joe and paul

Aw shucks

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:36:40 GMT

Monterey Rainbow, originally uploaded by Mr. Marcelin.

I came home to this, today. Nice.

I went up to Humboldt last weekend for my Grandma's 90th. It was nice to see everybody. I got back late Monday night. When I got up and started the car on Tuesday, the engine started to shake violently. Luckily, my colleague who lives a block away hadn't left yet, and drove me. I got the car towed to a shop, and have yet to hear what the problem is. I hope it's just a spark plug issue or something.

really really really married

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:33:47 GMT

I was a bit shocked today to disover that November is already more than halfway over. I feel like I've been burning the candle on both ends and right through to the middle.

After the election, I tried to process through an incredible wave of sadness and, ultimately, anger, through writing.. I got some good thoughts down, but I don't yet feel like posting it. I can say the outcome of Prop 8 has changed my perception of many people, especially people I once thought of as friends. Intolerance is intolerance, regardless of the reason behind it. Deny me the right to marry the love of my life, and deny the rest of me. I don't have time for people like that.

Last weekend I went to Phoenix to attend my great-grandmother's service. Then, my mom and I went to a gay marriage rally, protesting the outcomes of Prop 102 (AZ) and Prop 8 (CA). There were a few thousand people there. It was powerful, and energizing. Where was this anger before the election?

Ok. Well, time to let ya'll in on a little secret. Paul and I made sure that our marriage status is (was?) legally valid in California before the election. Let's just say we're really, really, really married now. It will be funny (ha.. ha.. ha..) if we have to keep getting married every couple years, just to keep two steps ahead of misinformed religious bigots. We'll find out tomorrow if the CA supreme court will revisit the issue...

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Back in California, I now face all the holiday madness at work, a not-too-clean house, and a general desire to take a really long vacation. It's a battle between my "savor every moment of life" ideals and the general urge to just get on with it and get the next month out of the way.

2 Nights With Madonna

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:01:33 GMT

Okay. Well, instead of posting about Prop 8, my (3rd) wedding, life, death, and everything in between, I'm going to post pictures of my Madonna experience from last weekend! I went with my amazing friend Matthew and his amazing man and we all settled in for an amazing night with the Queen herself. We had seats at the end of the catwalk (which is basically front row for more than half of the show), and it was surreal being 4 feet away from Madonna. I went back to the 2nd show the next night by myself, and sat 6 rows away from the catwalk, which was the perfect spot for pictures. Most of the best pictures were M + guitar simply because she performs most of the guitar songs at the end of the catwalk!

More here

Summer updates

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:32:42 GMT

I s'pose I should update this.

The school year ended, and I felt so much more confident with myself as a teacher. When I think about it, I realize I've accomplished a lot. I wrote a $10,000 grant to help transition kids into kindergarten, and received two mini-grants to help start some barrel gardens outside my classroom and buy books and book bags for my book-borrowing project. I also managed to maintain a semi-orderly classroom for 10 months. We went to SF Zoo, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a fire station, and a hay/feed store. We made a lot of messes and had a lot of fun. Somehow the kids learned to read amidst all this. I swear, that's the most magical thing to witness.

I've been teaching summer school for the last 2 weeks. I have 1 week left, and then vacation starts. I'm hoping to make it up to Humboldt for a week to hang out at my old house, spend time walking around my old haunts, and be nostalgic. Meanwhile, I'm trying to do my best with this summer school thing, though it's the first time my district has run the program in this particular fashion, and there are a lot of little loose ends that bug me. Oh well, I'm dealing with it, and the kids seem to be enjoying it.

We went to the Monterey Blues Festival to volunteer this weekend. We helped sell shirts/hats/etc. to raise money for my district's Ed Foundation. Amidst all this, we celebrated our 6th anniversary together. Well, sorta. We had to cancel our dinner plans due to exhaustion! Tonight we hope to make it up and go to our favorite local German restaurant.

I guess that's it in a nutshell.

Sonic Youth

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:08:01 GMT

Yay! Sonic Youth, July 19th, ticket secured. They're performing the entire Daydream Nation album. It will be one of only a few performances of that album they're doing this year!

Cars

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:21:06 GMT

Let's see. The car. This is the story in a nut shell: After shelling out a couple thousand bucks to fix my old car, the day came when it wasn't worth investing any more money into it. I was driving Paul through SF to take a test, and the gears started grinding. So, instead of spending $1500-$2500 to have the transmission overhauled, I shopped around a bit.

My criterion: something fuel efficient (at least 25 MPG, but hopefully 30+), safe (side airbags, ABS, 4-5 star crash ratings side/front), and cheap (under 20,000 tops). Well, that narrowed it down to a popular new class of cars - the mini-SUV-like bubbles that replaced the totally unsafe yet fuel-efficient and cool-looking Honda Civic class. My options were: Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit (first choice), Honda Civic (not in that class, but still cheap and good fuel economy), Chevy Aveo (avoided at first), Scions (they look like coffins on the outside), and others like that.

