'Deepistan National Parklet

The parklet loves rain...

Got some good ink here!

In case you missed the Trixie mention in Chron's piece on parklets, voila! Love the quote about "creating community engagement on a micro scale." That's exactly what parklets deliver...when they're not just restaurant seating. ;) Wish they'd included the new one on Valencia that was developed by the Exploratorium and Boys & Girls Club to be a temporary exhibit of water and sustainable water use. What a great use of a parking space.

Lots of questions & comments from lots of folks about my incident last night*. Thanks y'all. I really am fine, as is the parklet**, and my truly fortunate life continues much as it did yesterday, albeit very slightly bruised. I myself am contemplative (you've been warned!)... There's a lot of complexity in what happened last night and a lot of ugliness amidst a lot of joy. I'm a big fan of joy, and sports is a pretty good place to get it from (and better than many). So to mos...t of my Giants friends who took to the streets, I salute you - I know how fun that can be**. To those Giants fans who took to the streets and used it as cover for stupid-to-horrible behavior, I wish your life wasn't so small. And for the mob I encountered (who may have been fans or may have just been using the chaos for cover), I hope there comes a time when you think it through & are ashamed. You accomplished nothing but making the world a little worse for your time in it. I also noticed a few people trying to help me last night, a few people picking up knocked over trash cans & cleaning up, and even a woman who tried to explain to someone why he shouldn't be putting stickers on the parklet because it was so awesome. Did it balance it all out? Of course not - but to ignore those people wouldn't be quite right either. * see below for details. ** I'm a sports fan myself (just not baseball) & so I get raucous jubilation. I both create and participate in revelatory throngs of people and so I get those too. I know a lot of people for whom the Giants' win meant a lot and was an amazing run & that's awesome! - The short version: So the Giants won the World Series & the Mission (my neighborhood) started getting louder & drunker. I figured I should sit out front on the stoop to dissuade people from tagging my parklet (www.deeplet.org if you're wondering what a parklet is). And I grabbed my laptop so I could get some work done. I actually stopped two different sets of taggers and cleaned off the tags immediately. A little before midnight, the police sirens were getting heavy & a large crowd was walking down the middle of the street. A smallish woman ran out of that crowd and started spray painting the side of my parklet. I jumped up & ran towards her before I realized that she was part of a mob & before I put my laptop down (yes - dumb & dumb). I grabbed her and yanked her off and was immediately grabbed by a couple of folks who punched me a few times & grabbed my phone & laptop out of my grasp. Several other folks tried to separate us & also tried to tell people to give me my stuff back - but it was too late. I’m totally fine & not really roughed up at all, so please don’t worry.

Thanks to everyone who came by to enjoy the World Cup today in the 'Deeplet! (& special thanks to the 'Deeplet's Chief Ranger Kimberly Conley for making pancakes!)

It's been an awesome World Cup but it ends tomorrow with Germany & Argentina! We'll be watching in the Parklet starting at noon - so come join us!!

New irrigation for a happier dino!

Today in the Deeplet

Band playing in the Deeplet!

Yesterday in the parklet.... This is what we set out to do!

One more shot from the Trixie "facial" from Sunday!