Insignifica

Dogs

News of the day: Ontario Bans Pit Bulls in Wake of Attacks

I'm not a big fan of dogs. I think they're generally drooly, messy and loud, and I'm deathly allergic to most of them. Some are nice and cute, of course, but my general experience is that they require a lot of work and many dog owners simply don't put the work needed into their pets.

I'm of two minds about the ban, similar to ones in Denver, Miami and Cincinnati. First, the "do as you will, but harm none" side of me doesn't like the government getting involved with things that don't affect most people. The more realistic side, however, realizes that these dogs, and many others, are a major problem in a lot of areas. I'm not sure a complete ban is the answer, but I do advocate what my libertarian friends would call a "big government" solution: require intense licensing, training, and breeding rules for all dogs. This would include:

-Private training for all potential dog owners. This would include classes on how to take care of and treat dogs, and an outline of the penalties for not doing it.

-Training for all dog owners with their dogs. Obedience training, mandatory.

-Spaying/Neutering for all dogs without a breeding permit.

-Breeding permits. Owners would be required to apply for permits to breed their dogs, and would require all pets have a home. Unauthorized breeding would result in you losing all of your dogs.

Failure to do any of the above, or to maintain control of your dog, and you lose it. It's taken away, and you pay for it. Don't clean up after it? It's gone. Let it get out of your house? No more doggy for you. Dog bites someone? You pay the bills.

Don't like it? Don't get a dog.

People don't seem to understand that dogs are living animals, not fashion accessories or burglar alarms. If you can't control the animal, you don't deserve to have it. Any dog you insist "can't" be controlled shouldn't be allowed in a situation where it could attack someone - like in public at all.

Harsh? Yes. But making excuses for violent animals to victims is absurd. Control your animal, or you don't deserve to have it.

Suge

So Suge Knight gets shot at a MTV Awards-related party on Saturday - several hundred people there, no witnesses claim to have seen anything. Best parts from the AP story:

Several witnesses said Knight was sitting at a VIP table when a man walked up and opened fire. No one else was injured. Screaming guests fled the party, streaming outside or taking cover in other parts of the hotel.

At the awards ceremony Sunday night, one rap star downplayed the shooting.

"I don't think that what happened was any different than at any other event
where you have a lot of people," said David Banner. "It's tragic that it
happened and that the media magnified this so much."

I know every party and club I go to has random shootings. It's not unusual at all!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Happy Birthday to Chris Clark, who turns 27 today. Welcome to the club!

Myspace pages

Dear almost everybody on Myspace,

I'm glad you've all got web pages. I really am. I've even got one myself. The joys of being able to both self-publish and network with friends are two wonderful things about the internet. However, you seem to have taken the book on "designing ugly web pages - 1996" and made it your bible. When you have a huge streaming video, a dozen page-filling images and a small, repeating background image, it makes your page load slowly and display strangely. Haven't you noticed that when you see it, and can't read it?

Please, clean them up a little. I know you like Eminem, but that big modeling shot of him in your "hobbies" section really fucks up the display. Oh, and blue text on a blue background doesn't work too well. Thanks!

Love,

Michael

Busy!

Every six weeks or so, I realize I've got about two dozen things planned on various days in the coming month, and if I don't write them down, I'm bound to forget. This seems like as good a place as any.

- August 27: Chris's birthday; Secret Event; Strato.
- August 28: Dinner with Tom and Lisa
- August 31: "Office Space" screening at the South Coast Plaza 3 theatres.
- September 1: 10,000 day anniversary of my birth.
- September 4: Labor day celebration with family.
- September 5: Possible group birthday party; Emily's birthday.
- September 6: Dentist appointment.
- September 8: Doctor appointment.
- September 9: Work party.
- September 14: One year anniversary of being a home owner.
- September 15: OC Atheists meeting.
- September 17: April and David's wedding; Marek's birthday.
- September 18: D&D
- September 20: OC Metblog anniversary party.
- October 1: Neil Gaiman book signings.
- October 7: AAJA Trivia Bowl.
- October 11: Gary's birthday.
- October 18: OC Atheists meeting.
- October 23: Marcia's birthday; Internet Librarian conference in Monterey (return October 27).
- October 29: Halloween Party.

