Down in the valley, the valley so low...

It's undeniable -- part of the reason I love living here is because some of the finest grape-growing land in the world is an hour or so away by car, always there, always thriving, always ready to receive your reach-out-and-touch-it:


And if you promise not to hurt it, you can touch the merlot:


Yeah, the East Bay rocks. I'm 20 minutes by train from downtown San Francisco and I'm an hourish by car away from this, something that I find not necessarily unlike what you might call Heaven on Earth. Good times.

Freezing by the ocean

While camping at Bodega Bay this weekend was a blast, I can say with absolute certainty that I have never worn so much clothing in June just in order to feel comfortable.

Update: That's the legendary CA-1 to the right and the Pacific Ocean to the left, in case it wasn't clear :)

On destroying marriage and families

The gays are so damaging to traditional marriage that two California counties are stopping marriages altogether. Which is funny, because those homosexuals just want to, you know, get married, only now the conservative straights have decided to take their ball and go home. Nothing could be more rational than court case after court case arguing they need to uphold the sanctity of traditional marriage, and then when they lose, it's so sacred they just stop civil access to the institution altogether. Very good, my fellow Californians. Very good indeed.

On a related note, perhaps the people in Butte County have more to be worried about, legitimately, since they're not only sort of flamey -- they're actually on fire.

UPDATE: It's not unusual, being from the midwest, to hear about how liberal good ol' California is out here on the Left Coast and all that. And then I read newspaper stories like this, and I feel immediately at home. NoCal ain't no different than anywhere else; we just happen to also have San Francisco.

Due diligence

I guess I have to give some begrudging props to AT&T for their thoroughness in providing me the account adjustment I was due -- even though I've stuck with them and am on a new contract so really the sending-me-a-check business is kind of crazy to begin with.

Let alone for two fat pennies:


They spent $0.42 to mail me a check for $0.02. Very nice. Now if only the insurance company would pay out with the same vim and vigor!

My neighborhood rocks

Here's what I found tucked in the door when I got home from work the other day:


I realize it's probably not clear enough to read, so allow me....

LET'S CLEAN THE HOUSE FOR OBAMA!

Join us on Saturday, June 14 for a SPECIAL garage sale benefiting the one and only OBAMA CAMPAIGN! The Rockridge area will be united as we come together for this great cause... it is time for us to be united!

Who: You and Your Fellow Neighbors
What: A Garage sale that will help organize our future for the better!
Where: Desmond St. and Coronado Ave (and all over Oakland and Berkeley)
When: June 14, 2008 9:30 - 1:00
Why: Because our country is in desperate need of a housecleaning!
How: Simply clutter bust your house and have a garage sale and donate the funds to the Obama campaign.

Not only some real neighborhood activism, but one with a wry sense of humor, no less. Very nicely done!

National Donut Day

Where's yours??