Better Than Guessing

Damn Virus

2009-09-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

What I thought was a low-grade hangover yesterday was actually the beginning of a cold. Quite the inconvenient time as I'm traveling later in the week. It's part biz (conference) and part please (fishing and football in Knoxville). I don't feel awful now, so I'm hoping it's a minor bug that I can shake quickly. I'm pretty sure that I got it from my s-i-l who was just getting over it when we went to dinner on Friday.

The HB slept at a friend's last night, so the wife and I had a chance to knock it out before my symptoms hit. She and the HB are at the culprit s-i-l's bbq-ing for the day. I'm just gonna watch some of the US Open and snooze a bit.

Football & Kitchen

2009-09-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! Football season is here. I'm going with a bunch of friends to the UCLA/San Diego St. game at the Rose Bowl. Probably won't be much of a game, but it'll be a good time. The first game there usually takes place in searing heat, but it should only be in the mid-80s today. This is also good news for the firefighters who are north of the area fighting the Station fire.

Tomorrow's my fantasy football draft. I'm a little behind in my planning but I'll be alright by draft time.

Next week, I'm off to Tennessee for some fishing, football (UCLA vs. the Vols and a conference). Though, I may not be able to catch the NFL openers on Thursday night. We'll see.

The wife and I are getting serious, theoretically, again on the kitchen. We've selected a contractor. He came over for the second time the other day. The wife completely changed her mind at least three times while he was here and now she's starting to obsess about it. As predicted, this is gonna be a long, arduous process.

In better news, my m-i-l's house is sold and closed. The wife got her proceeds from the sale last night. Yay!

It Might Get Loud

2009-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

We did see It Might Get Loud, and it was very good. It very earnestly tracks the careers and development of Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. They also share some insights into their creative processes and get in some killer playing.

It did leave me with a few thoughts/questions:

1) Why has Jimmy Page's output since Zeppelin been so poor?

2) It confirmed for me that The Edge is more about sound than guitar playing. He could have been just as creative as a keyboard player as a guitar player.

3) How did a white kid from Detroit get so damned good at playing the blues? I always thought White's playing sounded like he was taming a wild animal. As it turns out, he feels the same way about it.

My brother and the wife really dug the movie, as I thought they would. The HB faded at the mid-point then rallied at the end. I got him to give me the OK to put some more cool guitar music on his iPod, so that was somewhat of a victory. It was hard to provide him an analogy of how popular Zeppelin was in the day.

Given the quality of the film, and the popularity of the subject, I'm sure it'll get nominated for an Oscar in the best documentary category.

Tomorrow starts getting back to normal. The HB's at my parents for the night and tomorrow, so both the wife and I both get a full day at work. Tuesday we'll probably split things up, then he's back at school on Wednesday. Whew...

Guitar Playin'

2009-08-30T07:17:00.001-07:00

I went with my brother and a friend of his to see Jack White's latest band The Dead Weather on Thursday night at a club about an hour from here. I would have seen them closer, but I had other scheduling issues. It's been hot here (as I'm sure you've heard from the fires) and even with fans in this place everyone was sweating.

The songs were great (they only played tunes from the CD) and they played them well. I kinda felt bad for Dean Fertita (the guitar player) in that on the two songs when Jack White put on a guitar (me mostly played drums) the crowd went nuts and for good reason as White's solos were much more smokin'. Alison Mossheart has a good stage presence, but not a lot of range.

All and all it was awesome to see them in a such a small venue (about 250 people).

Speaking of guitars, the wife and I are going to take the HB and my brother to see It Might Get Loud this afternoon. When it comes to rock and roll, I would rather hear a good guitar player than a good singer any time, so I've been dying to see the film. It'll get us out of the heat and provide some great guitar licks as well.

PARTY and Teddy

2009-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

The big 5-0 party went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day and I think all 103 guests who RSVP'd came. My dad's cousin, who was the best man at my parents' wedding, gave a HILARIOUS toast and several other people made very nice ones.

My mom had a hard time getting around to just enjoying things. Even though she was involved in approving all of the big plans, she told a friend of my brother's that she was in the dark about everything. We surprised her with a slide-show of pictures, which I obtained one weekend when they were out of town. Her response? "If you would have asked I would have given them to you." But, she liked the M&M's with a picture of her and my dad from their engagement party. They came out surprisingly good.

I'll make the obligatory Ted Kennedy comment. The wife and I were in Boston when Romney ran against him for the senate in 1994. During the summer Romney spent a ton of money on ads, etc and appeared to be relatively close in the polls. Then, after Labor Day, Kennedy returned to Massachusetts as Santa Claus with federal money for a new jobs center here, road repair there, etc. He went to a GE plant in Lynn (north of Boston) where they make fighter jet engines. Basically he said, "Yeah, most of you guys probably don't like my social policies. But, as long as I'm chair of the armed services committee, you have job. Will you vote for me again?"

He didn't campaign as battler for liberal causes, fighting for the little guy, or any of that shit, though he busted a little bit of that out in the debates. Rather, he ran using all of our money to buy votes. Comforting, huh?

Bad Blogger

2009-08-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Holy shit, it's been a week? My apologies. I'll try to make up for it.

Why the delay? Well, primarily because I've been crazy busy at work. I have a deadline next week with a client, but spent most of the week pestering them to get the RIGHT data from them. Very stressful Thursday/Friday. However, another big job came through yesterday, so that should keep me comfortably busy for a while.

My parents 50th party is tomorrow. Everything seems to be in place. We're gonna have about 100 people there. My parents are out of their skulls about it. BTW--the customized M&M's that you can get pictures on are da bomb. They came out far better than I would have imagined.

The party's gonna make next week crazy as well as my aunt/uncle and brother are staying through the week. So, a bunch of us (including the HB) are going to Catalina Island for the day on Monday, the Pageant of the Masters on Tuesday and The Dead Weather on Thursday. At least the HB goes back to school the weekend after that.

Umb, Jen, what size for the Purple #4 jersey? I cannot fucking believe the Vikes signed Favre after 3 weeks ago he said...oh, never mind, what Favre says regarding his retirement doesn't mean shit. Minny's gamble here is that he is the missing piece between them and the Super Bowl. If not, they've blown $10-12 mil and have ruined their relationships with Rosenfels and Jackson (one of whom they'll probably trade).

Regardless, I'm getting psyched for football season. I have tickets for two games: UCLA vs. San Diego State at the Rose Bowl and UCLA vs. Tennessee at Neyland Stadium (where I'll see Lynn and some other K'town friends) and promised to take the HB to another (and probably the NZS2). My fantasy football team needs some attention as well as we draft Labor Day weekend. At least it's a keeper league, so the first three rounds are essentially taken care of.

No update promises, except that it won't be a week plus before I update again.

Back Home, NZS2 and Mike Vick

2009-08-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

The KC trip was a success. The flight in was quite the adventure (an e-ticket ride, for those of you old enough to remember). After having a 90-second meeting with the new VP, I went to my hotel to chill, get in some exercise and a bite to eat. Fortunately, there's a local place within walking distance with local fare and beers on tap.

My meeting the next day was in the afternoon, so I got a reasonable amount of sleep and had some time to get some other work done, including getting this client's data in order. I gotta tell you, there are lots of things I enjoy doing in my work, but there are few that I enjoy more than digging into a data set. It's funny because I'm pretty average at math. But statistics? That's another story. I can visualize the relationships between numbers well and I love discovering their secrets. I wish I had more projects that let me do that.

The afternoon went well and the trip home was uneventful. Even got home in time to put the HB to bed.

The NZS2 came over for dinner tonight. He's settling in well with the second host family. They're empty nesters with a pretty busy life. I think he misses the regular home life of dinner most night's etc. The HB was pretty happy to see him as well. I'm sure we'll have him over again soon.

I saw today that the Eagles signed Mike Vick. I figured someone would relatively soon. I didn't spend too much time thinking about which team would/wouldn't sign him, so I wasn't affected much when I heard it was the Eagles. The only thing that was a bit surprising is that that the Eagle fans are not exactly the most forgiving. Of course, they stick up for their own, at least for a little while. I think what it really says is that they aren't happy with their QB of the future (Kolb) who they drafted a couple of years ago. Whether Vick will wait around for McNabb to retire is a completely different story.

There are those who don't think Vick should have signed with anyone. As I wrote a while ago, the man did the crime and the time. Let him work at what he does best.

Kansas City, Here I Come

2009-08-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, Friday's call went well. The project sponsor pretty much bitched out those who were late with their shit, even though they are higher on the totem pole than she is. This means we're back on schedule and I'm going to KC tomorrow--with better flight times than I had for the previous week!

Yesterday the HB and I hung out at the beach with some friends from out of town (the people who hosted us at their lake house last summer) and some other families. I guess the wife wasn't feeling too social, so she took a pass. It was a great day at the beach and the body surfing was pretty fun. We went to dinner, took the kids to an arcade, etc. I don't think that the HB and I got home until around midnight.

Today we're off to my parents for lunch and talk a few more details about their party. We'll also pick up some stuff they want to have on the greeting tables (framed invitation from the wedding, etc.). We're getting to the short strokes on this, which is very good.

Tonight, my Rotary Club is hosting a progressive dinner to support the Y. The good thing about it is rather than going from house to house, we're hitting 4 of the local hotels. Each year they try to out-do each other in food and drink, so it's a very good time. I'm not sure that all the money it raises (~$10,000) should go to the Y, but at least it's going towards a good cause.

Working, Working, Working...

2009-08-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

So, to continue from the last post, the wife woke up at about 11:15. She was perturbed that I didn't wake her up. I don't like waking ANYONE up...why else would they be sleeping. We went across the street to hear a local cover band. I think they were all engineers from Vandenburg Air Force base. They were fine. The obligatory drunk woman in the too short dress looking for servicemen was there. We went back to the room after a bit and watched a movie.

Sunday we got going a little on the early side so that we could meet up with a florist for my parents party and take care of a few of those details. My wife and her sibs still can't give up on their parents' house, so we hung out there for a bit. Thank fucking goodness it's going to close next week.

Work's been busy with proposals. I usually don't write them, but some are for an existing client, so I'm only competing with their budget, as opposed to another vendor. Another is for a company that I won a bid for last year, so I figure I can get some more work with them. The former ones are very vague so I spend a bunch of time getting them to say what they really want. I should here back on some other projects next week as well.

The one project that got going is stalled. That's because some of the folks at the client site dropped the ball while the sponsor was on vacation last week. We have a call about it tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get it back on track. I really would like to get some KC bbq sometime soon.

Of course, Murphy's Law of consulting is that all of this stuff is going to hit the weeks surrounding the party. Good thing I don't follow that law.

The HB's loving his troupe's next production and making great friendships. In fact, he's hanging with a couple of the kids (a boy and a girl his age) this afternoon. Great time for the wife and I to knock it out, right? Umb, no. She'd rather work late. I'm going to Happy Hour.

Vacation Weekend

2009-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, the wife and I are having a vacation (out of town w/o the HB) weekend. I think it's the first one we've had since the NZS.

We decided to head up the Central Coast of CA for some wine tasting. We're staying at a historic hotel in one of the towns. Between her not sleeping well in general, and the grape, she's been snoozing. Since about 5:30pm. It's about 10:15 now. So much for a night on the town...sigh.

I think I'll head down to the bar for a beer.

Feels Like the First Time

2009-08-01T22:11:00.001-07:00

I had lunch the other day with the woman I lost my virginity to (1, 2, 3...awwww). We've stayed in touch over the years and managed to hook-up a few times, though, obviously, not in a long time. She's divorced, has two kids (both older than the HB), and lives outside of Denver.

Whenever we talk/chat, I'm always reminded of why I was fond of her in the first place. She's independent, practically smart and has a good head on her shoulders. She's still pretty. I'm not sure if the strapless sundress was for my benefit or not, but she looked good in it.

We chit-chatted and got caught up, mostly about our kids. It's been so long that we don't talk about the old days much, which is good. When I run into people from my past, about 5 minutes of what went on X years ago is all I can take.

After lunch (I picked up the bill) we hugged, again, and exchanged chaste kisses. It was 90 minutes well spent.

As an Old Dream Drove Away

2009-07-30T11:11:00.001-07:00

I'm not big of a car person. I like them to run, but I'm more into their utility than their style. There have only been two exceptions to this. When I was very young (before I could drive), I though have a red Corvette would be da bomb. I grew out of that. My fave car as an adult was a red (yes, there's a theme here) Celica. I loved that car. But, it got drowned in the garage during a flood when I lived near Boston (sniff).

As you can imagine, little red sports cars aren't the rage in Beantown. I looked and looked for another red Celica. More importantly, a red CONVERTIBLE Celica. But, they were nowhere to be found. I wanted one then and I still do, though it's somewhat impracticle now.

So, this morning, I'm driving the HB to camp and find myself, you guessed it, right behind a red CONVERTIBLE Celica. Sigh...

When I got home, I searched on Craigslist and found one pretty quickly. I'm not sure if I can rationalize this, but I may try.

Family Justice

2009-07-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have a friend, let's call him Matt. I've know him since we were teenagers. He went to a rival school, but his female bff (who he was totally crushing on) had the hots for my best friend, so our paths crossed. We became great friends and still stay in touch even though he's moved out of the LA area (more about that in a minute).

He went to a small christian college near here where he met his wife Lawryn (her real name is a common one that has an unusual spelling). They both were believers, but didn't let it interfere with them having partying (though, they were a little weird about the pre-marital sex thing). They eventually got married and pumped out two boys. He worked for an engineering company and she did some part time work for non-profits and did volunteer work. He remained a fairly low-key believer whereas she became more strident.

He decided to almost quit the rat race and began to take over his dad's business in a growing exurb in the southwest. He used his engineering skills to make the place run better. Lawryn cared for the kids (turns out that they both as Asberger's) and helped out with the books.

As she became more obsessed with god and he stayed as the same old Matt, they went through therapy, etc and got divorced. Financially, he really took it up the ass as the divorce settlement was based on the company's performance during what turned out to be the peak of the economic boom. They agreed on relatively shared custody since they still lived nearby and Matt is very close with the boys, particularly the older one. Matt's not a perfect guy, but he loves his kids, doesn't yell at them, supports them in what they do, etc.

Lawryn eventually found a guy two states over who obviously prefers praying over getting his dick sucked. So, Lawryn goes to court to change their divorce agreement so she can move the boys out of state and marry this guy.

As a general rule, I think that single mom's probably make better single parents than dads. 95% of the time, as you would think by how kids are handled in divorce settlements? No. 65-35? Yeah, probably. Given that Lawryn has the kids a majority of the time, I thought that Matt was going to be on the losing end of this.

But, I was WRONG! The judge denied the motion. Now Lawryn's calling him asking if she can take the younger one, she's going to appeal, blah, blah, blah. Well, this serves the bitch right. She's so fucking holy and christian and family values, but puts her own happiness ahead of her kids having a good relationship with their dad. I hope that she writes them nice cards at xmas. Heh!

Favre and Vick

2009-07-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre FINALLY called it quits yesterday. I think. Really, he means it this time. At least he told the Vikings that he wasn't going to play for them this season.

I feel for the guy and all athletes who are at the end of the road. I can see how their minds say "Yes" but their bodies say, "No." My empathy for Favre is somewhat tempered by the mean-spiritedness of this last "comeback." Sure, he knows the Minnesota coaches, but when you've been in the league as long as he has you know just about everyone. And it's not that a 39 year old quarterback is the Vikes' missing piece to the Super Bowl. Rather, he just wanted two shots a year to stick it to the Packers who eventually cut him loose after several off-seasons of him fucking with them with his "will he or won't he" retirement talk.

People tend forget great players' last gasps (Willie Mays with the Mets, Joe Namath with the Rams, Johnny Unitas with the Chargers) and they should. We can't blame athlete's for wanting to keep doing something they've mastered since they were a children. Hopefully Favre has gained some grace about this.

Yesterday, the NFL gave Michael Vick a conditional reinstatement. Basically, he can practice with the teams as soon as he's signed, play in two pre-season games and be elgible no later than week 6 (assuming he's on the straight and narrow). I wrote about Vick a couple of days ago, so I won't rehash my feeling about him. I can see how the commish would want to give some flex to the timeline for him coming back. Without deadline pressure, teams can take a longer look at Vick and their situation before making the decision to bring him onboard.

