Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Jack is back!

In the middle of this coronavirus mess, I picked Jack up at the airport. After spending a week with his girlfriend's family in Miami, he flew home. Jack was originally scheduled to fly from Miami to St. Paul and then to Sacramento on Delta. At the last minute, the flight from St. Paul to Sacramento was cancelled. He was able to switch to a Delta flight from Miami to Charlotte and then to Sacramento. The flights were about a third full...

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Shelter In Place - Day 17

I started working from home two weeks ago Friday. Sharon started to work from home the following week. I have taken over the den upstairs, while Sharon is spread out on the dining room table downstairs.

The den has been a dumpster fire. We dragged a ton of stuff into the room when we moved from Marina Point eight years ago. We actually had two separate rooms set up as offices in the old house. Over the last two weekends, we have cleaned out the room. It is now a much more comfortable and useable space.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Her

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched Her on the AppleTv. It was the only movie nominated for best picture at the 2014 Oscars that we hadn't seen yet. At the 86th Academy Awards, Her actually received five nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. It won the Oscar for original screenplay.

Her is a 2013 American science-fiction romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Spike Jonze. It marks Jonze's solo screenwriting debut. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Chris Pratt.

The film follows Theodore Twombly (Phoenix). He develops a relationship with Samantha (Johansson). Samantha is an artificially intelligent virtual assistant personified through a female voice. The role of Samantha was recast in post-production, with Samantha Morton being replaced with Johansson. Additional scenes were filmed in August 2013 following the casting change.

It is not a bad movie; I give it a lukewarm thumbs up. Sharon commented during and after the film that it felt long. I agree that it dragged a little in a couple of spots. I think the point was that they were showing the developing relationship between the main characters.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

2014 Oscar Nominations


Best Picture:
   ✔ 12 Years a Slave - winner
   ✔ American Hustle
   ✔ Captain Phillips
   ✔ Dallas Buyers Club
   ✔ Gravity
   ✔ Her
   ✔ Nebraska
   ✔ Philomena
   ✔ The Wolf of Wall Street


Lead Actor:
   ✔ Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club - winner
   ✔ Christian Bale – American Hustle
   ✔ Bruce Dern – Nebraska
   ✔ Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
   ✔ Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave


Lead Actress:
   ✔ Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine - winner
   ✔ Amy Adams – American Hustle
   ✔ Sandra Bullock – Gravity
   ✔ Judi Dench – Philomena
    Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

Supporting Actor:
   ✔ Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club - winner
   ✔ Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
   ✔ Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
   ✔ Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
   ✔ Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street


Supporting Actress:
   ✔ Lupita Nyong'o – 12 Years a Slave - winner
   ✔ Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
   ✔ Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
   Julia Roberts – August: Osage County
   ✔ June Squibb – Nebraska


Best Adapted Screenplay
   ✔ 12 Years a Slave - winner
    Before Midnight
   ✔ Captain Phillips
   ✔ Philomena
   ✔ The Wolf of Wall Street


Original screenplay
   ✔ Her - winner
   ✔ American Hustle
   ✔ Blue Jasmine
   ✔ Dallas Buyers Club
   ✔ Nebraska


The 2021 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2020 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2019 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2018 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2017 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2016 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2015 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2014 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2013 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2010 Oscar nominations are here.

The 1988 Oscar nominations are here.

The 1975 Oscar nominations are here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

The Sea Ranch Chapel

The Sea Ranch Chapel
Marker 34B-41

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This site is located at 40033 Highway 1, Sea Ranch, California. The Sea Ranch Archives Committee has identified twenty-six historic sites scattered about The Sea Ranch. They have constructed trail markers with information explaining the significance of each place. They were placed as part of The Sea Ranch 50th anniversary being celebrated from Memorial Day 2014 to Memorial Day 2015. The GPS coordinates for this location are 38° 44' 00.1" N 123° 28' 38.3" W.

The Sea Ranch Chapel


This nondenominational chapel was created to honor Kirk Ditzler, who regarded art as the intermediary between the physical and spiritual worlds. To realize his design, artist James Hubbell assembled a team of local artisans and craftsmen, led by contractor Thamby Kumara, who specialized in hand-built structures. It was crafted from a model and sketches rather than construction plans. Rough boulders anchor the building to the eart. The roof form was inspired by the shell of a sea snail. A sculpture i nthe landscape, the chapel stands as a curvilinear counterpoint to the right angles of most Sea Ranch architecture.

