deery lou.
previously on the e-list…
i knew it what it was TRUE! now the universe will be a much happier place. long live the unicorn!
stay gold & be well…
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
the masses are asses
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
my new favorite blog. if photos inspire you, check it out here.
a sample…
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
my new favorite blog. if photos inspire you, check it out here.
a sample…
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, June 08, 2008
heaven tonight
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
nature hates me! i first realized this back in april 2004 when i was attack by a cactus. literally a cactus ball came out of nowhere and embedded itself into my leg. my leg swelled and i had a giant bruise. while out in golden gate park today i got attacked by nature again. this time it was by some unforeseen flying creature. i did hear it buzzing about right before it stung my face. i suspected it was a bee but perhaps it was a wasp. who knows. thankfully i had an iced coffee with me to apply to the fresh wound. it hurt. the flying creatures came out of nowhere. most likely they were hiding out in the tree we brushed by. this is what happens when i try to be one with nature. it spits back in my face. on a side note: i ran into one of my students in the park. she was glad to see me because she needed directions. hehe. got to love them.
i've decided that i will never shop at the radioshack on clement street. i stopped by there on saturday to ask some questions about hooking up all my electronics. the clerk kept insisting that i needed to buy all these extra adapters to make it work. i was quite skeptical and left not buying anything. i headed to the other radioshack on geary. they were a lot more helpful and didn't once try to "push" the extra adapters on me. all i really need were the right cables.
with cables ready i began to tackle the electronic project: connecting converter box, vcr/dvd, tv, and receiver. i didn't have much luck on friday so i was hoping i'd be more successful this time. i went piece by piece. two hours later i found success. my electronics were all playing nicely together. although for some reason i can't turn the tv on with the remote. but at least every thing is coming out in stereo. YAY!!!
the e-boat went to berkeley on friday. there were twelve students. pretty manageable, at least i thought so. the uc berkeley campus is pretty grand. i had to tell one group of students to pay attention cuz they kept lagging behind. two girls ended up getting separated from us. of course they were the same two i had spoken to earlier. to make matters worse neither one had a cell phone. this meant that i had to traipse across campus to find them. eventually i found them going in the opposite direction in which they were supposed to be going. the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. i was joking with one of the students about a particular building being very famous. he told the others and everyone started to take pictures of it. the biggest highlight for them was seeing a squirrel and two girls in graduation attire. its the little things in life.
here's to another week.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
nature hates me! i first realized this back in april 2004 when i was attack by a cactus. literally a cactus ball came out of nowhere and embedded itself into my leg. my leg swelled and i had a giant bruise. while out in golden gate park today i got attacked by nature again. this time it was by some unforeseen flying creature. i did hear it buzzing about right before it stung my face. i suspected it was a bee but perhaps it was a wasp. who knows. thankfully i had an iced coffee with me to apply to the fresh wound. it hurt. the flying creatures came out of nowhere. most likely they were hiding out in the tree we brushed by. this is what happens when i try to be one with nature. it spits back in my face. on a side note: i ran into one of my students in the park. she was glad to see me because she needed directions. hehe. got to love them.
i've decided that i will never shop at the radioshack on clement street. i stopped by there on saturday to ask some questions about hooking up all my electronics. the clerk kept insisting that i needed to buy all these extra adapters to make it work. i was quite skeptical and left not buying anything. i headed to the other radioshack on geary. they were a lot more helpful and didn't once try to "push" the extra adapters on me. all i really need were the right cables.
with cables ready i began to tackle the electronic project: connecting converter box, vcr/dvd, tv, and receiver. i didn't have much luck on friday so i was hoping i'd be more successful this time. i went piece by piece. two hours later i found success. my electronics were all playing nicely together. although for some reason i can't turn the tv on with the remote. but at least every thing is coming out in stereo. YAY!!!
the e-boat went to berkeley on friday. there were twelve students. pretty manageable, at least i thought so. the uc berkeley campus is pretty grand. i had to tell one group of students to pay attention cuz they kept lagging behind. two girls ended up getting separated from us. of course they were the same two i had spoken to earlier. to make matters worse neither one had a cell phone. this meant that i had to traipse across campus to find them. eventually i found them going in the opposite direction in which they were supposed to be going. the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. i was joking with one of the students about a particular building being very famous. he told the others and everyone started to take pictures of it. the biggest highlight for them was seeing a squirrel and two girls in graduation attire. its the little things in life.
here's to another week.
stay gold & be well…
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
way beyond
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
may's photo theme is now up.
check it out: 20 red, 30 days
if you're curious to see my extra photos that didn't make the cut to the group go here.
remember if you'd like to join the group send me an email to let me know.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
may's photo theme is now up.
check it out: 20 red, 30 days
if you're curious to see my extra photos that didn't make the cut to the group go here.
remember if you'd like to join the group send me an email to let me know.
stay gold & be well…
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
coming around again
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
the butcher, the baker, & the candlestick maker—if only life really was like a nursery rhyme? early last week i busted some man trying to lift my wallet on the bus. i literally watched him unzip my bag and slowly try to remove it from the front pocket. the conversation went down like this:
me: seriously, dude. are you really trying to steal my wallet.
him: ah, sorry. i'm sick.
me: seriously. i think you can come up with something better than that.
he mumbled something else, told me i was a good man, and got off at the next stop.
thursday night we gathered at d&j's pad to watch the season finale of lost. sooo good. and i'm not talking about the wine and humus, hehe. some old questions were answered while new ones arose. although i have some issues with the finale, i do like the direction they're taking the show. can't wait to see what happens next fall.
on friday e-tours went to the haight. it started out good but somehow i managed to lose two students. they eventually called me. the conversation went like this:
me: hello
miki: it's miki
me: where are you?
miki: bus stop
me: which bus stop, there are many in the haight.
miki: [silence]
me: haight and what? tell me the name of the other street.
miki: i don't know.
me: is arisa with you?
miki: a friend.
me: what's your friends name?
miki: arisa
me: don't move we'll find you.
i passed my phone to one of the japanese students so we could find out exactly where they were. they had walked back to haight/central where we started our journey. i found them sitting on the stairs that lead up to the park. all was good. once i made sure all the students knew how to get home, i met up with misty at the 540 club for a much needed cocktail.
saturday was r.e.m. at the greek theatre in berkeley. misty had gotten me tickets for my birthday. yay! john, d, & kate also went. modest mouse was one of the opening acts. i was looking forward to seeing them again, especially now that johnny marr is playing with them. the venue was outside. as it got later it also got colder. we were in the lawn section but had a pretty good view. r.e.m. had a video show going on behind them which made it all the more interesting. i must say they still sound pretty good. on our way home we stopped at the original diner for some much need food. i chowed down on 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pancakes, and hash browns. hi, mr. piggy. oink. oink.
misty and i went for coffee on sunday. afterwards i headed to the grocery store. i stocked up on veggies and other healthy edibles. i actually managed not to buy any cookies or ice cream. i'm trying to lose a much needed 10 pounds. wish me luck. later that night i met up with and old flame. we hadn't seen each other for 7 years. it was great to catch up with him. the down side was that i drank way too much wine and paid for it on monday.
