Castro in the Castro

Castro Leaves the Castro and heads South

2012-01-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

At the end of March, I'm turning 30. I never thought it would mean much, but I don't think it's a coincidence that three months from my 30th birthday, I find myself on leave from my job, traveling through Latin America on a journey I've dreamt of taking for years.

The original idea was to take three months to be in Uruguay, where my family is from, and to really get a sense of what it's like to be there for more than a week or two at a time. It's a place that I've always felt was a part of me, but I've never felt a part of it. Every time I go, I feel like a tourist, an outsider. This is my attempt to change that.

As soon as I asked for the time off, the universe seemed to tell me I had made the right choice by sending other once-in-a-lifetime opportunities my way. Check out my current itinerary:

FIRST STOP: Cabarete, Dominican Republic

This was an obvious one because my mom lives here and it's been a couple of years since I've spent Christmas with her. It's a perfect place to start my journey, with a few weeks of relaxing and family time before I head further south.

Machu Picchu (CC License)

SECOND STOP: Perú

About a week after I got my leave approved at KALW, my bandmates at Makrú decided they wanted to plan a trip to play shows in Perú sometime in January. Given my recently approved leave, the stars seemed aligned for me to be there. So far we have shows planned in Lima and Cusco, where we will also take a week to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. And that's not even three weeks into my trip!

THIRD STOP: Cartagena, Colombia

Streets of Cartagena (CC License)

A few weeks after Makrú told me about the tour to Perú, an opportunity came up through Radio Ambulante, a Spanish-language podcast that I'm launching with three partners this coming year. At the end of January, Radio Ambulante was asked to lead a week-long workshop hosted by the Fundación Nuevo Periodismo leading up to the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts in Cartagena. I've been hired to help NPR's Mandalit del Barco (also senior consultant to Radio Ambulante) train 14 Colombian journalists in long form, narrative radio storytelling. This is thrilling in so many ways. I worked with Mandalit years ago, so it's very exciting to get a chance to work with her again in such a beautiful place with such a prestigious organization as the FNPI. It's a very exciting opportunity for Radio Ambulante as well, as we gear up to launch our podcast.

FOURTH STOP: Uruguay

View of the sunset from my grandparents farm in Minas, Uruguay

For all of February and March I will be in Uruguay, as originally planned, which allows me to enjoy the summer months with my family. I know everyone thinks their family has the best stories. Well, now that I'm a professional storyteller, I realize it is up to me to make sure our stories are preserved. So other than just enjoying the company of my aunt, and grandparents, and cousins, I plan to record my family's stories.

I'd like to think that I'm above socially imposed ideas of what it means to turn 30, but I'm not naive either. Even if it's only subconsciously, it's going to be significant. Not sure what meaning it may have, but I'll be exploring that in the coming months and hopefully come March 29th I'll have a better idea. I feel so lucky to just have this opportunity to explore, that I'm sure just going through it will be significant enough.

Mother Earth Says "Hello"

2011-10-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Found this around 18th and Mission St.

Lately, I've been experiencing a string of strange coincidences. You know what I mean, right? When a series of things happen that seem too much of a coincidence to be one, even though all logic dictates that there's no way they can be related?

It first started after I posted "Holding On" last week. As soon as I hit publish, I went to Dolores Park with a friend. It was one of those rare San Francisco nights when it's warm enough to leave your hoodie at home and walk around in a tank top and shorts. It happens maybe once, or twice a year, tops, so I knew I had to get out there.

On my way, I found a cool spray painting of an owl on the sidewalk. I had never seen it before, so I snapped a photo and sent it to my friend who loves owls.

But then, as I laid staring up at the sky on the Dolores Park grass, I saw something fly across my view that caught my attention. It landed in a tree nearby, so I decided to get up and go check it out. And I kid you not, it was a freaking owl! I had never seen one before, and all of a sudden, after snapping a photo of one on the sidewalk, there it was, in the flesh, in this urban San Francisco park, right in front of me.

Barn Owl/CC License

I started at it for awhile, in awe. After ten minutes or so, it must've caught sight of some little critter not too far from me, because it swooped off it's perch in the tree and down to the grass about ten feet away from me. It was probably trying to catch something, because it stopped only long enough to claw at the grass and then flew off again into the sky.

My friend insisted that I look into the meaning of this animal when I got home, so I did. The owl is symbolic of various things, but mostly of wisdom and death. This is one sentence from one of the various owl websites that sums it up pretty nicely:

Owl sees and knows the truth. It's ability to navigate through the darkest night and bring back nourishment for itself and others is the foundation of this essence. When you have lost your way, owl essence will guide you back to your proper path and wisdom.

Oh-kay. I know it sounds silly, but once I went back to read my post on holding onto things that are struggling to survive, I couldn't resist wondering: maybe, just maybe, is Mother Nature trying to tell me something?

And that brings me to yesterday.

First off, you should know that yesterday was the Great California ShakeOut, a day when over 8 million people were expected to participate in an earthquake drill that would simulate "the big one" across the entire state.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov

It just so happens that the Loma Prieta earthquake anniversary was also this week, so at KALW we launched a data gathering program via text to ask listeners to help us figure out who has an earthquake kit.

So the fact that the ShakeOut and the Loma Prieta anniversary were the same week was probably not a coincidence, but then, as many of you already known, not one, but two earthquakes actually took place yesterday! Both of a magnitude 3.9.

Then, coincidence number three: during the quake that happened last night, I was in the middle of interviewing one of the artists at the Dia del los Muertos exhibit at SOMArts. She was telling me about a woman that she was going to be thinking of this year, who passed away recently. Here is the audio if you want to hear our reaction to the quake:

Even though I felt the first one earlier that afternoon, this one really shook me, and for the first time I felt the earth literally tremble beneath me. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. And here's the kicker: the artist whom I was speaking with has dedicated her altar to....wait for it.....none other than Mother Earth.

Yup. I know you'll probably say I'm crazy, but there's some part of me that wants to believe that the earthquakes, the owl, this seeming string of coincidences is her way of saying, "Hey, I'm listening."

Exhibit at SOMArts for Dia del los Muertos

Holding On

2011-10-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Graffiti mural found on the corner of Oak and Scott Streets in San Francisco

Not sure what the original metaphor or message was for this graffiti mural, but I was inspired by it.

Makes me think of the burdens we are willing to bear to keep things alive. The very human (and very stubborn) need to hold on. Even if our effort doesn't restore the relationship, person, experience, or [fill in the blank] to it's original glory...even if it plain doesn't work and seems like a waste of time and energy...it's better than the alternative – letting go.

Happy weekend everyone.

Celebrating "el dia de los muertos"

2011-10-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Day of the Dead is a holiday that I've been observing from the outside ever since I moved to California. It isn't a tradition in my culture, and it certainly isn't celebrated as much on the East Coast (where I grew up) as it is here.

Ytaelena López and Martina Castro on opening night

This year, I finally found an opportunity to dip my toe in and see what it felt like to celebrate this day as a participant. I was invited by my good friend Ytaelena López to do the sound design for her installation at SOMArts here in San Francisco.

She and her fellow artists were taking a modern approach to the typical altars that are created for this day. They designed a massive teepee, made completely of white and clear balloons, called "Seeing the Light." It was inspired by the overall theme of the SOMArts exhibition this year, "Illuminations." The teepee is a place of spiritual awakening, so the idea was to create a space where visitors could recall and honor the last time they "saw the light," or had an "aha!" moment, as people like to say these days.

What does this have to do with dia de los muertos?

Well, I like to think that in remembering moments when we had a deep realization or awakening, we are honoring our past selves. In a way, we "die" when we leave behind old ways of thinking. When we move on in a new direction, a new "self" is born.

We have these moments often, but we rarely acknowledge them, and therefore most of us believe we have one, unchanging "self."

SOMArts Day of the Dead poster 2011

In Buddhist teaching, the fact that we are constantly changing means there is no one self, just a series of versions of ourselves that are in a constant state of flux and evolution. That nothingness is the one constant, and that is as close as we get to having an identity or unique soul.

I don't know if I'd go that far – I feel pretty attached to my sense of self. But it is comforting to know that it's only natural for us to change and grow, it's happening without much effort even. If we are open to paying attention, it's happening before our eyes every day.

The audio I contributed to the exhibit was a combination of sounds that inspire me. It was my first attempt at an artistic use of my production skills, so I tried to keep it simple: I layered a recording of the waves at Lindamar Beach, where I often surf in Pacifica, on top of three Tibetan singing bowls played by my bandmate Javi, and my voice, singing along. I also included myself asking the three main questions of our installation:

When did you see the light?

When was your last "aha" moment?

What did you learn?

Inside the teepee, there's a bench where you can sit, answer the questions on a little white tag, and hang it up along the inside wall.

This past Friday was the opening night of the exhibit, and it was packed with people, many of whom stopped by our installation. I was so inspired by all the messages that were left on the tags hanging inside. I hope to gather those and share some on this blog before the end of the exhibition, which culminates on the actual Day of the Dead, November 2.

“EL MAR DE JULIA” altar by La Tania & Adrian

If you get a chance, stop by your local dia de los muertos celebration and use it as an excuse to honor the people who have passed away this year, or at least the many "selves" that you are leaving behind. The altars will inspire you – at least at SOMArts, the artists used humor, color, fantasy, and surrealism to honor mothers, fathers, grandmothers. And you don't just see their photographs – you see their shoes, their favorite things to eat, their kitchen table. You get to read their poetry, and smell their favorite flowers. It's a deep acknowledgement of the many things we collect on our life's journey, the many selves that encompass who we "are" to the world.

The altars were at times somber as well as celebratory. But all were very personal, almost intimate displays of mourning and creativity. This unique artistic expression around the concept of death shows how much life can come out of this inevitable end – not only in the art, but also in the memories of the people we leave behind. And the more selves we let go or usher in, the more life we get to experience. For me, it's a realization that makes the inevitable changes we have to face in life a lot more comforting.

Meet the 99 Percent

2011-10-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

(This blog was originally posted on KALWNews.org)

As people continue to gather in downtown San Francisco to echo the sentiments of the Occupy Wall Street movement that started three weeks ago in New York City, one slogan has certainly stuck out as a rallying cry: "We are the 99 percent."

If you want to get to know the flipside of the movement, Zaid Jilani wrote an article about the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans for Campus Progress, a national organization that works with young people to promote progressive political action. You should read the article with the organization's political agenda in mind, but the author's top five list of facts about this section of society seems to be well-sourced. He says the top 1 percent of Americans:

1. Own 40 Percent Of The Nation’s Wealth

2. Take Home 24 Percent Of National Income

3. Own Half Of The Country’s Stocks, Bonds, And Mutual Funds

4. Have Only 5 Percent Of The Nation’s Personal Debt

5. Are Taking In More Of The Nation’s Income Than At Any Other Time Since The 1920s

However startling these facts are, what most struck me was the string of photographs that popped up when I clicked through a link in the article. It took me to the "We are the 99 percent" website, where you can find photos and stories from people who say they are part of this majority.

It's striking to see faces of real people, summing up their financial hardships on a white sheet of paper, holding it in front of them like a banner or a placard you'd hold for a mug shot. Since this recession hit, these people's stories have been reduced to statistics, pie charts and national trends. But to see their daily struggles reduced to this single piece of paper really drives home how important it is to put a face -- many faces -- on this budding movement.

"El Inmigrante"

2011-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I found this mural on the corner of 23rd and Folsom yesterday. I was so taken by it, that I pulled over just so I could take this photo.

Buried Treasure: Singalongs at the historic Castro Theatre

2011-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Castro Theatre organizers dressed as characters from "The Little Mermaid"

I've lived in the Castro neighborhood for a few years now, but it wasn't until last night that I decided to see one of the Castro Theatre's famous singalong screenings. This weekend was "The Little Mermaid." It was nothing short of magical. Not only was it oddly thrilling to be in a theater full of fellow Little Mermaid lovers, all wearing gold paper crowns and waving green glowsticks in the air at key moments of joy, but it was also incredibly cathartic to sing these beloved songs at full volume with those same people ("Kiss the Girl", "Under the Sea", and "Part of Your World" being my top three). No shame, no holding back. full-on return to childhood, brought to you by Walt Disney.

