Carbon Help

So I have been meaning to start monthly carbon offsets for a while but I got confused on how far my money would go, etc. I just found this that sorts it all out. Yay!

Finally! Good news!

From Green Cars today, Over half (56%) of Americans believe our dependence on oil is a very serious problem and an astonishing 94% agree that global warming is becoming a major threat to our country and the world. Now, we just need to actually DO something!

"Mama, why do we don't live in San Francisco?"

Every 15 minutes on the way from Oakland to San Jose International, that is what I heard. We had a great weekend. The basic rundown...

Friday, arrived at 8:30 and got to O-T at 10ish. Stopped downtown for crepes (mmmm). Greg was fighting a cold so we dropped him and took BART into the city (free parking and transit all day, whee!). Met Marnie for lunch at yerba Buena Gardens but turns out none of us were hungry so we rode the carousel and Amelie rode the monster slides. Swarms of kids on summer field trips. Stopped briefly at M's office where A met Kevin, her cool boss, and she partook of suite-mates' extra BBQ corn on the cob. We hopped on the Market St sardine can - I mean street car - that took us to the tourist trap - I mean Pier 39. We saw the 10 fat and sleeping sea lions that didn't go south to mate, and saw the WORST magician/comedian/juggler ever (sorry, guy, that was bad)("that's where you laugh, folks"- seriously). Bribed A with ice cream to get away from that, but had a pretzel instead then headed back and met up with Marnie to go back to her place. Briefly contemplated the street car to Powell but the experience would have been lost on Amelie, would have cost money, and would have meant a long long line. We all met up and went to dinner at an italian place called Spettro back in Oakland.

Aunt Marnie and Uncle James got to see what it's like to have a toddler in the house - "The sun's up, it's morning time!". Saturday was Marnie's friend's baby's first birthday. Greg was off to the race. I knew a few people. For Oakland it was way hot, almost 100. Anyway, lots of nice people and kids for Amelie to play with, and she loves to chase around Aunt Marnie and Uncle James' dog, Crickets. We all watched Syriana later on. Good movie but a little boy dies early on and I have absolutely no tolerance for that since becoming a mom. Beware. Otherwise it was thoroughly depressing but I highly recommend it.

Sunday (see how very helpful I am being planning this wedding?), we went to Baker Beach on the ocean side of the "Golden Bridge" as Amelie likes to call it. It was like a real beach day (thanks, climate change!). We grilled veggie burgers and I finally got to meet James' lovely sister Molly who has one of Amelie's favorite names and who was really very nice. Thai for dinner in Berkeley. Yum. Then, gelato. Double yum. After that we ACTUALLY did talk about the wedding.

Monday we TRIED to do some real wedding shopping in the Marina district but most shops were closed or appt only. Well, next time! We met Greg for lunch & tried to find a birthday present for Linda in Berkeley, again. Then it was time to come home. I think Amelie is still mad about that. Photos coming soon.

And this weekend, Oak-town

We venture forth to the Golden State once more to visit "Aunt Marnie and Uncle James" while Greg goes and watches motorcycles go around really really fast, potentially alonside Brad Pitt and other luminaries. Ah well! We have a wedding to plan.

A factoid from Lonely Planet

A travel site, in its US article:

Factoid

Number One
In America, the rich are getting much, much richer. 25% of Americans earn 55% of the nation's annual income. The top 1% earns around 17% of all income and controls 35% of the nation's wealth.

Random Notes on the Weekend

I'll add a few pics later, but here are a few noteworthy things about the trip....

Friday night we passed the largest wildfire in the nation at the time near Morongo (the huge and non-ironically named Casino Morongo near the outlet shops on I-10 is right there). Coming over the hill into Coachella it looked like a couple of volcanoes. Very LOTR. More on this later.

Only in L.A. will you hit a 45 minute traffic jam at 1:30 AM. For construction. Lovely. So we got in to the hotel at 2. The Anaheim Hyatt for $69 on Hotwire was a screaming deal. I can't remember the last time I have been on the 16th floor of any building. Amelie liked to stand on the window sill and lean on the glass. That was not encouraged by us. Yikes.

We slept in a bit Saturday (nice beds), A. and I checked out the hotel pools, and then Greg went to his show and we rented a car last minute and drove (another traffic jam ew) to Newport Beach. Parking was a nightmare (heat wave) but eventually we found a spot by the bay and walked the 4 blocks over. See moblog for photo. We spotted a pod of dolphins just offshore. 4 foot waves were crashing just onto the beach so we really didn't venture into the water.

We met Greg back at the hotel and walked over to Buca di Beppo. It seemed pricey, but I had wine and we had dessert, so all told really not so bad.

We actually made it to the park early for us on Sunday (before 9) and that was after returning the rental car. We went right to Pirates. It was already blazing hot in the sun and the queue is almost all outdoors. The new Jack Sparrow stuff was well done but felt tacked on, at least this time through. We'll see. The Davy Jones effect was awesome. Then we bought Amelie the promised bribe for riding (coloring book), did Peter Pan, Dumbo, the Carousel, met a few princesses. Amelie was "shy from" the live character Sparrow and Mary Poppins. Eeyore, Pluto, and Belle and Cinderella were fine. Eh, she's 3.

