lauramba - lauramba's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Sat on a Cat

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:11:31 PST

Today I was reading the real estate classifieds at Bakersfield.com and saw a listing that interested me so I typed the street address in the search field at Google Maps and clicked “Street View”. As I began moving the curser up and down the street I saw this satellite image of a lady who was being escorted to her car by her cat.

Even though it is just an image of an ordinary cat, an ordinary woman, and a very ordinary moment in time, it struck me as quite extraordinary. As Sagefever just shared this it the “400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s first telescope observations“. Do you think he would have imagined that we would use the telescopes to look back from the stars?

Don't Try This At Home

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:11:04 PST

This is one of my favorite You Tube stories. Hope you like it!

Virtual Christmas gift for girls

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:47:00 PST

I saw a presentation about a month ago about a cool Web subscription for girls and it was so cool I just had to blog about it. The site is Digital Dollhouse and it is a place for young people who love design. It is a 3D environment that allows kids to design and decorate a virtual dollhouse with home furnishings that they purchase with "dollhouse dollars". The 3D element was demonstrated at the presentation and they are awesome. It looks like a lot of fun!

Naturally, the first concern I have for any kid's Web environment is "Is it safe"? I learned that not only are there high-tech safeguards in place, but the designers created some low-tech protections that are smart: 1) there is not a chat environment and 2) the kids use their parent's email address (so the only way a potential predator can communicate with your child is through YOU).

The site is owned by Digital Playspace and the CEO is a former Mattel executive, Jesyca Durchin. She is exceptionally knowledgeable about children's play patterns and has an impressive background.

So if you have a child who has a passion for design, you may want to consider this virtual gift. Just in case you are wondering, I am not associated with this site, the owners, or the developers in any way.

Dogs and Cats on Coffee

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:19:38 PDT

Moving to a new community comes with all sorts of challenges. Finding new practitioners such as doctors and dentists is one such challenge. Six weeks after I moved to Bakersfield my dog became sick and it seemed urgent. I called a few folks in town and asked for a referral and within minutes I was on my way to a veterinarian who agreed to examine my dog. When I walked into the vet office I was greeted with a bad smell, an unsightly waiting room, and a couple of receptionists who seemed genuinely unhappy. I immediately turned around and walked out the door and began calling other veterinarian offices.

My first call was to Coffee Road Animal Clinic. The friendly receptionist encouraged me to come in and I drove straight there. When I walked in I saw a clean waiting room, friendly receptionists, and a veterinarian tech named Patty. After completing the paperwork Patty took me and my pet into an examination room and checked to make sure my dog was not in distress. She stayed with me and I immediately began to relax.

Within minutes Dr. Paine came in and started the exam. She was professional, thorough, an exceptional communicator, and was sensitive to my pet and her owner. She even called a few days later to check-in on my dog. Thank you Coffee Road Animal Hospital for your clean office, your welcoming attitude, and for the professional way you treated me and my pet!

Great Day at Google

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:46:42 PDT

I spent the day in Building 43 at GooglePlex in Mountain View for the 2nd annual Joomla Day in the Bay Area. The energetic folks with the Bay Area Joomla user's group put together an energetic unconference that helped users, administrators, and developers better understand how to use the open source software, Joomla.

I was delighted to see Ryan Ozimek of PICnet, Inc and Leslie Hawthorn of Google. Their contribution to the Joomla community is significant.

Thanks to Anthony Ferrara I learned how to create secure sites for all my open source software. He is a proponent of VPS (Virtual Private Servers) and recommended a few VPS providers that offer their services at reasonable prices (send me an email if you want more info).

Drupal Camp LA was Huge!

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:05:33 PDT

I spoke at the second annual Drupal Camp in Los Angeles this weekend. I was impressed with the number of attendees and the distance people were willing to travel to attend this event.

My favorite session was on "Making an E-commerce website from scratch with Ubercart" by the amazingly cool Aaron Schiff from Ecopaper. I am glad to have an alternative to the "buggy" programs I used previously.

Thanks to Drupal LA and to Chris and Crystal for you hard work. You rock!

Twice Baked

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:01:41 PDT

I am finally getting settled into my new life here in Bakersfield. As some of you know, I was born here but left 30 years ago (hence the title "twice baked"). I am in a great home in a good neighborhood thanks to the hard-wroking, culturally sensitive, and beautiful Leslie Walters.

This weekend I am speaking at the LA Convention Center for Drupal Camp LA. If you are in the area, be sure to come by the event. It is free!

Lastly, just a quick thanks to all you fine local retailers for excellent service and great attitudes. I forgot how friendly folks are here in Bako.

Picture in a Dream

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:49:07 PDT

I was compelled to make this video at Farmer's Market in Arcata California. For those of you unfamiliar with that town, it truly is a magical place. Every Saturday at the Market (spring-fall) the plaza is full of people juggling, dancing, singing, hoola-hooping, playing chess, and more. It is the best of small town living.

The music in the video is a live recording of the band "Good Company" that played that morning.

Samba Parade - North Country Fair

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:16:01 PDT

I recently made this little film about my favorite dance and drum group to promote their participation in the Samba parade at the North Country Fair in Arcata . I was able to interview a few dancers and I filmed a group of drummers during practice. The parade starts at noon and lasts for about an hour. The costumes are great, the choreography is fabulous, and the dancers/drummers are extremely energetic. (parade is September 20th & 21st, 2008)

Hope you enjoy my little film.

North Coast Livin'

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:10:47 PDT

Thought I would share a few photos of the forest near my house in Arcata. When I am not in central California I am enjoying the quiet life in Arcata California. Every afternoon I take a walk through town up to the forest near campus (Humboldt State University). The beach is about three miles from campus. I took these photos right before sunset. As you can see by how I am dressed, it is a bit cool here.

Good Samaritan - Office Max

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:57:05 PDT

My elderly mother and her friend were on their way home from church on Sunday and they got a flat tire. They were able to get off the road safely by pulling into the parking lot of Office Max off Mt Vernon Ave. They did not know what to do so they went into Office Max and asked for help. A kind young man that worked at Office Max volunteered to change their tire. Wow … what a good guy! Thanks to Office Max for hiring such quality people. Bravo!

In Memory of Edwin Platt

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:28:56 PDT

These flowers were placed at the beach in Santa Barbara on March 22, 2008 in honor of Edwin Platt, missing at sea. This was made for Lindsey Platt for Easter 2008.

Bakersfield.com Social Network Is Fabulous

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:43:03 PDT

Bravo to the folks who created and maintain this social network. Your network of bloggers and contributors is impressive and the software is terrific. I am familiar with CMS programs and applaud the work you are doing.

This network rocks and I for one am very grateful for a healthy online community. Thanks to all you bloggers for your wonderful contributions! I feel right at home.

Chico State Grads

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:14:19 PDT

I am hoping to connect with other Chico State graduates in the Bakersfield area. Would like to attend games and alumni events with other like-minded Chico folks.