Järistyksiä

So the time has come for Kirka to go. Paul Anka of Finland, fare thee well. He didn't quite make it to the 'live fast, die young' category of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison; but it does seem like an unseemly early time to go.

On a brighter note, EU is entering into negotiations with California to join forces in the battle to save the environment. Or at least in the market of emissions trading - but at least that's something. California is, after all, the sixth biggest economy in the world (or it would be if it were an independent nation, an idea many here don't find far fetched at all). That will amount to a lot of trading.

Oh and the birthday trip: we went to Monterey Bay Aquarium , a really cool educational center / marine zoo that features local flora and fauna rather than exotic fishies from all over the world. After two days in Monterey we decided to drive further south instead of back north, ended up visiting Hearst Castle (cooler than you'd think!) and staying an extra night by the sea in Cambria. I even had a class of wine to celebrate , and what a glass that was! You people need to come over here to taste some local wines, not the stuff they export.