tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152486692011-06-07T23:48:35.172-07:00This blog exists only as an archive. Go to <a href="http://www.projectjanna.com">Project Janna</a> for new content.Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.comBlogger1411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1154412056601033052006-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:002006-08-03T12:47:45.206-07:00

From now on, you'll have to get your daily dose of Janna over at projectjanna.com, my shiny new blog. I mean no offense to Blogger, but what you can do here is somewhat limited, and I want more creative control. I've been thinking about moving on for some time, and recent circumstances have sped up the process. What circumstances, you ask? After seven mostly good years together, Sanjay and I

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1154136439230987822006-07-28T18:00:00.000-07:002006-07-28T22:10:51.496-07:00

A coworker's babysitter bailed today, so I got to hang out with her baby for a couple of hours. This was an interesting coincidence, as I was just remarking to a friend that I wished I could borrow someone's kid for an afternoon. You know, to get that baby fix without the enormous expense and responsibility.Aside from being adorable, she was very congenial about my reaching around her to

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153964897832297212006-07-26T17:13:00.000-07:002006-07-27T23:14:07.460-07:00

While doing the part of my job my boss described as "mindnumbing" during my orientation, I thought of a name for the advertising agency I will never have:"Lowest Common Denominator"Tagline: Low standards for high profits.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153876979789920202006-07-25T18:00:00.000-07:002006-07-26T07:09:00.643-07:00

My Aunt Sharon and Uncle John escaped the heat in Clovis (read: 112 degrees to our paltry 89) by visiting San Francisco this weekend. Sharon is my mom's sister, and John was one of my mom's fellow grad students in the Anthropology Department at SUNY-Binghamton. They met at a Halloween party where Sharon and my Mom were dressed as nuns, i.e. the "Sisters MacQueen".We had fun catching up and

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153685083447205192006-07-23T12:49:00.000-07:002006-07-23T13:07:54.453-07:00

Last month, I posted about how everyone in the Bay Area was complaining about how hot it was, when in fact it was only 76 degrees. Well, we definitely have something to whine about now. It's currently 89 in Oakland, with a projected high of 92, which would beat the 1974 record of 91. Blah.I know this is nothing compared to what people in places like Atlanta and Central Illinois are dealing

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153554399909655992006-07-22T00:17:00.000-07:002006-07-22T00:46:39.923-07:00

God, I love coffee. I love it as a social medium, as a method of propping my eyes open, and as a beverage en générale. I love it so much, in fact, that as I get older and my metabolism struggles to accommodate levels of caffeine that once served as baseline, I continue to drink it. One of my absolute favorite things to do is to sit in a coffee house and read or play/work on my laptop. However

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153475462471074852006-07-21T02:38:00.000-07:002006-07-21T02:52:16.643-07:00

More Gratuitous Pet Photos. Sorry, I can't seem to stop myself. Sometime last year, Jaspar and Q*Bert were going crazy chasing after a moth that had the misfortune of flying into our apartment. I thought to myself, "that's cool, they'll have some fun and then the moth will get on with its life. After all, it has that flight dimension thing going for it". A few minutes later, I heard a

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153361323207196542006-07-19T18:55:00.000-07:002006-07-20T01:29:50.990-07:00

In college, my friends and I decided that it was important to cultivate a truly unnerving "disparaging look". This look, which is useful in a myriad of distasteful situations, can be stashed away alongside Miss Manners' "weak smile" and "hollow laugh", and brought out in a pinch.My freshman year roommate, Rachel, had the best disparaging look. This was mostly because it was paired with a face

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153198146203638792006-07-17T21:40:00.000-07:002006-07-17T21:51:01.126-07:00

Lian playing with Reed's Nikon D70:I know nothing whatsoever about photography. However, I have a vague sense that as a camera approaches the size of your head, its performance increases as well.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153113298431241992006-07-16T22:04:00.000-07:002006-07-16T22:14:58.446-07:00

