Like most mothers Lucy Baxter wants her child to live a fully rounded life – including the experience of a physical relationship and even finding love.

But her 21-year-old son Otto has Down’s syndrome and has had trouble finding a partner.

So she is appealing for women to come forward so Otto can ‘enjoy the same experiences as other men his age’.

Lucy Baxter is doing all she can to find a girlfriend for her son Otto, 21, so he can lose his virginity

‘Then there was Sarah. We had a crazy snog together. It was a few months ago. I’m still waiting for her to call me back.’

She says she is even prepared to go so far as to pay for a prostitute for her adopted son.

Miss Baxter, 50, also hopes he may one day become a father – despite the controversy this may attract.

‘Society has a learning disability when it comes to Down’s syndrome,’ she said.

‘Why should these people be kept separate and pigeon-holed when they have the same emotions, desires and feelings as so-called normal people?

‘If he doesn’t get a girlfriend, I will feel really bad, because I have sold him this thing that he is like everybody else. That’s why I’m working overtime to get this sorted for him.’

Enlarge

Otto enjoys a day at the park with friends

She has already helped James to set up a page on a social networking website to invite potential partners to come forward for him.

Miss Baxter from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, works for the mental health charity Mencap and campaigns for the rights of those with Down’s syndrome.

She is single and has never married but has three other adopted sons – James, 27, Titus, 14, and Raphael, seven. They all have Down’s syndrome.

‘I’d like all my boys to find love and enjoy sex,’ she said.

‘I would have no problem paying for Otto to go to Amsterdam to visit a brothel if that’s what he wanted.

‘A few of his friends suggested it a few months ago and since then I’ve talked to Otto about it in an adult way. Why shouldn’t he enjoy the same experiences as other men?’

Otto is an aspiring actor who has appeared in local stage versions of Macbeth and The Canterbury Tales.

He persuaded his mother to help him find a partner after three years without success.

He says his ideal woman is television and radio presenter Fearne Cotton.

He added: ‘I’m on a mission to find a girlfriend. My reason is I want to have sex. I’m looking for girlfriends everywhere.’

Recalling previous encounters, he added: ‘There was Jackie – she was a sexy bird, she was gorgeous. She gave me four kisses.

Enlarge

Otto Baxter’s Bebo page, which his mother helped set up

‘I have brought Otto up to relate to everybody so he has always been to mainstream school and mixed with everybody. I would like to see him with a girlfriend. I would prefer to see him with a girlfriend who doesn’t have Down’s.’

Miss Baxter would be ‘delighted’ if Otto brought a woman back to their house for sex.

‘I don’t have a problem with any of it,’ she said. ‘He’s going to Las Vegas for a few days to promote himself as an actor so who knows, he might get lucky over there. When he gets back home I’ve lined up a few dating agencies for him to join. I always encourage him to go to nightclubs and other places where people pick up women.

She said she would love to be a grandmother. ‘I would also love it if Otto got a girlfriend pregnant. It’s another experience everyone else goes through so why not him?’

She acknowledged that this was certain to cause controversy and said: ‘I know if he did get someone pregnant everyone would have an opinion on it.’

Miss Baxter also hopes that her eldest adopted son will eventually lose his virginity but is not taking such drastic action as with Otto because James is a little less outgoing.

Carol Boys of the Down’s Syndrome Association said: ‘People with Down’s syndrome have the same feelings and desires as everyone else and there is no reason why they shouldn’t have relationships.

‘There are many with Down’s syndrome who have found a partner and some that have gone on to get married. Otto’s experience highlights that there are different challenges that they have to face because they have a visible disability.’

The family’s story is featured in TV show Natalie Cassidy’s Real Britain, on BBC3, at 8pm on Thursday

‘Will anyone sleep with my Down’s syndrome son?’ Mother makes appeal for a lover for 21-year-old Otto | Mail Online.

Shuttle Discovery

GO DISCOVERY! After a gas leak postponed the launch on Wednesday, repairs were made and the launch proceed at around 4:30pm from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

My friend Vania is on vacation in Florida and her friend snapped a photo of the space shuttle launch.

