judimendoza

Testing a Well

2009-11-09T13:46:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

More of the "men at work" category that I find intriguing and fun to video tape. This time we are testing to see if there is water in a well on the property that we want to buy in partnership with Nolan. It's a beautiful piece of low bank waterfront close to Boston Harbor on Fish Trap Bay. There's a mobile home on the lot that has a view of the water and will work out great for Nolan and a roommate. Lanny Carpenter is the well expert, he had help from Keith D., the man that owns the property now.

A thought about my blog; I think that in order to continue blogging I have to branch out beyond the vlog format. I find that it's too restrictive and time consuming to post only video blogs. There have been many stories that I have not chronicled for want of a video. It's time to try something different. -Judi

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: water, fish trap loop, olympia

Bowling In Oakland

2009-09-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Last time we were in Oakland visiting Carmen we went bowling. Jeremy is an excellent bowler but as you can tell the rest of us range from mediocre to downright terrible. That didn't matter, we had a great time. Actually the entire visit was special. Carmen just got a job as a waitress at The ButtercuP restaurant in east Oakland and at the time was preparing to start her second year at Mills. We went to lots of fabulous restaurants and went to see the King Tut exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It's always wonderful to spend time with Carmen and Jeremy and I can't believe how patient and accommodating Jeremy was with the parents of his girlfriend. Thank you Jeremy.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Sunday Afternoon in Olympia

2009-07-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

When I rode my bike through downtown Olympia this afternoon I didnt expect there to be much going on but I was wrong, the Farmers Market was hopping and there was a work party at the Rafah mural project on State Street. I rode by my favorite fountain, Tide Pool of Time on Columbia and Thurston and then headed home. I was having a relaxing ride when I had to stop suddenly at an intersection and couldnt get out of my clip-on pedals fast enough. I fell over, seemingly in slow motion, and ended up banging up my bike and getting my ego and an arm bruised.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: olympia wa, downtown olympia, biking

Olympia Pie Baker's Guild

2009-06-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Gene and I were invited to be part of a team of judges for a pie making contest held by the Olympia Pie Baker's Guild. Kathy Giglio guided us through the process and explained how the guild was formed. After the judging, pieces of pie were available for sale and there was an auction of all of the entries as a fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank. The pies were delicious, it was a treat to get to sample all of them. I hope that the Pie Baker's Guild holds this event again next year.

Nolan

2009-05-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Its very hard to get footage of Nolan. When I did manage to get him on camera he started counting off the seconds as if there was a timer on and my camera would shut off after a designated time span. Hes always been like this, even as an infant he would stick his tongue out every time I took a picture of him. Now hes 21 and I made this piece to celebrate his birthday.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tom Otto

2009-04-14T20:44:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Genes family has a large stockpile of family movies on 8mm film, so when Tom Otto turned 65 this March, Gene wanted to make a video montage using clips of Tom as a young man. We could not get it done in time for Toms birthday because we got sidetracked watching lots of film. Its a little late but this is for you Tom- Happy Birthday!

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: tom otto

Opening Day at the Farmer's Market

2009-04-08T17:18:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Last Thursday was opening day at the Farmers Market and we are excited to be back after a long, long winter. Gene and I wandered through the aisles greeting vendors and shopping for food that you cant find anywhere else. The Market is one of the gems of Olympia, a food emporium of superior quality and we feel lucky to be a part of it. The Market is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. See you there- Judi

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: olympiafarmersmarket, olympiawa, farmersmarket, sanfranciscostreet bakery

Christmas Eve at the Bakery

2008-12-27T18:11:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

Carmen is visiting from Oakland for the holidays so the entire family was working together on Christmas Eve. When we say that we own a small family bakery, we really mean it. Business was slow so we had more time to goof around than we usually do. Gene got to make a snowman in front of the shop and I was able to make this video.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: christmaseve, sanfranciscostreetbakery

Linda's Wedding

2008-11-21T17:22:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

My sister Linda got married recently and was able to gather together members of my family that I had not seen for years. Like all families we share a complicated history, there are sad memories as well as joyous ones, but on this particular night we chose to set aside any differences and celebrate the union of Linda and her new husband, Ed. One of my favorite sights was watching my brother Joe and his ex-wife dancing and enjoying each other's company. It was bizarre but sweet. The evening was like a play with a cast that came from inside my brain.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: weddings, judimendoza

My Republican Nightmare

2008-10-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

After watching the debates I had this nightmare.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: nightmare, debates

The Girls

2008-09-06T14:12:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

There is so much creativity and activism going on in Oakland. One of the many ecological movements in the city is one promoting urban homesteading. Its focus is on producing fresh, sustainable food in peoples yards. As a gardener, I love the idea of turning urban areas that are lawns or maybe vacant lots into places that produce food. Carmen has decided to give urban animal husbandry a try by acquiring two chickens, Ambrosia and Clementine. The girls eat Carmens kitchen scraps, fertilize the soil, lay delicious eggs, and give her a sense of contentment. The children who live in her apartment complex love to come see the chickens and look for eggs in the raccoon-proof coop, so this is also another way for Carmen to bond with her neighbors. It seems like a win-win scenario but while we were visiting, Carmens landlord informed her that the chickens were not welcome; apparently he is worried that they are too dirty. Postscript- Carmen had to get rid of Ambrosia and Clementine. Shes taking it very well, she says there will be other opportunities to have chickens and that for now its more important that she get along with her landlord.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: oakland, urbanhomesteading, carmen

