it's all in his head

WHITEWATER--AND UNDERWATER--BIRTHDAY RAFTING ADVENTURES

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:43:00 +0000

Thought I'd share what we did for my birthday: I think you'll be able to tell the moment where I lost contact with the raft and felt completely enclosed by water--amazing, (literally) breathtaking, beautiful, and incredibly fun--and all David's sweet idea based upon me deciding to jump into the 42-degree Virgin River when we were in Utah. I was scared before, but not at all once we were...

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Quick Pic Pix From Our Utah Trip

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:16:00 +0000

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PLUGGED-IN BY REQUEST: On-Line Art Show of The Photographs From My Recent Gallery Shows

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Friends beyond the Bay Area have been asking to see the photographs in my recent one-person show, "Catching the Sun," and the pieces Ken Baker chose for the recent show he juried, especially since there was some new work they hadn't seen before. So here goes (in no particular order): "Tram Man" This is a photograph I took during a 2007 trip David and I made around...

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WHAT KIND OF SHOWERS COME OUT OF A GOLDEN HYDRANT? (A Quick 'Where Is This? Post)

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Okay, a quick, sidewalk-themed, two-part-er. First, an easy one (you should know this one); it's in San Francisco (and no, it's not a prop for the big Academy of Friends party): And the real quiz; it's on a pavement in San Francisco (and they're not some fish that fell out of a bin in Chinatown and onto the sidewalk): Just like last time, the first person to come up with the right...

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ON THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A zeizen pesach, y'all. Okay, I have to admit something embarrassing and shameful: I'm addicted to "The Streets of San Francisco" re-runs on KOFY. I record it daily and probably watch one or two episodes each week. But how can I resist?! The great low-tech montage opening (I wish I'd had the Fisherman's Wharf segment when I ran a workshop with their business improvement...

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SOME FAVE OAKTOWN EATS: FALAFEL, VIETNAMESE, & KOREAN

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Here are some of our food faves in Oakland; each one is our fave for that type of food in the Bay Area: Oasis Market: Even though I really like the humorously-named Ali Baba's Cave in The Mission for shwerma and wraps and appetizers, I think the best falafel I have ever had are at the Oasis, a newish Yemeni market at Telegrah and 31st in Oakland's Pill Hill neighborhood: they're light, crunchy,...

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A GOOD HOMEMADE BAGEL ("and from a deli-owner that's a rave...")

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Over the holidays I decided to try my hand at making home-made, whole-wheat bagels. My recent New York City sojourn was the impetus: having regular access to real bagels made we want to see if I could re-create them at home in San Francisco, where pretty much all we have are typical, 21st-century, American pseudo-bagels that are fist-sized and spongey. I wanted to see if I could create the...

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HULA & TONY BENNETT: ANOTHER UNLIKELY DUET

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The invitation for this year's San Francisco Symphony Black & White Ball fundraiser, featuring a performance by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang made me think of something I love running across on tv: the old Union Bank-sponsored short that KQED has recently started playing again between regular programming. I know it's corny, but I really love this piece and the combo of hula, SF scenes, and...

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I KNOW I SHOULD BE HAPPIER THE HEALTHCARE BILL PASSED: But I also know the work of real health, medicine, cost, and insurance change has to be ahead. And just in case you didn't hear how low our 'national conversation' sank this past weekend:

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 06:32:00 +0000

Tea Party Protesters Scream 'Nigger' And 'Faggot' at CongressmenBy William Douglas | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — Demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol, angry over the proposed health care bill, shouted "nigger" Saturday at U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who was nearly beaten to death during an Alabama march in the 1960s. Protesters also...

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BACHELOR BREAKFASTS: SECRET MEALS FOR ONE

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:02:00 +0000

The Fiancé had a workshop the other weekend, so The Omnivore got to make a Bachelor Breakfast: real, smoked pork bacon--two whole slices!--and two slices of red onion; two eggs added to the cast iron skillet when the bacon and onions are turned and almost done; and a handful of fresh spinach added and tossed with the onions just before turning off the flame. And then served--to myself--by...

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CAVORTING AT BAKER BEACH (WE'RE TALKIN' 'BOUT... DOLPHINS*)

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:40:00 +0000

Did you know there's a regular pod of dolphins hanging out at Baker Beach? Pretty damn amazing. I saw these three in November when I was doing site visits as a committeemember advising the Presidio Trust about changes to the Coastal Trail. (My main recommendation was to start with a matrix of users and place typologies because, like so many other natural and coastal areas...

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THE STORY'S IN THE RETAILING: Some Weird & Wonderful Store Signage & Packaging

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:54:00 +0000

WTF?! Do these retailers have no clue? :-P This first one makes me remember the time on Upper Broadway, when my dear friend Martha said, "Nice box!" to this big, handsome man in an expensive suit passing us in the crosswalk, sporting a sizeable...suit box from Barneys. Or my idea for a Hooter's counterpoint called, "The Big Basket," staffed by muscle-y men in tight clothes, where all the...

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KNOW WHERE THIS IS ??? GUESS CORRECTLY AND WIN A PRIZE...

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:31:00 +0000

Ah... an early-spring view of picturesque whaling cottages set in a salt-air swept Nantucket garden, with the village Congregationalist church in the background. NOT. It's in San Francisco. Do you know where? I realize I've been collecting these unexpected glimpses as I explore and photograph the Bay Area, New York, and other places. And I thought a...

