eruthros: closeup on apples, text "fruit porn" (fruit porn - apples)
1. Sometimes I cook all fancy! I'm home visiting my folks, and my dad wanted to grill because he's been watching this grilling cooking show. But I basically don't eat meat except for fish, so we settled on tuna, because it doesn't stick to the grill. So this was yesterday's dinner:

grilled marinated tuna and mango salsa taco-ish things for the noms )

2. Speaking of California, I often find staying with my parents somewhat frustrating (and helping my mom out with her work can be exceptionally frustrating).

But! Here are some of the things that California has in addition to fruit: It's-Its. Blue Bottle Coffee (<3<3<3). Tacos. Breakfast pastries at the Ferry Building. Boogaloo's amazing grilled plantain cakes. Persimmons from the tree in the backyard. Some friends I haven't seen in a while. Fan peoples. Thrift stores. An ocean.

3. There is going to be another Avatar: The Last Airbender (and Avatar: Legend of Korra) fanwork exchange over at [community profile] white_lotus! I plan to ask for Korra/Chief Bei Fong, among other things, so it is basically guaranteed to include great things.

Anyway, if you are interested, there's a draft signup post to poke at (to make sure all your favorite characters are on the list!) and tomorrow there will be a draft rules post that take people's suggests from last year into account. And signups will start later this week!

As part of making it work this year, we've also made an AO3 collection for the challenge, so that people who want to play in an anon-slow-reveal challenge but also want to be able to edit their fanworks can play that way. People will still be able to just send us their fanworks and have them posted straight to the comm, but the AO3 thing should make it easier for people who are already using the AO3. (Plus we belatedly made a collection for last year, so if you want to you can submit your fanworks to the collection.)

4. Remember that top one hundred specfic works thing? I haven't forgotten it, I promise, I just got cranky when I organized everything for Condorcet voting on a website that said it would do it ... and then couldn't deal with 250 things in a list, Grr. And then I tried a bunch of other places, and they all would only do ten items or allow 50 voters or blahblah. I might end up just doing it in comments and uploading the data flat to a Condorcet calculator. (The short version of condorcet: it's sometimes called ranked-choice or instant-runnoff voting [though a lot of different methods end up being called these things, since the terms are used confusingly in news stories], and it's usually done for single-winner issues. It can be done for a multiple-winner issue, though, and I thought it would be fun because it would let people rank as many things as they wanted. It's a kind of neat alternative since it lets you rank things you hate low, and not have to do careful vote manipulation to make your vote "count." But APPARENTLY the javascript version of the Condorcet page crashes liek whoah.)

5. some stuff about the OTW )
eruthros: Ivanova from B5 saying "boom boom boom boom" to Londo -- angry icon!! (B5 - Ivanova boom)
So remember how Johannes Mehserle, a white BART police officer, shot and killed Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man, last year in Oakland?

And remember how a couple months ago, the jury returned a verdict of involuntary manslaughter? And tacked a "gun enhancement change" on top of that? Rather than the second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter charges the prosecutor was asking for?

Well now Mehserle has been sentenced! To two whole years in prison (minus time served, of course). The shortest possible sentence. Yes. Two fucking years. Why?

Because the judge rejected the gun enhancement charge on the grounds that the jury must not have understood it.

Oh, and also because he's concerned about everyone's tone:

"The judge said he received more than 1,000 letters from the public advocating the maximum sentence of 14 years for Mehserle and that he was concerned by their anger." (from a different Bay Citizen article on the trial)

ETA: Oscar Grant Sr, Oscar Grant's grandfather, said: "Knowing how the judicial system in this country works, I was not surprised. Two years is just a slap in the face." (from sfgate.com's article on protests in Oakland)

No kidding.

ETA2: Scenes from the protests in Oakland tonight by Oakland North. According to the SF Chronicle, 500 police and Homeland Security officers are blocking off the 250 person protest.

YOU GUYS.

May. 15th, 2008 01:46 pm
eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (Default)
CALIFORNIA STATE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS SAME SEX MARRIAGE BAN

I do not have enough allcaps you guys. It's amazing, because it really was a lot about language -- civil unions in California had a lot of the same rights as marriage, and it's harder to make a legal case out of that, you know?

The ruling is available in pdf here.

There are celebrations all over the state; you can check them out here.

Bay Area

Apr. 29th, 2007 10:18 am
eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (Default)
So I was giving a bunch of Bay Area sports blogs a quick once-over this morning, and checking out various links. (Links, for example, where fans discuss Baron Davis' sartorial choices. I guess because it's sorta trying to keep within the NBA dress code while still expressing individuality.)

And I ended up at youtube, checking out a vid that's sorta Oakland-against-the-world, paralleling the criticisms of J-Rich and the Warriors and New Bay hip-hop. I basically just embed this video for [livejournal.com profile] fiatlouis. *g*







As one is wont to do, I clicked on some of the related links, most of which were crap. But one of them was set to Zion I's "The Bay." And one of the related links to that was ... holy shit, I said, is that really a music video for "The Bay?" Or is it somebody's mix? And no, no, that's Zion I's "The Bay." I didn't even know it had a music video, so I have to share it with everybody in the known world.







