Amu Amu Lu Lu Ku Ku Wes Kin Kin

That's the name of the national cat of Hawaii.

It means:
Big Big, Cozy Cozy, Purring Purring, Sleek, Kat Kat

Translated to:
Largest, most loving cat on the island

Photo by: Louisiana1976

Peeps Show iPhone App

Just when you think you hit your limit, you take a step over the top. Here's a new iPhone peeps app.

Peeps Show

Check out this link for amazing peeps displays. Now why wasn't the peeps store this cool?

Keep Oakland Creative

On April Fools Day, and this is no joke, Oakland City Council members are voting on a proposed 49% reduction in funding for the arts. Help get the word out to stop this action by writing to City Council Members:

SAMPLE Letter/Email:

Dear Council Member ________________,
Oakland Arts are the means to Oakland's economic renewal and are fundamental to our quality of life. It has come to my attention that the City Council is considering a disastrous and disproportionate 50% cut to the Cultural Funding Program.

As a concerned citizen, I understand that difficult choices need to be made to ensure that essential services and infrastructure remain in place. I also understand that there are no easy solutions to our budget crisis. However, I believe a disproportionate cut to the arts exacerbates the crisis, cripples Oakland's nationally ranked arts sector, and undermines our economic competitiveness, the compassion within our communities, and our investment in our future. I call upon you to mitigate the Arts cuts through a lens of equity and proportionality. Thank you for your leadership in investing in a better Oakland.

Sincerely,

Council Contacts:

District 1, Jane Brunner, jbrunner@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7001;
District 2, Pat Kernighan,pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7002;
District 3, Nancy Nadel, nnadel@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7003;
District 4, Jean Quan, jquan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7004;
District 5, Ignacio de la Fuente. idelafuente@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7005;
District 6, Desley Brooks, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7006;
District 7, Larry Reid, lreid@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7007
At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan, rkaplan@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7008

Not sure who your council member is? Click here to find out: http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/councils

More info available on the Pro Arts website.

Institute of Mosaic Art

Ahh, another cool Oakland find, this one in Jingletown.
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Better Than Sex Cake

The name of this chocolate cake will forever come to mind when I thin of my Great Aunt Esta. She baked it for us when we were quite young, before I knew anything about sex or had given up chocolate.

Aunt Esta, who passed away yesterday, was an amazing woman. She was always keeping us her entertained with her humor or warmly clothed in her handmade cable sweaters and afghans.

We will all miss her and I've suggested that my parents try to always keep a flower at her spot at their Friday night Shabbat table. A way to remember her blooming humor.
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StoryCorps Photos

Here are photos of people who have recorded their stories.
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StoryCorps Booth

I am at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in the wee hours of Saturday to present a session on enterpreneurship for the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations and to my surprise there is a StoryCorps booth at the museum. How cool, because I love this NPR program. Next time a family member visits I am going to bring them here so that we can record a story.
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Leah in Heaven!

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Let Me Eat Cake!

Rick's Diner in Sacramento has awesome looking cakes. Now to dig in with my friends Leah and Nancy as co-munchers.
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Micah Crandall-Bear

A fantastic artist I am visiting in Sacramento.
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Working Machine

That's me. I'm a working machine, powered into overdrive. Not sure how I'm able to make my brain work this hard on so many different topics for such long periods of time. Discipline? Compensation incentives? It is impacting my social life, somewhat, but I'm in a groove and my learning is at maximum horsepower.

What I've accomplished so far since Saturday: Writing 1/2 of an operation plan for a client's strategic plan. Thankfully I have my consulting partner David to crank out his pieces. Next, writing a marketing research report for another client. Plus, grading my student's papers. Top that off with entering all kinds of sales data into Salesforce. All that and its only Monday evening.

House Party

We are finally having a house warming party at our apartment.
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Com Walk

Megan, Com.Dog and I are out for a walk in the Oakland Hills.
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New Heights of Yoga

We're locked out of our yoga class so classmate Fumiko and her husband Andy are climbing into the building. Nothing can hold us back now.
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Birthday Cupcake

Hisun bought me a birthday cupcake!
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Inner Diversity

Today I met with my friend and fellow arts management consultant/coach Yesenia and we were talking about "cultural diversity". We declared that although we may have a particular cultural heritage, inside we have an Inner Diversity. She identified hers to be an African Princess in flowing robes. I totally could see that as I reframed my vision of her.