The Sea Ranch Chapel

Monday, March 23, 2020

Jack's 2017 Spring Semester Classes

ACCT 101 08 Accounting I
This course is an introduction to financial accounting. Financial accounting is the process through which an organization reports financial information to interested parties. In other words, it is the language of business. The information is used for decision-making purposes by managers, investors, bankers, labor unions, suppliers, etc. In this class, you will learn how to prepare, analyze and use financial accounting information.

OPIM 173 02 Business Statistics
This course introduces the basic concepts of Statistics and their application in managerial decision-making. In the first part of the course, we consider the steps of data collection, preliminary data analysis (numerical and graphical), probability and uncertainty, statistical inference. In the second part of the course, we examine statistical model building for the purposes of understanding variability and making forecasts. A detailed development of multiple regression analysis is complemented by some study of time series analysis. The objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of statistical modeling in guiding managerial decision-making. The statistical analysis of large data sets is an integral part of modern business practice. Accordingly, both spreadsheets and statistical software will be used throughout the course.

STRT 255 01 Moral Foundations of Market Soc
Are markets good or bad? How free should markets be? What good are economic and commercial liberties, and how strong should those liberties be? Is capitalism an impediment to social justice, or could capitalism be a way of achieving social justice? Is it possible for a society to be free, prosperous, and fair? Is market society cooperative and peaceful or competitive and exploitative? Do markets promote or undermine community and virtue?

This course is meant to introduce you to moral and political philosophy by focusing on a particular set of questions about capitalism, market institutions, and the ethics of wealth creation. We will start by asking what moral reasoning is, examine some common moral and political theories, and ask what counts as a sound ethical reasoning and what it takes to justify moral beliefs.

We will evaluate the institutions of the market using the tools of ethics, political philosophy, economics, history, and political science. We will investigate issues concerning the nature of money and prices, the role of the division of labor, business ethics, commerce and entrepreneurship, overconsumption and overpopulation, exploitation and alienation, the relationship between wealth and happiness, the motivations of market actors, the rule of law, liberty and market society, rent-seeking and corporate welfare, and more. We will read and discuss evaluations of markets from multiple ideological perspectives: socialist, communitarian, left-liberal, classical liberal, libertarian, and conservative.

ARTH 140 01 Modern Art

This course provides a broad survey of modern European and American art, with a focus on the development of abstraction. We will examine the major art movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while remaining ever attentive to the question of what is modern art. Artistic developments will be understand in relation to historical factors, such as the impact of revolution and war, the changing status of women, and the rise of the modern metropolis. Together we will read seminal art theoretical texts which grapple with the nature of modernity, the role of the arts in the modern period, and the rise of the modern art museum

HIST 339 01 Eternal City:A History of Rome

This seminar class focuses on the history of the city of Rome, from its foundation in ancient times through its contemporary role as the capital of Italy. Each week we will focus on a different period, and examine the history of the city, in terms of both the life of its population and the development of city buildings, neighborhoods, and structures. We will discuss political, economic, social, cultural, religious, intellectual, and other changes, with a special focus on the architecture and urban structures of the physical city itself. Rome is a place, but it is also an idea. Therefore, though the history of the city and its people will be our main focus, we will also discuss the image of Rome, the perception of the city by outsiders, its broader role in European and western culture, and the legacy of its history as the seat of antiquity’s greatest empire, the main center of western Christianity and of global Catholicism, and the capital of a modern European nation state. Please note however that this class will not offer an overall history of antiquity, of the papacy, or of the Christian church in general (or of modern Italy per se). The course aims thus to allow for a close analysis of specific themes and topics and of how they developed over a significant span of time. The course also has a methodological aim: to introduce students to the advanced use of primary sources and to further their understanding of historical thinking and analysis. Both class discussion and writing assignments will push students to hone their critical reading, writing, and analytical skills. In particular, we will try to understand how to read textual, visual, and other sources with an awareness of historical context and with attention to the specifics of genre, authorship, and audience

Fall 2016 Semester
Spring 2017 Semester
Fall 2017 Semester
Spring 2018 Semester
Fall 2018 Semester
Spring 2019 Semester
Fall 2019 Semester
Spring 2020 Semester

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Shelter In Place - Day 10



A post shared by Mark Heringer (@heringermr) on

Wine Country

Looking for a comedy, Sharon and I ended up watching Wine Country on Netflix on Saturday night. It is a 2019 American comedy film produced and directed by Amy Poehler. It is Poehler's feature directorial debut.

