Hey, (e:Jasonsback), no you didn't come across as dismissive [inlink]jason,134[/inlink] it was just me being overly defensive. sorry.

Of course you would be welcome in San Fran any time. As long as you promise to look me up while you're here. I'm an excellent tour guide.

Ok, afterthoughts. You are absolutely right about banks being "more than willing to give people these huge mortgages." I am living proof of that, having bought my house here and refinanced two years later (30-year fixed both times) with absolutely no documentable income. Ha! I should have bought that 3-family for sure.

Anyway, I also wanted to say my post (below) should NOT be used for financial planning purposes. It's all philosophical crap with my own real life examples thrown in. I'm the last (e:peep) anybody should look to for financial advice, even though I did learn some good lessons the hard way. Oh, maybe just one tiny piece of financial advice about the mortgage interest tax write-off. That only works if you have an income to write the mortgage interest off your taxes against. So paying mortgage interest, not making any income, and taking a business loss all in the same year = very bad idea.

Ok, well I think I really am done here. And I am so sick of typing these days I'm going to take a vacation from recreational blogging and try to cultivate some friends I might get to talk to in person some day. So the N. Cali contingent will quietly slide into the Pacific now and the rest of the country can heave a sigh of relief and go about your business. Nice knowing you.

Before I get into this, no place on earth is so sweet that you should give up at least half your income just to have a roof over your head.

[inlink]jason,132[/inlink]

Well that's a matter of opinion, since money is meaningless except for what it can get you. (Unless you're into money purely as security, that is.) Only you can decide what you want to spend it on, though. I don't see it as such an absolute. For instance, would it be worth it to you to cut whatever you spend on housing now in half by moving to South Dakota?

Anyway, the smartest financial move I ever made was to buy my first house (a two-family for $144k in Medford MA) which seemed like a huge stretch at the time. I got a first-time buyer loan where I only had to put 5% down and could add 75% of the projected income from the rental unit to my actual income to qualify. That scared the b'jesus out of me. But I quickly rented the downstairs apartment to the bonny Sullivan brothers and even carried them for more months than I care to admit when they ran into financial trouble. And the tax break I got on mortgage interest brought my actual housing costs down close to what I had been throwing away in rent. Instead of throwing money away that house turned into the best savings plan I could have picked.

The (second) dumbest financial move I ever made (let's not get into the first dumbest) was to NOT go through with buying the 3-unit Victorian on Haight Street when my offer was accepted the same day I got laid off a mere seven months after transferring to San Francisco. I played it safe and invested my real estate nest egg in the more conservative option - my little California bungalow here on the island hideaway of Alameda.

I guess I could have been even dumber and not bought into the market then at all, given all the uncertainties. Really played it seemingly "safe" and continued to subsist in the rent-controlled flat I shared with two other roommates. You can live pretty cheaply if you can get into a rent controlled apartment where at least one tenant has been on the lease a long time. I was paying $503/month to share a 2-bedroom 2-bath full floor Victorian flat with two fireplaces, double parlour (the master tenant's suite), living room, kitchen and sun porch with two other roommates. I was the only one with a "real" job. Until I got laid off, that is. Move to California, become a degenerate. ;-)

Wait a minute, this isn't the story I wanted to tell! Where was I? Oh yeah.

So there are a whole lot of factors involved in the cost of living comparison, many you have no control over (property taxes, for instance). It doesn't pay to get hung up on whether the things you can't change are right or wrong. It is what it is, just factor it into the equation and decide if the resulting scenario is worth it to you or not. Trying to nickel and dime every piece of the equation as if you could plug them in somewhere else might be interesting but in the end we only get to live in the real world, unfair as it might be. I learned that the hard way.

What can I say, I'm really not trying to talk anybody into anything. I just know I spent way too much of my life deliberating over things that in the end were not important. I'm also old enough to really know my time is limited. And for me, waking up every morning in a place where the weather is typically a joy not a battle, I have 450 miles of Bay trail and the Pacific ocean in my back yard, a city that is an international tourist destination across the Bay, local fresh produce year-round, cultural diversity, great housing stock, liberal, creative, individualistic friends and neighbors - that to me, as the credit card commercial puts it, is priceless. But that's just me.


View of the city, the ocean, the wilderness from Marin Headlands approximately 35 minutes from my house.

Too bad I'm not a better photographer. Maybe (e:Matthew) can come out and take some pix that will do the area justice. I'm officially retiring as Bay Area promoter.

The 2BR 1BA house [inlink]ajay,351[/inlink] next-door to mine just went on the market for $549k. ;-)

I don't know why nobody's heard of Alameda - it's only 14 miles from San Francisco and 39 miles from San Jose. It's not exactly cheap here, but it is somewhat insulated from the feeding frenzy. Catching up fast though. A good earthquake would fix that. (Doh!)

