This week has been really full and packed. I feel like I've been running on adrenaline - excitement and wanting to "be on top of my toes" and some anxiety too. Three job interviews, church mtgs that I led a discussion at to prep for, financial church stuff to work on, intense friend situation, SFSU student that I mentored for a bit came to hang out and have dinner, preparing to go to SD next wk including initiating and planning a last minute road trip part of it.
Ironic that spring break for others has been the most busy time for me.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Worthy blog
Check this out. About black men and women missing in America, who don't get the attention often that white Americans do when they're missing. Where do our resources - the police, FBI, news stations urgent notices - go in finding missing individuals?
http://www.blackandmissing.blogspot.com/
http://www.blackandmissing.blogspot.com/
The rise of "casual games"
Here is a "casual game" (something you can play for five minutes while waiting to get on a conference call) that won the big award at the International Games Festival. Pretty cool. The goal is to get the ball to touch the star by drawing objects that make it move closer to the star according to the laws of physics. Drawn in crayon, hence the name Crayon Physics Deluxe.
Makes me feel guilty for wanting a compliment
What happens when the "most-praised" generation goes to work? It seems like older bosses have to figure out cross-generational ways to affirm a lot, even if they're rolling their eyes when they do it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
If this doesn't make you think
A Washington Post article says conservatives give more money, donate more time, and give more blood than liberals.
Makes you think.
A quote:
People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.
My initial thought was conservatives probably are more religious and give to churches. True.
Brooks demonstrates a correlation between charitable behavior and "the values that lie beneath" liberal and conservative labels. Two influences on charitable behavior are religion and attitudes about the proper role of government.
The single biggest predictor of someone's altruism, Willett says, is religion. It increasingly correlates with conservative political affiliations because, as Brooks's book says, "the percentage of self-described Democrats who say they have 'no religion' has more than quadrupled since the early 1970s." America is largely divided between religious givers and secular nongivers, and the former are disproportionately conservative. One demonstration that religion is a strong determinant of charitable behavior is that the least charitable cohort is a relatively small one -- secular conservatives.
Makes you think.
A quote:
People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.
My initial thought was conservatives probably are more religious and give to churches. True.
Brooks demonstrates a correlation between charitable behavior and "the values that lie beneath" liberal and conservative labels. Two influences on charitable behavior are religion and attitudes about the proper role of government.
The single biggest predictor of someone's altruism, Willett says, is religion. It increasingly correlates with conservative political affiliations because, as Brooks's book says, "the percentage of self-described Democrats who say they have 'no religion' has more than quadrupled since the early 1970s." America is largely divided between religious givers and secular nongivers, and the former are disproportionately conservative. One demonstration that religion is a strong determinant of charitable behavior is that the least charitable cohort is a relatively small one -- secular conservatives.
Monday, March 24, 2008
LOL
OK, so what do you ask next, after cocaine?
"Marijuana?"
New York Gov. David Paterson: "Yes."
"Cocaine?"
"Yes."
"You used cocaine governor?"
"I'd say I was 22 or 23, I tried it a couple of times, yes."
Can you keep some of this sheet to yourself please??
"Marijuana?"
New York Gov. David Paterson: "Yes."
"Cocaine?"
"Yes."
"You used cocaine governor?"
"I'd say I was 22 or 23, I tried it a couple of times, yes."
Can you keep some of this sheet to yourself please??
New State ID's??
I didn't realize this was happening soon. Where does California fall with the May 11 deadline?
Easter
I really liked this article on Slate about Easter. Not sure if the writer is Christian. Here's the quote I tried to fit into my gchat line but wouldn't quite take the squeeze:
Even the resurrection, the joyful end of the Easter story, resists domestication as it resists banalization. Unlike Christmas, it also resists a noncommittal response. Even agnostics and atheists who don't accept Christ's divinity can accept the general outlines of the Christmas story with little danger to their worldview.
But Easter demands a response. It's hard for a non-Christian believer to say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead." That's not something you can believe without some serious ramifications: If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, this has profound implications for your spiritual and religious life—really, for your whole life. If you believe the story, then you believe that Jesus is God, or at least God's son. What he says about the world and the way we live in that world then has a real claim on you.
