Up at the crack of Sparrows yet again, but getting slightly better.
Lazy morning then off down to the Coronado for some sightseeing, not that we haven’t been there before. But it’s a lovely sunny day and a great place for a stroll along the beach and in Wendy’s case lunch. On the way we call in the Apple Store to us my MacBook Pro, M3 Pro processor, 1TB to replace my faithful 6 year old MacBook Pro. 
You really couldn’t make this up, greeted by a tranvestite, then passed over to a guy who is blind. Use accessibility features of his iPhone, and the dog, to do an awesome job. In no way did his disability impede his customer service or ability to do the job. Amazing.
Wow the new toy is fast. Let’s hope it lasts as long as the last and with 1Tb I can ensure it has full sized copies of all my photos.
In the evening Chris comes round for dinner and we have a lovely evening, with a few drinks and some steak. It’s great to catch up with him.
Martin Luther King Day.
Glorious start to the day but turns to cloud in the afternoon.
Drive through Del Mar, all very posh. Drive up the coast road to Encinitas. Have lunch on Moonlight Bay beach. Then onto Carlsbad for a mooch around and a coffee. Not quite as glamorous as we remember it. Then drive onto Oceanside. Finally call in at the Outlet Mall in Carlsbad, no idea why, as we never but anything.
We’re going to Janelle’s and Mike’s for dinner, as we’ve plenty of time we decide to take the picturesque route, avoiding InterStates. What a mistake that was. This country really needs to wean itself off traffic lights. Lights nearly every 10 feet. Have they not hear of roundabouts?
Have a great evening catching up with J&M in their lovely new home. Food was off the charts.
A quiet day, to recover from the hectic past few days. Enjoyed all our meals out and entertaining old friends but it’s always nice to have a quiet night in. Just like being in Belthorn.
Lazy start then off down to Old Town. Visited the Heritage Park which has some awesome old buildings, what style. Then it’s a visit to the Mormon Battalion Museum. It’s a free tour and is one of the most creative Mormon tours we’ve ever done. Great use of technology, warm welcome and as always free. Can well recommend it, they don’t push their religion down your throat, very low key.
Then had a shuffle around Old Town and visited to First courthouse. Wendy passed on lunch as everywhere was Mexican. Having lunch out with Wendy is a challenge to anyone’s patience – even for me who is legendary for my patience and understanding – as she seeks her view of gastronomic perfection – snowflakes food. In future we ensure she brings a sandwich.
Back home for afternoon tea on the patio and then another quiet night in, with a great bottle of Carmenera.
Bob & Marilyn’s home is just lovely, we feel so at home and comfortable. As for San Diego it’s such a great area. Even at this time of the year temperatures are pleasant and plenty to see and do. Sat out on their patio having morning coffee or afternoon tea is just rad (awesome). Even though it’s in California I could live here. For B&M living between here and Park City is sure “Shitin in the tall cotton”.
Another lazy start to a warm sunny day.
Then we’re off to Seaport Village, not really a village like Belthorn or anywhere a Brit would recognise as a village, but more a nicely laid out shopping extravaganza. Spoilt by the need to pay to stop my tyres anywhere. Can you believe the main car park wanted $8 an hour, reduced to the mere pittance of $3 if you spent a weeks earnings in the “village”. And can you believe there were dip shits who pay it. As usual you don’t get to see the price until you’re in a narrow lane in a line to get in. Needless to say this cantankerous cheapskate Brit just reversed out and found somewhere cheaper.
Very pleasant to walk around, rest in the “free” Adirondacks overlooking the ocean and having a quiet laugh at all the ugly dogs strolling by. How come a lot of people end up looking like their dog?
Back home for afternoon tea.
Jim and Maria come around for a drink and then we head off out to a fish restaurant.
Another very pleasant evening with J&M.
Pat Condell on the trouble with Islam:
OMG it’s raining. Is it permitted in the woke state.
We say goodbye to B&M’s home. It’s been a lovely place to stay, just so relaxing, a home away from home. Clean, pack and set off after lunch to our next adventure for two nights in Dana Point, a safe distance south of Los Angeles.
