Dogmom's Dish

Imagine: Creativity Unleashed

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SF PlayGround Annual Theatre Fest: Out With A Bang

I'm often the youngest person in a crowded theatre and that makes me sad.  Feels like the world has
turned to on-demand entertainment and that the next generation is abandoning the stage.

Enter PlayGround SF.  Their annual Best of Playground festival is one of the highlights of the year.  Crafted from a pool of writers selected to create original 10 minute works over a six month period, the best ones get staged readings and bubble up to the top.  The results continue to amaze, inspire and most importantly, attract a whole new generation to the magic of the stage.

This year's standouts included Mercedes Segesvary's hilarious Room for Rent, a romp through wacky roommates in one of the world's most expensive cities.   The delightful musical interlude in Ignacio Zulueta's Meet the Breeders, still has me chuckling and hoping that both plays get developed further into full-length works. 

Congrats to all of the incredible playwrights, actors, directors and dedicated folks of PlayGround...the future of Bay Area theatre is in excellent hands.

Happy 75th Golden Gate Bridge: Lookin' Good

Love today's Google doodle as well as the photo I snapped while stopped @ a light in the Marina last month.  It never gets old. (-:

Mile High Productivity: Nina Katchadourian's "Seat Assignment"

Awesome photography exhibit @ San Francisco's Catharine Clark Gallery (150 Minna). 

Photographer Nina Katchadourian travels.  A lot. 

So much so that she gets super bored. 

Thank goodness her trusty camera and her imagination are there to save the day. 

From salty snacks on airline magazine photos to viewing the world through the eyes of a seatbelt, boredom is a pretty awesome muse.  Don't even get me started on the Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style...genius

Just extended through June 9...don't miss it!

Girl Geek Dinner @ Facebook: Ladies Rule

This week's party @ the mother ship couldn't have gone any better. 

Girl Geeks, including proud member & FB COO Cheryl Sandberg (check out her awesome video), celebrated progress and strategized on ways to keep moving forward...especially encouraging our little sisters in STEM fields.  Check out her awesome video--she couldn't make the dinner b/c she was giving the commencement address @ Harvard Business School.  We'll let it slide this time...(-:

Loved the other FB leaders who kept it real...smack in the middle of one of the most stressful weeks of their lives.  Not only did they show up, when they had every right to bail, they were honest and genuine. 

Yes, there were the usual work-life balance how-to questions ("You can't, so make sure you're doing something you love!") Super refreshing to hear candid opinions on crying @ work ("I did today--with someone who's worked w/me for 8 years") and technology intimidation ("Stop putting engineers on a pedestal.  You can learn this, too...besides, every 3 years or so, their knowledge is obsolete.")

My favorite, though, was about what women should stop doing in the workplace--adding qualifiers like, "You've probably already thought of this" and "It's a stupid idea, but..."  This was the perfect addendum to Fast Company's great piece last week on 3 Things Professional Women Should Stop Doing.

Kudos & love to the FB team for celebrating the true spirit of Girl Geeks--getting it done & supporting each other, 24/7...intelligently.

Special thanks to:

Cipora Herman, Treasurer & Vice President of Investor Relations
Jocelyn Goldfein, Director of Engineering
Robyn Reiss, Head of Internal Communications
Yvette Lui, Director of Global Marketing Solutions
Kerrie Ashley, Client Platform Engineering Team
Aidymar Bigio (Release to Production Manager)

 

Aluminous Collective's "Dusk Rings A Bell": Let Empathy Reign

If theater is a mirror to process the unthinkable, Dusk Rings a Bell wins the timeliness award.  Hands down.

This week’s sentencing of Dharun Ravi to 30 days, sparked outrage around the world.  Convicted by a jury on 15 counts ranging from bias intimidation to evidence tampering, he received one month for actions that led to the suicide of his freshman roommate, Tyler Clementi.

Instead of the max sentence of 10 years many had hoped for, Judge Glen Bermann said, "I do not believe he hated Tyler Clementi.  He had no reason to, but I do believe he acted out of colossal insensitivity."

The  judge even chided Ravi’s lack of remorse.  “I haven’t heard you apologize once,” he said of the four day trial.

