Michael McFaul lecture for World Affairs Council in Atherton, Calif., September, 2014

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

McFaul is closer to getting Putin than I am to him in this photo. Getting meaning understanding.

McFaul is closer to getting Putin than I am to him in this photo. Getting meaning understanding.


Terry and I caught an excellent lecture by Michael McFaul, of Stanford’s Hoover Institution, and the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, for the World Affairs Council, at a private residence in Atherton, California, in September, 2014.

McFaul is a Rhodes Scholar and 1985 Stanford graduate, originally from Montana. There is a peculiar kindling effect in my mind apropos of Dr. McFaul in that I met him a couple times in 1982 and 1983, then with the successive press announcements (Rhodes, Hoover, Obama Security council, the ambassadorship) his name and story stuck with me. (I would estimate I keep little mental files and sometimes corresponding analogue or real-world files — clippings, ephemera, posters and notes — on at least 10,000 similar people, things, places and concepts; heck, the blog, 925 posts in, probably name-checks 1,000 or more).

McFaul is an impressive guy. The moderator said he liked but did not get to my question wondering about how being a music aficionado prepares the air for sorting thru the talk of demagogues, statesmen and shysters. (McFaul’s father is or was a music teacher and musician, clarinet? Actually today Beth Custer and I discussed trying to get her score of “My Grandfather” a Georgi

edit to add: regarding the Grateful Dead and professor ambassador McFaul, half of my ten previous postings about Michael have to do with our having attended a Dead Show, Greek Berkeley 1982. I sussed, while listening to the above pictured lecture that Julia Ioffe of Foreign Policy in a serious treatment of the man “The Undiplomat” unearthed that Michael says that freshman week of Stanford he met a guy with 100 Dead tapes and was fascinated by the abundance and enthusiasm not necessarily the music per se. Maybe we went over this in the car either to or fro, at the time; I cannot recall if I or he drove; probably me, especially if he hitch-hiked or walked to The Farm from Big Sky. He actually left almost immediately after the lecture and before the reception because he said it was his wife’s birthday celebration. I have some notes beyond the photo and the moldy fig recall.

When I called our mutual friend to tell her that I read or heard of McFaul being tapped by Obama, my friend said that her father had already given her the Head up.

For the record I saw about 10 Dead shows, and about half that many post-Jerry or related-events. I’m a pseudo-Dead-head. (Real Deadheads have seen 100 or more shows, and taped them). I’ve seen easily 1,000 other concerts; I’ve produced more than 200 shows, easily, rock, jazz and folk. Closer to 500? In 20 years; when I met Michael McFaul I never would have guessed that years later I’d be in the music biz. Or a politician.

BLUF: diplo talk for “bottom line up front”

Beth Custer and I hope to gift him a DVD of “My Grandmother” a Soviet-era banned film from Georgia (about bureaucracy) she wrote a new score for, and is playing New York coming up. We’d love to do a show for the Hoover scholars. Who knows, is there something in this cultural artifact that gives a McFaul some insight into the gestures of a Putin? Oblique strategy and long way home.

I hope to edita with more content of the actual lecture.

HOLY WILLIAM SAFIRE: I just search-injuned “michael mcfaul” and “bottom line up front” and it yields only seven (7) cites. Whoah! or Wah-hoo-wah.

and here as an outro is not Franklin’s Tower but trailer to “My Grandmother” in hopes of bringing world peace:

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Magic thinking and the Palo Alto ‘Our…’ process

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

The Journal of the American Institute of Planners (July, 1969) outlines “Eight Rungs of Citizen Participation” (See below). I perceive the latest “visioning” exercise to lie on the lowest two rungs. If we want real power (i.e., to stand on the eighth rung) we’ll need to create a parallel process with greater public support.

