Saturday Oct 17

Notes:

– Exploring the South Bay was supposed to start early, but other things got in the way. So, I pulled my laundry in the car, grabbed a friend and went to the combo laundromat / cafe! All five loads of laundry done and an Eggs Benedict eaten, the rest of the friends show up and then we were off!

– The food in SF is great, but I’m excited by some of the places we saw on El Camino Real. Rolling Pin Dounts was pretty excellent, and it is great to know of  a 24 hour doughnut place.

– At one point during our trip, I was assaulted by a professional sports mascot. No means no, even if you are dressed up like a large furry animal in a sports jersey.

– Our walk was great, tying together two very enjoyable things: nature and extra-legal activity. I brought along a few cameras – my Fuji instant, because instant photos are great keepsakes, shooting long range with a DSLR is fun and I also want to do some portraits, and the waterproof Panasonic does fun time lapses.

– Our drive home included stopping at Pinoy BBQ ATBP, which in addition to having amazing food, was sort of a mini shrine to Manny Pacquiao. Thing I learned: “atbp” is the Filipino equivalent of “etc”.

– I parked my car in SOMA outside of my freinds house, and a few hours later, the car wasn’t there. It’s a weird feeling: knowing the car should be there, but it wasn’t. I walked up and down the block 4 times. Then I called my friend down to help me remember where I parked it. That’s when it was clear to me: stolen. Along with all my cameras and all my CLEAN laundry.

– I called the non-emergency number, and then a late night saga began:
> There is a number you can call to see if your car has been towed
> Despite what one of the operators told me, 850 Bryant is not a police station
> You can get surprisingly good crepes in SOMA late at night – while you wait for a police car to show up at the place that isn’t a police station. I eventually figured out I should call back, tell them not to come to me, and I would go to another precinct.

– I got to the precinct. They started their process, and oddly, they said they already found the car. It was parked a block or two from where I left it. I was stunned. I literally couldn’t believe what I heard. I think the cop at the desk thought I was high.

– I take a car service to the location of my car. I ask my friend who I was visiting to meet me there. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, but wanted someone to be around in case it was in some sort of dismal state.

– And there it was. Parked at a meeter, no cars around it. The doors were unlocked, stuff was strewn about. A skateboard was in the back. The trunk, which had the bag with my camera and my laundry, was empty. :-0 

But, the car had all its windows and no major damage. It didn’t smell bad or have anything gross happen to it. They left me the insurance card and registration paper, despite taking the envelope it was in. And the car worked. (I still need to take it to a mechanic to make sure it still is all good.) They took the tarp, ikea bags and headlamps I had, but left the picnic blanket.

And, all in all, while annoyed and inconvenienced, I was still healthy and happy. And happy I am prone to getting insurance. But, suddenly, lacking in socks and underwear.

– I dropped my friend home, and then drove to the precinct to report things stolen. This is when I found out that you do this on-line. http://www.sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=774

One of the last times I saw my laundry:

I was concerned I wouldn’t remember which machines were mine…

Sunday Oct 18

– Thanks Rick Abruzzo for having me help with 24′ Studios out at Treasure Island Music Fest.

– Thanks, [REDACTED], for [REDACTED] at the beach. I am so proud of you.

Monday Oct 19

– I think I may have found my favorite restaurant in SF. It is a cross between Katz’s Deli and Peter Luger’s. I am not telling you where it is or the name of the restaurant. But, we may go sometime. If you have a guess, let me know.

Tuesday Oct 20

– It seem buying a lot of my stuff online has a secret benefit: It is really easy to find receipts for the items that I lost! I am hoping that helps out my insurance claim.

– I did a palm reading last night. I am always struck how palms match up to people’s lives. I did it over the phone, and I was also struck by how much personality I got just through a person’s voice.

– Someone asked about people doing art on the water in NYC. Here is a short list:

– I have one of Robin’s locket’s in my truck. It means a lot to me…

I’ve had a “special things box” for most of my life, too. And funny, I keep on making and using boxes for special things as well.

I hope Robin writes more. She’s great at it.

– Evan always tells me how great Turtle Tower is. So I went with Noah. I have to report, North Vietnamese food is it’s own thing! The broth is way more creamy for the pho, and the noodles are broader.  I am looking forward to going back!

We also looked at a lot of different venues around Mission/Valencia  – it’s surprising how there are tiny little meeting places like http://www.borderlands-books.com/ and giant venues like Gray Area. I never really looked at that portion of Mission as a hub of venues, but now it’s obvious to me…

NOTES:

– Rusty’s Zine is out for the week: http://www.electricdreaming.com/archives/780

– My VR reading list. What should I add?

Bring on the loose leave tea!!! (And just you wait to see the tea cozy!)

-This is totally inspiring! More epic projects! Great photos by Tod!

http://gothamist.com/2015/10/13/pumpkin_blaze_halloween.php

– AGHHH! Mind blown…

Also, this!

– I am all for automating things, but  I really like the conductor messages on the train, and the occasional narrative quip. 

– Prunes / Raisins – The word for plumb in French is prune, and the word for grape in French is raisin.
Why do those words have different meanins? Royals.

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2j7q75/eli5_why_do_some_dried_fruits_raisins_prunes_etc/cl9j8o4

Also funny language thing: Want to see a Brit blush? Ask them what fanny pack means?

– I didn’t go go Corgi Con, but Buzzfeed did!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/corgicon-fall-2015#.idvZb3yMW

And, http://www.sfgate.com/aboutsfgate/slideshow/Corgi-Con-118477.php – look how cute!

