Got up bright and early this morning for my flight to Chicago- but, instead of having a nice and direct flight to Chicago, I have to go to LAX first, then onto Chicago. 3 fun events with children occurred on a 50 minute flight from SFO to LAX.
1) Row behind me, son threw up on himself, and mother had to get new pants. This was the same kid that the minute we took off, he said he had to go to the bathroom. I guess something was gonna come out one way or another.
2) Two rows in front of me, daughter threw up on herself and needed a new shirt. After we landed, she yelled back towards her mother and brother and said "I throwed up on myself!" She was very proud of it.
3) As we were beginning on descent into LAX, we had just passed over the L.A. Coliseum, a boy a few rows back (could have been #2's brother) started yelling "I can't hear!!!" He seemed very upset about it.
Predictably, my connection from LAX to Chicago is delayed due to weather, both here in L.A. (although it's currently only overcast) and in Chicago. Basically, the plane we are supposed to be on isn't here yet because of delays somewhere else. Even better, my flight is delayed 2 hours, but other flights to Chicago are only delayed 35 minutes; in fact, my flight will leave 1 hour after a flight that was originally scheduled for an hour after mine. Wrap that around your head for a second.
But, I'm not here to complain about the airlines.....children throwing up is much more interesting.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas
I know, it's a few days early, but I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow morning, provided the weather doesn't wreak havoc with those plans. Just wanted to tell everyone that I hope they have a very Merry Christmas.
I'll leave it to Linus to explain.....
I'll leave it to Linus to explain.....
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Peterson out
Finally. Carl Peterson is finally out as General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. I think that Peterson earned the 20 years as GM of the Chiefs, but these past 3-4 years have not been good- almost to the point that it appeared that the game had moved past him. While there were no Super Bowl appearances in that time, what Peterson (and owner Lamar Hunt) did during these 20 years of re-building the franchise was a task to which he should be satisfied and quite proud of.
For my wife's sake, I can only hope that Jerry Angelo is next- I mean, he took a lucky 13-3 season from Dick Jauron and turned it into a contract that he didn't deserve. Then fired Jauron the next season, brought in Lovie Smith, and still hasn't drafted a quality quarterback, a position that everyone in Chicago knows they need. Instead, he insisted that QB's like Jonathan Quinn, Cade McNown and Rex Grossman were sufficient. A trip to the Super Bowl, on the back of the defense, seemed to only blind him further. Finally, the best of what the Bears have, Kyle Orton, was allowed to start. And I haven't even gotten into the failures of their wide receivers. So, the Bears have a middling quarterback and no wide receivers.
Yet, the Bears are 8-6 and the Chiefs are 2-12. I should note that it is entirely plausible that the Chiefs could be 5-9, and be 5-1 in its division. Since Divison records don't count, except for tie-breaking purposes, how amazing would that have been to have a team only lose one division game, but not win any of their other games.
For my wife's sake, I can only hope that Jerry Angelo is next- I mean, he took a lucky 13-3 season from Dick Jauron and turned it into a contract that he didn't deserve. Then fired Jauron the next season, brought in Lovie Smith, and still hasn't drafted a quality quarterback, a position that everyone in Chicago knows they need. Instead, he insisted that QB's like Jonathan Quinn, Cade McNown and Rex Grossman were sufficient. A trip to the Super Bowl, on the back of the defense, seemed to only blind him further. Finally, the best of what the Bears have, Kyle Orton, was allowed to start. And I haven't even gotten into the failures of their wide receivers. So, the Bears have a middling quarterback and no wide receivers.
Yet, the Bears are 8-6 and the Chiefs are 2-12. I should note that it is entirely plausible that the Chiefs could be 5-9, and be 5-1 in its division. Since Divison records don't count, except for tie-breaking purposes, how amazing would that have been to have a team only lose one division game, but not win any of their other games.
Laughing all the way
From gas2.org:
Meanwhile, Michael Barone has an excellent article about how the U.S auto industry and unions have a failing relationship based on an out-dated labor relationship.
