Apopheniac

Bubbly tonight - Black-eyed Peas Tomorrow

Tonight we will celebrate with Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and tomorrow we will have a new years meal including black-eyed peas for good luck in the coming year. (This may be a regional tradition since the California groceries don't feature black-eyed peas at this season the way the stores in Georgia and Texas did.)

The Road to Recovery

I awoke this morning feeling better - strength back, much less coughing and sniffling. Jean is also better and Kirk remains unscathed.

It helped too that the pouring rain of the last two days has abated. Weatherman says this is the calm between the storms and pacific radar shows another bundle of clouds coming our way. With any luck it will pass northeast of us.

A Flu, Flu Christmas

Well, Jean has been down with the flu for about a week and now I seem to be sniffling, coughing and aching. Kirk seems to be doing fine. This has slowed down the packing. We seem to have the energy to get a single task done and then we have to go nap. Today I got new tires for Kirk's volkswagen so I could drive it safely to Texas. Tomorrow I'll get the oil changed and get it a safety check.

The plan is to drive the vw to Lubbock, pick up a rental truck and car-trailer and drive them back to California where we will pack the truck and return to Lubbock. This will save us over $1,200 over a one way truck rental.

Merry Christmas

I awoke before dawn and find myself sitting at the keyboard. Merry Christmas and blessings to all.

Master and Commander - The e-book

Last night I began reading Master and Commander as an e-book on my palm. It is well written, though there are period and nautical references which I have to look up. For those beginning the series may I suggest "Patrick O'Brian's Navy - The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World."

It is a testiment to the movie that as I read, I visualize the characters as they were portrayed in the film.

Let the packing begin.

Well, we have spent a week of research and house cleaning. I have reserved the truck. The schedule is made. Tomorrow begins the packing.

I did discover a really great moving tool which I tracked down and purchased today. The Forearm Forklift allows you to move heavy bulky furniture (like dressers with the drawers full) and to do it without scratching floors or hurting your back.

Will the last person to leave silicon valley please turn out the lights.

Well, it looks like we are going to be moving to Texas. Changes in our situation here and opportunities in Texas are combining to form a growing vortex drawing us toward Lubbock in the Texas Panhandle.

Think flat. This is the edge of the Llano Estacado, one of the flattest places on the planet. Think agricultural. This city of 200,000 is the transportation and education hub for an area that was dusty prairie until the discovery of a vast underground aquifer enabled the irrigation which turned it to furtile farmland. Think educational. Texas Tech is a major research university located in Lubbock.