... and while I was typing this, I checked sfgate, and holy shit. That is an oil tanker that blew up and MELTED the upper deck of a freeway overpass. WTF.

Awesome, but random: Wikipedia has a page called WP: BALEET that redirects to the wikipedia deletion policy page. Ha!

ETA: Speaking of embedding, apparently we expect "LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS" here tomorrow. Per the National Weather Service. Embedded thunderstorms? Embedded in what?

AWESOME.

Apr. 28th, 2007 11:38 am
eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (BtVS Tara avatar avatar)
So I know none of you care, but: last nights' Warriors-Mavs game? Was a thing of beauty.

Andris Biedrins made a shot look so easy that you couldn't believe anyone could stop him. Richardson hit threes like nobody's business. Baron Davis made this incredible switch-handed layup that pulled a foul and turned into a three point play. J-Rich got caught with his back to the hoop and made this awesome around-the-back shot.

(If you want to see any of those omg fabulous shots, here're the game highlights. It's all of two minutes, and you can go "oh my god REALLY?" with me.)

The fan energy was incredible -- jumping! Standing ovations! Cheering! Signs! The We believe guy!

Here is the thing about Warriors fans: Thirteen years since the last playoff. High hopes time and time again, and hopes crushed. Warriors fans are Warriors fans regardless of the team's performance; they critique and moan, they root for the Suns in the playoffs 'cause the Warriors aren't in it (or at least I used to!), but they are some of the most dedicated fans in the league. They stuck it out through bad draft choices -- Todd Fuller, fergodsakes, drafted ahead of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant that year, and Vonteego Cummings, the name no-one knows, and Steve Logan who never actually played in an NBA game. And they're still fans. As Nelson said: "If we give the crowds something to cheer for and we play well, they'll be with us. And if we don't play well, I know they'll still be with us. But we've got to give them a reason to be there."

I mention this, because I was scoping the Mavs blog last night -- it's updated faster than most of the Warriors blogs -- and half the comments said "I can't believe Avery Johnson's lost another game! He's the worst coach ever!" and "I'll never be a fan again!" and, dude. Two losses? Admittedly, first-seed team losing to eighth-seed, but: dude. Two losses. Two losses and you're bailing, talking about firing coaches and half the players, encouraging Mark Cuban to sell the team, saying you'll never ever watch a game again? Christ, what is that?

Warriors fans, like I said, critique a lot -- there's a lot of sofa-GMing -- but abandon a team after two losses? We didn't abandon a team after Latrell Sprewell strangled the coach and had to be traded away (to the Knicks, who actually liked him even after that. ugh.). We didn't abandon the team after Todd Fuller, the high hopes of the league, our way to get back in, managed to score an average of, like, five points a game. Warriors fans still call for Adonal Foyle -- a defensive player who scores maybe four points a game -- to come on at the end, because he's been our man for ten years, even though he's known more for his politics than his playing these days. We think he should get to play a minute or two in a playoff game; it's only fair.

So, yeah. I get the Mavs' fans disgust. But it's hard to take the "omg we can't be fans of a losing team I'm never watching them again!" Not when the team they're playing is playing their first playoff game at home in thirteen years, to the biggest crowd of fans to ever pack into a basketball arena in California.
eruthros: Yoda in Dagobah swamp, caption "slimy? mudhole? my fandom this is!" (SW - slimy mudhole fandom)
OMG y'all: the Warriors are up FOURTEEN with one minute to play. The eighth seed Warriors. Against the first seed Mavs. And the Mavs have home court advantage.

*becomes a nail-biting stressball*

PS: chooses icon appropriate for Warriors fan. The twelve-year-drought-ended Warriors.

***

ETA: OMG THEY WON WHAT? WHAT? I ... WHAT?

The Warriors won an away game against the team with the best record in the NBA? By twelve points? WHAT?

PEOPLE. What has happened here? Can this be real?
eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (B5 - Delenn OMG)
I think I'm going to cry. MAN. Thirteen years, y'all.

That marks the end of what was the longest current playoff drought in the league. And it means J-Rich and Foyle finally, finally get to play in the playoffs.

And, you know, the sports commentators are muttering about it: they can't beat the Mavs, they say. I dunno; their season record is only 42-40, but they've beaten the Mavs every single time they've met this season -- in fact, all of the last five times they've met up, counting last year and last year's crappy Warriors team. Now, an eighth seed has only beaten the first seed once in NBA history, and the Warriors are tired and the Mavs aren't -- but still, I think the Warriors are gonna push the Mavs hard. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
eruthros: Ivanova from B5 saying "boom boom boom boom" to Londo -- angry icon!! (B5 - Ivanova boom)
Boom, in this case, in the literal sense.

3.7 isn't big at all, but it was a sharp enough shake (and preceded by enough forewarning rumbling) that my mom and I dropped our forks and said "doorway!" in unison and headed off for safety. (Then, of course, the sharp shake turned out to not be the beginning of anything else, and it's only being scored a IV on the Mercalli scale by people in our zip. I'd give it a III, me, because nothing fell off the table except the newspaper, and we weren't panicked. But others are not so conservative.)

