Weird 'holiday' link of the day ...

This was just too nerdy ... and weird to pass up:

http://todbot.com/blog/2006/12/21/roombas-go-caroling/

Enjoy.

Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com

Announcing - Coastal Local

New designs … and a new brand … inspired by my life in Santa Cruz. If I haven’t talked to you about it yet … check out my latest designs … for my newest brand … Coastal Local.

Most people who know me … know how MUCH I love being on the coast. I’ve lived in various areas of Santa Cruz County … Downtown SC … Westside (the circles) … Capitola … Soquel … and now … Pleasure Point. What can I say … I am stoked!!!! I live a 5 minute walk from one of the greatest surf spots in the United States. More importantly … I’m super close to a trail … that takes me along a creek … through glorious trees where Monarch butterflies flitter around … that spits me out at Moran Lake … right by one of the best ‘dog beaches’ in Santa Cruz. It’s absolutely divine.

So … of course … given the amazing surroundings … I’ve been inspired … to create a different line of designs … hence … Coastal Local. Moreover … most of the ’surf attire’ available for women … is designed for ‘12 year old bodies’ … rather than ’size 12 bodies’ … so … that was another inspiration for me to create some gear that will actually fit me!

I obviously have much to do with both Coastal Local … and Tease, Inc. … so … please be patient … and send me your ideas!

Stay tuned!

- Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com

Camping in Big Sur --- DO IT!!

If you are ever in the mood to camp … but … not really rough it too hard core … then … I have to recommend camping in Big Sur.

Big Sur is close enough to ‘civilization’ … yet … the geographic features are magnificent enough … that one can’t help but feel completely amazed and dwarfed by the beauty. The weather on the coast is so mild … that it hardly matters whether the rest of California is experiencing triple digit weather temps … as it was during the weekend I went camping there … after July 4th.

There are plenty of camping destinations in Big Sur … for this particular camping trip … we chose to stay at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. This park is great for families … and newbie campers. There are plenty of amenities … and even a swimming hole.

This was the first EVER camping trip for my partner, Chris. She is now a full-fledged … card carrying member of the lesbian faction! She earned her camping wings in grand style … preparing and cooking amazing feasts during dinner … and breakfast the next day. Chris even suffered the humliation of not bringing all the tent poles … which fortunately … wasn’t too painful … as our friends had brought an extra tent with them. Whew!

A word of warning … regarding the swimming hole … yes … there a big rocks to jump off of … but … please be cautious of the ugly submerged tree stumps! I had an unfortunate accident … that could/should have been a LOT worse. I’m amazed that I wasn’t impaled! So … please heed the warning!

We are still waiting for pictures from the disposable camera … but … in the meantime … here are some digital pics for your enjoyment. You’ll find the pic of my bruised ‘trunk’ … from my accident with the submerged ‘trunk’. Stay tuned for video footage!

- Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com

Gnarls Barkley

OKAY … so … I misplaced my mp3 player … and I was forced to listen to commercial radio … FORTUNATELY … I came across ‘crazy’ … by Gnarls Barkley … and I immediately went home and downloaded the album on iTunes.

Now … by now … I’m already getting tired of the original radio song … but sheece … when a song is played to death on Live 105, Alice, and KFOG … there really isn’t much hope for the song to survive.

Even still … I’m definitely stoked on this eclectic album. If you aren’t familiar with Gnarls Barkley … it’s an interesting little ’super’ group … comprised of Danger Mouse … and Cee-Lo. I first came across Danger Mouse a few years ago … when he ‘released’ the Grey Album … a fascinating album length mash-up of The Beatles, White Album … and Jay-Z’s Black Album.
So … back to the Gnarl’s Barkley album …you’ll find all sorts of souldful funkiness … it’s a very diverse album … that I reckon will take me all summer to completely digest. Just don’t be surprised … if some songs remind you of Al Green … Stevie Wonder … and the like. There are some jams that are reminiscent of Sly Stone … P-FUNK … and others that remind me of Outcast. There’s a lovely sense of hip hop … and drum and bass that flows throughout the album.

If you are tempted to purchase this album … then I recommend the digital album on Itunes … as it includes a instrumental version of Crazy … which is certain to be used in MANY remixes this summer!My final thought on this album … is that there is an AMAZING rendition of The Violent Femmes’ - Gone Daddy Gone … definitely my new favorite song of the week!
So … if you are a YME subscriber … check this album out … otherwise … buy it on ITunes!

- Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com

Oh my goodness ... I survived PRIDE ... now what????

Well … the weekend I had been prepping for the past 2 months … finally arrived! If you haven’t seen the pics yet … you’ve got to check them out! Both Saturday and Sunday were hours and hours of organized chaos!

Even still it was so much fun … and it was so great to meet so many peeps who enjoyed the shirts. I definitely got a kick out of watching people walk by the booth … laughing … and pointing at the shirts. Some folks took pictures of the designs … other people BOUGHT them … thank goodness!!! Chris and I still need to take a final inventory of everything that sold … but … so far … my estimates are that we sold at least 30 shirts on Sat … and at least 100 shirts on Sun. I feel pretty comfortable in saying that both days were pretty successful.

Something fun that happened Saturday … was that Chris was interviewed by the Oakland Tribune. Funny thing is … the reporter was drawn to our booth because we had our dog, Lucky there with us … pooor dog!!! We had previously made arrangements for Lucky to be with a ‘dog-sitter’ … and unfortunately … those plans fell through … so … we did whatever we could to make him comfy … even still … it was obvious that he was a little stressed out by all the noise … and the people.

Chris and I were such an amazing team this weekend! I am very grateful that I’m in a strong relationship … with such a smart … dynamic woman. Her personality was PERFECT for meeting … and greeting … and selling t-shirts!

Well … I could go on and on and on and on … about how great PRIDE was … but … now … I figure it’s time for me to move forward. Now it’s time to take care of all the items in my life that I have been neglecting for the past two months.

Unfortunately … my sister is still stuck in New York … she has not been allowed to take her babies to Virginia … so … please keep her and my family in your prayers. Even though it’s tough that she has not been able to go HOME with her family … at least she is no longer in that abusive relationship with her ‘husband’.

As for me … I’m starting to work on designs for the Folsom St. fair … please let me know if you have any ideas!!! I also need to officially finish up with my business plan … it’s getting to the point where credit cards are no longer going to float the business … so … I’m hoping that a good old SBA backed loan will do the trick.

Take care everyone … sorry for the delayed postings in this blog … but I’m sure you understand.

- Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com

Friday’s Best - Playlist … for 5/12/2006

So … if you are familiar with last Friday’s post … you know what this is … for those of you who have NO IDEA what this post is about … check out the ‘Cinco de Mayo’ post.

Here are the jams … feel free to listen to them on my playlist on Y! Music Engine … Friday’s
Best - 5/12/2006:

Drifing Away - Faithless:

Is it just me … or did Tiesto, Van Dyk, or Oakenfold create a remix of this song???? I don’t even know how to classify it … but I love it!! Faithless never disappoints.

Blame - EBTG:

I nice little drum and bass ditty. If you ever listened to the much more acoustic version of EBTG in the 80’s … you would never recognize them for how they sound now … if it weren’t for the haunting vocals of Tracey Thorne. She is the mistress of regret, loss, and longing.

First Down - Fatboy Slim:

Who knew that a former Housemartin could come up with such sweet breaks and beats!!???? This album … Better Living through Chemistry … was IMHO … ground-breaking!

Winning Style - Propellerheads:

Soon after I was turned onto Mr. Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim … I discovered these guys … and feel in love! This tune is funky AND chunky!

World Looking In - Moorcheeba:

This is one of those eclectic groups that I can never quite pin down … sometimes … I consider them trip-hop … other times chill … other times … just plain funky. Here is a taste of some of their goodness.

Little Girl Blue - Nina Simone:

There is just something unique and special about Nina’s eloquent, voice … I could listen to her sing all day long.

That’s My Desire - Louis Armsrong:

A FUN little duet between Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton … I wish I could have been there for this to hear/see it live … what a good time it must have been!

Got My Mojo Working - Pinetop Perkins:

If this jam doesn’t make you want to get up and boogie … you must be DEAD!

Some Girls are Bigger than Others - The Smiths:

One of my absolute favorites! I can still hear Catie Coman, one of my best friends from SJSU, singing the chorus … ’some girls MUTHAS … are bigger than other girls MUTHAS …’

You Can’t Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones:

My first memory of this song … was from the The Big Chill. I believe it played during the funeral scene at the beginning of the movie … remember Kevin Costner? He was the dead guy. The Big Chill … which came out in the 80’s … was my introduction to 1960’s music … it was … and still is … a phenomenal soundtrack.