This is a pretty cool interview by Charlie Rose of Eric Schmidt from Google. Eric makes some bold statments about the education, information, and user content. I am very impressed at Google’s dedication to education and solving problems. Watch the video.

Snappy Life: Cholla Cactus Garden..

Photo by Victor at 5:51 PM

Victor Zhang is a fascinating guy that I worked with at TeleNav. He is a great photographer.

When I was young, my aunt would take me camping all over the west coast. Once we stayed in Joshua Tree National Park, CA where the land in covered in these cactus. They go by several names:

• Cholla Cactus
• Teddy Bear Cactus
• Jumping Cactus
• Jumping Cholla
• Yellow-Flowered Cane Cactus
• Desert Christmas Cactus
• Club Cholla
• Pencil Cactus

Cast your vote tonight! This is your last chance to help decide where Hubble will aim it’s mirror and probe deep into the wild black yonder.
HubbleSite – Hubble’s Next Discovery – You Decide.

Jacqui and I in one of our first promo shoots for the show.

That ’60s Show

City Lights goes tribal with revival of ‘Hair’

By Marianne Messina

THE ETHNIC diversity of the “tribe” (a.k.a. cast) performing in City Lights Theater Company’s Hair would probably have been the envy of the 1968 Broadway musical production, itself considered a musical capstone on civil rights, sexual liberation, antiwar sentiments and other upheavals of the ’60s. Directed by Lisa Mallette (who has smartly parsed her introductory speech into shorthand to be carried on placards), City Lights’ tribal chemistry is less cult-tight and more 21st-century fun, from the moment cast members greet you proffering flowers and offering to paint your face. Designer Ron Gasparinetti accents the flower power by bordering the set with hot-pink mushrooms, brightly colored flowers, clouds, sworls, yellow ink blots (or is that our brains on acid?) and a yellow-orange sun staring out from dead center like a third eye.

Short on plot, long on ambience, Hair is a love-in with an incidental story line about a young man named Claude (Joseph Banks), who is still trying to “find himself” when he gets his draft notice. With a little help from his draft-card-burning, free-loving friends, Claude must decide, “Where do I go from here?” The show spends a good deal of the first act in song (music by Galt MacDermot), mostly murky introductions of the tribe’s ethos and members, anti-stereotypes all.

Writers James Rado and Gerome Ragni render the tribe’s iconoclasm in impressionistic word lists like “Sodomy, Fellatio, Cunnilingus, Pederasty … ,” so I’ll dedicate my summation of the show’s highlights to them: coital simulations, silken nudity, strobing gunshots, hot hirsute Margaret Mead (RB Embleton), audience invasion, black light, Day-Glo body paint, candle vigils, dance-groove finale. These lyrical lists have their charm. As Hud (Phillip C. Pettiford) sings “Colored Spade,” Woof (high-energy Jacob Vega Canote) sings “Sodomy,” Berger (an exuberant Noel Carey) sings “Donna,” and Claude sings “Manchester, England,” their juvenile rebelliousness reminds us that these life-wild kids are such stuff as war fodder is made off.

People who know the music or have seen the show may be harder to please than neophytes. This enjoyable, nevertheless generic, production captures the mood but doesn’t freshen or flesh it out. The wonderfully live music occasionally drags, wallows in muddy tones and wants some riffing—or at least juice. But the cast, er, tribe, is chock-full of great singers, from Banks and Michelle Ianiro (Ronny), who sings “Aquarius,” to singers with smaller parts that jump out as pleasant surprises, like Ashley Bawdon and Nicole C. Julien (as Dionne). The City Lights tribe capture both the innocence—Raime Gerardy is a blonde doll of a virginally 16-year-old Crissy—and sensuality, of which thin, thrusting Pettiford and flag-bikinied Tenaya Hurst provide eye-catching examples.

Though this Hair is more fest than invocation, it has a strong finish. “What a piece of Work Is Man,” staged with the duo singing on high from the catwalks, packs punch. And in the production’s finale, the carefully folded flag traveling from hand to hand toward the fallen soldier-hero makes it impossible not to think of our daily Iraq War “honor rolls.” The immediacy of the tribe’s howling, “Let the Sunshine In,” drummer Gabby Horlick building a wall of cymbal crashes in the air, makes one wonder if the tribe might not have personal connections to this honor ritual.

