New Entertainment

With the HB staying at his cousin's on Friday, the wife and I went for the movie double-header. The good thing about doing such is that we went to the fancy multiplex that has a real bar in it. So, after knocking back a couple of full sized martinis, we went and saw Charlie Wilson's War.

The movie was OK. The plot moved quickly and had some funny lines. But, when it comes down to it, that episode in history showed the short-sightedness of our foreign policy. The movie kinda-sorta tried to address it, but did so in a shallow, half-ass kinda way. Also, Julia Roberts does NOTHING for me, acting or otherwise. Philip Seymour Hoffman was good, as usual.

Then, after another drink and some dinner, we popped into The Dewey Cox Story. Good for a few laughs, but I'd wait for the rental.

Also, you may have noticed a couple of changes on the MP3 list, including the addition of the latest Queensryche Take Cover. I like it when bands do cover songs. It gives you some insight into their favorite songs/artists, especially when the record company allows them to put out songs by more obscure artists, or famous artists less known hits. This record has a pretty good mix. Neon Nights is very close to the Black Sabbath original (which makes sense as Geoff Tate and Ronny James Dio have similar styles and ranges). Their version of Synchronicity II (a Lola dream of Tate doing Sting, as it were) is close to how The Police did it. It's always funny hearing successful bands do protest songs (Almost Cut My Hair and For What It's Worth) on a record that's put out by a big corporation, but that's the way it goes.

Having a Merry One

Yesterday started out OK. I went to the doc for my annual physical. I maintained my weight (actually, minus a couple of pounds) and cholesterol (I guessed 285 and it was 286, though my 'good' cholesterol is 60). And nothing says, "Merry Christmas" like a quick prostate check (it's the right size and even). Of course, my HMO encourages me to get a physical every other year, and my doctor always asks why I bother coming in.

Speaking of being infirm, the HB has a stomach bug (I think my nephew also has it). He was very tired and not feeling well yesterday, puked when we got home last night, but felt good enough after that to hop in the jacuzzi with the wife and I. He woke up at 2:45am STARVING, so we gave him a bit to eat. Then, he slept in this morning (until after 9) and had a big ol' smile on his face cuz his stomach didn't hurt...for about 30 minutes. Then he started feeling poorly again, even after some breakfast. He didn't even make it all the way through his presents.

So, while the wife went to see her family for a bit, the HB and I are trying to get through Lord of the Rings (we made it through Two Towers and am hoping that we'll start on Return of the King in a little bit). It's definitely going to be a lazy day. At least he's felling a bit better.

Pre-Holiday Crap

As usual, the holidays at the wife's house have built in drama. The original plan that everyone agreed to was to head over there around lunch, hang out with cold cuts and martinis (I like that new twist), pop a roast in the oven and open presents while it's cooking. Then, my wife's oldest sister lets everyone know that she has to be about 20 min down the road by 5pm, so can we do things earlier. No problem, as they (my wife and her sisters) decide that an earlier start is fine.

Yesterday, the older s-i-l then announces that she needs to be further down the road even earlier on the 25th and can we move the whole shebang to today at 11am. Fine, whatever, except I know that this means we'll be hanging out with the wife's family two days in a row, after she spent the whole day with them yesterday. More on that in a minute.

I gotta be open with y'all. I hate xmas. It's one of the few things where I agree with the christianists. It should be religious (not commercial) and if christians want to greet each other with "Merry Christmas" they shouldn't be scolded by the PC police. Of course, since all religious fundamentalists are fanatics, they can't help but shoving Merry Christmas down everyone's throats, but that's a different story.

I don't mind having a particular time of the year to remind us to be happy about what we have and the people in our lives, thought Thanksgiving seems to be the best time for that. And I don't mind that our economy is shut down for a day or two while the dominant religion in our country celebrates one of the two holiest days on their calendar. But that it drives our lives from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year's is just absurd. My wife's not a big shopper, so going around (or online) finding her family and the HB just the right thing is nuts (I do all of my shopping in about 45 min online with one trip to the jewelery store with the HB).

When someone asks me what I want for christmas (a not-so-bright question to an atheist), I always answer, "Nothing. I have more than enough money to buy what I want and need." It's not meant to be boorish, but if you want to get me something, purchase something that speaks to you about me. As with all signs of affection, the price has nothing to do with its value.

So, after I finish this post, I'm off to the doctor for my annual physical. The only mystery is whether my age (44), weight (probably around 165-170), cholesterol (high 200s, I predict from last week's test) combines for my HMOs magic number for me to start a lifetime of anti-statin medication. After that, my wife wants me to go look at a sectional sofa for our living room that she found with her sisters yesterday. I don't think that'll work in that it will make us late for our first christmas martini.

To my christian friends and readers, Merry Christmas. I hope that tonite and tomorrow you find joy in the birth of your savior and use his teachings to bring peace and joy to the world.

For the rest of us, enjoy the day off from work and tie on a good one.

ww#49 :: been a long time since i...

OK, I'm a bit late due to the HB's friend sleeping over yesterday.

1. what is the longest you have gone without sex involuntarily? as in, you wanted to, but you couldn't for whatever reason?

Couldn't or couldn't find someone? Assuming the latter, a couple of weeks.

2. what was the longest time period you've had to wait for oral sex, and was it worth the wait? why or why not?

Couple of weeks. Always worth it.

3. what was the longest time period between when you were supposed to have sex (for instance, you'd made a date for it), and when you actually had it? did the wait make it a better experience?

A day or two. And no, it sucked.

That Time of the Year and a Week's Worth of Musings

OK, got most of my holiday cards out (OK, the friends in New Zealand are getting theirs WAY late this year). I send my business ones via e-mail, but my wife is still insistent on the tree-killing variety. And why she doesn't keep the addresses electronically is beyond me (of course, that could lead to that horror of horrors--printing labels!).

Last weekend was quite social. A few parties (including an afternoon martini party at a new boutique hotel near us), open houses, etc. Being an introvert, I thought my wife was going to crawl into a shell for all of Monday and Tuesday. The HB seemed to enjoy it all.

Speaking of the HB, I DVR'd the Lord of the Rings trilogy over the weekend. Since he's so into Harry Potter I figured he would enjoy it. So far he's good with it. We have to pause it every now and then so we can review all of the characters and what they are up to. But, he's following it pretty well and asking some good questions. I told him that he should consult an expert (Lynn) when he feels the need to.

LOTR was something Lynn and I shared when we were kids and when I went to see them in the theaters I thought of her. When I setup e-mail accounts for her I would always use Arwen as the password.

Observant readers have probably noticed that I haven't mentioned Lynn in a while. I wouldn't say that our relationship is dead, but it's on life support. The reasons are complicated and perhaps stupid. I'm not going to go into it now (I'm tired), but suffice it to say that I didn't like where it was, so I pulled back. I'm sad that things are they way they are, but it became apparent that having her out of my life was going to make me less miserable. And I'm better about it every day.

The HB's winter break starts on Thursday, so, of course, a friend is sleeping over on Wednesday. It's raining here. If it's snowing in the mountains I'll take the boys sledding. Otherwise, I think Thursday will be a day of GameBoy and The Golden Compass.

Let the Recriminations Begin!

The Mitchell report is out, and guess what? Some of the best baseball players are CHEATERS! You don't say? Lemme get this straight, millionaires who wanted to make even more money pumped themselves up with steroids and hormones (Mitchell didn't even go into amphetamines, which by some reports are the mother's milk of baseball) so they could make more money? And owners turned a blind-eye because bigger, badder players led to more revenue? I'm as shocked as Captain Renault.

Over the next few days we're going to hear tons of excuses, alibis and mea culpas. Let me help sort some of it out:

Roger Clemens (disloyal mercenary and a cheater) says, through his attorney of course, that the allegations by a former trainer that he shot Clemens in the ass with steroids are falsehoods concocted by a desperate man (the dude making the accusations is under federal indictment). When you hear a player say this, remind yourself that each and every guy named in the report was offered a chance to refute the allegations against him. But, the players' union, who has been steadfast in protecting its cheating members for years, strongly encouraged players not to. It makes you wonder what these guys had to hide.

The accusations against some players come complete with canceled checks, express mail receipts and phone records between them and a former clubhouse guy for the Mets who is an admitted steroids trafficker. Some players may say, "Hey, the dude needed a loan, so I was helping him out." Puhlease. If you pay your bookies and hookers in cash, why would you write checks to your drug dealer for a loan?

