new leaf

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…


while i was living in korea, the debate about the island dokdo, as korean refers to it, was a hot issue. the island is half way between japan and korea and both countries claim it as their own. it was all i heard about from my older students. well, it seems that the issue is still going strong. i miss korea. check out some more pictures courtesy of the big picture here.
just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.
stay gold & be well…

la pump

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

my mind has been doing a lot of flashbacking & flashforwarding. maybe, i'm watching way too much lost. anyway…while cruising around fb, i noticed that my cousin joined wawa-no one truly understands which sparked some memories of growing up in new jersey. wawa is a convenience store. whenever i hear the name, i'm reminded of days spent in wildwood. we used to go to wawa to get snacks. one thing in particular that stands out for me is their chocolate gum. i can't recall how it tastes but i can definitely see the packaging. i think it came in vanilla as well. for those of you near a wawa, let me know if they still carry this. just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

call me

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

hi, pretty! this photo is all kinds of fabulous and i had to share. it makes me want to go to carnival. sigh…


for more fantastic carnival photos courtesy of the big picture click here
just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.
stay gold & be well…

lines in the suit

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

while out walking the other day around 28th & lake, where the expensive homes are, i noticed two elderly couples in the window of a house playing cards. instantly, i was filled with joy. it reminded of my grandparents. when they first moved to florida, they were quite active with their neighbors. they were always playing cards, having dinner with, or taking trips with their new found friends. they seemed to be quite happy back then. as i continued along, the image of the elderly card players stayed with me. i couldn't shake it. it made me wonder what my life would be like at that age. will i be gathering at a friends house to play cards? will i be living in a nice house? will i even have a partner? my mind has been wandering a lot into the future. i guess it's all the uncertainty. no one really knows what awaits us. there is a part of me that hopes my life mirrors that of my grandparents or even of the elderly i saw in the window. just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

sugar

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

just for fun, a sign i saw while in chinatown. bunnies & elephants my two favorite animals together at last.


just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

something's changed

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

oh, the places you'll go…
this was a rather busy week for yours truly. before i get into all of that, lets back up to last saturday, valentine's day. not only was it v-day but it was also ibr [international bear rendezvous weekend. let me tell ya, the bears were out in full force. one even tried to steal my honey pot.

my day was spent hanging with d. on our way to d's apartment to meet up with pevil & mrs. b, d got verbally assaulted by some crazy lady for throwing his cigarette butt out the window. i can't recall all that she said but it had something to do with going down the drain, killing the animals. she followed us for two blocks screaming at the top of her lungs. at one point she called him a dickhead. oh, people…life is too short to act all crazy. my advice to the crazy lady: relax bitch!

after our mini rendezvous with the pevil & mrs. b, we headed down to the mission so d could pick up his new vest. unfortunately, when we got there the vest wasn't. bummer. from there we walked to mission beach cafe to grab a bite to eat. i had a delicious egg sandwich. d ended up treating me to lunch. what a sweetie! i noticed that on sunday they were starting to serve pot pies. i just might have to go back to try one of those. the desserts looked to die for, especially the one that had pudding in it. i love pudding. i was good though i didn't have any. next time for sure.

with full tummies and appearing much more "bearlike", we made our way to the pilsner for a cocktail. we were greeted by some sisters who were out spreading v-day cheer to the lonely hearted. we only stayed for a drink and then headed off to 440 castro to meet up with john. 440 was packed with hot sweaty bears. i definitely felt like goldielocks with my long curly hair. of course the whole time i'm there only the freaks of the freaks talk to me. it's nice to see that some things don't change. we were there for a few hours drinking away the afternoon. around 5ish, i decided to head home to take a nap before going out later that night. needless to say, once i got home i fell asleep only to wake up at 8:30 pm. i opted not to head back out into the forrest.

sunday/monday was spent doing chores and watching tv. i did manage to get my taxes done. yay, for me! and laundry! i also made a very delicious spaghetti pie. yum fest. by monday, i had finished season 4 of oz. only two more seasons to go. what a great show.

this week seemed much more busier than the others. perhaps, it was because i had a lot of running around to do, or it could simply be because i had a lot of papers to grade. grading papers always have a way of making a day seem much longer.

on thursday, i took a group of holiday students from japan on an excursion through chinatown. it was a three hour walking tour. i can usually do chinatown in 30 minutes, so making it last an additional 2 hours 30 minutes was definitely a chore. surprisingly enough, i did it. since there isn't a whole lot to see/do in chinatown, we added the cable car museum & grace cathedral to the tour. the ccm was closed, of course, so we walked up the hill which they hated and went to grace cathedral. i had never been inside grace cathedral and was quite impressed. for those that don't know, grace cathedral is where courtney cox-arquette & david arquette got married. it's magnificiant. the ceiling is so high. i saw one stained glass window that looked like the universe. a man was playing the organ which sounded so beautiful. i was in complete awe of the place. so much so, that i'm thinking about attending a service there. i haven't been to a church service that wasn't part of a wedding/funeral since i was a mere child, so this is a big deal for me. something about that place touched me, and i can't quite explain why.


the cathedral is currently running an exhibit, wounded in america. wia is a series of photographs/stories of gun shot victims. the images are quite powerful and you can't help but be moved by the heartfelt stories. the exhibit will be there until march 27, so if your in the sf bay area be sure to check it out.