1. Manipulation
Officials place residents on rubber-stamp advisory committees to “educate” them, engineer support, and “prove” that “grassroots people” are involved.
2. Therapy
Under the guise of engaging residents in planning, power-holders bring them together to adjust their “values and attitudes” to accept harmful change.
3. Informing
Information flows primarily in one direction, and is often presented at a late stage in planning, after residents’ opportunity for influence has largely passed.
4. Consultation
Consultation without guarantee of influence remains just a window-dressing ritual.
5. Placation
Residents may be awarded token concessions, but are still being planned for by others.
6. Partnership
Residents and powerholders share planning and decision-making responsibilities, and ground rules are not subject to unilateral change.
7. Delegated Power
Residents achieve sufficient decision-making authority to assure accountability.
8. Citizen Control
Residents govern a program or an institution, in full charge of policy and managerial aspects, and negotiate the conditions under which “outsiders” may change them.
David Schrom a Stanford teacher and co-founder of Palo Alto’s Magic Incorporated Community (not to be confused with his protogee, David Muffly, also an arborist) posted the above on Palo Alto Weekly website, apropos of a discussion of the disaster known as Alma Plaza or Alma Village, “planned community – PC- zoning” and the “Comp Plan” or “General Plan” and general gutting of such.
I found it while sitting thru, fairly randomly, a Policy and Services meeting where it will be discussed Karen Holman’s (of Budget subcommittee, she’s not here) question of why we charge $100 to rent the “community room” if the room is part of a public benefit (in letting builder over-build and be up-zoned). Fred Balin has also written extensively on this Giant White Elephant. And he’s in the room.

I have the opposite stance, and will probably say so, in about an hour — thereby foregoing chance to plug Ventura Park at Parks atari starting shortly next door. I think the project is such a mess that we do have to keep the vigil up.

Atari means “i attack you” — ghosts in machine seem to want to tell us here. (I was writing “start” and they changed it to “atari” maybe this is something Nolan Bushnell circa 1970 while in Utah snuck into all future Matrix I mean spellcheckers)

I am also thinking “sausages” or even “sausage” the rock band, for no obvious Plastic Alto reason.

Brother Les, what says sausages you:

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The no body in me salutes the no body in you

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

Jason-
Sorry if I was abrupt on the phone, if you called while things were happening and I was rude.
I think there is a shift, fairly abrupt, from office etiquette , where people have receptionists answering the phone and following a protocol, to now, with cellphones and virtual offices — I cannot afford an office here any more — so there is some weird shakeout.

Which is distinct from if I knew exactly who you were, your firm, or org, and their service, and then decided not to work with you.

Any further advice on getting over my self? is that like Jerry Salinger going vedantic between “Catcher in the Rye” and “Great day for Bananafish” (Seriously; I am going to a lecture tomorrow by the leading analyst of Salinger, David Shields).

And you think a guy who went from 800 votes in 2009 to nearly 6,000 in 2012 (out of 24,000 cast) is now cocky?

I am thinking I am Walter Mischel “Marshmellow” — actually, excuse the digression, but that is my next “get” — is Mischel of “marshmallow” fame the Mischel from Stanford, i.e. I know him or them or the family? What I am saying: I think I am pretty darn patient.

Is your job that unsatysfing that you need to take the jab at people now and again?

Namaste, bra.

Mark Weiss
Plastic Alto blog
Earthwise Productions
running for council in Palo Alto or as I sometimes say, peddling just fast enough to not fall down
I also think about “Chris Ryan” real or fictional in the De La Salle movie taking a knee on the last three plays of the season: In certain ways I could no literally nothing in the run up to Nov. 4 and still feel I got something down so far and any more would be overkill.

but just for yucks, what do you suggest? What is the full-Cal Voter buy?

