Na hoku jewelry pendant

Dawn likes this one:

Na Hoku: "Yellow Gold and Sterling Silver Asch Grossbardt Koi Fish Pendant with Spiny Oyster and Mother of Pearl Inlay (Chain Included)"

Nature's 1 Jewelry

Saw Subject brand jewelry on display at a store on Fisherman's Wharf, in Monterey, California. The brand seems managed by supplier Wheeler Mfg Co., Inc., out of South Dakota.

Wheeler Manufacturing, Pendant (WMP), #169, a turtle pendant

Note: this seems like it has a lot of similarity to Na Hoku:

Na Hoku "14K Rose Gold Honu (Turtle) Pendant with Pink Mother of Pearl Inlay." (link)

Who came first (?)

Companion Bakeshop - Oven loader

Subject seems to use an oven loader from French vendor URM, for bread. Maybe the lift, also?

Monterey Whale Watching trip 2015

Dawn and I returned to Monterey Bay Whale Watch (MBWW) today for a 5:00 p.m. end-of-day excursion.

Pre-excursion:

Ate a late lunch at Nino's Wharfside (spaghetti & meatballs, chicken parmesan). Purchased two candies, from Carousel Candies: 1) dark chocolate peanut butter cup; and 2) Oreo marshmallow on a stick.

Excursion notes:

• Was: 4:30 p.m., but MBWW canceled that trip, per low sign-ups, and pushed us later
• Somewhat alarmingly, they had not written down our names for the 4:30 p.m. or the 5:00 p.m., even though we had called at noon and they said they would send an email (never came?)...luckily, they had room
• We exchanged our raincheck voucher, from October 2010, no questions asked; nice!
• Struck up a fun conversation with the desk attendants and a man about Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles : o ) Good senses of humor! .
• Boarded around 5:15 p.m., left the harbor around 5:30 p.m. (had to wait for boat to return, disembark passengers, reset, and so forth)
• We took two pills each of the over-the-counter antiemetic Meclizine, prior to departure...once again: best advice ever...at least for me
• Sky looked a bit hazy, which cooled things off...we donned our warmies while waiting for the boat to leave
• Sea lions on the breakwater
• MBWW staff maintain a list of seabirds in the local area
• Whale sign! Spouts of water sighted, ahead
• Reaching the anchovy feeding area, we understood the magnitude of the sea life around us:
• 40 whales
• Hundreds of dolphins
• Uncountable seabirds
• Breaches, or whales jumping vertical, then crashing and splashing, occurred multiple times...sort of like  getting lucky and spotting a shooting star, one has to face the right way and spot it, during the few seconds it lasts, for the best effect
• Pec-slapping and lobtailing also observed
• One hundred yards separated us from the whales, per the federal whale watching guidelines
• Observed dolphins porpoising, in small and medium-sized schools
• Kate Spencer, naturalist, has moved on, to FastRaft
• I did not catch the names of the naturalist or captain, for our trip
• Choppy water, going out and coming in...evenings can get a bit rougher than day
• Seasickness:
• Meclizine saved us, thankfully, though it may have worn off a bit
• Several people not so lucky: a man near retirement age, a father, his son (multiple times, poor guy), a 20-something, his female companion, and so forth...presumably, all suffered
• Crew suggested using the back of the boat, if needed
• Felt overheated several times, and cool air saved me, as well as switching orientation
• Ginger treat helped soothe Dawn's stomach, as we departed, later
• On the way back, I found focusing on the horizon helped me...however, after some time, it became too dark to see
• Indoor computer-driven displays show maps of weather, depth, water temperature, as well as estimated speed and time remaining to destination...very helpful!
• Crew took lots of photos during the viewing portions
• Naturalist on board (most likely correctly) noted a light I saw, near Santa Cruz, was likely a boat light, not the lighthouse
• Complimentary hot chocolate and/or tea/coffee, I think, to warm up, on the way back
• Friendly crew, everyone helped out
• Rode in the 2002 Geo Shipyard Inc-built ship "Blackfin", USCG Doc. No.:1124507, call sign WDC3326, hull number GSY0171B202
• Noises of birds very audible
• Saw only a few jellyfish, appearing as yellowish-white blobs, close to the surface
• Leaving, near twilight, we saw a number of breaches, in succession
• Arrived in port around 8:30 p.m., a three hour trip
• A sea lion briefly barked at disembarking passengers, from the bottom of a short stairway leading to a boat-level access. We watched it for a moment, as it watched us, whiskers visible.

