New Year's Trip to Monterey

December 31, 2004 to January 1, 2005

With Alice Leung, Miriam Erlichman and David Erlichman, visited Monterey, CA and Cannery Row.  Original link/backup link.

Every Thought Counts

Every Thought Counts
She's got a lovely holiday poo-poo purse story that will warm your heart and remind you the joy of Xmas. ;)

Flat Earth Fun

Believe it or not, there are still people on this planet that believe the world is flat, or at least not a sphere. It isn’t just the individuals in the Flat Earth Society (founded in 1993). There are fundamentalists in various religions teaching this myth as fact as well. One religion teaches the world is on the back of a turtle. Under that turtle is another turtle. Under that turtle is another turtle, etc forever. 

There are modern people that choose to interpret those statements in their ancient texts as literal fact. They turn off their critical sense and refuse to understand that the ancient texts simply provide metaphors for unknowable facts in ancient times. In effect, it’s easier for these modern people to believe in infinitely huge turtles walking on each other’s backs, rather than believe the world is a sphere in space. 

 Western Culture has understood that the Earth is a sphere for a very long time. The idea that people in Columbus’ time, during the Renaissance, believed in a flat Earth is actually a modern myth perpetuated by American ignorance of other cultures (i.e., our arrogance). I’ll call this the Columbus Myth. Ancient Greeks knew the world was a sphere by the Fourth Century B.C.E (over three hundred years before Christ was born). In that time, Aristotle reasoned that the world must be a sphere because the Earth’s shadow on the Moon during lunar eclipses was always round. 

By the time that Columbus set sail on his first voyage to the Americas, Westerners already had known, for about 2000 years, that the Earth was a sphere. Unfortunately, The Columbus Myth spawned the recent rebirth of the belief that the Earth is flat. The some Columbus Myth believers reasoned that if ancient people knew the world was flat as recent as 1500’s, then it must be so. They then further reasoned that modern observations of a spherical Earth are skewed by some global conspiracy to hide the fact that the Earth is flat. Of course, this is all just myth compounded upon myth. 

 Links of note: 

Flat Earth Society - They have a Great Springfield theory (from watching too many episodes of the Simpsons, I think). 

Another Flat Earth Society - I love their complete ignorance of how a little thing called gravity works in their "Why a Flat Earth" section. These guys take the Columbus Myth to heart! 

Flat Earth Bible - Here the author shows various statements in the Bible that show the flat-earth mentality of it's many writers. The Qu'ron makes similar statements as well.

Social Security bullony

There are people in this country that are convinced that the Stock Markets are invincible. So, the grand plan is to have everyone invest in them as if Social Security is a gigantic IRA. So what if you have a freedom to choose which stocks you want? You still are stuck investing in the Stock Markets. Investing in the Stock Markets is not diversification of your finances. It's extremely homogeneous. There's an old rule, whenever everyone is doing the same thang, no one can get a head. It's worse with the Stock Markets. The assumption here is that not only anyone can make money in the Stock Markets, but everyone can! Well in the real world, most people lose in the Stock Markets, pros and amateurs alike. This is where we want to push future retirees to throw their money?
Additionally, with the ever increasing numbers of Babyboomers retiring, more money is going to be pulled out of the Stock Markets than put in. It's the same problem that faces Social Security right now, just in a different venue. The only way to support the retirement system is if the contributions grew exponentially. In other words, putting everyone on a retirement program based on the Stock Markets is a bit like a huge Pyramid Scheme. It is unsustainable after are very short time. It's almost like there's a bunch of people running around the country right now trying to sell America on their Pyramid Scheme so they can make their money and get out, leaving everyone else to hold the bag.
I can't offer an alternative right now, other than to say, less risk is better. The current system is unsustainable too, but its demise will impact the economy much less than the decline of the Stock Markets.
Check out this article for better information on the problem.
I do have some ideas that might help individuals. Diversify! There are other forms of invents besides the Stock Markets.

Travel back in time with me

It's truly a wonder that Western Civilization made it out of the 1950's at all. I found this article copied from Housekeeping Monthly dated "13 May 1955". Notice the interesting spelling choices, typos, dangling prepositions, and run-on sentences. Not a big deal. It's just funny. It's like some guy (who happened to be a writer at Housekeeping Monthly) was angry at his wife one morning and wrote this on his way to work. It is a amazing just how ignorant of a place we've come from. Granted, it's nice to treat your spouse good whether husband or wife, but this article...well, it speaks for itself. Just when you think it gets bad as it could, just keep reading. It gets worse with almost every paragraph.

The good wife's guide (Housekeeping Monthly, 13 May 1955)

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be freshlooking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary peopl[e.]

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important then yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

Classic Cars rule

The rule I've heard a few times before is that a car is a classic when it reaches quarter century old. However, there are other factors involved too. Some cars are just destined to the junkyard regardless.
The 50's, 60's and early 70's have a lot of collectible vehicles. There's too many to even list right now, so I won't try. Personally, I don't see very many compelling vehicles from the middle to late 70's until the early 90's. There are some (like the old Z or the Mustang), but not many. Commonly, cars from the 80's just plan suck in styling and performance. The boxy cars of the early 80's are ugly for being boxes on wheels. The aerodynamic cars of the late 80's are ugly for being wings-with-bubbles on wheels. I don't think there are many collectors trying to score a 1989 Ford Taurus.
I was at the recent car expo in San Francisco. I found there are many compelling vehicles. I think the middle 1990's to now (and hopefully for years to come) is going to be an era with many collectible cars. Vehicles popular in the Tuner market almost already have a collectible status, like the previous Honda Civic. In addition, there are loads of new, interesting models or resculpts, like the Dodge Viper, any BMW, certain Subarus, the previous and new Mustang, etc which will likely stand the test of time.
It has inspired me to hold on to my car and keep it in great all-original condition for the next 20 or so years.

Retail Sales Prediction

Based on what I've seen so far, I predict that overall U.S. retail sales for this xmas season will be stronger than expected, particularly for mall retailers. The malls (at least in the SF Bay area and Silicon Valley) are as busy as I've seen since 1989.
Partially linked to this, Walmart (and prolly most other non-mall discounters) will suffer this year, as people are going to the malls, or are shopping for the better quality goods. Target looks like it positioned itself to have the best of both worlds since it expanded into the malls (replacing Wards in many locations), and maintains the perception of higher level of quality goods at good prices.

Gift giving strategy this year...

This was going to be a comment reply, but it got so long, I figured it qualified as its own blog entry. :)
Last year, I used online purchasing with dropping shipping a lot. My strategies and intentions are different this year. I did a lot of discount buying of DVD's thru Columbia House this year. They don't do gift wrapping (not that I would pay $4 per gift for that service thru other sites anyway). They also don't drop ship (or at least it's a pain in the ass to get them too). It all worked out. I was able to get enough credits to get myself the last James Bond box set ($100 value) for free, and I'm averaging $11 including taxes and shipping for recent DVD releases. Everyone wins. :)
For the more important gifts (like jewerly) , I feel its best to delivery in person anyway because makes it more meaningful.

Pressing matters

My computer at work busted for a couple of weeks. It was returned and is almost back to normal so I can do my job uninterrupted.
My g/f and I had a little trouble a few weeks ago. That has cleared up.
My finances were in a bit of a mess over the past month. That is getting cleared up. The worse is behind me.
The most pressing matter before me now is how to get my xmas gifts into the hands of their recipients, without driving all over Northern California. :)

Freedom

I've discovered a lot since I freed myself of the shackles of willful ignorance that is Christian Fundamentalism. Here's a couple of examples.
First, I'm glad I work at a biotech company. It has allowed me to be view the science behind modern biology first hand. Guess what, evolution is true. Our society now has practical uses for the knowledge that evolution gives us! For example, knowing the real origin of an identified infectant allows for quicker development of treatment against it. Willful ignorance of this is equivalent to believing the Earth is the center of the Universe. Modern day reject of evolution by Protestants is very similar to Protestant rejection of Copernicus' heliocentric model of the Universe in the 1500's. It's interesting to note, it is the Protestants that rejected Copernicus, and it was the Catholic Church that accepted him. In our time, the Protestant faiths are waging a similar war against evolution, while the Catholic Church declared that evolution does not contradict the bible. Anyone see a pattern developing here? :)
Second, the Bible and all revered ancient texts are not infallible, nor are they the word of God. There are many completely wrong statements, absolute contradictions, and bigotries that fill the pages of these ancient writings. An example of a false statement, the Qu'ron says (in no uncertain terms) that the Earth does not move and that the Sun moves around the Earth. In fact, the Qu'ron not only states that falsehood, it makes use of it as a justification for further false conclusions. An example of an absolute contradiction, the Bible clearly states two separate and completely different creation accounts. Christian traditionalism and fundamentalism both try to claim that the two accounts are merely a retelling of the creation with a different flavor, or that the second story is somehow a continuation of the first story. When read with a critical mind, the two stories are completely different, and directly contradict each other (not to mention how much both contradict reality).
That's enough of that for now.

