I'm sitting here at about 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning, biding my time. The girlfriend went home to Southern California, I'm organizing some of my previous clips
from the Guardian...and a sad realization struck me. I woke up at 9, went straight to
my laptop, and have done very, very little for the last 2-and-a-half hours. I talked
to my roommate's friend Tessa for a little bit, who is visiting. She and Katie went on
a run on the fire trail east of the Berkeley campus. A run! At 7:30 in the morning! On a Saturday!
Tessa is the type of girl who seems like she has limitless energy, always wanting to do something. She had hiked Half Dome over in Yosemite a few days ago, and she told me just now that she runs pratically every day. Yowsa.
She also told me she wanted to do a triathlon over here near Angel Island. Which got me thinking: a triathlon is something I've always wanted to do. Just yesterday, during another stretch at work, I noted "Triathlon" as something that I should do before I head off to grad school. I view a triathlon as the ultimate challenge, a synthesis of man and machine, of land and water, of physical grit and mental endurance. You can run 20 miles? Try cutting through efficiently through water stroke after stroke. Expert biker? Let's see how your legs feel on the run to the finish.
Tessa also gave me some sites to look up, and after some browsing, I found some events calendars:
http://www.envirosports.com/events/
http://www.theschedule.com/
Which led to me finding a sprint triathlon! It looks like a perfect goal, although the turn around time is short: 7-8 weeks.
http://www.tbfracing.com/events/tri4fun3.html (Herald, CA on Aug. 2)
or
http://www.theschedule.com/EventInfo.cfm?EventID=18905 (Santa Cruz, CA on Aug. 10)
There are plenty of websites to facilitate training:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-list.asp?h=1
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=triathlon&conitem=51dff28c348e4010VgnVCM100000cfe793cd____&page=3
But I need to get a bike.
Here we go!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Everything's kind of a mess
I've just moved into my summer sublet over on Dwight, where I'll dwell for two-and-a-half months before I head over to UIS. I began a new job at the Survey Research Center over at UC Berkeley. Back when I was a sociology student, Professor Kristin Luker would always talk about a survey method called CATI, or Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. Basically, people read a meticulously thought out questionnaire that pops up on the computer screen, and record results according to particular coding. Anyone who took a methods course knew of this method, but I never thought that I'd be participating in something like it.
While pay is a lot more, I have nearly no connection with the people there. I basically isolate myself in a cubicle and listen to everyone read the same prompt to different potential respondents. At the Cal Student Store, I at least had people my age whom I could talk to and relate to. The SRC is more mundane. It's difficult to perceive the great social and academic impact of the study while you're reading the same prompt over and over again. Prof. Luker (who has a new book out) always noted that surveys are important for getting small amounts of information from a broad group of people. I definitely think I'm more about the great amounts of information from a few people.
Anyway, I just moved all my stuff into the Dwight sublet. Yesterday was most of the hard work, today was more follow-up...and pie! Phil, Sofia, and I went to Walnut Creek and Marie Callender's. Sofie got Blueberry Cream, Phil got Pumpkin, and I got Key Lime. I don't think the Key Lime agreed with me.
We walked around after that, looked through H&M, the Build-a-bear Shop, and a Barnes & Noble. The BBS is the craziest thing, they take these empty, hollow shells and anally probe them with a machine, then stuff them silly. The bears come out looking brand new...but the whole process seems mechanically sadistic. But I guess lieele children would get a kick out of it.
I got the SparkNotes version for "How to get a job in Magazines." I feel a little ashamed that I have to resort to guidebooks when I'm going to grad school, but at $13 it seemed like there was enough information to justify the cost. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I'm going to try and work on my rice post, but inbetween moving my stuff, helping with Phil's stuff, and my new job, it's been tough to freelance. I do need to re-devote myself, because I have been slacking and lackadaisical for a while now.
