A few months ago, I bought an exercise ball (also referred to as a balance ball or a stability ball) as an addition to my home gym. It’s essentially just a very large ball, and, supposedly, it’s an excellent tool for working abdominal and back muscles, because not only to you can you stretch over…
Month: February 2007
Chill Out on Global Warming Already
Now that Al Gore has won an Academy Award for An Inconvenient Truth, I will declare that global warming hysteria has reached its peak. Just the weekend before, the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle showed a map of the Bay Area showing us how our region would look when all the glaciers melt,…
Arcadia at The Pear
Yesterday, Peter and I went to see Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia performed at The Pear Avenue Theatre. First a word, about the Pear Avenue Theatre, or “the Pear” as everyone calls it these days: it’s a very small theatre in a nondescript office block in Mountain View. You wouldn’t think much of it to see its…
Solve This Rebus
Real California Park rangers have a good sense of humor. When we checked in at the Big Basin Redwoods visitor center, the ranger noticed Kelly’s headgear and made a rebus out of it. Can you solve it? minus R=1970s blues-rock band Name that band.
Disneyland California Adventure’s Grizzly Peak Recreation Area versus California’s Big Basin State Redwoods Park
Last year, my family visited Disneyland California Adventure. It was both fascinating and horrifying to see our home turned into a Disney amusement. Since then, I’ve been meaning to do a compare and contrast between real California and Disney California, but there’s so much to compare, I’m just going to have to do it in…
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Yesterday, I took my children to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It’s one of the oldest state parks, and one of my favorites. It’s known for its dramatic waterfalls, majestic redwoods over 300 feet high, and the rare wildlife that thrives in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I used to put Kelly in a backpack type…
Atomic Avenue
Atomic Avenue, an online site where comic collectors can buy and sell their comics, is going public next week. Personally, Peter and I think it’s going to transform the comic book industry. But first some background: The problem with the business of comics is that, once you get beyond the most casual level, it’s restricted…
The Mysterious Disappearance and Death of Christina Marie Williams
In June of 1998 a 13-year-old girl, Christina Williams, disappeared while walking her dog in the Monterey area town of Seaside. The story still haunts me. Of course, we all hoped Christina would be found, preferably alive and well. Her parents made regular appearances on the local news channels, the father holding the hand of…
Thanks from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center
A few years ago, I discovered the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. At its heart, it’s an educational aquarium, but it’s a bit more than that. It was everything I love about the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium at the other end of the Monterey Bay without all the things I hate. The Seymour…
Day at the Exploratorium
We visited the Exploratorium, again, yesterday. Neil loves the Exploratorium. He’d rather go there than to the movies or an amusement park. I’m sure, if he could, he would be there every day. On the other hand, sometimes Peter and I feel a little Exploratorium’d out. I don’t know why. It’s really a delightful place….