New Perspective

The weeks that followed the conversation in my previous post changed me. Before this time, I firmly, religiously and scientifically believed that the soul was not separate from the body; the soul did not exist by itself. I viewed any tales of ghosts, supernature happenings or such matters as superstition, imagination or the work of the devil (the religious side of me still believed in Satan at that time).
Right up to the very moment I heard her disembodied voice speak to me, I firmly believed that such an event was impossible. I'm not going into the few conversations I had with her, other than to say they involved the further exchanges of our expressions for love for each other, and very specific information I had no other way to receive that I later verified.
I am going to say that these events lead me to start questioning my belief system. Point number one that I had to face: Our soul does exist on its own. How? What happens if we die? Most Christian religions accept this as fact, but if my religion was wrong, what does that say about other religions that are based firmly in the interpretation of any ancient texts?
In the past, I read the bible completely through over time, several times. I know its words. So now, I started looking at the bible from a neutral eye. I started realizing there was a lot of ridiculous explanations to cover thangs that the bible says. Then, I realized, there are absolute contradictions in the bible that are glossed over by fundamentalism, and all christian religions. The bible is not the infallible word of God. It couldn't be. Hince my journey began.
I explored and revealed each successive lie I've been told since I was an infant. As my eyes opened slowly opened, old precepts became invalid or simply lost meaningfulness. Through this process, it took me a about three years to completely shed christianity (and all organized religion) out of my veins. I am not a christian. I've discovered all religion is simply a metaphor to explain the unknownable. I choose to accept no one's metaphor any longer. I have been religionfree since I was 28.
It is amazing where a woman's love can take you. In my case, I literally lost my religion. lol

Banking eggs

I recently had all of my money stolen out of my checking and savings accounts at my main bank. All the checks and payments I made were bouncing all over the place. It’s a mess. I have to contact each creditor individually and convince them it wasn’t my fault so they will reverse their returned check fees.
I’ve been unsatisfied with how my bank has handled this affair. They’ve dragged their feet on the carpet of inefficiency. It is likely I will be ending my relationships with this bank and its affiliates as soon as this matter is completely fixed.
Fortunately, I have back up money stashed away in a couple of separate accounts at different banks. The old saying comes into play; never leave all of your eggs in one basket. I didn’t have a lot of money in my separate accounts, but I had enough to re-pay this month’s bills before they were too late.
I have these back up sources because I direct deposit relatively small amounts each paycheck into these other accounts. In fact, the amounts are so small, they don’t make a difference in any given month by themselves. But collected over time, they do add up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I also thought that I'd share the most unusual keyword search hit come come across my site that I've seen in a long time: free pictures of hermaphrodites. Ugh!

Infallible Bible

One of the pretenses of Christian Fundamentalism is that the bible is the infallible word of God. The statement often made in support of this is that God has overseen the bible’s development and directed its additions into its current form. Yet, the bible used by these people is incomplete and edited.
The King James Version is the core source of ALL protestant translations of the bible (whether admitted to by subsequent authors or not). Even this version has been intentionally changed many times in history. Several books of the King James Version and subsequent protestant bibles have been completely removed over the years to suit current tastes. The stated reasoning for this is that these books had dubious origins. So, if God is caring for his bible so well, why did he allow dubious sections to be included in it for over 500 years? Additionally, many individual scriptures have been removed, edited and reworded as late as the 1990’s! What? So, fifteen hundred or more years after the bible was painstakingly assembled, some group of protestants declare that part of the bible was unnecessary or needed editing? How can anyone believe the bible is infallible if it is constantly being tinkered with by their religious leadership? Is that leadership so arrogant that they believe they are God’s modern day prophets allowing them to mangle his word?
Furthermore, this same process of tinkering was very likely a major factor in the earliest days of the bible’s origins. Except now, no record of that tinkering exist because of time itself, destroyed documents and intentional rewrites to suit then current political and religious agendas. Basically, if tinkering exists now, it certainly existed then.
The bible is a great guide to live by, but to take its current form completely literally is a self-contradiction.
I have a message to the Christian Fundamentalist and other clergy who pretend that they believe the bible is infallible: You can’t have it both ways. If the bible is infallible, then stop editing the bible and undo the ongoing edits. If you accept the ongoing edits, then admit that you really don’t believe the bible is infallible, stop lying to your followers, and stop trying to cram your personal exobiblical believes down everyone else’s throats.

Citibank Strangedays

Well, I called up Citibank today to inquiry about the status of my unauthorized transactions investigation. A person from the fraud customer service department picked up my call. I'll refer to him as Gear. So, I asked Gear about the status of the investigation. First words out of Gear's mouth in reply, "Investigations take 14 business days to be completed." Well, I expressed about as much frustration as I am capable in response. When I first reported the unauthorized withdrawals on my account, I was told that I would have resolution in 4 to 5 days. The second time I called, I was also told 4 to 5 days. After the 5th day, I called again. This time, I was told it was 10 days. And now I called on the 11th day and Gear was telling me I had to wait 3 more days. No way!
He put me on hold and did some checking. He comes back and tells me I was right. The investigation is 10 days, and it is done. I will receive the investigation closure letter and my reimbursement in a couple days. Then he tells me the amount of the reimbursement, under $2000. More than $3000 was stolen from me! What the?!
After more time passes, Gear finally figures about that the initial investigation was only opened for one of my two accounts that was affected. So Gear and I had to go through all of the transactions again, and submit two requests (one for each account) for review and reconsideration of the investigation results, all because of a Citibank error!
You know what, I don't know if this means I will get the initial reimbursment amount, or hafta wait another ten days for the correct amount. Arg! So, the saga continues.

Movie Review: The Forgotten

The movie The Forgotten starts off as a good story that appears to be building towards something significant. In the film, the heroine starts realizing that major portions of her life are disappearing, particularly those portions regarding her son. She is the only person that sees it happen. The movie’s flaws start showing up as the plot unfolds (or unravels). The second half of the movie is full of huge plot holes. The plot problems didn’t distract me from enjoying the film, at least until the end. Important characters and plot points are completely forgotten to give the film a Hollywood happy ending that contradicts and negates the rest of the movie. It’s as though the movie itself suffered from the same plight as the heroine. The one redeeming quality of this film is its affirmation of a mother’s love for her offspring.

New Campaign

I've determined that I need to try to change the system. ::que dramatic music:: lol Really though, I'm working with my friend Dave, and soon others too, to create an abstract proposal for points to include in the law for enhancement of security for credit, charge and debit card holders.
I've got several ideas. I'll state the details of this proposal when we've worked them out. Once we get the details worked out, we are going to look for help in letter writing for people that agree. We will approach the banks, credit card companies, congress, president and state governments.
More to come.

Frustration

I'm upset with my bank. They've left me high and dry until their investigation is complete. 10 days! I've got checks bouncing all over the place, no additional cash and no checks on my new account yet! The name of this bank is CitiBank.

Thangs come in threes

Well, I've have a fairly frustrating month so far.
First, my computer crashes at work. I need my computer to function fully. IT didn't give me back my system for for quite some time. I was kicking co-workers out of their cubes to I can get my stuff done from time to time. (exaggeration)
Second, someone uses my account information to steal all of my money at some hacked ATMs in Pakistan. What a mess!
Third, my g/f and I are on a break. I've been having difficulty seeing eye-to-eye on some issues. We are working through these items, but are on a break to make sure we both have time to come to terms with these differences. I love her either way.
I'm not outwardly affected, but these frustrating events all happening at once are taking a toll on me.

We...

