Jeffrey James Essex
May 11, 1960 - Nov. 4, 2012
Jeff died unexpectedly Sunday, November 4, at his home in El Cerrito, CA. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Janine Brobst and Glenn Essex. Both his mother and grandfather were accomplished musicians and he too had a life long love affair with music and sound. After graduating from North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, he earned a bachelors degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1984. An accomplished musician, Jeff played Keyboards for 5 years with Kotoja, an award-winning Afro-beat band in Berkeley. After working at Macromedia, a multimedia software company, he started 'Audiosyncrasy', a successful business that focused on soundtracks and sound design for video, games, cell phones, and software. In 1996 Random House published 'Multimedia Sound and Music Studio', an award winning book commissioned by Apple, Inc. Jeff continued to share his love of music and education by becoming an instructor at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Besides music, he loved the outdoors and spent many a day hiking Point Reyes with friends and family. Jeff had a wide network of friends who loved his warm, outgoing personality, and his love of bad puns. He brought many people together with his warmth, wit, and laughter. Jeff was a giver, always willing to lend a helping hand. He will be missed as the bridge between so many people. He is survived by his much beloved children, Sarah and Sam Essex and their mother Debbie Ostrow. His mother and stepfather Janine and John Brobst, his father and stepmother Glenn and Jill Essex, his loving fianc#233;e Holly Howes, sister Jo Ellen Essex, brothers Paul and Kent Essex, as well as multiple nieces, nephews, and cousins. A Life celebration will be held Friday November 16th , 3 pm at Ashkenaz Community Center in Berkeley, CA (1317 San Pablo Ave.). Please email jeffessexinmemory@gmail.com for any additional information.
In memory: Jeff Essex
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Jack Osborne May 23, 2013 at 05:52 pm
@Ross - And, lo, the rainbow-farting invisible unicorns would be displaced from this, the last…Read More "Class Sparkle" soil in the entire East Bay!
Ross Stapleton-Gray May 23, 2013 at 05:40 pm
Breaking news: The property at 6th and Harrison slated for Urban Adamah expansion has been…Read More "occupied" by a group calling itself Preserve the Vacancy. An anarcho-syndicalist offshoot of radical Buddhists, the group has declared that the current "vacant-lotness" is necessary to clarification of inner awareness, and that any planting there, sustainable or no, would be a tragedy. "This is one of the few undeveloped sites of Class 1 karmic balance left in the Bay area," said group spokesperson Shanti McErewhon.
Jack Osborne May 23, 2013 at 05:25 pm
David beat me to it on this one. Here's a great example of a much more reasonable approach to…Read More supporting the principles that the OTFers claim to stand for. In fact, in my opinion Urban Adamah has put the OTF crowd to shame, and further driven home the point that their actions are truly misguided.
And to also demystify all the blather about "Class 1" soil, what it's appropriate for, and whether it all really matters:
http://soils.usda.gov/technical/handbook/contents/part622.html
My favorite part: "Class II (2) soils have moderate limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require moderate conservation practices." Sounds perfectly workable to me.
Lisa Schneider May 23, 2013 at 12:08 am
The occupiers complain that the meanies won't let them temporarily plant stuff on the future…Read More mixed-use project site, on the other hand the occupiers threaten a permanent occupation. This linked occupier image reminds me of Game of Drones (as in critters that perform no meaningful work)
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/fef1cd615d86cfe1a43674873/images/ReOccupy_FARM_TOOLS.2.1f17376.jpg
Peggy McQuaid May 20, 2013 at 11:26 am
Congratulations, Carla. The article failed to mention what a great neighbor you are.
Robby Sun May 20, 2013 at 10:37 pm
@Dover: The parent birds didn't look like doves. They were the commonly seen dull-yellowish birds.…Read More Smaller than a pigeon but larger than a sparrow. Robins? I can't tell for sure.
We checked the abandoned nest. To my eyes, it was well built, and stably setup between grape branches. It didn't capsize. The dead baby birds were found at least 5 feet away from the ground right beneath the nest. Something must have got them out of the nest and killed them. We didn't look at the corpses in detail to decide the cause of death though.
Dover May 20, 2013 at 09:31 am
I agree with Ross. A predator would have eaten those yummy, tender, tasty baby birds.
It sounds…Read More more like a case of incompetent nest construction to me. Were they doves? Doves are well-known for their inability to build proper nests but there are others who struggle too. Instinct and ability do not always travel hand-in-hand.
Not much you can do about that, unfortunately. Some creatures are incompetent. Some people are incompetent. That's life.
Ralph Whize May 20, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Got thru to the City Inspector (twice) and he finally called the contractor, who (at the end of day…Read More 12 of trash build up) moved the debris pile away.
Albany Planning Commission meeting is 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 7:30 pm and I'm hoping local homeowners will take time to address this and other CV issues.
Dover May 20, 2013 at 09:40 am
Hey! Cool! Now I know where to dump my unwanted items!
;-)
Seriously though, "the city"…Read More is not helpless, "the city" is lazy and sometimes you have to kick them in the ass to get them moving.
What have you tries thus far? I assume you have communicated with the CV owner or contractor. What else have you done?
Ann Farmer May 19, 2013 at 06:22 pm
This is not only an eyesore. This is a health hazard. The boards you see in the photo have nails…Read More sticking out. This area has become the trash heap for anyone walking by wanting to dispose of garbage. With bins overflowing, trash is blown down the street into residents' yards.
Jamie Jensen May 23, 2013 at 06:29 am
I intended to add: Now, if only UCB would treat its other land holdings, like the Gill Tract, with…Read More similar respect. Who wants another parking lot? Not me. Build "Senior Housing" at transit-friendly El Cerrito Plaza, not on the last patch of arable land left in the East Bay!
Jamie Jensen May 23, 2013 at 06:26 am
This Executive Summary, makes it sound OK. Better than another 1991 Fire, for sure:
To reduce the…Read More potential for these areas to support and spread wildfires, UCB proposes to eliminate eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and other non-native trees that promote the spread of wildfire. Oak and bay trees and other native vegetation present under the larger non-native trees would be preserved and encouraged to expand.
Caryl O'Keefe May 18, 2013 at 08:30 pm
Another example of more balanced reporting from Berkeleyside article:…Read More http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/05/17/uc-berkeley-seeks-funds-to-cut-down-22000-non-native-trees/. Some of the comments are useful especially about glyphosphate. The author of the article even used his own name.
Mel Content May 19, 2013 at 12:01 pm
"If you are upset about how the rightwing has been attacking President Obama with lies and…Read More hyperbole"
Mel Content May 19, 2013 at 12:01 pm
"If you are upset about how the rightwing has been attacking President Obama with lies and…Read More hyperbole"