Insignifica

"Cheap" Gas, Cold Avoided?, Ducks, Weather, Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Picture of the day!

Clouds at the Grand Canyon. The bigger pics are better. Click through.

I always forget now nice May and June in Southern California are - the weather's been clear and mild for weeks. Good stuff, that.

Go Ducks! I'm not a hockey fan, but I like the idea of a local team that's fairly young winning it all.

Cross your fingers, but I think I've managed to avoid/minimize the cold I was coming down with on Sunday. It's hard to know, but I'm hopin' - I've got a lot of drivin' and partyin' this weekend.

I "only" paid $3.19 for gas today. It's the cheapest I've seen in this state in months, and it's right by my house. Nice...

That's all for today, friends. What's up?

Laughlin!?!

It's time for a summer roadtrip! I'll be leaving for beautiful Laughlin, Nevada on August 17, and staying for three nights. Laughlin's main draws are Vegas style casinos (but with greatly reduced prices and table limits) and the Colorado River, fun for boating, jet skiing, and other water activities.

Will you join me?

There are no set plans for activities or events - as there are more RSVPs, we'll make dinner plans/daytime get-togethers. I have a tournament to play in, but that won't be all day any of the days. I do plan on enjoying food and drink, gambling, and relaxing on a boat if others chip in to get one.

The tone of the trip will be determined by those who attend - I'm open to just about everything.

Rooms in Laughlin run about $50/night for the "strip" hotels (all on the riverside), and there are hotels in nearby Bullhead City, AZ that are likely in the $30-$40 range.

While I'm leaving Friday morning, I'll be there the whole weekend, so feel free to come any time during the weekend. It'll be hot, but that's what pools and rivers are for. Distance is about the same as to Vegas. Road trip caravan plans will follow for those interested.

I hope you can make it! If you're interested, shoot me a message and I'll include you on the evite!

Quote, Challenge, Button, Mornings, Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!

Picture of the day!

Big Boy with an eye on my daughter.

I'm still adjusting to my new schedule, which, with a new 30-40 drive/prep to take the beast to daycare, leaves me feeling like I've got more time. I've been waking up earlier, getting out the door with her before I do much else, so by the time I get back, I've got a good 45-60 minutes to get ready for work, just like the pre-baby days. Good stuff, that.

The Girlfriend found me a button at Hot Topic that says "Everybody was tofu fighting". It entertains me.

I want a bit of a challenge. A fun one, but a challenge nonetheless (read the quote below for inspiration). Hard part is that it's got to be something I can do without taking time away from my family. Some sort of Adventure! or wager. Your thoughts are welcome.

Quote of the day, from xkcd last week:

"Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go."

That's all for today. Peace!

What's new, Santa Cruz, Vegetarian, Updates, Grind, Birthdays!

Happy Tuesday, friends! And Happy Birthday Scott today, and Heather yesterday!

Picture of the day!

Smiling messy monster baby.

Back to the grind today after 10 days off. It's always weird, but I'll fall right back in, I'm sure.

All sorts of things have been happening lately:

- The Girlfriend went back to work today.
- The Baby starts daycare today.
- The Baby will be walking any day now. She can take steps between objects or people at will.
- I now live in a divided household. Useful, but divided.
- There are lizards about!

Yesterday was my 13 year vegetarian anniversary. Weird!

I'm traveling to Santa Cruz this weekend to help celebrate Tori's birthday. There's a good chance I'll be seeing Amy, an old college friend I haven't seen since we graduated. Too long! If you're in that area and would like to get together, I might have a few spare moments. Let me know.

What's new, my friends? How have you been?

Memorial Day, Baby Stereotype, Dan, Tori, Recap, Back

Hi there. We're back. We actually got back yesterday, but I'm just now getting around to updating (I'm on baby duty today).

Picture of the day!

A nicely framed shot. Click through for bigger goodness.

First off - awesome time. Except for rain/hail and thunderstorms at the GC Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, the weather was perfect, we did/saw a lot without getting totally exhausted, and we got a couple hundred pictures. I'll break out my favorites over the week.

Sunday is Tori's birthday! Happy Birthday, and I can't wait til next weekend!

Congrats to Dan on his new job! Sounds like an adventure.

I was going to go into into work today with the baby to visit, but all sorts of stereotypical things happened - first we couldn't find an outfit, then we did, and just as we were getting in the car, she drooled prunes all over it. Once we had the new outfit she wanted to get fed a bottle, so we did that, then set out, only to have her fall asleep on the way. Next time!