HAIR, A City Lights Theater Company production, plays Wednesday–Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm (July 27 and Aug. 3) and 2pm (Aug. 10, 17 and 24) through Aug. 24 at City Lights, 529 S. Second St., San Jose. Tickets are $25–$40. (408.295.4200)

via Theater & Performance in Palo Alto, CA | ‘Hair’ at City Lights.

This review is from about 7 months ago, but I never posted it anywhere.  Jacob and I had a crazy summer being a part of this production.  There are a few people in the cast we’re both still incredibly in love with, I would go back to this summer again and again…  well, maybe with a few changes…  to the summer, not the show.

I especially like the Metro review because it makes me look good.  ; )

Thanks Marianne!  Now to find a stage to sing on again…

Sad you missed it?  There are some pictures to help you feel like you were there…  frolicking naked with us at our be-in… okay, I only have a couple lying around.  I’m sure JACOB will SEE THIS and post the large collection that HE HAS.  If I know my boyfriend, he’ll get that hint. ; )

Jacqui, Dani, Danelle and Myself.

BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY
Assembly Member Ammiano

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

An act to add Section 22394.1 to, and to add Chapter 14.5 (commencing with Section 25400) to Division 9 of, the Business and Professions Code, to amend Section 68152 of the Government Code, to amend Sections 11014.5, 11054, 11357, 11364.5, 11370, 11470, 11479, 11488, 11532, 11703, and 11705 of, to add Division 10.3 (commencing with Section 11720) to, and to repeal Sections 11358, 11359, 11360, 11361, and 11485 of, the Health and Safety Code, to add Part 14.6 (commencing with Section 34001) to Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, to amend Sections 23222 and 40000.15 of the Vehicle Code, and to amend Section 18901.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to marijuana.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 390, as introduced, Ammiano. Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. Existing state law provides that every person who possesses, sells, transports, or cultivates marijuana, concentrated cannabis, or derivatives of marijuana, except as authorized by law, is guilty of one or more crimes. This bill would remove marijuana and its derivatives from existing statutes defining and regulating controlled substances. It would instead legalize the possession, sale, cultivation, and other conduct relating to marijuana and its derivatives by persons 21 years of age and older, except as specified. It would set up a wholesale and retail marijuana sales regulation program, including special fees to fund drug abuse prevention programs, as specified, to commence after regulations concerning the program have been issued, and federal law permits possession and sale consistent with the program. It would ban local and state assistance in enforcing inconsistent federal and other laws relating to marijuana, and would provide specified infraction penalties for violations of these new marijuana laws and regulations, as specified. It would make other conforming changes. By creating various infractions for violations of regulations and laws created by this act, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

Click here to read AB 390 Assembly Bill – INTRODUCED

Date: 2009-01-23, 12:25PM EST

It has come to our attention that there is a great deal of value in the furniture that is no longer needed from the office of a former CEO. We have decided to put it up for sale. There are quite a few items and we would be willing to sell as a set or separately. Price is not negotiable. The buyer must be willing to come in the middle of the night for haul away as we do not want any additional people to see it than necessary. If needed a driver can be provided for an extra charge. The buyer must also sign a non-disclosure agreement saying they will not sell pictures to the press or speak to anyone about where the furniture was acquired or how much was paid.

The items are as follows:

• Antique area rug, has some spots that are worn down from pacing but easily covered with other furniture $87 K
• Sofa, has been slept in a few times but is very comfortable $15 K
• Velvet curtains, very similar to the curtains from Gone With the Wind $28 K
• George IV Desk, rarely used $18 K
• Chandelier, still sparkles despite the current economic environment $37 K
• Mirror with silver frame, has a few kiss marks we are trying to get off $5 K
• Mahogany pedestal table, might have been stood upon but still in great shape $25 K
• Off-white parchment waste can, perfect for shredded documents $1,400
• There are other items as well. Please contact for more information.

via best of craigslist : Antique furniture from former CEO’s office- $1.22 M.

Jacob recently introduced me to the wonder that is “Best-of-Craigslist.”  Nothing need be said apart from;  you can expect to see more gems like this one.  Oh yes.

