Happy Halloween

Silly to change colors up for less than 24 hours, but it's amazing what one will do while procrastinating. Check out our pumpkins on Jeff's site!

I hope the reference is not Lost on you


You are Jack. Self-appointed hero and doctor extraordinaire, it's your job to save everyone. You have little time for fun and games, but you do like a good stiff drink every now and then. You prefer your stitches black and have been known to make gross pasta comparisons. And if anyone needs CPR or a tracheotomy, you're the correct person to go to.

Which Lost Character Are You?
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Have I mentioned how I'm so loving this show right now? Except that I missed last week's episode while on vacation, and between the post-run shower, preparing and eating dinner, and the terrible reception that we get of ABC, only caught about half of this week's episode. I'm becoming one of those people who can't miss their shows: Wednesday is Lost day and Thursday's the Donald Day. I'm going to have to get a life (or tivo).

Quiz found via Brigita

Back in dry Seattle

We returned from our California vacation last night, just before 10 pm, making it a sub (by 10 minutes) 15 hour drive from Palo Alto to Seattle.

It was a great trip. Since it would get too boring to go through the details of the trip, I'll try to just hit the more memorable parts:

• A cold and rainy bike ride on the Oregon Coast
• A less cold but even more rainy bike ride along 17 mile drive and beyond
• Terrific accomodations: a friend's charming house in Pebble Beach, my cousin's stylish apartment in San Francisco, the retro hotel in Palo Alto
• Great food: chowder, dim sum, bouliabase, milkshakes, curry, chips & guacamole, tropical cocktails, fresh pasta...
• Biking over the Golden Gate Bridge and then returning across the bay on the ferry
• Watching a rainy football game
• Amazing scenery: from the Redwood forest to the windswept coastlines to snowy mountains to golden foilage mixed with evergreens; the drive was worth it

While we saw a lot of nice things, the best part of the trip was catching up with old friends (and I'm including my cousin in this category). It was nice having that quality "hang out" time, as we visited with everyone for a couple of days. It's a great reminder that we do have good taste in friends (and good luck with family) as we spend time with people we don't get to see often enough.

The plan is to get some pictures up soon.

In my mind I'm going to California.
Can't you see the sunshine, can't you just feel the moonshine?
Ain’t it just like a friend of mine to hit me from behind?
Yes, I'm going to California in my mind.

I know, I know; James Taylor was really singing about Carolina, but that was the other reunion. The one last April in Durham, NC. Tomorrow, we leave for California for Jeff's college reunion.

We're driving south, mostly on the coast, stopping in Oregon along the way. We'll spend a couple of days in the Monterey area, a couple days in San Fransisco, a side trip to Berkeley, and then on to Palo Alto for the reunion. We're going to see old friends and some family, go on a few bike rides, do a little site seeing, eat, drink, and generally be merry.

This is my first real vacation this year, and I'm ready!

Fun and Educational, Too

The LA Times brings us the electoral vote tracker game. My opinion: it's all up to Ohio and Florida. If they both go blue, Kerry's got it. Otherwise, it's another 4 years.

Reminder: debate # 2 tonight!

Link from NPR.

Movin' On Up

Positive moving thoughts go out to Brigita as she relocates from one Commonwealth to another. I feel your pain. (At least I can vaguely remember the pain; it's been 3+ years now without a move - longest I've lived anywhere since I was a kid!)

Reminder: all the best lines seem to come from the VP debates; should be an enteraining one tonight!

(NOTE: I am not at all trying to imply that MA is better than VA; just further north.)

Puff Goes the Volcano

Who Won?

Guess it depends on which article you read. (Is it petty of me to notice a grammatical error in Fox's article?)

It does bother me a bit that I need the media to tell me who won; I watched, I should be able to tell, right? I mean how much does the media report on how the candidates are doing and how much do they determine how the candidates are doing?