- Bertha

My first gay bar … Cafe San Marcos … isn’t that everyone’s first gay bar??

So … this morning … as I was walking my dog, Lucky … I chuckled to myself about the completely inappropriate gay joke that I posted on my last blog entry.

I laughed at myself for a couple of reasons … the first reason being … that at 35 years old … I still find such tasteless jokes funny … the second reason being … about how ’breeders’ (straight people) … seem to be FASCINATED with anal sex. It truly seems to me … that straight people talk and joke about anal sex more than any gay men I’ve ever hung out with. So often … straight guys will boast … about how they try they get women to ‘do anal’ … these men talk about it … like it’s some sort of holy grail. Funny funny straight boys.

So … along with the misconception that gay sex is all about anal sex … my mind drifted to the fears and ridiculous ideas that straight people have about gay bars. I mean … if I walked into a bar … and the bar stools were turned upside down … I would just figure that the bar was closed … bah ha!! But seriously … for anyone who hasn’t been to a gay bar … I seriously recommend the experience … you might actually enjoy yourself … not because it means you are secretly a homo … RATHER … you might just relax … and let go of your fears and myths of the gay community.

I went to my first gay bar … when I was 24 … I went with my ’then-girlfriend’ … Shirin. I believe that she was 18 at the time … and ironically … she had been going to this bar … Cafe San Marcos … for quite some time before I ever met her. It was pretty ironic that my girlfriend … who was still in high school at the time … bah ha … had soooo much more ‘life experience’ than me … when it came to this sort of urban outing. I used to joke that Shirin was the ‘designated lesbian’ … ha … that’s funny that I can remember that! I haven’t thought of that for years!!

I WISH I had a picture of me in my outfit from that night!!! Please keep in mind … this is a total early 90’s outfit … tight BONGO jeans … a ‘velvet-type’ body suit … that was a mock turtlenck … with big holes where the shoulders would be … and those shoes from back in the day that looked like boots … do you remember those??

So … anyways … my lasting memory of that night … was how ‘free’ how I felt to be there … NOT just because I was a budding lesbian … but … also because I was able to look men in the eye … from across the dance floor … without worrying that they were going to think I wanted them to pick up on me. It seemed like everyone who was there … regardless of sexuality … was there to dance … and party … and be free. It truly was a liberating experience.

If you have been to a gay bar … then I’m guessing you know what I’m talking about … when I mention this ‘freedom’. If you haven’t been to a gay bar … then … go to Cafe San Marcos … and let me know what you think.

- Bertha

Gay joke of the day …

When I was a kid … I moved around alot because my dad was in the military. Along the way … I figured out … that if I told jokes … it was an easy way to make new friends. SO … whenever I moved anywhere … I would buy the latest ‘Gross Jokes’ book … and memorize all the dirty jokes.

Here’s a horrible joke … that I used to tell when I was a kid … and it still cracks me up today:

Q: How do you know when you have walked into a gay bar?

A: The bar stools have been turned upside down.

Bah ha ha …

- Bertha

Liner notes … to Friday’s Best … Cinco de Mayo

Today was an EXCELLENT music day … the Yahoo! LaunchCast was very very kind to me! It must have known that it was ‘cinco de mayo’ … holiday time!!

To listen to the list … just check out my public playlist on YME … I titled it, “Friday’s Best” … so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding it.

If you don’t already have YME … I seriously recommend it!!!! As an application … it can be a memory hog … but … I have faith … that with every new release … it will eventually be a much more sound application.

I was a musicmatch subscriber for years … but now … I primarily use YME … the features are absolutely incredible … i.e. my ability to create a playlist for your streaming pleasure … the library ROCKS … it’s simply fantastic for ‘music discovery’ … if that is your thing.

Yes … I also use Itunes … but only to update my ipod … other than that Itunes SUCKS!! The search engine on Itunes absolutely blows … and … Itunes is absolutely NO MATCH for the features offered by YME. Furthermore, YME makes a much better podcatcher than Itunes … because … like I said before … the Itunes search engine sucks!! With YME … you can search … apply tags … all sorts of good stuff.

