Fun times on MUNI

I ride the 33 Stanyan to class every Thursday evening. It's a 40 min ride that cuts through Haight, the Castro, Noe Valley, to Mission. A long loopy ride but it gets me within four blocks to campus.

On my way home last night, there were four guys sitting in the rear of the bus with heavy southern accents and large duffel bags (prob their life possessions) having a conversation about the opening of the first porn shop in some town in Alabama, the heart of the bible belt. "First the porn shop, then the tattoo parlors arrived. Next thing you know, there's a stripper joint!" Funny conversation to ease drop on. Then talk turned to the pot shop opening in Oakland and how one can take classes there and learn how to grow pot. "Everything you need to know from the lights, and the sprinkler system and the chemicals. Everything! Except the plants." And then one of the four started coughing. More people in the back started coughing. I thought this was some prank people were in on where the whole bus starts coughing away except me and then the film crew jumps on board and yells, "You're on Punk'ed!"

That was not the case. The scruffy, bearded guy in the group started cursing, and yelled "why'd you do that?" and "open the windows!" The air was hazy behind me when I turned around and I breathed in and it hits me. It felt like oven cleaner in my lungs but it might have been one of those smoke canisters the swat patrol throws in barricaded buildings to smoke people out. It was awful. You had to cough. Your lungs burned from the fumes. Everyone moved away from the back and a woman told the driver to pull over. He does and we all jumped out, coughing and spitting out saliva into the bushes. It could have been a scene from a film clip about the plague.

I was halfway home so I had to stick around the bus stop. Eventually half of us filed back in and crowded up in the front seats, because the driver told us he had to stay on schedule and he would leave us there if we didn't get on. Muni bus rules, apparently.

Those four stayed on the bus and eventually got off at Haight. Figured they would be heading there with all the talk about porn and pot shops.

Even after I got home, spat a couple times, and drank a glass of soy milk (isn't that what you are supposed to do when poisoned?), it didn't help much. I hope my internal organs aren't permanently damaged.

Apple marketing failed to do their research

MadTV prediction three years ahead of Apple in product naming..

net access this weekend

I've been without a Verizon wireless card for some time because the one I originally used on a semi-weekend basis had to be given up to an editor at work for a convention. Convention time has come and gone and where's the f**king card? So, I email the editor I loaned it to requesting it back. Three emails and a couple phone calls later, the editor ignores my requests and essentially goes MIA.

This is irksome. I need that wireless card, dammit. We have another Verizon card but it's a pcmcia one and that doesn't fit in my laptop slot. I know I can just as easily walk several blocks to a cafe w/ my powerbook and get cranking online but it's rainy and cold and I want to surf the web in my pjs in the comfort of my home.

Then I look around and well, I have access to a slew of laptops. I can just take one that works with the pcmcia card and go with that. I install all the software I need on the loaner I plan to use and then it dawns on me, this one doesn't have a built-in video camera. Actually, none of our spare laptops do. *sigh* I can't win.

one word: FAIL

So, I didn't hit my 52 posts for 2009. It was one of those years. Anyhoo, 2010 is looking better and brighter!

Recap of my Japan winter holiday forthcoming.

puffy face

I wonder if I'm allergic to squid or mussels. I've eaten both in the past but just moments after having a seafood soup for lunch today at Koh Samui and the Monkey, my face feels numb. It looks like my cheeks are puffy and there's pressure around my eyes.

This is not good.

Cash strapped city looking for money

Last Saturday, I attended the annual Christmas family dinner on my mom's side of the family. Besides the usual potluck meal, family gift exchanging, and catching up on family gossip, the big discussion of the night regarded the notices my grandparents received from the SF Building Permits and Inspections. Apparently, there is an unauthorized 7' x 14' advertising sign plastered with film and concert posters of unknown affiliation on the side of my grandparent's rental/commercial building in the Mission. My grandparents rarely visit their building partly because the renters (immigrants paying very low rent) keep to themselves, and the person running the commercial space (supposedly, a family friend) all send their rent payment by mail.


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Several family members voiced their frustration over the city trying to bilk money from small businesses and landlords wherever they can. We all wondered where the advertising sign came from. None of us put it up. The only thing we remember is the community mural that was painted on the wall back in the early 90s.

My grandparents owned that building since the 60s and that corner store front went through numerous changes from art store to neighborhood grocery/goods store, to finally, a coffee shop.

I just listened in until I heard snippets of what really was going on. I won't go into details about it but my cousin and two uncles plan to get things cleared up today. A hassle for the family but it'll be resolved before year end.