Jumping Gene

2008-07-29T18:10:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Life after children can be tough but we have not only managed to survive, but we're having a little fun too. Of course we miss Carmen and Nolan, we visit with them all the time. It's just that we refuse to be bored. This post isn't just about how our lives have changed, it's also about how fleeting time is. We lived a full life before our children were born, then we were consumed with raising them, and now we're back to living without them.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: geneotto, trampolines, emptynestsyndrome

Betty Heidler at the Prefontaine Classic

2008-06-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Carmen came home a couple of weeks ago so that we could go to a track meet in Eugene, Oregon called the Prefontaine Classic. She has been interested in all things running since she trained for the San Francisco Marathon last year so Gene and I thought she would enjoy this meet. Oddly it was the women's hammer throw that was our favorite event. Betty Heidler won with a throw of 73.93 meters. The world record is 77.80 meters so she will have to improve to get a medal in Beijing. Still, she captured our hearts and we are rooting for her to do well in the Olympics.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: prefontaineclassic, bettyheidler, hammerthrow

Budd Inlet at Low Tide

2008-05-21T18:20:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Now that the weather has finally gotten a little warmer, I'm riding my bike around Olympia again. Getting out of the car gives me the opportunity to examine my surroundings and stop to take in a vista whenever I like. I pass by Budd Inlet every time I go downtown and I'm fond of the way it looks and smells when the tide goes out. The inlet floor is exposed and birds come to feed on whatever sea life has been left out in the open.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: olympiawashington, buddinlet

Berkeley Bowl

2008-04-12T17:23:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

There's not many other things that Carmen and Gene would rather do than shop for food. We all love Berkeley Bowl for it's diversity and abundance and if you're in the area I recommend that you check it out. It's amazing. This video is part of a new series that I'll be doing from time to time. I'll post the food videos to our Bakery web site, sfsbakery.com, as well. OK, I'm back to posting to my vlog!

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: berkeleybowl

Port of Olympia Protest

2007-11-13T19:18:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

People have been protesting the militarization of the port of Olympia since last Monday, when a cargo ship docked with a shipment of military hardware coming back from Iraq. When I got to the port on Sunday afternoon everyone was relatively calm. There had been some confrontations with the police earlier, but no arrests.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: port, olympia, protests

Iraq War Memorial

2007-11-11T18:57:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

I found this form of protest very moving and thought it was a befitting post for Veteran's Day.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: veteransday, iraq, olympiawa, olympia

My Ant Farm

2007-10-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

I used an ant hill close to the house to populate my ant farm, with mixed success. Yes, I was able to get the farm going but I wasn't able to sustain it. Soon after I completed this video all of the ants died. My family wants me to add a shot of the dead ants but you can't really tell they're dead because they just look like little black dots. As an aside, the county later came along and mowed on the side of the road that the ant hill was on and cut the hill in half. I guess the ants have been unlucky lately.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: antfarm, anthill, olympiawa, olympia, wa

Train to Edinburgh

2007-08-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Gene and I went to Scotland and spent a week in Edinburgh to check out the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. We tried to catch at least three events daily and felt like there was much that we were missing. There were art, music, theater, comedy, book, and film festivals. We traveled on public transportation the entire time we were in the country, it was easy to get to even the smallest town without a car. Why can't we do that here in Olympia?

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: edinburgh

Lumiere #1- Lakefair in Olympia

2007-07-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

The Lumiere rules are as follows: 60 seconds max. Fixed camera No audio No zoom No edit No effects. Made this video at Lakefair, the first time I've gone to the carnival in Olympia in many years.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: lumierevideo, lakefair, olympiawa

Oakland Airport

2007-07-07T20:39:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

I spent some time at the Oakland Airport last week and had some time to kill. When I have my video camera with me that means I start taking random shots. Carmen and Mick live in a cute, little apartment close to Lake Merritt and were kind enough to host me for a few days. I had a wonderful time with them and Carmen completed a 26 mile training run. Run Carmen, run!

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: oakland, lakemerritt

ooh cha cha

2007-05-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

I've been collecting footage of dancers for awhile with this song in mind. It's one of my favorite tunes by The Valentines, it's got a terrific beat and Jamie's got that come-hither voice. I decided to use my video of Marlon Brando in "Last Tango" even though he isn't dancing because it seemed to fit. Let me know if you agree.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: thevalentines, oohchacha

Gene's Haircut

2007-05-01T16:17:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

I haven't posted in awhile but I'm back with this vlog about Gene's haircut. He's decided that he'll get his hair cut four times a year, at each equinox and solstice. I dunno, my hair gets pretty shaggy after about six weeks, but it seems to work for him.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: geneotto, haircut, olympiawashington

Carmen's Short Visit

2007-02-27T18:53:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

Carmen and Mick visited with us for three days. It seemed like a very short stay but we managed to celebrate Nolan's opening night and Gene's birthday.Gene and I greeted the two of them with joy when we picked them up at the airport and it was sad when we had to see them off. I am always touched by these kinds of scenes at the airport and curious about the people involved.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: carmen, olympiawashington

Vertebrae By Vertebrae

2007-02-04T14:52:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

V By V played at a benefit for the Oly Rollers at The Brotherhood last Sunday night. I'm a fan of the band and hope that, one day, they will be able to make a living playing music and can quit their day jobs.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: vertebrae, by, vertebrae