Sign reads, in a pseudo-handwritten script: "Help! Save Us / Ns smoking on the wharf! MCC 22-29 (b) (8)". The sign depicts various marine animals, under a cloud (presumably, of smoke), with cigarette butts on their heads: sea lion, sea otter, and pelican, as well as a crab who only show its claws, from the bottom of the sign.

Post-excursion:

• Returned to Carousel Candies and purchased a small turtle plush: "10" SLIDE SEA TURTLE is an adorable stuffed friend featuring wide eyes! Perfect for any sea life lovers! Part of Aurora's Dreamy Eyes collection. Featuring all new styling- soft & fluffy with loveable expressions!"
  
• Walked through a few tourist shops
• Purchased a milk chocolate turtle and a dark chocolate turtle, from Wharf Chocolate Factory (yum)
• Festa Italia, 82nd annual, which we walked through as we returned to the car, after the excursion
• Popped into Candyland Two, at 200 Alvarado St, to gape at a ginormous 60" giant sea turtle plush, item #308101, on sale there for $300, from vendor The Petting Zoo, Inc. (via their 2015 Sea Life and Wild Life catalog, page 39)

  

  So big! 60" giant sea turtle plush, item #308101, vendor The Petting Zoo, Inc.

Ambient notes, from Fisherman's Wharf:

• Man playing somewhat melancholy music on a wharf street piano, near MBWW (older, asian pacific-islander, with long beard)
• People smoking despite signs pleading for them not to:
• Three dogs, on the MBWW boat "Sea Wolf II", which we watched disembark passengers, then swing around to the marina-side and out of sight...seemed like they boarded when the boat returned, as we noticed the golden-haired dog trot out of the MBWW building with a dog treat
• Name of the "Sea Wolf II": I listened to Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf just recently, so seemed a curious name to see 
• Noticed the Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater (a.k.a. The New Wharf Theater), though nothing advertised...their Facebook page lists their next production as "Seasons of Love", a tribute to the person who helped revitalize the organization, who died in 2014
• Burial at sea: we gathered their intent while watching them, from inside Nino's Wharfside:
• Flowers
• Teenage girl carrying gift bag, which presumably held the ashes
• Hispanic American family members, several generations, several with bright pink shirts
• Middle-aged woman looking somber, possibly grieving
• Rest of party respectful, restless
• Came back more thoughtful
• MBWW sign: "No AM burials"
• Sea otter rolling-over while eating what looked like a shrimp, and then diving and returning with a crab
• The Little Mermaid Glass Bottom Boat Tours ticket booth contained Disney toys, including plush Inside Out character Bing Bong, Riley's long forgotten imaginary friend, as well as plush emotion "Anger"

Notes for next time:

• "Book a morning trip rather than afternoon, for smoother seas." (via)
• Eat a light meal, but limit the desserts until after
• Use the restroom, to ensure this does not contribute to nausea
• Warmies--even more layers, for evening excursions
• Sit comfortably and switch, if getting exhausted or nauseous
• Ginger treats, to calm unsettled stomach

Previously

Synergy Clothing

Passed by their store, on Wednesday.

Evening walk

Dawn and I walked down Shaffer Road to an ocean overlook, this evening, where we watched the ocean waves crash and a sea otter dive and surface. We walked back by the Gray Whale and Miss Blue, at the Long Marine Lab. Very pleasant.

Jury duty, County of Santa Cruz

Selected at random to serve as juror #4, on what I believe was a criminal jury trial, case #M83925, in the County of Santa Cruz. Defendant was Sean Michael Martinez. The charge was theft of an auto.

The trial ended after taking testimony from three people:

1. The woman who received a gift of the auto (something like Jeanne Payne?)
2. Kraig Evans (Capitola police department)
3. Ricki Trindade (Santa Cruz police department)

Judge on the trial was Marjorie Laird Carter. Counsel for the County of Santa Cruz prosecution was Mr. Nguyen. Counsel for the defense seemed like someone operating out of the Santa Cruz Public Defender's Office. Mentioned in the trial was a Ruben Trevino (spelling?) of Salinas, the spouse of witness #1, and the registered owner of the vehicle in question (which was gifted to witness #1).