We'll probably hear some of the Barry Bonds excuses (I didn't know they were steroids/human growth hormone[HGH]). Bullshit. These guys watch EVERYTHING that goes in their bodies. Besides, they get referred to the suppliers by teammates and other players. They know what they are getting.

The most familiar refrain will be, "But, I've never tested positive." This is generally true, but misleading because the union prevented players from being tested for anything for years (our players' right of privacy is more important than giving the paying fans legitimate competition and subtly encouraging kids to shoot up so they can get better). Also, some of the shit these guys were taking is still undetectable through a urine test, such as HGH (the union still won't allow blood testing of its members).

So, where does this lead us? Pretty much nowhere until one of two things happen:

1) The players union decides that protecting cheaters is bad for the game (and this is an arguable point because baseball fans love 100 mph pitches and 450ft home runs) and they should be doing more to protect the long term health of its members.

2) The owners stop counting their money long enough to insist that the players are clean. This is one area where they actually have the moral high ground and they should use it. They could invite the players to the bargaining table and say, "Listen, this whole thing is an embarrassment and is bad for business. We would like to have an Olympic style drug testing program administered by a 3rd party. Whadya say?" If the union says no, the owners could respond, "You don't understand. No major league baseball will be played until this is implemented. If there are some details you want to change or something else changed in our agreement, let's talk about it. But without a testing program in place, we're gonna lock you out. Is protecting cheaters that important to you?" In this instance, the owners would have the public on their side.

I'm not naive. There's been cheating in baseball as long as there's been baseball. With the amount of money at stake it's natural to assume that players (and owners) will do whatever it takes to gain even the slightest perceived advantage. But it's wrong. Listen, I'm a Libertarian and anything these guys want to do in their private lives that doesn't give them an illegal competitive advantage is OK by me. If major league baseball and the players decide that they want a league where performance enhancing drugs are legal, that's fine as then everyone will be playing under the same rules. And I'm not worked up about the records--every baseball record is a product of the time when the games were played. But, as long as they are selling a product that they claim is clean and fair, they should clean that shit up. And the owners should have the balls to insist upon it.

Which Way Is Worse?

In that last week I've gone to two funerals for guys who were not yet 50. Both left families behind. Zach had a wife and 3 school age kids. Mikey lived with his mother, 23 yo stepson and a 12 yo son. The big difference in how they died was that Zach had been ill with cancer for over 5 years and knew it was coming. Mikey dropped dead of a heart attack that came out of the blue.

How would you rather go? I wouldn't answer so quickly.

Zach definitely suffered more. He had as good of an attitude as anyone could about his condition. The last years of his life must have been a great example for his kids and he got to say everything he wanted to say to people before he was gone.

Mikey never worried about being a burden or preventing his family from living the life they wanted. He probably felt little pain when he went. But, did he impart all of his life lessons to his sons? Perhaps. Did those around him have the chance to tell him that they loved him?

When you're young, there is no good time to go and those who need answers (or reasons not to have answers) can find solace in their religion. Zach and Mikey provide good reasons not to waste a single day. RIP, my friends.

Sat 8

OK, I'm late. I don't give a shit.

Lola just moved at work (sixth time in 16 months), and i'll be moving into our new house next year.

1. when was the last time you moved from one home to another?

June, 1999 from MA to CA.

2. when was the last time you moved at work?

Same as I work out of my house.

3. have you ever had any problems with a hired mover?

No. I've found them good and professional.

4. one day at work, i was given less than 24 hours to move my desk. what was the shortest amount of time you've had to move in?

Several months.

5. in your house, what would be the hardest item to move and why?

The sofa and fridge in the family room. The doorways are a bit narrow and not very tall. So, big objects can't get in or out easily. When we moved in the sofa (the fridge was already here) we had to pop out large window.

6. at your office/work, what would be the hardest item to move and why?

My file cabinet because it's big and heavy.

7. if you had to move at work, describe your perfect office location (guinness taps optional!).

Over looking my yard and the ocean.

8. if you had to move your home, describe your perfect home location. good schools? pub withing staggering-home distance?

GREAT schools, ocean or city view, good friends within walking distance.

What Mitt Romney Believes

Yesterday, Mitt Romney did his best to assure evangelical christians that he doesn't have horns (here's the text of his speech). Best that I can tell, here's what he said:

1) Hey, we all believe Jesus is our savior, so what's the big deal? I won't mention that the other thing we have in common is that we all believe that those who don't believe as we do go to hell.

2) Yeah, there are fundamental differences between Mormon doctrine other christian doctrines, but that's what tolerance is all about--except that going to hell thing.

3) I wish we had more religion in public life, don't you?

4) Hey, I mentioned menorahs...how about some more jewish votes? Oh, and sorry about the baptizing the jews in concentration camps. Our bad.

5) Whew, at least I didn't have to explain to John McCain why I think some kinds of torture are still OK. That was awkward.

I don't know if the "speech like Kennedy's" was from the media or from his campaign, but there's really not much comparison. In JFK's case there was concern (real or imagined) that he'd be getting calls from the Vatican about policy. No word as to whether Romney gave his Mass governor's number to the Mormon church elders or not. Also, I don't sense anti-mormonism is a big issue in the country. There may be a lot of people that think the religion is "weird," but it's a long way from that to hate.

As for those who are applying a chrisitian-purity test to the Republican candidates, good luck with that. None of them are going to pass. Perhaps we should be judging the candidates based on their past political actions instead of their religious beliefs. Just a thought.

The Value of Writing

Now going into it's 5th week, it's official that entertainment purchasing public does not give a shit about the writers' strike. Hell, it's hardly even being covered by the LA Times anymore.

I was giving this some thought. Social critics have lamented our addiction to TV since I was a kid, yet the American public has reacted with a collective yawn as fewer and fewer 'fresh' episodes are available on TV. Why is that?

1) This is the first opportunity in a while for TV to be affected by the market forces that swooped in during the last writers' strike. What happened then? The networks started buying 'reality' shows to fill in slots. This basically said to the writers, "We can manufacture as many laughs and as much drama with a single contrivance than you could with several. Get lost."

2) Downloading. Music customers told the industry, "Y'know, the stuff I like to listen to is only worth the cost of a blank CD and my monthly cable modem/DSL. Go stick the rest up your ass." The unintended consequence of the TV networks streaming their product is that for the first time allows consumers to put a price on an episode of TV. And when you start saying, "Hm, is it really worth $1.99 to download Desperate Housewives" it is not that far of a leap to say, "It's not worth it...I'll just grab it with bittorrent." So, the show's ratings go down and no revenue is generated.

3) Home entertainment is over priced. Radiohead put out their new CD online and asked people to pay what they thought it was worth. 62% (and these are their fans) said $0, and of the other 38%, the average was about $6. Downloading takes time, is a bit of a hassle and may not be as high of quality as the CD you would buy in the store. Yet people do it. Why? Because a CD (or DVD) on Amazon costs more than people think the content is worth.

4) TV is mostly crap. Let's say EVERYTHING on TV was pay-per-view. $.50 for an epidode of Teletubbies, $1.00 for SpongeBob, $2.00 for CSI-Peoria, $5 per football game, etc. How many shows do you think would make enough money to justify their (current) production costs? I'd say 15, tops. This would lead to a serious market adjustment of the salaries of EVERYONE involved in the TV industry and we'd find out the true market value of TV writers (and actors and directors). My guess is that it is far lower than they imagine it to be. The economics are propped up by consumer product companies being convinced (or convincing themselves) that they have to buy millions of dollars of advertising to be competitive. If Anheuser-Busch, GM and Coca-Cola woke up tomorrow and said, "Every goddamn person in America knows about our product, and spending another dime won't get us any more market share, so we're gonna stop advertising on TV" the suicide rates among TV execs in NYC and Hollywood would skyrocket. And the quality of what's on wouldn't change an iota.

Why the writers and producers can't work out a percentage agreement for 'new media' residuals is beyond me. But when this is all said and done, I think it's going to be a while before the ratings for most shows go back up. Both sides have completely over estimated the value of their product in this country.

Lining Up the Midgets

Thursday night, after the Cowboys put the finishing touches on the Packers, the wife and I are hanging out drinking rusty nails and she's flipping channels. She finally lands on CNN for the second half of the Republican YouTube "debate". I put debate in quotes because no one really debates in these things. Rather, they just wind their way through questions until they can spew their talking points. Regardless, here are my thoughts on what we saw:

1) Those who were thinking that Fred Thompson was the second coming of Reagan must be REALLY disappointed. This dude's an unenthusiastic turd. I loved how he espoused his love for states' rights when it came to abortion. I'm sure this was at the top of his agenda when he was a senator.

