229.4 on the OD; 16.4 miles, and I've officially ridden 101 miles since I started riding again (seems like more, frankly). 95 degrees outside--if I don't lose some of this flab, I am going to give up and start eating chocolate ice cream exclusively.
The blueberry farm is here:
View Larger Map
It's about a 6.5 mile ride from Sebastopol, 1.7 from Forestville, according to my trusty odometer. They have blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and those flavors of ice cream and sorbet. It is a nearly perfect stop on the 16.4-mile bike ride from Sebastopol to Forestville and back (they could provide more chairs and more shade).
The blueberries aren't particularly cheap ($5 for a pint, which I devoured in one sitting), but they are good, and you can see where they came from. (To see where the raspberries came from, go to our back yard.)
Aren't these bike shorts supposed to be comfortable? A somewhat delicate matter: I have . . . issues . . . with getting everything situated properly so it doesn't move inside the shorts in a very uncomfortable manner. I was actually wondering if I was putting them on backwards; i.e. the padding is supposed to go in the FRONT? The only reason I wear them, really, is for the padding in the REAR, though. So I don't know. This is true of all of the bike shorts I've worn.
OK, ROAD BIKERS. When you come up behind someone and overtake them, especially if you are going enough faster than them to startle them, do you simply not have the spare breath to call out "On your left" or something like that? If you can't muster that, how about "pbbt pbbt pbbt"--the sound of wind from an asshole. Otherwise, one of these times, I am going to be startled sufficiently to veer inadvertently (after all "advertently" isn't a word, right?) directly into your path. I realize you want to seem as much like an android and/or Frenchman as possible, and it's hard to make a noise above the sound of your legume-sized testicles rattling about in your calcified scrotum, but c'mon, show some human consideration and maybe someone will watch your dumb-ass sport on television, 'mkay?
I really pushed it (for me at least) today, and maintained continuous speed and sweat (and almost constant high gear) through the entire 16-mile round trip, with no stops on the way out to F'ville, and only a rest at the turnaround (Zen Center), the aforementioned blueberry stop, and one other stop for water and crotch adjustment at Occidental/Gravenstein on the way back. It feels good. It feels like I'm stronger than last time. I like having the leg power, I think that could make the wind ultimately less annoying--though it's a different thing pushing the pedals with two miles to go, from pushing 'em with 15 and two big hills still to go!
My morning blood sugar readings have been great since I started riding again. Predictable, but surprising how immediate and how major the effect is: all readings pre-layoff were in the mid-hundreds. Seven of 12 days since, under a hundred (as low as 76). I think there's a certain "ricochet" effect, where high number s stress me out and cause generally higher numbers, and low numbers tend to be calming.
Yesterday, magnificent Frida Kahlo show at the SF Museum of Modern Art. (Get reservations and) Go!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
213.0 on the odometer, 17.7 miles today.
Rode east on the Joe Rodota trail to where it meets the Greenway trail, then west on that trail to Willowside Road, south to Hall, west to Sanford, south to Occidental, west to High School, and south back into Sebastopol. Nice ride, mostly level, almost completely on paved bike paths.
Rebel Without a Cause. I would've thought Sal Mineo would've gotten more fame from this film, maybe even more than James Dean...
Rode east on the Joe Rodota trail to where it meets the Greenway trail, then west on that trail to Willowside Road, south to Hall, west to Sanford, south to Occidental, west to High School, and south back into Sebastopol. Nice ride, mostly level, almost completely on paved bike paths.
Rebel Without a Cause. I would've thought Sal Mineo would've gotten more fame from this film, maybe even more than James Dean...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
195.3 on the odometer - 16.4 miles today.
Forestville and back. We are so lucky to have the beautiful West County, Joe Rodota, and Greenway bike paths, enabling bike rides of this length and more with only very short stretches where you share roads with motor vehicles.
An "added plus" on this route is the blueberry farm. I noticed several bikes parked there today, and was tempted to stop myself, but had nothing to carry berries in today.
Is it self-perpetuating now for me, or just a fact of life, that road bikers almost never exchange greetings (at least with me) and mountain bikers almost always do? Well, a cycling magazine I once read actually commented on this phenomenon in their letters section, suggesting (perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek) that road cylists are more competitive and/or are stingier with their breath. Be that as it may, I feel that cyclists of both kinds have a bad enough rep in this area, and I make it a point to slow way down for peds and horses (and for that matter, cars and other bikes) and say HI. I always ring my bell for kids (and when coming up behind people, thank you!). Oh, hey, my new bell rocks (http://tinyurl.com/6z9m7c links to Amazon, but you can get the same price at REI and elsewhere).
Forestville and back. We are so lucky to have the beautiful West County, Joe Rodota, and Greenway bike paths, enabling bike rides of this length and more with only very short stretches where you share roads with motor vehicles.
An "added plus" on this route is the blueberry farm. I noticed several bikes parked there today, and was tempted to stop myself, but had nothing to carry berries in today.
Is it self-perpetuating now for me, or just a fact of life, that road bikers almost never exchange greetings (at least with me) and mountain bikers almost always do? Well, a cycling magazine I once read actually commented on this phenomenon in their letters section, suggesting (perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek) that road cylists are more competitive and/or are stingier with their breath. Be that as it may, I feel that cyclists of both kinds have a bad enough rep in this area, and I make it a point to slow way down for peds and horses (and for that matter, cars and other bikes) and say HI. I always ring my bell for kids (and when coming up behind people, thank you!). Oh, hey, my new bell rocks (http://tinyurl.com/6z9m7c links to Amazon, but you can get the same price at REI and elsewhere).
Dark Knight, Mid-Day
178.9 - 6.7 miles. Rode over to Ragle Park and did the fun loop of single-track back there. See if this html works:
View Larger Map
Caught the newest Batman installment in a matinee. Why don't I walk the block and a half to the theatre more often to see movies as they are intended to be seen? (Mostly because whenever I think to go see a movie, I find the next start time is more than 90 minutes away and my gnat-sized attention span takes me elsewhere before showtime.)
I guess I'm a sucker for hype; this movie has gotten a lot. That tends to mean one of:
I think the first, but jeeze, what hath Bob Kane wrought? While the caped crusader was never a particularly happy-go-lucky kinda guy, I hardly think, in the original 1930s late-night inkfests when he was created, that anything this dark and complex ever crossed anyone's mind.
OK, the big hype was around Heath Ledger, playing the Joker in his last role. Well, what actor in his right mind follows Nicholson? I have to say the actor's craft is somewhat oblique to me. To me, a good actor is one in whom you don't notice "acting," and beyond that, it's really hard for me to say, of a characterization I enjoy, how much was good acting and how much was good writing/ direction/ production/ costumery/ popcorn/ mood-on-my-part, but this Joker was really pretty damn captivating, without the scenery-mastication that tends to typify the role, and it was definitely—-definitely--an entirely different person from the Brokeback Mountain character. (Actually, I don't recall being that impressed with Nicholson's Joker, which, after all, was mostly just a painted Nicholson... I'll have to see that one again now.) Based on that, I think the hype around Ledger here was well-justified.
Why does Maggie Gyllenhaal give me the creeps?
Christian Bale has turned out to be perhaps the best Batman yet. This is a seriously twisted person, almost as much in his way (as an endless line of critics have noted) as the Joker himself. But then, what sane actor would NOT follow Adam West?
