Natala la la la ... ... ...

Thursday, June 30, 2005

MIT blogger survey.... 

i wished they had a free comment / feedback section so that i could add some texture to my answers! Maybe they will have focus groups...

anyways...



i do recommend completing the survey.

Blog on.

phew! 

Thanks to a comment from Stephen i figured out how to fix my blog format woes -- just when blogger buzz posted a fix.

This means i won't have to update my blog format immediately, but it did get me thinking that perhaps that would be fun. So right now i'm sort of doodling redesign options. I found this page of color schemes (via Amitp) ... what do you'all think of Blix and Sevenest?

Monday, June 27, 2005

formatting gone haywire... 

For those of you actually visiting my blog (i.e. not reading it via bloglines/RSS) you might notice that the formatting has gone a little bit screwy. It looks like, according to a post on the Blogger Status Blog and on Blogger Buzz, that the new blogger release of image hosting has caused some blog formats to go askew -- and mine was one of them. Now, all things considered my blog template is pretty much a hacked piece of code mangled further by me :) ... but i've sent an e-mail on to blogger support and so hopefully we'll be able to save my format...if not, i may actually have to re-do my blog format which i've been considering doing for months...but need something to get me to actually *have to* do it...

If you feel the need to see what my blog used to look like, check out the wayback machine :)

43 places - ideas 

43 places is cool -- the site lets users post informaiton on places they've been and tag places they want to visit. What I particularly like is that they have a page where users can suggest ways to improve their product -- and we can "vote" on product improvements by clicking the "43T should do this" button. neato.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

blogging from WMW on spaces 

I'm in New Orleans for the week at the WebMaster World conference. I'm planning to blog on the sessions I attend on my spaces blog:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/natala

posting an update on the keynote by John Batelle now...

Monday, June 13, 2005

Flickr 

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

iSight 

I got an iSight camera last weekend when I was home in CA. I wanted it to improve my connections to my family -- and it is wonderful. So i was iChating + video with my sister -- she could see me and we could talk but I couldn't see her. That was a bummer -- so she made a movie on her camera, converted it in iMovie and then sent it to me. Pretty Cool -- Check out the video. LINK. (to be added see update below)

Update: I didn't realize that (a) I can't upload video to blogger (b) i can't upload video to flickr and (c) i can't upload video in .mov format to smugmug. As a result i have enrolled in Google Video (a surprisingly useful app, as is all free storage) but now i have to WAIT for them to approve the video. Interesting, I wonder, do they actually watch the videos?Once I get approved I will add the link.

P.S. Yes, I know the lighting is really bad...afterall I was iChating with my sister.

Monday, June 06, 2005

weekend in CA 

Family picture - Me, Mum, Sheils + Brizzie.

So i tried to sneak back home for the weekend to visit with my family and the resident mongrels (aka our cat tuvi and the dog brizzie)... but i have learned that it is impossible to do since, well, silicon valley is a small town and i know a few people. :)

Even though my trip was last minute, I had a pretty full weekend:

Friday:
Facial with my esthetician, Fawn @ SkinSpirit. They always find a way to fit me in - which given my last minute scheduling is very very cool. Lunch at Tamarine with Inna, my financial advisor. She's awesome. Picked up conditioner, walked the doggie, and then met the girls (Dulcy, Alexia, and Pat) for drinks at my bar (aka La Bodeguita). It was a fabulous night. I had my first drink in 3 months (i gave up alchohol for my diet) -- an O Cosmo -- and it was not only delicious but i was buzzed after three sips. We also saw Lisa, she just had her 30th B-day (Happy B-day Lisa) Also ran into an ex-boyfriend (just because i moved doesn't mean he can start frequenting my bar!)

Saturday:
Woke up and went for a run with the pup. Stopped by JB's mum's tag sale - so many fun things, including a copy of MicroSerfs - which I bought for $1. Then I went to Noe Valley, to hang with my friend Amy (we went to college together) and her two lovely kids and husband Ben. Ben's considering spending more time at this incredible start-up that does Fantasy Sports. It's perfect for him :) he's running statistical models on who the #1 NBA draft pick should be (sorry i can't say!) -- very interesting stuff. Then I met up with my sister, we got manicure-pedicure's at my favorite salon in menlo park - Natalie's. I think they have a great deal - an excellent mani/pedi + a neck massage (10 min) = $55. My manicure lasts a week - which you just can't get from the average corner shop. Now starving, sheila and I went to dinner (good mexican YEAH, but i ate too much) then back to mum's to hang out. JB came over for a bit and it was fun to chat with mum, sheils and Jeeves. Just like old times with JB and mum ganging up on me.

