this year's playa gifts

this year (like the others) i'm going to be giving card readings on the playa. as some of you know, i've been reading cards for over 20 years. so, i've gotten pretty good at it.

i will also have other assorted treats and surprises. but, i have enough card readings to go around. so if you want one come by camp brigit at the 3:00 keyhole (i thought i was on the esplanade)

Allante and 3:00

i will be camping with camp brigit this year and i just found out we're going to be at allante and 3:00.

please come by and visit b/c it's going to be a wonderful camp with fancy cocktails and a comfy lounge area. i will also be providing the usual entertainment.

looking forward to seeing everyone back home.

ranger strange bunny in the news

i just wanted to share my excitement with you because recently, i've found that my comic book, ranger strange bunny has been getting internet attention. i have a brief mention on boing boing and wired.com from when i attended sf zine fest. that's pretty good for a first time out. here are the links:

www.boingboing.net/2008/07/...zine.html

www.wired.com/culture/lif...ry_zine_fest

my book is also available for check out (i think they let you check it out) in the "book arts and special collections center" of the san francisco public library.

meanwhile, i'm talking to a couple of independent book stores about carrying my book. i'll keep you updated on how that goes.

thanks to all of you who have bought a copy of my book. please know i appreciate everyone's support and encouragement. you know i've never done anything like this before. putting my work out in public is kind of a big deal to me.

anyone who wants a copy of my book, let me know when you see me. it's $3.00. if you want it mailed to someone you know that's $5.

ranger strange bunny's big debut

this saturday and sunday i'm going to be at sf zine fest selling autographed copies of my comic book "the adventures of ranger strange bunny." for those of you who haven't heard of ranger strange bunny, she's a cute and adventurous super hero. she's got lots of friends. some of them even look like you guys. and she goes on lots of adventures, kind of like the ones we go on in real life.

i've pasted sf zine fest info below. i'll be at the "cartoonist conspiracy" table. it's a very small venue so it won't be hard to find me. and it's free.



www.sfzinefest.com/
Saturday, July 19 from 11:00am – 8:00pm
Sunday, July 20 from 11:00am – 7:00pm

SF County Fair Building
(formerly Hall of Flowers)
9th Ave. at Lincoln Way. (in Golden Gate Park) map



With the idea of exposing DIY zines, comics, and crafts to the widest possible audience, we decided to move the Fest yet again to a location where a larger and more diverse group of attendees could find us. The SF County Fair Building is over twice the size of last year's location, and is located in beautiful Golden Gate Park, just a block off of 9th Ave. and Lincoln. We are expecting more attendees and exhibitors than ever this year.

This year due to popular demand the SF Zine Fest will once again be over a full weekend, with longer hours overall as well!

going to juplaya

i'm going to juplaya for my first time. i'm working all day and leaving tonight straight from work.

i'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of you out there.

i can't believe i'm here

have you ever been in a place or situation that was so mind blowingly cool that you've said to yourself or out loud, "i can't believe i'm here." actually that's a ridiculous question to ask any of my friends because the answer is obvious. what i meant to ask was what's your most memorable "i can't believe i'm here."

here's one of my favorites:

it was my 2nd year of burning man and a couple days after it was over, air was playing the last show of the season at the hollywood bowl. i wanted to go SO bad but couldn't afford tickets. i so WISHED i could go.

so i get home from burning man and my internet was out so i had to check it at my friends' house. the day i was supposed to do this my friend totally flaked out on me so i checked it the next day somewhere else instead. and because i checked it the nextt day i found this post on tribe. a girl was giving away free air tickets b/c she couldn't go to the show. they weren't the very best seats but they were more than good enough for me. so i get in touch with her and get her address. when i get there it was this sprawling, 2 story, maze of a garden apartment. AND she didn't give me her apartment letter or number or whatever it was. SO, i used my party radar to magically find her apartment. and i did....just as i was about to give up, by the way. it was on the 2nd floor in some corner.

so i get the tickets and recruit my friend and dedicated partner in crime alex. he'd never been to burning man so i was telling him all about it in the tunnel on the way to the hollywood bowl theater. i was jumping up and down and waiving my hands. i'd say my volume was yelling by california standards.

