Wednesday May 18, 2005

Sad Mac You know you're working too hard when your computer just starts falling apart under your fingers.

I've gotta make a trip to the Apple Store, I've been using the left side of my left shift key almost a week since the right side collapsed. It's a sad sad Mac.

I'm ditching work tomorrow, making my powerbook happy again and then... I'm gonna chill.

powerbook apple technorati chill

( May 18 2005, 05:11:44 PM PDT ) Permalink


The Goats Are Back In Town 'member the adverts for Berkeley Farms Milk? "Cows in Berkeley?" Well, yesterday there were goats in Lafayette. At least in my secluded corner of it.

We've had the winter that never seems to leave; it's the month of May and the creekbed in the back of the house, the one that should be down to a trickle, is still gurgling. The stints of warm weather between the storm systems have made for almost tropical conditions (hint to my boss: I'd still take that break in Kauai, were it handed to me). The earth is teeming with flora... or maybe they're just weeds (yep).

It's the time of year when the weed whackers are whacking and leaf barrels are brimming. But instead of hiring a legion of landscapers to clear the hillside across the street from me, the church across the street from me engages the services of goats. Several dozen of them, perhaps over a hundred, in fact.

Apparently Goats R Us will cordon off areas of land and release their goats on to it to let them.... be goats. The bleating army of horned munching machines made quick work of the hillside. Clearing the ground cover of grass and weeds, nibbling away at the shrubs and getting up on their hind legs to pick at the trees, the goats didn't take long to transform the wild overgrown landscape into one shorn back to earth.

Though it's rained yet some more today, soon enough things will start drying out and the lush growth will turn into ripe kindling; a fire hazard that puts everyone on edge when the summer sunshine cranks up. I wish I'dve taken the opportunity to hi-jack a couple of the hooved lawnmowers for a few hours. The hillside looming over the house, over on my side of the street, could really stand to be cleared. It's only about probably an 8th of acre give or take but it's pretty steep terrain for me to go climbing around with a weed whacker.

goats landscaping lafayette 94549 firehazard

( May 18 2005, 03:55:44 PM PDT ) Permalink