Modern America doesn't have a lot of mythology going for it, so characters like Batman (when not played in camp form) provide an interesting glimpse into the collective psyche. When we can invent a persona and a physical presence, what do we choose? Among others, a millionaire vigilante with a chip on his shoulder the size of Utah. Hey, that almost sounds like... George W. Bush! (W. plays it a little more campy, though.)
As for the rest, I like how the accoutrements were mostly underplayed. Sure, he has the newest-model Batmobile, hang-glider cape, etc., but for the most part, that stuff is incidental to the story.
The typical Batman scenery is full-on Art Deco, as if Gotham were inhabited almost entirely by unhinged wealthy gay collectors. That, too, seems muted here--though the backgrounds are so dark it's hard to tell--when you see a wide shot of the city, it's early 21st century all the way.
I was forewarned that this movie was unrelentingly dark, with almost no humor. Actually, there were several places where the entire audience laughed (and one where only I did--FYI, that was where the judge's destination was revealed to her).
OK, seriously, I have a hard time thinking of stuff to write about movies. This is a long, dark, beautiful movie; it's worth seeing in a theatre. I give it all five stars.
View Larger Map
Caught the newest Batman installment in a matinee. Why don't I walk the block and a half to the theatre more often to see movies as they are intended to be seen? (Mostly because whenever I think to go see a movie, I find the next start time is more than 90 minutes away and my gnat-sized attention span takes me elsewhere before showtime.)
I guess I'm a sucker for hype; this movie has gotten a lot. That tends to mean one of:
- it's a great movie, or
- the producers are desperate to get butts in seats
I think the first, but jeeze, what hath Bob Kane wrought? While the caped crusader was never a particularly happy-go-lucky kinda guy, I hardly think, in the original 1930s late-night inkfests when he was created, that anything this dark and complex ever crossed anyone's mind.
OK, the big hype was around Heath Ledger, playing the Joker in his last role. Well, what actor in his right mind follows Nicholson? I have to say the actor's craft is somewhat oblique to me. To me, a good actor is one in whom you don't notice "acting," and beyond that, it's really hard for me to say, of a characterization I enjoy, how much was good acting and how much was good writing/ direction/ production/ costumery/ popcorn/ mood-on-my-part, but this Joker was really pretty damn captivating, without the scenery-mastication that tends to typify the role, and it was definitely—-definitely--an entirely different person from the Brokeback Mountain character. (Actually, I don't recall being that impressed with Nicholson's Joker, which, after all, was mostly just a painted Nicholson... I'll have to see that one again now.) Based on that, I think the hype around Ledger here was well-justified.
Why does Maggie Gyllenhaal give me the creeps?
Christian Bale has turned out to be perhaps the best Batman yet. This is a seriously twisted person, almost as much in his way (as an endless line of critics have noted) as the Joker himself. But then, what sane actor would NOT follow Adam West?
Modern America doesn't have a lot of mythology going for it, so characters like Batman (when not played in camp form) provide an interesting glimpse into the collective psyche. When we can invent a persona and a physical presence, what do we choose? Among others, a millionaire vigilante with a chip on his shoulder the size of Utah. Hey, that almost sounds like... George W. Bush! (W. plays it a little more campy, though.)
As for the rest, I like how the accoutrements were mostly underplayed. Sure, he has the newest-model Batmobile, hang-glider cape, etc., but for the most part, that stuff is incidental to the story.
The typical Batman scenery is full-on Art Deco, as if Gotham were inhabited almost entirely by unhinged wealthy gay collectors. That, too, seems muted here--though the backgrounds are so dark it's hard to tell--when you see a wide shot of the city, it's early 21st century all the way.
I was forewarned that this movie was unrelentingly dark, with almost no humor. Actually, there were several places where the entire audience laughed (and one where only I did--FYI, that was where the judge's destination was revealed to her).
OK, seriously, I have a hard time thinking of stuff to write about movies. This is a long, dark, beautiful movie; it's worth seeing in a theatre. I give it all five stars.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Superstars of Permaculture
I had a permaculture-intensive weekend. Saturday, we took a tour of water savvy stars of Sebastopol, including Catchtail Farm on the Blucher Creek watershed, a talk with Brock Dolman on (and in) the Laguna de Santa Rosa, and a visit to the Post-Carbon Institute.
Sunday, I went to an open house at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas.
I have a huge mish-mash of thoughts and inspirations around this, so please excuse a scattered posting. I'll try to fix it later.
What I've seen this weekend, and really in about the past year, is that, beyond the facts of global warming and peak oil, people are beginning to see that we are really on or past peak EVERYthing, and the Republicans aren't the only party that is pretty much over. It's really rather amazing that the US culture of excess has lasted as long as it has. However, it's also evident that there will still be parties.
Here's the thing: EVEN IF NONE OF THIS WAS HAPPENING, the following would be good things to do:
. Build community
. Grow food
. Learn all you can about conservation of all kinds
. Practice conservation
. Become more efficient
These are good things to do; if the left-wing liberal screwballs and Al Gore are correct in their dire predictions, these things may also become necessary.
In a time of massive inflation, good will and food become more valuable currency than paper money.
It doesn't matter if you own or rent the place where you live, you are still the custodian of it, and you can still create what you want (and need) in that space.
The Catchtail Farm folks have a really lovely place and a great outlook, and they're the kind of community members I hope I can become. When they started at this location, they built a fire circle in their yard and invited everyone up and down the street to a party at their house (see? already! Still having parties!). They've done smart things with their land, but what sticks with me--and what I believe will carry them through any coming crisis--is that they have built--are building--a strong community.
Brock gave a great walk and talk on water, and more to the point, on watersheds, at the Laguna. He's a man who likes to play with words, so I enjoyed his talk.
The Post-Carbon (heh, I first typo'd "Post-Carob") Institute is doing amazing stuff in a town environment in Sebastopol. Besides maintaining a large "victory garden," they're setting up an electric- and hybrid-car rental service for our town.
Something Terrie noted, and that surfaced on one of my quote pages in my daily catch-up work there, that has stuck with me too: "When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." -Colleen C. Barrett (insert here a hundred other sayings about the relative worth of action vs. thought.)
There are a lot of people who are full of blue-sky ideas. Ideas are great. Ideas make the world go 'round. One person who can and will carry a rock 30 yards is worth approximately 15 people with ideas about how to move a rock 30 yards. Does anybody want to carry the rock? I'm here to suggest that the best architects have lain bricks, nailed boards, framed walls, hung sheet rock, and maybe even that only those people have really proven themselves qualified to BE architects... (More later)
Sunday, I went to an open house at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas.
I have a huge mish-mash of thoughts and inspirations around this, so please excuse a scattered posting. I'll try to fix it later.
What I've seen this weekend, and really in about the past year, is that, beyond the facts of global warming and peak oil, people are beginning to see that we are really on or past peak EVERYthing, and the Republicans aren't the only party that is pretty much over. It's really rather amazing that the US culture of excess has lasted as long as it has. However, it's also evident that there will still be parties.
Here's the thing: EVEN IF NONE OF THIS WAS HAPPENING, the following would be good things to do:
. Build community
. Grow food
. Learn all you can about conservation of all kinds
. Practice conservation
. Become more efficient
These are good things to do; if the left-wing liberal screwballs and Al Gore are correct in their dire predictions, these things may also become necessary.
In a time of massive inflation, good will and food become more valuable currency than paper money.