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GREAT FINDS: FAVE DOUGHNUTS, BURGERS, AND ICE CREAM IN THE BAY AREA

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:24:00 +0000

No surprise that all this good food's in San Francisco's Mission. None of these three places are brand-new, but if you haven't tried them you owe yourself a visit; each has great food and focuses on sourcing ingredients locally and from organic providers. Any faves you wanna share? Best Doughnuts: It's weird the Bay Area doesn't have that many great doughnuts (though the vegan...

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Q.W.E.P.*: TWO MEDIA FINDS + THAT 'OTHER' DEXTER

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:54:00 +0000

"The Most Dangerous Man in America:" I really recommend this documentary about Daniel Ellsberg and the "Pentagon Papers" that my friend Tom and I saw recently; I'm embarrassed to say that I had only a very general understanding and the vaguest childhood recollection about this pivotal episode in American history and the major role it played in the Vietnam War, the downfall of the Nixon...

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THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS NO CLOTHES: THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE NEITHER TOD* OR GREEN

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:28:00 +0000

I like local architect David Baker: he runs a cool firm, supports good orgs and causes, bikes everywhere, and has designed a lot of in-fill, multi-family projects around the Bay in recent years, with a lot more on the drawing boards. And I'm a big supporter of SPUR--the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association--and their work and programming, which until recently was headed by the...

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DOES THOM MAYNE HATE BICYCLES??? (and insider photos from special tours of two Thom Mayne-designed buildings)

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:40:00 +0000

A short piece in Momentum, a magazine for urban cyclists, about the struggle by employees to get bike racks installed in San Francisco's newish Thom Mayne-designed Federal Building, made me remember these posters I saw put up by frustrated students advocating for bike racks in the brand-new, Mayne-designed Cooper Union academic building in New York. We know that architects can only design in...

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SPILLING THE BEANS + A QUICK MAGAZINE RANT

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Carbs of Color: My dear friend Dena's mention in her great food blog about a recent post of mine made me realize that, in typical fashion, when I talked about our "non-white food diet" (i.e. whole foods and grains as much as possible, processed foods and 'white' carbs as little as possible), I alluded to the increasingly well-known health benefits, but neglected to mention the equally important...

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(From) HAIL TO DARWIN

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:21:00 +0000

Hail, Hail, the Hail's All Here: We occasionally get the odd bit of hail, but San Francisco had a truly freak hailstorm today--lasting a good five minutes with hail the size of peas, accompanied by a ten degree drop in temperature, and bracketed by rain. In my quick vid you can see my window fogging up because the temp was dropping so quickly, and that's the sound of it bouncing off the...

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QUICK WEEK'S END POSTS: GARDEN UPDATE, HEIRLOOM SEEDS, HIDDEN PG&E BEAUX-ARTS INTERIOR (and mini SF CHRON rant...)

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Reworking the Plot: I finally admitted to myself that some of those older seeds I'd sown just weren't going to germinate--the only way to know was try--and filled in with new arugula, mache, and mizuna seeds. It was a joy working in the garden on the first recent sunny day: the adjoining mini-park was packed with parents watching their kids play, dogs and their owners, young couples, and best of...

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ORGANIC FARM IRON CHEF, or LIVING (LARGE) OFF THE LAND: GETAWAY PART III

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:28:00 +0000

As good as getting to see the farm animals up close was the Full House Farm organic vegetable garden just for guests where we (literally) had the pick of beautiful, cool weather produce. I'd decided not to bring any food, supplies, or equipment (not even my trusty cast-iron skillet)--or spices, herbs, oils, or vinegars. For those who know me, this was big, especially because we were hoping to...

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HORSES AND CHICKENS AND GOATS, OH MY!: RECENT GETAWAY PART II

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:48:00 +0000

On our recent West Sonoma trip, an incredible find was Full House Farm, where we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the Studio Cottage. Cozy, comfortable, fully fitted out and perfectly sited on a secluded, wooded slope on a working, organic farm west of Sebastopol. Included in the very reasonable rate was a farm tour by owner Christine Cole. Christine really took the time to tell us about and...

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THREE GREAT WEST SONOMA FINDS: RECENT GETAWAY PART I

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:25:00 +0000

We recently had a great getaway in West Sonoma County, and on our first day's transition to a slower pace, we made a couple of stops along the way: A winery, a general store, day spa, and Wild Flour Bread make up the entire town of Freestone, but it's worth a detour just for the bakery: all of the baked goods that come out of their wood-fired, brick oven are incredible--we stocked up on savory...

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QUICK FOOD POST: LENTILS, CROQUETTES, and BREAKFAST SAMMIES

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:37:00 +0000

After seeing an article that referred to some actor's "weird, no-white food diet," I felt like I wanted to show some of the ways we've been trying to eliminate as much processing as possible in our diet, and focusing on whole food and grains, and combos of ingredients and cooking that help us better access nutrients. And my dear friend Dena and other friends exploring gluten-free diets got me...

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QUICK POSTS: YOGA TOES + THE PLOT THICKENS + 18 PANCHAN!

noreply@blogger.com (winston) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:32:00 +0000

YOGA TOES: I'm feeling very grateful for yoga this week. We take a regular restorative hatha yoga class, and I am constantly amazed at how such a gentle practice challenges, strengthens, centers, and opens me. It's a great class: people are serious and committed but low-key, and there's no jockeying for a spot and no 'yoga' clothing. One man brings lemons from his tree, and I've brought lemon...

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