which brings me to monday night–misty, butterbean, hez, & i went to see sex and the city. i've never seen so many women at the movies before. i had a love/hate relationship with sex and the city. when it first came on i couldn't stand the show or sjp. it took living in korea for me to establish my new found love for both the show and sjp. i enjoyed the flick. it was definitely entertaining. then again, if you like the show there's no reason not to like the movie.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
the butcher, the baker, & the candlestick maker—if only life really was like a nursery rhyme? early last week i busted some man trying to lift my wallet on the bus. i literally watched him unzip my bag and slowly try to remove it from the front pocket. the conversation went down like this:
me: seriously, dude. are you really trying to steal my wallet.
him: ah, sorry. i'm sick.
me: seriously. i think you can come up with something better than that.
he mumbled something else, told me i was a good man, and got off at the next stop.
thursday night we gathered at d&j's pad to watch the season finale of lost. sooo good. and i'm not talking about the wine and humus, hehe. some old questions were answered while new ones arose. although i have some issues with the finale, i do like the direction they're taking the show. can't wait to see what happens next fall.
on friday e-tours went to the haight. it started out good but somehow i managed to lose two students. they eventually called me. the conversation went like this:
me: hello
miki: it's miki
me: where are you?
miki: bus stop
me: which bus stop, there are many in the haight.
miki: [silence]
me: haight and what? tell me the name of the other street.
miki: i don't know.
me: is arisa with you?
miki: a friend.
me: what's your friends name?
miki: arisa
me: don't move we'll find you.
i passed my phone to one of the japanese students so we could find out exactly where they were. they had walked back to haight/central where we started our journey. i found them sitting on the stairs that lead up to the park. all was good. once i made sure all the students knew how to get home, i met up with misty at the 540 club for a much needed cocktail.
saturday was r.e.m. at the greek theatre in berkeley. misty had gotten me tickets for my birthday. yay! john, d, & kate also went. modest mouse was one of the opening acts. i was looking forward to seeing them again, especially now that johnny marr is playing with them. the venue was outside. as it got later it also got colder. we were in the lawn section but had a pretty good view. r.e.m. had a video show going on behind them which made it all the more interesting. i must say they still sound pretty good. on our way home we stopped at the original diner for some much need food. i chowed down on 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pancakes, and hash browns. hi, mr. piggy. oink. oink.
misty and i went for coffee on sunday. afterwards i headed to the grocery store. i stocked up on veggies and other healthy edibles. i actually managed not to buy any cookies or ice cream. i'm trying to lose a much needed 10 pounds. wish me luck. later that night i met up with and old flame. we hadn't seen each other for 7 years. it was great to catch up with him. the down side was that i drank way too much wine and paid for it on monday.
which brings me to monday night–misty, butterbean, hez, & i went to see sex and the city. i've never seen so many women at the movies before. i had a love/hate relationship with sex and the city. when it first came on i couldn't stand the show or sjp. it took living in korea for me to establish my new found love for both the show and sjp. i enjoyed the flick. it was definitely entertaining. then again, if you like the show there's no reason not to like the movie.
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, May 25, 2008
내인생의 반의반
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
win, lose, or draw—sometimes life is like a game show. well, the results from the minted challenge are in; sadly, i lost. i didn't even place in the top ten. the votes for my design averaged at 2.86 which wasn't too bad considering the number 10 design scored 3.03. by looking at the top ten, it's clear that my style doesn't quite reflect what the minted customer is looking for. and what might that be? according to those that won, nothing really fresh or creative. not to be catty but a majority of the winners look like products already on minted. that's the things about design, it's all subjective. losing the challenge didn't really bum me out. sure it would have been great to have won, but i mainly did it to see if i still had it in me. what did bum me out slightly was a comment left by marni, "I've received similar calendar save the dates in the mail about 4-5 times a year. feels a little tired..." i'm all for constructive criticism but pettiness is another matter. just goes to show you can't please everyone. the winners are here.
yesterday, we were suppose to go to angel island for d's birthday. due to the rainy weather it was canceled so the festivities were held at his apartment instead. it was good gathering of peeps. to keep in the spirit of angel island i brought over my charlie's angels dolls and some dvds. the angels were proudly displayed. we never got to view the dvds. the afternoon was spent drinking and eating. around 4:30 we headed to truck for a chili cook off. i was pretty much full from all the eating at d's so only only took one spoonful of each chili. both one and two were pretty decent. number three i could barely swallow. words can't even describe how bad it was. just thinking of it now makes me want to puke.
from truck we ventured off to the pilsner. on our way there we had a box of tomato puree or something thrown at us. we narrowly escaped. the sidewalk wasn't so fortunate. we finished off the evening at the 440. the walk up the hill to d&j's house felt brutal especially after having spent most of the day drinking. we chowed on some leftovers before turning it. i spent the night on their couch where i dreamed the night away.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
win, lose, or draw—sometimes life is like a game show. well, the results from the minted challenge are in; sadly, i lost. i didn't even place in the top ten. the votes for my design averaged at 2.86 which wasn't too bad considering the number 10 design scored 3.03. by looking at the top ten, it's clear that my style doesn't quite reflect what the minted customer is looking for. and what might that be? according to those that won, nothing really fresh or creative. not to be catty but a majority of the winners look like products already on minted. that's the things about design, it's all subjective. losing the challenge didn't really bum me out. sure it would have been great to have won, but i mainly did it to see if i still had it in me. what did bum me out slightly was a comment left by marni, "I've received similar calendar save the dates in the mail about 4-5 times a year. feels a little tired..." i'm all for constructive criticism but pettiness is another matter. just goes to show you can't please everyone. the winners are here.
yesterday, we were suppose to go to angel island for d's birthday. due to the rainy weather it was canceled so the festivities were held at his apartment instead. it was good gathering of peeps. to keep in the spirit of angel island i brought over my charlie's angels dolls and some dvds. the angels were proudly displayed. we never got to view the dvds. the afternoon was spent drinking and eating. around 4:30 we headed to truck for a chili cook off. i was pretty much full from all the eating at d's so only only took one spoonful of each chili. both one and two were pretty decent. number three i could barely swallow. words can't even describe how bad it was. just thinking of it now makes me want to puke.
from truck we ventured off to the pilsner. on our way there we had a box of tomato puree or something thrown at us. we narrowly escaped. the sidewalk wasn't so fortunate. we finished off the evening at the 440. the walk up the hill to d&j's house felt brutal especially after having spent most of the day drinking. we chowed on some leftovers before turning it. i spent the night on their couch where i dreamed the night away.
stay gold & be well…
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
storm
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
magic tricks, fortune tellers, & jazz fusion—life is but a carnival. my week started off with a very unexpected visit from bc. she had a 24 hour layover in sf. sucks for her, great for me. we met for coffee during my lunch break then again after work. lucky me. we ventured back to my hood and dined on korean cuisine. just like old times. i miss her, although not those red tights she bought. hehe.