It doesn't matter if you own or rent the place where you live, you are still the custodian of it, and you can still create what you want (and need) in that space.
The Catchtail Farm folks have a really lovely place and a great outlook, and they're the kind of community members I hope I can become. When they started at this location, they built a fire circle in their yard and invited everyone up and down the street to a party at their house (see? already! Still having parties!). They've done smart things with their land, but what sticks with me--and what I believe will carry them through any coming crisis--is that they have built--are building--a strong community.
Brock gave a great walk and talk on water, and more to the point, on watersheds, at the Laguna. He's a man who likes to play with words, so I enjoyed his talk.
The Post-Carbon (heh, I first typo'd "Post-Carob") Institute is doing amazing stuff in a town environment in Sebastopol. Besides maintaining a large "victory garden," they're setting up an electric- and hybrid-car rental service for our town.
Something Terrie noted, and that surfaced on one of my quote pages in my daily catch-up work there, that has stuck with me too: "When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." -Colleen C. Barrett (insert here a hundred other sayings about the relative worth of action vs. thought.)
There are a lot of people who are full of blue-sky ideas. Ideas are great. Ideas make the world go 'round. One person who can and will carry a rock 30 yards is worth approximately 15 people with ideas about how to move a rock 30 yards. Does anybody want to carry the rock? I'm here to suggest that the best architects have lain bricks, nailed boards, framed walls, hung sheet rock, and maybe even that only those people have really proven themselves qualified to BE architects... (More later)
Friday, July 18, 2008
Rode
172.2: 17.8 miles.
I've gotten in a few rides this week, dinging the odometer in miniscule chunks, but managed about 16 miles Wednesday and then this ride today, to Santa Rosa and back. Feels good. I'm slower than just about everything else out there, but I pushed it today and kept it up near 13 mph most of the time, and that in a headwind. More and more, I'm just on the big ring in front and the highest few gears in back. A roadier bike would have a better gear ratio and would be more efficient and therefore faster and that's a large percentage of the people who are going faster than me.
Cary Grant jag fading. The Awful Truth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028597/) was hilarious, great fun. Indiscreet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051773/) was a little slow, but it isn't a comedy and romance isn't really my bag. My Favorite Wife (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029284/), good, but not up there with The Awful Truth...
I've gotten in a few rides this week, dinging the odometer in miniscule chunks, but managed about 16 miles Wednesday and then this ride today, to Santa Rosa and back. Feels good. I'm slower than just about everything else out there, but I pushed it today and kept it up near 13 mph most of the time, and that in a headwind. More and more, I'm just on the big ring in front and the highest few gears in back. A roadier bike would have a better gear ratio and would be more efficient and therefore faster and that's a large percentage of the people who are going faster than me.
Cary Grant jag fading. The Awful Truth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028597/) was hilarious, great fun. Indiscreet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051773/) was a little slow, but it isn't a comedy and romance isn't really my bag. My Favorite Wife (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029284/), good, but not up there with The Awful Truth...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Heroes
Another kid from Santa Rosa is coming home from the middle east in a box.
People call him a hero. Something bothers me about that. It makes me wince a little. Maybe it's the fact that they don't know anything about him, and tend to use that word "hero" in the same breath with words like "freedom" and "fighting terrorism," words our resident (I still have trouble including a "p" on the front of that word) has used over and over in a sanctimonious way to try to cover his lies about the war. In fact, whenever I hear that word "freedom" nowadays, I hear it spoken in W's simpering voice, and it becomes a simplistic, one-dimensional concept that has been drained of all of its original meaning. "Terrorism? That's people not like us." I think it has come to be mostly a synonym for "Islam."
Because in fact they are fighting a lot of things over there, but it doesn't seem like they're fighting terrorism, particularly, and I just don't see how they are defending freedom, by ANY stretch of the imagination.
Maybe it's the people I've known in my life who have chosen to go into the armed forces and police. Some of them really believe they are doing something noble, becoming peace-keepers and/or defending the concept of freedom. Others, well, they were bullies before and they remained bullies, in uniforms. They wanted to shoot guns and blow shit up, and maybe they even wanted to kill people. In regular society, that's not a hero. Somehow, you put a uniform on it and it's all cleaned-up and noble.
Or, they wanted a free education, someone to tell them what to do, some kind of structure in their lives, and really could be considered unwitting heroes when they found themselves one day sitting in a Hummer that happened to roll over an IED.
Heroism is more about the cause than the effect, isn't it? It's about your motives.
How much does an 18- to 22-year-old kid really understand about what it means to join the military and fight an old men's war? What do they really know about the principles on which this country was founded, that they are allegedly defending all those thousands of miles away?
But in a culture whose favorite pastimes include a game called "Guitar Hero," I guess I understand why people call these kids heroes.
I don't think you can automatically call a guy a hero just because he gets himself killed overseas. I think they deserve to get the benefit of the doubt to some extent--maybe this latest casualty WAS a hero--but I wouldn't automatically put them on a pedestal. And in any case, I wouldn't inflict the final indignity of putting Bush's vapid words in their mouths.
If one of these children had an uncommon understanding of world politics (or at least, say, a Harvard Business School edumacation), and no immediate financial need (oh, perhaps, was from a cushy Texas political family backed by Big Oil), and STILL left a promising future and gallons of alcohol and piles of cocaine, signed up and went overseas as a Private First Class...? Maybe THAT kid would be a hero.
People call him a hero. Something bothers me about that. It makes me wince a little. Maybe it's the fact that they don't know anything about him, and tend to use that word "hero" in the same breath with words like "freedom" and "fighting terrorism," words our resident (I still have trouble including a "p" on the front of that word) has used over and over in a sanctimonious way to try to cover his lies about the war. In fact, whenever I hear that word "freedom" nowadays, I hear it spoken in W's simpering voice, and it becomes a simplistic, one-dimensional concept that has been drained of all of its original meaning. "Terrorism? That's people not like us." I think it has come to be mostly a synonym for "Islam."
Because in fact they are fighting a lot of things over there, but it doesn't seem like they're fighting terrorism, particularly, and I just don't see how they are defending freedom, by ANY stretch of the imagination.
Maybe it's the people I've known in my life who have chosen to go into the armed forces and police. Some of them really believe they are doing something noble, becoming peace-keepers and/or defending the concept of freedom. Others, well, they were bullies before and they remained bullies, in uniforms. They wanted to shoot guns and blow shit up, and maybe they even wanted to kill people. In regular society, that's not a hero. Somehow, you put a uniform on it and it's all cleaned-up and noble.
Or, they wanted a free education, someone to tell them what to do, some kind of structure in their lives, and really could be considered unwitting heroes when they found themselves one day sitting in a Hummer that happened to roll over an IED.
Heroism is more about the cause than the effect, isn't it? It's about your motives.
How much does an 18- to 22-year-old kid really understand about what it means to join the military and fight an old men's war? What do they really know about the principles on which this country was founded, that they are allegedly defending all those thousands of miles away?
But in a culture whose favorite pastimes include a game called "Guitar Hero," I guess I understand why people call these kids heroes.
I don't think you can automatically call a guy a hero just because he gets himself killed overseas. I think they deserve to get the benefit of the doubt to some extent--maybe this latest casualty WAS a hero--but I wouldn't automatically put them on a pedestal. And in any case, I wouldn't inflict the final indignity of putting Bush's vapid words in their mouths.
