Up this morning, colder than I can remember by the way. The Yahoo web site says it was a low of forty-one degrees today, forty-two as I write, but I was willing to bet it was down into the mystical thirties, not quite the equivalent of Armageddon here in end of the rainbow California, but approaching that place. Yes, I've been reading about the ice storms on the east coast, Mr. H living in Maine is probably without power and sitting in front of his fireplace at the moment with a hot toddy in hand and we're no way near such shenanigans here except in our heads. Except that's where most of us live, here in Oakland. They say rain later today, although the sun is poking through the clouds at the moment and the sun is out. Maybe make a run for Beverages & More before it turns dark, get some of that hot toddy stuff.

No word from anyone on when my old office comrades will be kicked out onto the street. The photograph above was taken across the street from our offices, the building was named after the company or at least has been up until now. There was a board meeting Wednesday where all things were to be decided and I suspect they'll give people the news this coming week. Unless they give them the news on the week following, getting Christmas out of the way. Is it better to know before or after? I'm a great believer in knowing, but then what do I know? There's been an interesting series of comments by readers to the original news story on SFGate, worth a look if you're interested.

It's hard to say with any certainty what's been going on with all this messy business. I know something about the IT area of the company, having worked there for almost fifteen years: the mistakes made, the dollars flushed down the drain, the politics and maneuverings you see, the people let go who should never have been let go, the people who remained who rationally should have never been hired. Still, look at the maneuverings at our national political level, the deregulation decisions so cogently argued that led to this financial mess, the people who made them still in charge. How to figure that? The way the world works is the lesson, I guess, so I'll just say I have no complaints about my time with the company, happy to have escaped intact.

You shouldn't write about things like that.

True, true, but I'm their old “in house” photographer. I still have office party negatives. No need to say more.

So, Sunday. A day to make plans about this coming Christmas business. The family party is scheduled for the 27th, right in the middle of the holidays, not the best time to be on the road from my hermit like perspective. Still, a drawn out journey up the coast, rain or snow doesn't really matter as the temperature will be OK and rain and snow often make for interesting pictures, a journey up the coast, why not give it a try? Get out of my comfort zone? We can beat that to death in my opinion, this “comfort zone” business. But we'll see. It's coming pretty quickly I'm thinking.