in whales is the preservation of the world

Gray Whale Viewing | green is the new crack | ongoing, january through march
They are, seriously, one of god's coolest creatures. You know that part on Blue Planet where the sperm whale is eating the sardines? I can't get enough of that. They. Are. So. Big. Undeniably grand creatures. Some people feel inconsequential at the top of mountains. For me, the definition of the sublime is a whale at sea.

Apparently, here in the bay area, from January till March, gray whales are viewable from the Point Reyes' observation deck. You could just be sitting there, eating a sandwich, and bam! a gray whale will spout. I can't wait. There are ranger-led programs, where you will learn so much about gray whales you will find yourself rattling off information to strangers at the bus stop and enraptured six-year olds. You can't miss this.
more info | map me!

Ecosystemlicious

Naturalist Lecture Series | green is the new crack | 01/25/07
Ah, nature. But how to enjoy it if you don't have a car? I've a feeling there are a few different ways to do it in the SF Bay Area, but one of the ways is to find some nature right here in SF. Stand on my back porch and most days you'll see the red-tail hawks of Glen Canyon whipping around on the thermals. Go a little north of my house, and you'll find the unblemished hillsides of Twin Peaks. However, possibly more than I like going into nature, I like talking about nature. Or listening to other people talk about it. REI is sponsoring a lecture by Peter Berg, bioregional philosopher extraordinaire, about Twin Peaks and the nature of and in the city. It's at 7PM at the REI store on Brannan.


Bonus activity: Scam a ride to Tennessee Valley, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, and you might find yourself face-to-face with the fabled north country big cats. This past New Year's Day, my family and I met a wholly unconcerned juvenile bobcat, who was ambling down the path not fifteen feet in front of us. Earlier in the day, we joined gawkers in watching what looks to be a mountain lion on a hillside (pictured). Keep your tiny ones close, people!

more information on the naturalist series @ rei.com | map me!

plus, that Clive Owen ain't too hard on the eyes

Children of Men | artyarts | opened in SF 12/25/06
So I didn't think I'd be posting first-run, studio movies on here - heck, they get enough advertising as it is. But I really really really want to see Children of Men, and you should too. I tried to ignore the reviews on it, since I hate having my opinions swayed before I even get in the theater, but I had to pay attention when my beloved slate.com called it the Movie of the Millenium (which they acknowledge as a cheap superlative - ha ha! the millennium's only 6 years old! - but expand on it by saying they suspect it will remain a top movie of the millennium for a while at least since it's actually about our millennium). One line struck me particularly in the review: "It takes place in a grimly familiar location: the hell we are currently making for ourselves." Up till now, we hadn't had quite enough distance from the last four years to really start making feature films about it; perhaps Children of Men is the door opening. I've been suspecting that our world is actually going to sht, so it's nice to know that some fairly smart, creative people agree with me. Though I need to watch it again to confirm this, I thought last year's Inside Man also had moments of post-2000 reality to it (some of the scenes on the streets were discomforting, and the subtle but omnipresent dealings with racial strife), though in the end it did turn out to be just a slick thriller. Clive Owen is the common factor between these two movies, and I hope his accent isn't as bad as it was in the latter film (so, I just figured out that Children takes place in London, so no American accent then, I guess). But I am totally excited to see Children of Men, nonetheless. Oh, you wanted to know something about the actual movie? 2027, no more humans being born, total chaos, chance for redemption. I'm teary-eyed already.

buy tickets at the world's most annoying ticket service, fandango, here

it's almost like *i'm* famous!

Tings Dey Happen | artyarts | 12/14/07 - 01/13/07
I remember reading this interview with someone annoying, like dave eggers or something, just as he was getting famous and he was like, yeah, these people have started coming up to me on the street and being like, "hey, dave, it's roy from tenth grade. remember how i gave you a piece of gum that one time? can i have $20?" well, i went to high school with dan hoyle, the writer and performer of Tings Dey Happen, (remember how i gave you that newsletter column that one time?) and so it's in my best interest that he get good and famous. so, people, go to his show! actually, he's kind of already getting famous without my help (dammit!), and i'm just jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to cash in on my $20. dan's a genius, or at least he was in tenth grade, or at least he was funny and insightful and generous, and i expect his show will be as well. of course, it's about nigerian oil politics, so it might also be really, really depressing. the show's at the marsh on valencia.

UPDATE: Been there, activitied that. It's freaking great, people. See it, love it, tell other people to see it.

more info @ themarsh.org | map me! | muni me!

see more theater, she said

Strangers We Know (a Word For Word production) | artyarts | 01/12/07 - 01/28/07
I have been waiting a few years to see a Word For Word production (living on the east coast got in the way a bit), and for my patience, the company has decided to reward me by staging a Lorrie Moore short story, so that we can all cry cry cry. Okay, a little background. Word for Word is a production company that puts on short stories - like, every word of them ("she said", "he said", "it was a dark and stormy night" etc). I've never seen a performance but I've always thought that was such a clever idea, and Lorrie Moore is a fantastic, often moving, writer. I'm excited. They will also be performing a Mavis Gallant story. I don't know who that is.
more info @ zspace.org | map me! | muni me!