Monthly Archives: October 2008

JOURNAL: Crab and Asparagus Soup

Food & Booze

I just finished leftovers from a vat of crab and asparagus soup I ordered at Tu Lan, the diviest, cheapest and most delicious Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco.

The stuff has properties unlike any substance I have ever encountered (think Bose Einstein Condensate as a non-Newtonian fluid).  When I order this soup, I leave not when full, but when I’m weary. They should spread this concoction on the space shuttle tiles because it must be the best insulator in the universe. It takes quite a while just to get it up to temperature, and it NEVER COOLS DOWN.

It’s wicked viscous too. Not only does it blister the roof of my mouth but it sticks. It would probably make a good alternative to napalm or boiling oil should you ever need to engage in a land war in Asia or protect your castle from the parapets. Those villagers would never see it coming.

Securitree

Art & Design

I’ve been messing around with a few ideas for t-shirt designs lately.  This one was inspired by the scene in 1984 where Winston and Julia are fooling around in the bushes.  That’s about as literary as I’m going to get.

Here’s the first draft.  I’ve been told that the tree needs more cameras, and that it may be a little lop-sided.  Any other thoughts on what to do with the next draft of this design?

Lunches: Routine or Rut?

Food & Booze

I just realized that my office lunches have begun to normalize.

Mondays I munch on Gyros and Fries at Ayola.

Tuesdays taste of glorious Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from Muffins Muffins.

Wednesday are wonderful  burrito adventures with Bob and Bill at Cancun.

Thursdays I repent with a salad from Working Girls.

Fridays are a wild card.  I have a meeting at job #2 during lunch from job #1, so sometimes I skip lunch.

Reclaimed Copper Headboard

Art & Design
Original Concept Sketch
Treated Copper Tile
Treated Copper Tile

Composed primarily of scrap metal, this headboard is a labor of love, requiring a hell of a lot of hammering, tempering, buffing and polishing to turn each copper square into a spectral tile.  Finished tiles are laid out in a checkerboard pattern on a 3-foot by 5-foot frame (for a queen bed) and then resin is poured over the top to coat and join the metal pieces.
Continue reading Reclaimed Copper Headboard →

Furniture Design Sketches

Art & Design

I scanned a bunch of sketches for furniture projects and am posting them here so I don’t lose them. Feel free to look, but they might not make much sense. Eventually, I will expand each one as it’s own post with notes, etc. As always, I appreciate feedback, critical or otherwise.

1. “Cabot” Storage System
2. “Conver” Table
3. Steamer Trunk Bar
4. Reclaimed Copper Headboard
5. Nightstand
6. Blok Sofa
7. 4-Leg Table
8. Vase

Bottles and Cans… And Just Clap Your Hands

Food & Booze
Canning Jars: An Oxymoron?
Canning Jars: An Oxymoron?

TSB and I have been talking about jarring and pickling for a while.  We were supposed to dig into it yesterday, but life happened and pickling didn’t.  Neil put us to shame by coincidentally making dill pickles the same day.  I’ve also been wanting to make a new batch of all my favorite infused boozes.

Here’s my list of what I’m planning for my few next endeavors (recipes to follow) :

The Booze:

  • Chipotle Tequila
  • Shiso Vodka
  • Liqueur made with seasonal citrus, based on the limoncello concept
  • Coriander, Cinnamon and Cumin gin
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice Rum
  • Roasted Ginger Vodka

The Pickles:

  • Haricots Vertical: green beans, celery sticks, asparagus pickled, all pointing the same direction
  • Onions, Pearl, Pickled
  • Pickles Peppadew Peppers
  • Cornucopia of Little Veggies
  • Complete Bloody Mary Skewers
  • Pickled Fruit Cocktail (Mellon, Peaches, Plums, Cherries)

The Other Jars:

  • Strawberries and Pears Poached in Port
  • Onion Jam
  • Homemade Catchup
  • Hot Sauce

Election Night Party at YBCA

News and Updates

The contemporary art center where I work (doing visual arts education and public events) is throwing the mother of all election night parties (or so we hope)!  I’m working on building a video testimonial booth (like a photo-booth, but video) and setting up blank banners for people express all their election night angst, joy and other emotions upon in words and images.  They wanted me to do on-site t-shirt silkscreening again, but I didn’t get enough notice.

I hope you will be there.

  • Where: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
  • 701 Mission Street (at 3rd St.), San Francisco, CA
  • When: Tuesday November 4, 2008 6:00-10:00
  • Why:  It’s election night, and we need to be together, to either celebrate or to start planning the revolution.

[kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&uri=channels/87046&embedId=49331373&premium=false&height=445&width=425] That’s my department director in the video.

Calling all Obamaphiles and McCaniacs, hockey-moms and Joe Six-packs, Democrats and Republicans, Independents and Undecideds! On November 4, votes will be cast and the longest presidential campaign in American history will finally be over. This historic election will usher in a new day in America and it will be time to set aside our differences, reach across the aisle, join hands in solidarity, bury the hatchet, raise a glass and PARTY LIKE IT’S 1999!

YBCA invites all artists, art lovers and artistic citizens of San Francisco to join us Tue, Nov 4 from 6–9 pm for up-to-the-minute election coverage, music, performances and FREE PIZZA WHEN THE POLLS CLOSE!

You can also write on the walls, tell us what you think the world will look like in four years, help us create a time capsule to commemorate this historic event and MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

But the best part, my friends, is that in this time of economic uncertainty—IT’S FREE! (But there will be a surcharge for all adult beverages.)

Don’t spend election night at home alone, biting your nails and wringing your hands! Join us and help spread the word about THE HOTTEST ELECTION NIGHT PARTY IN TOWN!

Featured Artists: Hella Hella Acapella with Lara Maykovich, Maya Dorm, Nichole Rodriguez, Marissa Greene and Madeleina Bolduc; Sri Satya Ritual Movement with Micah Allison, Isis, Indriya and Nikilah Badua; Anahata Sound; Derick Ion and the Satya Yuga Collective; Dancing the Dead Dharma (Sara Shelton Mann and Dance Brigade); Alleluia Panis and Dwayne Calizo; Anna Halprin; DJ Wey South; DJ Aztec Parrot with YBCA Young Artists at Work; rigzen; Maji; Sara Shelton Mann; Dance Brigade; Bruce Ghent; Rajendra Serber; Sonya Smith; Kira Maria Kirsch; Folawole Oyinlola; Lena Gatchalian; Sarah Bush; Hana Erdman; Karen Elliot; Richelle Donigan; Kimberly Valmore; Krissy Keefer and D. Scot Miller.