Even the resurrection, the joyful end of the Easter story, resists domestication as it resists banalization. Unlike Christmas, it also resists a noncommittal response. Even agnostics and atheists who don't accept Christ's divinity can accept the general outlines of the Christmas story with little danger to their worldview.
But Easter demands a response. It's hard for a non-Christian believer to say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead." That's not something you can believe without some serious ramifications: If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, this has profound implications for your spiritual and religious life—really, for your whole life. If you believe the story, then you believe that Jesus is God, or at least God's son. What he says about the world and the way we live in that world then has a real claim on you.
Book gorge
After not reading for awhile, I gorged on books this past week/weekend. I finished Agatha Christie's The Hollow (different plotline than she usually writes off of), then went on to her Tuesday Club Murders (a rare short story collection by Ms. Christie) and Mr. Poirot's Christmas, which I really liked.
Then I read Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. Wow. So good. I've had it on my to-do list since Stephen King gave it a rave review about a year ago. He had also complained of the drab cover and the publishers have improved on that.
Amazon doesn't have a neutral summary of the book (??) so here's one of the normal people reviewer's summary:
A lot of hard work and research went into this excellent work of historical fiction. It is fiction, as the author reminds us at the end of the book and yet, the characters are so excellently described and brilliant that you could swear that this is a biography. The main character is a dedicated, unselfish, female anthropologist doing work with a tribe of Chinese/Thais in Northern Thailand. We find out early on that she may be involved in a murder and the author painstakingly researches her life and work through interviews with her friends, boyfriends, teachers, the Thai people she is working with and finally, with a family of Christian missionaries who have been involved in missionary work in China since the 30's. The observations about differences in cultures and what it takes for an anthropologist to leave behind pre-conceived notions of God, sprirituality, morality and what makes the world tick, and then enter into a world so different and yet spiritual and religious in its own way, is the real eye opener of the book. The dedicated anthropologists who do this fieldwork have an experience vastly different and scary compared to say a chemist or physicist doing experiments in a lab somewhere here in the US.
We also get a good dose of what the Christian missionaries are trying to do and how their work can sometimes seem somewhat arrogant and un-needed. And yet, to some of the converts, leaving their old belief system and joining a much simpler belief system like "The Good News" of Christianity, can be liberating.
I agree. It definitely puts Christian missionaries in a neutral light which is so rare in novels (I'm talking to you, Poisonwood Bible, grr). It was a fascinating read and I really had a hard time putting the book down. This is the author's first book and he really knocked it out of the park. It is fiction but he was a journalist in Thailand (where most of the plot is based) and really researched anthropology and talked with missionaries.
Then I read Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. Wow. So good. I've had it on my to-do list since Stephen King gave it a rave review about a year ago. He had also complained of the drab cover and the publishers have improved on that.
Amazon doesn't have a neutral summary of the book (??) so here's one of the normal people reviewer's summary:
A lot of hard work and research went into this excellent work of historical fiction. It is fiction, as the author reminds us at the end of the book and yet, the characters are so excellently described and brilliant that you could swear that this is a biography. The main character is a dedicated, unselfish, female anthropologist doing work with a tribe of Chinese/Thais in Northern Thailand. We find out early on that she may be involved in a murder and the author painstakingly researches her life and work through interviews with her friends, boyfriends, teachers, the Thai people she is working with and finally, with a family of Christian missionaries who have been involved in missionary work in China since the 30's. The observations about differences in cultures and what it takes for an anthropologist to leave behind pre-conceived notions of God, sprirituality, morality and what makes the world tick, and then enter into a world so different and yet spiritual and religious in its own way, is the real eye opener of the book. The dedicated anthropologists who do this fieldwork have an experience vastly different and scary compared to say a chemist or physicist doing experiments in a lab somewhere here in the US.
We also get a good dose of what the Christian missionaries are trying to do and how their work can sometimes seem somewhat arrogant and un-needed. And yet, to some of the converts, leaving their old belief system and joining a much simpler belief system like "The Good News" of Christianity, can be liberating.
I agree. It definitely puts Christian missionaries in a neutral light which is so rare in novels (I'm talking to you, Poisonwood Bible, grr). It was a fascinating read and I really had a hard time putting the book down. This is the author's first book and he really knocked it out of the park. It is fiction but he was a journalist in Thailand (where most of the plot is based) and really researched anthropology and talked with missionaries.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Modern Do-Gooders
An interesting article on the new wave of people wanting to make a difference. From the NY Times.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
About damn time, Barack
This speech of Barack's may finally make me a supporter of his. It is about darn time for him to talk about race and what this country is crying out for and why voters have been swayed to him - what his personal race and experiences represent, the change we want.
