new years eve 2008

new years eve 2008, originally uploaded by ashleyv.

I finally got the photos up from our New Years Eve party. We had such a great time; crab was boiled, much champagne was imbibed, wigs and feather boas were worn, pictures were taken. Here's just one. You can check out the rest on my New Years Eve 2008 photoset.

quake quiz

Thanks to Brett for tipping me off to an article on design-milk about a cool, really well-designed interactive site with good info on earthquake safety: Quake Quiz SF.

More disaster preparedness info:
http://www.72hours.org
http://www.sfgov.org/site/oes_index.asp
http://alertsf.com

coworking noe valley/mission?

Ever since the Start conference, I've been having this mental itch to collaborate in some way with all these talented folks I know. A brain trust kind of thing, or a supportive community to bounce concepts off of, and to be the same for others.

For a while I've been seeing tweets from my San Antonio friends about "coworking" days they hold monthly at my friend Susan's Firecat Studio - you can get . It sounded intriguing; a way for people who have struck out on their own to keep a community. They have a space where anyone who wants to can come and work - either on their own stuff but getting human contact, or to work with each other, answer questions, help each other work through some particularly knotty concepts.

Despite the fact that I'm not an independent or startup person, I'm craving that kind of interaction. There are some places in SF that offer space like that for indies, but I'm thinking of something more personal, a closer group of talent; more salon-like.

Anyone else out there feeling that urge? Want to get together monthly for something like this? It can be something as easy as a WFSF day at a local coffee shop (for my fellow googlers), or an evening thing at someone's house or a bar. Noe Valley/Mission area generally - could involve beer at the end...

You can share, or not; be there just to have company while you work, or to collaborate and tap the brain trust. I'm just throwing it out there. Let me know what you think.

i'm at startcon08 today

Today a whole bunch of us are at the start conference, hosted by Jeff Veen and Bryan Mason. Mandi and Mike are here from San Antonio, plus J, A, S, B, D, B, D, J, C. (I don't know who's here stealthily or publicly.)

So far: Mena Trott (Six Apart) was great, so was Merlin Mann (43folders & 5ives). Got to see the founders of Ritual Roasters and Rare Device. Matt Haughey (a whole lotta nothing) is on stage right now. I love him too. Glad to get the chance to see him in person. He's got something new out called FUELLY. Not running yet, but looks like it's pretty cool.

Lessons Learned:

1. Never EVER wear new, bright red, patent leather shoes to a conference. No matter how amazingly snazzy they are. Not only will they rub wicked blisters into your feet before you even get there, you also won't be sure if you're actually bleeding to death through your feet or just stained.
   
2. ALWAYS take flip-flops in your purse if you're dumb enough to ignore tip #1.

SF public transportation

Friday night was a doozy. I hope I'm beating JR to the punch.

We went to see Eddie Izzard, and he was incredible! SO funny. We'd had an incredible night until it was time to head home. We went down into the Muni station, but Muni only takes quarters. All we had was $5 bills. There was a change machine, but it only makes change for $10 and $20 bills. (What?!?!)

So we had this conversation with the most useless human being ON EARTH (the lady in the Muni booth):

JR: "Where can we get change?"
Useless: "You could buy a bunch of BART tickets..."
JR: "What do I want with BART tickets?"
Useless: "If you'd listen, sir, I'm trying to tell you! Buy them until you got enough change to take the Muni."

Me: (Partially in my head, partially under my breath to JR, and partially to Useless): "Really? That's your advice? Buy BART tickets we don't need to be able to ride your stupid Muni??? 'Cause I'm gonna crawl through that tiny window and choke some sense into you, useless, lazy, no-good cog in the twisted works that is SF Public Transportation!"

JR had to drag me back up the stairs to the street at that point, because I was getting a little loud. We go looking for an ATM, and get $20 bills. (Being in the Tenderloin, that is no small or safe feat.) Triumphant, we go back down the stairs. We put the $20 into the change machine, and it spits out... Four $5 bills. WTF??? How is that a change machine?!?! Ah... If you read carefully, it's a "bill changer" that only takes $10s and $20s. But Muni doesn't take bills, and BART doesn't take bills, so I ask you again... W.T.F.!?!?!

After a few more choice words from me to the station in general, we trudge back up the stairs to take a cab. Since it's the Tenderloin, there are no free cabs to be seen. We cross the street for better luck, and some guy jumps out in front of us with a whistle, telling us he'll hail a cab for us. No thanks - I'm perfectly capable of hailing my own cab; I'm not gonna pay some predatory conman to be my taxicab middleman. I'm still fuming about the fact that we have *thirty dollars in cash* and we can't get on public transit for lack of 12 quarters, so I'm ready to tangle with the conman. So as to avoid getting stabbed or something, we cross the street again.

