Pots-and-pans degree a must

Sure, it's tough to land that first job, lacking a resume and all. But even this position?

Ralph Seifer of Long Beach saw a sign indicating that a deli was seeking an "experienced dishwasher."

Said Seifer: "My God! An inexperienced dishwasher doesn't stand a chance these days."

Hmm. As a precaution I think I'll start training my 14-year-old son in that trade at home.

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Another aspect of global warming? It was so hot in the Valley for a while that Larry Bleidner and Gary Grimes noticed that the folks at one dazed restaurant in Woodland Hills were using the wrong instrument to measure the temperature (see photo).

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Less tension? Jeff Harris thought that Labor Day week was a perfect time to call my attention to a sign regulating "working pressure" (see photo). "I think it should be the motto for every workplace," he said. "I try to promote this in my work as an Employee Assistance Program counselor."

It should apply to dishwashers too.

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Hope its business doesn't go splat: Referring to a recent debate here, writer David Allen said, "I don't know if a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, but I can tell you this: It's a bank in Alhambra" (see photo). Well, if a computer can be an Apple. . . .

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Chew on this: Mollie Martinek of San Diego received an e-mail solicitation with this subject line:

"3 Days Only! Free Shipping on all Living Furniture & More."

Commented Martinek: "Living furniture? Sounds like something out of a Harry Potter novel."

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Down Ol' Man Concrete: On laobserved.com I read an account by river enthusiast Misha Collins, who kayaked about 25 miles from Elysian Park to Long Beach on the L.A. River. Yes, the L.A. River.

Collins had a few adventures, capsizing four times and bottoming out once (she had to carry the vessel a total of about a mile through the river's, uh, drier stretches).

"It was a little gross," she said, "but all in all much better than I expected."

Interesting vegetation and (hardy) fish as well as "no run-ins with authorities [and] a few cheers from pedestrians, cyclists and taggers."

Several years ago I ventured north of Collins' starting point, in a vain attempt to discover the source of the L.A. River.

My courageous venture failed to excite the imagination of the public, and my dreamed-of documentary never materialized.