man o' war mussels

This weekend I got to go on the most epic awesome camping adventure ever. We left Saturday morning, met up at the Greenpeace warehouse and took a full two hours to pack the van and prepare everything to go. We were taking Byak, one of the Greenpeace zodiaks, with us along with a van full and two cars full of people and a troupe of six bikers (only 43 miles. no sweat.). The ride getting out of the city alone took about an hour, and then another couple hours up to Point Reyes brought us there at around 3 in the afternoon. But the ride up was really interesting. Along with all the interns Lindsey Allen (Forest campaigner) and Casson Trenor (Oceans campaigner) were in the van and were talking a lot about their campaigns and what not. Super cool stuff.

We unpacked our absolutely ridiculous amount of stuff and spread it all out on the dock (facebook for pictures) and started shuttling people to the boat-in campsite across the way. I have now ridden in a GP boat. Pretty exciting! We had a little beach all to ourselves and right away Casson discovered man o' war jelly fish and sea nettles all over the beach so him and I went around and cleaned them all up. Once everyone else was shuttled in and our make-shift bucket for a toilet was set up we started the fire and enjoyed some bocce ball and greeted the arriving bikers.

Casson went on an adventure and brought us a bunch of wild mussels which most of us took the risk of trying a few of (three did end up with food poisoning a couple of days later, although we aren't sure if it was from that or not.) And then the fun and drinking started. It's really interesting partaking in such things with your boss... and everyone else you work with. But it was awesome fun. Some crazy times.

In the morning we slowly woke up and got ready and made out way back (it took four boat shuttles to get all of us and all our stuff back to the mainland) to the van. We drove over to the picnic where about twenty other people, some Greenpeace some family and friends of Greenpeace, were waiting on a beach for us with food! It was lovely. What a spread :) Totally worth the mile hike in. And a gorgeous beach too. Just no sun :( But oh well! And we even saw a bob cat on the drive out dashing through the brush!

We didn't get back until late in the evening, and I helped spray down the boat. (And I got to start a Greenpeace boat engine.. yeah yeah I know I'm milking this for all it's worth). By the time Jules and I finally got to her stop we realized it was way too dark and sketchy for her to walk alone in her area of town at night so we went to my place, fed my cat, and then bussed back to her place and both stayed there. Safety in numbers.

Pretty radtastic. At work we spent the morning starting to mail out 4500 Costco stickers to everyone who has downloaded the Costco toolkit in the States. Craziness.

tried to write something funny here, it didn't work out so well

On Tuesday Jules, Seb, and I left work at 2 and drove over to the East Bay with Mac in his car. We wandered around the shops at Telepgraph Hill for a while and checked out the Berkeley Cal campus. Then we headed over to Pena Cultural Centre for an awesome NVDA (Non-Violent Direct Action) training.

I've done a few of these, but this one was by far the best. There was so much really applicable hands on stuff that can definitely be used. How to de-escalate a situation, how to set up a blockade and arrange yourselves, arms and legs around the people around you, so you're more difficult to move. Not that I'm planning on stirring up trouble anytime soon, but it's all good to know.

After the NVDA training we ate - food was provided! I love provided food! And then stayed for a Teach-In all about the oil spill. Which was also ridiculously interested, and depressing all in one. The speakers were phenomenal though.

Then we took two BARTs and a bus back to Jules' place and I stayed over there. The next morning I finally got my Greenpeace blog published. Check it out:

http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/kelseymech/2010/07/20/activist-network-intern-s-reflection

Also, I'm hooked on this yoga thing.

san francisco.

pass me a spray can
i will detail this summer's eye
and sketch you a switch back
as you roll slowly down lombard lane
and crissy tugs your hair as you dance
in her ocean hugging field
and a helicopter flies over you
and takes your picture
and the drag queen on the bus
smiles at you with gay pride

i love this city. i love this town.

give me a paint brush
i will tell you a story in graffiti
of dirty cocaine deals
in this whip slapped crack land
i will show you her shaggy streets
raging lunatics and drunks
it reeks of insanity
and the sweet smell of transit sweat
follows me wherever i go

i love this city. i love this town.

give me a music box
i will sing you a song
of sourdough bread bowls
and sugary donuts on pier 39
and fisherman's wharf fortunes
promise me riches
but look around this place
you are already rich
burrito babies on every corner
and black and white
there is no grey

i love this city. i love this town.

give me a stage
i will dance an interpretation
of love in the wind
dark skinned couples kiss
just another breakfast at tiffany's
and beach bums in their surfing towns
the golden gate an arrow
to a whole new realm
of trees warring with desert
just drive north

i love this city. i love this town.

