oh 2014 @SFSketchfest

I spent my Christmas money ... BEFORE I got Christmas money, and I have no regrets. 

Now I am trying to figure out how I am going to spend my tax refund before I get a refund (I hope), for other shows. RIGHT?! ... Time to reminisce about 2012, wonder about 2013, and share how I spent my Sunday morning, December 15, rapid-firing ticket purchases.

2012 SF Sketchfest

Fun times with my friend Joel, aka Gadgetman, for whom I gifted him tickets. We saw The Nerdist Podcast - hosted by Chris Hardwick with Matt Mira - and they signed the TARDIS scarf I got Joel.

more about this over here

The podcast special guest was Dan Harmon - a VERY DRUNK Dan Harmon. (Uhm ... that podcast did NOT air, but it was fun enough.) 

On the morning after, I looked like this - GOOD TIMES! Memorialized via xojane's morning faces, with other participants' pictures over here!

more about this over here

2014 SF Sketchfest

In 2013, I  went to several shows; however, for whatever reason, I didn't do a blog post. Oh well. So what's up for the next couple of weeks? Here we go in no special order ...

• StarTalk Live - Hosted by Bill Nye the Science Guy and co-host Eugene Mirman. Show description over here.

• The Groundlings: The Black Version - With Jordan Black, Daniele Gaither, Keegan-Michael Key, Phil LaMarr, Karen Maruyama, Jordan Peele, Gary Anthony Williams and Cedric Yarbrough . Show description over here.
  

• Crash Test - With Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer and guests Eric Andre, Nate Bargatze, Owen Burke, Aparna Nancherla and Eddie Pepitone Show description over here.

• Lost Moon Radio / Speechless -  Two separate shows. Lost Moon Radio is described over here, and Speehcless is described over here. So far the folks in these shows are listed as  Drennon Davis, Cole Stratton and more, and hosted by Trevor Hill.

• Kurt Tub with Kurt Braunohler - With guests Wil Anderson, Nate Bargatze, Todd Barry, Emily Hellerand Mike Lawrence Show description over here.

• Improv Showcase - With Duchess Riot, Vagina Jones and Winslow, and hosted by Red Scott Show description over here.

... and are there other shows I want to see? Yes. So how do I choose among where my greens go? -

Shows? Shoes? Parking? 

Retail therapy hat shopping? 

SF food truck stuff? 

Sundries/Hygiene products? 

More shows?

(I should see Rob Corddry, right?!)

archetype you

thanks @CarolineMyss @ArchetypeMe ...   back in the early 1990s, i came across your co-authored book the creation of health. i had an odd inflammation of the eye, and while strolling through the alternative medicine/health section of a book store, i came across your book. since then, i have often gifted copies of the creation of health for friends, as well as chat about the book.

just this weekend, i spoke with a friend about you after she shared with me a book by louise hay. i forwarded her a link to the creation of health description, and then i decided to check out what else you have on the web.

my archetype quiz results ... i am giving ArchetypeMe a whirl. this evening, i took my initial take of the archetype me quiz, which resulted in the following - 

 

35% intellectual | 22% visionary | 23% creative
20% other (of the remaining 7 archetypes)

my three archetypes are described as -

• intellectual ... if you're intellectual, you're always seeking knowledge and wisdom. also described in the archepedia as "While intellectuals enjoy giving answers, they delight most in asking questions, either of others or of the universe." (read more here)
  
• visionary ... visionary women see important things before others do and make new rules that change the world. also described in the archepedia as "Visionaries don’t mind being misunderstood as long as they get heard eventually." (read more here)
• creative ... the creative woman lives to express herself and is happiest when she is making something, whether it's a dress, video, novel, song, dessert, or website. also described in the archepedia as "Creative women live to create and express themselves. They’re happiest when they’re making something." (read more here)

- and the other 20% archetypes are characterized as - rebel, athlete, fashionista, queen/executive, advocate, spiritual, and caregiver. 

after reading the curated material of other archetypes, i also enjoyed the following as described in the archepedia -

• rebel ... "Societal values about how women should behave don’t ruin your fun." (read more here)
  
• spiritual ...  if you’re Spiritual, you are drawn to questions of faith and are concerned with consciousness. "Spiritual people rely on their dreams and their senses to understand the kinds of things that many of us don’t see or care to see." (read more here)

what is your archetype?

r|alex refresh friday

dessert, dinner, a show... that's how my weekend started. i was not in cubeopolis on friday, so thursday became my work-week-friday; friday became my feels-like-saturday. then back on track with saturday as saturday, etc.

natural licorice at
mr and mrs miscellaneous

i spent friday morning out and about with my mom (and an auntie visiting from hawaii) for her appointments. (question: what does one do when a man is flirting with my mom and my auntie in the hospital lab waiting room?)

dessert ... eventually i made my way to s.f. to begin a night out which started in the dogpatch neighborhood (the story of...) - dessert at mr. and mrs. miscellaneous (on facebook, yelp, google+, 2012 best of) for a scoop of turon-flavored ice cream of banana ice cream with caramel tidbits (based on the filipino dessert turon, on wiki). and after ice cream, i tried out their natural licorice - each of the four flavor offerings.

chicken parm at guido

dinner ... then by simply walking across 3rd street on 22nd, just a block away, had dinner with girlfriends at the pop-up restuarant guido (on facebook, yelp, grub street) at just for you cafe (on facebook, yelp, web). guido pops up on wednesday - friday nights. my dinner choice? classic chicken parmigiana (plus green beans, sphaghetti). i also tried their arancini fritti (saffron risotto, house made pork and beef, and fried with lots of lovin'). oh ... and some chianti among the gals. (gulp, gulp, gulp) side note - the co-chef couple includes stephanie, who is the daughter of a good friend of mine from high school.

show ... then two of the three of us gals headed over toward our next destination in the financial district. but before the show, we stopped by the old ship saloon (on web, yelp) for a pint (i tried the poppy jasper amber ale) and to meet a few other show-goers. then we foooted it over to eureka theatre (on web) for the 10 pm show at the 2012 san francisco improv festival (on web, facebook, twitter) - five play improv (on web, facebook) and of sketch comedy performed by killing my lobster (on web, facebook, twitter).

killing my lobster

five play improv

five play improv (L to R): ben, dustin, bobby, sean

audience story suggestion? ... let me tell ya, alex ... five play improv treated us to their long form improv based on the audience-suggested-story-title that went something like - flip that mother f***er. (yes, that suggestion beat out the bicycle chef and one other suggestion, which i forget)

more r|alex refreshing 

as i continue to relax!

thanks @marcmaron

comedy ... @CobbsComedyClub (on web, twitter) enjoyed the meet/greet/swag with marc maron (on web, twitter, facebook) and arj barker (on web, twitter,  youtube, facebook) as part of the vip ticket perks. going solo meant sitting with a few other solo peeps - gabriel from modesto and jay (justin) from iowa via new york - fun conversations and fun switching out of the gift bag goodies among the three of us!

good cause benefit ... great to hear that good money was raised for yesterday's mid-week chuckles benefit for the san francisco animal care & control (acc) shelter.

(side note: during meet/greet, the smell of poop drifted around the area - a little kitten went poopy. now i have the smell memory of maron + barker  + kitty poop.)

other performers' chuckles ... along with maron and barker, the other comedians who had some great chuckles included host rob f martinez, caitlin gill, and kevin camia, with special musical guest sean hayes.

maron earhole love ...  as mentioned over here, this morning's commute will be an enjoyable WTF with marc maron podcast.

make my commute maron - WTF!

commute + podcast =

from WTF with marc maron

@marcmaron ... i WTF with marc maron (on web, twitter, facebook) during my monday and thursday commute into cubeopolis, and my earholes LOVE it! (AND my on-line dating profile declares my WTF love!)

for this evening, i gots my VIP ticket (gimme stuff!) to see maron and arj barker at cobb's comedy club - benefit event. and i got my merch a little while back - still enjoying the first 100 episodes of WTF. YES, i likes me my marc maron.

on-line dating nexus ... there is a nexus. i mentioned over here that i'd give on-line dating a whirl (again). i included on my profile, under my faves content -

"and when it comes to podcasts, my faves are wtf with marc maron ..."

- and if you are still wondering who - what - huh? ... you can check out maron on hulu's a day in the life ... here's a little trailer.

enjoy a mini-fiber break with marc maron

for ~30 seconds on a day in the life

woo-hoo mid-week comedy

and meeting marc maron!

