June 29th 12:43PM
George Will can kiss my sack
George Will's article in the Washington Post had something I consider unusual for Mr. Will, who I usually admire. Biting commentary? No, not unusual for him. Use of twelve-dollar vocabulary when a buck-and-change will do? No, that's also classic Will.
It had a knee-jerk condemnation. Georgie's assertions are usually pretty well thought out, even if they do occasionally approach Michael Moore's deftness in misrepresenting the truth. So I was surprised to see Mr. Will's assertion that: 'Someone in the White House has naughtily said that Kerry "looks French." The scalding truth is that he wears Hermes neckties, which are French, and, worse still, he speaks French.'
Speaking French is "worse still?" Aw, George, how could you? I understand how the dismay of America's right wing is fueling derisive snorts at things French, but everything? Even the language itself? And the neckties? What did French neckties ever do to us?
It just seems so reflexive. I don't mind the blistering of a sacred cow now and then, but it loses so much power when the main thrust of it is so silly. I'm a little disappointed.
June 27th 8:15PM
Every now & then, she surprises me
Michelle took me by surprise this morning. With my recent and frequent Paris travel estimates, it occurred to her to ask thoughtfully just what it was about Paris that so enamored me. Fair question, but it did catch me off guard. My response, after a brief but reflective interim:
- The sense of history
- The architecture (and I'm not a big architecture buff)
- The advertisements (and more, and more)
- The statues
- The big-city atmosphere
- The crowds that had their own myriad lives swirling around us
- The stellar food
- The mass transit
- The sights
- The sense that current places connected in real ways to past events (similar to a sense of history, but not identical)
- The immenseness of the city.
- The impossibility of seeing it all, the sense that there's more left to see.
That's the short list.
Beyond that, there was the fact that Paris and France pour millions into tourism, and maintain their mystique through no accidental means. Oddly, I find myself wishing I had more photos of the subway (le metro). I am so glad I got to go. I never thought I'd have the chance. So cool.
Some culture
I got to introduce Mackenzie to some Queen on DVD, some of the most beautiful music I can find.
June 27th 8:45AM
Good weekend, not over yet
Me and the wife and Mackenzie went bowling and video gaming at Manteca's multi-million-dollar bowling complex on Friday night. After a management coup, the place is now regularly found deserted on Friday nights, due in large part I suspect to the fact that they aren't selling beer or booze since the shakeup.
It's eery to wander into this huge, colorful place and see about 7 people milling about the joint. My wife and I like it because we don't like crowds. They say around July 7th they'll open up the bar again, and the place may start jumping like it used to. Amazing what a difference alcohol makes.
My wife's got a shower this afternoon, and I've got a diversionary barbecue to attend. I'd like to get in some French studies and/or guitar-pluckin' today. We'll see...
Other local news
Manteca's never seemed big enough to have a noticeable homeless population. Well, it's starting to get noticeable. The local paper carries a news story now & then about the folks lingering on street corners with cardboard signs, and I've even noticed the beginnings of a little shanty-town starting to go up between Cottage Avenue and Highway 99, just north of the overpass. It looks like furniture and the occasional tent have been pitched under this one tree, surrounded by dried weeds and bramble. An odd sign of the times.
June 25th 12:49PM
Paris in the fall
I'm my own worst enemy. I just found out my wife & I could go to Paris in October for about $800.00 per person. Oh, the aching desire... Now, where did she leave that credit card?
June 24th 12:30PM
Working like a dog
This week has been a good one; I have been working closer to my potential, trying to just flat-out ignore the pinheads and negative circumstances that sap my energy, and just improve.
One thing I've done that I'm happy with is bringing in a new web design & hosting client for my company. I don't fancy myself a salesperson, but I was able to help them into a better site, a better host, and make my boss a few bucks in the process.
Compare their current site with the one I made 'em. Mine may not be art, but it's cleaner and more professional, and affordable. I rock. Their logo (upper-left corner), by the way, was an item they required.
The X-Men cometh
If you think comic books are total fantasy, you may be wrong. Due to a "genetic mutation," some toddler in Germany is all knobby with muscle, and is stronger than "many adults," according to this CNN story. The boy's condition is also said to contribute to research into muscular dystrophy and other muscle-related diseases and conditions. No word yet on whether he's been fitted for a cape or adamantium claws.
June 21st 12:49PM
Grrrrrrrrrrr...