the tour ended with the students getting ice cream. order food with them is always a chore. i had to help them count out their change. note to self: do a lesson on money. after i said goodbye to the students, i jumped on the bus heading to japantown to meet up with my co-workers. we were taking matt out to dinner for his birthday. by the time i got home that night, i was exhausted.

after school on friday, i met butterbean & misty for lunch at golden chopstick. i've passed this place a couple times while out walking and have been wanting to try it. the main draw for me was that they had thick ramen soup. yum. we got an order of salt & pepper fried pumpkin to start. hi, deliciousness! i've never tasted anything so good. for lunch, i went with the deep fried spare rib ramen soup. double yum! the portions were huge. i'm looking forward to going there again. i think i might have found my new take out place.

well, i should probably start my day. i love lazy saturdays. just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

tonight

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

hee! one of my photos has been published online. it's been included in the schmap amsterdam guide, sixth edition. check it out here.

just where will i end up next is anyone's guess…
stay gold & be well

love is a battlefield

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

what's up with this weather? we've actually hit a cold streak. good thing i didn't pack away my warm clothes. parka anyone!

last weekend i hung out with pevil & d at hippie hill. i think i got a contact high. we ate snacks, chatted, people watched, & colored. coloring is fun! someone over did it with the old spice. that's all i could smell. it reminded me of my father. i used to give him old spice for christmas. father's like it & it's cheap.

that night, i ventured out to bottom of the hill for bagel radio's birthday rock show. it had been quite awhile since my last show. lots of peeps were there. i drank too much. i also met a cute surfer boy from south africa. we just chatted. sadness. he was straight. oh, i ate a cupcake, too. misty brought them. cupcakes & beer—delicious.

on sunday, i was a complete zombie. zero motivation. i did manage to pull myself out of bed to do laundry. i guess i was somewhat productive. i shouldn't drink so much when i do go out. need to learn moderation.

i have yet another muni conversation to share. this one is rated x, so if you are under 18 please skip this section. i didn't get a good glimpse of him since he was behind me the whole the time. i'm sure he was a character though. with that being said, i leave you with this:

muni conversation #69
it started with him blurting out this: "i thought i was on the 38 geary."
ten minutes later i heard this: "i lick pussy and eat asshole. i let prostitutes piss in my mouth. i know what i like. what about you?"

just where will i end up next is any one's guess…
stay gold & be well…

shut up and drive

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

january's photo theme is now up.
check it out: 20 white, 30 days



to check out the photos that didn't make the cut click here
just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

all i want is you

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i called my niece this afternoon. it's her birthday today. she's turned four. our conversation was quite brief. after i wished her happy birthday, she responded by telling me she was too busy to talk. life must be hard at four.

i ventured out to "the cord" this past weekend to visit the huegel-brockway family. it had been quite awhile since our last visit and i still had christmas gifts to give the boys. i always have a good time with scott & heather. they make me feel like family. the boys have changed so much since my last visit. they're quite active and full of questions. the question of choice being "why". i even managed to get some cuddle time with my buddy, kuro. he's such a sweet dog. as always when i visit the huegel-brockway's, it was a jam packed weekend. i even had a stint at flying solo with the boys.



here's a rundown of the weekend [in no particular order]:
01. a boy practicing his violin in the chinese restaurant
02. at least 4 safeway visits
03. the boys in&out of the bedroom [they had just gotten big boy beds]
04. making play-doh turtles
05. playing skate park kids
06. answering numerous questions that started with "why"
07. runny noses & pooh-poohs
08. playing in the sandbox
09. burying the boys in the sand
10. telling the boys to look out for "cheese crackers" on our walk
11. baton vs. sword final debate
12. spoontonics, our hang out in "the cord"
13. amore day at the oakland zoo
14. people watching at the zoo
15. kung fu panda
16. morning walk that took me through a tunnel
17. spending time with the huegel-brockway's

just where will i end up next is any one's guess.
stay gold & be well…

pictures of "the cord" are here

king of the mountain

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

they gathered up at the river that weekend to help celebrate their friend's 40th birthday. little did they know that down by the river lurked a stranger who had other plans for them. would any of them survive the grisly fate that awaited them…that's how my weekend at the russian river played out in my mind. tis true, i went up to the russian river to celebrate pevil turning 40. mrs.b had rented a house so that we could all gather together to honor her adorable wife. it really was the perfect setting for a horror movie. but as you can gather, we all made it out of there alive—or did we…



the weekend at the river was a complete blast. it was a good group of peeps. we ate delicious food, drank vast amounts of wine, played various kinds of games, etc. i even managed to come up with a theme song for guernville. what more could one want.



some highlights from the weekend:

01. the crazy guy at the gas station who wanted us to give him a ride
02. the tweaker in line at whole foods
03. relaxing by the fire while reading nancy drew #33
04. meeting new peeps
05. hot tubbing it at night under the redwoods
06. a most awesome scrabble game with mrs. b & amy
07. ping pong
08. pevil blowing out all 40 candles with one breathe
09. the most vivid/bizarre/fucked up dreams i've had in a very long time
10. eating breakfast & dinner all together [i felt like i was part of the waltons]
11. everyone enjoying themselves
12. the great lost debate over snacks
13. singing my new river song for d, adawg, adawg's gal, & j
14. adawg's very hot & very sexy outfit of ugs & undies
15. being able to help pevil celebrate her big day
16. and many, many, many more…

just where will i end up next is any ones guess.
stay gold & be well…

pictures from the river are here

lost!