Hangover cure for the birds

Part of being young is being stupid, and anyone who tells you that he or she has never gotten drunk is either lying, boring, a Mormon, or some combination thereof. But just because so many people get drunk doesn’t make it OK. A recent surveycollege students have engaged in binge drinking. Binge drinking completely thrashes your liver and kidneys, not to mention puts you at risk of death via alcohol overdose. But you don’t need us lecturing at you… you know that massive drinking is bad. How do you know? Because your mother tells you – no, not Mother Goose… Mother Nature. found that 3 out of every 5

A nasty hangover is Mother Nature’s way of telling you, “Fool, I thought I told you not to drink so much. Now you gonna pay.” (Don’t ask us why Mother Nature sounds like Mr. T.) Hangovers can completely incapacitate you, giving you an upset stomach, a huge headache, a gross-tasting mouth, and a guilty conscience. So what we’ve constructed for you are some tips for easing the pain and curing that hangover. We only expect you to use this article once. If you find that you need our help to cure your hangovers every weekend (no matter how happy all those page views will make us), we insist that you contact Alcoholics Anonymous right away. People (especially those in their 20s) usually revel in binge drinking, but it really can be life-threatening.

Link to: SoYouWanna cure a hangover? | SoYouWanna.com.

http://www.loungesoho.com

Lounge, SOHO

• Shop
• Dine
• Pamper
• Adorn
• Listen
• Vintage
• Shoes
• Shades
• Memorbillia

Address:

593 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

A flowering Locust Tree

Locust tree can mean:

• Any of a number of tree species in the genera Gleditsia or Robinia
• Honey locust, a leguminous tree with pods having a sweet, edible pulp
• Black locust, a leguminous tree with toxic pods but useful for making honey
• Or less commonly, “African locust bean tree” (Parkia biglobosa), which is also known as néré
• The carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua.

Locust can refer to:

In nature

• The locust, a swarming grasshopper.
• The cicada, often referred to as a seven-year locust.
• The magicicada, often referred to as a 13-year or 17-year locust.
• Various plants, especially of the genera Gleditsia and Robinia:
  • The honey locust, a leguminous tree with pods having a sweet edible pulp.
  • The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), a leguminous tree with toxic pods but useful as a source of nectar for bees for honey making.
  • The locust bean, the fruit of the carob tree.

In music

• The Locust, a US noise-rock band from California.
• Locust (musician), an alias of electronic artist Mark Van Hoen from Touch Records.
• Locust Music, a Chicago based record label.
• “Locust”, a song by a-ha from their 1993 album Memorial Beach.
• Locust Abortion Technician, an album by the Butthole Surfers.

Others

• Locusts: The 8th Plague, a 2005 horror movie.
• Locust (community), a pioneering SMS chat community in the UK.
• The Locust (car), a kit car inspired by the Lotus 7.
• The M22 Locust, a light tank.
• Locust, North Carolina is a place in Stanly County; the zip code is 28097.
• Locust Horde, the main enemy force in the Xbox 360 third-person shooter video game Gears of War by Epic Games.
• Locust (mech) is a small mech in the Mechwarrior used mostly for recon.
• Locust (financial), from the German “Heuschrecke”, left-wing terminology for financial investors.
• Locust (software) is an open source search engine software [1].

Distinguish from

• locus

1. Your Life Depends on Phone Calls From Men

You’ve seen it a million times. Some emotionally vulnerable woman sits by the phone all night (weepy romantic movie playing in the background optional) just waiting for that cute guy to call. When’s he going to call? Why won’t he call? What’s wrong with me? What did I do to provoke him into being emotionally distant? I do this all the time, don’t I? WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?

2. Any Problem Can Be Fixed By Shopping

Just as your average hamster can be lulled into relaxation with a food pellet and a few laps on a tiny wheel, Chick Flicks imagine that women’s emotions are so puddle-shallow that a quick montage of dresses and shoes can fix everything. Break up? Big fight? Cancer diagnosis? Who’s up for the Galleria?

