TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read + Links Happy Friday. Tomorrow, we leave for a minibreak to the magic of Mendocino, and we're going with Ol' Purple Label and her hubby, K. Helmsley Garfinkel. A visit to the Portico Darwin Happy Place Anderson Valley is a given, so I'm already getting jacked. Indeed, I like the region so much, there's ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 3 Minute Read Not many here saw this coming. Anchor Brewing, an SF institution forever and the makers of our beloved Steam beer, looks like it is going away. Its corporate parent since 2017, the Japanese brewing giant Sapporo, announced last week they are closing it down. I have a couple of personal notes, and then I'...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 4 Minute Read In case you haven't noticed (and given that I rarely shut up about it, how could you not?), I have been on a personal quest of sorts since retiring. A part of it has been to develop more patience and also to temper my volatility when things aren't as I wish. Please: laughing doesn't help. But for your en...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <2 Minute Read As you may have noticed, I was recently in Houston. And I was thinking: what is the opposite kind of place, in terms of just about everything? A US National Park. So now, as a service (and for a reason to show fun photos) to my readers, I bring you some great information about what Ken Burns rightly dee...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <1 Minute Read + More at Link I had a typically pithy piece teed up for today about National Parks, and how they remind me of Houston (!). I leave in a few hours after a very successful trip, at least in terms of the installation. You can count on a future article where I sing the praises of the bonkers Monitor Audio ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <2 Minute Read Happy Monday. Let's put it this way: where I am and what I am doing is the polar opposite of going outdoors to a picnic or festival. Because you can't really go outside: I'm in Houston and it's July 10. I'm staying at the rapidly-emptying Murphy Villa, yet spending a lot of time at the new-to-Shelly and...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <4 Minute Read In a couple of short hours, I'll be ensconced up front on a nonstop to balmy Houston. Dr. Shelly Murphy has beckoned: it's time to install the tech in her swank, freshly-remodeled and ginormous - shocker - condo. So how about a Friday free of my drivel, as I jet off to a land of big hats and bigger bugs...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read Phew. Time to towel off from that shower I'm sure you needed after Monday's post. The navel gazing ends (for now) and I return to envisioning a better world, no matter how far-fetched the ideas. Because today, I would like to add to my thoughts about being Soft on People and Tough on Crime, as a general...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS >6 Minute Read Hello, and happy Monday on an Independence Day holiday weekend. If you've been paying attention, you know I recounted the luckiest moments in my life last Monday and Wednesday. Today is different - very different. But hopefully no less entertaining, and maybe even helpful, if you ever must confront what...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <2 Minute Read FFS, even I need a break from that lottery thing! So in honor of America and its 247th birthday Tuesday, let's look at some recent presidents, in an admittedly narrow light. In relative terms, were they smart and/or corrupt? Or none of the above? Full disclosure: I stole this concept nearly in its entir...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 5 Minute Read The reaction to the first post on my life's winning lottery tickets was met with the exuberance I've come to expect. Which is to say, there was basically none. But no matter, here are the rest - except for the last 3, which I'm saving for a special 4th of July post. If you find this all too self-absorbed...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <5 Minute Read Happy Monday. While we certainly had a wonderful time in New Mexico, there is nothing quite like coming back to SF, especially after being away for an extended period. Quite a change from sunny and 100° to foggy and 60°, and while I certainly enjoy my Pool Boy antics, it is nice to feel that clear, cool...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read Well, it's been a wonderful 12 nights here on the desert, and I'd be remiss if I didn't thank our hosts, the marvelous, if rather aged, Davis and Melynda Fladgate. These two were kind enough to give us the complete run of their home for almost 2 weeks, whilst also tolerating my endless plays of M83's Fa...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read Today, I am publishing, in its entirety, a reply I received from star reader Hunter Deuce about my post Monday on Identity Politics. “I'm pretty sure no one has ever chased you down an alley with a baseball bat looking to cave your head in because you're straight or white. In a perfect world, we wouldn'...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <4 Minute Read Happy Monday. We're continuing to ride the Fladgate hospitality train, and I may never get off. But despite the ultra-chill nature of the scene here, I am going to pop-off (again) on race, sexuality and gender. On Juneteenth! You're welcome! Why another third-rail tap dance? Well, there have been a coup...