The Girl With The Orange Hubcaps

A couple of years ago, E and I attended a Scion owners' event that was really fun and sent us home with lots of goodies for our cars. I won a really nice set of rims, which sat in the garage for over a year while I hemmed and hawed over whose car to put them on (they fit both). I finally decided to give them to E since his car needs to look nice for his drive-in movies. I didn't mind as to me, while a car can definitely be an extension of someone's personality, it is primarily utilitarian.

When the Scion brand first hit the market in '03, they campaigned as being the cars ideal for personlization. Again, that was never really my thing, but I enjoyed looking at the stuff other folks did to theirs whenever we attended gatherings. There used to be a lot of nifty events, but things changed. There were design changes in '08 that I'm not overly fond of and just looked at the 2010 xB, which is not attractive at all. But, I still love my xA and E's first generation xB.

So, what in the world is this all about? Orange hubcaps? What. Well, when I was leaning toward giving up the rims, E suggested I could so something funky such as painting my hubcaps orange. Feeling a little guilty owning a Scion that I never modded, I thought it might be a fun thing to do. We had extra hubcaps so figured if it didn't work out it would be no big deal. Eventually, we found some spray paint I liked--"pumpkin orange"--and E finished them up for my birthday. If you know me at all, you know I love orange. I've gotten several compliments, as well as a few snide comments, but whatever...I like 'em. Now maybe I'll get around to putting on the spoiler that I also got for free.

Let's Wrap This Up

I've started a final Maker Faire post a couple of times and it seems to be heading in a bad (too long and too boring) direction. Feel free not to read any further (you know who you are). My feelings will not be hurt.

The Arrival (Thursday)
Having decided to get some sleep, rather than drive through the night without any shut-eye, we arrived in San Mateo later than intended. Thursday was "Maker Day," complete with presentations by and for participating makers. We managed to catch some of the nighttime program and pick up our credentials. Luckily, the drive itself was uneventful. Due to the amount of gear we had to haul, and the fact that we'd be leaving E's car in our exhibit, we traveled separately in our own cars. After the programming winded down, we checked in to our hotel and searched the internet for late-night dining. We ended up at Heidi's Pies, which did the trick. The pumpkin pie slice we shared was excellent.

Set Up Day (Friday)
We arrived nice and early for set up. Not too many other exhibitors were in our area yet and tables and chairs were still being delivered. It was a good thing though, as we had to negotiate and figure out our space a bit. We were able to get E's Scion xB in place and work out the rest of the layout. It took most of the day to get the three things we brought set up. Our neighbors started arriving later in the day. We were right near some cool folks from a program at NYU. Our friends from Machine Project were close by too. We shared tools and a few laughs while getting everything in order. E and I made a last minute dash to Radio Shack for some extension cords and PowerSquids®.

After finalizing the exhibits, we hopped on a veggie oil powered bus that took us to a yoga retreat in Half Moon Bay. We had a very healthy dinner, took a walk down to the ocean, and hung out with other makers by fire pits. Even though it was pretty chilly, it was quite a treat.

Maker Faire, Day 1 (Saturday)
It turns out that our live 3D video display was quite popular! Our table stayed quite busy for much of the day. As I mentioned before, E and I didn't get out of the exhibit much to see anything. Somehow, it was still a lot of fun. One of the highlights for me was meeting Madretz in person. She has a great post, complete with photos, describing some of the fun things she saw at the event. You might even see someone you recognize!

In spite of our exhaustion, we headed straight to Berkeley from the show for a MobMov drive-in. It ended up being a much later night than I anticpated as we got stuck in some gnarly traffic as we made our way back to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. We learned a lot about the local drivers and came to the conclusion that many seem to be quite aggressive. I suppose it could have been the traffic. For all of L.A.'s car congestion, I haven't experienced this kind of driving.

Maker Faire, Day 2 (Sunday)
The morning started with me making a trip out to my car and feeling something really uncomfortable in my boot. I definitely wore the wrong shoes on Saturday and had switched. So, I took it off, only to discover several bits of hamster chow in the bottom! Yeah. I tossed the seeds and nuggets to a squirrel who was sitting near the hotel door. He wasn't too interested though, as he'd found a slice of pizza which he proceeded to carry up a tree. And me without my camera. Anyway, back to the show.

