kim Carnes singing it live in 1981. Pay careful attention to her hands.

Ode to Robots

T4 is opening next week, so to get excited I want to honor robots with the following:

Robot in front of a Pac Heights neighborhood house.



The Positronic Man was one of my favorite books as a child. I absolutely loved the idea of having a robot that learned to feel and be friends with. I would highly recommend reading it. Now it's kind of like our Governator is like that robot/man.

Giant Robot is a store near where we live in SF. I've actually never been there, but have seen some pretty unique knick knacks people have picked up there.

We need a theme!

B, another friend and I are going to run Bay to Breakers next weekend and we are brainstorming themes. This is what we have so far:

- Jonas Brothers
- Three Stooges
- What you would get if you combined the Jonas Brothers and the Three Stooges

Please kindly give us suggestions so we don't end up looking like one of these

Sunday Strolls

On a Sunday walk through the Mission, I ran into some awesome spots. First, coffee and donuts from Dynamo Donut and Coffee, then exploring Valencia Street's adorable shops. I love the signs in the Mission, not just because they're mostly all in Spanish, but they seem to have a style all their own, whether they're a little dated or not.

The sun was so wonderful and although the rain is nice once in awhile, I'm definitely wishing I could stroll again today...

I <3 this city

Varnish

Park Life

Hayes Valley

Bi-Rite

Enthralled with the good ones. . .

I was accepted into Summer Search when I was a 6th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael. The program absolutely changed the trajectory of my life not only with summer trips but with a support system that continues to make me feel connected and part of something truly amazing and change-inducing. This past week was their annual fundraising Leadership Luncheon where current students, alumni and staff told their stories and inspired many to give to the program. This speech by Niles Lichtenstein left me speechless. Coincidentally, John Osterweis, the co-Founder of Summer Search works in my building and when chatting with him in the elevator about the program he summed it up well when he said, "I can't think of a better way to spend money." Neither can I.

My adorable friend Evie is finishing up her second year at UC Hastings and in connection with her studies there, helped organize an event about femicide in Guatemala. I had no idea how prevalent violence against women is there. What's even worse is that our government gives theirs millions for their justice system, which allows these crimes to go unpunished. Although Guatemala lacks many tools for investigating crimes, there are also problems deep in the system that perpetuate these human rights violations. The fact that we're basically funding that is letting them know it's acceptable, so Evie and her group at Hastings is working to educate our local representatives so actions can be taken in Washington and hopefully make some real change.

5ft2in

Tonight I met Sunny, the woman who started this company - clothes for women 5ft2in and under that aren't like the dowdy petite stores that cater to that market. I liked the idea of her company, but what's even more compelling, is that she started it with a microfinance loan from a Bay Area based organization called Opportunity Fund. Starting off with less than desirable credit, the loan from Opportunity allowed her to get out of debt, get organized and eventually start her company. Her idea for 5ft2in came from having so many women ask her to hem their pants after she graduated from fashion school that she realized there was actually a niche there. Being one that fits in that category, I certainly like the idea.

Microfinance has gotten a lot of press in relation to its impact on developing countries, mainly because smaller loans can be extremely helpful to entrepreneurs in places where capital simply doesn't flow. California on the other hand has a huge economy, but a growing number of both immigrants as well as unemployment rates. Small loans along with financial education for people attempting to get their ideas off the ground is a fabulous way to help our local economy at any time, but especially in the current climate everyone is faced with. If you have any experience or knowledge about microfinance, domestic or otherwise, I'd love to hear about it!

How I feel about New York, the city

I always used to think New York would be the ultimate city to live in, but after my most recent visit, I realized it's really just mean and dirty (see picture above for example of "mean"). Everything is a lot dirtier than San Francisco too. What really gets me is how everything, especially in Brooklyn is painted black. If it's not black, it's some other dark color. I understand dressing in black, but it seems like they take it a little too far out there.

