A common question asked of scientists is how the oil spill will affect life in the Gulf.
My sense is that it will effect directly or indirectly, severely or slightly every single form of life in the Gulf, for many years to come.  The air, the water, the sand, the mud, the microbes, the plankton, the marshgrass, the mangroves, the jellyfish, the oysters, the shrimp, the shorebirds, the turtles, the sharks, the redfish, the children, the fishermen, the chefs, the taxi drivers, the artists, the oil industry workers, the politicians. Every single bit and blob of life will be impacted.  Save a few oil-eating microbes, no life will change for the better.

Or at least here are the top five things that I read about since I wasn't actually there:

5. Dexter: Season 5 Trailer - (Heads up, do NOT click on that link until you've seen the unbelievable finale to season 4 from last year) Michael C. Hall has already earned his status as one of the finest actors of this generation for his performance as David Fisher on HBO's masterful series Six Feet Under - but man, if he isn't close to outdoing himself on Dexter: Showtime's profoundly addictive series about a serial killer with a moral code who only pursues those who deserve to be murdered (aka other killers).The new season kicks off this September and the trailer unveiled offers a glimpse at yet another year full of the kind of high caliber storytelling the show's become known for.

How one Napa stay is giving mobile homes a good name
A visit to a region of world-class wine and indulgence doesn’t have to mean stuffy hotels with cramped elevators and fancy rooms packed as tightly as a patron’s overly chic set of Versace luggage. Enter the RiverPointe Napa Valley. Transforming small mobile homes into quaint cottage-style getaways with private wooden decks nestled along the Napa River, RiverPointe has taken a unique approach to pampered living. And it works.

Karma (this blog’s namesake), is starting to lose it with this moving thing.  She’s howling and meowing to get out … to see this wild-like animal go through these stages of struggle has been an alerting glimpse into behavior.

It began with the collar.  After living in the country for ten years, she roamed, howled, and hunted with a familiar freedom and nothing around her neck.  In town now, she need protection from the racing traffic, and I must protect her very life. When her collar was fastened, her gait changed to a low slink, like a weight upon her back.  Adjustment is coming, I know, but I can only imagine what it must be like to feel shackled, trapped.  What happens to people when they lose their freedom to roam, to travel, and to do what we want to do?  It must change the psyche and strip one of a certain creativity.  As an innately creative person, when a “block” exists, I can feel the collar and the helplessness creep in.  My mind goes in circles and the creativity cannot unfold.  It becomes stale and boring.  This collar as metaphor is coming off, I can feel it.  The block is lifting and the adjustment is turning to a blast of original ideas.  I’m ready to soar.  I hope Karma will soon feel the same way.

If you’re an avid reader of Obsessive Beauty, you’ve already heard about the make up and skin care godsend in Santa Cruz called Beauty 360—a sensational emporium packed with lotions and potions galore. My fellow blogger Christa Martin and I have been testing out the sumptuous products. In fact, our only complaint may well be that there are so many choices that it is difficult to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve decided to road test a smattering of brands and products, virtual test rats as you will, to save you the wrinkles you may have gotten had you raised your eyebrows trying to make such decisions.

This past weekend I arrived in Sacramento just in time to enjoy Sacramento’s 2^nd Saturday Art Walk.  The event was started by artist Michael Himovitz over 20 years ago as a way to bring art lovers together once a month.  Michael passed away 15 years ago, but his legacy lives on in a monthly event that now draws several thousand people each month.  The streets were lined with musicians, artists and vendors everywhere I went.  By nightfall there were thousands of people in the streets (which the city closes off) all with that celebratory air about them.

I met with Lucas Himovitz, Michael’s son, to get a tour of the various activities that take place each month.  We went to four or five galleries, all of which were packed with people and ironically, by 2^nd Saturday standards gallery owners thought it was a slow night.  As the organizer of Santa Cruz’ s First Friday Art Tour I was amazed at how many people were out enjoying both the local art and the street party atmosphere.  I met several local bands that had set up in parking lots and allies who have been playing the same spot for years and making a livelihood. Art sales were brisk and everyone was well behaved, even with a minor police presence.  Makes you wonder. This week I will be heading to Napa, Sonoma and Mendicino.  See you on the road.