the week came to end with toi, one of my students, demonstrating a magic trick he knew. he thought he was going to get out of it but i happened to have a deck of cards in my bag so there was no backing out. hehe. he was a little nervous having to do his card trick in english but he pulled if off flawlessly. the class was pretty impressed. i think they expected him to fall flat on his face. toi is definitely an interesting character. last week he was asking where he could find a wig. he was planning on shaving his head and wearing wigs. i advised him that i didn't think it was such a good idea.
once again i played the role of julie mccoy, and lead a group of four girls to fisherman's wharf. pier 39 is the one place in sf that i dread most. thankfully, it wasn't that crowded on friday. it was actually a gorgeous day to be out walking. the girls couldn't get enough of the sea lions. after twenty minutes i told them it was time to move on. i had completely forgotten that they moved the musee mecanique to pier 45 and was pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon it. i love this place. the old time games/videos are awesome. the girls seemed to really it. before venturing on with our walking tour, they convinced me to crowd into a photo booth for a group shot. our tour ended at a pub near the cannery.
on saturday, kiki stopped by to give me a chair. yay! i know have something to sit on. we headed off to the neighborhood dollar store. on our way, i was stopped by a nosy elderly couple who wanted to know what was happening down the street. they preceded to tell me all about the school carnival they went to. i didn't think i was ever going to escape them. later that night a group of us went to see son of rambow. there wasn't anything particular great about the film, but it definitely had its moments. i think the french kid was by far my favorite. the 80s soundtrack was right on. after the film we went to yoshi's for some very pricey but tasty drinks. they had a group playing that night that we could see on the tv screens but couldn't hear. they were dressed in traditional japanesse attire and playing traditional instruments. i was quite intrigued with what i saw that i asked someone who worked there who they were. when i got home i surfed the net for some tunes by the yoshida brothers. definitely liked what i heard. spent the rest of my weekend relaxing and reading journals. good times. good times.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
magic tricks, fortune tellers, & jazz fusion—life is but a carnival. my week started off with a very unexpected visit from bc. she had a 24 hour layover in sf. sucks for her, great for me. we met for coffee during my lunch break then again after work. lucky me. we ventured back to my hood and dined on korean cuisine. just like old times. i miss her, although not those red tights she bought. hehe.
the week came to end with toi, one of my students, demonstrating a magic trick he knew. he thought he was going to get out of it but i happened to have a deck of cards in my bag so there was no backing out. hehe. he was a little nervous having to do his card trick in english but he pulled if off flawlessly. the class was pretty impressed. i think they expected him to fall flat on his face. toi is definitely an interesting character. last week he was asking where he could find a wig. he was planning on shaving his head and wearing wigs. i advised him that i didn't think it was such a good idea.
once again i played the role of julie mccoy, and lead a group of four girls to fisherman's wharf. pier 39 is the one place in sf that i dread most. thankfully, it wasn't that crowded on friday. it was actually a gorgeous day to be out walking. the girls couldn't get enough of the sea lions. after twenty minutes i told them it was time to move on. i had completely forgotten that they moved the musee mecanique to pier 45 and was pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon it. i love this place. the old time games/videos are awesome. the girls seemed to really it. before venturing on with our walking tour, they convinced me to crowd into a photo booth for a group shot. our tour ended at a pub near the cannery.
on saturday, kiki stopped by to give me a chair. yay! i know have something to sit on. we headed off to the neighborhood dollar store. on our way, i was stopped by a nosy elderly couple who wanted to know what was happening down the street. they preceded to tell me all about the school carnival they went to. i didn't think i was ever going to escape them. later that night a group of us went to see son of rambow. there wasn't anything particular great about the film, but it definitely had its moments. i think the french kid was by far my favorite. the 80s soundtrack was right on. after the film we went to yoshi's for some very pricey but tasty drinks. they had a group playing that night that we could see on the tv screens but couldn't hear. they were dressed in traditional japanesse attire and playing traditional instruments. i was quite intrigued with what i saw that i asked someone who worked there who they were. when i got home i surfed the net for some tunes by the yoshida brothers. definitely liked what i heard. spent the rest of my weekend relaxing and reading journals. good times. good times.
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, May 11, 2008
come down to me
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
churches, murals, & burritos—it was a tour of the mission like no other. on friday, i once again had the privilege of taking the students out for their activity. this week's planned event was a walking tour of the mission. i had worked in the mission district for 5 years and am ashamed to say that this was my first journey to balmy alley to look at the murals. what i saw was quite impressive. if you're in sf and haven't been to check them out you need to go. it's great to know that we have places like this in the city. along balmy alley i stumbled upon poloppo inc. they created a line of children's wear based on artwork from children around the world. all of the children receive royalties on products sold with their artwork. check it out poloppo.com.
from balmy alley we made our way back to valencia and walked towards 18th street. i pointed out a few artsy-fartsy stores along the way. i was going to stop in a few of them but with such a large group i didn't think that would be wise. two of the girl were extremely interested in every dog they passed. it was a total photo op for them. i kept have to tell them to move along. before heading to dolores park we stopped at the women's building. i took them of them to a nearby taqueria which proved quite interesting. when they were asked what kind of beans they wanted they just stared off into space. i had to decide for them. from the park we ventured to the dolores mission church. by this time most of them were tired and didn't want to go inside. i walked them to the bart and we said our goodbyes. i was exhausted.
saturday i spent in my hood. grabbed some dinner with a friend at china first. we had an order of salt and peppered pork chops, so freakin good, and a few other dishes that were all right. the rest of the evening was spent planted in front of the tv. i ran some errands on sunday. later that evening misty and i met up with john and derek at martuni's to catch some drag queens singing piano bar songs. it was definitely entertaining. had myself a couple of martinis: blueberry lemon drop & a watermelon one. i so wanted the watermelon to taste like a jolly rancher but it didn't. oh well...
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
churches, murals, & burritos—it was a tour of the mission like no other. on friday, i once again had the privilege of taking the students out for their activity. this week's planned event was a walking tour of the mission. i had worked in the mission district for 5 years and am ashamed to say that this was my first journey to balmy alley to look at the murals. what i saw was quite impressive. if you're in sf and haven't been to check them out you need to go. it's great to know that we have places like this in the city. along balmy alley i stumbled upon poloppo inc. they created a line of children's wear based on artwork from children around the world. all of the children receive royalties on products sold with their artwork. check it out poloppo.com.
from balmy alley we made our way back to valencia and walked towards 18th street. i pointed out a few artsy-fartsy stores along the way. i was going to stop in a few of them but with such a large group i didn't think that would be wise. two of the girl were extremely interested in every dog they passed. it was a total photo op for them. i kept have to tell them to move along. before heading to dolores park we stopped at the women's building. i took them of them to a nearby taqueria which proved quite interesting. when they were asked what kind of beans they wanted they just stared off into space. i had to decide for them. from the park we ventured to the dolores mission church. by this time most of them were tired and didn't want to go inside. i walked them to the bart and we said our goodbyes. i was exhausted.
