46-degree high in Tahoe today… not your typical June day, but it sure made for some fun photography at the lake. Went out to the T-dock in Tahoe City to take some parting shots with my Polaroid camera for a friend moving back East. Gloomy but beautiful, eh? I’m checking out for the weekend… off to play ultimate in (hopefully sunny) Santa Cruz. adios!

This is your f@%#ing wake-up call man. I am an F, B, I, Agent!

It’s Friday night. I’m in San Francisco, where opportunities for a good time are endless, yet somehow I doubt it could have gotten any better than Point Break Live!, showing at Cellspace. To best emulate the acting talents of Keanu Reeves, the director has the crowd vote on an audience member to play the Johnny Utah role. Said untrained person is then shadowed by an cue-card assistant for the rest of the play. Lucky for us, the birthday boy in our group was selected for the job, which certainly heightened the utter ridiculousness of it all (I’m working on securing the blackmail-worthy photography for your enjoyment).

Among the cult classic’s most famous lines, came one that I didn’t remember—one that I will not likely forget again: “I’m so hungry I could eat the ass end out of a dead rhino.” hmmm.

Please note that if you choose to sit front row, you are subject to some serious action, ie. getting tossed around by bank robbers, rubbing lotion on surfers, getting splashed by epic waves, etc. I have a bump on my knee to prove it.

Where do I begin? Today’s gathering with WordPress developers, bloggers and big thinkers infused my brain with so many yummy nuggets I couldn’t possibly get them all down, and keep your attention at the same time. To boot, I’m fresh off the highway, slightly delirious (always a prime time to write) and on the verge of collapsing into my Mac’s precision aluminum unibody enclosure.

What I can tell you about WordCamp San Francisco is that it was no ordinary conference. I make my case:

+ Presenters referenced everything from The Simpsons, to South Park‘s underpants gnomes to the annual Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept 19). Suffice it to say they were pop culture savvy (as they should be), and highly entertaining.

+ Shirt included in ticket price—American Apparel’s 50/50 variety—is the best in production today (I wouldn’t lie to you… buy one now. This makes #4 in my wardrobe, and I doubt I’ll stop there).

+ Is it a coincidence that I happened to be seated by Reno-based folks, twice? I think not. Some unknown force in the world (WordPress MindControl 1.o?) was certainly playing matchmaker, and now my creative connections extend to Red Sage Design and Reno Collective.

And this is just a taste of the magic that happened today—even despite my grogginess from a previous night immersed in Point Break Live! action. And here’s where I leave you hanging for part two of the “camp & campy” post…

It’s that time of year again for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. The time when nature’s babies are born, and the unfortunate circle of life leads some of these critters into helping hands. As of last week, the South Lake Tahoe center was caring for 6 baby western gray squirrels, 5 chipmunks, 7 raccoons, 5 great-horned owls, 4 barn owls, 3 steller’s jays, 1 fox sparrow and (last but not least) a baby bald eagle. While you must be trained to physically help the animals, you can volunteer and donate otherwise.

As for me, who was trained three years ago, I need to make a call to see if they’ll have me back.