Some Programmer

After work I got off at Montgomery and walked up Geary and on the way into the galleries at 49 Geary I saw an old acquaintance we talked about the happy hour I invited her to.  I went to Haines and then to Imperial.  Both had ok shows.  I went to Irish Bank and finished the paper.  Then I went to Visuvio and settled in with a beer.  I asked my buddy the bartender if he would be interested in going to see the Ai Wei Wei exhibit on Alcatraz.  I talked to some programmer from NY.  I walked to the N after that.  There was a guy doing sketches of people on the train.

A Direct-able Stream

I have been thinking about developing Newsletters posts for the 101 access idea.  This would be a “direct-able stream” where I identify appropriate content.  However, I have decided that this would be too difficult to engineer without heavy editing and I wouldn’t know how to easily identify specific streets posts.  Hence, I think that I should continue using the NA because it essentially does the same thing since there doesn’t seem to be a way to incorporate this blog’s principles into my other blogs.

So instead I have been developing an assessment of the blog.  I made a list of the different content providers and then looked at one specific class—the galleries at 49 Geary—to figure out how to improve their representation.  For both of my recent trips to the galleries I made a post.

I wrote in my notebook on 060514 that I left work, rode BART to Montgomery and left my bike at the White House Garage.  I walked to 49 Geary and starting on the fifth floor, I looked first at the fifth floor and descended to the bottom.  I only saw one or two things I liked.  Haines Gallery had a great set of wooden hangings made out of fishing line by Alme Mpano.  Later I went to Visuvio, where I know the bartender Dave pretty well.  I also talked to a guy who is a flight steward for a living with a major airline.  Later, across the street, I bumped into a waitress at Specs that thought she knew me.

On 071014 I got off of work at around 4:10 and visited 49 Geary.  I went to Haines.  They were having an opening for a Japanese artist.  There were many bronze castings.  I also got a flier and some pins for the Ai Wei Wei exhibit at Treasure Island.  I then went to Elins-Eagles-Smith.  They had had the same paintings up since the last time I had come by.  I liked them—they were gray scale and somewhat impressionistic.  Meanwhile, I noted that Freankel had a lot of artists and a lot of visitors.  I liked the subject matter but it was hard to focus on it.  I sprinted through most of the rest of the galleries there.

Later I went to Visuvio, where I saw Dave the bartender and interacted with locals.  I gave him one of my Ai Wei Wei pins.  I stayed until Jenna the bar back left and watched a little of the A’s/Giants game.

Dear to My Heart

In this wrap-up I first offer a post from SFBC that I think is really important to watch.  Also, here is more about the Hyperion Freeway Bridge in LA.  Here is an issue dear to my heart.  Finally, I have been paying a lot of attention to community activism on Polk Street over the past year.

I don’t really know

In this season’s wrap up I must say that I went to this Yearly Member Party.  Meanwhile, I think the new BABS rollout went well and was happy to see this post.  Every year I go but I don’t really know what Tour de Fat actually is.  Finally, I think that the three foot passing law is monumental.

Lower Polk/Tenderloin Art Walk

Here is a recap of what I noticed in my newsletters.  I thought this post’s mention of the LACBC's Bike Trains provides a great example of how to make our streets livable.  Meanwhile, this post provides a great map of the Lower Polk/Tenderloin Art Walk.  Meanwhile, I think that readers might like to know that every year Toomey Tourell Fine Art provides an opportunity for free tickets to the Art Pad event.  Finally, I think it is important to say that every year I participate in Bike-to-Work-Day.

Thursday and Friday Art

I thought this announcement for White Walls was interesting.  I didn’t go to the SCANPH Membership Meeting but I thought this was worth a shout out.  This is a link to the Modernbook First Thursday Artwalk and finally I have been following the Popular Workshop and think that this post for Ben Barretto was interesting.

Tried on Hats

I got to the library before 5 and had to wait for my friend to arrive so I went looking for Sci-Fi and was about to look for Literary Criticism when I realized that my friend had texted me from the lobby. We walked White Walls, where it was really quiet because of the SCOPE conference in Miami. They had a photo installation that was meant to showcase the situation in Goma, North Kivu and I was I was generally impressive. The pieces and installation are called “CONGO,” and the artist is Jonathan Darby and the organization he is a part of called AptART. When I go to White Walls it doesn’t take much to visit Shooting Gallery since it is just right next door. This exhibit was called empty room and was done by Adam Caldwell.

