Project Cambio

Moving On Up!

2011-07-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been reconnected with the world wide interwebz again. Just in time to start writing letters to my Congresswoman and Senators.

But I need a desk for both. Anyone got the perfect one for me please?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

I don't really see any reason to not keep this up. Everyone else is doing it.

I guess for my first post of 2011, I'll examine some quasi-resolutions I made for myself.

First is moving back to San Francisco. This needs to happen. My life, both school and career, are there. As is my heart.

I also plan to start examining much harder what I can do to live a less wasteful life. Less trash, less driving, less energy, and the sort. Can't afford to not take charge of it.

I want to write a book about living in Northern California.

So here's to a new year and all the fun that comes with it. Cheers!

I wish...

2010-11-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

I had the wherewithal to blog more often. I can barely keep up on reading all my other blogs. I may have to trim them down a bit.

How meta is this post?

Time

2010-10-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

I could totally find some sweet youtubes about time and post them to my blog. But I don't do that. Sort of because that's not my blog, sort of because I don't know how to find the sweet ones, but mostly because I don't have any time to spare for that.

Flickr

2010-08-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just spent all day uploading pic son to my flickr. I've got 2 biek races, a few parties and all other sorts of radness. Check it out.

Plugged In

2010-08-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Alright, at long last, I'm back in real business. My tech support has returned my computer, and if anything, it's running better than before. Thanks dad!

So basically what this means for you, the reader, is simple. More of everything you've been missing. More blog posts, more pics, and more QuakeIII deathmatches. That's right folks, more more more. With a rebel yell.

But first I've got to roll up my sleeves and do it. My plate is pretty full. I've committed to moving to San Francisco by being enrolled in classes. That's the easy part though. Finding a job and finding a house are the tough bits. I've gotta jump through some hoops like get a TB test for on-campus employment, and who knows what I'll have to do to get a house. I wish SF had some proper co-op options. A truly forward thinking and progressive housing co-op would be super cool. Where is it though?

Okay, this blog post is reminding me just how much I've forgotten about writing. I'll shut up, and return when I have something worthwhile to go on about.

Testing

2010-08-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Broadcasting live from San Francisco. Stay tuned for more information.

July

2010-07-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've missed my blog. And all you readers. This post really only serves the purpose to remind you that I'm still intent on blogging. Not having a proper workflow has been messing up the mojo. I'll get right to fixing it.

March Fourth

2010-03-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

What a day. I spent 7 solid hours shooting the protest here at UC Davis. This opportunity is amazing for me, as someone who wants to get into photojournalism. To get to have these actions in my own figurative backyard is rare. And the fact that UCD has no journalism school cannot work out better for me if it tried. I'm like the only freakin' photographer so often. When the march started, there were quite a few, but they dropped off after the protesters left the police line out Old Davis Road. And then I was one of two photographers covering the arrestee's release. I was one of only a handful covering the sit in at Anderson and Russell. I know I'm tooting my own horn a lot, but damn. It felt good to be there.

I know there's a lot of chatter about the methods of the protesters, but dammit people. They're protesting something that every single human being should be out protesting. Education is a right! And the education system in California, and as it is all over the world, is in peril.

So here's a bunch of photos I took during the day. If anyone wants to give me a 24-70/2.8 because they love me, I would love them back. But for now, I guess that 30 is fine. I just have to run up right into everything all the time. Teaches me the meaning of this Capa quote, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough".

Knees

2010-03-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

I'm hating mine right now. They hurt like a mother. My New Years Eve ride to Oakland did a real number on them, considering I wasn't riding with the best ratio.

So yes, I know I might need a new cog.

But what else is there to do? Glucosamine and fish oil have both been suggested to me, and I plan on trying them out.

Anything else out there that works?

TGIF Courier Service

2010-02-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

530.431.TGIF

sms txt or call

Davis, CA

rates:

$5

smokes, beers, tacos, hit me up!

Post VD: Race for a Cure

2010-02-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Wow! So that's what it's like to throw an alleycat. I think I shall do it again.

I know I had an amazing time, and judging by the tired, but happy, faces of all the racers, they had a good time.

It was a beautiful day to have a bike race. Warm sun, and just enough of a breeze to keep everyone cool.

20 riders showed up to cure their Valentines Day blues, although there were a few couples scattered in amongst the crew. From racer/racer to racer/checkpoint manager. At exactly 2:00pm the festivities got started and the racers sped off to the manifest point. This is where things left my control, but if things went according to plan, the race went such. At the manifest point, a cardboard box was constructed and the manifest was obtained.

VD:Race for a Cure Manifest

Complete in any order!
Everything must be in the box!

#1 Whaleback Park
Write a love haiku
7-5-7! thems the rules.

#2 North Area Drainage Pond
Pick up a prophylactic

#3 Pioneer Park
Pick up some flowers

#4 Gazebo in the Arboretum
Pick up some tasty choco

Slide Hill Park for the finish!!

Of course no one read the manifest. The rules!!!! Always know the rules!

So first up, here's a selection of the haikus. Yes, haikus are supposed to be 5-7-5 but I failed when I looked them up on wiki. But I covered my ass by making it "my rules haikus".

Here's some boys playing nice.

Are they forgetting that there's no bonus points for helping some one get to the finish line before you?

Dude, next time get to the race on time!

From here pics are a little hard to come by, but I'll get some soon. The grand finale is what we all want to see anyways.

First....

One haiku written by a rider for his girl (wo)manning the checkpoint.

The award ceremony was a lot of fun. Took a while for all the riders to show up. The first 2 riders were in a good half hour before the next rider, and we had to wait another 15-20 minutes for them. So over about an hour and a half we waited for everyone to straggle in. The poor kids from Sac. went half ways to Winters before realizing their mistake.

Eli and Bruno took first place. Dead tie. Sounds liked Eli relied on Bruno's excellent pathing skills and his own speed to keep up with Bruno's wiles.

Erik took fixed, although well behind the first overall. He also took home best trick prize.

Michele took home first girl, and had a harrowing brush in with Johnny Law. I guess people riding around with boxes in Davis is pretty sketch.

The two kids from Sacramento took DFL.

More photos: Project Cambio and Mucky Mucky and Citizone10.

A super big thanks to our sponsors who helped to make the event what it was!!

Apex Cycles
Chrome Bags
SOMA
Knog
Urban Velo
Papercut Press
Primary Concepts
Woodstocks
Armadillo
B&L
Pakmail
Chipotle

and I think that's everyone...

Hope to see you guys in a few months when we do something new and exciting!!

Apex Cycles

2010-02-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

And the last sponsor falls into place. But most definitely not the least sponsor. Aaron at Apex Cycles has been a tremendous help to me, with ideas, foot work, and letting me start off in his alley. Yes, it is his alley now. I couldn't have done this race without his help. I am forever in his debt.

Luckily for me, I can start paying it off by telling you that this is the best bike shop in town. No really, it is. At least by my standards, which is that the guys running the shop shouldn't be dicks. And all the guys here are super freakin' rad.

Now all you have to do is come out, race your ass off and win all this fantastic loot!

+1

2010-02-10T02:31:00.000-08:00

Okay so now it's just before the All Star break and the Kings have matched their win total from last season. They currently stand at 17-34. With a road game at Detroit tonight. Basically what I'm saying to all the haters is: chill the fuck out! We have a bunch of excellent, very good and good players. We need to add to what we have, not take away. As soon as the Kings acquire an excellent big man... watch the fuck out. I hella <3 this team.

SOMA

2010-02-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

I was on pins and needles all day, well all week, waiting for my package from SOMA to arrive. And just when I decided to give up for the day and cook some dinner, the UPS truck rolled down the street. Apparently the driver saw me doing a jig in the kitchen and laughed at me. But whatever, all my swag is here and ready to be awarded. Woooot!

Yea, I tried that saddle out, and it feels nice.

