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:: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 ::

rainy sunday

love this view. different angles of it mean i'm at rest, at work, at practice...this particular view meant i was laid up on a lazy sunday with two snuggle pups and a stack of vapid magazines, just watching the light change the colors in our trees.

the view's nothing stupendous compared to the fab stuff we get around here (gotta love the bay). but it's becoming something akin to home, to sanctuary. i keep having to remind myself that it's just a place and like all things, temporary. but i do love it.

Labels: bay area, belly palace, go stay come, homey, random

:: ewee 2:31:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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reentrophy

Labels: change, make, one-a-day, photos, random

:: ewee 1:39:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Staving off regret
End of one week vaca, and so much i wish I'd done, so much unfinished,so much more I'd hoped to accomplish. Bit overwhelming. So tonight I warded off some of that feeling by making more champagne deitritus furniture. None of it is ready for dwr's annual chair contest, but it's an amusing exercise nonetheless.

Labels: inspiration, make, making, random

:: ewee 10:23:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Beyond my imagination...
Good, productive weekend of bursty work patterns and getting things done. Think I've been overdoing it for a bit, because I'm worn out and honestly a bit sick today (tired, achy, slow). But that's also data, and so I'm resting and getting myself together for the next charge. In the meantime, I got to finish a book of substance (recommended by the general herself): Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

It's a quick read, but far from easy. It's wrenchingly, quietly, painfully, beautifully difficult in places. And transcendent throughout. She's not my favorite writer (The Namesake gets a nod, but that's it), and at times I disliked her stories intensely. Perhaps the quiet ordinary despair was just too much for a midweek commute read. But she's a good writer, and excellent at her craft--she uses words so well and with such skill, that her prose is transparent, light-weight, and devastating.

If you only have 15 minutes, read the last story in the series. But I'd recommend just reading the entire book, and savoring the last story at the end.

"Whenever he is discouraged, I tell him that if I can survive on three continents, then there is no obstacle he cannot conquer. While astronauts, heroes forever, spent mere hours on the moon, I have remained in this new world for nearly thirty years. I know that my achievement is quite ordinary. I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly I am not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have know, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination."

-from Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Labels: books, eyeshurt, inspiration, random, reading, words

:: ewee 5:15:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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12:34:56 7/8/9
just posting this to commemorate the once-in-ever time of this moment...

Labels: random

:: ewee 12:34:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Favorite new stamp
kinda a weird habit of mine. i've been collecting discarded stamps and hoarding them in my desk drawer. dunno what attracts me to them, but i love them. found breakdown and library at the same time. funny to think about stamping things (like ppls heads?) with "breakdown" one. not sure if it's a command ("break down, now!") or an observation ("you are so broke down right now...").

Labels: moblog, random

:: ewee 1:16:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Quality "Ingredient" Water
What is the ingredient (click on the image to see larger view in flickr), and why is it in quotes? Considering that I drink anywhere from 8-64 oz of water at work everyday (for almost a decade!), I really need to know...

Labels: pizzawhirled, random

:: ewee 12:40:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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niche marketing


out and about this weekend (in the castro and oak-chinatown), talk about niche marketing. not sure if the royal tramp is a girl or a boy. or if that's just a bad translation. sy thinks it'll be a hit in the states.

...and lookit who we end up sitting next to at our late night dinner! (he's all grown and stuff. crazy.)

Labels: random

:: ewee 10:13:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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lunch


see how the mayo got all nice and crispy? yum!

Labels: foodie, pizzawhirled, random

:: ewee 12:35:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Brilliant!


(wish i'd thought of that one!)

Labels: pizzawhirled, random

:: ewee 4:26:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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April Fools?


(But i'm afraid prolly not) :(

Labels: pizzawhirled, random

:: ewee 11:30:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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quotidian
Hm. I started this post in the beginning of February, so it's a bit outdated. Kept meaning to clean it up, but I didn't. The quotes are still apropos. So I'll just post it, and move on.
...

