....did I say that???

How come we don't get comprehensive international news in the states?

yabadabadoo — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:43:46 GMT

I have to read the BBC website to find out what is going on in the world. Today I see the fisherman have been having protests in Europe over the price of fuel.......of course I know the fishies could use a break, but I think we ought to hear about it when other countries are protesting over the expense of a resource we use the most of (oil)......I mean we eat their sardines and all, too.....or at least we've eaten them at some point....even if they're all gone now. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7426971.stm

Muto

yabadabadoo — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:42:50 GMT

this is super bad-assed cool! trust me.......you MUST watch it. http://drawn.ca/2008/05/12/mutobyblu/

bat poo

yabadabadoo — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:37:53 GMT

who knew bat poo was so beautiful??? my friend Diane sent me the link to these pictures. http://redbook.ru/article901.html enjoy!

Time Change: Help keep art in the park

yabadabadoo — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:58:06 GMT

Hey Folks, If you're planning on attending the meeting tomorrow to extend the permit for Sol Flor the time has changed. The meeting now goes from 2pm-5pm and we are near the beginning of the schedule so it is likely we will go on around 2:30pm. It would be great to have you there! You can still send me a letter of support with your address at the bottom to jwa@jennalex.com until around noon tomorrow. You can see some pictures here: www.jennalex.com/solflor/mosaics.html www.jennalex.com/solflor/people.html Here's a map that shows where Juri Commons is: tinyurl.com/29x5t6 In Gratitude, Jennalex

Help keep art in the park

yabadabadoo — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:43:26 GMT

Hi Folks, I can really use your help and support right now. Next Thursday, February 7th, the San Francisco Rec n' Park Commission is meeting and will be deciding whether or not to extend the permit for the artwork, Sol Flor, that I installed this summer. The residents who live in the community would like to keep the work there and would like to have some additional time on the permit to acquire funding to purchase the work. We recognize that there will need to be adjustments made to make the work permanent and we have are working on a plan for that. The gardeners who work in the park are supportive of keeping the work there, the SF Arts Commission is also behind us in extending the time of the installation, we just need to convince the Rec n' Park Commissioners of the importance of extending the installation. To do this, we need letters of support from the community, San Francisco residents in particular, and if you live in area directly adjacent to the park, Juri Commons (the Mission, Bernal Heights or Noe Valley) even better. The artworks were made of materials diverted from the landfill and the imagery is suns/flowers. The community around there has reported an overall improvement of their park since their installation. There is less trash and more people using the park. Keeping the work there is not going to create any cost for Rec n' Park, and it adds value for all of the people who live around there and use the park on a regular basis. What I need is people who care about having art made by local artists (and the community) in the city to write letters of support to keep the work and extend the permit, and/or to show up on February 7th to City Hall (Room 416, 4pm) to speak in favor of the project. If you are interested supporting us in this effort. Please send me a letter of support with your address at the bottom to jwa@jennalex.com You can see some pictures here: http://www.jennalex.com/solflor/mosaics.html http://www.jennalex.com/solflor/people.html Here's a map that shows where Juri Commons is: http://tinyurl.com/29x5t6 In Gratitude, Jennalex

gunshots in the lower haight

yabadabadoo — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:49:21 GMT

damn, I just heard someone unload a revolver down the street from my apartment. I wasn't counting, it happened so fast, but there were likely 6 discharges. it was quickly followed by police sirens and then an ambulance. things are getting on edge....... Update: Apparently the would-be assailants weren't very good shots, they missed and hit someone's car. It is someone's lucky night, I hope the target finds safety and a way out of this mess. The attempted murder took place on Fillmore St x Oak, less than a block from my apartment. I can see the cop cars from my window.

The Mother of All Whirlygigs

yabadabadoo — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:22:47 GMT

When I was back in NC for the holidays, my brother introduced me to the head of art for the Wake County school system. She plays in the same pool league he does (he's a shark, btw). We talked art for a bit and she recommended I go and see a few outdoor sculptures at the NC Museum of Art. On my last day after all the holiday stuff was done I went and had a look. I remember her mentioning one artist who created circles that looked like the clay of the earth in NC that cut through the air. On my way out there I noticed this crazy tower of wind catchers. It was made by a NC local, Vollis Simpson. He's this older guy who worked in and owned a machine shop for years. After he retired he had lots of leftover stuff so he started creating wind sculptures with the spare parts. He built his first wind generator out of necessity during WWII, but didn't get back to it until he retired. Now he's in his mid-late 80s and people are recognizing his wind sculptures as art. If I had found out in time and had a decent internet connection I would have visited his property which is in a little town outside Raleigh. Lucama is not far from Smithfield and there's good BBQ in Smithfield as well as the Ava Gardner Museum. On my next trip I will make the stop. Funny thing is I've been thinking about making some whirlygig windmil type things myself before I saw this....synchronicity, I guess.... Here are some pictures of the art I saw in NC, I liked the art outside the museum better than what was inside: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41852110@N00/sets/72157603665857857/ A short video of the one above in action (and my first YouTube clip): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wZ2kulNJX4 Info on Vollis Simpson: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap/html/travelogue_artist_7.htm?true