Poehler stars alongside Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, Jason Schwartzman and Tina Fey. The plot follows a group of middle-aged women who go on a wine tasting tour in California.

I don't recommend the movie, but there is some beautiful scenery of Napa. Parts of the movie were filmed at three Napa Valley wineries: Artesa in the Carneros region; Baldacci Family Vineyards, and; Quintessa Vineyards.

[Note to self], I was really impressed with the views at the Artesa Winery. Sharon and Liz tasted there in 2004.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

To Miami

Up at 5:30 am, Sharon, Jack and I headed to the airport about 6:30 am. Jack caught a 8:15 am American flight to Dallas. With an hour layover, he changed planes and took another American flight to Miami. After some heated debate, He is spending the week with his girlfriend's family.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Volvo XC60 T8 - Day 508

I have driven 17,614 miles in the last 16 3/4 months. I am averaging about 1,054 miles a month. I continue to be very happy with vehicle, particularly since I replaced my iPhone and can use CarPlay again.

With a trip to Santa Cruz and the Carmel Valley mostly on gas, I only got 39 miles per gallon on the last tank of gas. This is actually higher than last July when I was working out of Marysville.

March 1
March 1, 2020

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Golf Course

Golf Course
Marker 35A & 35D-45

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This site is located next to the Pro Shop at the Sea Ranch Links Golf Course. The Sea Ranch Archives Committee has identified twenty-six historic sites scattered about The Sea Ranch. They have constructed trail markers with information explaining the significance of each place. They were placed as part of The Sea Ranch 50th anniversary being celebrated from Memorial Day 2014 to Memorial Day 2015. The GPS coordinates for this location are 38° 45' 11.7" N 123° 30' 58.0" W.

Golf Course

The Sea Ranch Golf Course was built in two phases. The first nine holes were designed in the Scottish "links" style - often featured in the British Open - which fully exploits the windy, sandy, relatively treeless seaside environment, with its stunning viewsheds, natural waterways and rolling landforms. The second nine holes were more conventionally designed. The course is privately owned. Golf Course Architect, Robert Muir Graves; First Phase 1974; Second Phase 1995

Golf Course

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Apple Watch Series 5

Four years ago, Sharon bought me an Apple Watch for Father's Day. Although I had never worn a watch before, it quickly become a key part of my life. I am literally never without it.

I upgraded to a Series 3 two years ago. With the Apple retail stores and the supply chain starting to get disrupted, I decided to upgrade and ordered a series 5 watch on Saturday. I arrived today.

Apple Watch Series 5

Monday, March 16, 2020

Saturday Night Live - Season 1 - Episode 1

I am reading James Miller's Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live. I previously read his oral history of ESPN: Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN.

Getting to the section where the first episode airs, I decided to buy the first season. I watched the first episode on the AppleTV running on the treadmill on Sunday afternoon.
October 11, 1975
  • Billy Preston performs "Nothing from Nothing"and "Fancy Lady".
  • Janis Ian performs "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter".
  • The cold open features John Belushi as a foreign man learning English being taught by writer Michael O'Donoghue. Following this sketch, Chevy Chase appeared with a headset on and bellows the first "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!"
  • As host, George Carlin performs stand-up, introduced the musical guests and conducted the goodnight segment. Carlin performed three monologues, including "Baseball-Football".
  • Andy Kaufman appears in a segment consisting of him playing the Mighty Mouse theme on a record player.
  • Valri Bromfield makes a guest appearance. Jacqueline Carlin appeared as the mother in the "New Dad Insurance" sketch and as the woman with a book in the "Academy of Better Careers" sketch. Wendy Craig appeared as the salesman in the "Academy of Better Careers" sketch. Richard Belzer (the show's warm-up comedian), writer Tom Davis and talent coordinator Neil Levy appear as jurors in the "Courtroom" sketch.
  • Sketches include the Bees; the Albert Brooks film, "The Impossible Truth"; "Trojan Horse Home Security"; "Triple-Trac"; and The Land of Gorch, with Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Rhonda Hansome, and Alice Tweedy.
  • Paul Simon appears to promote his appearance as host the following week.
  • Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, and Gilda Radner's first episode as cast members
  • George Coe's only episode as a cast member.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Corned Beef and Cabbage

We had an early small St. Patrick's Day celebration. Sharon's brother Tom came over for dinner and Sharon made a great meal of corned beef and cabbage. Before dinner, we played a couple of rounds of the board game Locale.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Bombshell

Saturday night, Sharon, Jack and I watched Bombshell. This is part of our continuing effort to see all of the Oscar nominated films. At the 92nd Academy Awards, it earned three nominations: Best Actress (Charlize Theron), Best Supporting Actress (Margot Robbie), and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It won the latter.