I started by looking at the Yaris. I went to dealerships in Fresno and San Jose and test-drove a sedan and a hatchback. However, they didn't quite fit my needs (long story). I also drove a Scion, but it was too pricey.

Then, I REALLY wanted a Honda Fit. They have 5-star crash ratings in the US, look cool, and get the best mileage of anything else out there, other than hybrids. So, I test drove a few of those. Unfortunately, they are too popular, and nobody has any! People were paying a standard mark-up of $2,000, and pre-ordering them! The one I wanted wasn't worth more than $17,000, drive away. I was actually offered one for around that price, but due to loan complications, I couldn't get it. I was heartbroken. I mean, really - anybody who knows me really well will understand what anxiety does to me. Paul and I drove to literally 4 or 5 different dealerships all over the Bay Area. One was in Tracy! The whole experience of negotiating prices and dealing with salespeople really pissed me off. At least Paul did much of the work - I'm incredibly lucky to have such a patient husband. I really owe him.

Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and get the Chevy Aveo hatchback. There were only TWO in California with side airbags and ABS. I ended up driving to Davis on a school night to get it! I got back here at 1 a.m. :( My drive-away price was several thousand dollars less than any of my Honda offers. I'm very happy with it thus far - it's not the most comfy vehicle, but I was able to put my own stereo in it (gotta replace the speakers, though), and it's been getting about 30 MPG. With a few oil changes using synthetic oil, it should get 31-33 MPG. Unfortunately, the synthetic is expensive - but hopefully it will pay off. I've gotten a lot of nice comments.

What color is it? White. The big challenge will be to keep it clean.

On another note, I'm not going to be posting much in the coming months due to a severe pain in my right wrist. Yup, that's bad. I had it back in 1999 but cut back on my computer use and did some exercises, and the pain went away. But it's been back since 2005, when I was a TA at UCSC. I had to type 60 2-page single spaced narrative evaluations in about 2 weeks, and that just did me in. At least I'll have an excuse to read more and get out a bit. I really need to reconnect with friends - my social life is nonexistant at this point.

Arizona

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:23:00 GMT

I just got back from a week-long trip to Phoenix to see my great-grandmother who is 99, and my aunt/uncle. I also went to Nagales with my mom. So now I can say that I've been south of the border, I guess. I'll post more later. 13 hour drives are no fun, especially the last 2 hours.

Oh yeah. I got a car, and I've put 3500 miles on it in 2.5 weeks. Maybe I'll write more about THAT ordeal, too.

Maybe. :)

Kindergarten algebra

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 07:09:50 GMT

The title of the workshop I attended today: Algebra in Kindergarten. Yup. Sorting, classifying, and patterning are all aspects of logical algebraic thinking.

After the workshop (in Salinas), I drove to SF to a friend's housewarming party. I hadn't seen her in years. We met while doing queer activism at UCSC back in 1998, but lost touch. She was a wonderful host, invited wonderful friends, and has a wonderfully clean house! I was impressed.

----

I've expanded my car options to include the Honda Fit. It has excellent crash ratings, ABS, and side airbags -- all standard on each model. It's more expensive than the Yaris, though, but I think safety is worth the money, especially with a commute every day. I'll test drive one tomorrow. Still waiting to hear about the loan.

Time for a new car

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 21:27:36 GMT

I was driving Paul to SF yesterday to take test when I shifted up to 2nd gear on one of those killer hills, on Fell Street. CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH. I've crunched gears before, but this was bad. Every time I shifted to 2nd it did that. I went to a cafe and looked on Yelp.com for highly rated auto shops, but none seemed to be open on Saturdays. I drove back to Santa Cruz and took it to Precision Auto Tune and had it looked at. My hunch was right - the synchro for 2nd gear is bad, and could stop working completely at any time. Which means that I can a) spend $2500-$3000 getting a new transmission put in, b) spend $1500 getting one from a junk yard and spend another $1000 having it put in, or c) drive the car until the transmission dies completely. Well, gee. I spent $1300 two months ago getting a new AC and drive belt system put in, then another $600 for a tune up and new brakes a couple weeks ago! The car isn't worth that much, and I can't even afford to spend that much money right now! Time for a new car.

I'm looking at something fuel efficient, easy on the environment, small, and NEW. Hybrids are out of the question due to cost. I looked around and the Toyota Yaris Sedan looks promising. It gets 34 MPG in cities and 40 MPG on the highway. It's the most efficient non-hybrid car. It's a top seller in Europe, and was introduced to the U.S. market last year. It starts at $11,000 minus any options. I can probably get a loan through my bank, and should be OK if I can make the down payment. Really, a new car in that price range would be cheaper to buy overall than continuing to put money into a used car, with all the things that could go wrong and WILL go wrong when its owner drives 80+ miles a day!