I'm sure I'm missing some events, so let me know if you can think of any, or if I've promised to attend something with you, or if your birthday isn't on the list. Busy busy...

Update! I almost forgot that I turn 10,000 days old on September 1! We've got to celebrate!

More Updates! Mike Randall reminded me about the OC Metblog one year anniversary party, on or around September 20. I also remembered a large work party on September 9. Both added.

Happy Birthday Dan!

Happy Birthday Dan! Hope this year's even better than the last!

weekend detox

Another busy, great weekend, with slightly messed-up sleeping schedule, lots of friends, and a healthy amount of purple nail polish. Rocky was great, as always, although we did get separated from Ken and Bunny after being told as the lights went down that we couldn't sit in the front row. Returned to Long Beach to go to the Aquarium on Sunday, and enjoyed Long Beach's downtown that reminds me much of San Diego's.

It's amazing how few meals I ate at home this weekend, and even though the food seemed pretty healthy (compared to what's available when one goes out to eat), I still feel like I need a week of detox. Soups and salads and juices. We are having fresh, homemade pesto tonight with a mushroom tomato pesto sauce. That's always a good time. Thanks bullet blender!

Halloween projects and effects are being planned. Gonna have to spend several weekends on them, though. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just know my October is already busy, so I really need to plan ahead.

I added "Mike's Daily Lockup" to the blogroll - it's my friend and co-OC Metblogger Mike Randall's site, focused mainly on politics in OC and California. Take a read.

Could be some poker this weekend - I'm still riding high on my good finish last week, and I'm considering playing in one of the Omaha events in next year's WSOP. We'll see if that comes to pass.

friday already?

I love weeks where, at the end of them, I can say "It's Friday already?" - I just hope the weekend passes more slowly.

Great poker story from my play yesterday - check it out over at the poker blog.

I must have slept weird last night and put pressure on my left eye, as everything is blured and doubled out of it. The right eye is fine, so my vision is usable but weird today. This same thing happened a few months back, and got better after lunch. Let's hope so.

If you need a dose of cute, check out LiveJournal "baaaaabyanimal" community, where people post horribly cute pictures of baby animals. I dare you not to say "awww!".

Some fun weekending planned. Rocky Horror on Saturday night in Long Beach (it's been over a year - TOO long), and probably hitting the Aquarium of the Pacific on Sunday. That's a lot of Long Beaching.

Leave notes, say hello, inform me of your plans. Happy weekending!

dashboard view

Just a picture I liked, and thought I'd share.

Los Amigos 1996

Quick question for my fellow Los Amigos High School alums (specifcally those of you from 1996):

Have any of you started planning the reunion yet? Just curious if I need to get on the ball here.

Atheists, Rocky Horror

A couple of events to let you know about:

As previously mentioned, tonight is the monthly Orange County Atheists meeting, at 7:15 PM at the Red Robin in Tustin.
Click here for a map.

Second, it's been WAY too long since I've gone to see Rocky, so I decided we're going this Saturday to Midnight Insanity's show in Long Beach. We'll also be meeting at my place a couple hours before the show for carpooling, make-up tips, and prop collection. Let me know if you'd like to join in on the fun.

poker story

Over at my poker blog, I posted a story about yesterday's table expireinces at Pechanga. Take a read!

Monday garlic, atheists

The weekend's garlic party was much smaller than originally planned, but we still had a great time. Food included garlic stir fried veggies, garlic hummus, two kinds of pickled garlic, various cheeses, garlic potato skins, garlic and mushroom pasta, garlic baked chicken, roasted garlic heads, and garlic-olive oil-balsamic dip. Next time, more garlic.

The website for Orange County Atheists is developing nicely. It's both the online home of the OC group, and a general place to discuss religion and politics. Feel free to stop by, say hello, and take a read.

