Noc-Noc

I hated this bar at first, but when my buddy started to tend bar there, I started to like it a lot more.
On a part of lower haight which already has a great beer only bar (Toronado) the Noc-Noc has a lot to prove. Offering sake, champaign and wine helps, but it does not make it a must visit, unless you are into it's decor. I think it looks like a cave version of the Beetlejuice house, which must make it popular for the burning man crowd, cause smelly hippies sure like it, and is the reason I avoided it for so long.
One of my good friends there began tending bar after working as a DJ for a while. After he started tending bar on Wednesdays and Sundays, he started getting friends DJ gigs, and the bar changed a little bit for the better, in my opinion. I've met the owner's son, and he's cool enough and started flowing me drinks after he'd seen my face enough. One time, I went into the bar as it was playing the same song I listened to to get motivated to walk to the bar, and as soon as I made it up to the bar a frosty pint of Liberty awaited me, with my friend serving some girls some champaign instead of looking at me for payment. That was my favorite time at the bar, besides chilling in the DJ cave and picking tunes myself.
With the discount drinks flowing, I saw a lot of old friends I hadn't seen in a while at that bar, and regularly saw people who lived close by and made a lot of friends.
Eventually, my friend was fired for giving away too many free drinks, and the ride came to an end as all good things must. I sure as hell haven't been back, and every time I walk by I hear some god-awful dance music, and I remember my all hair metal DJ set with fondness.

Krispy Kreme Mini-Ramp

I was pretty excited when they build the In-N-Out and Krispy Kreme in Daly City, I had just gotten into eating them the summer before in Sacramento and was happy to find some fast food I would actually eat. But I was even more excited when they built a ramp and crappy little skatepark down the street.
Located directly across from the Daly City police office, the park offered little when it was first built, but it did have a five foot wooden mini-ramp. I grew up with a ramp with the same dimensions, so it was soo on when it opened.
The ramp saw a lot of abuse from the local Daly City creeps. For some reason bikes were allowed on the ramp, and their pegs made divots which would pitch you off your board, and created a deathbox under the coping on one side which you could catch your wheels on. Rollerbladers were even worse. Besides waxing the coping to a ridiculous amount (just go faster idiots), someone though it would be a good idea to wax directly down the middle of the ramp. This same thing ruined a ramp in half moon bay, and it sucked to see happen again. Not long after winter, the water logged Masonite was replaced with metal, and the ramp got a new lease on life. I've taken many friends to the ramp, and skated it with home-made extensions which made gave it some vert. I've learned a lot of tricks there, and killed a lot of time waiting for DMV appointments.
The four way stop near the ramp has always been a speed trap for police, and for a while the ramp served as a sting location for police to give helmet tickets. I got one, out of a crowd of at least twenty one day because I was taking a run when others were silently sulking away from the fuzz. That sucked, but not as bad as the day when another group of roller bladers, who were being called out for waxing the middle of the ramp again, decided to get rid of the wax by starting a fire on the ramp with gasoline. Stupid stuff, but that was the day I got away clean.
Whenever I have a free moment, and Daly shitty isn't covered in a slippery mist, I wanna go to the Krispy Kreme ramp.

Strybing Arboretum

Boy do I love Strybing Arboretum.
I first went there with a nature class, and was immediately happy I didn't ditch the field trip. The arboretum fits so many plants into the space it has, and is free and easy to reach from public transportation, making it one of my favorite places to relax and escape concrete.
Every time I go to the arboretum, I see something new. With plant species from all across the world, it's a lot of fun to see what species are adapting to San Francisco weather, and which ones obviously need special attention to survive.
I always try to get my friends who take picture to go with me, because I definitely have my favorites. Plants of all types exist together, and the staff is cool because as long as you aren't picking a plant, you can touch and get a close look at all the species, which may pique your curiosity in plants.
My favorite find there was in the redwood grove. After learning about how redwoods have shoots coming of their base which eventually split off into other trees once they grow strong enough, I was fascinated to see, deep within a family of shoots, an albino redwood sapling. Without any color, the growth was obviously not photosynthesizing it's own food; it was leaching it's energy off it's host plant like a parasite. A lazy freak of nature right here in San Francisco.
Often, I like to go to Yellow Submarine on Irving for a sandwich, and take it to the park to relax. Sometimes I think about buying some of the plants for sale and starting my own plant paradise, but I usually look for turtles, make a walk around the perimeter, and skip rocks at birds. Definitely in my top ten for places to relax.