Another creative solution is to go in with another party to buy a two unit building together and form a tenancy in common. That's become very popular out here lately. There's even a website to help match you up with potential partners. I've thought about it as a way to buy in the city, but it's bad enough I'm pseudo-dating complete strangers maybe buying a building together would be going too far. Personally I'm all for starting an

e:commune

and getting a few (e:peeps) to go in on it. About 24 of us should do it. ;-)

On another topic, here's what should be happening tomorrow:

I should be taking advantage of the free ferry ride for bike commuters on bike to work day and meeting (e:j3sse) at our old work place at 101 Pine Street with just enough time for a cuppa at Torrefazione Italia before catching the premeire of Episode III at the Metreon then lunch at that hole-in-the-wall Thai place I can never find without him, effectively turning bike to work day into play hooky day. But somebody had to move to Buffalo. Oh, and we both got laid off. Doh! Ok, I'm done with this post.

Oops, one more thing - I'm supposed to see Episode III with "E" [inlink]twisted,194[/inlink] on Monday. His company is treating everybody and they can take a friend. I haven't heard from him in almost 3 days though. Maybe we 'broke up' and he forgot to txt me, haha. Or maybe he's just busy getting ready for E3 on Thursday. In any case, I guess playing hooky two days would have been a bit much. But I still think that's what should be happening.

Paul,

That[inlink]paul,3320[/inlink]sucks. The real loss is to the students who now won't be able to take your classes. That is a ridiculously unnecessary loss.

For what it's worth, from my long-distance disad-vantage point, I would guess some combination of the following played into the decision.

You are wildly qualified for a slew of technical and creative jobs that - to the average person - would be way more glamorous, and certainly more lucrative, than teaching. You made the admirable choice to apply for a teaching job in Buffalo despite that. There's no question how much you wanted that job. But the decision-makers (and I don't think it came direct from Jesus, btw) may have taken it upon themselves to second-guess you. That's just wrong since no one else can decide what you really want.

You are wildly qualified for the teaching job at Canisius and your qualifications are explicitly and exquisitely documented beyond anything they've probably seen before. Why would that work against you? I don't know. I hope it didn't - it certainly shouldn't have. But your extreme talent and versatility may have scared the b'jezus out of the b'jesuits. Bringing a star into their midst could upset a comfortable (more mediocre) status quo.

It really sucks that the jobs where you'd want the very best people (teaching, politics) have so many disadvantages and obstacles that even if you do follow your heart/conscience despite the high cost and questionable rewards, you're probably facing an upward battle - or eventual resignation to the status quo.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go after what you want. Maybe the hardest lesson is even though you may be perfect for the job and demonstrated that definitively and put a huge effort well beyond the norm to get it, you still didn't get it. This time, anyway. If superhuman coding, designing and effort could have made it happen, you would have the job.

It also sucks that with your kick-ass portfolio you could have applied anywhere and immediately been a contender. You applied in a place where you're already established and well-known, but lost out to an unknown. Maybe you're too well-known. You don't just teach digital media - you have created the ultimate digital media platform to record your life and publish the truth as you see it. That might scare them too.

Here's my opportunity to say screw Buffalo and move some place where you'd be appreciated. But I admire you for wanting to make your world a better place. And I know you ARE appreciated there. Not getting the job has no bearing on that.

Anyway, that's how I see it from 3000 miles away. If you really want to know the reason and can convince one of the decision-makers they will be "off the record" (see above), ask them. Otherwise, chalk it up to life isn't always fair and right does not always win out. But don't let that stop you from trying it again.

p.s. - maybe we should start a bitch session site where people can anonymously post how they've been done wrong and I can give them unsolicited advice and other users can rate my advice and put in their two cents. haha! ok, nevermind.

I'm not taking that [inlink]ajay,349[/inlink] sitting down! In fact, it even got me off my butt long enough to bike down to the beach and take some pictures of this abysmal weather we're having.





Nice thing about living in the East Bay is not only are the temperatures typically 10 degrees warmer than San Francisco, but we also have a great view of the city.

Oh, and if Dr. Lurve ever did want to get an advanced degree in sexology, this would definitely be the place. ;-)

More drizzle pix here:

The Bay Area weather is delightful, boasting more than 300 sunny days per year, with temperatures averaging around 50 degrees in the winter, and around 70 degrees in July. Many microclimates broaden the temperature range, from coastal fog areas to warmer inland areas.