saturday i spent in my hood. grabbed some dinner with a friend at china first. we had an order of salt and peppered pork chops, so freakin good, and a few other dishes that were all right. the rest of the evening was spent planted in front of the tv. i ran some errands on sunday. later that evening misty and i met up with john and derek at martuni's to catch some drag queens singing piano bar songs. it was definitely entertaining. had myself a couple of martinis: blueberry lemon drop & a watermelon one. i so wanted the watermelon to taste like a jolly rancher but it didn't. oh well...
stay gold & be well…
Thursday, May 08, 2008
or
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
a couple of months ago i was chatting with a friend and we were both complaining about how unmotivated we felt. this prompted me to do something about it, so i created a new photo project called 20 [something], 30 days. basically, what it comes down to is this: each month we have a new theme and 30 days to take 20 pictures. check out the links below to see the projects from march and april. also, if you have a flickr account and want to join the group send me an email. the more the merrier.
photo projects:
march - 20 doors, 30 days
april - 20 circles, 30 days
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
a couple of months ago i was chatting with a friend and we were both complaining about how unmotivated we felt. this prompted me to do something about it, so i created a new photo project called 20 [something], 30 days. basically, what it comes down to is this: each month we have a new theme and 30 days to take 20 pictures. check out the links below to see the projects from march and april. also, if you have a flickr account and want to join the group send me an email. the more the merrier.
photo projects:
march - 20 doors, 30 days
april - 20 circles, 30 days
stay gold & be well…
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
ultraviolet
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
vote, design, & win—it's a contest thing! i've entered a design contest over at minted.com. for those of you reading my post, if you feel like helping a guy out go here and vote. voting is based on a 1 to 5 scale. feel free to leave a comment, too. voting ends may 15. thanks in advance.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
vote, design, & win—it's a contest thing! i've entered a design contest over at minted.com. for those of you reading my post, if you feel like helping a guy out go here and vote. voting is based on a 1 to 5 scale. feel free to leave a comment, too. voting ends may 15. thanks in advance.
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, May 04, 2008
bowels of the beast
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
viagra, plastic surgery, & porn—just some of the subjects my students brought up in class. as many of you know by now, i have returned to the land of the working. while i continue my search for that "perfect" design job, i've secured a part-time gig teaching esl. it's not quite the same as when i taught in korea, but i'm enjoying it. gone are the days of nose pickers and art projects. most of the students are in their early twenties and are either college students or young professionals. it's quite a different experience to actually be able to elicit conversations from them. these guys love to ask questions. oddly enough the majority of my students hail from korea. japanese, thai, and one swiss girl make up the rest. it's great to see so many students coming to the u.s. to study the language. personally, i feel its the best way to learn since they are immersed into the culture. plus i'm able to give them advice as to where to go.
i've only been there two weeks and i'm already getting attached to them. i've gotten so use to teaching younger students that i often have to tell myself that they are adults. especially when they start talking about strip bars, porn, & viagra. topics like that never came up during my days at ils. what worries me most is their naivety. many of them act as if they are in their own country. i try to advise them that they should be conscious of their surroundings. you hope that they won't get taken advantage of while being here. unfortunately, that's not always the case. last week one of the students was mugged. they actually threatened to kill him. if that had been me, i would have been on the next plane out of here. not this student, he decided to stick it out. then there's a girl in my class who wrote that her host mother only fed her bread. what the fuck! i actually had to read the entry twice to make sure i was reading it correctly. she was smart enough to leave her host mother and found a new place to live. of course not every one's experiences are bad. for the most part they all seem to be enjoying their time in the city.
last friday i took a group of them to the golden gate bridge. what i thought was only 15 students going turned out to be 26. half of them i knew since they were in my class. the other half were fresh faces. it got to the point where i had to ask if they were from our school. hehe from downtown we had to take two buses to get to the bridge. trying to get 26 students onto a bus turned out to be a nightmare. i literally watched as one bus took off with ten students who had no idea where they were going. my first instinct was to chase it down but i couldn't leave the others behind. i could hope that someone had one of their cell numbers. on the second bus i could only get a handful of students on. i told them exactly where to get off and to wait for us there. i also made sure the bus driver knew to tell them when to get off. i managed to get on the third bus with the rest of the students. i was still pretty freaked out about how i was going to contact the first group of students. no one seemed to have anyone's number. before entering the stockton tunnel, the students from the first bus were waiting at the bus stop. they had been smart enough to get off and look for us. lucky for me, i didn't have to make that call to school saying i lost some students.
i was pretty excited about going to the bridge. sure, i've crossed it several time via car but i've never actually walked it. when i told them that they were pretty surprised. they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. they basically took pictures of anything and everything. we had a mini photo shoot at the half way mark. it got to the point where i was getting tired of smiling. we all know how much i like to do that. we didn't walk the whole bridge. it was far too cold and windy. before heading back i gave them some time to explore the park area and take yet more pictures. the next time i have to do an outing i'm going prep them beforehand with vital information. that way if we get separated at least they'll have some idea of where they are going.
pics from the field trip are here
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
viagra, plastic surgery, & porn—just some of the subjects my students brought up in class. as many of you know by now, i have returned to the land of the working. while i continue my search for that "perfect" design job, i've secured a part-time gig teaching esl. it's not quite the same as when i taught in korea, but i'm enjoying it. gone are the days of nose pickers and art projects. most of the students are in their early twenties and are either college students or young professionals. it's quite a different experience to actually be able to elicit conversations from them. these guys love to ask questions. oddly enough the majority of my students hail from korea. japanese, thai, and one swiss girl make up the rest. it's great to see so many students coming to the u.s. to study the language. personally, i feel its the best way to learn since they are immersed into the culture. plus i'm able to give them advice as to where to go.
i've only been there two weeks and i'm already getting attached to them. i've gotten so use to teaching younger students that i often have to tell myself that they are adults. especially when they start talking about strip bars, porn, & viagra. topics like that never came up during my days at ils. what worries me most is their naivety. many of them act as if they are in their own country. i try to advise them that they should be conscious of their surroundings. you hope that they won't get taken advantage of while being here. unfortunately, that's not always the case. last week one of the students was mugged. they actually threatened to kill him. if that had been me, i would have been on the next plane out of here. not this student, he decided to stick it out. then there's a girl in my class who wrote that her host mother only fed her bread. what the fuck! i actually had to read the entry twice to make sure i was reading it correctly. she was smart enough to leave her host mother and found a new place to live. of course not every one's experiences are bad. for the most part they all seem to be enjoying their time in the city.
last friday i took a group of them to the golden gate bridge. what i thought was only 15 students going turned out to be 26. half of them i knew since they were in my class. the other half were fresh faces. it got to the point where i had to ask if they were from our school. hehe from downtown we had to take two buses to get to the bridge. trying to get 26 students onto a bus turned out to be a nightmare. i literally watched as one bus took off with ten students who had no idea where they were going. my first instinct was to chase it down but i couldn't leave the others behind. i could hope that someone had one of their cell numbers. on the second bus i could only get a handful of students on. i told them exactly where to get off and to wait for us there. i also made sure the bus driver knew to tell them when to get off. i managed to get on the third bus with the rest of the students. i was still pretty freaked out about how i was going to contact the first group of students. no one seemed to have anyone's number. before entering the stockton tunnel, the students from the first bus were waiting at the bus stop. they had been smart enough to get off and look for us. lucky for me, i didn't have to make that call to school saying i lost some students.
