Moments from January 2011

Mushrooms peaking out of the ground in the Interior Park Belt

Looking up at the eucalyptus trees in the Interior Park Belt

Another perspective on the eucalyptus trees

On top of Twin Peaks at sunset

On top of Potrero Hill looking back at the Mission & Twin Peaks

He's going to eat my brainz

He's either smiling or sneezing; I'm not sure which

See Dick and Jane?

Close up of some winter berries on the south side of Potrero Hill

We had some beautiful, warm, sunny days

Study #1 of Martin and abandoned chair

Did you say dragon?

Martin in black & white, Ansel Adams style, except that we were at Castle Rock State Park, not Yosemite.

Yosemite is still on the to-do list.

A bountiful harvest from the farm.

Yesterday, Martin and I bicycled to Alamany Farm, an urban, working, organic farm that is run and maintained by volunteers here in San Francisco. We planted parsley, weeded, wheel-barrowed compost, weeded, played darwin with beets, picked blackberries, pulled beans, weeded, hoed for potatoes and watered freshly planted brocoli plants. Did I mention that we weeded? Actually, I found weeding quite enjoyable as I have long believed that I am much better at killing plants than growing them. In my life, I have managed to over water cacti and under-water just about every other type of house plant.

After almost 5 hours of work, we gathered with the rest of the volunteers and coordinators to share in the harvest for the day. With dirt under our nails, we ate blackberries and chatted about the food and farm as people loaded up bags of fresh veggies and fruit. We took home a lot of lettuce, some spicy greens for salad, a few potatoes, a cucumber, beans, strawberries, a huge squash and some plum-like fruits. Such a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Such a nice way for Martin and me to spend the 4th anniversary of the day we met.

Sunday Sunday Someday!

the SF skyline from Buena Vista park after some serious playing around in iphoto.

Some things that had me smiling on Sunday:

• Making pancakes from a box and grilled soysage for breakfast
• Getting a call from my dad thanking me for his father's day gift
• An afternoon walk to a coffee shop turning into a ferris wheel ride at the county fair (sadly sans camera)
• Finding out about volunteering at the Alamany Farm from someone who happens to take class at the ODC Dance Commons, which is where I work
• Going to my first Sci-Fi book club meeting and not making a fool of myself as we discussed Bruce Sterling's The Caryatids
• Having the person ahead of me in the check-out line at Rainbow compliment me on my wine selection, which to be honest was completely random
• Breaking out the much neglected board games of Carcassonne and Pandemic after dinner

Spring Cleaning Thoughts

Channeling my inner Taurus at the Maker Faire

I've been thinking ... when does a blog become obsolete? Can or should I come back? Or is it time to let go?

RAWdance and Prop 8

Sunday afternoon, I went to a free modern dance performance in Union Square. It was part of their Jewels in the Square summer series. A number of the dancers who were in the performance are teachers at ODC, the dance school/organisation where I work. The piece was a reaction to Prop 8 being passed in November 2008. I love seeing modern dance performed in public places and I thought it was great that this piece brought a pertinent issue into such a space.

The piece ended with the dancers standing in two rows facing each other and they all, very gently and sweetly, kissed the person opposite them. It reminded me how a kiss is such a loving gesture and how we kiss so many people in our lives - parents, siblings, friends, lovers, family. And it's only when people sexualize the act of kissing that it becomes taboo in our culture. I remember when I was living in Italy how pretty much every where you went you could see young couples making out. And how kissing was a natural form of greeting between everyone. Not that I could see gay marriage being legal in Italy any time soon.

Still for me, two people expressing their love for one another and wanting to share that with their family and loved ones should be embraced not feared and repressed.

Happy Birthday Krista!

Krista, our cousin Nathan and me when we were much younger.

My one and only sister came to visit me here in San Francisco a few months ago and today is her 25th birthday! Here's a few pics of this crazy chick (she's currently jumping out of a plane for her birthday) who was the perfect minion for her older sister when we were growing up.

Krista posing on top of Tank Hill with San Francisco in the background.

Krista cart-wheeling on a fallen tree in Muir Woods.

Krista ... being Krista.

Meet Totoro...

The newest member of our household.He is most widely known for his performance in "My Neighbor Totoro." Prone to roaring and taking the Catbus to get around town, Totoro earns his living by serving as the mascot for Studio Ghibli. We're currently working on a circus act to take around the world.

July (to date)

• Movie night 2 (7/2/09) - I can't believe it took me so long to see "Rushmore." It was as good as everyone has claimed it to be. And the music made me slightly nostalgic for college since my roomie, Arielle, had most (if not all) of the soundtrack on her computer's playlist.

• The 4th (7/4/09) - We had planned to go hiking on Angel Island, but it was not to be because we missed the ferry. Instead we walked from Pier 39 to the Presidio stopping to eat lunch in the garden by the Exploratorium. Then, we headed to Japantown for a quick purchase and dinner.

Now, we're all up to date... let's hope I can keep it that way :)

June: An eclectic month

• Tanya (6/5/09) - Tanya came from Atlanta to visit her brother and have her semi-annual fete with her friend Maylee. I was able to steal a few hours with her to have some dinner and show off my place of work while providing some much needed de-stressing time for her. Luckily, I get to hang out with her more soon!

• Martin's 26th birthday (6/6/09) - Vegan brunch, 3 parks (Interior Park Belt, Buena Vista, Alamo Square), coffee, Up!, Vegetarian Chinese food and chocolate-cherry cupcakes! Overall an awesome day.

• Trigun (6/8/09 to 6/21/09) - This is an anime series that Martin got for us to watch. He had seen it before and thought I would like it prompted by the number of anime movies I had been getting from Netflix. It was the perfect blend of silliness, seriousness and science fiction for me.

