Sounds From Inside the Teenage Mind- Charla Bear- NPR

Came across this from the Weekend Edition Sunday on NPR. From Charla Bear.

Good stuff! There is a time and place for entertainment but more young people need to pick up a pen and paper and put down the ipod and cellphone and express themselves!

Sounds From Inside the Teenage Mind- Charla Bear- NPR

December 27, 2009
"It's rare to hear what teenagers really think, hope and fear. On this week's show, we'll hear candid essays from three high school students in Washington, D.C. Weekend Edition producer Charla Bear recently spent time at Ballou Senior High to teach students how radio can help them tell stories about their lives. They share their views on creative writing, justice and homelessness."

Bushi-Tei Restaurant: Photo Story

This series is from a photo story I did as my final project for Photojournalism 1 at SFSU. (Note: this restaurant is now closed.)

It portrays a day (or few days) in the life of working in fine dining.

Bushi-Tei is a small, family owned/operated French-California fusion restaurant located in Japantown.

1638 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Ph. 415-440.4959

Bushi-Tei Restaurant offers a French-California fusion fine dining experience in Japantown.


A new menu and cocktail list are in the works at Bushi-Tei.


Owner, Tak Matsuba, works hands-on alongside bussers and servers to prepare for the dinner rush.


A server confirms a reservation.
Bushi-Tei is a small (seating capacity 40) restaurant. Attention to detail and design is the key here.


Staff finish up preparations in the back of house at Bushi-Tei.


Server waits for more supplies from storage.


New Top Chef Michael Hung assists a line cook on how to make one of Bushi-Tei's delicious signature sauces.


A busser fills the oil lamps before opening for dinner.




The first table of the dinner reservations has arrived. Let the service begin.



The owner shares a laugh with Chef. Order is in. Order fire!


Executive Chef Michael assists new Sous Chef Nicole with draining the pork "torchon" for the Tsunami and Earthquake Relief Fundraiser dinner.

Sous chef, Nicole's own signature cocktail recipes are posted in back of house to be made and served. The new drinks are Shochu, sake based blends with different ingredients such as Yuzu, sanshito mint, Umeboshi (Japanese plum), bitters, and even egg!


Mixing cocktails at Bushi-Tei.
>

Marinated Ocean Trout. Line cook, Lisa.



Not a fingerprint was showing all through the house.


Chef Michael Hung leads his kitchen to smooth service.


Making the flan for the foie gras dish.


Hardworking owner of Bushi-Tei, Tak Matsuba, fixing a sign.




Find me at jpgmagazine.com!

Top 5 Places to Skip when visiting San Francisco (and 5 you shouldn't miss)

The best advice one can get when visiting another city is to do that of the locals. Here are my top five places I believe are worth skipping when visiting my fair City and five I believe you have got to see.

#1 TO SKIP: Powell Street and Union Square shopping/eating.

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

This entire area outside of the Powell Bart station is infested with an overload of tourists and people who are just trying to get past them to get to work or school. Union Square and Powell are overcrowded and have nothing to offer that you most likely haven't already seen. Victoria's Secret, H&M, and any other name brand franchise (even Lori's Diner; There's one on every corner in SF) aren't going anywhere. Please, don't waste your precious vacation on going to the mall when you probably have one just like it in your own town.

#1 TO GO: Haight/Ashbury District

Photo credit: Mysi Ann (via Flickr)

Instead, mosey down Haight Street for shopping/eating and relive the 60s at the little local boutiques, coffee shops, and eateries. Support the small businesses and you will be rewarded with their fun, quirky presence instead of being swallowed by mainstream commercialism.
(Here is a cool community page from Haight/Ashbury featuring helpful, colorful, interactive links like "Local Events," "Shop Haight," "Art and Culture," and "SF Nightlife.")

 

#2 TO SKIP: Golden Gate Bridge
(Only if it's terribly foggy and overcrowded...but then when is it not?)

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

This is still and will always be a major landmark and I'm not saying you have to or even should skip it, but if it happens to be, as said, overcrowded and too foggy, you might need to. The postcard pictures can be picked up at any souvenir shop for miles around and as far as we know this beauty of architecture is not going anywhere either.

