Updating my photography website

I’ve finally found some time to start posting images and to update my website.  Rather than double post here and there, I put most of the images there.  Visit www.bjuland.com to see some of my tintypes.

Enjoy.

 

Blogging from the past

Yeah, blogging for free is hard.  You don’t have the money incintive that the corporate blog hos have (meaning they get paid to write meaningless drivel, where I have to create it for the sheer love of reading my own words).

The spring semester is over, the intersession starts next week, and the summer semester starts June 14.  I’m looking at a busy summer.

Still no word on if I have a job next school year or not.  I was supposed to know in early April, but the low enrollment has prevented any of the teachers being hired at this point.  You have to love the system.  No matter how crazy it is, it never seems to fix itself.

I’ve also updated my photo blog with some a few images from my last semester – bjulandphoto.wordpress.com.

Say hello to all my fans!  Summer may actually see some postings.

I know there has been a request for some of Elli’s recipies.  I’ll see what I can do, since she usually makes it all up on the fly.  She’s a good cook like that…

 

Japantown weekend

This past weekend was my birthday, and Elli booked us at the Kabuki hotel in a Japanese style room with sliding shoji screens, and indoor sand garden and a deep soaking tub.  We were only there for Saturday night, but we packed like we were going out of town for a month.

We had a cloth shopping bag of clothes to change into for when we went out to dinner that night, an XBox, my camera and tripod, three or four books each, and a bag of toiletries.  Amazingly enough, we fit inside the taxi with all our stuff, and the room didn’t explode at the seams.

Actually, the room was about 10 times bigger than our apartment.  I wouldn’t mind living at the hotel if they’d add a kitchen.

We went out to dinner at Benihana in the Japantown Mall, meeting our friends Scott and Jennifer.  Lots of food later, it was amazing any of us could move…

Elli and I slept late inside the shoji cacoon of calmness.  No stupid, loud neighbors keeping us up, no cats throwing up in the middle of the night (lovely sound to wake up to), and no kids using our door as a backstop as they play hallway basketball at 7am.

Happy Birthday to me!  Thank you, Elli!

 

Blogging for people that don’t blog

I’m one of those people that don’t really blog.  I want to, I just don’t think I have that much to say.  I suppose it’s a way for my family and friends to keep up on my life while I’m here in San Francisco.

As such, I’ll try to update this twice a week from now on.  Be prepared to read about dining out, obstacles to avoid while walking, and where to take me to lunch when you visit.

 

Homework time

Tuesday

It’s Tuesday night.  Time to work on my school homework.  Tons of stuff to read for Anthropology and Book Arts.  I still need to finish my book mock-up for class on Thursday.

Elli is cranking away on her Italian lessons.  She’s so dedicated.  Now we can order coffee in Italian at the Italian deli that is run by Mexicans.  Weird city that way.

 

Sunday cleanup

Sunday

We spent most of the day cleaning the apartment, sorting out one of two closets and getting rid of things and clothes we haven’t used since we moved here.  It feels great to downsize, but I’d really like to upsize our apartment.  I’m to much of a pack rat to live in a college studio dorm.  Stupid expensive San Francisco apartment rates.

We are going to tackle the other closet next weekend.  It’s mostly my stuff (games, class books, etc), so I’m sure Elli will get to Supervise.  She’s great at that.

I’m sure there will be Chinese food or sushi or Thai (the three types of food we routinely go out for).

I do know that we are going to see a movie next weekend.  It’s Elli’s turn to pick, as I picked Coraline last weekend.

 

Chinese New Year

Saturday

Even though the Chinese New Year was last month, SF had their parade in February.  Not sure why, but considering the sheer number of politicians (Chinese and non-Chinese) in the parade, it was probably held late to give them all time to find a day they were collectively free to attend, and ride down the street in some fancy hoopty cars.  The parade is probably funded in part by the city, hence the politician turnout (“Look what we did!  Re-elect us!”).  But it would be nice if they would clean up the Tenderloin before their next parade appearance.

