The sunglasses aren't cutting it.

Even with the crappy blinds business, I couldn't figure out just why the sun was being so blinding until just recently. I mean, I'd been outside at sunset in Irvine and had never had the sun be so directly in my eyes. Then it hit me. The house is in the town of Huntington Beach -- operative term: beach. Two miles west, tops, is the ocean. And between it and my window: mostly residential and low-density commercial. No hills, probably not a single building over three stories, not even a serious number of trees, on a gentle slope descending into the water. In other words, virtually NOTHING blocking the setting sun until it's almost at the natural horizon. Not even smog. I never realized how much difference the hills of Irvine or Santa Clara County made in the evening.

I really hope those new blinds come soon...