– No one likes when something small happens, and they snap. Here’s why it happens.

Amygdala Hijack – Goleman uses the term to describe emotional responses from people which are immediate and overwhelming, and out of measure with the actual stimulus because it has triggered a much more significant emotional threat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala_hijack
https://www.umass.edu/fambiz/articles/values_culture/primal_leadership.html

I bought pumpkins for the house. I’ll update you on progress!

NOTES:

– Highlights from the online classes I am taking:

• PHP: =, ==, === – all different things. = assigns something a value, == compares two variables to see if they have the same value and returns true or false, and === compares two variables to see if they have the same value and same data type and returns true or false. I don’t know why, but I really love === .
• PHP: I really don’t know when I am going to use the modulus operator (%) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modulo_operation
• PHP: people get really bothered when you tell them you are learning PHP!
• Swift: Heh – seems you can’t download xcode if your system isn’t compatible. How do you figure this out? You try a few times to download it from the app store, and it just looks like it works. And when it doesn’t happen, you Google for the answer. I feel like a lot of the coding I will be doing will involve cutting and pasting stuff I searched for.

– Costco – great people, great prices. Terrible parking, at least at the one in downtown SF with a parking garage . So, my new rule: park on the street – so nice and easy!

– This is the best way to cook a steak:

– I went to a brunch today. I made a bunch of steak.

Yes, that is an egg being deep fried in bacon grease.

Then we put bacon, steak, egg and cheese on a doughnut.

The final product.

And, of COURSE I gave it away! No way I am eating that…

– Saw the air show today. Oddly enough, the best part for me was driving there, and having the stunts happen  right over me, as the jets flew over the road I was driving down. Oh, and seeing the 747 buzz the crowd: mindblowing. As someone who lived in New York, seeing 747’s fly like that sort of triggers me a bit.

– These suits are amazing: http://www.shinesty.com/collections/suits

– “I find you lack of faith disturbing.” As disturbing as this toaster?

http://amzn.com/B00PM6K4GC

Or, this shower head?

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Star_Wars_Darth_Vader_And_R2D2_Shower_Heads_By_Oxygenics_166153.asp

PLEASE HIRE TOD WHENEVER YOU NEED TO HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER – commercial, editorial, reporting,  portraits, whatever. Or, you know, just buy a book.

Tod was part of the tour, and took amazing photos. He is dependable, easy to work with, dedicated, driven, fair and has a generous heart. Funny as hell, too.

Tod posts great stuff all the time at https://instagram.com/todseelie

NOTES:

– I woke up with a terrible headache. I think I had a breeze on my head while I slept, and that seems to be enough to have given me a crazy headache / migrane. Or maybe the Korean food I had last night had more MSG than advertised.

The thing about migraines for me is that, when they pass, all my senses are hyper acute and it takes a little while for everything to function okay again. I spent most of the day in bed, and it was hard to move. Talking to people felt like, if language was a bicycle, then the handle bars kept slipping out of my hands.

But, for a bit, I got to sit on my back porch. I have never heard how lovely the bamboo windchime was, or how the overlapping leaves and shadows were so beautiful. I never want another migraine, but I do appreciate the freshness the rewiring my brain gives me.

– I bought a balaclava as a night cap.

http://amzn.com/B006U3PA9W

I am going to look ridiculous when I sleep, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to not wake up with a headache. The problems you find when you have a shaved head.

Plus, have you ever slept with a hat on? GIVES ME GREAT DREAMS. Try it? (If you do, won’t you send me a picture? Maybe of you in your cap? Or a depiction of the dream?)

– CorgiCon is tomorrow!

– I spent a lot of time today watching the Blue Angels fly over SF. Here is a picture of what a lot of that experience looks like.

– I like to use a Mason Jar for drinks, and today I took it down to the cafe I like to get coffee from and got a steep discount for bringing my own cup! I really enjoy drinking out of heavy glass, and to save a bit of money doing it? Winning.

– I also wonder about the health effects of drinking out of paper cups. A bit of research only turns up scare-mongering. Still,  _maybe_ whatever plastic/wax/cornstarch they coat the cups with aren’t as non-reactive as glass…

– Phrases I enjoyed hearing today:

• All you can eat BBQ
• It’s okay! We can fix it.
• I actually don’t mind hopelessness. In fiction.
• Imagine if you will. A tea pot. But it’s clear. Standard shape, quite fetching

I’ll catch up with what happened. Sort of. But for now, back to the notes.

– It is Fleet Week in SF – http://fleetweeksf.org/events/

– It also seems that China is dumping US government debt – http://www.wsj.com/articles/once-the-biggest-buyer-china-starts-dumping-u-s-government-debt-1444196065
This isn’t a bad thing. But it is a thing. Keep calm and carry on.

– I really really want to make things out of cardboard

https://www.etsy.com/listing/214785803/deer-head-trophy-3d-papercraft-model

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Wintercroft

I really really hope this works, and want one if it does….
– https://www.lehmans.com/p-675-sharpener-for-disposable-razors.aspx

– This is a rabbit hole that goes VERY FAR DOWN – RELATED PINS OVERLOAD
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/566468459349939093/

– You can get Sriacha style chili sauce in packets!
http://amzn.com/B00HNVHKI4

– I’m gonna come out here and say it, I have real opinions on project management scheduling software

FastTrack Schedule > https://www.smartsheet.com/  > Merlin

But, whatever the option, it is better than having to run a virtual PC to use MS project on a Mac…