What a perfect last day of the year.
Blue sky.
Green leaves.
Golden sun.
Life is good.
Month: December 2007
Christmas Tradition
Yes, it is that time of the year again. Christmas, the perfect day to take a stroll on the beach. Why on Christmas? Because one can.
Because the waves are nice.
Because the sandpipers are fun to watch.
Because one can climb dunes and enjoy the view over the sea.
Merry Christmas.
On A Clear Day You Can See…
…the ocean.
Winter solstice. The shortest day of the year was also sunny and warm, perfect weather for a hike in the park. The added bonus was the cleanly washed air after the recent rain, providing the happy hiker with a view of the ocean about 20 miles away.
That’s a sight one does not get to see too often from this particular spot. Whatever nice one can say about Los Angeles, “pure, clean air” is not among the attributes of the city.
Well, one can’t have everything.
Isn't It Romantic?
Candles glowing in the dark always conjure up such romantic images. These candles were lit to greet the first power outage of the rainy season. They were first and foremost an emergency measure, not so much lit to cast a warm glow on a dreamy winter evening.
Yes, even though it is hard to believe, all it takes is a little rain (oops, a rain storm) and whole areas lose their power. The electric power, I mean. No true Angeleno loses inner power over such a trifle as a few hours without electricity. They improvise. They love the challenge. They cherish this sense of adventure. They are cool.
I, not being a true Angeleno, rely on my big bad Back-UPS. Once the computers are all safely shut down without loss of any data (the mother of all nightmares) I reach inside me and out come: improvisation skills, love of challenge, sense of adventure. I am not so sure about cool. After all, I am still an Angeleno in training.
And then, then it is time for a lovely glass of wine, sipped in the warm glow of candles. It is also a very interesting occasion to contemplate how people read before the introduction of electricity or even gas or oil lamps and such.
Lesson learned: Reading by candlelight is not something one wants to do every evening.
Chapeau, Metro
Yes, that is a good move. Excellent and to the point.
http://metro.net/news_info/press/metro_213.htm
Metro will offer a special Holiday Free Fare Program for all Metro Bus and Metro Rail lines operating on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The free fare program, approved by Metro’s Board of Directors, will be in effect between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. only on the nights and early morning hours of December 24-25 and December 31-January 1.
Patrons boarding a Metro Bus, including the Metro Orange Line or the Metro Red, Purple, Blue, Green or Gold rail lines during the hours designated will receive a free ride to their destination.
The free rides are being offered during this period to promote safety during the holiday season. Metro is an option for people attending holiday parties so they don’t have to drive.
Metro’s fleet of more than 2,200 buses, The Metro Orange Line, a dedicated bus transitway in the San Fernando Valley and Metro Rail lines offer patrons alternatives to driving solo in their vehicles with convenient travel opportunities throughout the region.
The Metro Purple Line operates from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Wilshire/Western and the Metro Red Line from Union Station to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. The Metro Blue Line operates from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles, the Metro Green Line runs between Norwalk and El Segundo and the Metro Gold Line operates between Union Station and Pasadena.
For complete route and schedule information patrons can call 1-800-C-O-M-M-U-T-E or visit Metro’s web site and access the Metro Trip Planner at www.metro.net.
From Mercury To Neptune In Two Minutes
Yes, it does not take any longer to cross the orbits of those planets (if one goes up to the Observatory).
And then there is
Poor Pluto. 76 years after his discovery in 1930 he was demoted to the status of dwarf planet.
Don’t worry, Pluto, I like you nevertheless just as much as your big buddies – and like to hop over your orbit.
Ice Storm in the Midwest
70°F (21°C) in Los Angeles. I know why I live here.
Tasty
No, I do not miss German food. I know that I am lucky, because there are fellow Germans all around the US who do. Many of them pine for food from “back home.” Quite a number of online shops in the US apparently make a fortune out of selling Germans prepackaged stuff at exorbitant prices; stuff I would not have touched even back in Germany, stuff where the list of ingredients reads like an excerpt from a chemistry book.
One thing though I do miss sometimes is “real” bread. Bread, dense and chewy, but not heavy, with no added sugar or other strange things mixed in. Bread with a real crust, bread which does not go stale while sitting on your plate. Bread which does not cost $8.00 a loaf, because it is “artisan bread.” Bread which is tasty with just some butter and a sprinkling of salt.
When that craving hits me, I bake my own bread. A loaf like this:
We had that for dinner tonight . With butter, salt, a side of guacamole and some smoked trout. No, that is not a traditional German food-pairing, but very tasty. Old Europe meets West Coast. Yummy.
Prickly
That’s a new way to keep shop windows fingerprint-free.