TXT-Urbia

A new online journal a few of my [IN]City

cohorts and I have cooked up. Peep it here.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

The greatest British sci-fi/horror 80's hospital television show mockumentary comedy mini-series of all time! How the hell did it take me 34 years to discover this?!? (Thanks, Marijke!)

The End Of The Road

I can't believe it's already been 6 weeks. . . I've made so many new friends and learned so many new acronyms and opened so many new doors and feel my life is suddenly full of so many new possibilities to be almost paralyzing.

Some Things I Learned During The 2010 [IN] City

Introduction To Sustainable Cities Program

1. Density is everything.

2. Groucho Marx wrote a letter to the chairman of Chrysler in the early 50's asking if there wasn't something that could be done about all the pollution his automobiles caused.

3. If all the people in the Bay Area (7 million) lived at the same level of density as all the people in Hong Kong (7 million) we would fit in an area of land the size of Sausalito.

4. There are 27 distinct grids in San Francisco, one of which is the old Spanish highway that follows the direct path of the BART.

5. The annual subsidy for off-street "free" parking is roughly the size of our national defense budget.

6. Jaime Lerner is amazing.

7. Detroit is in the process of rising from the ashes of the domestic automobile industry by shrinking its city boundaries and is fast becoming the first "green" city in the country.

8. Top Dog's Louisiana Hot Links are one amazing cure-all.

9. Urban planning is infinitely easier and so much more complex than I ever could have expected.

10. I can fucking do this.

The next steps for me now are to find an internship, figure out a personal statement, write my old professors for some letters of recommendation, read about 20 books, take the GRE in October and apply for Berkeley and PSU (and possibly UCLA) come December! Wish me luck!!!

My 3 Favorite City Planning Acronyms So Far. . .

1. LULU (Locally Unwanted Land Uses)

2. CCR (Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions)

3. iCET (Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation)

I can't go on, I'll go on.

Image taken from the amazing Tsunehisa Kimura's

Visual Scandals By Photo Montage.

(Psst. . . click on it for maximum awesome.)

Two Solutions to the Same Problem

How I'm Livin. . .

Hello Nackebuhsers, it's been a long time. Rest assured, I have been a busy beaver! As some, or many, or all 3 of you know, I've been taking part in UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design's [IN] City Summer Program. I've learned and thought more about climate change, sustainable communities, transportation, land use, social equity, environmental justice, and density, density, density in the past two weeks than I ever have in my entire life up to this point. I've also got a slew of new acronyms under my belt, including CAP, BRT, TOD, VMT, UGB, SOV and MURP (not to be confused with MERP).

To be honest at first I felt that I was in way-ay-ay over my head. This is the graduate student's nightmare: to realize you are the dumbest person in the room. However, after splitting into smaller groups and really getting to know some of the 70-odd other students in the program (who are from places as diverse as Seattle, Boston, Ohio, Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Bogota, and Kuwait City) I'm kinda finding my place and becoming more confident with the material and the challenges it presents. And boy howdy, are there some challenges. . .

One of the highlights of the program thus far was the tour we took of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge last Wednesday. We boated out to the site on a 40 foot yacht (with a full cash bar!) and were treated to a talk by a fella from Caltrans (the state government department managing the new bridge's construction). The day was capped off by a sighting of the ever elusive Bay Bridge Troll!

So yeah, I really don't know as of yet where this program will lead me. Maybe I'll go back to school to get my very own MURP, or maybe I'll find an internship in a local agency or non-profit. Perhaps I'll simply end up a more educated and concerned cheesemonger. Whatever happens I do feel as if suddenly the world is full of attainable possibilities to make it a better place, and coming from me that's a very good thing.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention that my lil band's going on our first tour in just over a month! Opening for the Mummies!!! I'm still kinda in disbelief. . .

Man On The Moon

"I never told a joke in my life."

-Andy Kaufman

Fever Dreams

Every time I get sick I end up having the most amazing dreams. Since Thursday night, when I was bedridden with a fever of 101 degrees, I have dreamt about Argentina, my old friend Mimi, my mother as a superhero, miniature flying dogs, Rooky Ricardo's Record Shop, saving the world from alien invasion at least three different times, and posting this awesome slow music from West Africa mix to my blog. Well, my dear, faithful Nackebuhs followers, this day dreams really do come true. . .

I humbly present, via "Awesome Tapes From Africa," the soundtrack to your summer:

Slow Music From West Africa

The New Racism

"Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose."

extracted from "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" by Tim Wise

This Video Has Got Me Seven Shades Of Confused

Do I love it? Do I hate it? Do I love/hate it? I have no freaking idea. What I do know is that I can't stop watching and last night spent an hour googling "juggalo" and "dark carnival."

