Just Because I'm Hungry For Dessert . . .

Vernal (semi) Equinox

Wednesday is the Vernal Equinox this year. Daylight and Nightlight are the same.

More or less.

If you have the time, read Wikipedia on the subject and, if you understand what it says, congratulate yourself heartily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_equinox

Nostalgia

$15 haircuts still exist!

(But, you have to search to find them.)

photo by rickleephoto in Charleston WV

Stop The War?

A lot of outdoor assemblies across the Nation this weekend; not all in honor of St. Patrick.

The fellow above was spotted in New York City. He is obviously in favor of, um, wait, that'll be. . .

Go Bears!

Job Opportunities Abound:

The University of California at Berkeley is looking to hire its first Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion, and I think it's about darn time. I'm heartened to know that with this renewed focus on recruiting students and faculty from underrepresented groups, Berkeley's agents will soon be scouring Iowa for devout homeschooled virgin boys. Young men returning from service in Iraq, likewise, may find a warmer reception than they would have received in years past. And no doubt many young parents, as well as retired executives, will soon be submitting their applications to the more equitable and inclusive Cal-Berkeley. Observant pro-war Jews, aspiring Christian filmmakers, chaste young pro-life activists — all are welcome under Berkeley's big tent, right?

HT: tonywoodlief.com/

Taiko Time!

Just a little excitement to get the juices boiling.

Bang!

50 Years Ago!

Elvis Presley & Frank Sinatra - duet
Uploaded by beautifulcynic

And it seems like just yesterday.

One Clothed, One Unclothed

Two bodies, hands clapsed behind their heads, both relaxing while absorbing the Springtime Rays of Sunshine.

3.141592653589793 . . .

Wednesday is Pi Day! 3/14

You may celebrate at 1:59 if you chose.

Doesn't He Look Happy?

That's my grandpa.

Born 1872, in January.

In Canada.

I just found this picture.

Two Countries

I found this somewhat interesting. From the same location, at the same time, with the same camera, held by the same photographer, we look at two European nations.

That's Italy up above.

And Switzerland below.




And, just to the side. . .(ta da!) Matterhorn!





HT: ninacamic.blogspot.com/

(I stood on a hill once, and saw Fremont and Milpitas at the same time. But, I didn't take photographs.)

Lucianne Says . . .

"If you just stay asleep long enough,
someone else will change all the clocks."

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

Tax $$$ Working

About to open, two years late, at the corner of 7th and Mission in the City Across The Bay, is the new Federal Office Building (and Court House) representing the very latest in "green" building thinking. Read one commentator's summary from a blog on www.plnewsforum.com:

THE LATEST CRAZE in architecture, after fizzled experiments in Modernism, Post Modernism, Brutalism, Deconstructionism, and Post-Brutal-Deconstructed-Neo-Modernism, is a genuflection to environmentalism called “Green Building” or “Sustainable Architecture.” For the most part, building “Green” means cloaking an intrinsically inefficient high rise building in an ecological hair shirt that makes owners feel good and tenants feel miserable.

The latest example of Green Building has risen in San Francisco, where the city by the Bay has ripped apart one of the grittier parts of its foggy utopia to construct what is surely the most ridiculous building of our still young century: the poetically-named Federal Building.

A unique combination of crackpot environmentalism and elaborate ugliness, the Federal Building will finally opens its doors (or flaps, or airlocks, or orifices, or something) later this month and it will boast a number of odd design “features.” For instance, the Federal Building is an office tower tall enough to disrupt the city’s skyline, yet its elevators only stop on every third floor--the better to conserve energy.

And after trudging up and down the stairs on a blazing summer afternoon the unfortunate tenants soak in their own sweat because the building has no air conditioning . . . again to save energy.

With any luck, the Mayne event in San Francisco will be so notoriously bad that it will do for enviro-fundamentalism what the Tweed Courthouse did for corrupt government . . . that is, give it unmistakable form that provokes corrective action.

Sounds like Algore might like it. Sounds like a disaster. I shall drive by when I'm once-again mobile.

Cameron Hughes Wines

You're going to have to read this carefully, and belong to Costco if you want the lowest prices.

