We had a few people here last night for a couple of drinks. The two guys in the middle are my roommates.

This is the post office building. I don't know that they handle mail.

The white house is actually quite small, but security around it is strident. In this area, it pays to follow the law. There are men with guns watching everyone with a somewhat suspicious bias as to people's activities.

That's where I work. The academies occupy most of a block and have about 1000 employees at this location.

My roommate in Washington DC.

Apparently this place is famous. In the Vietnam war, protests were held here. I was there last Friday; we started by going to Berkeley, which is a little bit of an alternative town, where a bunch of very bright students let loose and study hard. And to the delight of proud parents ("Oh my son is at Berkeley"), they return home with tattoos, piercings and bright hairstyles. After Berkeley we went to SF, where I saw Sarah's dad's hotels and law practice. We came back that night, and went to say goodbye to Erika.

A dorm in Berkeley.

Gill and I at the Cal Bears Stadium at Berkeley. Berkeley (also called Cal) is a big sport university. At games the stadium is filled with crazy students shouting at each other across the players. On the left, undergrads scream "Go" and from the right, grads shout back "Bears". Imagine playing down there.

I was pretty happy seeing this shop, but it was an absolute tourist rip off. The guy running it wasn't even Australian!

I post this only to spite Erika. Muhahaha. All her friends will get this link.

It looks like we are dancing drunk, but we're not: Erika is just very ticklish.

I love this picture.

They showed me the backways. I met these guys on the chairlift and snowboarded with them all morning. They were rather stoned, hence all the risk taking that morning.

Look at those trees and all that fresh powder: would you have stayed on the runs? I certainly didn't.

On my way to the famous Napa Valley, where the best Californian wines are made. Sarah took me there by the back route.

This is just outside of Davis. Davis is a very good agricultural university.

Sarah (left) and her sister

This horse is worth a million dollars.

Standing in the back: Chris, my roommate. Sitting, from the left: James, my bastard of a suitemate, Rhythm, our sixth suitemate, Jay, a regular ping pong partner, Gill, a crazy (only slightly) South African girl I may travel with, Ed'd, the eccentric one here, and myself.

This photo was taken at the farewell get together I organised. These are the people I spent two quarters with.

Poking fun at engineers

Engineers

Understanding Engineers - Take One :
Two engineering students crossing the campus when one said, "Where did you
get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking
along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on
this bike.She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and
said, "Take what you want." The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good
choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

Understanding Engineers - Take Two :
To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is
half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Take Three :
A pastor, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a
particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with these
guys? We must have been waiting for 15 minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I
don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!" The pastor said, "Hey,
here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." "Hi George!
Say, what's with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't
they?"
The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters.
They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we
always let them play for free anytime." The group was silent for a moment.
The pastor said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for
them tonight." The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my
ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them." The
engineer said, "Why can't these guys just play at night?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Four :
What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers?
Mechanical Engineers build weapons and Civil Engineers build targets.

Understanding Engineers - Take Five :
The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an Accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an Arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Six :
Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the possible
designers of the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer."Just
look at all the joints."

Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has
many thousands of electrical connections."
The last one said, "Actually it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a
toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Seven :
"Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features
yet"

Understanding Engineers - Take Eight :
An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was
better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said he
enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring
relationship. The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because
the passion and mystery he found there. The engineer said, "I like both."
"Both?" "Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume
you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the lab and
get some work done."

Understanding Engineers - Take Nine :
An engineer was crossing a road one-day when a frog called out to him and
said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over,
picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and
said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will
stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket,
smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If
you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do
ANYTHING you want." Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and
put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter?
I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, and that I'll stay with you for a
week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The engineer said,
"Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking
frog, now that's cool."

San Francisco

Last Saturday I went to San Francisco with two persons I had never met before, but who turned out to be charming. I have already told you a little bit about SF; let me assure you: I wasn't wrong, and I wasn't exaggerating. This town is truly beautiful. It has the same advantage as Perth: a bay. The presence of water must have a great relaxing effect on people, because like in Perth, San Franciscans are a relaxed and gentle people. But unlike Perth, SF is an international business centre, and I could see that very easily in the deserted business district. There, every block had its Starbucks, opened on weekdays, when masses dressed in black need their daily caffeine rush.
Which reminds me that Americans do not drink tea; they drink coffee, and plenty of it. Perhaps that is why they are such a fast people. Why they don't get out of the car to eat, and why time is constantly referred to as lacking.
Scroll down and enjoy these few photos.

PS: I am thinking of plans for next summer, and Madagscar has come up. Anyone been there?

San Francisco: a view from the piers.

San Francisco swells enormously every weekend, with tourists flocking in. Out of this shot, to my left, lies a very nice market.

I have to include this to remind you that we are still in America here. This monster easily spans more than ten meters.

Not much really. This is picture is a testimony to the quality of my camera. Lovely shot, out of a pleasant, but mundane (in SF) sight.

What the town looks like from our boat.

What is this? It looks like a platform, but it is a ship.

The bay and its passengers. No wonder people love this city.

Golden Gate: Part 1; the old and the ancient. These two ships make the Golden Gate feel young.

Golden Gate, part 2: grandly solemn

Golden Gate, part 3: from up close

Alcatraz, part 1: the world's most famous prison. Did you know that in the fifties a group of native Americans claimed the island for their own? They were the only individuals to be forcefully removed from the island.

Alcatraz, Part 2

Alcatraz, part 3

The Bay Bridge; one of the two famous San Franciscan bridges. This one links SF to Oakland. In a 1989 earthquake, a span of the other section of the bridge collapsed.

SF is more than the sum of its hills, its bay and Alcatraz: here is a sight from the high flying business district.

This church is in North Beach, a famous part of the town. This is where the beat movement started.

A typical street in SF

This little neighbourhood dominates the bay, on one of the highest points of SF. It is also minutes away from the business district.

A San Franciscan street in the business district. Can you see Bullit's car flying over the hill?