August 30th 3:09PM
Blog, must blog, hafta blog
I sat down at my computer to do some chores, print some things up for our trip, track my stats from my workouts (did I mention that I've started lifting weights again? Nothing too intensive, but it's something), etc. Took me all of four minutes to get blogging.
Today I:
- Played with Pistol
- Did some laundry
- Watered the back yard
- Watched The Lord of the Rings - what a great movie
- Studied some french
- Participated in a telephone poll
- Read some e-mail
- Thought about cleaning up this messy-ass house, decided against it
- Played with Pistol some more
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a website for his bid for governor, and has just updated it. You should check him out. I like him better than Cruz Bustabudgetay.
The phone poll (conducted by JMM (Jim Moore Method), whoever they are, couldn't find them in a hasty Google search) I took part in today smelled a lot like a PR deal for PG&E, as the poll-taker added some "information" to the questions before asking them, advising me among other things that PG&E resells natural gas without additional markup, and did I know that?
Our little Pistol has finally stopped squealing like an Andy Dick in the county lockup every time we put her in a kennel for safe keeping. Thank God.
August 30th 8:55AM
The teeth -
Went in for my wisdomtoothectomy yesterday, for which they needed to knock me out, for which they must tap a vein and insert an I.V. They couldn't find one suitable vein, so they sent me home! Damn! I was looking forward to having that over with. Even worse, I ended up going in to work, which turned out to be a good thing, as one of my coworkers, God bless him, called in with optical difficulties, which left the "crew" short-handed.
"Driving the issue"
Recently there has been much made of an employee's responsibility to "drive the issue," to keep an eye on tasks, to make sure that things get done, things that said employee may be only fractionally involved with. This is important in a team environment, even vital, but I feel that it has been raised to a level that begins to depart from reality, and places undue expectations upon the wrong people.
Here's something that needs said:
Let's call it what it is - reminding some other person to do the job that they should have remembered to do on their own in the first place. Rather than being a degree of helpfulness that ensures a happy clientele, this can and has become a cheap means of redirecting the responsibility (and later, blame) from its rightful owner to some other person, secondarily involved with the completion of the task.
Sure, it would be nice if everybody watched everything. I happen to have an affinity for this type of thing (tracking client-related issues to resolution), but it's certainly not a God-given talent. It is treated as such at work, as if no one else could perform the same maintenance - in this way, certain individuals can pretend that a slightly higher level of service is 'just beyond their ability.' Hogwash. Anybody can keep track of what's important, it's simply a matter of effort. Try. Write things down. Make a list. Check the list once a day - ask yourself: "Is this done?" That this is possible for all is evidenced by the fact that many at my workplace do track issues effectively to their closure. It is treated as some innate, voodoo skill so as to shrug off the responsibility and work involved. Frustrating and disappointing.
I feel that all employees must give attention to client concerns and ensure the best possible outcome, but the concept of teamwork and shared duties must be held to a practical standard, lest the division of responsibility becomes disproportionate, killing initiative.
She's a Pistol
Our new puppy, while loud and messy, is downright ferocious. This thing scraps fearlessly with her bigger kennel mates, and gives better than she gets, at a puny fraction of their size. Taking a worrisome degree of abuse, she's unrelenting - forward, always forward, snarling, snapping, baring tiny, sharp white teeth like a fuzzy buzzsaw. I keep finding her hanging from another dog's face or ears. For crying out loud, she's only as big as my hand! While fearless, she's not all aggression, and is a hoot to play with. Twitchy and jumpy in the best puppy tradition, she seems to run on solar power, and never tires. This is going to be a good dog.
J'ai rentré, mon ami.
After a very busy two weeks away from it, I am happy to say I'm back at it with my French. With a more hectic work and home life, the time has been hard to find. Learning to say and conjugate "drink" this week, which may be counted among the more vital of my french-speaking skills. "Je bois beaucoup de la bière." Ah, oui, bien sur!
August 29th 6:59AM
What a day, what a night, what a life, what a world.