WOW weeks

THANKS @bjfogg @greenleafcenter @madeuptheatre @fluevog ... for a wonderful 2 weeks of WOW!

catching thoughts & breaths ... a bit of a whirlwind for me, i am calling these past several days and the balance of this upcoming week as my WOW weeks - and i am all the better of a person for keeping my heart, soul, and mind nourished. a quick tidbit about each of the four (i.e., servant leadership, behavior design, improvisation, artsy shoes) and more in future blog posts ...

greenleaf center for servant leadership ... next year i'll be back for the 23rd annual conference. and since the conference, i have been in creative-mode about speaking as part of a session, yet to be created. meanwhile, this past june was the 22nd annual conference of the greenleaf center (in indianapolis). while i have completed two of their academy classes (foundations and key practices), several firsts for me - attending the center's conference, staying in a place via airbnb, and visiting indianapolis (specifically mass ave district). 

with kent keith, former CEO of the greenleaf center
and author of the paradoxical commandments

my greenleaf WOW ... i've been on a servant leader journey at least since 1994, when i had an epiphany. having met (and listened to) many at this conference, i see there are many with whom i share this path, with whom are reflecting on their lives, and with whom i look forward to others joining along.

There are BRIDGES yet to be constructed by those who live and

breathe in their ENVIRONMENT - AIR, LAND, and WATER. Egos stand firm

on the ground that they were born and choose not to acknowledge that

to get one step closer they must go one step FURTHER.

MY VISION IS TO CREATE THOSE BRIDGES. - (shirlnutkin, 1994)

lovely setting along the river  in Sonoma County

bj fogg's persuasion boot camp ... the opportunity to be part of bj's persuasion boot camp became reality this past friday and saturday. it started with tiny habits, which i learned about through health month at the beginning of the year, and since then, i've been quite obsessed fascinated with tiny habits, the back-story, and the continued evolution of bj's behavior design model and his thoughts.

lovin' my little boot camp dog tag!

it has not even been 24-hours since the end of boot camp, and already i am very much seeing and hearing the world around me so differently. that's what i get for going to the campbell city farmers market - hearing people talk about how they want to eat healthier foods, watching people trying to make their dogs "more obedient", trying fruit samples, and looking at point-of-purchase displays in the little shops and boutiques.

lunch on day 1 of boot camp - 3 FABULOUS salad offerings.
thanks, denny, for wonderful meals made with love!

my boot camp WOW ... several outcomes as i pondered on my drive home from healdsburg to the east bay and from this morning's stroll around the farmers market. i am totally taking my broader abstract ideas and getting them clearer, MUCH clearer (and this means clearing the clutter physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially) - (a) revamping my 2012 mash-up goals, (b) baby steppin' my creation of anthrocubeology, and (c) identifying tiny habits and triggers for several july health month rules. i am practicing what i learned on me and sharing with others!

short form improv with Level E MUTers!
my pee-in-your-pants moment
of introducing "plaque"
as part of an instruction manual for a ball.
(yes - a ball. that round thing that bounces.)

made up theatre improvisation classes ... my, oh my, how i have missed playing with fellow improvisers at the sunday classes for advanced long form improv and short form improv. many games already learned in short form improv as of week 3. i'll be including week 4 and week 5 (today) in a combined blog post for fellow improvisers.

most of the short form peeps from made up theatre ...
still two more peeps to round us out!

today is week 5 of 8, which means our shows (long form and short form) are around the corner. and this evening, i will spend 4 hours with fellow improvisers after more than 2 weeks away from making bold choices and committing to fabulous fun on stage! what WOW will result from this evening's ruckus?! 

fluevog fluegasm ... what can i say that has not been said about my obsession love of fluevogs?! admittedly, i have been at 26 pairs of fluevogs that make me smile and make my feet happy. and as of thus past monday, i've got a wonderfully cute vintage pair - fellowship | cecily.

fellowship | cecily
thanks much, wendy bliss!

on thursday, i'll be at the haight street store - 3 of the 4 fluevog iv will hang out with others for a summer sale sneak preview. the "rest of the world" can shop the sale in-store and on-line starting friday. just a little perk of lovin' fluevogs.

shirl, dorothy, jim, gladys, joanne, denny
(we'll miss you on thursday, gladys, 
and will be thinking of you lovingly!)
love you fluevog iv!

an exciting way 

to start july for shirlnutkin!

week 3 MUTers #improv

MORE @madeuptheatre fun (on web, facebook, yelp, foursquare, youtube) as we wrapped up our third week of short form improv.

