Kevin Voted Today

Governor
Jerry Brown

Lieutenant Governor
Gavin Newsom

Secretary of State
Derek Cressman

Controller
Betty T. Yee

Treasurer
John Chiang

Attorney General
Kamala D. Harris

Insurance Commissioner
Dave Jones

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 1
Chris Parker

Congressional District 3
Ami Bera

Senate District 6
Richard Pan

Member of the State Assembly
Ken Cooley

Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tom Torlakson

District Attorney
Maggy Krell

County Assessor
Abstained

Sheriff
Abstained

State Proposition 41: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
Yes

State Proposition 42: Public Records, Open Meetings, State Reimbursement to Local Agencies (Legislative Constitutional Amendment)
Yes

Shoes

Oxblood bluchers/balmorals:

• Cole Haan Caldwell
• Cole Haan Air Carter Split
• Bostonian Andover
• Bostonian Akron
• Alden
• Style #9015, "Dark Burgundy Shell Cordovan" (Last: Hampton; seems pretty true to standard sizing)
• How to properly try on Alden shoes (video)
• Johnston & Murphy
• Vintage

SIZES

• Extra Narrow (A+)
• Narrow (C, B)
• Medium (D, M)
• Wide (E,W)
• Extra Wide (EE+)

COLORS

• Cordovan
• Oxblood
• Burgundy
• Horween Leather Company colors

BELT TO MATCH

• Horween Color #8 (see link as above)
• Style Forum thread
• "You can get a sufficiently good match with any calfskin burgundy / merlot / cordovan / wine (all different names for basically the same color) belt and don't need to go to the additional expense of a shell cordovan belt."
• Reddit thread
• Chromexcel definition
• Vendors
• Trafalgar
• Broderick ** (?)
• Orion
• Brooks Brothers
• #853C Leather Dress Belt
• Alden
• Allen Edmonds
• Polished cobbler (though reviews suggest it looks dark brown)
• Rancourt And Company
• Chromexcel color #8 (out of stock)
• Shell cordovan color #8

Previously

Zippered leather binder folios

REQUIREMENTS

• Burgundy, or something close
• Good build quality...leather or something that looks professional
• No handles...not my thing
• Zippered around three sides
• Binder (three or more rings)
• Letter-sized paper pad

WOULD BE NICE....

• USB memory stick loop
• Pen on outside or middle (only a preference, so does not interfere with writing on back of pages)
• Gusseted file pocket, if possible, instead of a v-shaped pocket, which squishes papers
• One binder had a removable, velcro-affixed three ring binder...kind of interesting, but not sure if practical...I thought briefly about adding something like that to an existing pad folio, but it seems risky regarding fit

OPTIONS

• YES
• McKinley Leather: #140Z, though the burgundy seems a bit red--$175 (this is the one I purchased)
• A.C. Oehmich Company: option #174 seems to fit all the requirements--$124...or $133?
• Scully (5020Z or 494Z, Color: 22 - BURGUNDY; 06 - Italian leather...but hard to find)--~$230 for the 494Z
• LeatherTree: They sell the 5012 (no zipper) and the 5012Z (zipper)
• Colors which I do not want: 39-PLUM (looks purple)
• Day-Timer: (4462, "Western Coach Leather Zippered 1 1/2" Planner Cover Folio" seems perfect...4584: zippered, but not leather...looks cheaper)--~$92
• MAYBE
• Samsill: 70734 comes in burgundy
• Dacasso (E7002 - Burgundy seems reasonable, but no three ring binder option)
• Leatherology (their burgundy looks acceptable...but no three ring binder option)
• Jack Georges: beautiful, burgundy, but no zipper or rings
• Osgoode Marley: #1810 zippered folio, but no rings...comes in "Brandy" but no way to see color
• Willow Brook Leather: burgundy, zipper, no rings (looks a bit brown?)
• NO
• Levenger (black only)
• Claire Chase (tan only)
• Hartmann (see history...may not represent a good buy...also, only brown)
• Clava (#92107 comes only in black;)
• Barnes and Noble (Sienna Deluxe Bonded Leather Business Folio)...brown, but an easy local buy, I guess
• Quadra: has a USB memory stick loop which seems clever; alas, only black
• Avenues in Leather: only black, but some nice styles
• Gino Ferrari: Ambassador A4 Zip Folio with Calculator looks nice, but, only black 
• Bullet Blocker: well, it stops .45 and 9mm...but only in black
• Bosca: beautiful, hand-made, but no burgundy, no rings, and so forth
• Franklin Covey: only in black
• Johnston & Murphy: no binder, and so forth.
• Piel Leather: beautiful, but not burgundy; only saddle/black/chocolate
• Royce Leather Collection: only black or tan
• Bond St: #710018 looks a bit cheap

SEARCH TERMS

• "burgundy" binder leather pad zipper
• Padfolio (in reference to iPad, I guess)
• Folio
• Zipper
• Leather
• Saddle: the kind I do not want...looks like a pouch
• Binder
• Pad

COLORS

• Cordovan (unlikely to ever find true shell cordovan, due to size/expense, so just the color)
• Burgundy
• Brandy
• (?)

RESULTS

I purchased the McKinley Leather: #140Z after a dialogue with a customer service representative. Of all the companies I contacted, McKinley Leather responded in a timely manner via e-mail and re-assured me about the color and one or two other questions I had. Bravo! Scully Leather and A.C. Oehmich Company failed to respond within a day or two to rather simple questions. As to why I chose the #140Z, I liked the gusseted pocket and the pen placement near the pad's outside edge. It fit all the requirements and had a space for business cards.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 : Miss Tickle

My favorite part: watching kids operate Miss Tickle:

From the Maker Faire web site: "Baron Von Jabba's pedal-powered "creature quad," Miss Tickle."

Santa Cruz Housing

Dawn will enter graduate studies at Santa Cruz in early October.

OVERVIEW

• City on a Hill Press: Santa Cruz Hoods (2010)
• Nate Cooper: Maps of Santa Cruz (2006)
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Moving to Santa Cruz
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Demographics
• Santa Cruz.com: Neighborhoods
• City of Santa Cruz: Statistics
• Who Rules Santa Cruz?

HOUSING

• UCSC Family Housing - do not allow cats : o (
• 
  

Mint Julep

Celebrated the Kentucky Derby today by watching it at the Berkley Bar, then making mint julep drinks.

We used the following:

• Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon 
• Two kinds of mint: (1) backyard mint; and (2) week-old, store-bought mint
• Homemade turbinado sugar simple syrup
• This recipe: http://backyardbartender.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-best-mint-julep-you-will-ever-taste.html

Some mistakes I learned from: 

1. Ratio of turbinado sugar to water: I initially made a 1:1 ratio, then saw it required a 2:1 ratio. Not a big deal--just remix : o )
2. Forgot to muddle the mint at the bottom of one cup before putting in the ice
3. Sprig of mint for the top of the glass--it looks better to use a generous mint leaf : o )
4. Mix the simple syrup and bourbon together, then pour over the ice
5. Stir the mixture after pouring
6. Muddle the mint leaves over the side of the silver cup

Despite all the beginner mistakes, it turned out somewhat satisfactorily, after the ice had a chance to melt and the various parts had a chance to mingle.

I am not sure how much better a mint julep can really taste--it represents a simple drink. We drank in the kitchen and socialized, but I can imagine how refreshing this might taste on a hot and humid Kentucky summer afternoon!

Note: as a special treat, we watched New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian make it.