Happy Holidays Folks

yabadabadoo — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:26:16 GMT

Happy Holidays! Sending you peace, love and happiness in the new year! This time of year long ago was celebrated as a festival honoring trees, hence the ubiquitous Christmas tree. I like sending e-cards to save one or two. Don't forget to hug a tree, I think they like it. love, jennalex

Operation Boxshop Pussy Snatch: Part 6: Orphan No More

yabadabadoo — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:36:12 GMT

It's been a while since I last reported on the Boxshop kitty story, and I felt there were still a few loose ends that I never tied up, so I wanted to let everyone know the conclusion of the bittersweet story of the felines I spent my summer with down in Hunter's Point. When I returned from the playa and unloaded my dusty gear in the yard, Micro came out to see me in the middle of my post-burn haze. He and Firecracker had a great time together, she created a spot for herself in a dark corner of his space. I was happy to see that they were getting along so well. I was in no shape to take her home with me, along with all of my dusty crap, thankfully Micro said he'd keep looking after her for a while. A couple weeks later I checked in with him to see how they were doing. He still wasn't ready to commit to the responsibility of looking after a pet, but he was happy to keep looking after her. So I gave it some more time to see what would happen. I know it's a big decision....but it's so rewarding. A few weeks later he asked me if I would look after her while he went to do a light show in LA. I agreed. Before he left I asked him to think about whether or not he wanted to keep the kitten, because if he didn't I was going to have to find her a home. He said he'd think about it while he was away. I brought Firecracker home with me and turned her loose in the apartment with Josie (my cat) who was clearly not happy about our cute little furry house guest. The cracker spent most of her time curled up on a blanket in my closet. She likes dark spaces. Josie ruled the rest of the apartment, and when the kitten would come out to eat or go to the bathroom, Josie would growl at her.....kind of low moan with an occasional hiss thrown in then she'd follow her around. Firecracker kept a respectful distance at first, realizing she was in someone else's territory. After a while though she got a little braver and decided to try playing with Josie. She'd walk up until she was just out of Josie's reach, then Josie would turn and hiss at her. Firecracker would go bounding away, then come back a few minutes later. Josie being an older lady was just not interested in the antics of this young whippersnapper. The kitten was a real sweetie who it turns out is very affectionate, but only if she is really familiar with you. She curled up and slept on me, which made Josie incredibly jealous. I thought about keeping Firecracker myself, but I just couldn't do that to Josie. It would've made her miserable, and she's been one of the greatest sources of joy in my life, I couldn't make her unhappy like that. Besides that Firecracker is really a punk and kind of wacko, which is a little endearing and a little obnoxious. One morning I woke up went in the kitchen and found that she had taken her poop out of the litter box and was playing with it on the floor. Also she dug a bunch of dirt out of this pot that I have a couple of seeds in that I'm trying to grow. She's still got that feral edge. The main reason she wasn't selected for adoption at the SPCA is because she bolts (Kiko says I'm like that too, a little feral cat that bolts), she also spit and hissed (which I don't do). I really feel like she wanted to be at the Boxshop, that she needed to keep some of her wildness. When Micro returned I took Firecracker back down to the Boxshop. Micro was happy to see her. I asked him if he wanted to keep her.....he kind of mumbled it but he said yeah...I guess so. I could tell he really meant it, even through his hesitant words. Then I told him to let me know if he needed any help or a catsitter. He said he would. A couple of weeks later he unexpectedly had to spend a night or two away from the Boxshop. I got the call and went down and got her. Josie again wasn't happy. When Micro returned he called me and I brought Firecracker back to him. He said that he had a dream about her while he was away and that she was all surrounded by red and gold......it's love and it's a beautiful thing. He likes the little punk. I called the SPCA to follow up and find out what happened to the other kittens. They were all adopted within weeks. The little black and white one was sick for a while when he first arrived. He had a parasite, but he bounced back. The good thing is that they are all in homes and will likely have good and happy lives and be well taken care of. If I hadn't taken them in, it is likely that they would have died, like the first litter Mrs. Claus had. Also, it is less likely that they will cause harm to the wildlife around them. Feral cats and outdoor cats are largely responsible (along with habitat destruction) for the dramatic decrease in wild bird populations, a large percentage of birds that were once plentiful are now threatened. Cats (except for bobcats) are not native to North America, so many bird species are vulnerable to them. If you have a cat, it's a good idea to keep it indoors and spoil it rotten, like I do for Josie. She has a happy life. She lets me know that she likes it here, she was once feral, too.

sasquatch?

yabadabadoo — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:49:12 GMT

could this be the sasquatch or is it just another clever hoax? this is the caption for the picture: Hunter Rick Jacobs says this image was taken by a camera with an automatic trigger set up in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest. Your guess is as good as Pennsylvania Game Commission's.It's a bear ... it's a chimp ... it's Bigfoot?

