All the small things

Go Pads!

My friend BigDave flew down yesterday from San Francisco. I picked him up at the airport, we had a nice dim sum lunch and then proceeded to the ballpark for the opening game of the Padres and Cubs Wild Card series.

Dave is a Cubs honk but likes the Giants equally well, although his favorite team of course is the one currently winning. 

That is certainly not the pitiful Giants right now.

Anyway I was reluctant to have Dave come down because I don't think I have ever seen a Cubs Padres game with him where the Padres have won and I just can't take all that glee anymore.

Gets tiring of being on the wrong end of the stick.

He booked the Hotel Indigo, a mere two blocks away from Petco Park. 

We found a metered parking space on Market and stuck his handicapped placard on the mirror, saved me a bunch of money.

We checked into his room after lunch and chilled for an hour.

We get down to the game on a warm evening and Dave is not alone, there are a lot of Cub fans representing.

Padres fans being quite San Diego friendly, for the most part.

Dave of course has his special Finally Cubs jersey, Cubs hat and who knows what else on?

Probably his Cubbie jockstrap.

I had of course foreseen his sartorial choices and that it perhaps wise to publicly differentiate my choice of teams from his.

I went to the local discount store, C &C, and found the cheapest Padres shirt I could find, which had the largest logo imaginable in my very large size.

Probably could spot me from space.

I really wasn't sure how the game would go? 

The Padres are playing the best baseball in the majors the second half of the season and all cylinders are firing perfectly right now.

Great hitting top to bottom, great relief corps, some great starters.

But they have a history of getting real quiet with their bats in the playoffs.

I predicted 6-4 Padres, mostly predicated on their home team advantage.

We had good seats on the third base side, Loge section 112.

Not cheap.

The game was amazing. 

I am not going to do a full re-cap but I have never seen anything quite like it.

First pitch changeup - Tatis puts it over the fence. 

Crowd goes nuts.

Soon after Machado does the same and we are off to the races, never looking back.

Michael King is pitching like Koufax, no hitter through seven and then King gives up a close one to Machado at third.

Nothing hit out of the infield.

Matsui come on, they give up another hit or two, still no runs.

The rally towels are flying, place is going berserk. 

Tatis gets a hit, steals second and then comes all the way home on a throw to second.

The whole place starts singing a song in the seventh and I realize that I am the only guy there who has never heard it, let alone knew the words. Was it Taylor Swift? Turns out to be Blink - 182. I guess there are serious holes in my music game.

The other thing I realize is that there is now a name for a pitch which I have no idea of, a sweeper. Sinker, cutter, curve, splitter I got, but what the hell is a sweeper?

The best came last. 

San Diego hometown boy Joe Musgrove, out for two years after Tommy John surgery, just named to the roster, comes in in the ninth and gets the final three outs.

Place went wild, emotion at a fever pitch, people were crying. It was epic.

Not counting debuts, only one player had previously appeared in a playoff game directly after not appearing in any game of the two prior regular seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (relayed by MLB.com's A.J. Cassavell on Twitter/X).

That player — Chicago Cubs catcher Clyde McCullough — missed the 1944-45 regular seasons due to military service, then struck out in his only at-bat in the 1945 World Series.

Dave took it all very well, like a man. It was one game, might be a different story tonight. 

But it was sweet.

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I should mention that I go back a long way with the Padres. When I first saw them it was at Westgate Park, now Fashion Valley Mall. They were a Coast League farm club for the Phillies.

This is somewhere between 1964 and 1967. Tony Perez was on the club but my favorite player was the now forgotten Roberto Pena.

We had season tickets and I was there with my brother when Buzzie Bavasi had his famous meltdown on the field. 

I remember Clay Kirby and Cannizarro, Ollie Brown, Cito, Nate, Enzo, all the old guys. Grew up with this team, a lot of pain mixed in with the great Gwynn and Caminiti years. Had drinks with Randy Jones and Rollie Fingers on a wild plane ride back from Vegas once.

Wishing the Padres the best here on in.

What a special night.

Thanks for coming down Dave and being a good sport.