I spent small but frequent periods of time yesterday having the equivalent
of a geek slugfest with my coworker. I really like the guy, but I really
don't like the way he's been acting lately, and it's been rubbing me the
wrong way. An issue cropped up where I think I'm right and he's wrong,
(anyone who knows me knows I'm like a dog with a bone, under this circumstance)
and so, we launched volleys of logic, e-mail debates, arguing who is right,
who is wrong, and why. Point, counterpoint, and so on. I am still awaiting
his reply to my latest rejoinder. He is a very technical
supergeek, and I mean that with due respect, but it doesn't necessarily
follow that he's always right. I think he's gotten too full of himself
lately, and that's unfortunate. Otherwise, he's a very humble guy, which
is one reason I respect him. He's losing that, and it's unfortunate. He's
a good guy, and it troubles me to disagree with him, but disagree I do.
Enough about that.
I came home tonight to my neighbor screaming at me about noise one of our dogs was making. Egads, she's a bitch. As far as I'm concerned, if she's mad at me, I know I'm doing something right. I am a reasonable man, even with people I despise; it's how my mother raised me - 'don't be a dick.' However, her over-the-top rudeness is going to buy her a good cussing out. I'm reaching the bounds of my self-restraint.
More and more people in my life want to fight with me. Hm. That should tell me something - but what?
Anyhoo - I'm off work today to get my teeth worked on. Yeesh, the things I'll do for a day off. I should be out cold in about an hour and ten minutes, getting some pesky wisdom teeth removed. I fully intend to enjoy that more than a day at work, the way things have been there lately.
August 27th 12:49PM
I went for a "consultation" yesterday, a brief visit to the guy who's going to crawl inside my face with a hammer and chisel, and forcibly extricate two problem molars. I think they're called molars.
Filling out the paperwork became so tedious after the fourth page or so, I decided to get cute. One question asked was "If you could change the way your teeth look, how would you?" I indicated a need for tusks, specifically for the purpose of frightening small children. I further indicated that if my insurance would cover it, I'd like to set up an appointment immediately.
Later, a somewhat redundant question asked what I don't like about how my teeth look. I noted that I think they make me look fat. I left these offbeat answers mainly to entertain myself, but I hope they alleviate some monotony of whatever data-entry zombie is unfortunate enough to have to enter my mundane records.
I'm thinking about going to the surgery appointment wearing an iron-on T-shirt that says "This still more fun than work." Ha.
August 27th 7:49AM
crap
Lots of stuff going on:
- A point of contention surfaced at work, bringing out the worst in everyone involved. This has been both amusing and annoying. It's getting tiresome.
- My wife's birthday is today. Got her some nice stuff.
- I have a date to have some back teeth chiseled out on Friday morning, and have been told to expect to be useless for at least two days.
- The puppy continues to crap as much as possible, in locations as wide and diverse as she can manage.
That's it. Must go for now.
August 23rd 2:39PM
ChoresStressBeerSleepDeath
Man, I need something - I just don't know what it is...
I just posted the low-resolution version of the video referenced in yesterday's blog. It is here. It is 1.77 Megs, and in .WMV format. I know I said "MPG" format yesterday. Sue me, I was mistaken. Off I go to update the "Professional" page that describes this ongoing effort. Already I can see areas that scream for improvement. Not even fancy improvements either, but stuff I could do better today, with my limited equipment and skills. Well, tough noogies, it's in the can. No turning back. Forever it shall remain an impetus to strive for perfection. For all time will it . . .
Geez, how melodramatic. That's really how my mind works, I make mountains out of molehills. I've gotta do something, all I can afford are molehills. :)
August 22nd 3:38PM
Pressure . . . Building . . .
Whew! It's been a helluva weekend so far. Let's see:
Went and got another dog last night, a beautiful brindle pit bull pup. My loving wife decided we needed another drooling animal, in apparent addition to me. She's a cute dog, but if we take on one more beast, we're either going to need an ark, or a divorce. This is getting to be too much.
Anyhow, this morning, my wife's recent lower back condition took a turn for the worse, so we headed to the emergency room for some medical care. A real nice doctor jammed his thumb between a couple of my wife's vertebrae, and had the nerve to ask my already suffering wife if it hurt when he pushed "...here!" Well, they've done that to me once or twice before - watching the doctor, you can see him push with enough effort to make a healthy person wince, much less a person desperately clinging to her stiff upper lip. I think *I* saw stars appear in front of my wife's eyes. So, yeah, dickhead, it does hurt when you do that, thanks. Does it hurt when I kick you ... here!?
