all that matters before i leave san diego

as if there is anything else that matters ...

... because there isn't.

a l'il mia & my biennial mecca in august/september?

last year ... i had THESE PLANS (sept 2008) and that (and more) is what i did.
two years ago (aug 2007) - THIS.

this year ... i am headed back to SD for several days. unlike having plans in the past 2 years, i am just going. i gotta gets my ass outta the BA. plans? i dunno.

• aug 12 ... driving down to kettleman city for some work (and hope to meet an old friend before heading into the work stuff this evening)
• aug 13 ... driving down to san diego and perhaps touching base with a few folks here/there. i am staying ... i'll figure it out tonight.
• aug 14 ... i am staying ... i'll figure it out tonight.
• aug 15 ... uhm? the annual haircut (?!) with justin. and still vagabonding it.
  
• aug 16 ... i am staying ... i'll figure it by friday.
• aug 17 ... i am staying perhaps where i stayed the night before OR driving back up to the BA
  
• aug 18 ... if i'm not already back in the BA, then i'm driving back up to the BA. my wishful thinking? that someone is sitting next to me as i watch him/her drive part of the way back up to the BA..

a l'il MIA ... why have i not been posting much? well, a combo of longer days, funner nights, and writing quite a bit - through emails. and turns out my ba dating has picked up a bit.

see ya soon, SD people!

r|break: i've been missing san diego ...

... with its wonderful weather, easy to get out & about around its here & there-ness, and friends.

where am i? ... admittedly, lately there are weekends when i wake up and start thinking of things to do - forgetting i'm in the bay area and planning to head to places as if i'm living in san diego. whoops! but i do loves me my bay area and i just misses me my san diego ... and spending time with friends in san diego.

mission federal (?!) little italy artwalk ... one of the things i used to do regularly - attend artwalks, and i especially enjoyed the annual little italy artwalk - convenient, restaurants, shops, etc ... back in 2006, just a few memory shots (here & here). and back in 2007, just about 6 mos. after moving back to the BA, headed down for artwalk (here). didn't go last year; a bit more of "too much for me" than the artwalk i enjoyed in years past. and now it's mission federal artwalk.

stalking an artist in san diego can be fun ... and rewarding! well, i didn't really stalk her, but i fell in love with her work one afternoon when i was hanging out at a local coffee shop (urban grind on park boulevard). called her up, had dinner with her, saw a few more pieces of hers, and then fell in love with her. i made a new friend, kelly (paige standard), who is a wonderfully talented and awesome person! kelly's work is OVER HERE on her site. and plumeria sits on my mantel with a few other floral pieces.

(oh(!) that commission idea sits somewhere in my thoughts.
i know it will emerge one day ... some day soon.)

"hey to y'all in san diego and formerly in san diego!" ... i guess i just wanted to remind myself to say "hey!" to my friends in san diego and visit san diego sooner than later. and perhaps, some folks will head up to the bay area and also visit!

note to self:
time to head down to san diego ...
SOON!

r|trip: soon to be out & about ...

... so i can fend off strains of crazy-bugs that recycled air introduces to my immune system. here are the plans for the upcoming 2 weeks:

• sept 22-24 ... will be in BA, and still tentative if i'll be heading down to SD late (late) on the 24th, so i can rent a car for way more money than i should be paying. else, i'll arrive quite early on the 25th.
• sept 25-28 ... will be in SD, including a 1/2-day clip o' work sandwiched in there somewhere. so far, in addition to the oatmeal-mango cookie(s) and bread pudding i plan to have at influx, i know the following:
• 25th ... some time with my accountant, visits with peeps, and you tell me?! (ahi poke, anyone?!)
  
• 26th ... my morn will be spent with a good walk/jog/walk on the beach, then spoiled by a scalp massage and catty dish with justin. lunch is a chinese buffet at the annual sdg&e gbu reunion. (yes. a chinese buffet. all seven dollars and change.) post lunch will be a 1/2-day clip o'work with fave ff&c chica. and for fri eve? you tell me?! (more ahi poke? big meat?)
  