I hope ya'll have a great memorial day weekend - BBQ or something!

Grand Canyon Day 2/Laughlin

Back in Laughlin, and back online. The ladies are asleep (it's almost midnight), and we'll be heading home tomorrow. Day Two of the Grand Canyon was much wetter - it rained off and on throughout the day, and by evening the occasional thunderstorm rattled through. Around 2:30am all hell broke loose in the heavens, and we enjoyed what is likely one of the longest/loudest thunderstorms I've ever experienced. And while my phobia is certainly in recession, I'm still not a fan. Clearer skies here today, though, and some great pictures came out of the day.

The drive back here to Laughlin was uneventful - seems like lots of people are waiting until this weekend to travel. That's good for us, and hopefully the good traffic will hold up tomorrow. While I'm not too weary considering we've been out and about since Sunday, I'd be plenty happy to get home around 3 tomorrow instead of 5 or 6.

My only Peeve of the Grand Canyon - no cell phone or wireless internet. I'm sure there's a reason, but there are already towers up for communication, so it's not "towers will ruin the beauty of the park". You don't even have to leave the park proper - there's cell phone access right around the gates, just not at the Rim. Join the 20th century, friends!

Pictures still aren't up, even though I sprung for the wireless high speed access today. For some reason, it doesn't like the Flickr Uploader. Y'all will have to wait another day.

While not doing it on her own, the baby can be coaxed into taking multiple steps if she's in the mood. But she's done this for several weeks, just not as pronounced as on the trip. I expect her to start stumbling around the house by her birthday.

I found what is likely the cheapest gas station in the state today - $2.95/Gallon in Kingman, AZ. I took a picture.

I decided to make my winning of an entry into a three-card poker tourny into an event, so look for more info on a group trip to beautiful Laughlin, NV in coming days and weeks.

I'm sure I had more to say, but it's late, and I'm tired. Thanks for reading!

Grand Canyon, Day 1

Note: This entry was written just after midnight on the 22nd, and it's currently just after midnight on the 24th.

---------------

Hi there. we're at the Grand Canyon, and boy, it really is grand - Amazing what a river and a few million years can do.

I have no idea when I'll get to posting this (it's just after Midnight on the 22nd, as in it was the 21st 15 minutes ago), and I currently have no cell phone or internet access, there's no wireless anywhere in the National Park, and without retyping this, I don't know if the internet kiosks in the hotel lobby will lemme connect with my machine or accept a USB drive or even floppy. But we'll know that in about 10 hours when I go down there.

Low gas price - $2.97 at the 40E/93S interchange (I think).

The drive here was uneventful but kinda long, but much nicer at 3 hours then the 7-8 it would have taken had we come straight through. Our room at Yavapai is very nice (I've been plesently surprised by both hotels this trip), close to the general store and about a 1/2 mile from the rim. We took a 1 1/2 mile hike today along the rim to see the canyon in its splendor. European tourists seemed to outnumber Americans, and most everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Some, however, were reminded, like I was, that the air is thinner at 7,000 feet.

We also got a lot of great pictures today (canyon pictures never come out as grand as the view in real life, but they're good), and when and if I have broadband access before I get home, I'll upload.

Tomorrow's our "no-drive" day, as we're staying here for another night, then back to Laughlin, then home on Thursday. Road weariness is only compounded when you've got a baby who wants the same attention she's used to getting, so we'll see how 4 days treats us. Cheers!

Vacation - day 1

Brushing my teeth in a hotel in Laughlin. The AC is loud, but the room is much nicer than most of the rooms I've been in lately in Vegas and Primm, for at least half the price (plus the bathroom is huge). Dial up internet access sucks, but luckily ATT/Yahoo's access has local numbers everywhere for just such an occasion.

The drive was long - the the distance from the 40 to Laughlin was further than it seemed on the map. Hopefully we'll only have about 3 hours of driving tomorrow, then two nights in the hotel at the Grand Canyon. We also found a shorter way BACK to the 40 for the next leg of the trip.

High gas price - Needles, $4.28 for the premium. Luckily the place across the street had the cheap stuff for "only" $3.83. Laughlin prices are about the same as OC right now.

No pictures to share - I might blow out a relay station trying to upload large pics to flickr on this thing. We'll see what kind of access we've got at the Grand Canyon. I have a feeling y'all might have to wait.