Sourdough Starter

2010-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well finally I have one of my own. And it's a quite wondrous one as well. The family I got it from has had it for 25+ years. Wow! And they got it from someone who had been keeping it going for a while before that. Wow! I'm quite excited for this. I helped a friend start one of her own, and it was a very fun project. Kind of glad I forgot to pinch off a bit for myself though.

So far I've only made waffles with the starter, but holy jeebus were they good. I really can't wait to start making some loaves and pizza crusts and all sorts of other goodies.

Send me recipes. I'll treasure them forever!!!

Papercut Press

2010-02-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

Super huge thanks to Eric at Papercut Press. I've always wanted to learn about screen printing, and then I also needed some shirts for the race. This dude was down with doing some shirts and showing me the process along the way. Screen printing is hella fun! I wanna start doing a little bit on my own now.

I've got two shirts that are his designs up for grabs, as well as twelve race shirts, with the two racers. Most excellent!

Chrome

2010-02-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

Went to drop my netflix in the mail, and what do I stumble on going out the door? A little brown box full of Chrome goodies for the race! Woooohoo. Some super rad stuff in here too. The more stuff I get, the more jealous of all these racers I get. Enjoy.

Sorry for the kinda wonky pic, all that plastic wrap is reflective as heck.

VD: Race for a Cure

2010-01-27T16:35:00.001-08:00

Two Things..

2010-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

I know this is something I've said this before, and it's a fairly widely held belief, but stop with the "ugghs" already. It's really depressing to be in Davis and see so many girls not care at all about how they look. A UCD hoody and "ugghs" are not a cute outfit, no matter how expensive your jeans are. Just because it's raining doesn't mean you get to give up. If you wanna get warm, we can talk about it but get real rain boots already. Slippers are for the home dammit!

Why would anyone want to trade Kevin Martin away? We have a dream backcourt like this, with Tyreke Evans and Speed Racer. Let's go get a dream frontcourt now. LBJ, ???, and JT? Think about it.

Kings 15-27

Primary Concepts

2010-01-19T16:30:00.001-08:00

Just picked up a $50 gift certificate to Primary Concepts. Oh snaps. You know you're gonna want it!

Knog

2010-01-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

The wondrous day continued! The Knog pack was stacked underneath. So rad. Two tees and a pile of lights. I know I would wanna win some of them.

Check out their new (photo?) blog.

Urban Velo

2010-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Wondrous day today. Received a package from Urban Velo! Woot. Magazines and stickers. This is gonna happen. This is gonna be fun.

Hell Yea Art!

2010-01-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday I had a brief respite in the City. Brought my biek of course, and made it an art mission. It's not often I'm in the City during art gallery hours, which are almost worse than bankers hours. My first stop was Fifty24, which was having a dope little Herbert Baglione show. Wild stuff, but my favorite was all the calacas snuck in everywhere. If I could draw with any skill, I'd do hella. Well I have, but they all suck. I swung by White Walls, but they were closed for installation. Oh well, I least I got in a good whiff of the TL. So bombed down the rest of O'Farrell St, with a quick salmon over to 49 Geary. Didn't see much, as the Fraekel was closed for installation. The fuckin' luck. Of course I was there the Wednesday before the first Thursday. But I did see one photo from one photographer who I thought would be worth checking out. Lot of out of focus, well lit nudes. I swear, I really do look at other photography than nudes. Anyways, on the way out, I figured I ought to give the Fraenkel a last beg. Ya know, the whole "I never am in the City" thing. Thank god I did, because the girl at the counter let me, and it was Diane Arbus. Sweeeeeet! Hella of her street photography. Which is way better than her portraits I think. One was particularly striking, called "Boy and falling leaf" or some such. The best part was I had the gallery all to myself except for all the cute girls that work there. Wow.

Sorry I didn't take any pics myself. I'm starting to get tired of only having the 1.4/30mm. Anyone have helpful ideas to make me happy? That aren't "buy the 24-70 and 70-200 like you want to", because that don't help!

Kings 14-20 (? @GSW 61-46 @ half.)

2010

2010-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well here we are.

I'll do a quick 2009 recap just for the sake of it. It was a good year all in all. The bicycle played a huge part in my life this past year. It definitely became an ingrained part of my life, and I don't think I'll ever let that go. I finally made my first visit down to Latin America, which was amazing. Looking back, it was far too whirlwind. But I fully intend on going back again and again. A couple of political actions were quite uplifting, the inauguration of Obama and the budget protests here at UC Davis. The only downer I've really had is this recession. I've been unemployed now for way too long.

But I ended the year on a very high note. I pedaled down to Oakland from Davis for a NYE party. Super intense. 80 miles fixed, with some pretty serious elevation in there. I think it's the start of something new for me. Or more correctly, a progression of something already important to me.

I'm looking forward to carrying this on with me into the next year. More biek riding at all times. And I think this year I should buckle down and learn Spanish already. Plus a few more hours spent blogging a week.

Happy new decade y'all!

Wait a Second....

2009-12-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

So San Francisco just bought Treasure Island. I'm a little puzzled by this, considering the fiscal situation in SF. (I'm excited to actually use the word 'fiscal') I thought the City was broke, cutting services and MUNI and shit. What tf?

Kings 11-13

2010

2009-12-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

The future is here! Finally...

The cover story of my January National Geographic is "Merging Man and Machine: The Bionic Age".

I want internet in my eyes and streaming audio in my ears. Thanks.

Recap

2009-12-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

Perfect time to let you all know what's going on, seeing as how I'm getting sick and the weather is getting colder.

Not much.

I went to Oakland last weekend, to finally shoot a show/rave at the Bordello. That is quite a different place. I spent a while being lost, but once I started to figure it out, it's a lot of fun. All sorts of nooks and crannies and interesting vantage points.

You can check out the pics here

The only thing that pisses me off, is the OPD gave me a pretty bogus parking ticket. Not looking forward to dealing with that.

The Sacramento Kings have been an absolute joy to watch. Chock full of youngsters, who are all extremely talented. Tyreke Evans is going to be a player to watch for years to come. Kid is a beast! Right now he's averaging 20/5/5! Friend in my fantasy league wanted to trade Brandon Jennings for him. No way no how.

I'm a little bummed the UCD quarter is over. I was having a lot of fun in the classes I was dropping in on. And looking around, I might now get the same opportunity next quarter. It didn't really seem like any classes I have interest in are happening. More than a little disappointing, but I can't really complain can I?

I've got to start working on a photo essay that's due next week. Luckily all the images are from my archives. I just need to put them together cohesively.

And I need to get well. Being sick doesn't suit me.

Kings 9-12

Lack of Activity

2009-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Don't let the title fool you, I've been plenty busy. Just not here on the blog.

I've been doing a little Sunday afternoon trick session/ride with the Davis folks. And I think it's starting to blow up. Really fun to watch and be a part of.

Also, I've been cutting my photojournalism teeth on the students protests happening in UC Davis. It's serious business, and quite tiring. But also quite invigorating to watch. I had serious cynicism about the student body of today, and to see it standing up in such a loud and proud manner is exciting. I've got a lot of work to do editing photos. I've got several hundred image on my camera that I can't even load as my hard drive is full up. So Thanksgiving will be plenty busy as well.

Now I just need a job. One with a paycheck.

Kings 6-8

Blessed

2009-11-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

I've been suuuuuuper lucky this past week or so. I've gotten the chance to go to the City twice. Sure, it put a burden on the ol' credit card, but hey. No pain no gain. Both times were with the intent to hear some music, and both times it paid off.

First was to see one of my all time favorite DJs. DJG! I just love his selections, skills and enthusiasm behind the decks.

It was a new night, going off at the newly remodeled 222 Hyde. It's called "The Deep End" and it explores, well, the deeper side of dubstep. It goes down every first Friday and I highly recommend it. Very sexy sounds.

Second was just this last Wednesday for FIXUP. This was a different direction, with just pure good time party music. A night of dubstep and bassline and wonky all rolled up onto the hot dancefloor for pure booty shaking. The hotness was brought by Sookie Drink, known separately as Kozee and Preep, of Blackheart fame.

