Panama

For those of you who don't know I spent two years living in Panama while working for the Peace Corps. If you think that Panama is only the country with the canal you are missing out. Panama is an adventurous travelers paradise.

Panama City's closest cousin is Miami without the beach. Safe. Sultry. And with an diverse mix of old architecture, high-rise condos, interesting shopping, and uniquely painted public transit. Outside of Panama City one can find beautiful beaches, great surfing, three distinct indigenous groups, amazing wildlife, historical artifacts, not to mention the canal. Don't get me wrong - Panama is not Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a better destination for the average American. It has better tourist infrastructure making most of the attractions that tourists want to see more easily accessible. One of the things that Panama has that Costa Rica doesn't have is the chance to get a more authentic experience. Experiencing the real Panama takes some guts and some luck - but in a country as safe as Panama (outside of the City of course) taking those risks aren't nearly as scary as they might be in other parts of the world.

Levende East

If you haven't been to Levende East in Old Oakland, it is worth a visit.

A hip upscale dining area complemented by fun and fanciful food. Everyone in my group was pleased with their entres, from fish to ribs. The smaller starters while tasty weren't worth their caloric to dollar ratio and there was consensus to avoid them on future visits.

As the evening wore on the loud chatter from the bar filled the restaurant and made conversation a little difficult. If you want to go for the food - go early. If you want to go for the scene and the people watching - go late.

In my book Levende East gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Stumbling

Of all the Internet tools I've discovered in the past ten years Stumbleupon has to be my favorite.
It's a tool that you can use to 'channel surf' the Internet when you are bored. I've discovered hundreds of cool websites that I never would have found with it. It's interface is easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to manipulate. I have a small but growing group of friends who use it to send each other interesting sites without having to paste URLs into emails. When someone sends me a site a number pops up on my stumble toolbar and when I want a break from real work I click on it to see what it is.

I've never used any of the blogging or networking capability that stumble has built into its website. I'm not a web 2.0 person. I might some day. But for now stumble is by far the best way to discover great photos, interesting sites, and cool games on the Internet without having to do the legwork yourself.

Like google it is the only other computer application/website that I've begun to use as a verb. And that is saying something.

Banana Bread Recipe

This is my favorite banana bread recipe. The tartness of the lime and the sweetness of the brown sugar make me lip my lips with every bite.

Thanks to the Queeniecarly blog for reminding me of this recipe.

As a note, I leave out the coconut - after two years of eating coconut fish soup in Kuna Yala I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy that flavor again. Too much tule masi ruined it for me.

From the cookbook Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.

Yellowman's Banana Lime Bread
In St. Lucia and Anguilles, I made friends with some local people after repeated visits to the same beaches. I won't forget their great nicknames: Merit, Rah's Bucket, Campbell Soup, Sugar Ray, the Ram, So-lar, Freakout, Domino, Splif and Gorgeous. This tasty bread is named after Yellowman.

Yields 1 loaf.

BATTER
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
3 tablespoons milk (or plain yogurt)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut, toasted
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

GLAZE
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon rum
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

TOPPING
1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
To make the batter, in a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Stir in the eggs, bananas, milk or yogurt, and lime juice. Add the salt, ginger, and grated coconut and mix well. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix them until smooth. Pour the butter into the buttered loaf pan and bake for an hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Meanwhile, for the glaze, combine the brown sugar, butter, rum, and lime juice in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until it becomes a thin syrup. Pour this glaze over the loaf, spreading it with a spatula or spoon to coat the top and sides. Sprinkle toasted grated coconut evenly over the glazed loaf.

Playing

The Saturday of Labor Day weekend we hosted a welcome picnic at Codornices Park in Berkeley for new students of the Department of City and Regional Planning. The actual picnic itself was nothing to write home about, besides that homemade raspberry pie that someone brought.

The outdoor/experiential educator inside me got excited about organizing some fun events thought would get different cohorts of students interacting together. Before the picnic I filled some water balloons and brought other stuff for different activities. I was afraid that without silly activities to break down some of the tension we wouldn't get to know each other and would stick to talking to the people. There wasn't as much interaction as I would have liked but I had trouble pulling people away from the picnic tables in the shade to the field in the sun.

After some prodding we got a critical mass out onto the field tossing the frisbee around. We pulled out the water balloons and had a great time with a water balloon toss. It's been so long since I've participated in a water balloon toss that I forgot how much fun they are. As we grow older I think that we forget how much fun it is to actually play as if we were kids. Unfortunately after the balloon toss the picnic broke itself up and so we didn't have much of an opportunity to continue playing together. Hopefully at future events we'll have the opportunity to play more games and be less serious - I feel like our department is way too serious.