2) Romney is a waffler. Forget about him changing his mind about homosexuals and abortion. He can't even decide if he's in favor of torture (water boarding) until he talks to others (or a salamander) about it.

3) Ron Paul may be a little nuttier than I thought. His conspiracy theory about some NAFTA highway that will kill American jobs seems a bit over the top. For a libertarian, he's awfully protectionist.

4) No one gives a shit about Tancredo's or Hunter's candidacies. They can't even get the other guys to pick on them.

5) McCain made a passionate appeal about letting the "surge" work. He claims that it's working and with enough time will lead us to victory in Iraq. I have one question: Senator McCain, what is victory in Iraq? A democratic government as recognized in Western Europe or North America (ain't happening)? Absence of violence in the streets (may exist until we leave or when all cities are ethnically cleansed)? Peaceful rule by theocrats (we did all this to create another Iran)? Fewer Americans dying each month (success!)?

6) Giuliani is playing prevent defense. He looks like a guy that figures he'll win enough big states (NY and CA) to convince the delegates not committed to state votes that he's the guy who can win in 2008. He knows he won't win with the hard-cores in Iowa and New Hampshire, but will kick some ass in the first big delegate states (Michigan and Florida).

7) Huckabee's an interesting character. He's charismatic, but not in an over-the-top way. His tone of voice makes him sound reasonable and his deep christian convictions is just what the Republican right loves. However, his logic breaks down. When asked how he can be pro-life when it comes to abortion, but pro-death penalty, he says (more or less), "In abortion one person makes a decision on that life, where as the death penalty is served by all of the citizens of the state/nation." Not true. First, through the election of representatives who want to keep abortion legal, millions of Americans have decided that women have the right to make that decision. Second, while millions of Americans through their representatives have decided to make the death penalty legal in their states (and for certain federal crimes), it's 12 people on a jury who make that final decision (and, in some cases, one judge who decides to uphold it) and 9 people on the Supreme Court who hear the appeal. It's not like American Idol where we ALL get to vote on a death sentence. Regardless, it's clear that Huckabee's going to drive Romney even further to the right, which will eventually help Giuliani.

My wife mentioned that we haven't watched a democratic debate. I don't know why she's interested since she's going to back Clinton no matter what. If we do watch one, I'll report back.

Things Diverge Quickly

Once a week I tutor 4th grade kids in math and reading at a local elementary school. Academically, it's an average school in the LA school district, which means that overall it is not so great. I enjoy working for the teacher (late 30s/early 40s, not completely burned out yet) but she clearly has her hands full with her class of about 35.

As I walk in today I noticed that the kids had done topographical maps of CA. The HB just got done doing the same thing in his class. Here's the rub: He's a 3rd grader and these kids are 4th graders. Not only that, but the 4th grade class only had to identify the ocean, CA and the bordering states (Oregon, Nevada and Arizona for you scoring at home). In the HB's class they had to identify those things as well as three different mountains, five cities, cultural landmarks, etc.

I'm a big believer that kids will meet your expectations. So, why is it that LAUSD (or, to be fair, perhaps the state of California that controls the curriculum) has such lower standards for students than my son's school? Doing the map is a homework project, so it doesn't take classroom time. And everything he was expected to find was located on a common AAA map (or all over the internet).

If the expectation differences are so big for grades 3/4, imagine the gulf in high school. Keep that in mind next time you're asked, "Want fries with that?"

WW #48: Friends

Courtesy of Lola:

1. are you currently in, or have you ever had, a FWB (friends with benefits) relationship?

Not currently (hm...is that an offer?). Did it in grad school.

2. have you ever had sexual contact with a friend, and then later regretted it?

See above. She was far more emotionally into it than I was (which isn't to say that I wasn't at all), but ending it hurt her which was the last thing I wanted to do.

3. do you have a friend or acquaintance, or perhaps someone you are friend with at work/the gym, that you would consider having a sexual relationship with? why or why not?

In a base sense of, "Wow, she's hawt I wonder what she's like in the sack," yes. Acting on it? No. I wouldn't risk my marriage or family for anyone I know.

Pro vs. College Football

Still reveling in the Vols' four overtime win against Kentucky yesterday, I popped open today's sports section to see which NFL games were on TV. Scanning the schedule, it occurred to me that there was not a single match up of teams with winning records. OK, there was one on Thursday (Detroit vs. Green Bay), but you get my point.

I have some friends who are thoroughly convinced that college football is better than the NFL. Their argument goes that in the NFL teams play as much not to lose as to win and that the offensive and defensive schemes are cookie-cutter. They'll also say that the steps that the league takes to ensure parity (scheduling, the draft and the salary cap) makes most teams mediocre (this year's an exception with the Patriots).

I tend to favor the pro game. The quality of the players and coaching leads to closer games (you don't see nearly as many blowouts in the pros as in college). Also, my friends who argue that the pro fans aren't as passionate as college ones never really got into a pro team. Me and fellow Raider fans are easily as into them as the UT fans are into the Vols. Also, pro ball doesn't have the dark underbelly of the college game, such as adults investing a huge amount of their self worth into a bunch of 18-20 year olds, the schools making tons of money off the the unpaid players, and the rampant academic fraud.

Still, this late in the season it would be nice to see at least some teams battling for the playoffs playing each other. It sure made this weekend of college football fun to watch.

Heart Leaping Out of My Throat

I normally watch football games on my HD-DVR to save time. But, I knew my phone would be ringing during the Tennessee-Kentucky game, so I watched it live. For 5 hours (ok, one DVR diversion when I took the HB to his play rehearsal)! Regardless, the the huge changes in momentum and the 4 overtimes made it an unbelievable game. The win puts UT into the SEC championship game against LSU.

I just can't explain the Tennessee season. I went to the game up at Cal where they got their asses handed to them (as they did against Florida and Alabama) and they didn't look that good, especially on pass defense. Why it took Kentucky thirty minutes of football to figure that out is beyond me. But, they crushed Georgia (a game the Dawg fans must look back on in disbelief), dug themselves out of a big hole last week against Vandy and let Kentucky out of one today. Watching their games is not for the faint of heart. I'm not convinced they are a good team (or that Fulmer should continue to coach them), but they don't quit.

Now college football comes down to the last weekend with most of the big bowl games up for grabs (the Kansas-Mizzou game just started as I type this, though the outcome settles nothing, except which team won't play for the national championship). Count me in the group that thinks that Division I should have a playoff. If that were the case, I don't think anyone would want to touch either Georgia or USC.

Turkey Day Round-Up

Ah, the day after Thanksgiving. It's a day where the quality of football gets overlooked (the Arkansas-LSU and Texas A&M-Texas upsets were pretty sweet), but the leftovers don't.

Most everything went well yesterday. We went to my s-i-l's because my m-i-l is feeling poorly. So, I packed up what seemed like 25% of my kitchen to cook the turkey, stuffing and some carrots. My s-i-l made some other sides before she cracked her head and gave herself a cut on her head. Fortunately, she didn't bleed into the food.

The HB and my nephew had a great time. In fact, the HB slept there last night and is doing so tonite (talk about your holidays!). I think tonite that the wife and I are going to try and see Michael Clayton (again, it was sold out last time we tried to see it).

Earlier today I went to get our holiday cards taken care of. CVS was a complete pain in the ass...they couldn't print the 4x8 cards, which wouldn't have mattered since they didn't have the right sized enveloped. At Longs, the picture kiosks wouldn't read my disk, but I was able to get a guy there to print the picture off of his PC. Ugh. I hope they came out good.

Giving Thanks, But to Who or What?

A friend asked me the other day who I give thanks to on Thanksgiving since I'm an atheist. The simple answer is, "To the people around me who help keep me safe, healthy and happy." But, her point is a good one.

Lincoln established Thanksgiving in 1863 (and you thought that W invented using PR to calm down the populous during an unpopular war). The holiday clearly was established with a religious tone. Interestingly, it hasn't been co-opted by the pious among us as christmas and easter have been. Of course, these holidays have a direct relationship with religious writings, but christmas has been bought and sold since the late 1800's, post-dating the establishment of Thanksgiving. And every other American holiday (Presidents' Day, 4th of July, etc.) is used as an excuse to buy and sell EVERYTHING. So, why not Thanksgiving? Is it because it's boring, not religious enough, or something else?