It took us another 15 minutes to hail a cab. But we had the nicest, safest driving cab driver we have ever had in San Francisco. What a relief! After the night we had, we decided we deserved a late night stop at Orphan Andy's 24-hour diner in the Castro. That definitely improved both our moods. There's nothing like a place with decent diner food and hilarious, rambunctious queens waiting tables to brighten your day.

BlogHer 08 - i'm too late!!!

One of the reasons I moved to SF, even to the Bay Area in general, was for events like BlogHer. (Specifically, Adaptive Path events and BlogHer.) When I found out BlogHer 08 was being held in downtown SF this year I was overjoyed!!! They didn't have their whole line-up of speakers together though, and our summer plans were a little up in the air, so I didn't register right away.

WRONG!!!

On Monday morning, I woke up with a start, early, thinking, "OMG! BlogHer is coming up! I never went back to register!!!" I jumped out of bed, pulled up the site, saw that it starts on the 18th (!!! I thought it was later!), frantically clicked the register button, my heart skipping along in relief, and got a page telling me it's sold out. I added my name to the waitlist, hopelessly, and then proceeded to mentally berate and kick myself until I ruined my own day.

You see, I had missed the tiny text at the top of the register page telling me "This event is closed for registration." I wanted to scream! Some of my very favorite bloggers will be there, as speakers or as attendees, and being the introvert that I am, I had made a solemn resolution that I would come out of my shell for this.

The long and the short of it is that if you know someone who knows someone whose uncle's plumber's accountant's daughter-in-law can get me in at this point, I will be indebted to you forever. I will paint the toenails of every single person in that chain. I will send a sincere thank you note to them and do a jig!!! I would sing karaoke for you. (*gasp!*) A hush just fell over the crowd because if you know me, you know I don't do karaoke for no one, no how. This is serious.

So I plead to my possibly 11 readers in the whole wide world: "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!"

pleasure little treasure

a little help? no idea what these are, originally uploaded by ashleyv.

We've begun digging out half the backyard to lay down a flat patio that will have the rest of the yard about 3 feet high behind a retaining wall. Our backyard is that sloped.

We've removed 75% of the crappy grass, laid out posts and string to mark out the area to dig, and got started this weekend. We had dug out about a quarter of the yard about a foot deep when we started coming up with all this broken glass. We figured the frat boys that lived here before us and put down the pavers for the tiny uneven patio that was here had dug a fire pit and thrown in a bunch of beer bottles or something.

Then we dug into really corroded twisted wire attached to a really old light socket. We (I) started to dig more carefully, much to JR's dismay. I came across more antique lightbulbs, and then a whole area of seashells that had apparently been in a glass container that broke in the fire. I dug even more carefully, setting all the broken glass aside. As I kept digging, it started to look like I was digging out parts of an old chandelier, and then I started finding some intact apothecary bottles. And then a perfume bottle badly warped from the fire: close inspection showed it was "Bracelet Eau De Parfum".

By this time, I was flat on my stomach, digging carefully with a golf tee and a small gardening shovel. I started to unearth a metal box, which disintegrated when the tiny shovel slipped on hard soil and hit it. So I was using just a golf tee and my gloved fingers. When the golf tee broke, I started using a long nail I had found.

I unearthed an oval-shaped metal lid with a religious statue on it and an inscription that I made out later to be "O, MARY CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN, PRAY FOR US WHO HAVE RECOURSE TO THEE". I was digging up jewelry chains, small bones (ick!), all kinds of broken wine bottles... It was fascinating! I even dug up an intact Seagrams bottle that still had some liquid inside! And who knows what else is under there? Careful excavation will re-commence this weekend. I think I've found a new passion - urban archaeology. I've started a backyard archaeology photoset of just a few of the things I've been able to take clear photos of.

point break LIVE!

This weekend, JR and I went to see Point Break LIVE! - a theatrical version of the movie, where they pick Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves' character) out of the audience, and that person reads their lines off cue cards, for a more realistic performance.

IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME. PERIOD.

I cannot believe I stumbled upon this from a live music mailing list at work. It was a 10 at 10 deal - $10 for the 10pm show. Regularly $25. It's an amazing show for 25 bucks, much less 10!!! AND they serve beer? Hell, yeah.

We stopped at the bar on the way in and asked for water (we were intoxicated enough already), and the bartendress said they were out, but she could get us cokes. Fine with us. Then she says, "We ran out of bottled water during the first show - someone's gone out to get some more." ...pause... She leans in and half whispers "Personally, I think it's cottonmouth..." Yes!

The show was outright insane. People chanting along with all the great lines, deliciously over-the-top acting, merciless dousing of the audience...