She loves me. I love her. She doesn’t seem to like who I am. She wants me to live within the box she has built for herself. That box is far too small for her. She outgrow it years ago. How does she expect me to live in there with her? I don’t demand that she leave her box, but I open the way for her escape. She really likes staying in the box. I invite her out of the box. She takes a step, then two. When I turn my attention away, she leaps back in, like she is pulled by a mighty spring (yet, no spring exists).
She came out of that box when we were getting to know each other, exploring each other. She explored her surroundings, and was happy, excited. The instant we became official, she hopped right into it, and tried to coax me in with her. I’m not going. My spirit is not as free as some, but it is way too free to be held to such a small place.
I don’t care that she is in there. I love her for who she is. I care that she’s expecting me to cram myself in to that box with her. That is hurtful. I’ve been nothing but straightforward about who I am. She knows I like it out here. She lied. She pretended. Yet, it wasn’t pretending. She is the person I fell in love with, yet she doesn’t know it. When she is outside the box, she is happy, she glows. When she snaps back in, she hunches and moans with cramped discomfort. I soothe her soreness with tender care and without judgement. She grabs for my collar, a shirt tail, a pocket or anything just to hold me, to yank me in with her. Dirty tricks.
I love her. She loves me. We…

Bouncing around

Due to my bank account being hacked into, my checks and paypal payments are bouncing around like firecrackers in a 4th of July show that has gone horribly wrong. What a major pain in the ass. I took the initive to send new checks to my mailed bills.
Now I have to somehow get the cash together for Money Orders to cover the several muffed paypal payments. Paypal doesn't allow funding source changes to be made once you send a payment through their system. If they did allow funding changes, I wouldn't have had any issues with my paypal payments at all.
My roommate already cashed his check. I have to right him a new rent check as well, and still find the cash to cover my car payment which is due in a couple of days. arg!!!

Somewhere in Pakistan

I never expected to have a link to the exotic country of Pakistan. The link I have with this land is that some fucker, or group of fuckers, stole over $3000 of my money through hacked ATMs in Pakistan. I'm guessing they got my pin from a likewise hacked ATM that I attempted to use at convenience store in Newark, CA on Friday, Oct 29. I suspected something was odd with the ATM at the time, but didn't bother making the trek to my bank to change my pin because I was in a hurry (I was trying to use a convenience store ATM for a reason). That will learn me.
At first, I thought I may have been hit by a spoof email (maybe I just wasn't paying attention, half asleep when I did it?), but I looked back in my emails records to find no such emails claiming to be from my bank. That's when I remembered that suspicious ATM. In fact, now that I think of it, the convenience store owner was acting kinda shady when he saw I was having an issue with the ATM. I asked him a completely different question (unrelated to the ATM completely) and he was all, "I've got nothing to do with that ATM," in his Pakistani accent. hmm. Who do I contact to report this?

Ripped Pin Number

Well, I believe my pin to my debit card has been ripped. My checking account has been sucked dry of cash, just as I mailed off a bunch of checks for bills. This month is going to be a bit of a mess. Arg. Hopefully, everything can get straightened out soon.

Bothersome trolls

I had jury duty Monday and Tuesday. Here's how it went.

 
On Monday, I got to the Hall of Justice. I waited in the security screening line. The security guys held onto my Treo 600 cuz it has a camera. Arg, it's my main form of entertainment! I got upstairs and checked-in to the jurors office. I went into the jurors' waiting room. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. Some announcements were made that had nothing to do with my juror group. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. We were released for lunch. I had lunch. I returned on time. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited.

 
Ok, finally, we were assigned a judge and a case. We all filed upstairs to the court room. I waited. I waited. Once the judge came in, he gave us instructions, we all took an oath. They gave us a questionnaire. I filled it out and headed home.

 
On Tuesday, I got to the court just in time. More waiting in that security line. I din't bring my Treo this time. ha. I got to the jurors' waiting area just in time to be called up to the courtroom. I waited. I waited. I waited. We were waiting for all the jurors to show up. Well, a lot of them got stuck outside the room (afraid to come in, I guess), and it took someone leaving for the restroom to give them a clue to come in. Finally all the jurors were there. The judge comes in, called off a bunch of names (I'm among them) and releases us. I go to work.

Comment about Bush

I figured I might as well make a brief comment about Bush.
Bush Jr. failed to fulfill his duties as President of the United States of American. Bush Jr. has simply bungled in ways that would have led to impeachment several times over in normal circumstances. Being wrong about his reasoning for war demands impeachment. Either he lied to the American people (showing he is immortal and unpatriotic), or he didn't do his job and determine his was being lied too (showing he isn't fit for office). If the latter is true, he has allowed the world's only Super Power to be used like a homeless hooker by Iraqi dissidents, the U.K., and related Oil interests to fulfill their own selfish lusts. Through this, he has weaked our country in the most ridiculous fashion. Sorry, I'm not interested in any more of his excuses. I'm interested in making American truly strong again.

Off to Napa, Sideways, Prop 72

I'm off to Napa Valley this afternoon for a day with my friend to just relax and let the stresses of life melt away, if only for a day. Speaking of a Napa trip, I want to see that movie Sideways.

 
BTW, I already voted via absentee ballot. One of the problems about voting early is that you might end up with second thoughts about your choices. I'm reconsidering how I voted for Prop 72 which will require health insurance for employees by medium to large employers. I realized that companies like Walmart don't offer health insurance and that my tax dollars are paying for it instead to cover unpaid medical expenses for preventable emergency care visits.

Is abortion allowed by the bible? Well, yes actually!

Ecclesiastes 6:3-5 reads from the New American Standard: 3)If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he, 4) for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity. 5) "It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; it is better off than he." 

Truth 

This text is clearly comparing the quality of life of the unborn with someone that can't appreciate life, and makes the statement that the unborn have it better in such cases. Please read all of Ecclesiastes chapter 6 to see that I am applying this text in context. 

Terms 

The word "abortion" is a modern term. For the bible to apply to abortion, ancient equivalents have to be established (otherwise the bible makes no statements regarding abortion at all, for OR against!). With that said, the word "miscarriage" is also translated in various bibles as "premature pregnancy", "stillborn", "pregnancy ending before its time", or similar terms. All of these terms can refer to ending a pregnancy through natural or induced methods. So, it is responsible to conclude abortion is covered by this passage in the context of modern times. Also, notice that the scripture specifically says that the unborn "never knows anything". Other translations use the words, "not conscious of anything" or similar wording. This is exactly opposite of what Christian Fundamentalist try to claim. These people obviously don't read the bible for themselves, otherwise, this scripture would be paramount in their various religions and I wouldn't have to correct them now. Ironically, by saying that the unborn "never knows anything", this scripture contradicts Pro-Life arguments on a whole separate level.

Trouble with access

My methods of access to the internet have been troubled this past week due to a series of unrelated but collaborating events. Good news is that I'm working with a web designer to create a new, one-of-a-kind layout for my website. It's looking good, and I can't wait to bring it online. This will be the third major layout change. It will allow me some versatility that the standard blogger.com templates just don't have. It will also be uniquely my own. I get a bit unnerved when I come across a website with the same basic template as my own (even if my is heavily customized). I normally try to refrain from making blog entries about my blog, but I'm excited about this change.

Status on Cal props 2004

This link is to a news story that details where several of the california props stand amoung voters.
I'm glad to see a lot of support for Prop 66 (Limitation of the Three Strikes law) and Prop 71 (Stem Cell research funding). These are the only two measures on the ballot for which I am voting yes. For short details, see my California Propositions blog entry.

-Please vote no on Props 60 and 62. Both of these props are attempts to undermind the primary process for Political Parties, allowing voting sabotage from opponents. This would essentially turn third parties in puppets of the two main parties. It would also create primary election wars between the two main parties.

-Please vote no on Props 68 and 70. Both of these props are attempts to greatly expand gambling all over California.

-Please vote no on Prop 69. It is the prop that would establish a DNA database of criminals. However, it also attempts to allow DNA collection of some individuals not found guilty of any crimes. I would favor a DNA database if it did not have that provision.

Tool concert; girls girls girls

[I've thought about adding this story to my blog a few times, but it's pretty raunchy. Well, here's my attempt to clean it up a bit, just so it's out there. Also, it should be noted that this story doesn't represent the norm for my life...it just a brief series of events.]

Ok, so these two cute girls from around the way couldn't go to the Tool concert, so they sold me their tickets. Actually, I had to perform a "favor" for one of the girls before she gave me her ticket (oh, the horror of it all! lol). I guess with that kind of start to this episode, I should've expected things to get as crazy as they did. Anyways, the concert was a general admission event at a college stadium back in 1998. I took my roommate. He was a playa who moved here from Hawaii with his girlfriend. He had just broke up with his girlfriend.

We got to the stadium and took some seats near the far end in a nearly vacant section. I noticed that the stadium had something like three guys to every girl. I thought, "Shit, this sucks!" My mind was changed when these three hot chicks sat right behind us.

The tallest hottie started playing with my roommate's cap. Then the little cutie behind me started messing up my hair. We all started hittin' it off. I asked for and got the little cutie's number. It was amazing that we were the ones being hit on because there were hardly any chicks at the venue. We hung out together throughout the opening band's set.