In other news, B and I had dinner last night for the first time in exactly one week (whew!). I tried making a recipe from my Moosewood cookbook my sister gave me. It was essentially spinach leaves topped with this dressing of canned tomatoes, hot sauce, onions, peanut butter and cilantro then topped again with hard-boiled egg and sweet potato fries. It looked really strange but tasted surprisingly good. The ambiance was even better - candlelight and L.L. Cool J to really get us in the mood for 30 Rock.

Overheard on the 33 (to Potrero)

Tons and tons of Britney coming from the ipod of the guy sitting next to me. I happened to glance at his playlist at one point, but later on he turned it up so loud you could hear My Prerogative word for word. I <3 San Francisco.

OUR Fault???

No way. Clinton not only admits that demand for drugs in the US feeds the drug-related violence in Mexico, but also blames our country's loose gun laws. Finally, an American politician is admitting complicity in a situation in Latin America. Hopefully some kind of action will be taken. . .

Spring's Top Ten

This article in the SF Chronicle on 3/17 talks about procrastination and goals for not doing it. One of the tools to get away from putting things off is making your surroundings pleasant. It's kind of weird, but sad, depressing music makes me feel good. Always has, since I was little and frequently picked the songs in minor keys to practice before all the other happy ones. On that note, here are my current Top Ten:

10. Iron Lion Zion - Bob Marley
9. What's the Difference - Dr. Dre
8. Son of a Preacher - Dusty Springfield (maybe this one will help me get my stuff done)
7. If I ruled the World - Nas
6. Creep - TLC
5. Heartless - Kanye West
4. I'm Good, I'm Gone - Lykke Li
3. Speak for Me - Cat Power
2. You Know What it is - T.I.
1. New York - Cat Power

crispy.

Perhaps it's hard to understand if you didn't grow up where I did, but this is HILARIOUS. In my teenage years, I was always one the few girls in my high school who didn't go tanning. At my junior prom, I wore a dress that was very low in the back, showing off my sports bra tan (what serious runner wouldn't have one??), and a friend of mine kept making fun of me. Finally, I simply replied to her, a fellow redhead, "At least I won't get cancer", which promptly shut her up.
Seriously, tanning booths are so gross. At least cigarettes, which also give you cancer, have things in them that make you chemically addicted, which makes a tad bit more sense. Tanning booths are simply a product of vanity and our society telling us what is ideal. I find it funny that white women insist on going to great lengths to be tan, while dark skinned women are marketed skin bleaching creams (not really in this country, but still) -- so "perfection" is not too white, but not too dark, I guess. Just be happy with yourself and quite giving yourself cancer. Gross.

B's Book Pick

I recently finished Eva Luna, by Isabel Allende. She is one of my favorite authors, and her ability to weave intricate, multi-generational tales full of twisted love and fate without seeming sappy or over the top has always attracted me to her books. I especially liked this story, for Eva is a character whose magical ability to tell stories brings her through a series of tough situations with a positive and sometimes even funny outlook on life. As with most of Allende's books (much like her male counterpart, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez), Eva Luna is sexually and politically charged, juxtaposing adolescent exploration with a country's struggle for revolution. This quick read offers a story in which one can easily become immersed and distracted from the real world, and I really recommend it if you need a novel in which to escape for a few hours every day.

in my backyard

Apparently one is an Obie alum. No matter, I like them.

my parents were on to something.

Now this I could dig. Marriage = religious, and therefore should not be recognized by the state (or have anything to do with the government, frankly), no matter who is marrying each other.
Ban marriage for all, allowing religious organizations to have them, but not giving them any special governmental treatment. Allow civil unions for all, and give all the SAME protection under the law.

We can all agree on this, yea??

