The above picture is probably about as close as anyone got to President Bush when he passed through Redding, CA, today to view the wildfires in the Northstate (and this probably wasn’t even the aircraft he was in). I actually don’t blame him for not wanting to touch down or talk to anyone; people in Redding suck. BUT, it is a retirement community, and it is ultra Conservative. You’d think he could have dropped by ye olde Church of Christ to wow a sea of dopey soccer moms. What a dick. Is it a felony to say I would have told him to fuck DIRECTLY off? I hope not. But, seriously man, he can fuck off. Eghads, the last time a president visited anywhere near Redding, they erected a plaque commemorating the event..except it was John F. Kennedy dedicating the Dam at Whiskeytown Lake. We’ll take that one any day.

Why ‘Reka?: Nine times out of 10, when you tell someone you’re going to Eureka (hopefully, you’ll never have to say “I’m going to Eureka” more than 10 times in your life) they figure you’re probably talking Yreka, the humble piss-stop town off of I-5 North on the way to Oregon. But true scions of Northern California know that Eureka with a “eu” is a very, very different place than Yreka. The word Eureka is greek for “I have found it,” but a lot’s changed since the time someone was excited to find Eureka. The gold that gave it it’s name ran out a long time ago, and the other two rape-able natural resources that have kept Eureka from becoming a complete waste of time and space, timber and fish, are both quickly heading that way too. In fact the only things that Eureka seems to have in abundance these days is weed and crazy ass homeless people, and not necessarily in that order. (more…)

Familiar with Anderson Valley, CA are you? No? Anderson Valley lies in the heart of Mendocino County, home to lots of marijuana and some damn fine beer. Once upon a time (1880s), Anderson was home to more than just scenery and brew. I’m talking about a little known regional dialect called “Boontling.”
Boontling is some old-timey what-have-you. Try this on for size:

The bahl Boonter japed brightlighters to Boont with beamer ‘n’ bohoik, ‘n’ when Brightlights reached for his ose pocket, Boonter shied before Brights could harp on higgin’.

That’s Boontling, and no, we’re not making this up; it’s still spoken by a handful of elderly gents. Check out the links for verification, and next thing you know, you’ll be out bahl hornin’ with yer apple-head.

Now here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. During their filming last year, The Collective Sound took their campers up to the Synthesis office. We told them about getting press for their bands. They were thoroughly disinterested with my little speech. Classic.

From The Collective Sound:

Set in the small town of Chico California, Let It Be Heard… is an inspirational story of a small group of young musicians that embark on an adventure of a lifetime. The web documentary follows the journey of 50 young artists, come together from around the world, for 3 weeks of The Collective Sound Summer Music Academy, the worlds first touring summer music camp.

Watch Arnold be weird and get angry.

Anyone looking for proof of how bad the California housing crunch need look no further than San Diego’s Michael Crews Development who have started offering a Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal on houses:

Michael Crews Development is offering new, 2000-square foot cityscape row-homes worth $400,000 in Escondido for free — if you buy one Royal View Estate home in San Pasqual Valley starting at $1.6 million.

“You know it’s a straight-up legit deal; no prices have been increased, there are no hidden costs. Michael is just giving away a free home for people that buy at Royal View,” said Berry.

“We thought, ‘Why does it just have to be on Pop Tarts and restaurants? Why not buy one home, get one free,’”

Fuck it.