Well, yesterday’s hike along the west side of Mt. Tam was indeed called off on account of rain. Nonetheless, I found myself driving up to the North Bay … at night,  heeding a haunting call: I decided to confront my ghost …

Years ago, I think it was a friend who told me that “FEAR” stands for one of two things: Face ‘Em And Recover, or F#@k ‘Em And Run. In accepting the job in Baltimore exactly one month ago, it felt like part of that decision was me doing the latter — running from a haunting heartbreak. But I don’t feel like that’s really the case today, after doing the former last night …

Granted, it did get scary at one point, when we weren’t sure what either of us should do at the end of the evening. For my part, I was torn between walking away with my passion in check, or risking reopening a wound. In the end, my heart beat out my head once again …

We awoke to this tranquil and eerie sight ...

Was it weird this morning? Not at all … Was it wonderful? Yes … Will there be heartburn? Maybe that’s what I’m feeling now … Still, a one-night stand is to its love-filled counterpart what a bag of corn chips is to a hearty, home-cooked meal, isn’t it? Well, last night was no bag of Frito’s …

But seriously, what if you were told that you could have your favorite dish in the whole world for dinner — but that it might also be the very last time? Would you walk away because of the thought of how bittersweet it might taste? Or would you sit down, right then and there, and savor every last warm, moist mouthful?

Obviously, we chose the latter. In doing so, I guess we agreed that it was better to chance that bittersweet aftertaste than risk the lingering flavor of regret. We also agreed that a heartbreak can be a blessing in disguise that compels you to move on to new places … like Baltimore.

So thank you — for last night … and for everything.

East Coasters say the reward for their harsh winters and summers are the beautiful falls and springs. Out in California, the change of seasons isn’t indicated so much by colorful explosions in the trees, as it is by the shift in what we do outdoors.

The forecast does not bode well for my last group outing this Sunday on Mt. Tamalpais, with our hike leader warning that the trek will be canceled altogether if the weatherman even mentions the word “lightning.” … That’s OK. With the countdown officially on for my move to Baltimore, I’ve already turned my attention from picturesque hikes that end with the sun melting into the Pacific …

How our all-day hike south of Big Sur ended last month ...

… to the frosty slopes of Tahoe!

View from the lift at Kirkwood Ski Resort on Thursday ...

Granted, Californians are still weather wimps. Since returning from Baltimore, where my one-day house hunt all over town was graced by early-season snow fall (see previous post), I’ve watched a veritable blizzard of comments on Facebook about the quaint frosting that folks in the Bay Area discovered on their lawns and windshields last week. But all I felt was 30 seconds of hail.

Now, this is snow:

The powder was quite yummy on (and under) my board ...

I rallied two other friends and my cousin to join me for one last hurrah on the mountain. It was early-season snow up there, too. But four feet of fresh pow over the previous two days, temps in the 30s, and pretty much just us at the resort (the beauty of being jobless and able to board on a weekday) made for awesome riding conditions. Good friends made the whole day feel downright warm — as did the Irish “antifreeze” in our flasks ;^)

Adios, Tahoe ...

I was out and about all day, checking out rooms for rent all over town: two in Butcher’s Hill, one north of Patterson Park, two more out east in Highlandtown. Had lunch in Canton Square and made an early-evening jaunt up to Hampden. Throughout, the folks who welcomed me into their homes also drove me to my next showing, picked me up when I missed my bus up town, and one even invited me to the bar where she works for a drink …

In any case, my fingers are still cold as I thaw out in my hotel room. So I’ll just have to tell you about my latest trip out in pictures:

On 34th Street, in the neighborhood of Hampden ...

... where the residents take Christmas decorations to the extreme.

The locals call it "Miracle on 34th Street."

That's Natty Boh: the mascot of Baltimore's local brew, National Bohemian Beer.

You know, after all the rain and snow on Saturday, I almost skipped Hampden altogether. But it turned out to be the “warmest” of all the neighborhoods that I visited — in terms of its people, and in terms of its community vibe. The bartender at the Golden West introduced himself by name asked me what my story was, and just as I was telling him about my odyssey from the West Coast … what?!? One of my fellow hikers from San Francisco comes up to me at the bar!

I got to know Katie over the ElevationSF camping trip down to Los Padres National Forest last month (see my Facebook photo album). That’s when word really started to spread within the group that I was making the big move out to Baltimore. And so Katie came up and encouraged me that she knows the place well, that she still has a sister in Hampden, and that I’m going to love it. Well, guess who was in town visiting said sister – and having dinner at the same place where I happened to be waiting out the next bus back into downtown over a beer?!?

This is where she was telling me all about Balto ...