I think it's because of the melancholy associated with it. When the pilgrims got here, things weren't so good for them. When Lincoln made it official, the nation was in crisis. We usually don't give thanks unless we have been humbled first. One doesn't have the be a theist to appreciate when things are better than they were (or could be).

And, I almost forgot. If stores had big Thanksgiving sales, it would bite into their christmas business.

Getting Our Money's Worth

In today's LA Times there's an analysis of the War on Terror. Judging by the authors' affiliations, I wouldn't say that it's an unbiased appraisal of the war. I'm not accusing them of being liars. Rather, someone with a more conservative bent would probably choose to highlight other numbers.

The most telling numbers havde to do with terror-related convictions. There have been several high-profile terrorist arrests (see Detroit and Lodi), and the government doesn't have a real good conviction rate in them. However, here's where the Times article is biased. It says that only two people have been convicted of terrorist related activity in the US while having international connections (note how overly specific the authors are). But, their data cutoff date is over a year ago, so it wouldn't include the guy in Lodi. One could also argue that the goal is convict people of some sort of conspiracy before they blow something up.

The greater message of the data is what have we gained in terms of security from rounding all of these people up and spending $413 billion? The numbers presented look rather bleak. But, how do they compare to conviction rates for other complicated conspiracies (e.g., gang or mafia activity)?

And, what are we to make of the human sacrifices for the war? My sense is that a majority of the 3,867 U.S. soldiers were committed to their task and mission. But, what of the estimated 80,000 Iraqis? Sure, some of them were probably killed while trying to kill their countrymen for no other reason that they type of Islam they practiced. What would the rest say about their sacrifice for the US to remake their country? Perhaps that question will be better answered in the future. Right now, it seems like an awful waste.

Movie Time

From Lola:

As you'll see, I don't get to the movies that much anymore. When the wife and I do go out, we prefer something more live. Oh well.

SUPPOSEDLY if you’ve seen over 89 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 266 movies on this list. Copy this list. Then, put Xs next to the movies you’ve seen, add them up, and share your number. Have fun!
(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(1/2) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
() Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
() Deep Impact
() KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG (I saw the original)
() A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(X) Flubber (i saw the original…)
() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
() The Day After Tomorrow
() Child’s Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
() The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
(x) Ocean’s Twelve
() Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
(X) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
() ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She’s All That
() Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
() The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
() X-Men
() X2
() X-3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
() The Little Mermaid
() Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Kippendorf’s Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old-virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
() Baseketball
() Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devil’s Rejects
() Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
() Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
(X) Willard
() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
() Hook
() Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
() Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
() The Matrix
() The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
() Battle Royale
() Battle Royale 2
(X) Brazil
() Contact
() Cube
(X) Dr. Strangelove
() Enlightenment Guaranteed
() Four Rooms
() Memento
() Pi
(X) Requiem for a Dream
(X) Pulp Fiction
(X) Reservoir Dogs
(X) Run Lola Run
() Russian Ark
() Serenity
() Sin City
() Snatch
() Spider
() The Sixth Sense
() The Village
() Waking Life
() Zatoichi
() Ikiru
(x) The Seven Samurai
() Brick
() Akira

When the Circus Occasionally Comes Back to Town

You may remember this photo:




It was taken of a Marine, Jame Blake Miller, by an LA Times photographer, Luis Sinco before the battle for Fallouja in which Miller would take part. After the photo appeared there were many national stories about Miller.

The LA Times followed up with him in May of 2006 when he was discharged due to PTSD. This weekend the paper started running a story about Miller and Sinco. I suggest that you read it (it requires free registration and I've found it to be spam-free).

It's a must read for a few reasons. First and foremost is Miller's story. Not unlike poor kids from Appalachia, he describes his choice in life is between the Marines and the mines. I'm not naive as wars have always been fought by the poor. But what does Miller's choice say about us a society in the 21st century?

Another interesting aspect of the story is that the photographer tells the story. Sinco tells the story from a personal, rather than detached, view. He takes his journalistic ethics seriously and confronts some of the moral issues of what, if anything, he has done to Miller by taking his picture. He also considers what, if any, responsibility he has in helping and healing Miller.

Lastly, it addresses the permanence of war. Miller's life, and those around him, were going to be changed even if he wasn't the subject of a famous picture. It's easy to think that the war operates on a treadmill until you think about people who are fighting it as individuals. Tonight I had the opportunity to offer the pledge of allegiance at my local Elk Lodge's Veteran's Day ceremony. There were WW II, Korean, Viet Nam era and Iraq vets/service people there. I couldn't help but think of Miller as I spoke to them. In conversation I wondered how their lives, and their families' live were affected by their service. I wonder how many really think it was worth it.

Writers' Strike

As you probably know by now, the TV and movie writers are on strike in LA and NY. When I take the HB to school I get to drive by a live strike picket! The strike doesn't affect me much since I don't watch any episodic TV (though I am a The Daily Show and The Colbert Report viewer). Just gives me more time to watch sports.

At issue is how much money the writers will get for each DVD, download, and whatever we haven't thought of yet method of watching TV and films. The strike is rooted in the last contract where the studios completely got over on the writers in terms of their residuals from DVD sales (literally pennies).

I'm of several minds about strike:

1) The studios gotta open their wallets on this one. Their talk about waiting to see if people really want to download TV shows/movies before deciding what the right compensation should be is laughable. All they have to do is call their friends at the record companies.

2) Another problem for the studios is that people watch less TV now than they have before, especially network TV. Yes, if you're jonesing for Heroes you'll run back to the TV when new episodes pop-up, but you'll get used to doing other things with your time when you are not watching all the other crap.

3) The writers need to be VERY careful. For every striking writer there are probably five who would LOVE to write for TV and the movies and could give a rats ass about the WGA.
The strike will drive more independent (read: non-union) production.

4) The writers are looking to profit more from their creativity, which I think is good. I look forward to them doing the same for set builders, painters and costume designers.

5) When non-physical labor unions (e.g., writers, directors, baseball players) go on strike they ask for support of other unions. After all, if the Teamsters don't show up, nothing gets produced for a TV show/movie. Google "writers support" teamsters strike and tell me what comes up.

6) Both sides should realize that the American public doesn't need them. It's not like when the longshoremen go on strike and important goods don't get moved. People lived their lives just fine before Grey's Anatomy came on TV and they'll live just fine afterwards. Without their fave TV show they'll go bowling more, surf the internet and (gasp!) have more conversations.

New Feature!

The observant ones in the group will notice that I've started to list what's on my MP3 player. No, not an iPod, an MP3 player (I can't stand Apple or their products). I like to listen to music, especially when I'm analyzing data, though I can't when I'm writing or reading. The MP3 gets the most use when I'm exercising. Being old school, I tend to put full albums, rather than just cuts, on it. Usually the albums are faves where I know all of the lyrics or new stuff.

Generally, as you can tell, the music is high energy. But, good songs (mellow or otherwise) are often included. The newest on there is Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II. I've really enjoyed his music ever since I heard a camp counselor play Cowgirl in the Sand on guitar. He's a rare artist who tries new things, but doesn't forget about what he does best. Also, he's the only famous musician that I know of who did a entire album about Iraq and politics. Do I like all of his records? No, but I'm willing to go for the ride.

Chrome Dreams II is unusual, for him, in that it contains many styles of music (folk, country, pre-grunge). Most of his records stick with one style. The best track is an opus called Ordinary People. It covers very familiar ground for him: working people, politics, and love. This does lead me to one beef with him. In a recent interview Young said of the venues for his tour, "They have to be auditoriums. The audio part is very important. I prefer that they be old." So, then why was his LA show at the BRAND NEW Nokia Theater? And, check out those ticket prices...ouch! Hopefully he'll be back in the summer at more reasonable prices.

One of Many Anniversaries

The wife and I waited a loooooong time to get married. I know that we would have eventually, but our move to the Boston area, 5 years after we had already been living together, gave us a good reason to. Because of that, we've always celebrated our first date anniversary, which is today (#24). It's particularly easy to remember because the first date was to my best friend's (and best man at our wedding) 21st birthday party.

I was working at the college radio station at that time and that weekend there was a conference in San Diego. However, Metallalica and Megadeth were playing a club in the San Fernando Valley (about 140 miles away). So, on Thursday I drove to SD, Friday afternoon I drove from SD to the Valley then back again. Saturday around lunch I drove back from SD to my place in Orange County to try and grab some zzzzzzzs. The (future) wife popped by my place that evening while I was crashed, gave me a fellatio wake-up call, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We'll celebrate later tonight with some take-out from our fave Italian place and a REALLY nice bottle of wine (2002 red) we got at a charity auction after the HB's in bed. I'm looking forward to it and another 24 years.

