Things that make me joyful, happy, delighted 2010

Clean sheets. Good sleep. Touching my sweetie. Fun sex. Kissing. Good cheese. Watching cocktails being made well. Delicious food, prepared with care. Having a beautiful, useful, uncluttered home. Writing, when it's going well. Learning new interesting facts. Having a good answer. Seeing others getting more focused and relaxed. Green, living things. Craftsmanship. Carefulness. Stillness. Naps. Avocado. Seascapes (in person). Optional-ness. Flexibility. Making or perceiving interconnectedness. My friends or others being clever. Being clever. Kindness. Good design. Love. Floating in warm water. Sitting and reading with my sweetie or friends. Watching semi-random motions (waves, light, birds, swimmers, boats). Northern California hills in spring. Traveling light. Nerd humor.

My Mighty Life List 2010

Here are 100+ things I want to do:

• take a book through the whole writing & editing process • Go on a date with Joe at the Moss Room • Have evaluated every single one of my belongings sometime within the last year & only kept what brings some kind of value to me • have dim sum with 3 friends • walk the city of San Francisco, every street, every block • visit Amsterdam • take Joe to Bobby From Boston for suit shopping • have a street food safari • stay at the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris & swim in the pool • be a published author • present at SXSW Interactive about making room in your life for awesomeness • visit Oslo again • have 6 months of expenses in a savings account • sample all the locally made chocolates in San Francisco • visit my aunt in Alaska • stay at Glenapp Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland & take a bath in a clawfoot tub & enjoy a full English breakfast • explore secret parks & open spaces in SF • go to Bergenfest in Norway some spring • attend Chamber Music Day • take a tour of the Atlantic Ave Tunnel in NYC • visit Greece with Joe & swim in the Mediterranean • write a science blog • finish sampling the last of the 100 cocktails in the Museum of the American Cocktail recipe book • take a boat up the Sognefjord & visit Balestrand again • try 100 250 cheeses: 1. Mild Cheddar 2. Monterey Jack 3. Swiss 4. Gjetost 5. Montgomery's Cheddar 6. Double Gloucester 7. Lancashire 8. Lincolnshire Poacher 9. Red Leicester 10. Spenwood  11. Wensleydale 12. White Stilton 13. Abbaye de Belloc 14. Comté 15. Mimolette 16. Asiago 17. Parmigiano Reggiano 18. Pecorino Romano 19. Idiazabal 20. Manchego 21. Emmental 22. Gruyere 23. Gouda 24. Leyden 25. Jarlsberg 26. Grevéost 27. Tillamook Cheddar 28. Dry Jack 29. Sally Jackson 30. Morbier 31. Istara Ossau-Iraty 32. Provolone 33. Edam 34. Havarti 35. Sonoma Jack 36. Teleme 37. Brillat-Savarin 38. Camembert 39. Explorateur 40. Stilton 41. Roquefort 42. Saint-Agur 43. Black River Gorgonzola 44. Cambazola 45. Maytag Blue 46. Boursin 47. Mascarpone (technically not a cheese) 48. Mozzarella 49. Smoked Mozzarella 50. Ricotta 51. Feta 52. Halloumi 53. Cottage Cheese 54. Cream Cheese 55. Queso Fresco 56. Queso Blanco 57. Bravo Farms Sage Cheddar 58. Bravo Farms Chipotle Cheddar 59. Irish Cahill Porter 60. Brie 61. Welsh Red Dragon 62. Vento d'Estate 63. Beecher's Flagship Cheddar 64. Delice de Bourgogne 65. Quatro Stagioni 66. Sweet Grass Dairy Raw Thomasville Tomme 67. Mt. Tam 68. Testun al Barolo 69. Raschera 70. Vacherin du Jura 71. Fourme d'Ambert 72. Pleasant Ridge Reserve 73. Midnight Moon 74. Rogue River Blue 75. Pt. Reyes Blue 76. Capri Wasabi Goat Cheese 77. Tome du Haut Languedoc 78. Brescianella Acquavite 79. Etude 80. Winnimere 81. Blu Vlchiusella 82.Caña de Oreja 83. Hidden Springs Driftless 84. Surchoix Grand Cru 85. Irish Gem 86. Crozier Blue 87. St. Tola 88. Fromage d'Affinois 89. La Tur 90. Laura Chenel Goat Cheese 91. Westcombe Red 92. SF Drake 93. Big Woods Blue 94. Bellwether Farms Pepato 95. Saenkanter (Gouda?) 