If one of these children had an uncommon understanding of world politics (or at least, say, a Harvard Business School edumacation), and no immediate financial need (oh, perhaps, was from a cushy Texas political family backed by Big Oil), and STILL left a promising future and gallons of alcohol and piles of cocaine, signed up and went overseas as a Private First Class...? Maybe THAT kid would be a hero.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Chill on the Anti-Warming
There seems to be a number of people (and I think that number is three, and they all post regularly [one might say obsessively] on the comment boards of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat {pressdemo.com}) who are still and/or newly in denial about the global warming question.
They tend to cite one book--I've never seen anyone cite two--and tend to set it up against Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth."
They also tend to posit that the entire GW "thing" is a conspiracy by "libs" to "keep us from consuming," "prevent us from enjoying life," etc.
I admire these people for their ability to hold an idea against the overwhelming tide of scientific facts and opinion, but I have a few questions.
Is there more than one book that debunks this GW "thing"?
IF the whole thing is untrue, an evil plot by liberals, even if the world is COOLING, how does it follow that there is any wisdom in continuing to spew crap into the earth, air, and water of this planet? Conversely, Mr. Conservative, what would it hurt if we attempted to Conserve a little?
In other words, whether it's true or not, wouldn't it be better to act as if it were true than to act as if it weren't?
I'm just asking.
They tend to cite one book--I've never seen anyone cite two--and tend to set it up against Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth."
They also tend to posit that the entire GW "thing" is a conspiracy by "libs" to "keep us from consuming," "prevent us from enjoying life," etc.
I admire these people for their ability to hold an idea against the overwhelming tide of scientific facts and opinion, but I have a few questions.
Is there more than one book that debunks this GW "thing"?
IF the whole thing is untrue, an evil plot by liberals, even if the world is COOLING, how does it follow that there is any wisdom in continuing to spew crap into the earth, air, and water of this planet? Conversely, Mr. Conservative, what would it hurt if we attempted to Conserve a little?
In other words, whether it's true or not, wouldn't it be better to act as if it were true than to act as if it weren't?
I'm just asking.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Citizen Manners
What is it that makes people think they are exempt from rules, laws, and ETHICS to which the rest of us are subject?
Why, at the park around the corner, with signs clearly posted at every entrance forbidding off-leash dogs, and with a dog park less than two miles away where dogs can run and play untethered with other dogs, does almost everyone but me walk their dog without a leash? This is a place I love and respect. It is not really a man-made park along the lines of a city park, so much as a careful intrusion into a sensitive wetland habitat, a place where humans are allowed to observe from the edge, if they're considerate and careful. I try to keep my silence while I walk Laika there, passing dog after loose unruly dog and owner after lazy, apathetic owner. I'm not the police here, not even a hall monitor set to rat on offenders, the better to smooch on the derriere of the nearest elected or appointed uniform. I don't even necessarily believe in blindly following all laws to the letter. But these regulations make SENSE here, especially in cumulative form. Maybe it would be okay if one person's dog ran free while they walked, in reasonable voice control. But one leads to ten leads to a hundred, and there's shit all over the trails, and loose animals that threaten my dog and who knows what wildlife creatures here.
I called a guy on it in the parking lot. His dog came directly up to us and completely ignored him while he called it. I pointed out the sign, thirty feet from his car, and tried to make it light, but the frustration of repeated offense boiled up a little, especially when HE got all pissed off at ME for calling him on it, and then when it was down to the F bomb with him after only three lines of dialog.
What is WRONG with people?
Why, at the park around the corner, with signs clearly posted at every entrance forbidding off-leash dogs, and with a dog park less than two miles away where dogs can run and play untethered with other dogs, does almost everyone but me walk their dog without a leash? This is a place I love and respect. It is not really a man-made park along the lines of a city park, so much as a careful intrusion into a sensitive wetland habitat, a place where humans are allowed to observe from the edge, if they're considerate and careful. I try to keep my silence while I walk Laika there, passing dog after loose unruly dog and owner after lazy, apathetic owner. I'm not the police here, not even a hall monitor set to rat on offenders, the better to smooch on the derriere of the nearest elected or appointed uniform. I don't even necessarily believe in blindly following all laws to the letter. But these regulations make SENSE here, especially in cumulative form. Maybe it would be okay if one person's dog ran free while they walked, in reasonable voice control. But one leads to ten leads to a hundred, and there's shit all over the trails, and loose animals that threaten my dog and who knows what wildlife creatures here.
I called a guy on it in the parking lot. His dog came directly up to us and completely ignored him while he called it. I pointed out the sign, thirty feet from his car, and tried to make it light, but the frustration of repeated offense boiled up a little, especially when HE got all pissed off at ME for calling him on it, and then when it was down to the F bomb with him after only three lines of dialog.
What is WRONG with people?
Monday, June 16, 2008
I guess one very basic point from Sunday morning's post is: don't push your political views at the workplace? That's just childish, and it invites strife where cooperation is required. I would say the same about religion, following a very common rule of etiquette that suggests avoiding both of these topics at the dinner table.
And I did once have a co-worker who drove a Hummer. Luckily I never had to work with him directly--I don't think I could've kept a straight face. So... if you want to be respected and taken seriously, don't drive your Hummer (Escalade, Yukon, Navigator, Land Rover, Excursion...) to work either.
There's much more to say. Stay tuned.
And I did once have a co-worker who drove a Hummer. Luckily I never had to work with him directly--I don't think I could've kept a straight face. So... if you want to be respected and taken seriously, don't drive your Hummer (Escalade, Yukon, Navigator, Land Rover, Excursion...) to work either.
There's much more to say. Stay tuned.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Music and Endorphins
I just finished reading a book “This is Your Brain On Music” (http://tinyurl.com/3fndff) which advanced that as well as other facts and theories. I absolutely believe music causes your brain to produce endorphins, and I had never put those words to it until reading this book! I should find that section and copy it out.
I made a “smart playlist” in my itunes where I just went through all the songs (26000+ now) marking the ones I like to sing along with. This created a playlist of some 3200 all-time fave songs. We listened to it on the trip to Death Valley and back—only got through about 350!—but maybe partly from the power of suggestion from reading that, it was incredible how GOOD I felt, with song after song producing waves of euphoria, just the simple happiness of hearing familiar notes (after all, what makes us like a piece of music other than familiarity? When you like “new” music, it’s usually not far from your “old” music, right? You take little steps, not huge leaps, into new genres and styles. And some people never leave the 12” circle of songs they grooved to in High School, and Kansas “Dust in the Wind” just keeps giving ‘em shivers till they keel over at 50.) MANY songs literally bring tears to my eyes—actually, I think I have overactive tear ducts, but still. It’s just a HUGE wave of STRONG emotion, the proverbial ton of bricks. And often, kinda interestingly, it was the odd segue, where one song stops and an entirely OTHER, unexpectedly-different-but-still-smack-you-in-the-face familiar, song starts. I got that again and again, that happy surprise.
I’m still listening to that playlist almost two months later, at the computer now and again—here’s 803 – 809:
Grateful Dead “Tennessee Jed” (hey, it’s MY list),
Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams,”
the Supremes “Come See About Me,”
Lambert Hendricks and Ross “Twisted,”
the Kinks “Dandy,”
Fats Domino “Ain’t That A Shame,”
Talking Heads “Paper” …
and that isn’t even a particularly good stretch, as stretches go in this list, but still, that jolt of recognition when Fats fades out and those first jangly chords of “Paper” kick in! It’s fuckin’ amazing! I guess I’ve always gotten this from music I like, but having it laid out like this is like eating dessert first and dessert only, on and on, without ever getting sick.
