Pedestrian Prose

A continuation of the Twelve Town playlist; put these together with the first set (see previous blog entry).

In the first list we started in D major, so the transition to A major isnt really a stretch since it is the major fifth. It gets interesting in Sail to the Moon because it ends so ambiguously in E flat. Songs like this are quite necessary when creating this kind of playlist (if you need to move to a new key). Finally, the transition to B flat major is again no big deal because it is the major fifth to E flat major.

Enjoy!

I love mass transit, and the Bay Area has quite a variety.  In San Francisco, they have MUNI: a system of busses, trolley cars, and trains to go about the city.  The trains, or muni-metro as they are called, come in two directions: inbound (toward downtown) or outbound (away from downtown).

At the metro stations they play two tones when a train approaches: low-high for the outbound train, and high-low for the inbound train.  It just so happens that the tones for the inbound train are a perfect fourth.  So, naturally, I start singing a little Petula Clark number (for the non-music geeks, the “downtown” in the song is a perfect fourth):

When you’re alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go inbound
When you’ve got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know inbound
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?…

The corner of Haight and Ashbury.  Behind me is the GAP. I didn’t go there.

Amoeba Records: this picture is a third of the store.  Huge selection of new and used CDs, audio cassettes, and vinyl.

A mannequin orgy at the Kenneth Cole store.

Ah, San Francisco.  This is my fourth visit here, and first time not staying with my grandparents (they live in nearby Berkeley).  So this will be the first time I actually get to see the night life here.  The ethnographer in me loves to study the gay night life in each city I go in so that I might better appreciate our own gay night life in Little Rock.  Ha.

Heres a few pictures I took from Coit Tower:

Alcataz: notice how close it is to the mainland (above and below). Scary.

Looking west from Coit Tower. From here you can see Golden Gate Bridge (center right) and the famous City Lights bookstore (bottom left).  Notice how the clouds have as much prominence as the earth in this picturean indication of what makes San Francisco great: the weather.

Looking south from Coit Tower. In the foreground you can see that people have managed to not only slip coins through the class but have them land on the ledge.  On top of the pennies there is a Philippines dollar coin. In the background is downtown San Francisco.

Traveling is fun.  You have to anticipate your needs for the next week-and-a-half or so, consolidate your belongings to a few bags, and be prepared to be alone and independent.  In my last few travels I’ve noticed specific things to make the journey easier.

The number one would have to be my ipod.  I thank Jenna everyday for inspiring me to get an ipodmy live is forever changed from it.  I’m on my third one these days.  Y’all remember the tragic death of DJ Shaft and the Millennium Disco; his successor, Helveticaman, didn’t last very long.  His screen got crushed during a quasi-wild new year’s party (not covered by Apple Care).  Now I have an ipod videoBarbaric Yawlperand it’s been so far so good.  I am a bit put-out because my headphones are buzzing and I didn’t bring a spare.  Grrrr.

The second most important travel resource would be something to read or look at.  I like to bring several things for this category.  Usually, I have plenty of school reading to catch-up on.  This trip I must complete my Rhetorical Theory reading response journal, so I brought those two textbooks: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, and Professing the New Rhetorics.  I also brought a few interior decorating magazines as a guilty pleasure.

Number three goes to the hotel or wherever you are staying.  After a few bargain experiences, I have since decided to make it a point to stay at a conference hotel whenever possible.  The Hyatt Regency was at par.  I had a decent view from my 17^th floor room and the service was good.

Surprisingly, the company you keep comes in fourth for me.  I guess if I were to reevaluate this list, it could be higher.  I have been really lucky during this trip in finding people I like and appreciate.  They in turn have been really great to include me in the family of information architects (with only a minimal amount of hazing).  I made fast friends this entire trip, and even met some of my idols in the field.  Good people.

Finally, and I’ve mentioned this before, you must be comfortable with yourself and being by yourself.  Travel can be an amazing time to sort-out that which your normal life and environment won’t necessarily let you work out.  It has been a great five days for me to get it all worked out, only to be presented with new challenges, problems, and questions.

Here is a small example of what I mean:

Friday
Current mood: reflective

So I’ve been absorbing a lot here in Vancouver, Canada.  Yesterday, after sitting in a conference room all day, I escaped to English Bay.  My jeans absorbed a bit of the ocean (like a wick, really), and my shoes took on some sand.

My mind is blurred from such concepts as Ambient Findability and Information Architecture.  Peter Morville did really well, though, and the conference has been excellent thus far.  I even saw him running along the beach where I stopped to find my soul.  I wanted to stop him and say “found you!” but didn’t.

It was good to see my friend the Pacific again.  We shook hands and I teared a bithe didn’t mind the extra drop of salt water, though.  There is something about seeing the ocean and knowing that you’re at the edge of something.  It’s both comforting and challenging.  So I sat a bit and watched the sun set and water recede.

So far I’ve met fabulous people and have taken.  Here are just a few of those pix:

Vancouver as seen from North Vancouver.

Lion’s Gate Bridge as seen from the “Seabus.”

The “Seabus.”

The “Seabus.”

Here’s a few candid shots of what life is like here:

The customs line to get into Canada.

At the hotel you get a copy of “The Teachings of Buddha” in addition to “Holy Bible.”

It’s like play money.

Davie Street (the gay district in Vancouver).

My typical breakfast in Vancouver.  Damn I take a lot of pills…

So this is my second day in Vancouver, Canada, and Ive been absorbing a lot.  Today, after sitting in a conference room all day, I escaped to English Bay.  My jeans absorbed a bit of the ocean (like a wick, really), and my shoes took on some sand.  My mind is blurred from such concepts as Ambient Findability and Information Architecture.  Peter Morville did really well, though, and the conference has been excellent thus far.  After the days events I even saw him running along the beach.  Im grateful to be learning about findability, because I feel like Im stopping to find my soul.

It was good to see my friend the Pacific again.  We shook hands and I teared a bitit didnt mind the extra drop of salt water.  There is something about seeing the ocean and knowing that youre at the edge of something.  It is both challenging and comforting.  So I sat a bit and watched the sun set and waters recede.

Well, Ive been meeting fabulous people and taking many pictures.  Here are a few of the physical architecture of Vancouver:

I’m all set for this trip.  I got a new digital camera so that I can complete my travel-blog obligations.  I got to try it out at Myles’s St. Patty’s Day party on the 14th floor of the First Security Building (my current profile background is of downtown Little Rock from that balcony).

So I’ve been working on a twelve-tone playlist, that is, a playlist that cycles through all the keys where songs are matched by tonality.  Though I’m quite far along on this project, I thought I’d share it one piece at a time.

This pre-travel playlist was made in the key of D major: