Friday random thoughts

• Calvin and Hobbes quote of the week: "Do you have an idea for your story yet?" "No, I'm waiting for inspiration. You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood." "What mood is that?" "Last-minute panic."

• Look for an upcoming Voice commentary that says the Tracy Press owners, local activists and myself are part of a shadow effort to control Tracy at a whim and for court fees. Perhaps the author of this piece perhaps projecting a little bit of self on the situation.

• I must admit, the concept for Tracy's new multimodal station looks great. Kudos to The Surland Cos. for a good job. I only hope Surland doesn't get any special back scratching from the city for the brilliant pro bono work.

• Thanks to everyone who tied a purple ribbon or tried to light a candle in the wind this week in honor of the American Cacner Society's "Paint the Town Purple" week. You guys are, in the words of a co-worker, rock stars.

• A local air pollution control board decided it's OK to postpone making the Central Valley air cleaner. I don't know if they've looked out the window on a hot summer's day, but there's a big smog problem here. The valley's the second-most polluted basin in the U.S., after L.A. Postponing the 2012 deadline for cleaner air to 2023 won't help anyone breathe easier.

• The collapse of Interstate 580 didn't completely cripple Bay Area transportation. But it's a poignant reminder of how fragile our transportation systems are, and as to how more public mass transit would take some load off our overburndened and vulnerable highways.

• I lose that kind of money all the time: How is it that Delta College Trustee Dan Parises failed to mention $2.5 million in income on his economic interests filing? Even if it was an innocent mistake, maybe someone who can "forget" about $2.5M shouldn't be in charge of a college.• Don't be fooled, we're in it for the long-haul: The U.S. has been building large, permanent bases with the lion's share of Iraq construction funds. The higher-ups in Washington have no intention of leaving anytime soon, even if there is a "withdrawal date" that somehow passes Bush's desk.

• A few of my recent columns have taken to task the public conduct of Councilwoman Suzanne Tucker. I don't mean to pick on any one person in particular, but it's hard not to when I see an elected official constantly make decisions that I feel are not in the best interests of the people. Trust me, it's nothing personal.

• Random thought of the week: "I'll let go when you let go."