Wait, What?

Our plan to meet Maggie for coffee at Cafe Frida came to naught when we both pulled up at the designated time only to find out that Cafe Frida is closed on Tuesday. After consulting our phones we decided on Criminal Baking Company (don't ask me why it's called that) which used to be in a building right around the corner from Cafe Frida, but has since moved to its current location a few blocks away in an old brick warehouse building which has been repurposed into artist's studios and small businesses. 

Getting there wasn't straightforward due to the fact that the dreadful blocks long mall was built in such a way that it cuts off all the older part of town and requires cars going there to detour around it. Once there, we enjoyed excellent pastries and pretty good coffee. I like this part of town, known as the West End Neighborhood, full of modest Craftsman style bungalows and beautiful trees. I think it was probably one of the original neighborhoods downtown and it has a nice, retro feel and a lot of interesting people.

Quite a contrast from our next stop which was in the sprawling clusters of big box stores surrounded by miles of parking lots lined up along Santa Rosa Avenue in search of Best Buy and a new microwave. What we thought was a blown fuse turned out to be a fatal failure of something within the microwave itself. Buying a new microwave turned out to be a lot easier than getting rid of the old microwave will be. I hate the fact that nothing is made to be repaired anymore resulting in mounds of electronic junk.  Best Buy will take back old electronic equipment (who knows what they do with it) but a microwave doesn't qualify.

I was amused that when we finally managed to break into the box, this warning presented itself to us in several languages all using a  different alphabet to our own. There wasn't a single language with which I have any familiarity. The international pictures were not immediately enlightening either, and I am still not clear on whether we are being told not to let our baby stick its head in the oven or wrap itself in the sticky plastic sheet adhering to the door of the microwave . 

Clearly this microwave wasn't made in America, but are any of them?

We still don't have a replacement homeowners insurance coverage and are concerned by an article in the paper about how California is going to have to rethink its insurance regulations to prevent all insurance companies from pulling out of the market. Since we are expecting the California high risk plan to be the one that gives us fire coverage I hope we don't get caught in the crossfire. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that ignoring climate change and trying to find somebody to foot the bill for the resulting disasters is not going to work forever....