In addition to starring roles for Theron as Megyn Kelly, Robbie and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, the film features John Lithgow as Roger Ailes, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Malcolm McDowell, and Allison Janney. The movie is based upon the accounts of the women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment.

Both Sharon and I liked the film more than we thought that we would. When it ended, Sharon said "that was good; I am surprised that it wasn't nominated for best picture." The movie is definitely worth looking for and watching. I think that we were both surprised how much the movie was wrapped up in Trump's run for the presidency in 2016.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Work From Home

Starting about February 28, the focus on business continuity in the face of the coronavirus grew steadily. It exploded on Wednesday, March 11 with the decision to shut down the Roseville building and move 1,300 employees to a work from home strategy.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

2020 Spring Training

For the second year in a row, I had tickets to Spring Training baseball, but didn't make it there. With the Wallens already on the ground in Arizona and Nooter in Atlanta, Major League Baseball suspended the Spring Training games. Nooter made a decision to turn around and head back home. I cancelled my flight and rental car.

Given the loss of the annual lake trip, the Spring Training trip is an important touchstone to maintain a connection with everyone. I am very disappointed.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Ninefox Gambit

My book for March was Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. Ninefox Gambit received the 2017 Locus Award for Best First Novel. It was nominated for the 2016 Nebula and 2017 Hugo Awards for Best Novel and the 2017 Clarke award.

The book uses a couple of odd vehicles to drive the plot. The general idea is the math and advanced technology is based on the calendar. I read a number of reviews that suggested that this approach made the book too obtuse and obscure.

I view the book differently. Arthur C. Clarke's First Law was that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I would expect that technology set in the far future could be unfathomable.

I enjoyed the book as a change of pace. I give it a lukewarm thumbs up. This is the first book in a trilogy; I am frankly not sure if I will ever read the second and third books.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Mill Railroad and Worker Housing

I went looking for this marker on my Sunday morning run at Sea Ranch.

Mill Railroad and Worker Housing
Marker 35E-7

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This site is located on the Del Mar Meadow Trail, Sea Ranch, California. The Sea Ranch Archives Committee has identified twenty-six historic sites scattered about The Sea Ranch. They have constructed trail markers with information explaining the significance of each place. They were placed as part of The Sea Ranch 50th anniversary being celebrated from Memorial Day 2014 to Memorial Day 2015. The GPS coordinates for this location are 38° 44' 29.7" N 123° 30' 25.8" W.

Mill Railroad and Work Housing

A logging railroad cut diagonally across this meadow from the mill site on the bluff to the what's now Leeward Road, then ran toward the Knipp-Stengel barn and terminated below Hugal's Ravine. North of the barn on the west side of the Highway 1 , worker family housing was located at the cul-de-sacs seen to the Northeast. Evidence of quarrying has been found on the hill beyond the cul-de-sacs.

Mill Railroad and Worker Housing

Monday, March 09, 2020

Jack is Back!

Monday night, Sharon and I picked Jack and Helen up at the airport. After spending a couple of days of his spring break in Miami at his girlfriend's home, Jack flew United from Miami to Denver and then Denver to Sacramento.

Jack was supposed to spend spring break in France and Belgium as part of his Global Business Experience class. Due to concerns and unknowns about the developing coronavirus situation, the trip was cancelled.

Saturday, March 07, 2020

Pain and Glory

With Sharon over at Janie's house for dinner, I finished watching Pain and Glory on the AppleTv. I had started to watch the film on my iPad on the way to DC in early February, but got interrupted.

Pain and Glory was nominated as the Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Antonio Banderas was nominated for Best Actor. It was chosen by Time magazine as the best film of the year. This is part of my journey to see all of the films nominated for the major Oscar categories every year.

The film was written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It is in Spanish with English subtitles. The movie stars Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mallo and Penélope Cruz as Jacinta Mallo, Salvador's mother.