While pay is a lot more, I have nearly no connection with the people there. I basically isolate myself in a cubicle and listen to everyone read the same prompt to different potential respondents. At the Cal Student Store, I at least had people my age whom I could talk to and relate to. The SRC is more mundane. It's difficult to perceive the great social and academic impact of the study while you're reading the same prompt over and over again. Prof. Luker (who has a new book out) always noted that surveys are important for getting small amounts of information from a broad group of people. I definitely think I'm more about the great amounts of information from a few people.
Anyway, I just moved all my stuff into the Dwight sublet. Yesterday was most of the hard work, today was more follow-up...and pie! Phil, Sofia, and I went to Walnut Creek and Marie Callender's. Sofie got Blueberry Cream, Phil got Pumpkin, and I got Key Lime. I don't think the Key Lime agreed with me.
We walked around after that, looked through H&M, the Build-a-bear Shop, and a Barnes & Noble. The BBS is the craziest thing, they take these empty, hollow shells and anally probe them with a machine, then stuff them silly. The bears come out looking brand new...but the whole process seems mechanically sadistic. But I guess lieele children would get a kick out of it.
I got the SparkNotes version for "How to get a job in Magazines." I feel a little ashamed that I have to resort to guidebooks when I'm going to grad school, but at $13 it seemed like there was enough information to justify the cost. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I'm going to try and work on my rice post, but inbetween moving my stuff, helping with Phil's stuff, and my new job, it's been tough to freelance. I do need to re-devote myself, because I have been slacking and lackadaisical for a while now.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Some Serious Choices
Well, I have to figure out if I'm going to grad school.
IF YES, then
...I need to figure out where I'm living.
...I need to organize my class schedule.
...I need to move all my stuff.
...I need to determine if I need a car.
IF NO, then
...I have to figure out where I'm living (two choices!)
...I have to determine job prospects.
...I have to start writing more.
...I have to start writing more for pay.
At the very least, the small streak of rejections has ended and made way for a brief series of acceptances. This provides a greater number of options, or to put it in sports lexicon when a coach has too many good players (see: Carroll, Pete), "It's a good problem to have."
What's been going on:
1) Sasha and Digweed, Friday 4/25 at the Warfield. Mind blowing. Granted the Warfield is not the best dance venue ever. It was kind of nice to have that amplitheater effect with the Warfield...and nice for chilling out during the dancing. Why not the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, with a bigger floor and still some seats for the...uhh...resting crowd? I guess, even though they were Sasha and Digweed, there were still so many shows going on, including Danny Tenaglia at 1015 and Booka Shade/MANDY on the Get Physical tour at Mezzanine. If you are an electronic fan, 4/25 was your day in nirvana.
2) UIS Travel, 4/26, 4/28. To be discussed soon.
3) UIS Interview 4/27. Likewise.
4) Mike Birbiglia on Friday 5/2 at Cobb's Comedy Club...was hilarious! His show was the hardest I've laughed at Cobb's. It wasn't even close. He did some skits from his DVD and his CD, so it felt kind of like a live concert...you could anticipate his key hits and recite each line. The fact that Birbiglia could not only incite laughter, but belly-aching guffaws was a true testament to his storytelling abilities.
(For more, see my recent clips!)
5) Ellen Allien on Friday 5/2 at Mighty. Cool beats, nice XLR8R giveaway. I think at some point, I would love to write for XLR8R. Hell, why not right now?
I've also started a new feature on AsianWeek, focusing on the international rice rationing and price hikes. Editors want something daily from me for the blog. Yeesh. But hopefully it all comes together into some majestic feature article that I can hone in on. It's been actually fun, asking people about why things are the way tjey are. It tickles my curious bone.
I'm starting to like writing alot again. I'm almost in The Zone...that one place where you feel like you could write anything and it'd be gold. No editing needed. Fingers move a little more lithely over the keyboard. The mind easily outraces the body. Focus comes naturally. I'm not quite there yet. I think this rice beat might put me over the top. We'll see.
IF YES, then
...I need to figure out where I'm living.
...I need to organize my class schedule.
...I need to move all my stuff.
...I need to determine if I need a car.
IF NO, then
...I have to figure out where I'm living (two choices!)
...I have to determine job prospects.
...I have to start writing more.
