California

No Graffiti

February 22, 2011

Logically speaking, by saying that there is “no graffiti” permitted, it sort of implies that it is permitted other places. It isn’t. By its very definition, graffiti is always illicit, always unwanted. Whoever mandated this sign should have known better. I really hate graffiti. It just seems so childish, so disrespectful, so without honor or dignity. [...]

My Kidney Box

November 12, 2010

Some of you may know a bit about what I do for a living. But even those closest to me rarely get an actual look at the process (It’s not easy to invite friends over to my place of work inside the operating room). This is a photo of a kidney box that I prepared [...]

Recent Earthquakes Actually Promotion for Bruckheimer’s Latest Movie

April 7, 2010

The recent earthquakes in Baja, Haiti, Indonesia, etc, were today revealed to actually be the latest in a string of promotions for Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest film, “The Quakeness,” in a marketing strategy known as creating a “panic/buzz.” Despite thousands of lives lost to the massive movie promotion, Hollywood insiders report that the promotion is having [...]

KQED Interview Response

March 19, 2010

Last week I did an interview with Scott Shafer of the California Report about my involvement with Organ Transplantation as a Surgical Coordinator for the California Transplant Donor Network. It was a good interview and, for the most part, I was pleased with my presentation. But not totally. There were a few parts where I [...]

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CA Students Skip Class in Fee-Hike Protest, Get Incrementally Dumber

March 5, 2010

Students all over California got dumber Thursday as they skipped class to protest the recent fee hikes. Said one student from UC Berkeley, “You know, it’s not like we’re fighting a war here over money or stuff. But it’s like, you know, wrong to charge for a service. When Jefferson wrote the Bill of Rights, [...]

Turtle:Upside-Down as Limo:Bottom-Out

February 17, 2010

In nature, all kinds of animals get stuck: the turtle on its back, the whale on the beach. We don’t get enough of this hilarity in the City. That is, unless, you happen to be driving by the 24.8% percent grade of Jones between California and Pine. I live just by there, and paused, mid [...]

Alternatives to, “What With The Economy and All…”

February 9, 2010

“Well, you know, what with the economy and all…” Everybody says this. You’ve said it. The “economy” is the beginning and end to all problems, right? It’s the panacea of excuses. The trouble with its ubiquity as an excuse is that it doesn’t really mean much anymore. Even if it’s relevant, it’s dull. So in an effort [...]

Copenhagen’s Lesser Summit

December 7, 2009

I’m sure we’re all very excited about the beginning of the Copenhagen UN summit on climate change. Potentially, there will be an awful lot of talk, a good bit of posturing, and possibly some sort of resolve about what the best ways will be to ensure a global decrease in carbon emissions. But what I [...]

Addiction or Why The Writing Habit Is Losing

December 3, 2009

Any writer will tell you that writing is a kind of discipline. Any fool with a pen can scribble out a few lines, even a few pages, when they’re feeling especially passionate. This is your epiphany on world politics or your treatise on “Why My Ex, Jane, Is Such a Cunt.” The true mark of [...]