A gentle spring rain this morning on California’s north coast, quiet and soft like a baby’s bottom — warm, too, like a full diaper. If this was the weekend, good sleeping weather. But it’s only Thursday and it’s just wet. And because of last night, I will face the horror before the weekend: A jackpot of $475 million ranks as the second largest in Powerball history and third biggest overall. No   Read More ...

Patchy cloud cover this early Wednesday allows a few twinkling stars to peek through and later maybe the sun will arise like thunder — up here on California’s north coast, however, the shine will most-likely be only a squeaky peek. The weather’s been quiet around these parts lately, but that don’t mean it ain’t screaming somewhere. In the flow of the powerful news cycle these days concerns ‘scandal,’ which means   Read More ...

Clear and warm this early Tuesday on California’s north coast — the low-roar sound of the peaceful Pacific seems to come from afar, though, the ocean is only a mile or two away. Noise depends on the air. And in DC, the din has become nearly oppressive. President Obama has most-likely shit in his mess kit, even if he doesn’t know it yet. In the wake of the GOP facade-attempt   Read More ...

Foggy and a bit on the chilly side this early Thursday on California’s north coast, no stars, no wind, no sound. So quiet, it must be quiet all over the world. Wrong! Much of the news recently has been shittier than dog poo — and a number of these items are headline only stories, with details jamming just too much pressure on the left side of the fearful brain. In   Read More ...

(Illustration of Ulf Buschmann‘s ‘Laundromat‘ found here). Again another Sunday, Now this morning bright sunshine and warm — storms toiling elsewhere. Oh, for sure back at the laundromat, Weekly visits to thee I sing, Just spring-load the quarters, flutters My brain in the Mood To wash my blues away. A poetic blurb from doing my laundry earlier today. Just a random sample of some written ramblings jotted down while waiting   Read More ...

What a difference 24-hours can make — or a week, or nearly seven years to the day. Politics in the US is currently a total bitch, filled with confusion, back-stabbing and hate. Yet with all this crude, ignorant bluster, there’s very little true-truth to power  — no deep-throated, gut-induced ironic-sarcasm at the horrible shape of this country. (Illustration found here). Irony is a fit description. Watching the White House Correspondents   Read More ...

High overcast and a bit on the warm side this way-early Thursday on California’s north coast, though, rain has its smell in the air. I hope not — my Jeep is in the shop and I’m on foot for this morning. The news cycle continues: Repugnant story of the day — life has to be terrible for this guy in a Home Depot store in south California: “People just couldn’t believe   Read More ...

Clear and a bit cold this early Tuesday morning on California’s north coast — decent compared to what’s brewing across the US mid-section as a spring weather-blow-out approaches from the west carrying a bit of everything: This storm will be notable for its broad geographic reach and multiple hazards, ranging from blizzard conditions with heavy snow and powerful winds, to severe thunderstorms containing large hail, damaging winds, and potentially tornadoes. Other   Read More ...

Crystal clear this early Monday morning, stars twinkling and the air lucid even — far cry from when I dozed off last night as all along California’s north coast was turbulent weather. Power outages, fairly-heavy wind — a 75-foot fir tree was knocked down, blocking one road for awhile — and rain mingled reportedly into hail at one point. Although the noise could be heard outside as sleep came, I   Read More ...

(Illustration found here). Ten years along and the recipients of “shock and awe” know it as a wide-awake nightmare — from the NY Times: At the pet market, Karrar Habeeb, a 22-year-old carpenter, paused, surprised to be asked about what was surely the defining event of his youth. “I didn’t know about it,” Mr. Habeeb said of the anniversary. “Are we still talking about the Americans? I don’t think we   Read More ...