Sad to be leaving, but happy to go
I have to say that while being in San Francisco for a week and a half, I'm quite happy to be leaving. I went for a walk up to North Beach two days ago to buy salami and I thought, "Hey, I won't see this place for awhile, let's have a stroll." That was a rather tremendous mistake as shop upon shop is closed. It was just sad. This city is a husk of what it was and it goes to show how intangibly debt-driven the economy is here. Although, it did make me anxious to leave.
So, that's it. A total month and a half back in the US and now I'm off again. Why am I off again? Because economically, things are really still quite down. I knew that this would be the case though as January-March in any year are a hard time to find work. Of course, I had a sunnier disposition about things this time last year, which ended up burning me. But, given the fact that my rent wasn't increased for the first time in five years and a quick perusal of Craigslist shows that yes, things are not turning around, I am tossing in the towel and leaving the country.
Heading off to Europe again? No, not this time. As much as my in-laws would probably like to have me grilling meat and watching the puppy, I'm going a bit more adventurous this time; I'm heading to Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) for five months. Yes that is in Africa (West, not South) and yes, they do speak French there. And yes, it is quite hot there. So, why on earth am I doing this?
First off, I've wanted to actually live outside the US for an extended period of time. I've only really traveled outside for a maximum of maybe three months through a variety of countries. The closest I've come to living was staying in Figueres with my in-laws and that didn't really count as I wasn't paying rent, mom-in-law did the shopping, and I was there on the three moth tourist visa which I damn near went over on. Really need to use the other passport more...
So, this will be not only the longest time outside the US, but also the first actual living in another country. It just took until I was 33 to actually pull this off (I'm a late bloomer.) This is all being made possible by #1 Fan having a temporary contract there that was will take care of basic living expenses. Seeing how the economy was heading, she did something very smart last Fall and found this position which will not only allow us to hopefully weather this economic storm, but also work on that other project that I spend so much time on, Maneno. Also, I am hoping to come back speaking decent, as opposed to chicken-scratch, French by the end of this as well. Even though it's not my favorite language in the world (the multiple 'u' sounds and the numbers kill me) it is an incredibly useful one.
Most people who read this blog probably don't read Subsaharska that much as it's about Africa and African technology primarily. This one is a bit more fun, dealing with such things as food, tea, airport frustration, and of course, toilets. Speaking of which, there should be an article forthcoming about that last item. Otherwise, if you want to see some of the more cool things I'll be doing and the people I'll be working with, take a look at that blog.
If I didn't get a chance to meet up, I'll make sure to do so in July and will be happy to see a lot of folks again after so much time away, although I will be online just as much as here in the US and I have a SkypeIn number for those wishing to call as well. Au revoir!
27 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: california, in to africa, san francisco, us america
Time for a re-read me thinks
In looking up the exact definition of a Prefect and realizing that, as I assumed, we really have no equivalent in the US, except those wanting to sound fancy-like, I was reminded of Ford Prefect; the character, not the car. Obviously, this joke of a name from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which the film version of sucked hard) was funny to me, but never completely ha ha funny. I was not alone:
Adams later observed that this joke was lost on U.S. audiences who assumed it was a typing error for "perfect." In the French version, Le Guide Galactique,[1] Ford's name was changed to "Ford Escort." The joke is also now largely lost on younger audiences in Britain also, since the Ford Prefect is now a rare sight on British roads. In the film adaptation, his last name was never actually stated on-screen, but it is given in the film's credits as "Prefect."
Sadly, Ford Escort would have worked in the US as well, but the French got that bit of humo(u)r. Anyways, maybe it's time to go back and read that trilogy in five parts. I had forgotten how funny it was as again, the film version that came out five years ago was crap on a stick.
24 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: england, humor, language
The State of Dry
It's been raining for about the last week in San Francisco, which is a rather rare thing given that the weather actually has the nerve to rain during the day. Usually we are blessed here in Baghdad by the Bay that when it rains, it rains during the night, clears for the day, and then rains again at night. My mom keeps quoting that it is like Camelot in that way, although I'm sure she's misquoting this somehow. Although her generalization about some ethnicity or another not liking boats as whole will always be the paramount misquote from mom.