• Appcelerator Release Party (6/9/09) - Martin's company had a big release party downtown. I went and finally met most of his current co-workers. I don't see them a lot since their office is down in Mountain View.

• Ben and Blues dancing (6/15/09) - Ben Nathan, a friend from high school, lives out here in SF. We rarely see each other because we're usually both busy working, but he gets a summer vacation. We got to hang out, grab dinner, see his students perform (he works at a performing arts high school in Oakland) and go to a Blues dance house party.

• Plants Vs Zombies (6/21/09) - Martin should know better than to show me silly games on the computer. He knows how addicted I can get. Can't wait to show my mom when I come home to visit!

• Movie night (6/25/09) - We found out a local coffee shop a block from our house does a free movie night on Thursdays. They were showing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," which is such a great film/musical. Click here to see a clip of one of my favorite songs.

• Katie Faulkner (6/27/09) - Another local, SF choreographer. She played with text and movement in one piece, light and projections in another and finished with a duet that was both nostalgic and light-hearted at the same time.
  

• Grand View Park (6/28/09) - A new park! Well, we had climbed up to the park back in May, but it was totally encased in fog. We literally couldn't see beyond the hill top. This time it was hazy, but clear. Unfortunately, no camera again. :(
  

May: Work, Play and Friends!

• Stern Grove & Anna Halprin (5/3/09) - A site specific dance performance that was part of the San Francisco National Dance week festivities. It was cold and foggy, but worth it. The audience sat facing the amphitheatre as the dancers ran, flew, and fell through out the space. A little boy, who was the son of one of the dancers, was in the audience and kept getting up to dance with them. There was also a dog who had an engaging duet with one of the dancers at one point as well.

• My 27th birthday! (5/4/09) - Truffles, comfy chairs for the apartment, yoga class and dinner waiting for me when I got home. Add a homemade carrot cake and you've got a pretty amazing birthday.
• Day at the Races (5/17/09) - This was the end of the year youth program performance at my job and the bain of my existance for most of April and May. I ended up being the Box Office Manager, Production Manager, Stage Manager and House Manager for the event. Those of you who have worked in the performing arts industry can imagine how stressed and overwhelmed I was. In the end, it ended up being a great show with only a few incidents that were totally out of my control.

• Move a Teen to Dance campaign (5/12/09 to 6/12/09) - And as if I didn't have enough on my plate at work, we started a fundraising campaign during the month of May for the Teen Program. In the end, it was a great success and we raised over $11,000 and $8,000 of that was matched by a foundation grant that we have!

• Alex (5/26/09 to 5/31/09) - And after everything calmed down, Martin's good friend and former roomie Alex came to visit us! The two of them went to a Google conference during the week and then to Alex's cousin's Bar Miztvah.

• Scott Wells (5/28/09) - Another local, SF choreographer. Probably one of the funniest, most atheletic and well-choreographed performances I've been to since I've moved here. There was even a juggling piece!
  

April: Trail blazing & dancing

• Mount San Bruno (4/5/09) - As I was bicycling up the side highway on a mountain, I was reminded of how I should remember to make sure that Martin has done his homework on how we're going to get there BEFORE we leave. In the end, it was worth the amazing views and the knowledge that I made it up there (even if I had to stop and walk because a bug flew into my eye).

• John Jasperse (4/4/09) - A New York choreographer who's work I was curious to see. The stage was covered with an elaborate set made up of wire hangers. Both lovely and surreal.

• Fort Funston & Lake Merced (4/11/09) - Another long bicycle, but this time it was flat and by the ocean. In the end, Lake Merced was very disappointing, but Fort Funston was worth the views and the experience of hangliders swooping over our heads. No pics, sorry.

• Liz Lerman (4/14/09) - A dancer, teacher and choreographer who developed a critical response method that many of the organizations that I worked with in Atlanta used. Many of my mentors know and/or have worked with her, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hear her talk.

• Toe to Toe (4/16/09) - ODC/Dance dancers verses Cal Berkeley athletes. A fundraiser for my organization that I dragged Martin to. Nothing like wacky obsticle courses, giant boxing gloves, and an Alligator dancing with a Bear.

• Janice Garrett (4/19/09) - A local, SF choreographer. I saw one of her pieces performed in Union Square when Danny came to visit and really appreciated it. I was excited to see her work in a traditional venue. Plus, I finally knew some of the dancers in the performance!

I promise to emerge soon

But on this oddly balmy evening in SF, my mind wanders and cannot focus on creating a coherent post. That, in addition to our currently wonky internet connection, leaves me with nothing to do but leave you with this absolutely goofy "Menard" moment from Krista's visit.

Didn't I

Even though I work at this great dance studio here in the city, I seriously miss the dance class that I used to go to in Atlanta. My teacher, Susan, had converted her attic into a dance studio. It was blistering hot in the summers and freezing cold in the winters. It didn't matter. It was such a beautiful space and class.

I used to bicycle there a little bit early so that I could sit chatting on her porch before going into class. It was sitting there one evening in early June that I told her about the possibility of moving to San Francisco.

I loved that everyone felt welcomed and able in her class. There were beginning dancers next to professional dancers. Susan has an amazing ability to see people moving and communicate what they are doing. And she always picked great music for her combinations. I fell in love with this song by Darondo while dancing to it in her class. Since I'm being nostalgic, I thought it fitting that the first video I found of it was a guy free style dancing on his street in San Francisco. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

SF Botanical Gardens

Pre-historic plants and vibrant colored flowers, oh my!

Japanese Pagoda in GG Park

Here's another intriguing spot that Martin and I found in Golden Gate Park.