i was pretty excited about going to the bridge. sure, i've crossed it several time via car but i've never actually walked it. when i told them that they were pretty surprised. they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. they basically took pictures of anything and everything. we had a mini photo shoot at the half way mark. it got to the point where i was getting tired of smiling. we all know how much i like to do that. we didn't walk the whole bridge. it was far too cold and windy. before heading back i gave them some time to explore the park area and take yet more pictures. the next time i have to do an outing i'm going prep them beforehand with vital information. that way if we get separated at least they'll have some idea of where they are going.
pics from the field trip are here
stay gold & be well…
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
the past presents the future
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
oysters, beer, & friends—could a picnic by the bay be any better? last week i found myself connecting with old friends as well as meeting some new ones. i lunched with rg, an old colleague from j.a.b., on friday at truck. by day it's a hot lunch spot, by night a hot new queer bar that popped up since i was gone. we played catch up while eating pulled bbq chicken and drinking beers. i was pleasantly surprised with the food and definitely plan to catch it out one night. after lunch rg took me to some of her favorite shopping/inspiration spots on valencia. our first stop was little otsu, which is filled with all kinds of handmade artsy goodness. it reminded me a lot of the high end stationary stores in korea. sigh. the other shop, who's name escapes me, is just two shops down from little otsu. it too, is filled with artsy goodness. they also have a mini gallery in the store, which seems to be a new trend here.
for fear of blowing away, i spent most of saturday indoors. it was super windy and cold outside. aside from my weekly jaunt in the park, i did manage to meet kiki & her special lady friend for coffee. thankfully by sunday the wind and chill factor had died down significantly. it was good thing, too seeing that we were heading to tomales bay for hezcatt's b-day gathering at hog 's birthday. she was hostingisland oyster co.
the drive to tomales was long and winding. much to my surprise butterbean was driving like a bat out of hell. i was doing fine until the last 10 minutes when i started to feel light headed and nauseous. somehow i managed to contain it. in an attempt to avoid a flying bird, butterbean hit the brakes which caused me to see myself crashing through her windshield. i have since coined a new catch phrase for butterbean—"i brake for birds".
the picnic by the bay was a blast. although a little breezy, the weather was gorgeous. we ate oysters, olives, & cupcakes. wine, champagne, & beer were in major consumption. we were all happy campers, or should i say picnickers. a strange spanish man sat on my lap. dogs were running around. the view was breath taking. one could not of asked for a better sunday.
we left around 5pm to head back to the city. we arrived in sf 3 hours later. basically, we got lost in a big way. which became apparent when we were surrounded by water on both sides of us. not so good. our travel took us to a lighthouse, yet we never actually saw the lighthouse. we witnessed a cow crossing the street, and deer frolicking along the roadside. luckily we spotted a ranger, who i ended up asking for directions. i couldn't figure at why he was looking at me so strangely until i realized i was wearing platforms. he gave us a map and set us up with an escort for part of our duration back. the whole thing was quite comical. there was a brief moment i thought we'd be sleeping out there. at least we all had a positive attitude about being lost. i was never so happy to see my apartment.
stay gold & be well…
pics here
previously on the e-list…
oysters, beer, & friends—could a picnic by the bay be any better? last week i found myself connecting with old friends as well as meeting some new ones. i lunched with rg, an old colleague from j.a.b., on friday at truck. by day it's a hot lunch spot, by night a hot new queer bar that popped up since i was gone. we played catch up while eating pulled bbq chicken and drinking beers. i was pleasantly surprised with the food and definitely plan to catch it out one night. after lunch rg took me to some of her favorite shopping/inspiration spots on valencia. our first stop was little otsu, which is filled with all kinds of handmade artsy goodness. it reminded me a lot of the high end stationary stores in korea. sigh. the other shop, who's name escapes me, is just two shops down from little otsu. it too, is filled with artsy goodness. they also have a mini gallery in the store, which seems to be a new trend here.
for fear of blowing away, i spent most of saturday indoors. it was super windy and cold outside. aside from my weekly jaunt in the park, i did manage to meet kiki & her special lady friend for coffee. thankfully by sunday the wind and chill factor had died down significantly. it was good thing, too seeing that we were heading to tomales bay for hezcatt's b-day gathering at hog 's birthday. she was hostingisland oyster co.
the drive to tomales was long and winding. much to my surprise butterbean was driving like a bat out of hell. i was doing fine until the last 10 minutes when i started to feel light headed and nauseous. somehow i managed to contain it. in an attempt to avoid a flying bird, butterbean hit the brakes which caused me to see myself crashing through her windshield. i have since coined a new catch phrase for butterbean—"i brake for birds".
the picnic by the bay was a blast. although a little breezy, the weather was gorgeous. we ate oysters, olives, & cupcakes. wine, champagne, & beer were in major consumption. we were all happy campers, or should i say picnickers. a strange spanish man sat on my lap. dogs were running around. the view was breath taking. one could not of asked for a better sunday.
we left around 5pm to head back to the city. we arrived in sf 3 hours later. basically, we got lost in a big way. which became apparent when we were surrounded by water on both sides of us. not so good. our travel took us to a lighthouse, yet we never actually saw the lighthouse. we witnessed a cow crossing the street, and deer frolicking along the roadside. luckily we spotted a ranger, who i ended up asking for directions. i couldn't figure at why he was looking at me so strangely until i realized i was wearing platforms. he gave us a map and set us up with an escort for part of our duration back. the whole thing was quite comical. there was a brief moment i thought we'd be sleeping out there. at least we all had a positive attitude about being lost. i was never so happy to see my apartment.
stay gold & be well…
pics here
Saturday, April 12, 2008
gone
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
baek seju, twice cooked pork, & dim sum—what a way to spend my birthday. from dinner with friends to a picnic in the park, i couldn't have asked for a better birthday. a big thanks to all of you who sent messages, cards, special treats, & came out to the park, you guys rock. the festivities started thursday night when the boyz took me to panda country kitchen for dinner. yum! now i know why they come by the bus load. then on friday, butter bean took me to muguboka for some mighty tasty korean food & baek seju. so much food. so little room in my belly for it all. and finally on saturday we had a very international picnic in golden gate park. the weather was absolutely perfect. never before have i heard so many people bitch about how hot it was. hehe
the biggest surprise had to be the "i luv uncle e" t-shirts that heather had made for the twins. so adorable. i tried to capture it on film. the twins, however, do not like to sit still. this was the best i could do:
comic, oh, and let me just say that d's taco salad kicks some major ass. he's going to have to bring that to every function from now on. that's how good it was. two friends who i haven't seen in forever showed up at the park. i love when that happens. i got a ton of goodies from my friends: a buffyspiderman tee, r.e.m. tickets, coffee maker, journal, good vs. evil unicorns, money, bunny in a cage, etc. but the best gift was from my nieces & nephew who sent me a painting. how precious is that.
