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Em and I had an *amazing* night out with friends last night. A bunch of us went to see the Outernational Music Tour (headlined by Thievery Corporation) at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and the show was sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet. Just about the longest, hottest day of the year, too - so that even after dark, in the amphitheater, it was still nice and warm, with clear skies above. It was so nice out, in fact, that we couldn’t even go home after the show - all of us ended up heading over to Sharon & Joe’s place (they live near there), for a “let’s all eat ice cream on their awesome patio” afterparty.

In other news, my old pal Leslie (Weswie!) passed through town all-too-briefly with her Paul Paul (long story). They stayed here Thursday night, and we were able to get in a really nice dinner at Greens, but hopefully we’ll be able to see them on their home turf (near DC) sometime soon. And wow, did they ever get the hothot California weather. We tried to tell them that San Francisco is cold and foggy in the summer, and now our credibility is shot.

Now it’s time to go for our Saturday Stroll. Coffee (maybe iced coffee, given this heat wave), farmer’s market, second breakfast (ask a Hobbit), maybe a pedicure for Em, oh, and I need new shoes. Lazy Saturday, ya know. It’s almost 80 degrees (F, or 26C for you sensible people) in our apartment, and I’m lazy from the heat (ask David Lee Roth). Otka, on the other hand, is loving the heat. He’s clambering all over his terrarium, and waving his anntenae in time to whatever music I’ve got playing. That’s my boy.

Just because it’s late, I haven’t blogged in a long time, and I have 113 tabs open (!?!) in my other instance of Firefox…

Omnisio is a cool site/service - it allows you to create your own compilations of video clips (from YouTube and other such video sharing sites). My current favorite compilation shows the new Weezer video “Pork and Beans”, followed by all of the viral videos that it references - just in case you missed any. Oh, and you can also use Omnisio to sync up the slides from a presentation with (e.g.) actual footage of the presentation.

Second, and in a similar vein, Last.fm + YouTube is awesome. Give it a Last.fm user or artist, and it’ll start playing YouTube videos “related” to the resulting Last.fm stream - music videos, interviews, and the like. If you give it your own Last.fm username, you seasoned scrobblers can get your very own custom music video channel.

When you’re done with music videos, try cartooning. I love watching Peter Shin demonstrating how to draw Stewie Griffin. It looks ridiculously simple when he does it, but my attempts always come out looking pretty lumpy…

Mt Hood (from the tarmac at PDX)

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

About to take off for Eugene, OR. Nice weather at PDX. Lovely sunset view of Mount Hood…

Em and I went to see Morcheeba (with great opening act Federico Aubele) at The Fillmore last night with our friends Joe & Sharon. That was fun, but we didn’t get to bed until 1:00 AM, and then we were up at 4:30 AM, in a cab to SFO at 5:00 AM, and at Em’s mom’s place in Brampton some eight hours later. Exhausted and hungry, we made our customary pilgrimage to the Chalet Suisse, stuffed our faces, and then came back to Em’s mom’s and (also customary) passed out on the couch. After a little nap, we’ve been doing some errands, unpacking, settling in, and catching up. Now it’s time for real sleep, in a real bed…

Evelyn!

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Chillin’ in Portland, OR with Em, Marc G, Heidi, Maia, and (pictured) little Evelyn! So cute!!

Nice Day, Nice View

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Just got off work, and had to stop to admire the scenery.

Back in December, my old pal Emru Townsend (we met as teenagers in Montreal) was diagnosed with leukemia. Since that time, he’s undergone several rounds of chemo, and has been searching for a bone marrow donor. Unfortunately, Emru’s only sister, Tamu, is not a match - but she has helped to mobilize a small army to support the cause of getting more people added to the bone marrow donor registry. In doing my small bit to assist in that effort, I just ordered a tissue-typing kit online (a simple cheek swab that you do yourself, and mail back), so that I can get myself added to the national bone marrow donor registry. And I’m posting this tonight to encourage others to do the same - if you’re medically qualified, willing to make the commitment to become a donor if you end up being a match for someone in need, and have the means (the kit usually costs around US$52 - typically considered a tax-deductible donation), please, please, please consider it. For more information about Emru, bone marrow donation, and how (easily) you can get yourself added to the registry, please visit http://www.healemru.com/. If you can’t get added to the registry, please pass the word along. The more donors there are in the registry, the better the odds that Emru - or anyone else in similar need of a donor - will be able to find a match. Human lives depend on this effort.

Summary:

• Please take some time to check out http://www.healemru.com/.
• If you’re willing and able, get added to the registry.
• Spread the word. If you have a blog, post this info. If you have a mouth, use it to tell someone about this cause.
• Donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society don’t hurt, either. Again, if you have the means, please consider it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie at SoCha

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Baked fresh today, right here at SoCha. Tastes as good as it looks, too. Mmmmmmmm, cookie.

Fire in the Mission

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

The apartment building behind Dovre Club is on fire!!

My brother-in-law Nelson passed away on January 22nd - he would have been 40 years old today. We miss him… Well, a lot of people miss him. I’ve got some photos on flickr (tagged “ZippyK”), and now (thanks, Toni!) there’s a really lovely memorial web site up at nelsonaspilla.com. Nelson really brought a lot of people together, and brought a lot of smiles into people’s lives - these memories of him will continue to do that. Happy Birthday, brother-in-law.

I Pity Da Fool

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

TEH AWESOME art at Favors Estate Liquidations Warehouse Sale in Oakland. This place *rawks*.

Buddha at Anon Salon

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Happy New Year!!

Solar Bears at the Ice Rink

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Solar Bears at the Ice Rink!

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas…

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Hippopotamus snoozing at the SF Zoo

Agent Dan at Pin 3

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Disc golfing in Golden Gate Park with Agent Dan.

The Face of 36

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Here I sit (at Metreon), about a week late wishing myself a Happy Birthday. I’ll forgive myself this time. My trusty Venti Decaf Drip No Room is by my side (and In Mah Belly!), keeping me warm. Going to meet Em and Agent Dan (yes, he’s visiting SF) in a few minutes, and had a whole 7 minutes to kill, so I figured I’d take six minutes (I’m typing with my thumbs, people) to thank everyone who called, sent a card, sent an e-mail, sent a text message, and/or wrote on my Facebook wall. Really feeling the love this year! So many ways to keep in touch, and I’m still pretty bad at it. My apologies for not responding sooner, and I promise to get individual replies going soon. I’ve been crazy busy lately, and I’m hoping this long weekend will let me get caught up a bit. One year older, and maybe getting a teeny tiny bit better at keeping in touch…?

US Mint in San Francisco

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

One of my favorite buildings in this city…