Morning Bike Ride

I noticed that the gap between those periods where I write a lot is about one week and I believe it is because I’m not using the notebook with any other medium. The in between step using MS word is extremely useful.

It was my nephew’s Birthday. My older brother got married and I broke up with my girlfriend. The whole thing involved a whole complex of events and I don’t think it is necessary to recount the tale. However, it was terrible and work the next morning was incredibly difficult. I believed that the world was falling apart. I went and saw a movie with myself. I watched a lot of movies. The job was incredibly difficult. It seems like I would list out the days or day parts and then fill them in.

I spend a lot of time fretting over using the bike or not because of the ride in the morning. I also came back from a weekend to discover that a couple of my co workers had had a tiff on Saturday and one of my coworkers had been fired. I learned about it while I was arranging to move my desk. However, I got a bonus and this sort of gave me a smile.
This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Clubs for Bars

I keep notes and then read them while writing. For instance, I note that I made a mistake with my Clipper card. I pressed the wrong button and then I was carrying two around both of which have value on them.

At the same time, it is obvious that I don’t like my job. My coworkers say I am not in danger of losing it though. This doesn’t stop me from considering the idea of going back to my old job or getting another one. There seems to be a balancing act going on between staffing and deadlines. My bosses obviously wanted more people but couldn’t ramp up production at the same time as scaling up the work force. I pay a lot of attention to interpersonal interactions and my place in the hierarchy. I estimate that I’m not likely to lose my job for about two more months.

I went to Russian Hill with a couple of friends from LA and Orange. Being girls they wanted to go to clubs but settled for bars. I was amazed at how difficult it was to balance work and fun on a Friday night.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

A Bit of a Pot Luck

I can seem to find much free time between overtime at work my thesis and my notebook. I rode to work on my bike for Monday’s commute. I like to take notes on how the morning commute takes place. I’m always so concerned with getting up on time. I got evaluated at work and we had ice cream that day. On the way home I got to check out the BART system’s “bikestations”.  I got to see my brother for Thanks Giving when he came by on his way to Orange County.  This is me on Thanksgiving.

I also went to my girlfriend’s parents that day. I had fun and it was a bit of a pot luck. There was music. Then the next day after work I caught up with my family at the Embarcadero. We walked around. I also did this did this funny thing called Friend’s Giving. You go to a party on the day after Thanks Giving and hang out with your friends. It was a long weekend.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

A Special Way Home

I took a special way home through the city because I have the bike. I do stuff with the thesis and then rode to Geary Street to hang out with some friends from Orange County. The next day I went to Half Moon Bay and to see other friends and watch the surf. Later, I went home to work on the thesis.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

The 509 Train

Last night I was eating dinner with mom and dad waxing loquacious about how difficult it is to get a bus in the Sunset. I aksed questions like, "Why isn't there a BART bus on Noriega?" or "Why doesn't the 48 run all day?" I then came up with all sorts of outrageous reasons for my troubles. All of which had to do with the glut of parking the district has. My dad dad agreed with me saying that he used to have to catch the 5:09 bus in the morning every day and that it was never on time.

This is what I was talking about!

I have long wondered why I need to run out of the house at all hours for the bus in SF. Shoes untied, shirt unbuttoned etc. When I was young I generally didn't have a clue about when the bus was on its way but I ran nonetheless. Dean Scudder had me all but permanently in detention when I was a High Schooler.

Now with the internet I still for some reason have to run. This morning I was just about ready to leave the house when I looked at NextMuni.com and realized that I needed to go go go. So I went out side. I ran. I walked and then I ran again. At this point, having no smart phone and not knowing what time the train was scheduled to arrive I could only approximate when I needed to be there. I decided that it would be a good idea to look at my watch when I got on the train to ensure this didn't happen again.

During one of my brief walking stints on the way I saw a man throwing newspapers into people's front doors. I asked if I could buy one and he said, "Oh, uh, yes in one minute." Not having a minute I ran on.

Upon arriving at the stop I discovered to my relief that there were newspapers in the kiosk. However, I wasn't entirely certain if the train was coming. I waited and waited. In time I heard it approach and I realized that having scored a paper I would likely have an easy commute this morning. As I boarded the train I looked at my watch. It was 5:09.

Saturday OT

There were a lot of changes at work and was promoted. I get rides from my coworkers to and from work and or BART. They always give me the skinny on the job. I had just heard an earful from my boss when I got a ride all the way home. I ended up in the rain that evening because I went down town to hang out with my friend in town from Buffalo. I did a lot of Saturday OT. There were donuts. That day I went to Sacramento to go to a party. I wrote most my notes on the train. I also noticed that I was relying upon my computer to record my thoughts. I really value my notebook over my computer sometimes. It can be super easy to use. The notebook seems a lot freer than the blog.