the international picnic ended around late afternoon. on my way home i got a call from kiki who was in the hood with her special lady. they stopped by on their way home. i love the unexpected visit from friends. i got to show off my new pad and we chilled and chatted until they had to continue on their way. what a great way to end a perfect day.
there were more birthday shenanigans on sunday. this time it was to help celebrate kiki's big day. she's all grown up now. sniff. sniff. we spent the afternoon drinking and baking in the sun on the patio of zeitgeist. how lucky to have two gorgeous days in a row. i'm truly amazed that i didn't completely fry. thank you sunblock! you are a life saver. before calling it a night we all headed to the mint for kiki's big karaoke number. she sang "china girl" and boy did she rock it. by the time i got home i was completely spent. four days of events is a lot. especially for this boy who so seldom ventures out. to all you aries out there: happy birthday!
stay gold & be well…
park photos are here
previously on the e-list…
baek seju, twice cooked pork, & dim sum—what a way to spend my birthday. from dinner with friends to a picnic in the park, i couldn't have asked for a better birthday. a big thanks to all of you who sent messages, cards, special treats, & came out to the park, you guys rock. the festivities started thursday night when the boyz took me to panda country kitchen for dinner. yum! now i know why they come by the bus load. then on friday, butter bean took me to muguboka for some mighty tasty korean food & baek seju. so much food. so little room in my belly for it all. and finally on saturday we had a very international picnic in golden gate park. the weather was absolutely perfect. never before have i heard so many people bitch about how hot it was. hehe
the biggest surprise had to be the "i luv uncle e" t-shirts that heather had made for the twins. so adorable. i tried to capture it on film. the twins, however, do not like to sit still. this was the best i could do:
comic, oh, and let me just say that d's taco salad kicks some major ass. he's going to have to bring that to every function from now on. that's how good it was. two friends who i haven't seen in forever showed up at the park. i love when that happens. i got a ton of goodies from my friends: a buffyspiderman tee, r.e.m. tickets, coffee maker, journal, good vs. evil unicorns, money, bunny in a cage, etc. but the best gift was from my nieces & nephew who sent me a painting. how precious is that.
the international picnic ended around late afternoon. on my way home i got a call from kiki who was in the hood with her special lady. they stopped by on their way home. i love the unexpected visit from friends. i got to show off my new pad and we chilled and chatted until they had to continue on their way. what a great way to end a perfect day.
there were more birthday shenanigans on sunday. this time it was to help celebrate kiki's big day. she's all grown up now. sniff. sniff. we spent the afternoon drinking and baking in the sun on the patio of zeitgeist. how lucky to have two gorgeous days in a row. i'm truly amazed that i didn't completely fry. thank you sunblock! you are a life saver. before calling it a night we all headed to the mint for kiki's big karaoke number. she sang "china girl" and boy did she rock it. by the time i got home i was completely spent. four days of events is a lot. especially for this boy who so seldom ventures out. to all you aries out there: happy birthday!
stay gold & be well…
park photos are here
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
battle
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
city, fire, & destruction—let the countdown begin!
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
city, fire, & destruction—let the countdown begin!
stay gold & be well…
Friday, April 04, 2008
pit viper
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
diet pills, g-spots, & secret places—sounds like the making of a good trashy novel. i sure do love me a trashy read here and there; however, that's not the case here. but don't fear my cyber friends for i have discovered something better than a trashy novel—funplex by the b-52's. it's been a long 16 years since the b-52's have graced us with an album. and i must say it was well worth the wait. my all time favorite party band is at its finest and has struck gold. with catchy lyrics and upbeat melodies this album is sure to bring a smile to any one's face. seriously, how can you not enjoy such lines as:
four miles to a breakdown, anyone want to leave town
there's a rest stop, let's hit the g-spot
or
private property, hippie be quiet
your peace sign t-shirt could cause a riot
it's hard not to be in a good mood while listening to it. funplex is definitely my feel good album of the year so far. i can't help but be happy while listening to kate, cindy, and fred. its also become my official "walking" anthem. there's nothing better than a stroll through the park while singing out load about g-spots and stripping naked. so whether your a b-52's fan or not i highly recommend you give funplex a listen. you won't be disappointed.
sidenote: i had probably the world's most depressing date the other night. i'm not even going to bother going into details for it would definitely make you want to stick your head in the oven. i think it's time for a dating hiatus to rethink just what it is i'm looking for.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
diet pills, g-spots, & secret places—sounds like the making of a good trashy novel. i sure do love me a trashy read here and there; however, that's not the case here. but don't fear my cyber friends for i have discovered something better than a trashy novel—funplex by the b-52's. it's been a long 16 years since the b-52's have graced us with an album. and i must say it was well worth the wait. my all time favorite party band is at its finest and has struck gold. with catchy lyrics and upbeat melodies this album is sure to bring a smile to any one's face. seriously, how can you not enjoy such lines as:
four miles to a breakdown, anyone want to leave town
there's a rest stop, let's hit the g-spot
or
private property, hippie be quiet
your peace sign t-shirt could cause a riot
it's hard not to be in a good mood while listening to it. funplex is definitely my feel good album of the year so far. i can't help but be happy while listening to kate, cindy, and fred. its also become my official "walking" anthem. there's nothing better than a stroll through the park while singing out load about g-spots and stripping naked. so whether your a b-52's fan or not i highly recommend you give funplex a listen. you won't be disappointed.
sidenote: i had probably the world's most depressing date the other night. i'm not even going to bother going into details for it would definitely make you want to stick your head in the oven. i think it's time for a dating hiatus to rethink just what it is i'm looking for.
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, March 30, 2008
juliet of the spirits
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
marts, peaks, and a little sweet sensation—three things that topped off my weekend. things started early this weekend with a wine outing at hotel biron on thursday with d & misty. we literally sat at three different tables before settling into a spot. hehe. it was nice to have such a chill evening. it's been awhile since we've done anything like that. on friday i finally met up with big mama & her son. they use to be my neighbors when i first moved to sf. "the bunny" is turning 10 this year which completely blows my mind. and big mama is expecting another one in april. we picked up right where we left off. i love friends like that. hopefully i'll be seeing more of them in the future. later that night i had a date with hag ate dinner at . we met in the castro. it was raining which meant umbrella time. can i tell you how much i hate carrying an umbrella. wwefuzio universal pasta where i had the crispy calamari with chili flakes, lemon, and butter over linguini. it was so delicious. afterwards we went to sweet sensations. coffee and orange cake was on the menu for me. it was a little slice of heaven. never had a $5 piece of cake tasted so good. i could feel the fat building up with every bite. its a good thing i don't live nearby. as for the date itself, i think it went ok. i'm so bad at judging these things. i'm definitely interested in hag so here's to hoping there'll be a date #2.
