Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Mary doesn't live here anymore - is staying at your moms place?

One of the more interesting things that happened over the holiday season, was that his mom called a couple of days before Thanksgiving to let Mr S. know that Mary was going to stay at her house for the holiday.

His mom, and her mom are life long friends, as I explained in this post. Her mom was having a big holiday thing and didn't have enough room for everyone to stay over. So Mr S.'s mom pulled the spillover.

I wanted to ask a million questions. But Mr S.'s family and mine are completely different. Everything is a secret in his family. But everyone knows all the secrets. Which is frustrating because nothing scandalous ever goes on. Still you just can't ask that many questions because you don't know who is suppose to know what. And anyway.. maybe the Internet made Mary out to be crazier than she was. Who am I to gossip about her?

I was busy anyway, and pretty much put the whole thing out of my head.

The day after Thanksgiving, Mr S's sister calls. She was kind of in a big lather. Did you know this? Do you know that? She asks.

Mr S. - Yeah. I googled her.

Still from her reaction, she was not prepared for the level of crazy that Mary has apparently become. She had the same reaction as Mr S. That girl was so normal, can I just turn up crazy one day?

At any rate. I am kinda enjoying the whole thing in a weird way. My family was completely dysfunctional and I've been trying my whole life to surround myself with functional people. Mr S's family has really been very boring this whole time with family drama. Now the crazy is creeping into their world.

It is just fascinating.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

I got a sledgehammer for xmas. What did you get?



On Friday, Mr S. woke me up in excitement and said - We get to play Bioshock all day!.

I had completely different plans. I wanted to rent a concrete saw. Our patio had been bugging us the whole time we've owned this place. It is just a shitload of concrete. But of course, the way they laid it - you just can't chip the pieces off uniformly. Two of the pads had pointy bits that needed to be cut off.





This is the kind of project that is so small, it's hard to get anyone to do it. And really - it is always good to try the projects yourself. That way you know if you are underpaying your contractors or overpaying them.



Cutting concrete was remarkably easy. We were going to rent a jackhammer, but opted to just sledge out the three pads. Which we got done in about 6 hours.

Regrettably though... you rarely use the sledgehammer muscles. So today, you kind of wish you'd payed someone half your age.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

I know! W-T-F.

I'm gonna try to get a post out to you later tonight.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Really. Already?

I honestly can't believe Thanksgiving is in just a couple of days. All year it has been about finding a stable footing. Then bam. Holidays.

Just a week ago we were sitting in 80 degree weather. Amazing weather. Musically awesome weather. It didn't even start to feel like winter until this Saturday. I distinctly remember it. Not that I have a hard time remembering what happened only a few days ago. I was up in the city and it was mild.

Cross over the trans bay tube. Winter.

Now we are on track for the polar express. Which you don't hear all the time in California. Thanks Canada!

I had to pick this year to overwinter my chili peppers. Because peppers are assholes. I spent months trying to get my super hot peppers going. Then they didn't even produce any peppers this year. Assholes.

I'm serious.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Meet your bailout.



This is the new Fiat 300. Made solely from the infinite wisdom of the Federal government. It is a cute car.

Small. About the size of a smart car. Not for people who are tall. If you are over 6 foot, you probably will not be comfortable in this car.

The thing I thought was funny though - when I was reviewing my photos, I had an immediate flash about these old Chevron Techron commercials. Maybe you didn't have them in your area. But, they played here for years and years in the 90's.

The new fiat reminds me of the talking cars in those commercials. Over sized headlights that look like eyes. The body shape is the same. It's freaky.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

San Fransisco Auto show.



I don't know. I'm frustrated about my shots of this Corvette Stingray concept. So I'm just going to sulk for a while. It took on way too much yellow when the car should be grey. If that is even a color.

Video here. Where you will unambiguously see - this car is grey.



Riding the train is like taking a worm hole to a different time.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Tales from the parking lot.



Went to a classic car show this weekend, and I wind up finding this Rolls in the parking lot. It was more interesting then any of the cars I paid to see were.

I'm not even a Rolls kinda girl. I just like that it was all glamor lit.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Tomorrow this will probably all be gone.



I don't really like to doctor my photos. So, if there is dust in my camera. There is probably going to be dust on my shot. No matter how obsessivly I try to not make it be there.

Anyway....

The weather the past week in California has really been in rare form.

It's been double rainbow - awesome.

When we were in the city this weekend - the bay was as calm as glass. The rain hasn't kicked all the leaves off the trees yet. You pretty much can't look in any direction and not see the full spectrum of fall colors. I hardly remember it being this good. Ever.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Touristy anniversary post.



Last week was Mr S.'s and my anniversary. Since it came in the middle of the week we figured we'd go up to the city and have dinner over the weekend. Figuring the rest of the day we would just play things by ear. This is pretty unusual for us.

I've been obsessed with a new to me discovery of finger limes. I don't know what my deal is - but I am obsessed with them. I thought the ferry building might sell some. But they didn't.

We sort of hung out in the touristy areas. Areas we tend to avoid - because well.... of the tourists and homeless. San Fransisco was pretty empty. So it was enjoyable.

Mr S. led us in the direction of this park where the parrots live. I guess I never realised it was right there at the ferry building. A couple of times a year they talk about the parrots of San Fransisco on the news. I always thought for some reason they lived around coit tower. On the news, they make it seem like a bucolic little area of the city.

In real life the park is filled with homeless. And there must be a hundred of those effing parrots. Which make a ton of noise.

I mean, imagine. In the amazon, parrots have tons of space to be noisy. The birds in SF basically congregate in an area about the size of a third of a block. It's an interesting spot to run across to be sure. Yet not as tranquil as you might expect. And certainly not bucolic like the news always plays it out to be.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

It's been four days since you looked at me.