96. Cotija 97. Valtelina Casera 98. Taleggio 99. Humboldt Fog 100. Grafton cheddar (4 and 2 year) 101. Italian Pecorino Pepato 102. Ardrahan 103. Keen's Cheddar 104. Childwickbury 105 Ticklemore 106. Daylesford 107. Berkswell 108. Innes Bosworth Ash 109. Sleightlet 110. Welsh Harlech 111. Le Chevrot 112. Australian Marinated Feta 113. Zingerman's Bridgewater Round Triple Cream with Peppercorns 114. Great Hill Blue 115. French Fromager Des Clarines 116. Hope Farm Tomme de Brebis 117. Parmesan 118 Creme Fraiche 119. Italian Pio Vecchio 120. Montasio 121. Piave Mezzano 122. Fenacho 123. Epoisses 124. Italian Caciotta del Lazio 125. Italian Cacio de Roma 126. Pepper Jack 127. Harley Farms Five Peppercorn Goat 128. Sofia 129. Swiss Forsterkase 130. Garroxta 131. Vermont Ayr 132. Serra da Estrela • attend the Manhattan Cocktail Classic • live in a top floor apartment again • stay in 25 Landmark Trust buildings 1. The Pineapple 2. Egyptian House 3. Peake's House • visit the Vlaho Bukovac gallery in Cavtat again • go on 25 London Walks walks 1. Old Mayfair 2. Darkest Victorian London 3. Jack the Ripper Tour 4. Old Hampstead Village 5. The Blitz 6. Subterranean London 7. (Some Da Vinci Code walk) 8. (One of the pub walks, Soho? or were those two different ones) [I think I've actually done 11 of these; need to check old travel journals] • go to Hawaii with Joe • visit the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium • hear the music in Bamako, Mali • take Joe suit-shopping at Duchess in Portland • write my book about the web • stay at The Queens Arms, Corton Denham, Somerset • go on an SF City Guides tour • travel to Zanzibar & visit (or at least fly over) Pemba Island north of the Zanzibar archipelago • stay at Olema cottages in Northern California • see Lavay Smith & Her Red-Hot Skillet Lickers • get rid of 1000 things (950) • visit the Long Now Museum • integrate my personal online creating so it flows automatically into a single lifestream in my blog • see my book on display in a bookstore • stretch enough to touch my toes • travel to every state in the U.S. • drink coffee on the top floor of the Seattle library • have a drink from Murray Stenson, one of the best bartenders in the world • visit every continent (still need South America, Australia, Antarctica) • get a TypePad tuneup for my sites • get fabulous headshots by Robin Anderson • get great video samples of my presenting skillz up on my website • get proficient at making video blog posts • learn Disaster Operations & Incident Command fundamentals • help improve emergency response procedures for my neighborhood & beyond • do a Dorkbot presentation on NERTing • have a big Discardian meetup in 2011 • do a Discardian/awesomeness project with Maggie Mason • master editing fundamentals & the Word skillz to create beautiful documents easily • learn more about my late uncle Greg & his accessibility work • get my Dad's Y chromosome data in 23andMe • work at a treadmill desk • get all my old Flickr & Twitter content into MetaGrrrl.com • digitize all my paper memorabilia • revive Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak • drink cocktails on Steve & Heather's front porch in North Carolina • eat a meal cooked by Pableaux Johnson • create a will & revocable living trust with an incapacity clause, two durable powers of attorney (for healthcare and finances) & an advance directive that spells out my medical wishes if I become to ill to speak for myself (*yawn*) • find that barely remembered picture book about "alligator pears" (avocados) • go on a shopping adventure to SF Antique & Design Mall in Bayshore • attend an Art Deco Society event • conduct The Manhattan Project with Joe & our friend Mark to decide our favorite version of that great cocktail • eat Hawaiian food at Sundance Kitchen & see a movie • attend the Lamplighters' Gala with Joe • host a "fallout shelters" movie night • write a novel • eat at all the places on 7×7’s Big Eats Top 100 • have a power-out disaster drill at home • live in New York City • live in London • drink/dine at all the places on our worldwide list • stay at a really fabulous lodge in Yosemite in winter • travel for 80 days with Joe & as little luggage as possible • have a drink at Marlena's on a show night & applaud the beautiful drag queens • stay in a villa in Italy with a bunch of our friends, eating and napping decadently • walk the Cinque Terre • walk from inn to inn along the canals somewhere in Britain • rent a holiday barge • ride a boat in the canals of Amsterdam • buy my 10th pair of cowboy boots (1) • visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum with Joe • have a picnic in a grand cemetery or two with Joe (Paris's Pere Lachaise and London's Highgate are top of the list) • visit some catacombs • see the Egyptian pyramids • ride an insanely grand train, oh say, the Orient Express or something like that • help Habitat For Humanity build a house • dip fresh bread in olive oil in the orchard where the olives grew • be ready for a big earthquake • ride a camel • make microloans to people in 50 countries

Things that would have been on this list if I'd written it earlier:

• live in the top room in a big old house • run around outside in the California hills a lot • have dogs • have pet rats • grow up in Northern California in the 1970s • see Star Wars many times on its first theatrical release • dance outside at midnight in fishnet stockings and a top hat • take a six mile walk that leads me past John Muir's house • visit Edinburgh • visit Inverness (Scotland) • visit the Scottish isles • ride a boat across the North Sea to Norway • visit Oslo & see the Vigeland sculpture park • take a boat up the Sognefjord & visit Balestrand • eat a big Scandinavian buffet • play on an old diesel train engine • play on an old junked fire engine • win a medal in the International Bocce finals (cadet division) • attend a cool hippie school • attend a public school • soak in a hot tub • go camping • work at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire • visit Kauai • visit a nude beach • visit London • take a rambling drive through Devon and Cornwall, staying in bed & breakfasts • spend hours in the Victoria & Albert museum • get comfortable navigating the London Underground & buses • read voraciously • learn to play happily by myself • nap under trees • climb trees • catch a lizard • eat fruit off trees • be friends with my parents • have more than the usual number of grandparents • have part-time siblings • play D&D • be a nerd • gamemaster • play Call of Cthulhu & get happily spooked during games • experience earthquakes • ride a sailboat • take BART under the bay • graduate high school • visit another country for my 18th birthday with just a friend and my cool aunt, no parents • live in Santa Cruz • leave Santa Cruz • get an undergraduate degree • live outside the United States • share a place with my sweetie • have my own place • work in a bookstore • open my own bookstore • run a one-woman business • get out of debt • get a master's degree • live on an island • vote • have the president I voted for actually win • get comfortable with public speaking • get public recognition for my writing • help build something good that lots & lots of people use • live in San Francisco • write a book • blog for a decade • visit Paris • visit Copenhagen • eat lunch in a Chinese restaurant in the middle of a German city • eat & drink in a proper British pub • visit Yugoslavia • walk over the original Stari Most (old bridge) in Mostar • see the Tower of London • take the Jack the Ripper walk guided by Donald Rumbelow • drink cocktails at some of the best bars in the world • attend Tales of the Cocktail • go on safari in Africa • visit an informal settlement in Soweto • smell the roses in Nelson Mandela's old front garden • ride in a hot air balloon • dance with the Maasai • go to SXSW • make silkscreens • use a mimeograph machine • give a presentation to hundreds of people • try the best delis in NYC & pick a favorite matzoh ball soup • drive a duck tour boat (for 10 minutes) • visit Tokyo & wear something bold on Takeshita-dōri • see the largest wooden structure in the world • see the largest tree in the world • visit the Eiffel Tower • see the Mona Lisa • be in a school play • win a school election • sit drinking soda in a cafe in a town in Kenya • visit a grocery store in Nairobi • visit Disneyland & eat at the Blue Bayou restaurant listening to the faint cries of people going down the first drop into Pirates of the Caribbean • host fabulous cocktail parties • sew something • grow something • go to a secret illegal absinthe party before re-legalization • build something made of wood • ride a horse • fly in a small plane • make good stock • ensure that parenthood remains a distant option, not an alarming surprise • live in sin • marry • divorce & rebuild the friendship • live in a cottage • manage an apartment building • have cats & kittens • live on the edge of town • live on a busy street • work in a nightclub

10 years of being MetaGrrrl 2008

Well, how about that, Brad's website's 10th anniversary (happy blogday, my dear!) has reminded me to look back for my own history.

I registered MetaGrrrl.com on May 22, 1998.

The first non-master's-thesis-related post wasn't until September, though, so no party until then. ;)

old snippets 2007

Probably written between 2000-2002:

I am actually partially deaf. I have a condition called otosclerosis wherein the small bones of the ear fuse together. This has so far only affected my right ear. I had a surgery about 6 or 7 years ago and they put a little steel and teflon piston in my ear. Now I'm bionic. :) It did help a lot. I think my hearing is probably only down about 30% in that ear now. There is a possibility that the condition will affect the other ear at some point, but so far so good.

old snippets 2007

Probably written between 2000-2002:

Favorite movies as a kid: Willy Wonka, Music Man, Help, Casino Royale [the humorous one, not the 21st century true-to-the-book one], Star Wars

old snippets 2007

Probably written between 2000-2002:

In October of 1992, B.J. and I moved to Honolulu with 2 carry-ons and 4 checked bags. We found an apartment. He got a job with Ditto's (the Hawaiian version of Kinko's) and I did temp jobs. My work included:
   - answering phones at a company where I had to say "Hello, Ram Paging. May I help you?"

   - answering phones and relaying messages at a service used by doctors and the drivers who pick up bodies and transport them to the morgue. Fortunately, I was not working the day we had a call regarding a pickup of a woman who'd jumped from a high building. Our building.

- data entry clerk for the State Tax Board of Hawaii where I saw some amazing names, the best probably being Mughtar Alihani Greengrass.

We lived in Hawaii 6 months, during which time we became close friends with Pooka Keoni Littlemouse and were visited by our crazy friend Chris Hudak. When we moved back to San Jose, seeking geek/goth/industrial culture and a faster pace of life, Keoni moved back with us. I saw him yesterday at the beach party. He's still living in San Francisco, was dressed all in black, has a fabulous girlfriend and more hair than 10 strong men.

