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.