3. Any Problem That Can’t Be Fixed By Shopping, Can Be Fixed With a Make-Over

Your husband/boyfriend/stalkee is being mean? Well, it’s because you haven’t done your hair in forever! And what is that shade of eye shadow called, “Dump Me Now”? Ugh, girl. You need to spend obscene amounts of money on make-up you’ll never wear and a hairstyle that’ll become too hard to maintain hours after you leave the salon. And make sure to do so to an irritating Top 40 song.

4. If a Guy’s a Jerk, it’s Because Your Life is a Mess

Face it, girls, Chick Flicks have hit the bull’s eye when it comes to the key to holding onto a man. If some dude cheats on you, you have only one recourse: Go through your house and throw away EVERYTHING. Magazines, books, clothing, potential vices…scrub your life clean so that you won’t be such a cheat target anymore. Seriously, you don’t know this? Guys cheat because you smoke, eat cookies, and read Cosmo. Duh.

5. Guys are So Much More Important Than Friends, Jobs, or Family

He CALLED! Time to shove everything you’ve worked so hard to attain, every close friend who’s stood by you since high school, and all those family members who know you better than anyone aside and devote everything to stalking the one guy who deigns to acknowledge your existence. This is it. THIS COULD BE THE ONE!

6. Wait, You’re Over 30? Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?

Seriously.

7. No Guy Is Worth the Heartache…if He’s Not Rich

If a guy can afford to buy you a penthouse apartment with a 1,000-square-foot shoe closet, you are totally justified in sticking with him, even if he’s been a non-committal douche who smears your emotions on his shoe heel like dog shit and strings you along for 10 years. Sure, he’s made you spend the best years of your life in the grips of a needy, clingy, destructive shame cycle…BUT LOOK AT THAT CLOSET! Sorry, were we talking?

Ashley’s best friend Christi and her whimsical comedy team have a pretty cool show called The Really Cool Show. It looks like their third season is in the works. In this episode, Christi masks her pain with laughter after her threesome sex tape is leaked to the internet, stirring memories of her gang rape. Intriguing and captivating performances by all.

Kung Fu Vampire at the Blank Club

Kung Fu Vampire_Masquerade Party | South Bay Hip Hop.

The Canote Brothers, Seattle’s twin brother musicians playing old time and swing music and offering string band classes..

An Engadget adventure with TeleNav’s G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video – Engadget.

Depression Chic: Style Trend Reports Spring 2009

Who needs economists? With an insight that’s downright uncanny, designers worked both sides of the crash of 1929, turning out glittery flapper frocks (Alberta Ferretti, Aquilano.Rimondi) and faded sack dresses (Burberry, Bottega Veneta) in equal measure. On the one hand, Jil Sander’s Raf Simons fringed not just dresses but suits, too; on the other, Marc Jacobs found himself at home on the prairie.

This is the trend I’m most excited about this Spring.  Why?  Oh, because it’s already in my closet.   My mother says I look like a bag lady.  I always called it “Homeless Chic.”  Style.com just published it before I did.  ; )

T-Pain, Andy and Akiva head out on the open seas.

Republic or Titulia

Titulia is a non-territorial republic that welcomes all immigrants.

Please log in, or register to become a citizen.
http://www.titulia.com/

As citizen, you can

• participate discussions
• read and write blogs
• join or create parties
• get elected
• extend your fan base
• poll citizens’ opinion
• find like-minded citizens
• make friends
• and much more.

You could be the next president of Titulia.

Mary Brewster blogs:

http://www.locustlounge.net/

Visit Locust Lounge Nightclub

Book this beautifully designed nightclub and restaurant with a full bar, full kitchen, nice mezzanine lounge, dance floor, two patios, and much more. The Locust Lounge is Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties’ newest and hottest venue with great ambiance, trendsetting music, and exquisite food.

Hours of Operation:

Dinner
Tuesday – Saturday
6:00pm to 9:00pm

Nightclub Hours
Wednesday – Saturday
9:00pm to 2:00am

Location:
205 E. 2nd Street
Pomona, CA  91766
(909) 629-7777
www.locustlounge.net

21+ with Fashionable Attire

The amazing story of Jason McElwain. Jason is autistic, and for years he helped coach his high school basketball team. The last game of the season, the coach let him play.

CollegeHumor video

Ride into the wild black yonder with the robotic spacecraft now exploring the solar system. Fresh pictures and news from deep space.

