October 30, 2003
upside down flag
Here's a story about a silly controversy I hadn't heard about until today. Appearently 2 kids wore upside down American flags above their shirt pockets on Veteran's Day 2000, and the school freaked out.
Weird, man. Weird.
happy thursday
Good day and happy Thursday. I awoke this morning to a quick rainstorm, which is undoubtedly helping fire fighting efforts. It hasn't been nearly as smokey the past few days here, and the campfire smell has disappeared. I'm sure it's still around closer to the fires, however. Hopefully they'll all be out soon.
Today's my last day of work for the week - Tomorrow I'm heading to Vegas. I still have a lot to do around the house before leaving, but we can be relaxed on our way up - The wedding's not until Saturday. We're still looking for something fun to do on Halloween night in Vegas - any suggestions are welcome.
I'll have the computer with me, but probably won't be online except to download email, so that's the best way to get ahold of me, other than cell. May your weekend be as great as I hope mine is.
October 28, 2003
According to CNN:
1. A fast-moving storm of superheated gas is aimed directly toward Earth.
2. It's headed straight for us like a freight train.
Raping and pillaging should be completed before noon tomorrow.
October 27, 2003
Well, terrorists blew up the red cross. It goes without saying that this would never have happened if George W. Bush - who looks like a monkey by the way - didn't steal the election from Al Gore. Let's not forget Dick Cheney's company ImClone is lining the pockets of rich stockholders with the blood from these innocent people!
halloween party ruled
Good day and Happy Monday to you and yours.
Had an awesome Halloween party this weekend - 30 or so guests, some great costumes, and just the right amount of alcoholic celebration. This party (and last years) both attracted people from various groups that don't typically mingle, like some old friends with friends of friends with my brother and his friends with the neighbors I met for the first time this weekend. The only note I have for myself is to buy 10 pounds, not 40, of dry ice next year...so much just went to waste (this is better, however, than the 70 pounds we had last year).
In fire news, it's still smokey outside. the constant rain of ash has slowed, though, and it's more like a constant beach bonfire type of smell/feel. Thanks to people who called concerned; we're just fine where we are (we're not in any hills), though I do have friends and family with beautiful hillside homes. Hopefully all the steps have been taken around there to keep any potential danger down.
I travel to Las Vegas this weekend to perform the marriage of my good friend Jenniffer and her fiance Chris. I'm also going there for the first time in a year, and for the first time with my girlfriend. I'm a little nervous about performing such an important ceremony, but realize also that people will be focused on the bride and groom, not me. Should be awesome, regardless.
How was your weekend? Who are you? Are you a regular reader, a first timer, someone who posts a lot, or someone who reads but never says hello? I get many hundred of hits a day, I'd like to know who's hitting. Leave a note!
Amy Sundberg
My good friend Amy Sundberg let me know about her new website featuring her music studio and piano and voice lessons. If you're in the greater Mountain View/Sunnyvale area, and are looking for this type of training from an amazing musician, check her out.
October 25, 2003
weird outside
What a strange evening outside. It's probably the foggiest I've seen it in a year, the fog rolling in slowly and really socking us in around 10 this evening - it honestly looks like a Brassai photograph outside. The weirdest part is, however, that it's supposed to be 99 degrees outside tomorrow with Santa Ana winds, which are known for being hot and dry. While it's not unusual to have either condition in Southern California in October, it's very unusual to have them within 12 hours of eachother.
I'd prefer fog to winds tomorrow night; cool and foggy fits Halloween better to me than warm and windy. A good time should be had by all tomorrow regardless, we'll have about 25 people in my moderately sized apartment, some new faces, drinking and merriment.
For now, however, it's cool, and quiet, and peaceful. The fog muffles the traffic, everyone around is asleep, and there's just not much happening outside. What a change 24 hours will make.
October 24, 2003
Duck and cover!