It's somewhat unfair to Vick in that if he's in football shape and ready to go week 1 he's essentially being punished AGAIN for the same crime for which he's already been in the slam for two years. And he seriously needs the money to pay off his debts, etc. I still think someone will sign him, though for the life of me I can't think of who (hm...maybe the Vikings are still looking for a third quarterback). It may not happen until a quarteback (starter or second string) gets hurt during pre-season.

Happy Birthday to Me...

2009-07-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yup, the big day was today. Actually, we started celebrating on Sunday when we took the HB to his first rock concert (George Thorogood). It took him a while to get into it (he had the stereotypical drunk dude in front of him until we switched seats), but he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Yesterday a friend gave me one of his season tix to see the Angels (they lost after Fuentes coughed up a two-run lead in the 9th). It was a beautiful night at the park (which reminds me, I still have to do that Angel Stadium vs. Dodger Stadium post one of these days) and we had a great time.

Today I had a full work plate. As an aside, right now the recession is an abstract concept for my business. I've gotten 3 calls to start projects in the last 48 hours. WTF? Doesn't matter...I'm gonna ride it as long as I can.

My parents joined us for dinner. Both the HB and the wife's allergies are acting up, so there was much sniffling. But the food was awesome and we had a tasty bottle of wine (Holus Bolus 2006 Syrah).

Overall, a fun weekend. I'm definitely one to embrace my birthday. Besides it being one of the few times I enjoy being an attention whore, it's a good excuse to hear from people and get caught up (yes, I did get bday greetings from Lynn). And, what the hell. I'm not feeling that old, yet.

Sweet 16

2009-07-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

The wife and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary at the theater on Friday. Well, at the kids theater watching the HB's troupe. It was a fun night as the HB really enjoyed being the the play and he did well. My parents came to the show that night and back to the house for dessert. They left relatively early so we weren't cock blocked. The wife and I will have a bit of a delayed celebration next weekend as we're going to drive up the coast north of Santa Barbara for a weekend of wine tasting and Indian casino gambling.

I got some plans back from the contractor for redoing the kitchen in terms of options if we knock out a wall or two. Nothing big is really grabbing me, though there are a couple of minor options that may make a big difference. We gotta decide soon as I'd like for them to get going on this right after Labor Day. Of course, that assumes that the wife can make up her mind and stick with it, so Halloween may be a more accurate start date.

Been loving how the Angles have been playing. Winning 9 in a row and scoring a ton of runs. They've been coming from behind a lot as well. Now they just need to keep that up through the week and thump on Texas and put them out of the race.

With football training camps opening this week (yay!), I've been giving more thought to the whole Michael Vick situation. It seems weird that there are guys in the league who have plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter who have gotten lighter suspensions than Vick. Granted, it's a different commissioner and Vick was also involved in gambling and lying to the NFL. But, they guy plead guilty and served his time. Anything else the NFL throughs on top of him is just piling on and is unfair. Whether another team give him a chance is a completely different question. There's not way he's anywhere near football shape, and probably won't be for months. With all the shit a team's gonna get for signing him won't be worth it for this year. But next? Who knows?

Budget Breakthrough?

2009-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, Ahnald and the CA legislative leaders have come up with a budget fix. Note that neither the state senate or assembly have voted on it yet.

Somehow, they've come up with $23b of cuts, raids on local government and accounting tricks to close the gap. Some of the proposals will be lasting while others merely push the problem into the future.

As a Libertarian, I like shrinking the state government and pushing services to the cities. This way the cities can implement the programs their citizens want and tax them appropriately. But, I hate the extra borrowing as that will hamstring the budget for the foreseeable future.

Of course now there is going to be tons of screaming and lawsuits about the cuts. Every government program has passionate sponsors who feel that life as we know it and modern civilization will collapse if it's cut or eliminated. However, right now the citizens of the state (or, at least the minority that elects republicans, who have outsized power over the state given their numbers) have proven unwilling to pay more for state services. This will change the reach of the state in terms of providing programs and subsidizing college education.

What will be interesting is how much individuals and the private sector will make up the difference. Will more parents volunteer at their kids' schools?; Boy Scout troops clean up state parks? Large companies develop more welfare-to-work opportunities?; People quit having kids they can't afford?

I know that we'll definitely keep the HB in private school. And I'll continue to tutor at the local public school.

Like Changing Socks

2009-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Several months ago when writing about the presumed kitchen remodel I mentioned how the plan will change several times due to the wife's inability to make up her mind. We're at that point.

As her mom's house has been sold and we'll be coming into some money from the proceeds, she's thinking a bit grander. So, we talked about blowing out some walls and redesigning the front part of the house and expanding the kitchen. So, I do a bunch of measurements and send them to our contractor (who's thrilled with the prospect). The wife and I sat down and talked about how we would rearrange things. I bring up a few options, none of which she likes. Now she's thinking that we'll just leave it the same size. I suspect that this will change a few more times before we do anything. And we ahven't even picked out appliances, colors, etc yet.

Also, much to my surprise, the wife announced that she's not really that interested in going to NZ next spring. Never mind that we've talked about this a hundred times. WTF? What's not to like about NZ? The plane trip from here is only 2 hours more than London, it's beautiful there and we have a ton of friends we can stay with. I think that I need to find out about continuing education programs/conferences sponsored by the NZ Psychological Society and come up with a boondoggle.

Drip, Drip, Drip

2009-07-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Had a great time with the two exchange students. We went to the Dodger game (more about going to Dodger Stadium versus Angel Stadium in another post) and they really enjoyed it (the HB read a book). I got them on their planes yesterday. I heard from the Argentinian, but not the Belgian yet.

Yesterday we went to my in-law's house for one more "party". As it turned out, it was mostly a cleaning party (the house gets its inspection tomorrow) and a mini-bday party for me (I got a very cool red peppermill). I cannot get over how OCD they are about the house and its contents. They can't throw hardly anything out. My oldest s-i-l, who has the amount of shit in her place normally found in the homes of the mentally ill, keeps deciding what more crap she wants to add to her collection. Stuff gets moved back and forth. We finally put some in our car to take to Goodwill today. This whole process went from 3pm until 7:30pm. That's when went to see the new Harry Potter movie.

I thought the movie was OK. The cinematography is great and some of the characters are fleshed out a bit more. Alan Rickman continues to be great as Snape. But, at the end of the day (and it's a 2.5 hour film) it's a bridge movie. Nothing that important happens (until the very end). It's all about setting up the last two.

Lots of housework and looking for new counter tops today. Oh, and after two years the wife says that she really doesn't want to go to NZ afterall. Anyone up for a trip with me?

Exchange Student Day

2009-07-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

The NZS2 and his compatriots arrived back from their train tour today. Lots of tears as they said goodbye to their new found friends. It was quite sweet.

By plan, the NZS2's parents have a 24 hour layover here on their way to Europe. The wife, HB and I had dinner with them last night and it was good fun. When I picked up the NZS2, I took him to their hotel so that they can hang out for a bit.

But, now I have 2 more exchange students with me. Don't worry, it's only for one night. They both had their exchanges in Hawaii (you can begin to dry your tears now). The girl is from northern Belgium and the boy is from Argentina (5 hours west of Buenos Aires). They both speak good English, so this won't be a problem. I think tonight we'll go to a baseball game so they can have their last taste of America.

Sometime this afternoon we'll move the NSZ2 to his second host family. They're close (<1 mile), so it shouldn't be a problem. I think now that he's back, but moving out, the HB's gonna be a bit sad, again. But tonight will be fun.

Sir Cranky-a-Lot

2009-07-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

The HB's been a bit surly of late. This has earned him a major sunburn (not remembering sunscreen before a bday beach party) and a cold shoulder from the nephew (being argumentative). I'm sure he'll snap out of it after a few more consequences for his behavior.

We took the boys to see Spamalot this afternoon. They loved it on B'way two years ago, and seemed to enjoy it just as much today. We were trying to keep it a secret from the HB, but the wife spilled the beans yesterday because he was upset about something. So, he and I spent a good chunk of dinner last night reciting lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. All good fun.

The wife and I enjoyed the play as well. I thought that John O'Hurley was the weak link. But, the staging and other actors were quite good. I can't imagine seeing it for a 4th time (the wife and I saw the original cast 4 years ago), unless there's someone special (read: new) in the cast. As today we saw the touring company, I don't see that happening.

Now for something completely different: Lynn and THE ONE have broken up. I was quite shocked by this revelation. I got a, "Chat, I hope that your still in my corner, I've been a shitty friend" e-mail from her, to which I have not responded. My reaction to the news was emotionally very flat. This doesn't really change her or anything between us. I doubt that I'll hear from her for a long while.

They're Just Not That Into You

2009-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Since a former Nazi-youth pope was elected, you have to figure things would get rocky between the Vatican and the Jewish community. Well, at least those who pay attention to every word of what they write/say about each other. Sure, the pope welcomed back a holocaust denier, but anyone could make that mistake...not.

So, what's the latest? Well, christians of all ilks seem to think it's their duty to convert others (by force, if necessary) so that these ignorant infidels can be granted access to heaven. Jews, like others who have firm belief in their own version of the afterlife, of which they're guaranteed the good spots, aren't so wild about this. The argument (something akin to how many letters can be written on the head of a pin) is whether or not in the recently reinstated mass or a 2002 memo the catholic hierarchy has reverted back to wanting to convert jews.

To those in the Jewish community who are concerned about this, allow me to make it clear: Those in the catholic hierarchy do not think you are getting into heaven until you accept jesus. At best, this makes you naiive in their eyes. They take pity on you (at best) and want to help you see the light--they feel it's their mission and have felt this way for 2000 years. Like the scorpion, it is their nature. They may talk nice to your face and don't raise armies to destroy you, but they aren't into you, except as potential dues paying converts. To think otherwise is what makes you naiive.

Jackson's Funeral

2009-07-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, I didn't have to go anywhere near downtown LA today. Man, that musta been a headache.

Something I forgot in my previous Michael Jackson post--when we were in college, a buddy of mine had a Michael Jackson bong (MJB, for short). It was a regular bong with cutout pictures of him. He wasn't into his music (like me he was into metal), so I never figured out why he had an MJB. I'm sure it was a gift. I miss the MJB more than MJ.

A Catholic's Epiphany:

2009-07-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

No, not mine, silly. Rather, this from a overseas scholar who is being sponsored by my Rotary club. She attends a Jesuit university and it going to be working on her master's in Britain. She's currently traveling in Europe before beginning her studies. Below is a very insightful look into how one Catholic feminist views her religion

Today, I stumbled upon L'Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne de Geneve, also known as:

I spent the hour of service both nearly moved to tears by how progressive and inclusive it was (and HAS BEEN since back in the day), and laughing so hard and out loud at my "Oh, thaaaat's why the reformation happened..." epiphanies.

This was defintely coming. You don't understand, this city is bleeding with Jean Calvin right now. It's the 500th anniversary of his birth and the 450th anniversary of the birth of the Universite de Geneve, that he was instrumental in helping found. Every day there's a play in the Vielle Ville, a faire in Parc de Bastions, a debate in the Village Huguenot, etc.

I attend the Universite of Geneve, and I also lived IN the hostel of the Cathedrale St. Pierre, where Calvin preached five centuries ago.

The first days were slightly awkward as a Catholic. "Oh...right...when my people were selling tickets to heaven...yeah...those gangster pimp Popes...sorry 'bout that...well, what's done is done, it's 2009 now and my Jesuit school is super social-justicey, whee! =)"

But I'd always pick up those Calvin: Geneve en Flammes flyers because I like theatre and I like debates. Plus, I couldn't resist the hilarious cartoon version of Calvin on the flyer:

I landed on this Lutheran mass sort of accidentally, when my new friend invited me to come to "church" on Sunday. I love inter-religious dialogue, and it's sort of my academic field, so I didn't bother to ask whether or not it was Catholic.

Panic suddenly overcame me when I realized how little I knew about the particularities of a Lutheran mass. Is it even called a mass? A service? Do I kneel? Will they be offended if I make the sign of the cross? Cuz I do it instinctively. Is there holy communion? Am I supposed to take it? Crap, is it gonna be real bread I have to chew? Do I go up and cross my hands on my chest like people do in the Catholic Church?

It was too late, the mass or service or whatever it was had begun before I could ask Heidi for instructions. First moment of choque (shock): "OMG, is that a woman priest? I've never heard a sermon by a woman priest." Lutherans: 1 Catholics: -1

The very jolly pianist taught us some lines so we could sing along, and the woman priest spoke to some kids before she began the service. She welcomes the regulars, the visitors, and the summer interns and students (that's us!), and tells us we will introduce ourselves at the end. How kind.

"The Lord Be With You."

I closed my eyes and nearly cried when I realized the only female voice I had ever heard say that was my own, when describing to non-Catholic friends what a Catholic mass looks like.

Then I realized: Wow, we suck. I laughed and shook my head in shame. I can't believe how backwards we still are 500 years after the reformation.

I want to say "Well, we stay in the Catholic Church to create change from within the system (just like I've heard many progressive Jesuits say). It'll take time, but it'll be institutional change from within." Um, except that it's been FIVE HUNDRED YEARS.

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS.

I started laughing out loud at the ridiculosity of the claim of "making change from the inside." I really got nothin' there. It's not like the Catholic Church is a democracy; and the US doesn't use its military might to fight for liberal democracy within the Catholic Church (should I ask? but I'm nonviolent...).

I still missed the familiarities of a Catholic mass, the hymns that I associated with life-giving times at school, and the way in which I could predict exactly what was going to happen next. The things that didn't suck about the Catholic Church were preserved through the reformation. I did like their different Prayer of Confession better though. And again, upon hearing a woman's voice say these humbling words, I was nearly moved to tears:

When we surround our lives with the noise of this world, so we no longer hear your word, God,
forgive us.

When we prefer the comfortable deception to the difficult truth,
forgive us.

When our ears have become deaf so they no longer hear your voice, nor the cries of your people,
forgive us.

When we hear your word, but fail to heed it,
forgive us.

When your word is vibrant, but we become afraid,
forgive us.

When your word doesn't liberate us anymore,
forgive us.

Next came the moment I had been fearing for the first 38 minutes: holy communion. This is such an awkward moment in the Catholic Church when I have to tell my muslim friend what she is to do. "Okaaay, um, like, you don't hafta kneel when we kneel, and you don't hafta stand when we stand, but I guess you don't wanna be standing when we're sitting, so um...well if you wanna go up and cross your arms...umph, hang on this man is pushing me into the line..."

And in another moment of total shock, I heard the woman's voice say "Because this is the table of the Lord, all are welcome. This is the body of Christ, given up for you. This is the blood of Christ, poured for you."

Me??? Even though I never sat through two years of painstaiking "confirmation" courses confirming that I'm faking belief for everything your man-made institution stands for, including exclusion??? Lutherans: 2 Catholics: -2

On one hand, I couldn't believe it. "Because this is the table of the Lord, all are welcome." But on the other hand: duh! Clearly, all are welcome. It's the table of the Lord!

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my mentor, who attended a Jesuit high school. He's in this thirties, and he looked at me and said, "Catholics believe other people can't go to heaven??" "Um, technically." "What?? I never knew that!"

And perhaps my favorite moment of the mass was when she said, "And now we say the Lord's prayer, in our own languages." To my left, German, to my right, English, and me: Indonesian. It had been so long since I had been allowed to do that, I seriously nearly cried.

"Bapa kami yang ada di surga, dimuliakanlah namaMu, datanglah kerajaan mu, jadilah kehendak mu, di atas bumi seperti di dalam surga. Berilah kami rejeki pada hari ini. Ampunilah dosa kami seperti kamipun mengampuni yang bersalah kepada kami. Jangan masukkan kami dalam cobaan, tapi bebaskan kami dari yang jahat. Sebab Tuhanlah raja yang mulia dan berkuasa untuk selama lamanya. Amin."

When I commented on it after mass, one man said, "Yes, we all always look forward to that." Lutherans: 3 Catholics: -2 I won't take off a point for that one, Catholics. They just went above and beyond because they're in Geneva, city of peace and multiculturalism.