This sounded like a speech from a man who could be president. He sounded real and authentic. Call it, Obama! Call out the truth about race and our education system and how we are not there yet. Call it. We want you to. We want someone to call it and lead us into something better. We want the truth about how blacks were not given mortgages and jobs. We want the truth about how whites feel bitter also esp regarding the loss of jobs. We want something more. If you speak out, if you call it, if you lead, we will follow you. I will follow you.
Looking forward to the speech he's supposed to make tonight.
This sounded like a speech from a man who could be president. He sounded real and authentic. Call it, Obama! Call out the truth about race and our education system and how we are not there yet. Call it. We want you to. We want someone to call it and lead us into something better. We want the truth about how blacks were not given mortgages and jobs. We want the truth about how whites feel bitter also esp regarding the loss of jobs. We want something more. If you speak out, if you call it, if you lead, we will follow you. I will follow you.
Looking forward to the speech he's supposed to make tonight.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
East Oakland fire claims mother's last two sons
I'm so sorry :(
I realize I feel burnt out on the violence and the crime in Oakland. I tend to read them but not post about it. What to say? One of the sons ran back into the fire to rescue his disabled brother. They both died, found with the first brother lying on top of the second to protect him.
What do you say? How do you react? I'm sorry for this tragedy. I'm sorry for my ambivalence and turning away in not knowing how to help.
From the article:
To help with the burial costs donations can be made to Bank of America, Freddie and Jr. Memorial Fund.
God, please comfort the mother and the family, and help the community come around to provide financial assistance for the family that is both grieving and homeless.
I realize I feel burnt out on the violence and the crime in Oakland. I tend to read them but not post about it. What to say? One of the sons ran back into the fire to rescue his disabled brother. They both died, found with the first brother lying on top of the second to protect him.
What do you say? How do you react? I'm sorry for this tragedy. I'm sorry for my ambivalence and turning away in not knowing how to help.
From the article:
To help with the burial costs donations can be made to Bank of America, Freddie and Jr. Memorial Fund.
God, please comfort the mother and the family, and help the community come around to provide financial assistance for the family that is both grieving and homeless.
Affairs anyone?
OMG, people. Can we just clear the air and assume that everyone in public office has had an affair OR multiple affairs OR paid money to a prostitute OR is just out to cripple California by severely decreasing the budget of education and social services? Yes, Arnold, that means you.
Bear Sterns
I cannot believe Bear Sterns fell that quick. JPMorgan Chase is buying Bear Sterns for $236 million, about 1% of what it was worth two weeks ago. 85 years, then gone in a few weeks. The Feds are taking on about $30 billion of Bear Sterns' riskier mortagage and other complicated investments.
How stable are Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch?
And it's hard to believe that JPMorgan has $236 million around to buy Bear Sterns. All this happened on the weekend so the market would open with the purchase being done and bankruptcy could be avoided. Can you imagine what around the clock panicked work and conversations have been happening this wkend with the big boys? Also this weekend, the Feds approved an emergency decrease in the interest rates it would charge investment banks, not just ordinary banks, to borrow money to further help the quickly sinking Bear Sterns.
Working on the weekend to quickly make law and policy changes? Responding within 72 hours to a huge crisis? We never see our govt act that quickly around human rights and people dying, do we? Katrina, anyone??
From the AP:
Wall Street analysts say the rescue bid was more than just saving one of the world's largest investments banks — it was a prop for the U.S. economy and the global financial system. An outright failure would cause huge losses for banks, hedge funds and other investors to which Bear Stearns is connected.
I agree. But still.
From NY Times:
Wall Street was stunned by the news on Sunday night. “This is like waking up in summer with snow on the ground,” said Ron Geffner, a partner Sadis & Goldberg and a former enforcement lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission. “The price is indicative that there were bigger problems at Bear than clients and the public realized.”
