Valentine's Day Pillow Fight

That's right.  Pillow fight.

Thousands of people gathered in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco on Valentine's Day to whack each other on the head with pillows.  Really.  How could I not go?

In preparation for the big event, my friend Danny and I went to two Targets and a Kohls looking for feather pillows but they were all sold  out!  At least the ones priced under $30. That's what we get for waiting until Saturday afternoon to go shopping.  We settled on  some crazy fiber filled pillows in the hopes they wouldn't burst open and made our way downtown.

There were a ton of people with pillows: some in pjs, some wearing bandannas like train robbers, and some with little kids on their shoulders.  

As the clock on the Ferry Building chimed 6:00 people raised their pillows over their heads and with a shout of "They can take our pillows but they can never take our freedom!" began whacking at each other like they were moles at a county fair.

In the middle of the plaza it was too crowded to get a good swing - and being short it was very easy for people to whack you on the head.  After swinging my pillow at random strangers for awhile, I moved to the edge of the crowd where the sensation of imminent trampling wasn't as strong.

We broke off into a splinter group which had formed a circle creating a feather-filled Thunderdome of sorts.  "Two men enter, one man leaves!"  It was much easier to run in and out of the fight that way and make sure you didn't lose an eye.

After an hour, the fight was still going strong, but we had breathed in enough feathers for the evening and both had places to go so we left.  

Would I do it again?  Yes.  Would I shop for a pillow earlier than the afternoon of?  Yes.  Would I wear a bandanna and/or pajamas?  Yes.

See you there in 2010!

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year, that is.

I missed the opportunity in early January to wish you a happy new year but that seems to be how it's going for me so far in 2009.  A bit behind on everything I'm trying to get done.

I'm still leading Segway tours and working an assortment of part-time jobs, doing what I can to fuel the underground economy.  On a random assortment of Friday and Saturday nights you can find me performing with two improv groups, Big City Improv and Secret Improv Society. 

On a recent Tuesday when I conveniently had no work, I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama at City Hall with my friend Danny and a crowd of locals who also thought it would be fun to make this a group experience. Thank goodness I've seen the Obamas on tv before because, as big as the screen was, it's not so easy to see when you are at the back of the crowd and short.

As for my own dream, well... before I can take very many steps forward, I need to reconnect with what it is I'm trying to do so I can be more focused in my efforts. In the meantime, I've started editing some footage of a Habitat team I met in Malawi and thinking about creating a 2 minute promo video that includes snippets from many of the different people I met in Africa.

The documentary film that I'm in is scheduled to be finished in the beginning of April.  Whether or not it is, that's become my default deadline to make some progress with the videos and revamp this site.  Stay tuned for updates - which once again I swear will be more frequent.

 It's a new year, a new administration and a new vibe.  Time to get  crackin'.

 Crack on.

UniquEco Designs Needs Your Vote!

Ooh, it's been awhile since I've posted a blog and, sparing you the gory details (not very blog-like of me), let me just say that I'm going to get back on track!

Many of you will remember that I put a short film together for UniquEco Designs when I returned from Africa.   I'm very happy to report that they are one of twelve finalists in the World Challenge 08!!

World Challenge 08 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level.  The winner will receive a grant of $20,000 to put back into their project/business, and two runners up will each receive $10,000.  Your vote for UniquEco Designs can help give them the resources they need to open up new markets for their products.

When you sign in to vote you are asked why you picked this particular project.  My answer:  "I met Julie Church when I was traveling in Kenya and made a short film about her business.  I was (and continue to be) impressed by the way this work cleans the environment, provides a sustainable income for the workers AND celebrates art as a medium for conservation.  The people at UniquEco are doing great work and I'd love for them to get the support they need to do more."

The polls are open now and you can vote up through November 21st (midnight GMT).  

It takes nothing but a moment of your time.  I love giving away other people's money for a good cause, don't you?