I don't belong to Costco, since they haven't invited me, so I order by FedEx, which adds about $3/bottle, but the service is fast since the winery is on Bryant Street in San Francisco.

If you belong to Costco, just subscibe to the internet email and see what's on the way. Please note that once a "Lot" is sold out, that's it. No more. Gone, fini, pau.

You can Google CHW, or the title above, to learn what this guy does. Boiled (bad word) down, he buys leftover quality wines, mostly in California, but also Australia and Chile, blends them to his taste, bottles them incommunicado and ships them off to Costco.

Think premium "Two Buck Chuck."

I have tried a Zin and a Meritage so far, and I am very pleased. Good hearty, bold reds. Not a whole lot of subtlety, but that's what I like. Lots of fruit, lingering finish. My kind of red wine. Very good prices.

Heartily recommended.

Different Camera

What do you think?



I think not bad, so far.

Mt. Diablo (aka Mont St. Georges)

We had a bit of a chill here last night.



But you have to admit that this is a killer view from the kitchen table!

Shift Happens

I question some of these 'facts', but the presentation is interesting anyway.

(Music from Last of the Mohicans; length is about 6 minutes.)

This Is Saddening

Berlin, February 2007



There are some very sick people around us.

(Yes, I know that the swastika is backwards. Thanks.)

Guam USA

Admittedly it's a hotel commercial, with Chinese voiceover, but there are some great shots of our favorite island.

(Check out that golf shot across the ocean at about 3:00 minutes in!)

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

22 FEBRUARY

Actually, President Washington was born in Virginia on 11 February, under the Julian calendar. (11 February is a rather felicitous date, by the way.) Twenty years later, the Western world adopted the Gregorian calendar, the better to approximate the sun's cycles, and 11 Feb became 22 Feb.

And, therefore, . . . oh, never mind. If you're interested, you can Google it.

Celebrate!

Great Orators Of The Democratic Party

"One man with courage makes a majority."--attributed to Andrew Jackson

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."--Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The buck stops here."--Harry S. Truman

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."--John F. Kennedy

"If we cannot protect the nation's supply of peanut butter, one must ask how prepared we are for a terrorist attack on our nation's food supply."--Rep. Bart Stupack of Michigan

(HT: Opinion Jounal BOTW 2/20/07)

Don't worry; I'll slam the Republicans soon. :-)

Help Desk

This was new to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

Enjoy!

Listen Up, NonBelievers!

I told you all, when you were young, that there was once a song titled "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago", and that it used to be one of my favs. Well, finally, here's the proof:



(Yes, that's an old 45 rpm)

Correct again. Hah!

Spare Your Ankle, PLEASE!

This picture really sent a shiver through me. It hurts just to observe the slip and fall.

14 February 2007

TO ONE AND ALL . . .

Go BEARS!

Sure it isn't the Rose Bowl, but it is against USC, and it's a Hail Mary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNeNlyva9Io

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Sinews Of The City

Enough of bones! Streets (and rails) are what hold The City together.

Bones & Things. Exposed!

Well, finally, here it is. The inside view of my left ankle after the Jan. 15th fracture, then reduction, operation, insertion, and sew up. The new hardware looks rather handsome, don't you agree?

The doctors seem quite pleased.

I don't quite feel that way. In a cast for 5 - 6 more weeks. Sigh.

Pastries A Bit Too Sweet For You?

Well, then, let's all get together and make some fresh guacamole!

Colts 29 Bears 17

Just bury your sorrows in these delicious bons bons. (Sigh.)

If You're Feeling Blue. . .

Madison WI earlier today.

1F, windchill -20F.

Enjoy your weekend!

SuperBowl XLI

I'm sitting here in my cast, immobilized, bored to tears, and Dear Daughter says "Update your blog!"

So with the weekend coming up, I thought you might enjoy seeing how Guam USA is celebrating the SuperBowl next Sunday.

The Game starts around brunch time Monday out there, everyone hangs out in the tourist hotels and island bars watching big-screen TV so, mostly, it's an unofficial, non-productive, but fun day for our beloved island territory.

Just click on: Pacific Daily News - www.guampdn.com - Hagatna, GU

Enjoy! (Go Bears!)