Riding with Robots on the High Frontier.

1. Oakland is close enough so you can root for its teams, but far enough away so that you feel safe.
2. You can distinguish between a cryp and a blood at Great America based upon the nuances of their limp.
3. Several “parties” you frequent take place inside someone’s garage amongst laundry, sitting on crates around a bong.
4. You know why 280 south becomes 680 north.
5. Your elementary school field trips included the Children’s Discovery Museum, Mission Santa Clara, and Happy Hollow.
6. You didn’t realize that San Jose` had an accent mark until the “San Jose` – the Capital of Silicon Valley” signs went up everywhere.
7. You don’t understand how you could have functioned before hway 85.
8. Nickel City = Awesome.
9. You had your hair done at Special FX for prom.
10. You or a family member has made a donation to KQED.
11. You know at least three jokes regarding the ambiguous sexual orientation of boys from Bellarmine.
12. You learned the concept of “Duck and Cover” just in the nick of time.
13. You use “The Church on the Hill” as a landmark.
14. You’ve been to at least one party at the Vallco ice rink.
15. You’ve gotten in a car accident at Almaden and Blossom Hill.
16. Smashmouth. Don’t say ANYTHING.
17. You have an arsenal of tongue-in-cheek pet names for West Valley College.
18. You said “hella” in high school because it was the thing to say, and you say “hella” now to claim San Francisco. But you’re from San Jose.
19. You were usually in Santa Cruz in high school.
20. You can’t decide whether to take 101 or 280.
21. You or a family member got a car on Capitol Expwy.
22. The only time you’ve ever been to the Winchester Mystery House is when an out-of-town relative insisted on seeing it.
23. You remember AFI before they hit the mainstream.
24. You know that “Christmas in the Park” has very little to do with an actual park.
25. Whenever Caesar Chavez park comes to mind, you envision a giant “poop” statue… yeah, you know what i mean!
26. You call it “San Ho” and laugh to yourself a little. Every time.
27. You have impromptu high school reunions at the Brit.
28. You participated in CCS.
29. You’ve eaten Golfland nachos.
30. You think lightrail is the ONLY way to go.
31. You went to Summer Jams or BFD.
32. You meet your friends at the Santa Teresa Starbucks. You smoke cigarettes outside the Santa Teresa Starbucks.
33. You have comprehensive knowledge of Paul from the Diamond Center’s credentials and advertising campaigns.
34. You’ve danced at the Edge.
35. You’re usually bored.
36. You go to LaFondue for your anniversary because its mandated by the city. You have to go, its just something you have to do.
37. You’ve made the joke about “Silicone Valley”.
38. Hicks Road scares the shit out of you.
39. You’ve driven up hicks road several times late at night with a car full of friends looking for the legendary albinos that live there.
40. You’ve crashed a computer company’s Christmas party at the Fairmont.
41. You were at your computer company’s Christmas party at the Fairmont when some loser burnouts crashed it.
42. You are in the drive-thru line at the Branham Jack-in-the-Box at 3am.
43. …Honestly, if you tell them about Smashmouth we’ll never live it down.
44. Remember Christi Yamaguchi.
45. Your don’t know exactly what your dad does, but you know its something in high tech.
46. Your mom is a member of AVAC.
47. You’ve tried to get to that building on the top of Mt. Umunhum.
48. When you are aware of the fact that its the third largest city in California dammit, its not like its some obscure town in the central valley or a high sierra mining camp. Its frickin San Jose. Its got like a million people. You haven’t heard of it? That’s because you’re ignorant. That’s because you’re ignorant and disgusting. PS we made your computer. Now do you feel stupid? A little bit? Yeah.
49. You always answer the question “San Jose? Where is that?” with “About an hour south of San Francisco (dumbass)”.
50. You went to a rave, knew someone who went to a rave, or at least pretended that you were a raver in the late 90s.
51. You can judge a person with frightening acuity based on what high school they went to, regardless of that high school’s geographical location. Leland and Santa Teresa – case in point.
52. You saw Primus at the Cactus Club.
53. You know what yay is.
54. You do the ‘california roll’ through every stop sign.
55. You think Oakridge is lame but still spend waaay too much time there.
56. You know that when people say the’yre “going to the city” they mean san fran.