The film narrates a series of reunions for Salvador Mallo; he is a film director in his decline. Some of these reunions play out in real time, while others are recalled through flashbacks to his childhood in the 1960s. The movie is viewed as a thinly disguised autobiography and the most retrospective work in Almodóvar's 40-year career.

While I am generally not crazy about subtitles [I feel like I miss too much of what is happening on the screen], I have to admit that I enjoyed this movie more than I expected. The second half of the film goes in a direction that I wasn't quite expecting and I love the ending!

Friday, March 06, 2020

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season Three

Last Sunday night, Sharon and I finished watching season three of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The third season was released on December 6, 2019. We finished watching the first season on September 6, 2019 and the second season on September 22, 2019.

The show stars Rachel Bresnahan (Rachel in House of Cards) as Miriam "Midge" Maisel. Marin Hinkle (Judith on Two and a Half Men) and Tony Shalhoub (Wings and Monk) feature in supporting roles as her parents.

The cast includes Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce as close friend of Midge's. I am really curious to see where they are going with this character. The real life Bruce died in 1966 of a drug overdose. Season three appears to be set in 1960.

Both Sharon and I have really enjoyed this show. I highly recommend it. It is extremely well written and acted. It is visually spectacular. The series has been renewed for a fourth season.

Thursday, March 05, 2020

Neighborhood Book Club

Sharon is part of a neighbor book club that meets about every two months. Thursday night, they met at Kathy's house to discuss Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. She missed the last meeting; it was the night of her birthday.

I wandered down the street to Jim and Debbie's house. Jim made a caesar chicken salad. Rod and Greg eventually showed up. While the wives were at book club, the four of us played pool for a couple of hours.

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Pacheco Pass Hike



On our way back from the Santa Cruz and the Carmel Valley, Sharon and I hiked in Pacheco State Park. We covered just under four miles in one hour and forty-three minutes. It was a beautiful area. We ended up hiking farther and longer than I thought that we would.

Tuesday, March 03, 2020

Cisco Roundtable

I spent the day winding my way to Santa Clara and back. Although I have carpool stickers on my car, it took me three hours and twenty minutes to go 135 miles (50 to 80 to 580 to 238 to 880). Letting Waze lead the way, the traffic was horrific. I got to the Cisco Briefing Center in time for the meeting, but just barely. I told Sharon that the next time I was talking about making a day trip to Santa Clara that she should slap me.

I attended a roundtable event titled "Cloud, the Edge and the Future of IT." It was executive conversation with David Goeckeler: EVP and General Manager of Cisco's Networking and Security Business. Topics included: extending the Cisco network management into the cloud; how Meraki fits into the overall strategy plus Meraki cameras; a general discussion about the disjointed nature of Cisco's collaboration platform; and security tools (single pane of glass).

Afterwards, I wandered over to a different Cisco building for a quick look at some video conferencing technology. We are standing up a project to refresh our video conferencing technology.

It took me about two hours and ten minutes to wind my way home (880 to 262 to 680 to 580 to 205 to 5 to 50). I made a quick stop near our old house in Elk Grove for a late lunch.

Sunday, March 01, 2020

Baby Lee! [Back from Santa Cruz]

Baby Lee!After a late night, Sharon and I dragged ourselves out of bed before 6 am. The plan for the morning was to attend Mass at the Holy Cross Catholic Church at the Santa Cruz Mission. We went to 7 am Mass on the first Sunday of Lent.

We grabbed some coffee and a small bite to eat at Starbucks on the way back to the hotel. Messaging with Morgan, we made arrangements to meet about 9:30 am at the Trailside Cafe in the Carmel Valley. We quickly packed up the car and took off.

Taking Llaureles Grade into the Carmel Valley, we rolled up to the cafe at 9:45 am. We met Morgan and Lee for breakfast. Sharon and I had Huevos Rancheros, while Morgan had a Santa Barbara Benedict. Sharon was not impressed with the meal...

We had a very nice time visiting with Morgan and getting a chance to see Lee! I am smitten; overwhelmed with love.

After breakfast, we started towards home. Sharon wants to try and hike at least once a month. On the way home, we stopped at Pacheco State Park. Literally right off of Highway 152 on the way home, we stopped and ended up hiking a lot further than I expected. A map and a picture from the hike are here.

With a quick stop in Natomas to pick up her Cabi shipment, we rolled up to the house in Carmichael about 5:15 pm. We covered a lot of ground and accomplished a lot in 29 hours!