Dawn Andres Design

Fun with Final Cut Pro

2010-07-26T18:14:31Z

A while back Lee Sinclair at NO MEANS NO USA asked me if I would create a video montage for her based on the video footage she had of her pilot NO MEANS NO class at the School of the Arts. She had about 3 hours of raw footage and wanted a 4 minute or so video she could use to promote the class. I had never worked with video or Final Cut Pro, but she was patient with me as I maneuvered my way through the program. She chose the song, a karaoke version of Coldplay’s Lovers in Japan, and together we sifted through the video picking the clips that best represented the class. We wrapped up editing a couple of days ago and I’m so proud of it. Lee has a great program going and she was wonderful to work with on this video project. Thanks Lee!

Calder to Warhol Photobooth

2010-06-26T21:33:42Z

Visited the photobooth at the Calder to Warhol exhibit opening reception at the SF MOMA last night. Maybe i’m biased, but I think Ian and I happened to have the best pose.

A Grand Polo Match

2010-06-11T05:17:40Z

Last summer, the Derailleurs, in cooperation with SF Hardtop Bike Polo and the SF Tweed Ride, filmed our bike polo skit using the Tweed Riders as extras. We used the footage from the skit to promote the Derailleurs movie, which is still in production. This was a fun little skit, and Janel, aka Agent Take The Lane, did a great job with editing the movie!

P.S. the bike tour was all I thought it would be and more. I want write about it and post some pictures, but havn’t been able to dedicate the proper time to it yet. Soon…

6 days through the desert on a bicycle

2010-05-22T07:14:34Z

Palm Springs, CA - Carefree, AZ

Tomorrow morning Ian and I will pick up a rental car, throw our bikes in the back, and drive south to Palm Springs. The next morning we’ll set out on our bikes for Carefree, AZ. We’ll ride 324 miles over 6 days with 1 rest day in there that has yet to be determined. I’ve been giddy with anticipation all week. My mind is having a hard time grasping what my body is going to go through, but I know that after I do this other tasks that once seemed difficult wont be so impossible.

East on 29 Palms Highway. North edge of Joshua Tree National Park. via google maps

Bye bye blogosphere. I’ll see ya on the return….

A beautiful sight, but advertising fail?

2010-05-05T02:43:50Z

This morning I passed an interesting bus shelter. It was so interesting I had to get off my bike (going up hill) and walk back a block in order to get a picture.

Blooming Muni Bus Shelter at Masonic & Oak, San Francisco, CA

I snapped a picture and went on with my day. It wasn’t until I decided to do some internet research that I found that this sort of thing isn’t isolated. There’s one over on Chestnut and Pierce as well. Equally as beautiful, but what does it mean??

Well Muni Diaries cracked the case…see the ad on the far end of the shelter for some flowery deoderent? Yeah, i didn’t catch that either. The moral? Sometimes doing something so out of the ordinary will gain attention, but in the end everyone remembers the spectacle, not the product.

Bike Scavenger Hunt TODAY!

2010-05-02T06:53:32Z

It’s a beautiful day and the Derailleurs have planned a May Day Bike Scavenger hunt with great prizes from:

Box Dog Bikes

Mojo Bicycle Cafe

Xanath Ice Creamery

Amnesia Bar

Bar on Church

Bike Light Fairy

Agent Chaos Toptubes

Bay Area National Dance Week!

2010-04-27T17:02:11Z

Yesterday I got the tip about the Bay Area National Dance Week. I checked out their website and found that there are free events and classes going on all over the bay area this week. All kinds of dance for all skill levels. Yesterday I found myself in a class I had never been to, dancing with a group of strangers, shaking out my stress and watching myself in the wall length mirror as I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face. The rush lasted the rest of the evening. Check out the rest of their free events this week! http://www.bayareandw.org/

Allez!

2010-03-25T17:54:20Z

I feel like I have my legs back. The way I get around the city is fun again. I wake up and think about how I want to ride my bike. And it’s all thanks to owning a bike that’s fun to ride. The video below is from my new bike’s inaugural day out this past Sunday! Video by Ian Tuttle (beware the sap factor. You might actually not want to watch the video unless you’re my mom. Hi Mom!).

The Story

Late last year I was hit by a truck while riding my bicycle. I survived, but my beloved Bridgestone did not. That bike was my love. I rode it everywhere and it felt like an extension of my body (we even appeared on the cover of the SF Guardian together – do you see me?). It rode smooth as buddah, had upright handlebars perfect for city riding, and was made of a chromoly blend – a lightweight steel rarely used in modern bike frames. When it went down I knew it would be a tough bike to replace.

I started looking for a replacement as soon as my body could get back on a bike. I found out I was right, a replacement was going to be hard to find. To hold me over while I searched for the right fit, I bought a vintage mixte (step through, upright) bike to ease me back into city biking. It served me well, but was slow and rickety.

Then, I happened to see the new 2010 Specialized Allez Steel Throwback Edition Bicycle at Valencia Cyclery. It had many of the features I loved about my retro Bridgestone in a brand new, never been ridden bicycle. It had downtube shifters that made this bike the perfect candidate to receive upright handlebars! I gave it a white saddle to match my retro plastic white grips, and she was good to go!

As this is my town bike, and I don’t own a car, I knew I needed a way to carry cargo. I tried my basket on for size, but it looked pretty ridiculous on this beautiful bike. The I remembered the beautiful panniers my brother and sister-in-law gave me for Christmas this year. Of course, this was the perfect bike for a rack and panniers! I ordered a rack (waay cheaper, sorry LBS) online and can’t wait for it to get here! I’ll do an update once the rack arrives to show off my panniers!

For now, ride on….

Pickled Beans!

2010-03-25T17:56:46Z

beans, water, vinegar, salt, dill, garlic, red chili flakes

Today, still high from the success of my pickled brussel sprout extravaganza, I dove into a new veggie to pickle: beans! These ones should sit for a month to pickle properly. Or properly pickle.

In the background of this picture my discarded mixte frame grocery bike sits, waiting to be sold. The reason? I finally got a proper replacement for the fallen Bridgestone. Pictures (and video!) to come soon….

When the snow melts away, do the Cubbies still play…

2010-03-05T07:48:10Z

…..in their ivy covered burial ground?

Gosh. Spring Training has just kicked off and I’m catching baseball fever. I’ll admit that the Cubs have broken my heart in the past. But every spring I forgive them and get giddy with anticipation.

This Saturday is the first televised Cubs Spring Training game. It’s sure to be a snooze fest for the most part, and will probably be played by mostly minor leaguers trying to prove they have big league stuff, but I can’t wait. I bleed Cubbie blue, and all that.

The late, great singer/songwriter Steve Goodman grew up in a Chicago suburb and was a Cubs fanatic. His song “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request” sums up the frustration and die hard devotion many Cubs fans feel.

This song was written in the 80′s, but the facts still hold true; the cubs still haven’t been to the World Series since “the year we dropped the bomb on Japan” (The last time they came close (and oh, it was soo close!) was the year of the Steve Bartman incident). Some say the team is cursed by a billy goat.

Baloney. I lift my imaginary Old Style to the Chicago Cubs, and the 2010 baseball season.