Ready for some football

As usual I am anxiously awaiting game 1 of the NFL season. Besides my status as big redskins fan I am in 2 fantasy leagues this year. My usual league conducted online consisting of 14 teams I only know and regularly ,communicate with Mitch my brother in law and his son Jeff, I only exchange some harmless trash talk with the other teams. The other league is an expansion league, our 1st year, made up of guys from work. We had our live draft last weekend at someones house, it was a good time followed by lots of food and drink. The trash talk and behind the scenes deal making is furious, The side betting is huge evrything from money to stupid humiliating tasks to be performed on-site. I have some confidence in my team but I will not be taking a chance on wearing a dress to work or doing 50 push ups on demand from the winner. I should have considered my favorite 13th century poet before naming my team after some band Dan has on his I-Pod----Clown Posse.

Overheard

On the streets of Palo Alto. One guy talking to another outside of the gelato shop, referring to a dog on a leash.

"Oh, that's an unusual name. Where does it come from?"
"It's my favorite 13th century Persian poet."

What can you say to that?

Bog Post

Keeping with longstanding Harris blog themes of sports and fashion, I thought I'd point you at this article about a sport I never heard of before: bog snorkeling.

To complete the race, contestants must swim two lengths of a 60yd (55m) muddy, water-filled trench using flippers but no recognised swimming strokes.

If there were some gators in there, it would make for an interesting spectator sport!

Modern Roach Coach

The other day I met someone in the elevator who suggested we have lunch at an Indian food truck across the road a ways. She said she had heard it was really good. It turned out to have a line about a half block long waiting to order! Standing in line, the guy in front of us told us how he had come across from the neighboring town to eat there that day. "Seriously!?," we asked. "Oh, yes, I follow them on Twitter." Not being an aficionado of Indian food, I can give you this review: It was okay.

I had heard about the phenomenon of micro-foodie mobile vendors popping up in the city, but I didn't know it was a suburban office park sensation. Now via the terrific NPR iPad app, I also saw this article you might find interesting.

Central Coast

Last weekend Dara and I took a road trip down to the central coast, staying in San Luis Obispo. The SLO acronym is appropriate, but that was just fine by us. Cal Poly makes it a college town, and it has a cute and busy downtown area with lots of restaurants, some of which back up on to the tree lined creek. The temperate SLO is flanked on one side by the hot wine country near Paso Robles, and the foggy coast on the other. On one day, we drove up the coast to Morro Bay, then up to the tiny town of Cambria, across through the wineries toward Paso Robles, and back. On the next, we went down the coast past AJ's old hangout of Pismo Beach, across to the even tinier town of Los Olivos, on to the Disneyland-like atmosphere of Solvang, and back. On the last day we had a glorious, warm, fog-free, convertible-top-down ride up the coast highway, stopping for lunch at Nepenthe and thinking of Mom's visit. Back home now, trying to plan another adventure. Pictures on Flickr, and I posted a video of the otters we saw in Morro Bay above.

If This Is Tuesday, This Must Be...

Last week I went on a week-long round-the-world trip. Not a method of world touring I recommend. Twenty-two hours of flight time to get to Bangalore, with a stop in Frankfurt. Two days in Bangalore, then eleven hours of flight time to Beijing via Singapore, and a couple of days in Beijing, followed by a twelve hour flight home. Somewhere in there you lose a day, so you work six days but can't find one of them. Maybe that's an argument for going the other direction around. Hmm.

I had not been in Bangalore for five years, and at the rate it changes, that was a very long time. The rinky dink airport with a couple of luggage carousels opening off to a big banyan tree surrounded by traffic had been replaced by a gleaming international airport. The traffic was worse than before, which is hard to believe, but the monsoon season had cooled things off.

I was delayed in Singapore when they had to replace the plane. It had been struck by lightning, so I wasn't complaining. Still, I knewI was not on United when Singapore Airlines actually told us what happened, changed gates, provided free food and drinks, and personally delivered a printed letter of explanation and apology to everyone while they were waiting.

Beijing's general orderliness is a contrast to Bangalore's high energy chaos. Newspapers in India are also full of energy compared to the government-controlled ones in China, but the countries share some of the same problems associated with high economic growth -- most visible in traffic. Since in Beijing they can just declare whether you're allowed to drive based on the last two digits of your license plate, the clever people there are just working around the problem by buying multiple cars.

Midsummer Reading List

All that plane time and rain time in Italy...

When Will There Be Good News?, by Kate Atkinson. I really enjoyed this mystery that came with a good sense of humor and terrific characters. It's not a sequel, but some characters appeared in an earlier book. That did not cause an issue. The story revolves around a doctor whose family was murdered when she was a child. She escaped, and the story picks up as the murderer is about to be released from prison. I liked this so much I talked Dara, the mystery fan, into reading it. She was not as enthralled as I was. However, I was enthralled enough to hunt down Atkinson's first book, below.