Angry Water

yabadabadoo — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:55:31 GMT

Native americans are saying the water is angry and is acting in unpredictable ways, making too much rain here and not enough rain there. Lately, I have been reading about the drought in my home state, North Carolina. An article in the NY Times says some towns only have 80 days of water left. Local cafeterias have stopped giving out complimentary water and are now charging people for bottled water. The customers are angry at the inconvenience and added expense for something that's always been free. So how did it get to be like this? The south has been developed exponentially in the last 10+ years with little regulation or planning. There just hasn't been much thought given to the water supplies because it's never been a problem. Just two years ago there was plenty of water, but now suddenly, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and parts of Tennessee are facing the prospect of running out of water, all within 90 days unless there is some serious rain. This includes the cities of Atlanta, Asheville, Raleigh, Durham, etc. Yesterday, I spoke with my brother who lives outside Raleigh with his family. They live near Falls Lake. He said the lake is looking more and more like a river everyday. Their house is on well water and the well is pretty deep, but there is no real way for them to gauge whether they are in a better position or not, they could have five days or they could have a thousand days. There have been a lot of housing developments expanding in their area that are also tapping into the same aquifer. Without any rain falling from the sky to replenish it, you have too many straws sucking on the same drink and it goes away. I can remember the summer days when I was growing up, and how for weeks almost every afternoon there would be a downpour. It was a hot rain and I would run around and play in it with my friends and come home drenched. Those rains have stopped. Now they rely on fall hurricanes to replenish the reservoirs, but that's an unpredictible source. Even though North Carolina is squarely in Hurricane Alley, I only remember one or two hurricanes coming through in the time I was growing up there. We had a long lull then, which ended when I left and moved out to the west coast. The last time I was home I noticed how the pine forests that were everywhere had been replaced with housing developments. This creates a negative moisture feedback loop, because trees create their own climate by holding in moisture and keeping temperatures cooler. They naturally draw rain to them. As the trees have been removed so goes the rain away, too. Of course we are as vulnerable out here in California as they are there in North Carolina, maybe more so here. There are some doubts about whether or not the water supply in the west is capable of supplying for the needs of all the people who now live in the area, particularly Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and California. The Colorado River doesn't even reach the Gulf of California anymore. The bay area has the benefit of snow melt from the Sierras, which supplies us with water all summer long but with global warming intensifying, the snow pack is decreasing. Climate patterns are shifting and we could end up with more rain or with less. The climate models just aren't sophisticated enough to predict how things are changing with any real accuracy. As my brother said, "When we come home one day and turn the faucet on and nothing comes out, we're screwed." I hope some rain comes their way soon... NY Times article about the drought in the Southeast: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7D6163AF935A25753C1A9619C8B63 NY Times Article: New to Being Dry, the South Struggles to Adapt: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/us/23drought.html This is a long article about the water problems of the west. It's worth the time investment. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazine/21water-t.html Droughts in the Amazon: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/world/americas/31amazon.html

my friend was hurt at decompression, did you see anything?

yabadabadoo — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:53:08 GMT

My good friend was hurt by the bouncers at Club Cocomo at the end of the night at Decompression. Around 2-2:30am, my friend Mohamed (long time Burning Man participant) tried to walk back into the club to find friends. The bouncers then knocked him down, picked him up by his legs and threw him on the street, knocking him unconscious. He woke up at the hospital with eleven staples in his head and stitches over his eye. He is looking for witnesses who saw what happened. If you were there and saw what went on please contact him at (415) 516-1273. No one should be treated like this. ps. the picture isn't him......I think his cuts are worse, just using it for reference.