Moving on . . . two different nurses gave her two shots for the pain and inflammation. One of the cross-eyed, overpaid candy-stripers neglected to bring a band-aid with her for the injection that involved a four-inch needle, so my wife got to bleed all over herself upon removal of said pig-shanker. Thanks Nurse Rustprick, and gosh, what a gentle touch you have, almost like an angel. Satan was an angel to start out with too, I hear.
All in all, the doctor actually was a pretty good sport, and the *other* nurse managed to remember the band-aid, and deliver the shot with enough expertise so as not to need one anyway, so the trip wasn't all that tortuous.
We came home, and my wife laid up on the couch to recuperate from the pain, the strain, and the medication, which left her nauseated but more comfortable. This left me in charge of Little Miss PoopsALot. She's cute, and she likes me, so she must be a good judge of character, but I had other things planned today.
At a time when my free time is in shorter supply and therefore more precious, I resent more and more encroachments into it. I know it sounds petty and selfish, but so what? Love me for the pig that I am. If I don't look out for my peace of mind, who else will? Nobody I know of, Jack. I know I've signed on for better or worse, and I'm down with that. I get a sense of pride when I help my wife, but we've had conversations about added responsibilities and the limited resources we can offer to them. When I have to keep someone else's promises, I start getting downright uncooperative.
Fear not - my wife gets excellent care, as does this rodent that I'm told will someday blossom into a dog, but it's frustrating to watch my most important asset, my ever-dwindling free time, erode unnecessarily.
Anyhow, my point being that I've been desperately gnashing my teeth all morning. I need a break so badly. The bitch-session is almost over, I promise.
Work has been more of a grind lately, to an uncharacteristic degree. When things flare up there, I look forward to and value more my off-hours. That's why I bemoan the swallowing up of hours that could've been spent more rewardingly. Sometimes, I *need* that time. Really, what else have we got, but our time?
In other, less whiny news:
I finally took the opportunity to work on my intermittent hobby, video editing. I finished one chapter of the "Manteca - Cheap Date" video I started many moons ago, and have exported it to video in a couple formats. I'll likely post the small, shitty one on the website, but the only one worth viewing is over 50 megabytes. So, if you really give a damn about an amateurish, minute-and-a-half presentation about my town's library, by all mean's, e-mail me, and I'll burn you a CD. You're better off previewing the crappy .mpg1 version first, though. The sound's real rough, and the resolution's no picnic, but you'll be able to see what you're getting into, even on a dialup. (note: sorry, but I am tired/busy/wasted to post the video right now. Please forgive me until I can find the time. This weekend, I ... promise?)
When I started this project, I didn't realize how much time would be involved with putting it together. Well, I found out; so I had to break it up into "chapters" - topical chunks that are relatively self-contained. I just finished the library portion. Maybe next I'll document some data about the bike path that Manteca put in a few years ago, and has since allowed to rot. I enjoy a jog down it now and then, but due to vandalism, neglect and possibly poor conception, it's looking pretty rough.
Anyhow! I am now relatively stress-free, thanks for asking. I've been helpful all day, cheerful some of the day, and am now just dicking off, typing up this blog, snapping pictures of the new, as-yet-unnamed princess de la maison. I feel a lot better, even compared to when I began this ridiculously long blog entry. My wife's feeling better, the pup's under control (and feisty as a Scot), and my saintly mother in law is over for a visit. The wave of stress has crested, and I have a date with a beer.
...
Well, hello there, darling, don't I know you? <glug, glug> Ah, you always go down easy. God bless ya.
August 20th 12:49PM
I brought into my workplace a framed picture of Angus young, (my lovin' wife bought it for me, she's the greatest) and placed it prominently at my desk, to remind me to try to do my best. Angus is a guitar player who performs with excellence and talent. He didn't get as good as he is without a commitment to a high standard and a dogged determination to achieve it.
I'll be taking the picture home today, an acknowledgement that I am not able to overcome the pervasive mediocrity in my workplace. It's an admission that I cannot consistently perform with excellence when some or most or one around me consistently perform without it. I yield to the idea that I am a creature of my environment, and I am not strong or smart enough to lift up those around me. Instead, I will be dragged down, to do my job at a level of "pretty good" that is still comparatively favorable to some I work with.
Certainly, there are good people I work with, but I fear they suffer from the lack of inspiration and incentive I feel. Worse, without coordination and discipline, their best efforts are unlikely to amount to much on their own, either. So, its a degree of operational surrender.