Once Tool came on, we all went our separate ways into the mass of fans on the main floor. The little cutie wanted to meet up after the concert, but I was like, "It's going to be impossible to find each other afterwards, I'll call you later in the week." (This is back before everyone had a cellphone.) She looked frustrated, but hey, whattaya going to do?

The crowd was dense throughout the main floor. For awhile, I was in the middle of the floor. This one girl recruited a few guys to put up a perimeter to help her avoid the unavoidable (a lot of the guys walking through the crowd head for the chicks to check-out, bump and sometimes grope them). I helped defend her for awhile.

I noticed this one fine-ass chick in the crowd nearby. She was a hot little firecracker with a tight and thin hard body and this awesome set of...ok, I've already said she was fine-ass. :) She was wearing tight and revealing jeans and top; and had long punkish braided hair. I noticed her move around the crowd, from guy to guy, dancing with them while trying to watch the stage. A couple of the guys put her on their shoulders for while so she could see over the mass. All of a sudden, she was in front of me, facing away towards the stage. While she was dancing feverishly, she backed her ass up into me and just started grinding my crouch. I was wearing jeans, with nufin underneath. As soon as she realized that I was enjoying her maneuver, she started dry humping me as she danced. I didn't move, other than to return the favor. She let me grope her and pull her into me harder. She never looked back at me; never made an attempt at any contact other than the activity at hand. We kept it up when my roommate found me. He was like, "DAMN!" When Tool started playing one of their harder songs, my roommate and I head up to the mosh pit! Bye bye forever, my little firecracker.

Thangs were crazy in the pit. If you have ever gone into a mosh pit, you know; if you haven't, hey try it! ;) I made it all the way up to the center front railing, right in front of the stage, before I was forced back into the moshing mass. Tons of chicks were crowd surfing. Some of them liked all of the hands groping them, and some didn't. Most didn't complain, and a few tried to make several rounds.

After the concert, my roommate and I headed out. It ended up being a very long night of drinking and bragging at one of the local places.

A couple days later, I tried to call that little cutie. Turns out she gave me an old number. I figured that's why she looked frustrated when I told her we couldn't meet up after the concert. She gave me a bogus number early, before she realized she actually wanted to do sumfin with me. Oh well, whattaya going to do? Her ex-roommate at the old number turned out to be another hottie, but that's actually another story. ;)

California Propositions

My friend and I looked over the Propositions in detail. Here's what we come up with.

Prop 1A Protection of Local Government Revenues – (Me: NO; Dave: N/A) This is yet another budget constraining measure. These kinds of measures are a major cause of California’s yearly budget crisis.

Prop 59 Public Records, Open Meetings – (Me: NO; Dave: YES?) Open and public debate is a necessary part of government, but so is prudence. Dave feels the openness is more important. I feel certain situations require prudence, especially when dealing with court records and private matter.

Prop 60 Election Rights of Political Parties – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) This is a scam to attack Party rights! Bad! It attempts to undermine the primary process for Political Parties, allowing voting sabotage from opponents. This would essentially turn third parties in puppets of the two main parties. It would also create primary election wars between the two main parties.

Prop 60A Surplus Property – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) This is yet even another budget constraining measure. Again, these kind of measures are a major cause of California’s yearly budget crisis.

Prop 61 Children’s Hospital Projects. Grant Program – (Me: NO; Dave: YES?) This measure serves a great purpose (as the title suggests), but it’s using yet another Bond sale for funding. My opinion is that our State’s credit rating is already in the toilet. These kind of measures need to be held off until our State has a better credit record. Dave’s opinion is that this program is needed regardless.

Prop 62 Elections. Primaries – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) Even worse than Prop 60. This is a scam to open up primary partisan elections to any person of any party. It is an open attack on Party rights! This will allows sabotage of a party’s primary in the worse possible way. Very bad! Again, this would essentially turn third parties in puppets of the two main parties. And again, it would also create primary election wars between the two main parties.

Prop 63 Mental Health Services Expansion, Funding – (Me: NO?; Dave: YES?) This measure taxes anyone making more than $1 million per year to fund services for mental health needs. I might vote “NO” because is seems too Pie-In-The-Sky; and I’m not fond of an unnecessary tax. I’ll have to do more research.

Prop 64 Local Limit on Private Enforcement of Unfair Business Competition Laws – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) A scam to limit citizens’ rights to seek compensation for damages incurred by a legal entity. Very bad.

Prop 65 Local Government Funds, Revenues – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) This is yet more tinkering with budget constraints. ARG!

Prop 66 Limitation on “Three Strikes” Law – (Me; YES; Dave: YES) Right now, our prisons are unnecessarily filling up from the arbitrary application of the Three Strikes law by over zealous prosecutors. People are literally serving life sentences for petty crimes. Make room in our prisons for the serious offenders by ending the abuse of the Three Strikes law. Dave’s only concern with this proposition is that it requires review of current cases, which could be costly to the State. My view on this manner is that is our punishment for allowing abuses the law in the first place.

Prop 67 Emergency Medical Services – (Me: NO?; Dave: YES) This measure would provide additional (and needed) funding for EMS. I’m leaning against this measure because of the Telephone Surcharge it imposes.

Prop 68 Non-Tribal Commercial Gambling Expansion – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) A scam to that either taxes Indian Tribes 25% of their revenues OR allows non-tribal businesses to expand gaming operations. This measure is literally extortion of the Indian Tribes. It’s a ludicrous plan that shouldn’t have made it to the ballot. The Indian Tribes are already profit sharing with the State. We certainly don’t need non-tribal businesses running casinos all up and down the state! UPDATE: The backers of this prop have revoked support for it.

Prop 69 DNA Samples – (Me: NO; Dave: YES?) This measure will create a DNA database and allow for the collection of criminal’s DNA. Both Dave and I favor this. However, I think the measure goes too far by allowing the collection of DNA of some people who only arrested and have not been charged with a crime. Can you say, “BIG BROTHER?” I would favor a similar measure that doesn’t collect DNA upon arrest.

Prop 70 Tribal Gaming Compacts – (Me: NO; Dave: NO) Yet another scam. It allows Indian Tribes to expand gaming operations well beyond current limits in exchange for 25% revenue sharing. It would allow Indian Tribes to build Vegas style casinos all over California. Additional, as stated before, the Indian Tribes are already profit sharing.

Prop 71 Stem Cell Research – (Me: YES; Dave: YES) This is an important enough field of research to require public funding. The possible results from Stem Cell research are astronomical in terms of health and cures.

Prop 72 Health Care Coverage Requirements – (Me: NO?; Dave: YES) It’s about time we are addressing health care coverage. However, I’m not sure that this is the way to do it. I need to do more research on this one.

Time to look at my local ballot again; Nov 2004

I post my voting intentions, not to promote my opinions so much as to promote awareness of the issues and candidates in general. I realize that voting is a personal and private matter, and that many people are not so open about their choices. This posting will deal with the candidates. (I’m not going to get into School district voting.)

President John F. Kerry: The race for president is usually so over exposed that there really is no point for me to state why I make my choice.

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer: This is prolly the most pro-Californian Senator I’ve ever seen. The U.S. Government takes California for granted. We need strong supporters in office who that aren’t drones of their respective party or political trends.

U.S. Representative District 14:
Anna G. Eshoo: Very successful and important incumbent. My vote will go here.
Chris Haugen: From what little I’ve seen of him, he appears too focused on party agenda and not very concerned about California itself.
Brian Holtz: Some of the Libertarian party stands are good, but many are bad. Brian appears to be promoting too many of the bad points.

State Senator; District 11: I don’t know much about this, but unfortunately I will likely vote for the democratic candidate in an effort to maintain the balance of power in Sacramento.

Member of the State Assembly; District 24: Ditto to my previous comment.

Superior Court Judge; County of Santa Clara; Office 7: I don’t like either candidate.
Griffin Bonini: He appears to be a bit too opinionated about how are system is supposed to work. He seems like too much of a Prosecution insider.
Enrique Colin: Doesn’t seem to have a strong enough platform.

I’m going to have a lot to say about the new Propositions. There’s a few scams that people are trying to pull in this election.

No happy hour

Welp, no happy hour with my friends this evening. It was cancelled when I wasn't paying attention, I guess. bummed.

To the door dinging fuckhead

Dear Door Dinging Fuckhead,

You are an asshole. I don't care if you were drunk when you did it. I also don't care if it was your little brat of a child. I don't care if you were just having a bad day. I don't care if you are huge, and have to swing your door wide in order to get out of your car. Pay attention when you park and open your damn door.

