On Saturday, I was hanging out with my friend Jeskat and her family, as they were getting ready to go to rehearsals for the Dickens Fair this Christmas season. Dickens Fair sounds like a wonderful holiday happening, sort of a Rennaissance Faire but set in Victorian England. Jeskat will be singing, dancing, and performing, all in period dress.
I didn't really understand how elaborate the whole affair was. And then Jeskat went to put on most (but not all) of her Victorian costume. In 30 minutes, I saw her transform from 2011 goth girl to 1800s Victorian damsel. Here's roughly how it went...
Continue reading "Jeskat's Transformation from Modern Gal to Victorian Lady for the Dickens Fair" »
I'm excited to announce that my hip-hop dance crew FreePlay is doing a special performance this Saturday November 12, as a fundraiser for a great cause: the YMCA Youth Chance High School. Youth Chance is a special school for teens who have dropped out of other schools and are given special help and attention so that they can succeed academically and beyond. You can support this youth project just by buying a tasty beverage, since 10% of everything you drink goes to the YMCA. Additional donations are of course appreciated and tax deductible.
We will be performing at Vertigo at 1160 Polk Street (between Hemlock & Sutter), close to the Civic Center BART and lots of Muni stops. We will be there from about 7-10pm. There is no cover charge to enter the club.
Please tell us your coming by going to our Facebook event page. And be sure invite two or 200 friends who might be interested.
So come on out - dance with us, have a beer (or drink of your liking), and drop a few dollars in the bucket for the kids. Do it for the kids!
I just spent about an hour at the Occupy Oakland General Strike today near Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland. It was a beautiful day as thousands turned out to peacefully express their various political and economic views.
Most were calling for some kind of economic reforms -- greater taxes on the rich, curbing corporate excess, and allocating more public funds toward education and jobs, etc. But there was no "typical protestor;" the folks I saw spanned every age group, racially diverse, and espousing many different causes. There were communists, labor union organizers, buddhist monks, professors and high school students.
I was impressed by how well-organized the rally seemed to be. There were volunteers directing traffic, a staffed lot to park your bike for free, first aid, food and water, and many information and book tables. It had a festive feel with music playing, people drumming, and smiles everywhere.
As I was leaving, hundreds more appeared to be pouring into the plaza from all directions. There's another rally at 5pm and a march to the Oakland ports to try and shut them down starting at 4pm. Hopefully it will remain peaceful and positive throughout the day. There was no visible police presence while I was there.
Continue reading "Thousands take to the street for Occupy Oakland General Strike (pics)" »
You know how some things just call to you, whether or not it is practical or reasonable for you to want them? In December of last year, I was at a holiday craft fair in Brooklyn and I found myself at this vintage toy stall. Above it was hanging this lovely Japanese papercraft mobile. I marvelled at it for a moment, checked the price, and then walked on.
For the next hour, after having seen many hundreds of other items in the fair, my mind kept coming back to that mobile. It seemed a frivolous purchase, a fairly expensive and useless decoration that I would have to schlep from New York to California soon.
So I bought it.
I learned later that the dolls are paper representations of Kokeshi, an ancient wooden doll from Northern Japan that some believe were symbols of mountain spirits. They were given to children to protect them until adulthood, and then traditional burned to release the spirit. So perhaps the papercraft mobile version is a modern take on this protective spirit.
It's now finally hanging in my Oakland apartment and I'm pleased as punch. Maybe it will protect this new home.
It's been almost 10 months that I've been back in California, making a somewhat illogical move away from a city that I love, many dear friends, and a fulfilling and steady paying job. I moved here with no promise that I would find another position in my field, during a terrible recession when employment is way down.
When I relocated to the Bay, I was full of confidence that with all of the professional and personal connections, my unique history of work and accomplishments, and a supportive family nearby, that I wouldn't have to look long for a position that I enjoyed and paid decently.
Ten months later, I'm starting to feel that confidence slipping.
It's not that I'm not working. I'm doing good work, with good people for organizations that I respect. But it's part-time and piece-meal, without benefits or security. And it's just barely tiding me over, not moving me toward something new.
And I know I should be grateful, since so many people have so much harder situations. Chronic unemployment lasting for years, with families to care for. People stuck in dead-end jobs because they have no other prospects. Folks in grinding poverty where housing, health and food are insecure. I am so thankful that I get to live as well as I do, in a beautiful place, where I can worship, dance, and spend time with wonderful people.
And I am still confident that I have a lot to offer a nonprofit, learning institution or company out there. I can design and run digital media education programs, produce engaging in-person and virtual events, evangelize new tech tools, and manage diverse communities of people. And I can lead others to do the same.
I still believe my best work is ahead of me, not behind.
But the path forward is not so clear today.
The always funny Capt Morgan started an inspired discussion thread on Yehoodi last week called "Swing Dance Memes," combining various meme-arific pictures with inspired, swing-related slogans. Since then, many, many others have chimed in with their own memes, using memegenerator.net and www.quickmeme.com, among other services.
Here are some of my faves....
Continue reading ""Swing Dance Memes" : My New Favorite Thread on Yehoodi " »
I updated my Work Portfolio to make it easier for people to see my most recent professional accomplishments in one place. Like this blog (and my life!), it covers a wide range of projects and disciplines, from virtual worlds to public speaking. And there's of course a lot I didn't include, since I've had such a wide ranging (and sometimes strange) career path. But my goal is to capture in a quick snapshot the most relevant, recent highlights of my work.
Give it a look, if you are curious. All feedback appreciated!
One of my "must haves" for a neighborhood is being able to go out and get decent coffee. It's one of the snobbiest things about me that I'll admit. Luckily, I have lots of great options nearby, including the tiny but potent Sub Rosa on 40th, the too popular Remedy Cafe on Telegraph, and the Mixing Bowl a couple blocks up from there.
But my fave spot to grab a cuppa joe is Arbor Cafe at 4210 Telegraph near 42nd Street. It's a very bright, airy and sparcely decorated space, which suits me just fine. (Okay, it could use some funky artwork, but not too much.) Lots of mismatched chairs and tables that I suspect came from Urban Ore in Berkeley. You'll find a good amount of outlets around for laptop junkies like me, as well as free wifi.
The bar just serves up a small assortment of coffee drinks, French press or pour-over. So no double-shot decaf mochachinno here. Just straight up joe from Bicycle Coffee. They are slowly adding to the food menu, including tasty scones and sandwiches.
The staff there are super friendly, including the owner Christopher and barista Tommy. Within a couple visits they were greeting me by name when I arrived, which is always nice. Arbor will definitely be one of my regular hangs. Check it out, if you are in the nabe.
Today I managed a first, too-short visit to the Oakland Museum of California, a science, art and history museum dedicated to "telling the story of California." It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon, so I had much of the museum to myself, which was really nice for a first visit.
The museum is divided into 3 section on art, history and nature / science. The science section is actually scheduled to open up in the Spring of 2012. But in the interim there is a great exhibit about the naturalist John Muir being shown that had a strong science and environmental focus.
Here's a little recap of my first visit to the Oakland Museum of California..
Continue reading "The Oakland Museum of California: The Best Bay Area Museum You Never Heard Of" »
My swing dance podcast: The Yehoodi Talk Show! |
