Category Archives: culture

If the bus were cool.

By spider | Published: January 12, 2009

If the bus were cool, more people would ride it. If the bus were cool, car drivers wouldn’t be frightened of the “dangers” of sharing their motorized transit with folks they don’t know – delinquents and vandals. If the bus were cool, less gas would be wasted If the bus were cool, admit it, YOU’d [...]

Also posted in commentary, consumption, endorsement, humor, poetry | 1 Comment

The Year Without Coffee

By spider | Published: January 5, 2009

Five days it’s been since I last sipped a cup of coffee. Not very long, true. But consider the context: Before January 1, 2009, I’d gone easily six months solid without not having at least one cup of coffee a day. Through cross country flights, work, road trips, all-nighters, and quiet Sundays, never was a [...]

Also posted in consumption, spider, Year without Coffee | 1 Comment

San Francisco treasure: Dolores Park

By spider | Published: August 4, 2008

At Dolores Park, I’ve seen the San Francisco Orchestra, several movies, Aztec dancers, the World Cup, and stumbled upon other events like rock concerts, parades, and parties of all sorts. And with each passing season, it seems park events grow in attendance.

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Green isn’t just a catchphrase

By spider | Published: July 30, 2008

Last year I bought a non-disposable plastic water bottle. The idea was to have a permanent, portable water container – good for home, commute, office, and gym. It worked. Until a coworker schooled me on the horrendous side effects of some plastics – including especially the “No. 7″ plastic my Nalgene bottle was made of. Turns out, not such a great idea. In fact, a bad idea. Very Bad.

Also posted in commentary, consumption, spider | 1 Comment

Big Enough for the Four of Us

By xtina | Published: March 14, 2008

Making a small house work for four people takes some time and effort. One must be conscientious about what comes in the door and not be afraid of letting things go once they have served their usefulness. Why all the effort? Why not move to a bigger, better house? Well, many years ago Wade & [...]

Also posted in casawex, commentary, family, personal, public spectacle, xtina | Leave a comment

Like a vegetarian with a leather couch

By xtina | Published: October 4, 2007

It’s easy to revile smokers. Their pastime results in dirty air and unhealthy symptoms as well as environmental degradation. Like the overweight or the poor, they are easy targets for feelings of superiority in the observer. Here in San Diego we visit a lot of parks in our ongoing efforts to make sure the kidlet [...]

Also posted in commentary, rhetorical question, xtina | 1 Comment

Smokers are like Butts

By spider | Published: September 29, 2007

Walk down any busy street, and look down at the sidewalk. Your eyes will be greeted by butts. Many many butts. An endless stream of butts. Yellow butts, white butts, dirty, stinky butts. Where do all these butts come from, and why are they on the sidewalk and in the gutters of our nation? Origins [...]

Also posted in humor | 1 Comment

Burners, coffee, true believers, and a desperate dispersal of cookies

By spider | Published: September 13, 2007

On Friday (while at Burning Man), I discovered that there was a wi-fi network available and as I had been commanded by my co-blogger to twitter if I could, I decided that it made sense to spend and hour or so at Center Camp (where the wi-fi signal lived) with my trusty laptop. After a [...]

Also posted in burning man, travel | 2 Comments

Burning Man art: Massive

By spider | Published: September 11, 2007

One of the well known joys of Burning Man – and really the only part that I felt I really understood before I arrived – are the massive art installations. I guess I cheated on this front a little bit, as Nicole and I attended the Burning Man Arts Preview back in July, where we [...]

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Hot days, wild nights

By spider | Published: September 8, 2007

After being welcomed home, I mounted a suspended, empty hydrogen tank, which was rung by the BRC greeting crew, and thus my adventure was begun. We had identified a target address for our camp, using some of the Burning Man collateral we had collected recently. 4:00 and Jungle, we said (those are streets in BRC), [...]

Also posted in burning man, travel | 1 Comment

“Welcome Home”

By spider | Published: September 7, 2007

I spent the better part of the last month-and-a-half preparing to travel to and survive in the environmentally challenging environs of Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis of about 45,000 in the middle of the Nevada desert. BRC is, of course, home to Burning Man, the famously wild festival of art, music, and free spirits. [...]

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Are you a Cougar? and, Coke is the new Chronic.

By spider | Published: June 11, 2007

Couple of things I learned recently: Cougar: the term to describe those of a certain age who prey on the younger set. Heard the term for the first time when I was out at the Union Street fair a couple weekends ago. Apparently everyone else knows this term already. I have confirmed that this is [...]

Posted in culture | 4 Comments