Throw a Party, Invite the World

by Tucker Bradford on July 2, 2009

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Years ago Victoria and I heard about a long standing Bay Area soup night. The premise is that the host makes a big pot of soup and invites anyone to come eat. Some people bring other food, others just eat. Since there is no controlling who came there are endless possibilities for social and intellectual cross-pollination . This idea settled deep into my consciousness and made a home. I’ve been carrying it with me for years, and talking about it from time to time.

At the beginning of this year Victoria and I decided the time had come to build our own little community event. We put out the word to all of our local friends that we would be hosing a pre-farmer’s market coffee every Sunday morning. We make coffee and a snack (croissants, coffee cake, etc.) and our friends come as is or with food. Its turned out to be more fun than we ever expected, and its started to blossom to the point where people are bringing their friends (previously strangers to us). This Sunday will be our 16th Coffee Social.

I’m interested to hear from anyone else who’s hosted a similar all-comers type party. What has the experience been like for you? Did you have good turnout. How do you encourage people to invite their friends. Did you have guests that no one knew before?

Want to join us? Sunday Morning Coffee Social Sunday, 9am

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Father’s Day @ Hidden Villa

by Tucker Bradford on June 27, 2009

I started out the day, as I do most every Sunday, with the Coffee Social. Since the kids are finally over the chicken-pox we had a great turnout, and I got to spend most of the morning lounging around with coffee, chocolate crossiants, and friends. Early naps provided a little needed excuse to read more of my latest addiction .

Somewhere around 4 we packed up our things and headed over to Hidden Villa for the Banana Slug String Band’s Annual Father’s Day concert. I don’t know why I love this event so much. Maybe its sitting on the most lucious green organic lawn in the world, embraced by mountains all around. Maybe its the huge jar of margaritas Vick brought. Perhaps its the happy kids (myself included) running around without a care in the world. Whatever it is, I really look forward to this event.  Every year I meet a couple of other dads that seem genuinely happy to be fathers.

Anyway, the Banana Slugs are a goofy band. They really get into their gig, and don’t take themselves too seriously. That’s a big part of the appeal. I took a lot of video footage on Vick’s new phone, and uploaded it to YouTube. Here’s a sample to give you a taste. YouTube Preview Image

After the show, we lingered for a while, climbing trees and wandering slowly towards the car. When we got home the kids fell right to sleep and I got to go back to my book for a few more hours.

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Apple Color Picker Magic

June 27, 2009

I often have trouble coming up with good color palettes for my themes, icons, and applications. I think I have a good enough sense for what looks good together and for finding tones and hues that match the mood of said app, theme, or icon, but it always takes me hours to identify the colors [...]

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Bacon or Meatballs, What Makes a Better Sundae?

June 27, 2009

I haven’t actually read this book, but I found the title intriguing. The title suggests that if you aren’t paying attention to your customers needs, then you may find yourself putting whipped cream and a cherry on a meatball. When I read the title, I had two strong and immediate impressions.

First, “yuck.” I said it [...]

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New Blog Engine

June 25, 2009

Hey there cherished reader, I bet you’re wondering where the photos went. How do I know, because you’ve both called me and asked, that’s how. Well here’s the scoop. I’ve migrated my blog over to wordpress. This is going to have lots of benefits for all of us, not the least of which is that [...]

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Personal Philanthropy

June 3, 2009

I was talking with one of my fellow Akidoists last week about how much trouble he has had raising money for the Aids Ride. We speculated that, with the downturn in economy people are giving less. I started to wonder about this (aloud of course), and kept thinking about it afterward.

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This site is awesome

May 9, 2009

Generally speaking, I think that blogging about other peoples blogs is kinda weak. That said, I’m going to make an exception for the Getting Rid of Things blog. This site has articles on getting rid of everything from weevils to girlfriends to facial hair. Check it out.

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Ruby Writes a Story

May 6, 2009

Once upon a time a bunny was hiding in a bush. It was sunny then started to rain. Butterflies came. A pig came. The pig was pink. She needed something to eat, but she couldn’t find anything so she kept looking. She smelled something good. It was a carrot. The bunny tried to find a [...]

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Vick-e-Ohs

May 1, 2009

Last night after the kids went to bed Vick whipped up a batch of Oreo analogs that are so good that they may simultaneously cure cancer and bring peace to the world. Since words can not describe their splendor, I’m attaching a photo.

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Pretty Much Sums It Up

May 1, 2009

“If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most. A small sailing craft is not only beautiful, it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble.”

E. B. White, The Sea and the Wind that Blows 1077

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