OMG!

some of you may have seen this san francisco toothpick carnival (i'd never even HEARD of toothpick carnivals before this) on apartment therapy today, but here it is in action.

this is one of THE COOLEST things i have ever seen. scott weaver, thank you for your genius.

iiiiiiii left my hearrrrrrrt...

just had to share this!

CITY boys and girls gettin' down on the farm!

wheeeeeeeeeeeee! now HERE is something to be excited about: welcome to the neighborhood, hayes valley farm!

as you may recall from earlier posts (like this one), my current neighborhood was once home to the central freeway, built in the 1950s, which many say destroyed the fabric of this diverse place. in 1989, the loma prieta earthquake took down a sizable chuck of the thing and it was eventually demolished in favor of street-level on ramps. and so began a renewal of the area. (or, some would say, an unwanted gentrification by folks like me. we're right on the border of that most famous of neighborhoods which, too, is having an identity crisis.)

the city has moved excruciatingly slowly in development of the MANY lots that now stand empty as a result of the demolition (see left).

but, the upside is that the community is getting creative with proposed uses for these lots. (this looks pretty amazing, in fact!)

hayes valley farm is probably the best i have seen. situated on parcel p, the largest of them all, this farm will take over a sorely neglected - but uniquely situated - plot right in the middle of our neighborhood.

in their own words, hayes valley farm is "an education and research project with a focus on urban agriculture. Situated on city-owned lots bordered by Oak, Fell, Laguna, and Octavia streets, the project is organized by an alliance of urban farmers, educators, and designers that comprise the Hayes Valley Farm Project Team. Hayes Valley Farm is a Parks Partner, a fiscally sponsored project of the San Francisco Parks Trust.

The project is founded on an interim use agreement between Hayes Valley Farm and the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development- a two to five year time frame - until which time the City moves forward with other development plans for the site.

1. to create a successful, sustainable urban farm where community members can access healthy local food
2. to serve as a model and a resource center for urban agriculture education and green job training
3. to build community resiliency around local food production"

i have been so busy with the house that i haven't yet had a chance to get dirty with my neighbors, but i plan to very soon. it looks like they are having alot of fun over there!

if you live in the neighborhood, get yourself to a work party soon. if not, maybe you can spearhead a similar project where you live -- this stuff ain't just for san francisco hippies!

and, here's hoping that it will stay long past its planned 2-5 years...

i can see clearly now...

the view from my home office tonight. click to enlarge.
(that's city hall on the right.)

i've just returned home from a very quick trip (30 or so hours) to chicago and somehow managed to miss the first couple of storms of this predicted el niño season.

sounds like they were whoppers, but now the air is cool and crisp and the skies are streaked with the color of dusk and a few remaining gray clouds - such a lovely sight!

sometimes dealing with this beautiful old house feels like more trouble than i bargained for - but coming home to it, even after a short trip, and taking in this view reminds me of how very lucky i am and how much i really, really love it.

so, enjoy the view and a song with me tonight - won't you?

our trash is better than your trash!

we were left this amusing little message by our trash guys this week. they, apparently, think that we are too stupid to sort our own trash.

the problem is, because we live in a "transitional" neighborhood and because the house was vacant for some time, we have (a) many neighbors using the front of our house as the local landfill and (2) lots of homeless folks mining our trash every night.

so, when we clean it up, we do our best to redistribute into the correct bins - but, honestly, it is just too grody to be very precise.

but, it's nice to be popular!

"crack is whack!"

oh, girl, you KNOW i agree with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytJpZguSy2U

but when i look at these renderings of the proxy and permanent plans for the empty lot at the end of the street, i just feel like singing "pass the dutchie".

this guy was definitely smoking the good stuff...

my favorite image from the permanent plans (found @ http://www.envelopead.com/proj_octavia.html):

me and melissa circa 2040. after a quick dip at the dolphin club, trolling for a hook-up.

and from the proxy plans (found @ http://www.envelopead.com/proj_octaviakl.html):

ooh! look, hipsters! it's "the sound of music"!

i actually really, really love this plan. it'll be several years before they can break ground on the permanent structure, so we may as well have a fun community space in the meantime. outdoor movies? temporary art installations? belgian beers and fries al fresco? sign me up!

hayes valley is for lovers.

at least that's what acura tells me.

click *here* to watch a super-charming short film starring hong kong superstar andy lau. it opens just outside of momi toby's - just a block away from the new digs.

i'll bet you can guess where you'll find me the next time it rains!

(thanks, curbedsf!)