Meanwhile, Michael Barone has an excellent article about how the U.S auto industry and unions have a failing relationship based on an out-dated labor relationship.
"Look at General Motors," Mickey Kaus writes, "and tell me that strong unions are good for the economy." But the Democratic Party is determined to shell out money to maintain Wagnerism in the U.S. auto companies and is committed to promoting Wagnerism by passing the card check bill, which will abolish secret-ballot unionization elections. They want to impose adversarial labor-management relations in large swathes of the private-sector economy that are, currently, in healthier condition than the Detroit Three. Does that sound like a good idea?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Look what I missed
A flamethrower in my neighborhood:
Wish I could have seen that. . .
And speaking of you have to wonder what some people are thinking, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today for, amongst other things, trying to sell the Senate seat that belonged to Barack Obama and trying to get various members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board fired in exchange for access to state money in the sale of Wrigley Field (the Tribune Co. owns the Cubs and Wrigley Field). One can only hope that Charlie Rangel is next.
And finally, apparently three minors that were convicted of a home invasion and beating an elderly woman will be attending Obama's inaguration. So, three minors found guilty of beating an old lady and entering her home and were sent to a youth rehabilitation camp are now being fitted for tuxedo's and will be flown to D.C. to attend the inaguration. That's a great use of tax payer funds, not to mention an excellent opportunity to showcase that California does not really care about punishing criminals, instead, they send them off to D.C. to party. That'll learn 'em!
Man wielding homemade flamethrower arrested
By Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer 12/9/08
SAN FRANCISCO – An amateur pyrotechnician was arrested by police last weekend after staging an impromptu fire show in the Sunset District during the early morning hours.
At 3 a.m. on Saturday at the 800 block of Judah Street, police found a 31-year-old man standing on the top of a pickup truck while wielding a homemade flamethrower that was shooting balls of fire four feet into the air, according to Capt. Paul Chignell of the Taraval Police Station.
The man had obtained a couple of cylindrical tanks, possibly containing propane, and connected them with hoses to a metal outlet that directed the flames, Chignell said. Each time the man pulled the device’s trigger, a spout of fire would erupt.
“This guy had a yellow fireman’s jacket on and was just randomly shooting flames into the air,” Chignell said.
Neighbors frightened by the display called the police, who arrested the man on counts of wielding an explosive device on a public street and possessing a flammable device with intent to maliciously use it, Chignell said.
The man offered up no explanation for what he was doing, said Chignell. No one was injured in the incident, but Chignell said the suspect’s bizarre behavior put a lot of nearby residents at risk.
“Obviously, the potential for damage is pretty incredible with a rigging like this,” said Chignell. “Sometimes you just have to wonder what some people are thinking.”
Wish I could have seen that. . .
And speaking of you have to wonder what some people are thinking, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today for, amongst other things, trying to sell the Senate seat that belonged to Barack Obama and trying to get various members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board fired in exchange for access to state money in the sale of Wrigley Field (the Tribune Co. owns the Cubs and Wrigley Field). One can only hope that Charlie Rangel is next.
And finally, apparently three minors that were convicted of a home invasion and beating an elderly woman will be attending Obama's inaguration. So, three minors found guilty of beating an old lady and entering her home and were sent to a youth rehabilitation camp are now being fitted for tuxedo's and will be flown to D.C. to attend the inaguration. That's a great use of tax payer funds, not to mention an excellent opportunity to showcase that California does not really care about punishing criminals, instead, they send them off to D.C. to party. That'll learn 'em!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Philly
Had an overall enjoyable time in Philly. And was greeted with snow on Saturday. One day on the East Coast, one day with snow, which was nice.
The old gang, plus spouses (except for me, mine stayed back home since she's about the embark on a month-long tour of duty in Illinois- the plus for her is that she gets to stay with her family the entire time) got together for dinner at Marrakesh, in an alley just off of South Street. The food was really good. . .It's a 7 course meal and you use your hands to eat. We were running a bit late, so we started getting two courses at a time, which was a treat for me- lamb and cumin-spiced chicken? Yes please!