Cardiac Kid

It sounds almost suicidal to talk about food after a sobering visit to the cardiologist. 

I had a nuclear stress test Friday and thought that this morning's visit was going to be a perfunctory sign off for my pending knee replacement.

But what can I say, I got no clearance, Clarence. 

Apparently there is some arterial blockage in my lower heart area that is going to require an angiogram and further remediation of some sort. 

The upshot is that there will be no new knee in the foreseeable future for yours truly. 

They were not sure that my heart could make the trip. 

Nervous Nellies.

They like to use a bunch of big words and try to scare you but I know their game. Here is half the list anyway...

1. Dyspnea on exertion

2. Abnormal nuclear stress test

• left heart catheterization (SURG)

3. CAD, multiple vessel

4. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

5. Hypertensive disorder

6. Mixed hyperlipidemia

• Leqvio 284 mg/1.5 mL subcutaneous syringe

7. Bilateral atherosclerosis of carotid arteries

8. LVH (left ventricular hypertrophy)

I ain't a scared. That's all you got? You know who you are talking to?  Pffft. Truth is, I have been a bit lethargic of late so maybe a cardiac tune up is in order? First thing I did after calling Leslie was to make sure I could still do the Santa Barbara show I was going to have to previously miss on my three month knee recovery hiatus. 

I called Gae and she assured me I still had a booth. Cool. Show must go on. Architectural Digest is coming, want to look good.

Kind of weird to think I could have heart problems with my careful and almost monastic diet but hey, if Adele Davis can get sick, so can I. 

Might have a short stint with a stent or two, we shall see.

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Speaking of food, after my meeting with the nurse practitioner (not the cardiologist, haven't seen her for about four years because she has been in the baby making mood and ready for yet one more maternity leave) I high tailed it over to Frazier Farms to pick up something for Leslie and saw this lady in the hat.

I applaud her sentiments and conviction.

After I drove to a market that Valerie had told me about. She knows that I love whitefish and tribal food from the diaspora.

It is called European Food Market. 

She actually goes to the one in Poway but this sister location is on Oceanside Blvd.

It is known online as Fish delights. 

She buys pate there.

Here you get an idea of some of the stuff they carry.

This is not a big place, Poway might be larger but it was sure chock full of wonderful and unusual fare.

I ended up getting a large smoked whitefish, a large piece of unsliced belly lox, cheese blintzes and smoked salmon pieces. 

Very reasonable actually. 

There are shelves of really cool looking dumplings, danish bacon, lots of pickles, definitely want to go back one day with my wife.

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She brought some wonderful things from the market home too. 

We had elk sausage and lamb basil sausage tonight which were both fabulous.

She made a great salad and marinated cucumbers.

I am having a premonition that I will be seeing a lot of salad in my future.

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BigDave is flying down tomorrow, we are going to catch the first game of the Padres Cubs together.

He is sort of a jinx, Cubs always win when he shows up, hope to break the spell.

My world is your world

Thank you, President Trump

The measles is officially back.

Pennsylvania has confirmed 890 measles cases as of September 26, with four deaths — the state’s first measles fatalities in 35 years. Nationally, the United States has recorded 3,659 cases across 47 jurisdictions as of September 24. For most of the quarter-century since measles was declared eliminated in 2000, outbreaks were relatively small and quickly contained. The resurgence of 2025 and 2026 has changed that: each major outbreak — in Texas, Utah, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania — has been larger and longer than anything in the post-elimination era.

The Trump/Kennedy post covid, anti vax hysteria is on full display. Less than one percent of the subjects infected in the new measles cases in Pennsylvania were vaccinated. 

State health officials said fewer than 1% of reported cases have occurred among individuals vaccinated against measles. And according to the state data, 31% of the cases are among people younger than 18.

The nutcases who pushed the narrative as one of religious choice and personal freedom have managed to turn a once vanquished disease back into an epidemic killer.

What new epidemics can we now look forward to in the future? Polio, Typhoid, the Black Plague? Immunity requires individual buy in and sacrifice, something we contribute to the collective hive. These selfish folks will be the death of us all.