I'm thirsty for some damn sookie drank!

The other highlight of this trip was I brought my biek! I didn't pics of that, as I lent the camera out while I pedaled. But the City does a good job of kickin' my ass these days. I love it though. Can't wait to be back.

Kings 4-4!!!!!

Ouch!

2009-11-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

I love going out on the bike for a ride and/or trick session, and coming back with all sorts of scrapes and cuts and not really knowing where they came from.

That being said, I also love my Davis biek crew. Biggup!

Kings 2-4

Wow

2009-11-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna have to give Davis a begrudging second chance. Or rate it tolerable at least.

This weekend is the reason. And of course it's all because of the bikes.

Halloween was the Day of the Dead-ly Davis Derby. I guess there's been a few of these now, derby's (sp?) and dashes. This one was my first, so I had no idea what to expect. Pretty similar to an alleycat, just with wacky trials at the checkpoints rather than simple manifests. It was fun to be mashing all about, racing against time and other people. But of course you all want the punchline to the story. Which is that my team won. Team BirdOctopus. Yea I dunno. But it sounds better than "The only fixies in the race". We finished a good 6-7 minutes before the other teams. I was pretty stoked, even with glory being the only real prize. Nice way to say "This is how we roll" to Davis.

Sunday was pretty epic too. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so myself and a crew of 1 took the opportunity to ride to Winters. What an amazing ride! Next time I mean to take pics, as there are so many neat things along that route. And I'll save the surprise for the photos. Images will do them justice that words cannot. This was also a first for me, and I learned a very valuable lesson. Ride there and back on Putah Creek Rd. and not Russell. Too much traffic and poor pavement on Russell.

And then just tonight, I got together with some friends and screened Fast Friday and MASH.

Fast Friday from David Rowe on Vimeo.

MASH SF DVD INTRO 2007 from MASH TRANSIT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

I've seen MASH a million times, but Fast Friday was a first for me. Fast Friday was a Netflix rental. Yea right, fixed gears must be dead if that ish is on Netflix. It was super duper cool to see both these movies on the huge screen. Seattle looks like an amazing place to ride, with a really amazing scene. I hope to get up there some day to mash about. MASH, however, was almost torture. This was the first time I've seen it since leaving SF, and to see those beautiful hills and know I'm not gonna ride them tomorrow.... Hooo boy, I miss and hella heart SF.

And November is looking good so far. The ride and the movies are all well and nice. But the Kings won their first game of November, their home opener! Wooooooooo!

I've taken way to long to finish writing this, but I'm looking forward to what Davis and bikes will bring me next.

Kings 1-3

I hate...

2009-10-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

looking at SF event calenders. Kinda makes me wanna punch myself in the face.

Luckily some jerk decided to make a kickass event calender for Davis. He's a davisite so he must know whats up.

Here you go!

I think you'll like it.

Kings 0-1

Basketball

2009-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well the season has officially started, and the Kings are off to a slow start. I'm not gonna cry to much over it. It's only the first game, and this team has a way to go before they start winning road games consistently. I'm just excited to have basketball to obsess over again. Or at least to have games added to the mix.

Kings 0-1

Whoops!

2009-10-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Two things:

First. I went to a little seminar that highlighted policies in Europe, specifically the Netherlands, that promote cycling and livable cities. It was both enlightening and frustrating. Small villages throughout the Netherlands seem to be making strides towards cycling being the dominant mode of transportation, whereas Davis, touted as bicycle capital of the USA, barely even considers the cyclist anymore.
I'd like to see a proper network thought up, not one that merely loops Davis, but one that provides an intelligent route from each of the neighborhoods to downtown, as well as between the 'hoods.
Also, let's take some downtown parking away from cars and make it over to bike parking.

One thing that kinda ticks me off, is the disconnect between Unitrans and the rest of the town. I understand that it's primarily a student bus system, designed to serve the needs of a commuting student body. But hey, what if they need to get to the other side of Davis to meet a friend. It's either car, bike or a roundabout bus trip. 9 out of 10, the car is gonna chosen. Let's bring public transportation into the mix in a substantial manner Davis!

Second. Saturday night was the Davis Bicycle Film Fest. Pretty cool truth be told. Several films from StreetFilms, which has a very fine collection.

One of my personal favorites was screened. Great vid. outta Oregon, pushing for rolling stops.

This is an issue near and dear to me, especially since arriving in Davis. All these cops with nothing better to do than to hassle cyclists skipping through wide open 4 way stops.

The fest finished off this this pretty epic vid from Scotland.

Bieks + Streetcars

2009-10-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

I've always been a little miffed at the inability to take bikes on Muni streetcars. You can throw your bike on the front of a bus, and you can wheel onto BART, but you can't do anything with Muni. It's not that big of a deal, except if you have to get from anywhere to downtown while it's raining, or vice versa.

I've always maintained that a simple open platform would do the trick.

Hipster Nascar via Fresh Bump

I almost started doing backflips when I saw that. That's exactly the answer to my dreams. How cool would it be if there were a few of these floating around on rainy days in SF.

This is maybe the coolest thing ever. It's the perfect intersection of bieks and public transportation.

Muni, you worthless dog, do you hear me?! Get this now!

Weekends

2009-10-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

I had a great one. I've really been hankering for some big huge music, and Treasure Island delivered. Being in Davis kinda cuts me off from quality music which makes me a little upset. Don't get me wrong, I'm hearing some pretty good music here, but not as often and not exactly what I'm truly searching for.
I'm a super big fan of Treasure Islands lineups so far. Every single group I've seen there I've enjoyed, be it the first time hearing them or eagerly anticipating the moment they hit the stage. This years highlight for me was DJ Krush. He put on a better show than I could've hoped for. A better listener than I could tell you what tracks he played, but I've always been terrible at remembering names of dubstep tracks. It was about 20 minutes of rock-solid dubstep, before he went into the hip-hop turntabilism bit. Skillz! The rest of the line up was really good as well. Didn't get as much of the Brazilian Girls as I would've liked, as I was chillin' on a boat motherf!cker. Just hanging out with friends, listening to good music. What more could you really ask for?

Oh yea, riding bieks around the City. Check.

Rain

2009-10-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

I kinda hate rain. It makes riding bieks hella icky.

edit: as of 5:05, the backyard rain gauge reads just under 4 inches in the last 12 hours!

Relating to nothing...

2009-10-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

But I'm getting really excited. As the basketball season rapidly approaches, all my Kings blogs are starting to light up. And I mean go crazy. All sorts of news happening constantly. Terrible things like Francisco Garcia breaking his arm and awesome things like Tyreke Evans living up to his hype. It's like Christmas, only Christmas morning will last for several months. Of course, as a Kings fan, you have to temper your enthusiasm with the dread that all your Christmas presents are going to be kinda disappointing.

At least I'll be living close to Arco Arena this season, so hopefully I can catch my first home game.

Rad

2009-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thought this was too awesome not to repost.

via WBE

Trauma

2009-09-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Oh man, this show is pure lulz. The first thing that strikes me is the helicopters. After spending years reading about San Francisco's distinct lack of air medevac capabilities, to see helicopters being flaunted so brazenly in the pilot is a bit of a bummer. And then two helicopters crash into each other? (Don't worry, this happens in the first five minutes, not much of a spoiler.) I think those two helicopters were more than I saw in the entire three years I lived there. I just thought strange to feature helicopters in a city noted for it's lack of helicopters.

And then second, wow, SF sees a lot of action. All the EMT's I've talked to, and all the hours I've spent on 6th St., seem to suggest that being an EMT in SF is more of being a social worker. Constant calls on crackheads doing crackhead things.

Nonetheless, I loved seeing SF in a television show.

The Bus

2009-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ms. Frizzle has nothing on this bus.

This beast has been sitting in my friends driveway for the longest time. Before that, it was parked on the UCD campus, next to the Domes. I always wondered what it's story was, and where it was going.