On a related topic, the Orange County Atheist's next meeting is this Wednesday (August 17th) at 7:15 PM at the Red Robin in Tustin. Click here for a map.

Discussion topic for the day: While I can understand his point about crowds, why is this guy such a dick?

Jim Steinman songs (as in songs he performs, not just songs he writes) on XM? Why didn't I subscribe ages ago?

(Yes, I already have every song Steinman's performed on an album, but it's nice to hear in a mix on the radio).

weekend, gas prices repost

Friday already? I love a quick week. Hope the weekend takes its time, though.

As previously mentioned, this weekend is the garlic potluck, and luckily it should be cool enough to have the windows open - both to make the neighbors jealous, and so we don't asphyxiate on the stinking rose.

Sunday is open - we might be going to the Aquarium of the Pacific, or perhaps the Tofu Festival in Los Angeles. Either way, should be a good time.

It seems like high gas prices are in the news again, so I'll repost my "Gas Buying Whiners" entry from April:

CNN's running a story about gas prices being a 'hardship' for the "majority" in U.S., based on a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

What a bunch of whiners they've polled!

Let's say gas costs $2.50/gallon, and your car gets a not-very-good 15 miles to the gallon. Now let's say you travel 45 miles a day on average. Some people go much less (my roundtrip, including returning home for lunch, is around 7 miles). Some, of course, go further. 45 miles is a little more than the average workday commute (even in Los Angeles), but I'll round up for comparison purposes. This means in a day you use 3 gallons of gas (45 miles/15 miles to the gallon), and your day's worth of gasoline costs $7.50 (3 gallons x $2.50).

This certainly isn't cheap, that's $37.50 for a work week! But if we run the same numbers for $2.00/gallon (high in a lot of places, cheap and currently unseen in California), you're still paying $30 for a work week - The difference is a whopping $7.50 a week. That's two fast-food meals out, or two Starbucks coffees, or about 1/2 to 1/3 of one meal at a cheap restaurant.

While I'm sure $7.50/week is a hardship for some people, it's most certainly not for most of us. Remember also that this is a high estimate - if you have a shorter commute (as most people do), or if your care gets better milage (as most cars do) or gas isn't $2.50 a gallon, this number is much less than $7.50/week - probably closer to $3.00 to $4.00. If this amount represents an economic hardship for you, then gas prices are certainly the least of your worries. I think what's more likely is that people like to complain about high gas prices with no idea of how much they're actually spending.

I think it still holds true.

More on the XM Radio

More on the XM Radio - I'd been thinking about getting satellite radio for a while, but since my commute to work is less than 10 minutes, I wasn't sure a car-only solution was practical. I knew you could use them in your house, too, but I hadn't ever spent the time to research how until recently, when the price of the Roady2 came down. Most large electronics retailers had the car kit for $50, and I knew I'd eventually be able to expand it with more equipment to use it with my home stereo. But at Costco yesterday they had the Home/Car combo kit for $79.99, which included everything I need for both installations. I rarely make impulse purchases, but it seemed like a good reason.

Now, on to programming. I'm not a radio/music elitist; I enjoy mainstream rock and some pop in addition to the album rock and absurdia I usually listen to. My main issue with corporate radio is the repetition; even my short car trips allowed me plenty of time to get tired of songs. XM's got a dozen rock stations, some pop stations, and lots of speciality stuff I just can't get on the radio at all, like Folk, Standards, and Progressive rock. It's also got baseball (with quality that's gotta be better than AM), two comedy stations (though all I've heard is standup), talk, and local traffic. It's the variety that I think i'll really enjoy.

Another nice part is since I have it at home, I can get rid of my digital cable, which us we use primarily for the MusiChoice channels. The cost difference is about the same as my XM subscription, so it all works out. And hell, even if I don't like it, the initial investment wasn't huge, and I can just stop subscribing, or sell it. So far, though, I'm very pleased.