Oh man, what a day. Horrible, hectic, frustrating morning at work. I don't know how I made it through without biting off someone's head and spitting it back out at them. May the afternoon improve.
Good weekend
We ended up having a few close family members over on Saturday for an improvised birthday party. All went well, we had just the right amount of food, lots of good company. I'm very happy with it. I scored a pile of wonderful gifts that didn't bust the bank too bad, and I am thrilled with my haul. Mostly books & DVD's, I am looking forward to much more reading. Now, I just have to find the time and solitude...
Sunday was Father's Day, and the morning was fantastic. I got great gifts from my little sweetie (and my big sweetie, I suspect). I got to read my book and I'm so glad my daughter could make the trip.
We went and visited my wife's pop in the hospital; he's looking better, feeling better, acting better. I am more encouraged all the time, he really seems to be bouncing back. What a relief!
The afternoon, however, was a bummer. We waited too late to eat, or something. We got home in the afternoon and scarfed down some lunch which hit my metabolism like a sledgehammer. I spent the remainder of the day lethargic, and couldn't summon the energy for the things I wanted to do. Bleah.
CNN, redeemed
As if my grumblings were heard by the web automation Gods, CNN's e-mail alerts began functioning again, after weeks of fidgeting, editing, deleting and re-creating them. The only thing I can think of that I did different was to click on a "Create Alert" button from inside and applicable story, rather than creating them from scratch via the Alert interface. Maybe that did it.
Oh well - now it works, and I ain't messin' with it.
June 19th 8:10AM
Random thoughts on a birthday morning
A rather bold title for a post in what is nothing but a collection of random thoughts...
It's a good thing that John Kerry couldn't get John McCain to jump ship and take the V.P. slot; I think that would have eroded Bush's following like strip mining in a sand castle.
Foxnews has updated their website to reflect a "screw you" attitude towards all dial up users, taking minutes upon minutes to load a few measly headlines and images. How sad. If it weren't for my inability to get CNN's e-mailed News Alerts (mentioned in yesterday's post), CNN would have decisively won the day. As it is, I am disappointed with both of them.
Speaking of news channels, I see that the Saudis have reportedly killed the bad guys that beheaded the American du jour. I have no problem with revenge here, but I can't help wondering a) How do we know they got the right guys? and b) why couldn't they pull this off about 14 hours earlier, and save one guy and his family a helluva lot of grief?
June 18th 7:49AM
CNN allows you to sign up and receive e-mail alerts on new stories of any topic (containing keywords you proscribe). I have signed up for these things before, and had them working fine. Loved it. I changed one keyword, and now they're all busted.
I had them going to my Netscape e-mail address, so I figured maybe Netscape's service was blocking, screening, or losing them in some fashion, so I signed up with a new e-mail address with a more reliable service. Still, nothing. Dang.
Much better. Not.
Yesterday's mood was tinged by the previous night's inadequate sleep. So, to remedy the situation, I went home and stayed up even later. Smart, huh? Then again, the time was well-spent, wink, wink.
I have an odd liking for the curmudgeonly feeling that creeps into my mood when I'm slightly sleep-deprived. Makes me feel edgy. I like edgy.
June 17th 12:49PM
I'll kill you if I have to
Ach, what a day! I must not have gotten enough sleep. I am cranky and ready for trouble. The sooner I get home, the better.
BNI adopted me as an official member. I learned the handshake (kidding), got some printed materials and a name badge, and am now tasked with a bunch of stuff to read, do and understand. John Lisle is our leaders' leader. He sets a great example by being prepared, attentive to detail and enthusiastic about getting us to do things right. How refreshing.
Chill, ease out, have fun
On the bright side, I got some excellent and helpful feedback regarding my lack of inspiration vis-a-vis birthday celebrations. Thanks, y'all!
June 16th 12:00PM
Message in a bottle
A kind soul responded to my blog on birthday shindigs below. My response was blog-worthy in my estimation, and so I present it to you now.
My
birthday is June 19th (same as Garfield the cartoon cat, if you're a trivia
super-freak).
My malaise around birthday time is entirely a problem caused by and experienced
inside my own head. I am a complicated bag of contradictions, and my inclinations
on birthdays is a particularly pointed example thereof. I want to make a
big deal about it, but I don't want anyone to go to any trouble. What a
jerk; I am destined to be unhappy with any result. There's just no pleasing
me. :)
My wife has put together some great bashes in the past, and is widely acknowledged
in my personal life as the single best gift-giver mankind has known in my
lifetime. She's not the weak link in this chain. She would rent out the
Taj Mahal if I wanted her to, with white tigers and ice sculptures and chainsaw
juggling.