'dak isn't crazy crazy, just wild 'n crazy fun crazy. Keoni's still Keoni, despite changes in the outward trappings.

old snippets 2007

Probably written between 2000-2002:

We had two dogs when I was growing up, Molly and Jenny. They were Keeshonden, fuzzy medium-sized dogs. They were housedogs, so I would take them in the yard and for walks. Oh and torment them in the usual ways, putting clothes on them and what have you. Good dogs. I'll have a dog again someday. I'm thinking perhaps a basenji; they are smooth and they yodel.

After living in the city a few years and watching people carrying around bags of warm poop, I'm much less inclined toward dog ownership.

Permutations of my name: #8, 9 and 10 in a series 2007

These all come from Jamba Juice and presumably date from 2004 or so:

- Diana

- Dinna

- Ddiingh

(To the clerk's defense, I think the latter was a typing problem as much as a spelling problem, though it is one of my favorites).

Four Things 2006

Four jobs I've had:
1. Babe In The Box (ticket taker at a nightclub)
2. Bookstore Owner
3. The Person Who Transcribes Your Tax Form Into The Computer
4. Customer Service Representative

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. The American Astronaut
2. Kind Hearts & Coronets
3. Seven Samurai
4. Pi
(all black & white, oddly)

The three places I've lived:
1. Northern California
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Lampeter, Wales
and one place I'd like to live, at least for a while, someday:
1. London

Four TV shows I love:
1. The Daily Show (except I rarely see it)
2. Monty Python*
3. Kids in the Hall*
4. Cosmos*
(*This being an indicator of when I actually used to watch much tv. Now I just catch the good stuff on DVD. Thank you, Netflix!)

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Scotland
2. Norway
3. Yugoslavia
4. Kenya

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Negihama (hamachi (yellowtail) and green onion sushi)
2. Saag Paneer (Indian spinach stew with cheese)
3. A big platter of Ethiopian stews & injera bread
4. something I cooked myself that came out tasting good

Four sites I visit daily:
1. Flickr contacts page
2. LiveJournal friends page
3. Daily Oliver (& Hugo)
4. Achewood

Four places I would rather be right now:
(this is really tough; I'm in my wonderful bed in my delightful apartment in San Francisco)
1. London (2nd favorite city)
2. New Zealand (never been)
3. my parents' place in Mendocino county (always relaxing)
4. laughing over dessert at the end of a great date

And then I'm supposed to tag someone else to write theirs but since no one tagged me, just do it if ya wanna.

Permutations of my name 2004

(#7 in a series):
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, December 29, 2004 - Dinaa

There can be only one! 2004

Just for clarification, the "metagrrrl" posting on Bust's Lounge is not me.

Come up with yer own handle, honey.

100 things about me 2004

[In migrating my content to TypePad I found this draft of a post begun on January 27, 2003]
As often happens, I'm inspired by Lance, so here's some interesting, probably useless facts about me, partially prompted by his list, but mostly not (unless I got stuck).