Well, now this photo makes me wistful for California — as I sit up in the wee morning hours, sleepless in Baltimore. That’s OK, the flight home today will drag because of the head winds, and I should be able to get some shut eye. … I wonder if I’ll dream about the snow out west that I’ll be riding on Thursday, when me and some friends head to Tahoe for a farewell boarding trip. Or maybe I’ll dream about my last hike with the ElevationSF group back on Mt. Tam this coming Sunday.

Our little camping group from the Nov. 13-15 trip down to Los Padres

But back to Baltimore, in that quirky bar, which locals regard as one of the last bastions of throwback Bawlmer charm, Katie and I chuckled over the fact that the next time we’ll be seeing each other is back in the balmy North Bay. Small world, indeed …

A farewell told in photos to the warm-hearted folks at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, where I volunteered a mere three times for Tuesday morning shifts as an apprentice at the touch pool. Plucking sea stars off the side, reaching down to grab hermit crabs and placing them in shoebox-size bins for little kids whose arms — OK, all of them — were too short to reach in themselves. My hands were in the water so much during my last shift (temperature was around 53 degrees), they were numb through most of lunch as I held my sandwich.

My cell phone takes better shots of sunsets than my camera.

After my shift, I spent a few hours away from the aquariums and read the educational exhibits … I found out that a rock fish can live to be about a hundred, whereas your typical salmon — which grows to be three times as big (if not more) — doesn’t even live to be ten!

The center’s overall mission is to ignite in young minds a love for marine life and the scientific pursuit. It also made an impression on this not-so-young science writer …

Quoting a quote via cell-phone photo ... and on a blog. Oh, how my reporting techniques have changed :^)

I also took a little time to make peace with the views off of West Cliff, an area that’s so heartbreaking to me for its sweeping and rugged beauty …

So long, West Cliff ... Ahoy, East Coast!

That night, a volunteer-appreciation party was held after hours at the Seymour Center, and if you couldn’t tell from my teal aloha shirt, they went with a Hawaiian theme: leis, hula dancers and jugs and jugs of Hawaiian Punch — spiked with champagne ;^) It was a sobering moment, however, when I handed over my navy-blue volunteer shirt just after closing to Chris Reeves, the soft-spoken volunteer coordinator at the Seymour Center.

Chris works there part time, and in October, he spent the rest of his waking hours as part of a crew that lured great white sharks toward their small boat with a seal decoy so they could tag them with devices that would help track their migration patterns. Now, as gray whales are making their way down from Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja — and as humpbacks and blue whales also frolic and feed off the West Coast, or so Chris says — he turns to his other seasonal job: He leads educational, whale-watching cruises for Pacific Life Eco-Tours. So I guess I’ll take his word about all the whales out there …

This one ain't going anywhere.

That’s Ms. Blue, the Seymour Center’s mascot. All 86 feet and 100 tons of her washed up on Pescadero Beach in the fall of 1979. The 50-year-old blue whale died of unknown causes. But she lives on as a reminder of just how big life on Earth can get. Blue whales are the all-time heavyweights on this planet, and when she was alive, Ms. Blue’s heart weighed roughly 1,000 pounds, and together, her lungs literally weighed a ton. And around the holiday season, she just sparkles …

The staff allowed me the honor of plugging in Ms. Blue on Tuesday night.

I couldn’t bring myself to say a final goodbye to anyone. So I crept out of the party before it ended … I scooped out what was left of the seven-layer dip I made, placed it on the buffet table, and snuck around the back and penciled in my last hours on my volunteer time sheet: 10:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. And underneath, in large letters: “Thanks, Chris, Katherine, Peter and Diane! Will miss you all and this place …“

For the record: I originally wrote “Julie,” instead of “Diane.” But as I drove off, a little voice in my head said the executive director’s name was actually Diane. So I turned the car around, snuck back into the break room and erased “Julie” — which is, in fact, her name. … I blame it on the punch.

Instead of ending with a frowning emoticon, this dude's Mick Jagger-like mug should suffice.

The Lucky Ones è un film del 2008 diretto da Neil Burger. La sceneggiatura di Burger e Dirk Wittenborn si concentra su tre soldati dell’esercito degli Stati Uniti che si trovano uniti da circostanze impreviste.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Commedia | Drammatico | Neil Burger | Rachel McAdams | Michael Peña | Tim Robbins | Katherine LaNasa,

Shooter: ex-sniper with a vanishing pony-tail (stupidly) gets caught up on the wrong end of a presidential assassination attempt. The politics and explanations in this were so clichéd and had so many twists / conspiracies that Michael Moore could have written it. Wahlberg’s not exactly on form, and pretty much mumbles his way through the majority of the script, which is heavy on the sniper talk – giving the film (and Swagger) authenticity. The best thing about this film was the action, and although there’s not loads, it’s was about quality over quantity – especially the cottage shoot-out and counter-sniping scenes. The ending feels totally rushed, with everything being cleared up in about two minutes flat. It’s an OK flick, but ends up way off target.