Wish me luck.

In other news, Friday was Rosa Parks Day. My kids and I had discussed skin color the day before and I read one of my favorite books to them. We mixed paints to make different skin tones and then painted self-portraits. A couple of the kids retold the whole story about Rosa Parks to their parents after school, and I was amazed at how they really seemed to understand the importance of Rosa Parks' actions, and the actions of others to overturn unfair laws. It's things like that which remind why I'm a teacher.

Apostrophes

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 05:43:28 GMT

Misused apostrophes bug me. I had a rant all typed out, but deleted it. It would be oh so unprofessional of me to post it, especially since it was mostly about teachers. :)

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In other news, I have a cold. Paul is cooking Thanksgiving dinner early. My kids made the cutest placemats and turkey hats. That's all.

SF concert

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 04:11:59 GMT

The show was incredible, and I was blown away by the opener, Under the Influence of Giants. The sound was terrible, but the Warfield has a reputation for that. I figured Paul wouldn't want to be squashed in the pit, so I got loge seats, right at the front of the balcony. The lead singer of the Brazilian Girls, Sabina, customarily wears something to cover her eyes during the concerts, which of course creates a mysterious image of her and also directs attention to the other band members. Imagine watching a show with the singer blindfolded the entire time. Yeah. Did I mention the smoke? It was thick. Especially on stage. Yes, very thick.

I actually got a rental car for the evening since I don't trust mine right now. It just... drags. It's long overdue for a real servicing, so hopefully that will happen next weekend.

We got back at 1 a.m., and so today was a really LONG day at work. Tomorrow: inservice at Monterey Bay Aquarium! Sunday? Work in classroom. Or laundry. Or both.

Oh! I did the doctor-with-real-coat-and-fake-stethoscope thing for Halloween, which was fun. Being kept awake well past midnight by police helicopters flying around downtown was not fun. At least there were only 2 stabbings this year.

Anniversary of sorts

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:44:17 GMT

I was just listening to the soundtrack to Beautiful Thing when I realized that it was in September, 1996 that I came out. I was a junior in high school, had long hair down to my shoulders, and covered my backpack with rainbow pins.

Halloween

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 19:37:29 GMT

Ok. Let's get this straight: I'm not a big fan of Hallowe’en.

Now, with that said, I really should dress up for my kids. I was a "college graduate" last year, which is very easy to get together. But this year, I'm at a loss. I could be a "doctor" and track down a lab coat somewhere. I have a stethoscope, and could just carry around some sort of medical kit. What is another easy costume that 5 year-olds would understand? It has to be fairly straightforward.

*edit*

Oh yeah. I got my car back, finally, on Thursday. It was expensive, and I'm not quite sure it's in the best shape. Hopefully I'll get it in for a major tune up next week. I don't need that kind of stress right now.

Sick car

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:55:42 GMT

Well, shoot. I was on my way to Salinas to a big-box retailer that shall remain unnamed, and my car died. Ok. Karama? Haha. Do I have a cell phone? No. How far did I have to walk to a pay phone in Castroville? About 2 miles - not terrible. I could have really been stuck in the middle of nowhere and had to walk 5-10 miles, in summer or some time when you don't want to be in the middle of the Salinas Valley.

Thank goodness for AAA coverage, though I'm not sure what to think of the towing firm that my car is with right now. The problem, from my uneducated observations, seemed to be that the fanbelt was damaged due to some sort of plastic substance that had somehow melted all over it. I had all my fluids and my car didn't seem to be overheating. I just hope that I don't have to replace the entire fan belt assembly. Ugg.

I took an MST bus down to Monterey and got a cab to the airport to get a rental. They didn't have a nice little sedan, so I wound up with a huge monster Chevy SUV thing.

The challenge now is to find a way to a) return the vehicle, b) get to the Salinas, and c) pick up my car when it's ready, all between 2:30 - 5 p.m. on a weekday. Well, assuming my car actually makes it out alive.

Toronto

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:52:25 GMT

On Monday Paul and I got back from spending a week in Toronto. We visited his parents and our nephew. He's 14 months old and so adorable. He's sorta talking, little syllables here and there. We got him a Quatro lego set that he took to right away. It's amazing how quickly kids can mature during the first couple years of life.

This post will work best as a set of random thoughts:

*It was pretty cold, though the wind made it much worse. Thus, we spent much of our time indoors, sitting around, simply enjoying a vacation. We also managed to take the subway downtown and do some shopping/walking around. We didn't get anything terribly exciting besides some clothing (ever been to Honest Ed's?), school supplies ($2.99 Rubbermaid-like storage drawers, and other deals! woo hoo!), and a couple CDs. We tried going out to the big island, but after taking the ferry over and walking for a few hundred feet, it promptly began to rain. Bummer. We did get our exercise, though.