I tried to make this smart playlist sorta random, by sorting by track number. Thus all the songs that are the first tracks on their CDs play first (an interesting side effect--the secondary sort is by album title, so a box set or, say, Led Zeppelin [whose first four albums were of course alphabetically similar], or the Who [many of whose albums start with the word "Who"], and note the "American" jag! may get a string of songs in a row).
For fans of lists, here are the first 100 songs (includes track numbers).
My Doorbell White Stripes
No Class Motorhead
Love Is a Stranger Eurythmics
Come Together Beatles 1
After The Fox Hollies 1 of 24
Tell Me Why Neil Young 1 of 11
Black Cow Steely Dan 1 of 7
I Wish That I Could Be You Muffs 1 of 13
Let Me! Paul Revere & the Raiders 1 of 15
I Get Around Beach Boys 1 of 12
Do You Believe In Magic Lovin' Spoonful 1 of 14
Radiates That Charm Downbeats 1
I Don't Like You Muffs 1 of 24
Box Of Rain Grateful Dead 1 of 10
American Idiot Green Day 1 of 13
American Pie Don McLean 1 of 12
American Woman Guess Who 1
Sherry Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 1 of 26
St. Stephen Grateful Dead 1 of 12
Dig My Grave They Might Be Giants 1 of 38
Welcome To The Jungle Guns N' Roses 1 of 12
Aqualung Jethro Tull 1 of 17
Hold Your Head Up Argent 1 of 8
Victoria Kinks 1 of 22
Superstition Stevie Wonder 1 of 17
Sir Duke Stevie Wonder 1 of 16
More Than This Roxy Music 1 of 10
It's Gonna Be Alright Gerry & the Pacemakers 1 of 10
To Know Him Is To Love Him Teddy Bears 1 of 23
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' Righteous Brothers 1 of 18
Who Knows Jimi Hendrix 1 of 6
Shoot Out The Lights X 1 of 16
No Reply Beatles 1 of 14
Our Lips Are Sealed Go-Gos 1 of 11
Time Passages Al Stewart 1
Rag Mop Ames Brothers 1 of 16
Come And Get It Badfinger 1
Angry Eyes Loggins & Messina 1 of 10
California Dreamin' Mamas & Papas 1 of 11
Never In My Life Mountain 1 of 12
You Send Me Sam Cooke 1 of 13
Cocktails For Two Spike Jones 1 of 12
Little Willy Sweet 1 of 16
House Of The Rising Sun Animals 1 of 15
I Fought The Law Bobby Fuller Four 1 of 14
The Rain, The Park, And Other Things Cowsills 1 of 14
China Grove Doobie Brothers 1 of 11
Be My Baby Ronettes 1 of 18
Love Is A Battlefield Pat Benatar 1 of 15
Train 4 Non Blondes 1
Dancing With Myself Billy Idol 1 of 16
Enter Sandman Metallica 1 of 12
Respectable Street XTC 1 of 14
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison 1 of 13
Blue Sky Mine Midnight Oil 1 of 10
Somewhere (From West Side Story) Tom Waits 1 of 10
Bo Diddley Bo Diddley 1 of 24
More Than A Feeling Boston 1
Any Road George Harrison 1
Home Iggy Pop 1 of 14
Day of the Eagle Robin Trower 1 of 13
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel 1 of 11
Hung Upside Down Buffalo Springfield 1 of 20
Baby Now That I've Found You Foundations 1 of 10
Timothy Buoys 1
By The Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 16
Around The World Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 15
Do It Again Steely Dan 1 of 16
Give It To the Soft Boys Soft Boys 1 of 17
No Time Guess Who 1 of 11
Just What I Needed Cars 1 of 13
Space Oddity David Bowie 1 of 18
25 O'Clock Dukes Of Stratosphear 1 of 16
Sin's A Good Man's Brother Grand Funk Railroad 1 of 12
Ol' 55 Tom Waits 1 of 12
I Hear You Knockin' Dave Edmunds 1 of 18
Come On Down To My Boat Every Mother's Son 1 of 14
Making Time Creation 1 of 20
Bodhisattva Steely Dan 1 of 8
School Supertramp 1 of 8
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Crosby, Stills, & Nash 1 of 10
Freedom Jimi Hendrix 1 of 10
Speak To Me/Breathe Pink Floyd 1 of 9
You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) White Stripes 1 of 13
My Big Mouth Posies 1 of 10
Dear Eloise Hollies 1 of 15
Dedicated To The One I Love Shirelles 1 of 15
Carry On Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young 1 of 10
Hurricane Bob Dylan 1 of 9
The Pied Piper Crispian St. Peters 1 of 15
Everyone's Gone To The Moon (Mono) Jonathan King 1 of 14
Manic Monday Bangles 1 of 12
Down To The Waterline Dire Straits 1 of 9
Elephant Talk King Crimson 1 of 8
Where Have All the Good Times Gone? Van Halen 1 of 12
Dixie Chicken Little Feat 1 of 10
So It Goes Nick Lowe 1 of 19
Ever Fallen In Love? Buzzcocks 1 of 19
The Modern World Jam 1 of 19
Daniel Elton John 1 of 14
It leans pretty heavily to the 60s, and having arranged and listened to my iPod by year, I've come to believe that the mid- to late-60s really were an incredibly fruitful time in the short history of pop music. (AND ALL THAT STUFF WAS ON AM RADIO, and I got a transistor radio for christmas when I was like 10--yeah, 1967.)
Anyone out there? Want more of the list? mlevel at gmail dot com.
s
I just finished reading a book “This is Your Brain On Music” (http://tinyurl.com/3fndff) which advanced that as well as other facts and theories. I absolutely believe music causes your brain to produce endorphins, and I had never put those words to it until reading this book! I should find that section and copy it out.
I made a “smart playlist” in my itunes where I just went through all the songs (26000+ now) marking the ones I like to sing along with. This created a playlist of some 3200 all-time fave songs. We listened to it on the trip to Death Valley and back—only got through about 350!—but maybe partly from the power of suggestion from reading that, it was incredible how GOOD I felt, with song after song producing waves of euphoria, just the simple happiness of hearing familiar notes (after all, what makes us like a piece of music other than familiarity? When you like “new” music, it’s usually not far from your “old” music, right? You take little steps, not huge leaps, into new genres and styles. And some people never leave the 12” circle of songs they grooved to in High School, and Kansas “Dust in the Wind” just keeps giving ‘em shivers till they keel over at 50.) MANY songs literally bring tears to my eyes—actually, I think I have overactive tear ducts, but still. It’s just a HUGE wave of STRONG emotion, the proverbial ton of bricks. And often, kinda interestingly, it was the odd segue, where one song stops and an entirely OTHER, unexpectedly-different-but-still-smack-you-in-the-face familiar, song starts. I got that again and again, that happy surprise.
I’m still listening to that playlist almost two months later, at the computer now and again—here’s 803 – 809:
Grateful Dead “Tennessee Jed” (hey, it’s MY list),
Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams,”
the Supremes “Come See About Me,”
Lambert Hendricks and Ross “Twisted,”
the Kinks “Dandy,”
Fats Domino “Ain’t That A Shame,”
Talking Heads “Paper” …
and that isn’t even a particularly good stretch, as stretches go in this list, but still, that jolt of recognition when Fats fades out and those first jangly chords of “Paper” kick in! It’s fuckin’ amazing! I guess I’ve always gotten this from music I like, but having it laid out like this is like eating dessert first and dessert only, on and on, without ever getting sick.
