four-twenty-two
Today, Klover and I went to the Maker Faire in San Mateo. Put on by make magazine, the Maker Faire was like a big science fair that promoted self-expression, invention-making, and general dorkiness. We had fun taking pictures of ballons popping in the dark, making LED color graffiti on a school bus, watching the Mad Scientist perform with the Thimbletron, gawking at the iPod + Record player combo, watching the eggbot make graphic designs on eggs, playing free pinball, eating Vegan breakfast and lunch (NOT!), taking pictures in Penninsula Grille, and playing in the constellation light beams. I think that people now (more than ever) are more interested in putting their personal stamp on things. Technologies and products that do best are the ones that are open and give us the freedom to modify them to our own liking, whether they be cars, computers, software, art, whatever. Maker Faire was a celebration of both the creative freedom that technologies and products are giving us, as well as the creative spirit that is currently promoted in society. Though I am not personally interested in making a jambox with a PSP screen in the speaker, I am interested in looking beyond the normal use and accepted beliefs about things and trying to find ways to extend them and/or make them my own. That night, the SF Int'l Film Festival was taking place at Kabuki Theatre. Jer got us two tickets to see Factotum, the film based on the Charles Bukowski novel (which is the only Bukowski novel I'd read.) It starred Matt Dillion, Lili Taylor, and Marisa Tomei, and was showing in two theatres. Both theatres were packed, but Jer and I saw two seats together in the aisles. In the middle of the film, the actual film reel caught on fire and blazed through the actual film strip, so we had to take a brief intermission while the spliced the film together. Then, and the end Matt Dillion himself actually came from the back of the room and stepped up to the stage to do a live Q & A session with the audience. Though none of the questions or his responses were particularly earth shattering, I still got a charge from the event.
Other than that, lots of shows -- had dinner in North Beach and a French | Spanish Tapas restaurant, then saw Pinback on Friday, which wasn't bad. Saw Umphrey's McGee 2 nights at the Fillmore last week, and before that, saw Jerry Joseph & Dave Schools at the Independent, then Ming + Ping at Rickshaw (which was SO much fun!!!) Work has been getting better, and I'm getting more and more excited about what could be coming up for us. While I've waivered in my belief about the company, I feel more compelled than ever to stick around right now. And the rain has FINALLY taken a bathroom break.
