Awkward turtle

Heard about this term from a recent audio book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awkward_turtle

Shadows of wind farm

With the right timing, the Altamont Pass wind farm in the Diablo Range near San Jose casts lovely shadows in the early morning, as I'm driving eastbound toward Tracey. Add in some fog and its breathtaking.

Fiji Hotels

As recommended by someone who would know:

1. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
2. Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

St. Stephen: Elevator Bell

This May 28, 2019 GQ article on Bob Weir (by Brett Martin) states:

I later went to meet Weir in Nashville, I became half-convinced that the elevator chime in my hotel consisted of the opening chords to “St. Stephen.” And why not? Elevator sound designers have pasts, too.

Yes! I've had this thought in the back of my head for months now. 

I think the opening note is F#.

Chando's Cantina Art

Walked past Chando's Cantina and admire the art by Raul Mejia:

This wall at Chando’s was created because of all the things being said against Mexicans in politics. It was necessary to create this, not for myself or the Mexican people per se, but for the youth. They need to know there’s still people fighting for them.

https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/art-at-the-intersection/content?oid=26197130

From his Instagram, it's called the Mexican Legends mural (left to right):

1. Juan Gabriel, born Alberto Aguilera Valadez (1950–2016) 
2. Rocío Dúrcal, born María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (1944–2006)
3. Joan Sebastian (1951–2015)
4. Dolores del Río (1904–1983)
5. Chespirito, born Roberto Gómez Bolaños, in character as El Chavo del Ocho (1929–2014)

Many thanks to Raul for personally stepping in and naming #1, #2, and #4, above. : ) 

1. Frida Kahlo, born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (1907–1954) (note: not visible)
2. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971–1995) (note: partially obscured)
3. Carlos Santana (1947–) (note: not visible)
4. Tin-Tan, born Germán Genaro Cipriano Gómez Valdés de Castillo (1915–1973)
5. María Félix (1914–2002)
6. Capulina, born Gaspar Henaine Pérez (1926–2011)
7. Cantinflas, known casually as Mario Moreno; born Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (1911–1993)

Helmetless Electric Scooters

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/05/head-injuries-broken-bones-plague-e-scooter-users-as-more-data-rolls-in/

Some takeaways, for me:

• 1 injury per 5,000 rides (underestimate, probably)
• ~50% had a severe injury
• Most frequent injury: break/fracture of bones (~35%)
• Only 1 had a helmet
• Weekends highest rate of injury
• Drinking reported by ~30% (in last 12 hours)
• ~40% report excessive speed contributed
• Head injuries:
• ~50%: Fractures, lacerations, or abrasions to the head
• 15%: Traumatic brain injury

Flensted Mobile

158 Drifting Clouds, nature

Fritz & Jim - High School Memories

Memories of high school hanging out with my friends Fritz & Jim:

• Running jokes:
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe: someone realized "left-waffle" sounded hilarious
• VGA vs. Super-VGA graphics (?) I think this was an advertisement in a PC trade magazine
• BBS door games:
• The Pit (1993)
• TradeWars 2002 (1991)
• PC games:
• Civilization (1991)
• Castles II: Siege and Conquest (1992)
• MechWarrior (1989): Joel McCue liked this
• Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
• Sega Genesis:
• Rented video games after school
• NHLPA Hockey '93: led to much NHL watching and becoming a fan of the then-current Boston Bruins team
• Road Rash
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993): this game. I think I experienced the Level 99 glitch, where ... it rolled over after investing so much time into the game. Crushed.
• Board games:
• Risk
• Sports:
• One-on-two basketball in Fritz's mom's horsebarn
• Tennis at the 6th St & 3rd Ave courts (now gone)
• Random:
• Fritz's house:
• His mom had a fridge in the adjacent basement room with horse semen, as she bred horses
• The basement smelled like potpourri: on 2021-11-07, I smelled a potpourri jar at World Market and it brought me back--the label read, "Pomegranate/orange, filled with notes of pomegranate, orange, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and cider".
• Two Boston Terriers: I forget the names, but remember them snuffling a lot
• Jim and I would sleep on the floor on opposite sides of Fritz's bed; I remember the noise of the ceiling fan 
• We'd stay up well past midnight, but as time went on Fritz seemed to want to go to bed earlier
• Sometimes I'd get up first and head downstairs and play Civ 
• Remember getting excited about hearing how the federal government had mandated fuel efficiency standards going up to something like 50 mpg in 10-15 years ... it would take a bit longer, but we're getting there
• Fritz's brother Alex came home from military training and showed us what he called his "anti-rape glasses" (basically chunky black frames)
• His family liked white chocolate
• Sometimes we'd eat at the dinner table upstairs with his parents
• The tank above the toilet overflowed at one point, and I was clueless about how to fix it
• Broke my glasses one night playing basketball
• The horse barn lights took a long time to illuminate enough so we could play -- it was cold
• Played basketball on packed earth in the far corner of the horse barn
• We'd walk over to Memorial Medical Center where Stephen Bechdolt worked as a pathologist and watch TV (Batman: The Animated Series), then Dr. Bechdolt would drive us around town
• I remember Fritz and his dad talking about attending a family reunion in Germany, and remarking on my surname as well
• Fritz's dad was thinking about buying an AK-47 before a gun ban went into effect (unsure if he did)
• Jim's house:
• At Jim's house we'd sometimes play Nerf basketball; I think Fritz brought over his PC, so we'd at least have two
• Milk in clear plastic bag in a pitcher (remember because it had a distinct taste from what I was used to)
• Surviving relative: Jeff
• PC's:
• Fritz had two PC's, I think: 
• One dedicated to running a BBS
• Two lines in his house
• One had an Intel 80486 and the other an Intel 80386, I think
• Turbo buttons, heh

The social aspects and gaming sparked my decision to go into Computer Science after high school. They were my people and closest friends in high school.