In fact, I think we probably should have used the best feature at Codornices Park and gone down the amazing cement slide.

Codornices Park Slide, originally uploaded by show and tell.

EcoDensity

As an urbanist concerned about global warming and a whole host of other issues that face our country I think about how decisions at the city planning level play a role in either mitigating or exacerbating these problems.

I believe that densifying our city neighborhoods that are currently zoned single-family is the planning challenge of the next century. The reason this will be so challenging is because it confronts what has become considered a tenet of the American dream: single-family home ownership.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the issue of sustainability and ecological footprint calls into question whether single-family housing is a way of living which the planet can handle in the long run. On the other hand I'm not a big fan of skyscraper living either. I think the future of the world lies in mid-level high rise. Getting middle America to see mid-rise condominium living as the new American dream may seem like a pipe dream now, but with the resurgence of city living I don't think it's an impossibility. Post-war Federal legislation helped create the single-family living as an integral part of the American dream and I think that if a progressive Congress is elected with a Progressive president in the next election cycle it's possible for Congress to make higher density living a part of the future American dream within a comprehensive global warming legislation package.

Vancouver, BC's Mayor Sam Sullivan calls this Ecodensity.

In the end maybe I should just move to Vancouver and forget all the pretty talk.

Blue Star Corner

When I first heard about Blue Star Corner at a Green Building presentation a few weeks ago I was pretty skeptical. Any developer worth his/her starch can make a cardboard box look like a Spanish villa in a presentation. And while, in the photos and drawings, Blue Star Corner looked pretty cool I was luke warm about its location, access to transit, and overall ability to make Emeryville, CA look like Amsterdam. Photos

I've been back to visit three times since then and each time I've been there the project has grown on me. I've always liked the facade changes that make each house at least somewhat unique from the others. At this point the best part of the entire development is not that it is LEED for homes Certified but its landscaping. The bird houses are a stroke of genius.

Whenever you visit a development a development the question you should ask after you leave is: would I want to live there? I'm not convinced that my answer would be yes. If Blue Star Corner was located closer to accessible transit I would be there in a second. Obviously a development like this that is closer to transit would increase its retail price by between $100,00-200,000 at least, which would put it well beyond my means.

What would new developments look like if this architectural paradigm replaced the current style of boxy, industrial, condo development? I'm not sure. It's probably not dense enough for my taste and doesn't allow aging-in-place for elderly residents. But I think it's a marked improvement from many of the developments currently being build in the East Bay. Not that their terrible but this is a cut above.

Now if we could only change the name...

16th Street Station

The Western Terminus of the Trans-Continental Railroad has been in disrepair for I don't know how long. With between 1,000 and 1,500 new condominiums and low-income rental units rising around it - it is in store for a re-birth. More photos here.

I encourage anyone living in the Bay Area who is interested in historical architecture, city planning, or railroads to take the opportunity to ride your bike down and check out this amazing building.

To take it a step further, anyone interested in architecture or city planning should ride through West Oakland in general. Often cited as one of the most dangerous and poor neighborhoods in the East Bay it is full of urban neighborhood gems. Beautiful old victorian houses that sell for millions in San Francisco probably sell for under $500,000 here. Beautiful churches, a smattering of amazing art organizations, and some genuinely cool parks. West Oakland is a hidden gem.

With these new developments on the very western edge of the city will the rest of the neighborhood become gentrified? Or, in other words, will young professionals displace local residents? Or will the transition happen more slowly or not at all? The City Report can be found here.

Out of Bounds

On Monday I spent most of the day with Naomi Adiv, a friend who attends UC-Davis. She just began her final project for her Masters - walking the capital corridor rail line. We spent most of the afternoon walking from Jack London Square Station to Emeryville Station. The walk was challenging in the sun and pushed my limits in an interesting set of ways. Upon my urging we did not stay with the tracks in most of the Port of Oakland where we truly would have been in no man's land.

Our meander through West Oakland was enlightening since I had never ventured much beyond I-580. Who knew there was a trapeze school, the terminus of the transcontinental railroad, past the Mandela Gateway TOD project, through a neat neighborhood park, and up past Blue Star Corner, and the back of the the great Emeryville agglomeration of Ikea and Bay Street.

Oaklandish

Oaklandish organizes some of the most fun events in the East Bay.
Only a set of heroes would organize urban capture the flag.