...I have to start writing more for pay.
At the very least, the small streak of rejections has ended and made way for a brief series of acceptances. This provides a greater number of options, or to put it in sports lexicon when a coach has too many good players (see: Carroll, Pete), "It's a good problem to have."
What's been going on:
1) Sasha and Digweed, Friday 4/25 at the Warfield. Mind blowing. Granted the Warfield is not the best dance venue ever. It was kind of nice to have that amplitheater effect with the Warfield...and nice for chilling out during the dancing. Why not the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, with a bigger floor and still some seats for the...uhh...resting crowd? I guess, even though they were Sasha and Digweed, there were still so many shows going on, including Danny Tenaglia at 1015 and Booka Shade/MANDY on the Get Physical tour at Mezzanine. If you are an electronic fan, 4/25 was your day in nirvana.
2) UIS Travel, 4/26, 4/28. To be discussed soon.
3) UIS Interview 4/27. Likewise.
4) Mike Birbiglia on Friday 5/2 at Cobb's Comedy Club...was hilarious! His show was the hardest I've laughed at Cobb's. It wasn't even close. He did some skits from his DVD and his CD, so it felt kind of like a live concert...you could anticipate his key hits and recite each line. The fact that Birbiglia could not only incite laughter, but belly-aching guffaws was a true testament to his storytelling abilities.
(For more, see my recent clips!)
5) Ellen Allien on Friday 5/2 at Mighty. Cool beats, nice XLR8R giveaway. I think at some point, I would love to write for XLR8R. Hell, why not right now?
I've also started a new feature on AsianWeek, focusing on the international rice rationing and price hikes. Editors want something daily from me for the blog. Yeesh. But hopefully it all comes together into some majestic feature article that I can hone in on. It's been actually fun, asking people about why things are the way tjey are. It tickles my curious bone.
I'm starting to like writing alot again. I'm almost in The Zone...that one place where you feel like you could write anything and it'd be gold. No editing needed. Fingers move a little more lithely over the keyboard. The mind easily outraces the body. Focus comes naturally. I'm not quite there yet. I think this rice beat might put me over the top. We'll see.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
From Sickness to Shunsuke
I've been sick since Saturday. I worked through the day, then felt headache-y on Sunday, collapsed on Monday, rested Tuesday, and am now gaining some semblance of health.
I still can't eat though. Campbell's soup? I ate one of those microwaveable bowls...then watched a few YouTube videos...only to feel that irrepressible urge to go. I'll spare you the details.
That bowl of soup was the only thing save water, tea, cough drops, and cough syrup to enter my body, and it didn't even last that long. 72 hrs now (Sunday's dinner at 9pm, pork with bell peppers and spinach on pasta) since my last solid-food meal...sad.
The videos I watched were of one brilliant football player. He plays for Celtic Football Club, which is pretty much the New York Yankees of the Scottish Premier League. Celtic is playing their rival Rangers (NY-Boston) in what's called the "Old Firm Derby." To open the scoring...well, I'll let Shunsuke Nakamura introduce himself:
More where that came from...a series of free kicks and lobs against the Celtic Premier League, and a pair of sweet goals against Manchester United during the group stages in last year's Champions League.
I still can't eat though. Campbell's soup? I ate one of those microwaveable bowls...then watched a few YouTube videos...only to feel that irrepressible urge to go. I'll spare you the details.
That bowl of soup was the only thing save water, tea, cough drops, and cough syrup to enter my body, and it didn't even last that long. 72 hrs now (Sunday's dinner at 9pm, pork with bell peppers and spinach on pasta) since my last solid-food meal...sad.
The videos I watched were of one brilliant football player. He plays for Celtic Football Club, which is pretty much the New York Yankees of the Scottish Premier League. Celtic is playing their rival Rangers (NY-Boston) in what's called the "Old Firm Derby." To open the scoring...well, I'll let Shunsuke Nakamura introduce himself:
More where that came from...a series of free kicks and lobs against the Celtic Premier League, and a pair of sweet goals against Manchester United during the group stages in last year's Champions League.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A sensitive interview
At KQED, I interviewed a father who lost his daughter to suicide. I had to ask some really tough, emotionally sensitive questions. I think I did OK considering I had never asked questions from somebody who had been through that sort of experience, but it was still a grinding 50+ minutes. The father seemed much stronger and more resolute than I.