I snapped a photo at Fifth and Market while waiting for the express.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Next Bus or Train

I kept a large amount of ham in the fridge at work for about a week. I would bring it out every day and eat it for lunch. One of my coworkers would always make fun of me for it. I hated hearing him talk about it. He would say that he would prefer to have pizza over “slimy ham” implying that the ham was old and gross. I eventually quit eating the ham because I stopped trusting it.

I try to get to work as early as possible and have managed to get to work at 7:30. This means that I leave my house at 5:30 in the morning. While the trip isn’t exactly and hour I have to wait in more than one place for the next bus or train.

This photo was taken at Critical Mass, Holloween 2011.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Writing Stability

There were a couple of days where I just got up and left for work without even thinking about it. I have been really serious about getting home from work and getting to my thesis. I think that this is indicative of a certain stability in my writing. I have time to do it, know what I need to write and am not concerned with anything external. I think a lot about my morning commute. For instance, I like to use the Alamo Square route when riding my bike.

This photo has a wonderful view of Tomales Bay.
This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Finding My Way

When I have been writing fairly regularly I find that I can focus on just one day or two days. I think it is important to record my experience of the commute in detail because I think that the notes would come in useful later. This trip took me to Walnut Creek here and I had trouble finding my way. At the office I took many notes in there from this day on another notebook. During the training my coworkers and I got to know each other and we signed our contracts. The trip home was more predictable because I had done it many times. I spent much of the ride home thinking about my thesis.

I love the bumpy walls at Powell station. I took this while I waited for the train one morning.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

AT&T Park welcomes Bike Party!

Bike Party. It's a strange mix of fun and exercise that I struggle to understand. This time the stops were a little short and I participated alone. When I arrived I looked around for a cue sheet and eventually the ride organizer gave me an intersection to proctor. I chatted with one of my friends. We rode to the Dogpatch and then up Potrero Hill. When we arrived at the first gathering spot in South Park I connected with more people I knew and as a group we saddled up as the party got moving again. At the next stop, pier 29, the four of us had fun schmoozing with the crowd.

When we left for the final stop I had to stay at the head of the troupe to make it to 15th near Townsend- my intersection. It is easy to proctor an intersection with Bike Party! Some people like to insist that riders obey every law in the book but me, I like to give out advice like, "call yer mother!!" or "eat yer veggies!" I didn't count the people as they passed but I think that there were more people than what I have seen or at least that with which the group had begun.

When we arrived at Showplace Triangle my group- the four of us from the Sunset- left for the long trek home. We climbed up 16th street to the edge of the Castro and headed up the Wiggle. At the Panhandle my partner broke off on her way to the Inner-Sunset and then the rest of us went for a beer.

I have always enjoyed riding with popular cyclists and Bike Party is no different. What I appreciate about Bike Party is the fact that they are organized and amiable; looking only for fun, rather than conflict. I try to go as often as I can and am daily reminded of its whimsical nature.

Rode to Potrero Hill

I have been keeping a record of my weight on my calendar. The calendar says that on September the 25 I was at 186 lbs. On the 22nd I was downtown at Brandon College and bumped in to my mom on the bus. We went to coffee in Cole Valley and when we caught a bus through UCSF we bumped into a family friend. Later that day I went to the Buck Bar and partied with the Tour de Fat Crew. I also spoke to a friend in San Diego. I then went to another bar and saw some other friends. The next day I rode to Potrero Hill with a friend.

Here is another post for the cue sheet from October’s Bike Party in SF.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Tour de Fat Valet and Outreach

Yesterday, the 24th of September, I had the opportunity of working all day at the Tour de Fat put on by New Belgium brewery of Colorado. I arrived a little late for my valet shift but it was relatively easy to get into the swing of things. The Parade was only just getting under way and the Rhymanese Twins were whooping up their act. I was given the "parker" job, where the valet attendant is charged with placing the bikes just right. For a time this was a relatively easy task. Tilt the bikes toward the door and at a ninety degree angle from the spine of the police barricades provided by National Fence. The parade went out and some new volunteers got involved. When the parade came back though things picked up and I was placing a bike every 40 seconds.

I think that during the 3 hour period of my shift I parked about 200 bikes. The parades return brought in the bulk of that. I gave up parking after a while and handed the task over to someone new and ran bikes with the rest of the Valet until 1:30- the end of my shift.









I received a wooden nickle as a tip in while working at the valet and used it to get a beer. I walked around. There was the usual selection of food tents and a couple of stages. Then there were the groups who benefited from the show's proceeds: the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the Bicycle Coalition. they work together of course but they also work on very different issues. I thought that they actually worked well together. I went over to the outreach table and started my next shift.

Initially, I didn't know how to work with in the confines of a small tent at a festival since my previous experience as a Coalition Ambassador was as a street canvasser but after I pulled in a couple of memberships the other volunteers in the tent began giving me a wide berth. I know that I wasn't the best fundraiser that day but in general I paid my way there. By mid-shift I was ready for a break and decided to use the second of my spare nickles for a beer and a walk.