The Night Market last weekend wasn't as exciting as I would have hoped. I think if they're able to attract both greasy and quality food vendors next time the atmosphere will be enhanced considerably. I hope the Night Market doesn't die but I think without more and more vendors, food, and more lively entertainment it is liable to not happen for a long time.

Thanks Oaklandish for making me dream of future fun events!

Barra Brava

Great fans makes great sports great.

Playing soccer as a kid made me an MLS fan.
Going to a DC United game and standing with the Barra Brava made me a DC United fan.

Black and Red Forever!

Hoover Wilderness

This past weekend Laura and I went up to the Hoover Creek Wilderness. For a weekend trip the drive was pretty long and I'm not sure it was worth it for an overnight trip. A long weekend would have been better time frame for this trip.

Having stopped by the full-of-information and friendly Bridgeport Ranger station we headed up to Green Creek trail head. The hike in was a mild and leisurely climb. The combination of the altitude and hot sun by the middle of the hike neither of us were feeling super well. After reaching Green Lake we headed up to East Lake to find a site to camp. After a short search we found a beautiful spot on the southeast side of East Lake. It was comfortable and secluded - we didn't see another campsite within a few miles of our own.

After setting up camp we packed our dinner and warm clothes into a pack and headed up toward the pass. We were hoping to eat dinner at the pass and watch the sun go down. Again, the altitude got the best of us and we only made it up as far as Hoover Lakes. The spot was unbeatable. We saw a yellow-bellied marmot and thoroughly enjoyed the Alpine views all around us. Our burritos were quite tasty too. We ate more than we could stomach (in order to reduce weight for the return hike) and ended up having terrible farting problems all night long. And I mean the worst gas I've ever had in my entire life.

As the sun began to set and we finished dinner we headed back to the campsite where we drank hot chocolate and ate a small desert. An hour or so after night fall we climbed into our sleeping bags. Unfortunately the wind howled all night and we got very little sleep. There have only been a few times in my life when I was relieved to see the sun come up and this was one of them. In the early morning light we finally got a few hours of good REM sleep.

We hiked out directly after eating and headed for Yosemite. We took the Tioga Pass Road and decided, because of time, not to enter the Yosemite Valley. From the Olmsted Point though I got to see Half Dome for the first time. I cannot wait to get back to the park sometime in September or August to see the Valley in all of its splendor.

Dancing

This afternoon for lunch my friend Dana and I met in downtown Oakland. After finishing lunch we were walking near City Center and heard live music. It was a fun Latin band and as we stolled by they played an all-time classic: 'Ajena'. Unable to control our moving hips we happily danced Merengue and Bachata.

This was good practice for Dana since she is returning to Panama for a week in order to visit the community she lived with for two years.

Dancing always makes my day.

Whitney Trainor

Hanging out with Whitney Trainor somehow always calms me. I wish she didn't live so near but yet so far.

Abbi Sanders

Abbi Sanders is one of my favorite people in the whole world.

I talked to her on the phone this morning for about twenty minutes and the short conversation made my day.

Youth Engagement

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to share some of my knowledge of real estate development with five young people who are spending their summer working on the youth engagement portion of the San Pablo Avenue Corridor Plan. My friend from graduate school, Alissa Kronovet, together with two faculty from Kennedy High School in Richmond, CA are helping these young people to make a positive impact in their community.

After a boring hour of somewhat interactive lecture about green building the real fun started when we left as a group to visit the 12th and MacDonald project site in downtown Richmond. Kinshasa Curl from the Redevelopment Agency met us there and described the goals of the project and what her role is, as a project manager with the City of Richmond, on the project. She was very enthusiastic, open to our ideas for retail on the site, and offering of herself as a mentor. She even offered to take the kids on a hard hat tour of the new Richmond Civic Center.

After our visit to the 12th and MacDonald project site the group took BART to 12th Street where we ate lunch, and walked by two AF Evans developments that are somewhat similar to what 12th and MacDonald will look like when it is complete. We then stopped by the AF Evans corporate office and spent 30 minutes talking with Muhammad Nadhiri who manages 12th and MacDonald at AF Evans . The group was engaged and interested in Muhammad's personal history, thoughts on how to make San Pablo Avenue more pedestrian friendly, and challenges of developing and building green.

It was a great day; a great escape from the office.

