Mushroom Mystery Solved: Basket Stinkhorn

Ever since I started working at a job in San Francisco's Presidio, I've noticed these strange little egg-like fungus that would undergo a startling transition. On my daily walk from the bus stop to the office, I'd see them under some shrubs. I always imagined them as some sort of alien life form. Frankly, they freaked me out.

They'd start out as a whitish egg shape, then "blossom" into a something like an orange dodecahedron or geodesic dome with holes, which would finally start to collapse. I've been wondering about these things for about three years, and of course did nothing about it. Even though I knew that one of my coworkers is into fungi (I think she's even part of the Bay Area Mycological Society), it wasn't until today that I took a photograph, along with a Post-It Note documenting its phases, to seek her guidance.

Within a few minutes she was able to identify it: Basket Stinkhorn. Gotta love the name. Today was also the first time I noticed flies all over it. Apparently it has an odor like rotting meat (I don't want to get close enough to smell it!), which attracts the flies, which then helps to spread its spores; ingenious and gross. Ironically, the more I learn about it, the more freaked out and disgusted I am.

Notebook, Memory, Nevermore

So long Penway 3x5. 2002, we will miss you.

Finally getting down to the nitty-gritty of cleaning the apartment. A real clean, where everything has its place, and whatever doesn't gets recycled, Goodwill-ed, composted or thrown away. Getting rid of notebooks. Just tossed one from 2002. This is basically one from my Kinokuniya days. I have all the initial notes: the book departments; staff names and their positions, what sections they bought for; and crudely drawn store layout maps. I have ideas: section logo 1" buttons to identify what sections staff headed (which I did make and some folks actually wore on their blue Kino aprons); an ill-thought bookworm mascot I was playing around with; thoughts and schematics for future punkpunk's that never made it off the ground, like a menko card set; and prose that never made it into stories. There's even notes on the proper way in Japanese to do credit card transactions with customers and other assorted Japanese bookshop lingo or customer service language I was unfamiliar with at the time. This is all gone now. It will fade. I have a horrible memory. As I'm shredding and tossing this all into the compost, towards the end, I'm feeling that I just threw away a whole year or at least a good six months of my past. Will I miss it? Probably not. Like I said, I have a horrible memory. It's just like it never existed.

Randy Raccoons

Just chillin' before the main event.

Work came to a standstill seeing these two on a Friday morning. They didn't seem to be rabid or anything. And what they did next, maybe explained their diurnal outing.

Every window had a coworker or two watching the action.

My Harry Potter Office

My friend Thien moved recently and had converted a closet space into an office. During the planning stages for our new apartment, Jing jokingly mentioned that I should do the same. Well, it's now a reality. It's 21 sq.ft. of workspace awesomeness.

Muni Man + SF Muni Fast Pass Buttons = Happy Packaging

Finally had some time and was able to finish final packaging. I've also added some info lines on the back so folks get to know the month and year of the Fast Passes used. I don't know, this just makes me happy. Click the title link if you're interested.

SF Muni Man Is Back

This is a modified version of the envelope image we used for punkpunk02 way back in 2002. It said "READ ONE" instead. I've brought this out to use as part of the button sets. I don't even know if this guy is still riding around in some of the older Muni buses, but he used to adorn the metal pamphlet holders. Now instead of a "please," we get the command of the soulless and text only "Take One" signs. Does anyone know if these guys are still around? I used to see it most on the 22 line.

Moving, Moving

Oh, the joys of moving. Still trying to figure out where everything goes in the soon to be new home. I think the low level Cubits shelving–always only buy during DWR's warehouse sale, a kit only ends up costing about $20!–across an entire wall in the bedroom will be fantastic.

SF Muni Heads, Fast Pass Buttons Now Available Online

By popular demand, these are now on Etsy. Seems like everyone wants them now, but I'm hoping to make some cute, minimal packaging to go along with it—maybe something with punkpunk's version of the Muni Man on it.