57. At least once you have gone to San Francisco for the day wearing shorts and a t-shirt because it was a warm clear day in San Jose. And you froze your little @$#^ off.
58. You’ve been to a giants game [if you think san francisco giants, you obviously dont live in san jose]
59. You know “The Woods” isn’t an actual forest.
60. You played in the fountains downtown when you were a kid.
61. The SJ flea market is the only place on earth where you decide that you need a poncho, a cowboy hat, some fresh produce, a genuine samurai sword, and a picture of Elvis. And you just have to talk the vendor down from two bucks to a buck fifty for the Elvis picture.
62. You have at least one friend who brags about knowing player for the SJ Sharks.
63. You’ve spent over 6 hours of your life looking for parking at Santana Row.
64. Things start to smell like garlic about 30 minutes south of your house.
65. You are fully aware of the fact that 87 will never be “finished”.
66. 66. When people refer to “the field”, you know they’re talking about the empty plot of land across from Safeway by 85, Branham and Snell.
67. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum scares you.
68. You know that Mr. Chau is ‘all over da place’.
69. Deciding between La Vic’s and Iguanas is a daily choice.
70. You know that the pink poodle isn’t referring to a dog of color.
71. You’ve been in a sex shop on San Carlos (or at least thought about going in).
72. You’ve been to Raging Waters
73. You remember going to birthday parties at Golden Skate Roller Palace or Q-zar.
74. Going to the Cardinal makes you feel a lot younger because of all the old people.
75. Finding fingers in your chili is not something to laugh at.
76. You fear for your life, and you have “near death” stories just traveling down Tully.
77. All the cool high school kids went to the Gaslighter.
78. You’ve driven around Willow Glen at Christmas to see all of the insanely tricked-out Christmas lights.
79. You drove all the way to Willow Glen or the Rose Garden Area to go trick-or-treating.
80. You know all the good hookah bars.
81. You’ve lived in San Jose your whole life and still manage to get lost once in a while.
82. You wish you lived in a house on University Avenue.
83. You’ve gone to the behemoth that is the Martin Luther King library to do research and gotten hopelessly lost.
84. You get annoyed when people say you aren’t from the bay even though your city is bigger and if they checked the city limits-they touch water.
85. When you were seven the tech museum’s ball machine was the coolest thing ever and you could watch it for hours.
86. You remember when the only IMAX anyone was able to go to was at the Tech Museum.
87. You wondered why there were random shark sculptures on every street corner last summer.
88. You’ve known that the Pink Poodle has been right next to Babyland your whole life, but you still make jokes every time you drive by.
89. You read the Merc.
90. You remember when the HP Pavilion was built, when everyone called it “the arena”, and now refer to it as the Shark Tank.
91. If it weren’t for the sharks, you probably wouldn’t watch hockey.
92. The airplane at Vasona defined your childhood.
93. It was a huge deal the one time it snowed, even though it pretty much melted once it hit the ground.
94. You dream of living in one of those mansions in the Los Gatos Hills.
95. You’ve designed, colored, or glues maccoroni on to an ornament for a Christmas tree for Christmas in the Park.
96. Your trip to the slopes starts at 4 in the morning.
97. Going to Los Gatos is not an event unless you see at least 3 Lambo’s.
98. Hwy 9 is the funnest road in the bay.
99. You can find, purchase, and start hitting a sack in under 10 minutes.
100. You know why there are no skyscrapers downtown.
101. You openly hate Valley Fair, curse whoever it was that planed that stupid fucking off-ramp from 880 to Stevens Creek because of all the stupid Valley Fair traffic…but you know at least 3 people who work there, you do your shopping there, and always run into at least 7 kids you know.
102. You still don’t understand that carwash that looks like a boat over by 17 and Hamilton.
103. You were disappointed to learn that the Old Spaghetti Factory is a chain.
104. You learned to drive in the parking lot of an abandoned Dot Com-er office complex.
105. You have seen Crazy George with his drum at a San Jose Giants game.
106. ITS THE SAFEST LARGEST CITY IN THE USA. enough said.
107. The Zodiac Killer had ties in San Jose, and a supposed victim.
108. You know what CMT kids are.
109. You saw the Warriors lose a game at the Arena during their interim stay in San Jo.
