2024/25 California Rainy Season, to Date

A quick summary of the California rainy season, to date. Northern California is very wet (rainfall is 144% of normal for the season for Sacramento Executive Airport). In stark contrast, Southern California, the land of rampaging fires, is very dry. 

Starting on Saturday we'll start seeing a lot more rain in Norcal (with lots of rain on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas), but there's no indication any rain will fall at all in SoCal until New Year's Eve.

Major Lunar Standstill Sunday Night Moonrise

[Sunday night, December 15th] The full moon is nearly overhead - about 28 degrees north - and about as far north as it ever gets, in this year of major lunar standstill. Enjoy! 

More on the major lunar standstill at the Griffith Observatory in LA:

 

I Always Figured Life in California Would Be Like This

But somehow never was.

 

@sandiecameron

♬ 365 - Charli xcx

Grammarian, Under Pressure

@elle.cordova

Grammarian vs Errorist, a supervillain showdown

♬ original sound - Elle Cordova

All The Leaves Fall Down, Go Boom

Go Greeks!

Monty Python Video.

Everything Gets So Jammed at Year's End

Via Dave.

Ok, Was That Worm Sign, or Are The Tectonic Plates Doing Their Thing?

A 5.7 quake from out in Yerington, NV.

It was interesting how I heard the quake before I felt it. A tick-tick-tick sound as the house was quietly swaying.  I’m sure it was the quake proper; it just grew in intensity as time passed. But yes, we can be like the animals and notice these things as they happen.

Starting to Release the Inmates in Syria's Saydnaya Prison

This is extraordinary - starting to release the more than 100K political prisoners in Syria's Saydnaya Prison.

#Syria: those are the first moments after Rebels reached the infamous Saydnaya prison N. of #Damascus and started to liberate prisoners. pic.twitter.com/OprYkMN8r2

— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) December 8, 2024

Green Valley VerteFée Cabaret - Let's Get Elfed Up - December 6, 2024

It was a good time, at First Christian Church, 3901 Folsom Blvd., just a short distance where I once lived (1992-1995). It was great seeing Rachel perform, and also seeing old friends like Nick Thompson and Tilly O'Laughlin. Plus, Ashley, and I didn't realize Dana was in the show. Dana used to be a ballet regular; need to make her a regular again.

The description of the show says much:

We love the holidays, which is why we eviscerate them from the inside out! We hope you’ll join us for the The VerteFée Cabaret’s special brand of holiday cheer! Green Valley Theatre Company has revived the time-honored tradition of the cabaret. In this ever-changing and evolving show, some of the most talented (and depraved) performers from Sacramento and beyond cast aside convention (and often their bras). The VerteFée Cabaret is a bohemian, absinthe-soaked extravaganza in spirit of French cabarets and the raunchy, satirized Weimar shows of 1930’s Germany. In keeping with the vaudeville tradition, The VerteFée presents unique yet classic humor that straddles the line between witty and blasphemous, where offense is not intended, it’s just a bonus.

I particularly liked the segments on the Nutcracker, and Dad Jokes.

I Didn't Feel That Earthquake on December 5th

I was driving to my new job, so didn't feel it.  I bet my dog Jasper felt it, though.  The wood frame of my house amplifies vibrations, and I've felt tremors that others didn't.

Emily Wilson on "The Iliad"

Speaking of the classics, here is Emily Wilson, our translator of "The Iliad."

 

"The Return"

Since I'm in Gabe's classics book club, I suppose it's mandatory to see this! The return of Odysseus to Ithaca. Now showing at the Tower Theater. It stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (who also starred in my favorite movie of this century, "The Clouds of Sils Maria").

Which reminds me, the book club will meet again on Tuesday evening.  Must reread Chapter 14.....

 

"Wicked": The Movie

 It's good - go and see it!

Substitute Teaching Assistant

I haven't had a regular job for more than eight years. Still, there's no denying that some kind of regular, part-time job could help with finances. But what job? After a false start earlier this year, I found something that I hope will be suitable, at least for awhile: Substitute Teaching Assistant for the California Montessori Project. So low on the totem pole that I'm subterranean. And today (December 5th) was the first day of work (at their Capitol campus; all grades). 