*There's a wonderful exhibit about the history of audio recording, with a big section specifically about film at the SF airport. Go see it, if you can. Of course, you have to clear security FIRST, if I remember correctly. But, if you're traveling...

*I don't consider getting a root canal to be a productive way to spend one's vacation time. But, alas, that's how I spent one afternoon. At least the pain is forever gone...

*We spent several hours at a new organic creperie called Hibiscus, which we highly recommend for the vegan/vegetarian types. The service itself made the experience worth it.

*Toronto has two types of recycling bins in public (i.e. when you're at the mall, etc.): one for plastic/cans, and one for paper. Paper! Who'duh thunk? Oh, and garbage collection occurs every other week, with recycling collection coming the alternate weeks. And EVERY house has green/compost waste collection as well. That's just fabulous, if you ask me.

*Paul's mom makes the best cakes.

*There are dozens of Starbucks and a Walmart that were not there a few years ago.

*Tim Horton's rules! Leave it to Canadians to truly appreciate the power of the donut.

*I did very little schoolwork once I left US soil. Aren't you proud of me? Of course, I'm spending all day tomorrow and Saturday at school. Shh.

*Casa Loma:

Go see it. But not when much of it is being used for a huge wedding.

I think that's all for now.

Back to school

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 05:31:31 GMT

Tomorrow is my first day back. Same classroom, same grade. New kids. I think I'm ready. I have a fairly good idea about the schedule. I also know that there were be chaos, and I have to be ok with it.

We spent the day tracking down 10 cent pencil boxes, glue, and colored pencils at Office Depot. And of course we went to several, since there's a limit of 5 per customer. Also went to the SJ Public Library, King branch (10 stories of books/CDs/DVDs - woo hoo!) and got a book I've been meaning to pick up. And then to Palo Alto to see a friend I hadn't been in touch with since '98 in high school. It was nice to catch up and introduce Paul.

Off to shower, sleep, and hopefully not dream. Because I'd only dream about tomorrow.

July update

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 05:12:12 GMT

Well, In 7 days my classroom will be full of new kindergarteners, some of whom won't speak much English, some of whom won't remember to tell me when they need to go to the bathroom, and some of whom won't know how to hold a pencil. I'm a little nervous simply because it's like starting all over again - I'm still used to what the kids last year could do at the end.

I've slowly been chipping away at the work in my classroom. I still have stuff strewn about. Today I redid some of my bulletin boards, cleaned some counters, and organized a bit. I'm trying to tell myself that it's okay to store boxes of disorganized... uh... stuff and not worry about going through it. I have this bad habit of obsessing over every little detail. Of course, I am generally the only one who cares about certain details.

I spent so much of the summer in trainings, working on district pacing guides and benchmark tests, etc. that I really only had about half a summer. But Paul and I managed to make it up to Humboldt for a week, which was fabulous. I saw most of the people I wanted to see, though I missed a few. Next time! It was nice to play "tourist" and show Paul around Ferndale, Avenue of the Giants, Eureka and Arcata.

Summer in Santa Cruz is the perfect time to find lots of free things. I found about 10 baskets for my classroom a few weeks ago. Last night someone left a wine rack out for free a few blocks away, which we snagged. Someone in our apartment building dumped an entire apartment's worth of furniture next to one of our dumpsters. We found a perfectly good UPS, among other things. I wonder if the people were evicted. It's always questionable whether or not items are really free, especially if there isn't a sign. It's bizarre to see what good stuff people throw away. Every week we see at least two couches, desks, and office chairs sitting by the dumpster.

We've made it to two Shakespeare Santa Cruz performances, and we're going to our last one tomorrow - King Lear, one of my favorites. Out of 15 (?) performances that we've attented over the last 5 years, only 1 or 2 were even slightly disappointing.

Must... resist... the urge to make... lists. So much to do, but it WILL get done.

Madonna

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 04:51:44 GMT

I got back from Fresno at 3 this morning, then got up and was at work by 8:30. A 40 minute drive is nothing compared to the 3 hour drive to central California. I'm dead tired.

As cheesy as it sounds, Madonna was amazing. The entire show was brilliant, with only a few "um, ok" moments. I had floor seats near the foot of the catwalk, so I got to see her grand entrance coming out of the disco ball. I also got one of the mylar balloons that drop down at the end. There were two VERY drunk girls in front of me, though, who thought nothing of spilling their beer all over the place. They even left to use the bathroom several times and left their purses and cell phones behind. In a crowd of how many people?

Some animated gifs I made:

It wasn't as far away as it appears - the camera doesn't zoom.