Green is the New Blinky: Burningman 2007

yabadabadoo — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 01:48:12 GMT

Random notes about my experience in the black rock desert during burning man 2007 Highlights (in no particular order) - riding around in a ufo with zoli and leslie just before the eclipse - watching the eclipse and first burn with hal and krob - listening to hal and krob on bmir - taking a plane ride over brc with rob s. - visiting byb and getting my tire fixed - sitting next to the burn barrel at spock mt. with kiko - drinking beer and doing whip-its with my campmates in monday's dust storm - riding around on the freaky tiki - jaime's lightshow at center camp with the mermen - watching the temple burn and then walking back to camp - the beautiful couple from oregon who helped fix my tire the first time - the double rainbow - swimming in pyramid lake on the way home in my super secret spot - the old man who told me I have a quiet beauty and not to sell out Letting Go This year for me was mostly about letting go of things, which feels to me like a completion of a process I started two summers ago. There are lots of things out there in the desert that you just have to let go of by virtue of the environment, like being clean (even if you take regular showers which I do), maintaining order, controlling the dust (forget it!), following a schedule, finding your friends, needing things to turn out a certain way, being too hot or too cold, worrying too much about stuff, possessions and the like. It feels good to let go of personal things out there, too, like behavior patterns that are impeding your progress, old crushes that just aren't going anywhere and are failing to inspire anymore, past hurts, dysfunctional family bullshit, even burning man itself. The temple of forgiveness helped me with this. I hear it is David Best's last one, it seems fitting, it is likely my last time out there. I've had many things to forgive both in others and myself, and I feel like I have had the opportunity to do that and now I can move on to new experiences. As much as I have loved and learned from my time at burning man, starting in 96, I think it is time for me to move on to other things, and to really focus on bringing the positive things from out there, back here to our everyday world, as best as I am able. It's time to step aside and let others enjoy the experience. Bigger is Not Always Better There was a lot of large scale art out there this year, and some of it was really amazing, particularly the Steampunk Treehouse and Big Rig Jig, but I have to ask, what happens to this art now? I've seen many large scale things created to live out there for a week come home, sit and rust slowly. Sometimes they go on to other festivals, but in between these creations must be housed and maintained. Maybe it's all really ephemeral, even the works that escape immolation and outlive their week on the playa. It starts to become a competitive grandiose endeavor, where artists try to out do each other and make the biggest art and spectacle, to be the coolest thing on the playa. Why? What is the motivation? My favorite thing this year was a little, tiny golf cart-sized art car. It was very simple, there were a few splashes of light on the front grill, circles of red, blue and purple. I couldn't tell at a quick glance whether the person driving was male or female, they had long dark hair, and looked like a fortune teller. Inside there was a little organ that the driver was playing. I couldn't tell how the steering worked. It was just a lovely little mysterious thing that zoomed by me quickly, with this strange and wonderful organ music floating around it and then it was gone. Even with the treehouse the things I liked the most were all the little details, the calliope, the collages on the walls, the tin walls, the buzzard and of course the lighting. Green is the New Blinky As for the green theme, the way it played out seemed paradoxical to me. The central icon is after all made of perfectly good wood and neon that is then destroyed. Examined logically, this is wasteful (funny he was built and burned twice this year), of course you can't have burning man without burning the man and some wastefulness is necessary in art and in life. There wasn't very much art that was made out of recycled materials or that demonstrated alternative energy. It was the same blinky/glow stick fest that it's grown to be. I'm no different though. I bought a bunch of produce to take out there, that I ended up wasting because I didn't eat it before it went bad. I drove out there using fuel, and I wore things that are destroyed now and unwearable. I noticed there were a ton of RVs this year. A few years ago I had this dream that I was at burningman and there were these three story condos on wheels with air conditioning and everything. I remember thinking in my dream, 'what's the point?'. It was a good try, but burning man is just not a green festival, though I know from people on the inside that they are trying, in their way to be more so, such as using biodiesel to power the generators. I really wonder what Chris Campbell would have to say about this year? I just reread Brian Doherty's book "This is Burning Man", and in it Chris said there was a point earlier on when he encouraged the organizers to go green and use solar and wind energy and they just went the route of standard practice, fossil fuel generators. That was part of the reason he quit the whole thing. Thursday I picked up a copy of "Collapse" by Jared Diamond. I am interested to read his analysis of civilizations that have failed as a result of environmental degradation. Maxed Out Sunday night after the temple burned an art car near us started playing cheesy 80s music really loud and I just couldn't take it. After the somber burn I didn't want annoying music screaming at me, and it seemed to be coming from several cars. So I walked out across the playa and back to camp. It occured to me that the numbers of people, blinking lights, vehicles and sound systems added up to more than I could take. Trying to regulate and manage something like burning man is an ironic tragedy. I really miss the crazy uncontrolled anarchy of the early burns I went to. Of course, there is no going back, and safety is very important. The man burning on Tuesday morning returned some of that earlier unpredictible energy to the event and was one of the highlights for me. Yeah it was dangerous and thank god no one got hurt, but somehow that capped it off for me. I would like to bring back the creative uncontrolled, energy that has so inspired me out there for these many years to the community here, so there is no need to leave. Create less waste and be more efficient in my life and art. Maybe I'll go old school next year and do a mini burn on the beach or take a trip to the desert when there are fewer people there. I'm tired of cleaning the dust off of everything and being tired for a week afterwards.

Operation Boxshop Pussy Snatch: Part 5 : Firecracker

yabadabadoo — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:17:23 GMT

Last week I called the SPCA a couple of times to check in on the status of the kittens. When I finally got through to Maryann I found out that three of the four kittens were considered adoptable, one was not and was being processed through the feral fix program. I asked where that kitten was now. Maryann told me that she had been spayed and was recovering at volunteer's house and she gave me the phone number. I called right away and we arranged to meet at 6pm Friday so that I could pick up the kitten. I wanted to look after her recovery and try to socialize her if possible. Friday I spent the whole day at the boxshop working on a little mosaic I'm taking with me to burningman. When six o' clock rolled around I went over to get the kitten. The woman had about six cats in her garage. They were all ferals and showed varying degrees of friendliness that would ultimately be released once they were well. I wasn't entirely sure which kitten was the one rejected from the SPCA, whether it was the little gray one who looked just like Mrs. Claus or the darker tabby one. I guessed it was the tabby b/c she flipped out when I trapped them. She looked a firecracker ricocheting off the cage trying to get out. She threw herself against it so hard she cut her nose. The volunteer lady gave me the report Animal Care and Control kept on the little one's behavior. The main disqualifier was that she bolts from the cage. She wasn't anyone's favorite that I can remember, but she was surrounded by a bunch of super-cute kittens. I personally think she is amazingly adorable. Here's the report card from the ACC: First day - hissing - spitting - bolts - ears flattened - swats/strikes out - pupils dilated Second day - hissing - spitting - eats during day Third day - hissing - spitting - bolts - pupils dilated - frozen/unmoving Fourth day - hissing - spitting - bolts - pupils dilated Adoption evalution - hissing - bolts - hides under newspaper - frozen/unmoving - moves to rear of cage Disposition: Feral ----------- So to counter this, I've done my own report card. First day (from 6pm): - hissing - spitting - moves to rear of cage Second day - hissing - purring - meowing - moves to rear of cage Third day - hissing - purring - can be handled - starts falling asleep when I'm holding her Fourth day - hissing - purring - likes to be held - my cat scares her to run under the bed - I get her out, hold her, she purrs and goes to sleep Disposition: Sweet little cutie pie, a little scared and nervous, but very loving. She hasn't tried to bite or scratch me once. -------------- So the little kitten has had quite a turnaround. I think she's going to be a sweetie as she grows up. She hisses at me a little bit, but I know now that she is bluffing, and I reach in and grab her anyway and she likes it. My goal here is to socialize her to humans. When I leave for burningman I'm taking her to stay with Micro at the boxshop. He seems to look forward to watching her, I think he misses all the kittens. I haven't decided what her long range fate will be.......whether I'll try and find her a home or she will become the boxshop cat. However it works out, I will try to think of what is ultimately best for her and what she would like......I mean she fought hard not to leave the boxshop so that says something. It seems to me that everyone down there would like to have a friendly cat around, but it might be a dangerous environment....I don't know. Right now her working name is Firecracker for obvious reasons. Lest anyone think I will become a crazy cat lady, I have no intention of having any more cats than Josie. I'm too allergic to cats to have more than one. I gave Josie enough baths so that the protein in her cat saliva which triggers allergies isn't as bad. She's practically hypo-allergenic. I do care about animals though, especially when they are in need and around me. If anyone is interested in adopting the other three kitties from the SPCA (if they haven't been adopted already!) call Maryann (415-522-3539), and give her these numbers: A238419 (grey one that looks just like mom) A238430 (b/w one) A238431 (grey fuzzy one). Firecracker was 238420...... That's pretty much the story for now.