Photo from left to right: Marlin, Tiara, Kinshasa, Justin, Julio, Norman, Eduardo

Grid Alternatives

What a great idea! Get funding. Teach people how to install solar panels and then install as many solar panels on low-income housing as possible using free labor.

This Thursday I will participate in a Grid Alternatives training session in Livermore. After that I will be able to help install solar panels on future Grid Alternatives installations.

This sounds like a win-win to me. Photo-voltaic panels for the masses and free training for when I finally want to put PV on my house.

The sun is an amazing burning ball of gas in the sky.

Blue Scholars

The best new hip hop band in America: Blue Scholars.

Camper Shoes

I bought my Camper shoes in June but they have quickly come to love them. They're both stylish and unique. I can wear them to work and to any casual gathering and not feel out of place. I feel unique and cool when I am wearing my Campers. I love them.

They cost a lot so I probably won't be buying another pair for a long time. But a few expensive and long-lasting pieces of clothing in your wardrobe can really set you apart and give you a unique style. My friend Laura does this really well. Probably better than anyone else I know. She's the one who convinced me to go into the Camper store in the first place. This purchase more than anything broke my longstanding aversion to buying goods that were anything but the least expensive.

Campers are a little flat footed for me. But I just make sure that I don't wear them when I will be walking long distances or standing on my feet for super long periods.

I'm wondering if buying some of the clothing items at Nau.com will have the same effect on clothes as buying my Campers did on buying shoes.

The Human Face

Last night I wasn't feeling well. I laid in bed and read a few hundred pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before deciding to watch some genuinely mind numbing electronic medium.

I have Netflix and utilized the Watch it Now function that comes with every subscription to stream a BBC documentary called The Human Face. I've only watched the first episode. But true to John Cleese it is both funny and informative. It even nearly brought a tear to my eye at one point.

I highly recommend it.

USGBC - LEED

I can't say that I love USGBC's LEED system. But it does such a messy job of tying together so many disparate concerns that, in its entirety, it is a thing of beauty.

Everything from infill housing to second-hand smoke is addressed in the LEED certification process.

As a planner I wish they would give more points for compact development - perhaps this will be addressed once LEED-ND is released and buildings will get a whopping 10 points for being in a LEED-ND neighborhood.

And for all of the malcontents out there who whine about certain LEED points being very expensive to implement and others being cheap miss the holistic nature of the LEED system. LEED is not not just about saving energy; that's what we have Energy Star certification for. LEED is about addressing energy, indoor environmental quality, compact development, access to transit, water quality, and reducing GHG through regional sourcing, amongst others.

LEED is not a panacea but the amount of press coverage LEED buildings receive contributes considerably to public's general knowledge regarding the environmental impact of building and development.

Visiting Friends

Kelly and Naomi arrived late Friday night. We had a great day Saturday before they headed off to Portland Sunday morning.

Here is a brief itinerary of a full, fun day in San Francisco.

Wake up around 8am. Cook breakfast of omelets.
Head to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market for fun urbanity, overwhelming diversity and prices, and a good lunch of rotisserie chicken, bread and cheese, and organic peaches.
Catch the N-Judah to Golden Gate Park. Enjoy a stroll into the park to the Tour de Fat. (While I' m not a fan of alcohol in general I will not hestitate to admit that Fat Tire is my favorite beer out there.) Good beer, fun music, tons of bikes and the great people who ride them, and hilarious antics.
A side trip to the convention center to pick up the rental car. Finding the rental storefront closed. Heading to the Castro to soak in the gayness, eat a good dinner of thai food (I love pad kew mao) and some gelato.
A leisurely stroll down 18th street towards Dolores Park and the Mission. Stumbling upon Cinema in the Park at Dolores park while taking in the panoramic views of the city.
Stopping in for the first time at Bi-Rite Creamery for some of the best ice cream I've ever had in my life. [At some point I will make a posting completely dedicated to this amazing creamery].
Home on the BART for a few hours of reading and relaxation before sleep.

A perfect vacation day for all three of us. Gluttonous, exhausting, exhilarating, and filled with a diversity of urban life.

Harry Potter

Friday night Naomi and Kelly arrived in San Francisco for the start of their vacation on the West Coast. They planned to spend a single day with me before renting a car and driving the Pacific Coast up to Portland.

They arrived late Friday night and I picked them up with Flexcar at the airport. After dropping them off at home I ran to Safeway to pick up milk before dropping the car off at Macarthur BART. It was about 1am and there were more people in Safeway than I would have expected. In front of me in line were four late highschool/early college age kids who waited patiently without a single thing to buy. When they reached the head of the line the woman smiled and laughed before heading over to the customer service counter. She returned with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Who know that Safeway was selling Harry Potter books - for $20! On the spur of the moment, remembering the fleeting escape they brought me during my Peace Corps experience I bought one.