Magic everywhere in this bitch. . .

'Remember'

Some 4,000 years ago, on a hillside in western Pembrokeshire, a group of our Neolithic ancestors lifted up a series of gigantic stones with their bare hands and covered them with earth to mark the spot where one of their kinsmen lay buried. The chamber has been lost to time, as have the body and even the identity of the man whose name must once have been spoken with awe in the communities along this damp edge of the British Isles. But what remains to these stones is their eloquent ability to deliver the message common to all funerary architecture, from marble tomb to rough wooden roadside shrine - namely, 'Remember.' The poignancy of the roughly chiselled family of mossy orthostats, keeping their lonely watch over a landscape around which none save sheep and the occasional rain-proofed hiker now roam, is heightened only by the awareness that we recall nothing whatsoever about the one they memorialise - aside, that is, from this leader's evident desire, strong enough to inspire his clan to raise a forty-tonne capstone in his honour, that he not be forgotten.

- Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness

Happy Cesar Chavez Day!

Jury Duty

Didn't really go as expected. . .

I arrived at the Civic Center Courthouse at 8:45 yesterday morning. After waiting around for a little over two hours in the assembly room (which resembled a grown-up version of study hall) I was called up to room 603 (along with about 40 of my peers). This was one of several courts in the building and resembled nothing like the airy, wood paneled courthouses of Hollywood. Boxes overflowing with documents lined the walls, the lawyers were all dressed in frumpy Men's Warehouse suits (one seemed to have botox jowls and kinda resembled a Dick Tracy villain) and there was the biggest container of Folgers Dark Roast I had ever seen slumped over on a nearby table. Fluorescent light bathed the gray carpet in a despondent glow.

The Judge entered, we rose, raised our right hands, listened to the oath (so help us god. . . ), and said "I do." That was probably the most exciting part of the whole day. The Judge then explained that the trial would probably last a week and a half, and that anyone who wanted to claim a "hardship" (either financial, medical, or familial) should raise their hands. 30 hands immediately shot up. Forms were passed around, filled out, and turned in. I explained that without the next week and a half of work I would not have enough money to pay my taxes on April 15th (a half-truth). I also "crazied" the form up a little, claiming that I suffered from "frequent" panic attacks (again, a half-truth). After 20 minutes of deliberation, the Judge discharged a lion's share of the potential jurors, including yours truly!

As I stepped out into the slight drizzle of a San Francisco spring morning (the rain that only seems to hit when you are moving, never when you are standing still. . . ) I was both elated not to have to return to that grey tower but also a little let down that I never got the full juror experience.

Here's how I spent the rest of my day:

1. Ate a bowl of scrumptious chicken noodle pho with giblets at Turtle Tower. Will probably bypass the giblet option next time.

2. Went to the public library to browse books on Urban Design. While washing my hands in the bathroom I was treated to a rendition of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" by some guy in a paper Burger King crown.

3. Biked up to Vesuvio, where I put off reading my Kool Kids Book Club 2010 selection (a 845 page historical fantasy novel) to read essays on rampart neoliberal city planning in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Arg-e Jadid (a California oasis in the middle of the Iranian desert).

4. Had a few pints at the good 'ol 540 where I had a conversation with a friendly chap about the function and purpose of the forward slash.

5. Saw a reading at Green Apple Books and was struck by how loud my shoes sounded on the hardwood floors.

6. Biked home where I wikied the forward slash.

7. Fell asleep to a home recording of Makoto Kawabata playing glissando guitar and a singing bowl.

This Book and this Blog. . .

. . . are consuming me.

EVIL PARADISES

BLDGBLOG

This is the first step. . .

I'm in the midst of applying for this:

Berkeley Summer Program In Sustainable Cities

Please mail your tax deductible donation to:

HOLY CRAP THIS IS HELLA EXPENSIVE

BUT IT COULD CHANGE MY G.D. LIFE!

c/o Andreas Levi

849 Haight Street

San Francisco, CA

94117

I've changed the title of this post at least four times.

Lately I've been feeling the winds of change stirring the leaves of my life out here in San Francisco. Two of my new roommates have decided to move down the street together, I've been dumped with no explanation, and cutting cheese is simply not as fulfilling as it used to be. Not to mention that a lot of wonderful people I have met and befriended and fell in love with during my time in this town have left for places with names such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and the Czech Republic. I've always said I would give San Francisco at least five years, but I think what I meant is that I would give myself to San Francisco for five years.