Score: 4/10

How? Well, a huge weight just got lifted off my chest when, after dinner, I told the folks about: 1) the job at Johns Hopkins, 2) moving to Baltimore, 3) my layoff six months ago, and 4) that I’ve been hiding that from them the whole time because I didn’t want them stressing out — a four-course meal that, I thought, went down well … in the end.

Of course, it was a lot for Mom and Dad to digest all in one sitting. But I indeed took the advice of dear friends, casual acquaintances, and yes, my younger brother — the same dude who encouraged me to keep up the deceit when I felt like giving up the ruse altogether a few months back. On the drive out to the Central Valley, where our parents live, he told me to keep it simple, keep it positive and leave out the part about getting laid off … Wow, and I thought I was the spin doctor in our family :^\

Marshall was definitely in the driver's seat this time ...

OK, so I served up a little fudge for dessert: I told our folks that it looked like I was going to get the job — when in fact, I had accepted it more than a week ago. But to tell them that I’ve been out of work for the past six months, been lying about it the whole time, applied for a job on the other side of the country, have flown out twice for interviews already and — oh, by the way — got it and will be moving to Baltimore right after Christmas? Well, that would’ve been too much for any parent to stomach …

Nonetheless, Dad was initially stunned and hurt. Mom, bless her heart, was instantly supportive. And my cousin, who also knew everything already, even played a stellar supporting role by acting pleasantly surprised. “You should go for it,” he chimed in, right on cue. “It’s the chance of a lifetime!”

And that was, by far, the most important point to hammer home: that this is indeed a true step up in my career — to write about science, and to work for another top-tier university … So in terms of talking turkey on Thanksgiving night, how was it overall? In my humble opinion: well done.

On that note, let me give thanks once again to all the other cooks in this kitchen — my friends, family and colleagues — for your advice, sympathy, patience, and most of all, unwavering support … Let’s be sure to make the most of my last month in the Bay, before I ship off for Balto, by raising a glass (or four) and celebrating the holiday season as if it were our last … together.

I began this blog by talking about the places I would go for work, and yesterday, I found myself talking with a group of people I barely know about where I will be going in a little over a month. My move to Baltimore was the topic du jour throughout our 11-mile hike from Stinson, up Mt. Tamalpais to about 2,300 feet and then back out to the beach.

Watching the drizzly morning melt away ...

But more than what a drastic move my relocation from the West to the East Coast will be, folks were fascinated — and incredulous, in fact — that I still haven’t told my parents about Baltimore, or for that matter, about getting laid off … last May. That’s right, because they are overly doting, I have hidden the fact that I have been unemployed for the past six months. Besides being parents, their coddling instincts are amplified by the fact that I am still single, don’t own a home or have a family of my own, and, well, still look boyish enough that I still get carded if my basket full of groceries includes a bottle of wine. For all those reasons, they essentially think of me as a kid.

If I needed their sympathy or financial help, which I definitely didn’t because of the generous severance package I got from Stanford, I would’ve turned to Mom and Dad. And because of my contacts throughout the university and employee recommendations from several high-ranking officers there, I was confident that I’d land back on my feet before long … Granted, the job search was an intense time that tested my patience and ingenuity. But if I would’ve had to hear the pity and sadness in my parents’ voice on the phone everyday, what would that have done to my confidence and motivation to press on? With the help of my friends and colleagues, I seem to have reached my goal on my own. So did I need my parents’ sympathy after all?

Wait, perhaps a more objective voice — but from one who also truly knows Mom and Dad — is needed here to tell us once and for all whether I was wrong in hiding all this: my brother … Well, when we told our parents to meet us at a restaurant for dinner a few months back, he and I arrived first. And I told him I was thinking about letting them know that I was laid off. Knowing that they are empty-nesters and would’ve gotten all worked up because they are bored out of their minds in their glum, isolated suburb, my brother said simply this: “I wouldn’t do that. They’ll be calling you everyday.”

So now, am I a bad son for depriving my parents of the chance to express their care and concern? Or did I do them a favor by saving them all the worrying that we now know I never really needed? Perhaps it’s somewhere in the middle — with the part about me hiding my unemployment being not so good.

Well, like the gray skies over Mt. Tam yesterday morning, this will all get cleared up soon …

Looking out over the Pacific ...

On Thanksgiving, I plan to break the news to the rest of my family — with a little garnishing of the facts over here, a sugar-coated omission over there …

Summitting for lunch. The two hikers heading up, both training to climb Kilimanjaro after Christmas.

While my fellow hikers shook their heads, some being parents themselves, they also suggested a few ways to more gracefully broach Baltimore with my folks — like waiting till dessert …

After lunch, we hiked into the amphitheater on Mt. Tam ...

My family’s Thanksgivings are decidedly drama-free. But I expect things will be a little spicier than usual this year …

After our Sunday hike, we chowed down at a taqueria in Mill Valley that sold gourmet hot sauces.