I5 gives us a taste of whats to come with traffic jams. Swap over to the coastal highway 101 but it seem an Army base has intervened, so we have to get back on I5.
Meet Paul and Doris at our hotel. It must be nearly 4 years since we last saw them. Then we’re off out for a great fish restaurant, yes it’s fish again, but there’s so much choice. I have the Pan Seared Tuna, didn’t realise that it meant raw inside. Have to say it was delicious and I’m still alive to tell the tale. Had some great food and wine, but best of all catching up with old friends.
George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead (2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kONMe7YnO8
Amazing, especially when you consider it was all created by AI, as he is dead. Sort of worrying.
The Myth of Islamaphobia:
Just a typical example of the woke and snowflake laws here in this paradise spoilt by overbearing, interfering liberals.
The city of Perris, California, is looking to axe all unhealthy foods sold near its grocery store register. Earlier this year, Perris’ City Council unanimously passed a new law that bans junk foods from being sold at supermarket checkout aisles, the East Bay Times reported. Specifically, the law forbids grocery stores of at least 2,500 square feet in size from selling snacks or drinks that are more than 200 calories per package, contain trans fats, derive more than 35% of their calories from total sugars or have more than 200 milligrams of sodium. Grocers will be limited to selling healthy snacks and drinks instead, per a requirement that must be met no later than 2024.
The misery index is an economic indicator, created by economist Arthur Okun. The index helps determine how the average citizen is doing economically and is calculated by adding the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to the annual inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation create economic and social costs for a country.
The Misery Index was created originally by economist Arthur Okun in the 1960s as the Economic Discomfort Index. Ronald Reagan is attributed to its renaming.
Average by US presidents back to 1948 then Trumps presidency has the lowest.
Wake up to another grey day but at least it’s warm.
Plenty of rain but fortunately we’re visiting the Nixon Presidential library, so it doesn’t spoil the day. Let’s hope it’s open this time.
Pondering what junk food California is famous for – it probably all comes with a 28 page health warning and a disclaimer to sign. I have my remaining list:
Chilli dog
Pepperoni rolls
Chicken with white barbecue sauce – Alabama
Chilli cheeseburger
Rocky mountain oysters – Colarado
Potato chowder – Idaho
Hoosier pie – Indiana
Mississippi mud pie
Runza
Egg cream – drink from New York
But I don’t think any of them originate in California. Never mind there’s always In/Out Burger.
Then I remember I’ve still not had the delight of a Costco Hot Dog. Just $1.50 for a giant hot dog, as much mustard as you can squeeze onto it and a giant coke. Time to nip into Costco and finally fulfill my pent up desire.
Is this some sort of joke or just another symptom of woke California:
Costco water in Salt Lake $3.99
Costco water in California $5.99. Why nearly twice as much because of $2 for CRV.
California Redemption Value (CRV), also known as California Refund Value, is a regulatory fee[1] paid on recyclable beverage containers in the U.S. state of California. The fee was established by the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 (AB 2020, Margolin).
No wonder they’re leaving in droves.
Richard Dawkins on Islam, Jews, science and the burka – BBC Newsnight
The History Of The World
The two most important events in history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel.
Beer required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.
The wheel was invented to get man to the beer and vice versa. These two were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals.
2. Conservatives.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were less skilled at hunting (called ‘vegetarians’ which was an early human word meaning ‘bad hunter’) learned to live off the Conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ’s and doing the sewing, fetching, and hairdressing. This was the beginning of the liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men “evolved” into women. Others became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that Conservatives provided.
Over the years Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant.
Liberals are symbolized by the jackass for obvious reasons.
Modern Liberals like special flavored beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine spritzers or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: many liberal women have higher testosterone levels than their men.
Most college professors, social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, film makers in Hollywood, group therapists and community organizers are liberals. Liberals meddled in our national pastime and invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink real beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are members of the military, big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, airline pilots, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other Conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when Conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.
Here ends today’s lesson in world history. It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to this post.
A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be shared immediately to other true believers and also to just irritate a bunch of liberals. And there you have it.
Let your next action reveal your true self, I’m going to grab a few beers and grill some red meat.