Surprisingly, I don't feel too badly about it. I certainly regret the loss of potential that a lowered standard costs, and the achievements that I and those around me will not know due to our ever-middling aims. However, I feel good about the effort I have put out, and that I tried at all. It's more than some do. God, what a pathetic method of measurement. Talk about damning by faint praise.
But the alternative is untenable. When I push myself to do more, I tend to expect that of others too; it's just how I am. So I get to being a pushy dick, which doesn't buy me any points with my coworkers, I can assure you of that. Also, as much as I'm willing to expend extra effort, I'm not willing to pull the entire load myself, certainly not for very long. I expect increased efforts to be joined, as well as rewarded. When that doesn't happen, it's only reasonable that it won't continue. It's like hooking a healthy ox up to an overloaded cart, punching a hole in the tire, and having your bloated oaf of a church buddy sprawl lazily on top of the thing, and throw apple cores and beer cans at the beast until he finally blows a heart valve.
Not this ox, fuck that.
So, sorry 'bout that, Angus. Guess you'll have to grace the shelf at home, where extra work is appreciated, rewarded, and joined. What a shame. Doing a good job and working hard can be a real pleasure, but only when conditions are right.
August 19th 12:49PM
I am inspired by the blog pages I read, including:
Anthony Kielski's Paris Journal
There's even ilovemanteca.com, which claims to be a website with information about Manteca. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be completely functional. The site invites users to upload photos from around town. I sent in some pix I had left over from my stagnant "Manteca - Cheap Date" video project. These photos were never posted. How unfulfilling.
I am thinking about making a website that involves and serves Manteca and Mantecans. I know I don't have time to begin such an undertaking, but it's fun to imagine what a site would look like and do and how it would do it. Maybe someday I'll make the time. It would be fun.
August 18th 7:50PM
Better day today
Talked to my daughter yesterday, first time in too long. She's really great, better a kid than I deserve. She likes dogs and snakes. She's too cool. I owe her a letter, big time. Had a nice little spat with her mother too, told her where it was at. Fuck her, I ain't married to that woman no more. Pth.
My lovin' wife made me a rockin' dinner tonight, fried catfish, corn onna cob, pasta salad. That's what I'll be eatin' in Heaven. Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm goin'. I don't know about you, but I'm goin'.
In other news...
I have interests that orbit my brain like satellites. Every now and then, I pluck one down and focus on it for a while. I can't stick with one for too long, I'm not wired that way. I've learned to pick a gang of 'em, and try to switch between a rotating lineup of subjects. Among them:
- French
- Guitar
- Gasoline Engines (haven't cracked into this one yet, but I mean to)
- Web Development (see Professional)
And that's about it.
August 17th 3:40PM
Man, not an altogether wonderful weekend.
First off, let's get some prefacing done right off the top, to put things into the right perspective:
What I would call a so-so weekend (like this weekend) would be a boundless miracle for too many people on this planet. I am well-fed, comfortable, spoiled, even for an American, healthy, mobile, sighted, intelligent, white, got a great car, comfy job, more possessions than I have a right to, more opportunity than I realize, and a wife who loves me, and is sweet enough to know how to show it. I am fortunate. With that out of the way...
This weekend was not great. A great weekend, I am learning, is a mixture of things. Some work, some leisure. Some longing, some payoff. Plans/fruition. Commotion/peace. Just as a hectic, workaday weekend is no picnic, a completely lax, hedonistic weekend is unfulfilling also. This particular weekend pushed the longing too far out - the payoff was too long in coming and its arrival was not under my control. By Sunday afternoon, I find myself bitter about the time spent, because I gave away too much personal time, leaving not enough for myself, which I need for my mental peace, be it selfish or not.
Blog Insta-critique: The preceding blather was self-absorbed to the point that it made no sense. As such, it was completely boring, and I'm sorry. The reasons for that are: that I don't want to complain too specifically about the things that absorbed my time, and that I just needed to get it off my chest. Thanks for your patience.
Ah, that's better. Onward.
My wife's childhood buddy had a kid (early) this morning. After like three days of labor of varying degrees of intensity, they went in and got it C-section. This, after days of contractions, sleepless nights, uncertainty, an the clumsy, anguishing administration of an epidural anesthetic. After all that, 'knock her out, we're goin' in.' Oh well, nobody's perfect. Shayden Turner is well on his way to being a taxpayer, God bless his little Social Security Number.
