Eastern Sierra stormfront

Reposting this image in memory of my brother, David Gordon White aka Zooknoone. Thank you for your remembrances and messages, and feel free to send in again. This pen and ink drawing was done a year ago while returning home from a celebration of his life. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Rush Limbaugh: bring your own hot sauce

Just wanted to wish Mr. Limbaugh well on his permanent and irrevocable sojourn to Costa Rica. In fact, I hear he will be jumping on a plane any minute now. Some travel advice: bring a large bottle of Tapatio hot sauce. The food is great but it can use a little seasoning. Once he gets there, he should ease into the lifestyle gradually. Perhaps he’ll rent a cabana near the Arenal volcano, and then light out for the cloud forest, or the Pacific coast. Happy travels! http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

(Revised to correct the spelling of ’embarrassment): An embarrassment of riches: many author events this week (clear your calendars.)

Do not miss Sam Lipsyte when he speaks in SF tomorrow at the Tosca Cafe. He will read from his acclaimed new book, The Ask. Peter Malae will be at City Lights Bookstore this Thursday to read from his just-released novel, What We Are. Also this week: a slew of author’s events at the Booksmith, including a talk by Alex Lemon, subject of a fascinating profile in the latest P & W. Alas, I can’t go to any of these events, but I’m reading all the books in tandem, starting with What We Are this week. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Cheap thrills for book lovers, part XXXV???: Soul Making Literary Contest winners converge on SF Public

Congratulations to my friend, Professor Sam Autman, who will speak at the Koret Auditorium today. He is a Soul Making Literary Contest winner and is here in SF to mark the occasion. The event is at the main branch of the SF Public, and if you would like to go, try to get there around 1230 when the doors open. The talk runs from 1 to 3 p.m. And my apologies for the extremely short notice. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Dog with stupid name

I was minding my own business in the park over the weekend, reading Michael Slater’s new Charles Dickens biography (which I recommend very highly, by the way. A fascinating and beautifully researched book. But don’t drop it on your foot.)Anyhow, a small and yappy dog ran out of the bushes with a little kid and her mom running right behind it. To get the dog to stop running, they called out its name. “Here, Zagat!” they said. “Come on, Zagat! Time to go home, Zagat!” And it made me wonder: what kind of a person would name their kid’s dog after a customer rating system? I hope this isn’t part of a trend. (“Yelp,” at least, would have made some sense.) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Bicyclist stops at stop sign in Golden Gate Park

I saw the weirdest thing in the park yesterday. I stepped out in front of a stop sign, not realizing that a bicyclist was barreling straight towards me. And then, to my astonishment, the bicyclist actually stopped at the stop sign — in San Francisco, no less! Not only that, but she said, “Please go ahead of me. I’ll keep riding after you cross the street.” For a moment, I was speechless. I have only seen this happen once before; see below for details. For the uninitiated, out in San Francisco, if you are a bicyclist and you see a stop sign, you are supposed to barrel straight through it, as if the stop sign did not exist. In fact, most folks actually accelerate when they see one of these signs. Even police officers on bikes will do this, too. In fact, the cops — from my personal experience —…