30 days to hitchin'- hold on folks!

The planning is ramping up...
flowers ordered...
gretta ordered her shoes and we go get mine tomorrow...
reserved the car last week (remember- sold ours so now we rent)...
Ralph and Ingrid (my parents) are showing up early to help with last minute things...
and we both continue to calm the other one down as the anxiety shoots through the roof on occasion...
I have one show to take work down from, one review to hang work for, one appointment to show work to prospective buyer, two papers to write, and a job I'm still waiting to hear about...
and the dog isn't having any trouble sleeping! We don't thing she really knows she is about to get a mom like she has always wanted!
Back to reading for papers...
e

not to toot our own horn...but, "beep"

Of course, when someone gets that little glimmer of self-appreciation, they always seem to say something superficially modest like, "not to toot my own horn, but _____," filling in that accomplishment or action that spawned the pride. As I came across an article in the NY Times today, that little glimmer appeared. At the risk of coming across as NorCal self-righteous, I would like to pat E and myself on the backs for establishing (pre-recession) and maintaining (especially recession-mired) a frugal lifestyle. The NY Times article, "Austere Times? Perfect," champions several folks, who even if they are sitting pretty financially, have reduced the waste and consumption in their lifestyles by some measure. And, to that, I applaud! Granted, our frugality began out of necessity; still, even as we gained a little comfort and padding here, we have maintained our dedication to those often-over-looked and under-appreciated corners of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle triangle. Recycling is great...yet, reducing and especially reusing have been the joy of our frugality. Not only has it become rewarding (thus the horn...), but as we reused those sour cream, apple juice, yogurt, and salsa containers, it's become a habit. Only one tiny flaw..."now which lid goes with what??"

Grad School sinking in?

I finally bit the bullet and worked up a website! As I wait for the reassignment of my new domain name romanphotographic.com



one long day of staying in cause I'm sick, one set of sore eyes, and a dog that can not figure out what the hell I was doing all day long when I wasn't walking her.

Enjoy. Let me know what you think. Amy- send your address for an invitation

eric

nada

What happens when you find yourself unable to change the channel from the Food Network and in too close proximity to a grocery store that has an amazing selection of Latino groceries?

You realize you're up to your elbows in flour and shortening and you're using a tequila bottle as a rolling pin.

Run Forest, Run

Grad school leaves small blocks of time- not long enough for the epic death marches of central PA and undergrad programs but long enough for me to want to puke most of the time...
you really can't take the race mentality out of someone after they win a few races...belive me- it would be way nicer to look around and relax...
e

How far do we have to go?

With the Kuth/Ranieri book (that monster of a monograph that I was originally hired to manage putting together) is now in the press's hands, the weekends have returned to us...and... well, we've been taking advantage of what has become our two favorite places--the woods of Marin County and Chinatown. When we finally leave this place, it must be these two places that could ever be worth missing: Chinatown with Pho served at a table with fifteen other people, amazing buns full of goodness, the best prices on fresh vegetables (even if we have no idea how to cook most of them once we get them home); and, as for Marin, they're woods out of a fairy tale book. And, did I mention that these are the best places to get away from all the folks with too much money and too little respect for others? Actually, you have to skirt them on all sides that bound the goodness, but once you know where they lurk, it's much easier to dodge and then heckle.

E and I have spent hours batting back and forth what could be the root of the nature of folk we continue to be confronted with here...and as 10 $2 beers at the abandoned diner just a few blocks from our pad would justify... we've come to a few well-conceived, beautifully constructed conclusions from the consequences of a wild-west mentality to the problem of liberals with too much cash (yeah those are the ones found everywhere but most abundantly in SF... no, you know the type. they wear really tight "faded" gray jeans, ride beat up bikes that are too big for them to their fancy two-bedroom, over-priced apartment in the Mission where their Prius is parked and which they will precede to drive to Trader Joe's and park their empty cart that holds their groceries for one person in the middle of one diagonal aisle while they ponder the different granolas that are ALWAYS the same at the other end of the aisle....those ones.) You may say, well at least they drive a Prius, right? Well, I would agree if I didn't know the danger of an asshole in that quiet car sneaking up the bike lane to skip around traffic.

Do I sound bitter? Perhaps... that's what the weekends in Chinatown and the Marin woods are for. For one, they won't populate places they won't be seen, and well, the grit and crowds of Stockton and the deep forest beyond the wooden planks of the Cataract waterfall and the Muir Redwood "trails" provides neither brunch or plate glass windows for folks to see you. Still, as E reminds me... a few slip through the cracks and get lost in both places...and they see us and ask either "How much farther until the end?" or "Where should we eat here in Chinatown?"-- to which we answer "How far would you like to go?" to both...knowing that both uphill and raw beef that cooks in the soup as you eat it probably is too far.

What he would do for an image...


lunch spot...not too bad


I'm learning the new camera...near...


and far...


and in between...




these trees are everywhere...kuh-raz-ee


And E's learning to use the camera too...we're so proud...he's getting there.


this one's for the boys back home, e says


we made this together....


that's the Pacific you see... oh and that boy, yeah...he's alright too


but way cooler now... because nothing says cool like prescription sunglasses, right?


and believe it or not, this dog
is...


also this booze-hound. nice, pep...

and a note to end this bitter posting on...cause what else could make you feel better than...

Thanks for your concern...

So we are supposed to keep our bikes in the garage here in the building. I did it over the weekend and many of my parts were stolen off my frame. I went to the building manager knowing that the bike rack was under the surveillance camera to see if I could find out who took my parts. Nope! Turns out they would rather not stop someone from stealing things. They did offer their "concern" regarding my loss- nice. If you are reading this you have a pretty good idea of who I am. That being said- enjoy the letter I dropped off for the management office tonight. I am proud of this one!
Your favorite pain in the ass- eric

Dear Folsom/Dore Management,
I want to take a moment to thank you for your concern in dealing with the recent theft. In hindsight, my request to see surveillance footage from the security cameras was unreasonable. Knowing full well that the strategically placed cameras are meant to be a deterrent to those breaking the law and a tool to instill a sense of safety with building residents- the request to know who stole parts from my bicycle may encroach on the thief’s right to privacy is unreasonable. The prospect of keeping a person from breaking the law is a hold over from my New England puritan roots.
It has become clear that in haste and hot temper that I looked past the community aspect of the building in wanting to protect my personal belongings. In lieu of this new information (the fact that the criminal is protected at all costs), I will no longer be concerning myself with this recent incident. Instead- I will make an event of this and find the joy of consumerism. Please don’t let the fact that we fall well short of the minimum income to qualify for residency here fool you- I look forward to investing a portion of my income to replace the bike parts.
Not only is the bicycle that was rendered useless by the theft a personal memento of my racing past- it also was my main form of transportation. Please don’t read this letter as a plea that a bike is more than just a bike. Most people see bikes as recreation and not serious transportation and this solidifies that the management holds this stance. As a new resident I was under the impression that alternative transportation was encouraged.
Again- I thank you for your concern. Along with that- I thank you for reminding me that the individual is powerless in the eyes of the system. The fact that you posses proof of theft and more than likely the identity of the thief only proves that the system is built to protect some and not others.
Eric Roman