A bump in the road, quite literally. To my great amusement, Wikipedia mentions this is also known as a sleeping policeman or slow child, hah. Not to be confused, of course, with a speed hump, which is a beast of an entirely different dimension and was possibly referred to by the Black Eyed Peas in one of their songs a few years ago, though probably not.
I don't often write fiction, but this piece is fictional, my intention is for it to be read as a parable. Of course, I am not a writer, so I am unsure how good it is, but if you're so inclined, read it, try to understand, and feel free to draw parallels to your own real-life situation as you see fit.
Really cool how much different the birds are between Central Europe and here. If I dug it up right (did I mention birds are hard to google for?), this should be a black phoebe. Apparently Northern California is about as far north as they go?
Our dog Lizzy, looking back while on a walk; her tongue (and drool), meanwhile, flying all over the place.
Looks like peak corn season is going on! With the complete husks and even additional leaves still attached, they look really, really fresh. Now I'm kind of tempted to make some one the grill myself, which I must admit I never tried before.
More street photography! A boy (almost) outrunning his parent, while pushing his own stroller, no less.
Senior, Class of 2012. How cute! Hold on. Does that mean I graduated high school almost ten years ago? Now I feel old...
What, you don't know what German curtains are? Glad you asked! These white lacy curtains are in place in eeevery German home's windows -- presumably not to block out any light, as they completely fail at that, but to keep curious looks at bay. Actual sunlight is then blocked by either a second set of long, darker curtains (rarely) or roller shutters (more frequently). Too bad you can't see these curtains on Google Street View, given the buildings have most likely been blurred out as the same people who dislike real-life looks are also not too fond of digital ones...
Oh, the delight of a California commute, as seen from a lane other than the "commuter lane". The Bay Area has the fascinating ability to spawn traffic jams, any time, anywhere, day or night. Pair this with the scariest drivers you can find (who despite the numerous freeways here have yet to learn how to merge into a moving freeway without bringing traffic to a grinding halt, are happy to make cars back up for several miles to get their daily dose of gawking, and just in general are the kings and queens of causing dangerous traffic situations for no good reason), and you've got yourself some of the worst traffic ever.
On a more serious side note, I wish there was better public transport to get all these people off the streets -- while I realize it's somewhat of a chicken-egg problem (only well-frequented public transport is good, and only good public transport will be well-frequented) but urban sprawl throws a serious monkey wrench into those plans if driving, including heavy traffic, still only takes half as long a the train, even if you live virtually next to the train stop. Can we redesign the Bay Area real quick, please?
Oh hey! Looks like I'm a permanent resident now! "Welcome to the United States of America"? Well thanks!
