Roundup from a Wander in the Desert

Salvation Mountain, East Jesus, Neon Museum.

I went for a wander with some friends in the deserts of Southern California and Nevada, and I got to some places that surprised me.

The first was Salvation Mountain. I got the feeling of being in a cathedral, and was struck by the intensity and sincerity of one’s man religion and love. Maybe more than any religious site I’ve been to.

A short drive away, is East Jesus, set up in a far corner  Slab City. Outside of the private compound, there is a sculpture park made from trash / found objects - it was great! After a friendly introduction, we got a tour of the infrastructure of the compound, which was really interesting.. I won’t reveal any secrets, but what a resourceful bunch of folks!

I also really enjoyed The Neon Museum. We had a great tour guide who took us through the boneyard of signs, but the projection mapped show of the signs, called Brilliant, that was nothing short of amazing. The mapping was great, the visuals they chose were really entertaining, and the sound design blew me away. (And made me want to research image mapping!) More about Brilliant.

The Rental Car Rally from LA to Las Vegas was a lot of fun, and I met some great folks while doing some odd things.

Here are some of the teams in an abandoned pool.

Here is my team getting a photo at the first checkpoint...

CALENDAR

Aug 6 -  I am speaking to the adventure design group! I am planning a few surprises. https://www.meetup.com/Adventure-Design-Group/events/251919727/

Sept 28 - I had a great time at the last Rental Car Rally - the next one is going from Oakland to Tahoe! Wanna go?

https://www.rentalcarrally.com/join-a-rally/san-francisco-to-lake-tahoe

CLASS:

I just got a 1099, WTF?!

I’ll be hosting the SF one at my house!

If you're a contractor or just starting a business, Jill Skinner, CPA, MBA is offering a great workshop on self-employment and taxes. For only $59, this workshop includes a delicious dinner plus a 2hr 45min workshop that will teach you how to file quarterly taxes, how to budget for self-employed taxes, the difference between employees and contractors, business strategy, and more! 2 locations: East Oakland & San Francisco. Tickets: accountingzebra.com/book-online

Good experience buying women's work pants: Workwear & Beyond

1955 Marina Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94577 -  http://workwearnbeyond.com/

I've written previously (here, and here) about clothing that some women I know are really excited about because of its fit and functionality (a common problem I hear a lot about!). Hannah Jackson, a metal fabricator, was telling me about a great experience about buying good work pants. So I asked her to write a review. Here it is:

I'm a metal fabricator, and workpants for women that are tough and fit well are hard to find. They're not usually stocked in stores locally, and I dread the size guessing game of ordering online.

One day I ended up at Workwear & Beyond in San Leandro. When I walked in and asked if they carried women's workpants, the answer was no. I was ready to walk out, but the salesman said, "But I can fit you into a pair of men's pants." I agreed, he asked what type of work I wanted them for, looked at me for a minute and walked off to start collecting options. There was no asking what size I was. He came back with five pairs to try on and they all fit. I ended up with a pair of men's Carhartt's that had the best overall fit and were comfortable to move around in. No hemming needed. I've been wearing them for over a year and they're so much thicker and more durable than the women's 1889s  I was wearing before.

I hate shopping for clothing, but I've got to say, it was actually a really nice experience. Someone else picked the best options for me, we chatted a bit about friends who were building big sculptures for Burning Man, and I was in and out surprisingly fast. I'm not sure I've ever run into a sales clerk in a clothing store who was so good at their job and clearly enjoyed it. Consider checking them out the next time you need to replace some workwear.

We are in  a Lemon Shortage

The U.S. lemon market is facing a significant shortage due to low domestic production and  lighter-than-anticipated imports from Latin America. The situation is expected to return to normal going into the fall.

Which raises the question: what do you do when life doesn’t give you lemons?

FROM:

MarkKrawczuk.com

KrawczukIndustries.com

3041 Mission St, #116

San Francisco, CA 94110

TO:

Friends of M.K.