saturday d & i found ourselves hiking up to the top of twin peaks. we're so outdoorsy these days. it was nice urban jaunt. lots of hills & stairs. the view from twins peaks is pretty spectacular. as we climbed down the side of the peak i kept feeling like i was going to slip. my sense of balance seems to off these days. we met up with d's bf, john, and had lunch. somehow through the course of this overcast day i managed to get sunburned. by the time i got home my face felt like it was on fire. the rest of the night was spent watching the terminator: the sarah connor chronicles [loving it] & likable or not [my new fave k-drama].
this morning after watching 4 episodes of stripperella i managed to rally and meet up with misty for a walk in the park. then it was off to the mission idie mart where jewelry, tees, and baby stuff seem to prevail. i wish there was be a bit more variety. most of these mart seem to be lacking in the guy department. i mean, seriously, how many tees can one boy buy. it has inspired me to start to work on my photo frames. i'm gonna open up e's workshop this week and start cranking them out. hopefully by late spring i'll have enough to consider getting a booth at one of these fair things. d, john, & i ended the day by grabbing a beer with the queers at the pilsner.
twin peaks photos here
stay gold & be gold…
previously on the e-list…
marts, peaks, and a little sweet sensation—three things that topped off my weekend. things started early this weekend with a wine outing at hotel biron on thursday with d & misty. we literally sat at three different tables before settling into a spot. hehe. it was nice to have such a chill evening. it's been awhile since we've done anything like that. on friday i finally met up with big mama & her son. they use to be my neighbors when i first moved to sf. "the bunny" is turning 10 this year which completely blows my mind. and big mama is expecting another one in april. we picked up right where we left off. i love friends like that. hopefully i'll be seeing more of them in the future. later that night i had a date with hag ate dinner at . we met in the castro. it was raining which meant umbrella time. can i tell you how much i hate carrying an umbrella. wwefuzio universal pasta where i had the crispy calamari with chili flakes, lemon, and butter over linguini. it was so delicious. afterwards we went to sweet sensations. coffee and orange cake was on the menu for me. it was a little slice of heaven. never had a $5 piece of cake tasted so good. i could feel the fat building up with every bite. its a good thing i don't live nearby. as for the date itself, i think it went ok. i'm so bad at judging these things. i'm definitely interested in hag so here's to hoping there'll be a date #2.
saturday d & i found ourselves hiking up to the top of twin peaks. we're so outdoorsy these days. it was nice urban jaunt. lots of hills & stairs. the view from twins peaks is pretty spectacular. as we climbed down the side of the peak i kept feeling like i was going to slip. my sense of balance seems to off these days. we met up with d's bf, john, and had lunch. somehow through the course of this overcast day i managed to get sunburned. by the time i got home my face felt like it was on fire. the rest of the night was spent watching the terminator: the sarah connor chronicles [loving it] & likable or not [my new fave k-drama].
this morning after watching 4 episodes of stripperella i managed to rally and meet up with misty for a walk in the park. then it was off to the mission idie mart where jewelry, tees, and baby stuff seem to prevail. i wish there was be a bit more variety. most of these mart seem to be lacking in the guy department. i mean, seriously, how many tees can one boy buy. it has inspired me to start to work on my photo frames. i'm gonna open up e's workshop this week and start cranking them out. hopefully by late spring i'll have enough to consider getting a booth at one of these fair things. d, john, & i ended the day by grabbing a beer with the queers at the pilsner.
twin peaks photos here
stay gold & be gold…
Monday, March 24, 2008
seems it's one thing
deery lou.
previously on the e-list…
bunnies, bonnets, & baskets—it's like easter in wonderland. the sisters' annual noir [easter celebration] was held in dolores park on sunday. it was their 29th anniversary and my first time. it's kind of amazing that i've lived in sf for over 5 years yet i never attended. clearly, i had no idea what i was missing. it was a beautiful easter day. people were out in masses. i've never seen the park so crowed. they came in costumes, and some even sans clothes. i saw baskets covering "baskets", a chicken lady, what looked like a troll priestess, and a variety of bunnies.
we had a good spot stage left to view all the action. bands played throughout the day. one even went as far as to throw sex toys out into the crowd. in the morning they had activities for the young ones such as: face painting and an egg hunt. in the afternoon they had a bonnet contest as well as a hunky jesus contest. some of the bonnets were truly outrageous. it was an easter like no other. even though i brought my camera i only managed to take 7 photos. don't ask. perhaps all that sunshine was getting to me. i was suppose to have a date that night but it got canceled. oh well... at least i had a chocolate bunny to go home too. hope your easter was just as enjoyable.
stay gold & be well…
what little pictures i have are here
previously on the e-list…
bunnies, bonnets, & baskets—it's like easter in wonderland. the sisters' annual noir [easter celebration] was held in dolores park on sunday. it was their 29th anniversary and my first time. it's kind of amazing that i've lived in sf for over 5 years yet i never attended. clearly, i had no idea what i was missing. it was a beautiful easter day. people were out in masses. i've never seen the park so crowed. they came in costumes, and some even sans clothes. i saw baskets covering "baskets", a chicken lady, what looked like a troll priestess, and a variety of bunnies.
we had a good spot stage left to view all the action. bands played throughout the day. one even went as far as to throw sex toys out into the crowd. in the morning they had activities for the young ones such as: face painting and an egg hunt. in the afternoon they had a bonnet contest as well as a hunky jesus contest. some of the bonnets were truly outrageous. it was an easter like no other. even though i brought my camera i only managed to take 7 photos. don't ask. perhaps all that sunshine was getting to me. i was suppose to have a date that night but it got canceled. oh well... at least i had a chocolate bunny to go home too. hope your easter was just as enjoyable.
stay gold & be well…
what little pictures i have are here
Sunday, March 16, 2008
swingset chain
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
babies, marriage, & death—these are the things the old korean woman in my building speaks to me about. a couple of times this week i've ran into the old korean woman. every time she's sitting on the sofa in the lobby of the building. now that she knows i've lived in korea she is always eager to say hello. i try to spend a few minutes whenever i see her to chat. the first day she couldn't wait to tell me how handsome i was. this of course was followed by asking if i was married. she then preceded to tell me i needed to have a baby. i didn't have the heart to tell her my interest lies in the other sex. before i entered the elevator she told me not to visit north korea. "very bad" she said. then she made a motion across her neck and replied with, "they kill americans". i told her not to worry that i had no immediate plans to visit the north. a few days later i saw her again in her usual spot. she smiled up at me and said, "ansan". she asked if i was in the military to which i replied that i wasn't. i mentioned how i was there teaching english. she wanted to know if i had a korean girlfriend. telling me how every korean girl wants an american boyfriend. sounds like some of the teachers at my previous school. she inquired about whether or not i attended discos. i laughed telling her i was far to busy with school and taekwondo to hit up the discos. she smiled brightly saying, "you must be genius". i smiled politely, bid her farewell and went on with my day. i so look forward to my chance encounters with my new friend. now if only i could score some kimchi from her i'd be set.