#2 TO GO: Bay bridge to Berkeley, CA

Photo credit: John Martinez Pavliga (via Flickr)

Instead, take a detour from your itinerary and take the Oakland Bay Bridge to Berkeley for the day. No, it's not San Francisco but it's a close, nice digression from the bustling City. You especially might want to take a stroll down Telegraph Avenue. Reminisce of the Haight/Ashbury bohemian scene, only more of a college town (UC Berkeley), Telegraph has many little treasures to offer and look at.

 

#3 TO SKIP: Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

This is probably four times as crowded as Union Square and is typically a zoo of kids and people clambering to the souvenir shops and restaurants. If you must, try the famous clam chowder and see the view -- go on a weekday morning or early afternoon.

#3 TO GO: Pier 33 to Alcatraz

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

Instead, you should not miss taking a boatride from Pier 33 to Alcatraz Island. The eerie history and gorgeous views to and from Alcatraz are the pull here. Once a high-security prison home to famous gangster Al Capone, now an intriguing museum and overall great experience, Alcatraz is worth overlooking Pier 39, literally.

 

#4 TO SKIP: Starbucks

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

Don't tell me you've never been. Even if you haven't and somehow don't have one in your town, believe me you are not missing anything. Starbucks is the McDonalds of Coffee chains.

#4 TO GO: Peet's Coffee and Tea or any other local coffee shop

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

Peet's Coffee and Tea (based locally from Berkeley, CA),  Blue Bottle Coffee Co., Philz, or Ritual Coffee Roasters are all the top choice places to get the best lattes and teas. (See again #1 of where to go and what I said about supporting local businesses.)

 

Finally, last but not least:

#5 TO SKIP: The standard tour of San Francisco (especially if on an obnoxious double-decker bus with one loud megaphone)

Photo by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

I don't even have to explain this one. You know you look ridiculous riding on a big bus that is zebra striped, barn red, or looks like a big duck.

 

#5 TO GO: Be the guide of your own itinerary and try something off the beaten path.

Photo by: Topher at GoCar Tours

Instead, get your own itinerary, be your own guide, and check out a couple of things the average tourist misses. For example, the little yellow, three-wheeled GoCar Tour. A highlight I tried right before I moved to San Francisco.

But, don't take my word for it. Come see for yourself.

Published on blog.unanchor.com

S.F. State photojournalism student dreams of career traveling with National Geographic.

Once a print/online journalism major, now concentrating in photojournalism, S.F. State student, seeks to use both writing and photography to chase her dream of the ideal journalism career in travel documentary magazines.

A reflection by: Tearsa Joy Hammock

In the eighth grade, I decided that writing is my passion and talent. Since then, I have pursued writing to specialize in. I initially chose Journalism as my major for my career choice and my favorite hobby. Recently, I have become seriously interested in photography. I have always been fascinated by both the artistic and technical realms of schools of thought. Photojournalism is now my final choice to concentrate in.

I have a deep love and respect for National Geographic Magazine as well as its other publications like Adventure or Traveler magazines. The extensively well-researched articles that NG writers provide from exciting hands-on experience to the famous breathtaking beauty and sometimes horror of the documentary photography is what draws me to dream of such a career. If not with National Geographic (every photojournalist’s dream job, I’m sure), at least I would be thrilled to be a part of a similar travel/documentary publication.

Five years after graduation from S.F. State, I can see myself pursuing such a fun, yet difficult career with a travel magazine using my skills in both writing and photography. I can only hope this will be a reality. I admit I may have a rough start and it might not be a terribly lucrative occupation, but I will be fulfilled as long as I am chasing after what I love and yet still pay all the bills.

There are tons of internships/job opportunities that get me stoked about a career in journalism all over the web, but especially if they concern travel and adventure.

All of these job descriptions entail traveling, working in photo and/or print/online journalism, and at least some form of working for National Geographic magazine.