The deal followed a weekend of frantic negotiations to save the ailing firm. With the Fed and Treasury Department patched in by conference call from Washington, Bear Stearns executives held the equivalent of a speed-dating auction over the weekend, with prospective bidders holed up in a half dozen conference rooms at its Madison Avenue headquarters. More than 150 JPMorgan employees descended on Bear Stearns to examine the firm’s books and trading accounts.
Even as those talks took place, Bear Stearns simultaneously prepared to file for bankruptcy protection in the event a deal could not be struck, underscoring the severity of its troubles.
On Sunday night, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan, held a conference call with the heads of major American financial companies to alert them to the deal and allay their concerns about doing business with Bear Stearns.
Wow.
From an editorial on the NY Times (emphasis mine):
And so, Bear Stearns, a firm that some say is this decade’s version of Drexel Burnham Lambert, the anything-goes, 1980s junk-bond shop dominated by Michael Milken, is rescued. Almost two decades ago, Drexel was left to die.
Bear Stearns and Drexel have a lot in common. And yet their differing outcomes offer proof that we are in a very different and scarier place than in the late 1980s.
“Why not set an example of Bear Stearns, the guys who have this record of dog-eat-dog, we’re brass knuckles, we’re tough?” asked William A. Fleckenstein, president of Fleckenstein Capital in Issaquah, Wash., and co-author with Fred Sheehan of “Greenspan’s Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve.” “This is the perfect time to set an example, but they are not interested in setting an example. We are Bailout Nation.”
And so we are. After years of never allowing any of our financial institutions to fail, they have become so enormous that nobody will be allowed to sink beneath the waves. Otherwise, a tsunami would swamp the hedge funds, banks and other brokerage firms that remain afloat.
How stable are Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch?
And it's hard to believe that JPMorgan has $236 million around to buy Bear Sterns. All this happened on the weekend so the market would open with the purchase being done and bankruptcy could be avoided. Can you imagine what around the clock panicked work and conversations have been happening this wkend with the big boys? Also this weekend, the Feds approved an emergency decrease in the interest rates it would charge investment banks, not just ordinary banks, to borrow money to further help the quickly sinking Bear Sterns.
Working on the weekend to quickly make law and policy changes? Responding within 72 hours to a huge crisis? We never see our govt act that quickly around human rights and people dying, do we? Katrina, anyone??
From the AP:
Wall Street analysts say the rescue bid was more than just saving one of the world's largest investments banks — it was a prop for the U.S. economy and the global financial system. An outright failure would cause huge losses for banks, hedge funds and other investors to which Bear Stearns is connected.
I agree. But still.
From NY Times:
Wall Street was stunned by the news on Sunday night. “This is like waking up in summer with snow on the ground,” said Ron Geffner, a partner Sadis & Goldberg and a former enforcement lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission. “The price is indicative that there were bigger problems at Bear than clients and the public realized.”
The deal followed a weekend of frantic negotiations to save the ailing firm. With the Fed and Treasury Department patched in by conference call from Washington, Bear Stearns executives held the equivalent of a speed-dating auction over the weekend, with prospective bidders holed up in a half dozen conference rooms at its Madison Avenue headquarters. More than 150 JPMorgan employees descended on Bear Stearns to examine the firm’s books and trading accounts.
Even as those talks took place, Bear Stearns simultaneously prepared to file for bankruptcy protection in the event a deal could not be struck, underscoring the severity of its troubles.
On Sunday night, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan, held a conference call with the heads of major American financial companies to alert them to the deal and allay their concerns about doing business with Bear Stearns.
Wow.
From an editorial on the NY Times (emphasis mine):
And so, Bear Stearns, a firm that some say is this decade’s version of Drexel Burnham Lambert, the anything-goes, 1980s junk-bond shop dominated by Michael Milken, is rescued. Almost two decades ago, Drexel was left to die.
Bear Stearns and Drexel have a lot in common. And yet their differing outcomes offer proof that we are in a very different and scarier place than in the late 1980s.
“Why not set an example of Bear Stearns, the guys who have this record of dog-eat-dog, we’re brass knuckles, we’re tough?” asked William A. Fleckenstein, president of Fleckenstein Capital in Issaquah, Wash., and co-author with Fred Sheehan of “Greenspan’s Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve.” “This is the perfect time to set an example, but they are not interested in setting an example. We are Bailout Nation.”