Quoted from: Apple - Jobs - Internship Program - Apple Environs http://www.apple.com/jobs/intern/environs.html

Now Steve Jobs would never lie, would he?

... a (mega cute) research scientist when he asks if you're heterosexual. I had to think about it for a minute. That one threw me.

Oh yeah, he is too. Well I'm glad we got that straightened out. haha.


Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes

There are no other comprehensive directories like that already localized for Alameda. Sure, you can find the same information by putting in the right search criteria in various other directories. But not all of it from any one online directory.

[inlink]twisted,207[/inlink]

Ok, I'm wrong. These guys do a pretty good job of it.

I felt like such an outsider peering in at a science experiment.

[inlink]paul,3250[/inlink]

It's so weird you put it like that. Yesterday morning I tuned into the public transphere audio stream and after listening for a bit I was poised to "submit a live Question to the participants." (I just can't resist trying every damn thing (e:Paul) makes no matter how much I might say otherwise. I guess I'm as full of sh!t about the reasons I won't do things as he is about the reasons he does do things.) Anyway, even as I was phrasing my question and thinking it might seem cool to get one from the west coast in real time, this feeling that keeps coming up lately hit me like a ton of bricks. What the hell am I doing here?

The feeling of connection [inlink]ajay,335[/inlink]is great. But did I have to connect to a community that physically exists 2,675 miles away? That just seems stupid.

Ok, so a virtual community doesn't have to exist in the same physical space or time (zone). Still, the original intention of (e:strip) was "to counteract the negative effects on local community that have resulted from a move toward the globalization of communication via the internet." Ouch. There's that ton of bricks again. Not because it clearly puts me out of bounds, but because I completely agree with it. That statement kept me from joining for about a week(?) until I finally embraced some really good advice someone happened to throw my way right then. Don't say "no" to yourself.

I don't really expect any of you hedonists to get that, but it was pretty radical for me. And it fit in with a realization I'd recently had myself, which is really the point of this post (Finally! you say) - I'd rather regret having done something than regret not having done it.

Well, I wish I could wrap this up into a nice life-affirming platitude of some kind, but I still really don't know what it means. If I figure it out, you will of course be the first to know.

Oh yeah, one more thing -

Seeing an idea I originally had get done, and done better by someone else is an experience I've had many times. It always feels like the universe telling me how much I suck. Oh well. [inlink]paul,3252[/inlink]

I first read that in (e:jafafahots)' journal. He should have hired some offshore programmers [inlink]paul,3222[/inlink] to put in the 5,475 [inlink]paul,3152[/inlink] hours it took to build the site. Oh wait, (e:Paul) is cheaper. ;-)

So the basic idea is to include a directory of community resources and local businesses on the Alamedalink site. The Community Resource section (Alameda) would have listings for the local libraries, animal shelter, theater groups, bike advocacy group, utility companies, etc. The local Business sections (Food, Shop, Services) would have listings for local restaurants, stores, and services (dentists, barbershops, realtors, plumbers, etc.) The directory is completely separate from journals - like Food is now on (e:strip).

Why? Because it's useful information anybody who lives in Alameda might want to be able to find in one place online. There are no other comprehensive directories like that already localized for Alameda. Sure, you can find the same information by putting in the right search criteria in various other directories. But not all of it from any one online directory. These two try, but just look at them for cryin' out loud.

Of course the real reason is to ultimately have the site generate a profit, or at the very least, cover it's expenses. Before everybody strings me up and throws me out as an (e:) heretic, what I'm talking about here doesn't impact the current journal experience any more than having the Food link at the top of (e:strip) does. Besides, since this all (theoretically) would happen 3000k miles away from you all there's no risk of having your sensibilities insulted by the proximity of capitalism.

With that in mind, here's the plan:

What? I'll create a basic listing (name, address, phone number, googlemap) for all the community resources and businesses for free. Having a comprehensive directory means one-stop online lookup for users, and other search engines should turn up the site as a result for any Alameda community resource or business. It also provides a critical mass of Alameda information (a worthwhile destination in itself) paired with a built-in audience of journal readers and writers. (I am not using them! It works both ways! Get over it!) With timely community-minded content regularly updated on the home page and included on the calendar.

So with their target audience actively using the site or finding it through searches, local businesses might see the benefits of paying for an expanded listing in the directory. That means their free listing gets upgraded to include a link to their website (if they have one) and any number of pages hosted on the site (choosing from a range of predefined templates or even custom design pages linked to from their directory listing).

Lots of Alameda businesses don't have a website, don't know how to go about getting a website, and wouldn't know how to maintain it if they had one. And if they did get one, you'd just end up with one more outdated site adrift in cyberspace waiting for a search engine to find it. Plus, it would cost a lot more than an expanded business listing which could be easily updated by them (or by me) and is anchored in the safe and cozy Alamedalink community. See how much sense that makes?