When I moved back to Davis, I noticed that there was activity humming around it, and plans were being hatched to get it running asap. The main problem was the #5 piston had a hole the size of a quarter in it.

Not good.

I then left for Central America, and upon my return, there is talk of the imminent starting, and departure, of the bus. A new piston had been procured. A crack team of mechanics was on the job. Not that this vehicle was an overly complex piece of machinery, but it did require skill to coax a fifty year old bus to keep on truckin'.

After many greasy hours, the truck started. Now to reattach the drive shaft, which was removed to tow the bus to it's current location. One of the crucial hanger bolts that keep the shaft in place had gone missing of course. With some clever Macgyvering, a replacement was crafted with a common U-bolt and a Tecate can shim.

The bus is ready to roll. With a party to attend across town, we throw in our bikes and pile aboard. With some hesitation, the engine starts and the brakes loosen up, and our pilot throws the beast into gear!

Wooooooooo!

A fun and exciting adventure, and I'm glad I got to take pics of it. I need to go see my friends house and see what it looks like without a bus in front of it.

More pics here

Last Night

2009-09-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a house show, with music I was sure I was going to dislike, or be thoroughly meh about. I was quite pleasantly surprised about the "headliner", a band by the the name of Prince Rama of Ayodhya. It's a three person band, two cute girls with "say wha?" names and one dude rocking out on an array of electronics to boggle the mind. When I saw the drums, set out front and center of the band, I had a feeling we were in for something special. And they rocked hard. Hot dance music to make you go wild.

There were a few other bands, but people were sitting down, so I didn't hang for those. Just kicked it in the backyard drinking beers. The sounds through the windows were pleasant though!

But everyone, if this band passes through your 'hood, jump on it!

Camera Lens

2009-09-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I just got pushed along the path to a new lens today. A very hard push. I might even call it a shove. My kit lens is busted. The focusing ring is bent at a very awkward angle. This is one of those moments in my life where I want to go on the rooftop and yell profanities. Or cry. I still have my prime, but man, a zoom lens was so handy. Even if it was a crappy zoom. Now I'll just have to look at that 24-70/2.8 with more longing in my heart, hoping to have it magically arrive via UPS. Or that 70-200/2.8.

Dammit, being down and out a lens suck. I need to a job so I can replace it.

Arcata

2009-09-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

What a strange place. It's fun to visit, but I don't think I could ever ever live there. Way too much of a bubble. I had a lot of fun riding bieks around though. It had the rad elements of San Francisco riding, with redwoods here and an awesome beach there, and hills all the way in between. I really enjoyed having the variety of terrain to ride on, even if only for the weekend.

I found I have a cousin living in Arcata too. That was pretty cool, had someone who knew the lay of the land and how to get to all these places.

One thing I know for sure, is that this state of mine is a beautiful place, and I love it.

Map

2009-09-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

Found this map over at Burrito Justice. They always have the line on sweet maps in and around the Bay Area.

But I really like that transit map. Ties the whole Bay together very simply and understandably. Woooowie!

Flickr

2009-09-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Messing around in my flickr stats is amazing fun. I've discovered that people have looked at my photos after searching "shrinking a t shirt". All these inner workings, behind the scenes bits of the internet can be so strange.

Arcata

2009-09-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

I will be inside you this weekend. Let's ride bieks okay?

Market St.

2009-09-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

Friend sent me a link to this video, and I love it. Made me all sorts of nostalgic, more for my City which I see so rarely these days, not for a bygone era I never experienced.

I've always wanted to do something like this off the front of my bike. The POV shots in bike videos are the most enjoyable for me. I'll have to rig a mount for my handle bars, like I've been saying for a year or two now.

Yoga

2009-09-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

On Labor Day I went to yoga for the first time in over three years. And it's that hot Bikram yoga too. I don't remember it being that intense. It felt good too, I got some stretching in parts of my body that were begging for it. I also got back in touch with my body in a way I hadn't been in a long time. I had forgotten that my legs can be punks if they want to be. All the standing or balancing poses presented some sort of challenge. I've always had problems, but now it seems worse. I know I've been putting a lot of extra stress on my knees from cycling, and I'm hoping that a little yoga will help them last me a while longer.
Getting up to do yoga is a pain though, or at least it is since I've had zero discernible rhythm since I've returned to the States.
Even my photography has dropped to just about nothing. I've made plans to shoot some graffiti on trains that I've yet to keep. I see some graffiti here and there and I just ride by on my bike, camera in my bag, and do nothing.
I really need something to start happening that's different. I'm going to be superworking at the Co-op, which I'll value simply on the basis that I'm doing something. You can only ride around this town so much before you get bored with riding around.
Someone hire me! I'm the shit and I work well.

Graffiti

2009-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Took a nice little moonlight ride out to the levee. On my way out, I went down 2nd St., and saw some awesome graf on the trains waiting in the siding. Oh how I wished I had my camera and flash on me. I can only hope that since it is Labor Day tomorrow, the trains aren't moving. I did the ride all sorts of wrong though. The road out to the levee runs on either side of I-80. And since I wasn't thinking, I went against traffic both times, with blinding lights in my eyes the whole way. Next I flow with traffic, 'cause it was a fun ride. Especially out on the levee with the full moon hanging over Sacramento.

Moon Shots

2009-09-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Oh man, we keep getting closer and closer to putting man back on the Moon where he belongs. The new Orion capsule just passed a design review. NASA seems to be looking forward, and deeper into the solar system with the development of this vehicle. As great as the shuttles have been, they are solely an orbital craft.

I know it may seem extravagant to be spending billions on space travel, but it does have tremendous potential in so many areas. There's always amazing new discoveries in materials and technologies, but having a space program that's pushing for distant planets like Mars is inspiring. It's inspiring to the nation, the nations schoolchildren and it's inspiring to the world.

Big up NASA!

Food

2009-09-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

Cracked out some turkey burgers and a little fresh corn salad on the side for dinner. The mushrooms and onions that I sauteed up were the highlight I think. If I keep this up, I'm gonna get suckered into making more dinners.

I'll try to remember to take pics, but when you get in the flow of cooking, you forget. Either the flow or the beers I'm drinking.

Honduras

2009-09-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Finally the State Department has grown a pair and set some concrete measures over the Honduran coup. While I do think it's the correct thing to do, I don't think it will have a real impact on Micheletti and his regime. They've gone off the deep end in my opinion, and have stared down the entire region this long. I'd love to be pleasantly surprised of course, so I will keep my fingers crossed.

La Vida Loca

2009-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Christian Poveda, a filmmalker, was shot and killed in San Salvador. His latest project was called "La Vida Loca", which followed the Mara 18. The Maras of El Salvador are legendary for their violence, but also very misunderstood by people in the States. I haven't seen the film yet, but I suspect that Poveda was intending on shedding some light on the Maras for U.S. audiences.

Here's a video from the L.A. Times on the film.

This is definitely moving up to the top of my must see list.

Not to play favorites, but I simply love El Salvador, and it's plague of gang violence pains me.

Update:

I found the trailer!

Should've

2009-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

done that a while a go. Gave my biek the TLC it needed. Replaced the cages, tightened the chain, and oiled all the necessary points. Now it runs like a shark in the deep. However, as I was returning from my little jaunt around, the rattle from somewhere in the drivetrain might have been coming back. Can't begin to tell you how annoying that is, because if it's anything to do with the bottom bracket I'm doomed.

Oh, the silver lining. I guess it's a little more like gold, since it was a good deal all over. I scored a new seat off the biek I scavenged the other day. I love it. So much softer than my old one.

Davis massiv! Who wants to ride?

Food

2009-09-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just busted some molé chicken breast and curtido. Turned out way better than I expected. Especially the curtido. The molé was out of a jar, and I think it's the last time I get it like that. But that curtido, wow. I think I just found my favorite use for cabbage. I'll have to try making a kimchi, but the ease of curtido is astounding. And maybe more versatile, given all the burritos and tacos we eat.