We learned a bit about the crowd density at our booth on Saturday, primarily that it was much thinner early on. I think since there were so many things to see outdoors at the faire, including robots and fire, that it took a while for people to wander into the buildings. So, E went off to see what he could first thing. That way, we'd have fewer technical inquiries about the 3D displays that I couldn't answer. There were some hardcore nerds asking really tough, detailed questions! When E returned, I got to look around a bit. I was excited to see the Life Size Mousetrap game in action. I took some photos and spent a lot of time in the Bazaar Bizarre area, hemming and hawing over which tote bag to get. I bought one, but ended up with two. However, that is another story.

Our overall Maker Faire experience was wonderful. The staff of the event were really nice and helpful. They really put an effort into making it as fun for the makers as for the attendees. It was also really inspiring to be around so many smart and creative people. We're planning to go next year, whether or not we are exhibiting anything. Of course, E does have some ideas brewing so we shall see.

I did mention before that I was pretty astounded by the behavior of some members of the general public. I guess that is to be expected. It did inspire me to create a list of rules, which I'm sure none of my readers need, but definitely were not followed by all of our visitors.

Exhibit Hall Rules (For Asshats)

• Do not leave your garbage or snack crumbs on exhibit tables.

• Do not manhandle, drop, or throw down items that are on display.

• Just because it is on display does not mean you can take it.

• Do not knock over items and walk away, pretending you didn't.
  

• Do not walk through the back of our booth, unplugging our equipment and causing computers to crash.
  

• Do not repeatedly swing your full cup of beer (or any other liquid) over our expensive electronic equipment.
  

• Supervise your damn children so they don't do any of the above.

• When the show is over (you and I both know that you heard the announcement)...LEAVE!

I'm slowly posting some of the photos I took. There are also many blogs, photos, and videos about the 2007 Bay Area Maker Faire if you search.

The Departure
It took a few hours to pack up and load out Sunday night. We got some dinner and then watched Lost back in the hotel room. E had burned the week's episode onto a dvd and we projected it on the wall. We slept in on Monday and hit the road in the early afternoon. We took the longer route home (the 101). It added a couple of hours to trip, but had much less uphill than the 5, which we drove in on. Our cars, especially E's, were so loaded down that we wanted to minimize the climbing. On one stretch of the homeward bound drive, I got 42 mpg, which was pretty exciting. I do too much surface street driving to ever get that in L.A.

E has moved on to the next big geek activity as this weekend is the big 30th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration. I'm working tomorrow, but will probably check it out on Monday. If I finish unpacking.

Driving In L.A.

Yesterday was remarkable in that E and I were both feeling reasonably well enough to leave the house together and participate in life. What a nice change! Granted, we got a bit of a late start, but journeyed down to the California Science Center to check out the Star Wars exhibit.

After the Star Wars fun, we drove around in my little Scion xA some more. Our adventures included:

• Desperately looking for a relatively affordable gas station, as my needle was on 'R.'*

• Driving by a friend's new house. Well, he's still in escrow, but it will be his soon. We can't wait to swim in the pool!
  

• Helping Rescuing an aging, somewhat chubby Chihuahua.

• A yummy, Japanese dinner.

• A hilarious show called 'Dirty Found,' put on by the guys from Found Magazine. Dirty good times!
  

I may discuss one or more of these things in more detail at some point. Right now, I have a lot to catch up on in terms of cleaning up my yard and house. We've really neglected things during our recent illnesses.

*Instead of E for 'empty,' my fuel gauge has an 'R.' We joke that it means "Rutrow!" but that's just because we are silly.

