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One of my odd evening rituals is to fall asleep by reading the Yahoo news headlines on my Treo. Believe me…a few short pages and I am out like a light.

But one of tonight’s headlines was truly blogworthy: “Squirrel goes on rampage, injures three”. This story from the Reuters desk in Berlin told the riveting story of “an aggressive squirrel [that] attacked and injured three people in a German town” before being killed by a 72-year-old man’s crutch.

Although…in all fairness…this was closely followed by “Toddler served margarita in a sippy cup.”

I love getting my news from the Internet. Global warming? Never heard of it. But I do know that one of Milan’s airports was closed when its runways were overrun with mating wild rabbits.

In pleasant contract with Saturday’s cool foggy weather, today was brilliant from start to finish. Sure, you could quibble with the slight lingering haze, but that’s for glass-half-full types.

We ventured across the Golden Bate Bridge and into the Marin Headlands to visit a craggy piece of land that sticks out into the entrance of the Bay. Firmly atop this sliver of rock is the Point Bonita lighthouse. Built in 1855, this lighthouse was originally accessed via a natural rocky path, which eroded away. In 1954, a suspension bridge (below) was constructed. Today, the Park Service tightly controls foot traffic over this creaky bridge…only two people are allowed on the bridge at once…which can lead to some queues at both ends.

After our visit to Point Bonita, we drove into Sausalito for lunch at our favorite waterfront restaurant–Paradise Cove. We got a perfect table right on the water, looking out at the sailboats.

On the drive home, I spotted this rickety old VW van being carried home to roost in San Francisco.

I also had to share this shot of Matthew catching a cat nap as we sat in a tiny bit of bridge traffic.

I was reading my favorite travel magazine–Conde Nast Traveler–on the flight home from San Diego yesterday. One side-bar in particular caught my attention…some preparation notes from a famous restaurant in Montreal where the chef takes great pride in creating unique dishes using every part of the pig…and I mean EVERY part. Here are my three favorite preparations:

1. Head: “Saw top off skull; remove brains; rinse brains under cold running water for three hours. Poach brains. Boil head until meat leaves bone. Cut off ears; peel skin off tongue. Press ears for 12 hours, then dehydrate for 6 more in 100 degree oven. Use liquid to cook meatballs and beans. Fry in pork fat.meatballs and beans. Fry in pork fat. Serve tongue, head meat, and diced skin with meatballs, beans, and fried ears.”

2. Tail: “Cook, wrapped in caul fat, and stuff with foie gras.”

3. Brains: “Scramble with eggs into a dripping, creamy omelet.”

Mmmmmm, mmmmmmm, good! That’s good pig. (I had chicken for dinner last night.)

I’m pleased to say that an afternoon cat nap and a complimentary glass of wine at the Hilton HHonors evening reception cured my crankiness. Back to being Happy John 🙂

[Update: I’ve come to a sad realization. After I posted this entry, my headache returned, so I cried uncle and ran downstairs to the Hilton gift shop. I bought Excedrin and a Starbucks Doubleshot. One (or both) of these totally erased my headache. Hmmm, since I didn’t have a latte this morning (recall the forgotten wallet), can someone say caffeine withdrawal. Sigh, I hope not…I only have one silly latte in the morning…its one of my daily pleasures.

Also, James requested a happy photo to reflect my improved mood. I don’t have photos from St. Michaels on my laptop…so how about a Bay to Breakers pic with a Stranger getting goosed by another Stranger.]

Dateline: Mission Valley, San Diego…I have a splitting headache and am officially grumpy. This is in spite of good client meetings, refreshing drinks with friend Rob, and amazing Southern California weather. Unfortunately, I also left my wallet in the hotel this morning, so I haven’t eaten…room service is on the way. In the meantime…here is the lovely hill behind the Hilton.