18 hours later and I'm 200 pages through already. While it's not the best literature I've ever written I cannot deny that I don't feel a guilty pleasure reading them.

Thanks for a fun run Mr. Potter.

Rob Rich

It is difficult for me, as an agnostic/atheist, to believe in angels. A devoutly Catholic friend of mine once described to me how she believed that the wonderful people who came into her life were angels. Those special people who are unique, positive, and exhilerating.

In this hum drum technologically driven world Rob walks amongst us without a cell phone. Is he more free than the rest of us? Probably.

Whether angelic or not is not for me to decide, but Rob Rich, AF Evans construction manager comes as close to anyone in my life right now. Bright, cheerful, joyful about life, sarcastic when it's worth it, humble, open, honest, knowledgeable, logical, forgiving, and friendly.

My experience wold have been completely different at AF Evans if Rob had not been my cube partner. I look forward to seeing him each day and miss him when he is gone.

Tomorrow is Rob's birthday. Happy Birthday, Rob! You make those around you better.

Microsoft Office Excel

I hate to geek out like this but making magic happen in excel consistently brings me joy. I rarely need to make excel magic in my personal life so usually it happens for school or work.

I'm not the most expert excel user in the world but working through the logic of creating a waterfall of excel functions comes close to a flow experience for me.

Today I designed a spreadsheet which compared car-share vs. reimbursement across categories of both distance and time. While it wasn't the most challenging assignment I've ever tackled it was enough to fill me with the spirit.

One another note,

I was unofficially given the nod to keep Mozilla Firefox on my work computer today. Another thing to be thankful for.

This American Life

When I left for Peace Corps I only brought a few mementos from home. One of them was my This American Life decoder pin. I always felt like the story telling on This American Life struck a deep chord with me and not just because I've always wanted to be a story teller myself.

On Maine Public Radio This American Life is presented on Sunday evenings. It is the perfect time for the show. After a long week, preparing for another week, I would make dinner and listen quietly. It was my own secular meditation/worship. Most of the time the stories on the show would make me think beyond myself in a way that was unique. Sometimes I felt revulsion, sometimes reverence, sometimes joy, sometimes sadness.

This past Sunday with the new This American Life podcast (since the show plays here at the worst times of day) I started what I hope will be a new personal tradition. With good bread, mediocre brie, and a glass of white wine I sat back in the cool darkness of my apartment and let the stories wash over me.

Swedish Pancakes

I love Swedish pancakes. For me they are the ultimate comfort food. Can I name one single dinner recipe that we used to eat growing up? I sure can. Swedish Pancakes. Usually we'd eat them when mom was tired and exhausted.

I love that they are not as filling as most pancakes.
I love their flexibility: fruit in the middle, syrup, anything you like. Dress them up, dress them down.

When I'm making or eating Swedish pancakes I am back at home, young, standing on the heat grate next to the oven waiting for the moment when the top is solid enough that the pancake is flippable. That eggy goodness fills my nostrils and I'm transported to a safe, sweet place.

Recipe:

Swedish Pancakes
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup of flower
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt

Beat the eggs and milk together.
Mix the rest in.
I prefer it over medium heat with more butter than most doctors recommend.

Children

Dylan 20 months 010, originally uploaded by mmarano.

I love children!

I think one of the things that has been missing in my life here in California is more interaction with children. I find that many times playing with children shares similarities with other activities that are often flow experiences. I get lost in the play and the challenge of interacting with each child.

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to baby sit my favorite 20 month old in the Bay Area, Dylan. Dylan and I played with cars, with yoga blocks, in the bath tub, and read together in bed.


Thanks for a fun evening Dylan.

Rope Swings

On Saturday, July 14th. Alissa, Sam, Alex, and I hiked into Bass Lake from the Palomarin trailhead on Point Reyes.

I did this hike in the Spring and passed the lake right by as we headed for the waterfall. The waterfall is well worth the extra mile.

But on a warm, sunny day the Rope Swing at Bass Lake cannot be missed. Warm water. A long fall. A little adrenaline.

The trip was well worth it. I loved it.