And finally, end of mass: snacks. Free snacks. This is also the reason my mother claims to be a "die hard Catholic" but NEVER goes to Catholic mass and prefers wherever there are donuts. Final score: Lutherans: 10 Catholics: -2

Hmmm. I just can't believe it. 500 years and we've made little progress. Ironically enough, the homily was about how we are never "done becoming", and how we are always forced to choose what to keep and what to let go from our past in order to not deny our process of becoming.

There's always a moment that makes a cause more personal. This was mine. I've been on the Women's Ordination Conference mailing list (for the Catholic Church) since I attended the School of the Americas Ignatian Teach-In and Protest at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia. And I recently enlisted my friend Sam to read and summarize whatever is going on to me and sign online petitions on my behalf. I know it's important, but I just don't have the time. Between them and the Not for Sale Campaign and the Living Wage Campaign, I just don't have time to read and sign all these petitions.

But in that most private, quiet, moment of faith led by a woman, I felt how hurtful it would be to be denied of that opportunity to serve God and God's people in that capacity within the Catholic Church, a community from which I get a great sense of belonging, familiarity, home, and faith. It's a space that has "cultural efficacy" for me. Cultural efficacy refers to how integral and useful a particular cultural practice is in contributing to one's wholeness and sense of self in a social context, despite the potentially oppressive nature of the practice. But it doesn't suggest that we ought to preserve the cultural practice as it is because it has efficacy. Cultures undergo change, and when they do, they haven't died. They've simply undergone...reform.

Now, THAT is the value of studying abroad. I wrote to her (we've met on several occasions) not to question her faith (or her questioning of her faith), but to let her know that doing so is hard and valuable. We can't see things through other people's eyes unless we try to see EVERYTHING from their perspective. She seems to be well on her way.

Death of a War Monger

2009-07-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

The NY Times is reporting that Robert McNamara died yesterday. For those of you under 45, think of him as the Donald Rumsfeld of his day as he was the lightning rod for Vietnam. Also, like Rumsfeld, he was a super smart guy who would have been a great defense secretary had he not had a war to fight.

What made him unusual is that he clearly struggled with the morality of war, even while fighting it. What made him disgusting was that he didn't act on these thoughts when he had the opportunity to change the course of Vietnam. I remember when going through the LBJ library in Austin and reading a letter he wrote to Johnson right after JFK died saying the the war was unwinnable. But, he still fought the war.

There was a huge shit storm when his autobiography came out (and the subsequent documentary by Errol Morris). This was because his admissions seemed too little and too late. For some things, saying "I'm sorry" just isn't enough.

Obviously, that lesson was wasted on Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney and Rice when it came to Iraq. Hopefully the war mongers of the future will heed his warnings.

I Have to Quit in Order to Lead

2009-07-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big Sara Palin fan. She's not book smart and appears to have a disdain for those who are. Oh, and she's a big fucking hypocrite when it comes to her family and she's not afraid to whore them out for her political career.

Listening to her rambling quitter speech yesterday was off the charts. It's like she's channeling Richard Nixon's paranoia. She's obviously made a lot of enemies in Alaska, or else there wouldn't be so many ethics charges against her. Now she's seeing them around every corner. I go the sense from her remarks that there's a big charge looming that she doesn't want to deal with.

Also, remember how she chided Obama for not being a decision maker? Now she's going to try and convince us (oh, yes, she is DEFINITELY going to run for prez--her PAC's website is begging for donations as I type this) that being mayor of a tiny town and governor of Alaska for less than two years qualifies her for the highest office in the land. I don't think so.

The worst part of her speech was it shows how much of a quitter she is. The people of Alaska voted for her to do a job and she's being pretty cavalier about blowing them off. I don't mind her deciding not to run in 2010 so that she can focus on 2012. But, this idea that she can't be effective as a lame duck is ridiculous. She could have used that freedom to push for things that are politically unpopular as she wouldn't have to run again. Her message? If you can't have things your way in the statehouse, just leave. I loved how she said that the service people she visited inspired her to do this. What, they're living in a hellhole and they inspired you to quit when things were tough? Hunh?

She also has a very inflated view of how seriously people take her. She says she can affect change on security and energy independence by not being in the governor's mansion. Really? And what are these ideas, cuz I missed them during the campaign. And, considering that her supporters in the lower 48 are anti-choice gun nuts, do they really care what she has to say about anything else? I don't think there are too many people who don't already support her who give a shit about what she has to say.

She obviously didn't consider that front runners did retty poorly in 2008. If I asked you a year before the election who'd be competing for it, you would probably have said Romney and Clinton. If she's doing this to make a ton of cash on the speaking circuit (which I think she is) and position herself in 2010 (which she definitely is). As usual, she needs to be careful what she's wishing for. Or, to put a more religious spin on things, if you want to see god laugh, tell him your plans.

HB and SC Drama?

2009-06-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ugh...still have remnants of a cold I picked up on the trip last week. I think I'll be done with it by Thursday. Which will be good since I'm going to the (first place) Angels' game that night.

The HB's back in his theater group. They do two, four-week camps during the summer. The good thing about the camps is that they go from 9-5. The bad this is that they are cattle calls (40+ kids instead of the usual mid-20s). This means LOTS of kids in the chorus and more competition for the good parts. The HB said that for the part he was going for (and there are four versions of it) there were 15 kids. He's not nearly as emotionally wrapped up in the audition as he was last go around. He enjoys the drama thing, but he's just not that competitive to drive himself to do things better. So, he'll probably get a minor part with a few lines and be happy with it.

Speaking of drama, I've been sorta following the whole Mark Sanford thing. This guy is such a poor liar that it's amazing that he's gotten re-elected. First he met with his lover a few times, now it's seven. Now he says that he's been with other women, but hasn't crossed the sex line (his term). I'm thinking the next revelation is going to involve boys in Thailand. Someone's gotta tell him to hire a good divorce lawyer and shut the fuck up.

Celebrity Death Week

2009-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

I love watching and observing people with talent. At the same time, I HATE celebrity. When I worked at the radio station I had the chance to meet many famous, destined to be famous, and destined never to be famous musicians. The one thing I took away from this was that they weren't all that different from talented people in other areas, but, the had an inordinate amount of attention lavished on them due to their potential to be celebrities.

The Michael Jackson story is somewhat interesting because it's so convoluted. The important thing to bear in mind is that he hasn't put out a relevant record in more than 20 years. Yet, his celebrity lived on. But, he had the borderline abusive dad, the Svengali-like producer and the performer's childhood. He seemed to have never gotten a grip on the deal that all performers make: You give up some of the "normal" life to lead the extraordinary life. Talented young musicians and athletes have to deal with this. Most kinda-sorta do, but, clearly, Jackson did not.

I've never been a big fan of his music. I enjoyed the Jackson 5 before discovering rock, and I think that some of those songs were his best. I never liked disco, so "Off the Wall" had no appeal. Likewise, outside of the out of place Eddie Van Halen solo on Beat It, I wasn't that interested in "Thriller". But, the impact of those records in pop music is undeniable and made it very possible for singers like Beyonce and Usher to "crossover".

Considering that his best creative years were well behind him, I was caught a bit off-guard by the huge outpouring by people who weren't even born yet when Thriller came out. I guess I was wondering why people felt this need to defend him. Wasn't his music enough? Why were they so defensive regarding his bizarre personal life? What type of glory were they reflecting in?

In some ways, Farrah Fawcett was a more tragic figure than Jackson. She was always written off as no more than a sex-symbol. Did she have more potential as an actress? We'll never know. At the same time, like Jackson, she was clearly uncomfortable with her celebrity.

Ed McMahon loved being a celebrity. Divorces, bad investments, and a celebrity lifestyle clearly led him to hawking himself far longer than he wanted to. Johnny Carson showed him a lot of loyalty from their touring days until Carson scored the Tonight Show gig. I feel bad for him whoring himself on those commercials about selling your gold during the Super Bowl.

In the end, I'm sad for the families. But, we shouldn't let what happens to celebrities take our eyes off of the ball of what's important. Iraq. Afghanistan. The Recession.

Back Home

2009-06-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

Just got back a few hours ago from the trip. I picked up a bit of a cold, but otherwise it was pretty fun. Thursday we went through the Badlands, which was amazing. The only place I can think of that's like it here is Joshua Tree. Interesting places to walk, great rocks and DESOLATE landscape. Almost like being on the moon. OK, a really HOT moon. We did see plenty of buffalo and prairie dogs in the north part of the park.

Driving through the prairie on the way back, the wife and I kept thinking that when those recent immigrants bought this land then actually moved out west, the must have thought, "What in the fuck?!" in German, Czech, Swiss, Finnish, etc. So much of everything, except water. Screaming hot in the summer, freezing fucking cold in the winter. Sign me up!

We came back to our hotel through Custer State Park. I would highly recommend it. Saw as much wildlife there as in the Badlands, but much closer. Plus there's fishing, hiking, nice restaurants, etc. The only problem is that it's $15 to get in, even if you just want to eat. Plan on staying a while.

Friday was the big driving day. The big stop was Devil's Tower in Wyoming (the rock in Close Encounters). It was cloudy and cool, but a great thing to see and walk around. From there we drove to see our vacation friends south of Denver (same place where we saw the tornado last year). The HB stayed with their twin boys (13) while we grabbed dinner and closed a bar with some serious local flavor. It was great seeing them and we started talking about our next trip (maybe the Missouri baseball loop). I wish I were feeling better so I could have been more involved in the conversations.

We caught the plane home this morning, picked up the dog, etc. It's nice to be home. I'm looking forward to getting some serious sleep. But, not until I do laundry, go to the supermarket, etc.

Cruisin' Through SD

2009-06-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today. We started with a tour of Jewel Cave which is a little west of here. Not as spectacular as Carlsbad or Crystal, but still very cool. There's no dark like cave dark. Plus, they had one formation that looked like eggs and another that looked like bacon (which the HB loved). What's not to like?

The wife wanted to stop at the National Museum of Woodcarving. Do yourself a favor and skip this tourist trap.

We then drove through the Black Hills forest up to Deadwood. A pretty trippy place that, as you would imagine, plays up its past (gunslingers, gambling and whores) and current (GAMBLING!). Not so much on the HBO show. The drive was pretty and the tour was mildly amusing. And the wife won a few bucks pulling slots.

One thing I've noticed driving in these parts is that there aren't many 15-30 year olds who don't have visible tats and/or meth teeth. Lots of billboards about elder abuse, spousal abuse, drug abuse, etc. I'm beginning to feel safe in LA.

Out on the Open Road

2009-06-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

So far, so good on the big trip. We left LA at about 7:30 this morning. Our flight to Denver was a bit early, not that it matters as it takes 45 fucking minutes to get out of that airport. We then blazed across the high plains. Serious, were were doing between 80 and 90 the whole way, so we got to Custer, SD in about 5 hours (including two stops).

Getting here early gave us a chance to enjoy the hotel pool (and free wifi) and make it to Mt. Rushmore. We had planned anyway to go at night to see them light up the memorial, so this gives us the chance to see Crazy Horse tomorrow night. The weather is perfect (warm, clear and dry) and we could see a million stars.

Only two problems: 1) The park ranger who led the evening program said that Lincoln became president during the Civil War. WTF? 2) There were lots of things that basically said serving in the military=patriotism. The even brought up a bunch of future Iraqi/Afghan targets up on stage. I wonder if they ever do that for people who encourage others to vote? I kinda doubt it.

Off to Jewel Cave tomorrow morning. Who knows after that?

Democracy? Umb, Not Quite

2009-06-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's important to remember that having an election does not make a country democratic. It's a necessary part, of course, but it's not the be-all-end-all. Let's take Iran, for instance.

You can't run for office there without getting prior approval from the unelected mullahs. Hey, someone's gotta keep the revolution pure by not allowing another revolution. This is a key strategy in that it gives the illusion of the power of the vote.

From a policy perspective, there's hardly a nickel's worth of difference between Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rather, throwing out the incumbent would have been a symbolic victory for reformers standing up to power. Take away people's hope and street protests are what you get.

I love how those responsible for the election have said, "Yeah, there were some irregularities, but not enough to change the outcome." Really? Coming from a body that declared a winner BEFORE looking into potential vote fraud this is hardly reassuring. But, in the end, it doesn't matter. Outside of the show vote, Iran has very little democracy or respect for individual rights (especially women's rights). Unless the Mullah's are overthrown, this isn't going to change, regardless of what kinds of votes they hold.

Whether Obama should inject us into this is another question. I'm a firm believer that we should stand up for democracy first before other foreign policy considerations. In the short term it may make things awkward or difficult. However, in the long run we will never go to war with a country whose democratic drive we supported. It doesn't really matter which of the two Iranian candidates wins in terms of our interests in the region. They have the same objectives (though express them differently) and it's the Mullah's who are really in charge. We should strongly support anyone who fights that tyrannical power.

It's Trip Time!

2009-06-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

Tonight we pack up for a trip to the Black Hills/Badlands in South Dakota. We're going to fly to Denver and make the drive, while hopefully finding some interesting shit along the way. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some time to meet up with some of our friends in Denver, without a big tornado like the one we ran into last year.

I like alternating the city with national park trips. Even though we're going to spend a ton of time driving, seeing new and different things is always worth the adventure. My task tonight is to find some of those things along the way.

I'm looking forward to seeing the BIG STUFF, but also maybe hiking or fishing with the HB. And seeing a HUGE thunderstorm.

Last night the wife, of course, decided that she really wanted to stay an extra day as she finds it impossible not to change her mind. The airlines had a different idea, so we're sticking with the original plan. For now. Really.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

I had a great Father's Day weekend. On Saturday the three of us saw Up. I generally like the Pixar movies and this one was also very good. Plenty of kid laughs and stuff for the grownups. It's their first one that I can remember that they don't go out of their way to use animation tricks. Also, the opening cartoon with the clouds making babies was very cool.

On Sunday we went to brunch by the beach and then caught the opening at the Annenberg Space for Photography. OK, the name's a bit pretentious, but they had some great exhibits. The HB also liked the free cookies. They had some table tops where you could manipulate the images, like CNN does with the election maps.

I got some good prezzies as well. The new Green Day CD and Guitar Hero: Metallica. I was able to twist the HB's arm to play that with me for a while. He's starting to get into music more, but mostly top 40 hip-hop for now. I don't know at what age I was when I started negotiating radio stations with my parents, but I would imagine it was pretty close to his.

We went to my parents' for dinner (brisket...drool). It gave us a chance to work on details for their 50th anniversary party. Also, with the wife's mom passing, I reminded them that I don't have their do not resusitate instructions or other shit like that. They said that their going to update stuff with their lawyer soon and will send me copies. Also found out where some of their key records are on the computer and that the safe with their papers is unlocked. WTF?

I hope that you and yours had a great Dad's Day.

The NZS2 is Off

2009-06-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

The NZS2 and his mates (all 50 of them) are in SF right now (according to the leader's Tweet). Being a sucker for such things, I told the leader that we would take in a French/German/Belgian student for the night when they get back as his/her flight is leaving for home the following day. I've had a chance to meet many of them, so I'm sure it'll be fine.

Got a funny letter from his school warning the students about hazing. Is that really an HS problem? During the summer? Very odd.

Oh, this year's Wrecker family trip is to...Black Hills/Badlands! We leave next Tuesday. The more I think about it we're going to be doing a LOT of driving for the number of days we're gonna be gone (back on the Saturday). But, we'll see cool shit and get to see friends in CO.

The HB's been asking me to take him fishing more, and I think we'll go ocean fishing next time the nephew sleeps over (he wants to go as well). So, last night he asks me if I'll take him hunting. WTF? So, I asked him why he wants to hunt an animal. He's not gun-crazy and he doesn't really want to kill anything. I think he has this romantic vision of it, as opposed to the mind-numbing boringness of it all. My rule is that he has to ask three times before I'll do something like this with him, so we'll see if he brings it up again.

Now that the NZS2 is gone, I'm hoping that the wife and I will get in some more 'date nights'. Side benefit of having two NZSs? All of their female friends think the HB is adorable, so lots of new babysitters, especially this summer as our regular one travels quite a bit.