For four years, two weeks and five days now I have let the currents of this wild and woolly city rock me too and fro: from the highs of seeing Tank Hill, Grace Cathedral and Ocean Beach for the first time to the lows of getting my wallet stolen twice in one week, my face (literally) smashed into a brick wall and the realization that (almost) everyone moves away eventually. But now I feel as if I am finally (and gratefully) washed up on the beach along with tall cans of tecate, ironic beards and american apparel v-neck t-shirts. I stand up and see the jungle before me, and beyond that, the mountains of success, of satisfaction, of a deep and permanent happiness. There is a question written in the sand, a question written by those who came before me. It reads:

"What next?"

Well, I have been wrestling with that question for the last month now. At first I thought I might move to Portland. Then came the fever dream of becoming a cartographer. This was extremely vivid, and included both a name ("Parsnip") and a gimmick (navy blue boarders on all the maps) for my future artistically-bent map making company. Along the way I thought I would buy a car, a mid-eighties Mercedes-Benz station wagon converted to run on vegetable oil to be precise. Bi-weekly camping trips would surely clear my head. Or perhaps I would take up Zen practice more seriously, maybe even become a monk. Hell, maybe I would finally put my BA in Theatre Arts to use and look for work at a reputable San Francisco or Portland based theatre.

I attempted to get back to my childhood, to think of what made me happy as a child. I was so much wiser then. I remembered drawing plans for secret clubhouses and maps revealing their locations. I remembered creating whole cities out of legos and populating them with tiny yellow people. I remembered reading science fiction stories of settlements on the Moon, of aliens coming to Earth in peace, of spaceships charting the unthinkably vast heavens. I remembered wanting to be the first man on Mars. I remembered "Tintin" and "Little Nemo In Slumberland." I remembered when I first struck on my personal concept of beauty, sometime around 7th grade perhaps. It went something like this: "A mountain range, a dense forest, a shining ocean. . . these things are not beautiful to me. A single rose growing in a dilapidated alleyway, this is true beauty." I even remembered the first day I received a letter from Andrea Liliana Zambrano Rodriguez, the child I am sponsoring down in Ecuador through Children International. It made me feel so very, very happy. And I still do, every time I look at it.

The notion is forming in my head that I will go back to school and get a masters degree and somehow end up at a creative, environmentally and socially conscious non-profit or government agency. I'm hovering around the ideas of urban design, of architecture and landscapes, of city and regional planning, of transportation reform (Bicycles!), of fusing my love of theatre (public speaking) and music ("Architecture is frozen music") with my fascination with cities and my desire to make them more habitable, more environmentally sustainable and more beautiful for everyone, everyone, everyone.

When I moved out west four years, two weeks and five days ago I had a mantra:

"I will go to San Francisco, I will get hired at the Rainbow Grocery Cheese Department."

At the time I had no idea how difficult it was (I was the first hire from outside the store in 12 years!) but I believed (and not even with all my heart!) that it would come true. And it did. And now I have a new mantra, a mantra I will be repeating for the next eleven months, two weeks and two days:

"I will be accepted into a Masters of Urban Design program on the West Coast."

"I will be accepted into a Masters of Urban Design program on the West Coast."

"I will be accepted into a Masters of Urban Design program on the West Coast."

PS I know this might all come off as too optimistic, too naive, but I believe it is precisely these two qualities which allow anyone at all to succeed in this big, dumb, beautiful, perfect world.

March Forth!

Today marks my four year anniversary in San Francisco. Some things I did today include:

1. Received hundreds of pounds of cheese from various delivery people and moved them around between various coolers and the retail floor. At one point I had 6 40# blocks of vermont cheddar on a hand truck and I tryed not to think of how the math added up.

2. Witnessed some dude in a Rascal run a red light on Market Street at rush hour.

3. Got an MRI of my neck and was comforted by this video:

4. Write this post, after which I will stare off in the distance and quietly reflect on my time in the Magic City thus far.

6. Call my friend Terri and wish her a happy birthday.

5. Take a nap and dream happy dreams of you.

6. Attend a performance my "old buddy" (I met him a few months after arriving in town) Arvel set up at some place called Crowdflower later this evening.

I always said that I would give San Francisco at least five years. It's given me so much, but I think the best is yet to come. . .

How I Spent My Sunday Morning. . .

A Great Mashup

Phil Retro Spector (how's that for a dj handle?!) has somehow gotten into my head, complied all my secret music crushes of the last twenty years, and mashed them all up on his new downtempo masterpiece "Intro/Version." And when I say downtempo, I mean it. His website (http://bootlegsmade4walking.com/) has this warning tagged to this mix: "Please ensure glass is half empty before listening."

It's all here, folks. The Twin Peaks song I obsessed over for years, the Moby sample my old roommate and I flipped out over back in '99, that amazing song from "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" over the haunting "Brokeback Mountain" theme, all the grunge classics from my high school days, and Harry Dean Stanton reciting my favorite Charles Bukowski poem (!).