It was a sensory overload kind of day. My job today was to assist with lunch and recess, for kindergartners and older kids too, plus monitor them prior to their parents picking them up towards evening. Lots of time on my feet. 

Most of the kids were a bit wary of me at first, which I expected. I'm a new man, much older than anyone else in the school. Still, some of the kids approached me, as kids will, out of curiosity. I talked to one ten-year-old boy. He was the classic lonely boy in a new school, having troubles with adjusting.  We talked about long-duration space flight.

Still, the 5-to-6 year old kids were the most charming. One girl explained that she was the Queen of Hearts and that she daydreams a lot. Another girl, with a slight Russian accent (Sacramento has a large Russian community) explained that she has three birthdays (about which I still need clarification). In midafternoon, a boy felt overwhelmed by fatigue and tried to nap by kneeling at the foot of a slide and using the slide as a pillow, which caused problems when the other kids used the slide as designed. Several girls spilled dirt across the tops of several basketballs, added wood chips and pine needles, and played hair stylist. Several kids showed me loose baby teeth, absent baby teeth, and new permanent teeth. 

All pretty charming. And if I'm good at this maybe I can aspire to the lofty goal of Substitute Teacher. 

(It’s interesting to be the rule enforcer when I have no idea what the rules are. “Can I go outside?” Well, why not? It’s a free country and it’s a beautiful day outside.)

Cult of the Five Turkeys

The Five Turkeys of the neighborhood found Jasper intriguing and started following him. His faithful little avian cult.

Simulation of the Formation of the Moon

Blue America Props Up Red America In So Many Ways

Time to kick out the props.

Balloon Crashes Into Radio Tower

I missed this news from Albuquerque last month. These towers are pretty tall and dramatic parts of the skyline.

 

Donna Summer - "Sunset People"

Memories from the halcyon days of 1979.

 

RIP, Fred Harris

John notes that former Oklahoma Senator Fred Harris passed away.I didn't realize he had been living in Corrales since 1976. The neighbor I never knew. One of the good guys:

Harris ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976, quitting after poor showings in early contests, including a fourth-place win in New Hampshire. The more moderate Jimmy Carter went on to win the presidency.

Harris moved to New Mexico that year and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote and edited more than a dozen books, mostly on politics and Congress. In 1999 he broadened his writings with a mystery set in Depression-era Oklahoma.

Throughout his political career, Harris was a leading liberal voice for civil rights and anti-poverty programs to help minorities and the disadvantaged.

“Democrats everywhere will remember Fred for his unparalleled integrity and as a pioneer for instituting core progressive values of equity and opportunity for prosperity as core tenets of our party,” the Democratic Party of New Mexico said in a statement.

Along with his first wife, LaDonna, a Comanche, he also was active in Native American issues. 

“I’ve always called myself a populist or progressive,” Harris said in a 1998 interview. “I’m against concentrated power. I don’t like the power of money in politics. I think we ought to have programs for the middle class and working class.”

Worst Walk Ever

Jasper and I were walking along 21st Street on a rainy evening, approaching the intersection with Broadway, right next to Creole Soul Restaurant. At the same time, the driver of a northbound car decided to turn left onto Broadway, and didn’t account for the fact that the southbound driver had the right of way. 

BOOM! 

I jumped back. The southbound car was coming straight for us on the sidewalk. Fortunately the car stopped about thirty feet away from us, but the crunchy plastic debris from the collision sprayed forward about twenty feet away from us. The northbound car spun around and faced nearly south. 

And so we waited for the emergency vehicles. Witnesses tried to help. Air bags had gone off, filling the cars with worrisome smoke. The southbound driver complained about neck and shoulder pain. Jasper sat in the plastic debris, thinking this was the worst walk ever. A woman came over (emergency contact for the southbound driver), fussed over Jasper, and told him “this must be your worst walk ever!” 

The police didn’t need my witness statement. Other witnesses had better views. Jasper and I walked on.