LAKERS!

2009-06-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Lakers polished off Orlando last night in what was their best game of the series. No excuses about missing open shots as LA played suffocating D and did not allow Orlando good looks at three-point shots or for them to get into a rhythm.

As usual, the Laker defense, led by Ariza's steals, got them going on the 16-0 run that ended things. Balanced scoring (5 guys with 10+ points) made things easy for them on offense. They were also faster to the ball and out-rebounded the Magic.

The media, always looking for the easy story took to comparisons. Is Phil Jackson a better coach than Red Auerbach because he now has 1 more championship (10 to 9)? Does Kobe belong in the same breath as Michael Jordan?

For the first, the answer is yes. When Auerbach and the Celtics were dominant there was no free agency. Once you had a player you had him for life. Russell, Cousy, Jones, Havlicik, etc weren't going anywhere. This isn't to discount what he did. Keeping guys that motivated for that long is no mean feat. But, from year to year he knew who he was going to have, could mold them to play his style and discipline them more easily. Jackson had a different cast around his stars pretty much each year. He's won with a dominant big man (Shaq) and without.

I'm a huge Kobe fan, but I'm not ready to put him on the same level as Jordan. Magic Johnson, yes, but not MJ. Bryant has just learned to really get his teammates involved (see the number of assists he had in the Finals). If he keeps doing that and gets a couple of more rings, then he'll prove it. In the meantime, he is the best player in the game and we should enjoy him for what he is and quit worrying about who he is not.

LAKERS!

Penultimate Day with the NZS2

2009-06-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

The NZS2 leaves us tomorrow afternoon. It's been great having him, especially for the HB. Though, as the wife and I were talking last night, we both agree that it's time for us to get our 3 person family unit back. After all, we did have only one child for a reason.

I've promised to take him to a baseball game, so today's the day. I got some reasonable good tickets and it will be a nice day for it. The wife's psyched as she's a big baseball fan. The HB? Well, he'll probably bring a book.

The NZS2 will got to school tomorrow (they're in session through Thursday) to turn in some final stuff and say goodbye to some friends. Then I'll take him to the airport where he'll meet up with some other exchange students. Exchange students are converging from all over the western US here to begin a one-month train tour around the country (yes, be jealous). Since he'll be all packed up, he'll move in with the second host family when he gets back.

The HB's sad that he's going, but we'll see him plenty before he goes back to NZ. Having the experience of living with another family will be good for him as well. I need to write that family a long letter about him, quirks an all, so they'll be prepared. As well as a letter to his mom and dad letting them know how much we've enjoyed having him.

When we get back from the game we'll watch the Lakers. I don't have a good feeling about this game. Orlando's got to be mad over how they pissed away the last game, so I think they'll play better tonight. I'm sticking with my Lakers in 6 prediction.

Playoffs, Etc.

2009-06-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Orlando shot the lights out and beat the Lakers on Tuesday. I'm not too worried in that the Magic played their best game possible and it still came down to the last minute. I am a bit concerned about Kobe in that his needle is clearly on E. At least he's still passing, etc. I'm sure he'll fight through whatever fatigue that he has. This means that they'll probably go more to Gasol tonight and hope that someone else steps up. I'm still thinking Lakers in 6.

Heading to my parents' tonight for my mom's birthday (we'll eat somewhere near the beach). It was fun shopping for cards for her (and father's day) with the HB last night.

The economy sucks, right? Then why do I have to pester the kitchen contractor for a bid? Some things I'll never understand.

The Black Hills trip (sans Lewis and Clark) is looking more and more like a done deal. The HB's getting psyched for it. I'll need to get on the hotel reservations tonight.

And, lots of Iron Maiden just got put on the MP3. Woot!

Drive

2009-06-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

The HB and I got to hang out this morning as he was off from school and science camp doesn't start until tomorrow. So, we ran out and got bagels (bagel, egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches), when kayaking and watched part of X-Men 2 while eating lunch. Definitely a fun day.

While we were out and about, we chatted about the play. I wanted to get a sense of how interested he is in continuing (no surprise--VERY). I also wanted to feel him out as to how much disappointment he was still feeling about not getting the part he wanted (none) and how important it is for him to get bigger and better parts. Regarding the latter, he's not driven at all to get any better than one would expect from his maturation process. I have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, he doesn't strike me has having a lot of innate skills for the theater (as I've written before, I believe his talent lies in set/lighting/costume design). So, he'll suffer a lot less disappointment and be able to enjoy the experience and the company of the other kids. On the other hand, it would be nice to see him be passionate about something. He enjoys a lot of things, but nothing drives him in a way where he continually wants to get better at it.

I'm not going to tell him what that should be. But, I hope that he finds it.

The HB On Stage

2009-06-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

The HB had two performances yesterday (and two more today). He continues to improve on stage--he showed a lot of confidence and focus. Considering his disappointment in not getting the role he wanted, I'm very proud of him.

Obama in Cairo

2009-06-05T20:08:00.001-07:00

I've got this weird stomach bug, so I apologize in advance if this post makes less sense than usual. Today was the closest thing I've taken to a sick day in a bunch of years. But, I had a proposal to get out the door so I wrote, napped, repeat.

As I'm sure you know by now, Obama gave a big speech in Cairo yesterday. Let me just say right now that I don't give a shit what the "Arab street" thinks. First, there is no monolithic "Arab street". Second, the US president's job isn't to formulate policy strictly for their benefit.

I was pleased that he called out both the Palestinians (you're not getting between the US and Israel, so quit trying) and the Israelis (umb, you can't keep building settlements and negotiate for peace at the same time. Of course, that assumes that Netanyahu wants to negotiate for peace, which is a different story.).

Sure, it would have been rude to do so, but I wish he would have specifically called out some Arab governments, like Egypt's, for being anti-democratic. Our biggest foriegn policy problems in the Middle East is our support for repressive governments. And he could have been stronger in encouraging some of the countries to educate their girls.

In the end, even his eloquent words won't lead to much. When he tells Mubarek that he military aid will get cut unless he makes political reforms, then we'll have progress and relations with the "Arab street". Likewise when he tells the Saudi princes no more jets until full rights are extended to women. Partners who stay in power using repression and denying human rights are not our friends, nor should they be.

I'm Thinking That Frogs Are Next

2009-06-03T20:57:00.001-07:00

It's not a news story that the weather in SoCal is really nice. Not too hot (or humid), not too cold. The rain ends mid spring, doesn't return until late fall. So, what in the fuck was with us having thunderstorms today? No, we didn't get a sudden rush of heat and humidity, and the sidewalks didn't steam when it was done, but it was weird. The irony being that LA just went on water restrictions due to our constant state of drought. And wouldn't you know it, but Thursday is one of two days per week (Monday's the other) that we can water our lawns.

Other than that, things are getting back to normal. We've actually had dinner as a family a few times in the last week, though that got thrown out the window as they HB has evening rehearsal's for his play all week (the performances are this Saturday and Sunday). Another sign of normalcy is that the wife and I have been talking about a summer trip in a couple of weeks (CO, Black Hills/Badlands, Lewis & Clark, and Yellowstone). But, the wife's big news is that she got a 15% raise! Makes me a bit bummed because they are admitting they've been underpaying her for a while. But, since she was making about $120k, 15% is nothing to sneeze at.

NBA Finals

2009-06-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

OK, it's going to be the Lakers and the Magic in the NBA Finals. My prediction? Lakers in 6 (sorry, Lola).

Yeah, the Magic beat the Lakers twice during the regular season. But that was with Jameer Nelson who will most likely be out during the series (or very rusty otherwise).

I just don't see how a team that lives and dies by the 3-pointer can win with this much pressure. Also, while Dwight Howard is a great player, Cleveland didn't have one guy, let alone 3 like the Lakers, to match up with him.

When the Lakers faced Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu on a regular basis they didn't seem to cause them too much trouble, so I don't know why the would now.

Finally, I think the Magic should be much more worried about how they are going to matchup with Gasol and Kobe.

In unrelated news, UC Irvine got bounced in the first round of the NCAA baseball tourney. Bummer for the Anteaters.

I Always Wanted to Own a Car Company

2009-06-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

As of Monday, you and I own 60% of GM. When's the fancy executive retreat? BTW--you can read the restructing plan insisted upon by the government here.

I can't begin to tell you how disgusted I am by this. First off, did you know that the amount we taxpayers paid for 60% of the company ($68 billion) is more than GM's total market value has ever been ($52 billion in 1980)? Yup, that's a good investment. Only the government could buy something as shitty as GM stock at it's peak when it's gone bankrupt. And the new company will be lucky to be half of the previous size.

And let's make no mistake--there's no guarantee that GM's still going to make it. Sure, they've shed a bunch of costs and gotten some concessions from their unions in the US and Canada. But, they still make cars that most people think suck. I saw how their "revolutionary" electric car the Volt is going to sell for $40,000 (it goes the first 40 miles on electricity only before gas kicks in). A new Prius hybrid? About $23,000. Yes, there is a niche market for it (people who primarily make short drives and live near a 220 volt charging station or have the money to have one installed in their homes), but unless they improve the battery technology it's not a game changer. Their remaining brands will include Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet. Except for the Escalade, I can't think of a car under any of those brands that has any cache.

While Obama says that the government will be a silent partner, it presents several problems. First, if I own 60% of the fucking company, I don't want to be silent. However, the dual relationship is troubling. Now when the feds buy new cars, are they going to HAVE to buy GMs (so we can get some money back) even if they aren't the best ones to have? Or, if the feds decide they want to implement new safety standards. Do they talk to "our" engineers first, hence giving GM technological head start? From a profit motive p.o.v., I hope so. From a fairness p.o.v., I hope not. See the problem.

Likewise, one of our fellow shareholders (at around 12%) is the Canadian government. What if they don't like a policy that affects them. Do they hold GM decisions hostage over how much maple syrup we export?

The UAW is also in a weird spot in that their health care plan (not pension or dues money) owns about 15% now. Do they shut down a plant to protect their investment, but throws thousands of members out of work? How do they vote when the other members of the board of directors wants to reduce benefits to increase profits?

I don't think any of the partners are going to be happy with this when it's all said and done. Especially when they are back in bankruptcy court.

Lakers, Whew

2009-05-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

As predicted here earlier, the Lakers beat the Nuggets in 6 games. They definitely saved their best for last, as they did almost everything right last night. They out-shot (57% to 43% overall, 56% to 42% from 3-point range, 100% to 80% from the line), out-rebounded (38 to 27), out-blocked (4-3) the Nuggets and moved the ball better (28 to 14 assists). Even when Denver caught them in the second half and the crowd went nuts, the Lakers went into overdrive and put the game away.

Their opponent in the finals will be either Orlando (who holds a 3-2 lead in the series) or Cleveland (never count out LeBron James). Tonight's game 6 is in Orlando. Game 7, if necessary, will be Monday in Cleveland. The finals don't start until June 7, so both teams (whoever they are) will be rested.

The Lakers were 2-0 against Cleveland and 0-2 against Orlando in the regular season. Despite that, I would rather they face Orlando (sorry, Madison Avenue). They would have home court advantage. Also, Orlando beat them before Jameer Nelson got hurt and he gave the Lakers all kinds of trouble.

Go Lakers!

My M-I-L is Dead

2009-05-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

My wife called me at about 9am yesterday to tell me that her mom had died. It was peaceful in the sense that she was pretty sedated at the end and died in her sleep. Of course, that was nothing like the weeks leading up to it. The wife has mixed emotions. Obviously sad that her mom's gone, but relieved that the suffering is done.

My b-i-l flew in from Albuquerque and will be staying for the week ("Where was he last week when we needed him," sniffed my wife). He's the executor of the will and had power of attorney, so I would imagine he'll be meeting with the lawyer, real estate agent, etc.

We (my wife and her sibs, the HB, and the nephew) all got together last night for dinner. The oldest s-i-l was already three sheets to the wind. She's one of those death story tellers. "Oh, she just needed our permission to go (the woman wanted to die for at least two years now)." "She heard all of our last words and that was comforting to her (she was so hard of hearing it was difficult to have a reasonable conversation with her when she was fully coherent; I can't imagine all of the morphine helped). Whatever, if that makes her feel better, who am I to rain on her parade.

The people my wife works with sent a HUGE flower arrangment. She was kind of taken aback by it as she's not into things that are ostentatious. In a way, she found it depressing because it's such a reminder that her mom's gone.

As in all things, life goes on. We have a guy coming to take a look at our kitchen at noon. The HB's off of school today and tomorrow, but has rehearsals. The NZS2 has to buckle down more on his studies and he'll see some of his fellow exchange students for the last time on Sunday. And, the Lakers came through late in the 3rd/4th quarters last night to take charge of their series with Denver 3 games to 2.

Action on the Court

2009-05-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm not talking about the French Open here. But, obviously big doings in legal courts.

First, Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor to sit on the Supreme Court. When I heard it, my first thought was, "Oh, she's the federal judge that ruled against the owners which led to the end of the baseball strike." Let's be clear about one thing: She is a lock to get through Senate confirmation. First, the elephants don't have the votes to filibuster. Even if Franken's not seated (denying the donks their 60th vote), I can't see the republican moderates, particularly Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, blocking a vote on her, even if they decide to vote against her.

There will be some picking at her speeches and maybe some rulings, but unless she hasn't paid nanny taxes or something she'll have a new work address by October. My concern about her, and all of the Supremes, isn't what she wrote about a particular case or mused in a law review article. Rather, does her interpretation of the constitution tend to give the federal government more or less power? Given how much power Obama has given to the federal government on economic matters (did you know that you and I will own about 70% of GM after its bankruptcy is final?), I fear that Ms. Sotomayor is cut from the same cloth.

Closer to home, the California supreme court decided to play Solomon, sort of, on the issue of homosexuals being allowed to marry. First, they decided that the Prop 8, which changed the CA constitution to disallow the practice of homosexuals getting married, was legit. At the same time, the court ruled that the 18,000 or so same sex couples that got married in the time between the court saying it was OK and the voters saying that it's not are still officially married. So, we have an island of gay/lesbian married couples insides a matrimonial fish bowl.

I think this goofy set of cirucumstances will be moot as I'm sure yet another initiative will be put on the ballot next go around. Demographics (older people tend not to support gay rights) and the public tide are against those who want to deny this right to others.

I have mixed feelings about the court's ruling. On one hand, a basic tenet of democracy is that the will of the people shall be followed. There was no fraud in the Prop 8 vote. Also, gay/lesbian couples in California have, as far as I know, every legal right as straight couples when it comes to property ownership, adoption, insurance, etc. So, in a sense it's a fight over semantics.

On the other hand, separate is never equal. Also, it sickens me that the state I love voted to take rights away from people. Shit, California used to lead the way in this department. I hope that I'm right about this being moot soon.

One more political note. I took the Political Irony link off of the side bar. When I first started reading it there was some balance to it. Now, all it does is take shots at republicans. As if there's no sickening political irony on the democratic side.

In family news, my m-i-l is on the 24-48 hour death watch. My wife tells me that her breathing is very slow (from the morphine). She also said that she looks 30 years younger without all of the worry lines in her face. Take that as you will.

More Weekend Stuff

2009-05-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well, things have certainly changed since my last post. My wife and s-i-l got some major food poisoning from sharing a quiche at Mimi's cafe. My s-i-l, always one to look on the bright side () was happy that she puked and shitted 9lbs. The wife confessed that she hurled on four surfaces last night.

Before all of that went down, we did go see the new Night at the Museum. I wasn't wild about the first one and, like most sequels, this one was worse. However, the scenes where they are in that National Gallery and the paintings and sculptures come to life are pretty cool

So, my dad came up here today and picked up the HB from my s-i-l's. We grilled some great sausages from Jeff''s. Then we (me, my dad, the HB and NZS2) went the Norton Simon museum. Even though I just took the NZS2 to a museum (hm...I'm sensing a theme), I figured he'd like this one. Plus, it got us out of the house so the wife could sleep.

The museum has some of my favorite impressionist paintings, including Van Gogh's Mulberry Tree and Picasso's Woman with Book. And there's enough modern stuff to keep the HB interested. Of course, being the bad influence that I am, we made snide jokes about some of the religious paintings.