On Thursday, if for nothing else, I guess you can be thankful that you’re not me ;^)

For those of you with whom I’ve done this, literally or otherwise, you know of the tattoo on my right shoulder. It came from the cover of a book I really liked, way back in college, that spent much of its time railing on the failure of modern technology. Although the days of rattling my fist at “the man” are for the most part over, there’s still an assertion from that book that has stuck with me after all these years: Technological advances have traditionally been something we buy into without question — and deal with the consequences later.

That’s changing, especially in the bio-sciences. Whether it’s inserting human brain cells into a lab mouse, or deriving sperm and egg cells from the stem cells of same-sex partners so gay couples can have a child created in vitro who bears their genes, bioethicists are trying to get us to think about how to morally navigate these uncharted areas now … and I’ll be helping them.

I just accepted an offer to be a communications specialist for the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. With more than 30 affiliated faculty across the university’s schools of medicine, public health and arts and sciences, this truly multidisciplinary institute is the largest university bioethics center in the nation. Technically, my job title is “science writer” … finally.

I find conversations that dwell on our dilemmas and the reasons why we act and behave the way we do to be much more fascinating than sports stats or motor sports. And to me, few topics are more meaningful than those that affect our health and examine our humanity. In short, science is where my heart is at — and the progressive, intellectually charged atmosphere of a university is where I see myself thriving.

The fact that this lifelong Californian will be starting over on the East Coast is scary and exciting … But I guess it wouldn’t be an adventure if it wasn’t both. So here we are, almost six months after my adventures in unemployment began, at the start of a new journey:

looking across Inner Harbor at downtown Baltimore ...

Bawlmer's charming Federal Hill neighborhood ...

the Mount Vernon area north of downtown ...

Row homes by the Hopkins Medical Center, not so nice ...

This 'hood is probably more my speed ...

A few years ago, I started something called “New Year’s in a New Part of the World.” First Madrid, then southern Brazil, and now after a year off, the tradition is back. I move to Baltimore in January.

NOTA : 7 RECOMANDAT

Download subtitrare Million Dollar Baby

Trailer Million Dollar Baby :

Another extension for unemployment benefits: your thoughts? … One of the first arguments I heard against stretching them out, although it’s now a done deal, is that some jobless folks will now be able to kick back for a lot longer on this much fluffier financial cushion and hold out until just the right opportunity comes along — instead of going out and becoming a tax-paying member of society again ASAP.

As an unemployed native of the Bay Area, where most people wouldn’t think of leaving — even with the absurd cost of housing and extremely tight job market — I can’t totally discount that critique. After all, there’s a reason to hold out:

million-dollar views ...

But that argument doesn’t hold true for me. Whether it’s good or bad, I simply cannot stand to be unemployed. And yes, I do receive unemployment benefits … and no, I am not sitting on my ass: I am back in Baltimore. Just finished my final-round interview for a job at Johns Hopkins and am staying for two more days to check out the different neighborhoods — pumping all that money right back into the economy: the hotel, the meals, the impending moving expenses. No lounging on the dole over here …

However, there has been more hiking! The day before I flew out, I felt compelled to do the Dipsea — a must for any self-respecting Bay Area resident. Although I’ve not yet visited Alcatraz or ridden a cable car, the thought of my time in this beautiful corner of the world coming to a close pushed me to take on all 667 steps … and that’s just at the trail head:

the journey of a million steps ...

... began here.

into the Bay Area's backyard garden ...

gotcha!

... and still enough light for one last shot.

I started at 3 p.m. sharp and reached Stinson Beach at a quarter after 5 p.m. In between: just over 7 miles and a total elevation gain of about 2,200 feet.

The Dipsea? Done … This weekend: Big Sur. But for the last time?

I was flattered to receive an e-mail today from a good friend who I haven’t spoken to in a while, and he said he was checking in because I haven’t posted anything new and he wanted to get an update on my job search. “A loyal reader!” I thought — although ironically, he is solidly and very gainfully employed:

apparently, my biggest fan ...

But onto the update, which I will give in the form of a metaphorical weather forecast:

“First, I am sad to report that the cliche holds true: “When it rains, it pours.” A strong storm has been blowing in from the East Coast over the last few days: On Monday, I received an e-mail directly from a producer at one of the nation’s top news networks about an opening that I might be interested in — but that has not yet been officially announced … (Sweet! A fine time to finally tap into that “hidden job market” everyone’s been talking about.)

“And out of the exact same city, in fact, a call came in just this morning from an unnamed Ivy League university with several openings in its communications division. I have a first-round interview by conference call scheduled for tomorrow morning … And within the past hour, literally, I received a reminder about my flight out to Baltimore on Sunday … (We’ll see how the weather holds up once I get out there.)