I have been working like a Japanese beaver this weekend, when not at the hospital lingering supportively. I am finally taking it easy, blogging, and absorbing beer. Finally got around to listening to a new Queen CD I bought last week. Yeesh. Not terribly impressed. See, I've got this Queen concert DVD, I'm sure I've mentioned it. I've also the Queen Greatest Hits CD, Volumes I & II. Some of the best music I've ever heard on both of these discs. The thing is, the concert CD is of such high quality, I am inspired to go out and get hold of the CD it was originally released on. This CD's claim to fame was "Dragon Attack." It absolutely f'ing ROCKS ont the DVD, but on the CD, it is only a shadow of the concert version, which almost stupefies me. You would think it would be the other way around. If so, you'd be wrong, just like me. I had the same trouble with "Love of My Life." How unfortunate. Ah well, I am lucky to have the DVD. Off I go now, to watch said DVD. I am a fortunate little man.
August 14th 6:40PM
"Blog nothing, or blog everything?"
Again, the question confronts me. What is significant to blog? Do you care that I went and got my teeth cleaned today? Part of my problem is that I've seen people log personal items and make them funny as hell. I've seen the most mundane personal event teased and inflated to be some of the funniest shit I've ever read, so there - I know it can be done. Is it possible to make interesting and humorous that this is my second dental cleaning in as many weeks? That I've taken such horrible care of my grill that they had to take two whacks at it to finish the job has potential for comedy, I can smell it (it smells like beer). But can I work it into something worth reading? Do I have the time? The ability? I just got done working all day, why do I torture myself with dumb shit like this?
The alternative is to shut the fuck up, stop writing, and not have an outlet. Don't risk being boring.
Screw that.
I guess the challenge (I hate when people substitute that word for "problem," but here it's the more correct term) is to keep my wit sharp enough to entertain at least myself with this thing. The other function of this thing is to be a journal of events, a reminder that one point, I felt a certain way, or did things differently. That part may be dry as toast, but it's not meant for anyone but me anyway. I only keep it here because it's convenient.
Anyhow, If you've been here more than once, I must be doing something right. I hope I don't bore you. God I'm self-conscious. I'm also a good speller. I may also be a little insane. Just a bit. I think I like it that way.
August 13th 8:00AM
Must . . . blog . . .
Yeesh, three days since my last entry. I feel as though I have absolutely nothing relevant to share. That can't be true. So . . . what?
My current leisure reading consists of four items:
"Is Paris Burning?" - a book about the liberation of Paris in 1944. I'm about 90% through with that one, and already planning on rereading it. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
"Contacts" by Valette & Valette - This is a French language textbook. I just happen to remember the authors on this one. The one I'm reading is the fourth edition, they're up to at least seven now. Lucky for me, not too much has changed in French language in the years since this was put out. I enjoy every new thing I learn from this book, and always look forward to cracking it open again.
"History of Art" - Picked this up last week, as I blogged recently. Although I'm enjoying reading it, it is a fairly huge book (although not the largest book entitled "History of Art" I could have chosen at the bookstore), and I am tempted to start skipping around. I am also tempted to bemoan the glacial pace at which I am making progress, but now that I think about it, I realize that I've covered millions of years of art history in about a week, so I'll stop before I start. Anyway, good book, learning much.
"Newsweek" - Each week they send me a new one of these. I was actually fooled into thinking I'd learn something useful about the California recall a few weeks ago, but I didn't really get much out of it. Oh well, sometimes it's worthwhile.
August 10th 8:00AM
Big day yesterday.
Spent the morning cleaning the place up with my wife. I must say we did a fantastic job. I must also say the house needed it.