We shouldn't still be having these stupid arguments. The science is clear. Vaccinate. Or we go back to the middle ages.

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Now, noise cameras.

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FCC considers cuts to funds for internet access at public schools and libraries.

Like a Willys in four wheel drive

There is nothing more boring for people who do not care for the Grateful Dead than reading about them. 

I get it. 

The chasm is impossible to span.

I have been listening to some jams they did with Duane Allman of late. 

I was so lucky to see Duane twice when he was alive and his brilliance should not be forgotten. 

The story of his playing on Hey Jude with Wilson Pickett is legendary, knocked Clapton off his feet.

I read an interview with someone talking about a discussion they had with Duane once about Hendrix, he picked up a guitar and did Hendrix pefectly, note for note and set it down. The man could play anything in any way he wanted to.

That is why I like this Sugar Magnolia so much. 

I have seen Jerry play with so many guest guitar players including Carlos Santana, John Cippolina, Gary Duncan, Mick Taylor, Steve Miller, Steve Winwood, etc.. None of them could match his genius or energy standing beside him.

Duane could and so could Peter Green.

Duane takes the reigns here and doesn't let go.

Friday Mosh Mish

 So, what's up?

My buddy Jeff in Fairbanks sent this beautiful picture. He didn't take it, a friend did. Alaska is on my bucket list.

And speaking of buckets how long before a certain Senator kicks his? You think there is a betting pool with an over and under out there? I want in.

Mitch has been fairly decent the last year or two regarding the Orange regime but I will never forgive his Merrick Garland perfidy and lies.

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My buddy Mick is in the Sierras with his son. Caught a nice trout yesterday.

I saw blast reader Valerie at the nail salon yesterday. 

It was time for the farrier to trim my hooves. No color.

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Leslie found racks of lamb at Sprouts for $4.99 a rack. She bought seven of them at that price. The Super Shopper.

This is super cheap, I  have seen them for $35.00.

Yesterday she soaked a rack in a cumin soy lemon marinade all day and I cooked it up on the trusty Weber last night.

Three minutes a side direct heat and then about twenty minutes to 125° on indirect. I parboiled Yukon potatoes that I had tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary for fifteen minutes and stuck them on a grill pan next to the lamb on the indirect side. 

I have never done them in the charcoal Weber like this. Leslie caused a near explosion hitting the fire with duck fat spray. But it all worked out beautifully.

Just have to watch the potatoes and keep turning them.

Really good!  Make sure you don't overcook, you have to find the magic pink zone.

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What else?

I ran into an aging Superman at the swap meet the other day.  Sad when they go to seed. But let's face it, who hasn't? Takes a lot of commitment to get the eponymous tattoo, even for a superhero. Wouldn't be racing any locomotives at his age, I will tell you that.

Sad to hear that my old swap meet pal David Lido had perished in a car wreck recently. Great guy.

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I love that Premier Xi brought up Thucydides yesterday with President Trump.  I am sure he lost him on the first syllable. Thu - what?

Interestingly, the Thucydides trap was first conceived by the author Herman Wouk at the Naval War college.

The expression was inspired by the ancient Athenian historian and military commander Thucydides (died c. 400 BCE), used first in a speech by Herman Wouk in 1980, and then revived by the American political scientist Graham Allison around 2011. Wouk described the trap as a precedent for the 20th-century Cold War:

You remember that Athens and Sparta were the two great adversaries, the 'superpowers' of the Greek world; that they had allied themselves to fight off and defeat a common enemy, Persia; and that after the victory their alliance fell apart in a cold war.

Wouk lamented the recurrence of superpower rivalry, particularly in the nuclear age, but concluded that he found hope in two sources. First, he pointed backward in time from Thucydides to the Biblical age, and specifically to Isaiah's prophecy:

And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up its sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore.

Good luck with that. 

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Let's hear it for the Padres, they just clinched a playoff berth for the third straight year. 

They have the best record and have been playing the best baseball in either league for the last half of the season after a horrid start.