“Locally, we’re finally getting some much-needed rain as well. I mean, when a non-engineer, non-corporate professional like me is being e-mailed by a recruiter who saw my resume on Monster, you know things are starting to look up. But it’s for a six-month position at a highly corporate organization in the East Bay … So at this point, that’s just a drizzle. Other fronts brewing in the Bay Area include a slow-moving prospect to write for Kaiser Permanente — which would be awesome — and another that seems to be holding off up in San Francisco. Come on Nature Conservancy, we desperately need the rain down here … like, now!”

About the sunniest it’s been all week was yesterday, when I spent most of the day volunteering at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Ghosts aside, as I sat there handing sea stars to little children and showing them how to properly poke a sea anemone, I gazed out toward the horizon — and not a cloud in the sky over the glistening Pacific. And that, sadly, is the most ominous meteorologic metaphor I have in this report: Doing soul-nourishing work in the community, sharing my passion for the ocean, but all for free.

Hey kid, trade you this for a sand dollar?

It’s been said that “volunteering is the rent you pay for life.” True, but community service alone won’t pay the bills, either … Even though it will entail a significant pay cut, the job in Baltimore will. And anyway, I hear they have a pretty amazing aquarium there, too.

“That’s all for now. Back to you, Scott.”

In the spirit of Halloween, and inspired by dubious judgment, I bring you this highly personal — and perhaps, slightly creepy — post. I generally like to launch into an entry with a personal anecdote, and then broaden the discussion in a way that makes it of some use or interest to others … like job seekers. But I’m afraid we might not get that far this time. So proceed with caution …

Over the past few months, I’ve been haunted by this one ghost. But I’ve been able to live with it … that is, until last weekend, when her lingering presence turned into an undeniable force. I was in Santa Cruz, going through volunteer orientation at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center — absorbing information and instructions all day in class. So whenever we had a break, I’d walk outside and along the trail behind the center. Winds formed whitecaps, and the chiseled coastline stretched out into the distance …

Can you see her?

I could … And worse, her ghost hasn’t left my side since. Day or night, in my darkened apartment, she’s here when I go to bed … when I wake up the next morning … and even when I was at Stanford yesterday — crisscrossing the sun-kissed campus to catch up with former co-workers and take care of business. With every turn, there she was. In telling old colleagues how things were going, I literally said to several of them: “There are now ghosts in the area.”

Without whispering another word, they would nod sympathetically, in silence …

It’s too bad, because believing in ghosts is a matter of choice. And because I can’t seem to shrug mine off, she continues to haunt me here — in a place as vast and vibrant as the Bay Area … in the place I call home.

There are only two ways to exorcise this one: get over her or get away. I’ve tried the first approach. But whenever she’s near, I cannot help but embrace her — as I always have. And now, like the faint drone of a foghorn from the far-off coast, my second option beckons louder by the day: I just received confirmation this morning that I am flying back to Baltimore for second-round interviews.

If I do end up there, you can be certain that this place will become one of my regular haunts:

Avast, matey! More crab cakes and grog!

Arrgh! Whatever doesn’t kill ya, right?

“Wow. What a handsome man.” Do you agree? Why? Surely it can’t be just the unshaven cheeks and the unkempt hair. Or maybe the smooth shave? Maybe it’s the eyes. Maybe it’s the smile. What makes a man handsome?

Please leave a comment with your first 50 words on the topic “a handsome man” or on some topic suggested by the photos.

OK, that and a well-cultivated network of connections …

But, from the top — Yesterday, I saw a cherry job opening here in San Francisco, and looked to see if the organization had a company profile on LinkedIn:

Step One in targeting an employer … always!

Turns out it did, and — here’s the great thing about LinkedIn — it lists people in that company/organization/group who are within your network high up in the profile:

“Whoa, Matt knows the executive director ?!?!”

A bit of back story: Matt Levie taught a digital video editing course I took four months ago at Stanford. A film and video editor for more than 15 years, Matt also teaches the trade — with expertise, patience and in a very approachable manner. So I got to telling him how I just got laid off after five years at the university and was enhancing my communications skill set by learning video. He told me that he was teaching a documentary course after mine and was looking for subjects that his students could find and film on the campus during the summer lull. So I suggested several people and programs that I knew of only because of my tenure there.

Things worked out for his class, I later connected with him on LinkedIn and — fast forward to the present — turns out the executive director is “the best friend of a best friend,” as Matt put it. So yesterday, he e-mailed the ED my resume, along with a glowing recommendation.

Without LinkedIn, how would I have known Matt had a direct line to the ED? … But even before that, two very important things had to occur: me making an innocent, real-world connection with Matt, and then later cementing that connection on LinkedIn. And the more of those you make, the more likely you’ll get within two degrees of your target.