But, speaking of family, I spent a rather large chunk of time up in the hometown of Oroville. While I was there, I went up to the lake, because really, you either go the lake or eating fast food. Oh, and shopping at the Walmart. These are the highlights of Oroville: boatin', fishin', eatin', and cheap shoppin'. We lost our use of the letter G in a freak industrial accident at the end of the 19th century.
But the lake, is really not a lake currently. The fact that there has been a drought for the last three years in California was never so readily apparent. And this isn't just some temporary thing as you can see the progressive lowering of the boat launch ramps that they've had to create year after year. I'd say it's down a solid 150 if not 200 meters from what should be considered full. Where I took the shot below is almost always underwater and is the spillway that is used to vent the flow of the water when there is the possibility of flooding. As you can see, this possibility is not anywhere within the realm of reality at the moment.
It will be curious to see how these rains change things in California. If they continue longer, I'm sure it will just be a matter of another week when all the Drought! Drought! people turn in to the Flood! Flood! people. This time around, flooding in the Sacramento Valley floor will be really freaky given all the empty homes that sit there due to the economic crisis. Although, this matters little to me at the moment as I'm getting prepared to get out of dodge for quite some time next week, but more on that soon...
23 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: california, drought
I had no idea metafilter could do that
For those who don't know of it, MetaFilter has been around forever; so much so that bragging about having a low user id on it means nothing to people today. Predating the massive blog rush and turning 11 years old this year, I had no idea that it was that active anymore. It was only after not really checking my statistics for awhile that I suddenly came across a link from this article. Took me awhile to find it, but it's on the word "travelers" in the first sentence, "It's the bane of travelers everywhere, the Taxi scam."
It seems rather meaningless to me, but the traffic to my Belgrade taxi scam article (and the whole site) shot up traffic by about 500% for that day. Shocked isn't the right word, but it will do. If only I actually wrote solid articles like Apple hornbag, Daring Fireball, maybe I'd have something.
21 01 2010 2 comments
Tags: metafilter, statistics
The joy that is digital video
I'm saying goodbye to by Sony DVCAM camcorder this week. He was good to me, but I really didn't use him as much as I would have liked as my aspirations as a filmmaker didn't really pan out as one would have hoped. That and the fact that this camcorder uses tape. I'd much rather have one that shoots straight to a digital file so that I don't have to haul around a pile of tapes with me everywhere I go as the high quality ones are pricey.
That said, the advent of digital video has been a boon to all of us wishing to make videos. Obviously, this has led to an inordinate amount of crap coming out as anyone has access. But, at the same time, those who might not have had access before can now shoot whatever they want, and cheaply. Case in point, the video below by OK Go.
You might be more familiar with their video for Here it Goes Again where they dance on treadmills, but the genius of this video is that they made up one hell of a dance routine, shot in one take with no special effects. If one of them owned the camera, then that video effectively cost them nothing more than their time. And there you go, entertainment without cost.
This is what is lost on so much of the broadcasting and recording companies is that they're spending too much to make too little. In other words, they're putting out crap. I'd much rather watch a hokey video made my OK Go any day as opposed to just about any show they put out now. Admittedly, I am looking forward to the Season Finale of Lost though, but that is one show with good writing, producing a good product. I don't even know if The Hills is still on MTV, but if it is, then that is an example of shit writing granting a shit product. No matter how much you spend putting layers of lacquer on it, it's still shit at the core.
20 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: digital, video, web
The new homeless in my hometown
My hometown of Oroville, California is not a wealthy town. This is ironic given that it was the wealthiest town in Butte County in the 19th century and was thus granted the county seat. While a wise choice at the time, it has since led to a large amount of people living in the area on government assistance as by living in the town, they are close to the administrative offices of said assistance and overall, the cost of living is less than the majority of California.