OBPS: Part 4 : Gray Matter

yabadabadoo — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:24:21 GMT

I've been meaning to write about this, but honestly, I've been avoiding it. Friday morning I got up really early to take Mrs. Claus to the Feral Fix program at the SPCA. When I went in to the bathroom I got a good look at her leg, it was bad. The bone stuck out over an inch, you could see raw flesh all around the bone, the bottom half of her leg just dangled, and was probably only connected by skin. She was still bleeding, I saw spots on the towel. I took her down to my truck and put her in the back, she was not happy to be moved again. At the SPCA, I met Maryann who runs the Feral Fix program. We talked about Mrs. Claus. Joanne, my other contact at the SPCA had informed her of the broken leg. We talked about possible aftercare situations depending on what the vet suggested. I was prepared to do what was needed to care for her. We also discussed the feral cat situation in the Bayview. She told me there is a feral cat colony near the Allemand Brothers Ship Repair that has over fifty cats. The situation is really bad. The cats fight each other over limited food supplies. A guy down there has been feeding them, but doesn't seem to get that the breeding situation creates a lot of problems, mostly a sad and stressful life for the cats. In addition to that it decimates the wild bird population in the area, and the Bayview around there has one of the most abundant bird populations in the city. Domestic cats are not native to North America, so their presence causes a lot of problems for species that are vulnerable to their predation and are not adapted to deal with it. I love cats, but I think it is important for people to be responsible for their pets, and it is a good idea neutralize the feral cat population in a humane way. That being said.....when I got a call around 11am from the SPCA that they had put Mrs. Claus to sleep, I had a lot of conflicted feelings. First, they didn't call me first when they made the decision, they had already carried it out. In a way, I was grateful that I didn't have to make that decision (or have the chance to question it), because I don't think I could. The first time I saw her with her leg broken I kind of intuitively knew that was the end for her, which is why I felt so freaked out, but I guess I still had a little hope that some miracle would happen and she would be alright. The only possible option would have been amputation, and caring for a feral cat with amputated leg would have been next to impossible. There's no way she would let me touch her to change a bandage or anything like that. I guess it just really didn't make sense to the people at the SPCA which is why they put her down. Still, I felt guilty, like I had taken her to her death, when I really wanted to help her. Then again if I hadn't taken her in, her leg would have gotten infected and she would have died a slower and much more painful death. There really was no perfect solution. I am sad that she is gone and that we don't have any cats around the boxshop right now. Her kittens are still at SPCA, they are trying to domesticate them. I called to check in today, but haven't heard back yet. The last status report was that when the handlers opened their cage the kittens would jump and bounce and go nuts trying to escape. They've separated them in to different cages right now....they're trying a divide-and-conquer strategy. It's still questionable how much success they'll have, but I will keep checking back in.....the kittens are her legacy.

Operation Boxshop Pussy Snatch: Part 3 : Don't look at this if you are squeamish!

