KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 

Yep the building trades, you dry wall, my wife's, painting.  Toss in carpentry, masonry, etc.   These are were all great paying jobs.  A fair wage for a good job. 

These jobs paid on average $30 / hour on up. 

 kysmet wrote: 
I know.
I'm almost as old as oldviolen. 

Well not THAT old.

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
I wasn't borned yet. I was in utero when you left.

 jagdriver wrote: 
Pro or Con?

Hey, I'm all for helping people out, but because of cheap imported labor and "a job that Americans don't want to do" (my job), I have to compete against guys who bring their family (kids, wives, grandparents, cousins, etc.) to work very cheap. And do it slower (about a 8 to 1 ratio) and with a bigger mess to clean up.
Not to mention not covered by any insurance.
And guys from their own race who habitually  take advantage of each other... ie. get the job then dole out meager cash for the job they "oversee".

I'm not fabricating this story.
I've been witnessing this for over 30 years now.

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
Dunn-Edwards was the wife's prefered paint store when she was working in the South County area before she up and left and moved out here to Ohio.  D-E is the best as far as she is concerned.  Shame how Sacto is driving people out of the state. 

The wife is a 5th generation native and there are some of her family's heirlooms in the Bidwell Mansion.  I don't want to go into a rant.  Suffice it to say, we ain't happy with what has happened to our home.

And Carl's Jr. is moving or already has moved their HQ to Texas, BTW. 

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
Witness the signing of the Dream Act.

 romeotuma wrote: 
It's a travesty.

Dunn-Edwards has been based in California for many, many years but decided to move to Arizona because of the ridiculous regulations here in this way over- regulated State.
They are one of hundreds of big companies who have moved to other States because our wonderful leaders up there in Sacramento.
They have too much time on their hands thinking up some "landmark" decisions so as to make people think they are doing their jobs.
Then they sit and wonder why their tax base is disappearing.

Have you heard Nancy Pelosi speak lately?

Common sense isn't very common in Sacramento.

 romeotuma wrote: 
A toilet flushing would help.

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
So close.

 romeotuma wrote: 
There's a lot of that going on in Sacramento .

 kysmet wrote: 
I used to live in Anaheim from 9/30/1954 to 6/12/69.
You should have warned me sooner.
Sorry I missed you.

I'll be in California in 9 days...woot! If anyone wants to meet up, this is my schedule:

Arriving Thurs, 11/10 in Anaheim for our convention. I'll be working a little bit that day then may have some free time in the evening.
Friday, 11/11:  Free til about 3pm
Saturday, 11/12: I may have some free time Saturday evening
Sunday, 11/13: No free time (work then a free Diana Ross concert )
Monday, 11/14: Working until about 3 then heading to my dad's in San Diego.
Monday evening, 11/14-Thursday morning, 11/17:  I'll be in San Diego with no set plans at the moment.
Thursday afternoon, 11/17:  Flying to San Jose
Thursday, 11/17 evening-Sunday, 11/20 evening:  I'll be staying in San Jose with hopes to visit San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Saturday the 19th is my birthday so I'll be doing something to celebrate but I don't know what yet.
Sunday night, 11/20:  Taking a red eye home.

I won't have a car so I'll have to depend on someone driving me to meet you or you'll have to come to me.

 Manbird wrote: 
YES, INDEED! I was so happy when he was elected because I knew that he would think like me and many of my friends. He's a good guy.

Thank you to Gov. Brown for passing the dream act and the shark fin act.  

 romeotuma wrote:
One owner I spoke to about 2 years ago, claimed that he averaged $65K from each of his dispensaries per year. He said he owned 7 of them in small cities/towns scattered throughout Northern CA! He also admitted that state law only allowed him to own 1 dispensary, but that since others were running more than one, why shouldn't he. Now that there are even more people with 215 cards, I'm sure he averages more than he did back then. I guess it pays not to turn a profit!

Brain Injury Association of California

The California Brain Injury Association (CALBIA) is a non-profit membership organization providing information, referrals, education, advocacy and support for those affected by brain injury.

 jagdriver wrote: 
Oh, and if you don't mind $$ (as opposed to $$$), DO have dinner at Thanh Long. Their roasted crab and garlic noodles are the absolute best!

Check out Yoshi's to see if anything you want to hear is going on this week. They also have great sushi. 

 Servo wrote: 
Get up on Skyline Drive; it's really pretty with some wineries, too. Filoli is a really cool place to visit. Cool places to eat in nearby Woodside: http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS361&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=filoli#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS361&source=hp&q=%2BWoodside+%2Brestaurant&pbx=1&oq=%2BWoodside+%2Brestaurant&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=9743l17197l0l17805l21l20l0l0l0l0l683l8152l2-3.8.4.5l20l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.&fp=265f5e3edf2ec82b&biw=1052&bih=1089

Kesey and the Pranksters used to hang in La Honda, although there isn't really much there.

If in Half Moon Bay, have lunch at Miramar Beach restaurant (bar/tavern). 

 hippiechick wrote: 
As I recall, the fog there is often quite localized. SF is famous for 'microclimates': walk a couple blocks and you're likely to encounter entirely different weather conditions. I remember freezing at the Wharf and roasting in Chinatown on the same day.

 hippiechick wrote: 
If you're going, say...now, you shouldn't have much trouble with fog.  Also, the terrain makes it easy to get out of the (low lying) fog pretty quickly.

In SF, doing the touristy things like taking the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf to dine (I like Alioto's), with a stop at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company for a sweet treat after is a must-do, but better on sunny days.  Visiting the Coit Tower and sunset cocktails at the Top of the Mark (Hopkins hotel) provide spectacular views, and should be saved for clear weather, I suppose.

If you really do find yourself socked-in, you can take a drive to Marin County via the Golden Gate Bridge, or the East Bay/Oakland area over the Bay Bridge (or the shorter, more scenic San Mateo Bridge).  From there you can visit state parks, go to wine country and other tourist traps.  There are also plenty of high spots and parks within SF city limits.

The area west of 280 is full of nature, state parks and scenic vistas.  A day trip to Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz is good for the drive alone.