Neil, Lian, and Marty paddle-boating on Lake Merritt at the Oaklandish Radio-Regatta:Not pictured: Brooke, Sergio, and me, because I didn't get any good pictures. I was too busy trying unsuccessfully to steer us away from other boats.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1153001266114438532006-07-15T15:00:00.000-07:002006-07-15T15:17:49.693-07:00

In a nod to David Carson:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152857097871883712006-07-13T23:01:00.000-07:002006-07-13T23:05:15.960-07:00

I found our cat's (misspelled) name etched into a window on my way to class tonight:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152766325048363502006-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:002006-07-12T21:52:05.070-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152678161136190032006-07-11T21:06:00.000-07:002006-07-11T21:24:16.140-07:00

Thanks to Beth(any) for the photos, taken at Betsy and Daniel's awesome Fourth of July Barbecue:Title inspiration: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. This may seem obvious to some, but I feel the need to note it for the lame kids like Sanjay who are so not punk rock.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152592101289798282006-07-10T21:24:00.000-07:002006-07-10T21:28:21.306-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152405463330258522006-07-08T16:58:00.000-07:002006-07-08T17:37:43.346-07:00

Ruxandra, aka Strength Never Power, posted today about an intriguing website called MyHeritage Face Recognition. You upload a photo of yourself with the goal of figuring out what percentage your features match those of various celebrities. I couldn't resist. After all, everyone knows that looking xx% like a famous person increases your social staus by a factor of at least 1,000.You are

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152326538562327912006-07-07T19:19:00.000-07:002006-07-07T19:45:10.926-07:00

From the evil union-busting Wal-Mart to the union organizer:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152188055215249752006-07-06T05:10:00.000-07:002006-07-06T05:14:15.266-07:00

Global warming, from a child's perspective:I ran across this awesome poster on the street in Berkeley. Sadly, it didn't have the artist's name, so I can't credit him/her.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1152000081056226362006-07-04T18:01:00.000-07:002006-07-04T18:08:01.206-07:00

Once in a while, I ask myself how I got so involved in this blogging phenomenon, and why I continue with this hobby. The practical reasons are that it has taught me a lot about web design and that it allows me to experiment with Photoshop. The emotional reasons are that it provides an outlet for writing, and makes me pay attention to my surroundings in a more thoughtful way than I did before I

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1151807698688976232006-07-02T12:26:00.000-07:002006-07-02T11:09:48.263-07:00

Symbol etched into a sidewalk in Oakland:Symbol I sketched for a class project, aiming to illustrate the word "activism":I guess you could argue that Mercedes-Benz would benefit from a guerilla art campaign. However, I think I'll file this incident under "Mortifying Moments", along with the time I wondered aloud whether Whole Foods carries Diet Coke.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148368471564807242006-06-30T11:50:00.000-07:002006-07-01T00:28:30.526-07:00

Yeah, it looks like your usual abused, falling-apart, paint-peeling, gutter-hanging house. A regular campus house that hosts an average group of college students. Who would expect a sexual assault to take place here, in the home of the "boys next door"?Oh wait...that wasn't the sentence I meant to lead into. It just fit so well that I forgot this isn't a CNN article. Actually, what I was

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1151551580822676722006-06-28T19:59:00.000-07:002006-06-29T01:07:28.363-07:00

Today someone from the National Association of Securites Dealers found our website by doing a Blogger search on the word "slut". The search directed him(?) to my post entitled It Wouldn't Be PC to Brand Her a Slut, which addresses the recent rape case involving Duke lacrosse players. That must have been a disappointing result.According to their website, As the world's largest private-sector

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1151463173418766022006-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:45:12.020-07:00

As of Sunday, Sanjay and I will have been in the Bay Area for a year. This means that, among other things, our lease is up. Our intention has been to move to San Francisco as soon as possible, so as to cut down on Sanjay's brutal two hour daily commute. However, the longer I live in Oakland, the more I appreciate its little quirks and its diversity. San Francisco is beautiful and colorful and