I think all of us tapped into our inner child last night. I instantly remembered what watching the movie felt like as a little girl, and just seeing a film I've seen about a hundred times one more time was a joyously childish act in itself. We were all so familiar with it that people were speaking along with the characters, delivering famous lines in famous accents (think the chef when he discovers Sebastian the crab). It's one of the only situations where commenting out loud to your friends as the film moves along is totally okay; When it's not just accepted but encouraged to "ooh and ahh" during the romantic parts and scream "Watch out!" during the shark scenes.

Erica Mu and Sonia Fang at the screening

Everyone deserves an experience like that, and I'm so glad that such a historic and gorgeous theater as the Castro is open to making that experience possible to so many of us.

The next chance for you to attend a singalong at the Castro Theatre is in November when it will screen "The Sound of Music." And don't worry if you don't know all the words -- screenings include subtitles of the lyrics during the songs!

How I Officially Came Out (As a Singer)

2011-03-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

I know, the fact that I live in the Castro might suggest a different kind of coming out story, but this one is about my secret life as a singer, and deciding to go very PUBLIC about it -- as in, PUBLIC RADIO.

Last week at 9pm, I was on KALW's "My Favorite Things," an hour-long music and interview program where host Alan Farley invites a vast array of Bay Area personalities to share their favorite music and life stories.

How could I talk about my favorite music and NOT talk about my musical journey as a vocalist?

Martina Castro and Diana Gameros, singing at a restaurant in the Mission

There was no avoiding my coming out, so I just went for it. I prepared a mix of songs that would take the audience from my first foray into the music of Latin America, to my developing fascination with tango, to my singing at community events, then to my audition for American Idol (yes, that really did happen), and finally, to my first recorded song (a cover, but still, a big step for me).

I think this idea of "coming clean" about my love for singing will stump most of the people who knew me before I graduated from college. Back then -- and really, since I was a little girl -- it was probably my most defining characteristic. I was ALWAYS singing. It's what I DID.

This is what Martina the Journalist looks like. Serious.

But as most people who define themselves by things that don't quite carry over to the "real world" too easily -- sports, music, dance, theater, etc. -- that part of me was lost as soon as I entered the working life.

There was little time to tell my co-workers at NPR that I was trained to sing opera. Let's just say, it never came up. So I didn't go out of my way to tell people. Then, all of a sudden, no one around me knew this thing that I loved to do. And what's worse, I also stopped doing it.

Then getting back to singing morphed into a kind of fantasy, on par with becoming a princess or a billionaire. In my head, it got filed away as "childish" and "immature."

Ok, as a journalist, I'm not always so serious.

To top it off, a lot of nasty voices in my head got in the way of treating singing seriously, voices that said things like, "Who do YOU think you are to sing? You never studied music, you never learned music theory, you can't play an instrument...." There was a long list of reasons why I simply was not allowed to come out as a singer.

But my desire and fantasy persisted.

So I came to San Francisco, and little did I know at the time that this amazing city -- this place where people come to be themselves, no matter how crazy or gay or straight or homeless or eccentric or liberal or old or young or [fill in the blank with any fringe identity term] one is -- that THIS place, would be the key ingredient in my quest to find my voice again.

I encountered an amazing community of artists, journalists and musicians that encouraged me and supported me, a community that I have to believe is unique to San Francisco.

Martina Castro singing at MAPP, December 2010. Photo by Esteban Duarte

I felt embraced and loved through this whole process -- long before I got to the point of auditioning for American Idol and belting my audition songs to my co-workers in the middle of my office, long before I first sang at a community gathering called MAPP (which I blogged about here), and long before I decided to be so audacious as to play one of my recordings on live radio, I had people believing in me and telling me, "You can do it."

It took two years to get to where I am -- arguably, my entire life -- but in no way would I have been able to do it without this wondrous city and the people in it.

So yes, here I say it, loud and proud, to the WORLD: "My name is Maria-Martina Castro, and I am a SINGER!" "I LOVE to SING!" And...what the heck..."I'm ACTUALLY GOOD AT IT!!!!!!!" Ahhhhh....Coming out never felt so good.

The flyer to my first official show! With my good friend, Diana Gameros.

If you want to hear my interview with Alan Farley, here it is in three parts. Enjoy. And if you care to share what song you wouldn't dare leave off your own Top Life Songs List, I'd love to know!

(Wait for it to load once you press play!)

Martina on "My Favorite Things" Part 1:

Martina on "My Favorite Things" Part 2:

Martina on "My Favorite Things" Part 3:

The Movement of Life: Trusting that you can't trust anything to stay the same

2010-11-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

Autumn leaves in Virginia, Thanksgiving 2010...my favorite mark of the seasons

I'm pretty sold on life in the Bay Area, but it's nice to head back home to the East Coast this time of year to be reminded of the change in seasons, at least before the end of the year comes and hits you like a ton of bricks, making you wonder, "Where did Summer go? How did it get to be Thanksgiving? Can I really be hearing Christmas songs on loudspeakers already?"

The Autumn leaves were almost all gone by the time I got to Virginia this year, but there were a few patches of red and yellow in the forests that still took my breath away. The brilliant display of decay in nature is almost as amazing as it's dependable renewal come spring. To see things grow and die on such a regular cycle creates a strange sense of change. You can find comfort in it's regularity because it almost gives the impression of no change at all.

Lake in Reston, VA near my dad's house. Notice the lack of movement. Some parts of life look to always stay the same...

This movement of life takes on new meaning for me right now. I'm home in Virginia for my 28th Thanksgiving, sleeping in the same house my grandparents have lived in since I can remember. I took the same train and met with the same people I started my career with six years ago, and I just experienced my 10-year high school reunion last night.

I'm cycling back through some very familiar things in life – the seasons, family traditions, childhood homes and friends – like most of us do this time of year. And yet, if you take a closer look, you realize things aren't quite exactly the same. Old classmates might look just like they did at graduation, but they've practically lived a lifetime since then. So have you. Some people are missing...people you were used to having around. Some people look and act the same, but there's something different right under the surface, you can't quite put your finger on it. Look closely, and you'll see the marks of time gone by, of change, and of forward movement...but toward what?

I shared these observations and my question with my dad and he said, "Welcome to adulthood, mija."


...and others show obvious signs of movement, like the ocean at the Jetties in Half Moon Bay, CA where I surf.

When I think of movement, I can't help but think of surfing.

I am by no means a good surfer, but now four years since I braved my first wave on a big board in Malibu, California, I can say I really do surf. What most compels me to face my fear of the ocean and get on that board is how many life lessons are inherent to this spiritual sport.

Me surfing in Bolinas, CA

The lesson most relevant to my train of thought right now, and the most obvious one to surfers and non-surfers alike, is the fact that there is no better vantage point from which to observe the movement of life than a surfboard.

Out there, no wave is the same. There is constant change and shifting of energy in the water – the waves, the tides, the sandbar, the wind, the current. If you don't pay close attention, you could spend your whole session sitting and waiting on your board, or worse, drifting slowly out to sea.

But if you observe that movement, accept and respect it, then you can position yourself to be in just the right place at just the right time to catch the ride of your life. Using just the ocean's energy – that inherent and beautiful movement of life – you can dance on a wave that will never come again.

This movement may be taking us toward our greatest challenges, toward the unknown and ultimately death, while simultaneously bringing us back around to the familiar, the dependable, the safe... In that uncomfortable mix, I know that there are opportunities for growth, new ways of seeing old things (including ourselves), and – hopefully – a greater depth of understanding why we're here.

Me and my board, ready to jump in.

Arts/Culture/Weekend: 9/10 - 9/12

2010-09-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is Arts/Culture/Weekend as seen on KALWNews.org.

Crowd at Power to the Peaceful Festival. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/gohsuket/251062992/

This weekend kicks off tonight in a big way for art lovers in the Fillmore, or in a smaller more intimate way at Triple Base in the Mission. Some will partake in a gruesome literary battle, while others keep the peace, and there’s nothing like getting into the operatic outdoors, whether to watch a fire burn by the sea or enjoy a good ol’ fashioned stroll -- Solano by day, or a picture-perfect Embarcadero by night...

All are possible, in this edition of your Arts/Culture Weekend:

FRIDAY 9/10

Fillmore Art Walk will feature 60 artists and 10 bands for this night of fashion, music and food in SF’s Fillmore district.

Highlights: Free massages, live painting, spoken word, getting to hang in the Fillmore. (6pm - 12am), FREE

Triple Base art gallery in the Mission opens San-Francisco based artist Elisheva Biernoff’s new solo show, “Folly.” This multimedia art installation will explore “18th century architectural folly.

Highlights: An intimate place to appreciate local art. Triple Base, 3041 24th Street (@Treat), San Francisco (7-10pm), FREE

Literary Death Match is a gruesome meeting of the minds, an intellectual battle of poetry and prose. Taking up arms in this 33rd episode are poet/novelist Pam Benjamin, top-selling mystery novelist Cara Black, SF Chronicle lifestyle blogger Mike Adamick and multi-award winning crime novelist Domenic Stansberry, among others.

Highlights: The thrill of a war with no blood. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia St., SF (6:30pm), $7 pre-order, $10 at the door, $7 with a valid student ID

SATURDAY 9/11

Power to the Peaceful Festival technically starts on Friday and runs through Sunday, but Saturday you can catch some of the main acts on stage including Michael Franti and Spearhead, Crosscurrents’ favorites Rupa and the April Fishes and Sambadá from Santa Cruz. The annual celebration of music, art, action, and yoga attracts over 50,000 attendees, making it one of the largest free festivals in the country.

Highlights: Yoga and Brazilian dance workshops on Sunday. Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park (9am-5pm), FREE

Ocean Beach Bonfire Night is organized by the YeaShOre Community as a means of bringing people together to reflect and let go. They will provide chocolate, kosher marshmallows, and crackers for s’mores.

Highlights: You can bring something to burn in order to “let it go.” SF’s Ocean Beach, meet at 6:30 at the Beach Chalet (6:30-11:00pm), FREE

SUNDAY 9/12

36th Annual Solano Stroll and Parade transforms 26 blocks of Solano Ave. in Berkeley and Albany with over five hundred vendors, non-profit organizations, food booths and entertainers. This alcohol- and tobacco-free event is family-friendly and meant to promote the unique offerings of local businesses, local artists and community organizations. Highlights: Free valet parking if you ride your bike, free shuttles from North Berkeley BART. Solano Ave (10am-6pm), FREE

Opera in the Park will treat Golden Gate Park-goers to the usually expensive, sweet sounds of Italian arias performed by the SF Opera’s Fall Season star list.

Highlights: A drawing to win two orchestra tickets to Puccini's Madame Butterfly, dinner for two at Absinthe Restaurant, and champagne at intermission. Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park (1:30pm), FREE

Night Time Embarcadero Photowalk is your chance to grab your camera and join other photographers to capture the sights of the Embarcadero by night. Photographer Trevor Carpenter will lead the group along the Embarcadero and up the coast past Coit Tower to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Highlights: Having a posse of fellow photographers to keep any muggers at bay, and you don’t have to be an expert -- all levels welcome. Meet at Fog City Diner (7-9pm), FREE

Time to Return...An Ugly Saturn Return. But Love Always Wins.

2010-08-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

Under Creative Commons License By Flckr user andy.birkey

It's an interesting time for love these days.

For instance, today it was ruled that California can start marrying same-sex couples on August 18th. I was on the other side of the phone last week when my colleague, Rina Palta, called in a live report from the steps of the courthouse, just as the decision to overturn prop 8 was announced. You can hear it here, as reported live on KALW:

If that's not a moment of triumph for love, I don't know what is...and it's still being felt here in the Castro. Love is in the air, as couples prepare to exchange historic vows and celebrate saying "yes" to their love in front of the world.

But as so many in my 'hood are saying "yes," and "I do," I'm dealing with the pain of a big "no" to love in my own life right now. Let's just say that my return from my three-week, ten-airplane journey across 20,000 miles of the Americas was a rocky one, and I'm not just talking about the turbulence.

(By the way, you can see photos from my trip here -- they are mostly from Uruguay, the land where my Castro roots lie, so clearly, they're blog-relevant).

