Morro Bay

Julie and I did another of our patented holidays in this charming seaside fishing village on the California Central Coast.
Morro Rock is the signature icon.

But the smoke stacks of the PG&E plant can not be ignored, even from afar.

Morro Rock is the first of seven outcroppings in the area, affectionately known as the Seven Sisters. I think of the PG&E smokestacks as the three Brothers.

Mandy was an invaluable aide on this trip. She even found a beautiful mountain road in the area we had never traveled before.
All-in-all a delightful excursion. The single best hour for me, however, was sitting alone on the sidewalk outside the 2 Dogs' Cafe. Drinking decent espresso. Smoking a decent cigar. On a beautiful cool night with the faint sound of music easing from the coffee shop behind me.

I guess I don't ask much out of life if this meant so much to me.

Language Police

I have several pet peeves regarding mis-usage of vocabulary. Some things I read or hear are like the scratching of fingernails on the blackboard. Probably tops on my list of bad writing is the idiotic and inexcusable bastardization of the fine word "cohort".

Cohort is a plural word. A cohort is a group. Cohorts would, of course, describe several groups, not several persons, especially, as it is often misused, several nefarious associates.

The LA TIMES uses cohort accurately in a story today:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-channel1oct01,1,2020319.story?ctrack=3&cset=true

The quote, "This fall, homes with DVRs make up nearly 20% (compared with 9% last fall) of Nielsen's national sample of TV viewers -- the cohort whose closely scrutinized behavioral patterns are the most important single factor in deciding whether programs live or die."

Such a pleasure to see a nice word well used.