That’s how you put LinkedIn to work for you. Hopefully, it results in work for me ;^)

You gotta love Google. Type in “current unemployment rate,” and then “United States” — or any state, for that matter — and not only will it list the percentage in bold up top. It gives you a line graph reflecting the most recent data:

For California, the official figure is 12.1 percent for the month of August … and no doubt, higher because of under-reporting. But you know it’s bad when joblessness is trickling onto Marin County watershed property (you see where I’m going with this) … Yes, back from Baltimore and right back onto the trails the next morning — on Saturday, a nine-miler up to and around Bon Tempe Lake with a hearty band of gainfully employed and out-of-work members of ElevationSF. I can think of five of the latter right off the top of my head who were hiking next to me. Needless to say, we had a lot in common to commiserate about. Fortunately, membership and excursions cost nothing — a great deal, considering the places we go:

We lunched at the far end, on "le Left Bank" :^)

On the Sunnyside Trail of Bon Tempe Lake ...

... and appreciate the natural surroun ... What the hell is THAT?

And then on Sunday, needing another dose of the Bay Area outdoors after three days on the cold East Coast, I did the group hike down into Big Basin Redwoods State Park — and boy, were we served: about 13 miles, an estimated elevation gain of 2,200 feet, in the span of five and a half hours. The baker’s dozen for today’s trip met at the Starbuck’s in Saratoga first, and then we consolidated and carpooled into the wild.

Rode there in a Passat full of former and current Lockheed Martin employees — and almost immediately launched into the fact that I just applied for a job there … Hey, ain’t no shame in my game ;^) … Then on the way home, the girl sitting next to me in the backseat? A recent MBA graduate who can’t find work, either.

The hike itself? Better to show than tell …

Any UC Santa Cruzers reading this?

Some of us smirked at this sign ...

Intrepid are we ElevationSFers (say it in the voice of Yoda) ...

Besides, we knew the destination would be worth it.

And I should mention one last thing: The fearless leader who organizes our hikes? An IT specialist who’s been out of work for about three years now (note: not the girl in the picture) … Still, amazing to see what happens when people are given the chance to pour their time and energy into their passion. What comes pouring back out can be simply sublime …

Qual a razão para viver? Qual a razão para morrer? Qual a razão para lutar? Qual a razão para resistir? Essas são as principais questões a serem indagadas em Leões e Cordeiros. O filme mostra diferentes situações e visões sobre a guerra no Afeganistão. Desde o topo (o governo) à população pobre que como sempre, mais sofre as conseqüências de algo que eles (o povo) não têm controle.

Inspirados por um professor idealista, que os estimula a fazer algo importante na vida, dois universitários decidem alistar-se no Exército e lutar no Afeganistão. Enquanto isso, em Washington, um senador candidato à presidência dos EUA está a contar uma história bombástica a uma jornalista que pode determinar para sempre os destinos dos dois universitários.

Titulo Original: Lions Of Lambs

Lançado em: 2009

Direção: Robert Redford

Duração: 1 h e 30min.

OK, enough potty humor. You probably want to know how my big day of interviews went … to which I ask, “How soon can one blog about something like that?” Good bloggers update theirs regularly, and better bloggers do so on location. So here you go:

“Live from the sidewalk outside my hotel, where — at approximately 10 p.m. — an ambulance straight Tootsie Rolled on the rain-soaked streets of downtown Baltimore.” … I s@#t you not: As soon as I heard the telltale sounds of glass and metal crunching outside my window, I ran out into the knee-knocking night in shorts and ankle socks and shot this video …

And earlier in the day, during the last of my four interviews, the sound of deep, crisp booms interrupted our conversation — as if a wrecking ball was slamming into the side of the building. We were in a fifth-floor office overlooking Inner Harbor, where — of all things — replica pirate ships were sailing around and shooting off their cannons. As soon as my interview ended, I went downstairs and caught a flotilla of schooners setting sail — this time, with my cell phone:

Baltimore's version of Fleet Week?

So yeah, still got those news instincts. But that’s all for now …

Oh, and if you want to know how the rest of my interviews went overall, you’ll have to stay tuned. That story is still unfolding …

I seriously had way too many ideas for the title of this post, that I had to just go with the titles of the movies. So, yeah; OBSERVE AND REPORT and ADVENTURELAND. Both movies are comedies that really go down different roads to that almost take them out of that one genre of movie. OBSERVE AND REPORT, gets so dark and brutal that I almost feel like it goes into horror; and ADVENTURELAND ventures into pretty heavy dramatic territory with it’s themes and character relationships. But, I spent a great deal of time laughing at both, and feel they’re fully worth seeing, so that leads us to me writing about them (and not very well, I see). The kind of funny connection between these two movies, is 2007’s SUPERBAD – which is also a great comedy – written and directed by Greg Mottola, and featured Seth Rogen in a police uniform. Don’t worry, you’ll get the connection in a few minutes.