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…


happy lunar new year! it's the year of the ox. hope you all have an awesome year. for more pictures celebrating chinese new year click here.

just where will i end up next is any ones guess.

stay gold & be well…

kashmir

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

hot off the presses: now blog this vol.3, songs from my life on the e-list
hear the music that j. ethan listened to as he wrote his blog. track list includes:

01. gone by madonna
02. show room dummies by senor coconut
03. wonders never cease by morcheeba
04. reveal by machinery hall
05. superstar by the carpenters
06. bukowski by modest mouse
07. cat claw by the kills
08. mississippi kite by kristin hersh
09. bowels of the beast by the raveonettes
10. storm by yoshida brothers
11. edge of seventeen by stevie nicks
12. say aha by santogold
13. don't push by the exit
14. the man in the long black coat by mark lanegan
15. the masses are asses by L7
16. myxomatosis by radiohead
17. pit viper by 10,000 maniacs
18. lance by the dandy warhols
19. seems it's one thing by the high strung
20. entropy by kelly osburne

if you'd like a copy, let me know and i'll send one your way. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

the chain

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

things have been pretty uneventful lately. i've been keeping a low profile due to the cold i was battling. i can now safely say that the worst is behind me. colds suck, especially, when you still have to get up and face work. i did manage to squeeze in a movie last week, gran torino. overall, i thought it was pretty good. i really liked the story line. my problem was mostly with the acting, or lack of.

there was a bit of excitement at my apartment building the other night when two firetrucks pulled up. the firemen came into the building to check things out. there's was no knock on my door telling me to evacuate so i didn't think much of it. i never did find out why they were called; however, the other day i noticed a sticker on the front door of our building saying that the fire alarm doesn't work. i'm beginning to think that living in a building with a lot of old people might not be so wise. they seem determined to burn it. perhaps, i'll look into finding a new abode.

muni conversation #623
man on phone: kept saying how he wasn't going to get off the bus to go smoke a lame joint because he was tired and wanted to go home. he must have said this 5 times getter louder and louder every time he repeated it. he eventually got off the bus most likely to smoke that joint.

tonight, i'm off to a company dinner. should be interesting to say the least. i'll be sure to fill you in on all the juicy details. i'm sure there will be some. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

all day

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

december's photo theme is now up.
check it out: 20 holiday, 30 days



if you're curious to see my extra photos that didn't make the cut to my holiday group set here.

we have a new member to the group, robyn. welcome! remember if you'd like to join the group send me an email to let me know. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

last night

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

how amazing is this photo! i so want to be there. it's quite magical. we could all use a bit of magic in our lives. this photo was part of the big picture's icy days and nights. i've mentioned the site before. their tagline is news stories in photographs. they have some of the best photography. check it out, here! just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

be well & stay gold…

sometimes always

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

my first post for 2009. how exciting is that! my first instinct was to blog about my new years resolutions then i thought again. do i really want this list to exist in cyberspace taunting me, especially if i fail to accomplish any of them. so instead, i will keep them to myself. that way, my failures can be my own. although, i am going to do my best to accomplish them. i'll let you know how i did on december 31, 2009. stay tuned.

last week was quite a busy one. there seemed to be something going on every night. i kept meaning to blog about them but never did. on tuesday, i went to d&j's for our stocking exchange. this was the first time we did this. if i do say so myself, it was pretty successful. everyone had a good time and everyone scored major goodies. my stocking was stuffed with the following: tube socks, a christmas cactus, a gift certificate, a bunny patch, and a flush anime snow owl/bunny. i love new traditions. can't wait to see who i get next year and who gets me.







nye was a quiet one. misty had a little gathering with the crew. we ate, drank, danced, and listened to music. misty bought christmas crackers. you pull them and a prize pops out. i got a pink pooch key chain. i'm so lucky. at midnight we watched a recap of the ball dropping in new york. new year's day i did absolutely nothing and loved every minute of it.







friday night, we celebrated butter bean's birthday in style at the top of the mark. they have an awesome 360º view of sf and honestly, that's all i can really say about the place. it was bb's 40th birthday celebration, so it didn't really matter where we were. it was all about celebrating how great she is. she had gotten a room at the mark hopkins hotel, so we had a mini after party hoedown in her room. happy birthday, butterbean!







on saturday morning we had brunch with butterbean at the nob hill cafe. afterwards, misty & i went to see slumdog millionare. what an amazing movie. if you haven't seen yet you must go. later that night i continued my wong kar-wai obessession by watching happy together. another great movie. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.



stay gold & be well…

stocking exchange/nye photos here
kate's birthday photos here

soap and water

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

yet another christmas has come and gone. my mini-vacation to miami now seems like a distant memory. i wish the same could be said about the extra pounds i put on. i basically ate my way through the holiday. cookies, candy, snacks, soda, etc. all found their way into my belly. it's serious diet/exercise time for this little piggy.



my time in florida definitely flew by, but it was a great trip all around. it was nice to be surrounded by family. i think that deep down it was something that i very much needed. it's always great to get away and forgot about all the little things that are bothering you and that's just what i did. hopefully, having that time with family will snap me out of this permanent funk i seem to be in.



most of the my time was spent inside with family. we played games, talked, ate, ate, ate, etc. we did go on a few outings: long key nature center, ikea, & the young at art museum. my sister and i went to the beach for a nice stroll down the boardwalk. the weather was perfect although a bit windy. we grabbed a drink at a bar and people watched. there are some truly interesting outfits happening beach side. it was nice to simply relax and stare out at the water.