Back to the work thing tomorrow. The HB's got Thursday and Friday off, so I'll have to turn the money crank pretty hard on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Long Weekend

2009-05-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

I hope that you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. Our is going to seem endless in that the HB has Thursday and Friday off for parent/teacher conferences.

We've got the family thing going today. My mom's back in Philly, so we (me, the wife, the HB, NZS2 and nephew) are gonna all meet up with my dad for some lunch and then to the Night at the Museum sequel. I didn't think that the first was that great, but it will be fun for the boys. After that, I'll probably stay and watch the Dodger/Angel game on TiVo with my dad while the wife hangs at her mom's.

It'll also be nice just to hang out today as yesterday the NZS2 and I went hiking (same trail where I fucked myself up last year) and walked all around the Getty museum. On the hike, we had the ultimate LA experience. Our destination is this small waterfall. We get there and near the pool is this Eastern European guy with a bleach blonde page boy 'do leading a bunch of people in breathing exercises. I really wanted to take a picture, but it would have been rude. We just laughed about it.

Oh, and the stars aligned last night: the HB slept at the nephew's and the NZS2 was at a friend's. Let's just say that the wife had some stress she wanted me to work out of her. Heh. She was in the mood for the rough stuff, which is kind of unusual for her.

Tomorrow will probably be a work and gardening day (the HB will be at the nephew's).

My Wife a Cunt?

2009-05-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

My wife is one of the kindest people you would ever meet and goes out of her way not to offend people. Let's put it this way. If you got in her car and asked her to change the radio station, she would, no questions asked. If she got in your car and didn't like what you had on the radio, she would never say a word.

So, she goes to the market last night to pick up a few things and comes back with an unbelievable story. She's on her way to the 15 item or less line and this woman cuts in front of her with more than 15 items. Whatever, as she would never say anything about it. At any rate, the other woman is sllloooowwww in putting her stuff on the conveyor and my wife is holding onto her groceries as the cashier keeps running it. Finally, the cashier puts a divider between the two sets of groceries. The slow woman then pulls out out a check and finally pays for her shit. She then looks at the wife and says, "Have a nice day, you cunt."

What in the fuck?

I don't think anyone's ever even called her a bitch to her face. She was taken somewhat aback, but was pretty good humored about it by the time she got home. But, sheesh. When the wife starts getting called names, you know that civil society is crumbling.

Another Cali Election

2009-05-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we Californians went to the polls again. While there were some local elections, the bigger deal was a series of budget initiatives to alter either previous ones or change the state's constitution on spending issues. As I saw it, they were mostly stop-gap or smoke-and-mirrors schemes to paper over the state's financial problems, which are significant.

The long term issues, as I've written about before, is that CA is one of the few states that requires a 2/3 majority to pass a budget. So, a few ideologues (in this case, republicans) can stop a budget from passing. What leads to this problem is that the state assembly/house districts are so "safe" that there is a disincentive for anyone to compromise. Until this changes, CA will be stuck with shitty budgets.

Regardless, while Ahnald can use executive power to nibble at the edges of the problem, there's only so much he can do. I've got some other suggestions for him:

1) Release all non-violent drug offenders from state prison. Tell then that if they go through a rehab program and test clean for two years, the conviction will be expunged. They shouldn't be in prison in the first place and it's costing us a fortune.

2) CA has this stupid tax loophole for yacht purchases. Like any one thing, it's not going to close the entire budget gap, but it shows that the state is serious and that everyone's going to have to pitch in. Many people who rely on state services are going to lose them. In comparison, I think the well heeled won't be hurting from this too much.

3) Insist that the state funded health plan buys its drugs from Canadian providers. These drugs are safe and they are WAY cheaper. Note that health care is the biggest budget item in CA (and probably in your state, too). Also, if you don't think this will bring down drug costs across the country, you're crazy.

You're welcome, Guv.

Oh, Lakers in 6.

NSZ2, Act III

2009-05-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

We're getting to the short strokes with the NZ2. He's with us for 4 more weeks. Then he goes on a 32 day train tour of the US with other exchange students (yes, be jealous). When he returns, he'll move in with the other family for the rest of his stay. Yes, we'll see him some, but it won't be the same.

Like with the NZS1, this has been a cool experience. As you'd expect, he's a different kid than the NZS1. A bit quieter and a little more willing to hang out with us. The thing that boggles me about both of them is their lack of intellectual curiosity. Both were self declared non-readers. When we asked them what they wanted to see in CA, they kinda shrugged their shoulders.

Regardless, having them in the house has really opened the HB's eyes to the world and a different culture. He is totally fired up to go to NZ.

Also, we can let the NZS2 go as he's a real Californian now that he's lived through his first earthquake.

If you have a chance to be or host an exchange student, I suggest that you go for it.

Who Gets to Speak?

2009-05-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's commencement time (in fact, I got an invite to Lynn's daughter's graduation). That means happy parents who don't have to pay any more tuition (though more room and board in these times), kids who gotta find a job (or a spot in grad school), and people getting their panties in a wad about who's speech they are going to forget.

Of course, the biggest hubbub is over Obama speaking at Notre Dame. A vocal minority on campus is upset that he's not pro-life and is rolling back some of Shrub's abortion policies. I have no problem with these people being pro-life. I disagree with them, but that's OK.

My first question to them is: Do they object to anyone coming on campus to speak who differs with their views on anything? If so, NDU must be an intellectually boring place. Second: Did they object when Shrub, who started two wars that have killed thousands, came to speak? Or, does life only count when it's in the womb? Third: What else should be on the NDU ideological purity list for being a commencement speaker? Anti-death penalty? Anti-contraception? Must tithe a certain percentage?

I've got news for them. Objecting to the President of the United States speaking to you on campus because of one issue is petty. Boycotting the speech the shows how narrow you are intellectually when you won't even listen to what he has to say. Makes me think that your parents just pissed away over $100,000.

The other speech bruhaha is over Miss California, the runner-up in the Miss USA contest, getting in hot water because she's against allowing homosexuals get married. I personnaly think that beauty pageants are totally idiotic, sexist exercises. Could someone explain to me the connection between giving these women scholarships and parading them around in swimsuits?

So, a beauty queen pops off about something that's controversial. It's not like she's in the state legislature or anything. She's a fucking beauty queen. Yes, she's entitled to her opinion and her voice in the voting booth is just as important as mine. But, other than that, why would the public give a shit what she thinks?

Of course, Donald Trump is the big winner here as he gets tons of free media for a contest that's fading pretty fast from the public consciousness. And the additional controversy as to whether she is shirking her duites as Miss California (what, she was scheduled for one of the space walks to fix the Hubble and she skipped it?) will keep the pageant in the news for a few more weeks.

The bigger point is that she shouldn't be castigated for having an opinion. It's not like she said that people who perform or participate in marriages between homosexuals should be shot. We really need a more civil discourse in this country.

Dazed About School

2009-05-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Managing one's way around the LA Unified School District (LAUSD) takes some doing and requires such because, as a rule, LA public schools suck. We have regular neighborhood schools, charter schools and magnet schools. Sometimes the charters or magnets are within regular schools. Getting into the magnets or charters is a bit of a lottery where you get points for, among other things, the number of times you apply and get rejected.

When the HB was kindergarten age, we applied to a local (1/2 mile away) charter school that we did want him to go to. But, he kept losing out in the lottery. So, we sent him to private school and kept acruing points, thinking that eventually we could use them when applying to a good middle or high school.

Well, last year the school accepted him. But, even though it meant we lost our points, we decided not to send him. The administrators were jerks and didn't really seem interested in us--we were just a number. Plus, he only would have been at the school for 2 years (it only goes K-5).

So, we lost our rejection points and decided to start over. This time, we applied to a school with the highest number of applications to seats. Wouldn't you fucking know it--he got accepted. So, we turned it down (it's an academically poor school) and we're back to square one.

This only really matters after next year if we try to get into one of the good middle school magnets/charters. Our out is that his current school goes through 8th grade. So, our hand isn't forced until he's ready for 9th grade. Saving the private school tuition would be nice, but not at the expense of sending him to a shitty school. Especially given CA's budget mess and how that's going to affect school spending.

Laying an Egg

2009-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Lakers obviously thought that yesterday was Easter as they laid a GIGANTIC egg against Houston. The Rockets were without the player most damaging to the Lakers (Yao Ming) and the Lakers just came out playing flat. They didn't pound the ball inside (where they now had a significant advantage) and, as is his custom, Phil Jackson didn't call any timeouts when Houston was jumping to their big lead. I understand during the regular season having the team work through these tough spots. But it's for REAL now and for the life of me I can't understand how he could just sit there and watch as they dug themselves a 15 point hole in the first few minutes.

I still think they'll win this series and go on to the Finals, but they clearly lack heart. Either Cleveland or Orlando will chew them up.

In better news, the Angels have righted their ship and are back over .500 and only 1/2 game out of first place in the West after sweeping the first place team in the Central, Kansas City. Now they have the Red Sox coming to town for three games, including a day game on Thursday. All Angel/Dodger day games are company holidays as far as I'm concerned.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:11:00.001-07:00

I hope all of you, especially Lola and Jen's mom, had a great Mother's Day. We started our day by letting the wife sleep in (one of the NZS2's friends called at 1:30am). The NZS2 had his prom last night, so was WAY to sleepy to come out with us. The rest of us went to pick up my parents and take them to one of my mom's fave restaurants--a burger joint at the end of a pier. The views were great, even though it was a bit overcast, and we had a good time. My dad confirmed that he was going to have some minor surgery at the beginning of June. Between that and my m-i-l's health (more about that in a bit), I think the Alaska cruise is off of the table.

My mom and the HB baked after we got back to my parents while my dad and I watched the Lakers' humiliating performance. More about that in another post. Then we went to my m-i-l's.

When we walked in she was sleeping and looked like death. Her skin had the pallor of the overcast sky. Apparently, this was one of her better days. I think she understood about half of what people were saying and did show a sense of humor. The wife was busy jotting down notes for her regular home health care worker who returns tomorrow (she's had the last few days as part of her regular schedule) while bantering.

It must be odd for my m-i-l to have her death bed in the living room. Don't get me wrong, it's a comfortable place in that it's by a window that gets plenty of light and breeze. But, it's kind of public considering that she has to be changed, etc.

A bit later I'll make one of my wife's fave meals (ravioli in marsala sauce, garlic bread, and salad). Hopefully, she'll be able to relax some and read the paper.

First Time For Everything

2009-05-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

As a home brewer I've always heard other people's brewing disaster stories (exploding this and that). I figured they were either urban legends or the result of carelessness.

So, I walk into where I keep my beer and smell, well, beer. My first thought was that when I was moving something around I had hit a bottle and cracked it or some such. After closer inspection, it was obvious that a full bottle had broken. And there was beer stains on the ceiling. Something clearly had blown. It's been warm here, but not that hot. Apparently I had not filled one of the bottles enough. At least it wasn't a bottle from a really good batch.

I'll have to keep this in mind when I bottle the Swine Flu Porter early next week.

Details and Randomness

2009-05-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. I'm not a great details person. My work, like everyone else's, I suppose, requires it on occasion. So I'm working on this automated report in Access for 170+ people. I run tons of demos using different people and all of the numbers check out. So, I let it fly and send the reports to my client.

She call back later in the morning to say that roughly 15 of them are fucked up. Hunh? I go through all of them and find a few more. Here's the thing--there's no rhyme or reason to the errors. There are seven different versions of the report, but messed up ones are spread across them. Worse than that, I can't recreate the error. I rerun all of them and they come out PERFECT. I spot check some others and they are PERFECT.

At the risk of being overly dramatic, this random occurrence probably cost me this client. I don't know what's worse, me making the error or not being able to figure out what the fuck it is so I can prevent it in the future.

The got sent out this morning east coast time and I haven't heard anything back, so I'm going to assume that everything's OK. I need a nap so I don't screw anything else up.

Change in Plans?

2009-05-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

We're starting to get to the short strokes on the Alaska cruise. With my m-i-l's health, we're also thinking of contingencies. Besides the obvious, what if she gets a lot worse and my wife doesn't think she should go? Should the HB and I go with my parents? All for one and one for all?

This brings back baaaaaaad memories. When my f-i-l was sick (with pancreatic cancer for 3 years, if you can believe that) we made and canceled all kinds of travel plans (I'm most bitter about our trip to Spain falling through). Why do I get the feeling that we're getting back on that roller coaster?

I Guess Sometimes the Presentation Has Something to Do With It

2009-05-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

The stars aligned tonight and the wife and I went to dinner together. Just the two of us. On the way to the restaurant I joked with her that it felt like when the HB was young and we'd joke on way to dinner that it was nice to eat while not worrying about picking up cheerios.

We'd never been to this restaurant (an Italian place in the San Fernando Valley), but we "won" a gift certificate to it at a charity auction (probably through the the HB's school). Traffic was amazingly light for a Saturday night and we were way early for our reservation. Fortunately, they had an empty table for us.

She ordered the soup and pumpkin filled tortellini (I'm with ya, it's a fall, not a spring, meal). I had the crab cakes and the seafood risotto with squid ink. The waiter specifically asked me if I was OK with the ink, and I said yes. Generally, the service was excellent.

The appetizers were huge. Having them with some wine and a basket of bread would have been enough. Then came the main courses. The torellini was pretty bland. My risotto had so much squid ink in it that it came out looking like a bowl of steaming (it was hot) shit. At least it tasted good. We paid what remained of our bill and hustled out.

The wife's been totally beat from dealing with all of her shit with her mom. So, after getting home (and confirming that the NZS2 was staying at a friend's), we went upstairs for a quickie. We came down to watch a movie and she was asleep in about 7 minutes. I'm not going to be too far behind her.

Gettin' mo' Educashion

2009-05-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

To keep my license as a psychologist I get to take 36 hours of continuing ed every two years. Unfortch, 99% of the classes are geared towards therapists so it's intense boredom for me. I take classes at locations where they have free wifi and I can get work done.

Today's a mandatory class on legal stuff that I'm in today. Of course, it's all about the problems therapists get themselves into. Here's a hint: Don't fuck your clients.

Back to it. They can have my body, but not my mind.

Doing the Obvious

2009-04-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

In two unrelated (well, except in my mind) events yesterday, the inevitable happened. Brett Favre got released by the Jets and Alren Specter finally realized that there's no place for moderates in the republican party.

Favre claims he's retired and I tend to believe him (this time). But, I won't be completely convinced until September. On another football related note, I cannot believe how poorly the Raiders' drafted. Another piece of evidence that Al Davis has lost it.

Of course, the democrats are licking their chops over Specter's defection. Assuming that they can FINALLY get Al Franken seated in the senate, they would have a filibuster proof majority of 60 (assuming they all vote the same way). Knowing them, they'd abuse the power so much that they'd lose the majority in 2010, but that's not the point. It would give Obama a freerer hand on energy and health care policy as he'd has a solid majority in the house (and can lose some votes from moderate democrats) and could do as he pleases in the senate at least until January of 2011. People can talk all they want about the first 100 days of his presidency, but this would make the first 18 months far more significant.

Another Shake of the Death Rattle

2009-04-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

My m-i-l came home from the assisted care hospital on Sunday. Part of her release was that she would begin getting hospice care. At this point that means that she gets the cool bed and weekly visits from a nutritionist, rn, etc. She's still catheterized and has the portable commode as she's too weak to get in and out of bed herself. As usual, she spent her time in the assisted care facility complaining instead of doing anything to improve her strength.

Ever since her husband died in 2001 she's been in the "woe is me" mode. Her current situation has seriously upped the ante and she's (figuratively) searching the yellow pages for Dr. Kevorkian's number. At this point, I honestly can't blame her.

The wife went to see her yesterday and said she was very clear headed about things (for a change). It's hard to refute her logic. Who would want to spend X months in bed getting worse by the day. Of course, she could try to make her life better by reading, inviting people over, etc., but she wouldn't do that when she was doing somewhat better.

CA does have a weak assisted suicide law, but with her history of depression no doc would ever certify that she's making the decision with a clear head. So, she's going to go on like this for at least a bit longer. But, probably not much longer.