I just know there has to be some Spanish and African in me, I feel it. Ah yes, I am a gypsy, which explains my wanderings and creativity. My inner diversity is a gypsy belly dancer who combines Roma and Middle Eastern cultures. Now to get a DNA test to prove it.
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Noticing Spring

Since March 1st every day has made me feel freer, stronger and more alive. This week we have broken through the rain and yesterday was fantastically warm. The sounds and fragrances of Spring are like droplets of energy. Last night I slept with the window open and the air felt a bit heavier, more energized. Now I hear the birds singing their early morning tunes. Spring has sprung and I am dancing with excitement!
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Enjoying the View

A beautiful day and I just had a nice long chat with my neighbor Kaeb. Amazing how a change of living space can open your heart.
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More Good Things

I've moved around some art and it feels even more like a real home.
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Living Room

Ahhhhh, I feel alive again with a functioning living room and a car, my own place. Awesomeness.
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New Couch!

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New Chairs!

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Got Gas?

If not, come on over to my place because my car Fiona is giving it away for free. She can't help being generous. The girl has an easy-access gas tank and I finally realized that she is not quite the gas-guzzler I thought. People have been siphoning out her gas at night. Ah, the joys of urban living.

So, I bought her a locking gas cap and now she's retaining her liquid gold. Also bought her a club which I have to install.
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Food Coma or Food Poisoning?

That last photo of me is pre-disaster. We went out for a fantastic dual birthday dinner of me and Sam and hours later I was, well, reliving the food if you know what I mean. Three days later and I'm still barely on solids and now have some kind of cold or flu. Is this how 41 hits you? Double-fisted punches.

The good news is that I'm back in Oakland and tomorrow I receive a delivery of new furniture from Ikea thanks to the generous underwriting of my grandmothers, parents, sibs and sibs-in-laws. Is this yet another sign that I'm settling into Oakland for the long haul?

Food Coma

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Twinkle Toes

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Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Matt, Rach and Mom try out the sofa bed. A family that eats together sleeps together.
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Me at 41

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Finally 41 and 1

Nephew Sam and I are sharing our birthday today. He's 1 and I'm 41. We went to the zoo and now we're out to dinner. Here's Sam slamming his plate in honor of his special day.
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Peep Poop

The best things in the peep store were the free stickers and staff shirts.
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Dark Chocolate Peep

Yummy? Matt thinks it is artificial.
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Peep Mecca

Made it to the Peeps Store with Matt and it is, well, not bringing out the creative side of peep-dom.
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Sam and Rach

Sam and Rachel display the vest Grammie knitted for him.
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Hide and Seek

Marlene and Sam play hide and seek around Dad.
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Me and Mom

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Sam's Almost First Birthday

Sam gets a first birthday banana. Tomorrow is our birthday.
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Mom and Sam

Hanging with my peeps.
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Cooking Class Mass

The chaos of the class.
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Cottage Industry

I'm in DC with my sibs, nephew and mom at an Art of Living cooking class hosted by my sister Marlene. In the side room several of us "process oriented folks" are packing bags with spices. We found quiet amongst the cooking masses.
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Medusa

Kathy Lee, my hairdresser took this Medusa shot of me. I kind of dig the look and the name.
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Another Facilitator Affirmation

Had a wonderful client affirmation on Tuesday after presenting a strategic plan at a client Board meeting. One of the Board members said, "You are a wonderful facilitator. I've been to two of your meetings and both were so well facilitated."

Made me so happy!

Year-Long Photo Journey with Friends

I've decided to turn my goal of photographing all 21 of the California Missions into a year-long photography expedition with friends. this will be a fun way to theme my adventure, share each mini excursion with friends and turn it into a photo journal to share.

The first two Missions I visited with Irfan. Now to set out a schedule for the next 19 and to invite friends to go with me on each one. Loving this idea!
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Facilitate

I love being a facilitator. Of all my consulting work, facilitation is what makes me happiest and the feedback I get is that I am good at it.

Tonight I facilitated a focus group for one of my arts clients. It was so much fun. Something about "holding the room" and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to provide input that makes me quit satisfied. I am also getting better at handling people who dominate, are negative or throw us off course, what my consulting partner David and I call "grenade throwers". They are the most difficult.

I am able to incorporate facilitation into most of my work - teaching, strategic planning, marketing research and Board development. So good to have identified what I enjoy. In contrast, I notice that projects where I am working alone, implementing processes, are the least satisfying. Being an extrovert, I get my energy from human interaction.
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