Water Conservation

Every morning when I drive to work, the alley has three to four puddles that are becoming potholes. Recently, the city has re-paved these spots, but the pavement continues to be wet! My apartment building sits across the alley from a business complex. One night I noticed that their water sprinklers were on and that some watered plants while others just ran into the alley.

I've heard that water conservation is a big deal in California, so I decided to do my part. I wrote a letter to the local utilities company and I received a call the next day from some guy in charge of water conservation. He thanked me for the letter and said that they would take care of it. Within a week the puddles dried up.

My co-workers tell me that in the city they are only allowed to water their lawns two days a week. WC staff patrol the streets to enforce water conservation regulations. I wonder how much the business complex had to pay for their infraction.

Terrorists in Lodi

Did you know that Lodi has been in the cross-hairs of Homeland Security for the past couple years? Lodi is a comparable to Lima, OH or Jackson, MI in square miles, but it feels much more like a small town. It is surprising to me that the Federal government found a terrorist cell less than a mile from where I live. Don't worry Mom and Dad this Homeland Security "success story" is laden with much controversy. Check out the story The Enemy Within from PBS Frontline. I recommend watching the whole video online if you have a fairly fast connection.

Work

As you can see in this picture, I look very silly/dashing as I work in the field. Of course the long sleeves and hat protect me from the sun, yet my hands are naked and surprisingly haven't burnt. In my right hand I'm holding a machete which I use to cut open the melon. In my left hand I'm holding a melon baller and a garlic press which I use to squeeze out melon juice and put in a Brix meter (located in my blue carpenter's pouch) to measure the sugar content. After we are done evaluating the plot, I pull a flag (orange) from my quiver and jam it into the ground. With such a big knife, a quiver and a utility belt, I kinda feel like an Indiana Jones/super hero type ready to guard against the seeds of injustice and the tyranny of bad flavor.

One week, my boss was at a conference, so I was in charge. I had to keep the Mexicans busy while I evaluated plots of melons. The workers cut them (about 20/plot) and I tasted each one. I picked out the best melons in a plot and we saved their seed. After a couple hours of scooping seeds out of melons in the field, one of my workers said she was all done and unknowingly had a melon seed stuck to her cheek. I said "I bet you're all done", montioning to the sign of her tasting.

Providing Insurance

State Farm just sent me a free gift in the mail along with their advertisement for life insurance. Here is their catch line: "Keep this emergency blanket handy. It's just one of the many ways we can help you stay covered." I enjoyed the pun, but I had to question the gift. I mean, even if my car breaks down, I am not sleeping on the side of the road! Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the gift, not really as an incentive to buy more insurance, but more so as a nice do-dad for hiking.

So...

In the last two months, I have been consumed by online dating and online videos; partly due to the newly acquired high-speed internet access, mostly due to a strong desire for people and community. Sadly enough my social scene here in California needs a major upgrade. I'm trying to change it and I'm sure I'll have stories to tell. Btw over Christmas, I plan to write about some of the adventures I have had in the last two months. Thanks for all of the comments so far; they've been encouraging.