So, OBSERVE AND REPORT is the story of Ronnie Barnhardt, the head of security in the mall that the majority of the movie takes place. He’s a disturbed man, like “taking medication” disturbed (not that there’s anything wrong with that) who takes his position a little too seriously (not that unusual) and is just a little too obsessive about things he comes into contact with; namely Brandi, the make-up counter girl (played by Anna Faris), or becoming a police officer like his nemesis in the movie, Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta). For the first part, Ronnie gets his in with Brandi after she’s been flashed by a guy who has been running around the mall’s parking lot flashing people. This seems like it’s going to be the crux of the movie, this is also when we’re introduced to Detective Harrison, who Ronnie sees as invading his turf and just not knowing how to do his job.

After another plot thread develops where someone is breaking into stores and robbing them, after hours in the mall, Ronnie decides he wants to try and become a police officer. He goes into an office, gets the applications, gives a couple runs through an obstacle course (amazingly, tearing people to the side and running the course pretty well – considering we’re talking about pre-slimmed down Seth Rogen here), and going on a ‘Ride-along’ with Detective Harrison. Harrison takes Ronnie to the worst part of town – a street corner called the crossroads, and tells Ronnie to take a walk around. When he gets out of the car, Harrison takes off; only to then have Ronnie be approached by some kids offering him crack and the kid’s father (played in a cameo role by Danny McBride) come up and threaten Ronnie. Ronnie incapacitates – and from a line of dialogue, kills – McBride’s character and about five other guys.

During this time Ronnie’s feeling pretty good about himself. So, he manages to finagle a date with Brandi – who seemingly forgets and shows up in a car full of guys dropping her off at her place – and they go out, get lots of drinks, share Ronnie’s medication, and wind up in an awkward and much-discussed situation. Needless to say this is as far as their relationship ever gets.

Ronnie has some subordinates in his security guard detail. A pair of Asian twins played by John and Matt Yuan, jerry-curled, Latino Dennis (an unrecognizable Michael Pena), and new recruit Charles played by Jesse Plemons. For the role of Ronnie, Seth Rogen seemed to have actually put on a few pounds, shaved his trademark messy “jew-fro” and turned down the cute and cuddly for the more threatening and psychotic. There was a joke his character made in THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN about Steve Carell’s character being a serial killer. Well, Ronnie fits that mold to a “T”, in this movie. his mother (Celia Weston) is always drunk, encourages Ronnie before his date with the story of her and Ronnie’s father’s first date (she says something like, “I knew he was special and that I was going to fuck him.” To which Ronnie says he hopes that’ll happen for him. (Whether he means the someone special thing, or just having sex, who knows; and I would doubt that he’d be as thoughtful to consider the former.)

The movie takes some very dark turns, which is kind of the stock in trade that writer/director Jody Hill, seems to enjoy. There’s a moment that seems to be a nod to the South Korean movie OLDBOY, the fight I already mentioned with the drug dealers, but there’s another one with a pack of skateboarding kids that just gets brutal, and then there’s the more explicit moments. Whether it’s the questionable date rape scene (is it, isn’t it? I’m not arguing either way.), and the streaker, who in the climax to the movie we get to see running through the halls of the mall, in full glory, and then the way that chase ends really kind of sucks all the air out of the theater (although, you’re going to now be watching this at home, I’d think). But, as dark as it gets, there’s a lot of humor too. Aziz Ansari has a couple of scenes, as a kiosk employee selling those skin creams that come from like the Dead Sea or something. (He gets probably one of my favorite lines in the movie, and it refers to Chik-Fil-A.) There’s also a whole other sub-plot with a cinnamon-shop with a girl that’s got a cast on her leg, Nell (played by Collette Wolfe) and is constantly hounded by her manager, played by Patton Oswalt.

Overall, it’s a great, and funny movie. Just expect there to be some moments that might cause you to pause and reconsider what you’re seeing. But, I have to imagine that it’s a more fulfilling experience than the previous mall cop movie, about that guy Paul Blart. (No I haven’t seen it, yes I’m blindly casting aspersions at it. Don’t make me go all Ronnie Barnhardt on you!)

ADVENTURELAND, the not quite latest movie starring Jesse Eisenberg (see ZOMBIELAND – not a sequel, but both take place in a themepark, only one has zombies – for that honor), Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Ryan Reynolds. Much like OBSERVE AND REPORT, this is a movie that was marketed on the back of it’s sister movies SUPERBAD, and other Judd Apatow-related movies, but in reality it ventures off that side-splittingly funny track and heads down some pretty serious subject matter – along with also having some really funny stuff in it.

