Good morning and greetings, January Jones fans. Well, it’s the first month of the new year, which has a much different feeling than the final month of last year. You say tomato, I say Himalaya. It’s almost like December could be divided into two months, Dee and Cember, which coincidentally, are the names I gave the two baby squirrels that I raised from infancy. Those two really drove me nuts.

The first part of December was spent being visually assaulted by commercials and advertisements brimming with the holiday theme. Fortunately, Hanukah came early this year, I believe right after July 4th, so I didn’t get caught up in the gift buying, gift giving and gift returning action. I’m still in the dark about Black Friday.

I always felt somewhat disappointed when receiving a gift that either didn’t fit, I wouldn’t wear on death row or was just so worthless that it could never be regifted. To be honest, I’m not real big on the whole gift giving deal. I prefer to give on a more year round basis and what I try to package most is laughter, which is not what anything I have written so far might necessarily evoke.

The second part of December was a different story as after Santa shimmied down the chimney, order was restored to earth and then it was on to the question, so what are you doing for New Year’s Eve? Are you going to stay up until midnight? I certainly did, if you’re counting New York time.

Once the ball drops in Times Square, that’s it for me. Having grown up on the least coast, I still pretty much celebrate New Year’s Eve on eastern daylight time. I was once at Times Square for this blessed event, and it was so cold that pickpockets were putting their hands in their own pockets. Well, one trip to Dick Clark country was enough for me. I’m much more of an American Bandstand fan anyway. If I’m not dancing, I’m not living.

So since the new year is still as fresh as my memories of my high school prom, for the sake of God and country and my mother who’s reading this, I want to reiterate what I hope to accomplish with this non-prize winning site called Sunrise Santa Cruz.

America is still a wacky place. Just look at the insanity that occurred in Tucson on Saturday. The Republicans have taken over the House and the very tan, (bordering on orange) John Boehner is now the new Speaker of the House. For him to have risen to this Congressional position, to quote Woody Allen, “is a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.” Or in the words of my favorite political writer Matt Taibbi, Boehner is” a five-tool insider who can lie, cheat, steal, change his mind on command and do anything else his lobbyist buddies and campaign contributors require of him to get the job done.” How refreshing.

So my goal, my mission, my sharona is on every Monday morning, I want you to be able to journey to a place that is warm and sunny, where the sky is always blue and the birds are always singing. A destination where you can relax and laugh and enjoy the simple moments in life. Kind of a micro mini-mental vacation. Or you can just hit the delete button and live your life without me and my dendrite nation.

For our photo entourage, I was going to showcase a beautiful sunrise that greeted me on my return to this cold water paradise. Instead we’re journeying to the same location but at a different time of the day. Or in the words of Dr. John, “I been in the right place but it must have been the wrong time.” It’s as if I don’t know where I’m going but I know where I’ve been. Or perhaps I don’t know where I’m going but I know I want to be there.

I had a vision that there was going to be an extreme low tide last Tuesday, so I grabbed my camera and Etch A Sketch pad and headed down to Its Beach. The tide was so low that not only was I able to walk through the arch but I was able to walk around it, which I had only done once before. And keep in mind, sports fans, that due to wind, waves and erosion, the arch and this blog will not last forever as the look of the coast and my hairline is always changing.

The sand, which comes and goes with the winter storms, was in full force and had covered over much of the rocks, making the beach as smooth as the silk kimomo I wear when practicing my tai chi. The low tide exposes the wonders of sea life that are normally covered by water, including sea stars, sea anenomes and little mermaids. It was a wonderful day to return to my roots and shoot my favorite arc de triomphe without having to take a trip to Paris.

In the first two shots you can see the view thru the arch looking east to the lighthouse, while the next two point west towards the setting sun. Throw in a couple of starfish and then we finish off with an overview of Its Beach as the sun floods the golden Pacific waters. As much as I love lo mein, I’ll always go with low tide for my main course.

On to the new late night. “Republicans took control of the House for the first time in four years. They say they’re going to stick to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. I hope you didn’t like voting, women and non-whites.” –Jimmy Kimmel “Now that the Republicans have taken over the House, they’re going to undo everything President Obama has done. John Boehner even told the Obama kids that the dog has to go back.” –David Letterman

“John Boehner chose a huge gavel. I think somebody’s compensating for his small government.” –Stephen Colbert “How about the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner. Have you seen this guy’s enormous gavel. I’m telling you, if in four hours, that gavel is still that size, he’s got to call a doctor. “Doesn’t he look like every guy you’ve ever seen at a hotel bar? He looks like the kind of guy who licks his thumb when he counts his money.” –David Letterman

David Letterman’s “Top Three Things Overheard During The Republicans’ First Day In Charge Of The House”
3. “No, Sen. McCain, Woodrow Wilson doesn’t work here anymore”
2. “When do we get to sleep with the pages?”
1. “How soon can we go back to invading countries for oil?”

“President Obama says he read three books while he was on vacation. Or as Sarah Palin put it, ‘showoff.'” –Jimmy Fallon “One man claims President Obama wants to give the entire U.S. back to the Indians. That’s terrible. They might build burial mounds on top of our sacred malls.” –Stephen Colbert “Borders bookstores are struggling to stay in business. This could be the first time in our country that borders are actually closed.” –Jay Leno

So that’s our report. I hope all you NFL fans enjoyed the football weekend, as Saturday was Wild Card madness at its best. So let’s pray for sanity and we’ll catch you under the goal post. Aloha, mahalo and later, Jrue Holiday fans.