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1151304654638791202006-06-25T23:44:00.000-07:002006-06-25T23:50:54.653-07:00

Presenting Jaspar, in the "Gratuitous Pet Pictures" series:Finally, highlighting the the super-cool book Leaf gave me and the super-cool book Rosemary and Paul gave me:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1151126084804072352006-06-24T02:58:00.000-07:002006-06-24T12:49:11.506-07:00

I think someone has stolen my identity. Today I received a letter from a representative for a district in which I no longer reside in a state I vacated a year ago thanking me for my concern regarding a bill I know nothing about. It seems like a good bill - something about sex education and preventing unwanted pregnancies and not talking about sins and hell in high school health class and so on.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149054953955752382006-06-22T22:31:00.000-07:002006-06-23T11:11:59.320-07:00

Image Source: Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSanjay and I were watching Grey's Anatomy recently, and one of the characters contracted syphilis. Sanjay grew curious as to what exactly happens when you get syphilis, and he didn't believe me when I told him. Never mind that I gained this knowledge while interning at the Centers for Disease Control; he needed to find out from an "expert"

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150876200341125592006-06-21T00:34:00.000-07:002006-06-21T01:03:22.180-07:00

Poster design by Liz Hinckle; T-shirts available as wellRon Dellums is officially Oakland's mayor-elect! Rock on.Congrats to Brooke, Zach, Liz, Debra, Brady, and everyone else who worked on his campaign. Oakland has you to thank for a future mayor who not only has a vision, but whose rad-ness is certified by hipsters all over town.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150357041670658312006-06-19T20:00:00.000-07:002006-06-19T20:00:37.000-07:00

I ordered a new laptop bag last week. In true mail-order item form, its various attributes attained glorious and mythic proportions over the few days it took to arrive. By the time it actually showed up, it was no longer simply a receptacle for my computer and various odds and ends. Instead, with this bag in hand, I was sure I would stylishly and thus confidently achieve world peace via a

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150446475910760102006-06-18T17:09:00.000-07:002006-06-18T17:12:22.870-07:00

Is it Chapel Hill, NC? I don't know about that, but now that our friend Brady has joined my Mom there, it's definitely gained some "cool points", as Leah would say. A photo of Brady and Mom at their inaugural dinner, at which they outlined their master plan to draw in the hippest hipsters and raddest rock stars to augment their own presence in North Carolina:Photo courtesy Brady GordonWe'll

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150524275053399542006-06-17T11:04:00.000-07:002006-06-17T11:34:43.303-07:00

Overheard outside an elementary school:Kid A: Damn, you're not very tall.Kid B: I know. I need to start drinking milk and sleeping more and stuff.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150514156583957252006-06-16T19:47:00.000-07:002006-06-16T20:15:56.596-07:00

Um...oh my God, it's, like, so NOT. Oakland hit a whopping 76 degrees today, and everyone was complaining about how oppressive the heat was. I couldn't help but flash back to this time last year, when Sanjay and I were maniacally packing up our stuff in preparation to leave Urbana. The temperature was well into the nineties, with comparable humidity. The weather reports read along the lines

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149757876080421802006-06-15T12:30:00.000-07:002006-06-15T12:34:35.240-07:00

iPods, apparently.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149323928735208802006-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:002006-06-13T19:13:43.856-07:00

A photo from our honeymoon in Edinburgh:Personally, I think this approach has much more style than SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.At least Scottish smokers know beyond any semblance of a doubt that they are headed for early, unpleasant deaths.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150086011305159712006-06-11T21:14:00.000-07:002006-06-11T22:17:53.040-07:00