Judge Carter provided no explanation for the dismissal of the jury, after the taking of the testimony, above. She hinted, paraphrasing, "A lot of this will probably make no sense to you."

After the trial, as I sat in the atrium, both counsel lawyers saw me and we very briefly discussed my thoughts on whether I found witness #1 credible. I told them I had found her mostly credible, but was waiting to hear testimony from the defendant. I told them I thought the defendant made a mistake, in my opinion, to arrive unshaven and without appearing to take care in their dress. I don't think my answer pleased either of them. After a moment, the counsel for the defense left with the counsel for the prosecution to, presumably, discuss another case, or the aftermath of the case I served on.

This represented my first selection to serve on a jury trial.

Based on my brief discussion with counsel for both parties, I am guessing something which came up during examination of the witnesses precluded them from proceeding:

1. Mistake with the incident report (I think it may have said "Jan 5" but it really occurred on the morning of Jan 6?)
2. Counsel for the prosecution decided witness would not survive as a credible source (only witness)
3. One of more of the officers mentioned something they should not have (for example, Mr. Martinez having another parallel issue at the time of this incident)
4. Other (?)

So many details of this trial which lie fresh in my mind but will soon all disappear. Sean was driving with an expired license. The woman mentioned the defendant had been assaulted, separately, during his time as a renter. The officers reported the defendant as very polite and forthcoming...the officers said nothing bad about him, and only gave him a misdemeanor (later, corrected to an infraction). Defendant had rented a room at the two-bedroom apartment with the woman, after the woman's sister left. The first year went quietly and predictably; he paid his rent on time. She became pregnant, with another man's child, and told him she planned to move out. They drank wine on the balcony. She and her 7-month old son went to sleep, around 8:30 p.m.. He drove and crashed the car, around 2:00 a.m. He was either returning with wine, going to fill up the car with gas, or had dropped off the wine and had left on other errands...I thought I heard all three descriptions.

There was another man, Mr. Ruben Trevino, the father of the child, who had gifted the woman the 2014 Chevrolet Impala. He works as a regional truck driver and owns two trucks. He had gifted her a Chevy Camaro, but that did not work for the already-born young child, so he gave her the Impala. The address was 511 Capitola, within walking distance of a liquor store and gas station. She claimed she had never, ever given the defendant permission to take her car. She claimed she had not talked with him since the day of the accident, until a text-message conversation, in which they discussed making arrangements with AAA (the insurance carrier). It seems she filed the criminal charges against the defendant without telling him. It seems the woman's sister left, after an argument. She may have made him pay the entire deposit for the apartment rental. She grew up in Napa valley, moved to Arizona, then moved to So-Cal. She moved to Santa Cruz, with her sister. She had worked as a manager for 25 years, training other managers and assisting them with setting up new stores. Opening arguments seemed to indicate the prosecution was betting everything on the jury finding the woman's testimony credible and that she had not given permission to the defendant to take her car. The defense claimed he had driven her car many times, seemed to indicate a possible love triangle, and the charges represented the wishes of Mr. Trevino.

Just a mess. Apparently, the woman and Mr. Trevino are happily married, so I wish both them and the defendant well, so they can move on with their lives.

Skyflight Mobiles

Dawn and I purchased a butterfly mobile, from Skyflight Mobiles, out of the State of Washington.

It has the following five butterflies:

1. Red Admiral
2. Orange Sulphur
3. Monarch
4. Tiger Swallowtail
5. Eastern Tailed Blue

Heated Throw

At Costco, saw a Sunbeam Microplush Electric Heated Throws, but Dawn did not like the colors. Amazon has an eggplant color.

Also saw a king blanket made out of a soft fleece/flannel.

Also, Life Comfort Cuddly Sherpa Throw (in purple).

National Geographic - Tracking the Illegal Tusk Trade

Saw the cover article, recently, and found this web site. Disgusting to profit off the killing of these endangered animals. What a waste.

Land of Stories

A friend recommended this series of children's literature. Her daughter really enjoys it. It features a set of twins who enter a world where many fairy tale characters reprise their roles, in nontraditional ways.