The Bible

My Bible arrived today, in the form of a beautiful, feminism critiquing-filled magazine. I have four favorite times of year, and those are my quarterly Bitch arrivals. They are fighting budget problems just like the rest of the world, which is why you'll now find more on their site than in the actual mag, so check them out. Amazing. Even my onerepublicanfriend will most likely find something ze likes.
(See, I used ze so no one knows how you identify, ORF, therefore protecting your anonymity even more.)
I think I feel in love (again) today when reading their responses to letters and comments on last quarter's issue. Last issue was the Noir issue, and featured comics by progressive artists, many that dealt with body issues and pasts full of sexual violence. Lots of readers wrote in about their disgust at a certain comic, calling Bitch out for their supposed "safe-space" place in the publishing world. The editors responded by apologizing, but then also explaining that Bitch was never and is not now meant to be a "safe-space", as it is a place for critical review of a variety of pop culture media. They emphasized the fact that publishing something is not an automatic endorsement, and, duh, feminism encompasses a WIDE range of views, an idea that once the entire movement embraces, we will see more willing to [explicitly] identify as feminists.
I also agree with this since I hate the term "safe-space". To me, that term implies being able to create a space, ideal, or thought with which a multitude of people completely agree, which seems impossible to me and also leads to complacency and lack of critical thinking. Agreeing to disagree is the foundation of intelligent discourse, right ORF?

Top Ten, Round 2

So, today Lorin told me she really appreciated my last playlist. It also sparked quite a political convo (who would have guessed?), so here's another. Again, they are in no particular order.

1. The White Stripes - Ball and Bis
2. Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man
3. Wilco - Jesus, etc.
4. Britney Spears - Break the Ice (I've been using the bike at the gym a lot lately, and this song really helps me on the hills. Just sayin.)
5. Timbaland ft. OneRepublic - Apologize (I've tried, I really have, but I just can't help it.)
6. Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker
7. The Roots - Guns are Drawn (The thing about The Roots is that they have SO much music, since they make their live shows free. I have a TON of it and that makes it hard to keep track of and sometimes I get so overwhelmed by it, I just stop listening to them for a bit. Luckily, AP found this song when making a mix for a coworker. I love it.)
8. The Knife - Heartbeats (I know some stupid folk singer did this song, too, but it was The Knife's first.)
9. Atmosphere - The Rooster (I can't get enough of him.)
10. Lucinda Williams - Fruits of My Labor (One of my faves of hers, especially the live version.)

Why I Should be the Today Show's Marketing Director

I wouldn't put ads for ways to get a flat stomach and plumper lips in the MIDDLE of an article about a West Virginia politician wanting to ban Barbie - guess why he wants to ban Barbie?

"The Barbie Ban Bill, proposed by Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge (D) Lincoln County, says such toys influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development."

People are so dumb.

on smiling

B just said that it's not totally out of the question that she would smile at a stranger, but that she normally just smiles at bums so they know she's not judgmental.

i'm good, i'm gone

Steppin', stormin'
I'm all gone
Give me a tone and I'm all gone
Yeah, I'm walkin' by the line
I hear that in my mind

I'm workin' a sweat
But it's all good
I'm breakin' my back
But it's all good
'cause I know I'll get it back
Yeah, I know your hands will clap

Yeah, I'm workin'
Yeah, I'm workin'
To make butter for my piece of bun

And if you say I'm not OK
Then that's the goal
If you say there ain't no way that I could know
If you say I aim too high from down below
Well, say it know 'cause when I'm gone...
You'll be callin' but I won't be at the phone

And you're hanging around 'til it's all done
You can't keep me back once I've had some
Wasting time to get it right
And you will see what I'm about

Yeah, I'm workin' a sweat
But it's all good
I'm breakin' my back
But it's all good
'cause I know I'll get it back
Yeah, I know your hands will clap

And if you say I'm not OK
Then that's the goal
If you say there ain't no way that I could know
If you say I aim too high from down below
Well, say it know 'cause when I'm gone...
You'll be callin' but I won't be at the phone

+

SO AMESOME

B's Book Picks

I recently finished What is the What, by Dave Eggers (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), and would definitely recommend it. What is the What is a fictionalized, though still biographical, account of Achak Deng's early life as one of Sudan's Lost Boys. Eggers befriended Deng and wrote the novel based on Deng's story. The best part is that Eggers was at that point a best-selling author, meaning his book would presumably draw much praise (read: attention) and money. All the proceeds from this book went to Deng's foundation, which is currently building a school in his village in Sudan.

