Two cars (no. 1)

My carpool stickers will expire at the end of the year, which kind of makes my Honda Civic Hybrid a bit obsolete.  Why drive a Civic if I can't go in the carpool lane?  Why not a Mercedes?  

So I am starting to look at options, and lo and behold, Nissan wants to save my carpool privileges. The new Nissan Leaf is coming at the end of the year and offers a chance to stay in the carpool lane while driving a really cool, all-electric, socially aware, environmentally friendly new car.  

The Leaf actually looks pretty good - and the new pricing is appealing.  $32,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 California tax credit, so the price is actually about $20,000.  And we have solar powered electric chargers at work, which means the 100-mile range won't be a problem.

Very interesting.  But tomorrow, an alternative.

Holding off on the iPad

Ok, the iPad is coming on Saturday. I continue to be fascinated, not the least of which by all the hype. But I have managed to restrain myself, and I did not pre-order one. I am going to have to hold one in my hands to evaluate it. Given all the hysteria, I probably won't be able to do that right away. But I can wait.


Though not too long.  Especially with ads like this.

Almost here

We are almost there.  The 2010 baseball season begins in less than one week.  As always, my hopes are up for the Giants, who have a much younger team going into this year, and with continued strong pitching.  They reached a deal with Tim Lincecum to avoid arbitration, they just extended Matt Cain's contract, and Barry Zito has to return to form some time.


When the baseball season arrives, I am always reminded of Bart Giamatti's great piece, "The Green Fields of the Mind."  It begins like this:

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone.

Well, this is the beginning, so we can wait a while for October.

Animals taking a siesta

Saturday must have been a good day for just lying around.


Here's Daisy:

And here's Milo:

Nice and relaxed, as you can see.

2010 Diablo Eco Award

Urban Farmers has won a 2010 Diablo Eco Award from Diablo Magazine, recognizing it for the new farms and trees being planted in our town.  In a note from Urban Farmers, they expressed their appreciation for all the support they have gotten:

Clearly The Urban Farmers is a symbolic recipient of something that is much bigger. We accept this award on behalf of the citizens of Lafayette, the students at Saint Mary’s College, the team at Sustainable Lafayette, The Local Food Group of the Environmental Task Force and businesses and volunteers who recognize the problem and have generously supported this program.

Our farm is just getting underway, so I'm pleased to see this type of recognition for such a well-deserving organization.

Perfect ice cube trays

We don't have an ice maker in our refrigerator, but I like ice cubes (a lot).  So for years we've been emptying trays full of cubes.  And they never work right - the cubes break, they stick inside the tray, they go flying and you end up with ice all over the floor.  Lame, I know, but the truth.

But now that is all over.  Karen found perfect ice cube trays, simply at the local Target store.  They hold a lot of cubes, and when you twist them, every cube pops out perfectly.  You get a tub full of perfectly-shaped cubes, none of them stuck or broken, and you simply refill for the next time you need more.

Simple pleasures are often the small ones.

Next to Normal

Abby and I saw the Tony-award winning Next to Normal on Broadway in December.  It's about a woman and her family, dealing with her terrible depression that results from a tragic event in her life many years ago.  Not an easy show, but very good.


I really like this song from the show: