Happy Post-Solstice

We're over the hump again - the days are getting longer. Yippee!

This is my first true "winter" in California; last year I was in Australia and New Zealand for 3 weeks in late December. I was also gone last year for the one week in the early spring when the bay area got a most of its annual rainfall.

My blood is definitely thinning out; 40 is starting to feel downright cold. I still don't want a coat when I walk briskly in the 50s, which is promising. I'm finding overcast days to be "bad weather" and am downright uncomfortable outdoors without my shades when the sun is out. Am I going to be one of those people that wants to retire to Hawaii where the weather is better?? Hmmm.

I've looked at property to buy, and vacillate among various states. Am I crazy to think about buying at these prices? Won't the market come down? I love the location of my fantastic apartment - should I stick with renting? Should I look for a cheaper rental? Does it make sense to compromise on my location in order to buy? Should I choose closer to the walkable downtown of Redwood City, but potentially less safe? Or target another "affordable" area closer to work? Will our offices move to Redwood City any time soon? Should I be thinking more seriously about a condo? Etc. At $500,000, there's a lot of pondering.

Just recently I've been doing some research into cat foods. I've never gone for the dyed varieties, but with a bunch of friends dealing with aging cats and their health issues, I've been revisiting the possible choices. Shindy cat just had her lower canines removed, largely due to poor diet choices affecting her dental health. Dry foods aren't the best, and may promote diabetes. Kibble with large pieces is much better for dental health ... but so far I have only found the Science Diet option. Wet foods are better. Raw food is best, but I don't think I want to take on that much effort. So it's a question of which brands, etc. And then looking for convenient independent pet stores. (So many things to research after relocating!)

My greater department just made a fantastic hire (Bess Sadler!) and I can't wait for my friend and colleague Bess to move out here in a few weeks. We're going to have a blast working together, though at the moment our actual workloads won't overlap too much. She's one of the major forces behind the Blacklight software. Go open source library software! Go Stanford!

Given Bess's arrival, I'm going for a new tactic in building my social circle out here: get my pals to move here! This means YOU! Lots of opportunity, great weather. You don't need all that space in your dwelling! And there's beach, mountains, culture, great restaurants -- everything within an hour. C'mon out! You won't believe how much you'll like it. And the sun is an incredible boost to your daily mood.