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <5 Minute Read Happy Friday. Sure, family is nice, but a highlight of our almost 2 weeks here is Julie's dad's dog, Lucy, who I've mentioned before. I also mentioned bragsnapshots. Can't we have both? Onward to the weekend (!) and as promised, here are the remaining 18 of the 37 Signals, by my management heroes Jason ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 5 Minute Read Since I last wrote, we've enjoyed literally all there is of Belen, and had a great visit with Julie's family. Indeed, an event that brings 3 of the 4 Fladgate siblings (Julie, Biff, and G. Robinson - with only the hockey groupie Rhoda missing) together at one table called for the best, and we almost foun...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 2 Minute Read Speaking of Ukraine and before indulging in a lovely blog: fingers crossed their pushback works and this madness from Russia can end. But let's (awkwardly) transition to something nearly as important as peace in Ukraine: me, and my life. And a bonus: there's nary a mention of a certain former president w...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 2 Minute Read I really thought I had seen it all, in terms of shameless, greedy behavior, with the Saudis. I've certainly written about it here and it always boils down to this: if you have money, why compromise your ethics and credibility to get crazy money (not that Trump has ever had real money or ethics or credibi...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read Happy Monday and let's dive right in with something useful for your week and beyond. As promised, here is a list of 15 pretty darned Killer prompts for getting actual value from ChatGPT (or any other AI text engine). I do wish I could claim credit for these, but I cannot: I grabbed it from LinkedIn, whe...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 1 Minute Read As I've mentioned maybe once or twice, I begin most days when we're home with a 5 mile walk in my beloved Presidio. It keeps both me relatively healthy and sane. Right? Right??? But I digress because this is mostly a serious post, as it begins with a tragic death. This past Wednesday, I was on my walk, s...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Before getting rolling, I hope you'll spend 3 minutes watching this post-Memorial Day tribute video I made; it also has some nice music. Memorial Day Every Day 2 Minute Read It was with quite a jolt when I learned recently that my Internet search engine of choice, the subscription-only Neeva, is closing its doors, at ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 1 Minute Read + Gallery I am not gay. I have never been gay. But wow did we glorify this phallic weapon stuff, and I have to admit it caught my eye. Oh, and Happy Memorial Day. Yes, that's my snarky (with no disrespect intended) intro to a gallery I am putting together celebrating the 50th Anniversary of my beloved Go...

OVERVIEW There have been previous Travel Guides covering trips from one night to 3 weeks in length, in places as near as Carneros and as far as Europe. But none have been quite like this one. First, because it's an itinerary no one will follow: to accommodate the first leg of the journey, you'll either want to or have a reason to visit...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS 1 Minute Read Yes, I am back and you can expect a forthcoming Travel Guide full of juicy details of another Textbook getaway. I will say now it began on a fun note at Lauren Ryder's 60th; you'll be able to read about that and a fairly magical camping trip soon. Here's a preview and that's a Fat Head in the popcorn bow...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <1 Minute Read + Exploration Tomorrow, we depart for our aforementioned adventure vacation: a daytime, riverside piss-up tomorrow in celebration of a friend's 60th birthday, followed by 3 nights camping on the glorious northern (actually, central) coast of my beloved California. Yes, there will be a Travel Guide, and ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <3 Minute Read No, this is not one of my hectoring social justice rants. You are welcome in advance. Instead, today is about technology and how our natural avoidance of risk is going to slow the future. I will use two examples, and see if you don't agree that some gee-whiz tech is about to bump against the nuances we ...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <4 Minute Read Happy Monday. I bid my farewell to my wonderful hosts in Oceanside yesterday. A great trip, as always. I am now back in San Francisco, however briefly. Julie and I have a sweet combo adventure trip coming up 5/20 - 5/24 that begins with the social event of the summer, at least on the Sacramento Delta: t...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <1 Minute Read + Chart Study Time! Super easy trip to San Diego and on to Oceanside. It is Textbook SoCal May weather - foggy morning followed by perfection. My hosts are their typical gracious selves. In fact, it's so nice I am really not noticing the half-finished job on staining the pergola. And it's easy to ignore...

TODAY'S RAMBLINGS <2 Minute Read Tomorrow, I break up this glorious lonely week of bachelorhood with a solo jaunt down to Oceanside, the northern-most suburb of San Diego. I'll be staying at the palatial-esque manse of the corporate wellness titans Andy and Libby Baines Jones until Sunday. My/our visit there is always a highlight of th...