Like last week, which saw temperatures up to 107ºF (42ºC).

On Thursday afternoon, our 22 year old air conditioning unit said, “That’s it.” We still don’t know how the fan managed to damage itself this badly. The top blade is 2/3 ripped across, but nothing else in the assembly was hurt. Pretty amazing. Had it back up and running 24 hours later.

Definitely summertime now.

Camilla and her friend Tanya are the joint recipients of the Star Student of the Month award at Temecula Montessori for March. We’re very proud. Video below has their teacher’s comments on both of them.

Today is the first morning in a week that we’ve had no rain. An excellent time to go jogging! I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I met at least twenty people on my run today – other shut-ins who’d been dying to get out and run, walk or otherwise exercise.

The map above was created by the free app, RunKeeper, on my iPhone. Click on it to see a more-or-less accurate map of my speeds, locations and elevations.

Pappy has a sore back leg, so he’s not been going with me for the past few days.

Photo courtesy of John Scalzi’s Whatever, link.

It is now two weeks later. The login on the Apple site spouts the cryptic phrase, “Product return pending.” Say what?

I’m not the only one who’s had these troubles with Apple. Boing Boing’s Cory Doctorow switched from Apple to IBM/Lenovo due to service problems. “When I was an Apple user, hardware failures often meant standing in line for 40 min to drop off a Powerbook at a Genius Bar, then coming back a week or two later and waiting 40 minutes again to reclaim it.” With IBM, he has an on-site, next day, world-wide, 100% replacement guarantee for $100 a year. For that price, Apple let’s us find our own cellphones on MobileMe. Advantage: IBM/Lenovo.

Last Spring, when my laptop had similar problems, I was forced to buy a second MacBook Pro to use for the three weeks Apple took mine. There was simply no other option; I have a business to run and the laptop is the center of it (with multiple redundant backups, of course). Being in Eastern Europe, it came with a 75% additional markup (which all goes to unrefundable state sales tax and backsheesh to the company that handles Apple in a tertiary market – I know whereof I speak, I used to own an Apple licensee in Russia during the 1990′s).

Anyway, I’m currently working off an image of my original, missing laptop hard drive (one of my three backups). And I’m not waiting any longer to do my posts. Here they are.

Sept. 26, 10am – We’re not there yet, but I have taken these photos off Twitter. It takes awhile for all six members of the Steussy Ranch to get dressed and get anywhere. Given the line – I think being slower is better for us.

Sept 24: The new Apple Store in Temecula is less than a mile away from the Steussy Ranch. I stopped by yesterday morning to get some photos of it.

This is the street scene coming up to the Apple Store. Very picturesque with the palm trees. Toward the mall from the Apple Store is a Coach store. The storefronts away from the mall (closer to the camera) are empty, filled in with scenes from an idyllic 1950′s Main Street, like the one below.

The store was completely covered in black curtains when I was there, with only this sign showing. There was a lot of noise from workers inside, presumably setting up the store for the opening.

Sept 22: The image above is the announcement we just received by email. The Apple Store Temecula will open Saturday, September 26 at 10am. All six of us from the Steussy Ranch will be there for the party – and hope that you will be as well!

Sept 17: Hoisted from the comments.  I’ve gove by this new Apple Store construction a couple of times in the past few weeks. Once got a peek inside and saw the Genius Bar almost completed. Today, 3 fellows were out polishing the grey frame in front, and a couple of others watching.I asked them if they knew when it was going to open, and one said, a week from this Saturday. I nearly dropped my iPhone! Could this be true? I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes – that he worked for Apple. So OK Macfans, the opening according to this guy, will be Saturday the 26 of Sept.

Location: Outside the Mall at the Promodade-next to the Coach Store. I can’t figure out why there has been no official info before this? Anyone know?

I can hardly wait!

Aug 23: There appears to be quite a bit of news here. A photo has been posted on Twitter of the new Apple Store, all wrapped in black, at the Promenade (courtesy Crystal-Lee Saldana).

An anonymous poster on my blog and other sites interested in the store has proclaimed it will open September 26. I certainly hope so …

Original post here from April 6, 2009: The new Temecula Promenade Mall is impressive for several reasons. It just opened with a host of high-end stores and restaurants in an area hard hit by the real estate crisis. We drove through yesterday without stopping, but it seemed very, very nice. It’s about a mile from our house.

The biggest plus would be the additional of an Apple Store, something that was rumored with a series of Craigslist ads in October (here and here), which were then picked up by an Apple rumor site. One wonders if the owners of the Promenade manufactured the rumor to help their cause (filling the spaces in the expansion). I hope not. I’d love to see an Apple Store actually open. (Current in-house count: three Apple laptops, two iPhones, two iPods and assorted accessories.)

UPDATE: There really are ads for Apple Retail workers in Temecula! The link is here.

We also have the 1st Grade words here, below.