(actually, i did not attend class, so generalissimo bobby sent over a list of the games. thanks!)

past weeks' games ... week 1 over here  (4 games) - acronym-mania, hostage negotiations, chain murder, one eighty five. and week 2 over here (6 games) - blind lines, dime store novel, naive replay, no you didn't, what'd you get, last action hero/joke.

i miss the MUTers! ... i missed week 3's class, therefore, i don't have whatever the "tips" were given during class by fearless leader bobby. in fact, i'll also be missing (week 4) class tonight.  (being on an airplane kinda cramps what improv style i possess, but i'll catch 'em next week.) MEANWHILE, for my improv fix, last night, i did check out the late show of ComedySportz Indianapolis (on web, twitter, facebook, yelp, foursquare). turns out that they are not more than 50 yards from where i'm staying in indianapolis. (nope, i didn't plan that one.) FUN, AMAZING games and AWESOME gibberish/mime talent. loved it! okay, now i'm understanding this short form stuff when played as part of comedysportz. (gotcha!)

5 more games and 3 refreshers ... last sunday was week 3, and thanks in advance to big kahuna bobby, he'll let me know what games will be played this evening for week 4. (NUDGE) and once again, i will live vicariously ... 

RHYME IT - scene game, verbal wit ... a scene is being done. At anytime, the host can blow a whistle and say "rhyme it", and the person who just said something has to say something different - that rhymes with what the player just said, and thus taking the scene in a new direction.  

IRISH DRINKING SONG - singing fun ... given an audience suggestion, players fake irish accents with each singing a line in an ABCB rhyming format; 4 lines make a verse; after so many verses, that's the end of the singing fun.  

LOVE SONG - singing fun ... given a woman's name, her occupation, and a favorite hobby - a clever chorus is created. bobby plays the guitar. and each player sings a line in an ABCB rhyming format; after a verse (4 lines) or verses, the chorus is sang.  

ONE EIGHTY FIVE - fast game/verbal wit ... players line/semi-circle up and one steps up with - "185 *BLANKS* walk into a bar, bartender says "We don't serve *BLANKS,* so the 185 *BLANKS* say something witty/PUNCHLINE. and each player steps up when offering a 185.  

NO YOU DIDN'T - verbal wit ... a suggestion is given, and a player starts off by saying "i kissed a *BLANK (from suggestion)* last night." and other players yell, "no you didn't" . . . then the player replies with something witty/PUNCHLINE.  

LAST ACTION HERO/JOKE - verbal wit ... player mimes that s/he kills someone with the suggestion and says a cheesy "action hero" line associated with that suggestion.  

WORLD'S WORST - verbal wit ... given an audience suggestion, players line/semi-circle up and one steps up with a witty/PUNCHLINE of worst possible way of doing/being what the audience suggested. other suggestions also are asked again of the audience through the playing.  

PICK-UP LINES - verbal wit ... players line/semi-circle up and . . . i forget how this one goes.

just have fun

and

make bold choices!

happy morning ears

podcast me! ... in addition to a few podcast staples for my morning commute, including history of philosophy, wtf with marc maron, and the nerdist, i have just wrapped up what is available for dad and the dude (from british tech network). described as - 

"Ewen and Ellis provide an alternative viewpoint on the world and the inner workings of a young boys mind. ... This is Ellis’ view of the greater world and how it works and affects him. It's not always right to the rest of us, but to Ellis…it makes perfect sense. Each week Ellis chooses what he wants to talk about and we just sit and discuss it. Here are the best bits…"

and again and again ... with only 6 episodes, i've decided i will (re)listen to the episodes because they are quite entertaining, and i can practice having a little british boy accent if such an accent might ever be handy. right?! right.

f|break: yuna

music ... thanks @yunamusic (on web, facebook, youtube, tumblr) for such a beautiful song - live your life. admittedly, i heard yuna's song for the first time yesterday evening on conan - yuna's first live national television debut. lovely.