I Was Hit By A Squirrel

Yes, you read that correctly. I was on my way to work bright and early this morning, for a class. I was actually really close to Ren's place and having jealous pangs, knowing she was still sleeping at such an early hour. Anyway, I suddenly notice a squirrel sprinting into the street, right toward my car. I slowed a bit and swerved a little too, but still heard and felt a THUD! in the rear of my vehicle. I caught my breath as my eyes welled up. As sad as I was, knowing I must have killed the critter, the disturbed part of me immediately looked back to check out the carnage. Not only was there no body, but the rodent was bolting back toward the yard from where it had run out initially. It seemed fine. I think I was more shaken.

One of my yard squirrels who is getting quite used to being photographed.

Giving Thanks

A few of the things for which I am thankful. In photos:

Eric and Me

Ren

Little Guy, Rusty, and Cosette

My parents and brothers

Dorky friends Jill and Stacie

Ami-ham!

Serenity

My camera

L.A., my city

Convict Lake, near Mammoth

Sunset at Westward Beach

There are many, many other things that I really appreciate, but just don't have photos handy. Good friends, new and old, in real life and online. A few more family members. My health, my career, and my home.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it. I'll be spending the day with Eric and some friends at the Happiest Place on Earth!

It's A Stretch

Being a little short on time, I'm really reaching for my daily post.

I was finally able to transfer my personalized plates from my old Jetta to my new car, Serenity, today! I removed the paper with the temporary information from my front window. I feel like she's now complete!

Why do so many people leave that temporary license on their front window once they've already gotten their plates? And why does it bother me?

Smattering Of Sarcasm

I have accomplished some things so far this weekend, but not the big things that need to be done. The primary thing looming over my head is the disaster that is my house. It's so bad that I'm overwhelmed by it and not working on it like I should be. And we won't even discuss my closet.

I did get my Halloween costume yesterday, which is a relief. I work with kids and we always make a big deal out of it. This year, we are going with a department-wide theme, which is "A Day At The Zoo." Some of my co-workers are extremely creative and will make very elaborate outfits. I am not so talented and was happy to be able to fit into a large child-size gorilla suit that was on sale for $15 at Rite Aid.

Serenity got a wash today and then made her first-ever trip to the Westside. Since I'm so underprivileged and live in The Valley, it was a special treat. I hadn't driven the new car west of West Hollywood yet. But now she's been to Santa Monica and will never be the same again. Why I thought she might just sputter out and stall on the 405 as we headed back over the hill. We may have better cupcakes here, but everything else just sucks. Now I'm so depressed that I live in such a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad place that I definitely won't get any of my chores done!

*Addendum: In all seriousness, I'm kind of annoyed that some Westside tree dripped sap all over my new, newly cleaned car. It may be awhile before we visit again.

Cool Beans

• Ding dong, the Jetta's gone! That's right, I am now the owner of just one car! Woo hoo. Some of you received excited emails, texts, IMs, or phone calls a little over a week ago, when I found my buyer. We finalized the sale and transferred the title yesterday. Sweet relief.
  

• We saw Forbidden Planet and The Tingler as part of a special event at the Mission Tiki Drive-In last night. E got to promote his mobile drive-in and Huell Howser gave me popcorn!
  

• I spent today at the L.A. Zoo Photo Day. I won't have time to review and upload many (or any) of the hundreds of photos I took tonight, but hopefully soon (see below).
  

• We're off to The Magic Castle in a bit for an event. It should be fun, but is making for a very long Sunday. My feet are aching from trekking around the zoo all day, so I hope we get to sit a lot!
  

Baby You Can Drive My Car

I understand that lots of people have their sob stories. Hey, I have a few of my own too. Not the least of which is the fact that I bought a new car a couple of weeks ago and I really need to recoup the down payment I made on it as soon as possible. So, please won't someone buy my old car?

I'm so sorry, but no, I cannot put you on a monthly payment plan. It's a nice idea, but I'm not set up to operate as a bank.

Also, I understand there's traffic (Hello! We live in Southern California, remember?), but I left work early today, which you knew I had to do, and paid to get the car washed so you could come see it. But I am desperate and therefore will inconvenience myself again for you later this week.

If you drove the car over a week ago and decided you don't want it, that it fine. Even though you seemed very, very interested, I understand. Just please tell me and stop stringing me along.