I'm in a serious food coma right now.

Pics

2009-09-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

I now think I have space on my hard drive to upload my summer of pics onto, only problem is I don't know where my card reader is now. Balls. I guess this means I still have to continue archiving all my old crap and not yet deal with the new.

Riding Bikes

2009-08-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

I love it. Crushed Davis to the tune of 35 miles. Totally wiped now.

I broke a toe clip during the adventure, which is a bummer. Don't really have the money to replace such things. But I did pick up a new bike from in front the neighbors house. A Univega, which I think I'm gonna gift someone. The real treat is the pedals on the bike, which are platform/clipless. I might start dabbling in that world.

I need..

2009-08-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

to email hella people.

It can be such a chore, but I need to keep in contact.

Basically anyone that I've meet this summer needs to receive an email from me. You know who you are, and if you read my blog, just know it's coming.

Textbooks

2009-08-27T19:19:00.001-07:00

Since when did textbooks need to be more than the price of the actual class? I know this is a common refrain, but holy shit! I was going to take a Spanish class at the local CC while I was away from San Francisco, but upon hearing the price for the textbook I said no way. I'm already sitting on a barely used Spanish textbook as it is, and now I need to get a different one? And then there's an even newer edition of the same textbook I have from my brother's girlfriend, but I still need to get a different one?

For the price of the textbook, I could get a week of 8 hour day intensive immersion Spanish, with room and board, teaching me millions more than that textbook ever would.

So now I've got to figure other options. Seems the Davis Adult School has Spanish for a decent price, and the International House could also be a viable option for practicing.

Google Reader

2009-08-27T13:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, finally cleared it. After 2 months of being gone, 2000+ entries is quite a handful.

Also fixed a flat tire.

Today is quite productive.

Now, to find a job.

Davis

2009-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Some things I'd like to see:

1: Get over the whole Dark Skies bullshit. It makes being a cyclist in this town hella sketch.
because
a) no one rides with lights and you can never see them
b) just when your eyes get adjusted to the dark, a streetlight or car pops out and blinds you
c) everyone piles their lawn debris in the streets, like a landmine

2: More actual real bike friendliness. How come we don't have a Bike Coalition arguing for the rights of cyclists, giving safety lessons and promoting bike lights. All the incoming freshmen need someone to guide them. We can't rely on City Hall to continue to be "bike friendly". I feel this town is resting on it's laurels a little too much. Push Davis, push.

3: More badass cycling sans attitude. I read tons of other blogs about sweet cycling but none of it coming from Davis.

I guess this is where one takes matters into their own hands and does something about it all. But I'm not sure how much energy I want to devote to this town, as I don't care at all to stay here.

I'll work on an alley cat. I'm even thinking up a sweet route. Now to find partners.

J.O.B.

2009-08-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I've settled back into the real world, it's time to start looking for a job. So far it's been a hellacious process of letdowns and tears. And I've only looked at one place. I don't think I'm cut out for this rough life. Craigslist has been scoured, and there's not much there. I've even looked in the "adult gigs". If I were an 18-23 co-ed, I'd be in luck, but I'm 25. There was a cantaloupe study, which is pretty rad. I'd love to get paid to eat melons, just wish the job was longer than an hour. At $10 an hour, it's a sweet gig.

I guess this is one of those moments were people get into business for themselves. Wish I had some money to do that.

I'll just have to dust off the old resume, update it a little and start selling myself.

Not So Good

2009-08-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

This could be one of the biggest let downs I've had in a while.... I came back from Central America hella missing my biek and super stoked to ride. I knew I had a no brakes fixit ticket to come back to, and I was prepared for dealing with that bullsh!t, but this went low. My pedal is totally broken. Of course it was a cheapo, and on the way out, but to not even get a full ride in... Heartbreaking.

District 9

2009-08-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Finally! After months and months of anticipation, I watched District 9 on Monday. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a sci-fi action movie with very human (and alien) depth and emotion to it. The two main characters were easy to empathize with, each as their fortunes changed. The movie had plenty of exotic alien technology, but the story wasn't driven by it. However, when the guns and robots came into play, they were mighty impressive. For me, any movie that has a mech in it is a winner.

This is the original short that the movie was based on.

The full length does a superb job of taking the themes of the short and expanding on them, while adding a jolt of adrenaline.

Round up

2009-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

My last week of Central America was extremely under-blogged. Not for lack of exciting things happening, but I just got lazy. I was pretty lucky, and saw two amazing events in Granada. August is Granada's Saint celebration month, and so they party pretty hard for the entire month. I caught a corrida on my last Sunday. What a wild and exhilarating experience. I've never seen an occasion that is such pure chaos. The wide boulevard is overflowing with people, into which bulls are released. Just becomes a mad house as everyone scampers to avoid the horns of the bull. The bull doesn't charge as I imagine what happens in Spain, but they stand around, as they get whipped and slapped by participants. When the bull has enough, he turns and tries to gore whomever is closet. I saw person get hooked under the jaw and flipped, and I heard rumors that three people and a horse died. A very enjoyable event, even with possible animal cruelty. A corrida is unbeatable in adrenaline rushes. Too bad I got pickpocketed at the thing.

So this is the point were I did nothing for a week but lay around in hammocks and read books. Not a bum deal.

My last night in Central America was Granada's Carnavalesque street parade. A wild bacchanal party of music and dancing. It was a great way to send off my trip.

I'm already planning my return, with months of intensive Spanish lessons in Guatemala, volunteer work in El Salvador, and hopefully traveling a little further down in South America.

Recycling

2009-08-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Central America doesn´t recycle. They don´t even use the trash cans that are sparsely scattered about. But Central America has jumped on compact flourescents pretty well. Of course, when the bulbs are done, they just go in the trash. This is brought to mind, because I´m staying in a hostel that bills itself as ecofriendly. But I was watching the cleaning ladies empty the trash, and there were massive amounts of plastic bottles being thrown away. It´s such a shame that the US can make all this high minded recycling hulabaloo, but it means next to nothing when the rest of the world is just throwing their trash on the roadside.

Nica

2009-08-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

It´s hot here. It doesn´t rain. But it´s a very cool place otherwise. Leon is extremely vibrant, with out of control nightlife and more cultural institutiosn than you can shake a stick at. This morning, I had one of those overwhelming museum seesions, in which I saw so much, my brain started to hurt. One was an old prison stuffed with paper maiche mockups of various mythical figures. Excessively surreal, to stand in rooms in which people were tortured, alongside a rotting stuffed deer. I also went to Ruben Dario´s house, a wildly celebrated poet that I know nothing about, and still don´t. Museums in Spanish leave me in the dark most of the time. Last, but not least, was an amazing collection of old religous art and more modern stuff, but there was so much, that I could barely take it all in. So I went back to the hostel and took a long nap.

I´m going to hunt down some street food. That´s the one thing I can always count on, is street food curing me of anything.

Of Perequin and El Mozote

2009-07-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

So here I am, up in the highlands of El Salvador. This area used to be a hotbed of guerilla activity and and army free fire zone in the civil war days. I went to the museum that honors the hard work of the guerillas, and all the guides had limps from injuries they sustained during the war. The combination was extremely powerful. The exhibit included homemade bombs, photos from every part of the war, and the helicopter carrying Monterossa when he was killed.

Monterossa was the man responsible for the infamous massacre at El Mozote. Visiting this site almost brought me to my knees. The memorial to the 750 people carelessly killed by the Atcatl battalion is heart wrenching. There´s a small garden that includes the floor of the old convent, in which 150 children were locked, shot through the windows and then burnt. The bricks still have bullet holes.

Back in San Salvador I visited El Museo de Imagens y Palabras, also a powerful memorial to the struggle of the guerillas. There was a recreation of the underground Radio Venceremos, which broadcast news of the progress of the war, interviews with campesinos and folk songs. It was a constant thorn in the side of the regime and was constantly hunted, but it survived 11 years undetected.

