Friday Sillyness: So Christmas It Hurts

It’s the holidays, which means two things:
1) WordPress turns on the falling snow app
and
2) I turn on the blindingly colorful Holiday Theme
Because, burning your retinas with an obscene splash of neon red and green?  Yeah, that’s how I roll.

San Diego Weekend

So, I guess I have to start this travel post with a caveat, which isn’t the most elegant way to start a travel post.
See, Mel Heth left a comment (thanks Mel!) that apparently started all of your imaginations going way, way out of control.
Yes, I did go down to San Diego to meet [...]

Quiet Thanksgiving

Perhaps I’m just getting older.  Or lazier.  Or, quite possibly, both.
Whatever the reason, as time goes by, I find myself doing less on the Thanksgiving Holiday, even while society at large seems to be pushing everything and everyone to rush around at a more and more frantic pace every year.

Lingering Memories

I went down to San Diego last weekend weekend before last; just a quick overnight trip.
I’ve only been there a few times in my life, which is kind of strange considering that both a) I like San Diego and b) it’s really not that far away from L.A.  On this trip, too, I [...]

At The Beach, But Not Of The Beach

Yesterday, Sunday, I hauled the bike out and drove down to ride the beach trail.  The day was warm(ish), but pretty hazy.  Breezes were light, thankfully, which made for pretty comfortable riding.
By about noon, the high tide was coming in, with pretty large waves crashing against the shore.  It looked and sounded like a winter [...]

Friday Sillyness: Trust The Mapmaker

So… let’s say you decided to take my advice from last weekend, and head out to Julian for the day.
One of the first things you might decide to do is check the traffic on SigAlert.com.  It takes the CalTrans road speed information and maps it all out for you in a handy, color coded format.

Tell Me My Books Don’t Make Boring, I Dare Ya

So, my order from UC Press’ big online sale arrived today.
Admittedly, after reading “Cheap – The High Cost of Discount Culture,” I keep trying to figure out if I should feel guilty for buying them on sale (especially with a number of them published in, of all places, China).  Oh, well, they were purchases I [...]

Happiest At 4,000 Feet – A Weekend of Desert and Dessert

When October rolled around when I was a kid, in addition to Halloween, there was the annual trip up to Apple Hill.
Located near Placerville, up in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Sacramento, Apple Hill is an association of apple growers who banded together to promote their products.  The Parentage and I went up every [...]

Stormy Skies

An early season storm pulled into the LA region today.  It should dump rain tonight and tomorrow.  I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.
(Well, except for the fact that LAites have, yet again, forgotten how to drive in the rain.  Of course, they lose that knowledge in between seasons storm systems clouds raindrops, so [...]

Friday Sillyness: My Blood Runs Cold, My Memory Has Just Been Sold

(Bonus points if you know the reference above. )
National Geographic Magazine isn’t something I read a lot.  This isn’t for lack of desire or interest, mind you.
The honest truth is: I’ve already got so many things (books, magazines, online items) on my reading list already that I just can’t add NGM, as fascinating [...]