i spent a lot of time entertaining the little ones. i actually quite enjoyed it since i'm not able to see them that often. they are definitely a handful. each with their own little personality. even when they are being slightly naughty, they're still adorable. it's that innocence they exude. at times it was hard for me not to laugh.



on day one, miss morgan kept telling me how much she loved me. by day two, it had faded. hehe. i couldn't believe half the things that came out of her mouth. the first thing she said to me when she saw me was, "you have girl hair. it's all crinkly." on christmas morning after opening a present, she had this to say, "i never asked for that." priceless. it amazes me how children come up with this stuff. she is definitely the queen of quotes. my all time favorite was this one: "googa is a bad word". it's not just the quotes, but the delivery of them. she always had a modelesque pose. we worked on her poses. i think she has the makings of a future top model. heidi look out.



davis is your typical boy for he's always finding trouble or is it that trouble is searching him out. he likes to push boundaries but then again who didn't at that age. his new thing this year was making the peace sign every time i took his picture. has he been looking at my korea photos? i tried to asked him where he picked that up from but he remained silent. it took all my effort to persuade him not to do it in every photo. davis is definitely mommies little helper. out of all them he's always in the thick of things. he assisted my sister in making the pumpkin cheesecake which was very good and he even vacuumed using the dust buster. he's full of questions and doesn't hesitate to ask you things over and over again. what a bright little guy.



little paige—what do i say about a true princess. she sure does love her stuffed animals and television. i'm not sure how she keeps track of all of their names. paige has a flare for the dramatics. a definite actress in the making. by far her favorite thing to say is, "i never get to...". then has a little tantrum and seconds later is back to her sweet little self. she's a cuddlier. anytime i was on the sofa lying down, she'd lay right next to me. what a sweety. she's also the budding artist. she loves to draw and make things. she made me a charm braclet. how sweet is that!



what else can i say. there was no family drama or bs. it was only filled with fun times. now, that's the way it should be. i'm glad i had the opportunity to get there. i think i would have been even more depressed if i hadn't. i'm looking forward to many more fun-filled family days. perhaps there will even be a holiday at the beach...



the flights there and back were pretty uneventful. i had to rush to my connecting flight on the way to miami. on the return flight i got stuck between a grandma and her grandson. not sure how that happened but neither one seemed to mind. i spoke with the grandma from wyoming for a little bit. they had just been on a caribbean cruise. how fun does that sound. on the last leg on my journey i got seated next to a couple and their baby. i think he could immediately see my dread because the first thing he said was that the baby doesn't cry much. and he was right. just where will i end up next is any one's else.

stay gold & be well…

holiday photos are here

p.s. i had chick-fil-a twice! double yum!

the man in the long black coat

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

ummm...there was a baby in my classroom today. no, i didn't make a typing error. there really was. has anyone ever tried to teach with a month old baby in their class? it's very distracting. i will give him credit, he didn't cry that much. although, it was quite distracting watching the mom get up every five minutes to keep the baby quiet. not sure if the baby will be making an appearance tomorrow. i think this is a first for my school. this class could end up being quite interesting. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

p.s. my florida vacation post & pictures are coming soon

little drummer boy

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list...


just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well...

myxomatosis

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

cookies to the right of me. cookies to the left of me. cookies everywhere which can mean only one thing—cookie party! who doesn't love cookie parties. the holiday season is great because it allows us to do the one thing in life that makes us all happy which is excess eating. i think i ate enough cookies to last me well into 2009. last night pevil & mrs. b hosted a cookie exchange. there were tons of delicious cookies, wine, and good peeps. we even had our own project runway in the form of a cookie decorating contests. sadly, my babies didn't make the cut. personally, i think that were so cookie forward that no one knew what to say about them. they came as a set: punk rock baby, his trendy girlfriend, & cracked out cookie. here they are in all their glory.



we ended the evening with a white elephant gift exchange. i was lucky [or not so lucky] to be in the number three position. the lovely gift i selected was a tic-tac-toe shot glass set that came with its own cocaine mirror. oh, how i simply love 80s decor. it didn't take us long to bust out the set and put it use. i worked my gift hard. so hard in fact that mrs. b stole my lovely tic-tac-toe shot glass set. sadness. that left me to select gift number two which ended up being guatelmalan tchotchke. it was a bus with fruits and what appeared to be a turtle on top. i called it chi chi since that was painted on the side. nobody wanted chi chi so i was stuck with it. the "best" gift by far was the giant cat picture book. seriously, who buys a book that big. thanks again to pevil & mrs. b for being fabulous hostess. can't wait til next year.

tomorrow, i'm setting off for florida. it'll be a full day of flying which i'm so not looking forward to. i just saw an article on yahoo about a plane that caught fire at the denver airport. guess where i'm flying into—denver. hopefully, my flight will go smoothly. keep your fingers crossed. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

cookie party pics are here

boom chickaboom

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

november's photo theme is ready for your viewing pleasure. there's a lot of great portraits. check it out here. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

heart-shaped box

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i'm going to begin this post with a rant: enough with the flip-flops already, people! in case you haven't figured it out, it's wintertime. it kills me when i see someone in a pair of dress pants, hat, scarf, jacket and they're sporting flip-flops. meanwhile, i'm wearing a freaking parka. i'm tired of seeing people's grubby red toes peeking out at me on my way to work. save the flip-flops for summer, wear something sensible. whew, that felt good.