1. My favorite pets as a child were rats.
2. I like purple pens and will use them preferentially, but am not thrown off balance by the lack of purple pens.
3. I have three grandmas.
4. I tend to crave salty snacks more than sweet snacks, though occasionally an overwhelming urge for really dark chocolate comes over me. For this later weakness I blame my mother since she clearly suffers the same ailment.
5. I'd like to have better fashion sense, but like Gilda Radner, I make many of my choices on what doesn't itch.
6. I have never habitually worn makeup. It's been purely a costume thing.
7. I wish someone made a waterproof phone so I could relax in the bath while catching up with my communication obligations.
8. Flannel sheets over plain cotton, except in the hottest part of summer.
[Here ends the draft dated 6:19pm, January 27, 2003]
9. I like lists.
10. Mono-tasking is too boring.
11. Certain colors of green just seem to hit my pleasure center directly.
12. I eat meat rarely enough now that it is starting to be less appetizing. Gristle can put me off the whole meal and my body just doesn't know what to do with beef anymore - "You want me to digest this? Jeez, lady, you might as well eat a piece of the phone book."
13. The tendency to start projects and keep them around for years without finishing them is a fine family tradition.
14. I still have a huge collection of dice from my gaming days. Some of these dice are now about 25 years old.
15. I'm probably more of a top, truth be known.
16. I spend more on computing than clothes.
17. My desk is by the window and overlooks the top of several trees and a great view beyond. This is as it should be.
18. I am an atheist.
19. I'm generally very extroverted, but I do love alone-time, working on my own projects, listening to my favorite music.
20. I've had long hair for most of my life.
21. Most of my spelling errors wouldn't be caught by a spell-checker since they're homonyms.
22. My favorite book as a very small child was the Cat In The Hat Dictionary which I would read straight through.
23. I once got to buy two and a half shopping carts full of books. It forever took care of the "must buy something" urge when browsing bookstores. Having had that glorious experience, I know nothing else could come close.
24. I swear.
25. My mum and I both love dark chocolate.
26. For someone with allergies, I'm pretty damn lax about dusting.
27. Unless a house has some funkiness to it - like the sloping floor in my present home - I don't want to live there.
28. I went to Scotland and Norway when I was 9 years old. It was a great trip.
29. I think my next major purchase might be a video camera.
30. I prefer things which convey a sense of the hands and mind that crafted them.
31. Peppermint is one of my favorite tastes and smells.
32. My life is happy.
33. I used to spend hours on end reading during summer vacations from school.
34. I hated the color pink until the last few years. Now I love it. (Though just the pale shades, not the alarming hot pinks).
35. I was a bad font pirate a decade or more ago. Now I don't pirate software or music or film. I make enough to compensate people for their efforts, even though
36. I don't make enough money to own a home in my city.
37. When I was a kid my favorite flavor of ice cream was Jamocha Almond Fudge.
38. I sometimes toy with the idea of learning to play the accordian.
39. I like dogs, but then every time I see someone walking along with a plastic bag full of warm dog poop in their hand I think, "nah, maybe not".
40. One of my favorite plants is bamboo.
41. My tummy is a little bit plumper than I would like.
42. I dislike gyms.
43. I love walking.
44. I tend to follow my instincts and please myself.
45. I have no intention of being a parent.
46. I donated a lot of money to Howard Dean's presidential campaign and now get begging letters from all sorts of liberal causes.
47. Spontaneously volunteering to help out same-sex couples getting married at San Francisco City Hall in February of 2004 was one of the best experiences of my life.
48. I prefer to sleep with someone else.
49. My natural hours of sleep would be between 1/2/3ish a.m. until 10/11ish a.m. if I could set my own schedule.
50. I tend to wear flats rather than heels and pants rather than skirts.
51. I like single-malt scotch.
52. I know where to touch guys to make them make that nice noise.
53. I often need to write down a word to know if it's spelled right. Since so much of my spelling sense comes from being a hardcore reader, the shape of the word is strongly related to my sense of its rightness.
54. I plan to never own a gas-powered car again.
55. I'm easily distracted, but also able to keep track of many things simultaneously.
56. I like my work.
57. My great-grandfather lived to be 102.
58. I am glad I was mostly* an only child as a kid (*step-siblings rarely around)
59. I tend to be a good judge of people.
60. If I didn't have a blister on my foot, I'd be out for a walk today. The sky is blue and it's a beautiful world.
61. Even for a self-aware person like myself, 100 is a very long list.
62. I like baths and like having some old paperback books which can be read in the tub.
63. Sometimes I get terribly lonely.
64. I have very ambivalent feelings about zoos. I have so much fun there, but I am not 100% convinced they're really good for animal species as a whole.
65. I don't like the smell of daisies.
66. I hate being tickled.
67. I love kissing.
68. I wish I'd had a better science and math education as a child. Even so, I frequently find I have a much tighter grip on basic troubleshooting techniques than those who presumably had more exposure to the scientific method.
69. I find this position to be less rewarding in fact than in fantasy. Given the choice, I'd rather focus on giving or receiving when mouths are involved.
70. I frequently have to backspace out of odd Elizabethan spellings like "mouthes".
71. My handwriting is pretty damn bad.
72. My signature is completely impossible to read. Even my doctor gives me a hard time over it.
73. I'm rarely approached by men when I'm out in clubs. This puzzles me since I'm told I'm not unattractive and I think I come across as friendly. While it's nice not to have to ward off unwanted attention, it is a pity to miss out on any of the wanted variety (plus it's a bit unsettling to the ego).
74. I enjoy cooking.
75. Though I know it would only make the self-portrait more revealing, I am mildly concerned that I might be repeating myself in this list.
76. I have a good housemate, but I am looking forward to having the place all to myself when he moves out, even if it does mean my rent will go way up. I've even started thinking about how I'll rearrange the furniture.
77. I like planning.
78. That piece of dusty fluff on the floor which I've been noticing for the last hour or so has finally gotten too irritating and I have to throw it away.
79. I like strong flavors.
80. If I wasn't allergic to them, I'd have a cat.
81. I am terribly romantic and affectionate. (And apparently this strikes terror into the hearts of some guys).
82. I don't know how anyone sleeps in nightgowns. I roll over so many times in the night that it would be a big twisted spiral around my waist by morning.
83. If I didn't have projects that need finishing, I'd take tomorrow off from work.
84. I think I might go to Alaska this summer.
85. I'm the last Sanders in my family line.
86. I like cities.
87. I love libraries.
88. Once I touched a guy I like on the shoulder and I was so aware of the feel of him under the cloth, the curve of the muscle at the top of his arm. Just the other night I saw him again, and again put my hand there on his shoulder. His shirt was soft as silk and I could again feel the shape of him under the softness. I could have touched him all night, but wasn't invited.
89. I spend too much time longing,
90. but in general, I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
91. I expect my next ten years to be even better than the last.
92. I have good, creative, kind, wonderful friends.
93. I include my parents among them.
94. Good music gets me all excited and energized. It makes me want to do creative things.
95. I wish I'd learned to play an instrument as a kid.
96. I can be easily deterred from sticking it out through the part of learning where it's really hard and I'm really bad at it.
97. I used to go mud-sliding as a kid. In fact, I did a lot of things where I got really muddy. I'm glad I have the sort of parents who think that's perfectly acceptable for a kid, regardless of gender.
98. I want to have a party again soon.
99. I have big ideas.
100. I enjoy little pleasures. (woo! 100!)