Dinner Conversation:Sanjay: I'm going to do laundry tonight. I'm running out of stuff to wear. I really need to do darks, especially.-pause-Sanjay: This isn't interesting. At all. Why am I talking about this?Janna: (laughs hysterically)Sanjay: Do you have anything interesting to talk about?Janna: Um...no.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1150003507302224982006-06-10T22:23:00.000-07:002006-06-11T21:31:11.973-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149901650389233342006-06-10T17:59:00.000-07:002006-06-10T00:46:54.020-07:00

My friend Beth - not to be confused with Beth(any), the friend who requested more wedding pictures - said she would look at our blog if I quoted an observation she made in class last week. As I am not opposed to accepting bribes to increase readership, here it is:"I don't know...I've urinated in a lot of unusual places."This was perfectly in context with the topic at hand.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149740689938463672006-06-09T00:24:00.000-07:002006-06-09T18:23:28.180-07:00

I was on Urban Dictionary the other day, and I came across this definition for "The Man":n. Derogitory [sic] term for Dr. Sau Lan Wu, an evil physicist at CERN, who rules her oppressed graduate students with an iron fist.The Man said I don't work hard enough, 'cause I only put in 90 hours last week.by Sabado Domingo, Jan 30, 2004Yup, that's why grad student employees need unions.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149738555511814662006-06-07T20:45:00.000-07:002006-06-08T01:55:37.916-07:00

The highly photogenic Abdul works at Nature's Best, our neighborhood grocery store. Although he consented to having his picture posted online, he declined the interview I requested. I will therefore assume that he wishes to cultivate an elusive, mysterious persona. Nonetheless, I don't think he will mind my saying that he is absolutely the coolest kid on the block. We are lucky to call him a

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149587061033500532006-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:002006-06-06T10:41:49.260-07:00

Sanjay has a habit of falling asleep at social gatherings. Here he is with Dan and Lian the other night, mid-party:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149475982283327532006-06-04T19:11:00.000-07:002006-06-04T23:09:09.700-07:00

The Bay Bridge is closed this weekend, so Sanjay, Lian and I took advantage of 24-hour public transportation.A few random quotes from the wee hours at the very happening Powell station:"Dude, there are no trash cans around here, you know, because of the terrorists. I was looking all over for a place to toss my beer bottle. I had to put it under one of those orange cones"."IS ANYONE HERE AN

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149232869230573812006-06-01T23:50:00.000-07:002006-06-02T03:17:22.983-07:00

While I was taking pictures of the bomb scare drama in our neighborhood yesterday, I came across this guy:He insisted that I photograph him, because he is releasing an album this week. I meant to get his email address so I could send him the picture, but got distracted when the area we were standing in got evacuated. I have no idea what his name is, and I know nothing about him except that he

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1149138001607756332006-05-31T23:05:00.000-07:002006-06-01T16:03:08.703-07:00

This is what I came home to this afternoon:There was a pretty serious bomb scare a block away from our apartment today, resulting in emergency personnel blowing up what they thought might be a pipe bomb. It later turned out that the "bomb" was actually a camera tripod, but things were quite interesting for a while. Our neighborhood played host to about two dozen police officers, six

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147923447496866202006-05-30T21:36:00.000-07:002006-05-30T21:33:53.936-07:00

Click on the image for a larger version:My mom kept this in her office when she worked for the government.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148964087749963272006-05-29T21:37:00.000-07:002006-05-29T21:54:00.310-07:00

These guys can't keep their hands off each other:Thanks to Brooke for the use of her camera.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148806742588326232006-05-28T01:40:00.000-07:002006-05-28T19:46:37.273-07:00

Our friend Beth requested more wedding pictures. This is one of my favorites (excuse the fuzziness - the camera caught us in motion):In Hindu weddings, there is a game in which a ring is thrown into a vase filled with water. The bride and groom each try to find the ring, and it is believed that the one who claims it will be the dominant partner in the household. Sanjay talked about this game

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148706519079692492006-05-27T09:53:00.000-07:002006-05-27T13:02:13.133-07:00