yabadabadoo — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:04:02 GMT

Mrs. Claus is caught! After having the trap set for a week, we finally caught Mrs. Claus. Charlie had reset the trap after the kittens' dad was caught a few days ago (we released him, but I will catch him again later and have him fixed, too). I really didn't think she was going to make it. As you can see from the picture it's a nasty break. I really respect Mrs. Claus' resilience.....hopping around for a week with a seriously broken leg, jumping 4+ feet up and down to get up on her favorite tarp. She's one bad ass pussycat with a serious will to live. Right now, she's resting on a towel in the trap in my bathroom. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I'll be taking Mrs. Claus to the SPCA to their Feral Fix program, where they will spay her, and hopefully, while she is under, examine and maybe do something about her leg. I will let you know what happens. I was a little concerned about how my cat Josie would react to having another cat, especially a wild, wounded cat in the apartment. She checked her out, sniffed her from afar, but mostly seems not to care, as a matter of fact she's curled up right next to me as usual. Funny thing is when I got Josie from the SPCA eleven years ago, she was full grown and classified as a feral cat. If you ever met her, you'd be scratching your head, saying 'huh'? She's one of the most cuddly, social and friendly cats, I've ever known. She was a little shy but never aggressive when I first got her, and she would hide under the bed, boy has she come around! Now she's a happy, lazy, spoiled, mush-bomb. The kittens are being transferred from Animal Care and Control to the SPCA. The woman I've been in touch with there, says they're feisty. I really hope they come around, too and can be domesticated. They'd have a much happier life. If anyone is up for the challenge, if they aren't adoptable and end up having to come back to the boxshop, let me know, and I will help you get one, so that you can work on taming them.

Operation Boxshop Pussy Snatch: Part 2

yabadabadoo — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 16:17:43 GMT

The Story Takes a Tragic Turn Yesterday, I went down to the boxshop to continue the kitty catching. When I got there I noticed the mama cat, Mrs. Claus, curled up on a blue tarp in one of her usual spots. She wasn't around Thursday on my first attempt, which I thought was strange. I moved in and got a closer look at her. There was an open sore on her leg, and as I got closer, I could see bone sticking out. She had broken her leg really badly. I have no idea how this happened. She could've gotten into a fight with another animal, something could have fallen on her, I just don't know. Needless to say, I was really upset about this, and kicking myself for not attempting to trap them all sooner. Of course, I know there is nothing I probably could have done to prevent this, but I wish I could. I set the trap with some tuna inside, and caught two kittens on the first try. I took them down to Animal Care and Control. They were not happy about it. I asked the woman who received them, what their chances were of being adopted, and she said they're little but they're really feral, so it's probably going to be a fix and release situation. In which case, the kitties will come back to the boxshop. At ACC I told them about Mrs. Claus' broken leg, so they sent out an animal catcher to help bring her in. When I arrived back at the boxshop the animal catcher was there, but he was just about to leave. I waved him down and told him I knew where the cat was. He really didn't seem to know what he was doing. He brought a little cardboard box carry case to put her in, which was just ridiculous. He also had a towel. I told the guy, she is VERY FERAL. He gave up and got another trap. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that....oh I did. He set up his trap and split. At this point, Mrs. Claus retreated to a more inacessible spot. I haven't seen her since. Mrs. Claus was a leftover 'present' from Santa Claus, an old guy who drank too much vodka, had a white beard and hair, and who sounded kind of like Boomhauer from King of the HIll. He stayed around the boxshop for a while, until Charlie kicked him out. He also left behind a big boat, called Oosik (which means walrus dick in Eskimo), that the city is currently paying some local tweakers to cut apart, so it can be removed from the dirt road in front of the shop. Early last winter, when Santa was still around Mrs. Claus had her first litter. All of the kittens died. Mrs. Claus is a good mama cat, and catches rats and teaches her kittens to be wary and alert, but there just isn't enough prey to keep them all alive. I've been feeding her and the kittens while I was working on my project and left food with Micro when I wasn't going to be around. They've been good company and I didn't want to see these kittens meet the same fate as her last litter. At least after the animal catcher came by I had two traps set up, so he wasn't completely useless. I caught the other two kittens. I took them in to ACC, and returned to the boxshop with the trap. Micro said he would call me if Mrs. Claus got caught in the trap. So far she hasn't. I feel bad about her being down there alone and suffering without her kitties. I'm headed down there now, to look around and see if I can find her. I really don't know what her fate will be. I don't want her to suffer. The folks at the SPCA said the vet at ACC is really good and might be able to help her somehow. I don't know. I just hope I can catch her. It's a sad validation of my impulse to rescue the kittens, even though they might be coming back to the shop. Charlie has expressed an interest in keeping one of the cats. It is possible with a lot of love and attention that they still might be tameable. At any rate, there won't be a growing feral colony to worry about. I know it's all the cruelty of nature/existence......but it still sucks. Kittens: 0, Jenn: 4, Mrs. Claus: -1

Operation Boxshop Pussy Snatch: Part 1

yabadabadoo — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:31:07 GMT

Now that I'm done with my mosaic project, my new mission is Operation Pussy Snatch. There are a group of 4 feral kittens that have been lurking around the dark corners of the boxshop, and it is my duty to rescue them from certain misery, poor food rations and being recruited to help on a burningman project. Yesterday, I made my first attempt to snatch the kittens, but I was thwarted in my efforts. The wily little buggers howled at me and broke free from my grip. I have a trap cage so I am going to attempt using that today. I'll keep you posted on my progress. So far it's Kittens: 2, Jenn: 0. I'm also going to trap the mom and have her spayed, so that we don't end up with a colony of feral cats. She will return to the shop. The kittens are probably young enough that they can be domesticated. I've checked with the SPCA. I assure you no cats will be harmed in this process, although none of them will be able to reproduce afterwards. Any advice on cat trapping will be considered. On with the mission!