My friend and I had a lot to talk about so we barely noticed the time it took to walk down O’Farrell to Mason and over to Union Square. I was really impressed with the Christmas Lights. We went to Goorin and tried on hats before we got to 49 Geary. The door man opened the door for us (so sophisticated) and we took the elevator to the fifth floor.

The first exhibit we visited at the Robert Koch had a large number of images of motels and neon signs from the 1950’s by Steve Fitch. I at first thought that these were an attempt at kitsch by some hipster but after we looked at the pieces more minutely we realized that they were from all over the us and were actually set in context.

We walked up and down the building. I wrote that I don’t remember everything because the floors are so similar and there was so much to look at! The two on the 5th were cool. The Elins Eagles Smith had a Calder piece that I rather liked. Normally they would have more SF oriented pieces.

One of the galleries, the K. Imperial, which I call the diorama gallery, is the smallest in the building and I believe that you really only have to look it to it from the door way. There were pieces that I rather liked by John Wood and Cuong Ta. The ones I liked especially were these spherical pieces.

I picked up a postcard from Modernbook. It has a great photo on the front. The image is actually four walleyed images mosaicked together so that one can see the entirety of a New York intersection. I liked it because it looked like the cover of Paul’s Boutique.

My friend and I wandered out of 49 Geary with a lot to talk about and we didn’t even notice boarding the 30 bus to Columbus. I was thinking all through eating my pizza at Golden Boy that it was nice that the crowds had gone to Miami for the convention. We stopped by Visuvio to see my buddy from way back who now tends bar. He is an artist too. When he saw my postcards he pointed out that it was likely take a lot of energy to take down the exhibit at White Walls.

The Future of SOMA

I have seen some really interesting things amongst my Newsletters lately.  First off I can only express excitement over the coming Second Street Redesign that the SFBC is looking forward to in the coming year.  Not only will this new project give the city new lanes and more riders but it will offer us a tantalizing look at the future of SOMA!  Meanwhile, LA the LACBC has just had a wonderfully successful Tour de Taste.  This is a great chance to look around Americas second largest city to sample what might be available.

Lately I have been hearing a lot about Small Business Saturday and how it allows small businesses to compete.  I think this is ironic since so many galleries showcased on this blog are usually in Miami this month for the annual Miami Project.

Some Context

Lately I've been looking at recent Newsletters posts and have realized that you may need some context here.

I worked at SCANPH about five years ago and have gone to a lot of their events both as a volunteer as well as a presenter.  I got to know most of the people that worked there and I like what they are doing.  They recently moved house and have a lot of new and people.  I haven't met the new executive but I have known many of the board members.

While I have missed a lot of fun volunteer dates and a few bike-about-town events with the coalition I am definitely going to Winterfest. I went to it last year and had a lot of fun.  I would suggest that you attend too.  There is always good food, prizes and a lot of celebrities.  Last year a well known City Supervisor attended and made a big splash at the auction.

I haven’t decided if I am going to the AAG annual meeting yet. this year it is in LA and I am certain a lot of people that I know will be attending.  I have been going for years and last year I went to the meeting in NY.  I always have a lot of fun.

Speaking of Los Angeles, I would like to congratulate the LA Coalition for success with Lankershim Bl. I have ridden my bike around LA county and especially North Hollywood and am think that it is about time.  The Coalition has had a long struggle getting bike lanes into the local infrastructure in the San Fernando Valley.

On a more general note, I was just looking at this Modern Book gallery post. If the gallery is on Geary then where is this first photo?

Welcome!!

Introducing my Newsletters Blog, a place to read about who I listen to and what I’m interested in.  I am urging you to read this blog because if you know me you are likely to know a little about its content and may be interested in the things that you haven’t seen here.  I have been building this contributor list for many years now.

This blog started as an experiment.  I routed each of the noticed that my subscriptions to this site so I could view what is new in one place and see who else was interested in what I was reading.  Since then, I have added to the blog and made a few other changes.  I value this blog as a way to show the people in my life what I am interested in.  I feel that getting people involved in I do will only make those things that I care about more pertinent.

I have been working on the site.

Hey I have been working on a change to the site.  You guys ave seemed really appreciative of everything I have been doing here and I appreciate it.  Unfortunately sometimes you have to lift up the hood and tinker with the engine and for the time being there may be some stops and starts.  However, if there are any questions or want to update any of the content please let me know and I will do what I can to change things around.

Hey every body

I didn't put anything in this post