And so we are. After years of never allowing any of our financial institutions to fail, they have become so enormous that nobody will be allowed to sink beneath the waves. Otherwise, a tsunami would swamp the hedge funds, banks and other brokerage firms that remain afloat.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Things I learned this weekend
1. Yosemite is beautiful.
2. If your car is sliding, turn into the slide to regain control.
3. Brownies cooked at a high altitude really do come out differently.
4. Brownies baked in a messed-up slanted pan will come out 3/4 brownie and 1/4 thin layer of brownie crust.
5. Snow is fun to crunch in.
6. Children like to roll around in snow and dirt.
6a. Snow is more fun with children around to throw snowballs at.
6b. Snow is more fun when you watch children slide down a hill for the 40th time, still giggling and laughing.
7. Disney Speed Uno is a crazy crazy game best played by adults late at night.
8. Dominos have a way of disappearing but can be coaxed back into their metal tin by helpful children.
9. Sometimes people snore.
10. Snow football is fun but doesn't necessarily involve quick running.
11. It is very difficult to tackle Wayne. It is best left to James to do.
12. 5 lbs of ground beef is a lot of meat.
13. I'm eh at ping pong.
14. It is possible to both have sun and snow at the same time.
15. Ankle socks plus hike equal blisters.
Did I mention that Yosemite is really fun??
2. If your car is sliding, turn into the slide to regain control.
3. Brownies cooked at a high altitude really do come out differently.
4. Brownies baked in a messed-up slanted pan will come out 3/4 brownie and 1/4 thin layer of brownie crust.
5. Snow is fun to crunch in.
6. Children like to roll around in snow and dirt.
6a. Snow is more fun with children around to throw snowballs at.
6b. Snow is more fun when you watch children slide down a hill for the 40th time, still giggling and laughing.
7. Disney Speed Uno is a crazy crazy game best played by adults late at night.
8. Dominos have a way of disappearing but can be coaxed back into their metal tin by helpful children.
9. Sometimes people snore.
10. Snow football is fun but doesn't necessarily involve quick running.
11. It is very difficult to tackle Wayne. It is best left to James to do.
12. 5 lbs of ground beef is a lot of meat.
13. I'm eh at ping pong.
14. It is possible to both have sun and snow at the same time.
15. Ankle socks plus hike equal blisters.
Did I mention that Yosemite is really fun??
I like this idea
A law firm is sponsoring free cab rides for Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda residents tonight on St. Patrick's Day. That is a cool idea and definitely a wise use of resources and corporate sponsorship.
Great idea!
Great idea!
Yosemite = yey
Yosemite this wkend was really good. It was a fun group and the weather was good - snowed some on Sat but was sunny too. Makes great pictures.
I love group trips. I really like being with people and I come back happier and ready for life. Pictures to come...
I really like playing in snow, stomping around. The "crunch, crunch" sound, the different feel under your boot, making snowballs, and sledding (halfway) down a hill. Snow makes everything more fun. I say that never actually wanting to live in snow or commute everyday in snow. This crush I have on snow is like an occasional, seasonal, "visiting" kind of feeling. Like a summer camp crush. Nothing to make a longterm relationship out of.
I love group trips. I really like being with people and I come back happier and ready for life. Pictures to come...
I really like playing in snow, stomping around. The "crunch, crunch" sound, the different feel under your boot, making snowballs, and sledding (halfway) down a hill. Snow makes everything more fun. I say that never actually wanting to live in snow or commute everyday in snow. This crush I have on snow is like an occasional, seasonal, "visiting" kind of feeling. Like a summer camp crush. Nothing to make a longterm relationship out of.
Friday, March 7, 2008
The new mall
I went to Costco today to pick up large quantities of ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tortillas for my community dinner of taco bar tonight. I grabbed a hot dog and drink and as I sat at the table, wolfing it down bc I was starving, I saw two ppl in front of me. One guy's back was to me so it was hard to see what they were doing but there was a large pile of food trash next to them like they had finished quite awhile ago. I realized they were playing cards. Just hanging out. At Costco.
It reminded me of the small mall we had in my suburb growing up. Filipino old men would just hang out there for hours. Often wearing veteran hats or similar, they hung out in front of the frozen yogurt shop and talked. I noticed them the most when my friend Katie got a job in the yogurt shop and we would often stop by to visit her. The old men were always there, just chilling. It was like their open market hang-out area.