650.305 XXXx now that you’ve got my attention

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The post remains the same (5 – center)

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

DUDE WHERE'D YOU PARK YOUR ARB APP: David Carnahan of City Clerk office is asking me, Mark Weiss Council candidate yet ARB wanna-ARB as well

DUDE WHERE’D YOU PARK YOUR ARB APP: David Carnahan of City Clerk office is asking me, Mark Weiss Council candidate yet ARB wanna-ARB as well


1. point(David Shields, I am thinking “Pete Maravich”)
2. shooting(faux Filseth, and I am thinking “Jerry West” and being generous or atoning)
3. small forward (Gervin, Ice man?
4. big / forward (“John Havlicek”? although it was about Cazzie Russell or maybe Kent Lockhart or that poor May guy — this game doesn’t really pan out; it is worse than Errol Morris Fast Cheap and like that thing about hoops and soccer on same pitch, in Mexico)
5. big / center (“Bill Walton” or “Bob Lanier” because he shoe so big — trisha brown, walking on buildings or maybe Willis Reed because that’s where I came in and Trish and Architecture is very NYC Big Apple)

Although we didn’t use the term “big” to describe 4 and 5 in my day, and Hans was “Hans” and not “Del” or “Coach Del”

I am not sure if this is my fifth post of the day, making me a post man, of sorts, or continuation of previous play.

There is a Policy and Services Committee (a subset of council, discussing somewhere Alma Plaza bugaboos) and Parks and Rec at 7, where I want to talk again about Ventura Park. So I have another hour to finish my day.

I ran into Janice who is the City Manager’s assistant who recognized me and reminded me of the continuation of Candidates Briefing on City Hall How it Works. We are both Aquarii it turns out and I used that as explanation for how I pull information rabbits out of my hat.

I flipped thru the Trisha Brown book and snapped “sweded” versions of “Man Walking Down the Side of a Building” from 1970 which I am claiming is relevant to my desire to be on ARB or to be ARB. It’s arbitrary, sure. (It would be more relevant of course if Trisha Brown the creator of “MWDSB” wanted to ARB).

Also: The Global Office by Noam Dvir, in Art in America (June/July 2014) I wrote about and discussed at ARB, about “Fundamentals” a part of Venice Biennale, and “Absorving Modernity” and “Monditalia”. And “OfficeUS”. Dig?

(Also: Elvis Costello supposedly said: writing about music is like dancing about architecture, plus the pun on “about” meaning to circumnavigate or approach indirectly, my forte; my 40. I am drunk on ideas).

I can paste in a photo of David Carnahan, our Asst Clerk.

The five-member ARB earmarks 3 seats for architects or “design” professionals; I am arguing that designing a concert, especially a a site specific event, like “!Taylor Ho!” September 20 at Lytton Plaza, might be comparable to being a design professional. (Previously I had gotten Steve Staiger to agree that my writing on Plastic Alto and my pseudo-residency at PAHA would qualify me for one of the earmarked historian seats if I applied to HRB; the incumbents reapplied, I know that much and when I called the Clerks office yesterday Kim Lunt said the deadline approaching was “one minute” away, meaning closing, 5:30 yesterday to my 5:29.

I am doubtful that any of the other 12 (or 9) council candidates would double-down on commission/board apps, yet so far they are generally way ahead of me on picking up tricks. (Like the ballot statements on NEW Measure D, about council composition).

I did RSVP for a meeting at the Maybell group (that endorsed a pseudo-slate of 3) but not sure how to do that AND Parks and Rec unless I want to just do the oral communication. I guess I should keep my word, face the music.

I have a backlog of photos from earlier in the cue to post, when the Peet’s wireless seemed to get squirrelly.

Meanwhile, I just and about 10 minutes of our current host, J.P. Coupal and want to interview him for Plastic Alto. If nothing else (!), being on the ballot makes me that muck more avid a blog-poster.

And I can circle back to block out the hoops reference above.
(And this is a very David Shieldsian riff, methinks).

I also owe Mike Cobb something about Cub, Le Levy something about song and several others. (I made a list of calls to make).