If you got an SUV, don't park in a compact spot. You know what, don't even park in the parking lot. No spots are designed for your oversized death trap. Go park on the street!

If you got kids, then open the door for them (ever heard of Child Lock?).

If it's late at night, and you are toting around your drunkass friends, then park way the hell away from any other parked cars (again, ever heard of Child Lock? LOL). You better not be driving while drunk yourself!

If you're too fat to get out of your SUV and are toting around your 12 brats with your drunkass husband, then stay the fuck home. Never leave! Oh, and stop breeding too!

Truly yours in Christ,
Victim

P.S., I'm sorry I accidentally smashed up your car with my bat. I was just having a bad day because you dinged my car.

;)

Its about time stylized films are getting made (Sky Captain)

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a thoroughly fun film. It’s seems many people willfully don’t understand it. This isn’t a movie were Luke Skywalker cries about Princess Leia’s broken nail. This is a stylized, plot driven, sci-fi action flick in the tradition of the 1930’s Flash Gordon serial films. Paltrow and Law performed nearly flawlessly in their roles. Their acting is wooden and one-dimensional because the characters they are playing are intentionally wooden and one-dimensional. It’s part of the style of the movie. It amazes me some people can’t handle a full length stylized movie, but love even more heavily stylized (and damn near pointless) music videos. Turn off your need to see Luke Skywalker learning about himself when you go see this movie. It’s not a character development movie. It’s a movie that is just fun, which is exactly what it is meant to be. Ok, I’m done with the rant. LOL
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow succeeds where the Star Wars Prequels fail. Sky Captain creates a whole world through concise story telling, and a clear use of visual and acting styles. Star Wars uses a similar approach, but not nearly so well because the stories a just too crowded and compressed; with way too many characters. However, I must credit Lucas with one thing. Without the Star Wars Prequels, Sky Captain prolly would not have been created. I hope this is the beginning of a new movie era were more stylized films are made. I wouldn’t want every movie to be heavy on style and short on character development. However, for some stories, style is more important than character, and I hope Hollywood can now make such films with that in mind. Sky Captain is one example of just one style. The are many other styles out there just waiting to be explored!

Friday busy day

The sail boat race on Friday evening was a disaster for our team, Spitfire. We got a late start, had bad positioning on the course, and our main competitor performed flawlessly. Spitfire was in the lead in the racing series, but because we performed so badly in this final race, we lost the lead in the series. Chalk up another 2nd place in yet another racing series. Yeah, I’m disappointed.

After showering and changing, I picked up my g/f around 9:00pm. Instead of going to the Cheesecake Factory, we went to a good Persian restaurant just down the street from her place. It was nice to have a relaxing diner in a quiet atmosphere.

After dinner, we met up with Jenn and Miriam in downtown San Jose at the Mission Ale House. Miriam picked the spot where we were supposed to meet up. So, while my g/f and I are waiting for her at the Mission Ale House, I get an apologetic call from her. Well, when she told me Mission Ale House, she actually meant Tied House. Well, either way, Jenn and her finally joined us at the Mission Ale House. :-) However, we didn’t stay more than 45 minutes. For some reason, the drinks all tasted like cough syrup that night. Yuk. So, we met up with friends from the French Union (Miriam’s former co-workers from HP, who all happen to be French and who all live and hang out together, so we call them the French Union). It was at this place called The Vault. It’s a little posh, and a bit yuppie-ish. Those aren’t complaints, at least, not to me. But those are complaints to Jenn. We tried to go to this other place afterwards, but stopped off at this one Irish pub instead. We kinda got stuck there, just cracking each other up, laughing our heads off about whatever (Bee-nod). We even got a double laugh snort…one from Jenn that trigger one from Miriam. Bonus! LOL

At about 1:30am, Jenn and Miriam went to eat and meet up with some of Jenn’s friends, including Bee-nod. My g/f and I called it a night.

Long day ahead

Well, I got up early for work today, so I can get off early, so I can go sailing on my friend's sailboat in a "beer can race" up in Oakland (45 to 70 minute drive depending on traffic). Hopefully the race is short because I need to get back to San Jose to met up with my g/f to go to the Cheesecake Factory at 9:00pm. Then from there, we will head down to meet up with some friends in downtown San Jose at a club. ::takes a breath:: I hope I'm not getting too old to keep up this kind schedule. I couldn't make it last time I tried; almost, but not quite. To be continued... lol

I can feel the religious fueled oppression building

We are going down the path of religious fueled oppression in the U.S. Christian fundamentalist (neoconservative) have been positioning themselves in key positions all over government at all levels. They are intolerant to change (improvement) and lack the ability to accept others who do not share in their brand of religion. They purposefully (wrongfully) imagine that our country was founded on their ideas of religion. Our country was founded on Free Mason principles, not fundamentalism. From what I understand, Free Mason principles involve religious tolerance, with an understanding that no single believe system is the only way. This is where the 1st Amendment comes from in the first place.
Despite the religious backlash against the progress that our country has made in the past four decades, people are still removing themselves from the churches at an ever increasing pace. Two increasing minorities are forming: People who don't believe in religion but believe in God; and atheists. Sooner or later, people in these developing minorities are going to have to defend their rights as a group. As the neoconservatives continue to consolidate power, their methods, goals and actions will grow more oppressive, with more overt bigotry. This is the same path that the Nazi party followed as it slowly took over the Germany government under Hitler.
I'm confident that the U.S. population and political landscape are too diverse to allow this to go too far. But even what is happening now might be considered going to far. I know the acceptance of the bigotry I've seeing so far is damn annoying to me.

Barry Bonds flashes a smile

My dad and I had great seats only 4 rows up from the dugout.  He's the big Giants fan, so I treated him to Sat's game.  From our seats (before the game) I walked down to just get a shot of the players in the dugout, but the usher held me back. I was like, "ookay".  He finally let me go down, but told me,

"Be ready. Have your camera on; have your finger on the button to take the shot. Walk down, take the shot and come right back up." 

Again, I'm wondering what's the big deal, but I comply.  I walk down to find Barry Bonds chatting. OK, so that's the big deal!  Barry is right here!  Without hesitation, I snap this shot.  Just as I'm snapping the shot, I notice Barry glance very quickly at my camera, then look back at the person he was talking to.  Besides looking at my camera for that split second, he ignored me, but I thanked him anyhow.  I then got a picture of the dugout that I originally wanted.

I didn't know Barry Bonds actually smiled at the camera during his glance until I zoomed-in on the photo on my photo-printer's preview screen!  How the hell did he time the glance and smile so well?!  I didn't even know when I was going to snap the shot myself!  Wow.  So, now I have a picture of Barry Bonds smiling at me, and all I wanted was a picture of the dugout.  lol  Hey, Mr. Bonds, thanks again; my dad loves the photo! 

Giants Game; Bonds #701

I can tell my dad really liked seeing the Giants at SBC Park. This was his first time seeing his favorite team play in person...and his first time at SBC Park. We got to see Barry Bonds hit home run #701. To bad we didn't get to see the 700 (which happened last night). Oh well, it was a treat either way. The Giants did lose though. :( The Giants pitcher (Shmitz I think) started out strong, but faded in the 4 inning; first allowing a tie game, them giving up 4 more runs later.
We had great seats, 4 rows up from behind the Giants dugout near home plate. I would've liked being on the visitor site so I could heckle the Padres a bit more. ::evil grin:: I had a lot of fun at the game. I'm glad my dad did too.
After the long drive back to my parents' home from the game, I'm beat. I might visit my cuz and her family later. They live a few of blocks away (but not quite close enough to walk). But for now, I just wanna relax/recoop.

I tell her

I tell her. I tell her every day how I feel. I love her. She knows. I tell her all the time. As I write this, I give a thoughtful stare downward and away to the right. I stare at nothing. It’s just somewhere to look while I feel the depth of my love for her well within my soul. The lower-right corner of my black monitor that happens to stand where I gaze only comes into my thoughts because I now realize I am looking through it. It’s love that occupies my being.
I sigh, but find no relief. Love hurts. No, I was not wronged. Yes, she loves me greater. No, I’ve not wronged her. Love hurts when you feel it so completely. Affection of such nature cuts harshly through calm and agitated souls alike. When I inhale, I fully realize the scope of my adoration for her. When I exhale, the rushing egress of air re-enforces my breath's agony.
I feel her. She...