Parties in the past have been too expensive and too much work, and just
not worth it. We've really put on the dog in the past, and it's just too
much. It makes me uncomfortable. I would like to do something, but I don't
know what it is. I'm picky. I never know what I want to do for a birthday
gig until the day after we've done it, and I tabulate what went right and
what went wrong. Even all this reflection seems like too much trouble. Jesus,
I'm cursed and insane.
I just want a few people to have a good time, drink to satiety, and be glad
I was borned. Finding and surrounding myself with the best circumstances
(cheapest, easiest on me and my wife) to foster and accommodate that event
is the puzzle. If could just finagle a trip to Paris... Then again, I might
never leave.
On with the "struggle." It's great to have problems like this
- I must be the luckiest bastard alive.
June 16th 7:49AM
Let the man speak
I may have mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. I try to pay attention to politics to fend off total ignorance, and I watch political speeches to see what the candidates say and don't say.
It is highly irritating that during speeches (George Bush's are a good example, but certainly not the only one), every time the speaker pauses for a breath, the crowd roars with applause as if we've just announced victory over world hunger and Al Qaeda, together. Usually, this is after a ho-hum point was made, or a cliché piece of rhetoric was dumped on the audience. Shut up already, you mindless rabble.
It doesn't improve the experience for the audience, that's for sure. Staged or undeserved applause, especially when people stand up or hoot like they're about to start the Wave, just slows down the whole process, making long speeches even longer. Sit down, stand up - it's like Catholic Mass, even before Bush got in the White House. Let's not pretend that these are riveting events that can afford to linger just to pace out the excitement.
Additionally, outbursts without merit don't do the speaker and his speech any favors either. A roomful of screeching masses, wailing at the first opportunity to voice their blanket approval only makes them look like sheep, implying that they'll follow any damn thing that is said; how strong does that make your argument, Mr. Speaker? Also, the overused punctuation of howling applause interrupts any momentum the speaker may have built up, damaging what might have been an effective flow. Timing is important in public speaking and presentations - stopping so that the back row can stomp their feet and "woo, yeah" their endorsement just starts to feel like commercial breaks after a while.
It's almost as bad as booing and heckling. At least that feedback is sincere.
Celebration Anxiety
My birthday is coming up. I oughtta do something to celebrate, but I don't know what. I'm sure not having a party. I think I'm just not good at it. At my last get-together, we all just kinda sat there and stared at each other. My guests were all great people, that's why I invited them. I can only conclude that I am a wet blanket.
We could go camping. I could take a few sturdy individuals out to the local tavern and see how much noise we can make. I could invite a few family members over for barbecue and beer (the idea being that my family members already know each other, thereby hurdling the unfamiliarity that may have contributed to the relative placidity of my grad party). Hmmm... That might be fun.
Any suggestions?
June 14th 7:49AM
The weekend did not rock.
Egads, what a weekend.
The drive to pick up my little squirt was long. She is still cute as a bug's ass, by the way.
Whoa, horsie
While lounging in Reno Friday night, we found out that my wife's Dad had had a terrible accident. He works with horses, and one went a little nuts and fell on him, crushing a lot of important organs and other things. The prognosis was pretty dire on Friday night.
Fortunately, on Saturday things were looking up. Although there were still a lot of grim things to get through, the phrase "they don't think he's going to make it" was no longer being tossed around. Whew.
We stopped to see him on our long and winding return trip, and I thought looked really good for having a monstrous Gypsy stallion in his lap. His color was good, he was alert and communicative. For all of the advance warning about his condition, I was very much encouraged by his appearance. He was uncomfortable, but he looked pretty strong.
He has some serious surgery to look forward to soon, but I am optimistic, and we're all rooting for him.
The Dew Drop Inn
Before we even returned home, our house was designated as Grandpa's Visitor and Well-wisher Headquarters, and we had relatives swooping in from far and wide to prepare for and recover from the visit to the hospital, and hour's drive from my place. Although unplanned visitors can be a difficulty, our guests were very considerate, and it was a pleasure having everybody there.
Kenzie and me
Everybody vacated the joint on Sunday, leaving me and my daughter to our own devices. We played about 12 minutes of tennis under the hot sun. We watched a movie. We swam and played pool games. She rocks, and I anticipate a terrific summer with her.