I hope to use my college experience as well as outside class experience, whether on my own or through a summer internship, to learn the skills I need to succeed in such a career as the one I dream about.


Tearsa Joy Hammock can be found on Twitter as @sanfranbeatj226

Check some of my photos

http://jpgmag.com/people/tearsurfjoy

What is a hipster?

TEARSA JOY HAMMOCK
Blog3- Define Hipster
J300-01/Tansey
11/30/10


The Hipster Factor

Hipster is a term that seems to be thrown around a lot lately. Today, college-aged kids and younger in Haight are taking on this label or being “accused” of being one, but what does it mean?
A few questions were asked of some young people who live or work in the Haight.

At the Dino branch of Shoe Biz, a man looking to be in his late 20s to early 30s with neat, cropped hair and a casual but clean look is offering to bring sizes of Adidas, Converse, and Vans to visiting customers. Christian Saga is a manager at this popular shoe store on Haight.

Saga pauses his work to answer what he thinks a hipster is. “To me, a hipster is someone who is always on the scene, especially at clubs and parties all the time. They go to art shows and concerts too.”

When directed with the same question, Kelsey Bonnen from the two-story Super Shoe Biz said: “Shit, I dunno. Black boots and black hair? Hipsters are super simple, I guess.”

Ben Ho works with Saga. He says: “Hipster is a very broad term anybody could be a hipster.”

However, Charlie Santana, a pony-tailed resident with a skateboard in tow, gives his own exact definition: “A hipster is a scene kid. Someone with the latest clothes, music, gossip, and usually has some kind of vice-- a drug of choice, for example, alcohol or cocaine. They hang out at dive bars and are pretty up to date on trends.”



So what does a hipster look like?

Saga says they always wear skinny jeans and try to wear something totally ‘different.’ “Hipsters look like models-- ‘to the par’ on what’s new and trendy.”

There are different types of hipsters according to the region, even district, apparently. “There are different looks on Haight Street” says Ho. “Hipsters here like to shop vintage, wear tight pants and oversized shirts. They usually ride bikes, smoke cigarettes and hang out in coffee shops.”

Bonnen thinks there’s not too many hipsters in Haight, but maybe in the Mission.

Me, a hipster? Nooooo!

Ben Ho says he hangs out with kids who could be considered hipsters and he has been called one. He says the number one rule for being a hipster is to deny being one. “I don’t like to call myself anything in particular. I don’t like labels. I guess I am what I am to whoever.”

Santana has also been called a hipster before, but not by anyone who meant it, according to him. “I don’t consider myself one” he says. He works two full time jobs.

Hipsters, on the other hand, seem like they are all unemployed, according to him, since all they do is hang out at coffee shops all day. “But they look trendy as shit. I think they’re all trust fund babies. Like what the fuck do you do with your time?”

“I can’t be a hipster because I’m not hip,” says Bonnen. “I don’t go out. I’m always working or playing video games.” She says she wouldn’t know if someone has called her a hipster yet. If they have, it wasn’t to her face and she doesn’t know why they would.

No one has ever called Saga a hipster and he don’t consider himself one. “Not at all,” he says. Though he admits, “Five years ago, I was kind of into that--going out and getting known in the scene, but not anymore.”


Best and worst of hipsters.

So what are the pros and cons of hipster-ism? “I don’t have a problem with them,” says Saga. “They do try to judge your character though. They don’t accept you if you’re not in their crew.”

Santana agrees with this statement. He believes hipsters are snobby. “I don’t appreciate hipster arrogance” he says. “They have very narrow mindsets and are very exclusive, only letting people in like them.”                


“The worst thing I dislike about them,” says Ho “is their lifestyle choices, like drug abuse, partying, and materialistic attitude.” He says he likes the ‘intellectual-type’ hipster.

“It’s cool that they network a lot at art shows and stuff,” says Santana. He thinks it is cool that they all seem to know each other. “Hipsters are annoying as shit, but they don’t ruin my life.”

They are the rejects of society according to Ho. They prefer not to be the ‘norm.
“Back in the day, hippies would probably be equivalent to today’s hipsters,” says Ho.