Be-goning for Weekend

Axxxxxxt,

I'm goin to head directly to my parents after work tonight. I remembered
our Tahao gift and the Sea World gift for my parents; and also the remote
and cables for the DVD play I gave my cuz. Amazing, huh? Hehe
I couldn't find my gym bags, so I'm using that little suitcase that you
like. :) Wanna run away with me?
I'm not planning to tailgate tomorrow's game, so I didn't bring a cooler.
We are in the luxury seating, so I figured if we go early, we can enjoy the
posh section of the stadium instead of hanging out in the parking lot.
I plan on returning Sunday morning. We can meet up as soon as I get back, if you like. I love you...missing you. ::muah::

Bigger Loves,
Pxxx Xxxxxxxt

___
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Bonds Bonds Bonds

I'm seriously hoping Bonds doesn't his #700 home run tonight. I taking my dad to tomorrow's game. It will be his first time at a Giants game (his favorite team); and his first time at SBC Park, so it would be the ultimate treat if this historic event happens in our that game instead of tonight! Damn it, Bonds, get your 700th this Saturday, you hear me! LOL

Bonds Bonds Bonds!

Everyday

I've been a little bit more relaxed since last weekend's trip. Of course, the problem now is, I'm thinking about where I wanna go next. :) Well, this weekend, I'm going to take my dad to Giants game. We are in the Field Club level. Damn near the best seats in the house. I was thinking I might be able to resell them for more than what I paid, since Bonds might hit ol' 700 HR there. I think he'll hit 700 before this Sat though. Besides, I got the tickets for the experience, not to make a profit.

San Diego Trip, Sunday, Day 3

The Sheraton hotel is very nice. The staff is very friendly, courteous and helpful. The only problem we had was that the entry/exit gates of the north parking lot (closest to our room) didn’t work all that well. On Sunday, we slept in, again. We checked-out around 9:30am or so and headed to Downtown for breakfast. We decided to try out this one place called Café 222 (pronounced two-twenty-two). After spending ½ an hour to find parking in Downtown, we finally ended up at the café. While we waited for a table, we checked out a nearby Farmers Market. Once we were seated at the restaurant, we enjoyed good and fast service with a great breakfast. I recommend this place. After breakfast, we walked down to the Downtown open air mall. We spent a little time there, then decided to head up to La Jolla (backup link). We didn’t have enough time to go snorkeling, nor did we have a hotel room to go back to for a shower afterwards, so we went there to scope out snorkeling locations for future reference. Once back in San Diego, we looked at some model homes for a new project. My g/f and I were both a bit surprised to find out that the builder was trying to sell million dollar homes. The floor layouts sucked, and the places just weren’t that big. How does anyone afford million dollar homes in San Diego? That kind of price is nuts for Silicon Valley (even though there are many million dollar homes here). Anyways, we ate a late lunch at In and Out. Then we returned the rental car and were off to the airport. Once back in San Jose, I got back to my place around 10pm and again fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. By the way, we got the car rental hella cheap on Orbitz.com. We got the flight and hotel room at a great price on Expedia.com. Travelocity, Expedia.com and Priceline.com all pretty much had the same offers listed. The only reason we chose Expedia is because I had an account with them.

San Diego, Saturday, Day 2

The Sheraton on Harbor Island Drive is in a very central location. Downtown San Diego, Sea World, Mission Bay, and the bridge to Coronado Island (backup link) are all less than 15 minutes away to drive. We never really had to rush to be anywhere. After sleeping in a little bit on Saturday, my g/f and I headed over to a nearby Denny’s. It was the best food we ate on the trip so far. Scary. The deli we patronized in Old Town on Friday was simply OK. It was priced too high for being just OK. Friday night, the food at the restaurant at Bahia Hotel was all over cooked. Fortunately, our culinary experience improved later. Sea World When we approached Sea World, it turned out to be a lot smaller than we imagined. When we entered the park grounds, we found that trying to get to the parking lot is like meandering down a class 1 river for 2 miles. It seemed like forever before we ended up at designated parking area. We arrived just before the first Shamu show started, so we headed right over to the stadium, which is near the gate. The Shamu show was the highest quality that I’ve ever seen for an animal show. The three older Killer Whales gave spirited performances. The stunts were plentiful and thrilling. Even “Baby Shamu” performed well. As a bonus, the Splash Zone is huge (the first 16 rows of the audience do get wet). My g/f and I both enjoyed this show a lot. I think she used up a whole roll of film just on the Killer Whales! :) The Dolphin show was also very engaging. Although the stunts aren’t the most impressive I’ve seen for a Dolphin show, the Sea World show was very seasoned. Sea World also has many walk through exhibits. You’ll see Manatees, Beluga Whales, a Polar Bear, many types of fish, Penguins, etc. Sea World displays each of the animals in simulated natural environments. This is prolly great for the animals. I know it is great for the guests because there is nothing quite like walking into the chilly Penguin habitat on a hot muggy day, such as that Saturday. If you come on a hot day, bring your swim trunks/bathing suit, sit in the Splash Zones and get on the wet rides. Sea World is a high quality, clean and well organized theme park that packs a big punch for its small size. Evening For the evening, we had a wonderful dining experience at the Indigo Grill (backup link) in the Little Italy (backup link) part of Downtown San Diego. For the first time, we had a great meal in San Diego. I recommend this establishment. After dinner, we wondered around the Gaslamp Quarter. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. Many of the shops are open very late. The Gaslamp Quarter is a large area; so expect to do a lot of walking if you want to see it all. At the end of the night, back in the hotel room, I think we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

San Diego Day 1

With such an early flight (7:15), I was worried about waking up early enough to make it. Well, my g/f and I did make it...pretty much had perfect timing. Once in San Diego, we got our rental car early, and got our room hella early, 10am. Normally check in is at 3pm. After buying some essentials, we heading down to Old Town for lunch and some exploring. We ate at the one place near old town. Lunch cost use $19 for two sandwiches and a couple of drinks. That would've been ok if the food hadn't sucked.
We then headed down to Coronado Beach. The ocean water is fairly warm. I swam in California waters for the first time in 20 years. It did take me a little while to get used to the water. We had a lot of fun there. We did have a plan to take an evening cruise on a Paddlewheel boat, but dinner took longer than expected, so we missed our chance for Friday. Maybe we will try again this afternoon, after Seaworld.
Back in the 90's, sometimes I visited San Diego a few times a year. It's nice to get back here. This is my g/f's first time. This will be our first time at Seaworld.
___
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San Diego Getaway

September 10, 2004 to September 12, 2004

With Alice Leung, visiting San Diego, CA, including SeaWorld and Gaslamp Quarter.  Original post/backup link.

Political Parties out of balance

The trouble with U.S. politics right now is that the parties are off balance. They are faltering.
The Republican Party was weakened in the early 1990s. This left a power vacuum that the Religious Conservatives (who are normally fundamentalists) and pseudo-Libertarians (gun nuts) filled in the mid-1990s. These groups don’t care about traditional positions of the Republican Party. They have used it to accomplish their own ends. Many of the actions taken by the Republican Party in recent years are in direct conflict with the party’s traditions. (Side note, anyone fundamentalist who believes that second coming of Christ is going to replace the U.S. government shouldn’t be in politics in the first place, since they may misinterpret the bible and decide now is a good time for Armageddon; not to mention other basic problems that I may get into at some other time. I mention this because of the harsh religious tone of the Republican Party right now.)
The Democratic Party was the status quo for much of the 20th Century. They seem lost now that the dynamics of the Republican Party has changed. They are now weakened, similar to the Republican Party of the early 1990’s. Except in the Democrat case, there doesn’t seem to be groups ready to fill their power void. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. One the one hand, their traditional positions are being held on to. On the other hand, without some sort of fresh blood take over, they will flounder for many years to come.
I hope the Democratic Party can get organized soon. I hope that the Republic Party moves away from realm of religious ideologies. I’m a centralist (not a moderate). I am happiest when the two parties are in balance. When there is a balance, the government is less likely to tell me or any citizen how to live our lives.

Labor Day Weekend

Sunday’s BBQ went well. My friends Miriam and her 4 year-old daughter, Dave and his girlfriend, my roommate, and my g/f all showed. I’m glad we all had a good and relaxing time. As a bonus, the park was less crowded than I had estimated. And of course, we ended up with too much food.
Side note, my big toe was still bothering me on Monday, so I didn’t get to go sailing on the Spitfire. Instead I spent Monday afternoon playing Civilization III.

Week Report and BBQ at the Park

I'm hosting a BBQ at a park around the block from my place, this Sunday. I will claim our spot pretty early, and expect my friends to show up around 1:00pm.

Tonight, I'm going to hang out with Miriam. Maybe watch a DVD.

Yesterday, I was really missing my g/f, so I called her up and asked her to come over. Maybe it's a booty call, but hey, she's entitled. lol I love that girl.