There was a big crowd, lots of marching bands (that mysteriously didn’t play any songs) and lots of cute kids dressed up as oxen (to highlight the Year of the Ox).

Elli and I had nice curbside standing position, but were quickly crowded upon by random parents with their swarming brood who showed up late for the parade, but were sure that we’d be happy to give up our position so they could all have a view.  I was reduced to not being able to move, and Elli was swept further away from me as the evening progressed.

After the parade, we walked to a local Thai restaurant for some great food and then home to read and sleep.

 

The Story So Far…

Friday

It’s been almost two months since I updated anything.  Here is a summary of the past two months in no particular order:

1. I finished my second semester of graduate school with A’s and B’s.
2. We visited Maryland and the D.C. area over Christmas, spending a large amount of time at the airport playing “I like to fly stand-by!”
3. We found an old lady Vietnamese drug ring on Levanworth Street.  I guess everyone needs a job.
4. I started a new school semester – taking Anthropology, Book Arts, and Historical Experimental Processes (love that darkroom smell…)
5. Elli got hit it the face with a big, hard crusty bread thrown by an angry (homeless?) man when she wouldn’t give him money.
6. We’ve watched lots of TV on the internet.
7. Elli is lame and defective – she had four cavities and two root canals (which means two crowns).  Say good -bye to my XBox fund…
8. Amanda L. came to visit Elli (Elli needs a friend in the city)
9. Elli and Amanda rented a Go-Car, a questionable street legal go-cart rental service that takes you on an audio tour as you drive around the city in your tiny bug of a car (while wearing a safety helmet!).
10. We ate Indonesian food.
11. We discovered Paulette cookies.  Well, I discovered them.  Elli was annoyed that I stopped to check out the store as we were walking to Patricia’s Green park in Hayes Valley.
12. We hang out at Patricia’s Green (a nearby park) quite a bit, reading our book while sitting in the sun and watching the dogs run around and play.
13. Found Paxton’s Gate, a way cool store of scientific oddities and weird artwork.
14. Elli started taking Italian language classes.
15. The cats threw up on the bed once, the floor once, and the ottoman once.
16. I’ve learned to cook something besides curry.
17. We saw a few movies at the theater where they serve ice cream and coffee.
18. We ate sushi a few times.

 

Quantum of Solace

Monday

I got Solaced Quantumly today.  I love the new James Bond.  Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond ever.  It’s nice to see him get dirty.

Despite some flaws in the plot and parts of the story that were left on the cutting room floor and way to many jump cuts, it was still an awesome and great movie.  Hopefully it will hold up on the small screen when the DVD comes out in a few weeks.

I really want a job as a still photographer on movie sets.  Does anyone know how to get that job?

 

Sunday sunshine

Sunday

Woke up at 9am (I love the weekends) and ate breakfast.  Watched The Daily Show (Thursday Nov 13 episode) )where they talked about Obama again.  Jon Stewart mentioned checking the mailbox for the Hope and Change that Obama promised, but it hasn’t arrived.  In San Francisco we are not seeing the Hope and Change, either.  Everything still looks the same.  Actually, we saw our first public defecation, so maybe things are changing, but not in a way I would approve of.  Those darn liberal hippy Californian’s with their believe that everything and everywhere is a bathroom…  I blame the weather.

I went to Gamescape  and Elli went to the Corner Coffee House down the street for a bit of afternoon fun.

Hit the Farmer’s Market on the way home, but they were closing up, so no apples today.  We have to wait until Wednesday.

We stopped by the Library, and of course, 7 books that I had requested all came in at the same time.  I kept three, but returned the others.  I’ll have to put them back in my que for later.

Home for dinner (crock pot chilli), and do homework.  I’m still not great at writing all my school papers in a timely manner.  But Sunday evenings are a good time for writing.

I’ve noticed on my blog stats that lots of people come here by entering in the search terms “Melrose Place”.  Elli used to watch that show, but hasn’t lately because there aren’t that many episodes online.  If you Melrose Place people know where the episodes are, please let me know.  Our great liberal library doesn’t have much, if any on DVD.