Sol Flor Opening Party, Saturday July 28th, Juri Commons

yabadabadoo — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:45:33 GMT

Sol Flor Opening Party Saturday, July 28, 2007 12pm-3pm Juri Commons Guerrero St. x 26th San Francisco, CA Hey There, Just wanted to let you all know that we're going to have a party this Saturday to celebrate the completion of the mosaic installation I did for Juri Commons, a little park in San Francisco's Mission District. This series of pieces was created as a part of the Black Rock Arts Foundation's ScrapEden project, which was an effort funded by the SF Department of the Environment to encourage creative reuse of materials that would otherwise end up as waste. To create these pieces I used leftover concrete from a concrete company that would've been sent to the landfill to fill molds I built. The mosaic pieces are mostly broken reflectors, tempered auto glass, mirror and a few leftover tile samples. A number of generous small businesses saved and donated these waste materials to make this project possible. I had many wonderful people from the community around the park, in the neighborhood and from elsewhere who came and helped me build these pieces and I am very grateful for their efforts. I give my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported this project, in whatever way they chose to, I greatly appreciate it! This has been an incredible experience. There will be live music and food. BYOB. Hope to see you there. ♥ jennalex http://www.jennalex.com/solflor/ "To create a little flower is the labour of ages." - William Blake _____________________________________________________________ Location: between Guerrero and San Jose, 25 & 26th Streets Google Map: Guerrero St. & 26th St. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Guerrero+St+%26+26th+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94110&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&t=h&iwloc=addr If you don't actually see it on the map, don't worry, just go to the location and you will see the sign for the park and then the park itself.

What do we have in common?

yabadabadoo — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:08:28 GMT

What do Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Hunter S. Thomspon, Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, Jennalex and Red Skelton have in common?

Please write a letter of support for the Shipyard

yabadabadoo — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:28:58 GMT

Hi Folks, Some of you are probably already well aware of the situation at the Shipyard in Berkeley. Basically, the city is shutting down the facility for a series of code violations and are not offering any support or alternative for the artists working there. Granted there are a number of issues the city has regarding safety concerns, but they are hardly giving the artists an opportunity to make the necessary changes some of which are completely unfounded. One of their concerns is the safety of shipping containers as building structures, while there is already proven evidence that they are useful and safe as work and living spaces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_container_architecture) even in seismically active regions such as California. To find out specific info about the situation between the Shipyard and the city go here: http://www.theshipyard.org/ The artists at the Shipyard need our support. If you could take a few minutes to send an email to the city officials of Berkeley it would do a great amount of good. The addresses are below. There is a great project in development at the Shipyard currently that is exploring the use of garbage as a fuel source for transportation. I even had the opportunity to take a ride in a vehicle that is running on this organic matter. It does not nearly produce the greenhouse gas emissions that standard fossil fuels do. Hopefully this situation will be resolved and the people at the Shipyard will be allowed to continue their good work. Thanks for your time, Jennifer _________________________________ My letter to the city of Berkeley To the City Officials of Berkeley: I am writing you to express my support for the artists and innovators at the Shipyard and to ask you to reconsider city of Berkeley's decision to evict them. It is baffling to me that a city whose reputation is built on forwarding social movements and environmental causes, fostering creativity and scientific discovery would shut down a facility that represents a new generation of this spirit. I am a Bay Area resident and personally believe in the work and community that the Shipyard represents. Today an article came out that states a California-size area of ice on land in Antarctica has melted. (http://www.livescience.com/environment/070515_antarctic_melt.html) If we are to in any way mitigate the effects of global warming, including coastal flooding, we need to focus as much brainpower and action immediately into developing ways to generate energy that is not reliant on greenhouse gas producing materials. The creators and inventors at the Shipyard have been developing technologies (the gasification project) and utilizing systems (they are largely off-grid) that provide great examples of alternative solutions to this problem. Are we to rely on industries such as automotive manufacturing to develop green solutions for our transportation needs when they have demonstrated nothing but resistance to increased fuel efficiency standards when the technology has already been developed and is in effect in other countries? If the city of Berkeley is casting out a group that is working on positive technologies, what does that say about Berkeley? That they do not support such efforts? It is these small, independent communities where true innovation develops. If the city and community of Berkeley is genuinely interested in the development of new energy technologies and combating global warming, they would do well to consider providing support and funding for the Shipyard to meet safety code requirements instead of casting them out. The argument about the safety of shipping containers as work studios seems unfounded to me. The durability of these spaces has been well tested as they have travelled over the much less stable surface of the ocean. They appear much less likely to fail in the event of an earthquake then many more conventional building structures. The unique creations built at the Shipyard and the events hosted there have enriched the Bay Area art community and have enhanced what Berkeley has to offer to the art scene. The city of Berkeley has a valuable asset in the Shipyard I hope that you realize this and decide to support its future as a part of our collective community. Sincerely, Jennifer Alexander An addendum: In addendum to my earlier email, I wanted to share with you some information about building projects that establish precedent for shipping containers used in architecture. There are several structures in seismically active California that make use of them. You can find out more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_container_architecture http://firmitas.org/ As well as through exploring the websites of architects that have been using them in their work: http://www.demariadesign.com/ http://www.architectureandhygiene.com/ Outside of the US they are being used in London and the Ukraine among other places: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Buoy_Wharf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-Kilometer_Market Email Addresses dorth@ci.berkeley.ca.us JMacQuarrie@ci.berkeley.ca.us MRhoades@ci.berkeley.ca.us pkamlarz@ci.berkeley.ca.us malbuquerque@ci.berkeley.ca.us dpryor@ci.berkeley.ca.us dmarks@ci.berkeley.ca.us nalhadithy@ci.berkeley.ca.us zcowan@ci.berkeley.ca.us lmckinney@ci.berkeley.ca.us mcaplan@ci.berkeley.ca.us jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us gdaniel@ci.berkeley.ca.us mprince@ci.berkeley.ca.us gpowell@ci.berkeley.ca.us mnorrise@ci.berkeley.ca.us gheidenreich@ci.berkeley.ca.us manager@ci.berkeley.ca.us mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us maio@ci.berkeley.ca.us lcapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us worthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us gwozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us planning@ci.berkeley.ca.us ---------------------------------------------- with name, title and email David Orth, Fire Chief / Fire Marshal dorth@ci.berkeley.ca.us Joan MacQuarrie, Building Official JMacQuarrie@ci.berkeley.ca.us Mark Rhoades, Zoning Officer MRhoades@ci.berkeley.ca.us Phil Kamlarz, City Manager pkamlarz@ci.berkeley.ca.us Manuela Albuquerque, City Attorney malbuquerque@ci.berkeley.ca.us Deborah Pryor, Fire Chief dpryor@ci.berkeley.ca.us Dan Marks, Director of Planning and Development dmarks@ci.berkeley.ca.us Nabil Al-Hadithy, Toxics Manager nalhadithy@ci.berkeley.ca.us Zach Cowan, Assistant City Attorney zcowan@ci.berkeley.ca.us Laura McKinney, Deputy City Attorney lmckinney@ci.berkeley.ca.us Michael Caplan, Acting Manager of Economic Development mcaplan@ci.berkeley.ca.us Jim Hynes, Neighborhood Liaison jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us Gregory Daniel, Code Enforcement Unit, City Manager's Office gdaniel@ci.berkeley.ca.us Malcolm Prince, Acting Supervising Building Inspector mprince@ci.berkeley.ca.us Greg Powell, Senior Planner gpowell@ci.berkeley.ca.us Maurice Norrise, Code Enforcement Unit, City Manager's Office mnorrise@ci.berkeley.ca.us Greg Heidenreich, Building Inspector gheidenreich@ci.berkeley.ca.us City Manager's Office manager@ci.berkeley.ca.us Mayor Tom Bates mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Linda Maio maio@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Laurie Capitelli lcapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Darryl Moore dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Betty Olds olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Maxwell Anderson manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Kriss Worthington worthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Dona Spring spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us Councilmember Gordon Wozniak gwozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us Planning Department planning@ci.berkeley.ca.us