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony.
—William Henry Channing
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The secret consists in practice.
And not in thinking and discussing.
Give up wrangling and do the practice.
Then you will know the secret.
—Kabir

being sick has given me the leisure time to sit and think on a few things. so much going on right now, and it's been feeling like a change has been comin for awhile. (let's be honest. change is always happening. but bear with me.)

so there's been an opening up that's been a long long time coming. for sometime i been tightly balled up and just getting by. there's a lot to be said for getting by. but there's also something terrifyingly filled-with-wonder when you look up and see that the valley is behind you, and now stretches out ahead of you.

stillness, now, focus. not really my strong points. so i've been working on the meditation thing. first in paddling, then in my martial arts school, and now in my own personal practice.

been meditating with the dogs. startin slow, started with 5 minutes or so. up to about 20 minutes, and still plugging along. thinking on two things: compassion and now. it started with an off-hand remark i overheard at a dinner party. a study showed that depression was decreased for people who meditated on compassion for only 15 minutes a day! and you know. 15 minutes a day. totally achievable, right? well. took me a couple weeks. but yeah. 15 minutes of (mostly) stillness. or 5 minutes if more seems daunting.

oh, and all my reading and such lately? to sum it up: mom wins. from michael pollan on what to eat, the health dept on how to avoid getting (and spreading) colds and flus...it all goes back to mom is right.

i should call her. (she'd be right on that one too...)

Labels: inspiration, quotes, random

:: ewee 3:29:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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white elephant find

my new desk, thanks to the fab white elephant sale. i still haven't figured out how i want to configure my lil room, but i was able to adjust it, and i think i've found a good height to work with. course now i gotta get my room organized.

the sale was as overwhelming as i'd expected, but didn't have as nice furniture as i'd hoped. still, there was great ephermera and other assorted goods to gander at. we scored a coupla deck chairs (sy's is plastic with a bright comfy cushion, mine is wooden, light and simple, and at the right height for dog petting), and such. but the real treasures are: a letter and envelope from 1916, a usgs map of our hood, and a "Passport to Pleasure" travel booklet (really, it's a travel itinerary that includes Taiwan and Korea). hoping to have a little collage action this weekend...

Labels: bay area, belly palace, desk, go stay come, homey, random

:: ewee 5:47:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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Courtesy of FedEx.

Labels: random

:: ewee 5:41:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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linky-dink
bits and pieces from last month's foray. i know i've been busy, cuz i'm about ready to review this month...sigh.

• find clean toilets
• make your dog a movie star!
• scripting news
• silly duck hunt game
• median home prices...

Labels: links, listy, random

:: ewee 5:07:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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artastic
from the mind of gwoohoo!--a drawing exercise where we each pick an animal, vegetable, or mineral and we each draw it from memory. No looking it up. For example, I pick ronald mcdonald. Then we see how humorously our memory works.

feel free to add images in the comments, or email me, if you'd like to add your random doodles.

ronald mcd
(1: gwoo, 2: ewee)


snoopy
(1: gwoo, 2: ewee)


simpsons guy
(1: gwoo, 2: ewee)

Labels: art, random

:: ewee 1:02:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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everywhere like such as
[thanks to lucky duck for the link]


and to be fair, her response on The Today Show:

"Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. And if the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better."

(ok, so that wasn't really fair. or much better. but hey! it's a plug for geography!)

Labels: random, video

:: ewee 2:28:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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outrigger surfing
check out when the boat goes *over* the ama. crazy. (and that's what i call a steering blade!)

Labels: outrigger, random, video

:: ewee 6:32:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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simpsons avatar


whaddya think, is it me?

Labels: random

:: ewee 1:30:00 PM [+] :: 1 comments ::
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cool science: heating a balloon
another random but cool find (with links to other neato science videos from here). a little video that shows you how you can put a balloon into a lit candle without having it pop! science is cool!

