I’ve discovered a new love- my Holga camera! For those of you who don’t know, the Holga was designed in 1982 as a toy. The construction is so cheap that you end up with light leaks and this unique low-fidelity aesthetic. I just got my first roll developed and I was sure they would all turn out black. To my surprise, when I opened the envelope and pulled out the prints, I was happy to find these:
I’m excited to do some more experimenting and see what happens with the next rolls!
*Rebecca_SF
Filed under: Food for Thought, fun!, san francisco | Tags: dream jobs, Flour Bakery, Frankenartmart
Filed under: architecture, san francisco, travel | Tags: Dominus, Herzog & de Meuron
offices on the 2nd floor
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: fun!, san francisco | Tags: Dolores Park, Home Run Hero, Red Bull Soap Box Derby
San Francisco loves crazy events! The weirder, the better. So, it’s no surprise that Red Bull decided to host their Soap Box Derby in Dolores Park in the Mission District this past weekend. Somewhere close to 100,000 people showed up for the show. 36 different teams built their own soap box cars and raced down a steep hill, over a jump, and tried to get to the finish line without crashing. The crazier the contraption, the more the crowd cheered.
One of my friends was on the Home Run Hero team. They were one of 2 teams to score perfect 10’s from the judges, but somehow they didn’t win. They did finish 3rd for fan favorite, though.
All in all, I’d say a good time was had by all. I’m hoping this becomes a yearly event. Check out the highlights here:
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: environmental issues, fun!, san francisco | Tags: parking day, Rebar, the trust for public land
Do you ever get tired of the city life, the concrete jungle as they say? Long for your own little patch of grass? Well, then find a park, or just make your own. That’s what we did last Friday for Parking Day 2008. It was a great success! It’s amazing how people were drawn to the sight of green… or maybe they just thought it was weird to see a park in the middle of cars on a busy road. Either way, it garnered a lot of attention and all the feedback was positive. Some people even ask us if we could make it permanent. That could be a little difficult (grass doesn’t usually grow well on asphalt), but we can always use more green. You can check out all the mini parks around the world here on Flickr. I also saw Method’s park on my way home and wanted to give them some props as well. There was so much creativity involved in all the parks! I already can’t wait for next year!
our bamboo jungle…
lunch break…
They like to spread the love in Philadelphia…
what it’s all about at Method…
a new way to go green with your vehicle…
Special thanks to Rebar who started it all and The Trust for Public Land for organizing it.
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: environmental issues, san francisco | Tags: park, PARK(ing) Day 2008, parking spot, Rebar, san francisco
At the last minute, I decided to throw together a Parking day group at work. For those of you that don’t know, PARK(ing) Day was started by a San Francisco group called Rebar. They’re a group of artists, designers, and activists and they came up with the idea back in 2005. They picked a specific spot in downtown SF that’s under served by public open space and they set up an “intervention”. They fed the meter and set up a small park. The installation garnered a lot of press and quickly turned into a global movement. Since then, more people have joined the efforts each year in cities around the world. Everyone’s invited to join in and create your own park wherever you see the need. This year’s PARK(ing) Day is on Friday, Sept. 19th. The website has a very helpful manual describing exactly how to set everything up and join in the fun. I’ll upload pictures from our park next week. We’ll be at Folsom & Spear if you feel like joining us!
Rebecca_ SF
I just felt my first earthquake! It seems practically like a rite of passage as a San Francisco resident and I hate to admit it, but I’ve been looking forward to it. I know that’s not right, but I’m being honest! My apartment shook for just a second or two. By the time I figured out what was going on, it was over. Apparently, it was a 4.0 magnitude. (For some perspective, the big one in 1989 was 6.9 and lasted about 15 seconds.) So, that’s it. I won’t wish for anymore. I promise! I definitely don’t want to feel anything stronger than that!