as a side note - i am participating in happy black woman's (aka rosetta thurman) 31 days to reset your life challenge - her april 2012 #31dayreset. for day 1 (april 1), participants were asked to -

• choose a notebook (for responding to the daily assignment)
• choose a personal mantra (to be written on the first page of the notebook - as a blessing for all written in the notebook)
• choose a theme song (to play daily when completing each daily assignment), and
• share with others about the above three, including why we chose the notebook that we chose

- and as a participant, i have completed day 1 (which i'll share later), AND i changed my theme song monday night after hearing yuna perform live your life.

enjoy a music fiber break with yuna (over here)

for ~3:18 minutes with the beautiful lyrics live your life

LIVE YOUR LIFE 

Find your light
Don’t hide from what you are
And rise before you fall
And hope for something more
Live if you really want to 

All my life I’ve been looking for something amazing
It’s almost like I’ve been stargazing
The sky is right above me
We were meant for something bigger than this
Don’t ever try to dismiss yourself cause you don’t have to 

(Chorus) 

All my life my dreams just seemed so far away
And now it’s like they’re here to stay
I hold it close to me
We were meant for something bigger than this
Don’t ever try to dismiss yourself cause you don’t have to

springtime with #improv

time to be an audience member!
my eyes and ears will be entertained this spring ...
3 for all, the improvised shakespeare company, and made up theatre

this weekend at fort mason's bayfront theater
with 3 for all (on facebook, youtube)

THEN

a mid-april jaunt northbound toward our capitol
to be entertained at the uc davis mondavi center
by chicago's the improvised shakespeare company
(on facebook, youtube, twitter)  

about the players

AND THEN OF COURSE ...

will sprinkle in for saturdays here and there 

fremont's made up theatre

check out made up theatre's show

f|break: music

thanks again @paddyscoffee @_doeeye (on soundcloud, web, twitter, facebook, tumblr, youtube) for an afternoon of ear-happiness. 

from paddy's coffee house

it was great to meet doe eye, aka maryam qudus... what a wonderful soul. and what a treat to get a copy of her debut ep run run run.

enjoy a music fiber break with doe eye over here

for ~4:00 min with i hate you ...

and in fact,

please do listen to run run run

and lastly ... like what you are hearing?

check out the 

billboard.com's west: battle of the bands

and vote accordingly!

thanks @dmlcentral

now it's your turn

 to read and 

enjoy the wisdom!

full infographic at connected learning

i just learned about connected learning, which is part of DML central's the digital media & research learning hub (on web, twitter). i'm soaking up the nooks and crannies of DML's website, where they share about DML Central -

"This collaborative blog and curated collection of free and open resources is produced by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub, which is dedicated to analyzing and interpreting the impact of the Internet and digital media on education, civic engagement, and youth."

hmmm ... lots of nooks and crannies. looks like i'm due for a quick get-away to soak up dml central along with many other web offerings.

got curiosity?!

unleashing soulwork ...

image from bindlestiff studio

thanks @MaxaliShines ... you don't know me (yet), but i'm glad we have a friend in common.

i don't think i've been bit by the performance-bug (if there is such a bug), however, i do believe this "bug" is part of my 3 words shared earlier this year - believe, foresight, expressive. (and in fact, now i am wondering how close or far the idea of performance is from the desire to be expressive.)


expressive ... i am creatively expressive. writing and speaking are my first go-to places for being expressive. i'm chugging along to create and experience these opportunities. also, i have started my second year of improv with made up theatre. i have my little brunetti cartooning tidbit. and a few other express-yourself ideas brewing, such as aarp's expressive drawing on-line course.

coming sooner ... soulwork: creating, acting, living begins april 1 (afternoon) for 6 sunday afternoons, and signing up is easy. created and taught be nicole maxali (on web, twitter, facebook, youtube), this workshop will be at SF's bindlestiff studio. nicole shares -

"Inspired by books like The Artist's Way and real life experiences, this experiential workshop includes reflective writing exercises, improv games, scene work and theater basics to help participants get out of their own way and manifest their deepest desires. By being in the moment, actively listening (to oneself and those around you), finding your true intentions and taking risks, you can become a better actor and if the world is a stage better you as well."