I am stoked about tomorrow's show, which features SF Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto, baseball scholar Jules Tygiel, freelance writer Dan Fost (from the UC Berkeley freelance panel!)...and potentially a special guest. We're going to be talking about the SF Giants and their 50 years in the city, which should provide some great insight into baseball, the Bay Area, and America.
I sometimes like to stay in the office because I like to take it in, put on some basketball, read some magazines and books in peace...but as of late it's felt kind of suffocating after-hours. Too much basketball, haha.
Today I also met Asian American filmmaker Arthur Dong...his new film, Hollywood Chinese, can be found here: http://www.deepfocusproductions.com/HollywoodChinese/index.html.
I also listened to a new band on NPR named Pacifika on Six Degree Records.
I am stoked about tomorrow's show, which features SF Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto, baseball scholar Jules Tygiel, freelance writer Dan Fost (from the UC Berkeley freelance panel!)...and potentially a special guest. We're going to be talking about the SF Giants and their 50 years in the city, which should provide some great insight into baseball, the Bay Area, and America.
I sometimes like to stay in the office because I like to take it in, put on some basketball, read some magazines and books in peace...but as of late it's felt kind of suffocating after-hours. Too much basketball, haha.
Today I also met Asian American filmmaker Arthur Dong...his new film, Hollywood Chinese, can be found here: http://www.deepfocusproductions.com/HollywoodChinese/index.html.
I also listened to a new band on NPR named Pacifika on Six Degree Records.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Concert Agenda
And now a very difficult slate of decisions that calls for attention.
Sofia and I headed out to see China Forbes perform at the Great American Music Hall. Forbes sounded not unlike Sheryl Crow, which makes sense since her producer has worked with Crow among others (anybody remember the Wallflowers?). A lot of twangy guitars and alternative rock vocals, different from anything Forbes' does as lead vocalist of worldly mini-orchestra Pink Martini. Indeed, Forbes traded cocktail dress for cowboy boots, and seemed to enjoy the intimacy and lo-fi mood of the night.
Sofia and I first bonded over a Pink Martini concert, so it seemed fitting to see Ms. Forbes live. After the show, we ruminated over tempting future presentations:
Sat 5/10
Pink Martini @ Lincoln Theater, Napa Valley
Thu 5/15
The Bad Plus @ Palace of Fine Arts
Wed 5/28
Flight of the Conchords @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
Wed 5/28- Sun 6/1
Russell Peters @ Cobb's Comedy Club
Speaking of good music, there is an insane amount of good music coming through in the Bay Area, if you're an indie rock / electronic junkie like myself:
Wed 4/23:
Caribou @ Independent
Death Cab for Cutie @ Fillmore
Th 4/24
Hot Chip @ Fillmore
Fri 4/25
Sasha and Digweed @ Warfield
Booka Shade /MANDY @ Mezzanine
Sat 4/26
Mum @ Independent
Simian Mobile Disco @ Mezzanine
Goldfrapp @ Warfield
Mon 4/28
Devotchka@ Fillmore (of Little Miss Sunshine fame)
Tue 4/29
Minus the Bear @ Bimbo's 365
VHS or Beta @ Mezzanine
I mean, that is a friggin' carnival of musicians there. You give me one of those shows, I'd be a happy man. Sasha and Digweed proved too tempting not to buy...It's like Mick Jagger and David Bowie teaming up, two heavyweights with a rare reunion (last time on tour for Sasha and Digweed? I believe 2002, during their Delta Heavy tour).