It is imperative that you go. "This is your wake-up call!"

sf noir film night

Tonight we went to another double feature at the Noir City Film Festival. This evening they showed D.O.A. and The Story of Molly X. They were both great, but Molly X was really entertaining - that's one dame who should've been on Dames Tough as Nails night. Afterwards, it was so crisp and clear (and the rain had stopped), so we walked home. This is a helluva city.

Noir City - No Happy Endings!

Poster and logo design: Bill Selby; Poster and Noir City 6 photos: David M. Allen

This is so cool, and if I could, I would go every night. It had me at "No Happy Endings..."

It's Noir City 6, and they have an SF Noir night, and a Dames Tough as Nails night. Yeeeeeeeee!!!!

what are you doing tonight?

Oh, I don't know... We're going to THIS!

castro street fair 2007

fantastic faces, originally uploaded by ashleyv.

Last weekend JR and I walked to the Castro Street Fair ("Where everyone can have a gay old time!") to drank beer, get mediocre street vendor food, and do some people-watching. We showed up just in time to catch DJ Earworm, who was as far away from the food as possible, but was very close to beer. Not a good combination for an empty stomach. So before his two-hour long set was over, I was a little tipsy. Let's just say there was some slight dancing involved. But I got some decent photos.

DUR: it's just good manners to include a link to my Castro Street Fair 2007 photoset.

the weather says it all

ha ha ha ha ha!, originally uploaded by ashleyv.

Is it wrong that I get so giddy when i see the weather here (clear skies, perfect temperatures), vs. the weather where I used to live (it appears to be a stormy hell on earth)?

I get such a deliciously sinful kick out of that. Excuse me while I go work outside in the cool breeze for a while...

IxDA in SF

IxDA (Interaction Design Association) San Francisco held it's first speaker session last night, "Communicating Concepts with Comics" by Kevin Cheng, of the hilarious OK/Cancel comic strip/blog and Yahoo!. It was a good presentation, and I'll have to think about how/if I can incorporate it into my process. As someone who considers themselves an "artist", it is unendingly frustrating for me to suck at drawing people and faces. It would take some practice and probably a WACOM tablet, and much patience (and we all know how patient I am...)

After the presentation, we met up with the G-UX/SF crowd at Velvet Cantina for yummy nachos and rather crappy margaritas. It was fun to see all those folks outside of work. We don't do it very often, and it's one of the big things I miss from life in San Antonio. (Then again, I don't know how much of that was socializing and how much was work driving us to drink.) I am really looking forward to Aaron & Shannon getting here to regain some of that after work camaraderie. Anyways, two measly cheap tequila margaritas, and I've got a nasty headache this morning. I missed the kinda-late shuttle so now I'm on the late shuttle. (At least I'm not taking the late-LATE shuttle.) Which is OK; I'll take the later shuttle home, because as I discovered after the Google Dance the other night, the later evening shuttles are faster and way less crowded.

congratulations, aaron!!!

Congrats are in order for my good friend Aaron, who has gotten a fantastic position with Ironport | Cisco, and will be moving to SF with his GF Shannon in September. This makes JR and me giddy with delight - it will be great to have old friends in our "new" city.

They were here visiting just a week or so ago, and they went to all those great events with us: the opening of the Dark Matters showing at YBCA, and the Laughing Squid party at Flora Grubb Gardens (see my earlier post). We also dropped by Jenna's for one night of Brett's Birthday Week extravaganza, and had a great time.

When they headed out, they ended up on the plane from hell, and were stuck on the runway for four hours in Disco Plane 2, Electric Boogaloo. Seriously. FOUR HOURS. Of that! I would have lost my mind, and that would be after having a seizure.

Aaron has been quite the jetsetter, because the day after they got back to SA, he turned around and came back out here for a full day of interviews, and since it's a great company and work environment, he fit in and they loved him. Of course, he couldn't get out of SF without more plane trouble, so after JR dropped him off and got back to work, he called to ask JR to come get him, because his flight had been canceled and he couldn't get out until the next day. That sucks, but it gave us an evening to celebrate with a positively glowing Aaron.

I can't stress enough how excited we are to have Aaron and Shannon moving out here. It will be fun helping them find a place to live, and then introducing them to all our favorite SF spots. And it doesn't hurt that that makes one more smart and talented person leaving that company - you know the one.

