"The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." — Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, 1973 So it's about two weeks into my big move from New York City to the Bay Area, which has been really wonderful so far. Mole and I are mostly…
Author:
The Hario Buono V60 Drip Kettle: the perfect kettle for pour-over coffee
If you are a coffee snob and you practice one of the pour-over preparation methods, i.e. Chemex, Melitta or Hario , than you know that achieving the right kind of pour onto the grounds is an essential part of the process. The problem is that most water kettles on the market have these wide spouts…
My elderly mom tries out the Prius electric/gas hybrid (video)
My sister rented a Toyota Prius hybrid electric-gas car yesterday and really likes it. Here's her giving our mother a quick lesson in driving the Prius. I think it's interesting how nervous mom is getting the thing started, but once she was driving for a couple of minutes, it just became another car to…
An Epic “Homecoming” Party with Family and Friends
This weekend, my awesome sis Cori threw an incredible “homecoming” party for me and her with a bunch of our friends and family in the San Francisco. The celebration had it all: a hilariously cheesy San Francisco photo backdrop, a huge Filipino feast from Goldilocks bakery, Karaoke on a big flatscreen, and hits of the…
Strawberry Creek Meeting: Sun-drenched Silence in Downtown Berkeley
Today I continued my Tour of Bay Area Quaker Meetings by visiting the Strawberry Creek Meeting in Berkeley. I arrived at the location a few minutes late, where I found a dozen or so people sitting in on folding chairs in the middle of a school courtyard. "I guess this is the Meeting," I thought…
The 9:20 Special: Where the Bay Area Lindy Hoppers Gather Every Thursday
Last night I headed out to the Russian Center in San Francisco for the weekly "9:20 Special" lindy hop dance held there every Thursday. The 9:20 takes place in a beautiful old ballroom with a gorgeous sprung wooden dancefloor that packs a couple hundred dancers from complete newbies to oldsters like myself. Classes at various…
Director of “When Strangers Click” and “Food, Inc” on Second Life Talk Show February 6
Robert Kenner, director of the documentary "Food, Inc" and the forthcoming "When Strangers Click" is being interviewed on the Second Life talk show "Tonight with Paisley Beebe" on Sunday February 6 at 6pm PST. The short film explores how people are connecting with each other on the Internet, whether it be on a dating…
Rik’s NYC Bucket List : Amateur Night, Elegant Swing, and Lots of Pork
So my last two weeks in New York were spent fulfilling several "Bucket List" items that are my favorite things to do in the city. Here's a quick rundown of what I did. Probably the only true "Bucket List" item — something that I've never done that I've always wanted to do — was to…
My Farewell Dance Party in NYC: B-boys, Lindy Hoppers, and Quakers Getting Down!
One of the last things I wanted to do in New York was throw a dance party and invite all of my friends to hang out and dance together. So on Saturday, January 22, more than sixty of my favorite people gathered at You Should Be Dancing Studios to get their groove on. It was…
Documentary features Lindy Hop Legend Ms. Dawn Hampton and Hampton Family
Those in New York City should set your DVRs to catch "The Unforgettable Hampton Family," a new documentary by filmmaker Julie Cohen about an extraordinary African-american family of jazz musicians premiering on Thursday February 3 on WNET (Channel 13). The short film features musician/ singer/ dancer extraordinaire Ms. Dawn Hampton, a mainstay of the New…