I stood and watched the stages for a bit and took in the crowd. I noticed that this years show has flyers that say, "Now for the whole family!". There are art bikes and jugglers, bands and other circus acts. The venue struck me as sort of whimsical and even a bit contrived, like I totally expected to see a tent with an announcer outside inviting people to see the "Bearded Man"!

Essentially, I have heard about Tour de Fat multiple times in the past few years and the reviews generally agreed with what I saw yesterday: HOKEY. However, after standing at the show for a few moments I realized that this was in fact the shows intent. It tends to evoke a feeling of a bygone era lost somewhere int he 1880's, where a brand new stripped leotard and a top hat were in fact a luxury and not some flamboyant attempt at humor. I have concluded that Tour de Fat really does live up its intentions and that I would gladly participate in the future.

I went over to the Bay Area Ridge trail, where Bern, one of the directors, was managing Tour de Fat merchandise. I asked him about the organization's mission and some of their recent developments. Readers of the RPHL will remember that I took a trip on some of the ridge trail only a little while ago. He told me that the recent article in the Examiner about the Ridge Trail was a great example of where the organization was heading. That article describes how the GGNRA is purchasing land adjacent to the town Montara as a way to protect threataned watershed easements. However, he also said that it wasn't likely that a trail would be available through or near the SFPUC lands any time soon but that his organization was working on a work-around.

Returning to the Outreach Booth it occurred to me that Tour de Fat seen from the outside seems to be a silly excuse for a beer and at best a good laugh. However, after signing up four more coalition memberships I began to realize that almost everyone in attendance was directly involved in one of the two participating organizations and were generally well aware of the issues being represented. I met so many of them that day my mind was swimming in fact. After leaving the show I had time to reflect on how the Tour differs from festivals like Outsidelands and Power to the People. While the number of attendees were far fewer, those at the Tour de Fat were really in the know.

A Temporary Job

It is a big day for me. I have an appointment at Brandon College for a temporary job. I fielded the call from the college easily and the interview worked straight away. I have learned to make daily postings with my notebook in addition to using one of my blogs. I thought about the thesis and what needs to be done with it. I have been using my time well.

I took this picture at the The Buck Tavern (aka Daly’s Dive Bar). I was blown away when I visited. Chris Daly actually works there!

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Terrible Poison Oak

I have been applying for jobs and I still have a terrible poison oak infection. It is a very painful turn of events that and I don’t really like to think about. I have reenrolled in my master’s program and am concerned about doing so next semester. I got mail from Caltrans for a job. I have noticed how long it takes for certain changes in my infection to go through a cycle. The areas of my body that are especially affected are my arm, trunk and leg.

Angel’s Trumpets are someone’s favorite flowers.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Montara Mountain

I have spent a lot of time contemplating the ride from HMB to SF or at least hwy 35. So last weekend I rode to Linda Mar and caught a bus to El Granada. The next day I climbed up El Granada Bl. At the end of a gruesome climb I found two Lyons statues in front of two gates.

----Before I go on I think that the reader should know that there are certain embellishments in the story I am writing below. For instance, I mention lifting a bicycle. I also mention climbing. These are activities that might involve a lot of upper body strength, which is something I obviously don't have a lot of. Hence, when you read these tidbits just assume that I made it up.----

I looked at the two gates. One was solar powered with a small electronic key. The other was padlocked. I noticed the bolt had a note attached, "if you have a problem call" some conservationist office. I also noticed that the padlocked gate was fully exposed to the neighborhood. I chose to stash my bike behind a bush on the south wall and snuck over it. I walked and walked keeping mind that the other road was likely very near. After climbing to a certain height I discovered a view of a huge gully adjacent to El Granada southwest of Frenchman's Creek.

There below me was the other road. It snaked up towards Montara Mountain, which I could see in the distance. I turned around and headed back because the maps had indicated that this was the direction I needed to take to Sweeny Ridge. Returning to the gates I realized that I was looking at a three way intersection with only two gates. Beating around in the bushes I discovered a rent in the fence separating two different properties: one pertaining to conservationists and one pertaining to some owner that saw reason to buy a solar powered gate.

I walked through the rent. Walked down to the gate and saw the name of the conservation group in charge: Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). I grabbed the bike and climbed up to the saddle. There were a bunch of places where I saw the markings of activity on the road. On the south road I saw tire treads from bicycles using the rent. I also saw many tire marks on the north road. I could see El Granada and Half Moon Bay.

































Climbing on my bike I crossed several intersections but tried to stay left as I was bearing towards North Peak. I caught a view of Lock's creek and in the middle of the valley there was a building with a few tents. Fearing that the people in the house would see me I checked a small secondary road to the west but thought better of it.
