Haight Street without hipsters would be...

“the same” --Kelsey Bonnen
“just another street in San Francisco, a suburb with shopping areas” --Charlie Santana
“lacking” --Ben Ho “We need a little bit of everybody.”

“We need the hipsters,” says Saga. “They are something to look at. They add character to Haight. I enjoy looking at them to see what I could sport.”

“I don’t have an opinion on hipsters. It doesn’t matter.” Bonnen is clearly bored with this  conversation she doesn’t feel she relates to.

Charlie Santana: “The only thing I like about hipsters is that I can pick on them.”

                                                                             -30-

My Dream Beat is the World

beat--(noun) a regularly traversed round; the reporting of a news story ahead of competitors 

 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat

UPPER HAIGHT STREET BEAT

TEARSA JOY HAMMOCK
Blog1
J300-01/Tansey
08/31/10

    A bald, middle-aged man moseys by as the terrier on the end of his leash stops to sniff every living thing along the pavement. An array of bicycles locked to posts break up the line of trees along the sidewalk. One bike leans out from the rest with an orange furry seat, handlebars, and even a tail!
    It is a typical foggy day in San Francisco, Calif. An over-exposed-like sky shines a strange, dark light that encourages sunglasses even with clouds. A light breeze blows, but it is not terribly chilly.
    Distinctly marked by dress and manner, tourists and out-of-towners blended with the local scene kids. Both long- and short-, clean- and dirty-haired people of all ages and ethnicities--a melting pot of shoppers and window-shoppers--rub elbows with each other.      



                -more-
TEARSA JOY HAMMOCK  BLOG1: 2/4
    Eccentric, but modern may be said of the Upper Haight district. It’s funky groove winds like an urban river of colors down the main street in and out of shops. Punks and indie rocker hipsters/wannabes are common sights milling about the trendy shops.
    Clothing is the commodity to be had here. Fashion ranging from Bohemian to pin-up to thrift and vintage to skate to American Apparel, more preppier types hang in the windows.
    Contemporary, commercialized name brand establishments boldly stand alongside smaller businesses with generations of greater seniority. 
    Caffeine-eager customers define the coffee shop’s namesake as they come and claim the People’s Cafe as their own. European Spanish, French, German, and a middle Eastern dialect mingles with Cali English and a diversity of other languages.
   





-more-
TEARSA JOY HAMMOCK  BLOG1: 3/4
    A homey ambience flows and settles in the cozy dining area and then rises again to beeline back to the restroom “for customers only.” “Yes, there is only one bathroom” the closet-like door reads. Large, black angular lettering of graffiti displays proudly more as art than vandalism on a blood red layer of paint that includes both walls and mirror.
    A curly-headed skater boy is telling his less than interested girlfriend about local politics. If there is any impending doom, no one else on the street seems to know or care. It is as if the whole neighborhood took a day off from the hustle and bustle of work stresses and commuting pressures. Most are enjoying their leisure too much to be concerned with societal drama or anything of the sort.








-more-
TEARSA JOY HAMMOCK  BLOG1: 4/4
    The street is the opposite of foreboding. People are neither expectant nor concerned about future occurrences. They are enjoying the moment, socializing, chatting, and spending money.
                                                                   -30-

*I wonder who (or what) Haight Street is named after?

*I wonder what political situations are occurring in this district?

*I wonder when the commercializing of Upper Haight began?

*I wonder where the employees and store owners live?

*I wonder why there are so many young homeless on Haight Street?

*I wonder how the economic downturn has affected business in Haight?

*I wonder who Betty Page really is (besides just her image--what is her bio)?

*I wonder what it costs on average to live in Upper Haight?

*I wonder when is (and if there is a definite) tourist season in Upper Haight?

*I wonder where the locals go in Upper Haight?

*I wonder why there are so many clothing stores in Upper Haight?

*I wonder how much recognition local artists get from Haight Street throughout the rest of the City?

*I wonder who represents Haight District politically and what they are like?

*I wonder what the difference is between Upper and Lower Haight politically, socially, culturally, etc.