I tried to make this smart playlist sorta random, by sorting by track number. Thus all the songs that are the first tracks on their CDs play first (an interesting side effect--the secondary sort is by album title, so a box set or, say, Led Zeppelin [whose first four albums were of course alphabetically similar], or the Who [many of whose albums start with the word "Who"], and note the "American" jag! may get a string of songs in a row).
For fans of lists, here are the first 100 songs (includes track numbers).
My Doorbell White Stripes
No Class Motorhead
Love Is a Stranger Eurythmics
Come Together Beatles 1
After The Fox Hollies 1 of 24
Tell Me Why Neil Young 1 of 11
Black Cow Steely Dan 1 of 7
I Wish That I Could Be You Muffs 1 of 13
Let Me! Paul Revere & the Raiders 1 of 15
I Get Around Beach Boys 1 of 12
Do You Believe In Magic Lovin' Spoonful 1 of 14
Radiates That Charm Downbeats 1
I Don't Like You Muffs 1 of 24
Box Of Rain Grateful Dead 1 of 10
American Idiot Green Day 1 of 13
American Pie Don McLean 1 of 12
American Woman Guess Who 1
Sherry Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 1 of 26
St. Stephen Grateful Dead 1 of 12
Dig My Grave They Might Be Giants 1 of 38
Welcome To The Jungle Guns N' Roses 1 of 12
Aqualung Jethro Tull 1 of 17
Hold Your Head Up Argent 1 of 8
Victoria Kinks 1 of 22
Superstition Stevie Wonder 1 of 17
Sir Duke Stevie Wonder 1 of 16
More Than This Roxy Music 1 of 10
It's Gonna Be Alright Gerry & the Pacemakers 1 of 10
To Know Him Is To Love Him Teddy Bears 1 of 23
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' Righteous Brothers 1 of 18
Who Knows Jimi Hendrix 1 of 6
Shoot Out The Lights X 1 of 16
No Reply Beatles 1 of 14
Our Lips Are Sealed Go-Gos 1 of 11
Time Passages Al Stewart 1
Rag Mop Ames Brothers 1 of 16
Come And Get It Badfinger 1
Angry Eyes Loggins & Messina 1 of 10
California Dreamin' Mamas & Papas 1 of 11
Never In My Life Mountain 1 of 12
You Send Me Sam Cooke 1 of 13
Cocktails For Two Spike Jones 1 of 12
Little Willy Sweet 1 of 16
House Of The Rising Sun Animals 1 of 15
I Fought The Law Bobby Fuller Four 1 of 14
The Rain, The Park, And Other Things Cowsills 1 of 14
China Grove Doobie Brothers 1 of 11
Be My Baby Ronettes 1 of 18
Love Is A Battlefield Pat Benatar 1 of 15
Train 4 Non Blondes 1
Dancing With Myself Billy Idol 1 of 16
Enter Sandman Metallica 1 of 12
Respectable Street XTC 1 of 14
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison 1 of 13
Blue Sky Mine Midnight Oil 1 of 10
Somewhere (From West Side Story) Tom Waits 1 of 10
Bo Diddley Bo Diddley 1 of 24
More Than A Feeling Boston 1
Any Road George Harrison 1
Home Iggy Pop 1 of 14
Day of the Eagle Robin Trower 1 of 13
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel 1 of 11
Hung Upside Down Buffalo Springfield 1 of 20
Baby Now That I've Found You Foundations 1 of 10
Timothy Buoys 1
By The Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 16
Around The World Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 15
Do It Again Steely Dan 1 of 16
Give It To the Soft Boys Soft Boys 1 of 17
No Time Guess Who 1 of 11
Just What I Needed Cars 1 of 13
Space Oddity David Bowie 1 of 18
25 O'Clock Dukes Of Stratosphear 1 of 16
Sin's A Good Man's Brother Grand Funk Railroad 1 of 12
Ol' 55 Tom Waits 1 of 12
I Hear You Knockin' Dave Edmunds 1 of 18
Come On Down To My Boat Every Mother's Son 1 of 14
Making Time Creation 1 of 20
Bodhisattva Steely Dan 1 of 8
School Supertramp 1 of 8
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Crosby, Stills, & Nash 1 of 10
Freedom Jimi Hendrix 1 of 10
Speak To Me/Breathe Pink Floyd 1 of 9
You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) White Stripes 1 of 13
My Big Mouth Posies 1 of 10
Dear Eloise Hollies 1 of 15
Dedicated To The One I Love Shirelles 1 of 15
Carry On Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young 1 of 10
Hurricane Bob Dylan 1 of 9
The Pied Piper Crispian St. Peters 1 of 15
Everyone's Gone To The Moon (Mono) Jonathan King 1 of 14
Manic Monday Bangles 1 of 12
Down To The Waterline Dire Straits 1 of 9
Elephant Talk King Crimson 1 of 8
Where Have All the Good Times Gone? Van Halen 1 of 12
Dixie Chicken Little Feat 1 of 10
So It Goes Nick Lowe 1 of 19
Ever Fallen In Love? Buzzcocks 1 of 19
The Modern World Jam 1 of 19
Daniel Elton John 1 of 14
It leans pretty heavily to the 60s, and having arranged and listened to my iPod by year, I've come to believe that the mid- to late-60s really were an incredibly fruitful time in the short history of pop music. (AND ALL THAT STUFF WAS ON AM RADIO, and I got a transistor radio for christmas when I was like 10--yeah, 1967.)
Anyone out there? Want more of the list? mlevel at gmail dot com.
s
I have a co-worker who has been kind of an enigma. He is very busy and often inaccessible, so the few personal exchanges I have had with him have been in the nature of interruptions of work. I know he was in the military in Desert Storm I and his work was "blowing things up." He is very knowledgeable about our company's product, which runs on the Web and often requires significant customization. He knew of the song "Turning Japanese" but didn't know the artist, which might or might not indicate a certain depth of musical knowledge. I know he was in the market for, and eventually bought, a Les Paul guitar.
I know he is a Christian because of the many subtle and not-so-subtle signals... One was that for a while his IM avatar was a cartoon Jesus with electric guitar, underlined "Jesus Rocks." I've seen him give a CD that had the earmarks of "religious pop" to another person I know to be "fundamentally" religious...
I know his brother died recently, and he has not cut his hair since then.
This, really, is pretty much the sum total of what I know about him.
Except last week, his IM avatar changed to show, on the left, a picture of McCain with the word "Capitalism" under it, and on the right, Obama, captioned "Socialism."
A bit of an aside here: I have had this problem ever since George W. Bush became president of the United States. If I learn that someone voted for Bush in 2000--worse, in 2004--I can no longer respect that person's intelligence, and usually can no longer even LIKE them. The one exception is a millionaire, whom I know actually stands to benefit from the Bush presidency. Before Bush, politics was not unlike sports to me, where some people stood with one team and others stood with another. It just wasn't that defining, to say you liked the Redskins vs. the Giants. They were all pretty much the same, other than a thin veneer of this or that bent. Sure, people got passionate about a candidate, rarely, but it mostly seemed to be pretty much hair-splitting. I could respect a person who voted republican, because there were legitimate reasons a person might do so, and while it wasn't MY way, it was within the realm of human possibility to want things to be the way republicans seem to want them. Now though, with the incontestible facts of the crimes of the Bush residency, and the daily evidence of the rank, cavaliere, smirking elitism-plus-stupidity of Bush himself, how could ANYone but a drooling moron back this guy and his minions (again with the exception of the only people he seems to notice--the top 2% extremely well-off)? It's like a $50k a year guy with a family of three buying a Hummer--I have to question their intelligence and, indeed, their SANITY. Besides being stupid, they're part of the problem.