I will be so happy when this aggravation is finally over.

Sunday Sundries

A couple of mornings last week, I took a different route to work. Instead of hopping on the 101 near Lankershim and Cahuenga, I took Barham and got on the freeway further south. On both days, I had side-of-road sightings. The one day it was a dead, young coyote. It was pretty intact from my vantage point and looked like it was sleeping. Sad. On the next trip I made over the hill, I spotted a perfect loaf of challah, wrapped in plastic a la Laura Palmer. I was briefly tempted to pull over.

I mentioned before that we went to Video Games Live last Thursday night. I took the Bowl shuttle and E met me there, as he was already in Hollywood. After the show, we walked to E's car and went to one of our favorite late-night places for a bite to eat. The food is great and the comic book/sci-fi decor is fun. However, the service is notoriously slow. Knowing that, we brought free weekly paper in to peruse upcoming events, etc. We finally wrapped up dinner and got back to the lot where I'd parked. As we pulled into the huge, empty space, save for my little xA, I noticed a humongous sign that stated "No Parking 1 am to 5 am." It was 2 am. Dammit. I'd been in a hurry to get to the bus earlier and didn't even see the sign. So, yep, there on my new car was a parking ticket. So, I know how I'll be spending part of any birthday money I receive next week.

After sleeping in and getting a much later start than planned on Friday, we headed out to Pomona to check out this year's L.A. County Fair. It was fun, but a little disappointing as we missed seeing the baby farm animals, my very favorite thing to do there. We did manage to catch the last pig race of the night and ate some of the not-so-healthy food. E played a couple of midway games and won a few cheesy prizes to add to our collection.

Yesterday, I took an intensive work-related and am actually quite sore today. Luckily, the class was small and we got out a little early. I was able to nap a little before Totally 80's at the Hollywood Bowl. ABC opened, which confused me because I thought they were headlining. Anyway, they were great and Martin Fry sported an awesome bright orange suit! Next, The Psychedelic Furs performed second and were much, much better than last summer in Orange County. Richard Butler's voice continues to slay me, after all these years. The Human League wrapped up the night with a brilliant set. They were the one act I'd never seen live, so it was a real treat. I have to say that the only thing that I really disliked about the night were the between band bits that Jane Wiedlin hosted. It was mostly bad karaoke with out-of-sync lyrics.

I was up early this morning to spot-clean and show my Jetta to a potential buyer (keep those fingers crossed for me!) I'm now thinking I'll round out my day with a wee nap before running some errands and doing some laundy, bill-paying, and other assorted chores that are not so fun.

What Would You Say?

I'm not really sure what I want to say today. Sometimes inspiration hits me on topics to discuss and I even jot notes on paper. But later, the moment is gone and I just don't do it. Some things I've been thinking about recently:

• The process of trying to sell my old car. A friend requested that I blog about this and probably will when it's over. (Will it ever be?)

• Various things I've seen on the side of the road when driving to work. Some were dead. Probably not interesting to anyone but me.
  

• The sick feeling I'm experiencing over the announcement of Duran Duran collaborating with Justin Timberlake. Even more confounding is the fact that I seem to be the only person in the world upset by this. Justin Timberlake? Come on.
  

• Another night at the Hollywood Bowl last night. No, I probably won't write much on that as the show was a little lost on me. It was Video Games Live, which is cool if you are into that sort of thing.
  

• I liked Ren's post the other day that updated us on what she's reading, listening to, watching, etc. I basically blogged in her comments, but still may do this as a post.
  

• Halloween costume ideas. Ack! I'm at a loss right now, although my work costume will probably be decided for me and I may just boycott. Yeah right, I wish I was that punk ass to actually do it. I'm sure I'll be the good little worker bee and do what I'm told.
  

• A serious topic like politics, religion, or the environment. Actually, I'll probably just keep it light and fluffy. I don't think I'm articulate enough to write about the important stuff.

• Oh yeah, and I got a parking ticket last night. Bummer.
  

You Can't Take The Sky From Me...