June 10th 7:49AM
BNI again
I will attend the BNI meeting again this morning. I am scheduled to become a real member next week.
My dad e-mailed me and urged me to be more enthusiastic about the opportunity involved. I think my level of enthusiasm is not negative, and is quite appropriate where it's at.
Thanks Denise & Joe
Joe and Denise thought enough to write me about my farewell to Mack. Nice of 'em.
This weekend will rock
I'm off work tomorrow to scoop up my daughter for a visit. We have planned to make a weekend of the long drive, and I look forward to the television-less time with my wife. We always have good conversations on long drives.
June 8th 7:49AM
Goodbye, Mack
Bad day at my house yesterday. I lost a loyal friend; he was my buddy. I loved him, and I will miss him.
June 5th 8:35AM
Fuck you, Danny Glover
Ronald Reagan passed away yesterday. Among an array of respectful memorials was Danny Glover's: "We all know Reagan's legacy, from the Iran-Contra affair to the funding of the Nicaraguan military in which over 200,000 people died. The groundwork for the move steadily to the right happened with the Reagan administration. People want to elevate him to some mythic level; they have their own reason for doing that."
What an asshole. I hope people have something more respectful to say about your tiny contributions when your time comes, you bitter jerk. It won't be me.
June 4th 8:35AM
Paris . . .
Look
at all those lucky, lucky people. Photo from abcparislive.com
webcam.
June 3rd 7:49PM
This is news?
Foxnews has an absolute crap piece of fluff from Janet Jackson. This is news? I'm no journalist, but even for entertainment, this is a gob of cotton candy. I quote: "Long before she exposed her right breast to the world during the Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson (search) says she had thoughts about sex." Well, Christ, I would hope so - she was what, 38 when she hung that withered old boob out for a millisecond? I would only hope she'd had thoughts about sex before this age. The story goes on to document that she has "alter egos" named Strawberry and Damita Jo. Man, rich people are weird.
June 2nd 4:50PM
BNI
Went to my second BNI meeting this morning, on behalf of my company. BNI is a group of professionals in a given area that meet once a week and commit to sharing leads - er, referrals amongst themselves. Everybody gets together, drinks coffee and schmoozes, trading business cards. It's like a nightclub, without the beer. I hate nightclubs.
Anyhow, my company thinks it's a good idea, and they may be right. I am doing my best to make it work, although I am reluctant because I am representing the networking facet of our company, and not my area of expertise. I have shared these concerns with my boss, and he has shared his response with me. And that's that. So onward I go.
If you ever need a realtor, a financial planner, a fitness trainer, skin care products, or metal work done, I have some business cards of folks who would be very happy to make your acquaintance. I am concerned about whether I will produce enough referrals to legitimize my existence at the meeting. Ah well...
French
I ran across this French tutorial website today, http://www.frenchtutorial.com - very good free introductory stuff, including audio files to help with pronunciation.
June 1st 12:49PM
New Month, New Blog Page
As my graduation ceremony fades into memory, I am reminded of the event by an e-mail that arrived today, from the photographers that covered it. They snap 3 photos at the event, and then post 'em to their website for your review and purchase. They've got some nifty plaques and packages.
Something I've been meaning to blog: at the ceremony, there's a bank of about 50 seats to the graduates' left containing faculty members (teachers). I thought back through the years of night school teachers and catalogued the champions of my education. Setting themselves apart were folks like Mr. David Preston (Computer Logic), Dr. Brent Helm (Natural Resources), and the ruthless-yet-charming Mrs. Perez (Unix). These folks were sharp enough to know their stuff, and cared enough to put forth real effort to see that the deadheads in front of them learned as much as they wanted. They ran all-you-can-eat buffets of knowledge. There wasn't an earnest question they would not answer. Their lectures were well-prepared and designed to stimulate, even when they centered on dull topics like the composition of soil, or if-then-else statements in computer programming.
I craned my neck throughout the ceremony so that I could catch their eyes and acknowledge their dedication. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize a single pencil neck in the small crowd. I think it has something to do with being a mainly-night school student - many of the teachers you deal with are part-timers as far as the college is concerned, and teach elsewhere during the day, or have "real" jobs in their chosen fields. Also, when it takes nine years to get a two year degree, it is more likely that your teachers, favorite or otherwise, have moved on to other things.
Some lady who stood, sat and marched next to me in the grad ceremony told me she is continuing on to become a teacher. I hope she becomes one of the teachers who bends necks at graduation ceremonies. They're the only kind worth having.