And be glad you're not here:Alcatraz is high on our list of touristy things to do in California. However, we're saving it for a day we need a reality check. There's nothing like a prison built on the premise that no one could survive its escape to put life in perspective.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148616370499682222006-05-25T21:04:00.000-07:002006-05-26T12:47:22.073-07:00

Magnet from Ephemera-Inc

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148543005902139192006-05-25T12:14:00.000-07:002006-05-25T21:13:00.050-07:00

Image taken from the Adelaide Independent Media Center.Letter printed in the San Francisco Chronicle May 19:I haven't been reading the paper everyday, but whenever I do, I have to wonder if we as Americans are capable of accepting responsibility for having twice elected an incompetent sock-puppet as our president.Damien CastanedaSan MateoResponse, May 24:As a member in good standing of SPAC (

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148525098351127692006-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:002006-05-24T19:47:22.486-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148370610651219142006-05-23T18:30:00.000-07:002006-05-27T01:15:31.320-07:00

Our friend Brady is headed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study Urban Planning this fall, where he will become a rabid "Tar Heel" fan, put witty political bumper stickers on his car, and learn where he can and cannot carry concealed weapons.The following pictures, which are true flipbook material, were taken at his surprise "Congratulations!" party. They appear here

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148282750856031652006-05-22T20:45:00.000-07:002006-05-22T20:44:25.856-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148268919021891252006-05-21T20:34:00.000-07:002006-05-21T20:35:19.033-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148007310302247862006-05-19T19:51:00.000-07:002006-05-19T20:18:32.603-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1148006891020836622006-05-18T19:39:00.000-07:002006-05-18T19:48:11.040-07:00

As noted in our post on concealed weapons, Chapel Hill, NC is a lefty oasis in an otherwise perilously conservative state. Par example, check out these bumper stickers, which were spotted on three separate cars in the same parking lot:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147923249868307552006-05-17T20:20:00.000-07:002006-05-26T13:12:23.146-07:00

Sanjay and I took my mom to the Apple store in Durham the other day, in an attempt to convince her that her life would not be complete without a MacIntosh, or at least an accessory. However, we did not factor in an important variable: she does not actually need any computer stuff. Being the practical person that she is, she deftly evaded our pleas for her to purchase an Airport Express wireless

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147750825317482822006-05-17T20:18:00.000-07:002006-05-16T19:22:19.340-07:00

When you visit your mom, tidbits from your childhood have a tendency to find their way out of dusty boxes and long-forgotten files to illustrate just what an odd kid you were. This visit home has been no different: my mom dredged up the "dissertation" I wrote when I was eight years old.My mom was a graduate student in Anthropology until I was ten. This means that, aside from my own peers, the

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147749478712784802006-05-16T11:39:00.000-07:002006-05-16T19:27:56.586-07:00

We are at my mom's house in Chapel Hill, NC this week. For a couple of days, our itinerary overlapped with that of my cousin Chaun and her partner Juli. Chaun and I hadn't seen each other in twelve years, and it was great to catch up.Here's Chaun:And Juli:Chaun, Juli, and me:And Chaun, Juli and my mom, Kate, admiring Chaun's and Juli's new shoes:Chaun and Juli live in Portland, which is

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147727014448311582006-05-15T13:58:00.000-07:002006-05-15T14:03:34.463-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147650376525507272006-05-14T16:31:00.000-07:002006-05-14T16:46:30.600-07:00

Sanjay and I are in Chapel Hill, North Carolina this week visiting my Mom, along with my cousin Chaun and her partner Juli. Here are a couple scenes from our travels:Sanjay on the plane:San Francisco kitsch at the Oakland airport (strangely, there was no Oakland kitsch):Texas kitsch in Dallas, our connecting airport:Bonus points for anyone who can figure out whether we found this in the Oakland

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147419539655733462006-05-12T00:16:00.000-07:002006-05-26T13:11:58.956-07:00

This is the third installment of our "Big Trees" series. Check out Muir Wods Adventure and California: Big Trees, Big Water. And Mountains. for more.We went to the Muir woods again last weekend with our east coast friends Mike and Uma. Upon entering the park, we noticed an important detail we had missed the first time around:Little did we know that the trees do not just spend their time being

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147413513326511722006-05-11T22:55:00.000-07:002006-05-11T23:20:46.400-07:00

Here's what I came home to tonight:I thought he was supposed to bring me the newspaper and a beer.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147335173347580402006-05-11T01:11:00.000-07:002006-05-11T01:26:10.803-07:00

May Day Photo, courtesy Sanjay:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147248656769954182006-05-10T01:10:00.000-07:002006-05-10T01:34:38.286-07:00

The other day I received a hand-signed thank you letter on expensive, union-printed linen-stock letterhead from a political candidate to whom I have not contributed any money. I did go to a debate a couple of months ago that featured the letter signer along with the other Oakland Democratic mayoral candidates. I left my contact information at the sign-in table like everyone else, but did not

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147152869121046122006-05-08T21:21:00.000-07:002006-05-17T17:31:03.543-07:00

We have an ongoing conversation about disaster preparedness with our friends Debra and Brady (see this post). Essentially, I am mocked by Sanjay for acknowledging that we live in an earthquake-prone region while Debra and Brady offer me their undying support.For my birthday, they bought me this:I am truly touched that they are concerned for my ability to breathe after the apocalypse. After all,

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1147066362205945662006-05-07T22:31:00.000-07:002006-05-07T22:32:42.216-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146876612958120092006-05-05T17:40:00.000-07:002006-05-05T17:58:15.163-07:00

There is an old rhyme my dad recites this time of year - it goes like this:Spring had sprung, the grass is ris'I wonder where the birdies is?Well, wonder no more:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146793099699086392006-05-04T17:51:00.000-07:002006-06-23T17:00:55.273-07:00

From now on, blog visitors who are using Explorer will see the following image before accessing our home page:This is followed by a rundown of why Firefox is superior to Explorer. If you use Explorer, you've probably already seen this, unless you use more than one browser. The reasons for the roadblock are as follows:Our blog does not look good in Explorer. I will fix it eventually, but I'm

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146715721905221672006-05-03T21:06:00.000-07:002006-05-03T21:08:41.916-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146547217959669852006-05-02T19:45:00.000-07:002006-05-06T01:02:50.263-07:00

In case you haven't seen this yet, here was a link to a video of Stephen Colbert mocking - er, "roasting" - Bush at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. It's truly priceless...Update: the link was removed by youtube.com due to "copyright infringement". However, you can see it here. Thanks, MarkDilley.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145756822021241332006-05-01T18:46:00.000-07:002006-05-03T00:24:32.433-07:00

Greetings on this historic May Day. Sanjay and I are introducing a new household tradition of observing this undercelebrated holiday, and, as it turns out, 2006 is a good year to start. If you are wondering just what May Day is all about, and why it's so important this year, here's the scoop:May Day is celebrated worldwide on May 1st as International Workers' Day. It is an opportunity to honor

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146309531978889002006-04-29T02:43:00.000-07:002006-05-03T00:23:04.030-07:00

...so I guess we'll have to settle for "liar".That seems to be the mindset of the Duke lacrosse players' attorneys. And of course, of the media and anyone who takes CNN at face value.In case you've been protesting the corporatization and homogenization of the mass media by boycotting anything news-related, here's a summary of what is going on:Last month, Duke University's lacrosse team, which

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146205308767560932006-04-27T22:50:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:51:45.713-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1146038059587993342006-04-26T00:52:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:51:58.626-07:00

This is a photo taken while I was visiting my mom in North Carolina a few years ago. You can see a bigger version by clicking directly on the image. Fun facts on North Carolina gun laws from The Brady Campaign:A background check is required for a firearm licenseThe fee for said license is $5, and lasts for 5 yearsGun owners are not required to register their weaponsAnyone who passes the

