r|break: mid-week fiber break

thanks to a handful of friends who have sent over this video clip (over here).

yup, i've got a first generation hybrid. some old posts with my car, aka iceT ...

• decal dish for that hov lane (over here)
• oops! gotta get some gas (over here)
• behind the wheel (over here)

enjoy the rest of the week!

bravoTV meets the sundance channel ...

aka

the fashion show meets green porno

...yup, a mash-up of the fashion show designers (bios OVER HERE) and each one's green porno name.

it's episode 2 of the fashion show, and it's not clear if the cubesters (and virtual cubesters) are gonna play (like 'splained OVER HERE).

meanwhile, after watching episode 2 of tfshow and trying to think up good monikers for the designtestants (... of which i think i'll leave the monikering to professionals like david dust), i figured i'd try to get inspired via green porno names - so here goes ...

• andrew christian (aka panty-christ) ... we shall temporarily call you popeye catalufa
  
• angel chang ... we shall temporarily call you octavia tendril
  
• anna mccraney ... we shall temporarily call you melissa blue (while annabelle mccraney would give her belinda blowfly)
• daniella kallmeyer ... we shall temporarily call you molly puffer
  
• haven howell ... we shall temporarily call you tomato hornworm
• james-paul ancheta ... we shall temporarily call you red cracker
• johnny rodriguez ... we shall temporarily call you leo lumpfish
• jonny day ... we shall temporarily call you cleg mound
• kristin hassan ... we shall temporarily call you katy did
  
• laura dawson ... we shall temporarily call you laurel borer
• lidia amirova ... we shall temporarily call you china rockfish
  
• markus ketty ... we shall temporarily call you goliath b.
  
• merlin castell ... we shall temporarily call you kelp greenling
• reco chapple ... we shall temporarily call you rhamburs forktail

until episode 3,
west coast dusty bunny (aka canary boccacio) says
"peace, bitches!"
> p, b!

velvet diamondback is tired of waiting ...

... for YOUR green porno name

haley hindgut did ... so(!) from monday's post OVER HERE, head over to THIS LINK (or click the image to the right) for your green porno name or ... perhaps don't head over there, and i will help ya out -

• dean iguana ... we shall call you fiji fancybranch
• pho queen ... we shall call you thelma sixbar
• ha gow ... we shall call you henrietta humpback
  
• harold's girl ... we shall call you evangline epigine
  
• raviolo ... we shall call you the hawaiian feather duster
  
• david dust ... we shall call you tarantula hawk
  
• jolli-E ... we shall call you zebra piebold
  
• carnito! ... we shall call you mason bee
  
• ponytail ... we shall call you cicada lacewing
  
• bill n ... we shall call you clubber vein
  
• piragua ... we shall call you cindy swallowtail
  
• expired driver's license man ... we shall call you fuzz star
• sacto floyd ... we shall call you ruddy darter
  

et vous?
> p, b!

r|break: (re)post from ... 11 may 08

same time last year ...

(last year's original post over here)

green porno
by isabella rossellini

. earthworm . dragonfly . bee . firefly .
. snail . spider . fly . praying mantis .

and for THIS year, there is more from season 2! ... introducing rossellini's thoughts on - limpet, starfish, vaginas & penises, anglerfish, barnacle, and whale.

last year ... sacto floyd (aka dean iguana) offered the following:

there once was a girl named rosellini,
who wondered about a snail's little weenie,
so she made green porno,
and we said "buon giorno"
to its anus and saw it go peepee.

MY GREEN PORNO NAME IS:
velvet diamondback

et vous?
have a great week!

r|break: (re)posting gimme a cigarette (or two) ...

... 'cuz piragua (of tcfrivolity's come from behind - over here!) is headed out to see elephant seals get it on today.

this immediately reminded me of a post i did last year about isabella rossellini and, well, you know whatever it is, it's fabu-eh rossellini?! ... (repost)

(original post over here;
VISIT original post to see COMMENTS for fun times)

green porno
by isabella rossellini

. earthworm . dragonfly . bee . firefly .
. snail . spider . fly . praying mantis .

r|psa: on geothermal

drewlissimo sent over a l'il note this eve with some thoughts about geothermal power ...