As The Lakers Turn

I was going to blog about the Lakers after their opening night loss to Houston. Don't be fooled by the final score. Except for a end of game flurry by Kobe, Houston was in control. I was going to write how this game was going to be emblematic of their season. Kobe doing everything, almost no help from the bench and disbelief that the team's management isn't willing to part with either of their centers Kwame Brown or Andrew Bynum in order to get some good players to help the team be competitive. There was one particular play where Yao Ming threw a pass right over Bynum, who didn't even have his fucking hands up.

Then, they turn around and kick the living shit out of Phoenix last night--in the Valley of the Sun, no less. I love when they have both Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton on the floor. Both guys can pass, which makes any team hard to defend, and Walton can score some. But they still have a HUGE hole in he middle.

The Lakers are still in that NBA no man's land. They aren't good enough to compete for the title and not bad enough to finish with a high lottery pick. If they plan on keeping Kobe (and that's an open question), they gotta show some balls and make serious trade. Trading Kobe just isn't going to happen. Forget that you never get even close to comparable value when you trade a superstar (see the Shaq deal for Odom and some scrubs), but Kobe has a no-trade clause. So, any team that could give up anything close to his value isn't a team he would want to go to because they wouldn't be any good anymore. If the Lakers someone pull the trigger on the deal, they need to get a player they can build around. Like they should done in getting Dwyane Wade from Miami for Shaq.

Justice (perhaps)

Several months ago I blogged about this church that protests at soldiers' funerals. Well, as it turns out, the parents of one these soldiers got pissed off enough that he sued these bastards...and won. The verdict is against the church, not the individuals, so maybe they'll see some of the money. More importantly, if they can get to the cash perhaps they can prevent at least some of these morons from staging any more of the protests.

And all this time I thought that religious people believed that god LOVED us.

WW #45--Halloweenie

From Lola:

1. have you ever had sex "in costume"? did you like it? what made it better or worse?

Hm...can't say that I have.

2. not including unwanted personal violence, what is the SCARIEST sexual experience you've had? condom breaking? her parents walking in on you? getting caught by a security officer? grandma finding your vibrator?

Definitely almost getting caught by my parents. Of course, the one time my dad walked in on me and a gf in high school while we studying. I *wish* I would have been fucking her.

3. if you had to be the bride or groom of any scary monster, who would it be? elvira, mistress of the dark? gerard butler's dracula?

Oh, definitely Linda Blair in The Exorcist...that chick was FREAKY (hahahahaha).

Halloween Wrap Up

Sadly, another Halloween has passed. My nephew stayed over last weekend and we went Halloween Bowling with my Rotary Club. Just about everyone was in costume and we had a great time (and raised some money for a home makeover project for a family in our neighborhood).

Yesterday, the HB and I started Halloween by taking candy to some kids who can't go trick-or-treating. We stopped by a transitional living facility for kids in Santa Monica. We then moved on to a local hospital, only to find that they don't have a pediatric ward anymore. But, they did have a haunted house in their rehab area (which was pretty cool) and we left a couple of bags with the nursing staff.

Before trick-or-treating, we had dinner at our neighbor's house and then led the kids on their hunt for candy en masse. We get literally hundreds of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood (we never have enough candy), which is cool. There are a few TV/movie set designers on my street, so some of the houses are done up really well.

After making one candy drop-off, the HB wanted to visit some friends' houses that aren't on our street, but were still within walking distance. This gave us some time to hang together and go into some areas that were far less crowded. This meant he got a LOT more candy (and perhaps some extras for me and the wife).

I love Halloween--can't wait for next year!

Bachelor Monday Night

The wife's up in SF for a couple of days, so me and the HB are doing the bachelor thing. So, as is our tradition, we stopped at the store to get some seafood (shrimp) for dinner. Strangely, he asked if we could watch baseball (sorry, Rockies fans) or football. Not sure if he really has an interest in either or just wanted to watch TV while we ate. Either way, even though I'm watching the game now on DVR, it's nice to actually watch MNF for a change. I just haven't been that dialed into the NFL this year...just too busy (and my fantasy team is suffering for it). Speaking of MNF, what's with the parade of celebs in the booth. Yuck...this is why I watch the games with the sound off.

Back to baseball, I am SO sick of the Red Sox now. They were the best team in the playoffs and probably in the league (after watching the Rockies, Cleveland fans must be sick to their stomachs for blowing that 3-1 lead). But, and as much as Sox fans don't want to admit it, they are the Yankees with a less publicly obnoxious owner. They'll cement that reputation if they sign A-Rod who didn't resign with the Yankees.

Christ, how long is this game going to last...there have been 20 penalties and there is still 9 minutes left to go.

While we're in football mode, I can't get over the Tennessee-South Carolina game. One one hand, had they lost, after blowing a 21-0 lead at home, the drumbeats for the head coaches head would have gotten louder (and Fulmer seems to have overstayed his welcome). But, thanks to some clutch field goals, not only do they pull the game out, but now they control their own destiny for the SEC championship game (no matter that they would get eviscerated by either LSU or Auburn). It's just been a weird season.

Halloween Weekend

We are totally gearing up for pre-Halloween weekend. Here's what's on the menu this weekend:

Some neighborhood kids and other friends over for pizza, candy apples and Tim Burton movies tonight.

Saturday, Halloween bowling in the dark (with florescent balls and in costume) with the Rotary Club (my nephew's going to join us and sleep over).

Sunday, hopefully a hike with Indian Guides up to Skull Rock. But, this may not be possible given the horrible air quality from the fires. It's foggy this morning, so maybe the low clouds will take some of the gunk out of the air. But, I think we'll have to come up with Plan B (probably something indoor, like ice skating).

I can't wait for next Wednesday....

No, No and Hell No

During the same week that Bush & company start beating the war drums to go into Iran, the president asks Congress for a ton of green to keep the war going in Iraq. As usual, he couches it in emotional (political) blackmail terms of, "Well, you can disagree with the war, but we have to support the troops and this money is the only way to do it." What a bunch of shit.

This is the direct result of Congress being such a bunch of pussies earlier in the year. Remember, that's when they said they would cut back on war funding, W threatened a veto and then Congress said, "Just kidding, here's your money." Had they persisted and shoved a reduction in funding down Bush's throat by attaching it to general budget bill, we would have had a change in war strategy by now. But they didn't and we don't.

If Bush's request is granted, we are guaranteed that the next president will be faced with exactly the same situation we have now. Better to force Bush to clean up his own mess now and give the next president a chance to implement his/her own policy in Iraq.

WW #44

Courtesy of Lola who is CLEARLY hard up.

1. when was the last time you were pussy-pissed/blue balled? what brought you to that state?

Things are kinda rough now...the wife's been sick and the air quality is so bad here from the fires that she's not getting better.

2. when was the last time you were interrupted sexually, and you could not finish? what happened?

Wasn't me, but was once with a paramour in Vegas. I was going down on her when the housekeeper walked in. After the housekeeper left, my lady friend said, "Damn...and I was working on a GOOD one." We got back to it and she came, but we'll never know if it was as good as the original.

3. who was the last person you encountered that the flirting or convo left you WANTING MORE? what did you do about it?

In the past I had many convos with Lynn like that.

Sat 8: Jobs (I'm soooo late on this)

1. what was your worst job? why?

Doing early am prep at a restaurant. The owners were assholes.

2. what was your best job? why?

Besides the one I have now? The summer between my junior and senior year in college I drove deliveries. Not UPS, but documents, etc. I got to listen to music in my car all day, go see my friends during breaks, and learned LA like the back of my hand. Plus, now I can parallel park like nobody's business.

3. are you looking for a new job now?

Some more work, yes. New job, no.

4. when did you get the job you have now? if you're unemployed, how long have you been without a job?

A little more than two years ago when I left my previous firm.

5. have you ever been fired from a job? what happened?

Nope, but I have been fired by clients when things haven't gone as they had expected (not too often). I think I've fired as many clients as clients have fired me.

6. have you ever had a horrible, back-stabbing colleague?

No.

7. have you heard of or ever been involved in a an office scandal at your work?

No--I work for myself so I don't have to deal with that drama.

8. what's your dream job?

What I have now, with less selling.