...but, you can take away my access to Blogger. I couldn't get in to post last night. Or even read many of the blogs I normally do. Oh well, I was having a late post-Hollywood Bowl (more on that later) dinner and watching the last episode and DVD extras of Firefly.

Anyway, there were some good guesses on the car's name, my favorites being "Haiku" and "Puffy Ami Car Car." The name I chose does come from one of my current obsessions. And, yeah, I'm a dork, I know. I'll just say that so Ren doesn't have to, but she can if she wants to.

Not only did I name the car "Serenity," but I programmed it into the stereo. I think it originally says "Scion" when you turn the car on, but you can change it to say whatever you want. Shiny.

New Addition

Nope, I didn't get another hamster or dog. No oven buns either. Just a new car. A new car! I've wanted Scion xA for some time and as my Jetta is getting up there in years, it was time to move on. I was ready for something smaller with better gas mileage. I purchased through my credit union, so I never had to step foot on a dealer's lot. I just snapped a quick photo this evening that didn't turn out so well, but you get the idea.

I did give the car a name already. Anyone care to take any guesses?

What A Girl Wants

Most of the time I'm quite satisfied with what I "have" in life. Right now though, I've really been craving a few new things.

• A new car. I have my heart set on a blue, Scion xA. It'll cost around 14 grand, minus whatever trade-in I can get for my Jetta.
  

• A new camera. Again, I know the model I want. The Sony DSC-H1. It has been on sale and/or had rebate offers I missed out on. I'm looking to drop $350-400 for it.
  

• A new pet. No, I'm not getting rid of my dogs, but I really want to get a hamster. So many people have tried talking me out of this foolishness. I was never allowed to have any type of "rodent" as a child and for whatever imbecilic reason, I now want one. They are on sale at Petco for $8.99-19.99.
  

At this point, I think I'll do the wise thing and purchase none of the above. I think I should wait on the car until we get our tax refund and finish paying off Eric's student loan, which will be very soon. I do need to consider the impact of adding a hamster to a three dog household and if that will cause problems. My dogsitter has begged me not to get a cute, furry little rodent and will probably no longer feed my dogs if I do.

The camera...well, Valentine's Day and my anniversary are both in the near future, so...

We'll see. I have a full life and lots of pets and gadgets. My Jetta is currently running. I don't need anything else right now.*

*Except for a big bag of money. I'll take one of those.

It's A Beautiful Day, Don't Let It Get Away

I really should be outside taking photos. We have a gorgeous blue, cloudless sky, thanks to the bit of rain yesterday. It's windy and sort of chilly, by Southern California standards, but simply beautiful.

In spite of the outdoor splendor, after I run a few errands I will be parking my butt in front of the tv for my Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0 marathon. Eric just left to go to San Jose for a few days, so I won't be watching the season premiere of 24 tonight and tomorrow night. This will keep me distracted and hopefully get me caught up to the current episodes.

Even though I didn't go to the Duran Duran show in Cabazon last night, I've had some fun the past few days. Thursday night was the monthly Downtown Art Walk in Los Angeles. We happened upon one of the galleries at just the right time to see Clive Barker painting nude models who then walked around the gallery and posed in their newly colorful skin. We ended our night downtown at the "Speakeasy," a prohibition era inspired place underneath one of the galleries. You need a password to get in and it's dark and atmospherey. The sad thing is that the city is going to tear down the gallery and build a car wash for the police department. I wish I was kidding.

We went to another art event last night. There was an opening reception for Lara Jo Regan's newest Mr. Winkle exhibit, Hotel-Motel Nudes. For those of you who are Mr. Winkle fans, it is a great collection of photos of the famous dog sans costume in various hotels and motels. I can't wait until she publishes these shots in a book because they are wonderful.

I almost forgot that we went to the L.A. Auto Show Friday night. I was underwhelmed. I not really a "car person" anyway, but it just seemed more lame this year. I did confirm that the Scion xA is the next car I plan to own, possibly sooner than later.

My car will not start
It has become a beater
I want to drown it

Photo Friday: Retro

'Retro'