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145864586240476052006-04-24T00:42:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:52:39.570-07:00

Our cats have reached young adulthood, in feline years. We are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that we have squeaked through the teenage era and our babies have not developed catnip addictions or run off to join a merry band of hoodlum cats.Jaspar turns three today. We know his exact birthday, so there's no mystery as to when to celebrate it. Q*Bert, on the other hand, has more of an

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145859122085831422006-04-23T22:39:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:52:58.166-07:00

Photos from today's immigration rights rally and march in San Francisco's Delores Park. . .There were hordes of police monitoring the grounds. They moved in step with the march in throngs of up to 20 officers. Their liesurely pace and relaxed attitude almost made it look like they were marching with us.In the center is my co-worker (Betsy) and her boyfriend (Daniel).I say Chambana, You say Power!

Sanjayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14494721150513803151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145685767517650132006-04-22T12:43:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:53:11.763-07:00

Click the image for a larger version:I thought raves were about love and unity, not death by cyanide-laced ecstasy.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145596533100622022006-04-20T22:11:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:53:27.156-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145504375801256862006-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:53:44.333-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145422021381429132006-04-18T21:21:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:53:59.240-07:00

I walked out of a class in disgust today. I wouldn't do this lightly. I was raised in an academic family, and I have enormous respect for the teaching profession and for those who choose that path in life. However, this situation was truly infuriating. As the instructor actually had nothing to do with the problem, I felt no guilt in leaving.The class was on Adobe Photoshop, an image editing

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145330247921576652006-04-17T19:39:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:54:14.520-07:00

This lovely expression of nature is a byproduct of a less charming one that we've seen frequently in the Bay Area: rain. Personally, I am not too concerned. It's mostly a benign drizzle in temperatures that aren't anywhere near freezing, so I don't find that it hampers my life much. I still manage to take long walks almost every day without feeling too uncomfortable.However, we have had what

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145223064032981562006-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:54:37.970-07:00

Sanjay and I celebrated the Lord Jesus Christ's miraculous resurrection over brunch with friends. Sanjay did the cooking, for the most part:I contributed beer bread, which is a great recipe for those of us who are challenged in the kitchen. You just mix up 5 or 6 ingredients, throw in some beer for the yeast, and bake. Here's the result of my "hard" work:And, of course, the final ingredient

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145162746576163562006-04-15T21:39:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:54:53.713-07:00

Headline from earlier today: "FEMA Report Blames FEMA", about the Katrina disaster (human-created, not the nature-created one). It's now filed under "REPORT: Criticism of FEMA's Katrina Response Deserved".

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1145143769578676592006-04-15T16:27:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:55:10.083-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144035649754644052006-04-14T17:04:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:55:28.836-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144820659617834962006-04-12T17:33:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:48:16.753-07:00

Sanjay and I went to a meeting at the local library a couple weeks ago. When we arrived, I approached the woman at the information desk to ask where the meeting room was. After unsuccessfully searching for the answer, she leaned over to ask the security guard whether he knew. She gestured toward Sanjay, who was 100% silent and standing behind me, and said:"This gentleman is looking for the

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144317032070297162006-04-11T09:37:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:55:52.923-07:00

There are some crazy hills in the Bay Area. One of my (least) favorites is found on one route from Sanjay's office to our apartment, and might be better described as a miniature mountain. There are several stop signs as you move forward, so that pedestrians can cross while you pray that your brakes are tip-top and that your car has enough horsepower to propel it vertically from a resting

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144568291460501002006-04-09T00:33:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:56:09.216-07:00

Sanjay and I picketed in support of UC Berkeley service employees at the Fiat Lux Charter Gala 2006, an awards dinner that attracted many wealthy University of California alumni. The purpose of the action was to draw attention to the fact that UC workers are paid poverty wages (read: $10 per hour in a community where the average home costs $671,000), and show how unresponsive UC has been to