Is there anything to feel but utter contempt for Ravi?  What if he had shown remorse?  How should we feel about his fellow students who stood by and watched while the images were broadcast on the internet?  Do they share any of the blame?

Good questions, no easy answers.

Dusk Rings A Bell helped me to process this in a way I could not have imagined.  This is a layered play, richly revealed by actors Chloe Bronzan and Galen Murphy-Hoffman.  Bronzan’s character is a hard charging CNN exec who’s skilled at communication, but not a great listener.  Murphy-Hoffman is superb as a man for whom life has subtly slipped away, leaving him profoundly dazed.

Although both have a palpable need to connect and relive a time when they were their best selves, there’s something in the way.  A big something. 

The attempt to process this chasm, reveals much about where the two characters are in their evolution as humans. 

Director Michael French uses a deft hand in letting the chips fall where they may and in showcasing playwright Stephen Belber at his insightful best.  An ethereal underwater video and live trumpet round out a complete experience that’s a Memorial Day weekend must-do. 

Kudos to the Aluminous Collective for another piece unafraid to shine the light on the darkest parts of our humanity.  Thanks also for the reminder that empathy is what allows us to value others and one of the few things that separate us from other creatures.

As a tribute to all the Tyler Clementis, I’ll keep trying to have an open heart.

Tix available here or at the door.

San Jose City Hall's Peregrine Falcon Chicks: Up Close & Personal

Over the moon excited to see one of the famed falcon chicks during a video shoot on the 16th floor for the Every Voice Engaged foundation.  ("Like" EVEF on Facebook to see the rest of the photos, including a bonus clip of the little one sleeping!)

The chicks were born this Easter (April 8) and named by local schoolchildren: Hope, Horacio, Thunder, Cobalt. 

Not sure which one this was, but I'm pretty sure the bottom pic is a warning stare from mama Cora!

*how to tell the difference between a falcon and a hawk?  falcons have notches on their beaks to break the necks of their prey...even this little one has noticeable notch*

KISS Pandas: Wrong On Oh So Many Levels

Dogs In The Headlines: Great Pyrenees Spotted In Santa Cruz

My friend Lisa's gorgeous pups made the cover of the Santa Cruz paper today. 

Enjoy!

Customer Service 101: Don't Like It? Yelp It!

Not every customer is always right...spotted @ Kennedy's Irish Pub & Curry House in North Beach (San Francisco). 

Cutting Ball Theater's World Premiere of "Tenderloin": Review

To visitors, the Tenderloin can seem like pain on parade.  Homelessness, mental illness, addiction  and poverty contained in a densely populated area frequently combine for a grand slam of unpleasantness.  Case in point—on our way to the play, my friend and I were pursued by a man screaming orders to go home and be with our dildos.  Nice.

This is the view both locals and visitors get as they skirt the edges on the way to somewhere else.  Scratch beneath the surface, though, and you’ll find some powerful stories.

The Cutting Ball has given the city a unique gift.  The gift of illuminating history and exposing stories in its own backyard.  The genius of what writer/director Annie Elias and the documentarian cast has done is to shape the piece like the impromptu street portraits Mark Ellinger took while recovering from his own demons as a Tenderloin resident.  Some of these portraits hang as part of the set, brought to life by a phenomenal cast.

Rebecca Frank has appeared in recent Cutting Ball productions and continues to stand out in this one.  She switches seamlessly from a perky OMG teenage girl to a street tough boy by flipping a hoodie.  See it and be amazed. (Some bittersweet news for Bay Area fans--she’ll be attending NYU’s Tisch graduate acting program in the fall.)

Other cast members pull similar transformative feats.  I’m still thinking about Tristan Cunningham’s cardigan and be-pearled motivational counselor who admonishes everyone to employ a variety of acronym-driven strategies including TIA (time management, initiative, attitude).  A few minutes later, she morphs into a street sweeper who’s had enough of what he feels is well-intentioned coddling gone wrong.  He’s ready to avail himself of a real program, Homeward Bound, supplying one-way bus tickets out of town.