Laughlin highlight: I got about an hour after Katie went to sleep and before The Girlfriend went to bed to sit at the 3-card poker table (my latest obsession). Good times, mostly losing hands, though. Just after putting down my second $100 for chips, I hit a straight flush - the best hand you can get in the game. I got about $250 just on that hand (enough to recoup all my losses for the hour, tip the dealer generously, still walk away more than $100 up). The coolest part, though, is that it got me a free entry into August's 3-card poker tournament (and three nights hotel here). I'm not 100% sure I'll make it back, but there's a good chance. Rock.

That's all for tonight. How's life treating you, where ever you may be?

Posting News, Spin, Poker Fees, Humans, Vacation, Thanks!

It's Friday! Thank someone for something.

Picture of the day!

The Cinco de Mayo family portrait. Click for true inspired goodness.

Vacation! Today will be my last day of work before a record 10 days in a row off (thanks, Memorial Day!). Leaving for Laughlin Sunday, leaving there for the Grand Canyon Monday, staying until Wednesday and heading back to Laughlin, and getting home Thursday. I'm excited about the 4-hour stretches of driving and not having to rush. Hopefully it'll be fun and relaxing.

Check out the Wikipedia page on Humans. It's pretty fascinating and well structured.

Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to get funds to an online poker site now since new laws have been passed? I hadn't played since the baby had been born - I'd been too busy. But I logged in to find that unless I want outrageous fees from a third party, I have to set up a kind of visa account, load that with money from my bank account, then transfer funds from the new account to my poker site. Getting funds out is equally absurd. At least this option has fees in the "several dollar" range instead of the "tens of dollars" range - it was free before. Damn the man.

Hmm. The book I'm currently reading, "Spin", won the Hugo last year. It really is that good. Take a read if you're looking for a good sci-fi novel.

I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend and next week - I'm not sure if I'll be posting at all, but I won't have my daily posts, that's for sure. There will be internet access along the way, so I'll be answering email, but it won't be my prime objective. Peace!

Your Turn, Zucchini, Baby Birthday, Jennifer's Birthday, Tired

Oi. Tired this morning. Stayed up too late, and the baby got me up too early. Luckily I'm off for 10 days starting Saturday. And for all the wonder that is the Grand Canyon, I have a feeling early bedtimes aren't that unusual.

Picture of the day!

San Francisco, from Alcatraz.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

The baby's birthday party is June 17th. Yes, I realize that's Father's Day. The baby was born on Father's Day. Closest Sunday, etc, etc. But how can you pass up the opportunity to see a one year old dig into a cake?

We're growing zucchini. Eventually we'll have too much. Just warning you.

I'm low on things to talk about today. Your turn: What's up?

Driving Laws, Pet Peeve, Day Care, Hump Day

Good day, friends, and happy Hump Day!

Picture of they day!

Scott and a very little Katie.

We visited our first day care today, and it looks like that's where Katie will go, at least until we find somewhere better and cheaper and closer, or some combination of the three that works for us. Good vibe for us from this place, so I'm happy. Plus, they've got chickens. Rawk.

Pet Peeve of the day: Drivers who blow through stop signs (or roll through), yet come to a complete stop at every speed bump. Bonus points: These are often drivers in SUVs.

In driving news, I'm trying to see what it's like to follow traffic laws to the letter: As it is, I don't drive more than 5mph over the limit. I actually stop at stop signs. I always use my turn signals, and I always make right turns into the right lane.. But some laws I don't usually follow: The absurdly low speed limits on most ramps (the yellow signs that say 25 but you can safely take at 40-50) and the exact freeway speed limit being the most notable. I'll try it for a while and report back. Are there any laws (especially obscure ones) that I should know about?

That's today so far, friends. What's the haps?

Santa Cruz, Treats, Laughlin, Henry's, Falwell, Tuesday

Tuesday!

Picture of the day!

The General Grant tree in Sequoia. The bigger version of this photo is better - click through.

News of the day: Jerry Falwell dies at age 73. Regular readers know I'm not one to sugarcoat my feelings, nor am I one to pay tribute to the dead just because they died. Falwall was a horrible person, founder of the "Moral Majority". blamed 9/11 on "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America", considered AIDS a plague from god against the gays, and said of the war on terror "Blow them all away in the name of the lord." I'm not sorry to see him gone, and hope no one replaces him in terms of power and notoriety. I don't think it's at all wrong to be happy for the death of a man so vile.

In non-hate filled bigot news, we went to Henry's Market for the first time in a long time this week. Except for a few fresh ingredients, their products are routinely 30%-60% higher in price than grocery stores or Trader Joe's. I realize some of it is specialized, but even the hard-to-find stuff at other stores is way cheaper. Weird.

