Yesterday my kitchen faucet began to go on the fritz—emitting an uneven and crooked downpour. I didn’t think much of it at first, but by the time I got around to cooking dinner it had gotten really bad. The tap water came out practically sideways, so that the only safe water pressure was a tiny trickle. Each time I went to the sink I’d discover the failing faucet anew, and get a nice little spray in the stomach and out over my counter and floor. Frustrated, I began poking and prodding at the little

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This was a wedding present for a special couple—my cousin Arthur and his beautiful bride Janisha—who were married on the first of July. Hopefully they’ve opened their gifts already, and I’m not ruining any surprises.

In March I made a series of small pen, ink, and collage pieces that I called “Little Lefties” (see all the Little Lefties on the “Art” page). While I’ve since regained use of my right hand for drawing, I plan to keep on making these little guys—with left-handed drawings or right. For my cousin and his wife, I chose three drawings of the palm trees in my Carmichael backyard.

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I’ve had a Bank of America account since I first began earning wages as a lifeguard in the early 2000s. I opened a free student checking account, and while I later adopted the Golden1 Credit Union as my primary bank, the B of A account has hung around.

The reason I kept the account was to access Bank of America’s considerably large network of ATMs. Once I started working, I plunked my bimonthly healthcare reimbursement checks into the red BofA ATM across the street from my office, and whenever I was in a bind for cash (a frequent occurrence in cash-only-happy San Francisco), a Bank of America ATM was usually close at hand.

All in all, BofA and I enjoyed a happy, functional little relationship. I put in checks, their ATMs spit out cash, and I went on my merry way. It all began to fall apart some months ago when I left my job.

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Happy July folks!  I was a little late getting this background together, but hopefully some of you are still sitting there with the June background and haven’t run off to some other site for some fly new background that you’ve fallen in love with.  This month’s background, based on a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, is bright and hot like the month of July (in some places).

Download the wallpaper for your desktop in various sizes here: 2560×1600, 1920×1200, 1680×1050, 1440×900, 1280×800.

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