Spent the late morning to early afternoon helping Renny the satellite install guy hook up our satellite dish equipment. Wow. If I was running a satellite install crew, I'd want Renny on my team. Slim, tattooed and busy, that's Renny. He certainly appears to get paid by the job, not by the hour. From the moment he walked in, to the moment he left, Renny was on it. Zip, zip, zoom, zoom. He seemed to like our dogs, and was an agreeable, if intensely focused, fellow. This made it easier to forgive his inadvertent attempt to club me with my own telescoping ladder. Luckily, I saw the allegedly accidental assault unfold and was able to prevent damage to my skull or my bedroom window from the flailing aluminum ladder that ol' Ren had momentarily lost control of. Luckily no harm was done, except that Ren, in his vain efforts to regain control of the wayward hardware, stumbled and staggered across our satellite dishes. They must build 'em tough, as they were a bit scratched but not dented, and the signal is nice & strong. We now have enough channels to pacify almost any goggle-eyed, insomniac vid-head, and pay a monthly fee that could support a West African village. I would complain more bitterly about the fee, as it does turn me a paler shade to think how much we pay for this entertainment, but I confess I bumped the cost by enlisting the French channel for an extra ten bucks per month. That West African family could've had two extra goats.
Spent the afternoon guzzling a fine American beer and eating Red Lobster out of house and home. My in-laws, none of whom are terribly waifish, swept into the 'Lobster joint like locusts, and absorbed a sobering amount of food, and an intoxicating amount of refreshments. We took their bet (also known as "All You Can Eat Snow Crab" meal) and I think they know who came out on top of that wager. On each trip, our waiter/manager's chipper smile dissolved a little farther from his face as he cautiously approached the table, optimistically checking to see if we'd had enough. "Crack-slurp-chomp-gulp-MORE-crack-slurp-chomp-gulp" was the reply. Giant octopi don't eat that much crab.
Spent the evening studying a little of the français and snuggling with my little wifey. In't she cute? We watched Sling Blade together, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the potted meat jokes, was touched by the minimal but comparatively emotional display of affection by the Billy Bob Thornton character, and I was both thrilled and surprised by the casualness with which the bad guy was dispatched in the end, and the phone call afterward.
Just about a perfect day. Some work, some play, some learning, some indulgence. Some entertainment, lots of love. If it could have been better, I don't know how.
August 7th 7:49AM
The Good
I picked up a "History of Art" book last night, to beef up my appreciation of what I'll be appreciating here in a few short months. Got it at the used bookstore downtown, which just expanded into the space next to it in the duplex/micromall they occupy. I'd link to them, but they don't have a website, unfortunately. That place is a great resource, especially when you consider that Manteca doesn't have it's own bookstore since the "Readmore" bookstore closed, oh, a decade or so ago?
The Bad
I've been running for over a year now, and I'm still fat as a hog. Lately I've been more careful about what I eat and drink, although my diet is still not austere by any means. I've also begun to include pushups and situps into may daily routine, so here's hopin'. According to our cheap-ass scale at home, I dropped 10 or 15 pounds early on, but haven't had any more progress since. Maybe this increase in commitment will yield visible, significant results.
The Ugly
Up til now I've been fairly proud of what I've blogged for the past few months. Allow me now to digress into something I can wholeheartedly regret. Pardon my vulgarity:
I hate taking a sticky, gooey dump. Usually, I am fortunate enough to enjoy regular, fairly unobtrusive movements that clean up reasonably conveniently. I'm not a hygiene freak, but lately, I've had episodes where cleaning up was like wiping peanut butter off of tree bark, just awful. I just hate that.
Thanks for listening.
August 5th 12:49PM
Tom Bickle, World Traveler, International Man of Mystery
Got our passports back last week, pretty sweet. I admit I was more than a little concerned that the only the that could possibly booty-hump our expensive and much anticipated trip was the application for and receipt of our passports. If anything could happen along to derail our plan, this product of governmental administration was a prime candidate. As I hoped, the things came back in the mail quickly and without problem. Hey, here's to bureaucracy! >clink!<
August 4th 12:49PM
Gray Davis is a weaselly little shit
California's governor is working hard to grease the eel and protect his coveted position of power and influence, voters and shame be damned. He wants to push back the date for the recall that looms low and near for him, as well as change the rules that are outlined in the state's election laws, adding himself as a replacement candidate. How craven and rodent-like can you get? For crying out loud, if the people of the state vote you out in one motion, how do you expect them to vote you back in as your own replacement candidate in the same step?? It's a slap in the face, and an insult to voters' intelligence. In retrospect, so was reelecting Gray Davis.
I am impressed Gray, nice going. You sank even farther than I thought you would, and you're just getting started. I can't wait to see what the reelection campaign brings.