Speaking of good music, I met one of my musical heroes a couple of days ago. It happened while I was on my break from work, and I heard these wicked beats emanating from Lower Sproul at UC Berkeley. I see this red-haired guy with a scruffy beard, and nice black shoes pounding away at a sampler/drum machine. I mean, he was playing all sorts of breakbeats, trip-hop, even hip-hop with a little MCing...He sounded much like a local producer I had known named Odd Nosdam. I first heard about Nosdam through his collaboration with Clouddead, a now-defunct group consisting of Why? and Dose One. I was moderately stirred by Clouddead's beats and vocal droning at first listen, with the neo-Neu sounds of "Pop Song" garnering the most repeat clicks. But I admired the beats and kept Clouddead in mind.
The more I listened to the red-head guy, the more I was convinced I was listening to Nosdam. He maneuvered with impeccable rhythm through these increasingly intricate drum structures. I was also convinced that this guy should be playing nationwide, opening for some big band, putting his name out, because this guy had just a great energy and liveliness. People were attracted to the big white tent because it was grad week at Berkeley, and a few people were munching on lunches. But people were bobbing their heads, genuinely curious about the guy pounding on a square foot of metal and producing this beautiful music.
A guy approached the red-haired maestro, shook his hand, adjusted a few knobs on the speakers, and sat down on a bench. I quickly approached him, needing to satiate my curiosity.
"Do you know who this is?"
"Yeah he's one of my best friends."
"What's his name?"
"Well, he goes by Joe."
"Does he perform around here?"
"Yeah, have you every heard of Anticon records?"
"Yeah. There's this guy named Odd Nosdam he sounds like. Is this guy him?"
"No, actually, I go by Nosdam."
And so goes the story of how I met Odd Nosdam, who was kind enough to drop me a copy of his newest CD...all the while responding to the questions of inquisitive passerbys who wanted to know what the hell Jel (the red-haired dude) was pounding. Jel was mesmerizing, and I don't doubt Nosdam would have been equally hypnotizing had he played that day. He didn't, but he did give me this link that everybody should check out:
Sofia and I headed out to see China Forbes perform at the Great American Music Hall. Forbes sounded not unlike Sheryl Crow, which makes sense since her producer has worked with Crow among others (anybody remember the Wallflowers?). A lot of twangy guitars and alternative rock vocals, different from anything Forbes' does as lead vocalist of worldly mini-orchestra Pink Martini. Indeed, Forbes traded cocktail dress for cowboy boots, and seemed to enjoy the intimacy and lo-fi mood of the night.
Sofia and I first bonded over a Pink Martini concert, so it seemed fitting to see Ms. Forbes live. After the show, we ruminated over tempting future presentations:
Sat 5/10
Pink Martini @ Lincoln Theater, Napa Valley
Thu 5/15
The Bad Plus @ Palace of Fine Arts
Wed 5/28
Flight of the Conchords @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
Wed 5/28- Sun 6/1
Russell Peters @ Cobb's Comedy Club
Speaking of good music, there is an insane amount of good music coming through in the Bay Area, if you're an indie rock / electronic junkie like myself:
Wed 4/23:
Caribou @ Independent
Death Cab for Cutie @ Fillmore
Th 4/24
Hot Chip @ Fillmore
Fri 4/25
Sasha and Digweed @ Warfield
Booka Shade /MANDY @ Mezzanine
Sat 4/26
Mum @ Independent
Simian Mobile Disco @ Mezzanine
Goldfrapp @ Warfield
Mon 4/28
Devotchka@ Fillmore (of Little Miss Sunshine fame)
Tue 4/29
Minus the Bear @ Bimbo's 365
VHS or Beta @ Mezzanine
I mean, that is a friggin' carnival of musicians there. You give me one of those shows, I'd be a happy man. Sasha and Digweed proved too tempting not to buy...It's like Mick Jagger and David Bowie teaming up, two heavyweights with a rare reunion (last time on tour for Sasha and Digweed? I believe 2002, during their Delta Heavy tour).