Permutations of My Name 2004

(#6 in a series):
Jamba Juice, April 14, 2004 - Dianah

Permutations of My Name 2004

(#5 in a series):
Jamba Juice, April 8, 2004 - Dinea

Rethinking Global Identity 2004

I just followed a link from Jason Kottke's site to Bryan Boyer's site and read about his winning entry in I.D. Magazine's contest for a Global Identity Card.

Bryan challenges the usual methods of identification as being too mutable and asserts that we are better described by places. He say we are better identified by our answers to questsions such as Where have you been? Where are you now? Where are you going? Where did you begin? Where do you wish you were?

Here's what would be illustrated on my card:
prev - SJC, Mountain View
now - SFO, Castro
next - MMR, SXSW Interactive
born - SCK
fav - SFO, Castro

There's a surprising amount of my personal story in that little bit of information. Much more so than in
5'2"
brown
hazel
corrective lenses
F

What kind of person are you? 2003

Okay, it's the weekend before Thanksgiving and you recieve a piece of spam with the subject line "Customized stockings for your pet". Do you,

a) think of Christmas morning?

b) picture a small brown dog in garters & fishnets looking confused?

If you're like me, it takes a moment to figure out they mean a.

A Night Out With The Elite 2003

Tonight, though I enjoyed the films and was glad I got to attend Reel Food, a benefit for Project Open Hand, I had rubbed into my skin, or perhaps stuck under the skin to permeate me with flavor while I was abraded with herbs (pronounced herbs, not erbs, because there's a fucking H in it), a simple truth about me.

I find rich people exhausting.

This is probably why I don't have a lot of fantasies about being rich. I have fantasies about being out of debt, about getting my family out of debt, about being able to actually afford property in California, and about not having to go to work, but I don't dream of spending my time on tennis lessons, driving my SUV to the spa, and buying Prada and Gucci and Tommy what's-his-ass (who is so desperate to be acknowledged he has to put his name in 48 point type across people's abdomens).

Tonight I saw a documentary called "Our Lady of Tamale" about San Franciscan Virginia Ramos who brings joy to Mission District barflies with her lovely tamales and I learned two things: give people love & it will come back to you and I love San Francisco & the freaks who call it home.

I also saw the premiere of a documentary about chef Cat Cora and learned two things: be true to who you are and I never ever ever want to live with a professional chef.

I've never expected to be what Fortune magazine calls successful. I want to be liked and respected by my peers and love & be loved by my friends & family. I want to tell my story and be myself. I enjoy connecting people with stories and ideas, first in bookstores, now through library catalogs and supporting local storytellers and authors.

So I guess I've made it. I am, by my own terms, a success. Now I can relax and enjoy the adventure. I'm not striving for anything other than to continue doing what I do well, and to do it better. Maybe I'll develop a new dream that I'll have to struggle for years to attain, like I did with my bookstore. Or maybe not.

Maybe the new challenge is to get good enough at my still-new-to-me-though-I've-been-at-it-over-a-year job that I can come home in the evening and on weekends and have energy for my own projects. The other product managers tell me it takes two years to really get your feet under you. I hope they're right that that's all it takes and that it will get easier and less tiring. I have stories to tell and broken links to fix. I have a basement to clean and walks to be taken. I'm proud that I don't let my work drag me to sickness and exhaustion as I used to, but I miss that energy that seems to have disappeared over the last few years. Maybe this is what cutting yourself a little slack feels like.

Permutations of My Name 2003

(#4 in a series):
Some sandwich place that provided our lunch at work, November 5, 2003 - Diral

Permutations of My Name 2003

(#3 in a series):
Jamba Juice, June 4, 2003 - Vineah

Random Facts 2002

• I enjoy living simply.
  

• I was involved in old media
  
  
• I love to get drunk on web juice
  
  
• I'm a founding editor of Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak
  
  
• I used to hang around Webmonkey a lot, stuffing technohow into my cranium.
  

• I got my Master's degree in Web Design in San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science.
  
  
• I used to juggle, but I dropped it.
  
  and
  
  
• I can be captured on film.
  