Pssst. . .

Secrets Of A City Street

(HT: rickleephotos)

A Modest Abode

In Atherton.

For a mere $16 million.

The koi look very happy.

(and I'll bet that the property is fenced against deer and raccoons!)

http://www.valleywag.com/tech/for-sale/decor-by-larry-ellison-225698.php

Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu

Just click over to the following

http://www.chubbyhubby.net/2006/12/osaka-part-1-of-2.html

and scroll down for the elegance of a "kappo" restaurant in Osaka. Mmm, mmm, good.

El Algore!

Funny weather this winter. So, we're going to miss seeing my sister-in-law because the Albuquerque airport was closed, and my nephew because Interstate 40 was closed. And their friends, too. Oh well.

Happy New Year anyway. 2007 might be good for all, I am predicting.

Construction 2006

Engineering News Record (afftectionately known as "ENR" in the building industry) has published their list of the best construction pix that have run on their pages this year.

Shown above is one of these, a shot at sunrise of the new Eastern span of the Bay Bridge under construction. Old bridge on the right, new one on the left.

Somehow, the new "Blogger" won't let me link, so here's the URL:

http://enr.construction.com/photoContest/2006/archives/2006-1.asp

Celebrate, And Contemplate

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SOLSTICE!

I'm curious to see how close to 4:22 p.m. I posted this thing.

Anyway, congratulations! It only get more daylighty from here.

Fat Man Swimming

A neat confluence of photography and imagination.


I like that.

(H.T. rickleephotos)

Italy. In December

Ms. Camic is at it again, traipsing all over Eastern and Southern Europe. (School in Madison must be out for Christmas.) Nina started in her home country of Poland. It's winter there, as you can see above.

So, she and boyfriend head for the boot of Italy.

And there they (re) discover the infallible and undeniable charms of Italy. Nina writes very well, and uses her camera appropriately. It's long, but it's colorful, so I recommend that you click on

The Other Side of the Ocean

When The Time Comes. . .

I hope it's worth it!





I shall let you know.

Southpaws Of The World. . .

UNITE! We're quicker and brighter, at least in the Southern Hemisphere.



That's according to this report from Michelle Malkin.

Enjoy

Cool Picture Time

Today's test: Which is the canteloupe (h.t.rickleephotos), and which the bicycle drive (h.t.littlegreenfootballs)?

Where Google Stores All That GMail. . .

H.T. www.geekculture.com/

Speaking of American Art. . .

Try these two. Both from early-20th century USA. Hopper and Sheeler. Good stuff.

There's Always Coffee Shop Food

I've always loved Edward Hopper's views of middle America in the 1920's and 30's.

Bistro Jeanty - French in Napa Valley.

Okay, enough of Berkeley. For contrast, let's try Yountville, home of the infamous French Laundry with its eponimous clothes pin napkin holders.

BUT, don't stop at the Laundry (too $$$), rather go downtown (sic!) to the Bistro Jeanty on the Main Drag. Absolutely wonderful food! Check out the menu!

I had the tomato(e) soup and steak tartare...need I say more?

Hey, it's Berkeley!

Okay, this one is difficult. Interesting restaurant, pan-asian (whatever that means)food. Plusses and minuses (talk to me about spelling later.)

Unicorn is located on Telegraph, just below Dwight. The neighborhood is variously described as "authentic Berkeley" and as "seedy." Whatever. The night we were there, police cars were all over the place, and three sleeping bums were on the sidewalk as we left for home.

I'm stretching, but "adolescent master" is how I would describe the chef and the menu. The food is very good, delightfully presented, and well priced. No complaints at all. But, what is this? American or Singaporean? Do I use Tobasco or Tonkatsu?

But, this is "pan-asian" to the extreme! Ox-tail and spring rolls? That's a winner? Fresh crab/lemon grass salad and lamb chops? Where did that come from? Individually, good! Together, whoa!

I was confused, but you may enjoy it! The wine is good, the service is thoughtful, and the decor is attractive. Please go, and let me know what you think.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Yes, I did grow up on the East Coast, and attended Cornell in Ithaca NY for a few years.

And yes, I often did look out the bedroom window onto views like this.

California is better, thank you.