expressive inventory ... for me at this time, blogging, improv, cartooning, soulwork, long walks, journaling, and meditation are those activities i have engaged that come to mind.

and for my dear @TKSaville (aka tracy, on twitter), creator of the digital magazine LeadingPossibilities, i will indeed give birth to writing what tracy likely already has seen in my future, while i work on my unleashing the thoughts from my head with the passion of my heart through the fingertips on my hands! (virtual hugs, tracy!)

what does expressive mean to you?

how do you express yourself? 

and if you don't, why not?

f|break: franco ramble

image from: TMZ.com

yes, james franco (on imdb, whosay, facebook). i shared back in april 2011 a fiber break blog post with a few videos of franco on the colbert report and SNL. (chuckles)

crushing franco? ... hmmm, i don't think so because it's not like my mike rowe crush, though there is something about franco. je ne sais quoi. maybe it was his sleeping in a class. (it reminds me of when i fell asleep in a college lecture in the first row (front and center) during one of my classes; i knocked over a full cup of orange juice. i respect sleepers!) anyway, while i'm figuring that out, here's a franco funny or die clip about his ucla commencement speech - not.

enjoy a fiber break of james franco (over here)

for ~ 5:57 minutes on funny or die

James Franco's Rejected UCLA Commencement Speech from James Franco     

college ... it takes minds into space like a rocket 

(this is where i get my jetpack, fire it up, fly over the audience)

who doesn't fucking fall asleep in class?

go out and make babies

tiny habits - gimme more!

thanks again, @bjfogg ... i'm going for another opportunity to be part of 3 tiny habits this week. i shared about my initial experiences, i gots me some habits that have formed solidly and a few that i'm modifying and tweaking.


traveling this week ... i purposely signed up to see how i would fair with 3 tiny habits while on travel. i've chosen the following anchors and tiny habits, which represent a bit of tweaking from some of my initial experience ...

• after i brush my teeth, i will floss one tooth.
• after i take off my shoes, i will stretch my legs.
• after i use the bathroom, i will stretch my arms.

recap of habits from initial experience ... i had 7 tiny habits, and 4 of those habits are part of the fabric of my life - 

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone. ... i am a water-drinking-freak-a-zoid! LOVE. IT.
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. ... i am no longer driving around a secondary closet or mini-storage unit. i don't apologize for any disarray when passengers enter. what disarray?!
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool. ... no more scavenger hunting in the morning before i go to work. i actually look forward to being relaxed before i start my morning commute to work.
• after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk. ... this not only has stuck as a habit, i find myself choosing the longer routes, picking up my walking-pace, and even just making sure to get enough walk-time (rather than plopped in my office chair). AND i am as (or even more) productive.

tweaking habits ... meanwhile, there are a few other habits - primarily related to stretching and teeth brushing - that i'm tweaking, and this week's effort is my tweak week. i have not been feeling the anchors from before, so i'm trying out other anchors. the anchors i have chosen for this week should be fine - EVEN when i'm on travel. an interesting part will be how the habits stick when i'm back home, as well.

got anchors?!

get habits!

f|break: bat-stalgic

THANKS @therealadamwest for my morning of nostalgia. i was thinking about the batman movie, the version back in the day - the 1966 movie - when adam west (on twitter, web, facebook, imdb) and burt ward (on imdb) were witness to the united world organization's security council members "transformation" - each was dehydrated and then re-hydrated, albeit not quite their original selves.

quote-a-licious ... why did batman pop up into my head this morning? i think it is part of in-my-head jibber-jabber - an extension of a conversation i had with a friend early yesterday morning, which included references to philosophy, ayn rand, coal-fired power plants, mnemonics (mister wet pets), and my friend's sharing of ...

"... the more implied importance you assign to [a person], the greater independence they will assume and the more difficult they will be to manage toward the established goals of the more informed."

... i have no idea if my friend watched batman (back in the day). however, whether he did or did not, SO worth the checking out the imdb movie quotes for the batman movie. meanwhile ...

enjoy your morning fiber break with batman (on imdb)

for ~ 3:04 minutes of movie trailer fun ... POW!

BONUS enjoy a fiber break with batman and robin (over here)

for ~ 3:46 minutes ... precisely robin!