Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Photo del día: she's got a ticket to ride

she's got a ticket to ride
but Frenchie don't care.
- - -
Stockton at Ellis, Downtown.

I Live here: SF | Exhibit & Opening photos

it's all in the details
Where did November go?! It started with a massive baseball-winning Giant party, and now we are at the last day of the chrysanthemum month. Here is the much promised post for the I live here SF: Opening, which took place at the beginning of November 5th. (and a got many city events coming
--- but seriosuly, October and November... two nautty fast fun months!!)

Opening reception, Friday Nov. 5th at SOMArts
silvy and her magic poems
silvy and her magic poems
flickerverse
friends of the interwebs
say cheese
with Mike and the always fabulous Wardell
ILHSF
Stories
collage
photography is boring
sign of the times
I Live Here:SF
We live here

Julie and I connected reading each other's blogs quite sometime ago. She photographed me sometime in 2009, and we had such a good time roaming through some of the hills and places with our precious beautiful tools. Julie had a super cool camera with a lens she had checked out or borrowed, and me with my bike. That morning we met for early coffee and the texture and lighting in the skies were wicked cool, as it had just stopped pouring. It has been one of my most fun mornings with a wonderful local creative woman. I love what you do Julie!! 
Julie y yo
Julie y yo
oh HAI
I was so stoked and excited to see the all of the photographs, up close and full of color.
Here is a photo of a very happy me (taken by Alex, thx!) in front of my photo at the Lyon steps =)


- - -
I was very happy and quite flattered to be part of the Discussion Panel which took place a couple of weeks ago, rain and all. I posted it not too long ago, right before the Thanksgiving break [link]
Here my bloggie friend Amber, sent me a Diptych piece from it with 2 of the posted photos -so nice, ♥thanks!!

And well, and tonight is the closing reception --  so don't miss it!

Tuesday, November 30: Closing Night Reception
5-7pm
If you couldn’t make it for the opening night, or just couldn’t get enough… come for one last visit to the wonderful collection of images from the I Live Here:SF project in the main gallery. Silvi Alcivar of The Poetry Store will be on site to create custom poems our own indoor 30-Stockton Muni bus shelter. via ilivehereSF»

Dads on Wheels: thank you!!

Dads on Wheels: thank you!!

Many thanks to all the fantastic dads for participating in yet another super fun and successful collaboration series and to our readers.
See all the previous posts here: featured dads
and the ones over at BikeNOPA, which thank you post -collage included!- from my collaborating partner over in bikeNOPA: check out Michael's closing series post here [link] =)
-
Our previous kick-off series, was the very popular and a beloved local favorite Women Who Bike
♥Stay tuned and happy riding everyone!!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Knit to knit you

scenic knit 

The motivation for returning to work after the Thanksgiving break is low. The belly is way too happy and I am all for finding any possible distractions on my various routes to work, caffeine being the main big crutial distraction. 
I have come across these adorable findings all over town. The knit bombers, knit invasion and whatever they are called, I like them a lot. 
My pretty bloggie-friend over in New York Jennine found some super wacky pink-red sweaters, I am very likely to wear myself (the-coveted link) and my buddy Keoki shared a link Berkeley's yarn bomber "the Russian" (berkeleyside link). I am liking this movement of knitted pieces around the interweb, and even better to see them upclose. I'm sure our bikeys love it!
cozy
knit to knit you
Cozy sweater poles around the Embarcadero
so knitty

blue and bleu
sweater
Have you seen any of these around your neighborhood, or bike routes? They are so cool! =)

Photo del día: an early morning

mi new friend
In good caffeinated company.
farm:table on Post street.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Feliz happy Thanksgiving!

happy thxgivin!
From the archives - drawing in my 2005 calendar.
Día de gracias
Día de gracias. Frenchie 2010

Now, a few days off with the Mamigrosa. We'll be roaming around the City, going on walks and drinking lots of coffee.
Will be eating lots on Thursday and chilling.
I am thankful for everything and everyone around me, especially mi madre.

Proud mamigrosa bien happy with the 2 catrinas en el BART station
Proud mamigrosa bien happy with the 2 catrinas en el 16th BART station
Mobile photo of my mom at the Honoring Revolution's installation.

I'll be back to the blogesphere next week.
Happy thanksgiving everyone!!
Besos, bisous +kisses  ♥xxo.meli

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Discussion panels, colorful, rainboots, friends and arepas. It's raining, ¿y qué!??

it's raining. y que?!
Riding in the rain.
Slow, wet.
It sucks. It's fun.

