What was that all about?

I was up early today because Scott had to set up the course for the marathoners he is training. So I made breakfast and sat down with Sports Illustrated (I read it every week cover to cover, it's a true weekly pleasure) and came across the fact that Johns Hopkins beat Duke this year to win the Collegiate Lacrosse Championship. The strange thing was, I ACTUALLY felt a pang of nostalgia and sentiment for Hopkins. It was fleeting, granted, but what does it mean that I actually felt something for my graduate school? Maybe there is a slow thawing of my anitpathy for that time in my life. Whatever it is, doesn't mean I'm giving them money anytime soon.

Art's Crab Shak

There is NOT a misspelling in the title of this post. Met college friend Hans for dinner tonight, it's been a while since we've gotten together. He and Teresa recently moved from Berkeley to the wild streets of Oakland. He and I walked four blocks to 40th and Broadway (a stones throw from the Oakland Kaiser Hospital in which I had my first surgery after my infamous accident) to eat at Art's Crab Shak. The place looks like it has been stuck in time since the 1960's. And truth be told, it has. The house specialty is garlic crab and it's amazingly good. Much of my enjoyment of the crab can probably be attributed to the inch thick pool of melted butter at the bottom of the plate that Hans and I shared. All you who live in the East Bay, it's well worth checking out. The Shak is at 4031 Broadway (at 40th). Tell them Ernie sent you.

In case you didn't know yet

I give this marriage six months, tops!

Off the grid

Gary D., a former rowing buddy, is a person that in the craziness of life that I lost touch with, until today. Before I lost touch with him, there was mention of purchasing a home that was off the grid in Sonoma county, a place where he could work and live away from the hectic life in Berkeley. Note the words "off the grid" which I took to be "a little out of the way".

Car batteries to store excess generated solar power

Off the grid really meant off the PG&E power grid. In a complicated buying scenario, Gary now lives in a house that was once owned and occupied by a "kooky woman" (Gary's words) that built a self-sustaining home. Gary now is "on the grid".

Thomas (an ex of Gary's), Thomas' current boyfriend Y (pronounced "E"), Scott (you all know who he is) and I caravaned up to Gary's too have what was advertised as a "country brunch". Let's say, hmm, it was more than country and less than brunch. In all seriousness, Gary had contractors over doing work and so we went out to brunch.

A view of Gary's home and it's view

Gary D.

We drove to the lovely little town of Occidental to have brunch at a cafe called The Naked Lady Cafe.

Thomas, Y and Gary post brunch

So, the most shocking moment of the day occurred on the drive home when a car reached a four way stop intersection with no cars anywhere in sight and came to a full and complete unprovked stop. This, in California no less. The timing of this incident was particularly bad due to my almond sized bladder.