Winter Wonderland

It's been a while since my last entry, and this one is going to be
short since I'm writing it on my phone.

I had to share this image. Yes, they're ice skating, and they're in
San Francisco. Fans of old Ray Harryhausen movies will recognize the
Ferry Building in the background. (It's a landmark that withstood the
1906 earthquake, but was destroyed by The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.)

Anyway, the City puts up this outdoor ice rink every year over the
holidays. It really does make it feel like Christmas.

And speaking of Christmas, did you hear that an Australian "Santa
Recruiting Firm" is forbidding their mall Santas saying "ho, ho, ho?"
Seems that since "ho" has a new meaning they're requiring the Saints
Nick to say "hee, hee, hee." It's just not the same.

Ah, well. Times, they do a change.

Winter is Here

OK, so winter's not really here. This is San Francisco, after all. But we've started having the cold snaps that herald the arrival of winter. Unfortunately for everyone's immune systems, we've also been having the typical hot snaps that punctuate the cold snaps. So, one day the high will be 55 and the next day it'll be 85. Makes it hard to know how to dress. Also means that probably 30 percent of my coworkers have colds.

Anyway, I could write a lengthy analysis of the weather patterns that result in the hot/cold/hot snaps because I'm that kind of guy, but I'll spare you. Leave it to say that the location of San Francisco, adjacent to the Golden Gate (over which the famous bridge spans), that results in our tempermental weather patterns. The saying here is if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes, or walk two blocks. Often, that's true.

The ultimate answer to the question of how to cope with the schizophrenic weather is layers. Leave the house bundled up with a t-shirt, a dress shirt, a sweater, a light jacket and an overcoat. Then, as the temperature goes up or down, adjust accordingly.

I've taken to carrying my little cheap HD Camcorder with me everywhere. It's small and lightweight, so it doesn't cause me trouble, but it's also high resolution, so even though it's just a snap-shot camera, it can produce some nice images. As a result, I'm taking more photos than ever before. I still prefer my DSLR (a Canon Digital Rebel) for true photography, but for capturing passing moments and events, this is great. The attached was the other morning on my way to work. Our City Hall, gorgeous on any day, looks even more beautiful and mysterious in the fog. Of course, the fog burned off about 20 minutes later.

Enjoy.

:D