i will show you
where you shouldn't go
after dark
where the city's hauntings
will throw their trash in your face
where fire trucks will block the sound
of ghosts from alcatraz
and i will show you the beauty
cross my heart with china
and show you the town
greasy movies on dolores
and salted caramel ice cream
baked goods on a mission
and the sweet sweet sun
of july's thursday morning

i love this city. i love this town.

it has my heart.
don't make me leave.
but take me home.
i hate it here.
i love it here.
speckled cross-dressing
knotted chewed-up spit-out
back-stitched puzzle-piece
patched up quilted city that you are.

mini donut weekend

On Friday night after work Mac drove Jules and I over to his place in Orinda, past Berkeley in the East Bay. His house is so gorgeous! It's amazing. The three of us hung out for a while and around ten a bunch of his friends came over for a little shindig. We jumped on his trampoline and Jules and I slept in his guest bedroom... most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.

In the morning we took the Bart back home. I had a chill day and in the evening Jules and I decided to go on an adventure and go down to Fisherman's wharf. We got there around 8:30 and spent a couple hours down there, wandering along the waterfront and up and down Pier 39. We enjoyed mini donuts and broke down and tried some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. We also checked out Musee Mecanique where they have a bunch of really old arcade games and mechanical fortune tellers. We both had our palms "read" for 50 cents and got our little fortune. I remember doing all of this when I was here when I was 9 so it was really neat to do it all again. :)

Jules stayed over and on Sunday morning we baked blueberry muffins and made crepes before heading to Trader Joes for some shopping. My Sunday was chill pretty chill.

let's paint this city

On Sunday night Mandi, Aaron and I all hung out for a while on the back steps, enjoying the cool evening air. They said they might come visit me back at home at some point, since they have always wanted to drive up to Canada anyway, and I'm tellin' ya, I am sure going to hold them to their word. Later on we progressed downstairs and Aaron gave me my first drum lesson that he has been talking about for a while. It was pretty stellar, I even got the whole playing the bass on the offbeat thing. Very exciting. :)

Monday was a regular day of work and I came home to a nice loud band practice downstairs. Jason had a couple of his friends over, Jaffie and Steve, and Mandi had her friend Ashley over. We all hung out and ate a delicious dinner that Mandi had prepared. It was so yummy. And then we played Rock Band and Apples to Apples until late at night. Fun times.

This morning at work we were at the warehouse again to paint a banner for the Activist Summit, a gathering/training for environmental activists all around the country that is coming up soon. It only took us a couple of hours and the banner looks awesome. We even got to don jumpsuits so we wouldn't get paint on our clothes, so we looked super cool. I think Amy will be posting some photos on facebook pronto.

Work was so great today. Ben came back with a big shiner.. questionable?? Hmm. But our calls this afternoon went so well! It can be so energizing sometimes. My first person was so dull and dry and not enthused, so it made everyone after that so much better. I'm pumped.

After work Jules and I headed out to the natural and organic grocery store here, Rainbow Grocery, and bought all sorts of healthy food like whole wheat pasta, soy yogurt, sesame seeds, seaweed, quinoa, and kambucha.

now with links! yes, you can click that blue text.

I've stopped writing on a daily basis because I feel as though there isn't that much to report (especially during the week while I'm at work) but now I've ended up consistently leaving it so long that I forget what has happened!

It was a short week of work, since we had Monday off, and I feel like nothing terribly exciting happening on Tuesday or Wednesday. Work progressed as normal. Everything is going well and I feel like I have so much to do all the time. My bright pink sticky notes that make up my To-Do list stretch on for so long - and I'm only an intern!

On Thursday morning several of us interns met up with Lauren Thorpe, who heads up the Actions team here, and made a delivery to Senator Boxer's office in regards to our chemical security campaign. We donned "Toxics Safety Team" t-shirts and presented the office staff there with petitions, letters and a beautiful photo album filled with pictures of people holding signs asking Senator Boxer to be an original co-sponsor of a strong chemical security act. It went really well, they were very receptive, and we posed outside afterward holding a banner. Pictures soon to come, hopefully.

Thursday, after work, Amy and I went to Mike's (one of the web guys at the GP office) because he was making a music video with his band and wanted an audience to come and be a part of it. We all dressed in super bright colours, I had to borrow Mac's shirt, and grooved to his band's music which is totally awesome - Color Chasm. It was fun, there was beer. Good times.

On Friday after work all of the interns headed to this Mexican place just down the road from work for delicious tacos/nachos/burritos and $2 Coronas (their Friday special). It was nice, and I think we should definitely make a point to head over there more frequently.

