Random Acts of Adventure
Interviews 50 Cents
August 16, 2010
It's such a simple idea... just ask people what they think matters, and listen to what they have to say. Here's how it works—a card table, a couple of chairs, a pair of microphones. Long time NPR journalist Alex Chadwick waits in public places where people can stop to talk. People often ask, "Do I pay you or do you pay me?" "Well," Alex likes to say, "sit down and let's see how it goes." Read More...
Ryan Van Duzer
August 16, 2010
League of Toad, Ryan Van Duzer is setting out to complete 3,000 miles on his bike. Why? He tells it best. pixel "I'm once again jumping on a bike for another epic two-wheeled tour. This time I'm heading down the west coast, 3,000 miles from Vancouver to Cabo San Lucas. Every inch of the journey will be documented with words, pictures, tweets, skeets and of course... VIDEOS! Read More...
Biggest Skateboard Crash, Ever
August 16, 2010
Our parting shot to you is footage of the biggest skateboard crash ever. Our hats (if we wore them) are off to these guys for dreaming big and getting it done. Two questions remain:
1.Did the skateboard survive? And,
2. Where can we get one? Every Toad in the office wants on board.
Read More...Rock, Paper, Scissors - Sustainable Sitting
November 24, 2009
When was the last time you played in the mud? Maybe we should do more of it! As part of a sustainability class my husband is taking the goal was to bring the community together and have a project that is helping to educate around sustainability. In this case, we built a cobb bench at a local elementary school. Literally, we dug up dirt on the site, mixed this with straw and a bit of water (mixing it more like mushing it with your bare feet) and used stones as a foundation as we squished the mud balls in between. Cobb building has been used for thousands of years and is energy efficient and inexpensive. How cool is that?
My take away: Getting dirty is very fun no matter how old you are.
Make It Fun And They Will Come
November 18, 2009
We love this! Fun is awesome ... 'nuff said.
My Parents Were Awesome
November 13, 2008
I don’t know about you guys, but I think we all tend to see our parents as … well … parents! We never really knew them before we were on the scene, so it’s really hard to imagine them as sexy, fun, single, etc.
The caption that blogger Eliot Glazer started called My Parents Were Awesome says, “Before the fanny packs and Andrea Bocelli concerts, your parents (and grandparents) were once free-wheeling, fashion-forward, and super awesome.” Toooo right!
I for one am super lucky to have two parents that I totally dig. They may have their crazy parts, but who doesn’t!? My mom lives just a hop, skip and a jump away from me here in Santa Barbara and my dad lives in a progressive little hippie enclave in Northern California. Both of them met at Humboldt during their college days from 1968 to 1972 (ehem, ya think they were partaking juuust a tad). Anyway, my dad was drafted for the war and ended up joining the navy and becoming a P3 pilot. My mom followed him from navy base to navy base. Both of them I totally salute for their enduring love for one another and the strength to live off that – and a modest wage from the Navy. My mom had the three of us by the time she was 28. She is 21 or 22 in this attached picture with her first babe, my sister, Carrie. At this point they were in between the Philippines and Hawaii. All I can say is you two rock and thanks!
If you want to submit a story to My Parents Were Awesome, do so here! I think it’s a really cool way to remember that your parents were something other than parents, and if anything it’s super hilarious to flip through the pictures on this site and check out the outfits … groooovy!
Rock, Paper, Scissors - Hip Nostalgia
November 10, 2009
If you are going to stay in New York City, the Ace is definitely where the social scene-sters hang. The Ace's lobby always seems to be buzzing. The rooms are really cool ... no cheesy faux painting here, and forget the mauve upholstery! My room had some sort of screen-printed mural that spoke of days gone by. I guess iconic hip nostalgia would sum it up, logos and characters from my childhood that somehow immediately brought me back to the times when Pop Rocks were enough to get the excitement level to a ten. You may or may not identify with these characters depending on your age … the Dr. Suess fish, Mr. Kool Aid, ET, a Smurf as ET’s conscious (look close), etc.
The coolest thing about the Ace’s decorative philosophy is that every room is unique. You’re not staying at some corporate hotel where theme is set for all 200 rooms in a board room somewhere, you’re staying at a hotel that feels more like a friends house with really great art and taste. Not pretentious or snooty, but sleek and comfortable.
Check it out when you are in NYC, and if not, they have other locales!
Ferris Fascination
November 9, 2009
Recently I was at a music festival in San Francisco. The festival was amazing with headlining acts like MGMT and the Flaming Lips bringing down the house. But, for some reason my fascination kept getting drawn to the Ferris wheel they had there. In between sets people flocked to this wheel of light, lining up in childhood anticipation of a vista filled whirl around the wheel. As I sat there watching this, I couldn’t help but wonder about where this lovely contraption came from.
What can I say … inquiring minds want to know.
The Ferris wheel was actually built to rival the Eiffel Tower, which was the centerpiece at the 1889 Paris Exposition. It debuted at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It was named after its creator George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. (whew that’s a name), who was rumored to have drawn the design for the wheel while out for dinner with friends and only made a few adjustments to the original drawing. Smart guy that Ferris. Sadly the original wheel is gone, but the iconic structure has lived on at fairs the world round and music festivals, apparently – always evoking a feeling of wonder from our younger years, something that I think is needed in this world.
Pee Outside
November 6, 2009
I was recently on one of our beautiful Channel Islands here in Santa Barbara. Santa Cruz is protected now by The Nature Conservancy from further use, thankfully and will remain a gem in the pacific and home to many endangered species.
On the island, like here on the mainland, water conservation is a major issue. There are signs posted in the bathrooms and kitchens at the field station asking us to conserve water – for the record, I did my part by not taking a shower.
Beyond being a little feral and not bathing, there are other ways to save water, like not flushing when you pee – OR, just go outside, which is the best seat in the house anyway. Here’s a great site that supports the use of the great outdoors as a means of relief. There are rules to follow (i.e. exposing yourself in public is bad), so make sure you check it out before you take it out.
Not so fun fact: According to the United States Geological Survey, each flush is an average of 3 gallons. YIKES!
Binary Chef - What a Crock!
November 5, 2009
When it comes up in conversation, I generally take the stance that I don't like the crockpot. While this isn't completely true, it's much quicker to say than the real story I'll share with you here. In short, I'm really not a fan of shredded beef (typically what you end up with after slow cooking all day), I don't do stew, and it breaks my heart to hear stories of people experimenting with this method of cooking for the first time and expecting a delicious meal of meat and vegetables, but instead ending up with a pot of drab colored stuff which both looks and tastes like meat and vegetables at the same time. That said, we have one of these contraptions at my house, and it does get used. I'm just very particular about what goes into it. The "recipe" below was a shared with me by a long time family friend (thanks Scott!) when I was in college, busy and broke. This very simple hearty meal is still in our fall/winter rotation. These slow cooked country style pork ribs can be served over rice or potatoes, but my favorite is to turn it into pulled pork sandwiches.
Slow Cooked Country Style Pork Ribs
• country style pork ribs
• 1 diced onion
• 1 bottle barbecue sauce (whatever you like)
Start by browning your pork ribs on all sides in a pan on the stove. This step will give your finished product more flavor and texture than putting them directly into the crock-pot. Lay your browned ribs into your slow cooker on top of the diced onion, and pour the bottle of sauce over the top. If your choice of sauce is particularly thick, you can add a bit of water. Cover, cook on low for 8 hours. Enjoy! For pulled pork sandwiches, I like to use Bolillos, typically used for making tortas.
Crusade Against the Mundane