Just Look at Those Pervs

Precipitation Map of Recent Rains

Here is a map of rainfall over the past week (Nov. 17-23). Rainfall was very uneven, concentrated on high elevations in the Coast Range, and also around Redding and just east of Chico. Local rains were substantial - 2.68 inches at Sacramento Executive Airport - but they pale in comparison to other places. There are isolated places that got more than 20 inches of rain: 24+ inches, northwest of Santa Rosa.

They Have Their Master; So Do You

Jasper and I were walking along 21st Street and saw that the door to the Aikido Studio was open. Jasper stopped, looked in, and tried to grasp the scene. Twenty students dressed in white robes were kneeling in a perfect line as they listened raptly to their master. I tugged Jasper's leash and whispered, "Come, Jasper. They have their master; so do you."

Mika and Joe - Complete Capitulation to Trump

Paging Through The Binders

A Temperature Bump

That's kinda cool. Here in Sacramento we are in the "warm sector," in advance of the approaching cold front. Despite the usual pattern of temperatures dropping after sunset, at about 10 pm, temperatures bumped upwards by two degrees before dropping again. Some of that warm air from the south is getting pulled north as the storm approaches. It's not as cold as last night. If we could just lock the storm in place maybe we could lose some clothes.

Jasper Reaches Safeway!

Today is a landmark day. As part of his ongoing effort to explore the Newton Booth neighborhood, Jasper walked all the way to Safeway. I thought it was too far for him and his little legs, but I was wrong. He may be a silly dog, but he is in robust good health. 

Safeway was the favorite destination of Bella, my previous dog. Bella loved finding food in the bushes at Safeway, including that one time she found an entire, intact rotisserie chicken. When Bella passed away in 2016, I buried her tags under this rock.

The British Look Forward to Working with Donald Trump

Hilarious video at the link.

Beautiful Lunar Display

We are in the year of maximum lunar standstill, the culmination of the 18.5 cycle, whereby the Moon swings to the maximum northern and southern paths that it can possibly reach. 

The last four nights, the full Moon has put on a magnificent display. It's so far north now (+27.5 degrees) that it passes almost directly overhead here in Sacramento. It's wonderful! We have about eight more months of this. It'll be 2043/44 before we see the like again!

Favorite Top 10 Pop Song List For 2024

I was thinking it's about time for 2024 end-of-year lists, and I wanted to do a favorite Top 10 pop song list for the year. I ran into two problems: 

1.) It's hard to keep the list to just ten songs; and, 

2.) Most of the songs were released well before 2024. 

Oh well! 

I've been tracking pop tunes since 1969. My head is jammed with various pop tunes and genres. Pop music is evanescent by nature, and should expire fairly quickly (thus, I loathe the Classic Rock format, which keeps zombie songs going for decades and ignores older tunes that never got much air play.) 

Anyway, here are my fave pop tunes from 2024 (or actually 2023, as it may be): 

It was a Chappell Roan year. The Midwest Princess' "Hot To Go" and "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl (both from 2023) are great! 

Other tunes: 

Sam Fender "People Watching" (2024) 

Olivia Rodrigo "Bad Idea Right?" (2023) 

Taylor Swift/Ice Spice "Karma" (2023) 

Taylor Swift "Anti-Hero" (2022) 

Malandra Jr. "Sveva" (2021) 

Sabrina Carpenter "Feather" (2023) 

Young Fathers "I Saw" (2022) 

Doja Cat "Agora Hills" (2023) 

Rema/Selena Gomez "Calm Down" (2023) 

And for honorable mention: 

Rosalia - "Con Altura" (2019) 

I wouldn't even mention Rosalia except George Morales had the uncommon, unbelievable luck of serving her on a transatlantic flight earlier this year. Plus, even though she sings reggaetón, she grew up in flamenco culture, and her songs feature many flamenco references. It's fun to tease them out (De Las Islas).