Beth Custer, one of my collaborators in music, wants to do a jingle for the campaign; that would rock. Not sure if I have the budget or can I somehow steer clear of it being a campaign expense? I told her that when Scott Rafshoon and I (plus my dad, Paul Edward Weiss) toured the Carter Library in Atlanta, in 1992 (in town for World Series, Braves-Blue Jays, we thought the world -series — was coming to an end), he could not help but sing the Carter for President jingles, because he was 10 at the time they were new — 1976 — and his dad, Gerald Rafshoon wrote them; he has a signed picture of Carter, actually it is a young Scott with a jew-fro sitting on Jimmy’s lap, in oval office – and it says SCOTT, THANK YOUR DAD FOR GETTING ME ELECTED PRESIDENT. YOUR PAL, JIMMY CARTER.

It would be neat to pick Gerald Rafshoon’s brain on any of this, although in truth I’ve only met him a handful of times. Scott, Ellen, Jerry and Eden and I or maybe no Eden (Mark Donohoe’s widow) saw “Russian Tea House” by John LeCarre the movie on New Year’s Day in 1993, a carry over from being in Raleigh area for Rich Durante Brooke Baker nuptials; we also eat, the Rafshoons and I, at Mrs Simpsons, the thing about the English crown and their monkey business. Mr. Rafshoon treated. I owe him.

Running for public office is an interesting excuse to ring (by phone) or ring (doorbells). Which reminds: I need to update my endorsements. Maybe T the potential intern can work on that, confirming previous commitments. Or offering yard signs. You read that right, you spies. It is funny how the backers of the 3 never also have a sign for any of the incumbents.

It is weird but totally off topic that when I start to write “han” for Hans they suggest “Eric Hanson” and “Matt Nathanson.” interesting dinner conversation, that would be.

Does library have “Christ”: A Pattern”?? Is it in print? How well did I read it?

So that’s another 1,000 words, probably up to 3,000 for the day, maybe…wait for it…5.

-30- (and it’s 5:30 exactly, and now I’m channeling the weird artist guy Ray Johnson and his obsession with numbers, drove him cazzie firshir#

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Driving me cazzie

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

Nathan Oliveira's Windhoever was named by a visiting artist who was fond of Gerald Manley Hopkins

Nathan Oliveira’s Windhoever was named by a visiting artist who was fond of Gerald Manley Hopkins


Ok, I admit. I’m spread a little thin.
Partial remedy, I gave away a book. A new book. Recently procured. Having carried the clip, the review around for a couple years. Harvy Araton’s book about the great Knicks teams, of 1970 and 1973. Willis Reed and all that. Actually Hans got seven or eight Knicks and three Lakers: Bradley, Frazier, DeBusshiere (I prompted him: played baseball), not Monroe, Wilt, not at first Elgin Baylor, Goodrich. Et cetera.

I ran into Hans Delannoy my old coach, at Peet’s near Cub, near his father’s home. I gifted him, because he is recuperating or rehabbing from double knee surgery, the book. I wrote: Thanks for making me a champion.

While he took a call confirming the arrangements of his rehab, I read half a page, about Cazzie Russell, catching up to his teammates not Salt Lake City neutral site game against Phoenix Suns but the next stop, and Cazzie arrives very upset because back in Michigan, where he starred for Ann Arbor, the Wolverines, the police pulled him over and cuffed him and put a gun to his head; mistaken identify, even Cazzie Russell. The book says he took it out on May, one of five white teammates.

Kent Lockhart, our teammate (leader; no, the team) was drafted by the Knicks, in 1985, but broke his arm and played in Australia for 20 seasons and coaching, at various levels until just this year retired (he also taught middle school art, at Murdoch school, or a Murdoch School, the rupert type). Kent was coached in the CBA the U.S. minor league, and incidentally the NBA had fewer jobs and fewer teams in his era (although more rounds of draft) by the same Cazzie Russell, and the other year down there (distinct from Down Under) by Phil Jackson. For his part, Kent coached, albeit briefly, Andrew Bogut.

I am actually on my way home to “do” (make, fold, form, delegate) laundry, but stopped for a quick salad and to potentially say hello to a new potential friend, Director of Operations and Student Union Jeannette Smith-Laws (I kept wanting to say Anna Deveare Smith) who, like Russell, is from Michigan and more specifically like potential next governor, Mark Schauer, from Battle Creek. Jessica the assistant kindly gave me a card to facilitate a moreb-business like and less-kismet like meet.

