Santa Monica is touristy. Then I see Arianna Huffington at Midnight Special bookstore. She indicates that we can use the lazyness and spinelessness of our leaders to our advantage. Public protest gets things done. During her speaking engagement, there’s a beady-eyed conspiracy theorist who keeps interrupting other people trying to ask questions, especially when talking about the 2000 election. He hates Nader, apparently. Diana and I leave at this point. I came to see her speak, but know her work well enough not to have to sit through a Q&A period. There’s a lot of angry faces in the room, but it seems to me the anger shouldn’t be directed here.
To L.A.
The drive to LA – beautiful, actually. I never realized the road to Southern California was so flat, although I passed a cattle ranch that had thousands of cattle and no grass. Maybe it was one of those cattle processing farms that I read about in “Fast Food Nation” or saw on Frontline. I saw two Hummer H2s. I’m most definitely not in San Francisco anymore. I meet my cousin Diana and her husband Peter at their place in Santa Monica. We go to a restaurant, and then Diana and I head over to a bar called “The Brig”. It’s a dive bar redone in LA fashion. The women are really skinny, and evidence of cosmetic surgery seems abundant.
Alternatives to Social Discomfort
I’m never staying in a hotel again. Why should I, when a beautiful bed and breakfast near Alamo Square is slightly cheaper. There’s barely anyone there, so I get the tudor part of the mansion to myself. There’s a fireplace and clawfoot tub. Yes!
Tonight my friend Leda and I went to the ‘Alternatives to Economic Globalization’ conference at the Palace of Fine Arts. I recognize a couple of people from New College, lending further evidence to my theory that communities in SF are formed through groups of interest moreso than knowing your neighbor. What made this conference so inspiring was that it wasn’t a bitch-and-moan session, it was a report on alternatives on the way the world can do business, and tread lightly on the environment while embracing human rights. We went to the Orbit Room afterwards and talked over a mojito. Leda just had an article about time management published in the latest Utne magazine. She informed me that United for Peace is adding ‘and Justice’ to their title to be more representative of the social justice mission of the organization.
I chat it up with a few people at the bar – maybe I’m more comfortable here than I realize.
San Francis’doh
I’m not sure what to think about San Francisco today, or maybe I’m just having a bad day, or maybe it’s the contrived experience of a hotel room. I remember why I left here last summer – I just didn’t connect with anyone, and didn’t want to start from scratch. Still, it’s a good day to catch up on homework, but I wonder if I should have just flown back today. It would be cheaper than staying the whole week.
Kahlo Me Impressed
I’ve registered at New College for my final baccalaureate semester – and it took only 13 years to accomplish. I can’t wait.I’m staying tonight and tomorrow night at the Villa Florence downtown. After checking in, I pass out on the bed, asleep. They’ve given me a tiny room next to the heating unit, which makes a loud humming noise. I need a break from this – I call my friend Trina, and we meet at Uncle Vito’s for pizza, and then go catch a late show of ‘Frida’. Frida – an amazing story, and relevant since I had just seen her and Diego Rivera’s artwork a week earlier. I was inspired by their passion for their work, and it reminds me why I shouldn’t attempt things in half-assed matter. Genuinely pouring yourself into something can be painful and/or satisfying, but it’s a real experience.
The Angry Republican
Kimmay and I went with Jeannette to the Café Venus and Mars Bar, to celebrate one of Jeannette’s friend’s birthday. One of the people in the group was an angry Republican (self-professed). I’ve never met anyone so visibly angry with the world – I wonder if he had experienced a breakup a while ago, and became embittered and joined the Republican party. I attempted to diffuse him with non-partisan conversation, and that seemed to bring him down a bit. It’s been awhile since I’ve met someone that tightly wound.
MPA or MBA?
MPA or MBA? I spent today looking at a couple of options for graduate studies. Evergreen State College has a Master’s of Public Administration: it sounds sort of what I’m looking for and is 8 quarters (2 years) long. Not bad. I’m also looking at the Green MBA program offered through New College – a business program founded on ethics and sustainability practices sounds like a desperately needed foundation for any prospective business student.
The recovery
Today I spent on the couch, when I wasn’t getting sick. We really take our food sources for granted – who knows how far the ingredients traveled? I read ‘Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things’ today, and as a result have a new appreciation to keep my purchases local when possible. The author uses a boating term at the end of the book: ‘Watch your wake’, talking about the rippling effect of our consuming habits and the need to tread lightly (minimal wake) with our lifestyle.
Fun with food poisoning!
Make no mistake about it: the choices we make today can greatly affect our future. I stopped at my favorite Mexican restaurant for a salmon burrito, and while walking back to my place, I ran into my friend Jeannette, who asked me if I wanted to get some lunch. I declined, since I had already bought it, but should have taken her up on her offer: I got food poisoning from the salmon, and spent the rest of the evening throwing up. Ugh.
SWM makes dinner
One of the things I don’t like about living alone is the very important ritual of cooking and eating at home. I eat out a lot, and know a lot of foodies to support this habit, so I decided to try something new and invite my family to dinner at my place as a housewarming and a chance to enjoy conversation, food and wine with people I love. Pumpkin soup, spinach and walnut salad with goat cheese, tofu spinach lasagna (all vegan), and then good old chocolate cake (dairy necessary) for dessert. All the ingredients were organic and locally grown if possible. We played Taboo afterwards – a normal evening by most standards, but something I really wanted after such a turbulent 2002.