So wat, right?! Rain has been very temperamental in the last few days.
One minute the sky has super cool cloud patterns, the next it's raining buckets. I'm into it.
joaniebaby y frenchie

How do you prepare to ride in the rain?
I have contemplated buying a new raincoat for a few years. Last Saturday, I was caught a tad on the non-prepared side, but still managable. My little 'summer' wind-water resistant jacket earned lots of respect from me because it dried *super* fast and it kept me dry after riding in what seems a long distance when it is raining buckets. I'm sure it would have started to fail if we rode 4+miles during that time, but after dinner the rain calmed down a bit and the drops didn't seem as intense. There was also some thunder. By the end of the night, I had almost forgotten we had gotten so wet earlier in the evening, which is a good thing. Anyway, here is how the afternoon began.

quesooooo
Here is la Calitexican and I, this is how we rode, with the exception that I swapped the sweater with my jacket, but that is about it. The red dress is linen-like cotton and it got drenched, but it dried super fast. Tights are great to ride in the rain, the dry out. Also do it quite quickly. And the boots I was wearing, they pretty much put up with poddles, rain and all. I always forget each year if they perform OK in rainy days. I guess they do well. And for rain-bike parking I always tote around a shower cap to cover the saddle, trick learned from our friend Ade.
Melyssa here is rocking some pretty awesome argyle-pattern rain boots. I'll get a picture of them and her bike once we are not swimming in traffic.

This was this past Saturday, I participated in the I Live Here: SF discussion panel. It is the first panel I have ever participated in and it made me feel very special to be with such wonderful people and their thoughts, things and snippets of life they got to share with us all.
The panel consisted of a number of us covering multiple age groups, interests, ethnicities, neighborhoods and interests. Julie Michelle, the woman behind the awesome myriads of images in these walls, presented each of us with 2-3 well selected questions for each of us, which evoked an answer that could easily turned into a conversational long paragraph. I also wanted to thank mi special amigos crew for going, the weather was quite umpredictable, and no one likes the first few rainy days.
So thank you!

1-2 1-2
1-2 1-2
Justin check the mics. Julie in the far left, began the discussion panel shortly after.
panel begins
The audience.
get your yo-yoing on.
Awesome yo-yo demo included, that's right. This is yo-yo Joe.
with Donald
After the panel ended, I got to finally meet long-time blog reader Donald of A Photo a Day. Hola! =)

Here is Wardell and I.
We make a great duo because we both ride beautiful machines in their own sense, and we share an affinity for bold-loud-fun fashion, what do you think?! His car (is a she) Star One, is a fantastic piece of art.
Two of us and our two machines.
we make a great duo
Frenchie y Star One
Frenchie y Star One

The exhibit's closing reception is next Tuesday Nov. 30th from 5-7PM.
Thanks for reading!! Stay colorful + stay dry 
♥xxo.meli

Monday, November 22, 2010

Photo del día: Monday five.

dowtown light
Downtown San Francisco.
Multiple directions. Five nearby men. Walk, bike bus. 

Bicycle Film Festival 2010

weekend
Last weekend.
The Bicycle Film Festival brings tons of films and creative movies into one place. Working hard and playing twice as hard, I didn't have a chance to check as many programs as I wish I had, or that I have checked out in past years or 2008 when I got to go to almost all the films.
But that was then. and this is now.
I stopped by on Sunday to check out the cyclocross program and I enjoyed it.
When should I pick you up
"When should I pick you up?!" -wouldn't you just love to go out on a ride with that bike, so fun!!
stickerlands
stickerlands
parkinglands
calitexican and the guys, rocking the parkinglands.
Melyssa worked most of the festival so if you attended this year, she probably parked your bike.
joaniebaby
joaniebaby

 The movie is The Cyclocross meeting by Brian Vernor. Typically, I like seeing specific films because I love learning about aspects of cycling I don't know much about. Cyclecross is one of them, though I would love to ride in the mud and travel around, once I saw a good friend of mine fall on the smallest little stupid rock, at an angle his knee hit the corner and it split right open. Seeing that first hand after he had like a gazillion stitches and was such a trooper about it, made me highly aware of it - especially with my spoiled knee. I am no longer a teenager, and I am not in my 30s BUT my knee I love very muchhhhhhhh!
OK back to cyclocross.
These guys are fun-insane. The film took place around a few places stateside-Europe and Japan. One of my favorite scenes was when one of the racing guys was featured and presented his place and his morning routine. I don't recall his name but he lived in very small apartment, maybe considered a small studio. He kept his wheels outside, so there was this cool scene of him heading out for ride/training in the early morning in Japan, carrying just his frame because he could harldy fit on his way out and he had to put his wheels back onto the bike outside his apartment.
At the end of the film the director had a small Q+A session but I didn't get to ask any.
I wanted to ask if he was going to continue to shoot such films, if he ever would do women.
zoom
zoom
cyclecross beauties
After the movie. Ran into the cyclecross pretty awesome ladies Arena + May.
The fantastic feeling about the cyclocross races I saw earlier this month in the SF Bike Expo, is that not only both men and women were rocking this year's Sheila Moon bright funky orange kit (which is super cool!) but that there were a large amount of young girls watching the race and at the same time there were many other things going on (like young guys flying up 30 feet up in the air, sales, shows, and so many bike activities) but it was very impacting for me tosee the little girls and women fans of all ages, me included, become HUGE fans of these butt kicking ladies doing the course.
hop master!
hop master!
(From SF Bike Expo, Nov 6th -- which post from the event should be coming soon...)

