The first post of our 229th Year

Last night was interesting all around — literally. I went up to the top of the hill I live on, Communications Hill, so named because it has at its summit a large and somewhat attractive communications tower with microwave horns and the like. It’s used by fire and other public safety departments because it’s an isolated, high hill in the otherwise flat Santa Clara valley, and it has a line of sight to every other place in the valley. So naturally, I headed up there to watch the fireworks from downtown. Lots of other people had the same idea; there was one underage security guard trying to shoo people out of a construction area up there and keep them away from the communications tower. I headed around away from the tower to a quieter spot and set up my camera. (If I have a chance later, I might post some of the HD footage of the fireworks, that is, if anyone is at all interested.)
While I was waiting for the show to start, I looked in awe all around me — the valley stretched out before me, millions of twinkling lights all the way to the foot of the mountains, and seemingly at random, fireworks exploding in the sky all around. The view is spectacular and vast, I could see all the way north to the Bay, trying to pick out what city each firework was coming from. And yet, it wasn’t vast in a way. Looking at the entire south bay from my vantage point, it didn’t seem that San Jose could be the 10th largest city. Maybe that’s just because I never had that vantage point back in DC, everything was obscured by being at such a low altitude.

The pieces are falling into place: I finally got a dining room table, and yesterday had a casual breakfast for 5 to inaugurate it.

A few minutes ago, I was working on some freelance stuff, totally engrossed, when Diego started barking like mad in the hallway outside my office. I ignored him for a few moments, then turned to tell him to shut up, wondering what he was barking at… and discovered that there was a pigeon in the high window above my staircase, staring in at the dog as if daring him. It was the same pigeon which likes to sit on the railing beside my front door, looking at me unflinching when I leave the house to walk the dog. Perhaps he’s angling for an invite into the house?