Expected high temp in Laughlin next Sunday: 102. Nice. At least it's cooler at the Grand Canyon itself.

Who likes Rice Krispie Treats?

I may be in Santa Cruz for Halloween day (October 31) this year. Thoughts?

Stay Well, Postal Rates, QOTD, Heroes, Consolidation, Time Off

Happy Monday! I hope all you mothers had a great Mother's day. Heh, mothers.

Picture of the day!

The girlfriend at the snack table, last Halloween.

Today begins the "I'm off for a long time" countdown, as we're going to the Grand Canyon next week, and the weekend after that is Memorial weekend, so we'll have Monday off (10 days in a row..nice). Lots of traveling in general in the next three weeks, but it should be a good time.

Anyone have any suggestions for good places to get consolidation loans? My credit card companies keep screwing me, and I'm tired of it. Let me know.

Second to last Heroes tonight! Plus NBC announced a new show for next season - "Heroes: Origins". Sounds awesome.

Question of the day: Was anything in the past actually "better" than it is today? Whenever I look into a claim that "kids never..." or "in my day, people were ...", it seems to almost always be just a personal perception, and not actually the truth. Your thoughts?

Postal rates go up for first class letters today! They actually go DOWN for heavier letters, interestingly enough. I also love the new "forever" stamps. Good thinkin' there, post office!

That's all for today! Here's to staying well for the next couple weeks, at least, and getting over colds before vacations!

Awesome, Scavenger Hunt, Maggiano's, Population Growth

Friday!

Picture of the day!

Cons used to rule.

Happy Birthday this weekend to Brandon, Ken, and Jeremy!

I keep hearing discussion about how the US is going to lose the coming global culture wars because we're not having enough children - the liberal ideals of feminism, tolerance for gays and general self-importance have driven couples to not have children until later in life, if at all, and without a good population base, other world powers are going to dominate the US by sheer numbers alone.

I believe this is a crock of shit - we could do with far fewer people than we have here now, if only because Americans use resources at absurd rates compared to most people in the world. It also is ripe of conservative propaganda and a hatred for equal rights and the idea of treating people fairly and kindly. I'm not saying you shouldn't have several babies if you want them, but don't let someone tell you that you're doing anyone harm by limiting yourself to one or two, or not having any at all.

Readers, are you interested in a Maggiano's trip? I'm itching to go. Thoughts?

The University of Chicago has an insane Scavenger Hunt every year. here is this year's list. This would have been entertaining to participate in.

I hope your weekends are awesome my friends. Because awesome weekends are the order of the day.

Haps, Theme Parties, TrueCrypt, OC Atheists, Foggy, Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Picture of the day!

Marek and Katie. Likely from St. Patty's Pi Day.

Oof. Foggy in the head. Baby got me up this morning at 7:30, and while I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep, she was kinda fussy all night, and woke me right in the middle of a sleep cycle. We'll see if this goes away throughout the day. Coffee, here I come...

OC Atheists meeting tonight! More info at the website.

In case I haven't pimped it enough, get TrueCrypt for all your file securing needs. It's lightweight, works on the fly, allows you to easily encrypt and hide anything, and it's free. It's all sorts of awesome.

Still looking for ideas for theme parties. I've always enjoyed the idea of a "come as you aren't" party, where you dress in the typical (non-costume) clothing of a social group you don't belong in at all (I could go cowboy, you could go goth, etc). I welcome your ideas.

What's the haps, my friends?

Firefox, OC Atheists, Mariah, Hot, Hump

Happy Hump Day!

Picture of the day!

Chris at Gospel Brunch.

It's still hot and dry. It'll cool down some, but the sunniness is here to stay.

Good times yesterday (and this morning), as we got to hang out and do dinner with Mariah. I believe we've seen her more in the last year than all of the previous 8 years put together.

The next meeting of the Orange County Atheists will be held Thursday, May 10 at 7:30PM at the International House of Pancakes at 18542 MacArthur Blvd in Irvine. If you consider yourself an atheist, an agnostic, a freethinker, a humanist, or are just curious, check out this month's event. If you're planning on attending please RSVP at our website forums. Hope to see you there!

Firefox has been giving me issues (both this release and the last one) where stuff that's obviously in the page I'm searching for doesn't show up with a CTRL-F find. I know the text is selected, but it doesn't find it. Anyone had similar experiences?