So congrats, Aaron! You rock!

full weekend

Today is the G summer picnic, over at Shoreline Amphitheatre - I'm getting ready to head over there as I blog. Tonight we're going to the Dark Matters Opening Night Party at Yerba Buena. Tomorrow night we're going to the Laughing Squid: Paradise Lost party. (Even though SFPD has canceled the Flaming Lotus Girls performance (bastards). Oh, gosh. There is just too much going on to even list here. Good times. Good times.

luckyoliver party

Last week we went to LuckyOliver's First Birthday Party at ACE Auto. It was pretty darn cool. We met Hunter and Brian of LuckyOliver at SXSWi earlier this year; it's a unique stock photo site - check 'em out.



ACE Auto isn't even very far from where we live, and it's the perfect place to have a party for photography enthusiasts. Photo opportunities galore. Metal sculptures, hundreds of irons, random collections of things in barrels, an abandoned bus, and a life-size mouse trap. You heard me. Unfortunately, it's either not operational, or they just didn't run it that night. I think you run bowling balls through this massive Rube Goldberg machine. It involves bathtubs and metal staircases and big boots and massive springs. Too much stuff to mention.



Anyways, we had a great time, and I took a few photos. Go see more in my LuckyOliver's birthday photoset.

dammit! scooped again!

Again, JR scooped me on my own event - I found it, I bought tix for it, and this is what I get for my effort. Go read JR's blog post about it to see the cool and exciting thing I discovered. Sigh.

diy: antique bench restoration

About 6 weeks ago, as JR and I were pulling out of our driveway to head to work, I noticed that the neighbors had dragged a ragged old bench to the street as trash. The wood was silvered and cracked; the front-most bench slat was broken in two and had been duct-taped together at least two years ago and had finally given way. At one time, the whole thing had been painted a cream color, wood and all, over all the nuts and bolts and everything.

We'd been watching a lot of HGTV and Antiques Roadshow, and I saw through all that to the bench it had been. I'd already busted my ankle at that time, so I asked JR to get it and put it in the garage. He thought it was a hunk of junk and didn't want it. He didn't even want to refinish it. We settled on him dragging it up into our driveway - he was hoping someone would come by during the day and haul it off to the dump, I think.

When we got home, it was still there, and he still thought it was a rusty, falling apart piece of crap, ugly as hell. And he didn't want another project. I told him that it would be MY project. I would do all the work. He wouldn't have to do a thing. He begrudgingly took it into the garage.



That weekend, Labor Day weekend, we went to Tahoe and then he had the week off as vacation time between leaving his old job and starting the new one. Apparently, with me bedridden, he'd taken a closer look at it, and not only did he no longer think it was a bad idea; he actually asked if it would be OK if he worked on it while I was at work.

I almost blew a gasket! NO!!! This is MY project! You didn't even want to drag the damn thing into our garage, and now you want to do it without me?!?! HELL NO! He said he could just go buy the wood and the stain and the paint and the stripper and the... Absolutely not! It was MY project, and I wanted to do all that stuff!

Since I could tell that he had finally seen the possibility in it, I decided we could refinish it together. So as soon as I could get around, we went and bought supplies. Originally, we were just going to buy some wood, stain it, and paint the cast iron frame a fabulous color, like red. After talking to some random lady in Home Depot who knew everything about wood, we decided to use redwood for the slats, Varathane them instead of staining them, and chose a charcoal silver hammered metal Rust-oleum for the frame.

Slowly but surely we've been hammering away at it on the weekends: cutting the redwood to the right size, sanding it all to rounded edges, drilling the holes for bolting the wood to the frame, stripping the paint off the iron. Stripping the paint was a killer. Going back through the layers, it had been painted cream, cream, brown, blue, hunter green, satin black, and primer red. And by primer red, I mean IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE red. We tried Stripper in a Can (America's #1 Stripper Brand!), industrial stripper (which burned JR badly), drills with paint-remover attachments, and we were still left with stubborn green, red and black paint in too many places. We finally had to resort to chipping the rest off with a chisel and an awl for the nooks and crannies.



Once we got the paint off, we could see the foundry name: BENICIA AGL WORKS, BENICIA, CALIF. JR looked it up on the internet, found out what the company is now, and sent a photo to see if they could give us any history; the foundry replied that the bench was manufactured some time between 1879 and 1905!!! That means even if it is the last thing they manufactured, the youngest it can be is 102. It is at least 102 years old, possibly 127 years old. Here's his post about it.

Last weekend we painted the iron frame pieces, and they came out perfect. We hung up all the slats and coated them with Varathane. The first coat took forever to dry, and by the time it was dry, the redwood had soaked it all up. We got to do the second coat yesterday, and it was dry to the perfect finish this morning. We decided another coat would make it too shiny.

This afternoon, we put everything together: nuts and bolts and slats and iron side pieces, and it looks AMAZING! What an accomplishment! It's so pretty it's in our living room now - great extra seating. :D

We're pretty dang happy with it.

robot bunny

robot bunny, originally uploaded by ashleyv.