mccullochblog

Have you heard the one about Wyatt Earp and the Jewish Cemetery?

You'd think Wyatt Earp, famed lawman of the Wild West, would be buried in Tombstone, but no, my 12 mile bike ride down to San Francisco suburb Colma today revealed that he's actually buried just a stone's throw from the largest collection of car dealerships in the Bay Area.

Even more strangely it transpires that Earp is buried in a Jewish cemetery. Apparently his wife, Josephine, was a Jewess from San Francisco and so even though Earp died in Los Angeles at the ripe old age of 89, his remains were returned to his wife's family cemetery here in the Bay, where she joined him 15 years later.

If it all sounds like Earp's final resting place is a bit underwhelming then there's definitely one thing that's absolutely fitting with his reputation. How about this for a grave stone inscription brimming with Wild West cool:

"There's nothing so sacred as honor, and nothing so loyal as love."

And as if that wasn't enough trivia for one day, I can also tell you that Levi Strauss, the blue jean king of California, has a whole mausoleum about one hundred yards from Wyatt Earp in the very same cemetery! Bet you won't find that in the Lonely Planet!

How America Views Itself

I spent tonight in a bar in Boston watching the Red Sox crush the Anaheim Angels in the first game of the American League Major League Baseball play-off. Amid the deep and profound conversations, my colleague Ken and I had with several locals in a bar came this profound statement about America's position and perceptions on the global stage. I felt it was important to share it unedited:

"You know....we're fat, we're arrogant, but at least everything's REALLY convenient in America...."

As I picked up a coke at the 7/11 on the way home from the bar at 11pm, I found it impossible to argue with his sentiments. God Bless America.

George W Blinker

What a strange week it’s been! George W Bush broke the world record for ‘blinking’ during his 90 minute debate with John Kerry. Then Kerry broke the world ‘grinning’ record unable, it seemed, to control himself in the face of classic Dubya gaffes such as “my opponent is sending out mexed missages”.

While I’m on the subject, how odd is it that John Kerry still thinks the US is at war with Viet Nam? Perhaps the answer lies with America’s odd electorate. Just today, for example, I ran into a Viet Nam veteran sporting a badge with “Boycott Hanoi Jane” on his vet’s hat. After considerable research, I discovered he was continuing a 32-year-old quest to vilify workout queen Jane Fonda for her part in anti-war protests in 1972. Why do they call it ‘current’ affairs again?

Anyway, for my part, I broke a world record this week too. Not the ‘world hangover record’ (as speculated by Poddy after I phoned him at 5.30am one night) but the ‘most effort expended on getting to lunch with a client’ record. I spent 5 hours flying to and from Denver for my lunch meeting. Very nice it was too. All two hours of it, although the ravioli portions were criminally small.

Food and drink aside, Emma and I continued last weekend’s outrageous fitness regime by by covering the 20 miles from San Francisco to Tiburon without the use of our new SUV this Sunday. Admittedly we caught the ferry back to San Francisco after the mega bike ride, but I think the energy expended still offset the enough-for-four sized roast dinner that Emma cooked to wrap up the weekend.

Well, it only remains to say that I’m off to the East Coast tomorrow, just in time, apparently, to escape the massive imminent eruption of Mount Helena.