My summer is getting booked up by all these school-related obligations. A committee to serve on here, a Monterey Bay Aquarium institute here, a state-mandated training here, a LOT of classroom cleaning there. I don't know where my summer is going! At least I'm getting paid for it. Well, not the cleaning. Such is life of a teacher who hasn't yet found a good organizational scheme for his classroom. Paul and I may very well start booking up some short trips to go camping or something, otherwise I'm not sure we'll get much time together!

One year down

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 01:58:44 GMT

All the children are gone, most of the work was sent home, and I got all choked up while reading one of my favorite books to the class this morning. 180 days later and my first year as an elementary teacher is over. But... I still have 2 days of work next week, another 2 the following week, then 5 days the week after THAT. Then 1 week off, then 1 week on.... And in August it all starts again. But I get paid for all it, and I have nothing else to do.

Oh, and I have a date with Madonna next Tuesday in (ack) Fresno. I won't even elaborate on my adventure trying to get San Jose tickets last Wednesday. Let's just say Paul and I got a road trip out of it. So... The show will be over about 11 p.m. And the drive back to Santa Cruz is 3 hours. Ok, so then I get 6 hours of sleep and then go to work in the morning. This will be interesting.

Nostalgia

Sun, 28 May 2006 04:11:03 GMT

For some reason, I've been doing a lot of research lately. Researching the past. I've re-read many of my friends' livejournal entries from their first posts to the present, have searched for many old aquaintances on myspace and friendster, googled everybody I know, and paused many moments just to remember random stuff that I've experienced over my (short) lifetime. I am by no means going through any sort of crisis. In fact, perhaps it is because I am pretty stable in every way that I am reconstructing so many memories. I am also the same age that Paul was when we met. Whatever that means.

It is interesting to see how people have evolved over time. My first "blog" started in July, 2001. Each entry in that (and the current) blog got successively less candid, and perhaps more organized. I noticed the same about many other peoples' blogs. Do we become more private as we get older?

And is it just me, or have many of my peers already started having babies and buying tract homes?

...

I have 4 more school days left, and then my first year of teaching will be officially over. My students are mostly reaching grade-level benchmarks, and I've generally deemed this year to be a success. I didn't come home and sleep/cry at any point, which a lot of first year teachers seem to do. I didn't have a meltdown. I didn't question my abilities (too much), and I certainly never thought about leaving the profession. Teaching kinder isn't "cute," nor is it what most people think of when they hear "kindergarten." It's standards, a lot of testing, a lot of reading, writing (45 minutes a day, in fact), math, science (which I'm glad I actually taught), social studies, PE, with some singing, dancing, and playing (though not half as much as in the old days). I'm set for another year teaching kinder in the same room, and I'm pretty excited. I have a huge list of things I'll do differently, though I have few regrets.

...

I bought the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack (wasn't that an AWFUL movie?) at a sidewalk sale today. Not that it's really GOOD music, but it brings back memories, none of which would seem terribly interesting to anybody else but me. Though perhaps it's a good thing I passed up the Top Gun soundtrack a few weeks ago in Berkeley.

Ok, that's it.

Never woulda guessed

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 03:34:24 GMT

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know.
You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems.
Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green.
Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

120 kindergarteners escape from zoo

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 03:26:34 GMT

I took my class, along with 5 other kindergartens, to the SF Zoo today. It was a long bus ride - more than 2 hours - both ways, but we were able to see almost everything in about 3.5 hours. There were some logistical problems, but it worked out in the end. All I want to do now is sleep! At least we took coach buses, so we were able put on movies during the ride.

Next stop (in 2 weeks): Monterey Bay Aquarium. We've been studying tide pools. Each students is building an individual "tide pool" with "animals." I cleared much of my counter space to store them.

Only about 1 month to go before I say goodbye to my kids and start thinking about a whole new batch. Back to square one - teaching them how to hold a pencil, use scissors... then letter names, sounds, blending, segmenting, reading reading reading. I'm just astounded that my kids are now reading and writing so many things. In August, most would write their name (if even that) and random scribbles if I told them to "write." Now they write stories, actually spell many words correctly, use expressive language. I'm impressed. August: "afsdfsafs" Now: "First I wnt to the stor and we bot nu shuz. Then we et fud. Last we go hom." I'm even getting some of them to use long vowels, digraphs, and difficult blends. Ok, I'll stop. Too much teacher talk.

We might venture out for the SF Cherry Blossom parade this weekend. Or not. Rest is also another option, which is generally chosen over anything else!

Nectar of the frauds

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 03:11:37 GMT

Interesting info about needless use of bottled water.

From Yahoo news

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb 4 (OneWorld) - Water, water everywhere and we are duped into buying it bottled.

Consumers spend a collective $100 billion every year on bottled water in the belief--often mistaken, as it happens--that this is better for us than what flows from our taps, according to environmental think tank the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).