110. You pressed your whole body (face and all) into the giant pin thing at the Discovery Museum despite the signs that warn you not to.
111. You’ve gone to college somewhere that’s mostly white and it unnerves you.
112. You know the In N Out secret menu.
113. Regardless of your ethnicity, you know when Chinese New Year is and which animal’s year it is.
114. You’ve contracted a viral infection from the “water” at Almaden Lake.
115. Your mom cut the “family night at the shark’s tank” coupon out of the Mercury News.
116. You can’t find a single street without at least 20 potholes per mile.
117. Someone you know has a tile with their name on it outside of the Children’s Discovery Museum.
118. You have tried to drop/spit things on people while riding Eagle’s Flight at Great America.
119. You went to walden west science camp at some point in elementary school.
120. You went to Camp Campbell in 5th/6th grade.
121. You’ve only been to a Quakes game once or not at all but you missed them when they were gone
122. You can find at least 50 yard sales on any given Saturday.
123. You’ve watched the fireworks from that part of downtown with the palm trees near 280.
124. You drove out to the Mercado to see a movie because it had the best seats.
125. You know that the best parties are in other towns
126. You’ve taken Caltrain to SF to avoid driving in the city, then hated walking around all day.
127. You’ve been to Hakone gardens.
128. You’ve smelled the Sulphur at Alum Rock Park.
129. You remember the Auto Mall in los gatos exploding!
130. You played on the play structure in Mineta Airport as a kid
131. Military planes flying into Moffett Field are a normal everyday occurrence.
132. You wish you worked for Google.
133. You know all the cutty parks to do drugs in.
134. You use mapquest just to get across town to someone’s house.
135. You remember the Santana Row fire and everyone thought it was a terrorist attack.
136. Despite the fact that there is so much to do in San Jose, you never have anything to do!
137. There are places you can walk alone at night and be perfectly safe… and then there are places you wouldn’t dare walk alone durnig the day.
138. You used to play in the “snow” outside the eastridge ice arena.
139. You know about the horrible duck-runner-overer man, and you saw his posters all around the city.
140. You’ve seen the roller skating cowboy in white.
141. You know where the billboards change from English to Spanish then from Spanish or English to Vietnamese. And think it is awesome when you find an intersection with three billboards, one in each language.
142. For the Asians: Lion Plaza
143. When asked by anyone who the most boring/anoying person they know is, you quickly respond Tom Shane
144. You wonder why there are a few random plots of land that are still not built up ( wouldnt the people that own that make a fuckin fortune if they sold it to the city).
145. The only other person in your college who cares about the NHL is from canada.
146. You waited 3 hours in line for STEALTH at great america when it first came out, and by the time you came back, they took it down.
147. You had your high school senior portrait taken at ProImage Studios.
148. You wonder why our county is called “Santa Clara County” even though SJ has nearly 10 times as many residents as Santa Clara.
149. It was only after a building did get knocked down that you realized you’d never actually paid attention to what it had been for, just that something had definitely been there.
150. You know your from San Jose if you’ve been to another city at night and wondered why the lights weren’t low pressure sodium mustard yellow.
151. Almost everyone from your high school goes to DeAnza/West Valley/Evergreen after they graduate
152. You’ve eaten at Taco Bell with Dreadlock Jimmy
153. Your city’s most famous athlete ate 66 hotdogs in 12 minutes (Joey Chestnut OWNS)
154. No one else knows we’re the capital of the silicon valley… and we only know because it’s on the trash cans
155. There’s a giant penis in front of your city hall
156. You go anywhere besides UC Berkeley, Davis, LA, or Irvine and wonder where all the asians went off to.
157. You saw Lucky’s change to Albertsons.. and then back to Lucky’s
158. You use to hang out at the UA cinemas on Blossom Hill and see a movie for a buck!

via Facebook | you know you’re from san jose when….

The Infrared Milky Way: GLIMPSE/MIPSGAL

More than 800,000 frames from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope were stitched together to create this infrared portrait of dust and stars radiating in the inner Milky Way.

via Media Images: Zoomable Images.