Catching Up #4 - February 29, 2008

Spring training games have started. The Giants have won some and lost some. Vizquel is out for the whole Cactus League season.

The new hotel at Fifth and Mission opened today.

Alain Robbe-Grillet died. I remember reading Le Voyeur in college. It was a hard slog. I saw Last Year at Marienbad about the same time.

William S Buckley also died. I didn't like most of his ideas, but I liked the way he expressed them.

TCM was showing Seven Samurai the other night. The subtitles looked new. They had black borders around the white letters and some of the swear words were translated correctly.

I took this photo at Pac Bell Park on 09-June-2007.

Barney Oldfield in Bullet Number 2 -- February 27, 2008

Barney Oldfield drove Winton Bullet Number 2 at San Francisco's Ingleside Racetrack on Friday, 06-November-1903. Notice that he is not wearing a cap. From the 07-November-1903 San Francisco Call.

It's Hard Work Being a Cat #8 - February 25, 2008

I took this photo on Groundhog Day, 02-February-2008.

We watched most of the Academy Awards broadcast yesterday. They mentioned the 80th anniversary, but didn't do much about it. I was glad to see the French lady win Best Actress.

The Chronicle has rearranged all of its sections. Jon Carroll is on page 2 of the Datebook section. On certain days, the Business Section is appended to the back of the Sporting Green. This will take getting used to.

Gung Hay Fat Choy #2 -- February 23, 2008

A big storm hit in the afternoon. It was very heavy when we went to mass. Today's gospel was the Samaritan woman at the well. We had a symbolic well set up by the altar and Father Lahey invited everyone to pull out a slip of paper with a passage from scripture. I got a tough one: "The angel of the Lord encamps those who fear him and delivers them." Psalm 34:7.

On the way home, we stopped at Kay Heung #2 and picked up some Chinese food. We watched the Chinese New Year parade and ate. It only rained in spots during the parade. Wells Fargo had a nice float.

I took the photo on Grant Avenue near California Street on 16-February-2008. The banners had taken a beating from the wind.

Happy Birthday, George Washington -- February 22, 2008

James Flexner was right when he called George Washingon the Indispensable Man.

The Waterless Knox #7 - February 20, 2008

A Waterless Knox fire patrol car. From Cassier's Magazine, November, 1908.

Signs of the Times #8 -- February 18, 2008

Presidents' Day is not my favorite holiday. I took this photo at the Union Trust branch on 14-Feburary, 2008.