Geothermal using existing technology is sort of a small resource in the US overall, but it's got around 30GW of untapped potential total, and a lot of that is in California. There's no reason not to go forward with it because it's cheap, baseload, renewable power with a small footprint. Here's an article - Why Aren't More Geothermal Projects Moving Forward in California? about permitting problems holding it up, esp. by the BLM, which was also having problems with all the solar thermal stuff in the mojave.

some food for thought on the enviro-energy side of things!

r|psa: hey! it's bill ...

just this past friday, NOW (on PBS) aired power struggle - it's about the emerging sdg&e sunrise powerlink transmission line down in san diego county.

i'm posting the clip of this episode because - as many friends know - i really care about energy & environment issues. so i'll occasionally be posting energy & enviro posts here & there. (and it's time for me to reconnect with drewlissimo!) as the host states during this episode, this issue involves " ... weighing public needs and corporate interests." and ... i'll not get on my soap box at this time, but i'll just say i definitely intend to be part of the solution!

and hey! there are quite a few folks i've had a chance with whom to work with and/or associate. just after 15 minutes into the epissode, it's bill ... the first major client (go small business!) i had back in '95, just shy of a year after i left corporate america. (my first minor client and one of the most interesting projects was with a municipality when i was in SD - promoting rebates for alternative fueled vehicles. yup! way back in '95(!), but i digress ...) and just after 19 minutes into the episode, another former client, david. and lastly, for the few that have heard me go on about one of my "what if ...?" scenarios, totally awesome to hear cpuc commissioner dian grueneich's perspective on the sunrise powerlink project (SD U-T article).

hmmm ... time to reconnect with my energy & enviro roots
and my epiphany back in '94!

r|psa: ... triumph on politics & the environment

on (or off) global warming ...

(just a little break from the pseudo-serious posts)

channeling ... east-west, yip-yap, crossing-over (?)

... with drewlissimo (who is back in PA) - a kind of what should i do with my life? type of transition or evolution.

bronson's book ... which i read many years ago, came to mind as i was just trying to figure out what has continued to keep me engaged in the yip-yap with drewlissimo. aside from the fact that i can't stop myself from the yip-yap (and the tap-tap - on the keys(!)), it's the shared interest in enviro/energy stuff - while acknowledging enough of a capitalist edge, to some extent.

epiphany ...? for me, i know something happened in april/may 1994 that may be characterized as an - my epiphany. and now, i have been reminded of it after meeting drewlissimo a bit over a month ago or so.

a place for drewthoughts ... drewlissimo's thoughts this past weekend ...

• Don't think carbon storage is ever really going to work.
• Nuclear is going to be be big but there's too much regulation for it to be fun.
• Wind is a nice option, good for pretty much the whole country.
• Solar is a nice option, NOT a big East Coast option though.
• Geothermal is so little looked at and I'm very curious.
• Technologies like smart grids and utility scale storage are going to be increasingly important, and have no geographical constraints. I like the sodium sulfur storage cells, so far up to 10MW for a few hours.
• Plug-in hybrid electrics going to be big big and bigger, will solve the whole gasoline thing. Don't know if I care though.
• Green collar jobs booming, green businesses booming, it's a nice sector to be looking at during a downturn.
  

as a matter of keeping thoughts moving along, gathering info, and giving the 5 readers of this blog a reason to spew sputum about drewlissimo's quest ... here go.

r|psa: ... just passing the news along (if you've not already heard)

... 'cuz it's not like it would be good form to write about this, but that's why the web is friendly that way - from TPM ...

Bush Administration Formally Disavows EPA Staff Conclusion On Greenhouse Gases

and there are many, many more places to read about this little decision, i'm sure.

my driveable life ...

compared to my walkable life - then (SDwalk = 78) and now (BAwalk = 58))?

let's do the drive math

back in the day ... from about feb 1992 until oct 2006, i lived in SD, minutes from the airport and several key freeways just outside of downtown SD. and with the mixed use, pedestrian-oriented, beaches, the bay, coronado, malls, and wannabe-LA patches within a 10-mile radius (easily!).

