From the 7th street hotel, do NOT turn right. The view is fine from the top of this hill but descend into San Diego’s Gas Light District at your own peril. Low class tourism, trashy street urchins, barbary coast urban decay, and expensive restaurant pricing await thee. The city is trying so hard to remake this section of town, and they’ve succeeded in pockets scattered around. But it will take a few many more visitors and their dinero for a successful transformation.

Dang! I wish’d I’d stocked up on R-134a last summer… The price has easily doubled. I got a clue — browsing the AutoZone and not finding the A/C supplies for garage do-it-yourselfers. The stuff is now too pricey to set out. Would be easy pickin’s. They keep it locked up. Dupont has the market cornered says the sympathetic cashier. Cost of oil blah blah blah. Gotta keep cool. Hopefully, it will only take one can to blow ice cold.

A hotel’s Business / Computer Center — the modern day equivalent of the public phone booth. People lined up outside the cubicle impatiently rapping on the glass door, “R U almost off?”. Don’t know about phone booth etiquette? Whatsa phone booth?

No. 1 daughter, undergoing some kind of stress test assignment hazing, was nervous. Afraid that she might be singled out or embarrassed in some way. She was tasked with going to a Sunday Church that was not of her own choosing and one that was somewhat foreign (way different). “Listen, if you happen to get up before the group DO NOT let the grand master of ceremonies place the palm of his hand on your forehead. You will go down..”, I advised preying on the butterflies. “For sure don’t give out your contact info — recruiters will soon be making rounds. How ’bout a little donation!

From the list of things to-do someday (like today): Preserve 9 hours of HOME MOVIES to save for posterity or until the popular world again changes media type (which ever comes first). The general belief is that analog tapes will eventually begin to decay, not to mention that VHS players may go dinosaur in the near future. Remember 45’s? LP records? 8-track? the floppy disc? Planned obsolescence. 16mm –> 8mm –> Super 8mm –> Betamax –> VHS –> VHS-C –> CD –> DVD. What comes after DVD? Luckily, we still have a functional VCR which when connected inline with a DV Cam functions like a Video Capture card. The digital stream will output via FireWire to a PC hardrive. Next step will be to edit the raw footage (or who in heck could stay awake watching them?) and burn to DVDs. I’ll put a man on it…

i Air announced its anticipated transcon Tender Loving Service^TM today.
New Airbus non-stops via:

     Washington to San Diego             San Diego to Washington  
Departs           Arrives           Departs            Arrives     
9:15a             11:35a            12:35p             8:30p     
Washington to San Francisco         San Francisco to Washington     
Departs           Arrives           Departs            Arrives     
9:00a             11:40a            6:15a*             2:21p    
 6:45p             9:25p             12:35p             8:30p     
Washington to Los Angeles           Los Angeles to Washington     
Departs           Arrives           Departs            Arrives     
9:15p             11:35p            12:35a*            8:15a     
Washington to Seattle               Seattle to Washington    
Departs           Arrives           Departs            Arrives     
6:45p             9:45p             11:59p             7:40a     
Washington to San Jose              San Jose to Washington     
Departs           Arrives           Departs            Arrives     
6:45p             9:30p             11:00p             7:05a

or as you like, here is a visual presentation. GoFlyi 😮

The case shroud for the mechanism was filled with snow white powder. The motor ran with its usual hummmm but the door and hardware were immobile. First generation automatic garage doors had a belt drive which would have been simple to renew but the latest iteration use a roller worm and nylon gear arrangement. Compact but somewhat more expensive when they wear and spectacular when they self destruct as did mine. The snow flakes in the cover shield were the finely ground remains of the sprocket’s teeth. A google search returned a part identification and now the replacement bits are on their way via UPS ground.

• parts – $30
• sweat equity – ??
• elbow grease – ??
• grease on Levis – $50

Must be wearing the correct shade of winter tan — the tourists are starting to seek local knowledge and ask for directions. Welp, it was another glorious day in (winter) paradise but my mission here is complete and its nearly time to head back to be with the gang. I miss ’em.

On COPS the perps hang themselves with incriminating statements. Last night’s episode involved a sting operation. A high buck Mercedes-Benz mountain bike was left leaning (unlocked) against the side wall of a liquor store late at night. A gentlemen came upon the lone bike and wasted no time in spiriting the thing away. Arrested, he had no problem telling the officers that “he’d thought someone had forgot it there and that he was going to take it”. He was convinced in his own mind that this was OKAY. In his scheme of things, anyone stupid enough to leave their big dollar ride just sitting somewhere – “forgotten” deserved to lose it. Yen and yang cause / reaction in his king of the hill, dog eat dog, every man for themselves, ghetto world. He was hauled away for his interpretations and the trap re-set. The next victim was much sharper and quick on his feet to explain as the cuffs went on: “Hey, I thought it was the bike that had been stolen from me last week and I was lucky to find it there”. When confronted that the bike that he was recovering actually belonged to the city he spoke up: “Ooops! My mistake it was hard to see in the darkness and all and also I didn’t have my glasses on me.” Eddie Murphy couldn’t have performed it better. Is there a problem officers? Oh! I can see! Oh! Thank you!

Having fought off a stress induced lo-level cold from last week, I’m getting back into the swing of it with my regular afternoon off visits to the beach. I’m starting to recognize some of the locals. Being a Sunday the place was ideal for people watching, lots of boating and PWC, bicyclists but very few jogging on the greenway path. Latin country western from car stereos. Spanish chatter. I wished that I spoke the lingo. English is a second language here. In the Publix asking an esoteric question like: “In what isle might I find the flat bread?” creates a scurry of confusion as an interpreter is sought. The cashier, even after determining that I am Euro-American refuses to use my language. I am a foreigner. Chainsaw noise from a renegade pocket mini motorcyclist or powered skate board. A light onshore breeze carries the aroma of sun tan lotion, charcoal brickets, and sometimes odor of baking fish. I guess my stuffed nose is working normally now, cured by tropical sun.