And Alameda is the kind of community where the local businesses really are part of the community. I'm not sure yet where this would fit in but I could see asking the local [inlink]twisted,76[/inlink] hardware store to start a (e:Handyman) journal with seasonal tips and maybe an "Ask the expert" link for users to submit their questions. Same thing with the local garden center, etc.

There are also a lot of local businesses that host events - book store readings, jewelery-making at bead stores, conversation cafes , etc. "Commercial" though they may be, I'd like to see those events on the calendar as well.

I especially want to encourage community groups to start journals so I can feature their posts on the home page and so they can add their events to the calendar themselves - theatrical productions, animal adoptions, children's story hour, etc. I'm thinking of giving non-profit groups free or discounted expanded listings, especially to get the directory portion going. Does that redeem me in any way? ;-)

Eventually I'd like to allow some direct interaction between users and businesses. Let users rate and recommend restaurants, shops and service providers. Let expanded listings pay for an optional link to invite users to subscribe to their email list, which would be maintained through the site and link back to the their listing on the site.

I'd also like to give non-business users a place to have a virtual marketplace - kind of like craigslist, except posters would be known members of the site. Temporary listings (like yard sales, roommate wanted, ticket swap, etc.) would be free. If you want to host a persistent page (much like the expanded business listings) you can pay a fee and have your own virtual store (or whatever) on the site. Could be useful for artists and individual contractors who don't want to get lost in the business directory.

Eventually, I would also like to let users create their own "sub-group" on the site where they can set up their own by-subscription email lists and post information visible only to other members of that group - the Parent Teacher Organization, the Little League, the Doris Court neighborhood watch, etc.

There's more, but that's enough for now. On to the $65M question....

How? Well, that's a great question. I'm building a "static" business directory right now, and Paul has given me the ok to take a stab at building a dynamic one by learning PHP and MySQL. He's a bit more optimistic about how long that would take me than I am. ;-) If I don't get to it first, he says he can do it as soon as he's got time. Since he's already got about 29 projects on his list not counting his thesis, it could be a while. I'd better start learning PHP and MySQL.

Paul has already coded the advertising module, so that's in place. But I don't want to have advertising anywhere except in the business directory, so I still need that first.

I also want to assure everybody that (e:strip) is NOT part of any of this experiment in capitalism. I actually thought it could be a win win win situation to see if all the work (e:Paul) put into (e:strip) could possibly pay off at some point, get me a "job" I might actually want, and give something to the community. Seemed like a good idea in theory. I hope I'm not just being naive.

A Note on non-censorship:

Having advertising on the site DEFINITELY would not change what people can or cannot put in their journals. This is a blog site, not a newspaper. Welcome to the brave new world of reality reporting. If an advertiser wants to pull their ad because of something someone writes in their journal, I'll happily give them their money back. End of story. If they suck that bad I probably don't want them advertising on the site anyway. If this egalitarian approach is abused by either side (advertisers setting it up to get out of paying, users blatantly trashing advertisers for no real reason - both of which I don't see happening, certainly not enough to put the concept in jeopardy), I would handle that on a per-case basis.

Even if some crackpot wants to trash every advertiser on the site on a regular basis, people are going to figure that out and ignore it. And like I said, valid complaints - however often - would be welcome. It's not like every business on the island sucks - then I'd be in trouble. But then why the hell would I be living here? ;-)

The part I'm not so sure about yet (still thinking it through) is user ratings and "recommendations" (I chose the term intentionally) on paid expanded business listings. That could be a little hard for a business to take, but I have some thoughts about it. Would be very interested to hear other opinions.

For Stores and Services I'm thinking of using the "Recommendations" label. If a store sucks, just don't recommend it. If a service/service provider sucks, we could be getting into public slander and I really don't want to go there. Although I think it's definitely valuable to hear from someone who had a bad experience with the plumber you're about to hire. So maybe the Services section gets "Referrals" which is an anonymous way to contact the person to get the referral offline. Maybe both get ratings too so you have a clue if a store/service is bad. Since ratings would be averaged, presumably the majority opinion would weigh into it. Harder to argue with that.

As for Restaurants, I think they would get "Reviews" and whatever your experience is - good, bad, or indifferent - that's what you write. I might have to intervene occasionally and ask someone to give a restaurant a second chance, or go there myself to write a more recent review based on my own experience. But occasional bad days/service is the nature of the business. Again, the restaurant can choose to not pay for an expanded listing. But they're going to be fair game either way.

Thoughts?