Most often when I stop blogging, I find it hard to start back up. I just have too much stuff stored up for stories. Nothing seems interesting to tell. So, I'm just going to update you on the week and hope it gets me back on track.

Last week Mr S. started complaining about his foot being injured. Or maybe it was two weeks ago now. By Thursday or Friday it had been hurting him for a couple of weeks.

Being female - I didn't really think much of it. We are walking on jacked up feet all the time. We wear shoes that eventually make some women have bunions. You essentially create a second toe baby. That eventually you have to have ground off.

By the end of the week though, it was clear he had been to the Internet to self diagnose. Now I don't believe in heaven and hell. But, when something is wrong with you - the Internet is the devil. It can work people into a complete lather.

Lather. What is this lather! Rabies? What! I've got freakin rabies!

Anyway.

No matter how many times I told him he didn't have gout - I wasn't going to cheat him out of his rabies. I mean gout. No amount of - Baby.. you don't even have any risk factors. Still he was completely married to this idea. And I'm not sure at this moment if he still isn't somewhat convinced.

I even tried - look, when your body gets unhappy about something and wants you to modify your behaviour - it is never something that you are okay giving up. It is always thing you hate doing. Since that doesn't apply in this case - you don't have gout. Your body never says - hey, I notice you don't like eating any of this stuff. Your lucky day. I'm giving you this affliction so you are never tempted. NO.

It is always "shit, I have to give up eating cheese"?! I LOVE CHEESE!

He eventually did go to the doctor yesterday and is now on prednisone. The doctor was not conclusive about the rabies. I mean gout. Which is why he still thinks he has it.

Hopefully the idea that feet are assholes will calm his nerves. The funny thing about feet is - the cure is often worse than the affliction. Once they start talking about putting needles in your feet. People tend to wait it out. Until the idea that needles in your feet will somehow feel better than what you have.

This is after he got a stomach thing this weekend that I wasn't sure I was going to have to take him to the hospital for.

We are both pretty anti doctor. So, when either of us starts talking about needing to go, it creates a lot of anxiety.

Friday, November 05, 2010

The love tagger.



The past couple of days I have been trying to center myself. I think pretty much everyone was agitated over the constant race politics. And even though I don't think this new crop of people will be that great - it just feels calmer somehow with a little anticipated push back.

I mean, California is still falling off a cliff. But - techland is starting to show a pulse and that makes me feel comforted. It means they anticipate the rest of the nation will start to feel a little better.

Segue.

Okay. Before I start my segue I have to laugh a little. I never tell anyone I'm changing directions. That is progress people.

Anyway.

Yesterday I spent a good deal of time getting lost in S. Valley. I could have placed the address of the place I was going to into GPS and it would have led me right there. Sometimes I just don't want to. I think it makes part of your brain atrophy. I like to go old school.

This is when I ran across this tagger. It seems simple enough. Most people might not even notice it. The style though reminded me of a shot I got a few months ago on an overpass on the 680. At the time I mocked it because it seemed so amateurish.

Clearly though - this is someones "style". Now I kind of like it. I'm going to have to keep an out out for them. This tag was well far away from where I saw the first one.

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Just put it all in a bonfire.

I'm going to be honest. I'm not in a great mood today. The country might be tired of this bullshit. Californians aren't. I don't feel a bit better after yesterday. And that guy Boner. The new house speaker. Just.. whatever.

I wasn't even going to post today. Then, this little gem pops up in my tweetdeck.

Solyndra to Close Factory, Layoff Dozens

Self I say. There must be another company named Solyndra. It can't be that one I've been bitching about forever in Fremont. The one that sucked up half a billion in taxpayer money. The one the President Money Bags came and tried to raise funds for. Not that one.

Oh yes. That one.

From the New York Times.

"This year just hasn’t panned out for Solyndra. The company is going to close its first factory, is delaying expanding its gleaming new factory and is laying off dozens of employees."

It just so pisses me off. I knew that money was going into a vast black hole dug by make workers. But somewhere in the recesses of your mind you think this thing has gone on so long - maybe it will work. Maybe they can bend the space time continuum. Maybe find a new form of physics which makes it cost effective to put more energy into making something than it takes to get out.

The article goes on to say:

"Instead, Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison — who joined the company only recently, replacing the founding CEO — told the Times that the company plans to let go about 40 employees and will not renew contracts for 150 temporary workers. (The company said Wednesday morning the number is actually 135.) The Fremont, Calif., company will shutter its first factory to save at least $60 million in capital spending. Instead of boosting its overall production capacity to 610 megawatts by 2013, it’s now looking at up to 300 megawatts by then: less than half the original plan."

The whole thing is really just effing unbelievable that the people in this state just wont bust on a brain cell to see how much money PMB is just waisting. Now with Brown in - we can expect more of the same.

There are tons of things I hated about Meg - but now I pretty much think no one can wrestle this state away from the unions. Not 150 million. Nothing.

Whatever.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

All that is left is the crying.



It is really hard to judge sentiment right now. Other than more homeless people. More houses becoming stale. Everything pretty much looks the same as it ever has.

We live in a sunny little bubble. So I'd expect the Dems to win.

My polling place did report higher than average participation.

We wouldn't want to make your brain hurt figuring this one out.



In California pretty much everything is written in bilingual now. We don't think you should make any effort at all to learn English. This is the perfect example of just how incapable we make people.

I can see someone saying - I thought I knew what the word meant. But that one letter makes the whole thing confusing. Sure, it is on a trash bin. Still, that "Y" could make the word mean anything!

Monday, November 01, 2010

I can't believe how much ambivalence I have in regards to the election tomorrow. I will just have to hold my nose and vote for some of these suck ass candidates.