busker in harlem

busker in harlem, a photo by Monster Pete on Flickr.

at the 125th street station. dig the foot contraption!!

Brandy Hot Chocolate recipe

Two cups Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
cinnamon
hot chocolate powder or chocolate
cayenne pepper
Raynal brandy
mini marshmallows
fresh ground nutmeg
agave nectar sugar (optional)

Warm the milk in a small pot. Add thickener like cream or soy creamer if wanted. Grate in the nutmeg, add the spices, and stir. Meanwhile, in the cup, stir together 1 or 2 shots brandy with chocolate powder.

Before it boils, pour the liquid into cup. stir. Add marshmallows. Enjoy!

Old woman in line at post office in a large town

So I got a notice from USPS that a package was being held at the local post office. I went at the prescribed date and time and got in line. In front of my was an elderly woman in a wheelchair pushed by a younger woman. The older one asked me how much stamps were and I hazarded a "44 cents?" She replied she hadn't been in a post office for a long while. Then she said, Can you believe what they're wearing?" Incredulous, I just looked at her. She then referred me to the two somewhat overweight women at the counter, not five feet in front of us. "If I looked like that I would hide myself," she said, and proceeded to remark that she looks better than they do, even now. She dances, too, she said, except for her bad leg. She used to do them all, the mamba, tango, everything. She turned 97 yesterday. Good for her. She was pretty hot, too.

Bum's Rush

My first blog entry from New York will be about how I got here. Specifically, how I got into the 125th Street branch of the NYPL. It's pouring rain outside. I arrived at the library door at 11:53AM, but it was locked until noon. Around 11:57, the various characters, ranging from muscled juice heads speaking Spanish to tattooed skinny young guys nodding off, hustled from under the nearby vacant marquee to stand right behind me at the door. Soon, the rain hastened and the characters got closer to me, and more vehement in their demands the doors open soon. When Brit and my old landlord told me to be situationally aware in NYC, I think this is what they were speaking of. I gently touched my laptop through my backpack, making sure it was secure, and turned toward the doors, peeking through the glass with the hope of seeing an employee headed our way. "I'm going to be soaked," said one particularly incensed man in the queue. I envisioned myself as a headline in the NY Times, "Man Crushed in Stampede to Read." I got the feeling they had done this wait before. Like every day. Because when the librarian finally headed towards us, someone behind barked, "Move back, he's got to open the door outwards." And so he did.

Once inside, I saw what the rush was about -- not just getting out of the rain, but getting in line to use the computers. Librarians pleaded for calm as the men, about eight of them, and no women, hustled toward a terminal.

So here I sit, in probably the only public library I've ever entered without a public restroom, having to pee and writing while several men gingerly one-finger type on public laptops, given to them after the desktop terminals were all occupied.

moo-ving

so i know it's been a while since i posted. it looks like i'm moving to NYC with B after the Bar. Unsure what the goal is of taking the CA bar, i guess it's an eventual return to Cali. Anyways, who knows what I'll do in NYC. Maybe pursue my dream of being a writer, as so many have before me, including my second cousin who failed at writing, evidently, but did bring back a chihuahua.

So, I'm looking for success, but maybe I'll find some sort of chihuahua. Wouldn't be s bad.

Can you Compost a Brick?

I learned San Francisco composts 600 tons each day. I wonder how many bricks that includes?

dinner

i made stir fry and orange chicken... stir fry with olive oil (from Rainbow), onions, garlic, carrots, orange bell pepper, ginger powder, 2 eggs, spinach (at least i think it was - a leafy green from our CSA), soy sauce.... in more or less that order. it turned out well, especially with the Trader Joe's orange chicken, crispy as all heck, after i just about smoked out the whole apt.

dessert: kahlua hot chocolate and mandarins.

brit's away.

updates

skipping the annual auction/party at my law school, and the 40th anniversary of my old jobsite... being a bum, watching jeopardy instead. it happens.

hit the Off the Grid food truck party last night at Stanyan and Waller. i snapped at keith when he started going on about how this is part of a nationwide trend. i should be more accepting of my friends. even when they're pontificating.

baby spud not happy, want num num

baby spud not happy, want num num
Originally uploaded by Monster Pete

i took this, then sliced it. It was happy, then sad.

Peanut Butter Moo'd

Peanut Butter Moo'd
Originally uploaded by Monster Pete

bday/anniversary

had a nice birthday party at the giants game. bleacher seats for 9! so many friends...

then anniversarsy: massages at the olympic club, Ted's sandwiches for lunch, and Chin's sushi for dinner. not too shabby.

