By Brendan McLaughlin

American Airlines is sorry for my inconvenience. I know this because they told me so about fifty times. The departure time from SFO was delayed five times in 30 minute increments for a "mechanical issue".  The gate crew was so maddingly cheerful about it, I couldn't even complain about the delay without feeling like a ***. And even though flying coach has become an almost dehumanizing experience, it's hard not to respect an industry that can get you safely from coast to coast and back again for $220.

Rock Crab I caught in the SF Bay off Tiburon Point

Once home, it's hard to know how to feel about temperatures in the mid '80's in December. It feels great, but also suggests that Al Gore is the visionary he thinks he is. I vividly recall numbingly cold weather during the holidays as recently as the mid 1990's.  A tree nursery employee told me the other day that the absence of any real cold snap in recent years has increased the poopularity of certain palm trees like Manila Palms and Foxtails that are better suited to South Florida.  When and if we finally get the big freeze, a lot of expensive Bay Area landscaping is going to end up on the curb for yard waste pickup.