All of these sites are dedicated to peace and justice, and maintain a vigilance that the repression and violence will never happen again in El Salvador. One can hope that this message is recognized the world over.

San Salvador bears mentioning. Everyone warns that all the capital cities of Central America are excessively sketchy and you shouldn´t go to them. But I strongly disagree about San Salvador. It could just be that I´m really really enjoying El Salvador, but I never felt San Salvador to be sketch like Guate. But hey, don´just take my word for it, go! I know I´ll be coming back soon.

For now, I´ve to figured out my way to Nicaragua without passing through Managua quite yet. I really want to check Leon. Thinking, thinking...

Where I am

2009-07-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

El Salvador. I really like it here. The people are insanely friendly, and theres little to no tourists. It´s very different from Guatemala. The indigenous flavor is almost nonexsistant. One thing that has been fun, is since there is so little tourist infrastructure, I´ve been forced to get into the local transportation. It´s a wild chaotic ride, filled with many random stops and loud whistling. I wish now that I had opted to attempt the chicken buses in Guatemala.

In other news, I feel like Im missing so much on this trip. My utter lack of Spanish skills is cutting me off in a horrendous way. I´l definetly be taking classes, and looking at opportunities to come back. I´ve seen volunteer jobs everywhere. I´ll have to plug in with something like that next time, for a better immersion in the culture.

Beaches

2009-07-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. I don´t really have anything important to say. I´m enjoying myself immensely though. I´m on the beaches on El Salvador, trying not to get a sunburn. Surfing is a big part on the scene here and I´m trying my best. I´ve been getting beat up a lot by the waves though.

All in all, I´ve hit a super relaxed period, and I haven´t even been even taking any photos.

I´m just trying to pay attention to the Kings and Honduras.

Vertigo!

2009-07-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Vertigo is a terrible affliction robbing billions of people of exciting adventures. I know from experience. I´ve been prevented from riding the elevator in San Francisco (you know the one) and jumping off of bridges in Guatemala. The worst was today in Tikal.

But before I get ahead of myself, I spent 2 days in Tikal. It´s an amazing large Mayan ruin, with several tall pyramids. Temple 4 is supposedly the tallest pyramid in Mesoamerica. I think Tikal was the location used in A New Hope for Yavin 4, which is an excessively dorky fact to think of, but whatever. The ruins are quite a mystical place, very ancient and filled with powerful energy. To simply stand in a low palace, imagining what took place thousands of years ago is mind expanding. Each courtyard and pyramid was built with extreme care, taking into consideration it´s placement in relation to the stars and Sun. And when you stand among the thousands of tons of rock stacked hundreds of feet high, it´s quite a feat.

The whole park is wild, with monkeys and parrots and anteaters roaming about. It definetly adds to the sense of the surreal.

But things got hairy when I got to Temple 5. The staircase that climbs to the top would more aptly be described as a ladder. The Mayans weren´t ones for building pyramids with long gentle ascents. They went from top to bottom as quick as they could. And this pyramid had quite a high top. So for someone with vertigo like me, with was a rough one. I waited til the two tours groups ahead of me cleared out so my shame would be a solitary one. I climbed as rapidly to the top as I dared, barely sat down, turned around, snapped one photo and hightailed it out of there. Hopefully the photo I got shows the expanse of the ruins, but I know it won´t show the distance down. I tried not to look below a million feet above the horizon the entire time.

Phew, I made it.

Now just to chill out for a while, til I catch an early morning bus to San Salvador. I can´t believe I´m on the back half of my trip already!

Been a Long Time.

2009-07-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

I don´t even know where to begin. Last I spoke I was in Xela. I visited Coban, but I didn´t really have anything blog worthy there. It´s a pretty calm place. I got my first taste of street churrascos there, and they quickly became a staple of my diet.

But from there I went to Semuc Champey. Absolutely amazing. Words can´t really do it justice. But it was pretty much exactly what you want to find when you come to Central America. It was a hidden jungle paradise, well removed from the cares of the world. I easily could have spent more time there, but I was strangely concerned with what is going on with the world right now. The pools might just be the best place in the world to swim. I haven´t seen everything yet, but they are number 1 as of now.

I´ve just now arrived in Flores. It is exceptionally hot. I have to be here for a day, as I get my laundry washed and find a small bag to carry my needs for the day/night of exploring Tikal.

Well my brain is pretty much mush from the heat. I´m gonna catch up on my news and chill out and explore Flores when/if it cools down.

Lions and Tigers and.....Horses? Oh My!

2009-07-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Guatemala has been full of strange sights. I've witnessed a cockfight and a tiger ride a horse. I'm sure many of you cringe at the thought of a tiger riding a horse, but it's a truly strange and bizarre thing to behold. You must see it to believe it. I was lucky enough to catch a circus passing through Xela, where I caught the aforementioned spectacle. I wasn't counting on seeing a circus in my travels, but it was a very nice diversion. Too bad the stands were relatively empty, and us 7 gringos were almost as entertaining to the crowds as the circus itself.

Oh, the cockfight? Come on, really.

Xela has been a wealth of graffiti. I wish I had pics to accompany this entry, but stencils are very common. They commonly have a political bent, but that's to be expected in a country of such turmoil right? I have noticed some beautiful artistic ones as well.

I popped into the Casa de la Cultura here today. And I thought the circus was bizarre. Curating in Guatemala is a lost art I think. I went to check the photo exhibition, but wow. It was such a disorganized mish mash, I didn't know where to start. The photos were jammed in, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. I guess I may be a little to harshly critical of Guatemalan museums, that lack the budgets of those in the States, but it's such a shame to see all the rich history and artifacts so unartfully displayed.

As always, I'm keeping an eye to the situation in Honduras. The more I read, the more I understand that it's an extremely complicated situation. But hey, it's Central America right? I kinda want to go and see what it's like there on the ground, but I must admit to being extremely unprepared. My Spanish would not get me out of any bind I might find myself in. I'm just going to have to resign myself to keeping an eye on Honduras from afar.

Litter

2009-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

It´s everywhere. I mean everywhere. Every single corner of this country that you look in, there´s at least one piece of trash. But usually about 11. It´s somewhat hard to deal with, but then I realize that we are quite spoiled in the Western world with our highly developed infrastructures. There´s really no trash service, recycling service, or even trash cans on the street. So in a sense, it´s even surprising that there isn´t more trash on the streets.

The other thing. Smog regulations are unheard of. Every single car gives of an ugly stench, and if you´re unlucky enough to get stuck behind a truck of any size, you cannot see.

I just arrived in Xela (Quetzaltenango) today. Haven´t here long at all. But so far I really like it. The central part of town has a nice hustle and bustle, without being crazy and chaotic. I´ve seen a nice amount of graffiti sprinkled about, so that´s definitely going to be a target. Everything else is a mystery.

Honduras!

2009-06-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I don´t want to be alarmist or anything crazy, but oh shit Honduras! Seems the country is on the verge of a crisis, with the President and the Congress in a deadlock, and the military stuck in the middle. This could go either way. The head of the armed forces was sacked in the last couple of days, for not providing support to the President for his election.

Theres a ton of articles out there on it, and I´m barely in the position to create well crafted blog entries, with links and everything.

Don´t worry though folks, I´m not really prepared well enough to wade into a potential coup/whatever is gonna happen. I would love it, I´m sure some great pics are waiting to be taken, but my Spanish is minimal, and my lens are nonexsistant for the needs of the assignment.

Now I think you all might start to understand why I came down here. It´s an amazing time, purely for the interest level. The fact that the democracy of Honduras is being shaken like this is always bad.

Rain!

2009-06-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Constantly. Always. Every single day starting at about 2 without fail.

I went out shooting yesterday. I got a few good ones. I´m starting to notice a theme in my shooting. You´ll have to wait til I show you the pics to figure it out. I don´t feel very comfortable doing street photography in San Pedro. The populace is a little iffy on my sticking a camera everywhere. But I´m working it a little. Damn rain though....

