Richard's Reveries and Rantings: Bay Area Stuff

What happened to Adam Carolloa in the Bay Area?

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:51:39 GMT

Wow, it’s difficult being a fan of the Adam Carolla show. I’ve been listening to the show religiously every morning on the drive into work for the past couple of years. The problem is, the show keeps getting dropped from the San Francisco Bay Area radio waves! I used to listen to Adam Carolla on 106.9 FreeFM until the station did a complete turnaround and changed their format from talk radio to classic rock. That bummed me out until I was able to find the show on the AM dial on 1550 KYOU radio.

Then on January 2nd of this year, I was dismayed when I turned to 1550AM only to hear someone giving retirement investing advice. Are you kidding me? And to top it off, I found out that the Carolla show finally canned Danny Bonaduce, who annoyed me since the day he joined the show. Just when the show got better, I have no way of listening!

Well I’ve searched the web and the radio dial and it seems that the Carolla show is unavailable on Bay Area airwaves. It’s unfortunate because Adam’s sense of humor is intelligent and thoughtful… a good break from the obnoxiousness of the morning airwaves.

If you know of any Bay Area station that broadcasts his show, please leave me a comment. I know there is an option to listen to podcasts on the 971freefm.com website but that doesn’t make my morning commute any more bearable.

Segway-ing around Angel Island

Tue, 22 May 2007 06:01:47 GMT

This past weekend, E and I left K at home with grandma and headed out for a day of adventure without the little one. We took a fairy to Angel Island with a group of other Wharton alumni, and took a tour of the island in a very "Bay Area" way: we got to explore the island on segways!

Neither of us had ever been on segways before, but it was quite simple for both of us to get the hang of it. The first 30 seconds you hop on, it feels like you're on the verge of falling over. But that's the beauty of segways... they're literally impossible to tip over. So once you get over the initial fear, you feel like the segway is a natural extension of your body. You lean forward, you go forward. You lean back, you go back. You lean back harder, it accelerates faster.

We started off at 4mph, then increased to 8, then to 12! The segway has an interesting way of limiting your speed. You can lean as far into the segway as possible and it will begin to lean you back as you approach the limit, regardless of how hard you try (a very strange sensation).

If you're in the Bay Area, or just visiting, I highly recommend taking the tour. You can get info and reservations at http://segwayangelisland.com/. They run two tours a day, and you can get a two hour tour for $65 per person (which is totally worth the price). And Tuesdays are "two for tuesdays!" The guides are very laid back, knowledgeable about the island, and aren't paranoid or restrictive about how to ride. They basically let you ride at your leisure, as long as you're not being dangerous to yourself or anyone else.

Given them a buzz to book a tour as the popularity will only grow over time. Tell them I sent you! :-)

What happened to 106.9 Free FM (San Francisco) and Adam Carolla?

Sat, 19 May 2007 22:31:44 GMT

For those of you who know me well, you may also know that I am a HUGE fan of the Adam Carolla Show. Although I originally hated the addition of Danny Bonaduce to the show, I've grown to accept the fact that he's not going anywhere; and the show continues to make me laugh. However, on Friday, I tuned into 106.9 Free FM to listen to the show and was SHOCKED to hear oldies... one after the other. In fact, I couldn't tell if it was an extended joke on the show b/c the the theme was "Oldies that start with the letter, L." Could this be real or was Adam trying a new bit?

I kept listening all the way to work and figured maybe there was some radio transmission screw up for the day. I checked the 109.9 Free FM website and was dismayed to see that the radio station has been pulled from the FM airwaves, to be relocated to 1550AM. What the hell? The only info I could find about this sudden, unexpected change was on the blog of one of the other personalities on the station, Emily from Sex with Emily. It sounds like this change was as much as a shock to her as it was to the rest of the world:

Remember that scene in Howard Stern's movie Private Parts when he shows up for work to find his station has suddenly switched formats to country music? Well, that's exactly what happened yesterday except I didn't hear Dwight Yoakam but an oldie (but goodie) Donna Summer's hit.

That sucks. Here is a post on Yahoo Answers which may also explain what happened:

Well, this old radio station, KFRC, used to be at 99.7 FM, which now airs a dance format. KFRC was a classic hits station at 99.7 FM for many years until October 2006, when they flipped to dance music. So, many listeners complained to CBS Radio San Francisco, and they gave in and decided to flip the format on Free FM because they were in last place in ratings (literally), and 106.9 had an 80,000 watt signal, so CBS found it appropriate to put classic hits on 106.9 FM.

Well, at least Adam is still on the air in San Francisco on 1550AM, although I'll have to listen to Ozwaldo's movie reviews in mono now. :-( Also, everyone can continue to stream the show on www.971freefm.com.