*I wonder when the majority of businesses on Haight close for the night?

*I wonder where the children and elderly hang out?

*I wonder why most of the people who frequent Haight are between highschool and middle aged?

*I wonder how the huge branch that fell off a tree in Buena Vista Park was damaged?

*I wonder who tries to avoid this district?

*I wonder what the crime rate is in this district?

*I wonder when (and if) the buses stop running to this district at night?

*I wonder where to go to catch a bus to this district?

*I wonder what the Panhandle is and is like?

*I wonder how the locals feel about commercialization and tourists in their neighborhood?

*I wonder who attends the University of San Francisco and if any of the students grew up in Haight?

*I wonder what the Yellow GoCar tour has to say about the Haight/Ashbury district?

*I wonder when the Victorian houses were built in the district?

*I wonder where crepes came from and when were they introduced in San Francisco?

*I wonder why crepes are such an obsession in the City?

*I wonder how I can research this district without ever getting tired, bored, or sick of  it?/ How can I keep my outlook fresh?

"First Flight" By: Tearsa Joy Hammock

An amoeba tickles the inside of my stomach with tentacle-like fingers the entire drive to Hollister Airport. I had flown on planes dozens of times as a passenger, but never as the pilot in training. Margaret Watt, my flight instructor, is cool and knowledgeable of her skill with an adventurous and optimistic spirit.

After the Korean war, my grandmother, Mimi, had learned to fly planes. Now it was my turn. As I wave to her and turn toward the Cessna before me in all it’s glory, I wonder how much I’m going to enjoy my own experience.

Margaret explains the ins and outs of the plane, descriptions and uses, as well as a brief history of her beloved aircraft. I’m too giddy and try to remember everything, but only can recount which side of the wing has a green light and which has the red and few other random details.

From taxiing to takeoff seems like only a split second and forever at the same time. “Oh god, oh god, oh god!” is all I can say into the radio as my swift but seemingly slow motion euphoric ascension begins. I did it! I think to myself with the pride of Rosie the Riveter. Margaret just smiles with a wink in her eye.

Once in air, my body and mind is flooded bliss. My suspended environment is other planetary yet so natural to me. I forget the metal enclosure surrounding me and my instructor beside me for a moment. I am floating in mid air.
I am amazed that without having any gas pedal to press I remain static in the air!

“Okay, we are gonna try some standard rate turns” Margaret brings me out of my daydream. I gain alertness and grip my controls. With meticulous beginner’s effort I ensure that the wings dip at the correct angle and flow into my in flight “donuts.”

Of course I am nervous that I am not doing something just right, but Margaret assures me I am doing excellent. I try right and left direction circles in air and even push my angles a little further than a standard rate turn.

Of all misfortunes, I realize I have to pee... badly. Now the sky has become my natural environment and to ascend makes me feel like a fish out of water. Though, I wish I could stay in flight all day, lack of endless fuel and my necessity do not permit.

I take in one more view of my euphoria. Aware of breathtaking blue sky, cotton clouds, and green and brown ant size surroundings more so than my controls, I let the plane dip down suddenly. I gasp! Margaret is cool of course and gains control.

She says it’s no problem. But I feel the amoeba rise up in my stomach again only this time with a sickening urgency.

I enjoyed takeoff, but I give up all controls to Margaret and instruct her to go ahead and land the plane.

I wish I could concentrate but I lose all focus. My body cannot decide which most embarrassing function it wants to force me to do next: urinate or vomit!
For a minute I pray to all deities that I do neither, at least until we are on the ground.

Finally, we land. The mini-jolt does me in. My grandma watches some distance away as I open the window and my red and white polka dotted headwrap pops out. I open my mouth and baptize the side of the Sparrowhawk.

Over apologetic and embarrassed, I thank Margaret for the towel and instruction. I make a quick exit to the ladies room with tail between the legs but my head still in the clouds.

I guess pride and humiliation fly together sometimes.

As much I want to forget the humbling part, I will always recall the euphoric ascension and the moment time stood still captivating me in bliss.