My first of ten screens, on my summer trip.

Somewhere between plane number 9 and number 10, between foreign soil and home, between exhausted married couples and eager teenage mission workers waiting in line to get through customs, there I was, cell phone in hand, when I heard that "no", and it's been reverberating through all of me for weeks now.

The more people I talk to about this, the more I hear a term that has up until now been completely foreign to me. Upon hearing the news, they first ask me how old I am, and then proceed to say, matter-of-factly: "Oh! It's the Saturn Return."

The Saturn what?

I eventually looked it up, and trusty old Wikipedia explains it as the following:

The Saturn Return is an astrological phenomenon that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, 86-88, etc., coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun. It is believed by astrologers that as Saturn "returns" to the degree in which it occupied at the time of birth—approximately every 29.5 years—a person crosses over a major threshold and into the next stage of life. With the first Saturn Return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second Return, maturity. And the third and usually final Return, a person enters wise old age.

Hm. Okay, I'm 28, and I'm not a big fan of astrology, but there seems to be something very familiar sounding in all of this...

Creative Commons License Flickr user Elsie esq.

The first Saturn Return is famous because it represents the first test of character and the structures a person has built their life upon. According to traditions, should these structures be unsound, or if a person is living out of touch with his or her true values, the Saturn Return will be a time of upheaval and limitations as Saturn forces him or her to jettison old concepts and worn out patterns of living. It is not uncommon for relationships and jobs to end during this time of life restructuring and reevaluation.

Damn you, Saturn! Just like that? I mean, really?! Must we all fall prey to the inevitable gravitational pull of this massive, uninhabitable planet of pain???

But the Saturn Return is not all about painful endings.

Talk about needing direction -- Signs in La Paloma, Uruguay.

Oh, thank god. I'm listening.

During this time astrologers note that goals are consolidated and people tend to gain a better vision of where they are going in life. There are added responsibilities and a person may reap the rewards from his or her hard work. Many major life milestones seem to happen around the ages of 29 and 30. This is why astrologers believe that the thirtieth birthday is such a major rite of passage because it marks the true beginning of adulthood, self-evaluation, independence, ambition, and self-actualization.

Well, I'm only in week 4 of recovery, sort of around the time people say that things like this start to make sense and revive a thing I kind of remember called "hope."

I can say that I'm at the point where I feel a sincere sense of compassion for anyone who has gone through heartbreak. Even though the pain is very unique to each person, I read recently that in the end, it's not my pain but the pain that I'm feeling, the pain we all feel of what it is to be human, to have a heart and to love.

The site of my spiritual retreat at Esalen, Big Sur

It's laughable though how typical I've been in how I've been coping with the grief. I had trouble eating at first -- I swear nothing tasted like anything more than flavorless mush -- of course, I've cried with every cheesy love song on the radio (yes, even that new one by Eminem and Rihanna), I'm still not sleeping well, and I've taken up random new challenging things like riding my bike to work, kundalini yoga and Buddhist meditation. I've even escaped to be one with nature on a ridiculously expensive spiritual retreat.

But even though I have felt unimaginable amounts of pain because of this, and a physical emptiness in the pit of my gut that I still struggle to describe, there have been occasional moments of clarity, and believe it or not, of beautiful, pure love.

Sunset in Ortíz, my family's farm in Uruguay.

It comes in the form of friendship, both from close friends and colleagues...it even comes from total strangers, when you're open to it. It comes from the ocean and from your deep breath, from sunsets and solitude and live music. It's in all of life, if you're truly listening with all of your heart.

And often, it's enough to dull pain, sooth fears, lessen loneliness, quell anger and massage grief. Even when it comes to that persistent layer of sadness, constantly under the surface -- in the end, love always wins.

No Constitutional amendment, Saturn Return, or "no" can ever change that.

One gorgeous, strong tree with a fantastic view of the Uruguayan countryside.

Time to Get Away

2010-07-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

It´s that sacred time of year, when we scrape together our accumulated vacation days, put an away message on our email, lock up our regular daily life and take off for an adventure, far far away from what we know and do day to day. It´s time for the oh so holy summer vacation.

Whether you leave for a few days, or a few weeks, the important thing is to get away, do something new and unfamiliar. I decided my vacation was to be one of many moods, activities, and seasons this year. When planning it, I don´t think I fully appreciated what it meant to plan to be in the humid heat of North Carolina in a fancy dress, then in a matter of days get myself over to Denver, Colorado to don a suit and work a conference, then travel the length of the South American continent to arrive in the dead of winter in Uruguay. But that´s exactly what I am in the middle of doing.

By the end, I will have gotten on ten airplanes, hit nine cities, four time zones, two seasons, and traveled almost 20,000 miles. Now THAT´S what I call getting away from the ordinary!

I am writing this from a cyber cafe, so I will have to upload photos to accompany my tales when I get home, but I´ll tell you that I am already on the South American leg of my western hemispheric tour, where I´ll be for two weeks before going back home to San Francisco. I arrived in Montevideo a couple of days ago, after a 21-hour journey from Denver, which took me through Los Angeles, CA and Panama City, Panama. I am only now getting the stiffness out of my neck and back from all that airplane sleep.

But this is certainly going to be the highlight of my trip, and what makes this insane journey worthwhile. Even though I got to see my dear friend Derek Miller get married to his soulmate in Durham, NC -- a trip that included getting to chase chickens, pet a donkey named Jethrow, and see the smallest miniature horse I have ever seen (don´t worry, I stopped the car to take a photo of it and will upload it when I get home...it was like seeing a unicorn in the flesh! I was surprised a leprechaun didn´t pop out of the forest to jump on it and ride it away!)....

and even though I got to see some old friends from NPR and meet new friends too at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference in Denver, Colorado -- a city that inspired me with its dedication to funding public art that would complement the natural beauty surrounding it....

Uruguay is most certainly where it is at for me, especially right now, as we prepare to take on Ghana tomorrow in the next World Cup game. This will be a decisive match, and a tough one, as we take on the last African team in the competition. It´s crazy how many commercials, newspapers, news reports, banners, flags are out in full force for Uruguay´s team. It has been 40 years since we have gotten this close, and it is amazing to be here in person to see tomorrow´s game play out, no matter the outcome.

Everyone has a cabala or a superstition that they swear by to ensure our team victory. For my grandmother, it´s to watch it in this little red chair, always the same chair, in her living room. Her caretaker, Bettina, must be standing behind her, for the entire game, otherwise they swear that the team will lose. Apparently all the places where you can watch the game in public -- bars, cafes, restaurants -- always have the same amount of people come to watch it there, not one person more, or one person less, because no one will veer from whatever routine got the team to win the first few games.

So vamos la celeste! There´s a little country of three million people, and countless others around the world, huddled near a radio or a television, with their hearts in their throats, holding their breath for you!

Operation MAPP: A Resounding Success

2010-06-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

When I wrote that I was embarking on a mission to curate my first event at the Mission Arts and Performance Project, I half thought through how I'd actually make that happen. It was just an idea that grabbed me, and I decided, somehow, it will come together.

Then step by step, everything started falling into place. Like a friend of mine likes to say, "it's all about casting nets and seeing what they bring back." So I cast some nets, and back came many talented performers and storytellers eager to be part of my event. There were planning meetings, and program decisions, and then, before I knew it, MAPP was happening, and the first Casa Cuentos evening was underway.

I don't want to get too cheesy and sentimental in describing how it went, so let's just say that the evening was magical. There was a positive, intimate vibe in the air, the electricity that comes only from leaving room for the unexpected, and the energy wasn't only feeding everyone in the room, but drawing more people in from the streets in droves, to the point that there were sixty people in this little living room in the Mission, with the crowd overflowing into the stairwell and out the door.

It was a night of multimedia storytellers, story artists you could say, celebrating the art form in their own medium. So there were tortillas being silk-screened into edible protest art and 3-D photography in one room, and in the other: stories and songs about love, photos documenting the fight to marry the ones you love, testimonies from the down and out in Memphis, the tune of a lost sense of home in Atlanta....banjos, pianos, violins, accordions, and guitars were played, spontaneous soundtracks improvised, and so much more.

I planned a three hour show, assuming people would come in and out. Several people stayed the entire time, without moving an inch. It was moving to say the least.

You can see all of the photos from that night at my flickr account, where you can also see other photos taken for this blog.

I want to give credit to my amazing host for the evening, Brian Fox, and to the performers, one more time for making that magic happen:

Julie Caine & Marié Abe, radio documentarian and accordionist
Tania Ketenjian, Editor in Chief of The (Un)Observed
Elizabeth Hubbard, singer/songwriter
Margaret Boehme, spoken word storyteller
Ginger Murray, spoken word storyteller
Kelly McFarling, singer/songwriter
Sarah Geis, StoryCorps
Geoff King, photographer
Vanessa Verlee & Jeremy Rourke, singer/songwriters/artists
Molly and Seth Samuel, radio producer and composer
Sandhya Dirks, radio producer
Julie Barwick, Martina Castro & Victor Lin, piano, vocalist and violinist
Francis Phan, improvisational pianist

Slice of Real Summer in San Francisco

2010-06-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

When I hear about 80 degree sun shining down on my hometown in Virginia, and I'm on the other side of the country, enduring the chilly winds and fog of summer in San Francisco, I usually dream of a weekend like the one we just had.

This weekend was one for the record books.

On Saturday, I came across these girls preparing for a pool party outside their apartment complex...

And I knew it was time to put on my bathing suit and head to Dolores Park, where I came across a frenzy of hipsters in bathing suits and underwear, propelling themselves down a man-made slip-n-slide:

People were barbecuing, tight-rope walking, drinking, smoking....it was like the heat was inspiring mayhem. Even the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were out in force.

More as a calming ying to the yang of the summer craze in Dolores Park, the Sisters were leading a meditative multimedia procession through the Castro in honor of Pride Month.

All in all, the unseasonal sunshine and heat gave us a slice of real summer vacation here in the Bay Area, something I never appreciated enough when I was growing up on the east coast. Those little slices of perfection make the rest of the year's weather completely bearable, and are certainly worth the wait.

World Cup Fever: Vamos Celeste!

2010-06-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

OK, it has begun.

It only took a glance at this minute-and-a-half long montage of cheers, winning plays, and sobbing soccer players set to the tune of U2 and the Soweto Gospel Choir singing "Get On Your Boots" for the hairs on my neck to stand up, my heart to get all mushy, and tears to come to my eyes...all while waiting in the middle of an AT&T Wireless store for a new sim card.

Yes, I've been officially infected with World Cup fever...and it feels GOOD.

Mexico and South Africa had the first game this morning at 6:30 a.m. PST, but for me it was all about Uruguay vs. France. I watched the game at the Civic Center Plaza where 11 games will be broadcast on a huge screen with loud speakers.

I couldn't help but be filled with emotion to be representing my family and my roots at that game. Our contingent was small (see photo below), but so fiercely proud to be representing a country of 3 million inhabitants in a far-off corner of South America that has two World Cup championships to its name.

The anxiety was high, and the game intense. No one scored, but Uruguay proved a strong defense, and I think we have a chance to really get far in this World Cup.

Of course, the TV reporters present were very intent on getting our every scream of anticipation and sigh of relief on camera. All of us were interviewed for our perspective on the game afterward, and asked what it was like to be cheering for Uruguay there at the Civic Center.

"I'm proud to be one of the few," I told them. "I know that there are little groups of Uruguayos all over the world watching these games, bonding over love of our country...win or lose." Vamos celeste!

It's MAPP time!

2010-06-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

CC License -- by http://www.flickr.com/photos/redneck/317262564/

I wrote not too long ago about the Mission Arts and Performance Project, and how I was planning to curate an event for the first time.

Well, it's happening -- tomorrow from 7 to 10pm at 1467 Florida Street.

My friend Brian has graciously opened his home and living room for the event, which we are calling Casa Cuentos, or house of stories. I wanted to invite storytellers of all kinds -- musicians, singers, songwriters, radio producers, journalists, photographers, visual artists -- to tell a story or two in their medium, or in many.