I approached the house warily and discovered it was unoccupied. A couple of tents. Some notices indicated that it was used for meetings and the tents were left by boarders who only occasionally came to visit. Next to here I found a small grove of trees and an intersection. I once again stayed to the left but at this point I started worrying that I was going the wrong way. This was when I noticed that what seemed like a secondary branching of the road contained a gate and signs placed by the SFPUC. I searched around the gate and found a deer carcase that a mountain lion may have left.

I decided that this was the best way to go. I hate hoisting bikes over fences.

I climbed and climbed and it sucked. Here I was able to finally see where the secondary roads on either side of the building had gone. I knew that while both would eventually meet up with the one I was on, I wasn't certain that I would meet up with them. This was almost entirely because from the height at which I was (approx. 1700 feet) allowed me to see the other directions well.

Up to this point I kept saying to myself, "If I get to Linda Mar that is fine." However, I had begun to think that I was in fact going the correct direction. I was certain that I could see both the road to Sweeny Ridge but also the ridge itself.

When I finally got to a fork in the road I chose to go right instead. Then I descended. I did this for a while since I had taken on much elevation in the earlier part of the day. When the bike came to a stop I looked down and saw Linda Mar, behind me I saw the middle peak of Montara Mountain, to my right I saw Pilarcitos Creek and straight ahead what I could only assume was Sweeny Ridge.































Casting back in my mind I tried to remember how many intersections there were ahead of me. I moved on knowing that there were several hills likely before me and I was running out of water. In time I came across two intersections and both times I chose to go left.

When I arrived at the gate to Sweeny ridge I was relieved. Up to this point I was under the impression that I would make a mistake. I rode on and saw markers on the side of the road. The first said "8" and then the next two said "9" and more. This made me think twice about the gate I had just crossed, "Wasn't I returning to the trail-head by now?" Finally I learned the meaning of the markers. A whole new gate.

Called the Portola Gate, this one was obviously an important one. It indicated that the last gate was actually outside of Sweeny Ridge. I threw the bike over a low spot of the fence and then climbed underneath. This didn't work. I came back and climbed over the fence near the bike. I threw it back. Then I unpacked the bike and hung it on the gate itself. This worked.

I rode down to Sneath lane and then up highway 35.

Two Every Couple of Days

I try to post two applications every couple of days. I also like to write about this kind of thing every day. I also went to the APCG conference here in San Francisco. I have been busy converting much of my thesis from the old MS Word format into the new one (.doc to .docx). I have noticed that not having a printer makes things especially difficult. Sometimes I will give myself a bunch of tasks to do and I can’t get to them all. I took a trip to Redwood city the other day. I am thinking about developing a new RSS.

I visited Sonora Pass in September.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Went to the Mountains

I went to the mountains in Tuolumne County with a friend for a few days. Many days were a lot of fun and others not so much. We met my parents, went shopping on the way back to the city and had dinner upon our return. I met up with another friend before her trip to Michigan and the rest of the weekend entailed taking care of her dog and going to the Outsidelands festival to valet.

Bike Party met at Civic Center in September.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Interpreting the Trail

I went to Tuolumne County for a few days with a friend. We went up the hill for breakfast and a hike. We had trouble. I thought it was fun to interpret. It took going through once and then we went back and identified what we knew was possible. Some of the language in our pamphlet was really funny. We went farther up the hill. We also looked for events in a local newspaper to attend. We had pizza down the hill. The next day had breakfast and then drove the back roads. We also went to the county seat and a farmers market.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Flat Tire Walk Home

I got to Market and Guerrero and my tire was flat. Thought about going to the nearest bar instead of the Uptown but thought better of it. Walked to the nearest ATM. I walked to the nearest Gas station. .75$ for air in my tire. I decided to move on. At the Castro Chevron I decide to play a little game. Fill up look at my clock. Run to the next gas station kitty corner. Air machine is broke. Start to ride up to 15th. Tire is flat. Look a the clock. Five minutes.

I went to a corner store on Divis. Got some beer. Took the 6 then the 71 home.

We Just Met

Sometimes I will post a whole week's events to the blog on one day. I just got finished spending a lot of time with my girlfriend. We just met and I am getting to know her. I thought she enjoyed my company. My sister was visiting too and I suspect it was simply because my parents are out of town. I went on a ride around the city on my bike and visited Redwood City. I think one of the most interesting highlights from the week previous was my attendance of the play Rent in Half Moon Bay.

