Nonogirl Radio

Just You and I

Last night, we said good-bye to Lila, as she leavs the Sanchez Pad for international film adventures for High Life. But the warmth she brought to the house hopefully prepared us for a monumental change at 238.

This four bedroom flat that's housed four (sometimes five) renters at a time, countless house guests, and an occassional mini rodent, is now down to just the two of us.

Let's hope we don't kill each other.

Touch the Sound

Some people hate watching movies with film critics, who bust out their notebook and flashlight pen during key moments, distracting one from being lost in the film. On the otherhad, I love seeing movies with them because they make for great conversation after the film! So I was stoked that A. invited me out to see the latest Thomas Riedelsheimer (Rivers and Tides) film, Touch the Sound.

Riedelsheimer learns the language of the featured artist (be it visually with Andy Goldsworthy or sonically with deaf percussionist, Evelyn Glennie) and translates that language cinematically. In Touch the Sound, we see how sound is everywhere (in the traffic, in construction building, in the shopping mall) and gain awareness of how other senses might perceive sound.

This is a beautiful, must-see film for any radio producer or sound designer as we learn to pay closer attention to what we hear and how we hear it.

Doppelganger

• A Robynn on the ones and twos
• A Nonogirl on myspace
• And egads, a Jawbreaker fan on craigslist (and in my 'hood!)

My Love Parade

• I love Scott Louie, the KSW community, and APAture's support for emerging artists.
• I love Mono, women rockers, cute Japanese boys with facial hair, and hand rolled joints shared with strangers.
• I love the Bay Area progressives and the people of color contingent.
• I love George Chen and people who keep it real but remind you when you should get in for free.
• I love Adam Varga, Dailysonic, good parenting, and well executed dreams made on the Appalachain Trail.
• I love Ryan and Eddie and Webzine and the vast array of self-publishers.
• I love Independent Arts and Media and Media Alliance.
• I love Jeanne, the Exploratorium, and Art on Market Street.
• I love cinematic reminders that natural disasters can transform urban landscapes with tree-lined streets and abolished freeways.
• And I love me some kava kava to help bring down my buzz from this crazy weekend!

Lord of War

I love this billboard hack! I hope someone has this up on Saturday.

The Rambler

Tomorrow, Tina Gordon launches, what I believe is the Rambler's maiden voyage!

I covered this story when she was still raising funds to build out this mobile rock unit. But since then, she received funding from my day job to not only build the Rambler, but also to perform a composition from the Rambler, traveling from the east side of the city to the west.

The composition has something to do with the Fall Equinox and the sun's proximity to the earth. Kinda new-age-y, but hey, she went to UC Santa Cruz. And regardless of the inspiration, with Tina drumming, I know it'll rock.

Catch it if you're able!

Audio Saloon

Erica at KPFA has been organizing monthly listening salons where we can focus on the ART of radio rather than the politics (or rather, drama) of radio. They've been a great place to hear work in progress, receive feedback, and come together as a community as well as learn about microphones, grant writing, and distribution outlets.

This month, the salon was at a house and the event was on a weekend, leading to the name change from "salon" to "saloon."

Lessons from the evening:

1. Radio producers love their wine
2. While dedicated to the clock while on-air, we operate on p.o.c. (people of color) time in our personal lives (the event was from 4-7p.m. and we didn't start listening to audio untio 8!)
3. Numbers in the Newsroom for how to make numbers meaningful to listeners
4. The Fifth Element for pacing
5. Enter The Wu-Tang 36 Chambers for emphasis of voice pacing

Disasters

Starf*cking

Even though I grew up in L.A., I still put my celebrities up on pedestals. This weakness for rockstars rarely affects me in my day jobs (except for the time Pat Morita stopped into Japantown when I worked for AATC and thankfully my excitement left me frozen and speechless) but yesterday, I met MAYA LIN!

I didn't think much of her expected attendence until she walked into the museum cafe while I ate my lunch. I thought back to the movie about her and the revolutionary design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Sensing my excitement, one of our panelists reminded me, "When she's cut, she bleeds the same blood."

In other celebrity news, how weird is this?!

Walkup Octavia Blvd.

When I first looked for housing in San Francisco, my budget was under $400. J and I looked everywhere: the TL, Noe Valley, and NoPa before we settled in the Mission. When we checked out a spot in Hayes Valley, a woman came up to us and told us that they had a strong neighborhood association as she handed us a flyer about tearing down the Central Freeway.

Ten years later, I saw that woman again seated next to former Mayor Brown at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Octavia Boulevard. She is Patricia Walkup and,  along with Robin Levitt, was praised for being the community leader that helped see the project through to fruition.

The area is pedestrian, bike, and car friendly and is supposed to have 50% "affordable" housing. It's so nice, in a city that destroyed businesses, forced out families and artists, and shut down art and music venues during the dot com boom, to see some progressive change as well. And it's so nice to think that someone who helped make this happen was part of my San Francisco welcome committee.