Not how you start, it is how you finish and everybody is getting hot at the right time.

Cubs lost the first game of a doubleheader in Boston today. Padres might be hosting the wild card series with a couple more timely wins and losses.

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I was driving to work this morning when I found myself behind a dark full sized truck making the left on Brandon.

It was a red light but the truck didn't care, crossed right in front of two oncoming vehicles, right through the red.

I had two immediate thoughts, either a deranged patient or employee at the Fallbrook Hospital or a cop?

After the green I saw the truck pull in behind the Sheriff's office, through the employee gate. 

Bingo.

Because we all know that to law enforcement there's two types of people, cops and criminals and they think that the rules that apply to the rest of us do not apply to them.

Don't let go - Roy Hamilton

Whodunit?

 

I bought this painting from Bill at Long Beach Sunday. I believe that it may be a view of San Francisco near the Baker Hamilton building. It is signed M. Wolf. Nineteen forties, early fifties frame. Ashcan style.

Bill originally bought the painting from Cam.

Cam got it when he sold the estate of Arnold Wolf in Monterey, from Arnold's daughter Vivian, he thinks. He has long since lost contact info.

I am trying to figure out the name of the artist. I believe Arnold Wolf's wife was named Maxine and besides the daughter he had two sons, Gordon and Michael. So that is two m's that could be the artist. I would wager money it is a family member if not Arnold himself. Don't know his middle name.

I have tried to contact family members on Linked in and through internet sleuthing to no avail. Think the kids are in Tustin maybe, niece in Aptos. Can't get a call back.

Now Arnold Wolf was an interesting character. Here is his obituary. He was an industrial designer and the one time head of JBL. He designed the groundbreaking Paragon loudspeaker system in 1957. His wiki page says that his father was a photographer at RKO.

Paragon speaker

I don't know much about him but did see this and took note:

He was born in San Francisco on April 30, 1927. In the early 1930s, his family moved to the East Coast, eventually settling in New York City, where he attended the Bentley School in Manhattan and the Bronx High School of Science, graduating in 1943. In 1942-43, he performed as a radio actor in a number of network programs. When the family moved to Los Angeles, he went to work as a draftsman and perspective sketch artist at the RKO film studio. 

This excellent urban painting exhibits precisionist skills that a draftsman and technical perspective sketch artist would have. Could M be his middle initial?

We have a saying in the business, no mark, no money. People seem to want paintings from a known artist, irrespective of quality.

This is a long shot but if anyone out there knows the kids and they can put a name to the author of my canvas I would much appreciate it. 

About thyme

So as I was saying, the fall means I can start cooking heavy winter meals again. oh boy! Short ribs came off without a hitch last night.

I used fresh rosemary of which I have plenty but had to use dried thyme.

I need to start growing thyme.

Leslie made a pot of pappardelle noodles that went very nicely with this.

I splashed the rest of the bottle of wine open on the table in but was not enamored with the smell.

So I added some marsala and cooked it all down.

Ended up tasting great.

I see a pot roast and beef stroganoff in my near future.

Baby, it's you

Nanny state, redux

Think about the worst humiliation you could ever endure as a sixteen year old. And then think about this.

Starting Jan. 1, CA Kids 8 To 16 Must Use Car Booster Seat Unless They Pass 'Five-Step Test.'

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, Assembly Bill 435 will require children ages 8 to 16 to pass the "Five-Step Test" before graduating from a booster seat to a standard seat belt.

The Five-Step Test includes that when a child is sitting all the way back against the auto's seat, knees are bent comfortably over the edge of the seat; the seat belt crosses the child’s shoulder between the neck and arm; the shoulder belt should snugly cross the center of the child’s chest and shoulder, not the child’s neck; the lap belt is as low as possible and is touching the child’s thighs; and the child can stay seated like this for the whole trip.

Can you imagine the looks that a sixteen year old will get at high school when the other kids see mommy unstrapping them from their booster seat? The ignominy and shame?