Sugar Rush Interview 2002

A while back, can't remember when exactly, but I think around the beginning of 2001, Mike Gavin interviewed me for his website Sugar Rush. I noticed the other day that the link to that interview was dead, so I dug up the content on web.archive.org and "reprint" it here.

mike: so, metagrrrl, *rowr* :) let's get started

let's hear all about this crazy site of yours, just what is it?

metagrrrl: Oh, usual weblog pontification, silliness and linkage.

mike: all the ingredients of a great site :)

metagrrrl: I am slowly extending the site adding new things as I develop them. For example, the Eclectic Encyclopedia is where I put any random factoids I think people might be amused to look up later.

mike: i've already spotted a few i've been amused by :)

so what does it mean to you? do you see it as a place to let out some of your rants, or is it just a way to pass the time?

metagrrrl: I see it as a representation of myself online. It's a very personal site, revealing most facets of my personality. If you spend enough time exploring it, it's really as though you've met me. Maybe only the casual chat that you might have at a party, but still a real and valid connection.

mike: that's good, it's nice to have something which is a part of you online :)

so how much of your time is spent on metagrrrl.com then?

metagrrrl: Oh, probably half an hour to an hour a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I definitely spend an hour or two a day working on my weblog and/or reading other weblogs.

metagrrrl: I do a lot of that in between other things. From work, from home, wherever.

Hrm. Well, it's not on my site per se, but I just did some more proofing for Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak. We just put up the 3rd Edition a week or so ago and I'm polishing the internal links to be sure we've covered the cross-references.

metagrrrl: Hrm. Appears that the last thing I did on *my* site was to point to Jason's blog.

The last non-Blogger-powered thing I did on metagrrrl.com was (hmm, checks Dreamweaver) add A Day Without Weblogs to the Eclectic Encyclopedia.

mike: aaah, a good cause :)

so let's just put your site to one side for now, and let's hear a little about you, who is the dinah behind the metagrrrl?

metagrrrl: Well, there isn't a great deal of difference between Dinah & MetaGrrrl. It's not so much a secret identity as it is an amplification of my extroverted side. When not MetaGrrrling, I'm just a bit quieter, probably to be found reading, puttering around in libraries or bookstores, or playing games.

metagrrrl: I socialize via my website, though it isn't my only outlet. With a busy schedule (I'm a mission commander in an up-and-coming software company), it is easier to connect in bits & bytes as I have time for weblogging & email & ICQ.

mike: ahh ok :) well, let's hear a little more about you then, how do you like to relax?

metagrrrl: I tend to read a lot (and fast too!) but I also enjoy feeding grapes to attractive, semi-clothed men. I am definitely more drawn to "indoorsy" activities.

metagrrrl: I do not golf or play tennis or snowboard or drive a racecar. I also don't play polo, water or otherwise.

metagrrrl: And at 5'2", basketball is right out.

mike: sorry, can you go back to the feeding me grapes part? erm.. no wait, forget that last bit :)

do you not do danger sports also?

metagrrrl: That's right, Mike, I do not do danger sports. Except for possibly feeding two boys grapes at the same time. That takes iron nerves.

mike: crikey.. well, i can test those nerves of yours if you want, although, i'd have to find somebody else for you to feed grapes to
and raise enough money to get to where you are
and find where you are
and buy some grapes

oh well :)

so you're a big reader then? who's your favourite author?

metagrrrl: Ah, many many favorites. Favorite book of all time is Little, Big by John Crowley from which comes the quote "The things that make us happy, make us wise."

mike: oooh - so are you in the middle of anything at the moment?

metagrrrl: Heh. About 10 or 20 things.
Geisha by Liza Dalby
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The March of Folly by Barbara W. Tuchman
Livy's Early History of Rome
Creating the Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka
Those are the most active ones at the moment.

metagrrrl: Recently finished Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which I recommend.

mike: oooh ok :)

so i'm gonna flex my mad interviewing muscles and ask a few quick-fire questions to dig a little deeper, ready?

metagrrrl: yep

mike: here goes...

if you could change one thing in the world today, what would it be?

metagrrrl: poverty...no wait, Daniel took that one. Gender bias.

mike: do you notice a lot of that nowadays?

metagrrrl: Not personally, but then I live in one of the least biased areas in the world as far as gender & sexual orientation are concerned. No, I say that more because it is such a factor in poorer countries. Disenfranchised women really contributes to overall poverty. If you educate women & allow them equal rights it improves the overall economy and decreases population growth.

mike: *nods*

what's your most vivid memory?

metagrrrl: Opening my bookstore.

mike: a good memory i take it?

metagrrrl: Oh most definitely. :)

mike: good :)

if you could invent something, no matter how impossible it seems, what would it be?

metagrrrl: Monitorless, keyboardless computer-interface wallpaper. I want to walk up to the wall, tap it with my finger and say "Desktop" and voila, there's my computer. I want to be able to type in the air where it feels comfy and have the computer sense it.