I don't wanna ruin any more of the amazing surprises lurking in this digital file. Just download it right now, turn off the lights, and enjoy.

DOWNLOAD INTRO/VISION

Why They Call Him Harpo

The Morning Of The Day After Day 10

Wow, I done did it.

In a way, I feel as if my body has gotten so used to it's current diet of saltwater and lemonade that I could go on for another 10 days, perhaps even the full 40 days (the maximum recommended length of time for the Master Cleanse). But it is my tongue and my brain that are allied against me. . . perusing online menus, paging through cookbooks, and dreaming about food. In fact last night I had a dream in which I broke my fast by eating a hard boiled egg.

So was it worth it? I think so. My energy level has skyrocketed (at least until the sun goes down), my mood has been elevated, my skin has cleared up, and things happened behind the bathroom door that I don't even want to go into (anecdotes available upon request).

Now to work up to eating what I have discovered is the meal of my dreams (literally): lamb shank with israeli couscous, hummus, warm pita, and salad.

Jim Henson's "Time Piece" (1964)

"Time Piece" is an experimental short film produced, directed, and written by Jim Henson, who also played the leading role. Henson began the project in the spring of 1964 and continued to work on it for nearly a year, between commercial projects and various Muppet television appearances. The short film premiered in May 1965 at the Museum of Modern Art and was distributed through Pathe Contemporary films to arthouse theaters and the film festival circuit. It played in New York City along with the French feature "A Man and a Woman."

Thank you to DJ No Breakfast for originally posting this.

Some Observations On the Morning Of Day Seven

1. Wow, one week without food and I'm not dead.

2. My fingernails are harder and smoother then they ever have been.

3. My tongue has turned white.

4. I feel calm yet alert at the same time. It's. . . weird.

5. Yesterday I cried (when I heard MLK's last sermon) and snapped (at a busdriver) for the first time in ages.

6. Yesterday I also went to a bar for the first time on my cleanse and I was amazed by how sad and dirty it was.

7. I'm walking a lot lighter then I ever had before.

The Evening of Day Three. . .

And I can't really say that I feel hungry. I feel pretty good, actually. Maybe just a little jittery. But peaceful at the same time. It's strange.

One thing that I have to say is that it's getting more difficult to fall asleep at night. However, I have been able to still snooze till 10:30 (which after a month and a half of not working I've come to discover is when my body naturally wakes up).

Actually, something funny just happened. My roommate Erin and I were talking about some friends of hers who happen to be Israeli, and every time she used that term I could not help but think of hummus. It's not that I was hungry for it, I simply wanted the experience of eating it. Of tasting it. The feeling was centered on my tongue, not my stomach.

Speaking of my tongue, it's started to turn white. I'm told that this is normal on the Master Cleanse.

For your pleasure and mine, here are the foods I am most craving to be on my tongue:

1. Macaroni and Cheese

2. Zuni's Chicken Dinner for Two

3. This Crazy Good Ethiopian Raw Beef Dish I Got at Axum Cafe Exactly Week Ago

4. Hummus

5. Lamb Shank

6. Cobb Salad

7. Cottage Cheese and Spicy V8

8. and a Carnitas Super Burrito, of course.

Master Cleanse!!!

So yesterday morning I started the Master Cleanse, which is something I've wanted to do for years now. The fact that I'm currently not working and that it's the beginning of a new year was an opportunity I could not pass up.

For the uninitiated the Master Cleanse consists of:

1. Drinking a quart of salt water first thing in the morning.

2. Drinking between 6 and 12 glasses of lemonade throughout the day. The lemonade consists of purified water, fresh lemon juice, Grade B maple syrup, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

3. Drinking a laxative tea in the evening.

And that's it. No other food may be taken for the duration of the cleanse. However, you can drink as much water as you want. The minimum suggested length for the cleanse is 10 days, which I'm shooting for.

I'm almost done with my second day, and here's what I've noticed so far:

1. The lemonade is delicious.

2. The last half of the first day was tough. I was constantly salivating and could not stop thinking about food, specifically macaroni and cheese. Actual hunger pangs were surprisingly few and far between.

3. I dreamt about food the entire first night. I even had a dream in which I mistakenly broke the cleanse by eating some leftover meatloaf.

4. The quart of salt water was MUCH more difficult to take down this morning. I shudder to think about tomorrow morning. A friend of mine who has done the cleanse before suggested I use a straw to bypass the taste buds. This makes perfect sense to me and I will utilize it should tomorrow morning be as harsh as I anticipate it to be.

5. SMELLS. Smells are so much more vivid to me these past few days. I feel like Daredevil. Simply walking down the street today I was flooded with so many different smells and specific memories tied to the those smells. It was amazing.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the most difficult day of the cleanse. I'll let the two of you know how it goes. . .