Also, I love the USGS. Back at Loma Prieta, we had to go turn on the radio and sit outside under the beams of the carport (I played candyland with the neighborhood kids) and wait for news to trickle in. We didn't even know how big the quake was for an hour or so. Now? Presuming you've still got the 'net, you'll get a report in about thirty seconds, 1500 Mercalli scale personal responses compiled into an intensity map in a minute and a half (more than that, of course, if it's a big quake), a preliminary Richter scale measurement in four minutes, and the whole shebang will be reviewed by a seismologist fifteen minutes after the quake. How's that for sweet?

***

I know I'm back in California because I fall asleep with a little tune stuck in my head. Not a Christmas song, no. It goes like this: "Approaching outbound two car M, M in one minute followed by one car L in two minutes two car N, N in four minutes. The next inbound train is going out of service. Do not board."

***

I think I'm still a San Francisco foodie at heart. [livejournal.com profile] friede asked me about good restaurants in Philadelphia, and I could name several, but I couldn't do what I did today. )

California

Aug. 4th, 2005 07:03 am
eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (Default)
Yay, trip to California! Yay, not being in Philadelphia in August! I had to go dig out a jacket to pack and everything.

I'll be there tomorrow through August 16th, and at the moment I have little in the way of plans. I'm going to be hanging out with my folks this weekend and celebrating my mom's birthday, but other than that I am free as a bird. I plan to go to the SF bead store, to Solano Avenue and get my hair cut, to Berkeley to have tapioca tea, and to the Ferry Building, where there will be Frog Hollow Farms peaches, but I can do that any time. I'd love to hang out with y'all whenever (especially [livejournal.com profile] slyviolet and [livejournal.com profile] ryca and [livejournal.com profile] morgandawn, because I keep not quite managing to connect with you). The only problem is that I am car-free, so if you can't get there by BART or Caltrain or bus I can't go.

Drop me a line or a comment, folks! Let me know what's up and when you're free and where we should hang out!
eruthros: Li Ann from Once a Thief with two guns, text "Li Ann" (OaT - Li Ann  red)
So I actually read the news some at work today. Because I was using a computer. Because they've decided that I should be working on their accounting db -- and, I mean. I have Issues with processing invoices and all. Eeep cutting checks eeep. Plus, I'm doubly offended -- first, that my report-to woman said to me "well, we wanted you to do it because you actually have a brain" (the implication, of course, being that the other temps don't, which is both rude and extremely weird). And second, and possibly more important, they're not paying me to have a brain. I mean, I took this temp gig because it handily fit into my free time before Christmas, not because it's exciting or pays well or anything. And now they're all "hey, we're paying you at Inventory and Filing, but we'd like you to be doing Accounting." If I were going to be there more'n two more days, I'd insist on a raise -- as it is, I'd feel silly saying "need raise for next eight hours ooops must go now."

ANYway. This news story made me so happy, and reminded me so of weird San Francisco politics: SF Supes vote to rename Bay Bridge for Emperor Norton. Yup. Emperor Norton, for those of you who don't know, was a mentally unstable man from the Gold Rush period who dressed in uniform and proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, charged fines of $25 for saying "Frisco," declared that the Republican and Democratic parties were dissolved, printed his own money, and mandated that a bridge should be built between Oakland and San Francisco. That last point being why his name may soon be on said bridge. (He's in Sandman, as well, for the sf/f geeks who are not history geeks.) Whee! Sample Emperor Norton proclamations:
Whereas we are informed that the screw which works the Clay Street Railroad is not strong enough for that purpose, and that it is, consequently, dangerous to the lives of the passengers; also that the dummy is a useless appendage. Now, therefore, the Directors of the company are hereby ordered to see that precautions are taken to make travel on said railroad perfectly safe by using a screw with at least twenty-four inches diameter.

It is represented to us that the universal suffrage, as now existing through the Union, is abused; that fraud and corruption prevent a fair and proper expression of the public voice; that open violation of the laws are constantly occurring, caused by mobs, parties, factions and undue influence of political sects; that the citizen has not that protection of person and property which he is entitled to by paying his pro rata of the expense of Government--in consequence of which, WE do hereby abolish Congress, and it is therefore abolished; and WE order and desire the representatives of all parties interested to appear at the Musical Hall of this city on the first of February next, and then and there take the most effective steps to remedy the evil complained of.
And, of course, Mark Morford.
All of which makes you wonder: how many more countries will it take? How many more nations will have to, for example, prove that gun licensing works, or that gay-marriage legislation is a moral imperative, or that health care for all is mandatory for a nation's well being, before America finally looks at itself and says, whoa, damn, we are so silly and small and wrong? Is there any number large enough? After the announcement that gay Chinese and gay Russians may legally marry and grow lovely gardens of marijuana as they all get free dental care, will America remain terrified of nipples and queers?

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eruthros: Delenn from Babylon 5 with a startled expression and the text "omg!" (Default)
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