In case you didn't already know about the benefit show......it's this Saturday.

yabadabadoo — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:32:00 GMT

I'm excited, come if you can make it......it would be good to see you there. ___________________________________________________________________ MARCH 24th: The Mermen play a Benefit for the Bayview Artpatch Benefit for the Bayview Artpatch Saturday, March 24, 2007 @ 12 Galaxies, Doors 8pm, $15 The MERMEN will be headlining a benefit for the Bayview Artpatch at: 12 Galaxies 2565 Mission St San Francisco, CA. Phone: (415)970-9777 Purchase Tickets Opening Bands Cuatro Caminos the Extraordinares Lightshow by VJ Pussycat The Bayview Artpatch is an effort by artists in the SF Bay area to build a sculpture garden using reused, reclaimed and recycled materials. Come on out and support an effort to bring a little beauty to the Bayview. Find out more info about the Artpatch, go to: http://www.organic-arts.org/artpatch/ Listen to an interview the Mermen did on KUSF 90.3 FM about the upcoming show: http://zoka.com/audio/mermen022207.mp3

Swan Gourd

yabadabadoo — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:50:45 GMT

More tales of strange produce. I found this Swan gourd a while ago and have been keeping it around in my kitchen....it matches....until it decays. The bottom part used to be dark green but it has faded over the last couple of months I've had it. I got it at the same produce shop as the star mushroom.

mushroom messages

yabadabadoo — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:34:09 GMT

I was doing my regular grocery shopping last week, when I came across this shittake mushroom. it's still in my fridge as I couldn't bring myself to eat it. I have a friend who has a theory that mushrooms are really space aliens.......so if we consider that to be true, perhaps this mushroom is trying to communicate its original celestial origins, what else would explain the perfect star pattern? people see the virgin mary and jesus in tortillas all the time, why not star messages on mushrooms? maybe I can sell it on ebay? I could make a mint, but I doubt mushroom stars have the same cachet as virgin marys and jesuses.

Mermen Interview at 11am on KUSF 90.3

yabadabadoo — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:14:08 GMT

In case any of you folks are awake and interested in hearing an interview with the Mermen tune in to KUSF 90.3 FM in San Francisco today at 11am. If you're out of range and want to listen you can go to the kusf website you can stream it: http://kusf.org/index.shtml look on the right side under the heading 'Featured' and you will see the link. xo, jenn ______________ FOLLOW UP Here is a link to a copy of the show in case you're missed it and would like to listen to it: http://zoka.com/audio/mermen022207.mp3