I met Ms. Smith-Laws at Windhover, Stanford’s Nathan Oliveira contemplative facility. A bird flew over him the rest is his story. To rest to sleep to dream. Like a phoenix.

I’m actually stalking Michael McFaul. Beth Custer and I want to gift him a copy of “My Grandmother” a Georgian film, to which she wrote a current score, on DVD. (BLUF bottom line up front, McFaul the former ambassador to Russia and son of a music teacher, maybe like Beth a clarinet player, should hire Beth and Band to do live version of their “My Grandfather” — who knows what insight into Putin and them this 1930s formerly banned film might offer, dish out, like Cazzie floating thru the morass.

I was carrying three books (fished from my trunk, the portable library) to potentially — I have used that word three times, and am shying away from coining a nicked version “pot_”–give away, her choice one of these:
1. Girl With Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier (as opposed to Phil Chenier, the former Cal star and Bullet or Bull)

2. Marx For Beginners, by Rius, from 1976, from Vince Derillo’s yard sale;

3. A Beautiful Mind, by Sylvia Nasar, about John Nash, although I do want to someday suss out Nash w. PJC, which I bought at a yard sale yesterday on Byron. Ali of Byron is a budding film make her.

Like I said, thin too spread.

p.s. Hans was wearing the same Robert Indiana-esque hoops love shirt I shot him in a few months back. L BALL V E.

I have photos of Ali and Jeannette (and I) to post. Check back. Hand check. I thought we fronted Paul Fortier and they lobbed over, for those 16 second half-points, but Hans says it had more to do with the penetration off dribble by Jeff Thiltgen, who further his education, hoops wise and otherwise, thanks to we the people and UC, don’t you?

check out Ali and Corwin's sale today RIGHT NOW and for the next two hours at Byron and N.California, near Jordan (David Starr Michael of the Tar Heels and Bulls); I was gonna say something about this being a still from "Palo Alto" with Nat Wolfe and Sophia Coppola

check out Ali and Corwin’s sale today RIGHT NOW and for the next two hours at Byron and N.California, near Jordan (David Starr Michael of the Tar Heels and Bulls); I was gonna say something about this being a still from “Palo Alto” with Nat Wolfe and Sophia Coppola

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Dancing about architecture

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

Two hundred fifty patters by “Christ” to 618 shields of reality by “King” David.

Ten titles, or volumes, pulled somewhat hastily from my shelves, and then stacked neatly on a table at Peet’s about three hours and two posts ago:

1. Hiroshi Sugimoto & Jonathan Safran Foer, “Joe” about Richard Serra and Ando, in this case;

2. Art in America, June/July 2014 for article about architecture at Venice Bianalle,

3. Off The Wall!: A Guide to Greg Brown’s Murals in Palo Alto;

4 Trisha Brown, So That the Audience Does Not Know Whether I Have Stopped Dancing — if and only if it has the photo of her site specific piece of people waving flags from rooftops;

5. Scott Meacham, Dartmouth College: The Campus Guide;

6. Almanac Chapple-Mazinani-Thomas which I think is about recent grad students at Stanford, and something in a tower, ala Ann Hamilton tower at the art colony up in Petaluma I toured a whiles back; which reminds me to look for content I created or documented when John Barton had some cute young French exchange students talk in a compelling way about 27 University; and further about John Barton, who said, at the time, I could ring him>

7. Al’ America, by Jon Curiel, the former Chron writer and friend of a friend thru the dear Charlotte Gerstein (Dartmouth 1986, from West Hartford, CT, whose father made a film about the fact that Mark Twain deliberately made his house there face that of Harriet Beecher Stowe, to annoy here) the connect being that Barton and Carrassco here build a lovely mosque;