• 27th ... having brunch somewhere to talk about the glories & train wrecks of the previous night's presidential debate (and don't forget the other debates!) and then off to hanging out at pifa 2008 (the pacific islander festival association). bummed that my bud, osu, will not be heading down to SD this year for this year's PIFA even. i'll represent (and eat, purchase, enjoy, etc...). and in the eve, nothing quite yet - you tell me?!
• 28th ... hanging out in the eve with e&e for some dine-n-dish at sea rocket bistro (yum!) where their "about us" says the following: "Sea Rocket Bistro is a farm-to-table restaurant that focuses on local foods in order to provide a more physical connection between our guests and the food they eat. Because much of the food available to us in San Diego is from the ocean, we focus on seafood. I heard one local fisherman call this "from boat to throat". Whatever you call it, we look for the freshest ingredients that are available to us within a day's drive or so."
• sept 29 ... will wake up at o dark 30 to head to ff&c chica's locale for a day of work, just so i can finally head back to the BA and do some laundry
  
• sept 30 ... in the BA working & doing laundry & preparing for the next 2 days
• oct 1 & 2 ... heading off to ff&c chica's locale for 2 days of work, ideally with a happy hour somewhere sandwiched in between late afternoon and early eve of the 1st.
  

and heading back to the BA the eve of the 2nd - and i will NOT lose my now-replacement-phone (as i did lose my real-phone with the real sim card).

chances are ... i'll be back in SD again - soon - to continue just takin' care of business.

SD presentation ...

... just finished up (~3:13 pm, pacific). squeezed a bunch o'info into 20+min. was enjoyable and will seek feedback from folks - select, nice folks (who didn't fall asleep) ... ha! hope to treat myself to an oatmeal-mango cookie!!! (plane flight out - tight) yeah to me! (pat on the back!)

[sent from my blackberry]

r|trip: ... in SD & not doing the pr5air post

it's sunny, it's warm, it's pleasant, and just like any major city ... at ~ 3:30 pm, it's trafficky ...

e v e r y w h e r e (-ish)

lunch with suz & ralph. fun yip/yap. FUN, I TELL YA!!! (and some yum ahi poke!) and visit with archi + john + handshakes & heys with stan, tom, (tall)gary and steve.

what to do until din-din with l'il dave + maf? ... i'm just sitting in a lovely air-conditioned SD library (cardiff by the sea) in the kids poetry section ... STILL working on transforming my storyboard into a tomorrow's presentation then will be off to t's place to say "hey!" & to print up the presentation ... all before l'il dave + maf.

down side of the day? ... no belt-loop boy and no oatmeal-mango cookie. (yet.) tomorrow, perhaps. tomorrow.

repost(ish): ... from last year, this day

some hyperlink hell - it's a bit of an anniversary, august 1 - last year

• it was the day i flew into SD and had fabu wine with reggie
  
  
• it was the day after i interviewed for [the man] and sent this nice little note and ultimately started the ball rolling for a series of crazy-form-filling-out-reading-instructions activities
  
  
• it was 2 days before a public workshop held by a government agency where i thought one of the best (and honest) quotes was
  "we'll consider that but not for very long."
  
  
• it was 4 days before a fabu sunday of brunch with sha and todd.
  

sha with her two basted eggs - and todd with the little - oh so little - whip creamed cinnamon stick - and me with m' s'mores-ish caffeine monster ... missing that hash house today (!), where we all had our share of yummies!

have a good weekend!
(see you SD peeps toward the end of september)

r|psa: ... duke seeks furnished apartment?

'Duke' Cunningham seeks clemency

(guess it never hurts to ask, despite the odds!) from back in the day in 2006, duke hit a bit of a snag of this own doing. is granting clemency truly a likelihood?! and even if ... sans his ill-gotten french antique commodes, there is always craig's list and garage sales.

r|break: amuse yourself

... in repost hell. it's quite likely that i am getting (have?) the flu (why do my clothes have to touch my skin?!) or whatever freakish thing from recycled air during my trip to phoenix this past week, but then again - maybe not. meanwhile, i'll fulfill my 'commish' duties for the new past-time.

and i'll contemplate if visiting SD is a go or no-go.