I can´t wait to return with better Spanish skills. I struggled through a conversation with a gardener in San Marcos, with topics ranging from earthquakes and thunder, to life on other planets. This trip is really great for showing me so much.

I had something else to say....

The World According to....

2009-06-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Man, I dropped out yesterday. I was feeling a bit knackered from two straight nights of partying, and the paddle in the lake, so I just read. But it was a bit of an accomplishment. I read all of "The World According to Garp". That´s a long book if you´ve ever seen it. Some 700 pages. I quite enjoyed it, and do recommend it to anyone. The movie is on my veiwing list for when I return to the States.

What that news really means of course, is a lack of photography. I plan on making up for it today. San Pedro is an extremely photogenic place, a gorgeous lake surrounded by lush green volcanoes. I know right! I´m also anxious to see what street photos I get out of here, as that´s really more important to me than landscapes.

Enough talking about it, I´ll get out there shooting.

Hopefully I hear back from these Waldorf school soon, I´d like to check it out.

San Pedro

2009-06-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

I don´t know what to say at this point. My first night here, a bar caught on fire. That was pretty dramatic, as everyone rushed to the 3rd floor of where I was drinking, and watched the billowing clouds of smoke. My first day here was spent kayaking to a secluded beach with some friends, emjoying the view, and coming back.

But for now, this screen isn´t properly configured, and it hurts my eyes. I´ll get back to this.

Antigua

2009-06-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I´ve spent a bit of time here in Antigua, but it´s been good. I climbed Pacaya, a volcano close to Antigua, with hopes to see flowing lava. Too bad I didn´t, it was just really hot, with a few spots of redness way down some holes. Great views of neighboring volcanos, one of which is pretty active, belching smoke regularly. Another little climb is up to the cross on the hill overlooking Anitgua, and you get to see the strict east-west, north-south orientation of the streets. I still haven´t figured out the compass yet down here, which is a little odd for me. I´m usually pretty good.

I´ve come away from this town with some pretty good pics. Theres lessons that I have to relearn, like getting names and such for captions. On Sunday, there was a moutain bike race of some sort, and I got a few good ones from that. But the pics I took of the riders directly after the race, when the moment was perfect, I totally spaced getting names. My PhotoJ teacher would slap me upside the head for that one.

Well I´ll be moving on to San Pedro del Lago in a few hours. I hear I should spend some time around there. Swim in the lake, climb volcanos (again) and take pics. It´s a hard life.

Umbrella

2009-06-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

The rain, and the problems it creates, might become a central theme to my trip. I´m staying on another day in Antigua, and I had grand plans of hanging out in the central plaza, across the street from the main church, and taking many photos of people in their Sunday finest. But instead, I woke up this morning to some of the fiercest rain yet. It doesn´t look like it has any intention of letting up. I may just have to sample lots and lots of coffee, and find a book.

Antigua

2009-06-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Just got into Antigua Guatemala. So far, the only thing I haven´t prepared for is the rain. Puts a new meaning to the phrase "when it rains, it pours". Yesterday in Guatemala, I got stuck out in some, and it was strange to watch a wall of rain swiftly approach me. Sort of a tidal wave, just it was falling from the sky.

My first impressions are of a very beautiful, but chaotic country. Guatemala isn´t necessarily a beautiful city, so that doesn´t apply there. But there are literally no traffic signals, and stop signs are barely obeyed.

Well, I need to fill my belly, and maybe get a cervesa. I´ll have more later!

(Apologies in advance for any and all typos. Spanish language keyboards have a slightly different layout.)

Happy Birthday to me.

2009-06-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

As I sit here, making dinner and drinking beer, I have a fairly uncertain future ahead of me. This uncertainty is not of a bad sort, but it is slightly unsettling. On Tuesday, June 16th, I fly to Guatemala City. I have not yet taken a trip on this magnitude before. Sure, I've spent 5 months in Europe, traveling to Amsterdam, Spain and even Morocco. Sure, I've moved from Davis to San Francisco. Sure, I've gone to Pine Ridge. But this is a journey that I cannot even begin to imagine. I have no safety net. I have pretty minimal planning, at least in regards to what I'm doing.

I have a vision of exploring bicycle culture in Central America. Of looking into urban farming in the larger cities. Of tasting delicious foods. Of examining the shifting political ideologies.

But really it's pretty much just a knee jerk reaction I had to a crisis in my life. I couldn't take that I was studying, and planning to get a degree, about a region of the world I had yet to visit.

So Central America, prepare thyself. I will be inside you on Tuesday for 2 months. I will learn as much as I can about you, and hopefully I'll learn a little about myself.

As for everyone else, keep an eye and ear to here, and I'll let you know how it's going. Pictures will all have to wait 'til I return.

Bikes

2009-06-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to Apex Cycle here in Davis, I got my rear wheel fixed pretty cheap. So I'm back in the saddle.

But today I spent 4 hours putting together the last of my friend Ashley's bike. Damn, does it look good. Came in a little over budget, but hey, it's a solid bike. I didn't get any pics, but it's a little IRO Heidi frame, running as a single speed. All black. Sweet as fuck. Can't wait to get her to switch up to fixed. But for now, I'm super stoked she has a bicycle she digs. Get it girl!

Time for a beer.

Here's the Deal

2009-06-03T16:33:00.001-07:00

I'm back in Davis for a few weeks. It's fucking hot and miserable here, and I'm remembering exactly why I moved away. Summers are about the worst thing here. There's fair and plenty to do it seems. But then again, I've been on missions every time I step out the house.

One thing that I'm truly pissed off about, is I don't have my biek. If I did, I'd have not a care in the world. But unfortunately I broke a spoke a week before I left SF. Goes to figure, I beat that rear wheel to proper shit, and not once did I ever bother to get it trued. Even when it had more wobble that a Benga track. So that leaves me stuck in Davis, bicycle fucking capital of the world, without a biek.

One thing that gives me a small sense of satisfaction is the fact that while Davis gets this crazy hype, everyone here rides shit bikes with not skill. Everywhere I look, all I see is brown ass chains screeching, with flat ass tires. Why the cheap Walmart mountain bike is everyone's choice I will never understand. What mountains are there in Davis?? Or the other option, the beach cruiser. I'll admit, I rode one for a while, and sure it's fun, but it's damn inefficient.

I'm not trying to say fixed gear is the only option for everyone, but something along those lines. A simple single speed townie kind of bike would be more that sufficient for everyone. I've seen a few here and there, and it makes me happy. But the bike shops here in Davis push the crap bikes. Hulk angry! Hulk smash! I would love to get a job at one of those places and sell better bikes to people.

Well, I'm not gonna write about anything else. This post went a little off the rails. I'll come back later with more awesome news.

Testing...

2009-05-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

Testing....

Is thing on?

Moon

2009-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I got lucky last night, and saw a screening of Moon at the San Fransisco International Film Festival.
I was very excited to see this movie, and it didn't disappoint at all. The plot was different than I expected going in, as the trailer painted a slightly more 2001: A Space Odyssey kind of picture. I don't want to say to much, as it will kind of spoil it. But I recommend that you go see it.

On another note, I went for an awesome night ride with Critto and Max on Saturday evening. The best part was bombing down Lincoln Blvd. I think that might just be my favorite hill ever.

Well, I've got a bunch of stuff to sort out.

'Til then, I'm just gonna enjoy the Whole Earth Festival next weekend. Looking forward to that.

Roadblock

2009-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've come to this weird point in my life. I'm filled with an intense anxiety about the future of my education. The issue is not whether or not I like the subjects I'm pursuing, but more of am I understanding the subject matter to the fullest. I've got a good handle on the photography, and everyday I learn something new and an angle that I wish to explore further. And sure, I always feel like I need more and better, but I do in order to push myself further. But my studies of Latin America is where my anxiety emanates from. I've been interested in South America for a long time, in the politics, history and variety of cultures. But the fact I have not been further south than fucking Tijuana drives me insane.