8. From Bauhaus to Our House by Tom Wolfe;

9. Fodor’s New York City from 1983 back in the good old days (and very avid Plastic Alto readers or close personal friends my recall that I spent February, 2001 that is in the final seven months of Western Civilization in New York, or Brooklyn for you sticklers and bums;

and lastly a 10. Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide Clayton, Running Press Cyclopedia, this fits in my pocket although I shlepped all ten, plus David Shields Realty Hunger and a Linda Ronstadt cd in a canvas bag from SXSW 2009;

I regrettably sold off my Christopher “Christ” Alexander, “A Pattern Language” which I bought in 1988 because Rob Bagot had it, Rob a future Howard Gossage winner, compared to Dan Mountain the 1988 Howard Gossage winner, Dan and HISWIFE, who Terry and I saw in July, Clay Kershaw was on the mound and the tv, in Venice Beach, an Abbot Kinney kind of thing, you know.

This is my way of announcing that beyond or technically before in some ways running Mark Weiss me that is for Palo Alto City Council — and again, since we are on topic, exactly 26 years after conceiving of an actualizing and presenting the 1988 Goose Gossage Award for copywriting-reading to Jeff Goodby– I am also concurrently little poMo and yes “pomp” (my computer is now ghost-writing this part, on auto-Pilot the pen) that I am applying for the appointable position or seat for Architecture Review Board. Not being an actual architect – although Matt H. Porteus and I, in Clay Leo’s 1978 HisGoBAM/APB History and Geography of the Bay Area Metropolis slash American Political Behavior did once design a lovely little piece of fiction, and fishin’ for that matter, Port Weissius, somewhere between Escondido and San Diego or in another dimension, an architect. But I have a good eye for music.

More to comb.
(Do I get bonus points, in some universe, parallel or on a different plane, for bridging, like the grandfather of a nice lady from Michigan in Old Palo Alto, Claytons Kershaw and Leo?)

edita, ten minutes later: I also shot on my Moto Android a group of 11 photos of works on paper (and in one case tin) of architectural themed art works, that I hope color, shapes, supports and bulwarks (if that is a verb) this application, or essay, or exercise, from a private collection; a private collection of a person who, in my humble opinion, badly needs to get to a wash and fold service, perhaps run by an amiable if Reubanesque, Korean woman. Will add later. Yeah, sure. We’ve heard it all before. Check: Reuban.

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Not a genuine Filseth

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86
not Eric Filseth, at Peet's Charleston, September, 2014; I think he said Scott or Steve

not Eric Filseth, at Peet’s Charleston, September, 2014; I think he said Scott or Steve

I met a man who looked a lot like Eric Filseth, especially looking at him across the room, with my reading glasses. Earlier, I shouted out to James Lyons the dramatician. (He endorses me, I think, or at least signed my petition). Also, Gini Ali, who I’d like to produce theatrically — working title, “Memory Is An Elephant” sat with me for less than the Warholian 15 minutes before rushing off to Abilities United. A man named Rob Mori had some great ideas about tech and govy.

Gunn Stanford grad and theatre impresario James Lyons was kind enough to endorse Weiss for Council

Gunn Stanford grad and theatre impresario James Lyons was kind enough to endorse Weiss for Council

2. Not sure previous post, “David Shields Nine Twenty Four” ends and this “Not A Genuine Filseth” starts, although you, dear reader, would get this better if you also saw my post about “Tom Dbois not a genuine Brown man” or have heard Brian Copeland, or Stew. I guess I am adding a “category”, 930 posts in. If “ethnicieties” means “jewish”, “spiked” means, well, “black”. But I will define it more loosely like: if you once wrote a letter to Spike Lee suggesting he read Huck Finn, and also rode an elevator two floors with him at NUU and resisted speaking to him and used to phone Eric Finale not Filseth to report whether Foresst Whitaker was at Douce France. have seen Hook Mithcell dunk. So far this a.m. I have sent 16 photos from Moto to Yahoo (intending to Plasty) and added 5 more snaps to the cue.