• comic-con in SD - back in '06 but not this year (maybe APE in nov in SF because it's down the street from work)

(will miss scaling the walls with todd & rennie)

scanner: week 1/2 results

[from mina lee studio]

so far, so good with the 1st entry - "trial run" ... i've managed to make it through two weeks after starting this. i did the "trial run" to get the journal stuff started. trial run in short ... to just sit and write about an idea - any idea. and then if there is a tangent, to go with the tangent for a little while and then u-turn back to the original idea, eventually.

scoring air agencies - in a zagat style approach? ... i found myself resurrecting a goofy spoof of an idea from some time in 2005 - a sort of know-what-to-expect of your air quality agencies zagat style resource. why the hell would it matter? i don't know. it probably doesn't matter, but i do remember this - i liked the fact that at the san diego agency, there is a decent lobby/waiting area, sufficient parking, two little meeting rooms in the lobby area, very convenient bathroom locations for visitors, a water fountain, and a clock ... all before i had to sign in. (i'm thinking it may have been - i really, REALLY had to go to the bathroom? or something? convenient parking + readily accessible bathroom = thumbs up!)

with 35 california air districts, i s'pose i could visit them and "zagat" them because ... other people may want to know about W B S E F (which would be the first letter for the scoring system) ... or i'd visit a few air districts and likely end up doing something else, which is just as random and dorky.

and the tangent i experienced? ... thinking about possible names for the work intranet. y'see - there is contest (which ended 07/11) for naming the intranet site. the prize? $100 for the winning entry, and runners-up get work-logo-gear. so i thought of several names, as well as one with various logo ideas. after work announced some samples of the other entries (none of which were mine), i'm thinking ... i may be lucky if i end up with work-logo-gear. there were 2 quite clever names - quite clever! (not to throw out a self-fulfilling prophecy, but i may vote for one of them over any of mine, which may make the cut.)

2nd entry - living quarters map ... sketch a floor plan of home, walk around home, mark areas in each room where intended projects are laying around, and name the project. for one person, relatively speaking, i have and live with lots of stuff, lots of little projects in areas throughout my home. some call it clutter; i call it lots of stuff in specific areas throughout my home. mission accomplished - map made, areas identified, some already being knocked of the list, while others have popped up since. (perhaps i can get out of the week 3/4 apartment therapy "rut" i've been milking and procrastinating since february!)

3rd entry - experiences & accomplishments with associated rewards & value ... go back in time, however far back, and just list stuff (exper & accomp) for 5 minutes. give it a bit of a rest, look back at the list, add anything else that hits, then figure out what rewards & values resulted from each. the objective is to answer "what reward(s) draws you to an activity?" several themes recurring: curiosity; bringing people together; seeing non-traditional and unconventional relationships among people, topics, ideas; creating and implementing a vision, goal setting; helping others evolve in their thought process; writing (creative, technical, investigative-ish); experiencing and creating humorous events/activities.

more insightful things to come, i presume

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.

love. today's. weather.

in the morning ... door-to-door ...
~40-ish minutes commute when carpooling
~50-ish minutes commute when riding the bus
[no, that's not my building]


lunch time on a sunny day
~ 15-ish minutes to the bay

hanging out with my buddy!

then getting ready to head back and get a little grub during our requisite ~30-ish minute lunch.

today's lunch excursion?

rincon center for the convenience.

tomorrow's lunch possibility?

possibly

today's weather in SF? ...

... perhaps not quite the awesome(ness) of SD
and certainly not doing "the report" in 2006.

really, now?! the temps are going to be fab.

not much more to say other than will have camera in tow over lunch, perhaps. (bit behind in posts, eh?)

i miss brunch in SD ...

... living nearby several restaurants that served brunch always offered great weekend food and the chit/chat with friends, old and new. memory lane of just a few places ...

• the mission ... with three locations - north park, downtown, and mission beach. north park (on university) is the one i'd frequent, mainly because of proximity and enjoy a l'il peep-watching, but i'd head over to the downtown location depending on who else was brunching. menu over here. my choice of comfort food?
  PLATA VERDE CON HUEVOS
  Our sweet corn tamales, eggs as you like them, covered with roasted tomatillo sauce.
  
  
• hash house a go go ... located in hillcrest (on fifth), there WILL BE a LONG wait, relatively speaking and easily more than 30-min depending when ya get there. there. will. be. a. long. wait. and the bonus for the wait? crazy, outta control, generous food portions! brunch menu over here. i'd usually try whatever special may sound tasty, else i'd go for scramble #3 - as i did back in august with sha and t.
  FARM SCRAMBLE
  #3. Sundried tomato, basil & goat cheese, w/crispy potatoes and biscuit
  
  
• cafe 222 ... located downtown (on island ave), there will be a wait. head over to the menu over here. when i've chowed at 222, i'd usually get a special or some waffle option, but for the splurge (and apology to my doc)
  BENEDICT ARNOLD
  English muffins topped with spinach and tomatoes, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Served with griddled potatoes.
  