Lindy Hop final

Tonight is my dance recital final for my Lindy class. I'm a bit nervous about it since I haven't practiced in a week. The song we'll be dancing to is: My Blue Heaven by Norah Jones.

The following are the steps for the performance in 8 count.
_____________________

Sing out from closed
Texas Tommy
Wheel into closed
Side dip with extra up/down
Tuck turn to R/R
Rock step, triple step, tuck to closed
Walk forward
Barrel roll to open
Circle
Rock step, pivot (2 cts), pivot, pivot (1 ct), triple step to open
Swing out with outside turn
Leader boogie back 7&8
Follow boogie forward triple step 7&8
Circle
Walk toward audience
Dip
Turn follower behind leader and exit

___________________________

I hope I have a good lead that doesn't forget the steps. This happened last week when we took turns practicing in front of our peers. I had to stand there and wait until he remembered what to do then we rushed the next step only to pause again so he could remember. Very frustrating.

the new guy

We've been hiring a number of new people to replace the ones who either left on their own accord because they were sick of working in a cut-throat environment or were let go because they couldn't handle a cut-throat environment.

Another new guy started yesterday. He's already made such a wonderful impression on me that I can certainly see how happy everyone else is in his department who think he's shaping up to be their savior.

When most people start a job on their very first day, usually politeness and a touch of easy going manners are in order. One doesn't want to push the wrong buttons with coworkers too soon. So, the new guy arrives, has his boss meeting, hr meeting, accounting meeting, and department introduction meeting. The IT department, (me) is at the bottom of the heap. No one wants to meet the IT department yet we're the ones that receive the most demanding calls in the day. So, shouldn't people be generally polite and easy going with the IT department? IT controls the servers, your link to the outside world, your mail, your printers, and your work system. Yet we receive the least amount of respect.

The new guy calls, wants a better keyboard; something not previously used. Fine, I say. I'll deliver another one. Nope, not good enough. He wants me to bring several different kinds so he can choose the one he likes best. Since we have a huge supply of every type of computer equipment in our larger than Costco warehouse, I bring up three keyboards to him. He fake types on each of them before choosing the best one that "feels good" on his fingers.

This morning, he calls to say the keyboard I delivered doesn't work. It's defective. He needs another keyboard that works. Well, the keyboard did work but the prima donna is not happy.

Honestly, people should know not to upset IT. You want something, you better be nice. You want your system to work, you better be pleasant. Our job is to make sure that your system is working smoothly so you can work efficiently. It's not our job to find you the most comfortable keyboard on the planet.

lit reading a complete wash

A week ago, I received an email from one of the editors at Forum, a student run, literary mag published through the community college I'm attending. Forum planned to hold two readings for contributors of the mag to read their work to a wider audience. I wasn't able to attend the first reading which which held last Friday at noon. I responded to the email stating I would attend the second reading which was held at Park Branch Library in Haight on Tuesday evening.

I was a little skeptical about the reading events. They didn't seem to be widely publicized and despite being a student run publication, you'd think someone would have done a little marketing legwork to pull in a decent number of participants and peers.

Alas, this was not the case. Thankfully, I only invited a handful of friends to the reading, and only one of which was able to attend. We arrived at the reading a little after the stated 7p start time. I imagined that people would be running late so I didn't think there would be too many there. Lo, there were a total of five, three of which were vagrants off the street. I'm not being judgmental here. Three people really did appear to be bums. One was in a crap shoot wheel chair with a busted right wheel and missing arm rest. he wrapped himself with two grey wool blankets one would find on shelter beds and he rocked in his chair when he rolled about. The other two wore layers of dirty, grey and brown coats of different sizes that matched their dusty looking hair. and it smelled like a musty gym locker in that basement room under the library.

The only two that looked as though they had money to attend a community college sat near the front podium observing the scene before unloading a mishmash of junk food on a side table. I was embarrassed, even more so for bringing my friend. I hate to stereotype but we were dressed like socialites who accidentally walked stumbled into the local rehab shelter. I decided, "screw this" and we walked to Alembic for two rounds of bourbon and three hours of gossip. A much better way to end a Tues evening.

Hair chopping

It's that time when I'm itching for a change and the first thing that needs to go is my unruly hair. Not all of it, mind you. It's winter time and chilly and I get cold very easily. But between getting my hair cut and having hair singed off my body, I think I'm close to being as bare as I was when I was born. Okay, not quite. I'm just preparing for the new year.

So here's the before pic looking sleepy/tired..


and my after cut pic looking alive and vibrant..