We finished the day at California Adventure and headed for the car at 5. As it was still light out we stopped to see the roadside dinosaurs that were in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and many other things. They are owned by creationist nutjobs. The inside of the brontosaurus (was there such a thing? I think I heard they canceled it) was a gift shop which had a lot of toys and then crazy "Darwin lied" videos playing. See moblog link for photos. Something you do ONCE I guess.

Oh, and pulling in to there (the dinosaurs are at Morongo) we got to see the fire crews packing up for the day. There was a constant line of helicopters filling up just before the exit and a field full of them across the highway. It's amazing to see. That is one intense job. There is no way I could do that. Again, fire crews, rock on. Morongo is right between Big Bear and Joshua Tree, so there's a lot to fight for.

OK, so that's the news for now. :)

Off to Cali Once More

Greg wanted to get to this SO classy bike show in Long Beach to see his friend Jesse (with gal in gold bikini) in the show, so we are off once more to the O.C. And while we're there, may as well visit our pal the mouse. After a day beaching it. How summery! :) Have a good weekend all!!

Thanks, Michael Crichton

You jerk. Yes, we're making all of this global warming stuff up as a power grab, you figured it out. PLUS we made the temperatures go up "3.4 degrees above average for the 20th century." We are DAMN smart. Prick.

And on a Less Cheerful But Related Note

Carbon isn't only bad for the air, it's even bad dissolved in the water. Ugh.

What's Black and White and Rode All Over?

The Zebra!! Ain't it cute?

Confession time. I like to drive...fast. This goes 40 MPH. But for getting Amelie to school and me to work I am thinking - perfect! And under 10K? Awesome.

The reports of the electric car's death seem to be greatly exaggerated - let's hope!

Correction - that would be X-e-b-r-a Xebra. Oops. And I'm worried about the prospect of no AC. Not optional here in AZ. Not. Would you drive in Fargo without a heater? I doubt it there. You betcha. India has one with, soooooo...?

Happy Freaking Independence Day

You know what's great about this country? It's called the constitution. Read it before it's gone. Oh, the IRONY (from USConstitution.net)
Today's special event:
July 6, 1946 is George W. Bush's birthday. Celebrate by reading your Constitution.


Anyhoo, this piece on Grist so nicely captures how my celebratory spirit is dulled by concern. Deep freaking concern. Have you seen it yet?

Taking it a little too far.

I enjoyed the show and most of the movies. I visited the "experience" in Vegas. I even went to a convention - once. But, wow. Holy cow.

ONE thing to do today

The ONE campaign put together a petition asking Congress and the President to keep the promises America made a year ago. I think you should sign it.

Click here or paste the following URL in your browser:

http://action.one.org/live8.jsp

Thanks.

Mercy, Mercy, Me

So I am sitting here today listening to Kool 94.5 and they played Marvin Gaye - I can't believe I never heard the words to this song before outside the chorus. Ok, so all I can say is I was not born when it came out, in my defense. In case anyone else was in the same boat as me....

Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology) Lyrics
Ah, mercy, mercy me,Ah, things ain't what they used to
be, no, no.Where did all the blue skies go?Poison is
the wind that blows from the north and south andeast.Mercy, mercy me,Ah, things ain't what they used to
be, no, no.Oil wasted on the ocean and uponour seas
fish full of mercury,Oh, mercy, mercy me.Ah,
things ain't what they used to be, no, no, no.Radiation underground and in the sky;animals and birds
who live near by are dying.Oh, mercy, mercy me.Ah, things ain't what they used to be.What about
this over crowded land?How much more abuse from man can
she stand?

On Being both a Mom and an Environmentalist

This was a fun read.

Goodbye to Oak Creek Canyon?

The best place in the state, I think, is in serious trouble today. Yay, fire crews, boo, idiots who won't leave their damn cabins. Full coverage from the Arizona Republic here.

And just a word on how this is just another face of global warming (see the movie!)...Arizona is in a multi-year drought. Now, this could be a coincidence, but at some point, you have to see that there are a lot of things going on that might happen once a millenia, that are happening, like, every year. Anyway, drought = sick trees. Sick trees = easy pickings for bark beetles. Bark beetles = lots of standing dead and dying trees. Lots of dead and dying trees = lighting fluid + kindling. This is what global warming looks like, guys.

And on a more fun note

A new picture, from Memorial Day (hey, I wanted to go camping, but someone had to see the Indy 500).

An Inconvenient Truth

We saw the preview of An Inconvenient Truth here in Phoenix. Everyone needs to see this movie. Please please please go to climatecrisis.net and spread the word!

An Actual Conspiracy - This is HUGE

So, something that you should know about me is that I am not one to buy easily into conspiracy theories. Oswald acted alone. I downloaded "Loose Change" over the weekend, haven't watched it yet, but I am 100% positive that it's mostly junk. So you might see how I am utterly dismayed at how completely true this piece by RFK, Jr. in this month's Rolling Stone, about how Bush stole Ohio among other places, proves to be. It's all things that were sometimes covered but never really investigated. Yet another way that the "liberal press" has FAILED our democracy.

As another case goes before Bush's stacked court, I feel like someone just stole my bicycle. This blows.

Today's Let-Them-Eat-Cake Moment...

Bush actually said that 9/11/01 ended in a humorous moment for him. He IS Marie Antoinette. It's so simple!