Los Angeles is Burning

Yes, my friends, it's that time again when Los Angeles burns. Technically, none of the fires are within the city limits. But, there are several in the burbs to the north and in Malibu. San Diego is joining in the fun as well. The HB and I were camping west of Malibu (yes, I know that sounds weird directionally, but the coastline runs east-west there), but left before the fires started. The fires won't make it my house. If they did, it would make the great Chicago and San Francisco fires look like weenie roasts.

While LA itself is not hilly (with the exception of the Hollywood Hills and some ocean bluffs), there is a ring of mountains around it. This gives us spectacular views, some very cool places to live and traps the smog. LA is not a desert, but it is arid. So, a lot of brush grows in these hills/mountains and when there's a drought and the dry winds blow off of the desert instead of the ocean, the hills burn. Some of the areas in Malibu which are burning now have burned before and will burn again. However, unlike places in the midwest that flood a lot, people here have insurance to rebuild, instead of soaking other taxpayers for it.

I'm afraid that these fires are going to last a while. It's been too dry for too long and with so many to fight the resources (people, ground equipment and water dropping aircraft) are stretched very thin.

Now This is Clarity I Can Appreciate

Earlier in the week I commented on Bush's opposition to a declaration of Turkish genocide. So, it was great interest that I noted that today he presented a congressional award to the Dalai Lama and kinda rubbed it in China's face. W said that he had told the Chinese that religious freedom was important and that they should welcome the Dalai Lama in China. Fair enough.

What this tells me is that the administration thinks that fighting terrorism is a more worthy strategic goal than out economic relationship with China. In the grand scheme of international politics, China is (and will be) a much bigger player than Turkey. Yet, Bush goes out of his way to placate the country from which our military planes take off and kicks sand in the face of a country with whom we have a huge trade deficit and has nuclear weapons.

Don't get me wrong. Bush should welcome the Dalai Lama and criticize China's human rights record. It's just interesting that he's OK with that, but not good with acknowledging a historical fact about actions taken by a government which is unrelated to the current one in Turkey.

Clearly, Bush thinks the war on terror is going to be with us longer than trade with China.

Sat 8: Gadgets

do you have any of the following gadgets, and what kind? when did you get them?

1. cellphone?

Yes...lemme see...1997.

2. digital camera?

Yes, 1999.

3. video camera?

Yes, 1999.

4. video game console?

Yes, it was a gift for the HB. I'm going to say 2004.

5. TiVo/DVR?

Oh HELL YES. 2000.

6. mp3 player/iPod?

Yup (mp3). 2002 was my first.

7. laptop computer?

Can't live without it....1995 or so.

8. any widget or app on your phone or computer to makes your life easier (commute time calculator, on-time flight alert, zocdoc, etc.)?

None that I can think of...I'm not a big extra app person.

Truth vs. Friends

This week the House of Representatives approved a measure that would require our government to acknowledge that the Turkish government committed genocide against Armenians between 1915 and 1923. In this instance, genocide has a very specific definition and it's not just killing a lot of people during a war.

The president, who wants to tell the truth, except when it's inconvenient, is asking the Senate to not approve the legislation. Is this because due to his deep historical research he doesn't believe that what happened is truly genocide? Umb...no. It's because he doesn't want to upset the Turkish government and potentially jeopardize the military's ability to fly materiel into Iraq. And there are several other former diplomats who are against the measure. Again, not because it's historically inaccurate, but because they think we should sweep away the truth to make nice with Turkey.

First off, Turkey might get into a huff about this, but they aren't going to do anything extreme. Why? Because they want to get into NATO and most of the other European countries think their actions were genocide as well. They won't look kindly on such a denial of what they believe to be the truth.

Second, since when is it good policy for our government to ignore the truth? We don't go around doing that with Japan and Germany of their behavior in WWII. It's not as if the resolution says that the current Turkish government is responsible for it. I also think it's important to let Turkey know that the international community is watching them so they don't pull any more shit with the Kurds in Turkey and northern Iraq.

So, while Congress is gutless regarding Iraq, it can redeem itself by passing this legislation.

Circle to Nowhere

In my business there's a technique for "developing" managers called 360 degree or multi-rater feedback. This is where you, your boss, your peers, and your subordinates rate your on different work behaviors (Chat is a good team player; Chat communicates clearly, etc). If you're a middle manager or above in a reasonably sized company you've probably gone through one of these.

There's a tiny little problem with this kind of process--there's no research data that shows that it works. Put another way, people who go through this and get the results don't necessarily improve their performance. In fact, if the data suggests anything it's that people who are already good performers take advantage of the feedback (which is probably how they became good performers in the first place) and the people who have the most to gain from it don't improve, or get worse (they see this as another thing management's doing to make them look bad).

Occasionally I get involved in these projects. Given the above, why is a reasonable question. One answer, quite frankly, is that it's usually easy money. The second is a little more complicated. The best analogy I can think of is think of the kind of guy who goes into a strip club to "save" one of the girls. Yes, he's well intentioned. He thinks that what HE has to offer will take her away from this sordid existence and she'll live a happier, better existence away from the club. I look at this process and think, "Wow, a lot of this is crap. I can make it a better product and process that people will find really valuable." It's only later that I realize that the purchasers aren't really interested in something better and we're back watching single moms with stretch marks shaking their tits.

I again allowed myself to get seduced into one of these projects. The consultant who brought me in is dialed into a lot of good companies and at this point she's more interested in developing and selling product. That works for me in that I do derive a good amount of revenue from products I sell. So, I tell her what I think the product and process should look like, she agrees and we go into together to develop something for this client that we would then market to others.

Well, midway through it became apparent to me that this other consultant is far more interested in selling anything rather than selling anything good. I had to scratch and scream to get at least some creative elements to it. She kept saying, "That stuff is just too far beyond the USA Today crowd." What became apparent is that she's the one who is unwilling to make the intellectual stretch to do something different.

So, I busted my ass on this for a few weeks and we finally delivered today. I'm ambivalent about her going out and selling it. On one hand, I would like to get at least some coin back for my investment (I got paid some, but not nearly enough). Then again, I don't need to be the guy spinning another version of Pour Some Sugar On Me.

WW #43--Visual Aids

Yeah, I know...I've been a poor blogger of late. But, the reason for it (a big project) has now passed (that'll be my next entry). So, only a couple of days late, are my WW responses

1. are you into erotic or pornographic film? why or why not?

Into it? Not really. Occasionally check it out? Yes. Besides the immediate reaction, it doesn't do a lot for me. It's either extremely fake or very goofy, which makes it more entertaining, but less erotic.

2. are you sexually stimulated visually by the gender you are attracted to (or both, if you are bisexual), or do you need something more cerebral to make you hot for them?

In the short term, looks will do it. More than that, there has to be some substance.

3. are you sexually turned on by a member of the gender you are NOT genetically attracted to? for our bisexual participants, what turns you on most about both sexes?

No, but I can appreciate why (some) women go ga-ga over George Clooney, Brad Pitt, etc.

Sat 8: Mail

Courtesy of my most loyal reader, and wonderful friend, Lola.

when was the last time:

1. you got money in the mail?

Last week. Since I run my biz out of my house, this is a fairly frequent occurrence.

2. you sent a letter?

I'm assuming this means a written letter to a person, as opposed to mailing a contract, etc. So, that would be in November of last year when I sent one to Lynn.

3. you received a package?

Today...a Pokemon watch for the HB.

4. you purchased stamps?

About three weeks ago.

5. you had to wait in line at the post office?

Three weeks ago...I needed something postmarked that day (quarterly taxes).

6. you talked to your mail carrier?

I said hello to him the other day...does that count?

7. you didn't get your mail because somebody blocked your mailbox, you missed a mail/package delivery, your mail was delivered to the wrong place, etc.

Never.

8. you gave your mail carrier a gift? what was it?

Not that I recall.

Cheating, In Track and Field? I'm Shocked!

So, Marion Jones, who lived with two known cheaters and had a trainer who was a known cheater was forced to admit that she's, well, a cheater. Like Capt. Renault, I'm shocked. Of course, it was the feds who brought her down on a money laundering scheme (with her cheater and baby daddy ex) that brought all of this out, not the myriad of alphabet soup anti-doping agencies.

The same thing will (eventually) happen to Bonds. He'll be caught lying to the feds (like Ms. Jones was) and the grand jury, and that's what will get him sent away.

With the money at stake in all sports (that Olympic amateur ideal is way far gone) there will always be cheaters. The stakes are too high. And, like in all sophisticated criminal endeavors, the best cheaters will always be ahead of the the tests/traps to catch them.

