More Signs of Spring

Saw an orange-ish butterfly outside the slider in the bedroom this morning. By the time I got out on the deck and started getting close, it fluttered off… :-(

Rain Numbers - 27 January 2009

.01", for today
.01", for the storm
1.54", for the month
13.57", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 25 January 2009

.02", for today
1.25", for the storm
1.53", for the month
13.56", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 24 January 2009

.01", for today
1.23", for the storm
1.51", for the month
13.54", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 23 January 2009

.39", for today
1.22", for the storm
1.50", for the month
13.53", for the (rain) year

Jaysus Bless You, Arthur Guinness!

Day of mourning; put on the black, and draw a pint of the black: Arthur Guinness, founder of the Guinness brewery died today in 1803.

Rain Numbers - 22 January 2009

.41", for today
.83", for the storm
1.11", for the month
13.14", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 21 January 2009

.42", for today
.42", for the storm
.70", for the month
12.73", for the (rain) year

Eroica

I was cruising by BLM’s wine refrigerator a bit back, and a slender, slightly taller bottle caught my eye; the label said Eroica, and it was inevitable that it ended up in the shopping cart.

A 2005 Columbia Valley (Washington) Riesling, this is a collaboration between Dr Ernst Loosen and Chateau Ste Michelle and is quite yummy (yeah, I know, not exactly proper wine tasting terminology; deal with it!). I’ve been back several times to restock, but the last few times, it hasn’t been there…

OTOH, the 2007 is available at the Web site

Michelle Loosen LLC
Woodinville, WA
(425) 488-1133
http://www.ste-michelle.com/

Rain Numbers - 8 January 2009

.01", for today
.02", for the storm
.28", for the month
12.31", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 7 January 2009

.01", for today
.01", for the storm
.27", for the month
12.30", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 5 January 2009

.09", for today
.10", for the storm
.26", for the month
12.29", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 4 January 2009

.01", for today
.01", for the storm
.19", for the month
12.20", for the (rain) year

This Has Got to Be the Most Ridiculous Thing…

…I’ve seen in a while:

> Q I feel the new law banning texting in the car is discriminatory to deaf people,
> who use text pagers to communicate with others. We do realize that this is a
> dangerous practice, and therefore understand that the ban is for safety reasons.
> However, hearing people are still allowed to use Bluetooth sets while driving,
> even though you have cited research showing that using a cell phone, whether
> hands-free or not, is still dangerous due to the mental distraction caused by
> the act of talking, instead of paying attention to your driving. So, our right
> to keep in communication in the car has been taken away from us, while hearing
> people retain that right for themselves. If all telecommunications, hands-free
> or not, were banned, I would have no problem with the ban on texting. But, in
> effect, deaf people are once again relegated to second-class citizen status.

I kid you not.

This appeared in New Year’s Eve’s Roadshow in the Merc. Hearing people get to use Bluetooth headsets to communicate, so this guy (I doubt he speaks for all deaf folk) demands his “right” to be allowed to do something he admits is dangerous?? Uh huh.

I must admit, however, that his blog, Dr. DonG.’s Deafhood Discourses, is quite interesting, and he does makes some good points, this one example notwithstanding.

Read Your Labels, Mom Always Said

I stopped off at Safeway in Scotts Valley on my way home from Mass this afternoon. Amongst other things on my list was cottage cheese. I grabbed a carton and checked the expire date. 2 Jan 2009. Ooops!

Grabbed the next carton. Same date. Went through several cartons and got a date back in December amongst the Januarys.

Kept going. Found one from 23 Nov 2008.

I looked at the whole lot, at least two dozen, and not one of them was in date…

Caveat emptor.

Rain Numbers - 2 January 2009

.18", for today
.18", for the storm
.18", for the month
12.19", for the (rain) year