Remember those? Just small malls but not strip malls. Laid out in a miniature way of larger indoor malls, just not as big. In there was my dentist where I went for years getting braces, a pet shop where we would always go to see the fish and birds, a Filipino bakery where we would grab pan de sol, the music store where I took piano lessons for two years, the jewelry store my mom would get new watch batteries, a Hallmark where I would save up allowance and buy stationary and Hello Kitty junk, and in the main area there would be a Halloween costume contest or Christmas caroling. It was where our suburb gathered. The biggest store was Sav-On and Mervyn's with our only bowling alley across the parking lot and Von's next door. And all the business weren't chains (except for Hallmark but even that is independently franchised) but Mom and Pop stores individual stores.
Now even my little mall has been transformed. There's a Bed Bath & Beyond and some other large store I can't remember. All the small owners have been run out by increasingly expensive rental rates as my mom and I found out when we take a few minutes to chat with the owners.
I'm fascinated by mall culture/architecture/sociological trends. Where we hang out, how we're pushed to shop and purchase. Now the current trend is a long row, outside, of the same 10 or so big chains. Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Linen & Things, Border's, Old Navy, Ross, Petco, Chevy's, Mimi's (where the heck did this unknown restaurant come from?!), and such. It's like a hidden state law was passed saying only these certain stores would be able to be used in this intentional new mall creation. Do you notice that they're almost always right next to a freeway? Malls didn't used to be built like that. Now you could be driving down any freeway, see a store you need to get something from, and pull over. Easy access. Sounds obvious but it didn't used to be like this. It was more suburb based.
Bigger malls with Sears and JC Penny are becoming obselote. A few years ago I wandered into this site www.deadmalls.com and spent hours looking at pictures and reading about the change in our mall culture. Bc to me, it's not just the mall aspect but it's where are our culture's hang-out areas? For old ppl, young ppl, mothers with children? Parks aren't always safe or accessible; malls can serve dual purposed where you do errands, grab lunch, and then can hang. I often like to wander around malls or Target - being around ppl but by myself, being in a crowd but alone.
(Nora has taken to sitting right next/on me, with her paws on my leg, and head on paws, purring, sleeping. She's doing it right now. Super cute).
So is Costco the new frozen yogurt, suburb mini-mall area? Not too far-fetched.
It reminded me of the small mall we had in my suburb growing up. Filipino old men would just hang out there for hours. Often wearing veteran hats or similar, they hung out in front of the frozen yogurt shop and talked. I noticed them the most when my friend Katie got a job in the yogurt shop and we would often stop by to visit her. The old men were always there, just chilling. It was like their open market hang-out area.
Remember those? Just small malls but not strip malls. Laid out in a miniature way of larger indoor malls, just not as big. In there was my dentist where I went for years getting braces, a pet shop where we would always go to see the fish and birds, a Filipino bakery where we would grab pan de sol, the music store where I took piano lessons for two years, the jewelry store my mom would get new watch batteries, a Hallmark where I would save up allowance and buy stationary and Hello Kitty junk, and in the main area there would be a Halloween costume contest or Christmas caroling. It was where our suburb gathered. The biggest store was Sav-On and Mervyn's with our only bowling alley across the parking lot and Von's next door. And all the business weren't chains (except for Hallmark but even that is independently franchised) but Mom and Pop stores individual stores.
Now even my little mall has been transformed. There's a Bed Bath & Beyond and some other large store I can't remember. All the small owners have been run out by increasingly expensive rental rates as my mom and I found out when we take a few minutes to chat with the owners.
I'm fascinated by mall culture/architecture/sociological trends. Where we hang out, how we're pushed to shop and purchase. Now the current trend is a long row, outside, of the same 10 or so big chains. Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Linen & Things, Border's, Old Navy, Ross, Petco, Chevy's, Mimi's (where the heck did this unknown restaurant come from?!), and such. It's like a hidden state law was passed saying only these certain stores would be able to be used in this intentional new mall creation. Do you notice that they're almost always right next to a freeway? Malls didn't used to be built like that. Now you could be driving down any freeway, see a store you need to get something from, and pull over. Easy access. Sounds obvious but it didn't used to be like this. It was more suburb based.
