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Living in the Golden State:
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News and Observations
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What's Happening, What We Think
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Keep up with what we're doing here on the Left Coast.
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Observations and opinions on living in the Golden State.
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Observations and opinions on living on Planet Earth.
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Collections of "stuff" that amuse us and possibly you.
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The following was sent to the United States Congress office of Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina on the night he became famous for shouting at President Obama:
I have been an observer and fan of American politics for nearly 50 years. Tonight, I saw you commit one of the rudest acts I've ever seen in all of those 50 years.
You were elected by the people of South Carolina to represent them in the United States Congress, a deliberative body charged with properly and maturely carrying out the business of the people. While passions sometimes run high in the course of carrying out that business, reasonable conduct has mostly prevailed.
Until today. You chose, and it WAS a choice, to demean the Congress, the State of South Carolina, and most of all, yourself by an unprecedented act of incivility. In doing so, you made yourself look like a bumpkin at a county fair, rather than the sober-minded legislator you were elected to be. You insulted a guest, for that's what the President was, of both houses of Congress.
The image of you yelling that a sitting U.S. President is a liar is something you will see and hear for the rest of your life. So will your family, and I don't envy them having to do so. Indeed, it's likely that on the day you die, that clip will adorn the news of your passing, "former Congressman Joe Wilson, who famously shouted that President Obama was lying" will overshadow anything you have done or will do.
I'm only happy that you do not represent me. My representative and two Senators are but three of the 534 other members of Congress who, for the most part, CAN behave as we expect them to behave.
If any of the rest of you have similar views, please feel free to share them with Screamin' Joe. I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you.
- Gerry -
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When we first moved out here, we were in a rented house about three miles from where Donna's job transferred. Boy, can that spoil you. Gerry found work with a longer commute, about six miles, and there we were for a while. Then the owner of the house, who lived in Virginia, decided to sell it. We looked at the price, and told the brokers they should take off about $35,000 for the fact that most of the appliances and at least one bathroom needed updating. They said they already had taken it off. So the house went on the block for ridiculous money and sold in four days. There wasn't even time to put up a "For Sale" sign in front. Needless to say, we were very suddenly in the market for a house. That's how we wound up with the one we have. |
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So we've lived here for four years, and gotten used to the rhythm of California life, including the fact that there really are only two seasons. James Taylor wrote the theme song for them: "Fire and Rain." This past year, we've seen more than enough of the first and not enough of the second. Fortunately, we live some distance from any major open areas except for a park, and that's well watered year round. So we're not in danger of getting flamed out, mercifully. We do understand for fellow Californians, having friends in the San Diego area who have been evacuated twice in the last four years. The first time, a major fire stopped about two blocks from their street. Come rainy season, the only hopes are that it doesnt always rain during commuting hours, and that when it does rain, it's enough to fill reservoirs. |
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After that, at the end of September, we're in the Alamo Craft Show, in the East Bay town of Alamo. It's a neat little town, fairly well-heeled, and the venue is easy to get to. Again, we were there last year, and made out reasonably well. By that late in September, the weather is generally pretty good, so spending a weekend in an un-air-conditioned tent isn't a major hardship. |
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Most of this will be Gerry writing, as he's the one doing this website. We know, having once felt the same way, that California has a reputation in the rest of the U.S. for being home to a bunch of weirdos and flakes. Well, we're not unique in that respect, but think about how many people there are here: About 37,000,000. That's a lot of people, and they're not all going to be in agreement on much of anything, from recalling a governor to what's for lunch. So lighten up, America. We're no weirder than the rest of you. |
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One thing we do notice about this wonderful state is that it can be crowded. Part of that comes from the way we congregate around certain urban areas. In our case, it's the San Francisco Bay area, which extends about 50 miles outside of San Francisco itself. Some mornings, it feels like almost all of the 37 million people who live here are on the road at once, and most of them are in front of you. But it's not really that bad, considering that it can take you quite a few hours to drive to another state. In Connecticut, it was easy to get to another state. Sometimes, as little as 45 minutes, and you're there. Here, you can't get to Oregon in less than about six hours, and you have to be moving pretty fast to do that. And the scenery along the way is marvelous, as is traveling through the Sierra or going south on I-5 towards Los Angeles. Yes, we have a lot of people here, but we also have a whole lot of land to put them in. So far, anyway. |
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What is it about air travel that makes lunatics work so hard to screw it up? We were in Florida, about 3,000 miles from home, when the business in London hit the news. Next thing you know, you can't take fluids or gels on a plane. No water bottle? Inside an aluminum can with 200 other people, low humidity and decreased air pressure, and you can't take a water bottle? If they want us to fly in our underwear, or less, I'm fine with that. Just make sure the interior is a little warmer. But for some reason, the maniacs of the world seem to have as a mission to either down airplanes or just make the whole process so unpleasant that we won't want to fly. I'd check and see who owns Greyhouse Bus Company shares. |
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It's Presidential election season. Again. Pretty much always, it's beginning to seem. On the one hand, we appreciate that California's primary isn't just a "show up and take your victory lap" last event of the season. That makes candidates come out here to do more than just raise money. On the other hand, both candidates will be pretty much selected nearly a year before inauguration. That basically means the other side has a year to find photos of every time the opponent missed a trash can or spit on the sidewalk. You know that issues of substance aren't being reviewed, just the embarrasing stuff that plays poorly on the fifteen seconds a night devoted to the election. That only improves the chances that a huge portion of the voting public will decide both candidates suck and sit it out. Meaning a small percentage of us will be electing a president. Does this make any sense? |
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The Department of Redundancy Department |
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A little grammatical updating of terms involving acronyms and other terms in common use that don't make any sense. |
WHAT GETS SAID |
WHAT THE ACRONYM MEANS |
WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEING SAID |
"ATM machine" |
Automated Teller Machine |
"Automated Teller Machine Machine" |
"PIN Number" |
Personal Identification Number |
"Personal Identification Number Number" |
"VIN Number" |
Vehicle Identification Number |
"Vehicle Identification Number Number" |
"The Los Angeles Angels" |
"Los Angeles" = "The Angels" |
"The The Angels Angels" |
"SAT Test" |
Scholastic Aptitude Test |
"Scholastic Aptitude Test Test" |
"5:00 a.m. in the morning" |
"a.m." = "in the morning" |
"5:00 in the morning in the morning" |
"RPG Rocket" |
Rocket Propelled Grenade |
"Rocket Propelled Grenade Grenade" |
"HIV Virus" |
Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
"Human Immunodeficiency Virus Virus" |
"NIC Card" |
Network Interface Card |
"Network Interface Card Card" |
"VAT Tax" |
Value Added Tax |
"Value Added Tax Tax" |
"Hot Water Heater" |
Heaters Make Water Hot |
"Hot Water Heater" (only so much explanation here...) |
"Free Gift" |
"Gift," by definition is free |
"Free Free" or "Gift Gift" |
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