SD drive WAS: 78

surprising SD? ... not surprised 'cuz i "lived" the driveability of it all. but i realized i had no idea what the little icons mean ... the "things" that add up for the "drive score" - - - so here is the map legend when considering one's drive score (at least based on this resource).

icon-challenged ... this little map should be WAY MORE CLUTTERED with them little martini glass icons, that's for sure. and there are several movie theaters missing. and WTF does a TJ Maxx or Victoria's Secret have to do with anything as a metric for a drive score? perhaps those are the surrogates for strip mall and major mall? if so - i stand corrected. and finally, needless to say, there are more starbucks. i'd guess that since i first check my drive score about a two weeks ago, there is probably another starbucks added to the map.

now in the BA since oct 2006 and almost 40 miles from SF ('cuz i'm not really sure if i'd call san jose or palo alto or walnut creek similar entertainment destination points as san francisco) ...

BA drive IS: 72

surprising BA? ... again, not surprised 'cuz i live in the BA 'burbs. the main difference, f'shizzle? the nearest airport is just around 15 miles away.

(as a side note - while on the "map" topic
- i checked out megan's law for my BA neighborhood.
turns out that there are 3 listed registrants within 3/4-mi
... and an additional 8 listed registrants within a 1-mile radius)

my walkable life?!

well, it has been a little more than 1-1/2 years since relo-ing from SD to BA. so now that i've relo'd to the BA from SD, i checked out my walk score (which i found on david dust!). check out your Walk Score.

here is how my walkable life WAS and IS.

WAS: 78

when i was SD-ing

for which the score translates to a couple of categories

and now that i'm BA-ing, m'score IS: 58

it's the whole suburb thing, y'know.
i know. i'm reminded of it often.

r|break: gimme a cigarette? ...

green porno
by isabella rossellini

. earthworm . dragonfly . bee . firefly .
. snail . spider . fly . praying mantis .

quiz(zes) time ...

how green is my getaway?

from the sierra club site:

Deciding where to vacation is always a balancing act: money vs. time, the kids' desires vs. your own, whether to travel far or near. Adding environmental considerations might actually make the choices easier -- and do the planet some good at the same time. Discover how your travel choices can make a difference ...

oh ... and air dry (vs. blow dry) your hair. (tongue/cheek, here). and if you are not sure where to go, revisit over here (or just quick this link below) and choose some random place ...

traveler IQ challenge

now go on vacation, take some pictures, and come back and tell us some stories!

smart car smiley (?!) ain't stupidicus

smart car

according to owner sacto floyd, this is smiley
grinning sheepishly with pants down

below ... just a little bit of scale

and then a few more pics. perhaps, sacto floyd is in need of at least one matching accessory.


so a few questions, just to start ... i don't see where the crank and treadmill are that the monkey hangs out; where is he? where do you keep the bananas? how many 7 year old children does it take to lift smiley into a sandbox? spare tire (or life savers)? no ass pictures? sun/moon roof?

very cool, stupidicus.

from your not-so-secret-admirer moronicus

billN blog fodder - PFD!

[burning b100 (totally biodiesel) to heat a vermont home]

simply put ... here!
pretty picture!

[a process flow diagram, a.k.a. PFD, is worth a thousand words!]

something new to do ...

SF Green Book Club
(click pic to get over there)
see you there?!

r|alex: weekdays installment

i am remiss. i have succumb to the unthinkable ... intermittent, random r|alex wkend posts. r|alex has been graceful with several comments - a l'il sampling below ...

Wow, way to get comfortable wearing your public service hat!! But seriously, I am sure that this was not an easy decision. I am positive that this experience will be great for you. I can't wait until you get back to your job and post hefty messages for our reading pleasure. If the Bay City Rollers* no longer do it for you, I can send you my "Remains of the Day" lunchbox. They're very popular. As my good friend Christopher Guest said, "Kids don't like eating lunch at school. But if they have a "Remains of the Day" lunchbox, they're a whole lot happier."