These flowers were growing on the Half Moon Bay coastline.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Transit has its Limits

I find that I prefer to just say a few words in the blog and move on. It is way better than writing two to three pages. I just met this great woman. I met her through a friend. I think we really like each other. I just returned from her house on the bus. I have learned that taking transit has its limits. Some places are just plain inaccessible. When I got home I met a person who invited me to Google plus. I am looking for a job again.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Bus Tour Agency

I have been having trouble with my job and I bought a notebook to sort things out. I work at a. I take notes while working and have reviewed them. It is pretty obvious that I have conflicts with my coworkers regularly but there is generally no basis for it. I think that there is something going on underneath. After work I caught a bus from the Wharf to North Beach to hang out with a high school friend on her birthday.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

The Cat That Ran Away

Dear Master,

I suppose you are probably wondering where I am, since I haven't called from the back door in awhile. I have been rather conflicted as of late about what to say to you considering how you supported me for what seems like forever.

I have moved in with someone new; someone who is nice to me and doesn't go out as often as you do. The new place is clean like what I am used to. It's different though. Warmer for one thing. The heat is always on and I have all these comfortable sheets to sleep on.

Also, I am especially happy that I have plenty of access to the out doors since I like to think of my self as an indoor-outdoor kind of cat. A man came by recently and installed a new door here something I think you should look into. Its especially useful as I don't have to go around calling for help when ever I want to go out.

I saw a flyer you posted around the neighborhood. I almost shed a tear when I saw it. I think I can remember the photo too. Is it from our first week at the house? It looks like that box you packed with socks for me in the back ground. The flyer is dated two months ago. When I saw it I couldn't help think has it really been that long?

That got me thinking about our time together and this is why I am writing. Basically, I want you to know I enjoyed those times; that we were happy then; and I think you know this. However, as time went on I couldn't help but notice a difference between our wants and interests. Suffice to say my understanding of things didn't quite match up with yours.

I know how sending this to you must make you feel but I really couldn't bear to face you after I made this realization. I know that this letter doesn't even begin to heal the wound that my leaving inflicted upon you. I just found myself imagining what you must have gone through after I left.

Like the last time I went missing and you down at the corner store looking for me. I remember you were visibly shaken when you finally found me in that trashy mess. The fact that you were so relieved after you had freed me from that messy hole is what prompted me to send this to you, so that you knew I was alright.

I always felt that there was something missing even when I was with you. While I think that you are a great person to be with there was so much that I didn't like and I am not interested in going back to that.

I have grown up and can make my way out into the world on my own. Early on I felt I was staying because I was uncertain of what I would find out there but my uneasiness just grew and I realized that I didn't want to continue living that way. I needed to branch out and I just couldn't avoid the feeling that I was sending you the wrong message by staying.

Basically, I got tired of the late cold nights at home. Waiting. Hungry. Sitting at the window watching. Feeling trapped and having no one to turn to. There were so many times during my last days with you when I felt that it would be so easy to slip out when the door opened. Or when you left the back door open on the weekends for me.

I want you to know that I look back upon you with fondness and I believe that I was shaped by the life we led together. However, there was so much that I wanted for us to achieve but I didn't have the energy to hold things up for both of us.

Fact is I am a free spirit and don't deserve to be treated like a kept animal. This is why I so much enjoy my new companion. I am not interested in insulting you with all of the details. I am happier now and don't want you to miss me anymore like I think you have been.

I had to make things happen for yourself and I feel like I was successful and once you admit to yourself that it wasn't working I think that you will realize that we needed to give up.

Recognize that there is so much more out there. I think that you will someday find what you need and please don't do anything you will regret. I know that you have probably been at your wits end over me. You need to just move on things are different now.

I think you really need to think about everyone's feelings in this.

With love,
Whiskers

People Near Venice

I hung out with my friend in the city and then a couple of days later I drove her to LA to drop off some paintings. I had to take a couple of days off from the Bus Tour Agency that I work at. In LA I met some people near Venice and then drove to Long Beach. I have about five friends there. We had tacos and beers. Later I stayed at one of their friends and drove home to SF. I had to get back to work.
This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Atomizing the Problem

I’m planning a trip to LA and have been really deep into interpreting the comments I received from my advisor regarding my thesis. I had been working on a new draft for many months and when she sent me her review I had not heard from her in many months. I looked at a number of resources to learn exactly what it was that she had sent me as well as decide what I needed to do to address her comments. I looked at about six of her emails—old and new—as well as several older drafts and notes. I put them all together and then wrote a long description of what I saw in chronological order. This method of description is my way of doing research. I find that it is particularly onerous but effective. My only problem is that it can never happen quickly.

I was especially having problems with my stats. Basically, every stats problem is unique. I have found that asking someone else for help means that they have to do it for you. I have finally begun to understand how to address this using the conversation and my books to deal with each problem on a low level. I think of this as atomizing the problem into specific steps that are not so unique. If and when I do need help I can ask about these things instead.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Grandmother’s Interment

I spent a day with a sales associate from a “marketing firm”. I thought that this was ironic because we were actually walking around a suburban community trying to get people to switch cable providers. I couldn’t really understand how this made them a marketing company. They called it my first “interview” and told me at the end that I was hired and would be paid on commission. I suckered myself into believing that I would take the job even though I knew I would change my mind after I came to my senses.