What came together was an amazingly diverse array of story artists, which include a representative form the national oral history project StoryCorps, the editor in chief of a new online radio magazine, a spoken word artist who participates in a monthly cabaret, a photojournalist who documented the fight for same-sex marriage from the front lines, a radio documentarian whose latest work is about San Francisco's official instrument: the accordion, and many more.

I couldn't resist putting myself in the lineup. Even though I normally tell stories through radio, this time I wanted to share my storytelling abilities through singing tango. Let's see how it goes.

CC License By http://www.flickr.com/photos/redneck/317262564/

I fully expect that when it comes to experiments like these, some things will go unexpectedly wrong, some will go unexpectedly right, and in the middle, maybe some magic will take place. Hope you can be a part of it.

Meet Your Neighbors

2010-05-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

On KALW's Crosscurrents, there's this fantastic segment called "Meet Your Neighbors" where reporters take a microphone along with them as they introduce themselves to a neighbor they've always wanted to meet.

It's amazing what fascinating stories come out of people when you stop long enough to ask: How did you get here? What's your story?

Today, Crosscurrents is airing my conversation with my neighbor John (or Johnny) Castillo. I've seen him almost every day since I moved into my apartment on Church Street. He sits outside the Church Street Cafe, sipping on his coffee, talking with other regulars and people passing by. Often I see him on my way out of my house in the morning and he's still there in the evening when I get back.

After I interviewed Peter and Benjamin Bratt about their latest film, "La Mission", I mentioned this to him, and Johnny said, "Oh yeah, I knew the Bratt brothers growing up."

I was like, "What?! Really?!" So I asked him about an element of the film that really confused me -- all those lowrider cars. They are prominently featured in the film, but in the year and a half that I've lived near the Mission, I've never seen any. What were those all about?

"Oh, mija!" he said, "lowriders used to be at the center of it all!" And he proceeded to tell me about how lowriders were once seen all over the Mission, and were at the heart of social and cultural life when he was growing up.

Of course, I decided this was a perfect fit for the Meet Your Neighbors segment, so I made it happen.

I was so grateful to have an excuse to hear about this vibrant subculture that once used to drive a very different vibe and community in the Mission district. I have grown to love the Mission as it is, but Johnny transported me to his era, and made me appreciate what has been lost since then.

On my street you wouldn't think right away that there is much of a sense of community there. It's rather commercial, lots of shops and restaurants, lots of noise and people in transit.

But Johnny, and the guys who sit with him day in and day out, their friendliness -- neighborliness, you could say -- is what makes that place feel like home. So take a moment to say more than just hello and goodbye. Meet your neighbors. It's the first step in creating your own sense of home, wherever you are.

Listen to my Meet Your Neighbors interview with Johnny Castillo:

Living on the edge of cultural activism

2010-05-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Without divulging my exact address to the whole world wide web, I confess to you now that I only technically live in the Castro neighborhood. Don't worry, my blog name is still accurate -- all the rainbow flags on our street are evidence that I'm firmly in the Castro...but I'm right at the edge, where it meets the Mission district.

It's a pretty much the perfect place to be -- with the excitement, hustle and bustle of the artsy, hipsterlicious Mission within reach, yet without all the noise, crime, and sidewalk throw-up.

Being an arts and culture editor, a singer, a burrito-eater, a lover of spontaneous, communal artistic gatherings, and an avid observer of random acts of craziness -- I venture into the Mission quite a lot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrgarin/ / CC BY 2.0

And when I discovered the Mission Arts and Performance Project, I was able to combine all my loves of the Mission into one amazing, thrilling and never to be replicated night of art and music. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, MAPP is a bi-monthly, coordinated night of gatherings around the Mission where people host performances in public spaces, in people's homes, local cafes and restaurants, and invite the community to walk around and join in.

No MAPP is quite like the other, but it's magic is totally reliable.

Recently, I met and interviewed one of the organizers of MAPP, singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero. She's a self-proclaimed "cultural activist," and lives out that title in her work with MAPP, as well as with the artist-run Red Poppy Art House. She grew into her musical self at the Red Poppy and through MAPP by performing in people's homes, garages, cafes...this neighborhood literally raised her into the artist she is today.

Photo by Nathanael Keck

This magical work is a direct result of the uniquely supportive artistic community that exists in the Mission. The more I get to know it, the more conflicted I become as to whether I will sing it's praises to the world, or keep it a well-loved secret. I guess I've at least decided to share it with you.

The idea of cultural activism has stayed with me, and I think it's something we can all latch onto -- who can argue against a fight to keep culture alive? I think it's time to open up our homes and let community back in.

CORRECTION: The next MAPP is on Saturday June 5th, not the 6th as I had previously written. If you are going to be in San Francisco, join me and my friends as I host my first MAPP event! Check back on this blog for more information as we get closer to the date.

Capturing the Castro & Enjoying the View

2010-04-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a jogger, but it really is a great way to see the city and to get to know one's neighborhood. I take a different route every time, sometimes along busy Market Street...and on days I don't want to get yelled at or almost run over by a bike/train/car combo, I take a more scenic route, through rows of Castro Victorians and lush gardens.

And I've noticed that pretty much every time I go, I run into something curious, or poignant... Sometimes it's quirky and nonsensical, or comforting and sweet, and others times it's just totally, breath-takingly beautiful...but almost always, it's very San Francisco.

So I decided to start taking a camera with me. Like last Saturday morning, when I went for a jog on 18th street in the Castro and used my camera phone to capture this:

Yeah, I know what it looks like: a completely naked man except for his shoes and socks, walking with a towel in hand through a busy commercial street in the Castro. If you guessed that, then you're right, because that's exactly what it is.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Like nothing, there he was in front of me, walking with a smile on his face and a confident pep to his step, obviously on his way somewhere....God knows where from!

I couldn't imagine a better picture to kick off my photo contributions to this blog. I think it will make for more blog posts, and shorter ones. :) Besides, what is a blog about San Francisco and the Castro if it doesn't include the images and scenes that we are blessed to run into on a Saturday morning jog? :)

More to come.

Extreme Spring Showers

2010-04-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

As I sit and write this, there are very loud, buckets of rain slamming into my apartment. They come in waves, as if the clouds that carry them only stop long enough to wring themselves dry, and then continue on their path overhead.

This is only my second spring in San Francisco, so I'm not quite sure what to make of this extreme weather. Is it always like this? It can be almost humid hot one day, with the sun's full warmth awakening even flowers into bloom. And then the next day it can rain for two days straight, with the temperature dropping so much that your breath clouds your view.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk doing some work, in the middle of the afternoon on a gloomy, cloudy day. And all of a sudden, as if the heavens broke open a bag of tiny marbles, a massive hail storm came thundering down on the Castro. I was like a child, staring out of my window with my eyes and mouth gaping wide open in amazement. It was like being transported to Biblical times, or like being in a scene out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel.

I reacted fast enough to grab my recorder and get 30 seconds of the hail hitting my window before the hail shower disappeared:

Almost as quickly as it had come...it was gone.

Paired with the unique fog that brews over us from time to time, and with the dramatic backdrop of our many green hills dotted with houses, these extreme weather patterns remind me of the absolute magic of this place. It almost makes me hope that Spring is always this way...almost.

The Story Behind America's Most Dangerous Man

2010-03-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that one of this year's Academy-award nominees for best documentary feature was made by a team that hails almost entirely from the Bay Area.

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" was co-directed by Bay Area filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, and centers on now Berkeley-resident Daniel Ellsberg. The film tells the story of when he was a Pentagon insider who decided to leak top secret documents that came to be known as the Pentagon papers, an act that started a chain of events that include the resignation of Richard Nixon and ultimately the end of the Vietnam War.

I spoke with Judith Ehrlich for KALW's Crosscurrents about this unbelievable true story, and it aired today.

I actually met Daniel Ellsberg back when he was on a book tour for I think his 2002 book, "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers." I was at Amherst at the time, and I couldn't really comprehend what this man was telling me as he was saying it. It just didn't make sense that this one man, this totally unprotected, regular guy, had been privy to the lies that were told to expand the Vietnam war, and decided to go against the entire Government to reveal those lies to the American people. For that he was chased by the FBI and faced over a hundred years in prison. It felt like he should be in hiding, or have bodyguards, or something. It's hard to believe that he was and is just a man, just one person who saw the incredible opportunity to change the course of history. And there he was, telling me his story, in person.

Ellsberg says in the film something that I couldn't include in the interview clips but that will surely stick with me from the movie:

"I've come to realize, the fear of being cut out from the group of people you respect, and whose respect you want and normally expect, that keeps people participating in anything, no matter how terrible."

-- Daniel Ellsberg

Putting Self-Doubt on Its Head

2010-02-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lululemonathletica/ / CC BY 2.0

About a week ago, I stood on my head. That's right. In the middle of a room, surrounded by people, I just went for it. And I even held it, for a full 60 seconds.

For me, that's like saying, I woke up and ran a marathon, or all of a sudden I found myself climbing Mount Everest. It's one of those things I just never thought myself capable of, one of those things that OTHER people do -- people who are flexible and who did gymnastics as a kid. People not like me.

I have been practicing yoga on and off for almost seven years, and I'm in the right place to challenge my practice. In the Castro, there are at least ten yoga studios within a mile of where I live, and even my gym includes yoga classes with some pretty phenomenal instructors.

Even though I am much better now at my downward-facing dogs and chaturangas, I never could quite conquer the head stand. I always got stuck when it came to kicking my feet straight up. When I would try, my body would yell out, "STOP! Are you trying to kill someone??"

At first, I figured I'd eventually get the hang of it. But after dozens of falls and failed attempts, I started to believe that I'd never get it. I even convinced myself that I didn't need to know what it felt like, thinking to myself, "who cares if you can stand on your head? I'm sure it isn't that cool."

The worst thing, is that I started to resent the people who could do it.

If you've ever been in a yoga class, you know who I'm talking about -- those people who hurry into the most difficult positions before the instructor is even finished describing how to do it, almost as if to say, "Oh yeah, I know what we're doing, I've done this before. Here I go, whoop! Yup, I rock at this pose. I could do it in my sleep. And actually, I'm so comfortable, I'm just gonna ignore what's going on right now, and go ahead and chill here upside down for the rest of class."

(Okay, they don't really say that, but an insecure mind tends to exaggerate reality.)

"Show-offs," I always mutter to myself.

But when it came to yoga class this week, it had been months since I had been on the mat. I'd gotten very wrapped up in work, and exercise has been more of a luxury these days than the norm. I guess that forced me to come to my mat with a new appreciation for the challenges of yoga, and a lost sense of my self-doubt.

When it came to that part of class where we put our heads on the ground and throw our legs into the air, I thought, heck, why not? Maybe I won't fall, if I really just go for it.

And then, following my instructor's careful directions, I positioned my forearms and hands and head in just the right formation, then started walking my feet closer to my nose, little by little...until it came time to kick my legs up -- and I just did it. Instead of falling like usual, my legs actually stayed up there. Like magic. Just floating, without any effort at all.

In complete awe, I did the only thing that seemed logical at the time -- I slowly extended my legs until they were straight up in the air, toes pointed. And then I proceeded to hold them up there, for a cool 60 seconds.

The moment I fully extended I felt nothing short of complete exhilaration. In that brief minute, I finally realized what the whole fuss was about. To hold your whole self up, against the force of gravity, in the middle of a room, unsupported, except by your own strength and self-confidence -- let's just say, I hadn't had that feeling in a very long time.

When I came down from the pose, I wanted to start cheering at full volume, but we still had ten minutes left, so I had to hold it in, behind my insanely large smile, until the end of class.

As cheesy as it sounds, this simple milestone was a very profound reminder for me, of how anything is possible if you put your mind to it. You don't even have to believe it will happen; just keep trying, and have faith that simply to try, is worthwhile enough. The universe, circumstance, and your abs seem to join forces to take care of the rest.

Beyond that, I know now that I have everything I need to hold myself up, even when I think I need help from others, when I don't think I'm strong enough, or when I think I will fall. That's a pretty comforting feeling, too.

Touring Chinatown with the Wok Wiz

2010-02-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

If you live anywhere near a Chinatown, either here in San Francisco, or perhaps in Oakland, then you know that Chinese New Year is around the corner.