so, the other day i was riding the balboa bus home when some guy, who's got the whole waist of his pants down by his ankles look going on, sits in front of me. he immediately pulls out a tiny bottle of whiskey and downs it. instead of putting the empty bottle in his bag, he opens up the window tossing it onto the street. he sits back down and pulls out a strand of gold caps and places them on his front teeth as if he was trying to impress us. with that, he leans back in his seat and proceeds to slide his hand down his pants just like al bundy. really!

i do love the characters one encounters while riding public transportation. however, i'm beginning to hate those people who insist on standing in front of the door and act like its a hassle for them to move when you try to exit.

on sunday, i battled the elements and made my way to el rio via butterbean's cars to attend the bay area rock girls benefit. misty helped with the event so i felt it was important to come out and show my support. because girls do rock! i haven't been to el rio in ages. it used to be one of my haunts back in the day at j.a.b. the turnout wasn't too bad for a cold, rainy sunday night. i did discover my new favorite girl band—megamoog. they were so adorable! although she did look a bit frightened. they had a very cutesy felt sign with their name on it. i'd definitely check them out again.

i was lucky to see butterbean twice this weekend. she stopped by after her haircut on saturday. we chatted for a bit in my apartment then made our way out to clement street. since it was quite chilly out, it seemed only fitting to warm ourselves up with some good korean soup at the tofu house on 5th avenue. i'd never been there and was very curious to try it. the kimchi wasn't the greatest but the other sides and soup were delicious. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

west of the fields

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

spent the day down in the mission district. my first stop: mission bazaar which was held at the armory. not one of the best bazaars i've been to. i was expecting more crafts on the cutesy side. this was one had mostly clothes. there were a couple of interesting vendors although their stuff was way out of my price range. my lighting bolt jacket seemed to be a hit. i got several compliments on it and someone even asked to take a picture of it. i'm sure the pattern will be appearing on their clothing in the near future.

afterwards, i strolled up & down valencia street searching out christmas goodies to no avail. in one shop, the clerk asked me if my watch had superpowers. i found some striped tube socks. the shop was selling them for $8 a pair. i had to pass on them. there were several d.i.y. shops along the sidewalks. i heard someone say that made pornoments one christmas. there was scary puppet thing on the street. i didn't like it at all. i saw some girl walk off with what looked like a velvet unicorn picture. on a pay phone i noticed this sticker:



it made me laugh. i realized i really do need to get more. there's lots of interesting things happening. its getting colder. i'm happy about that. i love cold weather. it gives me an excuse to bundle up. i like wearing scarves. getting my haircut tomorrow. hopefully, she won't screw it up. it's always a gamble getting it cut in my hood. just where will i end up next is any ones guess.

stay gold & be well…

bukowski

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i'm a clean plate kid. are you?















the day of the turkey has come and gone. it seems like only yesterday that i was having my first thanksgiving back in the states. i must admit that this year was a lot better for me than last year. i was still experiencing cultural shock back then. i don't remember being as social as i was yesterday. my morning started out a little hectic, as i scoured the streets of geary for balsamic vinegar. who knew it would be so hard. eventually, i found some at a russian market. my beet dish was saved. yay!

once again, misty had the gathering at her pad. there were eight of us this year. we started off the afternoon drinking wine and eating spinach dip [crack for the thirtysomething crowd]. i was quite tipsy before we even sat down to eat. it's a good thing i switched to water otherwise i probably would have been a mess. there was a ton of delicious food. everyone out did themselves with the dishes they prepared. i didn't want to stop eating but i had too or else i would have exploded. we ended the day by planting ourselves in front of the tv watching movies. what a perfect way to end a fabulous day with friends. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

until it happens to you

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

on thursday night, i met up with misty at hotel des arts to attend brazilianizing 2008, a closer look at art from brazilians living in sf. it was a fundraiser for quan yin healing arts center, which is apparently in danger of losing their funding from the county. seeing that i'm all for a good cause & good art these days, i figured i should check it out. there was a lot of amazing art work there. art aligned the walls on all 5 floors of the hotel. i saw a lot of pieces that i would have loved to bought but with the recent economy and living paycheck to paycheck i figured that wasn't the smartest idea.

one of my favorite pieces:


the hotel, itself, is definitely worth checking out. i do believe the have ongoing exhibits. a majority of the rooms have been painted by artists. not only the inside but the outside door as well. there were quite a few rooms vacant that night so they had them open for the guests to check out. it's great to know that hip trendy places like this exist. i just might stay the night there for the hell of it. i do think it might be haunted. the hallway lights kept going on and off. spooky. here are some rooms:







i actually got to play tour guide this week. as you may recall, my trip with the students to the zoo got canceled last week. this weeks destination was—city hall. exciting, huh! i know you are all jealous. i was slightly dreading it since i had no clue as to what to say about city hall except that i saw rosie o'donnell get married there. fortunately, the student coordinator created a scavenger hunt for the them so there was no need for me worry. well, until i found out she didn't create an answer sheet which meant i had to participate in the hunt as well. before i left her exact words were, "don't worry it'll be super easy". yeah, not so much. it took me forever to finish and i didn't even get them all correct. oopsies. there were about 15 students who went on the activity. i divided them into pairs and told them it was a race. they had an hour an half to complete the list of questions and hand them in to me. the race concept sort of fell flat. they all handed them in at the same time. go figure. overall, the scavenger hunt seemed to be a success. even though some of them didn't find all the answers they had a good time trying.