then this old couple stops us out of nowhwere and asks if we have tickets. i was all confused. i didn't know if they wanted to buy tickets or scalp tickets. but NO they wound up GIVING us FREEEE tickets to BOX SEATS!!!!!! fucking box seats!!! i couldn't believe it.

then my friend alex got to gift the tickets to someone and we saw an amazing free show from the best seats EVER. and the last encore was "La Femme d'Argent", the song that was playing the very first time i laid eyes on the playa. AND beck came out and played for the encore.

can you believe that?

free workshop! at burning man HQ

The Burning Man Special Events Team is supporting a number of
free, interactive workshops -- by Burners for Burners --
designed to share the skills and expertise of our community. To
kick off the new year, here's the first one:

Career Advice for Real People in a Cookie-Cutter World: A
Workshop Specially Designed for Burners - led by Leslie Ayres

Saturday, January 19th, 1pm-4pm
Burning Man Headquarters - Downstairs Conference Room
1900 3rd St. @ 16th St., SF
www.burningman.com/officedirections

FREE & All Ages;
RSVP Required - flambelounge@burningman.com

Finding the right career is hard enough for anyone, but for
Burners who need to let their inner selves out of the box and
make new molds instead of fitting into old ones, job hunting can
feel like finding a needle on the playa.

Leslie Ayres (a.k.a. The Job Search Guru) has more than 20 years
experience as a recruiter, career mentor, executive search
consultant and job search coach. She has been a citizen of
Black Rock City since '96, and is an expert in how to get the
right job. Having created her own life in a nontraditional way,
she's also an expert in how to "work the way you live", rather
than "live to work".

Leslie has created a free interactive workshop specifically for
Burners, based on her work and book.

She'll guide you through:

.where to look for clues to create a custom checklist of secret
ingredients;

.how easy it is to get clear and specific about your own life
priorities and dreams (you know, the ones you think you have to
set aside so you can get a paycheck), so you can get started on
making them happen right now;

.how you can be who you are, and do what turns you on.

Changing jobs or thinking about it? Looking for a new direction?
This workshop will guide you to a new understanding of your own
inner mechanics, and a new inspiration for what you want your
life to look like the other 51 weeks of the year!

You can learn more about Leslie at www.TheJobSearchGuru.com or
for a more personal look, check out her profile at
www.people.tribe.net/leslie.

RSVP now to flambelounge@burningman.com

my very first hoe-down

i just got back from my very first hoe-down. i thought it was going to be a hootenanny but apparently hoe-downs are non-acoustic. hoe-downs are amplified and have drummers.

this hoe-down was in aptos and there were real live cowboys playing beer drinking, knee slapping country music. and they were so nice. they were excited that i was there w/ my fiddle even when i told them i'd only been playing a year and a half.

i have to tell you, this was a pretty strange scene. i mean, i felt like after going to burning man, living in san francisco and being a major weirdo myself, that i've seen it all, if not most of it. but this country hoe-down was a whole nother world. there was a guy in a white cowboy hat w/ cowboy side burns. there was some hippy guy that was really a cowboy. he sang this song about falling off his bar stool. and there were people in cowboy boots doing the cowboy kick and step dance. then! there was this big space ship with a huge light over it that looked just like a cowboy hat, that was hovering over the parking lot. and little japanese men with chaps came out with whiskey sours and cocktail umbrellas. (just kidding.)

i sat out the first set and just played off to the side. but it was a major step to be playing in front of people.

i have another open jam this friday at the accordion appocolypse. i think that one's gonna be a hootenany and not a hoe-down.

if anyone wants to come along for the adventure let me know.

A cabbie picks up a nun.

She gets into the cab, and notices that the very handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.She asks him why he is staring.
He replies: "I have a question to ask you but I don't want to offend you."

She answers, " My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."

"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."

She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: 1) You have to be single, and, 2) you must be Catholic."

The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"

"OK" the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."

The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

"My dear child," said the nun, why are you crying?"

"Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish."

The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."