This year, it falls on Sunday the 14th, and I recently learned that it's a time of immense celebration, color, festivities, blossoms, smiles, tangerines (with leaves intact), family, tea, and FOOD! Specifically dim sum, possibly my favorite discovery since I moved to San Francisco.

I learned all of this from chef, author, Chinatown walking tour company owner, and local celebrity Shirley Fong-Torres.

She started her Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tours over twenty years ago, and so she knows every merchant, small business, cool alley way, that there is to know about Chinatown. For a full day, we toured her favorite shops and sites as she told me about the traditions that go along with the lunar new year celebration. She even took a stop at a 50-yr-old framing store to show me Chinese calligraphy and to pen a couplet for me (it's a type of scroll that you can hang on your wall to welcome guests and to wish them prosperity and good luck).

You can hear my interview with Shirley Fong-Torres here.

What I wasn't able to include was how amazed I was by the culture of happiness and hope that Chinese customs encourage during the new year. People even focus on smiling and carrying cheerful energy with them, so as to usher the new year in with positivity.

And everything seems to rotate around good luck, and whatever symbolic meaning you can gain from the things around you. People surround themselves with symbols such as bright colors (specifically red, gold and green), anything that is round (means eternity), and then specific foods such as arrowroot and long-life noodles to end your meal. The celebrations last two weeks, and primarily it is a time to spend with family and friends to look forward to all the good things ahead.

So, sun nin fai lok! May the year of the Tiger be as aggressive and powerful as it promises to be!

The Castro Corner Store Hits the Big Screen

2010-02-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

February 4th is the beginning of SF Indie Fest, two weeks of independent film, music, and what are said to be some great parties, including a roller disco night and a Big Lebowski Party.

It turns out that one of the San Francisco films featured in the festival is a documentary about a Palestinian man who runs the corner store on Church and 15th in the Castro. For ten years he has worked and lived in the back of this liquor store, separated from his family, and the documentary follows him back to Palestine to bring his family to America and start a new life together.

Believe it or not, this is MY corner store! Like every other San Franciscan I know, I am very fond of my local corner stores (I'll be honest, I have two where I live, but I split my needs among both). Even though I didn't know him by name until I saw the trailer for the film, I often visit Yousef Elhaj's store for the occasional bottle of wine, and ALWAYS, he has greeted me with a genuine smile and respect.

It is amazing to hear of his story. It reminds me that there are many more people like him all around this amazing city, wandering the streets of the Castro, or sitting next to you on the bus, and you would never know it if you didn't ask. I'm glad filmmaker Katherine Bruens thought to ask, and has brought Yousef's story to light.

The world-premiere of The Corner Store is this Sunday night, at the Roxie.

Castro Contributes to This American Life (sort of)

2010-01-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

(A storage Unit in Queens, Obtained under Creative Commons License from Flickr User Penningtron)

A few weeks ago, I was presented with the opportunity to do some field recording for This American Life. If you don't know about this show yet, then you're a little out of the biggest radio loop ever. Click here to listen.

Those of you who do know about the show, know that when This American Life calls, you answer.

I was lucky enough to have some time to take on the gig, and it sounded so interesting that I couldn't pass it up.

It involved accompanying a reporter from the New York Times magazine to a few storage facilities up in Antioch (a little over an hour from San Francisco). There, we would record the auctions of units that were left behind by their owners.

It was to be a full day of recording, and the story pretty much would reveal itself in real time while we were there. The reporter had some leads on good characters, but for the most part, we would have to find the characters in the moment, then follow them as they bid on the contents of these storage units, in hopes that they would give us some insight to this strange treasure hunt.

We recorded about 50 auctions at four different sites, and by the end, we had zeroed in on some truly compelling characters.

The piece aired today as part of the show titled: "Contents Unknown."

A not-so-short sale

2010-01-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

(Note: This blog references the audio piece that aired on January 19, 2010 on KALW's Crosscurrents about de-constructing the short sale process.)

When I first met Nadine Scott at the event to save her neighbor's house, I had no idea that I would be meeting her again, almost a year later, to talk about her own fight to keep her home.

When I saw her again, we met up at her modest house on Ritchie Street, a couple of blocks up from where we first met. I could see that she was still weighed down by the events of the past 11 months: receiving numerous denial letters from her lender to modify her loan, using up her 401K and savings to keep up with the unbearable monthly mortgage payments of $4200, filing for bankruptcy, falling into foreclosure, and a grueling seven-month long approval process for her short sale. And on top of all that, Scott was also parenting two teenage girls, trying to run a shelter in the worst year for fundraising, all while on disability from her old job at the US Post Office.

Scott let me into her home, and into the details of the psychological toll that this whole process takes on a person. She showed me the buckets of papers, overflowing with banks statements, W2's, and foreclosure notices. Scott tells me it wasn't having to submit all this extensive paperwork that bothered her, it was having to do it so many times:

"It's just constantly doing this, over and over and over. And it just really tires you out. You're working with different negotiators and things like that. It can be very disheartening. Very."

Apparently, the foreclosure notices come certified mail, so each month she would have to go to the post office and sign for ten to fifteen at a time, all postmarked the same day.

These tubs of papers have been waiting for the shredder since October 14, 2009, when the short sale finally went through. As she describes them to me, she carefully leafs through the papers, lingering over them as if she were going through old photos or mementos. She stops on one loan statement and sighs:

"Good thing ill never have to see one of these again…that’s what it was, $535,500…"

She's talking about her mortgage. The Scotts had an interest-only loan, so in the years they struggled to make their payments, they hadn't paid off a single penny of the principle.

And the most tragic part, is that Nadine Scott's story is one of the GOOD ones.

Even though it required a ton of patience and emotional strength, Nadine Scott and her family are still in their home. They found a buyer willing to increase his offer to meet the lender's assessment of fair market value, then he paid it in cash (which Scott says made the process go faster), and finally, he agreed to let them stay in their home. Now, with a much more manageable rent payment of $1500 a month, Scott's husband doesn't have to work two jobs, and the couple can focus on building their financial life back up again.

Scott was good to point out that while her story has a happy ending, many of her neighbors were not as lucky. While she waited for the short sale process to go through:

"We saw families that were packing up, two doors down from me they packed up and left, across the street they packed up and left due to foreclosure…someone just packed up a couple more weeks ago. So we lost several of our neighbors…"

What's happened to Ritchie Street in East Oakland is happening on streets all over the country, as people get rejected for loan modifications, and ultimately give up under the stress of dealing with the obviously flawed short sale process. Nadine Scott credits a miracle with saving her home.

When I started reporting this piece, I barely knew the ins and outs of the short sale process, and now I know a lot more, but I am no less confused by it.

Realtor Gabriella Trujillo was at her wit's end when I spoke with her. Having represented countless of homeowners like Nadine Scott through short sales, she was dumbfounded by how difficult it is, especially when it seems to be a win-win situation for banks and homeowners.

I tried to reach a negotiator at Bank of America to get their side of the story, but all of them directed me to the corporate media relations department. The media specialist I spoke with, Rick Simon, was not willing to put anyone on the phone with me for an interview, or to go on tape himself on this issue. But he did say that Bank of America is ahead of the curve on this, piloting a program similar to the new US Treasury guidelines, which are meant to expedite the short sale process. He then directed me to use audio of David Sunlin from the NAR Webinar on short sales to represent the company's perspective on the issue.

I also called Nadine Scott's lender to see why that process took so long, but I haven't been able to reach them yet for comment.

At the very least, it seems that everyone -- homeowners, realtors, and banks -- can agree that the system is flawed. When it comes to incentives to actually correct that system, it was Realtor Gabriella Trujillo who said:

"Follow the money...it's all about the money."

Who knows, maybe Scott and Trujillo are both right. Somewhere between the money and a miracle is probably the way to digging out of this mess.

To Friend, or Not to Friend

2010-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is my latest blog for KALW's Crosscurrents...enjoy :)

This day in Facebook age, it seems like it couldn't be any easier to get connected to groups, causes and random people you never thought you would see again.

But for me, today it got even easier.

When I signed on to Facebook this morning, I got a pop-up ad on my homepage that I had never seen before. It said that three of my friends suggest I use "Friend Finder", a feature that will allow Facebook to scour my email address book for potential new Facebook friends.

I figured no harm, one can never have too many Facebook friends, right? And I've already interacted with these people via email, so they aren't complete strangers.

So I entered my email address and password (they promise that they won't keep a record of it), and boom: just like that, hundreds of people pop up in a list, including those NOT already on Facebook. Of course, once you decide who you will "friend" (a verb, which means: to invite to be one's friend on Facebook), Facebook slyly suggests you invite those not already on Facebook to become a part of it.

First, it irked me that Facebook is making it easier and easier to expand the reach of their universe -- in this example, by accessing what I once felt was among the most private of my online information: my email address book. But then it dawned on me how revolutionary this is for social norms, again upending all the rules I had absorbed up until now for gracefully managing online social relationships. I had, for example, former bosses show up on this list, interviewees, press contacts, and people cc-ed on emails from friends, most of whom I don't know.

Hence the question: who do I friend?

This question has come up since the beginning of Facebook, but it keeps popping up as more and more people are getting connected. When the networks grow in scope, it seems that the game rules are up for adjustment.

In my quest for an answer, I found a Facebook group dedicated to Facebook Etiquette. Rule #9 addresses friend requests from schoolmates:

9) Confirm all friend requests from your school, even if you have no idea who the person requesting your friendship is.

Tom Miller wrote a Top Ten List of Facebook Etiquette Rules for YourTango.com, which include a rule about not friending a friend of a friend if they don't know you (friend, friend, friend...the word is starting to lose it's meaning, isn't it?). I have seen this rule a lot, but I know people are breaking it, because I get friend requests from people I don't know quite often.

Christopher Null published his rules for Facebook in PC World Magazine, and he says it is totally okay to ignore friend requests:

Ignore away. You are under no obligation to acknowledge a Facebook friend request, whether it comes from a stranger or from someone you know but don't want as part of your digital life. After all, you wouldn't be obliged to seat visitors at your dinner table if they showed up without warning at your house at 7 o'clock. (One alternative way of dealing with this situation is to add iffy contacts to a severely restricted limited profile list.) On the flipside, if you want to friend a stranger (for whatever reason), add a note of explanation to your friend request, explaining who you are and the reason for your request.

And the fact of the matter is, you can always de-friend someone if you change your mind, as Reihan Salam describes doing in his Slate article from a few years ago:

Say you've been too generous with your friending policy, and a gaggle of strangers is now hogging your News Feed. You too can launch a Great Facebook Purge. The beauty of this is that no headline or notification pops up in your ex-friend's inbox announcing, "You've suffered a humiliating rejection at the hands of _________." It's all very stealthy, thus making it the perfect way to deal with promiscuous frienders.

You'll notice how dated that article is. Back in 2007, to have 258 Facebook friends was over the top. But now Facebook friends are more like a loose, online network of contacts, people who you find interesting, or who have funny update messages (that's on top of the people who you are ACTUALLY friends with.) In this way, it's easy for the friends list to grow, and Facebook keeps coming out with new ways to manage that list, for better or for worse.

* * *

An Addendum on "Poking"

I had to add this because it is another confounding feature of Facebook that I still don't get. (See hilarious YouTube video that makes fun of Facebook interactions like "poking" -- oh, and I warn you, there is one bad word in there.) So here are a couple of rules I gathered online about Facebook "poking":

Don't Over-poke. Poking is the lowest form of facebook communication. Poking an actual friend once can be a nice thinking of you but poking a stranger ten times is not ok. If you’re trying to flirt, suck it up and send a message. -- Facebook Group on Facebook Etiquette

No pokes. If you are over the age of 16, don't "poke" people--seriously. -- Christopher Null for PC World
I think we all know what it means to poke people. You are trying to flirt but if you keep it up, it shifts from funny to annoying. When was the last time that something positive came out of walking up to someone in a bar and beginning to poke them until they responded? If you can successfully turn a poke into a lasting relationship then you are truly a master of manipulation because most people would find it flat out annoying. -- Nick O'Neil for Allfacebook.com

Photo1: Facebook friends, CC License
Photo2: Man's only true friend, CC License

A No Pants Party on BART Today

2010-01-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

I was not lucky enough to have witnessed this public improv act first-hand, but if you were at the 16th street/Mission BART station today around 3pm, you probably saw hoardes of half-dressed people board the train at exactly the same time. Coincidence? No, not even in San Francisco does that happen by chance.