friday night i met up with d-goth and his main squeeze for an unmemorable meal in japantown. our conversation centered around lost. each of us adding our two cents as to what we think is happening. which goes to show its not about how good or bad a meal really is, it's all about the company your with. we managed to get in a quick photo shoot before heading home.
i've been walking a lot lately. the great thing about these walks, besides losing weight, is discovering new parts of sf. while out with d-goth on saturday we stumbled upon an art exhibit at the presido officers' club exhibition hall. it was free and even though we were in our "workout" attire we decided to check it out. the exhibit, title "transforming art: the art of chris hardman", was based on the perception of illusion. which translates to a lot of mirrors. there was a really cool 3-d section where d-goth pretended to be swimming among the art. overall the exhibit was pretty good. it was one of those pleasant unexpected surprises.
today i ventured to a different section of the presido where i discovered what appeared to be an abandoned school. it was all fenced off since its military property but that didn't stop me from doing some minor investigating. i made my way to the back of the building where i found stairs leading down. i'm not really sure what my fascination is with old run down buildings but it exists. as i was making my way down i noticed a guard sitting at a table. that was the last thing i expected to see. not wanting to get into trouble for jumping the fence i quickly turned around before he noticed me. as i made my way further up the hill i noticed a giant sand dune. how odd for a sand dune to be out here. at least it gave me something else to investigate. the dirt road that went passed the dune lead to some strange subdivision. it actually felt like i had just entered a commune. the identical red and white houses resembled an old style motel. the street signs were all numbered like 1534 and 1535. this strange neighborhood seemed completely out of place in the city. i noticed an old man sitting in a chair against a backdrop of yellow flowers. the front door was opened and through the window in the back of the house the ocean was visible. there was a lot of activity going on, especially for a sunday morning. i didn't venture too far but definitely have plans to return and take a closer look.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
babies, marriage, & death—these are the things the old korean woman in my building speaks to me about. a couple of times this week i've ran into the old korean woman. every time she's sitting on the sofa in the lobby of the building. now that she knows i've lived in korea she is always eager to say hello. i try to spend a few minutes whenever i see her to chat. the first day she couldn't wait to tell me how handsome i was. this of course was followed by asking if i was married. she then preceded to tell me i needed to have a baby. i didn't have the heart to tell her my interest lies in the other sex. before i entered the elevator she told me not to visit north korea. "very bad" she said. then she made a motion across her neck and replied with, "they kill americans". i told her not to worry that i had no immediate plans to visit the north. a few days later i saw her again in her usual spot. she smiled up at me and said, "ansan". she asked if i was in the military to which i replied that i wasn't. i mentioned how i was there teaching english. she wanted to know if i had a korean girlfriend. telling me how every korean girl wants an american boyfriend. sounds like some of the teachers at my previous school. she inquired about whether or not i attended discos. i laughed telling her i was far to busy with school and taekwondo to hit up the discos. she smiled brightly saying, "you must be genius". i smiled politely, bid her farewell and went on with my day. i so look forward to my chance encounters with my new friend. now if only i could score some kimchi from her i'd be set.
friday night i met up with d-goth and his main squeeze for an unmemorable meal in japantown. our conversation centered around lost. each of us adding our two cents as to what we think is happening. which goes to show its not about how good or bad a meal really is, it's all about the company your with. we managed to get in a quick photo shoot before heading home.
i've been walking a lot lately. the great thing about these walks, besides losing weight, is discovering new parts of sf. while out with d-goth on saturday we stumbled upon an art exhibit at the presido officers' club exhibition hall. it was free and even though we were in our "workout" attire we decided to check it out. the exhibit, title "transforming art: the art of chris hardman", was based on the perception of illusion. which translates to a lot of mirrors. there was a really cool 3-d section where d-goth pretended to be swimming among the art. overall the exhibit was pretty good. it was one of those pleasant unexpected surprises.
today i ventured to a different section of the presido where i discovered what appeared to be an abandoned school. it was all fenced off since its military property but that didn't stop me from doing some minor investigating. i made my way to the back of the building where i found stairs leading down. i'm not really sure what my fascination is with old run down buildings but it exists. as i was making my way down i noticed a guard sitting at a table. that was the last thing i expected to see. not wanting to get into trouble for jumping the fence i quickly turned around before he noticed me. as i made my way further up the hill i noticed a giant sand dune. how odd for a sand dune to be out here. at least it gave me something else to investigate. the dirt road that went passed the dune lead to some strange subdivision. it actually felt like i had just entered a commune. the identical red and white houses resembled an old style motel. the street signs were all numbered like 1534 and 1535. this strange neighborhood seemed completely out of place in the city. i noticed an old man sitting in a chair against a backdrop of yellow flowers. the front door was opened and through the window in the back of the house the ocean was visible. there was a lot of activity going on, especially for a sunday morning. i didn't venture too far but definitely have plans to return and take a closer look.
stay gold & be well…
Sunday, March 09, 2008
all day
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
daily, photos, & the e-list — what is all of this? well, it's the basis of my new blog. inspired by kristin hersh's kristin with an eye, i've decided to start my own daily photo blog. be sure to check it out here: my life on the e-list: the snapshots.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
daily, photos, & the e-list — what is all of this? well, it's the basis of my new blog. inspired by kristin hersh's kristin with an eye, i've decided to start my own daily photo blog. be sure to check it out here: my life on the e-list: the snapshots.
stay gold & be well…
Monday, March 03, 2008
around dusk
deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…
hot dog buns, pork buns, and egg custards—things that are making me FAT. with my recent weight gain hanging over my head i decided to reflect on my eating habits. to my horror this is what i ate in a course of a week:
things i consumed for breakfast or lunch
4 hot dog buns
1 pork bun
1 onion roll
2 dinner rolls
5/6 coconut custard treats
5/6 egg custard treats
2 donuts
2 piroskies
1 bagel
and that's only counting the stuff i actually remember. this list doesn't include dinner items which is mostly pasta, rice, kimchi. not all together. damn those chinese bakeries and their delicious goodies. i can't even walk down clement street without hearing them call my name. tempting me with their magical baked goodness. seeing the pink bags in the hands of every one that passes. i want to eat them all. will the inner richmond prove to be my downfall? will i consume so many pastries that my waist goes up 4 notches? only time will tell.
stay gold & be well…
previously on the e-list…
hot dog buns, pork buns, and egg custards—things that are making me FAT. with my recent weight gain hanging over my head i decided to reflect on my eating habits. to my horror this is what i ate in a course of a week:
things i consumed for breakfast or lunch
4 hot dog buns
1 pork bun
1 onion roll
2 dinner rolls
5/6 coconut custard treats
5/6 egg custard treats
2 donuts
2 piroskies
1 bagel
and that's only counting the stuff i actually remember. this list doesn't include dinner items which is mostly pasta, rice, kimchi. not all together. damn those chinese bakeries and their delicious goodies. i can't even walk down clement street without hearing them call my name. tempting me with their magical baked goodness. seeing the pink bags in the hands of every one that passes. i want to eat them all. will the inner richmond prove to be my downfall? will i consume so many pastries that my waist goes up 4 notches? only time will tell.
stay gold & be well…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)