Not writing on architecture, which is literally “dancing” “about” architecture. I am intending to write about architecture. So much for intentional fallacy.

Also: big excitement at Peet’s: it takes a village to raise a dog. I cracked up Karen Holman during lunch yesterday at Rotary in that apropos of their trip to Antigua — a tear-jerker, even for a jerked chicken like me — I said “I traded my heart for an endorsement.” I was thinking “kidney thieves” but Terry, later, at dinner, was thinking “St. Valentines” speaking of snakes: are their snakes in Antigua? I mean poisonous ones? I don’t think so. EDITA: Antigua is a leeward Island and former British Colony, including St. John’s the capital with 25,000 people, compared to Antigua, Guatemala, a city of 50,000 — and sister city to Glendale, CA, in a nation of 15 Million, where they speak Spanish, which I am guessing is where E.J Hong meant to say her Rotary mission went recently.

Rotary president E.J. Hong did a great job as time keeper for the candidates debate Monday

Rotary president E.J. Hong did a great job as time keeper for the candidates debate Monday

More photos of the candidate event Monday at Rotary Club at Elks Club. Jocelyn Dong, at first read, was kind to me in that she plugged my blog and said I called the bike bridge “pork”.

Click the photo for names of the candidates, September, 2014 photo by Mark Weiss, projected winner, as Plastic Alto sees it

Click the photo for names of the candidates, September, 2014 photo by Mark Weiss, projected winner, as Plastic Alto sees it

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David Shields Nine Twenty-four

Posted on September 23, 2014 by markweiss86

shieldsinSanJoseSept242014

David Shields is in San Jose Wednesday evening and Thursday nooner.
The Palo Alto Weekly ran an add Friday.

From Reality Hunger, 9: One author pilfers the best of another and calls it reality hunger

From Reality Hunger, 24:
In the twelfth century, French troubadours wrote love songs about thwarted love.

This a.m., on my way to Peet’s near Cubberley, I listened for the first time to a performance by Linda Ronstandt and Ann Savoy, “(The Song About)Renee”. I should ring Ann! Ann, come to Lytton Plaza and do a bit more fiddlin’ around, if you can mando’ it.

Also, there’s a lady from Lafayette who has a diner in SF, in Dog Patch, who said free beignets if we come by. (This is the place I went to lunch with Matt Gonzalez — WHO ENDORSED ME, WHO ENDORSES MARK WEISS FOR PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL — and Jonathan Richman — something about mary -).

Which reminds: Frank Ford of Gryphn Stringed lives and works here and endorses me: thanks, Frank. Keep on picking.

edit, add its:
Now that you got me playing with my Moto-Android, here is Paul Jacobs, a pretty fair musician — he also endorses me, at the Gryphon. I was telling them that Terry and I had recently visited McCabe’s Guitar Store in Santa Monica, their rival.

Not sure how to segue, but I also, later that day, met a group of young South Koreans selling ground beef salads — not quite kimchi — at 250 Hamilton / City Hall / MLK Plaza — and I was having such a nice day I Paid It Forward for the next 10 comers, including a guy with an app to help fisherman, lil emu old friend John Liddicoat.

Vince Derillo attended Terman with me in 1978 and Gunn in 1980, 1981 and 1982, but I don’t think I had seen him since. I picked up two books from his yard sale — Karl Marx for beginners — with cartoon drawings — and something about the murals of Philadelphia. I also met his son. Good on Vince and them. Mabuhay.

A nice Vietnamese lady on La Para, married to a Jewish physician and with a nice garden yet too shy to sit for me kindly put me through about six poses to yield this shot, which also reminds me of taking a poetry class with Tom Sleigh, in 1985 and him admitting to me that some days he feels inferior, relative to the simple dandelion. (Most of us, including Richard Shindell, would be stuck with “it hurts” and “hey, doc, how about a refill?”).

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Weiss stands out among pool

Posted on September 22, 2014 by markweiss86

photo 3

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Lobdell lives

Posted on September 21, 2014 by markweiss86

1411334723114

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