The Influence of Salvador Dali on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"

My talk was well-received today at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL!  Here's some bio information on this strange fellow, Marc Valdez.

There are other museum talks of interest here. 

Celebrated afterwards by eating at Dali's Kitchen.

 

Visited The Delta King at Sacramento's River Front

I Went To Clear Lake For a Few Minutes

The pictures are proof.

The Influence of Salvador Dali on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"

Please join me today, Thursday, June 24th, for a livestream YouTube presentation entitled "The Influence of Salvador Dali on 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul.'" I will be on chat. The talk is sponsored by The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. 

 The talk will be presented at 6 p.m. Eastern time, which works out to 11 p.m. in London; 5 p.m. Central; 4 p.m. Mountain (in the ABQ); 3 p.m. Pacific. Here is a link to museum's page: 

 Or you can go directly to YouTube. 

 Afterwards, I anticipate the talk will join the other captivating presentations on the Museum's YouTube page. There are so many interesting videos there. You can actually learn about art!

A Cat Stalks Jasper

I kept Jasper away from the skunk under the parked car. Just as well. 

Jasper remembers things, but doesn't pay close attention. Jasper barks at trees where squirrels once were a week ago, but where they are no longer to be found. If I let him chase a squirrel, he misses it when the squirrel dodges into brush, preferring to bark wildly at phantoms instead. 

The other night, a cat was stalking Jasper from the gutter. I pointed at the cat, and said "Look!" Alerted, Jasper scanned the trees for squirrels. "No, Jasper, look!" I repeated. Jasper kept looking at treetops. Spinning in circles, Jasper eventually startled the cat, but it wasn't through any skill on his part.

Elaine Mystifies Nextdoor

I notice Elaine Borelli, who was once a coworker at Sierra Research about 20 years ago, posted a photo of a mysterious object she found near Sac State on Nextdoor. Much discussion ensued.

The Neighborhood Century Plant is Dropping Florets Now

Mia Piazza's High School Graduation Party

I forgot how these things go! People without masks, and everything!  Out in the wilds of Woodland.

After conquering the FFA during her high school years, Mia is off to Cal State Fullerton.

Southwestern Monsoon Stuttering To Life Over Next Week

 It'll be a little early this year, but more than welcome.  I just hope it's strong and sustained!

Lorde - Solar Power

 

 When I saw this video, I thought it looked familiar. Apparently it's Cactus Bay on Waiheke Island, in New Zealand. I visited Oneroa Bay on Waiheke Island back in 2008. So, quite close!

Wet Leg - Chaise Longue

 

 As Covid-19 becomes passé, and the Roaring Twenties start in earnest, I have great expectations for pop music ("I couldn't stop shaking.")

Invisible Drought Assistance

I found this optimism to be a bit unexpected, but I'll take it:

Far below the Sacramento metro area are two large groundwater aquifers. These are able to hold 1.8 million acre-feet of water — nearly twice the amount of water as Folsom Reservoir — in the soil and rock crevices 2,000 feet below the surface. Unlike other parts of California, our groundwater aquifer is stable, sustainable and ready to serve as our drought buffer.

This wasn’t always the case. More than two decades ago, groundwater levels were declining dramatically, threatening the long-term viability of some groundwater-dependent communities. The American River was also overtaxed. So, in 2000, leaders across the region came together in the historic Water Forum Agreement to balance the needs of our communities and the environment by jointly managing surface water and groundwater.

Today, thanks to that effort, the Sacramento region’s groundwater aquifers are no longer declining, and mechanisms are in place to ensure they recharge on a regular basis. They are so stable, in fact, that we are able to use them as a Water Bank, storing water during wet years for use during dry years. 

We’ve achieved a lot of groundwater recharge naturally, simply by reducing reliance on the river. The less we pump out, the more water is available to seep into the aquifer. This means a significant portion of the Water Bank can be filled up without expensive new infrastructure.

Water Quality In Local Rivers is Deteriorating

Swimming in local rivers might be a bad idea. The legacy of extreme drought. It's just like 2015 all over again!

On June 8, a round of testing indicated that several locations along the Sacramento River were substantially above safe levels of the "bacteria objective" that the state goes by. 

Discovery Park had the highest levels of E. coli at that time, testing well above 900 MPN/100 ml.

Recent Forest Fire Perimeters

This is a very useful interactive map (at the link), showing how forest fire perimeters have been rapidly-expanding over the last 30 years. 2020, in particular, was a horrible year. Here is another useful map. 

Yet, I'm optimistic about the future. Some places have been burned over several times, especially in the Coast Range north of San Francisco. The mass of overgrown vegetation that's built up over the last century is being taken care of in the only way it ever could - by burning! It will be harder to sustain large fires in these areas in the immediate future. 

 Lots of areas in the Sierra ripe for fire, though. Maybe that's the area for big fires this decade.