Jesse Eisenberg plays James Brennan, a kid who just graduated from high school and is supposed to be heading off to Europe for the summer before heading to Columbia in the fall. When his parents, tell him that James’ father is being transferred to Pittsburgh (my home town, woot!), and basaically down-sized in his company; he has to give up his hopes for Europe and find a job to pay his own way into college. James has no skills to speak of and isn’t “even qualified for manual labor” as he says in one scene. So, he goes with a job offered via a friend, named Frigo, at Adventureland – the local theme park. It’s here he meets the people in charge, married couple Bobby (Bill Hader, rocking a monster mustache) and Paulette (Kristen Wiig, being hilarious by not really doing much at all). They assign James to work Games, where he meets and befriends Joel (played by Martin Starr, who is probably more famous as the bearded friend of Seth Rogen’s in KNOCKED UP), and is also introduced to Em, who is played by Kristen Stewart – in a role quite the opposite of her now more notorious character Bella in the TWILIGHT series. Opposite, in that Em is far more developed, mature and an actual woman who makes mistakes and is fallible without being a caricature.

The movie follows these people through their summer of 1987, working at the theme park, their nights afterward partying and drinking and having (or trying to have) sex. As with any movie set during the summer when kids are away from their parents, Adventureland has it’s own idyllic idols that each sex admires, envies or just lusts after. For the girls it’s the park’s maintenance man Connell (Ryan Reynolds), who is married but is known to have wandering eyes, and an available room in his mom’s basement. For the guys it’s Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), a young girl who seemingly likes to act like she’s mature and sexually open, but really just likes to taunt the boys with her looks and Madonna-lite dance moves. Needless to say, James winds up falling for Em, and we get some hijinks related to his awkwardness in trying to woo her. (Like the swimming scene that leads to him being pointed out for having an erection – this also..ahem..comes up again later.) Then there’s the added complication of both of our young lovers being chosen by the “desirable ones”, for their own little escapades.

The major reason why this movie works is Jesse Eisenberg. He’s believable as the bumbling geek, who tries to be cool, but also doesn’t mind being different. He looks authentic in his nervousness and bumbling way of delivering lines, and doesn’t seem as goofy as certain other actors that get compared to Eisenberg a lot. But, the supporting cast also helps. Stewart, in this movie shows us again why she’s one of the best young actors right now, with the role of Em, and all the reasons that I’ve stated on why this character is appealing, engaging and in the end sympathetic. But, it’s mostly in the rest of the cast that the humor really comes from. Starr is brilliant as the iconoclastic, intellectual – who in one scene is told by a girl she can’t see him because he’s jewish, to which he responds, “but I’m an atheist, maybe more of a pragmatic nihilist I guess or an existential pagan if you will…” So, that’s the kind of high-level humor to expect from Martin Starr – and it works. Hader and Wiig, co-stars on the current run of SNL, work fantastic together. There’s a scene from the trailer – that I’m sure will be in the one posted below – where Hader is announcing the horse race game, and we see Paulette mouthing the same words that Bobby is yelling out. Then she says, “this is how we met”.

Overall, though it’s a strong contender for picking up where the recently departed John Hughes left off. It’s full of real people, with problems, wants and needs, and the characters learning their way in the world instead of it just seeming scripted and telling us the same story we’ve seen a million times. So, do yourself a favor and go see it. It’s one of those movies – like 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and THE BROTHERS BLOOM – that makes 2009 a great year for small, romantic movies that tread on a slightly different path.

And I feel like I’d be remiss in not mentioning that this movie was shot in Pittsburgh – as I did mention, actually – but that the theme park that stands in for Adventureland, is Pittsburgh’s own local theme park called Kennywood. And this movie really makes me want to go. And you should all come here and enjoy that too.

OK, it’s 2 p.m. and I just finished another cover letter and other obligations of the unemployed. Been at it since 9 a.m. and have not left my room or laptop — not even for lunch. The fan that cools my MacBook’s guts is whirring as if to say, “Listen pal, I don’t necessarily mind you opening 20 browser tabs in three different windows. But do you have to run Adobe, Word, watch YouTube AND open iPhoto all at the same time? Wouldn’t the leftovers in the fridge taste good right about now?!?”

Well, I cracked open iPhoto so I could upload the soothing sights from my latest excursion — out to Lands End. Half hike, half urban trek, I had actually never ventured into these northernmost parts of San Francisco until yesterday: scrambling across the ruins of the Sutro Baths, down slithering wooden steps shaded by wind-sculpted cypress trees and along cliffs overlooking Mile Rock Beach.

A rare, fogless day out in the Sunset, the vision of kite surfers on Ocean Beach, the Golden Gate in the distance and the wind forming sandbars on the Great Highway — and in my ear canal — still linger … and wash away the bustle of another hard day “at work” …

above the Sutro Baths ...

amidst the ruins ...

why they call it the Cliff House ...

Lands End, indeed ...

A familiar sight, but for how long?

Do I really want to leave this behind?

Regardless, it's good to take it all in now ...

Alright, signing off for now to work on a different type of app … I’m f@#!&*ing starving!