mike: that would be soooo cool :)

mike: and would it talk to you too?

metagrrrl: Sure. But only when I wanted it to. :) And it would have a great voice. Depending on the role it was playing. (Work messages come in Patrick Stewart's voice, personal stuff in Tammy Grimes' voice...)

mike: hehe :)

you wake up. your house is on fire, you only have time to get one thing out of the house, what do you pick?

metagrrrl: Three small pieces of art in the wall of my library, charcoals sketches done by a friend of my great-grandmother. They show a girl reading, brushing her hair & asleep on her bed. If I could only grab one, it'd be the brushing one. So beautiful.

metagrrrl: But realistically, I wouldn't grab anything. There is NO TIME when your house is on fire and you should just get the hell out.

mike: definitely :)

if you had to lose one of your senses, which would it be, and why?

metagrrrl: As much as I love scents (flowers, spring earth, my lover's skin, hot cocoa), I've spent enough time with allergies & colds to know I can live without my sense of smell.

mike: do you want some coffee?

metagrrrl: Yes, but also no.

Caffeine really fucks me up, so I've had to give up coffee even though I love the bitter bastard.

mike: oh? how come?

metagrrrl: It brings on my fight or flight response and makes me alternately weepy and homicidal.

mike: eeek... well it's a good thing i actually don't like coffee, and have no idea how to make it then :)

if you could have one super-power, what would it be?

metagrrrl: the ability to make people (including myself) see things with new, unbiased eyes.

mike: that's a strange, but very thought provoking super-power :)

metagrrrl: Well, that's me "strange, but thought-provoking". :)

mike: hehe :)

if you died, and were re-incarnated as an animal, which animal would you be?

metagrrrl: rat.

They are smart. They like to eat, cuddle and sleep.

mike: i didn't know rats cuddled, that's kinda sweet :)

metagrrrl: Oh they are just lovey-dovey little animals. You should get a pair. Alas, I became allergic to them about, oh, 17 years ago, but I still miss them.

mike: well i really shouldn't get a pair, as my cat would eat them :)

metagrrrl: Hmm, yes, that could be problematic.

mike: hehe :)

so before we wrap up the interview, let's return to the net. you know the score - mad proppage time :) which are your two favourite sites?

metagrrrl: hoo. Tough one, but topical since I'm simultaneously voting on the Bloggies. I'd say http://www.lileks.com/ is first.

mike: oh? for what reason?

metagrrrl: He's frickin' brilliant, a great writer, it's gorgeous, it's always growing and he makes me laugh until tears roll down my face.

metagrrrl: And he has a fine dog.

mike: hehe :)

mike: so what's the second?

metagrrrl: Second choice: evheadmegnutonfocusbradlandsharrumph

metagrrrl: Can't decide. :)

mike: hehe - that's going to be hell to link :)

metagrrrl: yeah, well, I like them all. I just have to check them every day.

mike: ok :)

so if you had to describe your site in just five words, which would you pick?

metagrrrl: dinah speaks her shameless mind

mike: *laughs*

ok, so before we go, is there anything you'd like to say to the people out there?

metagrrrl: Jump on, join in! The web has room for everyone and everyone has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to start small, we all did and some of us don't do anything fancy, we're just ourselves, online.

mike: nice message :)

thanks a lot for doing this, it's been great, now i have to go buy a plane ticket and as many grapes as i can carry :)

Cheers! 2002

I like this personality test result:
'You're a mojito. You are cold, refreshing and minty!'

Now I'll have to try one sometime.

[I did, at Club Deluxe on the Haight, bless their competent bartenders, and it was lovely!]

[Here's how to make a Mojito]

Blogger Code 2002

B9 d+ t+ k+ s u++ f i o x++ e++ l+ c-- (huh?)

[As of September 28, 2003, that's B9 d+ (but really d++ in spirit, it's just that I don't happen to have links to every single one of the people listed) t- (but I think being a beta user of TypePad and riding the bleeding edge on Advanced Template modifications counts for something) k+ s u++ f i o x++ e++ l+ c--]

[Funny how this comes out a little different each time depending on my mood and how strictly I read the questions. Here's January 4, 2004: B9 d++ t- k+ s u f i o x++ e+ l+ c--]

Hi. I'm Dinah 2001

Actually I'm a lot of Dinahs. I could try to split myself up over a couple sites so that someone looking for at my proposal on web design or my resume* wouldn't get exposed to my random synaptic firings, weird friends, daily blatherings and past Halloween costumes. Frankly, though, if you can't handle the existence of all of it, I don't really want to work with or for you.

*Note to recruiters: Dinah is not looking for a job. Dinah already works for a fabulous company, likes the people she works with, isn't motivated by money, won't refer her friends to you and will keep you in the loop should this change.

Permutations Of My Name 2001

(#2 in a series):
Jamba Juice, July 10th, 2001 - Dayna