Speaking of good music, I met one of my musical heroes a couple of days ago. It happened while I was on my break from work, and I heard these wicked beats emanating from Lower Sproul at UC Berkeley. I see this red-haired guy with a scruffy beard, and nice black shoes pounding away at a sampler/drum machine. I mean, he was playing all sorts of breakbeats, trip-hop, even hip-hop with a little MCing...He sounded much like a local producer I had known named Odd Nosdam. I first heard about Nosdam through his collaboration with Clouddead, a now-defunct group consisting of Why? and Dose One. I was moderately stirred by Clouddead's beats and vocal droning at first listen, with the neo-Neu sounds of "Pop Song" garnering the most repeat clicks. But I admired the beats and kept Clouddead in mind.
The more I listened to the red-head guy, the more I was convinced I was listening to Nosdam. He maneuvered with impeccable rhythm through these increasingly intricate drum structures. I was also convinced that this guy should be playing nationwide, opening for some big band, putting his name out, because this guy had just a great energy and liveliness. People were attracted to the big white tent because it was grad week at Berkeley, and a few people were munching on lunches. But people were bobbing their heads, genuinely curious about the guy pounding on a square foot of metal and producing this beautiful music.
A guy approached the red-haired maestro, shook his hand, adjusted a few knobs on the speakers, and sat down on a bench. I quickly approached him, needing to satiate my curiosity.
"Do you know who this is?"
"Yeah he's one of my best friends."
"What's his name?"
"Well, he goes by Joe."
"Does he perform around here?"
"Yeah, have you every heard of Anticon records?"
"Yeah. There's this guy named Odd Nosdam he sounds like. Is this guy him?"
"No, actually, I go by Nosdam."
And so goes the story of how I met Odd Nosdam, who was kind enough to drop me a copy of his newest CD...all the while responding to the questions of inquisitive passerbys who wanted to know what the hell Jel (the red-haired dude) was pounding. Jel was mesmerizing, and I don't doubt Nosdam would have been equally hypnotizing had he played that day. He didn't, but he did give me this link that everybody should check out:
Sunday, April 6, 2008
I really do underappreciate KQED
1) I met Lewis Lapham, currently of Lapham's Quarterly fame and formerly of Harpers Magazine fame. From San Francisco, Lapham is one of this generation's finest writers and editors. His Quarterly collect the works from past greats and aggregates them under one large, unifying theme. Volume 1 released in November revolved around War, Volume 2 around Money.
2) Groove Armada played at Mezzanine, and I almost did not get in because I submitted their performance under the wrong date. Aye, rookie mistake. I apologized profusely to Mezzanine's marketing director. Have to be more careful with these things. GA played a great set, Mezz was rocking, especially for a $40 at the door ticket! But the railigs were filled, the floor was packed, the bathrooms were damp...you know a place is busy if the bathroom floors are nice and slick...
3) The Asian American Journalism Association had a panel of journalists discuss freelancing: http://aajasf.org/. The panel provided some illuminating points, namely have a lot of ideas, continue to network, and stay persistent. The group gave me the false hope that I could succeed at freelancing alone. False? Maybe not...
I'm debating whether or not it would be practical to try to shift more of my time and resources into freelancing. Basically, I would have to pitch and submit more articles for AsianWeek and would probably have to find some sort of extra publication. Where? In any case, I gained some insight and hope to keep plugging away. I have to read more!
2) Groove Armada played at Mezzanine, and I almost did not get in because I submitted their performance under the wrong date. Aye, rookie mistake. I apologized profusely to Mezzanine's marketing director. Have to be more careful with these things. GA played a great set, Mezz was rocking, especially for a $40 at the door ticket! But the railigs were filled, the floor was packed, the bathrooms were damp...you know a place is busy if the bathroom floors are nice and slick...
3) The Asian American Journalism Association had a panel of journalists discuss freelancing: http://aajasf.org/. The panel provided some illuminating points, namely have a lot of ideas, continue to network, and stay persistent. The group gave me the false hope that I could succeed at freelancing alone. False? Maybe not...
I'm debating whether or not it would be practical to try to shift more of my time and resources into freelancing. Basically, I would have to pitch and submit more articles for AsianWeek and would probably have to find some sort of extra publication. Where? In any case, I gained some insight and hope to keep plugging away. I have to read more!
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