msbelle, the Texas house looks wonderful, and those salvaged tiles are gorgeous!

Hec, good luck with the Car O' Doom.

Hec, good luck with the Car O' Doom.

Well the Manhattans were good even without the Rye.

Plus, baseball season starts tonight.

Ugh. Tomorrow looms ill.

Yes, those tiles are to die for!

It's just interesting seeing how the economic collapse affects folks, plus all those busted marriages and single parents. I mean, these are sharp looking, smart, motivated kids stuck here in Bakersfield.

Huh.

Bakersfield always makes me think of the Camper Van Beethoven song "Come On Darkness" - does Bakersfield have some honky-tonk they call the Wagon Wheel?

Very interesting.

I would think that Bakersfield could be a stopping point on the way to and from LA/SF. When we went down we left at night planning a stop in Bakersfield. ( good thing to - there iwas snow in the grapevine that night , but not in the am ) . A stop isn't necessary , but it is nice. I like my travel leisurely when possible. So if they can learn a bit about presentation and making things that are a little out of the norm ( for Bakersfield) there might be a chance. Esp. If their rates are competitive.

I'm sorry, Hec. That all sucks big-time.

I knew he was vocal about political and environmental issues but I didn't realize that he was in government. Good on him.

I personally agree, but there are many on the left who were outraged and have accused him of being a turncoat. He's joined one of the major parties, and our party discipline is stronger than yours. As environment minister, he's approved a number of projects opposed by environmentalists, such as a new pulp mill in Tasmania, expanding a South Australian uranium mine and dredging Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay. The Australian Greens' leader, Bob Brown, accused him of selling out for campaiging for Labour and against the Greens. Most recently, he's copped flak (and a demotion) for his handling of a rollout of a home insulation program, intended to make Australian homoes more energy efficient. It's been claimed it was pushed out with insufficient training for operators; there've been four deaths by electrocution in separate instances, and 93 house fires.

I think it's good he's willing to have a go; but honestly, I'm not sure he's that good at politics.

So might could just do it until then.

I wish you lived closer, Hec, because we could help backstop some of the daycare in the summer. Ugh. Lots of stress for you.

Hec, I'm sorry about the issues with the car and all the resulting chaos. Let me know if there's anything I can do.

True Fact: I was born in Bakersfield.

Bakersfield always makes me think of the Camper Van Beethoven song "Come On Darkness" - does Bakersfield have some honky-tonk they call the Wagon Wheel?

Probably. They've got boulevards named after Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.

So if they can learn a bit about presentation and making things that are a little out of the norm ( for Bakersfield) there might be a chance. Esp. If their rates are competitive.

The gal bartender knew a lot about wine and was trying to educate herself about whisky. The guy with three kids confessed he was used to a sports bar thing and was just learning mixology. But they were both bright and pleasant and professional. They could easily work in SF if they didn't have kids around here that anchored them.

It being Easter they both had their parents sitting at the bar while they worked.

It's just interesting. You can really see an interesting perspective on the country here. I don't know if this hotel can make it, though they did have a good turn out for their Easter Brunch. It's a very nice place here and there are business owners and such who can afford to come here to eat or drink or go to the attached club. But it's so depressed here and I don't really know who's going to be staying at the hotel. It's not really a destination and it's not like halfway between SF and LA.

But I'll take it for tonight.