According to CNN, a "big solar blast" will be attacking the earth today. Unless you're doing something more important like picking at your toenails, I recommend you read this front page story immediately!
happy friday
Good day and happy Friday to you. I work up this morning to a disturbing orange sky, caused by local wildfires to the east. It's pretty normal-colored now, though very hazy. I also had ash raining down on me as I came to work, I'd assume from the same fire. All this 10 years (almost to the day) after the Laguna fires here, which ate up 388 homes. Fire is pretty, but sucks to have eat your house.
Tomorrow's the big Halloween Mikestravagana - lots of prep work, set up, and construction to do tonight. There's still room, though we're expecting a pretty fully house. If you'd like to come, and I know you, let me know.
Have a great day, a great weekend, and watch out for sunspots!
October 21, 2003
Schwarzenegger a groping, wasteful jerk.
I found an enlightening article on Arnold Schwarzenegger from a Cigar Aficionado interview done in 1996. Some of the highlights:
Speaking of the 1996 presidental race, and Republican stratagy: "I don't like all this flag-waving and rhetoric".
On his Kennedy family connections: "I'm very fortunate to have parent in-laws that are so bright. That's the advantage of being liberal." Being open-minded--especially to new or contrary ideas--is "the definition of being liberal," he says, and "you can really see how open-minded they are."
On movie violence: "Violence is a social problem in this country, created by the very politicians that now complain that movie violence is causing it."
On what he likes while flirting: "a little patting on the ass...It's like I always told you: He who hesitates...masturbates."
Interesting stuff on the man, my governor.
October 20, 2003
who hates gays? Bush
Wow, who hates gay people but won't come out and say it? I vote for Bush. He declaired last week "Marriage Protection Week", calling for the people of the United States to observe the week with "appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies" to preserve "the sanctity of marriage" and "strong and healthy marriages in America".
That's fine and good. Many people have a healthy respect for marriage. But Bush's other comments just reek of homophobia. He says "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman", then goes on list marriage's other qualities:
"Marriage is a sacred institution": Actually, it's both religious and civil, and as President of the United States, Bush's only concern should be the civil aspects. By highlighting the sacredness, he's highlighting some religion's versions of marriage (those that jive with the current civil characteristics) from others (the various religious groups, like some Mormons, that have illegal marriage practices).
"Its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society": While this may sound fine on it's own (if unfounded), when combined with "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman", it implies that marriage needs protection from someone, and that someone is gays looking for equal rights to marriage.
"By supporting responsible child-rearing and strong families...": Here, discussing his "healthy marriage initiative", Bush implies again that non-married (and therefore, non-straight) couples are not being responsible regarding child-rearing, and that they aren't strong families.
"We must support the institution of marriage and help parents build stronger families": This again implies, with the theme of marriage being between a man and a woman, that the only action important to the Bush administration is making married families better, and that gay families either aren't strong or don't also need help.
In all of his discussion, Bush does not go on to explain why the institution must be supported or protected, as if some sort of outside threat will break it down somehow. He begins his speech with discussion marginalizing non-straight relationships, then goes on to highlight why marriage, which is the default adult relationship in our society, needs our help. It's time to get government out of the relationship business all together, and not pretend that we're all equal when the government clearly highlights some types of relationships over others.
happy monday the 20th
Good day and happy Monday. The updates haven't been as regular lately, but I've been trying to keep the daily links (to the right) updated, and been doing some AtheistWeb stuff too. Speaking of that, I'll be at the Atheist Meetup tomorrow in Orange. If you're similarly inclined, I'll see you there.
I got offcial permission last week from Clark County, NV to legally perform a wedding there - who would have thought that Las Vegas has some of the strictest rules in the country about performing weddings. But I jumped the hoops, and will be performing my friend Jen's wedding on November 1. Can't wait.
I'll be in Vegas on Halloween (and finding something fun to do there), but this year's Halloween Mikestravaganza is this Saturday at 7pm. If I know you, and you'd like to attend (we're looking for a massive turnout), let me know and I'll give you directions. Celebrities and random local hot chicks encouraged!
