27 July 2010

How to start tweeting to benefit your career, relationships & daily amusement.

Twitter is man’s best friend. It's a timely news source, social outlet, bookmarking tool, and promotional loudspeaker. So why do I constantly observe friends joining Twitter, announcing themselves in 140 timid characters, and never tweeting again? “I don’t have anything to say,” they defend. Tweeting is easy as sending a text message or commenting on a Facebook photo- and trust me- you DO have something to say. Follow this 3 step guide to uncover the latent tweets you never knew you had.

1. Link. Share links to photos, videos, music, news articles, blog posts, and websites. We know you’re already looking at em, so help us all out by curating the daily web experience.

2. Reply. Respond to fellow tweeters using the @ and RT tags. This cross promotion puts you on their radar, builds relationships, and fosters high quality content circulating the web.

3. Rant. Document your daily ponderings through questions, statements, celebrations, woes and rants. Share that emotion in a way that others can relate for a bonding moment of “me too!” 

Now that you’ve got three tools for effective tweeting, spend a few hours with your Twitter page open while crusing the web. Every 30 minutes, pause to take inventory of what’s in your browser history and what’s on your mind. Translate that into a concise blurb and tweet your heart out!

05 July 2010

Photo © Jamie Foster

One million people, 7x7 miles and hills means someone’s on top and someone’s raking in the shit. Your place in this San Francisco apartment hierarchy depends on monthly income, credit history, and sheer cunning. SF’s a competitive city to live in and that’s why we come here. With July-September being the highest period for apartment turnover in The City, do your homework before going to battle against trust-fund babies and junior partners.

Here are 10 rules of thumb to get the most for your money and find a place you can stay in for 10 years (and milk that rent control baby!). If you snooze, you live with a crackhead and 3 rats in a basement apartment. So get your game face on.

1. Be a baller. Tidy up that employment history, salary report, and bank statement. Make yourself look financially stable with a nicely embellished letter from Boss Man, The Rents, or whoever else can vouch for your monthly income. A little white lie never hurt nobody (and it’s the least they can do for paying you $3.25/hr under the table).  

2. Write yourself in. Doctor up a quick cover letter with a photo of your potential roomates so the landlord remembers your name, face, and semi-normalcy.

3. See with your ears, not with your eyes. The most promising Craigslist ads are those without photos. These are the private landlords who aren’t too savvy with technology but highly reliant on personal connections. Their rent is cheaper, places bigger, and maintenance more dependable. (Before making an appointment, quiz the landlord on size, closets, windows, washer, and eat-in kitchen to get the full picture.)

4. Be a sweetie-pie. Show up in nice dress, all smiles, and ditch the bikes. Hold hands with partner or giggle with best friend to show your good nature and healthy relationships.

Photo © Jamie Foster

5. Be a backstabber. Accept every offer that is given to you and gamble pending applications till the victor shows himself. Real estate agents are no saints so why should you be? Play the game and get the gold.

6. Push paper. Hand over an attractive folder containing organized paperwork at the first viewing. Arrive with credit report, proof of income, drivers license xerox, and cover letter prepared in a professional folder.

7. Be nimble. Be the first to call on an ad and be the first to see the place, on time. Blow off work, school, friends, and sex if it means you’ll make that narrow 15 minute window to snag the gem. After 12 or 15 tries, you’ll find The One.

8. Know who’s callin. Use cloud computing to record landlord names, phone numbers, addresses, dates, and notes so you know who’s calling and why. Share that Google Doc with your potential housemates so they can cover when AT&T drops your call.

9. You’re in for life. Whether you plan to stay for 1 year or 50, give the impression that you won’t be moving till the cows come home. Landlords don’t want to lose money, time and hair by interviewing new tenants every 12 months so make them believe you’ll stick around till the Apocalypse hits.

10. Be Obama. Sure, you’re a solid guy/gal. But we all have some skeletons in our closet- and they should stay there. Be diplomatic. Be marketable. Mentally prepare for the interrogation of “How much do you make? How long have you worked there? Why did you leave your old apartment? Will you be a pain in my ass?” And remember Rule #1- be a baller.

Happy hunting!

09 April 2010

What a Grind. Hyde @ Post, San Francisco. I come here because a) they accept card b) they have an amazing veggie sandwich c) coffee is a buck and d) there are two comfy couch chairs that no one else seems to enjoy occupying. Basically it's perfect for reading, writing, texting and thinking on a cold day like this one.

Though people are always popping in and out, the sitting area is quiet and open. Usually I find three or four greys sitting around the center table talking about politics. They speak slowly and deliberately, their freckled hands shake when they gesture, and man do they have opinions. I imagine these are the folk that have lived in the Tenderloin -or more likely, on Post and Hyde- for the past 30 years.

The owner is a Palestinian guy, judging by the "Free Palestine: End the Occupation" bumper stickers slapped onto his coffee makers. Today he asked about my job and we got onto the subject of art. He then shared with me,

"Two things I could never do in life are draw and play music. I'm only good at three things. Politics, business, and women."

Politics and business, still got it. Not so sure about the third, although I did look him in the eye real quick to see if I was missing something. Nope, big old guy with grey balding hair. Either way, he runs a tight ship here working by himself and keeping everyone happy. The brew's hot, the internet's fast, and my tan lazy boy is oh so comfy. Coffee House Revival round two, success.

 

21 March 2010

In a time where I seek some creative juice, coffee shops are my first stop for inspiration revival. I frequent a handful of them in The City, each having a unique blend, bagel, paint job, background music, and neighborhood regulars. On this fine Monday I find myself at Javaholics on 6th/Balboa, great for free wifi and cheap Joe (buck fiddy for a small- maybe next Monday I'll fill you in on my dollar spot) and $2 cream cheese bagels. The space is open with ample chairs, couches, and bench seating to fit your every mood. One sip of the coffee and I'm high as a kite, perfect for that extra kick on my lazy day off. I stand next to the water dispenser and take shots. Filtered water is free at Javaholics, but you only get one mini dixi cup dose at a time.

While listening to UB40 and Enya, I browse the baby fruit tarts that remind me of my favorite French bakery at home. I spy a girl reading beautiful Chinese characters in vertical columns, and several others bent over newspapers and textbooks. Jackson 5's "I'll be there" is playing overhead as I appreciate the new ochre paint job, baby blue ceiling and all. It's no mid century Parisian cafe, but my inspiration meter steadily rises nonetheless. Whether it be the crack caffeine pumping through my bloodstream or the floor to ceiling windows looking out on sunbathed Victorians, I couldn't think of a better way to begin the coffee house revival.