I am a lover of freedom. I was bummed when they passed the law that you couldn't sit in the bed of a moving pickup truck, once got a ticket for it. That is how we grew up. Basically free. Now a parent can get arrested for letting their kid walk to school by themselves. And you wonder why Generation Z is so dysfunctional. Over protected and neurotic.

So California is going to force a sixteen year old into a booster seat. Why not all short adults as well while you are at it? 

Stop with all these silly attempts to save us from ourselves.

Give me a freaking break.

Searching for Madge

Equilibrium

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Observant jews fast, pray, typically wear white and both forgive and ask forgiveness. I did none of those things however I did lose Melissa's spoon and would like to ask forgiveness now if it is not too late?

I will find her another one.

Today is the fall equinox, well tonight at 5:04 p.m. pacific time anyway. What does that mean? It means that the sun is directly above the equator and that day and night is as even as it gets for light. Neither the southern or northern hemispheres is tilting away from the sun.

In astrological terms, the equinox marks the start of Libra, the sign of the scales, or balance. Makes sense.

The Jewish New Year started on the eleventh. It comes from the hebrew rosh or head and shanah year, the root noun shnai, time. The head of the year. It signifies the beginning of time and the start of Yamim Nora'im, the "Days of Awe." The Hebrew word for Rosh Hashanah biblically was Yom Teruah or the "day of trumpets."

In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. Leviticus 23.

I was thinking driving to work about the Jewish calendar, which is lunar and the difference between the Gregorian calendar which celebrates a January New Year. I guess it is totally arbitrary, could have started on any day in the cycle, I suppose.

The Persian New Year Mowruz falls on the Spring equinox in March. In Thailand Songkran is celebrated mid April. The Chinese calendar is solarlunar and Chūnjié takes place somewhere between January 21st and February 20th. The Maori New Year Matariki is celebrated in late May or early June. It is marked by the arrival of the Pleiades in the dawn sky.

So I guess the new year can start anytime, just depends on your culture and point of view. How do you enter a circle?

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I have been hankering to make a pot roast or brisket and my wife keeps saying no. "It is summer, that is winter food." Now with the equinox I have a green light again. She bought bone in short ribs and I am going to go to town tonight. Yay!

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I was just asking Leslie if she had seen Grumpy around? He was a very early contributor here who may have burnt out on the blast. I haven't seen him in years and was wondering if he was still alive?

I was hanging out with the car guys this morning and who should get out of his car? Nelson. Amazing, still with us if a little worse for wear.

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Truman showed up to coffee in his 68 Plymouth Station Wagon. Single owner I believe.

As beat up as the rest of us, this baby has 598,000 miles and change.

On its third engine.

His Mustang is on the fritz and he is back to the wagon.

Classic like its owner. Love this car. Grew up with a Plymouth fury station wagon, green. 64. With simulated wood paneling on the side.

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I see so much crazy stuff out on the road. I am at a stoplight waiting to make a u-turn in Temecula last week, inside lane, two lane left turn. We get a green and the car to my right makes a u-turn in front of me.

Unbelievable!

So lucky there was no accident. You just have to ask yourself if it is malevolence or stupidity? I think that young drivers are not getting trained properly these days, we have no road etiquette left whatsoever. 

The passing on the right, the tailgating, the turns across your forwards bow with no inches to spare, they think it is one big video game with no consequences.

And the ebikes might be the worst. I see the kids driving so crazy, was happy to see this yesterday:

TEMECULA, CA — Riverside County sheriff’s deputies impounded several vehicles and issued 13 citations during an enforcement operation targeting illegal electric motorcycles and e-bikes in Temecula, authorities said Sunday.

The Sept. 18 operation, conducted by the Southwest Sheriff’s Station Metro and Community Outreach and Engagement team, aimed to curb unlawful riding and educate community members on safety regulations.

Deputies towed and stored four electric motorcycles and pocket bikes during the crackdown. They also stopped multiple juveniles to explain local and state restrictions on motorized bicycles. Sheriff’s personnel formally admonished the youths and their parents about the dangers of unlicensed drivers operating motorized vehicles.