Sunday:
Slept in -- woohoo. Brunch @ st michael's alley with Mum and sheila. Shopped at restoration hardware w/mum. Tried out sheila's B&B therapy #4 on my hair -- it is hydrating and works quite well. Then over to Dulcy's BBQ, then a quick drink @ Gordon Biersch with BK, Nico and Chris Bates - bates' band is going on tour this summer / fall - very exciting. JB stopped in for a final goodbye, and then i headed out to meet my Dad. We hung out till 11, lost his car, found his car and eventually got home in one piece.

Monday:
Overslept and missed my 6 am flight which landed me in Alaska Airlines HELL. I guess they cut the pilot's pay by 25% and they are retaliating with "turtle service" -- basically everything is delayed because they find "mechanical errors" that could cause a flight to be unsafe. Net-Net I spent 8 hours in the San Jose airport before i *boarded* my flight home to SeaTac. Not cool. Avoid alaska until they figure this one out.

Outside of learning that I can't sneak back home, I did pick up a few tid-bits on the technology front. TechTalk is probably the #1 thing I miss since I moved to Seattle -- back in the Bay Area everyone talks tech ALL the time. Yes, it can be annoying, but as a native, that's my language. Below are some of the things i noted:
- Yahoo! is everywhere. i think i saw 3 SBC Yahoo vans -- more prevelent than the here, there, everywhere Channel 7 news vans (a locals only reference). Rumour has it that Yahoo! 360 will see some major revamps, and there was lots of talk about Yahoo moving people to LA.
- Even so, people are still ga-ga for google.
- The buzz is around the economy picking up, apple switching chips (and when will the ipod bubble burst? maybe never...but what if Steve dies??) and everyone finding a new start-up.
- Entrpreneurs are running wild and there's an energy in the air that had been dead for a while.

All in all, my weekend back in california was as it should be: wonderful, relaxing and fun. I did miss rainy, peaceful seattle, but it was also nice to be home, enjoy the sunshine and spend time with everyone.

OH! and for those of you I missed (and there are many - BPD, Minnie, Sara, Amit, Elise etc.) I will be back in town in August. I'll be back for SES- coming in a few days early then, after the conference, heading up to Tahoe for a family reunion. I plan to see all of you then -- so put a placeholder on your calendars. On another note, I'll be in New Orleans for the Web Master World conference -- if you plan to be there let me know.

Friday, June 03, 2005

memorial weekend + more 

ok, so i had a rockin' memorial weekend that i've been meaning to blog about:

Friday: awesome workout with my trainer followed by long walk with my temporary pet, Kinsey. Kinsey visited with me for the whole week while her daddies (Bo & Derek) were living it up in Maui.



Saturday: Sasquatch! All day concert at the gorge sponsored by KEXP with Morgan and Sean. It was awesome because (1) the gorge literally overlooks the columbia river -- an amazing setting for a concert; (2) it was really, really sunny (i got a tan!); and (3) the music was great. The main stage had Bloc Party, Jem, The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse -- and the evenings highlight: a purple & white suit clad Kanye West. OMG was he awesome, and hot, and lavender... -- but the real fun was to be heard on the side (Yeti and Wookie) stages where Blue Scholars (i think i'm addicted to them now) and the Dears played, as well as Bobby Bare Jr. and my new faves the Frames.

Sunday: Ran errands, looked at 25 different grill options, and then went over to Jenn & John's for an evening of entertainment. It was nice to hang out, catch up with friends and visit their new media room -- really a small theatre. We watched Kill Bill Vol. I ... amazing.

Monday: Went kayaking on Lake Washington with Smuga to celebrate his birthday (happy birthday smuga!) and enjoy the water. Afterwards we went to my favorite neighborhood, Ballard, for lunch. yummm.

The rest of the week has sort of whizzed by, and now I am on more vacation -- I'm back home in CA for the weekend. 1st time back in 6 months! My doggie literally *cried* he was so excited to see me. awwww.

two more shout outs:
Happy Birthday Maya!
Happy Birthday Vignetta!