And this co-worker has now planted a flag in that camp. I always suspected it of him, the military and christian clues pointing that way, but to have it come out in this way ... it makes me frustrated and sad, and I run all the rationalizing through my head and can't come to a logical conclusion for it. What kind of blinders make him not see hwo stupid and crazy that is?
The statement itself, painting the contest as Capitalism vs. Socialism, is so grossly and wrongly oversimplified as to be laughable. Capitalism is far less than what Bush and McCain stand for, and Socialism is far more than what Obama stands for. The funny thing is that I can see that in their mind, the person who creates and flashes this cartoon probably thinks that they're stating McCain's position exactly and maybe fudging Obama a little, to make their point. Both terms are extremely broad, and Bush/McCain *might* fit into the definition of Capitalism--if you ENTIRELY EXCLUDE Mom and Pop and the overwhelming majority of private citizens. Obama *might* fit into the definition of socialism--"property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the public [Wikipedia, sorry!]" if we understand that he would attempt to apply that control simply to level the playing field; that is, not continue to give the rich (and worse, the corporations) any breaks that the general public is not getting.
Bush/McCain (and I think it is entirely reasonable to use the "/" virgule here to mean "and," connecting the two at the hip) have demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate the kind of "Capitalism" wherein the Haliburtons (and how is a no-bid contract construed as Capitalism by any definition?) thrive and the lower and middle classes are left to languish. We've seen it in action for seven years now; it hasn't worked. These "people" (for they aren't really people, are they--they are "boards"), even more so than the legendarily inhuman 19th and 20th century robber barons, are intent on ruthlessly wringing every dollar they can out of the government and the populace with no regard for humanity and the future, and indeed I don't see how anyone can extrapolate a near future including anything but a smoking crater where the United States used to be, if they logically follow this trend--we're already halfway there!
I've been saying this for several years now: If you are unsure how to vote in the presidential election this year, it's really quite simple:
1. Add the value of your bank balance and personal assets today.
2. If it is less than 100 million US dollars, vote for Obama.
And THAT's just the economic side.
I know he is a Christian because of the many subtle and not-so-subtle signals... One was that for a while his IM avatar was a cartoon Jesus with electric guitar, underlined "Jesus Rocks." I've seen him give a CD that had the earmarks of "religious pop" to another person I know to be "fundamentally" religious...
I know his brother died recently, and he has not cut his hair since then.
This, really, is pretty much the sum total of what I know about him.
Except last week, his IM avatar changed to show, on the left, a picture of McCain with the word "Capitalism" under it, and on the right, Obama, captioned "Socialism."
A bit of an aside here: I have had this problem ever since George W. Bush became president of the United States. If I learn that someone voted for Bush in 2000--worse, in 2004--I can no longer respect that person's intelligence, and usually can no longer even LIKE them. The one exception is a millionaire, whom I know actually stands to benefit from the Bush presidency. Before Bush, politics was not unlike sports to me, where some people stood with one team and others stood with another. It just wasn't that defining, to say you liked the Redskins vs. the Giants. They were all pretty much the same, other than a thin veneer of this or that bent. Sure, people got passionate about a candidate, rarely, but it mostly seemed to be pretty much hair-splitting. I could respect a person who voted republican, because there were legitimate reasons a person might do so, and while it wasn't MY way, it was within the realm of human possibility to want things to be the way republicans seem to want them. Now though, with the incontestible facts of the crimes of the Bush residency, and the daily evidence of the rank, cavaliere, smirking elitism-plus-stupidity of Bush himself, how could ANYone but a drooling moron back this guy and his minions (again with the exception of the only people he seems to notice--the top 2% extremely well-off)? It's like a $50k a year guy with a family of three buying a Hummer--I have to question their intelligence and, indeed, their SANITY. Besides being stupid, they're part of the problem.
And this co-worker has now planted a flag in that camp. I always suspected it of him, the military and christian clues pointing that way, but to have it come out in this way ... it makes me frustrated and sad, and I run all the rationalizing through my head and can't come to a logical conclusion for it. What kind of blinders make him not see hwo stupid and crazy that is?
The statement itself, painting the contest as Capitalism vs. Socialism, is so grossly and wrongly oversimplified as to be laughable. Capitalism is far less than what Bush and McCain stand for, and Socialism is far more than what Obama stands for. The funny thing is that I can see that in their mind, the person who creates and flashes this cartoon probably thinks that they're stating McCain's position exactly and maybe fudging Obama a little, to make their point. Both terms are extremely broad, and Bush/McCain *might* fit into the definition of Capitalism--if you ENTIRELY EXCLUDE Mom and Pop and the overwhelming majority of private citizens. Obama *might* fit into the definition of socialism--"property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the public [Wikipedia, sorry!]" if we understand that he would attempt to apply that control simply to level the playing field; that is, not continue to give the rich (and worse, the corporations) any breaks that the general public is not getting.
Bush/McCain (and I think it is entirely reasonable to use the "/" virgule here to mean "and," connecting the two at the hip) have demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate the kind of "Capitalism" wherein the Haliburtons (and how is a no-bid contract construed as Capitalism by any definition?) thrive and the lower and middle classes are left to languish. We've seen it in action for seven years now; it hasn't worked. These "people" (for they aren't really people, are they--they are "boards"), even more so than the legendarily inhuman 19th and 20th century robber barons, are intent on ruthlessly wringing every dollar they can out of the government and the populace with no regard for humanity and the future, and indeed I don't see how anyone can extrapolate a near future including anything but a smoking crater where the United States used to be, if they logically follow this trend--we're already halfway there!
I've been saying this for several years now: If you are unsure how to vote in the presidential election this year, it's really quite simple:
1. Add the value of your bank balance and personal assets today.
2. If it is less than 100 million US dollars, vote for Obama.
And THAT's just the economic side.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Oh, have you seen "Across the Universe" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/)? Are we the only ones to find it bad, bad, REALLY bad? I think there's an odd syndrome--I've seen it before, can't remember where--of 60s-and-Beatles-infatuation among people who were born post-60s-and-Beatles, and they seem to take ownership of the 60s and Beatles music in a way that is often extremely distasteful to me. Besides the codification of the 60s into convenient chewy clusters (one character drafted, another one black, a girl "too" involved in the anti-war protest movement , another in the club scene trying to sing like Janis Joplin...), in this movie, it appears they tried to build an entire plot around the 60s and most of the dialog out of (sung) Beatles songs. To me, as soon as you start naming characters "Jude," "Max(well)," "Prudence," "Sadie," "Lucy," you're already losin' me, kid. When half of those characters are ONLY there to support an occurrence of one person or another breaking into song (i.e. "Prudence's" whole raisin-bran d'etre in the ENTIRE movie was to have a scene where she's shut herself in a closet pouting and everyone outside the closet sings "Dear Prudence," now THAT's just stupid. They shoehorned songs into the plot, and plotlines into song-ops. The one English guy always sings with a smile on his face and everyone has these pure, clear (let's call it "plear") voices fresh out of "Fame" (they were born after THAT, too, I think). WAY too many telegraphed references to well-known Beatles and 60s trivia, like the use of apples and strawberries and the comment to Max about killing grandma with a hammer. There are a few cool animation bits (well, one, really), but ALL of that might not be too bad, but they ALSO had to bring my man Jimi into it! Now they're making me mad. The characters are zero-dimensional. The acting is out of Junior High, rising only occasionally to Sophomore level. The writing is just execrable. I had to watch it through because these are my heroes from, and this is the soundtrack of, my youth, and frankly I couldn't tear myself away, just like that reporter and the Hindenberg--"Oh the humanity!" .
