Nay BORE

I have this neighbor. He owns a house across the street -- or at least I think he owns it. He could just be one of the many contractors redesigning the interior of said house that come in and out and in and out and have been doing so for about a year. In front of this house is a nice roomy stretch of curb perfect for single car parking. It's a coveted spot in the hood.

This guy, this mini-van driver, likes to park in front of the house driveway, which happens to be just ahead of the coveted parking spot. And no matter what - no matter what!-- he always backs allll the way up to the car parked along the curb, pressing into it's bumper, even if there is a ton of room in front of him, even if he has all the space in the world. Presssssssssssssing into the car behind. Sure, I get and commit the occasional bumper tap when parking, but this seems unnecessary, and the observer can't help but consider it passive aggressive to people parking where he would like to.

Well. I looked out my window yesterday and saw this.

Jerks! My poor wee car, who was in no way taking up more than her allotted space, and was not parked rudely or without neighbor consideration. I could even see the imprint of my license plate on his dusty bumper (yes, I checked). When the red guy finally left, and I had to venture out in the rain, I left a note on someone's car for the first time ever; it was sarcastic and witty and basically said SERIOUSLY!?!?!?! And made me feel better. (jerks!)

Years create more beauty and swoon

Seriously.

yanked head[lines]

I opened my paper this morning (translation: I turned on my computer at work and hit the link for SF Gate). I know that SF Gate has stumbled upon hard times -- they write by proxy now more than anything to avoid those pesky overhead costs of having employees, and they spawn ill-conceived notions for series like 'Scenesters,' a trainwreck photo series that pretty much documented people partying and lead to interesting comments like "I just caught an STD from this photo."

So, I'm not sure if what I observed on the front page is indicative of SF Gate's current dogma proper or a broader reflection on news media entirely, but the following were the top news links:

• Girl, 5, killed when school cabinet falls on her 7:23 AM
• Dead deer in clown suit left on Iowa porch 7:48 AM
• Marin couple pays $27k to sleep at Hearst Castle 8:12 AM
• Prop. 8 rerun is headed for Maine 8:18 PM
• Herta Mueller wins 2009 Nobel literature prize 8:05 AM
• Gun-toting soccer mom, husband found dead 7:18 AM
• Tennis star's father on hunger strike in prison 8:11 AM
  

Are these twittered news (ergo time-stamp)? Are these the top visited stories on the AP (oh the sad ramifications)? Who chose these, and why are they the first listed stories on a Bay Area newspaper when only one event even occurred in California? SF Gate is not a gossip site (not entirely) or a spoof site or even a dedicated 'random' news site. Where is the news????? A majority of those stories listed above are sensational, morbid, and not anything really informative. Apart from the Prop 8 article and the Nobel prize nod, they are sadistically entertaining, playing on modern fascination with weird death and gratuitous living. And I daresay, the Prop 8 article likely plays on people's love of controversy, because even if the article is actually legit and informative and --- newsworthy--- wedging it between extravagant hotel lodging and gun-toting soccer moms is ridiculous and cheapens the topic.

Oh soapbox, I greet thee. The online version of the SF Chronicle news is completely rubbish. I am disappointed and feel like I have been cheated on --- but suspect that there are a lot of SF Gate readers out there unsurprised, checking out the Daily Dish and the curmudgeon comments, and then cruising over to NPR or BBC for actual news of the world.

Great but Terrible things...

and then there was this: The boy who made us wait forever!

Soylent green is CROCS

My morning was made when Bill sent me this Newsweek fashion article. The focus? CROCS, and the author's flabbergasted abhorrence of them. I never caught the CROC train. I work in a land of biologist and gardeners where CROCS of many shades abound and I live in fear of actually seeing the fur-lined CROC in practice. Apparently, in their last gasp for air, the CROC manufacturers are branching into high heels.

There are barely words. Most of them are guttural.