So, what's the solution? Early on, coaches and parents should teach kids that winning is not everything. Coaches should reinforce this by not trying to find loopholes in rule and getting over. Play fair, dammit.

Also, punishments for getting caught should be draconian. The current anti-doping proceedings in the "Olympic" sports are very anti-athlete, and that should be changed. However, if one if found guilty of cheating the Olympics/World Championship level, the punishment should be a lifetime ban. No ifs, ands, or buts. The slap on the wrist punishments in U.S. professional sports are a joke (note that in the NFL, the most recent defensive player of the year served a 4-game suspension for steroids). The players unions are far more interested in protecting their members than the sport, which is their prerogative. If they were serious about fair play, they would go for a system which delivers a more significant deterrent.

Say Goodbye to Another Middleman

In essence, the web takes away the middleman (pardon my sexist language). You can purchase many products and services directly from the manufacturer as opposed to going through a distributor. In many cases you can read news and commentary from the source and from sources that don't go through mainstream media channels. In my mind, that's all good.

So, it's welcomed news that Radiohead is selling their new music online for a price that YOU name. It's sorta like the Priceline of music. I'm not a big Radiohead fan, but I am intrigued by the business model. Most bands start off working for tips, so they are just taking that one step further. Granted, it took many years of hard work (and payola from their former record label at the beginning) for them to get to a point where they could take this risk. But, imagine a music marketplace where unsigned bands could build a following (and maybe make a leeeetle money) selling their songs. Most wouldn't make a dime, but that's no different than the record biz right now. And you gotta believe that at least some would go viral.

Sure, the middleman (in this case, radio and record labels) provides a convenience. Imagine trying to sift through a gagillion bands to find one that you like. But, radio is SO homogenized (ah, another liberation via the web...internet radio of all stripes) that you hardly have a chance in hell in hearing a unique, new band anywhere right of the college stations.

So, here's to Radiohead. I hope that this experiment works and they make tons of money and get new fans. Perhaps this will be another way to get stuff from the source without having to pay an extra person for it.

Blowing Through the Windy City

I had a quick (<36 hours) trip to Chicago on Sunday/Monday. It was my intention to blog on Sunday night, but the hotel didn't have reasonably priced internet access (phone line or wireless). Why is it that the cheapie hotels offer free internet and the moderately expensive ones don't. Sheesh.

The reason for the trip was a board meeting of a professional organization to which I belong. I figure if you're a member of a volunteer organization and they ask you to participate/lead it your fist instinct should be "Yes". Unfortunately, this group lacks a unifying purpose for existence (which is not to imply it's a waste of time, because it's not), so it makes the board meetings painful due to endless discussions of mission and strategy instead of getting things done.

One of the "laws" of psychology is that personality is stable. However, this trip reminds me of how I've changed. I used to love going to meetings and conferences to schmooze and network. Now, not so much. I don't know if it's because I learned that a little gets me as much as a lot in terms of making contacts or because I've become more of an introvert (feeling that being in large groups drains rather than energizes me). Regardless, due to the nature of the meeting and my lack of interest in schmoozing, I got on the first flight home yesterday, which had the added benefit of allowing me to go to my Rotary board meeting. At least there we actually get stuff done because we have clear mission.

I'll leave you with a great restaurant recommendation in Chicago: Yoshi's Cafe.

Wall of Hung Jury

OK, given my earlier prediction about the Phil Spector trial, it is now obvious as to why I'm not a celebrity trial prognosticator. The prosecution seems to be in a good position in that the two holdouts from the twelve person jury pretty much said what it would have taken for them to find Spector guilty.

Apparently, having a ton of cash to spend on experts (regardless of their veracity) is the key to getting over in LA criminal courts. Keep that in mind if you come here to kill someone.

Halloween in September

Halloween has always been one of my fave holidays....right up there with New Year's Day. With an 8 y.o. son it's even better because it is his FAVE holiday. The HB (like other kids, I suppose) has always loved Halloween. Even after we had to go to urgent care one year when his (now gone) asthma kicked up.

So, as I type this, the "cobwebs" are already up in our house, with more decorations to come. I cannot wait! I'd rather have a month of ghosts and goblins than the christmas crap which is just around the corner.

Mr. Ahmadinejad Comes to America

Why is it that so many people think that our democracy is so fragile that it needs to be handled with kid gloves? The current administration and war hawks don't want to give "terrorists" their day in court because they might say something that could bring down the Republic. Then there are others who don't think that the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, should speak because....oh, he might say something nutty and be exposed as such?

Every leader of a United Nations gets diplomatic immunity to speak before that body. Though, restrictions can be placed on that person's movement. For instance, Mr. Ahmadinejad could only travel within 25 mi of Columbus Circle. NYPD decided that even though the 9/11 WTC site was within that radius, security would have been too much of a nightmare for him to visit. Or, maybe it was politics as he questions the official version of the events of 9/11 (as some Americans do).

So, while he's in NYC, he gets an invite to speak at Columbia University. Let the howling and protests begin, "He shouldn't have a forum to speak because he doesn't like Jews, or wants to build a nuclear bomb, or denies the Holocaust, etc." Shining a bright light on dictators, racists and idiots will do more to discredit them than by trying to shut them up. What better way to show that our country has an open marketplace of ideas than by giving this guy a forum to say what he wants and then let people choose whether to accept his ideas? Interestingly, while stories about his speech are the most e-mailed on Al-Jezeera's English page, it's not on the home page (at least as of this writing).

Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, couldn't have been a bigger ass. He invites Ahmadinejad to speak (a great PR coup for the university), gets alarmed that people object, then introduces his guest with insults. That must have been a pretty uncomfortable meet-and-greet afterwards. People will reject this guy's ideas without any help from the kindly professor.

Of course, in the big picture, what Ahmadinejad thinks or says is moot. The real power in Iran is with the mullahs, through the Supreme Leader and the Assembly of Experts as they are the ones who get to decide who gets to even run in elections. Mr. Ahmadinejad does their bidding and when he's outlived his usefulness, or says things that really get the country in hot water, they'll get rid of him and let the people choose his successor from a pool of others who will carry the message of the Assembly of Experts.

In the meantime, we should give the leaders of authoritarian regimes as much media time as possible. By them speaking outside of their state controlled media, more people in their countries are likely to hear their crazy shit. For every 1 convert to Mr. Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, there will be 1,000 who reject his idiocy. Who knows, by understanding Iran better maybe we can more successfully negotiate with them.

The most important moral of this is that our system of government can stand up to people kicking at it. Whether it means putting terrorists on trial or letting tyrants speak, democracy is not fragile. Rather, it get stronger as people reject those who seek to topple it.

Sports Weekend

First off, my fantasy football team rocked out loud and had the highest score in the league. Believe me, I won't bore you with the details. But, before you think of me as a newbie at this, the league I'm in has been around since 1986. It's a lot of fun for pretty low stakes.

The Vols won, but still aren't impressive. At this point, just about every team they have left on the schedule, except Vandy, looks good.

RAIDERS win! RAIDERS win! It's been a while and they almost choked it away. But, they came up with the big play (blocked field goal) to win.

The Angels finally clinched the AL West and are still in the hunt for home field advantage. Unfortunately, I suppose, Soscia seems to be content and is going to rest a lot of guys the rest of they way. I'd feel a lot better if they would have any potential game 7s at home (especially against the Red Sox who seem to fuck up the Angels in the playoffs).

Walking in a Fall Wonderland, Pt 2.

So, after my last post on the hiking trip, my uncle and I went to a local place for some beers, dinner and to watch the USC-Washington St. game (SC kicked ass). So, we're hanging at the bar and I notice this couple at the other end. They looked mid-late 50s and they have a couple of rounds of drinks--beers and tequila shots. Then they decide to head to our end of the bar to watch the game. My uncle heads to the salad bar and the woman starts talking to me. Best we could tell, their son got married that day in Yosemite. He is their 3rd son and his first marriage. As they are telling us about this, another one of their kids comes over with a grand kid. They chat, invite grandma and grampa to join them for dinner, but they choose to stay at the bar. The couple just didn't have that we're so happy our kid's getting married look to them, and it was weird that they weren't having dinner with their family. There was obviously much more to the story. But, I make it a rule not to get into deep conversations with drunks.

OK, back to the hiking. Here's a snow picture from the first day.


And a cool pic of Cathedral Peak.



Yes, the weather changed that quickly. The second day we did make it to both Dog Lake and Lembert Dome. The clouds stayed, so the views weren't as good. Here a pic of Dog Lake:



And from Lembert Dome, overlooking a valley east of Tuolumne Meadows.