I later met up with a few friends. It was fun but old. I had a tie on and was bored and tired. I went to my grandmother’s interment the next day with my family. Since then I have been separating the chapters for my thesis and developing a set of steps to finish it. I like to use my blog as a sounding board in the process.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

My Next Steps

I received an email from my advisor and am trying to work out my next steps. I need to reenroll with the university. I am barely finished with my first three chapters and am looking into how to approach chapter four. I have been dividing my time between a job search and the thesis. It has been rather easy since I don’t have a regular job. The marketing firm that called me had me come to an interview and afterward I went out with a few friends for dinner. There were some visitors from out of town. Most of my notes seem to be a stream of consciousness on my priorities and they are somewhat useful.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Cheese, Muffins, Eggs and Ham

I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to put these basic ingredients together in a way that is easy and fast. Unfortunately, the fastest way to put them together involves two separate instruments: a toaster and a microwave. However, I always have an easy time making a delicious mid-day treat and it usually only takes a few minutes. Plus, it only involves four ingredients and a little bit of butter or margarine.


First I cut the muffins in half and toast
them since this takes the longest amount of time. Then I coat a ceramic ramekin with butter or margarine and break an egg into it. I always make sure that the egg is a bit scrambled because it may actually EXPLODE! However, if you break the yoke, cover the ramekin with a standard sized paper towel and let the egg cool every twenty seconds while it is cooking it usually turns out all right. About, one minute should start the eggs out nice at first.














Now, the muffins may have made it to being toasted by now. So, this is where I usually spread a little bit of butter and then place about one slice of Swiss cheese per muffin half and put the muffins back in for a bit longer.














Returning to the eggs, I always check inside the ramkin to make certain that the eggs aren't going to explode. Placing it inside the microwave for one minute is alright to begin with but after about one and a half minutes it is necessary to open the microwave about every twenty seconds and let the egg cool for at least five seconds. Here I am raising the paper towel to listen to the light sputtering noise the egg makes that indicates it is nearly done. After checking on the eggs, I can see that the cheese has melted on the muffings and this is where I layer some ham on top.














While cooking the egg without making it explode can be a chore it can also yield a wonderful surprise as you might be able to see from the picture below. The process usually produces a hockey puck shaped lozenge for lack of a better word which will fit tidily inside of a muffin sandwich.

Cycling Class in Glendale

On April 30^th this year three cyclists from the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition held a two hour cycling safety skills class. Called Cycling 123, the class went over several essential elements to cycling safely (learn more). The students, ranging in ages from 5-12 learned the ABC Quick Check, starting and stopping, scanning and signaling and hazard avoidance. In the last half hour of the class they also had opportunities to use all of the techniques together and make complicated maneuvers such as riding in a figure eight. Parents had the additional opportunity to watch their children participate in a snail race where the last cyclist across the finish line is the winner.

In all there were five students, three boys and two girls, and each came to the class with their own background and equipment. The idea behind the class is to use these differences as a point of departure for learning and to provide students with an opportunity to learn from one another. For instance, the moment a student recognizes the different ways that their classmates start, stop, scan or signal is when they begin to understand how it is connected to the over all experience. The same can be said for other cycling elements such as the variety of bicycle types or even reasons for cycling.

The class is a good way to introduce parents and children to the importance of cycling safety and the curriculum is designed so that even the slowest learners are able to master the techniques and understand the concepts. During the course of the class students developed a new appreciation for how to ride between the first and last runs of each course element. They quickly learned that their original conception of bicycling needed to be changed since cycling as an activity requires critical thinking as well as hand eye coordination. Though all of the students understood what the various parts of the bike did, all of them were surprised to learn how different bikes can be from one another. For instance, while every student understood the basic idea behind stopping their bike the process through which they learned how to stand, break and step off of the bike differed from one to the other.

This class is special in comparison to other classes which have been taught in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area in that decision makers and city administrators had a role in making the class a reality. In mid-2010, one of the instructors, acting in his capacity as a coordinator to the City of Glendale for the LA County Bicycle Coalition, originally conceived of the class as a way to do better outreach to local schools, parents and children. He dedicated many extra hours of work and months of planning that went into it.

To begin with there were several layers of city administration and local community awareness that needed to be addressed even before a curriculum was considered. He worked closely with city leaders and in turn administrators with the school districts and parks and recreation. In time the class was listed in the Recreation Guide, a catalog containing a plethora of other classes that are similar in nature. He then approached the other instructors to help with the class because they had organized in Santa Monica and South Bay cities such as Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. The three organizers then made certain that the class was accessible and kept to a minimum amount of time.

While promoting social change should necessarily include community leaders such as elected officials and administrators it is also necessary to approach other relevant social groups as well. This meant that specific community leaders who had a direct relationship to the classes specific demographic needed to be informed about the classes as well. The organizers settled on the local parent teacher association which enthusiastically contributed by distributing flyers to individuals and supporting the promotion of the class.