I need to stop having so many money hungry projects. Then I might be able to focus and slay this dragon.

Sunshine

2009-04-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of it this weekend. I enjoyed it. But it sapped me of energy. I need to sleep for like 12 hours, but I can't.

Simple Pleasures

2009-03-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do in San Francisco is riding all around with friends. Last night was no exception. We started talking about routes and where to go, but ended up just going with no direction. That's the best, as you end up going down random streets, finding sweet hills to bottom, catching awesome views and just having a laugh. Somewhere in the Marina we decided stopping at In 'n' Out would be an awesome idea, and it was. Followed by sprints and leisurely cruises down the length of the EMB.

I love SF, with all it's quirks and weirdness, this is a truly amazing city to explore.

Google Reader

2009-03-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Google Reader has become a near obsession for me. I have waaaaay to many blogs that I follow, and not nearly enough time to read them all. I fell really far behind for about a week, when I didn't have internet in the house. I'm battling very hard to keep on top of it, but as of the posting of this blog, I have 713 entries to read.

Anyhoo, just watched the new Where the Wild Things Are trailer, and I'm pretty excited. If anyone could do a good job, Spike Jonze could. I'm thinking he's adding just the right stuff to make a quick little children's book into a fun imaginative 90 minute romp. I'm gonna be crossing my fingers though. How many things from my childhood have they taken and made ugly bastard monsters out of? Too many to count.

Busy

2009-03-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Midterms came and went. That was quite the week. The illness that I had vowed to avoid caught up with me just as my tests started. So I ended up bombing one of them waaay hard. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with the upcoming paper and the final. My other tests went rather well. One A, and we'll see the other on Tuesday. Tomorrow I'm going to try to catch up with the subject of my photo story and get some shooting in.

My house is coming along nicely. I've got my desk in the perfect position. I've got some swanky lights set up in my room. Now I've just got to get some shelves set up and a mattress in.

Got a big long day ahead of me tomorrow.

House!

2009-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Been busy and crazy with a move. Finally I'm actually in the City. I'll get back on this when I have internets full time.

Photojournalism

2009-02-26T21:39:00.001-08:00

This class is kinda kicking my ass right now. My brain is somewhat dead, and it's really hard to go out and take photos. I really just don't want to think about photography at all. But I'm in a class that demands it. Hopefully it's just February doldrums, brought on by the rain, and with some sun I'll snap out of it. The weather just has to agree and start being sunny again. So this is my little sun dance.

Again...

2009-02-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

This day just wasn't meant to be. I had planned on shooting the vigil for Anita Gay and Oscar Grant at Ashby BART but it was postponed due to the impending weather. Now I'm going to have to rely on whatever slop I shot at the Chinese New Years parade for my general news assignment. Luckily I can do a reshoot for the assignment, so I'll have to keep my ears open for something exciting.

I decided that since I was here, I'd scope the neighborhood and grab a bite to eat. The warm colors of a green, yellow and red bus beckoned me from across the street. Caribbean food! The boys behind the counter were super nice and welcoming, and stoked that I was a photographer. They wanted their photo taken, and I had to say okay. That's what I do! Turns out the two kids are musicians, one an MC by the name of OFlow and the other a producer that goes by Taichi.

Oflow, left, and Taichi show off the new "Based" tee shirt in the kitchen of Vital Ital Calabash. Berkeley, Calif. 2/16/2009

The grub was tasty, and I'm gonna have to make a trip back out there just for the plantains that I didn't get to sample.

Dammit!

2009-02-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

So I hit the snooze one to many times, and showed up at my designated viewing spot to only see the broom wagon go by. I totally missed the Tour of California! I'm quite bummed about that, but it was my fault. I shouldn't have stayed up late watching Voltron.

But before I started in on the Voltron, I got my pics from Kalri$$ian uploaded.

Oh well, here's to next year.

Roundup

2009-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

Oops, haven't been keeping up with this. Or anything for that matter. I skipped more class this past week than I should have. I'll be making up for that for the next month though.

But where to start?

Last time I was here was last Friday. So then, Saturday. Which was the Chinese New Year Parade, which I went to shoot for my photojournalism class. And I'll be honest, it was kind of a pain in the ass. All I brought with me was my 30mm/1.4 and it wasn't the most versatile or appropriate lens to have. What can I do though? I had either that or the crap kit lens to choose from. I've been looking into getting a 24-70mm/2.8, and I was eying the Sigma as it was cheaper, but upon further reflection, I don't think this is a purchase to skimp on. So I've decided to go all in for the Canon version. Anyone want to make donations? I'll set up a Pay-Pal account for it.

Fast forward through the week, as I've already mentioned the issues with it.

But Friday night was epic. I trekked out to Berkeley for the Kalri$$ian record release party. I shot some photos for it, but I haven't uploaded them yet. Quite a ridiculous deal those guys have going on. I think they could make an excellent movie with the characters. It would be a more original idea than anything I've seen in forever. Biggups to Mikey for having me out! Much love.
Also a shout to AC Transit for being there for me. It was my first time using the system, and they came loads earlier than I expected, which was a good thing as I was early too.

Another Valentines Day came and went with my Valentinesless. Except for my biek. So I took her out and we went for a ride. Or a race to be more precise. The "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" alleycat. I was pretty excited to ride in my second alleycat, and I was determined to finish this one. I joined almost 100 other riders at what might be the ugliest and most pointless peice of art in the world, Cupids Span on the Embarcadero. The threatening storm (which luckily was only a few spotty drizzles) couldn't dampen my spirits. I'm not sure I could really describe the route accurately, as I was riding harder than I've ever ridden in my life. The first 3 checkpoints were 20th St. and Tennessee, Fillmore and Haight and the Chinese Pavilion in GGP, and then to the Chrome store at 4th St. and Brannan. Upon arrival there we got a new manifest, which sent us to the Castro, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Union Square, North Beach and back to Chrome. Phew! My legs were dead. But it felt nice to rest and drink some beers at the awards party. For my 19th place out of a finishing field of about 50, I got a sweeeeeet Knog cap. Or at least I think so 'cause I won it in a biek race.

But I learned some good lessons. Mostly that I can push myself pretty hard on the biek. A lot harder than I really thought. And also to route plan better, I could've come in a few spots higher had I not wasted a bunch of time early on.

I'm looking forward to the Amgen Tour of California tomorrow morning. Hopefully I can pick a good spot, and see more then just a blur.

Anyhoo, I'm off to find a dry spot and goof off on the biek a little.

WTF!

2009-02-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

So I was on Mission, at Third St, in the bus lane earlier today. The light turned green and I proceeded to cross, tucked in behind a motorcycle cop and another cyclist. But some dumbass decided to make a right turn, against the red and into the bus lane, just as we were all getting across. The cop looks in the window of the car, wags his head and jets off. As I pass the car, I notice that it's an expensive car being driven by an old white lady. WTF? Because it's an old white lady, you're gonna let her off? I'm sorry Mr. Policeman, she was playing with the lives of two cyclists, even if you don't care about yours. Or whatever TF is going on.

But I'm calling shenanigans on that one SFPD. Shenanigans.

Two Books

2009-02-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

I have never really done this sort of thing, going and seeing authors talk. But this past week I went to two such events. Both were really interesting.

First was Tuesday night, hosted by the Mission Cultural Center. The Democracy Center was on tour with their book Dignity and Defiance, which explores globalization in Bolivia and popular reaction to it. Some very intriguing stuff. The story of the fight against water privatization was particularly awesome, as it was a popular struggle to throw out Bechtel from Cochabamba, Bolivia. I definitely plan on picking up this book and reading it.

Second was Thursday night, hosted by Modern Times. A neat book, exploring the future for Cuba. An important topic now, with Castro exiting power in Cuba and Obama entering power in the US. Another book I plan on reading. At some point.

But for now, I have to content myself with reading for class. Chapters upon chapters, book after book. I think I ought to get to that now.