Eggers is a very unique author, mixing humor with grief in a way that can be simultaneously difficult and understandable for one who has been through a prolonged period of hard times. For anyone who has read A Heartbreaking Work, you probably understand what I mean when I say that at times I wanted to throw the book at the wall. While What is the What sometimes had that feeling (mostly in the beginning), it was easier to sink into Achak's sadness. I think this was partly because I knew the story was based on mostly true events, thus allowing me to convince myself of the importance of reading the story. Also, when beginning this book, I think I felt as though it was a repeat, albeit a fictionalized one, of Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone, which in some ways it was. I soon realized that this was not the case, and would actually recommend reading them both. Beah's account is a memoir about being a child soldier in Sierra Leone, focusing solely on his time there. The book ends just as he is arriving in America, where he would soon attend Oberlin College. Deng's story is one of a refugee, and the book goes back and forth between his time in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya and America, highlighting that this Lost Boy remains lost, even when he has been given a new lease on life in the US.
Both books are generally about war-torn Africa and the effects these various conflicts have on young people, young people who are now part of this country. Yet, it is also important to understand the variety of conflicts and reasons for them, as well as experiences had by those involved. These stories are told by very different voices, but ultimately, are told to shed light on a world that too often we consider to be farther away and more separate than it really is.

Overheard in GG Park

Daddy, Andy Warhol has weird hair

- Small child to father

Strrreaming Radio

I keep getting sick of my own music and wanting to hear something that might not necessarily come up on Pandora or Last.fm, but have only found a few good ones out there. SomaFM is an interesting one with ambient music that might be good for the background. WOBC will always have a special place in my heart and be my go-to when Car Talk comes on NPR, but when the folk shows come on, I can't really take it. Casbah Radio and Oh-la-la were recommended to me by a coworker, and are pretty great but I want more! Send me your tips, please.

Top Ten

Now that I have an hour+ commute (one-way), I spend a lot of time reading the paper and listening to my iPod.
Here's my Top Ten of what I'm listening to right now. My iTunes library is huge (especially now thanks to Al), but this is just a current list. It will probably change in about two days. It is also in no particular order.

1. Drive-By Truckers: Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife (Unca D - if you don't have this song, or this band, get it now; I guarantee you'll like it.)
2. T.I. ft. Rihanna: Live Your Life
   
3. Arrested Development: Mr. Wendal (a throw-back to when I was about 8, but still great)
4. Dolly Parton: Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
   
5. Atmosphere: The Skinny
   
6. M. Ward: Poison Cup
7. Hi-Tek: Tired
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Y Control (Obie alums!)
   
9. Ryan Adams ft. Emmylou Harris: Oh My Sweet Carolina
10. Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott: Daydreamin'

Changing BMIs: Playboy v. McDonalds

My coworker, Kim, alerted me to a Wired article about the history of Playmates' changing B.M.Is. In a nutshell, the article shows how one woman plotted every Playmates' BMI against the average woman's BMI for that same year. Not surprisingly, the average woman has gotten larger while Playmates have gotten smaller. But, there is one surprise: while Playmates' BMIs have gotten smaller (including their overall chest measurement), their cup size has remained rather large. So, not only is Playboy selling an unrealistic ideal of a woman, they are promoting plastic surgery to partly obtain this ideal.
This article also made me think about the fact that the average woman is getting BIGGER (as is the average male). It seems pretty likely that we can blame this on fast food, hormones in our meat and dairy, and ridiculous dieting and surgery being promoted more than exercise and eating normally.

As Kim and I discussed, the original ideas of men like Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt were not all that dispicable. Hefner began Playboy as a response to the idea that women had to be asexual, and that sex was solely a means for reproduction - an idea that made talking about sex for pleasure as an extreme taboo, especially for women. In the beginning, Playboy was a space where that "average" secretary or nurse could be photographed in a way that showcased her unexpected sexiness and femininity. Flynt, who grew up in a poor family in smalltown Kentucky, created Hustler for similar [pornographic] reasons, but also as a response to Playboy's focus on white, upper-class men, offering articles that weren't about golf and expensive gizmos.
I have little beef with either of these magazines from that point of view - yet, they both have seemingly evolved into publications that value unrealistic and unobtainable bodies. I also have little patience for those that argue that these are men's arenas, that they should be able to just look at what they want without people nagging at the inappropriateness of it. I do realize that part of the allure is the fantasy, but does fantasy have to mean fake? Further, how much of it is actually what men want to look at, and how much of it is what they are being told is attractive?