October 16, 2003
war with Satan
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, a new deputy undersecretary of defense of intelligence confirmed by the Senate in June, has repeatedly said that the war on terror is a war between Judeo-Christian values and "Satan".
CNN has the story, which includes quotes like "I knew my god was bigger than his. I knew that my god was a real god and his was an idol." and "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christians. ... And the enemy is a guy named Satan" - all said when talking about Muslims.
More discussion (we can hope) over at AtheistWeb.
October 14, 2003
CNN is reporting that the Supreme Court has accepted the Pledge of Allegiance case that the 9th circuit ruled on last year.
At least this is resolution. It made me angry last year when the entire executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government decided they weren't going to let the ruling stand on purely emotional grounds, ignoring the legal point made by the 9th circuit (and agreed with by many legal experts). I can only hope the Supreme Court's ruling is fair and based on the law.
October 12, 2003
james's class
James, a former student of mine, reminded me about a class he's teaching online about Star Trek, Queer Theory, and IDIC - if you're a geek like me (or not), take a look. I covered some of the same stuff in the class I taught for UC Santa Cruz.
October 10, 2003
Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong Il's Journal is very funny, and very well done. Read it from the beginning.
relaxing
I've had a very satisfying evening. Most evenings around the house are fine - I live in relative harmony with my g/f and have a nice, warm, dry home in a nice neighborhood. I have a large number of friends, enough money to survive very comfortably, and plenty of things to hold my interest. I'm in relatively good health, and happy most of the time.
If you're reading this, you likely fit into most of those categories, too. You likely wouldn't be on the internet if you didn't. You might be missing out on parts, and you might have some I don't. But you and I are luckier than billions of people in this world. With the pace of life we've grown accustomed to, I think we all forget about that sometimes. It's never a bad time to think about what you have, give thanks (to your god if you have one, to fate or circumstance or yourself if you don't), and realize how you have it good, whether it's through your own actions, luck, or a combination.
Back to my evening.
Things combined to be relaxing. I'm finally feeling better, I had a fairly healthy dinner, shopped, came home, and relaxed a bit. Nothing unusual. I did something I always find relaxing, but always forget about - I cleaned my kitchen.
It wasn't really that dirty; there were 18 hours of dishes piled up nicely on the side of the sink, and the stovetop hadn't been scrubbed in a few days. But I went the whole nine yards, washing all the dishes, clearing and cleaning all 4 countertops, scrubbing down the stovetop, sweeping and cleaning around the sink.
Relaxing.
I put in a loaf of bread into the breadmaker (which just finished), cleaned off the dining room table, took out the recycling, and began piling the daily papers into a bags. I said goodnight to the girlfriend and retired to the office, where I re-found a stash of MP3s and re-found Cockeyed.com's Incredible Stuff page, which I'd been looking for for ages.
Relaxing.
I talked to some friends online, listed to music, and reread the descriptions of some literally awesome art projects I only wish I could imagine and execute. Now it's almost time for bed, I'm presently tired, relaxed and reflective. It's almost the weekend, it's becoming fall and the holiday season, and I'm lucky.
October 09, 2003
found it
I found it! I remembered an awesome website I had once visited, with all sorts of projects this guy had made...some costimes, some paper mache stuff...it was the most original, hardcore stuff I'd ever seen an individual do. A little self hypnosis later, I found it based on keywords I remembered reading 2 years previous. Turns out I must have originally found it when looking at "how much is inside", and awesome website in it's own right. With no further ado...
Cockeyed.com presents - Incredible Stuff I Made - Paper Mache and other constructions
$87 billion
Here' a little bit of perspective on $87 billion dollars, the amount Bush wants for Iraq next year. Hope you didn't want anything for Christmas.
(with a nod to the MegaPenny project I've linked to before, and Joz, who showed me the link).