That's all for today, my friends. Bon Mercredi!

Suggestions, Theme Parties, Gas, Hot, Tuesday

Tuesday!

Picture of the day!

Chris and Brandon at Cicno de Mayo. Click for true frightening goodness.

It's still hot! Luckily, it's May, so it'll cool back down to acceptable levels before long. And it's still pretty decent at night. But between the heat, having some bad allergies (it's dry, windy, and springtime out there), and feeling overwhelmed when my house is messy, I'm in a "can't get comfortable" mode. We'll see if we can solve this problem with drugs.

I do more than a lot of people when it comes to using gasoline - I live close to work, I drive a car with a super clean burning engine, I don't speed, etc. But with gas prices closer to $4 than $3, I wonder if there's more I can do, especially in regard to all the traveling I'm doing in the next month. But as far as I know there's no easy/fast way to get to the Grand Canyon (especially with a baby), and the public transportation to get to Santa Cruz adds 5-6 hours to the drive, and both leave you without a way to get around. Such is the price for living in a non-centralized location.

I know it's cliché, but I'd like to throw more "theme" parties. Damn the man, it's my life, and I will! Russian/Vodka is already on the agenda. Leave suggestions for more.

While on that subject, I'm also taking suggestions for the following:

- Delicious, low calorie snacks.
- Halloween costumes.
- Interesting prop bets.
- Good day cares in central OC.

Thanks! May your day be fantastic.

In depth Myspace user ID survey findings

In depth Myspace user ID survey findings
(for people with too much time on their hands)

I currently have 98 friends.

My friend with the lowest ID is Betty - 5 digits (64319). She is my only 5 digit friend.

My only 6 digit friend is Jeremy (389659).

I have seventeen 7 digit friends.

The majority of my friends have 8 digit IDs - sixty of them in total. I also have an 8 digit ID, and fall between Nick and Kaytee in the list.

I have nineteen 9 digit friends.

My friend with the highest ID is Six Finger Savage, a band (167114690)

The closest time between signups (IDs closest together) is Steph and Cyn, with a difference of just 13,259 users between them. Interestingly enough, they used to work together and are friends.

The longest time between signups for people who are next to each other on my friends list is Garrett and Lori, with a difference of 14,860,265. I have twenty-seven friends with IDs lower than that difference.

I'm sure more interesting metrics could be determined. Anyone have any ideas?

Kitchen, Hot, Birthday Present, Cinco de Mayo

Happy Siete de Mayo! I hope y'all had a good weekend.

Picture of the day!

One of my favorite new pictures of Katherine, taken this weekend. She looks very serious. See the rest of the Cinco de Mayo party pictures here and here.

Thank you to Tori for my birthday presents! They're highly offensive and perfect!

In weather news, it's hot! Even this morning I was surprised by how not cool it was. It's also windy and dry - watch out for fire!

We've decided for now not to have our kitchen redone. While we were going to do it pretty much on the cheap, costs still add up. We might do a few little things, though, that'll make nice changes without being too costly. I'm sure you'll hear about it here.

How was your weekend, friends?

Great Weekend, Daycare, Baby Update, Birthday, No Pants Day

Happy Friday, and happy No Pants Day! I'll be celebrating at home tonight. Some holidays just don't go over as well at the office.

Picture of the day!

Katie and her tankard at Faire. Drink up!

Happy Birthday to Angela tomorrow!

In baby news, the baby isn't walking yet, but it won't be long. She's very good on her feet (while attached to something, including us), and I don't think she'll be content "crawling" much longer. We also taught her this week how to get down from the couch, and she's picked it up in no time. I fully expect her to be able to get me a soda out of the fridge on command by August.

Oh, yeah! Daycare! We're looking for it. Do you have recommendations in the Central OC area? We need somewhere that has allows part time (4 days a week) kids, and while Katie's metabolic issues require her to eat regularly, we don't think we'll need a "special needs" daycare, just a good one. Any suggestions or recommendations? Your help is appreciated.

I hope y'all have a great weekend - any big plans? Thanks for reading!

National Day of Prayer 2007

It's Thursday, and the National Day of Reason!

Picture of the Day!

Me, as beer-drinkin', cigar smokin' priest.

As mentioned above, it's the the National Day of Reason, and therefore the National Day of Prayer. I totally forgot until I got a call this morning from USC's Annenberg Radio News for an interview on the topic (it's always been a dream of mine to be a "source" when people need to talk to someone about church/state issues or atheism - I hope the trend continues). The following contains some strong criticisms about prayer and Christianity. Easily offended readers may wish to stop reading now.