For a fraction of that sum, everyone on the planet could have safe drinking water and proper sanitation, the Washington, D.C.-based organization said this week.

Members of the United Nations have agreed to halve the proportion of people who lack reliable and lasting access to safe drinking water by the year 2015. To meet this goal, they would have to double the $15 billion spent every year on water supply and sanitation.

''While this amount may seem large, it pales in comparison to the estimated $100 billion spent each year on bottled water,'' said EPI researcher Emily Arnold.

''There is no question that clean, affordable drinking water is essential to the health of our global community,'' Arnold said. ''But bottled water is not the answer in the developed world, nor does it solve problems for the 1.1 billion people who lack a secure water supply. Improving and expanding existing water treatment and sanitation systems is more likely to provide safe and sustainable sources of water over the long term.''

Worldwide, bottled water consumption surged to 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons) in 2004, up 57 percent from 98 billion liters in 1999, EPI said in a written analysis citing industry data.

By one view, the consequences for the planet and for consumers' purses are horrifying.

''Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing--producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy,'' said Arnold. ''Although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can cost up to 10,000 times more.''

At up to $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline in the United States.

A close look at the multibillion-dollar bottled water industry renewed Arnold's affection for the faucet.

Tap water comes to us through an energy-efficient infrastructure whereas bottled water must be transported long distances--and nearly one-fourth of it across national borders--by boat, train, airplane, and truck. This ''involves burning massive quantities of fossil fuels,'' Arnold said.

By way of example, in 2004 alone, a Helsinki company shipped 1.4 million bottles of Finnish tap water 4,300 kilometers (2,700 miles) to Saudi Arabia. And although 94 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States is produced domestically, some Americans import water shipped some 9,000 kilometers from Fiji and other faraway places to satisfy demand for what Arnold termed ''chic and exotic bottled water.''

More fossil fuels are used in packaging the water. Most water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic derived from crude oil. ''Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,'' Arnold said.

Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.

Once it has been emptied, the bottle must be dumped. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals tied to a host of human and animal health problems. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Of the bottles deposited for recycling in 2004, the United States exported roughly 40 percent to destinations as far away as China--meaning that even more fossil fuels were burned in the process.

Meanwhile, communities from near which the water came in the first place risk running dry.

More than 50 Indian villages have complained of water shortages after bottlers began extracting water for sale under Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani label, EPI said.

''Similar problems have been reported in Texas and in the Great Lakes region of North America, where farmers, fishers, and others who depend on water for their livelihoods are suffering from concentrated water extraction as water tables drop quickly,'' ''Arnold said.

All this, because many consumers associate bottled water with healthy living.

More fool us.

''Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit,'' EPI said.

France's Senate, it added, ''even advises people who drink bottled mineral water to change brands frequently because the added minerals are helpful in small amounts but may be dangerous in higher doses.''

To be sure, many municipal water systems have run afoul of government water quality standards--driving up demand for bottled water as a result. But according to the study, ''in a number of places, including Europe and the United States, there are more regulations governing the quality of tap water than bottled water.''

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets more stringent quality standards for tap water than does the Food and Drug Administration for the bottled stuff, it added.

Americans drank 26 billion liters of bottled water in 2004, or roughly one eight-ounce glass per person every day. Mexico had the second highest consumption, at 18 billion liters. China and Brazil followed, at close to 12 billion liters each. Italy and Germany ranked fifth and sixth in consumption, downing just over 10 billion liters of bottled water each.

Italians drank the most bottled water per person, at nearly 184 liters in 2004--more than two glasses per day. Mexico and the United Arab Emirates consumed 169 and 164 liters per person. Belgium and France followed, knocking back almost 145 liters annually. Spain ranked sixth, with 137 liters swallowed each year.

Some of the fastest growth in bottled water consumption is taking place in poor countries, however.

With consumption per person increasing by 44-50 percent between 1999 and 2004, Lebanon and Mexico had among the fastest growth rates of the top 15 per-capita guzzlers, EPI said.

Indian and Chinese people drank far less individually but collectively, the world's two most populous countries appear to have been on a bender. India swigged three times as much bottled water in 2004 as it did in 1999 and China, more than twice as much.

If individual Chinese consumers drank one-fourth the bottled water downed by the average American, EPI said, China would springboard over the United States and become the world's largest consumer.

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And here's even more, from last week's Chronicle. I LOVED SF water when we lived there...

From SF gate

San Francisco, owner of a pristine reservoir in the Sierra Nevada with a reputation for producing some of the country's best-tasting tap water, has spent more than $2 million of taxpayers' money in the past 4 1/2 years on bottled water, public records show.

From the mayor's office in City Hall to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, city employees and politicians enjoy individual bottles and jugs from the water cooler even though in many cases a faucet is nearby.