Labels: cool science, links, random

:: ewee 3:47:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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inspiration: swap meat!
running low on energy and inspiration [...post lunch coma. coffee will fix it, i promise, boss!] and i came across [note to boss: while eating my lunch at my desk.] this wonderful idea -- it's a swap meat! now to dig through my crap, i mean, make stuff! and yay for cool web experiments gone happily awry...reminds me of all the weblove that i have for things like this. yay!

[another fab link thanks to the nyt!]

Labels: inspiration, links, random, web love

:: ewee 1:52:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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work sucks
surprisingly, an interesting list that i stumbled across on amazon's plog (ugh. another not-quite-witticism). but--see!--shopping feeds the mind...kinda.

The 10 worst jobs in science (according to the July issue of Popular Science):

1. Hazmat Diver. "Just Plain Gross"
2. Oceanographer. "Most Discouraging"
3. Elephant Vasectomist. "Most Unwilling Clientele"
4. Garbologist. "Down and Dirtiest"
5. Coursework Carcass Preparer. "Most Cold-Blooded"
6. Microsoft Security Grunt. "Longest To-Do List"
7. Gravity Research Subject. "Boring and Nauseating"
8. Olympic Drug Tester. "Most Thankless Occupation"
9. Forensic Entomologist. "Strongest Stomach"
10. Whale-Feces Researcher. "Most Seasick"

Labels: listy, random

:: ewee 10:51:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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linkworthy news
bits of stuff that grabbed my attention...plenty going on to post about, but haven't had time. will do shortly.

• Design That Solves Problems for the World's Poor: a short, interesting and inspiring article in the nyt about design that matters. so now the question is, how do i make myself a designer for the 90% of the world's population that matter (instead of creating more crap)...?


• The idjoit who travelled internationally despite having a multiresistant form of TB. According to the nyt's article: "The man, whose name has not been disclosed, has said he was advised not to travel, but not specifically forbidden." And yet, the guy knew enough to avoid the US no-fly list by making "his way to Prague and flew from there to Montreal. ...He drove from there into this country until persuaded to go to a hospital in New York City." Whadda selfish git. Even if he didn't care about the passengers stuck on his flight, you'd've thought he'd worry about his bride to be. Not a very auspicious start to their wedded life together. But there's naught so queer as folk, eh?


• And finally, in the kooky korean-americans in the news series, have you heard about Azia Kim, an 18-year-old Korean American Stanford imposter? Personally, it does sound a little too kooky to be true, but whether it's an elaborate hoax, or a very clever ruse, I like it! And I'm with miz j, what kinda name is Azia anyway?

Labels: links, news, random

:: ewee 11:19:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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name that roomba!


so i'm looking for creative roomba names, any suggestions? (add them in the comments, if you like. i'll think of some goofy prize if you like). so far i have Asimov (as in the author of the irobot short stories. seems forced and too obvious) and Hazel Motes (from Flannery O'Connor, for the reference to dust and so much more...)

(this is all making me think that there's flannery o'connor in my near future.)

Labels: random, roomba

:: ewee 6:03:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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toilet math
well, i just got older, and this lovely math book was a gift from the ever toiletry-minded loo. this morning i was excited to learn about fibonacci numbers. you wanna know what i learned? great! (thought you'd never ask...)

take any two numbers, let's say 3 and 17. add them together. this gives you the third number in the series, 20. now add 17 and 20 together. this gives you the fourth number, 37. continue adding numbers in this way until you have a series of 10 numbers.

(ok, here's the exciting part.)

the sum of all 10 numbers is a gnarly bit of addition, eh? nope! all you have to do is multiply the 7th number by 11.

so using our series above: 3, 17, 20, 37, 57, 94, 151, 245, 396, 641.

3+17+20+37+57+94+151+245+396+641 = 151x11 = 1661

cool, eh? well, kinda. turns out, like much else that's been incorrectly attributed, this knowledge predates Fibonacci in India. [From Wikipedia: "Pingala's work also contains the basic ideas of Fibonacci number (called maatraameru)."]

and yes. i also learned the proof for this cool trick, but i'll spare you from that bit o' geekiness (unless you really must know). but learning on the toilet! that's multitasking...