Al's Comics

Although I took some six years off from buying them, I've been reading comic books to some extent as long as I can remember. Whenever I go home, I check out my old collection: it's the one thing I've talked my mother into saving for me through numerous moves. It makes me feel like I have a good memory when I think of all the stores and countless hours logged reading comics over the years, remembering covers and story lines so I wouldn't re-buy an issue, and filling my head with nearly useless information about places and people who don't exist.
I came back to really reading and buying comics about five years ago, and started to check out the stores in SF to find which one would get my money. All stores are different: some bag and board, some have larger display racks than others. Although I usually went for the store closest to my home, after I made some friends who read comics i heard about Al, and started to go there.
Being in the business for as long as he has, Al has a lot to be jaded and awnry about. Some fans are fickle, only following the titles which have current movies. Some can talk your ear off. Al's location on Market street seems to only add to his social plight: more busters come into the store but you have to deal with it because rent is high. My friend Ryan always got nervous whenever I said I was stopping at a comic store, he'd always ask me to make sure to buy something because he didn't want to feel uncomfortable in a store without making a purchase. Al did that to him. He told Ryan "you don't look tough enough for a black shirt," when Ryan had gone in to browse and not buy.
After going into Al's enough with loyal customers, I noticed he relaxed and would answer my questions with a grimace, but without insult.Not to say I haven't seen him in full form. After the Superman movie, lots of people would stop in and ask just for that title, and they were directed to every other corner of the store save for the DC rack. God help you if you try to read more than 1/4 of a comic, save that for Jefferey's or Borders. I've heard the "it's considered disrespectful and douchey to read an entire comic in the store" speech more times than I can count. Al's store is exactly what the comic industry needs it to be: a place where loyal readers can look down upon trendy readers for their lack of knowledge of comic universes. It's a good thing too, because that is about the only time this knowledge is useful.

Naan and Curry

When I worked in coffee, I worked the early morning shift because that was when you made the most tips. At 5:30 in the morning, you get to know your co-workers very well, and sometimes know more about their lives and routines than they do.It was early in the morning, glossing over favorite movies and what you had for dinner last night, that I learned about Naan and Curry.
Certainly not the best Indian/Pakistani food in the city (it is a chain after all,) the Naan and Curry on Irving street will always have a place in my heart.
By growing up refusing all types of condiments on my food, later in life when I discovered hot sauce on pizza and what type of salad dressing I could actually stand I discovered a new world of tastes. I started chasing down all things spicy, from salsa to Arribita, and as my stomach grew stronger my tastes became more varied, and I decided to try new things.
The food at Naan and Curry knocked my shoes off. Although I had no idea how to eat it(use the naan as a tortilla?) I fell in love with saffron and the other spices which made my curry sizzle. I always get the paneer tika masala, and got so involved in the dish that I tried making it myself. I discovered they hide chiles in the began bartha, much like the beans at taquerias. When I started eating seafood again, I was finally able to try vindaloo, the hottest of the curries. I had started a new Sunday tradition for myself: enough Naan and Curry and beer during the Simpsons to give me sweaty nightmares.
Although I've branched out and found more other Indian food restaurants, each with their own subtle changes to recipes I know so well, I still get excited when I return to my first, and that will always be Naan and Curry on Irving.