Among the thirstiest departments and agencies in San Francisco during the city's last fiscal year: Public Health, which spent $139,926 on bottled water; the Municipal Railway, which spent $65,780; and San Francisco International Airport, which spent $65,670, according to the records.

Even the city's Public Utilities Commission -- which performed a blind taste test on the street during National Drinking Water Week last May to convince people that tap water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is at least as good as the stuff at the store -- spent $8,622 on bottled water.

"It's everywhere you go around City Hall and outside of this place," said Jake McGoldrick, who is alone among the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors in not having city-funded bottled water delivered to his City Hall office. "People have come to assume that even though we have the best water in the entire U.S., they still need bottled water. It's become the chic thing."

In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently ordered city agencies to stop using public money to buy bottled water for employees. The order followed media reports that the city had spent $90,000 on bottled water while its water agency was spending $1 million on an ad campaign touting the virtues of tap water.

San Francisco's spending on bottled water far exceeds that of Los Angeles. And the city intends to keep on spending.

Since July 2001, San Francisco has paid $2.36 million for water, paper cups and dispenser rentals as part of its contract with Danone Waters of North America, which does business as Alhambra, according to the city controller's office.

During the 2004-2005 fiscal year, which ended June 30, $499,275 went to bottled water and related expenses -- a slight increase from the $495,974 that the city spent the previous year.

"I think it's a shame that people don't understand how great the drinking water is that comes from Hetch Hetchy," said Susan Leal, general manager of the city Public Utilities Commission, which oversees a system that serves 2.4 million Bay Area customers.

One reason spending on water is so high, city officials say, is that the city's contracts with a handful of employee unions require bottled water for employees. They include unions representing nurses and automotive machinists.

Also, some employees spend their days in the field or in remote locations where they do not have access to tap water.

And inside old buildings such as City Hall, some employees say, the pipes are so old they have no choice but to have water coolers in their offices.

Matt Dorsey, spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera's office, which spent about $7,000 on bottled water last year, recently turned on a faucet in the sink in his City Hall office to show why he and his colleagues rely on bottled water.

"Do I really need to respond?" he said while a liquid as brown as a Louisiana swamp poured out of the tap. A few days later, however, the water ran crystal clear.

Bottled water is one of the few perks city government can offer its employees, Dorsey said.

"We can't compete with downtown firms with salaries or plush offices, but damn it, we provide a water cooler and free paper cups," he said.

The Public Utilities Commission tested water in drinking fountains and sinks at City Hall last year, as well as at other city buildings like Laguna Honda Hospital and the Hall of Justice, and Leal said, "It's pristine water coming out of those taps."

While spending on bottled water represents a small portion of San Francisco's $5.3 billion budget this year, some suggest it is an unnecessary expense at a time when the city has to pinch pennies to help close deficits.

In 2003 and 2005, city workers recommended through an employee suggestion program that San Francisco stop providing bottled water. In both years, the office of the legislative analyst concluded that bottled water service should be discontinued for all departments that had access to tap water.

The recommendation seemed to have little effect.

The city's three-year, $2.5 million contract with Danone Waters expired in October, and bids for a new contract were due this week. According to public records, the city estimates it will use just as much bottled water as it did last year.

One Hayward businesswoman who acknowledges having a vested interest in seeing San Francisco kick its bottled water habit says the city could save a lot of money by following the lead of some large Bay Area employers that install filtration systems at the tap.

"Bottled water people think they're getting something better," said Lynne Leahy, whose company, AquaPrix, specializes in filters that treat tap water.

Her water treatment systems, which she says would cost the city thousands of dollars less than buying bottled water, are used by Bechtel, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Stanford Medical Center's cancer ward.

San Francisco thinks so highly of the water that it draws out of its granite-lined Sierra reservoir that for a short time it bottled and sold it for $1.25 per half-liter. Tests on Hetch Hetchy water show that it meets or exceeds state and federal health standards. A recent study by Readers' Digest gave San Francisco a perfect score for water quality.

PUC chief Leal, who has run the agency responsible for the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct since 2004, said that soon after taking over, she limited her department's spending on bottled water to employees who work in remote locations. She expects to spend about $3,000 on bottled water this year.

"I'm not going to criticize other departments. I'm just going to speak to the quality of our water," said Leal, whose agency supplies drinking water to customers in San Francisco, most of San Mateo County and parts of Santa Clara and Alameda counties.

Last year, San Francisco rented more than 2,000 water dispensers and spent more than $55,600 on paper cups to go with them. Water was delivered last year to practically every corner of the city, from the hospital at the San Francisco Zoo, which received 44 five-gallon jugs, to the lunchroom at San Francisco General Hospital, which received 633 three-gallon jugs.

And the subject has become a political issue.

On Tuesday, McGoldrick called for a hearing on how much the city spends on bottled water.

"This efficiency was never put in place by the mayor's office. That's their job," McGoldrick said. "Everywhere I go, I see bottled water."