August 3rd 4:25PM
Beware: Drunken Blogger
Wow. Pretty buzzed, right about now. I'm having a great time. I watched Fox News Sunday, got entirely too much commentary on gay marriage (Jesus, they dedicated like 80% of the show to that subject). Often is the occasion that I yearn for more prolonged and intensive discourse on a variety of subjects - unfortunately,this subject not really interest me.
I'm blasting some music, Queen, Metallica & John Mellencamp. If that seems an eclectic mix, well, what can I tell you? I yam what I yam.
I just got done previewing the beloved, DVD version of Queen's "Love of My Life" for my wife. How unimpressed she was. I played and watched the performance of this simple song for her, and tried to watch it through uninitiated eyes, as she did. From that perspective, I saw that its tempo was a little too rushed for the personal impact with which I have come to associate this song. I also saw it as brief, very short.
Her reaction was negligible. She watched it, and ... that was it. Her next oration was to ask if I'd help her preparing dinner. She humored me, and when it was over, there was nothing left, not even the humoring. It simply didn't strike her with the impact with which it had stricken me. Let me say that I don't blame her a bit, so you don't get the wrong idea. Certainly, there are musical arrangements she holds dear that I couldn't give a fig about. To each her own.
Ah, but for me, this song is inspirational. The lyrics, the guitar accompaniment, the pained, bleeding vocals . . . the YEARNING! If my wife or any other doesn't internalize its value, well, that's just how it's got to be, and it's okay with me. Some things have got to be personal and individual.
I must go now, and help my wife prepare our dinner. Thanks for reading this.
August 3rd 2:05PM
I recently bought an old Queen CD, "A Night at the Opera." I bought it for one reason, because I absolutely LOVED the song "Love of My Life," from their concert DVD, "Queen - We Will Rock You." I have been both gratified and disappointed in the CD I received.
Gratified, because there are some wonderful songs on the thing, including: "'39," a folk-song that tells a story about love, family, long journeys, and other stuff of epic tales. I get the feeling that it's based on a real event, but I'm not familiar with it. I also get the feeling that I'd appreciate it that much more if I knew what the song was about. Maybe someday, I'll take the time to investigate.
Disappointed, because as beautiful as "Love of My Life" is on the DVD, I found it to be less so on the CD, which is odd. In concert, certain sacrifices (I imagine) have to be made in recreating studio-mixed tunes, due to technical lackings, physical fatigue and the limitation of a live performance. In the studio, you get all the musicians, instruments, technical wizardry and retakes as you like, to get it just right. That's why I was surprised to find the DVD version of this song to be vastly superior to its CD counterpart. The DVD version involved two guys (May and Mercury) on acoustic guitar and vocals. That's it. Maybe that's why it worked so much better for me. No clutter, no frills - just two guys, the purity of Freddie's voice, Brian's fingers, and the longing for an absent loved one. It inspires me every time I hear it. Incredibly poignant. You should buy this DVD, if nothing else, for this one, brief, beautiful song.
Plus, their other jams are on there, and they just rock.
Went and saw my brother in law today. I like him, he's cool.
Go
see Pat's Blog, er, I mean LOG.
Say what you want about it, but it's likely to be real. Pat inspires me,
that's all I can say.
I watched Ashcroft and Khadaffi today on "ABC News's This Week w/ George Stephanopoulos." Due to a time conflict, I regularly choose to watch that, and catch "Fox News Sunday." later. Which is now. So, I go. Toodle-oo.
August 2nd 10:30AM
A new day, a new month, a new blog page.
An omen?
What a day for auspicious beginnings. I got up at 4:38AM this morning. I enjoyed my last sunrise so much, that I thought I'd shamble out to the curb and catch a repeat performance. For all the splendor and grandeur of the last one, this one was much less awesome. Clouds rolling heavily and widely around to the east thoroughly muffled my sunrise.
What's more, most of my neighbors are so security-conscious that they've installed flood lights on the fronts of their houses, effectively banishing the dark of night, and the contrast and glory of the morning illuminations with it. I can't blame them for their concern - there are far too many people in this city and this world who deserve to be thrown into a sack and then into a river, cold and deep. I guess it's too much to ask, to live your life, harm nobody, and rest easy without harassment or the fear thereof.
Still, all in all, it's a pretty good life around here. I'm gonna go have some coffee, and God willing, study some French.