*[Did you bring your trapper-keeper and Bay City Rollers lunchbox?]

so i figure i'll change it up a bit with wk 2 weekday events ... because my wkends are spent continuing to shore up business, readjust, run errands/chores that no longer are woven into the regular wkday, weep uncontrollably, buy more "school" clothes, procrastinate, etc. ... so how did my eeking out a social likfe fair during my 2nd work week?

mon i had lunch with b at osha (thai, on 2nd); i met b, who is a tall & cool dude, back in january on a project where i served as a consultant. and in the evening, sushi with joanne at semo. yum!

tues eve i went to ecotuesday (held this month at temple sf), a monthly social/enviro networking thing that happens in s.f. - and because the world is what it is ... small.

[l to r: e, moi, c, ch, bliss]

... as i was sitting with my amber ale waiting for my friend miriam (who has a cool business - three point vision), for which is one of the main reasons i attended ecotuesday, i recognized a gal who passed by as the friend of a friend of mine, magz (who also is a former intern from '05 and contractor in '06). bliss - it was the infamous bliss! her take on the evening is over here (where i poached the pics).

and to make it way more interesting, turns out e, whom i've never met or heard of 'til that evening, was specifically looking to meet miriam (!). and c just started working at an organization that my friend j.a. works at - where j.a. is later mentioned in this post! it was fun. i did get to see miriam but quite fleeting. i did open a tab with jason, the bartender over there at the catacomb bar, which i later that evening - MUCH LATER after i had dropped off b & e at bart - i realized i left my credit card. oh yeah! and before leaving temple sf, i had to try my first jump. and bliss will attest that i did get air (and i will attest that i did shave my belly. ha!).

wed was spent trying to get my card back. phone messages left tues night and wed morn. spent lunch break talking with many, many people affiliated with temple (directly or indirectly) ... suzanne, alison, anita, tony, guy with salt & pepper hair ... no jason, no credit card, no idea where jason or credit card were. so - to pass the time, suzanne gave me and my friend a tour of the temple compound, prana restaurant, background on theaters under construction, and most importantly, her business card so i could pester her about my credit card. rumor had it that she'd get to the 'drop box' gal by 2 pm so my card would likely be retrieved (IF - and only IF - it was dropped in the box). tick-tock-tick-tock ...

tick-tock-tick-tock ... turns out that sandwiched between my wed lunch break and my meeting my carpool ~ 4:30-ish, a first time meet-up with d.m. - a coffee break with him at 3 pm. (yes, a guy, and an interesting guy, at that!) passed by temple check in on my credit card. nada, yet. headed over to peet's for some conversation. on the way back, i checked in again on the card. nada, yet.

thurs was another day of stalking the temple folks and then going out to dinner that eve with my appointed-hang-out-with-straight-guy-friend, v.c.. when i spoke with anita (of temple sf/prana sf), she said they found my card, which made the rounds amongst the temple sf folks ... but not to suzanne - who later called me and said they could not find the card. any way ... after working late, met vc at prana sf, the restaurant at temple sf. retrieved my credit card and exercised it over dinner. (a separate post will be dedicated to that experience.)

fri was a planned meet-up with j.a. ... whose friend, raquel, was playing with her band, bolero y mas during the lunch hour downtown (~ 10-min walk from my work). well, it drizzled, then stopped, then drizzled, then stopped. raquel and band set-up, then started packing-up, set-up, then started packing-up ... after 3 rounds of this, they gave into the weather.

so, we sat nearby the plaza venue, lunched and chatted ... and there we are ...
[l to r: m.a., moi, j.a.]

great 2nd work weekday events, eh?! i enjoyed the breaks. ... so week 3 is coming up - so far, i've got dinner plans mon, wed, and fri ... AND i'm preparing for my vacation trip over to the NE - massachusetts, vermont, new hampshire for a week. more on that later!

on the congrats ...

yesterday i posted a "congrats" to my friend who gave me her awesome news! and as part of that news, i also learned that there are conflict free diamonds over here. go figure.

r|workNews: hear it ...

sit back
and
listen to this over here.

(and don't forget this little enviro-tidbit on carbon trading/offsets)