We’ve Been Here Before

@nowthisimpact ‘Bueller? Bueller?’ — This iconic scene with Ben Stein might be 37 years old but feels like essential viewing as we all argue about tariffs #taxes #trump #economy #films ♬ original sound - NowThis Impact

ISS Alert!

Jasper and I stumbled out into the wet Sacramento streets for the early-evening walk. Jasper turned unexpectedly on a nearby street. We approached a man standing motionless on the sidewalk there in the dark murk. 

"Do you want to see the International Space Station?" the man asked. He pointed upwards at a bright star - brighter than Venus - moving rapidly northeast across the sky broken with clouds. "Wow!" I said. (I used love watching satellites as a kid.) "How do you know it's the ISS?" "I have this app," he replied. "It dings 15 minutes ahead of time. Usually the ISS isn't quite so bright, but the sun has barely set, so it's catching the full rays of the sun." 

He was beaming and happy to share his interest.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Duck

Matt Gaetz Tapped for Pervert-General

Matt Gaetz for Attorney General! Hard to imagine! It’s like the Jefferey Epstein Child Sex Memorial Act of 2024! Child sex for everyone! 

I enjoy listening to the Tik Tok videos of the Knitting Cult Lady, who grew up in the Children of God sex cult. She says that all organizations run as cults will inevitably degrade into child sex cults, because there is no better way for the cult leader to demonstrate their power. Trump is demonstrating just how that works. 

The Senate used to have leaders, but these days they are just cringey wraiths. They will not resist Trump’s plan. There used to be people in this country outraged by child sex trafficking, but most of them joined Trump’s cult, so they won’t resist either. Republicans will be split on the issue. 

No, once again it’s up to Democrats, and Democrats alone, to remind people that sex with children is immoral and illegal.

A New Tropical Depression

There is a developing tropical depression forming in the Caribbean, likely to be called Sara when it reaches tropical storm strength. Modeling over the last day is fairly consistent, showing the storm meandering for awhile but then breaking free and reaching the west coast of Florida around Wednesday, November 20th. It’s as if Milton and Helene will get together and have a daughter. Something to keep an eye on.

Family Guy in Middle America

@yaoboix Family guy trump 2024 #familyguy #bestmoments #funny #random #trump #2024 #maga ♬ original sound - Family Guy Best Moments

"The Room"

Even though I saw "The Disaster Artist" in 2017, a comedy about the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 "The Room," I had never actually seen the movie until last night at the Tower Theater. 

There were about thirty people in the audience, all ready to see, by popular agreement, one of the worst movies ever made, but for that very reason, something of a modern masterpiece. There was a Rocky Horror ambiance about it. Everyone seemed to have plastic spoons to toss at critical times. Interludes that featured San Francisco Bay were met with chants of "water, water!" Views of Golden Gate traffic were met with chants of "go, go!" Views of the city were met with "meanwhile in San Francisco!" And, of course, the classic meme, "Oh, hi Mark!"

 

Could We See a Revival of the Klan?

The recent texts to Blacks and Hispanics telling them to report for cotton-picking duty caught my attention. It struck me as an update to old-fashioned Ku Klux Klan terror tactics. 

Perhaps we are going to see a revival of the Klan, perhaps the fourth surge in its history, or if not the Klan, some organization like it. The second revival of the Klan came after WW1 and was driven by anti-immigration and pro-Prohibition sentiment; similar to today's border frenzy and stricter abortion laws. 

I think it's unlikely that any mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, or mass crackdowns on young women, will succeed, in part, because local police will be required. Many agencies won't cooperate, because they are already busy enough. Still, militant, engaged civilians could step in where the police won't:

From the beginning, Prohibition was tied up with anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic biases. Many of its advocates were white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants who thought only people like them could be “real Americans.” They believed the country was under siege by Catholic immigrants from countries like Italy, and that these people threatened the U.S. with their foreign drinking habits and saloons. 

“It was really a battle for cultural supremacy in a country that was changing,” says Thomas R. Pegram, a history professor at Loyola University Maryland and the author of One Hundred Percent American: The Rebirth and Decline of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. “Prohibition became a way in which that could be enforced in local communities.”