After dinner, we then headed for the Trocadero to see Dean and Britta and Mercury Rev. We got there just as Dean and Britta were setting up and had our pick of the floor, since the place was pretty empty. They played 7 songs, including Galaxie 500's "Snowstorm" and a cover of New Order's "Ceremony." Alas, it was only 7 songs. I've listened to their cd's, and they sound very little like Luna, but live, it sounded alot like Luna. They got really going after a song or two. I asked Dean afterwards when they would be coming back to San Francisco, and he said sometime in February. We missed them when they came through earlier this year, and I don't intend to miss them this next time for a full set.
Mercury Rev came on next. I've seen them twice before, but I don't recall the shows being so loud. And I mean loud. My left ear is still suffering the effects of it. Jonathan, the lead singer, came out with a dazed look on his face, from which I can only assume is the product of some under-the-counter medication, as we called it in high school. What struck me was that the live version of the songs really were nothing like the cd version, for at least the new stuff. The new cd's are very trancy and electronic, but live they were all loud and bombastic. The songs off of Deserters' Songs, however, retained the original feel- less bombast, more drone and very pretty. Unfortunately, they did not play anything off the first album; I was secretly hoping for "Car Wash Hair" with Dean playing guitar (Dean's credited with guitar on the album liner).
I won't say it was a bad show. . .it just wasn't what I had been expecting. And if I had seen that show 6 years ago, I would have loved it. To me, however, it seemed like Mercury Rev realized that they somehow missed the Flaming Lips/Radiohead love fest. They are that band in between the two- building noise soundscapes, but just missing something that would have put them alongside the other two. I love Deserter's Songs, and think it can sit comfortably next to "The Soft Bulletin," yet somehow, The Soft Bulletin got everyone's attention. Deserter's Songs ranked 76 in Pitchfork's Top 100 albums of the 1990s, where OK Computer was 1, The Soft Bulletin was 3, and Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space" was 55.
Anyway. . .the next day went to cheesesteak central, and decided to go with Geno's. It was good. . .got it "wit Whiz", which means with onions and cheese whiz. Yeah, cheese whiz. That's definitely the way to go. My wife will no doubtedly note that avoided the whiz option a number of occasions, but once I went whiz, I couldn't go back. Geno's is across the street from Pat's, and they have a friendly rivalry. Geno's is also famous for having signs asking people to order in english. And their don't see french fries, they still came them Freedom Fries. Anyway, the steak was delicious- the whiz gives it just enough salty goodness to match the onions and fattiness from the steak. As I told my friend, "This is a perfect hang-over meal."
We next headed to the Reading Terminal Market which is an indoor farmer's market/public market that's been around since 1892. Being a Sunday, not every counter and stall was open (I particularly missed not being able to check out the Pennsylvania Dutch section), but we got a good enough sampling of the products to know that if I lived in Philly, I would be there alot. There are several cheese counters, meat counters, fish counters, a beer garden, cook book stalls and dessert counters. After that, my friend dropped me off at the airport, and I waited for my flight back home.
All in all, even though we only got 40 minutes of Dean and Britta, it was definitely worth the effort to fly out and see old friends. Moving to San Francisco now requires an effort for us to see old friends who are still back on the East Coast, and know that we have real friends when that effort is reciprocated. Maybe I was a bit too nostaligic with my earlier post, but it really did have that feel, coupled with an acceptance that we have all moved on with our lives. It wasn't sad by any means, just a knowing that we all have a bond, and even though we are progressing with our lives, we still have the bond and those memories.
I started and finished Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" on the flight, and I plan to have a posting about it soon.
The old gang, plus spouses (except for me, mine stayed back home since she's about the embark on a month-long tour of duty in Illinois- the plus for her is that she gets to stay with her family the entire time) got together for dinner at Marrakesh, in an alley just off of South Street. The food was really good. . .It's a 7 course meal and you use your hands to eat. We were running a bit late, so we started getting two courses at a time, which was a treat for me- lamb and cumin-spiced chicken? Yes please!