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
2548.3 / 1354
Santa Rosa creek has trails following it on both sides. I decided to check these trails out today. Didn't expect to go over ten miles again, but ended up almost exactly 12, and precisely exhausted. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate a headwind? And how I always seem to have a ferocious one on the return trip? The trail is nice, though, mostly through dappled sunlight, going from vineyards and forest to neighborhood backyards, and then downtown Santa Rosa. I rode along the south side of the creek going out, and the north side back. Riders note: There are three streams that join the Creek on the north side, you have to ford them or else ride some (currently unknown) distance out of your way to get across. Not a big problem now and in the summer, but in the rainy season, you have every oppourtunity to get wet.
http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/06/06-07.htm
Santa Rosa creek has trails following it on both sides. I decided to check these trails out today. Didn't expect to go over ten miles again, but ended up almost exactly 12, and precisely exhausted. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate a headwind? And how I always seem to have a ferocious one on the return trip? The trail is nice, though, mostly through dappled sunlight, going from vineyards and forest to neighborhood backyards, and then downtown Santa Rosa. I rode along the south side of the creek going out, and the north side back. Riders note: There are three streams that join the Creek on the north side, you have to ford them or else ride some (currently unknown) distance out of your way to get across. Not a big problem now and in the summer, but in the rainy season, you have every oppourtunity to get wet.
http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/06/06-07.htm
Saturday, May 28, 2005
2532.2 / 1344. Rode about twenty-two combined miles yesterday and today.
Yesterday, High School Rd -> Occidental -> Sandford Rd -> Hall -> Willowside, dirt road following Santa Rosa Creek. Almost exactly five miles each way, and not too hard for having not ridden since what, March? Carrying the binoculars (in the stretchy harness) proved impractical for any but the easiest rides - they were bumping my knees a good part of the time. Still it was nice to stop and get a good look at an adult Bald Eagle over the Laguna, which I probably wouldn't've been able to ID without the binos, and some other birds.
Today, Rodota trail out to Stony Point Rd. and back - about 12 miles. Pleasant enough, but for a bit of improper rubbing of my naughty bits in the bike shorts, which I eventually sorted out (why I am I writing like one of those prissy Brits? I don't know!). Lots of purple flowers out, along with the usual poppies etc. Really pretty, but I was traveling light today so no photos. Was forcibly reminded on the return how much I hate a headwind. Seemed like about 20mph, and was especially bad on the long straightaways where I could see a mile or more of trail ahead not getting noticeably shorter as I worked my ass off. It just drains my energy, and of course any momentum I might've managed, so I'm pedaling nonstop but just to keep moving, and every mile seems like three. I tried to stay in the highest gear I could manage, sometimes 3-6 but more often 3-5, each downshift a little defeat.
These are the first rides since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. There is a little more urgency to my exercise now, since it's part of what will make this disease manageable... I must say, I haven't felt very good after these rides, but I have pushed it a bit both days distance-wise, and truth be told I haven't felt particularly good with or without the bike rides, so it's not really saying much. I feel good about having made myself get on the bike and go.
The Italian Job (2003): I liked this caper-flick, mostly because I like Edward Norton and Mini-Coopers. It was nicely paced and not generally too serious and self-important like some "actors" and movies I could name.
Yesterday, High School Rd -> Occidental -> Sandford Rd -> Hall -> Willowside, dirt road following Santa Rosa Creek. Almost exactly five miles each way, and not too hard for having not ridden since what, March? Carrying the binoculars (in the stretchy harness) proved impractical for any but the easiest rides - they were bumping my knees a good part of the time. Still it was nice to stop and get a good look at an adult Bald Eagle over the Laguna, which I probably wouldn't've been able to ID without the binos, and some other birds.
Today, Rodota trail out to Stony Point Rd. and back - about 12 miles. Pleasant enough, but for a bit of improper rubbing of my naughty bits in the bike shorts, which I eventually sorted out (why I am I writing like one of those prissy Brits? I don't know!). Lots of purple flowers out, along with the usual poppies etc. Really pretty, but I was traveling light today so no photos. Was forcibly reminded on the return how much I hate a headwind. Seemed like about 20mph, and was especially bad on the long straightaways where I could see a mile or more of trail ahead not getting noticeably shorter as I worked my ass off. It just drains my energy, and of course any momentum I might've managed, so I'm pedaling nonstop but just to keep moving, and every mile seems like three. I tried to stay in the highest gear I could manage, sometimes 3-6 but more often 3-5, each downshift a little defeat.
These are the first rides since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. There is a little more urgency to my exercise now, since it's part of what will make this disease manageable... I must say, I haven't felt very good after these rides, but I have pushed it a bit both days distance-wise, and truth be told I haven't felt particularly good with or without the bike rides, so it's not really saying much. I feel good about having made myself get on the bike and go.
The Italian Job (2003): I liked this caper-flick, mostly because I like Edward Norton and Mini-Coopers. It was nicely paced and not generally too serious and self-important like some "actors" and movies I could name.
Monday, February 28, 2005
2510.1 / 1255
Short ride out the Rodota/West County trail, where I diverted onto a little double-track out into the mustard fields, which are blooming insanely right now. Nice little ride, nothing special, but it was good to get out and eat some bugs.
Short ride out the Rodota/West County trail, where I diverted onto a little double-track out into the mustard fields, which are blooming insanely right now. Nice little ride, nothing special, but it was good to get out and eat some bugs.
Friday, February 11, 2005
2502.9 m / 1238 d.
To Forestville and back, on the West County trail. Whew! Been a long time since I've done this one. It's really rather easy (though I tried to keep up the heart rate and the leg strength by staying in highest gear I could stand) and very scenic. Just a few mild inclines to make it interesting. Anyway, after two years dormant, my bike and I passed 2500 miles today. Got a new, very bright, taillight and got my under-seat bag installed properly, so I'm off to the races.
To Forestville and back, on the West County trail. Whew! Been a long time since I've done this one. It's really rather easy (though I tried to keep up the heart rate and the leg strength by staying in highest gear I could stand) and very scenic. Just a few mild inclines to make it interesting. Anyway, after two years dormant, my bike and I passed 2500 miles today. Got a new, very bright, taillight and got my under-seat bag installed properly, so I'm off to the races.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
2478.1 / 1234 days, dropping the mileage-from-last, as it should be relatively obvious that I rode 8.3 miles since the last ride.
Just a short out-and-back to get some pictures of oaks and mustard in the "golden" evening light: http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/02/02-07.htm.
Just a short out-and-back to get some pictures of oaks and mustard in the "golden" evening light: http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/02/02-07.htm.
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