Since attendance for this class was remarkable in comparison to other classes that had been organized in the past in LA County it was a stunning success. However, it should be noted that the class had capacity for at least five more students. In the event that another class is organized in either Glendale or elsewhere there is evidence to support that a broader conception of relevant social groups should be part of the process of organization. This may mean outreach to additional parent teacher associations, church groups, environmental groups and even some of the groups which are advertising in the Recreation Guide.

A Big Ride

I went on a big ride with my friend from LA who was visiting the city for the weekend. I have also begun a serious review of my jobs search and have basically finished putting together all of the emails and applications. The next thing is to develop a description of these items to show my progress. I have some theories that could bear some serious thought. For instance, I have had a number of experiences at non-profits and agencies and think that these might be leveraged. I also think that I might be able to ask for help at some of the local universities. I also consider job lists specifically to be especially valuable. Finally, I have discovered that there have been a number of incidental experiences where I heard about companies having jobs on offer.

These are the people that I helped on Bike to Work Day 2011— on my BIRTHDAY!

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Grandma’s Memorial

I have decided that my grandmother’s death caused me to put off my job search. However, in preparation for beginning again I have identified a set of jobs search criteria that may be useful. My whole family came down for the weekend of the memorial. My siblings and I hung out at my little sister’s house in the Parkside. The next day many of us went to a Giants a game. I had a couple of guests and we agreed to go meet at Bike to Work Day.

The memorial was at a home in San Mateo County and many people came to pay their respects. We had dinner with my uncle. I noticed that while many are sad about the death of our 104 year old matriarch there are few tears. My siblings and I ended up having a real discussion about our relationships and this really sparked an understanding of who I am in relation to everyone. I remember a discussion of “doing" over “talking about” things. We also had a funeral at Lillian’s church and a reception in Parkside.

This is a photo of my brother David after Grandma’s memorial.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Write and Search

I took the time to document all of the different things that I did to get a job. I am trying to get my mind around what I am dong to get a job and how effective I am being. I thought of it as starting again because I felt that there were a bunch of events that had kept me from working towards the goal of full employment. There are two things that I am finding I need to do regularly: write and search. I hit on the idea of looking at old applications and what types of jobs I think I should be trying to get. I also hit on the idea of listing out firms I might work at. I find that the blog is great way to evaluate my progress.

This is a regular series chronicling my life at regular intervals. This Memo series is meant to be a retrospective of what I have written and experienced. In each of these posts I use my notes in conjunction with memory, mementos and souvenirs to create a snap shot of my life. I wrote this on the 26th of May and posted it to the blog on June 13th.

Lillian Constance Foley 1906-2011

"What are you doing out there?" she said one day to a group of us, her offspring. Lillian, our "Nana" was always prone to asking embarrassing questions of us and this was the case on that particular holiday evening maybe a dozen years ago. She went on to relate to us a story about her youth in the twenties. It was New Years eve, she said, when the boys she was with (she always ran with a big group of boys) closed all of the windows in their Model-T in the big city of Chicago and "the car filled up with all this smoke." I don't think she was referring to cigarettes.

The comments weren't always embarrassing of course. However, along with my father's comments, Nana's running commentary was a major element to the way that I interacted with society. After all some of my earliest memories of her revolved around my mother's deferential attitude towards me. I will never forget how terrible I always felt at the dinner table when she was around and while as an adult I wouldn't necessarily trade anything on the dinner plate now for cottage cheese, I still share my mother's appreciation for its nutritional value.

I remember in the nineties when she was trying to get better value out of her assets, she would make other dry comments. This time to smokers she would say, "have another one," since at the time she had been making quite a lot off of her stock in R.J. Reynolds and/or Phillip Morris (I don't remember which). More recently, I remember how she simply volunteered information. Like when an appraiser came by to view her gigantic butterfly collection. After looking at her assortment of pins and broaches the man had suggested a price for the whole lot. She turned him down saying that he had undervalued it.

I made my comments too. I think I was maybe ten years old when my siblings and I were getting into the car to go shopping with her. In reference to her penchant for thrift stores, I pointed out that everything that Nana buys is "old". I was severely dressed down for that and will always remember how she categorically explained in front of all of us how important she was to our well being. It was because of incidents such as these that I will always have an appreciation for frugality.

In her old age the tables began to turn for her and I. I got an education and her fiery comments cooled. I think that had things been different we should have been friends (although even now I am struck by how ridiculous it is to say that). I have found that the best friendships I have ever known involved us talking at at each other rather than to. Lillian's tendency to simply ad lib non-sequiturs and volunteered information fit this paradigm to a "T". It never ceased to aggravate everyone in my family and those around us but I have taken much away from it.