Email: Buying a House in the Bay Area Sucks

Fri, 11 May 2007 01:59:11 GMT

I received this email a few weeks ago from my buddy. Given my previous post, I thought I'd share some more light on what the Bay Area housing market is like. I think E and I lucked out... BIG TIME.

So, I've read all these reports on how the housing market is in decline and how it's becoming more and more of a "buyer's market" as supply outstrips demand. I'm not going to argue whether it's a good time to buy or not -- I just don't know. And frankly, I just don't care anymore after getting a few more lines in my forehead from worrying about it. But I just need to vent about the freak'n Bay Area and all the money that gets thrown around in this earthquake-foresaken hood. Yes, I am bitter. Too many rich bastards live here.

I just put in my first offer on a house. I felt like it was a pretty strong offer:

- $135K OVER asking price (for a fixer that needs a new roof, new floor, new kitchen, new bathrooms, new windows, rodent and wasp removal, and MUCH more).

- NO contingencies whatsoever. Yes...no inspection, no appraisal, no nothing.

- A 14-day close. That's f&*king crazy good.

- 20% down. From a seller's perspective, lower chance of a hickup in the loan process.

- An earnest deposit check of over $25K.

I came in 3rd place out of 18 offers. Unfortunately, getting the bronze medal in this competition is worth jack s%$t. Oh, but I did get the joy of spending a couple hours reading over a hundred pages of disclosures and signing a bunch of documents that sounded like, "if you sign this, you are an idiot".

And so I ask, once again.....

WHY DON'T WE ALL MOVE TO VEGAS??????

We can buy a 5 bedroom house - each - and take turns throwing bachelor parties for the remaining single dudes.

Vienna Teng and VIP Seating

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 08:19:34 GMT

My wife often complains that I treat her like a regular person, not like the 7.5 month pregnant woman that she is. I guess there is some truth to that. For example, this past week, we went to Great American Music Hall to watch Vienna Teng in concert (along with Duncan Sheik). (This is my fourth time seeing her and I'm starting to get bummed out that her shows are no longer as intimate as they used to be).

While E and I were waiting in line, she asked "are you sure they have seats for everyone iin there?" I was pretty sure but admitted that I hadn't specifically asked. Well, we walked into the venue and realized that the few available seats were all taken. And there was no way E was going to be able to stand there for hours. Luckily, I asked one of the security gaurds if he could find us a place for us to sit and pointed at E's rounded belly. He pulled some strings and got us into the lighting booth that sits front and center over the stage (one of the best seats in the house). There we were, sitting with the close friends and family of the performers. I guess E is right... people do consider pregnant women as sacred.

Here is a link to some previews of Vienna Teng's latest songs. Check out City Hall... one of my favorites.

This is why I love the Bay Area

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 06:56:30 GMT

This past week was a pretty rough one at the office. So on Friday, I called E and told her to meet me at home at 4:30 so we could get an early start to the weekend. We headed over to Half Moon Bay, just 15 miles due west of home. Although we got stuck in terrible traffic on the way, we were still able to spend a few hours at Montauk beach, relaxing in the sunshine with the entire beach nearly to ourselves.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Moss Beach Distillery (thanks for the reco Grace) for a romantic dinner and watched the sun set over the rolling clouds. The food was delicious, but a bit overpriced for the ambiance and service. Interestingly enough, the Distillery has been haunted for decades by the Lady in Blue and every employee claims to have either seen or interacted with the ghost at one point or another. I must admit, I was a bit freaked out when I went to the men's room, as there have been several accounts of people seeing the ghost's reflection in the mirror.

After dinner, we took a brief stroll through downtown Half Moon Bay and then headed home. What a great half day trip. Where else can you enjoy so much natural beauty, so close to home?

Record Rainfall in the Bay Area

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:03:17 GMT

I moved from Seattle to the Bay Area at the end of January, partially to get away from the 8 months of rain in the Emerald City. (It also helped that my wife lives here). Note that just before I left, Seattle had 27 straight days of rain. Now that I've been here in the Bay Area for 2 months, it appears that I brought the rain with me. Today marks the 22nd day of rain in March in the Bay Area.. one more day and we've tied the record for March which was set in 1904!

At least the ski season in Tahoe will extend far into April.

Not so sunny SF

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:06:23 GMT

Upon arriving into SFO on Sunday afternoon, I was warmly greeted by a beautiful day of sunshine and 60 degree weather. It was so warm that I actually drove to my new apartment in San Mateo with the top down on my convertible Crysler Sebring rental car (the car's not so bad looking with the top down).

So far, this work week has been overcast every day. Nonetheless, I'll take the clouds over 27 straight days of rain in Seatown.