Weasel Walter/Mary Halvorson/Peter Evans live DVD excerpt

what i learned at my internship, part II

From UC-Berkeley Police Department police report form (check boxes):

78. Hair Style
A Unknown
B Afro/Natural
C Braided
D Bushy
E Crew Cut
F Greasy
G Military
H Pony Tail
I Dred Locks
J Straight
K Punk
L Other

82. General Appearance
A Unknown
B Conservative
C Dirty
D Disguised
E Flashy
F Good Looking
G Military
H Unkempt
I Unusual Odor
J Well Groomed
K Casual
L Other

what i learned at my internship

Tickler file: a date-labeled file folder organized in a way that allows time-sensitive documents to be filed according to the future date on which each document needs action. Each day, the folder having the current date is retrieved from the tickler file so that any documents within it may be acted on. Essentially, a tickler file provides a way to send a reminder to oneself in the future—"tickling" one's memory.

Doodle 4 Google

Does anyone else find this a little disturbing?

"Over 33,000 children drew doodles for our homepage."


How would we feel five years ago if Microsoft did this? Or Nike? 


Or is there a Google exception -- they're too big, too good? Then maybe they should be treated like a public utility.

Doc fest: The Buck Stops Here

Finally saw Atomic Cafe and it was all that. It makes me question the current "dirty bomb" scare. The propaganda is truly stunning. I was surprised at how well the US Military propaganda films got the opposition's arguments. Maybe they're more effective than I give them credit for. They present the arguments unadulterated, gaining traction with skeptical viewers like myself, then ending with a pro-nukes punch line, i.e. "If you love communism so much, why don't you move to Russia?" or somesuch nugget. There's a nice moment when Kruschev puts it in Nixon's face: "All [Americans] know about communism is fear of it."

Also, Screamers (2006) was shown in combination with Armenian Genocide remembrance day at my law school. It's got a bunch of System of a Down concert footage, plus some nice Dennis Hastert harassment in favor of genocide recognition. However, Q: If SOAD is really the main vehicle for the recognition movement in the world today, as some Armenian organizers suggest, what does that really say for the movement?

A: Er...that it's really strong, I guess. Right? Guys? RIght?

Either way, I suggest all bone up on the first Genocide. Here are some resources:
Armenian National Institute
New York Times articles published during the Genocide

"OBAMA - Commander and THEIF"

"OBAMA - Commander and THEIF"
Originally uploaded by luna715

Check out the Teabonics gallery in Flickr. I can't resist.

Envious? NVS Rules!

Last night, NVS and Audible Smoke Signals played to an enthusiastic crowd at the House of Shields, an old, wood-paneled bar in the middle of the Financial District. The odd surroundings, with the Palace Hotel across the street, only emphasized the near-naked intensity of frontman Walter Campbell. His vocals gained from the band's move toward more rock and funk than punk-based rhythms. He gets to settle down a bit and explore tonalities. The lyrics are clever as ever. "And the best I could do was the worst you could ever hope for."

The light show was disappointing, as I told Tre. He's set the bar high for himself from his Monster Pete and The Chiefs days, with the foot activated light inside the bass drum, for example. But showiness was not a problem overall, with at least two of the five (six if you include Bunny, who sat on the bass amp, professing that she liked the vibrations) finishing the show topless.

Micah adds a steady beat and helps the funk songs, and Tre added nice textures with his pedals of wonder. The fans went crazy the whole night, even the military dudes in the back. It was a great rock show.

music in my face

i've heard/seen some good shows lately. first off, Marc Flury took us to the Berkeley Art Museum to meet up with CansaFis and see Caroliner. Check out the video: I swear that was the loudest thing I've heard in a while, amplified by the concrete bunker that is the Berkeley Art Museum. The visuals were ecstatic, orgiastic and scary. Then today, we traveled a bit closer to home to hear the wonderful SF Quartet. They played a bunch of cartoon songs, including Under the Sea, The Pink Panther, and Powerhouse, more or less the Elmer Fudd theme. They had some sweet unconventional bowing techniques, i.e. the chicharra and some basic percussive sounds. The songs were technically impressive, jumping genres, and it was disconcerting (so to speak) to hear Disney tunes from a worldly string quartet, but kind of in a good way.

Hakeem Olajuwon NBA Superstars

check out the Dream Shake in action