Hatin' on the Haters

2009-04-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

Oh, where to start...

I know. You remember those pond scum who protest at military funerals saying that the soldiers had it coming because American tolerates (sorta) gays and lesbians? No, I'm not going to link to them. Well, they're still at it, and spreading their message of love...and by that I mean, the opposite of love.

There's a high school near me that's going to put on a production of RENT (be happy, Jen). This school is in the middle of VERY republican country, so we're talking about a bunch of relatively conservative rich kids. But, our friends from the midwest can't let this stand, so they are on their way to protest. What, I don't know (freedom of speech? operas being turned into popular plays?). Silver lining? You know they're gonna sell far more tickets than they would have otherwise. Maybe then the school will have enough money to hire a gay drama teacher.

I don't know about where you live, but out here the animal rights groups are starting to take on a terrorist vibe. I believe that as the top dog in the land food chain we have some responsibilities towards other critters and, let's face it, animal research isn't pretty (nor is farming, for that matter). Sure, most of the animals are bred to be killed during the research, but that's not the point. But, we tolerate it to support product and medical research (some of which saves other animals' lives, I suppose).

If these people want to protest to make conditions more humane for animals and minimize the amount of research done on them, I willing to listen. But, I'm not for getting rid of it entirely and firebombing houses and cars undercuts their non-violent message.

Now that Bush the C-Student is out, some UCLA researchers grew a pair (hm...perhaps cloned a pair?) and protested against the intimidation. This is not the most extroverted group of people on the planet, so they must really be pissed. And I don't blame them. I'm thinking the FBI's going to be a bit more sympathetic towards them now that there are two people who can read in the White House.

Up and Running

2009-04-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

After a very stressful beginning of the week, I got my laptop back up and running. Best I can tell, there's only one program that I lost (I had it as a zip file and not on CD and hopefully I can find it on Limewire) and I saved all of my data. Still, I'm kinda pissed at myself. I'm so fucking stubborn sometimes. I could have easily had this resolved late last week if I wouldn't have been so worried about reloading programs. Yeah, it takes a little time, but about 10% of what I fucking wasted with Norton tech support. I'm such an idiot sometimes.

In m-i-l news, she got admitted to the hospital overnight, then moved to an assisted living joint (she's been there before). She'll be coming home this weekend and will be getting intro to hospice. Her MRIs show that her cancer has spread to her liver. Also, the bigger problem in her back is that the disk where she has the compression fracture is herniated. Oh, and she can't pee, like she's got an enlarged prostate or something.

The wife's birthday is Friday, but she's in no mood to celebrate (including canceling her family bday party on Saturday). We're going to go hear some music tomorrow (the HB's at a school overnight) and we'll do an immediate family birthday dinner when the HB gets back on Friday.

Hopefully things will get better soon.

Death Rattles

2009-04-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

One reason I haven't been blogging so much this week is that my computer got a virus. Actually, I think it got a couple and has probably had some low level ones in it for a while. I had been thinking of getting a new one soon anyway, but spending a week reloading software (assuming it would even be compatible with Vista) made my stomach turn.

So, my first stop is Symatec since I use Norton. Not really by choice as it came loaded on the computer. The one thing I love about their tech support is that they take control of your computer and do all of the work. The thing I don't love about them is that they only react to the problems you can describe (despite the $100 fee), so their fixes are minimal and it usually takes 2-3 calls to get it done right. This has been the case so far. I say so far in that each time I've called I've gotten something taken care of (first it was uncontrollable pop-ups, yesterday it was Google hijacking). The good news of all of this is that since they've done the cleanups, my computer hasn't run faster in years. The bad news is that between the cure and virus damage my computer is having non-virus related problems.

So, my second stop was HP tech support. This is always pretty hit-and-miss. Unfortch, they don't have the cool remote help so I had to spend some time on the phone with them on Friday night. Until 3am. Actually, before I got on the phone with them I tried their on-line tech support chat. This was an enormous waste of time. The only thing they wanted to do was reformat the drive and reinstall windows. Uh, I don't think so (see reloaded all of my software comment above).

The primary problem was that the system would boot, flash a blue screen error, then reboot. The tech I worked with got this (eventually) resolved. However, in a bizarre twist, the USB ports will read my external hard drive (you can bet your ass the first thing I did was back-up my data again as soon as the call was over) and replicator port, but not any other USB devices (e.g., MP3 players, camera, etc.). Nor will those things work when I plug them into my replicator's USB ports. So, I have a "date" with the senior tech who was helping me with these after midnight on Friday.

The other week my m-i-l was diagnosed with a compression fracture in a vertabrae in her back. He's got osteoporosis, so it's not a huge surprise that she's got this. It's causing her a lot of visible pain, in addition to her other pains, real or imagined. Falling into the latter is her emphysema diagnosis. My wife found out at the last doctor's visit that her lung capacity is between 92% and 94%. Not exactly emphysema range. But, because she all but refuses to take her Prozac and Xanax she gets a lot of anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Which gives her more anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Etc. In fact, the doc needs to sign special paperwork to get her the 24 hr. oxygen.

Given the situation, it makes one wonder why she needs the 24 hour care, oxygen, etc. if all she needs to do is take her fucking medicine. Dont' get me wrong, she's old and frail, but she seems to be making this tougher on herself, and far more tougher on her kids, than she needs to.

Calling Them as They See/Saw Them

2009-04-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hm..weird that I would write about sports announcers twice in a week. However...

Normally, I watch sports with the sound off. After you've watched enough games there's really not much more they can say on TV (having said that, I LOVE listening to games on the radio). With all of the super-loud people on TV, it is hard to remember how different John Madden, who announced his retirement today, was.

I loved his enthusiasm when he was the RAIDERS head coach and was glad that he brought it to the broadcast booth. He thoroughly enjoyed football, knew it inside and out and expressed both. He also brought a coach's view of strategy to the booth (as I recall, there were plenty of ex-players calling games, but no coaches).

I'll admit that I haven't listened to him in a couple of years, but I don't recall anyone saying that he had lost it. Though, I know some who were tired of his shtick. He retired from the RAIDERS before he had to, so it's not surprising that he would do that again. I wish him well and hope that his next chapter is as good as his last one.

Coincidentally (I think), the LA Times ran a story on the Clippers' long suffering (as any long term employee of the Clippers is) announcer, Ralph Lawler. Actually, the coincidence was that I watched and listened to him do a game the day before. He's as good of a play-by-play man as they come, but has languished in LA in the shadow of Chick Hearn (Lakers) and Vin Scully (Dodgers).

He has a job of extremes. On one hand, when I was doing college radio, I would have given my left nut to get a professional play-by-play gig. But, if I knew that the team I was covering would lose 2/3 of their games almost every year, that would give anyone pause. Who wants to deliver bad news to fans just about every night?

What's amazing is that he's one of the only competent employees that is visible to the public that the Clippers' owner Donald Sterling keeps around. To work for such a cheap ass who puts a barely passable team on the court must be tough. One can only conclude that Lawler is a) a crazy optimist and/or b) he LOVES basketball and/or c) he's as loyal as can be. Of course, he's well paid, gets to travel in style, etc. But, still. You'd think that after Hearn died he would have had his agent at least call over to the Lakers. Maybe UCLA or USC basketball?

He's a pro. Too bad he's had to slum it with the Clips.

Catch-Up and Taxes

2009-04-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I think I'm FINALLY caught up at work. Of course, I should say that in a stage whisper or else who knows what else if going to flood my inbox. I've got a proposal due tomorrow and I need to decide if I want to do more work for a new client (they don't pay particularly well).

Monday I sent off our taxes. The good news is that we're getting a refund from the State and Feds. The bad news is that we gave them an interest free loan last year. Sigh.

As a Libertarian, April 15th is a black holiday. It's the one time that you can get people to ask, "Exactly what am I getting for my money here?" What kills me is the republicrats faux anger at the situation. It would be one thing if Reagan, Bush I and Bush II shrunk government, but they didn't. The fact is that there are no serious "small government" republicrats with any power in the party. Shit, these guys spent money in Iraq and Afganistan and wouldn't even put it in the budget.

Both parties want big governement. They just disagree on what they want to blow our money on. It's either matriarchical local programs or patriarchical weapons programs. And, of course, anything that sends federal money into their district.

So, as you look with sadness at your check register, or wait in anticipation at the mail box, spend a few minutes thinking about how well your money's been spent. Once you stop crying, you can go register as a Libertarian (see link at the right).

Phillies and Pirates

2009-04-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the beginning of baseball season. It's the unofficial beginning of summer in LA. While not normally a fan of the team, I was pleased to see that the Dodgers kicked the shit out of the Giants in their home opener. The Angels are scuffling a bit, even though they took 2 of 3 from the Red Sox, but will be fine once they get some of their pitching healthy.

When I was a kid we went to Philly EVERY summer for at least a week or two. Being a baseball fan, we'd go to games at the Vet and listen to Harry Kalas on the radio. His style was always similar to Vin Scully, the Dodgers' announcer and I really enjoyed listening to him (he also did national NFL games on the radio). I was sad when I heard of his passing. It serves as a reminder to enjoy Vin (who's significantly older) while we still have him.

I'm generally a pacifist, but there are occasions when people have earned the violence they get. Like those Somali pirates. I'm very impressed with the marksmanship of the Navy SEALs for three of them to get those dudes with one shot while on a bobbing boat. I spoke to a friend of mine who used to be in special forces. He was pretty impressed as well.

These guys aren't Al Quada ideologues. They just want to make some money. Of course, the guys on the boats are the ones getting rich from the activity. I think if a few more of them get their heads blown off at sea that recruiting will start getting a bit tougher. We'll see.

NY Wrap Up

2009-04-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said that MoMA wasn't going to be any better than the Guggenheim? Well, I was right. In spades. Friday afternoons/evenings are FREE at MoMA, so it was an absolute fucking madhouse. It was super crowded and it was hard to really see anything. I felt badly for the boys because there was some things there they would have normally enjoyed. At least I got a pick of the HB in front of a Jackson Pollack, which is not my desktop background.

The wife was concerned that the airport was going to be a zoo on Saturday morning, so we left about 3 hours before our flight. Even though it was raining, we made every light on the way to La Guardia, there was no traffic, and no lines at tickets counter or security. This gave Mr. United Airlines one more chance to fuck with us.

Of course, they couldn't guarantee that the four of us could go stand-by to make an earlier flight through Chicago (strangely, they didn't even offer to put us through Denver). Then, we had to ASK them to put our four seats together (for the 3rd time in 3 legs). Then, we get to the gate and there's been a change of equipment. They put us two and two behind each other, which is fine, except the put the boys, who are minors, in the emergency row, so we had to swap with them. All this AND a 3 hour layover in Chicago. Hm...wonder why they went bankrupt.

All in all, we all had a good time on the trip. We've pretty much done everything in the big town with the boys, so I can't imagine us taking them there again. I would like to go back with the wife and stay downtown, eat at good restaurants and hear some jazz. Maybe sometime soon.

NYC Blues

2009-04-10T13:45:00.001-07:00

Not for us, we're still having a great time. But, you can really see how the recession has hit here. First, lots of news stories about getting through tough times. Far more than you see in LA. Second, not nearly as much stuff on Broadway, and what is there mostly revivals.

The weather held today, so we were able to walk around. We made it to the Guggenheim, but it was a zoo. We'll be going to MoMA later, but that will probably be more of the same. Then, since the wife and I promised ourselves we would have real food tonight, we'll either go to an Irish place across from MoMA or a French place near Lex.

Flying home tomorrow (sniff) with a loooooong Chicago layover (thanks, again, United Airlines). The boys are having a good time, as the wife and I are. It's been a good trip.

Spring Sunshine

2009-04-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy day for us. After getting in some good sleep we grabbed some breakfast. Unfortunately, we had to switch rooms. The original room was a suite with two queen beds. Oh, and ladies, the shower had quite the "magic stick". We were a little miffed by this at first, until we go into the new room which is awesome. It's on the corner of the hotel with views of Central Park and the Hudson River.

Speaking of Central Park, it was a beautiful day to walk through it. We crisscrossed our way through all the way up to the Guggenheim (which was closed, dammit). The trees haven't greened up yet, but there were lots of flowers in bloom. We hit some of the famous spots (Strawberry Fields, the Obelisk, etc.) before grabbing some lunch in front of the Met.

The nephew wanted to see Grand Central Station, so we took the #6 down Lexington to 42nd Street (we're on 54th Street) and checked it out. I think he was suitably impressed.

Now we're just kicking it at the hotel for a bit. We'll grab some dinner around here (no more Times Sq. food, thank you very much) before seeing a show tonight at 8. But for now, some web surfing and watching the Masters is just fine.

Critters Behind Glass

2009-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

It SNOWED this morning while we were having breakfast. Woot!

The American Natural History Museum is a very HUGE place. But I always get the sense that it's setup for people who don't get out (even to a zoo) much. However, it does have some amazing taxidermy.

The exhibits on evolution, geology, biology etc. are great and gave us a lot of things to talk to the boys about. But, it's all kind of sterile. Who knows, maybe a guided tour would have been better.

Tonight, we're going back to Times Square and going to a restaurant we like (Ruby Foo's) and then Ripley's.

Tomorrow's supposed to be nicer, so we're gonna spend the day in Central Park. I can't wait.

Happy Passover to those of you who give up your leavening for the week.

Crashing in the City That Never Sleeps

2009-04-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

We took the train from south Jersey to NYC this morning after breakfast and got here around noon. We tried to get tickets for The Lion King, but since it's about the only good family friendly show on Broadway we were shut out. We'll try again tomorrow.

We did make it to Madame Toussaud's, which the boys loved (and made waxed hand models) before checking into our hotel. I used what seemed like a million points and a sperm sample to get us a suite at the Hilton for four nights. We munched on the happy hour appetizers and called it dinner. As we were planning our activities, we decided to make a run a the Empire State Building in the evening. It still took us over an hour to get up there (much shorter than during the day) and it was about 40 degrees with a really brisk wind on the observation deck. It was clear, so you could see everything in NY and Jersey. We (and about everyone else in our group) stayed up there about 15 minutes before going back down (which took another 30 min).

I'm thinking tomorrow we'll hit the Natural History Museum and the Planetarium. It's supposed to rain, so it will be a good day to be inside. Thursday's supposed to be our good weather day, so we're saving Central Park until then.

Traisping the Northeast (Updated)

2009-04-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we drove out to Gettysburg. It was about 3 hours from southern Jersey. The drive was beautiful through rolling hills and farmland. In CA, except for some of the vineyards, the farmland is flat.

The national battleground site is amazing and mostly intact. There are a few things that are striking about it. One is that some buildings are right in the middle of the site. My sense is that most were rebuilt after the war by the residents as the pictures of the war show most everything devastated on the field (there are some buildings in town that have war damage). Second is the number of monuments. There are markers (some quite large) for every state (US and Confederate), divisions, battle positions, generals, etc. Third, you can walk pretty much anywhere and get the same view the the participants had.

We had a guide drive us around for two hours and he was really great with the boys and made things really come alive for all of us. I can't compare it to the audio tours since we didn't do one, but it was cool to be able to ask questions and get reasonable answers. The wife and I could have easily done another hour of the tour.

The visitor center is about a year old and is well done. The museum provides a good backdrop of the battle as well as a lot of detail about those three days and its aftermath. As you would imagine, there's a lot of space dedicated to the Gettysburg Address. Interesting in that the reaction of the newspapers to it was quite mixed, even in the north.

The boys really enjoyed the visit, especially the nephew. The HB got a bunch out of it as well and said he liked it. Not bad for this kind of side trip.

Next on our itinerary is a train ride from south Jersey to NYC. Looks like we'll have OK weather there. We've got a city pass to all kinds (MOMA, Empire State Building, the Met, etc.) of things and tickets to 39 Steps. I think we'll try to get some Lion King tickets at the half-off booths. Based on searching the web, etc., the bad economy has been tough on Broadway and there aren't many shows that are appealing (LOTS of revivals).

Bummer about Michigan St. UNC definitely showed in the tourney that they were the best team.

The Big Trip

2009-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

We (the wife, HB, nephew and I) made it to Philly Saturday night without many problems (we flew United, so there was, of course, some buttfuckery to be had). Enjoyed a cheeseteak and some scotch while watching Villanova get beat by UNC.