Behind The Scenes at the Museum, by Kate Atkinson. This book was heavier on the characters and lighter on the mystery, but I also enjoyed it very much. It takes place in York (hey, been there!). The main character, quirky Ruby Lennox, provides the voice for the book, ranging from childhood through WWII, with a background side-story of her grandmother. It blends in the family history with a bit of mystery that Ruby has to unravel herself as to why everyone seems to treat her, uh, differently. I am going to see if I will like another Atkinson book now.

Brunelleschi's Dome, by Ross King. Hey, if you're going to Florence and you're an engineer or architect or builder, you must read this book. I liked it so much I had to pose with the guy! When they designed the Duomo in Florence, nobody knew how they would actually build such a large unsupported structure that was so high off the ground. Many years later, Brunelleschi was the guy who figured it out. He managed to do it without any supporting scaffolding! Renaissance intrigue and backstabbing mixed in with engineering.

Every Man Dies Alone, by Hans Fallada. Gotta love that cheery title! A heavy book physically and mentally, following the trials and tribulations of a German couple who resisted the Nazis, inciting people against them by leaving anti-Nazi notes in random places. Although it is fiction, Fallada based it on an actual case. I found it to be a powerful but often frustrating story. I loaned it to Melissa, who gives it a big thumbs up.

Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. I was surprised how much I liked this book, which looked like it would be one of those "African child comes to England and succeeds in spite of long odds" type of things. It wasn't like that at all. It was a complex story about an English couple whose marriage was on the rocks. They go to Africa to reignite their marriage and end up on the wrong end of an armed confrontation with soldiers who were chasing two village girls. Eventually one of them, Little Bee, makes it to England and the story unfolds in interesting ways. Give it a try.

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Steig Larsson. If you like literary action-mystery stuff, you should read it. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was terrific, and this middle book of the trilogy is nearly as good. I'm looking forward to the last book, which is not yet out in paperback.

Helmet For My Pillow, by Robert Leckie. Garrett loaned me this book, which was written by one of the main characters in the HBO miniseries The Pacific. We watched some of the miniseries, but dropped off at some point. The book is a very down-to-earth and real chronology of Leckie's journey from home, through Marines boot camp, and then through many of the absolute worst battles of the Pacific theater. Unfortunately, like they say, a lot of war is hanging around waiting for something to happen, and that is what a lot of the book was like for me. Still, if you want the real story, then here it is.

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn. I enjoyed Flynn's other book, Sharp Objects, so tried this one and really liked it. The main character is the only survivor of a Manson-style family murder when she was 7, and her brother was the killer. Now at 32, she finds that there are people fascinated with the murders (along with other famous murders), who think her brother is innocent, and they socialize in a "Kill Club". Desperate for money, she agrees to chase down her loser-father and some others for them, and of course, she ends up sorting out what really happened that night. Some surprising twists, and fun reading along the way, just like in Sharp Objects.

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese. When I got to page 150 and nothing had happened in this book, I put it down. By page 150, an Indian nun who works in a hospital in Africa bears twins and dies during childbirth. Her colleagues pitch in to help. Something more interesting must happen later on for this to be such a bestseller. Too bad. I enjoyed Verghese's memoir, My Own Country.

Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, by Carrie Tiffany. I read this book at Mom's recommendation, which you can read here. I had looked for it in the bookstore with no luck, but ended up spying it in a bookcase in the villa in Tuscany! For me the book was "just ah-rite", as Randy Johnson would say. The "Everyman's Rules" come from the hubris-filled Australian husband-farmer in the book, who discovers that the rules don't get him through the dustbowl conditions. The wife dutifully stands by him and ends up being the stronger of the pair, not to mention the more interesting character. Too much stiff upper lip and not enough common sense for me.

Starvation Lake, by Bryan Gruley. This book was an enjoyable hockey and journalism mystery set in the frozen north of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A revered hockey coach died when his snowmobile fell through the ice on the lake. All hell breaks loose, along with lots of buried secrets, when the snowmobile is recovered in a different lake many years later. The writing was breezy and the characters were fun.

Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers. A non-fiction book about the experience of a Syrian-American, Zeitoun, during hurricane Katrina and in the mess following it. Zeitoun was a well-established builder when the hurricane hit, and he stayed behind to watch his house and other properties. After helping rescue people for weeks, he decided it was time to leave and meet his American wife and kids in Phoenix, where they had fled. Unfortunately, through bureaucratic idiocy amidst the chaos, he ended up in a maximum security prison for months before anyone could even locate him and get him out. Eggers writing style is spare (at least in this book) and easy to enjoy. I have a hard time going from this story to some larger indictment of the handling of the whole Katrina mess, personally, and it wasn't told that way. It's just one story among thousands that makes you shake your head.

