I am truly grateful whenever any reader cares enough about what I write to truly engage. When that occurs, it is my privilege to share the conversation. On Tuesday, a friend and faithful reader of this blog (it's really a newsletter) sent me an email. This was in advance of yesterday's post regarding California's recall election, which...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Before another bitch session (however warranted), I mourn the death of Charlie Watts, drummer for The Rolling Stones. He died Tuesday in a London hospital. Their only drummer, over a career with them that began on January 12, 1963, he is considered the backbone of The Stones and their sound. RIP Mr. Watts, and sadly i...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS I recently read this excellent article in the Associated Press about how scholars are reevaluating the presidential tenure of Jimmy Carter. I had forgotten these highlights of his presidency, which the article describes: • It was Carter, not Reagan, that began the deregulation of airlines, trucking and other major ind...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS First, there's a new fun feature at my website. Through the marvels of automation and cloud databases, there's now a live archive at my website. It is a searchable/sortable list of my posts, with links to each and it includes the all-important KLUF music section. I hope you'll give it a whirl: Portico Darwin Archive O...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS I know I ranted recently about Afghanistan and our pointless defeat at the hands of a bunch of fanatically religious primitives. But the speed of the total collapse at the hands of The Taliban of a government we've spent 20 years and $1 trillion + propping up riles me again. First, I place the onus of responsibility o...

Which trite phrase should I use? "A legend reborn"? "Come stay again for the first time"? In fact, neither, because the completely reinvigorated Arizona Biltmore speaks for itself. It was Killer and your stay likely will be Diamond Certified. Ours wasn't - with reasons that are funny now, not so much then - but we'll be coming back, ho...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Today, we fly home to SF after an epic stay here in stormy Phoenix. There will be my full take on the again-magic Arizona Biltmore in a Travel Review I'll publish tomorrow, but for now, here's a snapshot of two happy guests. Staying at The Biltmore motivates me to write about something that's been on my mind for a whi...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS It's Friday, so why not a super long post? Later today, we fly to the convection oven of Phoenix for 3 nights. Now, some/many/all may question the wisdom of heading there in August. To that I say you should see the nice ski jacket I bought for summers here in SF. So, yeah, it'll be hot, but that's what the AC, pool, W...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS While we thankfully have not had this yet here in SF, the wildfires and extreme heat are all around us. It's been a typically foggy and cold summer here, which is very welcome when compared with the smoke of the last two years. But I've still become really alarmed about climate change, and it's not just the recent new...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS A fine weekend home in SF, our second in a row. For those keeping score, it was the first time I had been home for two consecutive weekends since . . . February. Queue the Emerson, Lake & Palmer. And what a weekend it was. Exploding virus numbers? They won't get me, Geddes! Friday, right out of a picture book. Saturda...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Happy weekend. Here are two things that might not seem related, yet are. In the first part, I virtue-signal my coolness, and then in the second part, explain why that's been so damaging to America. Try to follow me here. First, my classic list of The Best Rock Albums of All Time: 1. The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" 2. The ...

Here, in response to my recent Teddy Roosevelt post, is the medical engineering wunderkind Raymond Michaels. Thank you, Raymond, for this rejoinder from the inside. Other than removing references to his company, his reply is unedited. “"I agree the dynamism of America is waning but see the flip side of the coin of you. I know in the me...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS If you've been reading this blog and paying much attention, you might recall I am a big fan of a book by Dr. Adam Grant, "Think Again". In a recent post, I highlighted the book's advocacy of the role of the inquisitive Scientist, vs. Preacher, Prosecutor, or Politician, especially when interacting with those whose opi...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS What a great weekend. Thank you to Arthur and Mrs. Crup for hosting the Killer BBQ party on Saturday, and it was then a musical Sunday, spent with the inestimable Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in the supernatural Stern Grove here in SF. I Love Rock & Roll, indeed, and thanks Fi and Hunter for the invite! FYI the 62 year...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Today, and for a refreshing change, I'll keep it light. I can feel America's and the world's problems disappearing, as I simply choose not to pay any attention to them! Plus, it's the weekend. There have been a lot of great comedic movies. There are classics from the earliest days of film, and throughout movie history...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS After the encyclopedic ("verbose" is likely the better adjective) Front Range Travel Guide, both you and I could use a short blog post today. No problem. (Warning: disclaimer only applies to this section) On Monday, I read a very powerful and also disturbing article, in the current issue of Esquire. I want to share it...