Questions tend to shed old ideas or personal situations in a new light and inevitably cause a person to doubt themselves. I believe that this type of introspection was a necessary element in my own development. It also allowed me to regard my own life and mentors in a critical matter. Like who was this old woman, born of immigrant parents and what caused her to come out west in the twenties and start a family during the worst depression America has ever faced?

Over the past few years the student has had an unprecedented opportunity to ask questions of the teacher since the butterflies had at that point all been itemized and stored, her award winning orchid collection sold off and she no longer even had the energy for a trip to the hairdresser let alone the YMCA for a game of bingo. It was in that period that I would ask her about the period when she had first arrived in San Francisco. She lived on Haight Street, she said, on Baker with two old ladies--her landlords-- who had taken a liking to her. Pressing her further I asked about how she had met the man she would eventually marry-- my grandfather of whom she had separated so many years ago. "I know what you're trying to do," she said and that was that.

I spent many hours with Nana in her final years or at least tried to since I was living in Southern California at the time. I eventually moved back to San Francisco and began to fill in for my mother father and uncle who's lives had become ever more directed towards Lillian's well being. I am glad that I had that time, I had multiple opportunities to offer her advice from everything concerning whether she should eat to how I thought she should move in with her daughter.

...and she did finally move in to mom's house and lived there for a few days until her death at the age of 104 in the city of St. Francis, Wednesday May the Fifth, 2011.

How it works

Today I went back to SF Park after having checked the "How it works" link I found there a few weeks ago. The parking situation is being documented now and while the results are imperfect I want to say that this is a positive development.

However, it isn't with out its critics. When SF Park was originally developed there were a series of articles in the SF Chronicle (S.F. releases details..) which described how the plan was going to be unveiled. Reading the comments for many of these I was able to get a good idea of how the more vociferous felt.

Many of the comments are obviously without merit, such as the goofy one from "Emperor Norton" himself and at least four comments attacking the ideological commitments of local politicians. Likewise those opposed to the "flexible parking" as some like to call the idea behind SFPark made a number of comments that were simply untrue. However, there were other comments that said things about bicyclists and cops which seemed on point but would have been better placed elsewhere since SFPark is about cars and enforcement is not a police matter.

The the largest number of comments concerned bureaucratic bungling, the dishonesty of Nathanial Ford and the bloated payrolls of public officials which requires a more thorough review than the above described comments. This is primarily because many viewers seem to believe that San Francisco's parking problem is linked to corruption in government. While I am not necessarily going to contest this viewpoint, I am wondering whether these types of comments really belong in an article which is basically meant to review the steps that the city is going through to implement a new and innovative parking policy.

After reading through the majority of comments, I was startled at two things. There were relatively few comments that really dealt with questions and concerns for the project and even fewer which actually supported it. However out of the few positive comments that I was able to find there were some readers who went out of the way to support the project. For instance, some took the time to read comments and explain that issues of MTA administration and bloated payrolls were issues that had to be dealt with in parallel with the implementation of SFPark. Others pointed out that making Muni more effective should be a part of the plan. Mostly what people said was that parking is a problem already in San Francisco and implementing anything at all would be a change for the better.

Other comments critical of SFPark were not as positive. For instance many were really concerned that this project would effectively be a tax on driving with many accusing the city of price gouging. Others attacked the empirical/ theoretical basis for the plan indicating that the project was simply too car-centric. One of the more noticeable comments concerned those who would choose to "game the system" with multiple comments indicating that handicap placards would multiply and their use would tax the city's already overburdened staff.

Many indicated that they had very little interest in visiting a city that would charge them exorbitantly for parking. They said that this program was unfair to people that had no other means of transportation, couldn't bike to work or didn't have the kind of money necessary to pay. Some of the bleakest assessments believed that this would only make traffic more terrible. Above all the consensus was that it was inevitable that the cost of parking in the city was going to rise.

In contrast, there were several comments which were hard to identify as being positive or negative. For instance, several comments indicated that they were certain that they would no longer drive in the city or to those districts which were affected by the new program, an outcome which is what the system was designed to create. Many also pointed out that while scanners may be monitoring our activities and placards may be a way to game the system, we already are being monitored innocuously via the internet and placards have been the subject of gaming for quite a while. Also, there were several comments which indicated that the parking problem is bad in everywhere and that every county needs to buy new meters and develop a system which addresses the problems in our urban areas.

I was especially surprised to find that very few asked questions about how the program was actually going to be rolled out. For instance one person asked, "Do the rates change while your car is parked?" This was something that I figure will be resolved as the program progresses- if i hasn't been dealt with already. Another asked what the alternative to this program, a question to which, unsurprisingly, no one had an answer. Finally, I felt that the most pressing question was, "How do people know the rate?" This is a major matter of contention since a number of people pointed out that drivers may be tempted to use the internet while driving or may be inconvenienced by the discovery that parking can at times be especially expensive.