80

Le Etoile  - Kamakazi Rotary

ROUNDABOUT                               

Only our leaders of Sebastopol would take seriously a suggestion from a female (Planner=Expert) that we should build roundabouts in several places on highway 116 because they are so much more “pedestrian friendly”. Having just recently returned from France where I drove around a zillion roundabouts for six weeks I am appalled that someone could conceive that this auto nodal concept is friendly to pedestrians. Several times, having unfortunately been on the pedestrian side of these nodes, I can unequivocally tell you that only a retired kamakaze pilot would willingly attempt to get across one of these things on foot. They are made for cars, not human targets! Of course, the mother of all roundabouts is the one around the Arc de Triumph in Paris. It is so bloody frightening one would do better to be in a demolition derby at the fair grounds. Anyway, the scaled down versions has it’s own set of problems. One of the good parts of them is that you can keep going around them on the inner lane until you figure out the direction signs before you peel off on the road or street of choice. If there happens to be a person in the cross walk, well, God help them, as you are too busy trying to avoid the cars & trucks coming at you from the right to even consider that you should stop and get rear-ended by the traffic behind you just for a mere pedestrian. Come to think about it, I can’t remember very many pedestrians trying to get around these things, and I know why.

I’ll tell you what’s “pedestrian friendly”; The traffic light.

However, there is one place in Sonoma County that could utilize a roundabout,(Or Rotary as they’re called in Europe). The intersection of hwy 1 and 116 near Jenner at the mouth of the Russian River. At the point of three roads, with stop signs, but very dangerous. Plus there are no Pedestrians there to mess it up.

 

School w/ sod roof (1950?)

Chapel

RONCHAMP                                    

I finally located my photos of Corbu’s Chapel in Ronchamp but more importantly, the small school that is associated with it. This building, about is  70 years old now, has a sod roof (Probably been leaking for 70 years) all concrete, including built-in  tables outside for the kids. But the color graphics are just great. I always said Corbu was a better painter than Architect.

XMAS BOOKS

It’s time to order your presents for friends and enemies. You just might look on Craig’s List for my first effort ‘Hillside Homes”, out of print but has a cult following, forcing the price up to $200 sometimes. Or you can go to LuLu and order my latest for a couple of dollars for a digital version. Or you can get a couple of swell small books about renovating Atelier One and “ The Small book of Big Trucks” showing all the nifty big rigs on the European highways and Stradas., for $10.

SELFIES

Or as we say “Selficinous”. What is that all about?  Taking a picture of yourself? Don’t you have any friends? Even the new Apple iphones are better equipped for this bizarre behavior.

BIO=SPHERE                              

This was an interesting experiment.              

I n 1991 eight people spent two years in a sealed glass house space near Tucson, Arizona. It was funded by a rich hippy costing many millions of dollars and almost worked, except the psyches of the inmates failed before the allotted time was up. (two years was enough!). It was pretty amazing as nothing was transferred from either in or out. But the biggest problem they had was the Oxygen level nearly halved after a certain time, but they actually found out thw why wnd where of the deficiency, something to do with the compost getting tinot the cement. I don’t know it they were able to recover enough of the CO2 but they kind of all went crazy and had to end the experiment after two years. The Media was no help during that time but a lot was learned from the time spent. If you’re nuts enough to closet yourself with eight people for a couple of years, you could be a candidate to spend years going to Mars or some other dreadful place in the Universe. I always thought this one was bad enough.

PUTIN ON THE RITZ

Most of you have seen the you tube of the Russian “Flash Mob” of “Putin’ on the Ritz” and were all charmed and warmed by it even if it was done in freezing ass weather in Moscow.

I like to watch it once in a while and wondered how did they get so good at “Flash Mobbing” that they had huge platform lifts, 80 citizens who could get onto a choreograph  instantly plus a half dozen really good tumblers as well as a couple dozen soldiers  who pulled off an impromptu dance routine. Well, I finally went to Google and discovered that “wheell, it may have been a Political induced´ thing to advertise how great Mr Putin was , just 5 days before the Russians voted him in.  Get the idea? “Putin on the Ritz”?  Although the number was sung in English, Mr Putin’s name is the same pronounciation in Russian. Coincidence?  They do know who the choreographer is but he won’t tell who paid him to do it. 