Await Your Reply, by Dan Chaon. A very clever mystery, told in three separate threads that eventually join. Along the way, you're trying to figure out how they will ever join, because it just isn't obvious. Still, each of the stories is interesting in its own right, with enough action and questions coming up to keep you turning pages quickly. Fun read!

Legislators v. Geologists

I had seen in the SFChronicle a while back that our California legislature, while not being able to pass a budget and preparing for yet another year of handing out IOUs to state workers, is on the verge of removing serpentine as the state rock. After all, if you grind it up and breathe it in, you are being exposed to asbestos. (Lobbing a hunk at a state legislator might also be fatal, come to think of it!) This would all be stupid enough, but via the NYTimes, I see they have picked a battle with geologists they weren't counting on.

Empirically speaking, geologists are not a particularly irascible group. But those who make their living studying rocks, minerals and gems in California — and increasingly those scientists beyond the state’s borders — are enraged over a bill in Sacramento that would knock serpentine, the official state rock, off its mantle.

Under the hashtag — a Twitter identifying phrase that allows easy searching of similarly themed messages — #CASerpentine, scientists and other opponents of the bill are debating the bill’s merits and offering fighting words. One read, “Dear gloria romero, you have picked the wrong nerds to mess with!”

Go geologists!

Killer Tomatoes

After losing the battle of the tomatoes with squirrels a few years back, we gave up on any notion of growing them. Still, hope springs eternal. Our efforts this year have thus far worked out better.

They are small, but I managed to get to them before the squirrels.

A little bit of fresh basil from Dara's handy dandy herb garden topped it off.

Challenging Ice Cream

I loved this NYTimes article about a San Francisco ice cream parlor, Humphry Slocombe, that specializes in, er, unusual flavors. (Why do I have to read this kind of thing in the NYTimes, anyway, when I get two Bay Area newspapers?)

Godby’s palate favors salt, booze and meat. Each day he scoops 10 to 12 of his hundred-plus ice cream flavors, favorites including Jesus Juice (red wine and Coke) and Boccalone Prosciutto. Godby also produces novelties in the what might be called the nose-to-tail dessert paradigm: duck-fat pecan pies, foie-gras ginger-snap ice cream sandwiches, treats that incorporate odd animal parts.

As interesting as the menu is Jake Godby, who creates it, and his conflicts with the local vegan store and a fake Twitter account and web site that mocks his store.

Twitter, the microblogging service, is important to Humphry Slocombe. Nearly 300,000 people follow the store, with Vahey announcing flavors through such edgy confections as “That’s right Rosemary’s Baby is back. Toasted pine nuts and fresh Rosemary . . . a ‘killer’ combination. Muwah-ah-ah!”

Then, in February of this year, “Jasper Slobrushe,” who identified himself as a proprietor of a fictitious and eponymous ice cream shop, began harassing Humphry Slocombe on Twitter. “Makin’ poop shakes. Yeah, that’s right — there’s dookie in ’em! And bacon!” Slobrushe posted. “Ever wondered what a burrito would taste like as ice cream? It’s gross. But we made it anyway.”

The reporter tracks Jasper Slobrushe down and finds out he has something like 15 fake Twitter accounts and just does this stuff for fun.

I hope I can talk our local ice cream expert, Dara, into going to this only-in-San-Francisco store next time we're in the city.

Atheist Gospel

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers did this one the other night.

Happy Science

A few years ago, a church we drive by all the time seemed to close down, only to be resurrected (so to speak) with a new paint job and a new sign out front: Happy Science. I kept thinking, "Sounds like a great store for geeky kids!" Today I looked it up online to find out what it really is.

The basic teachings of Happy Science are "Exploration of the Right Mind" and the "Principles of Happiness". The latter consists of the Fourfold Path (Love, Wisdom, Self-Reflection, and Progress). Okawa claims to channel the spirits of Muhammad, Christ, Buddha and Confucius and claims to be the incarnation of a supreme spiritual being called El Cantare.

Although its teachings are based on the Buddhist foundations of reflection and keeping "Right Mind", it also incorporates modern day prosperity and development in order to improve oneself and society. The teachings, given by founder Ryuho Okawa are said to be universal and center on the pluralistic belief that all major religions originated from one source.

I would recommend keeping your geeky kids away, personally. You have been warned.

Steve Martin and Bluegrass

In our neverending quest for culchah, we went to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers play at the Mountain Winery. I've seen him playing banjo every now and then, but I never realized he was such a bluegrass talent. He wrote all the instrumentals and songs they played, and he won the Grammy for best bluegrass album this year! They were terrific, and as you might imagine, the comedic patter along the way was great. Credit goes to Dara for suggesting this one, as I could not really get my head wrapped around Steve Martin doing bluegrass when we were looking at things to see this season. Of course, he made fun of himself during the show. If all went according to plan on his bluegrass road show, he said, he would only lose $12,000. I also enjoyed him saying in classic Steve Martin style: "People ask me: 'Steve, why a music career at this point?' And I say, 'HEY, YOU'RE MY BAND!!!"'