  
• brockton villa ... located in la jolla, which, of course, there will be a wait - it's la jolla. parking can be a bitch; it's la jolla. brunch here is a good complement to hanging out in la jolla, being near water, blah-blah. will usually try a special, else my choice?
  EGGS IPANEMA
  Canadian Bacon/Sliced Tomato/Poached Eggs on an English Muffin. Topped with a Spicy Tomato Coconut Sauce
  

... have been to other places because there are soooo many - nooks, crannies, hotels, light breakfasts at coffee houses, etc... will reminisce some more later.

repost: R|ReLo'd #1: i'm here in the BA ...

ANNIVERSARY ... today marks my being in the BA for 1-yr after leaving SD on 10/24 with stuff packed in my little car - sh** and those ever so must have with me items in my car (... the stuff that if the movers lost or broke, i'd be bummed big time).

AM TOTALLY MELANCHOLY ... so i decided to revisit (via blog posts) the last 2 months of being in SD and stuff i did to pass the time ...

• procrastinated: (tho's there were certainly more techniques, just a few)
  
• on-line game for procrastinating (which i did quite a bit) from packing and stuff;
• took time out for a (self)interview
• stalked photographer of my favorite picture and pal, pigdog
• moving business: moving quotes from various moving companies
• drinking: drinks (comp'd, of course) with socal friends for beer, wine, margaritas and martinis (with former interns), sangria, wine and martinis, outing with the gals for movie-beer-martinis
  
• eating: meals (comp'd, of course) at a place now closed, deli brunch (where i (errr ... we, unanimously) booted my only other corporate board member), fave places parallel 33 and vagabond for lunch - relunch - dinner, del mar's il fornaio, and more that i didn't post
  
• out & about relaxing: walks in the morning and evening 'round the neighborhood
  
• getting organized with a plan: weekly planning (reading this has totally tired me out for today)
• reunion: squeezed in (after movers dropped of stuff on 10/13 + before going back to SD for a week) the 25th h.s. reunion because i (the minion) made a deal with my friend, the devil

and a few of the best memories during the last SD days transitioning to BA days ...

• my addiction: made a new friend, b, who totally helped me out - physically packing and emotional support (aka - my weakness - the oatmeal-mango cookies from influx)
  
• angst on moving days:
• moving day in SD with long time friend, k, and watching movers leave with my stuff
• met the movers at the BA place
• dinner with friend who was being shipped off to iraq
  

and the day (10/24) i actually left SD with my car packed up

• play-by-play of 10/24 when i headed up to hermosa beach for the night and some pics from the crawl out of SD to the 10/24 drive up
  
• play-by-play of 10/25 and some pics when i headed up via warner bros. and ultimately landed in santa barbara for the 10/26 spa day

and finally, on 10/27 ...last day in santa barbara on little balcony (doing billable work on the phone with billn?!) ...

... RIGHT BEFORE I LEFT SOCAL & DROVE UP TO BA

[see original post here]

and this is me on 10/27 ...

looking back (well, sorta over)
right before i left santa barbara
(on leg 2 of my 3-leg trip from leaving SD on 10/24)

and then arrived in the BA at my destination point when odometer read

82740 miles

"it" all started in san diego
and you can read the blog
for this nutty journey to NoCal ...

ReLo-ing from SD to BA

time for the BA!!!
(and the on/off posts about SD when i visit)
enjoy and thanks for visiting!

relaxin' at coronado

my trip to SD during the 1st to the 6th was primarily work-related with smatterings of social stuff going on. (apologies for not meeting up with some folks.) because i stayed in the chula vista area, while work/social stuff was in the SD area, i made a point to just lug stuff around so i wouldn't have to drive back and forth. and coronado is a good place to just hang.

one of the places i enjoy just resting/listening to music/reading is over near the coronado ferry landing. there is a nice view of san diego.

after brunch, i headed over where there is a little beach and a lawn along a walk/bike path where one can just hang out ... and trees for just enough shade. lay on the lawn, look over at SD, look up at the trees.

so nice.

repost:day at comic-con '06

i'm missing IT this year (tear)
comic-con '07 down in SD
preview night on the 25th ... convention through the 29th

[original post here]

[boba fett, moi, random storm trooper]
friday at annual comic-con
"no, i did not leave my princess leia costume at home."