About 20 of the 40 stories captured by Elias et al. are represented in the play itself.  Those that aren’t are still present, providing context, texture and a common thread woven throughout—the power and pride of community, warts and all. 

Now through May 27, tickets here. 

top: Filipino Health and Wellness Director Ester Aure (actress Tristan Cunningham) gives a motivational talk in Cutting Ball Theater’s World Premiere of "Tenderloin"

bottom: Kathy and Leroy Looper (Rebecca Frank and David Sinaiko), owners of the Cadillac Hotel and Tenderloin community activists, describe the Tenderloin as a “containment zone”

photos: Rob Melrose

Divas Half Marathon & 5K San Francisco: Best Race Ever

Bay Area beauties of all ages strapped on their tutus and rocked it this AM.  Girl power was definitely in the air with BFFs,  glam groups and families running together to celebrate everything Diva.

Whether striding or strolling, everyone was treated to a pre-finish line feather boa & tiara station.  What better way to prepare for roses and medals handed out by cute firemen! 

Hands down the most uplifting and fun race I've ever done...and I've been running since blasting Wham! on my Walkman back in the day. (-:  So awesome to feel like a princess and celebrate with like-minded ladies whose sincere support is the antidote to one too many "Housewives" marathons...

Local cheerleaders prep the feather boa station.  Their coordination, spirit & energy were much appreciated @ the end of a long race!

Someone's got to hold the tutus...

Divas strategizing.

10 seconds to race start.

How Divas like to be greeted--by hunky firefighters with roses & medals @ the finish line. (-:

How Divas like to refuel.  Camera lost battery power b/f the champagne station...I confirmed (in the name of reportage, of course) that it was real.

 

 The schwag.

 

 

Obscura Day On Deck: San Francisco

Who doesn't love a good secret???

Get the inside scoop on some local ones on Obscura Day.

An international movement to celebrate hidden places in your own hometown, SF events include an after dark Alcatraz tour, art of darkness scavenger hunt @ the deYoung and a pirate fest in the Mission.

Check it out here.

Bring On The Energy Piggy: Watchover Voodoo Dolls

Cutest thing I've seen since the Ballerina Hedgehog.

Spotted these adorable pieces in DFW--couldn't decide which ones to get, so I snagged some snaps.

Digital Cameras Are For Whippersnappers: Grab A Pen Instead

Ah, the life of a wandering artist.

Even if you lack talent, time and well, funds, you can still indulge in looking @ the world through an entirely new lens.

Gabriel Campanario has compiled a gorgeous collection of inspiration. 

He also gives tips on how to make the most of your sketch fest, while meeting tourists and locals alike.

 

Say It Ain't So, Bets: Betsey Johnson Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Stores will close, heads will roll (approximately 350), but the licensed brands (Betseyville, sunglasses, etc.) will live on.

Rumor has it she has a reality show in the works.  Never underestimate the power of Betsey.

Oracle of Stamboul: Review & KQED Interview w/Michael Krasny

Love the book...don't miss the great interview w/first time (!) novelist David Lukas. 

KQED Forum's beloved Michael Krasny does his usual stellar job...check it out here.

Happy Freakin' Friday: Bite Me Sandwiches

American Airlines Aviation Museum: Flight & Fashion

Ten minutes away from DFW, the CR Smith Museum is definitely worth a side trip if you have a long layover.

$5 admission for fantastic interactive exhibits, a cool movie, excellent flight geek gift shop and the best graphic I've seen for explaining the mechanics of flight. 

Oh yeah, there's some pretty awesome fashion as well!

Fab mod unis from the 70s.

Even a special Hawaii uni...pass the Mai Tais!

Oh yeah, there's even some cool planes.

Monterey Sea Otter Festival 2012: Something for Everyone

Far from your average bike fest, this year's Sea Otter fest had something for everyone.

Although it started out in the fog with a wipeout or two...

...the day heated up with awesome fashion.  I literally went bananas when I saw the Paul Smith + Rapha collabo. 

Other fave was the Vanderkitten ass kicking line.

There was even something for the boys...

...and brain loving geeks.  Too bad DogDad refused to model the Magic 8 Ball helmet...