Today, I saw...

...a baby nestled in a furry pink sheep outfit in his stroller, Wonder Woman with big unmuscular thighs, and a brown bear holding hands with a magician in a tophat. Not too many dressed up for the occasion today, at least on BART and in downtown Oakland. Maybe when evening falls...

Shiver Me Timbers

I felt my first earthquake since we moved here 6 1/2 years ago! The 5.6 magnitude trembler found us lounging on the couch a little after 8PM last night, while watching The Daily Show. It took me a moment to realize that the shaking of my body from a Jon Stewart-induced laugh continued even after I had stopped laughing 'cos the entire house was moving. The sensation reminded me of sitting in a Sharper Image massage chair set to full body wave mode. And we felt it even though we're on bedrock, so it must have really rattled the rest of the Bay Area! Fortunately, no serious injuries.

Where's Abraham?

...Lincoln, that is. Some of you may be familiar with the Currency Tracking Project (a.k.a. "Where's George?"), which poses the question, "Do you ever wonder where that paper money in your pocket has been, or where it will go next?"

Well, I received a $5 bill as change at Cafe Lombard this morning, and was delighted to read "This bill is registered with www.WheresGeorge.com" next to Abe Lincoln's stoic face. This is the third Project bill that I've encountered; the other two were Georgies. After I entered the serial number on the site and described where I got it, I learned that it was in North Richland Hills, TX -- 1457 miles away -- just yesterday! The person who logged it then said, "This bill was used to make change at my bar in DFW Airport in Dallas, TX." Wild, huh?

Let's see where it goes from here...

Let's Head Upstream

ML and I had an awesome time at the awesome David Crowder Band concert tonight at the Fillmore. Did I say it was awesome? It was awesome. And their opening acts, The Myriad and Phil Wickham kicked a$% as well. (pardon the limited vocab; sleepy...)

I can easily dwell on how I was temporarily hypnotized when The Myriad's Jonathan Young started bowing his guitar, or when the house literally shook each time percussionist Randy Miller let his bass drumsticks fall,...but instead, I'll share with you some wisdom that David Crowder left us with.

The difference between compassion and justice is this: Compassion is when people flock to the banks, ready to rescue the people who are drowning in the river. Justice is when someone heads upstream to stop whoever is throwing the people in the river.

We need loads of people to help those who are drowning, but we need folks to go upstream, too. So,...are you with me?

I'll Be Back!

A and I share the same appreciation for good customer service, and for me, especially when it promotes a sense of community. Today I stumbled upon a warm and hospitable place that I'll likely revisit, even though the food wasn’t spectacular. New Filipinas Restaurant (953 Mission St), where I was greeted by three cheerful titas (Tagalog for "aunties") who, upon learning that I'm also from SE Asia and only had enough cash on me for a one-item lunch order, chorused for me to add their "popular beef soup" to my tray. "For you, it's free," one of them beamed. I wanted to throw my arms around her like a little girl, as if I'd known her all my life.

My one-item, Adobo Pork, which I ate with white rice, was "okay", but I must say the soup was good-to-the-last-drop delicious. I soaked in my surroundings as I took my time over this simple meal -- two of San Francisco's finest, looking sharp in their dark blue uniforms and pausing between mouthfuls each time a woman's alto voice crackled on their walkie talkies; a group of Hispanic construction workers wearing t-shirts that read "Bay Area Surfaces"; and several other small groups of diners, all tradesmen, chatting in Tagalog.

Noone left the place without exchanging a few friendly words with the titas, most of them promising to "See you again!" before heading back out to the rain-soaked streets. I think I'll try the tilapia next time.

You Tarzan

"You are a freakishly strong man." Something that I never thought I'd hear my guy say to another guy, specifically the appliance installer who single-handedly carried our new dishwasher across the room today. And for my guy to say it? Now that's strong!

One To Watch

I'm launching this series to recommend new "stuff" that I think are destined to hit it big. Since this is the kick-off, here are TWO to watch. Lucky you!

K-Ville
New Orleans will always hold a special place in my heart because of the hurricane relief work and the wonderful people we've met over there. The fact that K-Ville (or Katrina-Ville) incorporates the complexities of a town and society making sense of it all after such a huge disaster makes it different from other cop shows. Plus it stars Anthony Anderson, who has been climbing the ranks on my pre-blog "One To Watch" list for years now.

Noah McCullough
This amazing 12-year old prodigy was interviewed during last week's Catalyst conference I attended. So poised and articulate, he's already a published author and plans to run for President (on the Republican ticket, he emphasizes) in 2032. Political differences aside, this kid's gonna be a force to reckon with. Let's see, when I was 12, I was hopping the fence at Spartan Stadium with Tina T. and "banking" whatever cash we found under the bleachers at the Pete Stop in exchange for (almost) unlimited rights to gummy worms.

In Others' Words

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have worked day and night to make sure that a concern for human rights is woven through everything our government does, at home and abroad."
- President Jimmy Carter

Return to Hot-lanta

...though it wasn't quite as hot this time around, compared to last time. We arrived a day and a half before the Catalyst conference last week, which gave us a chance to do some exploring. Enjoyed lunch at Sweet Auburn Market, where the only other Asians we saw in this otherwise black neighborhood were all behind the meat and veggie counters, taking orders next to signs that read, "Buy your whole pig here". Then we visited the Martin Luther King Historic Site, Jimmy Carter Center, and World Of Coca-Cola -- three worthwhile stops that took me on an emotional roller coaster ride...from the literal feeling of a "heavy heart" as I roamed through multimedia exhibits that described vividly the events of the Civil Rights Movement; to marveling at the ambitious humanitarian projects undertaken by the Carter Center; and finally reaching a "high" at day's end with a lively and bubbly tour of Cokeland.

Hey, A and I created this Pop Art!

The Good Life

Working on my Macbook, grooving to Colbie Callait, popping delicious red globe grapes,...and counting my blessings.

Runaway Alarm Clock

How do people come up with this stuff? Found this while flipping through the Skymall catalog en route to Atlanta last week. It rolls away and hides when you hit snooze and continues to flash and beep until you ambush it. Maybe I should patent those windshield wipers for spectacles after all. What I really want someone to invent are picture frames (a la Harry Potter) that loop 3-second videos. I'd buy those!