Labels: 37, birthday, fibonacci, geeky, math, numbers, pingala, random, toilet humor

:: ewee 9:57:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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pi day: 3/14 1:59:26 ;-P

Labels: geeky, math, pi day, random

:: ewee 1:59:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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no away
reading lucky duck today for a moment of ease after talking on the phone (people are much too exhausting in the afternoon. i should just call it a day...), and thanks to her, i came across indy filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal's take on throwing "away" (and how there is no "away" any longer).

also, from the "wait, is it funny? funny files" (from my other fave reading source these days, the New York Times): Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein.

and from the same honorable publication, a challenge--photo scavenger hunt. different than what i did this weekend but in very much the same vein of coolness.

Labels: cnyth, links, random, throw away, waste

:: ewee 2:01:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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taiwan airport goatse?
on the monorail in the airport (we had a five hour layover...). warning...do not google goatse unless you are strong and over 21.

Labels: malaysia, random

:: ewee 11:30:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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escape sling
fun and education at the taiwan airport...

Labels: malaysia, random

:: ewee 11:30:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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alt-f4?...whaddabout mac folks?
random bit of funniness on our mini-road-trip...

Labels: malaysia, random

:: ewee 11:17:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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22222!: it's 2:22pm 2/2. (i know. today is a day of odd postings...)

Labels: numbers, random

:: ewee 2:22:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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aside
just an aside (will update with photos from my trip here soon), been thinking more and more about how there is no future. that is, that we only have now. and struggling with what it is i want to do now, with not putting off my hopes/dreams.

so i got all fired up by lucky duck's twilight-zone second-chance idea. read it. also liked mahnamahna's musical selection. played it loud (in headphones, at work).

now to tackle the crud and fear that gets in the way...or post photos. :-P (hey, change can be slow...)

Labels: random

:: ewee 1:32:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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local flavor: randombits i caught with my cameraphone in the last few weeks.


shiny eye...
so glad i stopped to catch this bit of randomness. you know how the face looks all goofy and happy?

yeah, well, like tha.
...

half full?
bit o' random art in my new hood. makes me feel at home.
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stoned
a moment of dollar store silliness...they do have the randomest things. for a moment i wanted to crop the photo so it said "stoned crack" but i think the photo stands best on its own unadulterated feet.

(ok, that's a bizarre image, potheaded unadulterated feet. and no, i'm not holding. lemme be.)
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moon over chinatown
urban mixed in with nature makes for gorgeous compositions, even on my cameraphone
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merry happy me!
meet bulsahcho -- my very own oc-1.

bulsahcho is the korean word for phoenix, literally meaning "never die bird." my last boat was bulsahmo, my own twinkie mashup to mean "never die mo" (as in satchmo). needless to say, sweet satch did pass away, and unforch enough, that boat's one of the lost causes in my last split.

but this boat and i are onto new beginnings, we've both been around the block, and have the marks to prove it. but those are the things that make us more interesting, and stronger, no?
...

Labels: random

:: ewee 11:59:00 AM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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werk linkage
that time again. checkin out the issue brought out these finds...

• housing maps: cool (and apparently first) of the mashups. get your housing info on a map.
• pub walk: mash up for drinkies.
• google transit: very cool mashup, can't wait till it hits the bay.
• dead spots: find cell phone dead spots
• cobian: (not kurt) free backups.

Labels: random

:: ewee 4:53:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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randomness -- instructables : explore -- more cool diy stuff!

Labels: random

:: ewee 3:28:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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random goodness

• cool trees! ok, not that i need a(nother) reason to miss sf, but look at this great program sf has for live trees...
• how to cough: check out the video for a very funny public health service announcement...
• moo cards
• pixar's "for the birds" short animation
• r and l's robots! [at jumpcut]
• giftbags at AT! [swoon!]
• AT's calendar advice
• vinyl deco! -- i like vinyl and blik

Labels: random

:: ewee 1:33:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
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