Bunya Bunya House, Santa Cruz - For Sale, $1.4 Million

Realtor listing, 304 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Note: we love the bunya bunya tree, a species dating back to the Mesozoic Era, 252.17 - 66 million years ago. : o )

Description:
"Your chance to own the Victorian home built for William Douglas Haslam in the late1800's. Our gracious doyenne commands the intersection of Walnut and Chestnut Streets with her Queen Anne details and rare Bunya-Bunya tree. Vintage details include original woodwork and stained glass windows. Enjoy modern amenities like an updated kitchen and bathrooms. Relax on the patio or in the lovely yard beneath mature trees. Use the detached office to work from home or convert it back into a one-car garage."

General Information
Beds3 Bed
House Size3,099 Sq Ft
Price$1,399,000
Property TypeSingle Family Home
NeighborhoodWestside
StatusActive
Baths3 Full Bath
Lot Size8,146 Sq Ft Lot
Price/sqft$451
Year Built1878
StyleVictorian
Garage1 car garage

The house was listed in 2014, for $2.25 million. So, a drop of $850,000 in 12 months! At this rate, we should have the house in hand, within 1-2 more years, heh. ; o )

UPDATE: October, 2015: now listed for rent, at $4,500/month.

Getaround - Peer-to-peer car sharing and local car rental

Saw a Getaround car, while walking near West End Tap & Kitchen, in Santa Cruz.

"Rent great cars from people nearby Unlock 1,000's of cars from $5/hour."

Costco Pizza Sauce Machine Vendor

Waiting for a bit, while at Costco, read the machine tag, on the machine which automatically spirals pizza sauce onto the dough:

Automatic Bar Controls, Incorporated, out of Vacaville, California.

Note: the machine which flattens the pizza dough into pizza crust also seemed pretty efficient.

All the Girls Love Earl

Saw a sticker, for this vendor, on a sign in Sacramento, at the corner of Q Street and 20th Street.

Not a fan, but, there it is. The web site does not list a street address, but their social media account seems to indicate they operate out of So-Cal.

Vironex Geoprobe

Vironex Geoprobe: watching one of these machines as I walk to work.

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

Marking for audio CD follow-up. Listening to Mark Twain's autobiography and learning details about the "making of" the autobiography. Twain remarked that Grant's memory was consistently accurate, so his account seems to reflect one of the authoritative accounts of the Civil War.

Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine (2015 film)

Watched this movie at The Nickelodeon this afternoon.

• Reading between the lines--people parsed their words...for example, Chrisann Brennan, Nolan Bushnell...you could tell they feared saying what they really thought
• Chrisann's description of Jobs' reaction to learning of the baby: jaw clenched, face angry, storms out like a teenager. Ouch.
• Lots of enjoyable moments putting faces and glimpses of personalities to names...Kottke, Bushnell
• Lots of no-shows: Woz, Jobs' biological sister, his daughter Lisa, his other children and later wife
• Joan Baez gets no mention
• Biological and adoptive family given minimal mention
• Focused a lot on accounting irregularities, tax shelters, Foxconn, going after Gizmodo

New York Times review.

I thought the story of Jobs visiting Kobun Chino represented one of the key moments of the film, partly because Kobun Chino seems to represent an accurate and impartial source, but also because the visit seems to show Jobs at his most vulnerable: asking for help, and, at the same time, telling Kobun Chino he thought he was enlightened. Combine this with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Tina Redse's theory) and Chrissann's remark about Jobs flirting with her by adapting Dylan's poetry to his own life. So complicated. 

Big Hero 6

"unobtanium", heh ; o )

Power: Li-On batteries (?)
Scanning technology--whole city (?)
Ms. Cass--no clue about what's going on
Professor Callaghan--seems pretty likeable, normal guy, builds a lab full of seemingly well-adjusted students, very functional program...then turns out to throw it all away for a micro-bot which he would get access to anyway, when Hiro joins his lab (probably something he completely controls)
Robot fighting web site: illegal, but widely available online?
Fred's butler: he's seen things...unflappable. Bravo.
Maker culture: 3D printers, 3D scanners, movie-OS (Dawn's observation) user interface...ala Tony Stark, unlimited power, resources, and materials to build with...Hiro made tons of microbots; software: neural interface, medbot OS, AI, and so forth
Honey Lemon: manic

In a world...where all of this seems near-future...

Are you a Genmaicha fan ?

The rice taste reminds me of rice krispy cereal and just does not resonate.