New Spot

When I moved to San Francisco, I had three things on my mind. School, going to shows, and skateboarding.
San Francisco was the mecca for skateboarding in the 90's. Everyone came down to Justin Herman plaza to kick it with the local pros, and skate the famous spots. It was a measuring bar: San Francisco hills are steep, many of the spots are rough, and it weeded out many skaters who were "too SoCal" to hang with the gnarltude. It's my blog, I can make up words if I want.
I moved down to San Francisco from the Sacramento area at the end of 1999, and things were changing. The 24 hour cops who patrolled Justin Herman plaza had gotten a break, the plaza was demolished and re-designed. Although the plaza was almost more fun to skate during construction and for a short while after it's completion, the skatestopers went on quickly and that was it. Justin Herman, along with the old Union Square were gone, and I was left with two less spots that I thought I was going to spend a lot to time at.
Somewhere needed to pick up the slack, and that spot was the bus depot at 3rd and Army. Why anyone would want to sit on the benches in the area is beyond me, the area is smelly and although it offers a view of the waterway, it's nowhere anyone would want to hang out. Unless you skate.
3rd and Army is one of the few "bust proof" spots in San Francisco, and everyone knows about it. Although it's hard to skate one way when the wind is blowing hard, and there are occasionally homeless camps among the big ledges, the spot has been in heavy rotation since it's inception, and I've spent many, many afternoons there loving life.
I remember getting so excited to skate the spot with my friends from home that we've lit it up with car headlights. I've met many pros at 3rd and Army, and seen many major tricks in videos go down there. I've seen the cops come through, and just hassle whoever had an open container, and leave as quickly as they came. I've seen bum rafts sail the waterway, and met countless friends and idols.
Skating at 3rd and Army made me feel incorporated into the skate scene in San Francisco, and now that some renegade concrete has been erected, the spot seems new again and is fun to skate again, with old friends or new ones.

Q TV

http://qtvnews.tv/videos/view_video.php?viewkey=d92734d78fcbd3fdb95a&page=1&viewtype=detailed&category=mr

I decided to mix it up on Nov 24th and watched the video news broadcast from Qtv, an online gay news and entertainment station, who stated Qtube on youtube to show their programs to a larger audience. It was a good day to watch, The Gay and Lesbian Day at Great America was on the 23rd, and there was some crazy partying going on!

I always wanted to know why they have a Gay and Lesbian day at Great America, and although the interviewed Great America source only said it was to honor the Bay area culture, damn those interviewers have a lot of energy. Everyone was so excited about what they were talking about on the program, from the Milk premier to checking in with clubs in the Castro, people where laughing and appeared quite overcome by it all. Also, the host's last name was Fudge, which in all good humor is hilarious to me.

the broadcast did a good job of capturing the voice of the culture as far as I could tell, because it seemed well rounded with it's interviewing subjects. They tended to ask young,energetic guys and gals questions, along with the older who seemed to think about what they were going to say more before they said it.When watching a story about prop 8, and the marriages being performed knowing full well that they could (and did) get overturned, it left now doubt in my mind that people should be allowed to persue happiness together. The sources were compelling, and although over-the -top with excitement at times, you couldn't look away.

In an area with such a large draw for this type of audience, the program was well written, had a good host, and was interesting to me. I think that a program in this arena needs a clear tone, and the tone of this program was energetic hope.

Cross Currents Radio

http://www.crosscurrentsradio.org/

I listened to cross currents radio on the 11th, which turned out to be a very good broadcast full of stories which interested me personally.

Cross Currents is an evening public news  program from KALW 90.1 FM San Francisco Public Radio, and they did a good job of covering local news from all around the bay.

the first story was about the ICE raids, which have been occurring more frequently in the Bay area, and provoking labor disputes. The ideas introduced by the ICE to limit un-documented workers reminded me of the treatment of the Jewish in labor camps; they are made to wear bracelets which designate them as un-documented, and open to public scorn or extreme treatment. I liked how they brought many voices into the story, which helped to round out the agenda of the ICE, which is basically to document these workers and ship them away from any of their family members who have been born  in the US.

The program continued with an analysis of Manga, Japanese comics which are becoming more popular in the US. I'm interested in the subject, I read a lot of comics, and I've done a story for the newspaper on it, and they offered many testimonies from new fans, and gave me some companies and enterprises to look forward to.

the program concluded with an interview with "acid gospel" band Campo Bravo, which is totally a psychedelic San Francisco band.

I first noticed it with the choice of quotes; the thing I liked best about this program was the voice it had. It truly sounded like a program made by Bay area residents, offering local views to local issues told from the locals themselves. In an area with a high amount of programs, one with a clear local voice is nice to hear.

Rachel Maddox

http://green960.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=maddow.xml

Decided to listen to Green 960, an Oakland news program on the 1st 3-4pm, which turned out to not be local news, but Rachel Maddow's show. Oh well, I've never listened to her, and that was the time I had, so I went ahead and checked her show out.

the theme of the broadcast was the economy, and what can be done to not let certain groups fall through the cracks as we struggle to get back on our feet.

I enjoyed Steve Clemon's argument for re-introducing Regonite ideals, with updates. It was intoxicating to hear someone talk about excessive wealth when unemployment is high.