my new favorite quote of the week comes from top chef's fabio. for their quick fire challenge they had to make hot dogs. here's what he had to say, "i love hot dog. do i know how make hot dog? no. i make sausage." just where will i end up next is any one's else.

stay gold & be well…

jen nothing matters to me

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…



today i found myself stepping out of my political wallflower motif and heading downtown to take part in "join the impact: prop 8 protest". we couldn't have asked for better weather. it was 80 degrees which must have been a record for the middle of november in sf. i literally felt as if i was melting. reminded me of days spent in florida. the turnout was fantastic. so many people: young, old, gay, straight, men, women, people of all races,etc. it was a really get feeling seeing people come together and show their support. while at the rally, i ran into some peeps that i haven't seen for some time. that was cool. afterwards, we grabbed some lunch [standing in the sun makes you hungry] and then headed to the pilsner for a few beers. i must admit it was nice spending the day outside. i must remember to do more of that. just where will i end up next is any one's else.

stay gold & be well…

p.s. be sure to check out the photos. i found superman's home.

prop 8 protest pictures are here

earthworm

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i had to drive a mini-van this past weekend. enough said…
on a brighter note, i've started my christmas shopping. shopping is f.u.n!

stay gold & be well…

mississippi kite

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

we welcomed november with rain. i must admit i love rainy days, especially when you don't have to go anywhere. the rain always makes me think of the past. the most prominent memory i have is of the summer thunderstorms in florida. i used to love sitting on our back porch listening to it hit the roof. there's also the time when i was living in athens, ga, that my friend & i went outside to sit in the pouring rain. i still remember how refreshing it felt on such a hot summer's day. granted, i don't enjoy it as much if i have to be out running around but then again who does. there's just something about rain that i find so comforting. it is the best sleeping/being lazy weather afterall.

so, yesterday was halloween. this is the one time of year i miss living in new england. fall is beautiful there. it's just not the same in sf. on friday, we had a halloween party for our students. all week i was trying to encourage them to wear a costume which definitely proved to be a chore. most of them seemed to embarrassed at the thought of dressing up. i was actually surprised when most of my students in my morning class came in costume. the school held a costume contest as well as a pumpkin carving contest. the students appeared to be enjoying themselves. i left during the pumpkin carving, so i'm not sure how that turned out. the top three winners of the costume contest were: caesar, a mad scientist, & dracula.

my morning class

that night was d&j's halloween party. their house looked amazing! they definitely went all out. walking up the stairs into their apartment, it was completely covered in black plastic. to add to the spookiness, the theme from halloween played in the background. there were also themed rooms: the spider den, the classic kitchen, & the enchanted forest/graveyard. the cast of characters included: sarah palin [x3], a priest, ethel mermain in a swimsuit, some devils, a cracked out ronald mcdonald, etc. it was good times. i think i finally got home around 2 am. that's late for me. it definitely made up for not doing anything last year. hurray, for halloween parties.


unicorn from the future


the spider & emily strange


in my last post i mentioned "another" job. it seems i might have jumped the gun in mentioning it. since that post i've left that job. sometimes things simply don't work out. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

pics from school are here
pics from d&j's are here

stay gold & be well…

how to bring a blush to the snow

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i'm baaaack! took a wee bit of a break from writing. started a second job so haven't felt compelled to blog. ok, i can't blame it entirely on the job—i got lazy. surprise, surprise. in all honesty not much has been happening in my life since the last time. i've been keeping a low profile for no apparent reason. still looking for my mojo but won't bore you all with that same old story. anyway, here's a list of things i never blogged about: barak n roll, brunch with friends, drag saturday [where we got squirted by a vagina], the spider web song, decorating the haunted mansion, grease 2 songs on the corner, sweet sensations with shane, crazy lady singing a rape song on muni, the garage sale fundraiser, my "other" job, why i love cherry cider, etc. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

4 more days to halloween. do you have a costume yet?

fortune

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

"gosh, batman, this camel grass juice is great." — robin, batman series
when i was younger i didn't want to be batman for halloween, i wanted to be robin. so my mom did what any mom would do, who couldn't find a robin costume, and made me one. it was my all time favorite halloween costume. since then, i've always had a soft spot for the sidekicks: robin, aqualad, arsenal, etc. even the comics i read reflected my attraction to the lesser heroes with such favorites as nightwing, the outsiders, the titans, young justic, etc. years later, i'd once again don a robin costume this time making it myself. so it comes to no surprise that i got completely excited with the thought of a possible tv series based on dick grayson's early years. it seems that many out there see this as a bad idea, however, i'm keeping an open mind. it's about time the sidekicks have their day. check the story out here. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

wonders never cease

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

a caught a bug this week. something has been going around school so i guess it was inevitable. please don't hate for my late postings, i'm doing my best to stay on top of it all. now that all of that is out of the way, let's get down to business. last weekend i went to concord to hang with huegel & his family. it was nice to kick back poolside with an old high school friend. his boys are growing like weeds and asking a million questions as children often do. lachlin took to me immediately but it took his brother a good couple of hours before he'd even look at me.