This part of the world, consisting of Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Boulder, some real mountain towns, and then the Rocky Mountains that are due west of it all are referred to as "The Front Range", short for "The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains". While Denver is a worthy and wonderful city, our focus this time was Rocky Mo...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Well, it was one for the ages. Friday's kick-off party was wonderful, at a venue as cool as it was unique. The wedding itself? It deserves its own blog post, which may or may not happen. I will say my affection for this entire mob of Michaels has never been stronger. Love was certainly in the air, but rather than emot...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS We are very close to the family of the bridegroom at this weekend's wedding in Boulder. As I've mentioned recently, his parents, "Polly" and Neumann Michaels, now divorced, are long-time friends of ours. While the dynamic and dimension of my relationship with the two of them has changed greatly over nearly 40 years, t...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS I am frankly at my wit's end (no cracks) regarding this whole vaccination thing. I think if I were given a magic wand and allowed to change any one thing in America, it would be to eliminate the politicization of science and expertise. I'm fed up. Of course, the biggie is Climate Change. The fact that some (although i...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS After a pretty easy flight to DEN, we made our way to Estes Park yesterday, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was via a Killer luncheon at the posh Niwot home of Primo and "Polly". Their new outdoor lounge and spa, as expected, were gorgeous, and it's a good thing, too, what with all of the leisure time ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS On Sunday, we head to Colorado: the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, to be more precise. It's another week+ trip for us, and for a change, Julie is not working during any of it. And by any definition, it's a nice itinerary. But it's extra special because it's built around the wedding of the Steamboat Springs indust...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS While I am in favor of a safety net closer to Norway's than Alabama's, I believe there are limits to how much the Federal government can (or should) indebt our future generations to create that net. But we also have a wealth inequality situation here in America that is without modern precedent. Something's gotta give....

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS We're back in SF after a superb long weekend in Oceanside, which is about a 45 minute drive north of downtown San Diego. Major thanks to our very gracious hosts, the speed racer and noted TV installer Andy Jones, and the increasingly pregnant Libby Baines Jones. We ate, we drank, and we toured the surrounding area, bu...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS We are off to San Diego later today to visit the posh new digs of dear friends Andy and Libby Baines Jones. These guys bailed on our beloved SF for what? The best weather in the US? More room for less money? No homeless people outside your door? Sure, they're having a baby and all, but what's so wrong about the kid gr...

In response to the deafening clamor from exactly nobody, I give you the eagerly anticipated (also by exactly nobody) next edition: Portico Darwin: The Cookbook Volume II. You can view and download the Cookbook at the link; it will take 15 pages if you print it out. If I don't mind saying so (and you know I don't), it's another winner, ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS This past Monday afternoon and evening, The Pandemic ended. Yes, it's over. At least for me. No, not because I've been vaccinated (I have) or because we hit some arbitrary number by July 4th set by Papa Joe or even my man Dr. Anthony Fauci (we didn't). And no, it's not because I live in San Francisco, which has a supe...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS (Note to self: don't write blog posts after partying at Mad Oak. My post Friday morning had more typos than you deserve. Apologies. Here's a copy hopefully free of boo-boos.) No politics on a holiday Monday. Instead, the GOP to which I'm referring is coverage of the pretty much non-stop Grand Old Party that went on in...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS One of the many clichés I often employ is that two (or even more!) things seemingly in conflict can be true at once. Call it nuance, and I've even written a post on it previously. Loving America is all about nuance, not dogma. Here are 3 vivid examples of that. Bill Maher and The Progress We've Made I hope everyone wi...

Let's clear up a couple of things right away. This Travel Guide sounds grand in scope, but it really covers only Las Cruces, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, and 3 National Parks, two of which are located in southern New Mexico, the other in, yes, west Texas. So apart from its copious length, it's not that grand. Next: it's doubtful many ar...