Today was the annual No Pants! Subway Ride, first organized by Improv Everywhere in New York City nine years ago. Today, San Francisco was one of 44 No Pants! rides organized in 14 countries around the world.

Improv Everywhere is based in New York, and it's mission is to cause "scenes of chaos and joy in public spaces." To date, the organization has executed over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of people.

Castro is Back

2010-01-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, and like many of us, I've got a renewed sense of optimism and ambition in my life, both of which manage to get me into trouble around here, but I say, why not? Why not revisit my so cleverly named blog, and re-launch it with a new look, and a new sense of commitment to sharing my stories? It's not about failing, but all about when you pick up and try again, right?

It's a ripe time for new starts. I've got a new job, sort of. I'm moving on from covering the economy for KALW, to arts and culture (I start next week), and I'll be doing more editing than reporting. I've got new roommates, and new furniture. Still living in the Castro, so my blog name is still - sigh of relief - accurate.

Many things are staying the same actually, but it only takes a couple of changes to start seeing your regular old life from a slightly different perspective. Often that is all you need to figure out that something is not actually good for you, or how it could change to serve you better.

So here is to 2010...may all of us get enough new starts to make the old feel new too :)

Funding Your Bliss

2009-06-21T21:33:00.001-07:00

A lot of people talk about our economy evolving into a "gig economy", where the majority of us would work as independent contractors, not tied to any single company or industry. It seems like San Francisco is a small case study in this, because no where else have I seen more people park themselves in coffee shops to set up shop for the day, and most people I meet declare themselves as self-employed in some way.

So when I heard about this blog, Funding Your Bliss: "Follow Your Dreams in A Creative Class World", I knew I had to check it out. It's written by independent radio producer Dmae Roberts, who has been working independently for 25 years, using primarily grant money to fund radio documentaries, multimedia productions, and theater works.

She has a lot of wisdom to impart on all of us creative independents out there, trying to eek out an existence doing what we are passionate about. It isn't an easy path, but with all the uncertainty out there for even those WITH jobs, it seems like a good a time as any to give the independent life a try.

I am working mostly with local public radio station KALW these days, but I still have the independent spirit in me, and for the first time in my whole life, I really feel liberated by it, absolutely in charge of my path. It's a good feeling, worth the loss of stable pay, benefit packages, and vacation days...at least for now, I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world.

Festival City goes Carnavalistic

2009-05-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

It was a foggy and cold memorial day weekend in SF this year, but thousands of people still made it out to the SF Carnaval celebration on Sunday, including me.

I didn't make it to the parade, but went to the festival afterward, which featured several stages of performers and musicians, hundreds of booths of food and crafts vendors, and tons of people roaming about in their carnaval gear.

This is apparently the largest multi-cultural festival of the year in San Francisco, and I was pretty psyched to witness it, but I almost didn't make it out after the mayhem that was Bay to Breakers last weekend. It seems like it has been a steady stream of these large festivals, last weekend Bay to Breakers, this weekend Carnaval, and coming up, Pride Parade, which I hear is supposed to top them all. I'm honestly so proud of this city for always knowing how to have a good time - and in costume, no less! If there is anything I can respect, it's a city that likes to dress up.

Bike On!

2009-05-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know, I haven't been posting for awhile...I've been distracted by work and family and friends and boyfriend and music and San Francisco and camping and...well, you get the picture.

But I had to write to remind you all that tomorrow is National Bike to Work Day, at least according to The Examiner.

However, be forewarned that a google search shows conflicting dates: other sites say it is the third Friday of May, which would mean it's on the 15th.

Well, if you're in this town, I'm sure you will notice.

I hate to admit this, but I will probably be cheering on the bicycle love from within my volkswaagen (too many hills between me and the office!)...but I will still relish knowing that there are fewer drivers in my way...I mean, on the road. :)

(photo obtained under Creative Commons license, taken by Flickr user Bicyclesonly)

Did YOU celebrate Easter in a Field of Drag Queens?

2009-04-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

Because I did.

It definitely wasn't the plan all along, though. I kinda fell into what my very Catholic aunt would probably call a blasphemous celebration of Jesus' rising from the dead....but it was certainly worth it.

Every year in Dolores Park, on the border of the Mission and the Castro, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence gather for the biggest of their holidays, Easter. They are out in their full drag regalia for events throughout the day, including live bands and Hunky Jesus contest. The Sisters also perform their drag show for everyone, and hundreds if not thousands of people come out for this, dressed in their Easter Bunny Best (I kid you not, most people were dressed as Easter bunnies, or Easter baskets).

The nun outfits are absolutely outrageous, and everyone dresses in some odd way or another to round out the whole fantastical feel of it. It was like a spring time Halloween, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. The sunshine brought people out in their skimpiest of getups, some totally topless, to celebrate the coming of the lord.

National Drive with Your Windows Down Day

2009-04-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Most people know me as a friendly, easygoing person...But most people don't get to see me driving in my car when I'm by myself. I turn into a maniac! Anxiously focused on how I can get one car length further, risking red lights and tickets to do these crazy maneuvers in the middle of the road to grab an empty parking spot across the street. It's insanity.

And I see other people get this way all the time in the city, honking with no real reason other than to release their frustration, people rolling down the window to yell at some unsuspecting person who happened to be going too slow for the rest of humanity...

Anyway, so today, I decided to drive around with my windows rolled down, with no music, just to listen to the sounds outside, to let in the sun soaked air and cool breeze...and it REALLY made a difference.

When I was stopped at a red light, a woman walked across in front of me and caught my eye, and she smiled. Then, it hit me: It's the WINDOWS BEING UP, with the music full blast, that keeps us in that little car bubble, imagining that everyone else on the road is against us, that every pedestrian is a potential roadblock on our way to our destination, each bike rider a nuisance to our desired speed. Those are actual PEOPLE, and having my window down when that woman walked by allowed a human interaction, a smile, and that was all it took for me to see her as a REAL PERSON.

And that's when I realized too that these poor people have to deal with the most disgusting sounds and smells thanks to OUR cars. The least we can do is roll down our windows, and remember that we are part of that world out there. And it's not just going to improve things between car people and non car people, but amongst the car people as well.

So I propose a National Drive with Your Windows Down Day, one day when all drivers take a moment to remember the world that they are driving around in. Maybe then we will feel a little more compassion for the poor bike rider who has to ride around with our exhaust pumping into his face, or the pedestrian who has to deal with our car smells and sounds on her healthy walk to work. Maybe once we can look into other cars as well, all of us with our windows down, we will see each other as PEOPLE TOO, and stop acting like such automatic A#$holes when we get behind the wheel....myself included.

The Economy in Cows

2009-03-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

(photo obtained under Creative Commons from Flickr User Skinnyde)

My cousin sent me this very funny list of metaphors for how economies around the world work. I wish I could put this on my economic blog, but it is a little too politically incorrect for me to associate with public radio. So here it is, for your weekend enjoyment, hopefully it will distract you a bit from the economic doom and gloom.

ECONOMIC MODEL EXPLAINED WITH COWS:

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows.
The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.
The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.
You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows.
No balance sheet provided with the release.
The public then buys your bull.

THE ANDERSEN MODEL
You have two cows.
You shred them.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy....

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A Walk Through the Projects

2009-03-25T22:42:00.001-07:00

San Francisco is a weird city in that you can be walking by some of the most expensive real estate around, and somehow always be within a couple of blocks of project housing. I don't know if it is done on purpose by the city to integrate low income people with the affluent, or if it is just another typical story of gentrification in urban america.

Hayes Valley is a neighborhood where I walk around and often find myself suddenly in the projects without realizing it.

The other day I was walking to the bank, and it happened to me again, but this time I had many blocks to walk and really observe what was around me.

It's really not that bad, at least for us walking on the outside looking in. People are friendly enough, smiling as we walk past each other, there are kids out playing, and I passed a senior center where you could see people gathering for an afternoon game of bingo.

It's the uniform architecture of the buildings that give them away. They all seem fenced in somehow, with bars on windows and electronic gates that look more fortified than on regular streets, in a way that you cant tell whether they are built to keep people out, or keep people in.

(photo 1: a housing project with city hall in the distance;
photo 2: a gate on one of the housing complexes I walked by; both photos taken by me with my blackberry)

The Last Show Close

2009-03-22T15:27:00.001-07:00

So Day to Day is over :(

Friday was the last show, and I have listened to it today twice already, savoring each interview about endings, reinventions, good journalism, and taking charge of your destiny.

Definitely worth taking a listen to the whole show, but here is a link to my favorite part - the show close.

I directed the show for a few months before I left, and directed this close every day...so I can put myself there, in the control room, imagining all these people cramped into the studio, all screaming it in unison for one last time....it must've been magical.

Producing a one-hour, live news program every day, starting as the moon was still in the sky was kind of hell, but my co-workers made it a kind of heaven. Will miss you.

Tell me a Secret

2009-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

My first permanent gig as a producer/journalist was on NPR's Day to Day program based in Los Angeles. The show was a perfect fit for me, because we were thrown in the fire, forced to sink or swim in the daily effort of producing a one hour, lively, quirky, innovative, newsmagazine that could cover the news of the day and the latest trends at fashion week with equal style, class and journalistic vigor. Amazingly, on a schedule that started at 5:30 am every day and could last until god knows when, we actually succeeded at this on most days.

This week is Day to Day's final week on the air, after being part of a dramatic round of layoffs and show cancellations at the company. I was very grateful to not only have been able visit the show and my former colleagues down in LA yesterday, but to have a piece of mine air today as part of their last week on the air.

Here is the link to that piece....it's about an art exhibit now on display at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA.

To know more, go read another blog entry about it at the Day to Day Daydreaming Blog Here.

(photo courtesy of Frank Warren)

Even in Hard Times

2009-03-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

When I moved from "the Secret Garden" to my new apartment in the thick of the Castro/Market neighborhood (still trying to figure out what it is officially called), I moved in with some pretty interesting ladies, all of which represent a different part of the San Francisco world I wanted to know more about: music, activism, burning man, and bike dancing.

(Okay, I didn't really KNOW that I wanted to know more about bike dancing until I learned that my roommate is in a bike dancing troupe.)

Two of my roommates are dancers, and one of their fellow dancers named Hollis was recently in a very terrible motorcycle accident while vacationing in India. Even though she was wearing her helmet, she sustained serious head trauma, and has been in a coma for weeks.

Doctors at Stanford University Hospital have agreed to treat her for free, but it would still cost $200,000 to fly her back home.

So my roommates did the unthinkable, and started getting on the phones, calling friends, powerful people, djs, singers, dancers, members from the burning man community, and not only did they raise almost $100,000, but also organized this amazing fundraising event last night at Slim's.

On a sidenote, I have never seen so many handlebar mustaches, mutton chops, fedoras, feathers, shiny gold stretch pants, and sequins in one room! It was certainly a sight to see, and full of performing acts, including the bike dance troupe I mentioned - which happens to be named the Derailers, in case you were wondering.

The acts also included this guy who got on stage wearing a donkey hat, a long fake beard, and a lab coat, and he proceeded to lay out all different kinds of wind up toys and stuffed animals and plastic figures while he played weird ass music on his theramin.

So needless to say, I got a good dose of a part of this San Francisco world that I had not seen before, and I thought I would share with you the website where you can know more about making donations to getting Hollis home.

www.friendsofhollis.blogspot.com

Even in hard times, it's amazing how people can pull together to do something pretty remarkably selfless.

Castro Against Prop 8

2009-03-05T16:29:00.001-08:00

So I wouldn't be a good Castro blogger if I didn't mention that today the California Supreme Court heard opening statements in the challenge to prop 8. Last night people took to the streets of the Castro to speak against the proposition. Here is the article from the Chronicle that has way more information than I have to offer. (photo is by Lacy Atkins of the Chronicle)

A Castro Dispatch in 60 Seconds or Less

2009-03-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

So I recently decided that I need to bring audio into my blogging life. It is, after all, what dominates the rest of my days as a radio reporter, and if I can't merge the two - writing and sound - in my very own blog, then where else will I be able to?

