Happy 3rd Birthday, Sophia!

Joyeux Anniversaire Sophie!

Rainy Weekend

At the back of my apartment, in the very small bathroom we have, there is a window with clouded glass. I noticed recently that, although I can't see clearly through that window, on a windy night at sunset, the outlines of an apple tree branch with blossoms, and an outlier of bamboo, gently brush that window, almost like an ink and water color painting.

Today we are experiencing a fairly major rainstorm, which helps alleviate the effects, locally, of one of the worst droughts in this city's history.

The plants and trees in our yard seem to be reaching out to one another, in this time of thirst.

The top photo shows the jasmine on my stairs (left) greeting the apple tree.

And the second photo show our bamboo shoots, the ultimate survivors around here.

More rain is in our forecast.

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My Youngest's Speech

My youngest, Julia, is a freshman at Gateway High School here in San Francisco.

Tonight, Julia seemed poised and mature, at the age of 15, speaking about various movements, especially Ghandi's in India.

Here is Julia's website. Her essays speak for themselves and convey her passion about the subjects she writes about.


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Spring Saturday

Made the boys sausages, bacon and waffles this morning; Julia preferred cereal. The boys both had cereal as well, and it still amazes me just how much food they consume.

I continue to obsess about the missing Malaysian plane; it seems increasingly likely the pilots were incapacitated probably by fumes or loss of oxygen and that the plane flew on on auto-pilot far out into the Indian Ocean before it crashed, probably due to running out of fuel.

The terrorist theories are too fantastic to believe, though plenty of people do, naturally.

As we reached the Vernal Equinox, the hope for more rain here in parched California grew ever more remote. Soon restrictions are almost certain to be imposed, and we'll probably have to cut our water use by 20 percent or so. It's likely that watering your garden will eventually be banned.

Our backyard should survive fairly well without water -- at least the many native plants should survive, since they are drought resistant.

Washing your car will also probably be banned; mine hasn't been washed in years anyway. It's a color that Saturn terms "storm gray."

It's still waiting time for college applications. Dylan is hopeful for two colleges in Oregon. Aidan is already set on Montana.

Michigan is in the NCAA tournament and plays in the third round of the Midwest bracket this afternoon.

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Flight 370

As usual, when a mystery of truly global significance emerges, I become engaged, watching CNN for hours at a time and trying to juggle whatever data can be found with my own sense of the matter at hand. When it comes to Malaysia, this is a country and people I know quite well.

Therefore, I've been struck with the apparent bias exhibited by many at CNN and in the U.S. media that because this is a Muslim nation, there could well be a terrorist connection to the disappearance of the jet.

I doubt it.

Malaysia is not Iran.

You have to have been to both countries, as I have been, to know that.

No, I have never been convinced this was an act of terror. This, I predict, will turn out to have been a mechanical failure, probably of the catastrophic variety.

The pilots fought heroically to save the jet, failed, kept trying, died most likely from smoke inhalation or oxygen loss, as no doubt, tragically, did all of the passengers before the plane ran out of fuel and crashed.

I believe it was a 'ghost flight' for many hours over the vast Indian Ocean. No one alive. The Boeing 777, even when badly disabled, is fiendishly capable of flight on its own.

A horrible end for everyone involved. But nothing like terrorism.

That is my investigative conclusion. Tonight the first confirmation of my theory may emerge, as there are unconfirmed reports of debris in the southern Indian Ocean.

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Family Birthday Party

On this beautiful Sunday as many of us who could gathered to celebrate my daughter Sarah Daisy's birthday.

We had a big BBQ, and I taught Dylan how to cook chicken.

When the sun went down, Dylan, Julia and I headed back to the city.

The third photo from the top is Julia holding the newest addition to our family, Daisy Julia Comolli. Looks like she has blue eyes...

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Relaxable Times

We've had enough rains that the backyard is flowering. I don't get out there much these days as most of the time during daylight hours I am at work; or, on weekends, doing things with the kids.

But with the longer hours of light, maybe I'll start to go back there more often.

A quiet domestic Sunday: did a big grocery shopping trip today so I can cook dinners and lunches and breakfasts for the kids starting tonight and tomorrow morning.

It's spring training time for baseball fans, so I am listening to the Giants playing the Dodgers in Arizona.

I gave a big speech downtown last week at a Google Media Summit. Got to give another one at an all-staff at work. The subject is News Fix, our online news channel, which is growing rapidly and is the core of the work I am doing for KQED.

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