Department officials issued a public reminder that vehicles lacking pedals and featuring motors exceeding 750 watts are legally classified as electric motorcycles. Unlicensed drivers are prohibited from operating them on public thoroughfares. Authorities added that certain electric motorcycles are built exclusively for off-road use and lack the safety equipment required for driving on public roadways.

The kids simply do not have the training or expertise to be on the road. It wasn't long ago that an Oceanside woman went to jail because her stupid kid ran over an old man and killed him. Wasn't the first time the child had been cited.

We need to reign them in.

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Many of you do not know that for the last fifteen or twenty years I have supplemented my income by writing educational curriculum for teachers. I worked for a private company that was affiliated with a college located in Southern California.

My first course took me a year or so to finish. It was a history of Vietnam. After that I wrote so many courses, dyslexia, a book on basketball, Lewis and Clark, FDR, a Beginners guide to Photoshop now in its third revision and printing, more courses than I can remember frankly.

Things went swimmingly. I was paid a lump sum for every course and nine dollars for every course sold. This made for a nice annuity of about six or seven thousand extra dollars a year.

At a point in time several years ago the company was sold to the University. I worked with a wonderful dean, could not have been nicer.

He retired and things started to change. They sent me a new contract a few months ago with all sorts of new conditions like me having to grade papers for practically nothing and having to drive to school to meet with students. I told them I would not sign and they said that the contract was wrong and should never have been sent to me, with their apologies.

I called them on Friday needing a tax statement for the prior year. The woman said that there was going to be a big change coming. I got the letter yesterday. My services are no longer required. But they are apparently still going to sell my course, at least three of them are still listed. They just will no longer pay me any royalties. 

I wrote them back. They can get rid of my courses if they like but if they keep them without honoring our agreement I think there will be legal consequences.

I have to think that they have been less than honest with me. Ever since the old Dean left the communication lines were severed and things were in a state of flux. I could no longer trust them.

All good things come to an end. I enjoyed this job. It gave me an opportunity to learn and research and I think I made a valuable contribution to teacher's learning as well.

On to the next thing.

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Woman at Long Beach @ Robert Sommers 2026

We drove to Long Beach Sunday and got a few fill in pictures for my new book, Early Sunday Morning, twenty years at the Long Beach Flea Market. I have a good company that I am working with and a layout person in Ohio. 144 pages, 11 x 14" hardcover. Still deciding if we will print in China or Korea, the latter cheaper but better quality in China. About a thousand dollars difference in price, hope to go with China. I think I have at least fifty pre-sold already, maybe seventy five.

It is all starting to happen very fast. I finished the rough layout this week.

I'm very excited about it.

Duality

I heard a cut of this percussion band on Pandora and they blew me away. Do a deep dive on them.

Seen at the donut shop

 A guy walked in yesterday with the perfect misanthropic t-shirt. Somewhat concur.

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A good American citizen, Laura Berlin, put out an interactive map out, Who is profiting from ICE? 

At this point, it’s clear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been taking legally questionable and violent action across the country to arrest, detain and deport thousands of people. But as easy as it may be to point the finger at a single evil boogeyman, ICE depends on a massive infrastructure of individuals, companies and suppliers to achieve its goals.

Laura Berlin, a Texas mom with a background in nonprofit communications, decided to create an interactive Google Map called “Who’s Profiting from ICE?” In it, she pinpoints the hundreds of businesses and corporations across the country that have reportedly been complicit in enacting ICE’s mass deportation campaign, along with a short description of how each company retains ties with the agency.

Berlin gathers most of the information on the website from government databases that are accessible to the general public — so there are no big secrets to reveal. “In a handful of cases, information comes from other sources, like credible media reports or job listings,” Berlin tells me. “In the very rare event I receive a tip that I can’t verify with public records, I reach out to the company to give them a chance to respond before adding a listing.”

Good to know. Interesting to see how global the co-operation is, click on the map link above and see.

And what does the government think about her site?

The U.S. government labeled Berlin’s website a “tool for domestic terrorism” in a February intelligence bulletin — a pretty serious accusation.

Of course they do. If you don't support our current regime's draconian and inhumane agenda you are terrorists.