Today we did some serious tourista stuff in Philly, Liberty Bell and Indepdence Hall. Then we went to the Mutter Museum. We figured the nephew would like it. We were wrong. He LOVED it. Lots of suspended body parts, models, etc. There was one exhibit of drawers that included over 2000 things that an ear, nose and throat doc had extracted from people's throats. Teeth, dentures, toys (jacks), safety pins, all kinds of pits and seeds, machine parts and almost anything else small enough to fit in someone's throat. Amazing.

After the museum, we battled some hellish traffic and drove to Gettysburg. We're scheduled for some tours, etc. I'm really looking forward to it. We'll drive back to Philly in the evening, then catch a train to NYC Tuesday morning.

Fair Election

2009-04-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

Remember how it was such a big deal last year when a republican justice department indicted republican senator Ted Stevens of Alaska? Steven, convinced of his innocence requested, and got, a speedy trial hoping that his name would be cleared by election day. Wrong. He was convicted four days before the election and lost to a democrat by less than 2% of the votes. During the trial the justice department got their wrists slapped a few time for withholding evidence and the like.

Now, Obama's justice department has determined through an internal investigation that there was other prosecutorial misconduct and has asked that the charges be dropped (Stevens appealed the original verdict).

As a practical matter, all of the bigwig republicans in Alaska are calling for a special election hypothesizing that without the conviction Stevens would have won. On that point, they are probably right. Never mind that they all asked for Stevens to resign while on trial.

Whether Stevens is innocent is another matter. Eric Holder, the Attorney General, probably figured that he had a no-risk way to send a message to the department. The 85 year-old Stevens' political career is toast (thanks to Bush) and he can say that he's cleaning things up by pulling out of the case. While the prosecutors clearly over-played a good hand, they probably would have gotten a conviction without the shenanigans. But, we'll never know.

The special election argument is an interesting one. We vote within a specific time period (remember absentee ballots and voting by mail) and nothing that happens after election day matters. If the Alaska republicans get their way, what's the criteria for saying, "Hey, our candidate got screwed"? Over-turned convictions? Being shown to be right for a political decision? New dirt being dug up about the winner?

Good timing is important when running for office (I'll be McCain wishes the economy was better off last summer and fall). But, I think Stevens was a victim of his own associations, bad timing and a new tide in the country.

I'm From Your Government and I'm Here to Run Your Business

2009-03-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but my mail delivery generally sucks. It's unreliable as some stuff from crosstown can get here in a day or a week. A friend tried to send me something from another part of the city and it keeps getting sent back due to a bad address, even though it's correct. WTF? And getting a magazine the week it comes out is completely out of the question.

Note that the postal service was created by the Continental Congress. That's right, we had postal service in the US before we had independence. So, they've had 233 years to perfect it. I guess they are counting on another 233.

In the meantime, the Obama administration has decided that they know how to run car companies. Which isn't to say the the car companies do it well. But, this is the double-edged sword of the bailouts. As a taxpayer, I don't want to be giving these assholes my money without more accountability and having a say in things. As the receiver of abysmal government services, I don't think there are people in Washington who have a clue on how to run General Motors.

I also don't like the government picking and choosing who stays or who gets fired at a company. Who is to say that GM's CEO was more/less incompetent that Chrysler's, but Waggoner was the one who got the boot. I don't think it's a stretch to say that other factors besides performance (e.g., politics) could cost an executive a job in the future if the Feds keep giving money to failing businesses.

In times of emergency, Bush didn't have confidence in our consitution and as a result we've lost rights and we're less safe. Now in times of emergency, Obama has lost faith in our economic system. Don't bet on us coming out better in the end.

Mondo Birthday Weekend, Pt 3

2009-03-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

So, we did the big double bday party thing at my s-i-l's for the boys. It was all good (pizza, salad and cheesecake) and everyone seemed to have a good time.

That evening, the NZS2 had some friends over for a bbq and hanging in the jacuzzi. The kids had a good time and were well behaved. Unlike my bbq which seems to have a valve problem (only one side will stay well lit at a time), so I cooked have the food outside and the other half inside.

We topped things off on Monday (The HB's actual birthday) by playing hookey (well, all except the HB whose spring break has started) and going to Knott's Berry Farm. It was EMPTY so we got to on all the ride we wanted as many times as we wanted. When I was kid we never went there because the Knott family was big contributors to the John Birch Society, a pretty right-wing organization. Even though my dad is pretty conservative in his political beliefs, he thought these guys were a bunch of red-baiting kooks.

By the time we got home, everyone was pretty beat. I had to really rally the troops for some cake and ice cream. All in all, a pretty successful bday weekend, even if we all need another weekend to recover.

Mondo Birthday Weekend, Pt 2

2009-03-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

First, some NCAA basketball updates. My picks for the whole draw? Not so good, though my predicted champ, Louisville, is still doing fine. If they win it all I'll do pretty well in one pool and will win some money from Rotary in that we draw teams at random, and I got them. In fact, I'll win my money back and then some if they win today and make the final 4.

Yesterday's excursion to Little Tokyo was fun. We found a sushi bar with bbq sushi for the NZS. Andy has bbq ribs (Korean style), the wife had a cucumber roll (she HATES fish) and I ordered up two crab rolls (I figured the NZS2 would like it, too). Apparently the sushi place the NZS2 is pretty dumpy and has pre-made sushi, so this was quite the upgrade.

Before we left, the NZS2 opened some prezzies. We got him a gift certificate for See's candy (he's got a sweet tooth like no other person I know) and a few rounds of golf. He got a care package from home with (more) candy/chocolates, a jacket and some cards/letters. His parents sent the HB a nice pullover and wrote the wife and I a nice note. His dad's in Rotary back home and they host exchange students as well (they have a girl from Portugal with them now). They are very nice people and it was great that they got something for the HB.

After guitar lessons (the HB still has no clue that he's getting an electric guitar on Monday) and his play rehearsal, the HB went to the nephew's for a sleepover. The NZS headed out with the girls he's most sweet on. We'll see her, and some other friends, tonight as he successfully moved the bar-b-que. The wife and I went to see Duplicity. It was OK, good escapist fare. Then we grabbed a drink (OK, two) and some spring rolls before calling it a night.

This afternoon is the double bday party at my s-i-l's. Pizza, cake, presents, etc. Woot!

BTW, I've gotta start hitting the ellipitical more. My work schedule has serious gotten in the way of my exercise and I'm feeling in.

Mondo Birthday Weekend, Pt 1

2009-03-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

The NZS2's bday is today. The HB's is Monday, but we got the weekend started last night by taking the HB (and the NZS2) and 3 of his buddies to see Monsters Vs. Aliens. In 3-D. At the IMAX. It was very cool and everyone had a good time. We even saw a gaggle of other kids from the HB's school there.

The NZS headed out after we grabbed some burgers and the other boys stayed the night. I was pleased with how well they got along (2 are from the HB's school, the other is a friend from camping) and the wife and I didn't have to do any refereeing. They played Wii, watched a movie, etc until about midnight. Then, back up at 7am. I whippped them up some waffles, bacon and fruit salad and their parents swooped them up at around 10.

The NZS2 has had a bit of a tough time getting his bday activities together. He wanted to do a bbq and laser tag tonight, but too many of his friends already had stuff going on (soccer tournaments, etc.). So, it looks like just the bbq tomorrow night. He's been wanting sushi. Well, not really sushi, but chicken rolls that look like sushi, so we're going to head to Little Tokyo for that after the HB's guitar lesson. Also, since he turned 18, he'd be legal to drink in NZ. Of course, alcohol has crossed his lips, but still kind of a bummer than he can't go out for a couple (legally) here tonight.

Tomorrow we'll have the dual bday party at my s-i-l's. Monday is the beginning of the HB's spring break, so the wife and I are taking the day off. Who knows what we'll be up to.

The Why of Differences

2009-03-25T16:52:00.001-07:00

From a genetics point of view, we are all pretty similar (about 99.9% the same, if you believe some estimates). Yet, there are many observed differences in people. For, well, 99.9% of these, we pretty easily attribute it genes (oh, she's tall because her parents/aunt/uncle are). We know from high school biology that one of the things our genes do is tell our body how to grow and give our eyes and hair color. But, do our genes make us smart?

We all know people who are more/less intelligent that we are (however you want to define intelligence). As a culture, we are eager to say that someone got ahead on his smarts, but reluctant to say he's got a shitty job because he's stupid. We also tend to believe that smarts is something you get by working at it (studying hard, getting good experiences, etc.). Put another way, we don't look at high school kids' SAT scores and throw the low scorers in shop or home ec. And most people will not start a conversation about which group of people are smarter than another one.

What our reluctance to speak about intelligence masks is that any cognitive process (e.g., problem solving, learning and memory) must be physiological events. And if they are physiological they must be subjected to the same principles of genetics that other physiological processes are, right? Well, here's the science to back it up.

Basically, the researchers found that there are physiological properties of neurons (brain cells) that allow some to transmit faster (quicker thinking) than others, and these properties are inherited. Of course, if they isolate the gene that increases these properties, then drugs to make us smarter could be created. But that's a ways off.

It's important to note that genes, in some respects, are templates for our potential. Environment and behavior certainly determine how much of our potential (whether it be intelligence or height) that we can obtain. But this, and other research, do show that we get more than our eye color from our parents. Now, if I could only develop the easy to administer test of the quality of brain myelin...

Trippin' Around to LA

2009-03-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not a crackberry/iphone kinda guy, but I do love finding an internet cafe with the free wifi. I have some time now between getting some important data and picking up the HB from school. BTW--if my sentence structure is weak and my tenses shift it's because I'm being distracted by this smokin' blonde who sat at an outside table right in my line of site.

Earlier today I had lunch at a great sushi place in Calabasas. OK, I don't eat that much sushi, so I guess I wouldn't know great from good, but the woman I ate with, who is a regular eater of such, raved about it as well. She's one of those clients who is also a great friend. We're not working on any projects now, and may never again (she's changed roles in her organization). I have seen her in ages as she moved from Tucson to Cleveland then back here to LA. It was great to just sit down with her for a while and bullshit.

She's coming off of a break-up and having her girl plumbing taken out, but, as always was in remarkably good spirits. She lived in LA several years ago and is happy to be back. She says that it only took her 41 years to realize that she's a California Girl. Her MS seems to be getting a bit worse, but she has a new totally tripped out van with a mini ramp (think drawbridge) that allows her to get around pretty easily. I'm hoping that I'll now have the chance to introduce her to the wife and HB.

Traffic on the way back was amazingly good, so instead of spending additional time in the car, I'll just park it here for the next 45 min. And get the myself and the HB a cookie.

My Work Shore After the Tsunami

2009-03-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

The big work crunch has passed. Things got done and a deadline got extended (that's right, extended, not cut). Whew. Here's the big news:

1) The HB did NOT get the part he wanted in the play. Tears were shed but he's more or less over it now. He's oh-for-callbacks, which is disconcerting. If the director doesn't want him for these parts (and clearly she doesn't), then why invite him back? This has nothing to do with whether he is more talented than the kids who got them or not. That's up to the director to decide and I'm NOT going to be a stage dad. But he's doing this for fun and while I don't expect him to get every role he wants (yes, having to handle some dissapointment is a good thing), never getting one isn't doing him any good either.

2) Continuing the tour of SoCal with the NZS2, we went to the San Diego Zoo yesterday. It was kinda iffy as it rained the whole drive down there. But, the skies cleared after lunch and we had a really good time. It was the most excited I had seen the NZS2 about anything.

3) The big birthday weekend, the HB and NZS2 is coming up. Plans are in the works. More details in a later post.

NZS2 Update

2009-03-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that I just have written much about the NZS2 lately. He's been with us for 2 months now (3 more to go) and he's cool to have around. He has a goofy sense of humor and loves hanging with the HB. He's really into eating healthy, but has the most unbelievable sweet tooth. Mostly for candies (lollies) rather than chocolate.

School seems to be going OK for him. He seems (slightly) more motivated than the NZS1, but since he's done with his coursework back home there's really not much driving him. He's got some fun electives (like photography) which he likes. Right now he's in tennis season and he made the varsity (he didn't quite have the same impact on the soccer team that the NZS1 had) and he's thinking of going out for baseball since he plays cricket at home.

He comes off as shy, but he makes friends quickly. Our plan of bus or carpool in the morning seems to have worked and he's part of a regular carpool (with all girls, 'natch). There are two girls who are pretty sweet on him, one in particular. All of his stories from NZ start with, "I was with my ex-girlfriend when..." so there's no reason to think things would be different here. Most weekend nights he's hanging with friends watching horror movies. And he eats like a horse.

Sundays are our family day and we've been good about going on adventures (Joshua Tree, Santa Barbara, etc.). He is up for most things and wants to see as much of CA as possible before he goes back. That suits us as we like to get out and about as well.

The wife and I have talked about having another exchange student after him. I think we'll take a year off and see. It's been good having them both, but it will be nice to just get back to the three of us. Of course, if a girl becomes available, the wife just might change her mind.

HB Update

2009-03-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

As I write this, the HB's taking his guitar lesson. I love his teacher. He's a very good musician and has been recorded playing guitar and drums. He teaches at a couple of schools and still records and tours (a little). We're about the same age, so we can talk about the same bands, etc.

I like that he's teaching he HB basic blues stuff first (he's got the music theory pretty well down from his piano lessons) and building on that. They also play songs (their doing Back in Black right now) rather than doing endless drills. This gives the HB a sense of accomplishment at the end of each lesson and when he practices. I have to admit, the HB's in a bit of a lull in his excitement about playing. But, I remember from my playing days that it goes in cycles. At least I hope that's the case as I'm going to meet the teacher later this afternoon at a guitar shop to the get the HB an electric guitar and amp for his birthday (shhhh....it's a secret).

The HB's callback for Iago in Alladin, Jr. went well in his eyes. My s-i-l went with my wife to the audition and claims that she poked her head in and the HB was doing his lines flawlessly, etc. Of course, he's the apple of her eye and everything he does is perfect. Usually when he gets callbacks it's for a few roles (none of which he ever got) so I'm wondering if he's really being considered for this one since it's the only one he was called back for. I guess we'll see.

Thursday I attended the orientation session preceeding the HB's class going on their first overnight. With all of the paperwork, you might have thought they were going to the Amazon for a month. And, the over protective West LA parents made it even worse. What are they going to eat? When are the bunk assignments going to be made? It is going to be hot? Is it going to be cold? Christ...it's ONE night about 90 miles away and there are going to be plenty of adults there. I'm thinking it's going to be fine and the kids will have a great time. Who knows, maybe they'll actually learn something.

Work Update

2009-03-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I fucked up. I'm doing a project for a new client with lots of data and I generated their reports (about 60) and a calculation was off. Fortunately, they wanted to reissue them anyway with some wording changes, but still. I had to pull an all-nighter to get it fixed and I was ashamed. Getting the data right is essentially what they pay me for. The guy I'm working for is a fair person and I believe I can earn his trust back with the next round of reports, but my margin of error is pretty small.

You know those Facebook/e-mail memes that ask about your biggest fear? Most people put something like, "Something happening to my kids." Honestly, I don't worry about anything happening to the HB as my statistical mind knows that's very unlikely and I try not to get worked up about things that aren't going to happen. Screwing up at work is really what I fear. Sure, part of it is economic, but there's a lot of ego involved, too. I built the business and everything rests on me doing it well. I feel that I let myself and the people who hire me down when I make errors. And it's the worse feeling in my gut.

In better news, the project that had me driving 100 mile round trip three out of 4 days went very well. In fact, better than last year. The new guy who heads it up for my client was very pleased as all the changes we made from last year had a positive impact.