The trip was great. I only wish that my nephew had chosen to join us. He was hesitant since the HB wasn't coming and he didn't want him to feel bad. A nice sentiment, and since my wife head to go out of town, it might not have worked out. But I still really want to take him up there some day.

My uncle and I had a great time, and I'm already thinking of heading back in the spring (if there's plenty of snow in the winter). While the eastern part of the park doesn't have the Yosemite rock stars, it was much less crowded and was spectacular in its own way. I just hope that my nephew and I (and the HB) get to have a similar experiences.

Saturday 8

when was the last time:

1. a restaurant was out of the food you wanted?

Cannot remember that ever happening (I must be very flexible when it does).

2. you were dumped/divorced by a significant other/spouse?

Hm...the wife and I have been together a looooong time. Lemme think....while there were certainly some minor ones in the meantime, I would say when Lynn kicked me to the curb back in HS.

3. you were denied a promotion?

Never worked for someone, so that hasn't happened. Before going solo I was trying to negotiate a partnership deal with my other firm, but I was the one who walked away.

4. you didn't get the job you applied for?

See above.

5. a friend cancelled a lunch date (or other meeting) on you?

An old gf was visiting with her family last month. She and I were going to get together for lunch at a cool place, but one of her cherubs got sick. We ended up having breakfast at a Denny's a couple of days later.

6. someone took credit for something YOU did?

Making my clients look good is what I do. If they take ALL the credit it's kinda bothersome, but I'm there to help them get shit done.

7. an appliance (or something in your home) broke?

Right now my washer is making WAY too much noise.

8. you were denied something credit-related? (loan, credit card, a rental, etc.)

Only when my card's expired. The wife and I have sterling (800+) credit, so we can buy the shit we want (which isn't much, too be honest).

Walking in a Fall Wonderland

Woke up this morning and the weather was nice. It had rained last night. Still some clouds around, but we decided to risk it. I am so glad we did.

We decided to hike to Cathedral Lakes. It snowed almost the whole time (I'll post pics when I get home and have high speed access). That sounds worse that it was. It was a warm snow in that it was in the 40s, so I never felt cold. Also, until the end, the flakes weren't big, so they bounced right off and we didn't get wet. It was strange in that when the sun was out, or the sky was brightest, it was snowing the hardest.

We didn't encounter that many other hikers so things were very peaceful. The folks we did run into were very friendly--one guy was even giving me some shit about the Raiders (I was wearing a Raiders hat). The hike moved around Cathedral Peak. With the changing angles and cloud conditions, we got a lot of interesting looks at it. The lake itself was very cool. We saw fog rolling in and there are views of many domes and peaks from the lake. We climbed some rocks on the southwest side and were able to look down on Tenaya Lake.

Just got done watching Penn St. lose to Michigan (booo) and Michigan State thump on Notre Dame (boo-hoo....NOT). Michigan State reminds me of an old gf (who went there as an undergrad) and a funny MSU-Michigan story...but that's for another post about her. There are two restaurants in the town where we are staying. We had breakfast at one, so we'll try the other for dinner and the SC-Washington State game.

Ah, Nature

All travels went well and now I'm in a tiny town just east of Yosemite. This being California means that a) there's high speed wireless in the room and b) the tiny market has upscale wines and 12 year old scotch.

It rained a bit on our way here (I met my uncle in Reno and drove here) and it clearly rained in the town earlier in the evening. We'll just see if the weather holds tomorrow. If not, at least there's a bar nearby.

Weekend With No Responsibilties

Ahhh.....The dog's at the kennel (cage less, dog lovers), the HB's at school and going to his cousin's for the weekend, and the wife's on a plane to Connecticut (family memorial). No, I'm not hosting a kegger at the house. Rather, I'm heading to Yosemite to go hiking with my uncle. We're going to hit the eastern part of the park away from the valley. Unfortunately, it's supposed to be rainy/windy/snowy on Saturday. I don't need perfect conditions for hiking, but I'm not going out of my way to be miserable. At this rate, we may just end up drinking scotch and watching football at the Ahwahnee. I'll letchya know how things turn out.

WW #42--Differences of Opinion

1. where is the line drawn for you at the point where a preference (or something that you enjoy) is a fetish? is it the use of 3rd party stimulation (porn, vibrators), roles (bondage, SBDM, role-playing), or when you just can't get aroused by anything else?

Hm...that's quite the fine line and gives fetish a pejorative connotation. I think the line is crossed when the 'preference' is the only way you can get off.

2. lola and a guy were debating the use of the word "hook up." i view it as sexual action ONLY (no dating, no dinner, just "come on over; i've got condoms"), and he viewed it as getting together to go to a movie or just hang out. is there a sexual or dating term that you've debated with a lover or other?

I'm thinking "hooking up" is getting together for sex.

3. Lola's married, but recently have had an ex-bf pursue her. even though she told him she was not interested, he kept emailing her and telling her he wanted to see her again, etc. if you are very much into someone and want to see/be with them, does a significant other matter to you?

I have some ex's and other female friends I keep in contact with (not for hooking up purposes). I try to be sensitive to their husband's/bf's appreciation of me being in contact with the woman in question. In some cases the contact has to be discreet, in others I'm just as good of buds with the woman as the man. So, it just depends.

Happy Birthday to Lola!

Today's Lola's birthday (as a gentleman, I will not associate a number with it). She blogged last night as the dark hour approached and I'm sure will do the same later today.

Ms. L's IM's bring sunshine to my days and her phone calls put a smile to my face. Lola is a wonderful friend and I hope that she has a great day that includes well wishes from her other friends, chores done on time by her two clones and The Husband performing his husbandly duties in fine fashion (or, at least Shawn realizing what he's missing and ravishing her at a location of her choosing). In her honor I've checked out The Winter of Our Discontent for my upcoming Yosemite trip.

Happy Birthday, Lola!

Some Sports Weekends Really Suck

I figure that the teams I root for have roughly a 50-50 chance of winning each time they play. This weekend was snake-eyes. Ugh.

First, Tennessee got their asses handed to them by Florida. That they lost wasn't a big surprise after seeing them play Cal. But, shit. They had the ball in the 2nd quarter down by 8. A touchdown (or even a field goal) gets them back in it. What happens? A fumble that Florida runs back for the TD. Game over.

On Sunday, the Raiders are playing Denver. They hang in and come from behind to tie the game at 20. They lineup for a game winning field goal, which Janikowski makes. Ah, not so fast. Denver called timeout just before the snap. They lineup for another kick and he hits the upright. Denver wins in OT on an Jason Elam field goal.

That night, the Angels, who are in first place, blow a 7-1 lead to the White Sox (who suck). Ugh.

On Monday night, I need Brian Westbrook to have a good game for me to win my Fantasy Football matchup. He gets plenty of yards, but the Eagles (let along Westbrook) can't score a touchdown to save their fucking lives. I end up losing by 3 points. Oh, and the guy I lost to had Elam as his kicker who shouldn't have even had a chance to kick that game winner. FUCK.

The great thing about sports is that there is (almost) always another day. Right now the Angels are whomping on Tampa Bay and Boston lost. This means that Angels will pick up a game on the Red Sox. Whew...

Bush Quits in Iraq

As I read (I didn't have a chance to watch) Bush's speech from the other night, it struck me that his heart is just not in the Iraq war anymore. Why?

1. Instead of talking about winning or victory he says things like success. Now, if you and I were talking about competing against each other or someone else those words would be synonyms. However, the words in presidential addresses are looked over like the Rosetta Stone and a change in them from speech to speech indicates a change in thinking or policy.

2. Let's say you're coaching in a football game. After things not going well in the first half your team finds a little bit of rhythm and you stop losing as badly. Would you a) continue the strategy to maybe even the score or b) be satisfied with not getting your ass kicked as badly and go back to the previous strategy? Bush has chosen the second option. Let's take his word for it that the surge has worked/is working, the military has the local Sunni tribes fighting against Al Qaeda and is restoring (permanent) stability in the area. Why would you then plan to reduce troops? Wouldn't you conclude that you have a winning strategy and send more troops to implement it and defeat the enemy? If Bush really thought we were winning he would do the latter.

Why he's quit is bizarre. He's not taking bold enough steps to reduced troops to turn public opinion in his favor (as if he cares). The Democrats in congress have already shown that they are far too chicken shit to really force his hand on the war, so he can pretty much prosecute it they way he wants for the remainder of his term. I think that he's finally seen the light on this misadventure and wants to slink away before people notice.