But others in City Hall don't see it as such a big deal.

When asked about city spending on bottled water, Mayor Gavin Newsom's spokesman, Peter Ragone, initially said: "What do they want us to do? Drink out of the tap with our hands?"

He later called back and said Newsom has cut spending on city cell phones and increased employee parking fees and, "We've done more on the issue of government efficiency than anyone has in years."

"We have great respect for Supervisor McGoldrick, but in this case he's sadly mistaken. We have explored a number of options," Ragone said of the water spending.

City agencies that spent the most on water last year say they have good reasons for it.

Gregg Sass, chief financial officer for the Health Department, said the city's two hospitals and numerous clinics give water to patients because there aren't enough sinks in many of the older buildings. Tap water also tends to be too warm for patients, he said.

"The amount that's being spent annually at San Francisco General Hospital and clinics is about $100,000 a year," Sass said. "The Department of Public Health is a billion-dollar-plus operation. This is a fairly minor expense when you get down to it ... hardly a scandal."

Muni spokeswoman Maggie Lynch did not return calls for comment.

SFO spokesman Mike McCarron said airport workers need bottled water because they often spend their days in remote locations that don't have plumbing and also because distilled water is used to clean equipment.

McCarron also said that because the airport generates its own revenue to run its own operations, its spending on bottled water doesn't drain money from the city's general fund for such things as parks and police protection.

Still, some don't see the spending as a necessity.

"Why is it necessary?" said John Rizzo, president of the San Francisco Bay chapter of the Sierra Club. "The city is always claiming that it's an environmental leader, and here it is pouring thousands of plastic bottles into the dumps."

Get gone

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 08:02:02 GMT

Good riddance, 2005.

I've got such mixed feelings about this past year. So many wonderful things took place. I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching, landed my first teaching job, grew enormously in the professional realm. Paul and I went to London and Paris. We became closer in many ways. We met our new nephew, visited Paul's parents.

But it's because of the great difficulties of this year that I'd rather bid it farewell as soon as possible and get on with it; from the micro (the loss of two feline friends of mine, the terribly unimportant yet incredibly screwy theft of my new car stereo, personal and professional stresses), to the macro (tsunamis, hurricanes, other things that certainly put my own troubles into perspective), to the in-between (finding out months after the fact that a former colleague in the HIV-prevention world passed, other weird coincidences and happenings).

I've sensed an incredible amount of restraint on the part of my other fellow humans, living day to day around me. They have carried on, stoic, and straight-faced. At times I've wanted to pick at that, upset it, find a way to induce a primal scream on the part of the universe, proclaiming that this year, was indeed, a terrible terrible year. But alas, it probably wasn't. Babies were born, life grew, bloomed, returned to the land. Every day I have heard my students laugh, seen them smile, watched them slowly learn how to read, count, become conscious contributors to our society. I have made some wonderful friends (though I still haven't figured out how to stay in touch with them on a regular basis), gotten much closer to others, and finally figured out that others really do enjoy having me as a friend, too.

I hope that all those moments of clarity stick with me, unlike so many beautiful memories that I have suppressed due to their close proximity in time to rather unfortunate, bleak experiences. I have been getting the overwhelming urge to write again, music and words. But I have not touched a guitar, keyboard, violin, or recording instrument for months (except for occasions when singing children's songs has been most appropriate). Perhaps I will be a bit more brave in terms of creative expression next year. I certainly have been reflecting a lot more, finally recognizing the distance between my almost-26 year old and 18 year old, 15 year old, 11 year old, 9 year old, 5 year old selves. It's comforting to know that I'm finally recognizing the passage of time, and appreciating life a little more. All without any medication whatsoever, without any medium to buffer the life experience. Of course, driving 80 miles to and from work every day also gives me an increased feeling of mortality.

So, here's to the end of this rambling, and to a brave, beautiful, prolific, and inspiring new year. Which begins today, according to my thinking, since it was 1 year ago that the tsunami hit and it felt like things turned
upside down for 365 days. Later gator!

Joe

My days go something like this...

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 04:32:20 GMT

Wake up
Shower
Go to 7/11 and get coffee (yuck - you gotta add tons of cream and sugar to make it worth it) if I was too lazy to make my own. Throw in a cinnamon roll for good measure.
Drive 45-50 minutes to work.
Work
Go to Starbucks (I know I know, but there aren't any real coffee shops down there - I hate that)
Drive 50-60 minutes home.
Sit in front of computer. Contemplate making food. Contemplate doing more work.
Go to bed.

Repeat.

I love my job and all, but I'm at the point where I really need to start doing other things. On the rare occassion Paul and I will go for a walk, but that is usually too tiring. I am leaving a little earlier from work each day, however. Is that a good sign?

3 more days. 3 MORE.