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144562790156863852006-04-08T22:52:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:56:32.523-07:00

Last month, I started a series entitled "Malfunctioning Items at Kinko's". As stated in the original post, The object is to prove my previously mentioned thesis that the hellmouth lies not under Sunnydale, CA, but instead beneath the far more evil Kinko's. A useful side effect of this project is that it will allow me to vent my frustration online to our loyal readership and to anyone who Googles

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144458006168894562006-04-07T17:15:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:56:49.046-07:00

Photo Credit: abcnews.go.com...knowing that our "Homeland" was being protected by a pedophile. For those who haven't heard, Brian Doyle, the Press Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security was arrested this week for allegedly soliciting a 14-year-old girl (actually a detective) online. He was allegedly engaged in a sexually explicit chat with the "girl" when authorities busted him, and

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144314063725208782006-04-06T02:00:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:57:46.313-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144035534102680112006-04-04T23:07:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:58:06.460-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1144035362813393432006-04-02T20:30:00.000-07:002006-05-01T02:58:22.420-07:00

Excellent state tagline possibility, no?We went to Big Sur this weekend. As we all know a picture is worth 1,000 words, we'll let these speak for us.Trees:Cold water:Mountain:

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143607373727870302006-03-30T23:54:00.000-08:002006-03-30T23:49:15.376-08:00

Another example of street graffiti......and my contribution to the problem of rabid consumerism:For one of my graphic design classes this semester, we had to create a brochure advertising an item, or class of items, of our choice. I decided my goal would be to convince people that if they buy enough handbags, they will find happiness. Or, per the actual brochure, they will achieve personality,

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143701242945664732006-03-29T21:59:00.000-08:002006-08-25T15:35:56.933-07:00

Wow! Sanjay and I have been married for three years today. Here's a picture of us at our wedding ceremony:March 29, 2003Urbana, Illinois

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143356519889087662006-03-27T23:19:00.000-08:002006-03-28T20:46:14.410-08:00

Our post Retroactive Blogging, Part One is the #7 hit when you Google "cat sedatives". It's good to know our blog regularly dispenses advice on how to unsuccessfully knock out small animals.

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143346449442413632006-03-25T19:02:00.000-08:002006-03-28T23:10:51.646-08:00

Like many other websites, our blog has a sitemeter that tells us how many people visit each day. In addition, it tells us things like the person's domain name and referring site (if any). Don't worry - it doesn't give us your name or anything more identifying than this.Today, this came up on our sitemeter:Domain Name customs.gov (United States Government)Time of Visit Mar 25 2006 11:43:47

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143186291202499352006-03-23T23:19:00.000-08:002006-03-23T23:52:51.330-08:00

Previous Posts in this Series: Malfunctioning Items at Kinko's, v.1Malfunctioning Items at Kinko's, v.2Date of Visit: Wednesday, March 22, 2006Time of Visit: 12:15 PMLocation: Oakland on LakeshoreProject: British Airways Punk Rock Poster (final version), Graphic Design Studio 2Malfunctioning Items:1) The color printer attached to the self-service computers, which smeared random ink shapes on my

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1143012859974276662006-03-21T23:01:00.000-08:002006-03-21T23:48:14.853-08:00

There was another human-detectible earthquake this afternoon. I didn't feel it, but some of my coworkers did. It was centered about 8 miles from our place and was a 3.7, which is pretty minor. It has been followed by fourteen smaller quakes in the same location.After the buzz in the office died down, I resolved to get moving on my much-procrastinated earthquake emergency kit. I know, that's

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1142814794768915022006-03-19T16:23:00.000-08:002006-03-19T16:33:14.806-08:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15248669.post-1142583333624872852006-03-18T22:42:00.000-08:002006-08-25T15:37:29.326-07:00

Jannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808538277009341718noreply@blogger.com0