XM

I've had my XM radio just a few hours, and I already love it.

Garlic, dentists, baby

First off, congrats to Ryan and Deedee, who welcomed Jack Dean into the world yesterday, 8 lbs, 14 oz and 20 inches long. Hello Jack!

Today's dental work wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be, mosty because I didn't need a root canal (saving me an hour in the chair, a lot of pain, and many hundreds of dollars). Since my insurance kinda sucks, after I get the crown on this tooth (I got a temp today), I'm done for the year. This is fine by me, unless I need emergency work, at which point I'll work something out. There's still stuff to do, but it's slowly getting finished.

Turn out is low for the Garlic party this weekend, but even if just one or two people come, it's still dinner with friends, which is what counts. Hopefully we'll get a dozen or so people over.

Between clear skies, easier than expected dental work, and good friends, it's been a good first half of the day. Here's to hoping it goes on all day long.

new random headers

Careful readers will notice that I've installed random header quotes, right below the "insignifica" text at the top of the page. When I redesigned the page, I originally wanted something like this, but never got around to it until now.

When you visit the page (or reload), you'll see a different little phrase up there, along with a random selection of pictures. It's a little thing, but I think it keeps the site interesting even when I go a while between posts.

For the technically interested, it uses the same random text script as my quotes on the left-hand menu, and I created a new blog that allows me to add these phrases, one at a time, to the data file that the script calls. Simple!

If you have suggestions for phrases, leave them in comments. Enjoy!

monday morning, no posts anywhere else.

No one else on my blogroll has posted this morning, so I'll start it off. Great weekend with friends, including dinner on Friday, Strato and Angels Baseball on Saturday, and hanging out with other friends on Sunday. Next week we're having a garlic potluck (everyone brings something deliciously garlicy, and we share). That should be enjoyable.

In weather news, it's been really hazy and ugly lately. I'm ready for some clear, sunny days without the afternoon mountain storms. Maybe even some santa Ana winds to push the dirt out of our air and over the ocean. I'm beginning to really miss springtime. Hopefully we'll have a mild, dry fall.

What's new with you, friendly reader?

Bubba

So, yeah, I'm watching Praise The Lord tonight, and Kirk Cameron is interviewing Bubba from In The Heat Of The Night. Did you know he was the mayor of Fresno? I didn't either.

Oh, and Kirk Cameron really is all about the God. And his sister is too. Though she's hot. But he's not the best interviewer out there.

Yeah, that's Thursday night for me.

comments, tracking, halloween...

The comments on insignifica come and go in spurts - some days I'll have a dozen, other times I'll go a week without one. Sometimes a simple post will get a lot of attention, and hardcore political rants aren't touched at all. Makes me wonder if certainly people only read on certain days, or if I'm getting posted somewhere else, and don't know it. I'd like a good stats tracker to see who's coming and where they're coming from. Anyone have any good suggestions?

I've mentioned it before, but Halloween is fast approaching for me - I'm hoping to make this year's party the biggest I've had in terms of people and miles traveled by guests. I've already got people coming from two states other than California, a first for a Mikestravaganza. I've even thinking about inviting people from Work. The party will be October 29 in the evening. If I know you, and you'd like to come, email me and let me know.

My dentists always find a way to ensure that a simple procedure will be anything but simple by the time I'm in the chair 20 minutes. Today's simple filling because a "temporary filling until next week when we can do a crown lengthening and other major work". As I've said before, while I know I need it done, it's counter-intuitive for me to go in and experience pain and discomfort (in order to fix a problem) when there wasn't any pain or discomfort to start with.

Once nice thing, though - this place isn't skimpy with the novocaine (or whatever they use nowadays). I told them I often "feel" what they're doing if I just get one shot. They gave me a second (before I knew I'd just be getting a temp filling), and man, I still can't feel that side of my face.

Monday again!

Here we are, the beginning of another work week and a new month. Great, social weekend - three birthday parties and a "no particular reason" party, plus dinner with friends. Good times.

So, how's it going?