Mark Ygelsias, from the Center for American Progressive Action Fund talked about new ideas to stimulate our auto economy, and about how helping those who are drawing off unemployment, with the highest percentage of our population doing so in the last 25 years. The ideas, like Steve's were new and interesting to me.

Susan Newman detailed her seven principles for helping low-income students, which showcased checking in on student's doctors and after school programs regularly, to help keep them in line and catch problems early.

I liked Rachel's interviewing; she started out to the point and asking a lot of good questions, and didn't appear soft like some other interviewers do. By becoming agitated at times, she kept the audience attentive and compelled to hear what she was going to hit her guests with next, and had a very authoritative tone.

KGO News Radio

http://www.kgoam810.com/Article.asp?id=49920

KNX 1070 News Radio

Last week, I listened to Bush's radio address on KNX 1070.
I first found this station after reading a story about reactions after the presidential election, which mentioned my hometown, with reactions to my dismay.
Bush's address came from Lima Peru, and addressed the bailout for the auto industry. I think it's great that Bush has a radio address, even if it was a short one, because I don't see that guy in the press as much as I would like to. So much is going on right now, and our president isn't weighing in on anything I care about. Plus, I don't think the auto industry should be bailed out; isn't that that focus of capitalism? Survival of the fittest.

The rest of the program talked about southern California issues, and while I enjoyed the smooth voice of Ken Kodo telling me about new mental health programs at Cedar Sinai hospital, I couldn't care less about SOCAL.

INVESTIGATIVE News Radio

INVESTIGATIVE News Radio Weekdays 5 PM Pacific Time at 94.1 Berkeley, California USA

I listened to Investigative News Radio Monday, November 24, mainly because I recognized Max Fraad Wolf's name from the Huffington post.
I enjoyed the points made in the beginning Flashpoints segment, primarily because I was interested in what they had to say about the similarities between Obama's beginning platform and Clinton's administrative highlights, because I think that Rahm Emanuel is an interesting character.
I'm still surprised Cindy Sheehan is in the news as much as she is;even though she ran form congress and is involved in the political process, do I really care what she thinks about the bailout?

I really liked the musical intermission between news stories; I think it helps some people(me included) to get their juices flowing, and consider things differently or from a different p.o.v.
I also almost always like author interviews, such as the one with Michael Levine, when they describe their writing process. Levine's discussion also touched upon all the other stories of the broadcast, and tied everything together well. I don't know if they always do this on this program, but tying all the stories together at the end, by someone worth interviewing really makes the program flow, and makes listeners like me want to tune in more and listen to the entire broadcast.

Chest Gear Insufficent for Young Athletes VRN

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3043426

Reaction: Another thing to worry about. This seems like some ninja shit, where you can kill a man with one non-puncturing blow. I read a Batman comic about this very issue.
The statistics for ventricular fibrillation are frightening. Effective in answering questions about a new scary threat to young athletes.

Middle Aged Women Obesity Video News Release

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053783

I think it was an effective VRN in showing new study findings, and putting it into physical terms people can understand. Apparently people carry weight in different areas.
It's always funny to hear women talk about their weight; some of these interviewees want to share their information with watchers, but are still embarrassed or hesitant to discuss weight.

Hubbel Video News Release

www.dailymotion.com/video/x2votk

The Hubble telescope was a big deal when it came out.
I think they did a good job of describing the telescope's functions, but I don't know if the speakers were very effective. A guy from the European Southern Observatory?
Scandinavian guy from Esa/Eso?
Could have found better speakers.

Diet Coke Batman Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvTUhqJR5M&feature=related

Reaction: Wow, this commercial worked so well for me in 1989. I loved the Batman movie, and my mother drank Diet Cokes constantly. Putting the two together worked perfectly for my family; we could enjoy our some of our favorite things together in t.v. land.

G.I Joe Comics Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ_RQbSrb4c

Reaction: I love comics, and I liked G.I Joe a long time ago. This message is effective for impressionable boys; your country needs you, a girls needs you and you get to drive an awesome car out of a command post. The song is good too; sounding country adds to the American appeal.
If you aren't old enough to join the army, at least you can read about fictional battles which make the experience sound like fun.

Massengill Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2zbhdvPSFM&feature=related

Reaction: I would probably hate for someone to call my douche an "antique."
Great slogan; "it's you body, that's why." Great answer to why you would pay money for such an effective douche.