Santa Monica

Our whirlwind trip to Santa Monica got a lot better after the initial hurdle -- taking over 12 hours to get from here to there amidst multiple delayed and canceled flights. We stayed overlooking the beach and the pier, getting to the hotel in time for sunrise instead of sunset as we had planned.


After a bit of power napping, we had a great time on Saturday walking around the town, having dinner with friends, and seeing Daddy Long Legs. We had seen it near here, in Mountain View, but it was showing in Santa Monica, perhaps being tuned up for a trip toward Broadway, who knows. We topped it off with a walk on the pier, a ride on the roller coaster, and some cotton candy.


The trip back was smooth, anyway!

Dipsea Race

After living out here for almost 30 years, I just discovered a 100 year old Bay Area tradition: the Dipsea race. I know we have a few runners in the family, so thought it might be of interest.

The trail spans about 7 1/2 miles from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, crossing the south flank of Mount Tamalpais, up and down from Old Mill Park through Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais State Park and Steep Ravine en route to the Pacific coast. On Monday, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, official confirmation that it is worthy of preservation.

After reading the interesting article in the SFChronicle, I looked up the web site for the race and discovered who won this time around.

Reilly Johnson, an 8-year-old fourth grade student from Mill Valley running in her third Dipsea, held off 68-year-old grandmother of four Melody-Ann Schultz of Ross to win the 100th Running of the Dipsea Race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach on Sunday Johnson became the youngest runner ever to win the Dipsea, topping Megan McGowan, who won the time-handcapped trail race at the age of 9 in 1991.

She looks awfully proud of winning.

World Cup Help

Given the way the Stanley Cup went on both coasts, I thought maybe Keith could use some soccer tips from the Onion. Click on the little Onion icons for clues to help you understand the game, such as:

Game clock, which keeps running at random times for no apparent reason and is summarily ignored by players and officials alike.

For advanced viewing pleasure, though, you may want to read about Brazilian soccer player nicknames.

How Not to Govern

I've complained often enough about California politics, but we have an especially odious couple of corporate-sponsored initiatives out here this time. Both Prop 16 and Prop 17 are nothing more than PG&E and Mercury Insurance respectively funneling their dollars toward deceiving voters so as to further their corporate interests. PG&E's campaign is particularly galling and deceitful. I feel confident that their efforts to convince voters that they need to protect themselves from politicians by erecting a 2/3 vote barrier between PG&E's monopoly and any attempt to establish a municipal power plan will come very close to being successful. After all, how could anything called the Taxpayer's Right to Vote Act, with countless full page newspaper ads and radio spots not be in your interest?

Should you care even if you're safely ensconced in a saner state (hey, Virginia and Florida, don't get all puffy, I wasn't talking about you!)? I think you should, because through the joy of the Citizen's United decision, you can expect more of this unfettered and open corporate politicking in the future. As usual, we're just a little ahead of the curve out here, and it ain't all that fun.

Ride to the wall

Memorial Day in the Washington region One of the local traditions the annual "Ride To the Wall" also known as "Rolling Thunder" begins in FrontRoyal every year [atleast a significant portion of it]. Friday a large amount of bikes begin to gather, most enjoy riding Skyline Dr. and the surrounding valley, by Monday there are thousands of motorcycles when the actual ride kicks off. If you have any appreciation of for motorcycles you can view evry size and style as well as some unreal custom scooters. Of course Harley Davidson is most prominent. As one guy told me yesterday "you can bring your rice burner but you have to ride in back

Making your own excitement

Most people know there isn't much to do in Spotsylvania. Untill now the most recent newsworthy event occured durring the civil war. Thanks to this guy On Sasquatch's trail in Virginia's Spotsylvania County We are all on the edge waiting for the verification of Bigfoots existance. I'm sure after this article was published the "Bigfoot Hotline" he monitors wil be lighting up like yankee stadium.

Frozen Bozo Alert

Via an article in Wired, it looks like New Yorkers have an opportunity to get up close and personal to the Scott-Amundsen race to the south pole.

In 1910, two men set out to be the first to reach the South Pole in a race that would be both heroic and tragic. The men had different reasons for their journeys, took different routes and made different decisions that would ultimately seal their respective fates, and those of their teams.

The American Museum of Natural History delves into this storied event to bring visitors as close as possible to this historic event and the people involved in their new exhibit, “Race to the End of the Earth,” starting May 29. Artifacts, photographs, replicas and models give life to the two rivals and their treacherous 1,800-mile marches to the center of Antarctica.

And all from the air conditioned comfort of the museum. Hard to beat that.