After dinner, we then headed for the Trocadero to see Dean and Britta and Mercury Rev. We got there just as Dean and Britta were setting up and had our pick of the floor, since the place was pretty empty. They played 7 songs, including Galaxie 500's "Snowstorm" and a cover of New Order's "Ceremony." Alas, it was only 7 songs. I've listened to their cd's, and they sound very little like Luna, but live, it sounded alot like Luna. They got really going after a song or two. I asked Dean afterwards when they would be coming back to San Francisco, and he said sometime in February. We missed them when they came through earlier this year, and I don't intend to miss them this next time for a full set.
Mercury Rev came on next. I've seen them twice before, but I don't recall the shows being so loud. And I mean loud. My left ear is still suffering the effects of it. Jonathan, the lead singer, came out with a dazed look on his face, from which I can only assume is the product of some under-the-counter medication, as we called it in high school. What struck me was that the live version of the songs really were nothing like the cd version, for at least the new stuff. The new cd's are very trancy and electronic, but live they were all loud and bombastic. The songs off of Deserters' Songs, however, retained the original feel- less bombast, more drone and very pretty. Unfortunately, they did not play anything off the first album; I was secretly hoping for "Car Wash Hair" with Dean playing guitar (Dean's credited with guitar on the album liner).
I won't say it was a bad show. . .it just wasn't what I had been expecting. And if I had seen that show 6 years ago, I would have loved it. To me, however, it seemed like Mercury Rev realized that they somehow missed the Flaming Lips/Radiohead love fest. They are that band in between the two- building noise soundscapes, but just missing something that would have put them alongside the other two. I love Deserter's Songs, and think it can sit comfortably next to "The Soft Bulletin," yet somehow, The Soft Bulletin got everyone's attention. Deserter's Songs ranked 76 in Pitchfork's Top 100 albums of the 1990s, where OK Computer was 1, The Soft Bulletin was 3, and Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space" was 55.
Anyway. . .the next day went to cheesesteak central, and decided to go with Geno's. It was good. . .got it "wit Whiz", which means with onions and cheese whiz. Yeah, cheese whiz. That's definitely the way to go. My wife will no doubtedly note that avoided the whiz option a number of occasions, but once I went whiz, I couldn't go back. Geno's is across the street from Pat's, and they have a friendly rivalry. Geno's is also famous for having signs asking people to order in english. And their don't see french fries, they still came them Freedom Fries. Anyway, the steak was delicious- the whiz gives it just enough salty goodness to match the onions and fattiness from the steak. As I told my friend, "This is a perfect hang-over meal."
We next headed to the Reading Terminal Market which is an indoor farmer's market/public market that's been around since 1892. Being a Sunday, not every counter and stall was open (I particularly missed not being able to check out the Pennsylvania Dutch section), but we got a good enough sampling of the products to know that if I lived in Philly, I would be there alot. There are several cheese counters, meat counters, fish counters, a beer garden, cook book stalls and dessert counters. After that, my friend dropped me off at the airport, and I waited for my flight back home.
All in all, even though we only got 40 minutes of Dean and Britta, it was definitely worth the effort to fly out and see old friends. Moving to San Francisco now requires an effort for us to see old friends who are still back on the East Coast, and know that we have real friends when that effort is reciprocated. Maybe I was a bit too nostaligic with my earlier post, but it really did have that feel, coupled with an acceptance that we have all moved on with our lives. It wasn't sad by any means, just a knowing that we all have a bond, and even though we are progressing with our lives, we still have the bond and those memories.
I started and finished Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" on the flight, and I plan to have a posting about it soon.
Backlash
No Mob Veto
This is an interfaith organization put together by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty that "defend[s] the right of religious people and organizations to speak out on the issue—whatever their viewpoint—without fear of intimidation or violent retribution."
This is an interfaith organization put together by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty that "defend[s] the right of religious people and organizations to speak out on the issue—whatever their viewpoint—without fear of intimidation or violent retribution."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)