October 08, 2003
end of the recall
Well, that's pretty much that. Schwarzenegger will take office as the new California governor in the next few weeks. Bustamante didn't stand a chance (he lost by over a million votes), and taxpayers spent millions on an election that likely won't change the lives of too many of us.
Am I disappointed? Yeah, a little, though not surprised. It ran like a high school class president election, the popular kid wins no matter what he's done or how much better the other guy's plan is. And in the end, it's the actions of hundreds of people in Sacramento, not just the governor, that shape how the state works. The governor certainly has some power, but not much to change our every day lives.
So what's next? Another recall? Possibly. I won't vote for that one either if it happens, nor will I sign any petitions. I do think the recall has it's place, but getting someone you just don't happen to like out of office is petty and against the spirit of the law. We have elections at very regular intervals so the will of the people can be heard; the recall should be used if the person in office has committed a crime or is otherwise unable to lead. We can only hope now that Schwarzenegger will work to put more people into jobs (how? I don't know either.), improve working and living conditions for the masses (unlikely, as a Republican), and do the job he was...elected?...to do.
October 07, 2003
vote - scary
Check out Joz's very scary account of voting in Anaheim. I hope it's not this bad everywhere. My polling place a little disorganized, but nothing horrible. And to think the republicans thought there wouldn't be any problems caused by having fewer places to vote. I had to travel over a mile from my home. While it doesn't seem like much, I usually walk less than 2 minutes to vote. Let's hope there's no fraud out there, and we have a fair election.
vote!
Vote!
If you're a California registered voter, it's your civic duty to vote in today's election. Check out SmartVoter.com for location on where to vote if you are registered. If you'd like to vote like I did...
Vote NO on the recall.
Vote Cruz Bustamante as your candidate choice.
Vote NO on proposition 53.
Vote NO on proposition 54.
Thanks for listening. Get out there and vote!
October 06, 2003
arnold and monday
Good morning and happy Monday to you. It's been a while since I posted - no particular reason for that, I've just had a busy week. When you work for a newspaper, elections tend to take up a lot of your time.
On the election note, I'm of two minds on the Arnold-groping business. First, it's not a surprise - there have been articles, TV shows and reports of his less-than-friendly behavior toward women for years now. Specific allegations don't change this for me. I can see the point of those calling this an "October Surprise" (last minute mudslinging before an election) - the timing is very likely to switch votes at the last minute. This, though, doesn't bother me any more than any other mudslinging - it all has the same purpose.
My issue with the Arnold allegations is that he's not denying then, and people still don't seem to care. From an ABC interview, as reported by CNN:
"It doesn't make any sense to go through details here with you," he said. "What is important is that I cannot remember what was happening 20 years ago and 15 years ago. But some of the things sound like me."
He said no one ever objected to his behavior before. "Now, all of a sudden, isn't it odd that three days and four days before the campaign, all of a sudden all these women want to have an apology?" he asked.
He can't remember groping/fondling 15 to 20 years ago - never mind that some the women accusing him say the events happened in the last 10 years). He also appears to come out and dismiss them because of the timing of the election. If he committed a crime, it's a crime, no matter when we find out. Either way, I don't want a governor who either A) can't remember a few years ago or B) sexually assaults women or C) doesn't seem to care that he's done it. Not that it makes any difference - I haven't considered voting for Arnold since a few months before he decided to run. Remember, your vote matters. If you don't vote, Schwarzenegger becomes your governor.
In other news, the plans are in the works for the 4th Annual Halloween Mikestravaganza. If I know you and you'd like to attend, drop me a line. Traveling to Vegas on the 31st for a wedding, so the party is on the 25th.
Seems lots of people are enjoying/using the new links sidebar. I like it too...there are always plenty of websites I want to link to but don't feel like writing a whole entry on. It's also getting more people to the site regularly. The site design does look a little clunky to me recently...busy, too much text. Luckily, I can redesign fairly easily with the way I have my site working on the backend, so changes can come quick. If you have ideas, let me know.