So I am starting The Castro Dispatches, short stories that I will collect from the Castro neighborhood or from the Castro life in general (that means pretty much anything that I find interesting...I love making the rules).

The only caveat is that they have to be told in 60 seconds or less.

Sounds tough at first, but given how good my dad - the Castro ORIGINALE - is at telling stories, this should be a piece of cake for anyone carrying his genetic material.

So here is my first dispatch...I recorded this one on my phone, while walking on the streets of the Castro. I will call it "There's Nothing Wrong with My Head."

Job Search: A Poem

2009-03-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

In my work lately with the Economic Edge Series, I am consumed with stories of people losing their homes, fighting with their insurance companies, becoming homeless, losing their jobs. It is touching everybody, and in so many different ways, that it is hard to keep track.

I hear that the millenials (that's my generation) are being hit especially hard because we are more expendable. Here is one recent opinion column in the LA times that draws a bleak picture for us twenty-somethings.

And it's no joke: it's already happening. I have a ton of friends looking for jobs right now or who have been recently laid off. One of them took a break from her job search to send me this poem, and i thought i'd share it with you all:

Yo yo ladies, I'm tired of this sh**
waking every day to a screen that don't have it
i need some cash right now, to cover all my bills
or else I'll have to find a way to hock my b.c. pills

I got a call this morning, from the financial industry
saying, don't you worry, they got a job for me
they pilfered my resume from careerbuilder.com
and said since I like to help people, they want me to come on

so tomorrow bright and early, I'm driving to burbank
burning out the fuel I'm holding in my tank
to see if I can stomach calling you at home
and asking if your debts are desperate for a loan

but isn't this the kind of thing that got us in this mess
and mama bank citigroup can barely afford a dress
so why would they want me to come in every day
I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I ask about the pay

if you hear of a forest, or meadow, or brook
where I can relax and curl up in a nook
and lounge in the sunshine, and smile and laugh
I'll head there tomorrow, if they're paying cash

-- Sheila Dvorak, Filmmaker, Los Angeles

Pillow Fight of Love

2009-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

So right at this very instant, there are close to a thousand people having a spontaneous pillow fight in the middle of San Francisco. I was supposed to be there, but I got distracted making a sweet treat for my valentine. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go next year, just check out this video - doesn't this look like a blast?

Inauguration Photos - Finally

2009-02-14T00:28:00.001-08:00

Photos from my time in D.C. are finally on Flickr and on Facebook....Sorry for the delay, but I assure you they are worth the wait!

Going Way Local with the Economy

2009-01-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

When was the last time you went to a neighborhood watch meeting? Okay, let's start smaller, how about the last time you talked to your neighbor, about anything? Well, KALW's Crosscurrents (you can hear it on 91.7, M-Th, 5pm), is launching a new project to harness the power of the public.

It's called The Economic Edge: Documenting the Downturn, and it is a series of reports from professionals and regular folks around the bay area, talking about how the bad economic times are hitting their community.

It's really simple, it can be as easy as going to one of the meetings we have listed there, and leaving us a phone message afterward with your impressions. Or write us an email, and decribe how the economy is hitting you, changing/affecting your life.

Check out the website and the blog, and get involved!

A Dispatch from Inauguration 2009

2009-01-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

So I know what most of you are thinking, Oh, Inauguration Day, that is SO a couple of days ago...Well, I am just now getting over the exhaustion of what felt like a week-long odyssey through masses of out of towners, stretch-limos, and fur coats, and of course, I feel compelled to share my experience with you. So please, ignore for a moment the fact that you've already been bombarded with a million accounts of what it was like to be there, and let me give you a short recap of how MY day went.

Inauguration Day: 8am. I set off for the mall after having slept very few hours on the cold floor of a friend's office building near Union Station. A group of us figured it was worth it if it got us closer to the main event. But being that close to the Capitol didn't save us from it taking FOUR HOURS before we got to our final destination.

Inauguration Day: 8am to 12pm. We ended up having to go all the way to the Washington Monument before we could get into the mall. Not too bad, given that we had plenty of hand warmers and long underwear to keep us going, but on the way there, we encountered several bottle necks where massive backups of people had formed. This was where we really lost a lot of time, and I cant help but blame the police for this one. They just stood by as we practically piled on top of one another, children getting separated from their mothers, people passing out...it was not pretty.

What caused the backups you might wonder? Well sometimes it was a random road block, or a car, or an ambulance, but the worst were the ticket lines. Long, disorganized lines of ticketholders poured into the same roads that we were instructed to take to enter the mall. Imagine, masses amounts of people walking down the same street where a massive line of other people were stopped and standing around. It was the clusterf*$%s of all clusterf*$%s. And to top it off, at one point there was this big group of people in wheelchairs trying to band together, desperately begging for space to get through, but it was to no avail.

Basically we had no choice but to practice patience and hope that people would stay calm, while slowly inching our way toward where we thought there might be more space. Can you say claustrophobia?

Inauguration Day: 12pm-ish. Somehow our group of six makes it through THREE of those horrible backups, and to a safe, comfortable spot on the lawn in front of the monument, right in time for the beginning of the ceremony. There IS a God.

There were so many people everywhere...up on trees, on top of buildings, piled on top of the porta-potties...But once Obama started speaking, an amazing and dramatic hush took over the entire crowd. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. 1.5 million of us, all focusing intently on hearing the words coming out from the speakers in the distance. There was something truly magical in the collective energy of that moment.

To Sum Up: All in all, it was eight hours of walking, standing, squeezing, climbing, waiting, and listening...and believe me when I say that it was worth every second. Oh, and I cant forget to mention the vendors! The vendors were a marvel in their own right, lining the streets with their Obama t-shirts, hats, ties, photos, calendars, postcards, aprons, you name it, they were selling it, and people were buying it and wearing ten of it. Fur coats and ball gowns, mixed in with sequins and glitter. It was a carnival of joyful exuberance, something that I think will leave an imprint on this otherwise jaded and cynical city for a long time to come.

Epilogue: Believe it or not, I attended an inaugural fiesta AFTER this 8 hour trek through the streets of DC (and after two cups of coffee, I must confess), where I danced with local star rapper Wale, electronic dance crew Team Facelift, a live DC go-go band, and burlesque dancers to boot...To see photos from the party and the entire day, visit Castro in the Castro on flickr...I'll try to have the best of the best up by the end of the week.

This Castro Goes Inaugural

2009-01-14T20:56:00.001-08:00

So as my fellow San Franciscans bask in the glory of the little heat wave we are all enjoying right now (today it was in the low 70's!), I am going EAST, where it currently feels like it's 7 degrees outside (that's including wind chill factor), and millions are gathering for one of the most historic moments of our lifetimes.

I couldn't help myself...I found a cheap ticket a couple of weeks ago, and I already have a Castro haven where I can stay for free (i.e. my dad and brother's apartment). So off I go, to brave the cold and the masses of characters that are sure to gather there in the days ahead. My secret? Lots of those little heating packets and my dad's bike. Apparently bikers are getting special valet privileges. Let's just hope it doesn't snow.

I will try to report back as often as I can, so stay tuned.

Taking Time to Appreciate in 2009

2009-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

This past new year's eve, I greeted 2009 in true San Francisco style - freezing cold, atop a massive hill, soaking in a breathtaking view of the entire city nightscape, while banging pots and pans. (Not the classiest of noisemakers, I know, but they did the trick.)

My friends and I dubbed 2008 "The Year of Doing," and I must say, we did a lot this past year. I got a new job, a new home, a new city, some new friends, a new president, a new economy - for better or for worse, a lot of change took place in 2008, and for me, I'm blessed to be able to say all of it was for better.

Even though there are still a lot of things to do this year, I decided 2009 was going to be "The Year of Honoring Time."

Especially now, during hard financial times, we have to keep a place in our minds and hearts for all that we already HAVE, for those things one cannot LOSE, and for the things we still have to keep FIGHTING FOR, at all costs. Of course, I use the word "things" lightly, because I certainly am not talking about anything material or physical.

I am talking about singing, and dancing, painting and parties for friends...because even a bad economy cannot slow down the passage of time, and that is above all the most precious thing we've got.

To give you an example of how some of the best things in life are free, let me tell you how I spent my first weekend in 2009...

I spent it appreciating my favorite of San Francisco's natural gifts - the surf of the Pacific Ocean, amazing scenic drives along the coast, and some of the most delicious oysters you can imagine.

The drive we took was route 1 going north from San Francisco. It winds through groves of fragrant eucalyptus trees, past colorful wooden cabins, up and down hills, dotted with jagged rocks and bright green brush. You pass towns with 30, sometimes 100 inhabitants, past fields of cows and horses grazing.

These are some pictures I took of a long row of mailboxes in front of a barn - one of my favorite spots along the drive. I love imagining the entire neighborhood gathering along the road to get their mail, greeting one another and maybe loitering while they trade gossip or talk about the weather. Cheesy and probably never even happens, but in my mind, that's how it goes.

We suited up and took in the refreshing ocean air while catching small waves in Bolinas (a popular surf spot for beginners and longboard surfers like me). It was cold, but sunny, and it was just us in the water, with a stunning view of jagged cliffs and rolling hills behind us.

And the oysters? Well, those weren't free, but they were pretty cheap. For $10 bucks you can get a dozen oysters at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company and grill them right there in front of a gorgeous view of Tomales Bay. We ate raw and grilled oysters to our hearts' content, and even got to watch the sunset.

This is the view we had as the last ray of sun disappeared - talk about time well spent in 2009! All at a minimal financial cost, but what an amazing return of joy and contentment on this investment of precious time.

May this inspire you to spend your time wisely this year, and to be mindful of appreciating all that you already have.

The Castro's Harvey Milk

2008-12-29T19:07:00.001-08:00

You've probably heard by now of the movie "Milk", starring Sean Penn as the late San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. I had the privilege of seeing this film in the historic Castro Theatre, right on the block where all this history unfolded, and where the movement for gay rights began.

The movie is both heartbreaking and eye-opening. Harvey Milk was elected the first gay city official in the country in the late 70s, and was assassinated only 11 months into his first term, along with the San Francisco mayor at the time, George Moscone. The culprit was fellow supervisor Dan White, who felt betrayed by both of them after discovering he was not going to be able to reclaim his seat. He got off with a voluntary manslaughter charge and only five years served after claiming the infamous "twinkie defense", a defense tactic his lawyers used to link his temporary insanity to a high intake of junk food.

The film was phenomenal - Sean Penn really gives a masterful performance. And it was quite magical to see it in the famous Castro Theatre, with its balcony seating and stunning dome cieling. An organist plays music while you wait for the film to begin, and curtains open to the big screen on what was once a stage. To know that the theatre sits at the heart of where the film takes place was truly amazing.

The film is a thrilling opportunity to meet these great San Francisco heroes and champions of human rights. I left the Castro Theater feeling so proud of my little neighborhood, so humbled by the events that took place just a block away from my new home. I hope it inspires you as it did me to keep honoring those that have paved the way for the rights we all enjoy today, and to continue fighting for those who have less than us.

There is also an excellent documentary called "The Times of Harvey Milk", which has all the archival footage from the time. You can watch in its entirety for free here.

Loving the Rain

2008-12-19T13:27:00.001-08:00

So I've been in hiding, mostly due to sickness, also due to an inordinate amount of travel and work. They say in the freelance world, that when it rains, it pours, and when it's dry, well, you better have a secret stash of rain. It's been raining a lot in San Francisco lately, and I can't complain.

I'm happy to be in San Francisco for Christmas and New Year's. While I was away, I'm sure you probably heard of the really unfortunate things that went down in the public radio world. I was in Washington, DC when it happened, actually working at NPR, and witnessed first hand what my former colleagues had to confront.

It's good to be home now, I'm happy to be soaking in the promise and positive energy of this little world that I'm carving out for myself here. Throw in the rain, and I really have a lot to be grateful for this year.

Stay tuned for some photos of the elaborate Christmas lights around the Castro...they really are worth sharing.

