'She started a heatwave...'

1. One of Marilyn Monroe's tour de force renditions from 'No business like show business.' It's hella hot here in my region of Cali. But, truthfully, we're wimps compared to the rest of the country. We are children of the 'fog' in more ways than one, and whenever the temp creeps past the mid-80's some of us start whimpering like the spoiled candy asses we are. It's a lot of iced mint teas and swamp coolers or personal fans which, come on now, are really Jedi mind tricks. I personally never met an AC cooled venue that I didn't love with. What is missing in this region, as any savvy (gloating) kamaaina knows, are the island trade winds...

2. The youthful Oakland Athletics, picked by many scribes to lose 100 games, owned by a fat cat who has been trying since 2006 to move the team out of Oakland first, to San Jose and now Fremont, had to slap a grin on his face when the A's clinched a play off spot last night. The team is young, fearless, and fun to watch.

3. The A's and the Giants are both in the playoffs. It's not the world series yet. But it's warm, earthquake weather, and October. 1989 Loma Prieta deja vu all over again?

4. The Donks and the E'phants strap on the gloves and step into the ring. Is this enough drama to derail me from Sons of Anarchy? I think not. If your mind isn't made up yet, it's too late. The train has pulled out of the station.