Just A Slapback. . .

at TempDisplaced in Bromsgrove UK (nice place.)

If You Can See The Arrow...

in the FedEx logo, then you may enjoy studying the profiles here.

(Someone had way too much time on his hands, I fear.)

Mark Who. . .?

Dinner in Danville II. On the main drag, Hartz Avenue, lies Amber Restaurant a somewhat elegant but casual creation by Chef Mark Dantanavatanawong, who formerly was the Chef across the parking lot at Bridges, (of which more later, I suspect.)

His name betrays his Thai/Chinese heritage, as does his food.

This a small-plates place, with asian-california fusion anything-goes stuff. . .fresh, flavorful, tuna, potsticker, lamb chop, beef satay, whateverturnsyouon. It's fun, it's not too expensive, and it's nouveau designed interiors.

No good for kids; no good for romance; this is for food and enjoyment. Easy parking.

Earthquake Hazards Program

Interesting earthquake stuff from the Gummint for us all. I have linked to the Bay Area here, but you can find links to similar pages for the entire U.S. on the same page. On the Bay Area page, as you scroll down, the collapsed apartment house in San Francisco's Marina District (see above) is the one that MWM designed a replacement for back in the early '90's.

Dinner In Danville

Isn't that a sweet-looking Rolls? One of 90 or more on two floors of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum that hosted our celebratory annual real estate evening on Friday. Good banquet food (roast beef or bird-flu-free roasted chicken) catered by Scotts in the totally-flat-black museum surrounded by these magnificent sparkling paeans to the wonderful pinnacle of automobile design. Compared to today's all-the-same styling, the classic cars made for a truly a wonderful venue. I could comment on the wringing out of excitement from human endeavors as they proceed toward maturity. . .I could, but I won't.:-)

Where In The World . . . ?

With all the brouhaha about this Port Security Deal (and Jonah Goldberg wonders when we will get around to Cognac Security. . .)I thought it might be good to see what we're all talking about. Dubai is an emirate, one of the seven that together form the United Arab Emirates. It is almost crime free, a sophisticated amalgamation of East and West, with Arabic (official), English, Hindi, Farsi, Tagalog, Malayam, and Russian languages being spoken. It is hot, but it is on the Persian/Arabian (your choice)Gulf, so it is somewhat scenic. The amazing thing, as you can see from these pictures, is the modernity of the architecture. It's a wow for any architect!

I'm Okay . . .

but sometimes I find myself wondering about you.

F-14 Is Retired

Don Sensing reminds us all that a famous USAF attack aircraft has been retired. Lots of history here

Mother Nature

Awoke this early morning to a "thump!" Hmmm, that was interesting. Unusual. Oh, well.

On the radio today, "a 3.8 shaker; epicenter 11 miles East of Oakland; 4:39 a.m." Whee! That's just about directly beneath HiltonHouse.

And then, once the sun came out. . .

Behold! Snow on Mt. Diablo!

Oyasumi

Rhapsody has Oyasumi, and I've blogged the tracks here.
Oyasumi: "1. Oborozuki yo (Moonlit Night) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
2. Fursato (My Heart's Home) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
3. Sakura, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
4. Momji (Scarlet Leaves) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
5. Takeda no Komoriuta (Takeda Lullaby) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
6. Aiko's Lullaby - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
7. Aka Tonbo (Red Dragonfly) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
8. Aogeba Totoshi (Song of Gratitude) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
9. Umi (Vast Ocean) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
10. Mimura nu Angwa (Girls from Three Villages) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
11. Hatsu Yuki (First Snow) - Elizabeth Falconer
12. Kirakira Boshi (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
13. Hama Chidori (Plovers on the Shore) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
14. Hagoromo no Komoriuta (Okinawan Lullaby) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
15. Komoriuta (Japanese Lullaby) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer
16. Oyasumi (Goodnight) - Aiko Shimada And Elizabeth Falconer"

I don't know what you can do with this info. Hey, the music is good, however. I like it!
UPDATE: Click on "Oyasumi" link above, and it will take you to Rhapsody, where you can sign up for a free trial, and hear the music for yourself. (I think.)

Springtime in California

Record snow and wind on the East coast, wonderful warm sunshine for Pebble Beach and the West coast. We'll have some more cold and rain, I'm sure, but, in the meantime it's neat to see the new growth outside making itself known.

Birthday Balloon

I got this way-cool fish for my birthday celebration, but then an attractive young blond talked me into giving it to her. And she didn't even thank me properly! (But, she smiled, and she does have a winsome smile. Good enough for me.)

One Really Awful-Ugly Weekend Pup

Thanks to Lucianne, who always seems to come up with winning pix.

Google Fight : Make a fight with googleFight

Hey, this is fun! Try, say, "Britney" vs. "Paris", or "Hamburger" vs. "Hotdog". Whatever. Click here:Google Fight

'Nuff Said II

h/t: http://bidonotto.journalspace.com

B-2 Spirit

A few more, major, startling photos of military airplanes, taken by Richard Seaman, are at:
B-2 Spirit
Make sure you maximize your screen!

Proud Papa

Well, I'll be darned (he says, blushing impishly.)

(What's a lounge suit, anyway? It doesn't sound like something that I would wear to Buckingham Palace. Maybe to Bellagio in Vegas.)