Bigger malls with Sears and JC Penny are becoming obselote. A few years ago I wandered into this site www.deadmalls.com and spent hours looking at pictures and reading about the change in our mall culture. Bc to me, it's not just the mall aspect but it's where are our culture's hang-out areas? For old ppl, young ppl, mothers with children? Parks aren't always safe or accessible; malls can serve dual purposed where you do errands, grab lunch, and then can hang. I often like to wander around malls or Target - being around ppl but by myself, being in a crowd but alone.
(Nora has taken to sitting right next/on me, with her paws on my leg, and head on paws, purring, sleeping. She's doing it right now. Super cute).
So is Costco the new frozen yogurt, suburb mini-mall area? Not too far-fetched.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Eco-friendly war
Nooo, this is horrible! But couldn't you imagine a conversation kinda like this happening today?
In The Know: How Can We Make The War In Iraq More Eco-Friendly?
In The Know: How Can We Make The War In Iraq More Eco-Friendly?
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hawaii 5-0
I somehow found the old TV show Hawaii 5-0 on cbs.com and have started watching the first season. Totally interesting esp when you combine it with info from Wikipedia.
Can you guess which year it premiered? I guessed in the 70's but it was actually 1968. Wow, Hawaii hadn't been an US state for that long before this show started.
Some fun facts from Wikipedia:
They somehow can't be copied from Wikipedia or Blogger just has layout issues. Does Blogger not like Macs? To summarize:
- the "5-0" comes from honoring Hawaii as the 50th state. The term has been adopted by American youth as slang for the police. Hawaii does not have an actual statewide police agency; the show's agency is fictional.
- The tv show Magum P.I. was created after Hawaii 5-0 ended to use its production equipment and the first few episodes of Magnum referenced Hawaii 5-0.
Here is the second episode of the first season. Other TV classics available on cbs.com for free are Star Trek: The Original Series, MacGyver, The Twilight Zone, and Melrose Place. But of course.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Living in urban Oakland
I haven't been writing as much as I expected about my thoughts and feelings now that I've moved into "urban Oakland." San Antonio district, almost East Oakland. I don't write that much in general and sometimes it takes awhile to realize what I'm feeling about being here.
Overall I really love it. I feel at home with the people and in the neighborhood. I'm still learning where certain grocery stores are or best driving routes and such but I'm getting the hang of it.
One thing that's been bothering me is the fact that I live two doors down from a certain church which meets on Saturday mornings (not Sundays). When the church is in session, there is no parking anywhere. It is very frustrating. I can't leave to do errands or go to the gym Sat morning without intentionally staying out until the aft bc it's too hard to find parking later. On one hand. parking two blocks away isn't that bad but when you factor in having to carry groceries/toilet paper (yes, tp yesterday) two blocks and also having to later return to your car possibly at night when it doesn't feel safe, it's actually pretty annoying. I'm starting to really hold resentment that they take all the street parking for about three blocks all around.
And they started to hold more Sat afternoon and night events. I came back at 2:30pm yesterday - no parking. Luckily, I left right away again but came back at 5:30pm - no parking. Parked two blocks away and Marjie who was with me lugged my tp and such back with me. I didn't feel safe leaving my car parked so far away, not being to hear if the alarm went off, and not able to feel safe walking back to it later at night.
But what is the church supposed to do? They don't have a parking lot. The people come.
I realize that I feel entitled to be able to park on my street but it's not like I own a spot. It's free and public. They have a right to it as much as I do. I am not owed a parking spot.
It's been humbling to realize my sin in this - how I easily get angry and frustrated and resentful. But it still is frustrating and makes there be one day a week where I don't want to leave the house.
So, there, a post about living in the 'hood.
Stuff white people like
A few friends mentioned this site last week that lists things white people like. I started reading it and groaned, laughing. It's so right on. I told a friend today, "A white person must write it; it's too true." I want to go through and find out how many apply to me but it doesn't have an easily viewed list of all the things.
Yes, I want/like multilingual children, I like musical comedy, water bottles, brunch, Arrested Development, and (sometimes) being the only white person around. Ouch!
But I do not like coffee, Whole Foods, or modern furniture. So let me check... yep, I'm still white.
Then a site came up for things Asian people like. The most current one is Asian buffets. Haha, yeah, true.
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