Jim had asked me to cover his band, Smurfy Brown, at their latest gig, so on Friday night, I packed up the equipment in Mr. Domke and trucked over to Fanny & Alexanders. By day, F&A’s is a restaurant, but in the evenings it turns into a bar and nightclub. Thanks to being on the guest list, I avoided paying the $8.00 cover charge at the door.

Jim, Chad, Scot, and RJ didn’t get started until shortly after 10:00 pm. At that time, there were only a handful of people at the venue, but the numbers picked up after running through a few songs. On the dance floor, I noticed a reluctance on the part of the crowd to start dancing initially. It normally takes a brave person who’s not afraid to “lose it in the music.” Usually, that person is a woman (or a group of women). Men typically stay in the background, hovering along the walls with their hands on their b*lls.

Fortunately, by the time I left at 11:30 pm, everyone seemed to have dropped their inhibitions, perhaps through chemical means, and were gyrating the night away. Good for them! I have to say, however, that I never really liked going to F&A’s to dance. The dance floor is too small and crowded to be able to strut my moves and fly around.

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On Tuesday, I went to Stanford to check out rooms for the next COBA meeting. The new Alumni Center is pretty amazing, I have to say. It’s sooo much bigger and better than Bowman Alumni House ever was! The Bing Library in the Business Center wasn’t well stocked with books. The lady who worked there told me that since I contributed to a book, I could bring it by for inclusion in the library. Cool!

The picture that graces the top of this entry belongs to one of the conference rooms at the Alumni Center. As you can see, it has this cool one-way mirror which is used during focus groups. I couldn’t help but think back to the scene from True Lies where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold are interrogating Jamie Lee Curtis. Classic!

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There’s a term at Stanford called dormcest used to describe romantic relationships that occur between people living in the same dormitory or residence. During my years at Stanford, I was witness to the beginning and end of many a dormcestuous coupling. Memorable events always seemed to accompany these types of relationships, such as:

• The bandana tied around the doorknob which told you where you were sleeping that night.
• Not noticing the bandana while opening the door to your room.
• The breakups that drew battle lines in the dormitory.
• The “Awww… I always knew they’d get married” phrase when a couple stays together.

Tonight, Po’k and the gang from Homestead were at Adams House at Stanford to film a two and half minute music video entitled Dormcest. We last saw our male protagonist, Tom, in his stellar yet understated role as a tied up dishwasher from The Killers. Felicia was last seen fighting off ex-boyfriends in one of Cliff’s videos in August, 2001.

In Dormcest, their adjoining walls aren’t the only things that Felicia and Tom shared. A terrible argument has torn them apart… but for how long? Will Felicia and Tom reunite or will their dispute erupt into a conflagration that will consume their dormitory? Find out when the editing’s done and the video’s fit to print!

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Not much to write today. Rae’s friend Michelle from Seattle came down to visit. We went to Berkeley before going to San Francisco to a house party at Deb and Michael’s place.

Here are some pictures from the event, almost all at ISO3200.

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Cardinal Young Alumni (C-YA) is a social and resource group for recent (and not so recent) graduates of Stanford University. I sound like I’m an old man, but when I was younger, I used to go to more of these events. In recent years, however, there haven’t been a lot of events happening in the South Bay, hence my prolonged absence.

Given that I was in Palo Alto this evening to meet up with Randy, I decided to stop by Fanny & Alexanders to see who was there. Beforehand, I was at the Apple Store checking out the new 10GB iPod that Steve Jobs announced at MacWorld. They had plenty of the new iMacs (complete with the the extra $100 price tag), but they didn’t have the stunning 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display yet. Now that’s what I call a lovely display!

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Today, I upgraded my bioware to version 5.1 with the installation of my new orthotic inserts. Now, I can run and walk faster, longer, and harder than ever before! Steve Austin, watch out! I’m gunning for your bionic man mantle!

It will probably take a week to get used to the inserts, but I can already feel a difference. My gait is different now as I’m not walking like a duck anymore. I’ve also noticed that I stand about a half an inch taller with the inserts. Why yes, not only do these orthotics make me taller, faster, and stronger, they give me a confidence that I haven’t felt in years! Oh yes, sign me up for your orthotic infomercial now!

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I was 16 years old and in high school in 1991. I spent my time like most 16 year olds, worrying about my grades, girls, and acne. I had a warm house during the cold months and food on the table every night. I didn’t worry about crime in the neighborhood or any calamities other than earthquakes. Sound familiar? Same situation today, some 11 years later?

I write this not to wax poetic about the past, but to contrast my (and hopefully your) experiences with those of the millions of teenagers, adults, and children who lived in the former Yugoslavia in the early 90’s. This evening, I went to see Harrison’s Flowers at the Shoreline Theater in Mountain View. I knew beforehand that the film was about a love story centered around a very realistic depiction of the brutal strife between the Croats and Serbs. The main reason I wanted to see the film, however, was not to better understand the nature of that conflict but to see how photojournalism was depicted. The main protagonists of this fictional movie were five photojournalists living, breathing, surviving, and working within the war zone.

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On Monday I sent my 1D to Canon’s Factory Service Center in New Jersey to get the Horizontal Noise Line issue fixed. From what I have read, there is a cable in the shutter mechanism that needs replacing. I have a feeling that resolving the HNL issue will also help to minimize the appearance of 1D banding. Some of my recent photos have been taken with a workaround for the HNL problem, and I’ve noticed that the quality of these images has been quite remarkable.

Since I sold or gave away my other digital cameras, it’s back to film with my Leica M2 35mm rangefinder camera. Everything has to be set manually, from the shutter speed to the aperture, and there’s no light meter or autofocus to assist me. In a time when almost everything I use requires electricity, it’s refreshing to have a camera that operates without batteries. Using this camera gives me the feeling that I am making a photograph rather than simply taking one. That being said, I don’t think my skills as a photographer would have improved as much as they have had I been shooting with film all this time. The immediacy of digital photography sure beats waiting days or weeks to finish and develop a roll of film.

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In between my rush to get from San Francisco to Berkeley for my birthday dinner, I stopped by Enrico’s Sidewalk Cafe in North Beach to attend the opening of an art exhibition by Mina. North Beach presents an interesting mix of high class and seedy nightlife. Expensive restaurants stand side by side with strip clubs and adult shops. Enrico’s belongs decidedly with the former camp.

The last time that I saw Mina, it was at the NewOrangeland Atelier art gallery where she was showcasing her work. Some of the usual folks from that event were at this one, and I ran into a few people from Nancy’s holiday party last year.

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27 years seemed like such a big number when we were children, didn’t it? It’s still a relatively young age, but man, it’s starting to look like a big old number! Only three more years to 30, eh? I would never have believed 30 would get here soooo quickly. I’m already 10 years older than the freshman at Stanford today! Eeks!!!

Since our birthdays are only one day apart, Rae and I had planned a series of fun-filled and celebratory events for this past weekend. Here’s our Saturday schedule:

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