Category Archives: culture

If the bus were cool.

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 … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, consumption, culture, endorsement, humor, poetry | 1 Comment

The Year Without Coffee

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Year without Coffee, consumption, culture, spider | 1 Comment

San Francisco treasure: Dolores Park

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. Continue reading

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Green isn’t just a catchphrase

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. Continue reading

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Big Enough for the Four of Us

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 … Continue reading

Posted in casawex, commentary, culture, family, personal, public spectacle, xtina | Leave a comment

Like a vegetarian with a leather couch

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 … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, culture, rhetorical question, xtina | 1 Comment

Smokers are like Butts

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, … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

Posted in burning man, culture, travel | 2 Comments

Burning Man art: Massive

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, … Continue reading

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Hot days, wild nights

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 … Continue reading

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“Welcome Home”

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 … Continue reading

Posted in burning man, culture, travel | 1 Comment

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

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 … Continue reading

Posted in culture | 4 Comments