Candida Kutz's Blob, er, Blog

National Geographic Shoot

For those of my friends who don't know yet-I'm going to be featured in the premiere episode this fall of the National Geo. series Hunter and Hunted. I'll write more, but for now, you can take a look at my photo album showing pix from the shoot. The photos were taken by 15 yr. old Alisa, the daughter of the show's producer. I'll add captions and other notes when I have time.

And apologies for not posting in so long! I took a "survival" job 8 weeks ago at CTB McGraw Hill (and *that's* another story!) and it's really taking up precious time . . .

UPDATE Oct 5:

It wasn't the opening episide. Instead, my TV debut will be Oct. 21 at 6 and 9 pm on National Geo Channel. To my horror, the show is entitled Hunter and Hunter: Stalked at Sea!  I plan to drink, laugh, cry, cringe.

Bloomin' Good Times

It's a banner year for wildflowers, and I hear Death Valley is putting on one of its best showings ever. See: California Wildflower Update: Death Valley

Here in Central California, I visited the Kreyenhagen Hills of San Joaquin Valley a couple weekends ago to view some endemic (only found in that particular locale), endangered, and just plain pretty and common flowers like tidy tips, blue dicks, wind poppies, Gilia sp., wild cucumber. (My photo above displays CA poppies, lupines, goldfields, tidy tips, and Gilia.) It had been years since I'd roamed verdant hills covered with so much color, and it felt glorious sweating and tromping to view pistils and stamens up close (flowers are sexy). My company was a group from the Monterey Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, from whom I learned a lot of cool stuff (and obtained a refresher of my college botany), like there really is a plant called Wallflower (Erysimum sp.). And boy, does it smell yummy-- similar to freesia (makings of a parable?). Here in Marina (note: I'm referring to Marina, CA, not THE MARINA in San Francisco), there is a large bloom of the endangered species, Menzie's Wallflower, Erysimum menziesii, just down the street from me (photo below right).

The California Native Plant Society sponsors free local docent-led hikes. Not only will you likely get a brush up on your botany, you'll  be experiencing the springtime outdoors with some really nice gentle geeks (the car of 5 I rode with  included 2 topologists!), and maybe make a new friend or two. And if you're interested in identifying local endangered species, check out this nifty site.

Cha cha cha cha changes . . .

Lots up lately that deserve some mention. Most notably, I left Silicon Valley Watcher. Surf's up in Marina.  Marine Life Protection Act Initiative meetings Tuesday and Wed. here in Monterey featured Portuguese fisherman and singing hippie lady. Jeremy Popper has a great piece on libel at his PR blog. (I'm late reporting this- sorry Jeremy!)

But I'm off to Santa Barbara today to work the GemFaire this weekend, and won't have much time to blog this weekend . . .

Blogger for Hire

Need an enterprise blog? Or tech editing, website maintenance, web site clean up? I can offer high level consulting as well as provide help with work in the trenches. See my resume.

You can also go to DidaKutz.com for a list of blogs I've created.

My rates vary depending on the job, and I will consider paying finder fees.

News from the Compound

My pal S and I laugh whenever we mention "the complex" we live in. Complex as in "she's got a complex," or "aren't things complex around here?"  But with dispassionate landlords and dysfunctional tenants, this place really has turned into "the Compound" in my mind -- an enclosure for the unfortunates.

I moved here to Marina because, frankly, I couldn't afford to live in San Francisco any longer.  I was a casualty of the dot com era, and then a casualty of a failed opal selling biz (what the bleep was I thinking!?). Lost tens of thousand of dollars, co-ownership in a house, and fell behind in my knowledge of tech (which sustained me during the years I was a tech writer before getting burned out). A breakup was also very painful, and the City was making me cranky.

So I decided to move from here to Marina, near Monterey, where I love to dive, and where my dollar goes a lot further.

The mean annual income here in Marina is 28K/year. Many people here in the Compound are late on  rent. And now S and her mom, with whom I've become very close, have been given 3 days eviction notice for being 5 days late with rent.  There was lots of crying yesterday.

I can't offer much help.  A measly $25 is all I can loan.

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Late Breaking News!   S just called and the owner has given them a repreive .  . .