My friend Jane is feeling down and isn't eating that well right now. She gets like that from time to time, so I dragged her out to Jamba Juice Weds afternoon after work. For some odd reason, she doesn't count Jamba Juice as eating. Loop-holes are great! :) Anyways, after I made sure she drank her juice, I sent her on her way. Eat, Damnit!

Ronie is getting married. I got to hear all about it on the phone yesterday afternoon. Mind you, the wedding is in 2006 or something like that. :) Anyways, she's hoping to narrow down the guess list to 200 invites (like 500 people). Ouch. That reminds me, I gots to sent her updated contact info for Miriam. Laterz

Woohoo! 

Giants Tickets

I'm giving up a chance to get great seats to tomorrow night's Giants game because I've already planned to spend the evening hanging out with my friend. I'm taking my Dad to a Giants game in a couple of weeks, otherwise I might have taken the offer for the free tickets tomorrow.

Dinner with her folks

Had a pleasant dinner last evening with g/f's parents out the Outback for her mom's b/d.

Another Thursday night

Last Thursday was a lot of fun. I went out to downtown San Jose with Jenn and Reba. We had intended to go to The Gl?. However, we got distracted and ended up at Zoë. I was surprised how big Zoë is on the inside. I remember the old place at that location being about 1/3 of that size. It has three dance floors, and open patio and a sizeable lounge area. There was aso billards, but this isn’t the kind of place I’d come to play billards. Later, we ended up at the Agenda. We had a good time. (Just a note: the DJ sucked that night.) Later, Nick and his buddy showed up, plus some more of Jenn’s friends. Cuz of all the dancing, Jenn’s back was a bit sore at the end of the evening. Other than that, I believe we all had a great time.

Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State

Napoleon Dynamite is a good film. It’s actually funny. It has a lot of sight gags, developed jokes and deadpan humor. I’m not going into details because surprise is important to how much you enjoy the film. Also, the film’s quirky style is funny on its own. In many of the scenes, the characters would walk onto the scene and land right on their mark, then convincingly recite their lines, then walk off the scene. Funny stuff. This one will appear in my DVD collection.

Garden State is a depressed romantic comedy. It has some sight gags, developed jokes and deadpan humor. But the movie’s pace is slow, and is almost (but not quite) tedious. The joke payoffs weren’t enjoyable enough to justify the pace. Additionally, when the big horrific character reveal occurred, I found myself not really caring. However, the acting is good, but then again, how hard is it really to look constantly annoyed? Anyways, the movie could have been more enjoyable if it had a big punch. More detail about the father (and less emphasis on the best friend) would’ve helped. It was a mildly entertaining film. Not DVD collection worth.

AT&T Long Distance Fraud Policy of Shame

I do not have any long distance company on my home phone. I can get long distance coverage for free (in the months I don’t use it), but I do not want it. I came to this conclusion last year when I finally understood long distance carrier policies regarding fraud, such as the one from AT&T Long Distance. AT&T Long Distance holds the account holder responsible for fraudulent charges on their account. In other words, if someone steals your information and starts using your account from a remote location, AT&T expects YOU to pay the bill, regardless. So, to avoid this problem, I simply do not have long distance on my home phone. Guess what! I get FREE long distance from my Sprint PCS phone anyway. So, why take the risk?
Some telemarketers have suggested that I need a long distance carrier for emergencies. In the extremely odd event I can’t use my cell phone in an emergency, I can always just dial one of the 10-10 numbers (like 10-10-220 [collect] or 10-10-345 [direct]).
In the 21st century, landline long distance from the home is a completely unnecessary risk, especially with ridiculous fraud policies by the long distance carriers.

San Diego

My g/f and I were finally able to finalize plans for a mini-trip to San Diego next month. It will be great to get away with her, somewhere, anywhere. We get to spend quality time during each week, but it's just nice being able to get away on a trip. We will prolly hit up some points of interest. Sea World is on the list; Gaslamp district and Old Town too, for some chill times. yippie!
I miss San Diego. I used to end up there (one way or another) once every few months. I haven't been back in over 5 years.

Last Thursday

Last Thursday was a lot of fun. Miriam was her ol' self again, at least for one night. Miriam, a friend (I'll call Nick) and I met up with another friend (code name Enga). We started out by getting to Music In The Park (San Jose, CA) just in time to see Three Days Grace?s full set. They played the favorites, plus. It was a quick set though...ended after just 30 minutes. It was free, so no complaints. :)
We had dinner on the patio of a near by restaurant. We had a great time eating, dining and chatting. After dinner, we walked around to try to find a club or two. We couldn't find the one we were looking for, and our back-up choice had just closed down. :( As we are walking around the closed club, I hear music pumping from somewhere down the street. So, I start to follow it and we end up at this one ghetto place. It had just opened that week. Even though Enga, Nick and Miriam are all in flip-flops, they let us in (with $5.00 cover). It was pretty damn empty.
Didn?t matter to us. I was DD, so I was just drinking cokes. Everyone else was just drinking. We played some pool. We did some dancing. Nick and Enga did some makin? out. When the club closed, I drove Miriam to her place and dropped her off. Nick went home with Enga. ::wink wink:: ::nudge nudge::
Goodnight. :)

PLEEAASSE!

I guess it's a temp receptionist paging people right now here at work. She's all, "Joe Blow, PLLLLEEEAASSE call the operator. THANK YOU. Again, Joe Blow, pleease call the operator. Thank you." Twice now...two different people. lol PLLEEEAAASSE!

looking thangs over

The battery to my Treo 600 crapped out. It would be nice if PalmOne made the Treos with a detechable battery. It's such a great product in functionality, but it misses some of the phonelike details. My phone is still under warranty, so it's not going to cost me anything to get a replacement. Yah, me. But what happens next year if the next phone's battery goes bad? hmm
I still love my Treo 600. Just now, I'm going to love my new one. lol

Proof that Girls are Evil

The secret is out! LOL

Friend's broken back. :(

Jenn and I are pretty good friends. (Jenn is not her real name. With rare exception, I will not use real names for people I know. For example, I simply refer to my girlfriend as g/f.) Jenn and I were actually introduced through another friend. He has a company that does work for the company I work at, and also the company Jenn used to work at. One day, he suggested I meet up with her. I already have my g/f, so I made it clear to him that we’d meet to be friends only, and that’s just what we became. She’s a lot of fun to hang out with. Once in awhile, we go clubbin’. She works in downtown Palo Alto these days, so sometimes we just have lunch in some of its fine restaurants.
It sucks that she recently broke her back by falling onto a curb. She’s been a homebody since, with little exception. Hopefully she heals up quick. It’s been about two months already. She's back to work and all, and seems better, but still in pain. :( So, I’m sending her healing thoughts now. Today’s blog entry is dedicated to her. Best wishes, girl!

Where I live, who I know, where I work

I was using the Internet for meeting people and dating all the way back in 1998. Yeah, I did cybersex, phonesex, and real sex all based around the Internet. It’s ironic that I now shun using the Internet for that purpose now that it is very popular. Maybe that’s not so iconic. Maybe what’s more ironic is that the Internet in some way enabled just about every aspect of my life. I met my best friend Dave through I job that I got by posting my resume on the Internet. I met a close friend Ronie on the Internet. I met my best friend Miriam through Ronie. Most of the girls I’ve ever had slept with were from the Internet. All but one of my girlfriends has been from the Internet, and there is an Internet connection to that one other g/f too. My current job is from posting my resume on the Internet. The house where I live was found through a posting on the Internet. I thoroughly researched cars on the Internet before buying mine; the purchase itself was at a local dealership. Where I live, who I know, where I work…all from the Internet.

My Life - Part 3: Teething

As an infant, I realized that my father didn’t have a fingernail on his right index finger. I found this out because he would use that finger to feel around in my mouth in an attempt to discover if my teeth had started appearing. When I was older, he told me that his finger was lopped off in an accident when he was a kid. Even though the tip of his finger was reattached, the fingernail was lost. Of course, the missing fingernail gave his finger the appearance that the tip was never reattached.
So, my dad would stick that index finger in my mouth to feel for teeth. I really didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much I could do about it, being and infant and all. I still remember the rough and ridgy feeling of his short index finger rubber against my gums, tongue and the roof of my mouth. Yuk. So this one day, my parents were over me. My mother was telling my day, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stick your finger in his mouth. He’s gonna bite cha,” or something along those lines. Yes, even as an infant I understood the meaning of her words. He sticks his finger in my mouth. I waited for the right moment to finally use my new teeth. For a split-second, hesitated out of conscience. Suddenly I bit as hard as I could! He howled in pain and he yanked his finger away. I remember enjoying my deed, and actually feeling a little proud at my plot’s success. My mom was I-told-you-so’ing as he went to nurse his finger.