Rocking the N Judah

2008-12-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Rupa and the April Fishes is a band based in San Francisco. Very much inspired and dedicated to their hometown, they occasionally spread their musical love to unsuspecting audiences. But to take part in their impromptu jam, you have to catch them at the right time, on the right...train.

I had the pleasure of being assigned to follow the band as they serenaded commuters on the N Judah MUNI line, from Ocean Beach to the Bay. This is the piece I reported, and it aired yesterday on KALW's Crosscurrents. To see photos, click here.

It was a pretty amazing experience. One by one, musicians of every kind gathered at Java Beach Cafe, as if serendipitously, to create a veritable orchestra of sounds, right there, mixed in with the surfers and coffee drinkers. It looked and felt like a roving carnival.

With all the joy that this music spread that day, to both the musicians and spectators, it makes me wonder why people don't do it more often. Everyone seemed to get such a high from doing something unexpected, in sharing something with people you don't know, just for the fun of it, just for a moment.

What didn't make it into the piece, was that the music didn't stop once we got off the train. I followed Rupa and the rest of the musicians over to serenade one of their regular bandmembers at his day job. They played right there, on the sidewalk in downtown San Francisco, and then they played again when they were invited up to the salon where their friend was working. You should've seen the look on these women's faces as they got their haircut to the sounds of accordion, trumpet, trombone and upright base.

After that, I thought perhaps the music was over, but I joined the band for lunch just in casethey ended up playing some more. As we walked into the restaurant, Raul Vargas, the cajon player, leaned over to me and whispered, "I bet you we don't leave here without playing again."

Sure enough, over two empty bottles of chianti and plates full of italian leftovers, the band decided to play for the waiter, Francesco, in gratitude of his service. The band got two songs in before the neighbors called to complain. So the music finally did come to an end, but with a toast - a round of homemade orangecello, on the house.

Puppy Love Goes Public!

2008-11-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Public radio that is - I reported a short piece on the puppy cam for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and it aired today...share in the love!

Puppy Love

2008-11-21T12:12:00.001-08:00

When my brother came to visit me here not too long ago, one of the main things he noticed was how dog-friendly this city seems to be. And it's true, if you take a walk around you will see many dog parks scattered around the city, people sitting outside cafes with their dogs sitting under them, people riding skateboards with their dogs; they're everywhere. And with the lack of children in this city, I think it's safe to say that San Franciscans have a SPECIAL love for their four-legged friends. In Hayes Valley there's even a boutique pet supply store that calls San Franciscans out on it - point blank - in the name they chose for their store: "Babies." (see photo from their Winter online catalogue below)

Yes, I must admit, dogs are the babies of San Francisco. I stop and ogle at them every chance I get, way more than I stop to fawn over actual human babies. I mean, honestly, it's obviously so much more fun to go ga ga over something cute and be able to go give it a good scratch behind the ear, or even give it kisses and vigorous rubs and have the owner look at you in appreciation! Not so with human babies. Not that I've actually tried, but you can imagine it wouldn't go down so well.

So yeah, leave it to San Franciscans to figure out a way to spread their love of cute puppies to the rest of the planet. Enter: Live Shiba Inu Puppy Cam.

My best friend A. sent me the link yesterday when I was in a particularly sour mood. She promised it would instantly cheer me up. And cheer me up it did. It is a live webcam that a San Francisco couple set up of their six new adorable Shiba Inu puppies in their playpen. I am sure they did it to just keep track of the puppies while they were away, but now it has become an internet phenomenon that even CNN felt obliged to report on.

At any time of the day, you can find at least 20,000 people tuned in to these puppies' every move. For instance, the puppies happen to be sleeping right now, and there are still 21,483 people watching them. A. is hooked, and I have to say, I'm well on my way. Check it out for yourself, I dare you not to be drawn in.

Fog Love

2008-11-14T15:31:00.001-08:00

So it was a full moon last night, and I just had to take some photos of it rising above the city as it cast such a gorgeous light on everything it touched.

But what caught me by surprise was the fog crawling into the city from the hills behind me.

I never thought I would have love for the fog of San Francisco, but to see this amazing natural phenomenon first hand made me see it with new eyes, and I just had to share my awe with you.

Up close, the fog is like an animal being, a mysterious and enchanting force that creeps into and through the city with such quiet speed that you cant quite discern it's intentions. It's electric, full of an intense energy, and even though it moves swiftly like clouds of smoke, it brings with it a cool, delicious air. It was amazing, and lovely.

The Proposition that Keeps Giving...

2008-11-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

So as I'm sure you have all read and heard by now, the activists against prop 8 have taken their protesting to the streets. Thousands of people have overwhelmed city halls and mormon churches all over the country. I went to the march through the streets of the Castro the friday after election day. Check out my photos from election day and that march at my flickr account.

http://flickr.com/photos/32111294@N07/sets/72157609075560751/

Tomorrow another big protest is planned, so stay tuned for more info, more photos and video.

A Protest March on Prop 8

2008-11-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Looks like folks will be marching against the passing of prop 8, all through San Francisco, down Market Street, into the Castro and the Mission District. I'll try to take photos from there, but it is estimated that thousands of people are coming to show their solidarity against proposition 8.

Tracking Prop 8 from The Castro

2008-11-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

So it passed. Today, a ban on gay marriage is officially in effect in the state of California. If you didn't catch the results on the news, you would've probably guessed the outcome if you had a chance to walk around the Castro this morning. It's unusually quiet and somber, with the Castro's iconic and massive gay pride flag flying at half mast.

Last night though, the Castro was jubilant. Hundreds of people poured into the streets and crammed into bars to celebrate Obama's victory. And in pure Castro fashion, a techno dance party broke out in the middle of the street, with DJ, giant speakers, jumbo screen and all.

I was watching the results come in from a crowded and rowdy gay bar on Castro street. I kept hearing people exclaim, well at least we had one big win tonight!

Later on in the night I went to the "No on Prop 8" headquarters in Union Square, where hundreds of people collected to show support for the volunteers. There, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom encouraged everyone to stay hopeful, and to be proud of how far they have come to make equal marriage rights a reality.

I had breakfast at a local diner named Orphan Andy's this morning, where I spoke to some customers about their reaction to prop 8 passing. One was angry that there wasn't more of an effort to canvass in more conservative parts of the state. Another told me he is hopeful that the proposition passed by a small enough margin to constitute a reason to contest it. It's clear that this isn't the last we hear about gay marriage in California.

I'll be posting a slideshow with sound and photos from yesterday and today later on, so keep checking back !

I Have a Proposition for You...

2008-11-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

This Election Day, California isn't considered a battleground state for the future president - it's pretty much decided that it will go blue. But today, it is certainly a battleground for the future of gay marriage.

If proposition 8 passes, it would effectively amend the constitution of California to ban gay marriage - for EVER. So as you can imagine, in the Castro, this is the hot issue of the day.

Flyers like the one pictured here are popping up on car windshields, there are banners and signs all over the neighborhood, and people are already demonstrating at the Castro muni stop in favor of voting NO on Prop 8.

I'm about to hike up to my poll station (yes, I am actually a pretty steep hike away, through trees and over rocks...pretty cool, no?) and I'll be taking photos around the Castro for the rest of the day, talking to people about their hopes and fears surrounding this hotly contested proposition.

I'll be posting what I find later on, so stay tuned for more from the Castro in the Castro!

The Original Castro

2008-10-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

So I may be a Castro in the Castro of San Francisco, but my Castro roots are actually in a place far far away from here, down in a little piece of South American farmland in the Republic of Uruguay. Last week I traveled there to be at a Castro reunion, and I figured dozens of Castros in the same space merited mention on this blog.

The "Original Castro" for me is my dad - that's him and me on the top of a huge hill overlooking the countryside where he grew up. We went to Uruguay to meet up with other Castros to celebrate Grandma Castro's 80th Birthday. We celebrated in the traditional Castro way - with lots of barbecued meat, wine, beer, a traditional drum music called candombe, and of course, lots of dancing, storytelling, and laughing. Here is a photo of me with my grandma at her big party. She's my Abuela Chiquita.

This is the epicenter of the Castros for me, where generations of my father's family have lived. Where they have raised families and animals, where they have loved, laughed, toiled, built, ruined, suffered, triumphed, lost, and found one another. It has a strong energy for me, an energy that calls me back and reminds me of who I am at my core. I carry a piece of it with me wherever I go. Even here in the Castro of San Francisco, I look for ways to keep the original land of the Castros alive around me.

The Secret Garden

2008-10-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Each time I invite someone to my new apartment I like to tell them that I live in the Secret Garden, and it's because I do! Check out these photos of the gorgeous view from my door, and my amazing succulent plants!

One of the first things that struck me about San Francisco was how everyone seemed to have luscious gardens and front yards. This is especially true of houses in the Castro, but it also seems to be a general trend here. It may be colder than SoCal, but it's still California, and everything likes to grow here.

"The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of..."

2008-10-07T12:13:00.001-07:00

...people panting and screaming, "how much farther??!!!" and "you've got to be KIDDING ME!!"

These are a few of the phrases that I hear people utter as they slowly make their way up the hill that I live on. You can see it in these photos I took the other day. (Notice how the sidewalk is at a 45 degree angle with the actual house across the street from me. Scary.)

So yeah, the hills in San Francisco are no joke.

This is important information for freelance journalists who are new to the city because inevitably you will travel to random places for interviews, and like me, you will use the very handy dandy MUNI trip planner, which tells you how and when to take the municipal transit around the city. The trip planner will calculate the time for each leg of the trip, even calculate your walking distance from the bus to your destination. But what it DOESN'T do, is tell you that your approx. 12 minute walk includes going up three huge freakin' hills.

Last week this exact scenario happened to me, and it was not pretty. I showed up sweaty and stinky in my rarely worn but cute black blazer. Any hope of looking professional went out the window with my dignity as I quickly stripped my layers off and gulped down two glasses of water like a dog would if dogs could drink from a glass.

So here is an idea for the next generation of google maps: warn us about the hills! There could even be a coding system from 1-10 indicating hill difficulty, or likelihood that you will want to kill the person who invited you to see their cute new apartment without telling you to wear appropriate sneakers or to bring a towel to dry yourself off.

Weekend of Festivals

2008-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

So it was ridiculously sunny and warm this weekend, after they had warned of rain. The many festivals scheduled went on as planned, and people were out in full force. I was aware of at least three - the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park (free), The Love Fest at the Civic Center (mostly free), and The Castro Street Fair ($4 donation) right outside my house (Photo of The Castro Street Fair to the left, and photo of one of the floats at the Love Fest to the right).

My friends and I ended up at the Love Fest, an electronic music festival and parade that went all day and all night. It brought out the inner raver out in everyone, to say the least.

These are the weekends to fall in love with San Francisco, and how people like to let loose in this city. I got a photo with at least one naked dude, and many dressed in fluorescent furry animal costumes. Topless girls with hot pink wigs were shaking their booties on floats full of half-naked writhing bodies, and all smack in front of city hall. Only in this city would multiple streets get shut down on the same day, to facilitate heavy public drinking in the midlde of the afternoon. You almost forget that we are part of the same country that elected George Bush based on the 3 Gs - Guns, God and Gays. San Francisco really IS an island.

First Report from The Castro

2008-09-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a little known fact about me: I love puns. I just LOVE 'em! My old co-worker S. discovered this about me after she noticed that I'd inevitably let out a huge guffaw or get an attack of the giggles after every pun that emerged from our otherwise uneventful meetings. It's the most accessible kind of word play, and it just gets me. Ever since someone told me to stop sitting on a rock, and I mistook him for saying Iraq. It was over after that. I can't tell you how many times the "a rock" vs "Iraq" joke comes up now, I think we have uttered about every phrase imaginable with the word.

Anyway, so all of this to explain that what ultimately made my decision to move to The Castro in San Francisco a matter of destiny, was the fact that I'd be living the best play on words of my life: Martina Castro on Castro in The Castro. Doesn't get better than that. Someone said that it would make for a great blog, and here I am, writing about my experience living in The Castro as a 20-something trying to make it as a freelance journalist in a new city. I left a job, a home, and many friends back in Los Angeles to go on this financially insecure adventure, and I am happy to include you on the stories I'll collect on this journey. Thanks for joining me.