"i had no idea what/who boba fett is/was until yesterday."

"hot guys at the conference? hmmmm ... "

[i had to check how to spell princess 'leah' and 'bohbafed' ...
otherwise, i would have spelled them as i just typed them.]

back story ... my friend, ren, has 15,000+ comics, and two years ago, he introduced me to super heroes beyond the traditional and more well-known TV show justice league early-on with superman (... had NO IDEA of others! and a fav - bouncing boy?!). i attended '04 comic-con. fun, different, wildly popular, crowded, intense, adult a.d.d. world, unbelievable.

'06 comic-con office-outting ... todd and i met with ren for the festivities! (san diego convention center air-conditioned enough)

so pix from our outting for your enjoyment. and trivia i learned by observing the comic-con folks ...











todd may have lost out on a really good deal on a green hornet ring ... catwoman, batgirl, robin, batman speak english and some spanish ... flash carries a back-pack around and may be filipino ... gals wear funky booby-things (and then some) ... storm troopers can kinda be hot.

o.k. - more pix later ... i must continue to perspire and work in this heat!
(conserve electricity!)

repost: r|meal: vagabond

oh, such a fave restaurant of mine in SD!
how i miss vagabond
however, i will be in SD in the beginning of august,
therefore, a visit will be on the sched

the original post here ...
and some other previous vagabond posts here and here

[r|meal* - to dine at places in San Diego County -

places i've not been, as well as places i've not been recently.]

... for lunch - a business lunch. uh. yeah. a business ... lunch. see - we have corporate gear on and are saying words like project, status, report, reimbursement, spreadsheet, invoicing, contract, site visit, forms, ...

vagabond has become a (maybe the) favorite lunch spot destination.

lunch - doable on a walk-in basis. dinner - with reservations - is a must (!) even for a party of two, and be prepared, because the other folks who are enjoying their meals and the company they keep are chatting up a storm. (you'll chat up a storm - this place is great for that!) ... lunch - not so much a noise issue - and y'all'll still chat up a storm.

snippets and keywords surely overheard by those sitting next to our table ... yom kippur services ~ dating ~ can i try some ~ iraq war ~ temp agencies ~ smells good ~ playing one off the other ~ nyc ~ peeing in the woods ~ that's alot ~ m&m tattoos ~ scary matches ~ stealing ~ gays welcomed ~ mmmmmm...this is very good ~ here's the camera ~ spicy ~ it's warm yellow liquid ~ wedding reception ~ rush hour traffic ~ thank you.

the food is flavorful and wonderful - by sight, smell, texture & taste. and with wonderful service, the experience is fab. and we all had from the lunch menu ...

• him - Calamari Duo Salad ... Asian Kung-Pao Style Calamari and a small serving of our Crispy Garlic Calamari. Served with Aji Aioli and Mixed Green tossed in a Caribbean Dressing.
  
• her across from me - Red Curry ... Onions, Garlic, Coconut Milk, Red Curry, Lemon Grass, Ginger, Palm Sugar and a touch of Chili Pepper. Served on a Bowl over Jasmine Rice and garnished with Fried Shallots, Shredded Kaffir Lime leaves and Scallions.
  
• us (across from them), both ordered - Two Salmon Potato & Edamame Salad ... A Black Olive Toast of Crema fresca, topped with Smoked Salmon, Alfafa Sprouts, thinly sliced Red Onions and Capers and a Grilled Small Filet of Salmon; served with New Potatoes, Edamame and Bits of Smoked Salmon tossed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Chives. Rice Vinegar Drizzle.
  
• all - freshly baked bread with an aioli
• two of us - freshly brewed tea
  

spirited conversation. fabu food. great service. ... coming back for more, i'm certain!

[*NOTE: to avoid my kitchen.]

the pups from a few months ago ...

... are now growing gals! (smile)

these cuties hang out over here!

[thanks, g, for sending over the pic.]