I, Robot

It's been a long time since I've read I, Robot. In fact, I was in school. The stories didn't much interest me. Although I admired Isaac Asimov (the writer) for is contributions to literature and science (fiction), I always felt his writing style was too dry.
It's been a couple days since I've seen the movie I, Robot. It uses the original book as a setting, but not as the source of the story. This movie is good, so I'm not sure what movie the critics had been watching. It's not great, for sure. It does have one big plot hole. The movie implies the events were happening everywhere, yet only shows the events as they unfold in Chicago. Beyond that one problem, the story was pretty clean, blending action well with plot, storytelling and character development. Basically, this is an action movie with some intelligence.
Recommended.

very Very brief complaint about comparing Superman to Spider-man movies

I'm not sure what lunatic can say the Superman movies a superior to the Spider-man movies.  The Superman movies were deliberately campy and one-dimensional.  Spider-man makes a determined and successful effort to develop characters with depth and complexity.  The two sets of movies are in different classes. 
If special effects of Superman were put on par to the 2000's, then a modern equivalent to Superman would be X-Men, as both have average special effects for their time, and both are plot driven stories of similar depth. 
IMO, the Spider-man movies are easily the best comic book movies ever made.  They have excellent production quality, good to great acting, awesome action, well developed characters (the ones we care about), etc.  It's a refreshing reminder that movies (even an action-flicks) shouldn't be non-stop action when handling characters that the audience cares about; and that a balance can be reached between plot and character development. 
Superman, X-Men, first couple Bat Man movies are a tier lower.  They are still great movies, but they do lack the story telling of the Spider-man series.  Just watch the first two Superman movies again.  Although they have similar plots to Spider-man, they are pretty flat when held up to the two Spider-man movies.

"Bring me back something French!"

What is the origin of the line "bring me back something french"?  The line was used in `Home Alone`.  I heard it in a British sitcom from the late 70's called `Are You Being Served`, and in a couple of films since.  I have the impression it is a reference to an older film or book, but don't know where to look.   This is one of those rare cases where the Internet doesn't help.  Anyone have any idea?

Reviewing the Movie Reviewers

One thang I’ve been noticing about movie reviewers in widely distributed periodicals is that they happily show-off what little they happen to know.  The most recent example of this is the review by J.M. in the Wall Street Journal.  He reviewed the Borne Supremacy.  He starts off with glowing statements about the movie.  Then he starts comparing it to the director’s previous movie, Bloody Sunday.  Bloody Sunday is a political film about how British Soldiers started shooting N. Irelanders.  So, J.M. compares a political docu-drama with a big budget action flick, simply because both are directed by the same person.  Huh?  So, I’m guessing that J.M. did see that little non-Hollywood film?  Or maybe he did just five minutes of research on the internet, found some reviews that said it was good and then decided to make his review another big-budget-soul-movies-have-no-soul article.  Is something wrong with a film just because it has a high budget and is from Hollywood?  Review the damn movie you are talking about, J.M.!  If you must compare, then pick movies from the same genre, and compare apples to apples. 

I can just imagine if J.M. was around when 2001: A Space Odyssey came out.  J.M. might say something like “Although this is a wonderful, technically accurate film, I find it is missing the creepiness Kubrick so cleverly weaved into the classic Lolita.  This is what happens when talent like Kubrick gets a big Hollywood budget.  I sure wish they made more movies about perverts instead of science fiction.  Kubrick has failed his fans.”  I just have one thang to say to you, J.M, “Get real.”

Here's the truck after it rolled off the overpass and into the freeway exit.   Maybe the fire burned through the brake lines, sending this huge truck rolling off the road and through the trees and brush.  My coworkers had just finished passing through this exit when the truck started falling behind them.
Copyright © 2004 Matthew Lorono 

Garbage Truck Ablaze on Caribbean Dr on the overpass over Freeway 237, Sunnyvale, CA
Copyright (c) 2004 Matthew Lorono

I'm Sailing, I'M SAAILLING

More sailing practice today...well, not really more cuz it's the first time the Spitfire crew has practiced this year.  It turned out to be pretty fun, without the pressure of the run.  Our first race of the Summer Series is this Friday.  I think we are ready!

Four Problems with California Politics

Item 1:  There are too many laws which mandate spending.  This creates two problems.  Well over 50% of the California budget is locked up by these laws that prevents the legislature and governor from putting money were it is needed on a yearly basis.  Second, they create government spending that cannot be eliminated.  We need to not pass any more mandated-spending bills, and scale back on such laws already on the books. 
Item 2:  We have this ridiculous requirement for a 2/3rds supermajority vote on the budget each year. This is a democracy, where the majority rules, but the rights of the minority are protected. How is a supermajority vote requirement for something as mundane as the yearly budget supposed to do either?   When used on something mundane as the yearly budget, supermajority actually allows a very small number of powerful legislature members to mandate their own personal desires onto the entire body.  Supermajorities should be reserved for when they are most useful, as in cases of political crisis (impeachment) or changing winds (changes to the constitution). To use them for anything else is antidemocratic! We need to get rid of the supermajority vote requirement for the state budget. 
Item 3:  Term limits in the state legislature is leaving our leadership in shambles. Any experienced members are lame ducks, and the rest are rookies. There's no accountability because no one is around long enough to care! Originally, term limits was supposed to help minorities and women get into government, but now it is having the opposite effect. We need to get rid of term limits. 
Item 4:  Single-minded religious centric people and cooperate egomaniacs have a stranglehold on the Republican Party in California.  This has hampered its ability to put up electable members to the legislature.  Coupled with term limits, this has created a scenario where the Democratic Party has an unnatural majority at the state level.  The Republican Party needs to put more socially and secularly minded conservatives or moderates up for election.  Again, term limits would also need to go.  These two actions would hopefully bring more balance back to the legislature.  

 If Californians took these bold steps to correct the problems mentioned here, I feel the state would have much few budge crises and we'd have more resources to tackle older problems that just keep getting worse, such as the detoriation of our public school system, fire departments, road system and other urban infrastructure.

Bumble Bees and Cows

If you glued a million bumble bees to a cow, you'd have a flying cow.

(a saying I came up with over ten years ago)

So, why do I recycle?

I'm confused as to why I recycle. As a Californian, I'm stuck paying a ridiculous 5 to 10 cent deposit for buying plastic bottles and aluminum cans. If you bring in your saved cans and bottles, you only get a percentage of that back. Additionally, each major city has set up a recycling collection program in which they expect you to hand over your recyclables to them. Instead of getting your CRV back, home owners actually have to pay for the service! What the hell? It's no wonder that recycling has dropped a bit in the past 5 years.
Ok, so I actually attempted to save my aluminum cans. I've been saving them for 3 years now. You might think, "Man, that's a lot of cans." Not really. I had only 4 kitchen garbage bags full. The first problem I encountered is that it is not easy to find recycling centers. Where the hell are they? I found one by accident last month, so today I brought my cans to it. The place was closed in the middle of the morning on a Monday. So I came back at lunch. Finally, I was able to offload these cans...for the tremendous sum of...16.54 (including a few plastic bottles). 3 years worth of saving netted me an amount that is substantially lower than my hourly income. Yeah, so tell me again why I'm supposed to recycle?

Paintballin'

Dave, his g/f Miriam (no relation to the other Miriam I talk about here), Nate and I paintballed today. Man...fun! Outdoor, of course. We went to Bearcreek (backup link) in the hills outside of the Los Gatos area. It's only a 30 minute drive from my place. We got there around 8am, but didn't get started til 9:30 cuz of sign-in and orientation. By the second game, I was hella tired, but I got past that and came back strong. This one game I ran up the hill up the middle. Some how I got to the enemy base, ran right around their main bunker and took four guys out before I was hit. At the end of the last game, after lunch, I moved to the center of the field and held my position for the whole 15 minute game. I ran out of ammo about 6 minutes into the game, but kept myself from getting hit. I had two snipers come up at different times to my position. I would stand over the barrier, yell, and fire blanks in order to draw fire, then duck. The sniper was able see who shoot at me and take them out. The second sniper eventually got hit and passed off the last of his ammo to me...which I promptly used up. Finally, an opponent got around our rear, taking out a nest of our guys. He was so focused, he didn't notice me running right up to his position. I took him out just before the whistle blow to end the game. I got 8 minor welts around my body. I'm sore. Damn I had fun.