BUILDING OR REMODELING?  HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO COMPROMISE WITH YOUR SPOUSE?     Lots of divorces are a result of trying to remodel your house. Let’s take a look at my remodel job!

One has to set up some kind of value system to measure what your personal agony was.

0 = You lost, sucker

10 = You won that round!

 

ITEM                     JOY                         AMONT

KITCHEN                           VALUE                         VALUE

Refrigerator    wants 2 door    3       wants 3 door           7

Sink                 SS Blanco two tub   10           Agree       10

Disposal             Insinkerator       10           Agree            10          

Microwave         White Kenmore       10      Agree           10

Counter tops       Granite                0           Formica w/ wood  10

Cabinets      Maple, no open shelves  0       Alder W/ open shelf   0

Cabinet Glass       Agree                10           Chinese Rice         10          

 Kit. Faucet       ncertain           3     DWC  single lever pull out    7

Wine cubbys          Grumble           3          for two cases      7

Kit. Ceiling lights      Curvey Foo Foo    7       Straight Track   3

Under counter lights   Small Xenon      10     Small Xenon    10          

Pantry      Door hinged on Left     10     Door hinged on Right   0

Trash Can     With Cover                 0           Open Top                0

BATHROOMS

Tub                      Greek  (Deep)       10        Same   10
 Tub Tile              Large     10                     Same      10          

Tub faucet  Dbl handle/Advertisement 10  Single Lever clean  0

Tub shower head       Wall Bracket     10           Same       10

Toilets          Toto w/ soft Closer       10   Toto w/Soft Closer  10

Fan                 Panasonic Quiet          10           Agree                10

Bidet          Needs                         7              Don’t need         3

Mirror/Medicine Cab.      Round      7           Grumble            3             

Towel hangers     Unknown            10           My Big Idea       10

Lavatory        Standard Oval            7            Needs  a Special   3

Faucet, “Waterfall”  Expen. Advertized  10 Single Lever Clean   0

Counter top         Wood               10           Agree           10

Shower head     Raindrops fallin’ on Head. 10   From Side Wall    0

Shower Glass      Textured      10                     Agree                 10

Shower Tile        Large              10           Agree                    10

Really Soft Water      Not contested!     10           No! No!    0

FURNITURE

Lounge Chairs     Modern Recline       10       Agree           10

Couch             Modern Black Leather   10       Agree           10

Rug L.R.          Tibetan Modern           10          Agree         10

Shelves/AV Scandi-Design-Cherry     10           Agree         10

Coffee tables (2)      Glass Tops           10    Wood tops     0             

Dining Table        Pull out Expando      10         Agree           10

Dining Chairs        Wood, Padded seat  10          Agree         10

Dining Lights        Curvey Foo Foo      7          Straight Track 3

BR Dressers/Mirror    Oregon Cherry   10           Agree           10

Closet Sliding Doors  Mirrors           10        Mirrors too Heavy 0

OTHER

Floors, wood     Rustic Maple            10           Agree         10

Light Switches     Bottom Toggle      10           Paddle w/ Slider  0

Switch Plates        Stainless               10           Agree                 10

Wall/clg Paint        Grey Scale          10           Agree                  10

TOTALS                                        374                                      296

The above is a good example of what it takes to complete a project still married.
It isn't about winning or losing............

GEPETTO

While in Firenzi, we began to notice the images of Pinnocchio everywhere.  We asked around but nobody seemed to know why this was. It wasn’t until we returned to USA that I learned the author, Carlo Collodi lived in a small village near Firenzi and penned the story in 1883, hence the proliferation of something more to sell the tourists. From marionettes to toothpicks, you can find something to take home, surely.  It wasn’t until Disney enhanced the image that we Americans became so enamored with.