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: Food for Thought, san francisco | Tags: Joel Salatin, Polyface Farms, San Francisco victory garden, slow food nation, The Omnivore's Dilemma
Get excited, Slow Food Nation is coming to SF next weekend! The Slow Food Movement (as we’ve mentioned before) has been gaining momentum for some time now. They’ve organized one of the largest events so far and it’s coming up next weekend, right here in San Francisco.
Here are some of the highlights you should check out:
-Attend a lecture by Joel Salatin of Polyface farms. He’ll talk specifically about the sustainable farming practices he employs. (He’s a featured in the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma.)
-You can browse thousands of booths in the taste pavilions and gorge yourself on some really tasty food.
-You can sign up to volunteer for various projects around the city. For example, they planted a Victory Garden outside city hall on July 1st and all the food that’s harvested from it will be donated to local food banks and meal programs.
-Listen to some great music from people like Gnarls Barkley, The New Pornographers, and more.
-Pick a special dinner to attend with one of your favorite Bay Area restaurants
You better hurry, they’ve already sold out of morning tickets for both Saturday and Sunday!
_Rebecca, SF
Filed under: architecture, environmental issues, san francisco | Tags: Green Building Ordinance, LEED, san francisco
On August 4th, San Francisco took another huge leap in its effort to lead the world in environmental initiatives by signing into effect a new Green Building Ordinance. The laws were developed over a 6 month period by a Task force on Green Building set up by Mayor Gavin Newsom. After long negotiations these new laws have finally been set in motion and I’m excited about the prospects. New residential, new commercial, and renovation projects will all be affected and the changes will start to take place almost immediately. It’s all part of a 5 year plan for the city. The initial requirements will have to be met starting with projects going for permits after November 1st of this year. The focus is clearly on reducing energy and water use as well as the amount of waste created during demolition and construction. They’ve broken building types down into several categories. Here’s a brief synopsis of some of the new requirements:
– Small & Mid-size Residential projects will have to meet an increasing number of Green Point credits (similar to LEED) each year.
-High Rise Residential projects have to be LEED certified begining Nov. 1st and LEED silver by 2011.
– Mid-size commercial projects (5-25,000 SF) will have to fill out LEED checklists (but not necessarily comply) starting in November of this year, with additional requirements for energy & water conservation as well as waste diversion being added through 2011.
-Large commercial projects (25,000 SF or more) will have to be LEED certified beginning in November and LEED Silver by 2009
-Large commercial interiors projects and renovations (25,000 SF or more) must be LEED certified by November, LEED Silver, by 2009, and LEED Gold by 2012.
This means big changes for architects, developers, and owners. San Francisco is hoping to set an example for cities around the world and inspire others to follow suit with their own regulations. I for one, am very excited to be a part of the efforts.
Rebecca_ SF
This weekend I stopped by “the store” at 826 Valencia in the Mission. No name, no sign, no nothing… I’d never been there before, but my mom was in town and she suggested we see what was inside. Lo and behold, we discovered a pirate store. Yes, a genuine pirate store, this wasn’t some hokey costume shop, this place is serious. I found small cages to hold Tinkerbell, lacey pirate cuffs, a bucket of lard (there’s a scoop inside- you serve yourself…), and many, many, more treasures. The website really doesn’t do it justice. It’s definitely something you have to experience in person. You simply must sit for awhile in the fish theatre and you’ll most likely get “mopped” before you leave (I did, but I won’t ruin the fun for those of you who haven’t had the privilege of experiencing it yet).
And if all that isn’t interesting enough for you, they have a whole series of free literary workshops for kids. I was particularly intrigued by the Guerilla Postcard Poetry class where they give you cameras to explore the neighborhood. You come back and write short poems with your “found” images and then create a postcard out of it all. If only I were somewhere between the ages of 6 and 18…
I was left wondering how in the world this place makes money to survive. I’m pretty sure the majority of their income comes from books they publish themselves. There’s quite a long list of publications to choose from. Actually, it says all the profits from the pirate store go towards the writing center that hosts all the free workshops. So, when you buy that glass eye that you can’t live without, at least you’re supporting a good cause.
Rebecca_ SF
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