Little Caesar Comercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4bf8jIrbo&feature=related

Reaction: I remember these commercials the most, probably because of their humor and low prices. The grandma was also featured in another Little Caesar's commercial, where she tried to apply make-up on a plane. Couldn't find it, but proves the commercials effectiveness with me, years later.

Slendertone Infomercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLANC5abu18

Reaction: Seriously effective, at least to me who doesn't set out to "exercise." I can get abs without work? There's an easier way? Just what I wanted to hear, complete with cheesy medical official and models.

Raw Food in Ten Minuets Infomercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3YiJPOH3o


Reaction: Infomercial capitalizing on Raw food craze.
Effective in making the transition to a raw food diet look easy in preparation, it simple doesn't include the standard price of raw foods. Celebrity Raw Organic Chef to the Stars? Quite a title for a made up profession.

Dating Violence PSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJi_YcRLyJ0

Reaction: Very effective PSA. The voice over was not done by a professional announcer, and it involved many pictures of a real girl. Helps to put a real face on the problem of dating violence, and makes it tangible for any teen in a relationship.

Bowflex Infomercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQbq_w9hzGM

Reaction: This infomercial was lodged in the back of my mind. I think it was very effective to show an older woman in her prime due to an exercise program involving bowflex, even if they were lying. Sex sells, and I'm sure 50 year olds are still interested in pretty girls, but using sex for the older demographic is tricky. This infomercial gets right to the point visually, and makes us all concerned about our future abs.

1986 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Without a Cigarette PSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJPaTD69fVU

Reaction: I liked the 80's feel to the PSA, and it did make some good points. If you're not buying cigarettes, you have more money for all those happy things in life which aren't free, and I think that's effective especially for the young audience they are targeting with animation and snazzy clip-art. Good soundtrack and message.

David Lynch PSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSWv90msTUc

Reaction: First of all, I felt that Lynch was given enough creative control to incorporate his style into the message, although I guess that was the point. The PSA has some suspense, with the scary music and dark imagery, and this feeling of dread helps illustrate the importance of the issue. Enough garbage could block out the light...

Ad Council Steroids PSA

http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=520

Reaction: I liked the flow of the PSA. It has an ongoing theme of the pimple getting bigger, and the athlete getting more anxious as people give him the stinky eye. I could see this PSA coming together in terms of organization, which lends itself well to a script.

WGN Radio Obama Fundraising Broadcast

http://wgnradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45686&Itemid=50

Obama Sets Fundraising Record {audio}

Listen: WGN's Steve Ruxton reports

Get the latest news at the top and bottom of every hour on News/Talk 720, WGN

Reaction: I liked the organization of facts in this story. I think it was effective to present the fund raising record in terms of how much was contributed per person, which helped to understand exactly how many people are endorsing Obama.

NPR Saddam's Tribe Broadcast

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95835894

Saddam Hussein's Tribe: From Powerful To Pariah

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Listen Now [4 min 12 sec] add to playlist

Reaction: I enjoyed the lead in this broadcast. It made me curious about what has happened after Saddam's capture, and how business is operating in that area of the world. The story was interesting, and included many quotes which included a translator, and were organized well for the story. "The father of Martyrs?" That's what I call a quote.

National Institues of Health Radio Broadcast

http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/sep2008/index.htm

Herpes Virus Changes Anti-Herpes Drug to Form that Hinders AIDS Virus
—09/19/2008
2:12 | 1.7 MB |Transcript | Get RealPlayer | Right Click to Download MP3 File

Researchers have found that an old drug shows new promise for treating AIDS

Reaction: I liked the stories progress through the inverted pyramid, in terms of fact organization and answering the questions naturally asked by the listener as they listened. Elimination of Herpes is big news, but not as big as the link the drug has to HIV. These are HUGE issues, and they were answered timely in this broadcast.

First Introduction

Yep,

I'm finally blogging, and it feels great. Perfect time to start one; I working on a media journal for my broadcasting class, and originally I wanted to film my reactions on digital camera, and transfer them to video cassette to turn in.
Technology does not sync as easily as it once did, and I am left with no other choice but to get my blog on.
It's making me emotional, and predisposed to include music titles for each of my emoticon moods.
blahhhh-G