Capturing Forever One Frame at a Time

Monday, February 20, 2012

Tilden Park

Sunday we took our first trip to Tilden Park with our friend Jade. We met up with her at Lake Anza in Tilden Park. It was chilly but yet very sunny. The park is HUGE and we just went to a small part of it. We want to go back for hiking and perhaps picnics. It is one of the parks in the Bay Area that allows dogs to be off leashes so its an ideal place to take your dog. Jade brought her dog Buddy who let a lot of energy out during our visit. I definitely am looking forward to coming back here.

Eucalyptus trees

Jade and her dog Buddy.

Lake Anza

He loves swimming!

Back on shore

~Vanessa M. Martinez

Sunday, February 5, 2012

TEDx Berkeley

I attended TEDx Berkeley on February 5, 2012. It was a combination of speakers that performers that connected on many levels with the audience. This years theme was inspiring innovation. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was asked to attend and take pictures. I initially thought it would be boring but I was

The stage.

Jodi Lomask is a research scientist who created a a dance that would bring awareness to environmental issues.

Some of the performance.

One of the hostesses that introduced the speakers and performers.

David Ewing Duncan talked about his recent book the experimental man. The book reveals how our toxic world effects our health and our future.

Charles Holt, music and story teller who talked about his religious grandma inspiring him to become a performing artist.

He was so funny!

Tapan Parikh is a Professor at the University of California. He worked on human-computer interaction and created a phone system used in India to help people receive answers to various questions.

Tiffany Shlain is a film maker and the founder of the Webby Awards. She is a celebrated thinker who is known for her complex ideas in culture, science, technology, and interdependence.

Robert Strong is a comedic magician who gave a delightful performance.

Maria Fadiman works with the human and environmental aspect of conservation. She focused on the interaction between plants and humans.

Neha Sangwan, a physician and corporate communication strategist, talked about the importance of communication.

She was my favorite! Her stories were so touching and eye opening.

Another host who introduced speakers.

Ken Goldberg is an inventor focusing on art, robotics, and social media. His talk touched on how robotics would give a positive impact on our future.

Volunteers and workers on stage for applause.

Linsey Stirling, a violinist who plays anything from classical to rock and roll.

She was fantastic!

~Vanessa M. Martinez

Friday, February 3, 2012

Update from California

Greetings from California!

We got here on Wednesday night the 18th. Our living situation wasn't what we thought it would be when we first came here. We subleted a place through airbnb for a month. We were under the impression that we would be getting a separate place within the house but it turned out that we were actually living with this French family. It wasn't ideal and we were very anxious to get out. So in our hunt to find a place we were finding it really difficult. There were a lot of things we didn't think about including the application process. Josh hasn't started working and I didn't have a job. They don't take to that very well not to mention the cost of living out here is very high. So we were stuck. The weather was sad, it had been raining every day since we got there. Our internet was a HUGE issue. Josh has been relying on reliable internet because its his main source of income at the moment. It took me over 2 hours to get one photo to upload last week. So It just wasn't the best situation.
The Tuesday after we got here came around I had an interview at Starbucks. The interview went great. I was hired that day. Even though she said she was suppose to do a second interview she said she didn't want to bother because she liked me that much. I love working with my hands and I love coffee how could I go wrong? I'm looking to do some free lance work which already started off with going to Macworld to shoot photos for a couple websites. Going to macworld was so much fun. There is a separate blogpost of photos that you can go to. The day I got my job we received a phone call for a place we were chosen for. A small studio in El Cerrito which is outside of Berkley.
We moved into our new place earlier this week. Its not much but we didn't need much for now. All of our stuff fit in the honda civic. We didn't have any furniture and we didn't want to sign a lease in case we ended up saving enough to upgrade sooner rather then latter. Its a small studio in a house, with a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and an entrance where we could put a small dining table. The couple that lives upstairs gave us some furniture to use, a desk with a chair, a book shelf, a wardrobe, and a very comfy futon that we're using as a bed. Its small but it will work for now, its month to month, and just a 10 minute walk to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). The couple that lives upstairs is really cool and we took to them great. We are saving money for NEW furniture and appliances like a Keurig! =) Nice things are worth waiting for. Josh is looking to move to North Bay closer to Petaluma where he will be working but we will see what happens! In the mean time we will enjoy our place and make the best of it. I definitely want to do a paint job in that bathroom because it sure needs it.
We went to TWiT last Saturday to talk to Lisa the CEO. She wants to use Josh to wear multiple hats. In addition to working on the content for their new tech guy website he will be working as a producer, being a sales assistant, being a community manager, and helping with the front desk. He's very anxious and excited to get started. One of their head producers is coming back Tuesday from vacation then Josh will be able to get started. Meanwhile he is working on his free lance work with audio editing and writing for a couple tech websites.
We are doing well and now that I have reliable internet I can update more consistently. Enjoy the pictures and thanks for the support.