on saturday, we had a mini picnic at the concord vietnam memorial. the weather was absolutely gorgeous. most of the time was spent chasing the yellow ball down the hill. back at the huegel ranch, it was pool time. scott, heather, & i chilled out in the backyard while the boys slept. we drank pina coladas. it was just like being on vacation. that night scott took me to "the wc" aka the creek, or simply downtown walnut creek. on our way to the bar we heard this gem of a conversation that summarize "dtwc": "hey, i know the gay bartender at chili's. we can get some free shots." and then while at some random redneck bar we heard yet another conversation about the gays. this one involved some guy who sells motorcycles and pretends to flirt with the men in order to sell stuff. the girl in their group then mentioned the eagle tavern and he replied by saying it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so gay. he went on to mention the trough in the bathroom with mirrors. sigh…



sunday after breakfast, we piled into the car and headed off for briones park to take a mini hike. it was a hot one. everything was so dry. it felt good to be out in nature. we picked a spot to rest that was surrounded by cow dung. apparently, cows roam these parts although i didn't see any. i decided to nickname the place poo poo mountain. scott & i invented a new game that day called poo poo golf. the boys loved it. just where will i end up next is any one's guess. oxox

stay gold & be well…

photos from the weekend can be view here

reveal

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

well, another month has passed us by which can only mean one thing: another photo theme has been completed. september's theme was music. it proved to be a bit harder than i expected. overall, there were some great shots in the bunch. check them out here. if you want to see the rest of my music photos that didn't make the cut go here. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

spaceman

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

be sure to check out the new and improved shot&scrawled site, the photography & writing of j.ethan. most of you have probably already read what was on there previously. it's still all there, just a new format. if you haven't, what's stopping you. the most recent addition to the site is korail monitors, my photo project of the subway monitors in korea. let me know your thoughts. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

a fine romance

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

i had myself a pretty uneventful weekend. most of it was spent catching up on some much needed sleep. i've been filling in for my boss this week which meant twice as much work and longer hours. it's great for the paycheck but i felt exhausted all week. one more week to go, then it's back to normal. hopefully, this coming week won't be as bad. i had to listen to several students complain about their teachers and classes. and of course, none of them liked the answers i gave them. oh well. i am the boss after all. hehe

i did manage to get out saturday night and attend jojo's heaven or hell birthday bash. you can always count on his parties have delicious food. the rest of my time was spent uploading photos from time in korea to flickr. i can happily say it's all done. YAY! tonight, i'm going to do nothing except veg-out in front of the tv watching the emmy's. yeah, i'm a geek that way. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

sailing song

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

on thursday, i took my toefl class out for a picnic in the park. we were celebrating their successful completion of the class. i don't envy anyone who has to take that class. as a teacher and a native speaker, i found it quite difficult to get through the material. mostly due to the boring subject matter of all the listening passages. it's all academic based. snore! trying to make the class interesting for the students was always a challenge. by the end of the semster, the class had dropped from ten students to three. so with the three that were left, i got pretty close with them. it was kind of sad to have to say goodbye to them. two of them, toi & sohee, i had taught in level 4 and were heading back to korea. the other student, daniel, is transferring to another school. it was nice to be able to get to know them a little better outside of class. i wish them all the best. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

brinx job

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

misty had a small gather at her house for dim sum & champagne on sunday to celebrate her birthday. i was so excited when sunday finally arrived. all week long, clement street did her best to tempt me with the many dumplings & other goodies that fill the storefront windows. however, i was strong and held my own knowing that on sunday i would be gorging on many of them. figuring we needed something sweet, i decided to make banana pudding which from here on out will be referred to as "nana puddin". i gained 15 pounds by just making it; afterall, it consisted of: cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix, whipped cream, & nilla waffers. let's just say i'm surprised i didn't bust into the nana puddin pre-party. if i do say so myself, it was quite freakin delicious. i ate three bowls and could have kept going. later on that night, i would find myself in a sugar coma. damn you nana puddin for being soooooo good. just where will i end up next is anyone's guess.

stay gold & be well…

for misty's birthday photos go here

dedicated to the one i love

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

within five months, i've been to the golden gate bridge twice now. yes, that's right, yours truly got roped into taking a new group of students on the ggb field trip last friday. to mix it up a bit, we stopped off at the palace of fine arts. this group only consisted of 4 students [2 japanese, 2 koreans]. it was much more manageable than the group of 26 i had the last time. the two koreans students [erin & tom] were very chatty, especially for new students. miki & seiko, who have been at our school for awhile were still very quiet. it's like pulling teeth getting those two to speak. needless to say, i was quite happy to have tom & erin in the group. i commended them both for their use of english. even amongst each other they spoke in english. before we even left, erin mentioned that she had heard good things about me and wanted me to be her teacher. how sweet. that made me feel good. it's nice to know some of the students think highly of me, sometimes it's so hard to tell with them. erin's a screaming. with every new experience she has, she yells out in excitement. she's quite dramatic. she yelled when she heard i lived in korea. again, when she found out i was a graphic designer. and once again, when she saw a duck. it was actually quite comical. you could tell that both erin & tom were taking in everything they saw with an awe of excitement. it was great seeing things through their eyes. i look forward to more field trips as long as the two of them are there. just where will i end up next is any one's guess. stay tuned for more.