The problem is two-fold: 40 years ago, women were, on average, smaller and presumably healthier. These days, people are fighting obesity at appalling rates for various reasons, yet to be considered attractive, women (more than men) must morph themselves into an almost impossible form. It would be nice to think we could get back to the middle ground of healthy weights and proportions as not only the ideal, but the reality.

Chris Motz, this senior at Oberlin put this picture as his fb picture. Although I would pretty much NEVER compare Ray to Obama, it's still pretty funny. Props Chris.

I love Craigslist

Last weekend B and I bought a lot of furniture from people on Craigslist and now I wish I still needed things I could find on Craigslist because I love Craigslist so much. I did find this posting, which I may or may not have seriously considered replying to. Best part of the posting, "Movie presskits are promotional items and very rare. May be of gay interest." In case it gets taken down and you can't see it, the posting title is, "PRESS KIT for the movie SLEEPOVER with SEAN FARIS Rare - $10 (downtown / civic / van ness)"

Where do your drugs come from?

Santiago Meza Lopez put the bodies of the people he captured in acid so they would dissolve and be disappeared forever. The 300 people he did this to were all primarily against the narcotic industry in Mexico and posed some sort of opposition. Ciudad Juarez is teeming with violence all surrounding the drug cartels, but also harming innocent people not related to the drug industry at all. There have been countless news stories lately about the increasing violence in Mexico and around the border, but no one has connected it to our country and what role we play in it.

The violence is happening because there's money involved. A lot of money for an impoverished country with millions of desperate people. Where does the money eventually come from, or rather, who's buying the drugs at the last stop? I'm sure they're going across seas and to Canada, but there are also plenty of Americans fueling the violence with their dollars. This connection seems so obvious to me, but so many of my peers seem to have no problem with their habit.

Kidnapping for ransom and other atrocious crimes against totally innocent people is probably one of the best reasons to boycott a product, especially one as destructive and unnecessary as this one.

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This song by Little Dragon.

Brussels Sprouts (roasted, not steamed).

People just being nice instead of trying.

Branches.

change we can now see

It has been a long time since I've posted (ap even posted under my name recently to try and fool you), but it's time for a change. As the country welcomes a new president and we welcome a new home, I am welcoming a new commitment to posting on the blog I was once so intense about.

My first post back is this picture of a plant in Golden Gate park that has graffiti on it. This was a first for me, and it seemed fitting that I captured it on my first full day living in the city.

It's good to be back.

We Moved

Not there, but closer by.

Just Do It (yourself)

Arts and crafts are so much fun (obviously) but making things that you can actually use is really more than just fun. Etsy, a website that connects people who make cool things with people who want to buy them is the perfect example of how something your grandma used to do is now cool. The site also has a lot of recycled items for the frugalistas. I like how you can find items that are not only great, but inexpensive and pretty much totally unique.

Overheard in Berkeley (Oakland, technically)

Mommy, can I have a vegan doughnut?

- small child to his hip mom, who promptly replied, "of course, sweety!" I'm pretty sure that just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's not still fried dough with lots of sugar.

Our Resolutions

- Eat less sugar. Scary. I really don't want to end up being a crazy catlady.

- Be nicer and friendlier. I started this a few months ago, but it's an ongoing goal of mine.

- Start being thrifty. This is really hard.

- Stop driving so much. Oh wait, I don't drive at all because I hate cars and don't even own one.

- Go to yoga. This is where we do it.

- Go running. I know that's everyone's, but we used to do it a lot and now we don't.

- Find a boyfriend. One that's cool and normal. That site probably won't help.

- Finish crossowords in one sitting.

- Painting stuff gold. I love painting stuff gold.