Here are directions: http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/palomarin.html

Post Secret

I don't think that I will ever get tired of viewing the PostSecret Blog each week. Each week it makes me laugh, some weeks it brings me close to tears, and on certain occasions it shocks me. In this world PostSecret reminds me that we're all normal in our own way. Even if all of our fears, pains, and secrets are different. Finding connections in our electronic world can sometimes be difficult and I'm thankful to PostSecret for helping me feel that connection.

Beckham Mania

No matter how tacky it is Beckham mania makes me smile. As a soccer fan since I was little I am excited to watch the post-Beckham era unfold in the USA. While it is clear that he won't make soccer a top tier sport in the USA overnight - his arrival and short term presence may indeed nudge soccer over an imaginary barrier here.

Of course Beckham's success will not be measurable until near the end of his contract in 2012. At that point if the MLS is not profitable it might well be a bust.

But up until then I am going to enjoy the excitement generated by his arrival - regardless of whether my excitement makes me cringe a little too. The fact that it makes me want to cringe makes me wonder if I am becoming an urban elitist - one of my own personal nightmares.

So basking in Beckham (and soccer)'s glow right now makes me thankful for popular culture and all of its trappings.

KEXP.org & Pandora.com

At work they block internet streaming protocols. Besides saving us bandwidth I'm sure that it cuts down on worker productivity. I know that I am a happier employee, and more productive, when I am able to listen to KEXP. I stream KEXP at home all of the time. I am thankful for KEXP.org. I hope that new rules don't limit its ability to broadcast over the internet. Since I cannot listen to KEXP at work I am stuck with either personal CDs, personal radio, or...pandora.com. When pandora.com first came into being I was an early experimenter. I wasn't a huge fan but in the year or so since I stopped using the service I think they've gotten considerably better in making music suggestions. And since I can't listen to anything else at work it is way better than nothing. I'm thankful for pandora.com.

Clouds

Cloudy days in the East Bay are rare. Walking to work with overcast skies made me feel like it was the first day of Spring after a long winter. Who would have guessed that constant sunshine is as boring and monotonous as constant cold/clouds/anything. I think I miss the hum of the seasons. Sorry Northern California but your perfect climate just isn't my style.

This Year by The Mountain Goats.

From Our Own Correspondent

Next to This American Life the BBC's From our Own Correspondent has quickly come to be my favorite radio program.

Always entertaining, witty, and thought provoking, From our Own Correspondent is a style of journalism I enjoy. It doesn't take itself too seriously and provides insights which one would be hard pressed to find in a 'straight' journalistic undertaking. That's not to say that I would want all of my news this way, sometimes NPR has a little too much chattiness for my liking (sorry, Steve Innskeep), but From our Own Correspondent is not trying to be hard news anyway.

Any day in which I am walking to work listening to my iPod and openly laughing is a good day. I'm thankful for those Brits and how Auntie Beeb has taken me under her wing.

Hiking

Armstrong Redwoods State Recreation Area
and
Austin Creek State Recreation Area

My friend Whitney and I spent Saturday night in the Manning's Flat I campground about 4 miles from Bullfrog pond. We felt lucky to have the opportunity to hike into our campsite and leave the normal hustle and bustle of the family campground behind.

The Gilliam trail along the creekside was my favorite part of the trip. It reminded me of hiking trails in Kuna Yala, where I spent two years in Peace Corps, as the trail criss-crossed the creek a number of times.

I haven't hiked or camped since last September and I felt re-energized by the experience. The details of daily life that one is confronted by when hiking really does take ones mind off the minutia of daily life. I was happy to have my monkey brain quieted for awhile.

We didn't spend too much time in Armstrong Redwoods SR but during my short time there I came to love redwood groves more than I ever have before. Even two trips to Muir Woods didn't inspire me as much as twenty minutes in the Armstrong grove.

Thanks, Whitney for a great weekend. Being as unprepared as we were for hiking made it that much better.

Old Oakland Farmer's Market

The Old Oakland Farmer's Market at 9th and Broadway on Fridays:
This is my favorite local farmer's market. I don't know if I would make a special trip here on Friday's if I wasn't downtown already. But if you're here on a Friday this is a must see. I think it stands apart because it is a safe and friendly pedestrian oasis in downtown Oakland. Monday-Thursday when I leave the office to get some fresh air or buy lunch I am always struck by the seediness of the sidewalks that make up Oakland's urban core. While I like the authenticity of this seediness I must admit that I do not look forward to stepping into it each day - in many ways staying in the office for lunch can be more relaxing. In contract the Old Oakland Farmer's Market is warm, inviting, busy but not crowded, and always has pleasing music and food.