Things in California are so bad that the latest Halloween party game is bobbing for water. Contestants pick up apples with their teeth, spit them out, and drink the water. ... While in the Lake Tahoe area, I noted one company was offer Donner Party cruises. It's an all-you-can-eat deal. ... And the Jeopardy answer for "Places" for $600: "There is no time, neither day nor night, nor seasons but only despair and false hope."