I think I’ve actually driven by this house once. I wish I could say I had been in it. Early this morning, this historical landmark was destroyed by a fire. The house was once the home of a survivor of the Donner Party–the group who survived being trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the mid-1800s by cannabalism. The house was built in 1881 and is one of the oldest Victorian homes in San Jose. It’s always sad to see great historical architecture go.

Here’s what the Houghton Donner house used to look like.

Here’s what it looks like now. (photo from NBC11.com in San Jose)

Here’s to the best use of “varmint” in a news article. Funny how it’s on the front page, but not in the article itself. I was sure I would never here “varmint” again once I left Nebraska and Missouri. Last time I heard the word, I must have been 14 years old and it was in reference to either skunks or badgers creeping up close to the house. It is unfortunate that two dogs were attacked by coyotes in Golden State Park…apparently attached by leashes to their walker. Poor dog walker! I don’t think I would go to the park again.

What are you plans? Both the San Jose and San Francisco papers have some hints for enjoying fireworks with the crowds and without dealing with crowds. My son hates fireworks. And I mean absolutely HATES them. He doesn’t much like concerts either. Both are too loud according to him. He hasn’t quite lost his hearing the way adults have. I know that a lot of people grill food and use any holiday as an excuse to pig out, but that doesn’t work for either of us. Hmm. May just have to drag him along to wherever. That should be fun.

Mr. Fab made a comment on my PG rating, calling me a goody-goody. This, of course, reminded me of the Adam Ant song that my fellow students in junior high used to sing at me. Oh, the torture of junior high! If that is the case, then so be it.
I’m not sure that most people I know in real life would call me that now. However, I do try to keep this blog fairly clean (nothing graphic, hardly any swearing)–although the rating is a bit misleading. I prefer to be more creative in my word choice rather than use the common swear word.

Thanks go out to Jackson over at SFGate for linking to me. I noticed an increase in traffic. Hopefully some who read here will return. As the Bay Area livens up expect some commentary.

I missed the craziness over the iPhone. I had seen one (Apple employee) long before they were available. It can’t be anywhere near the craziness that still surrounds obtaining a Nintendo Wii. I scored one several months ago, but stores are still out. If you hang out at any electronics store or department, you will overhear at least two people asking about them within about five minutes.

For those of you out-of-towners, I hope you made plans early. This Saturday is the Pride Parade. However, if you not into Pride but into all things sexy, check out this article by Violet Blue. She has all the can’t miss spots in SF. She has definitely done her homework.

If you do get your freak on, don’t end up like this South Carolina couple.

Reminder:  God is watching… No, this is for real. The Vatican released driving commandments. Even I had to double check because it sounded like an article from The Onion. They actually recommend reciting the rosary while driving. Apparently it isn’t distracting. Hmm. Not sure about that, but I’m not going to test it out. The SF Chronicle is giving readers an opportunity to submit their own commandments. I didn’t see anything about swearing at other drivers while driving.

The latest Rolling Stone arrived Saturday. If you’re not a subscriber, this one is worth a read for the article on the Bush administration and environmental policy–or lack thereof. I’ve barely gotten halfway through this particular article, and I’m too pissed off to continue. I can’t imagine that it gets better. Unfortunately. I wish I could link to the article, but it doesn’t seem to be posted on their website. If you haven’t read the amzing articles on politics found in Rolling Stone, you’re missing out on a lot. For a summary of this article…let’s just say we’re screwed.

Oh and if what they say about California is true…there will be more than a mass exodus. No water equals no food. Not for California and not for the rest of the country. No strawberries, almonds, peaches, carrots, lettuce. None. Nada.  Bees won’t be necessary.

Some facts about California: (from http://www.beachcalifornia.com/california-food-facts.html)

1. California has been the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States for more than 50 consecutive years.

2. More than half the nation’s fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here.

3. California is the nation’s number one dairy state.

4. California’s leading commodity is milk and cream. Grapes are second.

5. California’s leading export crop is almonds.

6. Nationally, products exclusively grown (99% or more) in California include almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts.

7. From 70 to 80% of all ripe olives are grown in California.

8. California is the nation’s leading producer of strawberries, averaging 1.4 billion pounds of strawberries or 83% of the country’s total fresh and frozen strawberry production. Approximately 12% of the crop is exported to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan primarily. The value of the California strawberry crop is approximately $700 million with related employment of more than 48,000 people.

9. California produces 25% of the nation’s onions and 43% of the nation’s green onions.

I agree with this quiz as well. I need to get down to SoCal to go out where the pretty people are. Better eye candy down there. I’ll get there one day. Work seems to be taking me there. Fun!

You Belong in Los Angeles

Whether you’ll admit it or not, a huge part of you likes being in the spotlight. And you may just have enough star quality to make it big in LA! Even if you don’t become famous, you still belong in a place where you can get a year round tan.

I had an unexpected call from a girlfriend last night. We met up to go dancing. We found outselves back at the country bar. It’s not so bad. It is quite comfortable and large. Dancing there isn’t like being a sardine. I think it was a slow night or else we sat in the wrong place. she anted to sit so we could watch the dance floor, but you have a much better chance of meeting new characters if you sit near the dance floor. We finally moved, and yes we met some characters. I got in a couple of slow dances with a young cute guy. Gotta love those young bucks. WooHoo!

It seemed like a slow night really. Not a lot of picking up going on. A lot of watching though. There was little in entertainment (watching the inept try to meet). We really have to go out again. We had a good time.

This question has been popping up around the internet. So far, most people are defending Google. “Google is no Microsoft.” These people haven’t dealt with Google’s adsense. There are many bloggers who know how evil Google really is. Yesterday news came that they just bought Feedburner. They own most of the blogosphere. I had to get away from Blogger because their revamping caused too many headaches. So I’ve gone to this lovely open source software to publish my blog on my domain. Take that Google! Please don’t ever sell out WordPress. I’m begging.

The internet and news is all a twitter with the Google street views. I think mostly in the larger cities, but they’ve covered Silicon Valley fairly well. I’m hoping to spot a Google van one day. For those who wonder what all the ruckus is about, check out these photos. Truly many of the photos are very close up and invade privacy.
Girl getting out of truck with her thong showing

Perhaps you should watch what you wear on the streets of SF

Tourist trappings (I might have to get a photo myself)

Cats in window, but at a different time, who knows?

Palace of Fine Arts