I gave a presentation in Northern California on Friday that I was very pleased with. It was the first time I gave it, and it didn't have any nasty surprises. In the audience was the CEO of a company I'm with which I'm trying to get some sub-contract work, so I think I helped myself out. On the way back on the plane I sat next to this guy who was a chatterbox. Usually I'll nod a few times and get back to my work (I almost always work on planes). This worked for a bit. But, we were early getting into LAX and out gate wasn't ready, so there were an extra 15 minutes of time for him to chew my ear off that I'll never get back. He's in his late 60s and he and his wife are getting divorced (could it have been his incessant talking and arrogance? Nah...). He's not too upset about it, but between that and the economy he figures he'll have to make another $3-$4 million to support his lifestyle. That kind of tin ear to reality makes me want to puke. This guy could lose half his shit and quit working tomorrow and still live better than 98% of the country. I'm sure there were people sitting near us who must have been ready to strangle him.

I have presented to this group before and they put on a good conference. This year they hosted which was essentially an open bar and had a couple of Wii setups. It was really a hoot. I'm thinking that one of the conference hosts used to be a stripper. She had a little bit of ink, but it was mostly how she flitted about and knew EXACTLY how to draw attention to herself, even without wearing something overtly sexy. Oh, and the racoon eye-liner.

The every third year project with my utility client kicks into high gear in two weeks. I'll need to get some other things finished up before then or else I'll really be swamped.

But I Still think About You...

2009-03-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

OK, I've been a baaaaaaaaaad blogger. Here's the quick rundown:

1) Crazy busy at work (when I usually blog) and will be for the next week or so. Even pulled an all-nighter last night (ugh).

2) Took the NZS2 to see the Kings vs. Vancouver last night (Kings won 3-2) and going to see LeBron and Cavs crush the Clippers tonight (thanks to a buddy who has center court, row 25 seats at Staples).

3) The HB's going for a good part in Alladin (Iago). He's got his callback on Friday.

Back soon...promise!

Throwing Good Healthcare Money After Bad

2009-03-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my wife gets a call from her mom. She just had a CAT scan done and her cancer has spread from her lungs to her liver. As you recall, her emphysema is so bad that they weren't gonna bother treating the lung cancer. So, why in the fuck would they do a CAT scan of her other organs? Now you see what I mean by the importance of rationing health care. I wonder how many early mammograms that little piece of misguided modern technology would have bought?

The cost of CAT scans are all over the board, but it seems that $1,500 is in the ballpark. Cost per mammogram? About $100. I gotta believe that money would have been better spent on those additional 15 mammographies (or some other preventative treatment) than for discovering something in the body of a woman that wasn't going to get treated anyway. Whoever ordered and approved that test should be fired.

Mah Babee's Sick!

2009-03-01T09:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I'm with the NZS2 and the HB coming back from some errands and my fave burger joint when all kinds of lights start showing up on the dashboard of the Prius. We were on the freeway, so I pull over into the emergency lane and check the owner's manual on what all this means. All it said for this combination was, "Get to a dealer immediately, dumbshit." Fortunately, we were close to the place where I bought it.

We pull in and I start talking to a guy with Service on the desk nameplate. He proceeds to tell me that they can't look at it until Monday (we're 30 miles from home), blah, blah, blah. So, I ask him if it's safe to drive the dealer closest to my house. He says, "I dunno. I don't know anything about the cars, I just schedule the servicing." WTF? Since it's not smelling or making bad noises, I decide to drive it back.

Paying much more attention to it, I notice that the engine is occasionally surging and that the AC no longer works. Armed with this info, I call the dealer near my house and talk to someone who knows something about service. He seems to think that I'll be able to make it there (and, if not, I've got AAA) and they can take a look at it (by now it's pushing 2:30 and they close at 4:30). We make it there with no problem and my wife picks us up. The service dude calls back at 4:15 and says that the inverter pump. There's some disagreement on Prius chat sites as to whether this is engineering problem with the car or not. Mine's got 75k miles, so who knows.

The best news is that fixing it is still under warranty. We'll have to scramble a bit on Monday morning as I normally take the HB to school and the wife has some morning meetings, but we'll make it work.

State O'the Union

2009-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

OK, to pick up on yesterday's rant...

1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem. It kills me how first Bush, now Obama, took their eyes off of this ball. If they get the banks on their feet and the economy is still in the shitter, then let's talk about stimulus. But if credit is tight because the banks still are carrying bad paper, how are businesses going to get the money to start on these projects (and, no, I'd rather not give them their money upfront)? Besides, all of this federal money is a disincentive for local/state governments to have their financial act together. This isn't the end of days that those petulant republicans think it is, but we are clearly putting the cart before the horse. Remember, we're not really throwing a trillion at it, it's TWO trillion because of the interest. I think by then government checks should just be written by China.

2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. What a fucking embarrassment. First, considering how serious the republicans were about Bush's photo-ops (y'know, great lighting with backgrounds with the four words he was supposed to repeat) they screwed the pooch on this one having Jindal walk in through a dark room at the guv's mansion in Baton Rouge. If he's so popular, why not have him in front of a large (and loudly drunk) crowd in Jackson Square? Especially on Fat Tuesday? His sing-song delivery and 5 word sentences made it sound like his speech was written to only be heard by Bush.

Second, when he said that New Orleans was being rebuilt using private money I just about spit my dinner on the TV. More than $127 billion has been spent there. I'm not saying it's been spent wisely, but still. I look forward to his next budget that has the fine citizens of Louisiana rebuilding their levees instead of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Third, he had the balls to say, "In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust -- and rightly so." This was immediately followed by, "Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust. We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share -- the principles you elected us to fight for -- the principles that built this into the greatest, most prosperous country on Earth." What are those principles? If they were so great, why couldn't you follow them in the first place? Eight years wasn't enough to correct your course? Like any kid, he's not apologizing for what they did (and isn't 3 months a bit short to keep those dumbasses out of office?), but for getting caught.

3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass. I'm torn on this idea of having a budget that projects 10 years out. On one hand, clearly the government needs to plan that way, but it seems goofy that a budget would be based on the behavior (partially) of at least the next president, and maybe the next two.

One health care, he's pushing an idea that calls for evidenced-based reimbursements. What this means is that the government will only pay docs and hospitals for performing procedures that have been clinically proven to be the most effective (for instance, using post heart attack drugs instead of stents). So, the republicans who are (supposedly) in favor of streamlined government would be all for this, right? Uh, no. See, even if the government insists on the most effective treatment, the republicans think that this is feds interferring with your health care? WTF? See, it's not just Bush who was anti-science. I'm sure that all the pharma and medical device money they get has nothing to do with it.

Obama's Big Speech

2009-02-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

I really want to write more about this, but it's late, I'm tired and I know I haven't posted in a few days. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:

1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem.

2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. More on that in another post.

3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass.

NZS2, the HB and I are doing the bachelor thing. Salmon tonight, shrimp and pasta tomorrow. Woot!

Measure B

2009-02-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't what you do after Measure A doesn't work out. Rather, Measure B is an initiative on the ballot in LA on March 3rd. It's fairly ambitious in that it proposes to increase the amount of solar power generated in the city by 400 megawatts by 2014 by installing solar panels, well, pretty much everywhere.

The good thing about the initiative is that it proposes gathering solar energy from rooftops, as opposed to building large solar farms in the desert. Obviously, there's plenty of solar energy to be harvested out there. However, it's getting it to the city that's a problem. Currently, large transmission towers and lines need to be installed which generally degrade the environment. In a sunny place like LA, it makes sense to gather the energy where it doesn't need to be transmitted. Getting all of these things purchased and installed in the near term would also kick start the economy.

The bad thing about the measure is the implementation. It states that the solar panels can only be bought by the LA department of water and power (DWP) and they must be installed by their electrician's union (IBEW). As such, DWP has not come forward with how much this will cost (e.g., how much rates will go up). My guess is that the price tag will be in the billions. I understand why the measure would want DWP to set standards for installation, but why give them a monopoly which will cost more? People in LA get solar panels put on their houses every day without blowing up the power grid, so it's not a competence issue. Rather, it's politics. Everyone on the city council wants the IBEW's (and other city unions') support when the run for re-election. Funny, the mayor's name is on the ballot in March also. What a coincidence.

I'm thinking that I'm going to vote No. It could be done for probably 2/3 the cost and without building up a huge beauracracy if the DWP opened the process up. If it goes down to defeat we'll see if they are interested in keeping the IBEW happy or increasing green power in the city.

Where is LA?

2009-02-19T13:01:00.001-08:00

One thing you may hear about LA is that it's not very neighborly. I call bullshit. First, I know all of my neighbors and their kids/animals pretty well. Also, LA as a whole has may distinct areas, such as Brentwood and Hollywood. And there are sub-areas within these (for instance, within Hollywood is the ThaiTown section) The LA Times as decided on taking on the thankless task of determining the exact borders of each one at this link.

Besides all of the local cranks who complain about a boundary being this street instead of another street, there's an interesting dynamic of how neighborhoods shift, particularly those primarily identified by their ethnic makeup. For instance, do the Koreatown borders change as Korean-American owned businesses move in or out? Should South LA (a name normally associated with African-American neighborhoods) have a different name now that is has a Hispanic majority?

Any border is arbitrary, but some are interesting. Using a very LA motif, Brentwood and Bel Air are separated by a freeway and Harbor Gateway is basically defined by the freeway that leads from the main part of the city to the port of Los Angeles. Some are defined pretty clearly due to sharing a border with fully surrounded city(ies), like Westwood which is bordered by Beverly Hills.

Of course, with some of the names and boundaries it's all about property values and prestige. Everyone's looking for an angle for some $$.

Stimulus?

2009-02-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Remember when we were told that the root cause of our economic crisis was the collapse of the mortgage industry? Too many people got in over their heads when borrowing, then the banks stopped getting paid, then they stopped lending money, people started losing homes, businesses couldn't borrow, people wouldn't spend. Or something like that. Then we threw $350b to the banks and nothing changed, partially because they could do whatever the fuck they wanted to with the money. Since they pissed it away before, what made you think they'd spend it better this time? Exactly.

So, we have the $800b "stimulus" that addresses almost everything BUT the mortgage issue, and an announcement of another near $1t (with a T) to do whatever with the banks that didn't work last time. Why they can't figure out this out in DC is completely beyond me.

In the Wrecker house, some stimulus may be coming our way. My wife seems to think that one of her grants got a good enough score to be funded. We'll see.

And the Water Parted

2009-02-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

As it turns out, the wife wasn't wild about me getting stuff for a romantic snack last night as she had already gone out and got it. So, I got us a few extra treats when I was out getting her flowers (no, not a typical bunch of roses, rather I picked her out some orchids, lilies and sunflowers).

Thinking that the four of us were going to be home for dinner, I found a good recipe to make. But, as they day went on things changed. The HB was going to stay at the nephew's for dinner, then the NZS II asked if he could be dropped off at a buddy's before dinner. So, this meant that for the first time in several years the wife and I actually at V-Day alone together. Woot!

So, we enjoyed a romantic dinner at home, had some good sex, watched some movies and even slept in this morning. Can't remember a better V-Day in a looooooong time.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

The wife and I feel the same way about going out for dinner on Valentine's as we do on New Year's. So, we normally do something quiet. When I proposed such for tonight, I got crickets and a shoulder shrug. She's obviously thinking wayyyyy to much about work. I'll still get some goodies (cheese, salami, bread, wine, etc.) for tonight. If she's still not in the mood, then I'll have a great late night snack...heh.

I've been trying to get my arms around the whole Alex Rodriguez mess. Here's a guy with all of the baseball tools one would need (like Bonds), yet he still feels the need to cheat (I never believe a guy who says he quit that stuff before he got caught--they are always looking for an edge). I don't know why the commish doesn't suspend him. When he was using the collective bargaining agreement with the players said that it was forbidden to take illegal drugs. At the time, taking steroids without a prescription was illegal, so, what's the problem? Let the union decide to stick up for a cheater.

However, I don't think that the other guys who tested positive in the (supposedly) confidential program should be outed. You make that kind of promise, you should keep it. Too bad for A-Fraud that his came up in the Bonds investigation.

Just remember in all of this that people scoffed at Jose Canseco when his book came out naming all of these guys. He's been right every time.

Stimulating Pork

2009-02-10T10:14:00.001-08:00

I've been watching the negotiations over Obama's stimulus bill in the House and Senate with interest. At a political level, I wanted to see how far the dempublicans were going to over reach and how convinced the repulicrats were going to stick to the theory that they haven't been fiscally conservative enough, hence their election defeats. So far, I have not been disappointed.

The repulicrats have an answer for everything having to do with the economy--tax cuts. Hunh? Remember that $600 check that W sent all those people? Well, it didn't do much for the economy because people are BROKE. They paid bills and stuck it in the bank, which is generally a good thing, but it's not an economic stimulus.

The dempublicans clearly see the bill as the answer to all of their constituents' problems. For instance:

$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$850 million for Amtrak
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs

We can have a separate discussion as to whether Congress should be funding any of those at all, but they sure as shit aren't economic stimuli. The dems see the big gravy train approaching and don't want to miss it.

The problem with all of this non-stimulus stuff is that, eventually, we pay twice as much for these programs due to the interest on the borrowed money taken out to fund them. Plus it allows foreign banks to have us by the short and curlies.

It's private industry, not government spending, that's going to lead us out of this recession. Obama may be right that 'green' industries will be the key. He proposes several measures to prop up the industry. The problems with this are that it hides the true cost of green energy, once an industry has a subsidy it almost never gives it up, and it puts the government in the position of picking winners/losers and it has a poor record of doing so.

If Obama wants to give green industries a boost, he should repeal tax breaks to the oil industry for exploration, etc. This will lead to carbon-based energy being priced more closely to its cost (in this case, higher) and make green energy more cost competitive while bringing money INTO the treasury. It will also force the green energy companies to put up or shut up by getting rid of one the barriers to their success. If they succeed, and I think they will, they'll organically create jobs without the government's help. What a concept.

More Hoops and Into the Woods

2009-02-09T23:10:00.000-08:00

Could it have been a better basketball weekend?

UCLA and Notre Dame renewed their hoops rivalry. Back in the day, it was as intense as USC-ND in football. The Bruins put it back in the stone age by giving the Slumping Irish a serious and well-deserved ass-kicking, 89-63.

The Lakers finished up their road trip against the Cavs in a game billed as Kobe vs. LeBron. Well, Kobe was puking before the game, LA played lock down D on The King and Lamar Odom played out of his mind. This all added up to a 10 point Laker win, ending Cleveland's 23 game home winning streak. I wish it were the NBA playoffs now, sigh...

The HB had a great time with Into the Woods. He sang (surprisingly) well in his solos and was very comfortable on stage. He really enjoyed this production and is ready to go for Alladin next.

Hooping it Up and the HB on Stage

2009-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Now that football's over (sniff) I've been turning more of my attention to basketball and it was a cool week to do so. My primary concern is the Lakers.

Things have been going well for them the season. They were in position to have the best record in the league, which is key for home court advantage in the playoffs, and then Andrew Bynum got his knee fucked up, again. It's not the same one as last year and he should be back before the playoffs, but you never really know.

Amidst all of this, the Lakers hit the road for what could be their biggest trip of the season. So far, so good. They've won at Minnesota, Memphis, New York (with Kobe setting a new Garden scoring record), and Boston (in overtime the night after the Knicks' game over the fucking Celtics--heh). They finish up tomorrow in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs, who have the 2nd best record in the league. If they can beat the Cavs they'll have another leg up for home court advantage (they beat the Cavs at Staples last month) and really show the league that they mean business this year.

In college hoops, Pat Summit, the head coach of the Lady Vols, won her 1,000th game. Most women's programs haven't won 1,000 games. This year she's had a tough job with a team of mostly freshman. They probably won't win the NCAA championship, but they'll be badass for the next few years, at least.

On the men's side, the tournament is shaping up to be awesome. Several teams have been ranked #1, so there's a lot of parity. The Vols are very inconsistent (one of their guards really needs to step up) and will have a tough time repeating last year's tourney success. I'd be stoked if they made the Sweet 16.

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Today and tomorrow the HB's theater group is performing Into the Woods. He has a couple of good parts (they go with two casts) and is very excited. We got him a DVD of the original Broadway cast, so he knows the show inside and out (the kids are only doing the first half of he show).

The kids have been working very hard with 4 hour practices after school all week. The wife and I caught some of the final rehearsal last night (after going to the most customer service oriented bar I've ever been in) and it's looking good. I'll letchya know how things go.