So, to sum it up and asides the fact that I am alwayspushing for exposure and representation of women with bicycles, I did enjoyed the film plenty. I thought the way the cameras were handled, for such crazy movements and nature of the cyclocross races, was well executed. Also the landscapes in the early morning and Japan and Brian describing his Lost in Translation moments, were rather nice stories that go along with it and they are fun to hear about =)

Overall, the Bicycle Film Festival is a mandatory *fun* series of events to go to every year. Already looking forward once again, for next year. 
♥A special+sincere thanks to Nora.
Bikes ROCK!

Copenhagen, in the house.

copenhagen boys
I ran into these two handsome young men, visiting from Copenhagen.
The one on the right told me he really like the Frenchie, he said to not look at his bike because he was only borrowing it and then he started cracking up because it was way too small for him and who cares, it will take him there and back!!
The other guy said they were headed to a party. We kept riding and chatted for a bit, then we split way to each of our party destinations.
They were so sweet --- Nice meeting you both!

San Franciscan and Copenhagenittes seem to like to know how to party, we had an awesome time when Michael, our favorite señor from the Europeandlands visited a bit over a year ago (see his post here) we had a blast with Halloween critical mass, tequila, mariachis and late night city riding. That was super fun! =)

Friday, November 19, 2010

♥ I CAN HAS HAPEE FRIDAEEY!!

pewpewpewpewpew
pewpewpewpewpew

Los events: this weekend

♥Today Friday: San José bike party
 
Maybe the beard and the machine will even make an appearance...  
Details +maps are now poste: here

♥Blonde redhead
Friday 9PM at The Warfield.
tix 25-28$
 
♥Saturday - I live here:SF discussion panel
I will be participating in Julie's discussion panel this Saturday. If you are free please stop by!
SOMArts  | 934 Brannan Street
We have a panel discussionUncommon Cultures, with a diverse and wonderful selection of participants of the project. Film archivist Rick Prelinger will be there to talk about his Lost Landscapes of San Francisco film currently playing in the video gallery. So please come to the gallery to meet and have a Q&A with some of San Francisco's fascinating characters!
Date: Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (PT)

♥Sunday - I live here:SF discussion panel
November 21, 2010 from 4-9pm 
Location: Brava Theatre Center, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco 
via galeriadelaraza.org»
The 40th Anniversary Season will finish with a momentous evening composed of legendary performance, observance of cultural icons, as well as VIP celebration all of which are hosted at the Brava Theatre Center. The evening will begin with a silent auction and an awards ceremony honoring Sandra Cisneros, Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, and René Yañez for their worldwide contributions to the Latino community. 

Happy hour tonite is sponsored by the bike lane.

pays off to be slow
Found next to a parked car. Off Fell street.

-Previously in march: Riding always pays off

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Blue bread bike, brioches, birotes and bigotes

Mariachi hat, bici bread hat
I love it!!
I don't think I had noticed that pretty painting of the panadero bread man on his bici.
It must be fairly new, so I asked the guy working if he knew who panited it - and he said:
"I don't know who or where that is supposed to be, it was painted by this guy that comes and works here sometimes, so he just put it up"
 
Well, whoever that happy bigotudo is (man with thick mustache) in that painting, smiling with his cute overalls and blue bike, even a running chucho as a sidekick, he needs to come visit me *right now* and deliver me some of that sweet bread and empanadas, to go with my coffee =)

Bakery "La Mejor"
3329 24th st

Window seat, please.

Both shots taken within 5 seconds from the window. Opposite trains. Oakland rains
Opposite trains and Oakland rains
Oakland rain

Was hoping to capture some raindrops on the window, but Bart windows can often times display the sunset, a storm packing up and leaving for the next town, the train's remarkable filthy carpeted seats, and a the Bay view. This was right after taking off from the West Oakland station and going into the deep black infinte tunnel that lies underneath the Bay, connecting the East Bay with San Francisco.
Unintentionally, the guy and his pink bike made it into the frames.
Then I got back to my book.
This evening was the first day of daylight saving times, about 2 weeks ago.