stay gold & be well…

photos from palace of fine arts/golden gate bridge are here

show room dummies

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

august's photo theme is ready for your viewing pleasure.
2o yellow, 30 days



to see my photos which didn't make the cut go here

also, because i forgot be sure to check out july's theme if you haven't already
20 windows, 30 days

stay gold & be well…

don't push

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

road trip! who doesn't love a road trip, no matter where it takes you? just the notion of getting into a car and leaving the city behind is always good for the soul. that's what misty, dj-bagel, butter bean, and yours truly did on monday. our destination: pescadero, to get ourselves some half artichoke/half green chile soup & some pie at duarte's tavern. both butter bean & i had been there before but it was the first time for dj-bagel & misty. it couldn't have been a better day for a drive to the coast. the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was oh so right.

while we were waiting for a table, we strolled around town taking photos. dj-bagel discovered some piping hot [and i mean piping hot] artichoke & garlic bread at a nearby country store and didn't hesitate to purchase some. ok–hi, best bread ever! it was magically delicious. i could have eaten the entire loaf myself. it was good thing we had to head back to the restaurant, otherwise i would have. the soup as always was awesome. the rest of my meal not so much. i think in the future i'll stick to just soup & pie. i ended up getting a slice of blueberry pie to eat later at home. it was like a little slice of heaven. the only thing missing was a pile of ice cream. next time for sure.



after lunch, we ventured through town some more with our camera on the ready. besides coming here for lunch, we were testing out a new photo idea we had in mind. we found a nearby cemetery where we spent most of our time. i couldn't believe how alive i felt outside. the warm, dry heat penetrated right to my soul. perhaps i'm more of a florida boy than i care to imagine. on our way home, we stopped at an overpass to look out at the ocean. the view was magnificent. we also stumbled upon a straw maze and for a second were tempted to go inside but didn't.

saturday night misty & i grabbed some dinner at be my guest, a thai restaurant, in our hood. i had the most delicious chicken stew soup i've ever had. from there we headed to the rickshaw where dj-bagel was working it. we stayed for the first band then called it quits. there were so many youngsters out and about. its been forever since i went to a gig and now i know why. i'm getting too old. hehe

karen & me

my friend, karen, was in town from orlando with her mom. she managed to squeezed me into her busy sight-seeing schedule and we got to meet up for drinks on sunday. we ended up at bigfoot lodge on polk street. emily came in from the east bay to join us. i hadn't been there in years. apparently, it's become the new hipster spot in that area. we stayed for a few rounds then made our way to the cinch where the bartender asked me for my id. as if i really look that young. perhaps he was trying to get a little something-something from me. seriously though, it takes a lot more than that. our time with dear karen was far too short. it was so great to see her though. it was as if no time had passed. while we were kicking them back at the cinch, kiki & her gal came sauntering in. i was so excited to see them. of all the places to be, they just so happened to choose the same spot as us. it was my lucky night. they joined us and the rest of the evening was spent drinking & chatting. where will i show up next? or will i venture out again? your guess is as good as mine. stay tuned for me more.

stay gold & be well…

pescadero photos here

say aha

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

ya hala! on sunday i ventured out meeting up with some work peeps to attend ya hala: the 14th annual arab cultural festival. i had never been to an arab festival before so i figured what the hell i'm up for something new. the fact that it was being held at the county fair building in golden gate park which is close to my apartment was an added bonus. i had high hopes; however, i can't say that this was one of the better festivals that sf has to offer. besides being quite small [strike 1], they were charging a $6 admission fee [strike two]. i understand it was probably covering the cost to rent the space but there should never be an admission fee for a festival and if there is keep it to a dollar. spending anything more leads me to expect quite a bit. unfortunately, this was not the case since it was quite lacking with only a few booths. unless you were there to see the music/performances it was anything but stellar. there were only two food vendors [one of which only sold crepes] with the longest lines i've ever seen at a festival. i will say this about it, the falafel i had was pretty damn tasty. i was basically done with the festival 10 minutes after i arrived. since i didn't want to seem rude, i managed to hang out for a couple of hours hiding the anguish that was building up inside. until next time…

stay gold & be well…

devil in my car

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

it started out simple enough. a few photos from high school posted on facebook by a friend. that prompted me to bust out my old albums and upload the photos i had. which in turn lead to another friend to post some photos, then another, and another, and another, etc. now, with pandora's box having been opened there's no stopping, i've become a man obsessed with scanning the past. three albums down and a whole lot more to go. the trip down memory lane has been somewhat bittersweet, especially when seeing those faces of friends who have since passed on. with each page i turned, i am transported to the past: high school, boston, europe, etc. as i looked through album after album, i couldn't help but notice how happy everyone seemed, including myself. this made me reflect on life now and how mundane it feels. i'm beginning to wonder if i'm bored with life or simply just bored with sf. lately, i've become quite content to stay home. i don't feel the need to do anything or go anywhere. my motivation has left the building. where did my creative energy go? did i forget to pack it when i returned from korea? as much as i try to ignite it, it always seems to burn out. i keep looking for that spark, but have yet to find it. i'm not quite sure if revisiting the past was such a good idea. it has made me yearn for those days when life was so carefree. i can't help but wonder if i've hit that point in our lives when we start to question everything. wondering if the choices we made were the right ones. i can't help but to look at the faces of strangers around me and wonder if they are truly happy. or, are they simply going through the motion. appearance is a funny thing. we can make others see exactly what we want them to. i've always imagined that i'd been in a different space than where i am now. i'm not quite sure where i veered off the path, but i did. the trick now is to find the one that leads me back. i am now a boy in search of himself. until next time…

stay gold & be well…