The old town from the Gold Rush period in the mid 1800's is charming and the town overall could easily be a delightful place someday with sufficient planning. This of course has not arrived as not one, but two American Indian casinos opened in town several years ago. While there are the occasional big winners here and there who have their picture taken with the new 4x4 truck they bought with the money and then shown in the local paper, the casinos have been a drain on the town. Those who drive to them to try and win their rent money with their food money are often seen walking back in to the downtown area.
While this is bad, it's not as bad the current economy. No one really believes me, but I keep telling them that I was never confronted with homeless people until I moved to San Francisco. Sure, there were some around, but they would literally hide out in the woods at various camps. Sometimes they lived under bridges or in other odd and slightly mythological places. In a word, they were out of sight.
In see the town for the first time since last May, I'm quite terrified at what has happened. I see homeless everywhere. Some of them look spun out or drunk, but many just look like normal folks, down on the luck, beat up by their monetary state, and out on the streets. This is sobering. I've never seen this before in the three plus decades Oroville and I have had a relationship.
About the only think I can point a finger at is the economy. It's a lot deeper and worse than anyone wants to admit. I've seen three economic downturns in San Francisco and it generally looks unchanged, but seeing a change like this in my home town is a glaring sign that while maybe we've hit bottom, we still have yet to admit it and until we do that, we're just doing to see the sides of a very deep hole for awhile.
15 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: california, economy, oroville
Lazy photographers like my angles
If you follow this blog or my photos, you might notice that the shot below from Montenegro looks familiar. That's because it's the same as this photo that I took nearly three years ago.
Andrew Testa's photo for the New York Times on slide 14 of their annual where to go series is a more balanced and processed shot than mine, but just as lazy. Why do I say that? Because it's a shot from the road. I took mine from the window of a bus as I made an ill-fated attempt to go to Albania from Montenegro. He probably stopped the car, got out and took a second to take the shot, but it's basically the same thing; a shot from afar that doesn't actually dig in to the surroundings. It's no wonder that photography has little value when a casual photographer like me can get the same shot as someone from a respected publication.
Also not a wonder is why travel publishers are having less revenue. It's not just that print is dying, but the fact that if you look at that list the Times concocted, it's uneven and generally lame, but such is the theme as of late for their travel department, which honestly, they should just shutter out of embarrassment. Of course I'm guessing they're still getting a good deal of advertising revenue from it, from those companies that aren't quite "getting" the net just yet.
09 01 2010 0 comments
Tags: journalism, montenegro, photography
Step away from the yam. Step away!
My ever-flowing fount of blog knowledge, #1 Fan, tipped me off to Sleep Talkin' Man. What this is, is a genius collection of random things some English guy says in sleep that his wife is privy to hear throughout the night.
My parents once had this guest stay at our place during one of their illustrious art shows (bunch of hippies selling crafts in a park) and by day, she seemed like a normal person. By night though, it was a whole different story. She screamed, literally screamed during her sleep. It had to be one of the most terrifying nights of my life listening to such tidbits as, "Get away! No! Stop!" and "Oh god! No! Help me, won't somebody please help me!"
Thankfully for this wife, it is apparently not nearly so bad. The title of this article was one such gem. Others that I gleaned upon a quick perusal include:
"Elephant trunks should be used for elephant things only. Nothing else."
"Lentils are evil. Pure fucking oozing evil. Take them away from me."
"I've got a really terrible terrible feeling about this custard tart. Terrible."
"Well if I'm the douchebag, you're the contents, Titfuck!"
"Look at me, I'm covered in.... what is it? Ewwwww. That's not nice."
"Your hands are all fingery fingery."
"Sigh of a ninja."
And naturally my favorite, "It's CHICKEN and you LIKE IT. Lentil-loving, bean burger-shitting wanker."
To some extent, it reminds me of a Dalí-esque version of ShitMyDadSays. All fun things to do while sitting around, sitting on my thumbs, waiting for my visa to arrive so that I can move on with this year's plans.