Okay … before I get to the playlist … here is the link for YME … in case you don’t have it:

http://music.yahoo.com/musicengine/

Finally … the list … accompanied by my thoughts … feelings … whatever:

1. 21st Century - Weekend Players:

This song comes from on of my favorite albums … it’s the type of album … where every song is a personal hit! It’s the kind of music … that most SF downtempo attempts to replicate.

2. Country Blues #1 - Taj Mahal:

Fantastic song from one of my favorite ‘modern’ blues artists. It’s the kind of song that makes me wish I was sitting on the porch … on a sweltering day … sipping lemonade … watching Taj play guitar …

3. More Than This (Lenny B’s Extended Club Mix) - Madison Park

I never heard this remix of the Roxy Music classic … until I listened to YME … like I said … their library is AWESOME for music discovery. Excellent remake!

4. My Favorite Things - John Coltrane

What more can I say … Julie Andrews has nothing on this version.

5. Satellite - BT

I hope not to over-use this statement … BUT … this is one of my most FAVORITE songs … ever. I could listen to this song over and over … and over again!

6. Boom Boom - Big Head Todd & The Monsters

If you want to show me a good time … take me to “Dick’s Last Resort” in San Diego (Gaslamp district) … buy me a bucket of beers … and sit me close to the stage.

7. Sweet Love (Marques Wyatt’s Deep Love Remix)

Some of the best SF house … coming from an LA mainstay.

8. I Like the Way (Radio Edit) - Bodyrockers

I feel kind of lame … but this is the first time I ever heard this song … I guess it’s been out for a while … but since I RARELY listen to commericial radio … I must have missed out on this tune! I LIKE IT!!! It rocks in an elector-80s-dance music kind of way. The guitar riffs are perfect for this type of tune. It reminds me of a mash-up with AC/DC … and either Justin Timberlake … or Usher … I forget the tune … exactly.

9. Desafinado - Stan Getz

Another one of my absolute favorites

10. Last Dance - Donna Summer

How fitting … for the last song of this playlist???? The last time I heard this song in public … I was at a wedding … Rebecca Igoe and Mike … it was such an awesome party … and of course … Rebecca did an amazing job of creating the playlist for the DJ. Absolutely STELLAR!!!

Okay … that’s it …

- Bertha

The librarian has left the building …

Well … I finally did it … last Tuesday … I put my eyeballs under the trusty knife of Dr. Turner.

http://www.turnereye.com/

Woo hoo! No more glasses!

I tell you … it certainly is a mental adjustment!

When I get up in the morning … even though I can see fine … I still look for my glasses so that I can put them on. Weirdo!!! And then … at the end of the day … I often say inside my head … ‘time to take out my contacts’. Yup … the brain is pretty funny!

The surgery itself was pretty funky … I felt like I was in some “B sci fi” movie … where I was being tortured/operated on … yeah … my brain can be weird like that … but HEY … what the heck else is a person to think … when I could see the instruments working on my eyeballs … and watch as the doctor pulled the flap off my cornea … very wacky stuff!!

Okay … keeping this short and sweet … chat more about this another time.

Toodles,

Bertha
http://www.brrtha.com/

Bustin' my cherry ...

Well … it’s not quite THAT extreme … yet … it’s still pretty ‘interesting’ … just not as messy … or painful … ouch … did I say that?? Bah ha … sick humor aside … welcome to my FIRST entry!!!

Well … like most folks out there … I’ve been toying with a blog for years … I was first inspired by an old friend of mine … Nancy … who started her blog YEARS ago … I’m thinking 2000 or 2001?? Hmmm … not sure about the year … and I’m sure she’ll correct me if I’m wrong. I guess … that if I really wanted to GEEK out … I could perform a WHOIS …

Domain created on 25-Feb-2001

Domain expires on 25-Feb-2007

Last updated on 28-Apr-2003

Yup … 2001 … although … I just went to her site … http://nancygirl.net … and it looks like it is ‘under construction’.

Too bad her site isn’t up … otherwise … I’d make it my ‘interesting’ link of the post … but … oh well … I guess I’ll just have to use this one:

http://www.tease-inc.com/

Actually … the site SUCKS right now … but … it’s something that I wanted to get up as soon as possible … so … you’ll have to deal with the crappy/geocities template website until I have time to make a real one.

Not much time to chit chat … I promised myself … that if I was ever going to maintain a blog … I needed to limit myself … so that I don’t go on and on and on and on …

Later,

- Bertha

http://www.brrtha.com/