As for the "holiday", I'm not a fan. You should know that while it's organized by a third party, to conclude that it's not an official government event is wrong. It's a loophole so supporters can say "it's not government funded!" In my mind, it doesn't to be - the close connection between the NDPTF and the government is bad enough.

Second, here's what the bible has to say about public prayer, from Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 5-6:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father in secret shall reward thee openly."

It's always fun to see how that's spun. There's also the issue the explicit Christianity of the event, but that's not surprising to me. Note how Bush always specifically mentions that there's a Rabbi or other Jewish representative - it's nice to have a token.

My larger issue is with why Christians pray at all - a topic that's been done to death here. Simply stated, if you believe your god has a plan (and that plan is perfect), and you believe your god is all powerful (can do anything), then there's no reason to pray for anything - not for strength, not for events to happen, not for health - your god has a plan and can enact it, doesn't he? Asking for anything is asking him to change that, and why would you consider doing that if you think he's perfect and already can do what needs to be done?

There's also the issue of Christians praying for themselves, when there are so many problems in the world much larger than yours. David Mann's quote says it well:

"I am often made sick when a rich person in a rich nation attributes some minor blessing to God on account of his faith and prayers when the same God allows thousands of orphaned, exploited, abused, malnourished, homeless, innocent children to die in filthy gutters around the world every single day."

Past the general issue of belief, it's these issues, along with Christian focus on political issues instead of helping the poor, that really get me worked up. You have scripture that specifically states what you should do (help the poor, spread the word of God), and the actions of a man to follow (who accepted all comers, loved everyone, and was generally peaceful), yet most Christians don't seem to follow this example, regardless of how many Thanksgiving and Christmas food drives they run, or how it makes them feel good a couple days a year. I know all Christians are not evangelical, conservative or literalist Christians - but that's what the rest of us see, good or bad. Regardless, I don't remember too many of you that I've met selling off your possessions, giving all you can to the poor, and leading a life like Christ's - not even close.

I don't hate you, Christians. You're my friends and my family. My words are strong because if you believe you're truly right in all of this, you have an almighty god on your side, and it doesn't matter what I say or do. If you're strong in your faith, why would my words or opinions matter? I just question why you do what you do if you truly believe like you say you do.

For more on the National Day of Reason, and what non-theists are doing to actually make a difference, click the link above.

Comments, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween Costume, Birthday, Ice Cream, Hump Day

Wednesday! Happy hump day!

Picture of the day!

Baby and mamma from Ren Faire this weekend. Check out the whole set here

Don't forget - tonight from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. is 31-cent ice cream night at Baskin-Robbins.

Happy Birthday Jason!

I came up with a couple neat Halloween costumes this morning, but they have elements that present logistical (and safety) issues. I've still got a while to decide.

Cinco de Mayo this weekend! Maybe because it's both good and cheap, but we've been doing a lot of Mexican food at parties lately, and we'll have it again at the baby's birthday in June. Hard to go wrong with beans and rice. Unless you're on Atkins. But is anyone really on Atkins anymore?

Comments are on their way back on, on average. I know you're reading - say hello! If you've got a blog, I'll do the same! Happy Wednesday!

America Rant, 31-cent Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, May Day and Beltane

Happy May Day and Beltane, friends!

Picture of the day!

Chris and Eva at last year's Halloween. I have NO idea what they're doing.

I'll be in Santa Cruz for a quick trip on June 2, leaving June 3. Just FYI.

Tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. is 31-cent ice cream night at Baskin-Robbins. Thanks to Cynthia for the info!

Did you know today is "Loyalty Day"? From what I can tell, it's an absurd, jingoistic, "love it or leave it" kinda day (though, fortunately, meaningless). My nation doesn't need allegiance, nor should allegiance ever be expected or pledged blindly. An amazing thing about being an American in America is that you don't have to pledge allegiance. You don't have to support the actions of your government. You don't have to "support the troops", even though you're bombarded with the phrase everywhere. You never have to fly a flag, and you can question each and every thing your government does.

Best of all, these things don't make you a "bad American" - the make you a real American. Remember - the founding fathers were terrorists and malcontents and very much against blind patriotism, and they fought and died with those ideals. Don't feel like you have to wave the flag, literally and figuratively, to exercise your rights and privileges as a citizen.

That's my rant for today. Hopefully you've got a rant to share with the world too. We need more.