Saturday was Jules' birthday! Yay! She turned 19. Her and I met up at the market and spent an hour down there looking around and asking about all the weird looking fruit and veggies and sampling so much of it. I've never really taken the time to properly enjoy the market before, so that was really nice. I also bought a lot, again, big surprise. But who can resist! Afterward I headed over to her house and we spent the next few hours reading, drinking mojitos, and tanning on her porch in our bikinis. It was so nice and sunny and warm.

We were supposed to meet up with a couple of other interns and go see the movie Dirty Dancing in the park but it was so cold and everyone else crapped out on us we decided to stay in. We spent the entire day eating, and drinking, and dancing, and watching movies. It was really nice to just have a chill day.

Then this morning Nicole, a friend of the person Jules is renting from, drove us to head out to a beach. First we visited Lombard street and drove down it, which was awesome!

After that we headed over to Coit tower for a nice view of the city, and the continued on in search of a beach. We originally planned to go to Baker Beach which is pretty close to the city but it was so cloudy we opted to drive further up north so drove over the Golden Gate and headed up to Bolinas. Bolinas, which is supposed to be a gorgeous beach in the sunlight, was also cloudy so we just kept on trucking north heading toward Point Reyes. At one point we stopped at a little oyster place with a white picket fence. People would buy oysters and shuck them themselves at picnic tables spread throughout this little area that reminded me of something straight out of Sweet Home Alabama. Prettttty nifty.

The next place we stopped was Point Reyes Station which was this hick little western style town. We drove further and then decided it was getting late and our adventure was ridiculous so headed back for Point Reyes Station sandwiches at the local gas station. We also visited the surf shop there and the guy was so stoked to see us. I don't think he gets much business since the town only has around 480 people in it.

We decided to head back and stopped at Bolinas beach on the way home. It WAS nice, and the mountains in the background were beautiful but it was chilly with the breeze and lack of sunlight so we continued on. The drive is so beautiful, on winding roads between the cliffs dropping off to the sea below and the hills, then two minutes later finding yourself in a forest again. Oh microclimates, how you dazzle me!

[insert creative title here]

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't written here in so long. Sorry folks.

Thursday we started our new Costco campaign and started to get folks to download the toolkit to get to work. The idea of the Activist Network portion of this campaign is really just public education and raising awareness. We are asking Lead Activists to print off wallet-sized cards explaining how Costco can and needs to improve their sustainable seafood purchasing policies. Two hours after we had launched the toolkit one Lead Activist had already handed out 90 in front of the Costco near him. :) Anyway, our goals were for 40 people to download the toolkit on Thursday, 100 by Friday, and 230 over all. Which means that maybe half of those people will actually do something. And we expected that only about 20 Student Lead Activists would download, for various reasons I won't go into. Or maybe I will. Basically the only really really great Lead Activists we have our those that the three of us have recruited in the last few weeks because the screws in the system weren't nearly as tight before hand. So that lowers our numbers. Anyway... by 2 pm on Friday there had already been 95 Lead Activist downloads and over 30 Student Activist downloads. Very exciting :)

On Thursday night Lilli Ann picked me up after work and took me to Trader Joe's to do some shopping. I definitely stocked up on Pesto Tortellini... I think that has become one of my staple foods here. Haha. It's good and cheap and that's about all I can ask for right now. She also took me to Rainbow Grocery which is amazing. Oh my gosh. Anyone reading this who likes to shop organic, healthy, and wants all the possible options in the world for reasonable prices would be in heaven. This store is HUGE and it's AMAZING. It's like your traditional health food store on crack and with lower prices. I love it. She then took me to the Mission for Indian food which was so yummy. And then we went to a famous ice creamery just off Dolores park. Every time I have driven by on the bus the line has been around the corner and down the block and I have wondered why. But now I know. Their ice cream is so good, especially their special "Salted Caramel" flavour. It sounds really strange but it was so addictive and delicious. It's one of those things that you're really not sure if you like but you cannot stop eating anyway.

I feel like I must have done something exciting on Friday night but I don't think I did. But on Saturday morning I hit up the farmer's market again which was awesome. Saturday night Amy, Mac, and Jules came over and... well not the greatest night of my life. Enough said.

Yesterday was Sunday and Fourth of July, and recovering from said Saturday night. So I didn't end up going out to do anything to celebrate during the day. However, at around 7 I headed over to Jules's place and we hung out with some of her roommates friends. We hiked up to the top of Bernal Hill which has a view of the whole city and watched some of the fireworks from up there and drank champagne. It was nice. The view is so so gorgeous. It's too bad it was foggy out though (big surprise, we're talking about San Francisco) so we couldn't see all the way to the fireworks on fisherman's wharf, but lots of people were setting them off in the Mission anyway so it was still lovely :)