Timing

Half of everything is timing. Or is it luck? Preparation? I suppose one half could be timing and the other half luck, but I would like there to be enough overlap to allow for other factors as well. Like preparation. In either case, they do all seem related somehow. In my current state, with a deadline on Friday and a back that qualifies for some of California's recently legalized "alternative medicine", I would wish for a little bit more of each. This weekend I took a day off and went on a trip to see smalltown USA, ended up at a miniature wine festival, and admired the completely unique California nature. Somewhere along the line I tore my back, or slipped a disc. But all in all it was a great day, back pain included. No pictures from that, but here is one of the Bay Area fog rolling in over Berkeley (as seen from the lab). And photo evidence of what the cult my brother joined is really up to. To round off I'll mention the weather. 35C. Hot hot hot.

Rain!

I've heard tales of water falling from the skies. Great heavenly mists drawing in from the ocean, swept around by the sound winds, and raining down on the east bay as they climb the California ridgeline. I personally haven't seen it yet, but having suffered nearly two scores of Swedish summers, I recognized the evidence on the ground this morning. Apparently it's rare to rain in the Bay Area this time of year, and even more so further into the fall. So far I've actually only seen the two standard weathers around here, sunny and foggy, and a few combinations. But this weekend, it rained! And I missed it. No pictures.

Solano Stroll

Have I mentioned the weather? Fog, sun, fog eeeeevery day. Not a bad recipe for street fairs. Here are some pictures from the Solano Stroll, one of the biggest events in the Bay Area (30' - 50'000 visitors in a single day). Not a bad day for a walk, on a 2 mile (3.2 km) long street packed with music, martial arts, solar energy solutions, hybrid cars, every fast food known to man (plus a few extras), and of course, weird costumes.

Busy busy

Almost two weeks with no update, guess I'm out of blog hell. Work is hectic at the moment, paper deadline approaching, and lots lots of balls in the air.
Ah well, here are some pictures from yet another excursion in SF.

Hum hum hum

Today's clue to not being in Sweden (you know, beside there being 31C in the shade, a big yellow scorching thing in the sky, the absence of freezing rain and piercingly chilly winds, me wearing shorts, fresh jumbo-sized strawberries, seeing the world through Ray Bans, a slightly salty taste to the air, etc.) came in the form of a hummingbird(!). As these areas are more densely populated than back home, and primarily residential areas with concrete pavements, it's easy to forge how close nature is. There are a lot of greens around here, which have yet to fail to put a smile on my face, but also quite a few (small) bits of wildlife. In fact, just two or three days ago they shot a mountain lion in the gourmet ghetto (about 1 block and 7 hours from where and when the house pictures below were taken). Nature is close by, just like home. Just a very different kind of nature. Hummingbirds are really cool. This climate is not. Here are a hummingbird, the fog rolling in over the Golden Gate, and a few of the spectacular houses in the neighborhood. Rumor has it a certain adviser used to live in the house between these. :-)