Progress

Sure glad to see the Republicans and Demoncrats working together during the past couple of weeks. Oops. that should read Democrats, of which I am one. Could that be a Freudian slip? Anyway, all the recent passed legislation seemed to come out of nowhere as I was not expecting any of it. I wonder if the new Congress will do as well?

Senate GOP pledges to block all bills until tax dispute resolved - CNN.com

Senate GOP pledges to block all bills until tax dispute resolved - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I say that we should give those Republicans all the rope they need to hang themselves. Extend the tax cuts and then see what a mess they make out of things in 2011. They no more have any ideas than the Democrats so I say "put up or shut up".

Good idea

I love this comment from a Chronicle reader in Napa: Regarding the air travel pat-down controversy, I'd rather be felt up than blown up.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/25/EDHU1GH4KH.DTL#ixzz16P7o2HA7

Train to nowhere

While Alaska has its bridge to nowhere we are now about to get our railroad to nowhere. Don't these dummies in California and the USA realize that these high speed trains must be built between areas of high density population, not somewhere in the boondocks. This plan will doom the entire project to failure. WHAT IDIOTS!!!!!!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/25/BAMP1GH4FV.DTL

Presidental Race - 2012

I see on the news today that Sarah Palin is weighing her options for running for president in 2012. What??? Please spare me. She is in no way qualified for that office no matter what you think about her political stand on the issues of the day. She would be even more embarrassing that George W. Bush. If she runs and wins the nomination of her party I could only hope that the Democrats have a super strong candidate to run against her. If not and should she win, I know that it would finally be time to move to another country.

Palin

I wonder how much Sarah Palin's mother is paying ABC-TV to keep her daughter on the program?????????????????

Punks in the Haight

I certainly agree with this comment:

"The Haight punks may not be able to afford rent, but that is because they choose to do no work and mooch off those who do. Further, they are not looking for housing. They have no intention of settling down in San Francisco or anywhere else. The affordability or unaffordability of rent is thus irrelevant to their condition."

That comment from Heather Mac Donald, of the New York-based City Journal, a quarterly magazine about urban affairs, writing about San Francisco's sit/lie debate. Unfortunately, given the far left leanings of this city I doubt that much can be done.

Boy stabbed repeatedly in New York restaurant - CNN.com

Boy stabbed repeatedly in New York restaurant - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

This is a good example of the sick society we live in today. This planet apparently needs "outside" help.

How about a walk?

Why oh why did the Giants batter, with the game tied, only one out, and with the bases loaded, why did he have to even swing at the ball. A walk would have forced in the winning run and I think the odds of that happening were quite good. But no, he has to swing at the ball and hits into a double-play thus ending the chances for a Giants win at that point. DAMN DAMN DAMN

Even if he had struck out perhaps the next batter could have walked in the winning run. Since the errant batter is one of the teams better players, I won't even mention his name here.

Gate fixed

Mr. Fixit returned and now our old gate is good as new as they say and it has even been re-hung so it opens outward. This would seem to be better from a security standpoint.

Yesterday the Blue Angles "surveyed" the city and today there will be practice runs which will sound the same as the ones yesterday.

Tim Lincecum pitched superbly yesterday as the Giants beat the Braves 1-0. Today Matt Cain will be on the mound.

Want to see the movie "The Town" but not sure when I am going to find time for it.

Mr. Fixit

What's with Mr. Fixit here at this apartment building? There were two guys here on Monday fixing, or trying to fix the front gate. Now the job remains unfinished and the gate is leaning against a post in the courtyard and nothing is protecting the building from intruders. What is going on? Doesn't anyone know how to fix a security gate? How long will this project go on anyway?

A check of the items thirty minutes later reveals that someone has moved the items to a slightly different location curbside...next to a microwave oven that someone else had placed curbside earlier in the week. Hmmm...I wonder how this will all work out.

Junk pick-up

For the first time ever I have placed a bunch of stuff curbside for pick-up in the morning by Recology, a division of Golden Gate Disposal. I just hope that the local scavengers don't run off with the stuff. Two items are absolutely no good (no power cord) the the other two items are falling apart. I realize that strange things happen late at night but it is literally out of my hands now as I have followed their instructions and it is up to them to pick things up.

Smoke

I would like to thank Patricia of San Francisco for her excellent letter to the editor this morning"

"You can't separate marijuana smoke from cigarette and cigar smoke.

For health reasons, we have smoke-free offices, restaurants and apartment buildings, but healthy people still have to walk through a gauntlet of smokers, including pot smokers, wherever they go, especially in the business district.

Cigarette butt trash litters our sidewalks, bus stops and beaches. Second-hand smoke kills many people every year. It's pretty scary that potheads can actually vote for their right to expose healthy people to the sickening stench of marijuana smoke wherever they go. Marijuana smoke is just as deadly as cigarette and cigar smoke, and healthy people have the right to smoke-free air. It's even more frightening that politicians are pushing taxing a toxic substance as a source of revenue."

Unrest and wars

I love the internet and the access it provides to news of the world but I can't help but be a little bit concerned by all the headlines which could be grouped under the heading: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." [Matthew 24:6] Well, that is somewhat of a relief. Ha! So the burning question is: How long must we endure? Should I move to another country and if so, which one? Perhaps the space station might be the safest place to be in the future.

Question

Is "CouponSuzy.com" the former "Chapstick Suzie"?

No new nut cases?

Where have all the religious nut cases gone? Seems like this past week or two has been rather quiet. One real nut case and a dangerous one however, is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejak of Iran who visited the U.N. this week for another vitriolic speech. That guy is sick sick sick.

Confusion reigns

Hold on there...not so fast. Who has said what and to whom? Pastor Jones is now backing off somewhat and the Imam in NYC does not seem to know what is going on here.

Pastor nixes Quran-burning, claims NYC mosque deal - Yahoo! News

Pastor nixes Quran-burning, claims NYC mosque deal - Yahoo! News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Thank you Pastor Jones for coming to your senses and working with the imam in this delicate matter.

The Voice of Hate

The Voice of Hate in America. I wonder how he would feel if someone burned a stack of Bibles or his church? Has he forgotten about the Christian Crusades and all the pain and suffering those caused? Why is it that small minded evangelicals from small churches offer up so much hate in this country?

Hate filled world

Fred Phelps hates gays ("God Hates Fags") and Terry Jones hates Muslims. What is this world coming to anyway? If there is any burning to do, Mr. Phelps and Mr. Jones should be burned at the stake.

End of summer??

Well, this is the weekend that traditionally tourists go home, or at least thin out. It is also the time when the weather improves here in San Francisco. That is, the fog lessens and the average temperature goes up, or at least that is the way it usually happens. With the changes caused by global warming there is no telling what will happens anymore. The past two days have been wonderful but a cooling trend is predicted and things may be below normal by Wednesday and so it goes. It has been very much of a roller coaster ride the past few weeks.

Fall is here with the schools opening and the opera and symphony seasons resuming once again. It is one of my favorite times in this city.

My gray matter is not working too well tonight so that will all for now.

Roller Coasters

I've never like roller coasters and our roller coaster ride in the temperature department here in SF is getting a bit tiresome. Why can't we be bored to death with the same temperatures all week? Oh well, guess we would find something to complain about no matter what.

The wind has been bothersome to me also but had coffee with a friend at Blue Bottle Cafe at the SF MOMA today. We sat in a sunny corner where we were protected from the wind so it was a very pleasant afternoon.

Not sure what I will do tomorrow or will be able to do as we will be out late tonight for the coronation of Mr. & Ms. GAPA 2010 at Shangri-La.

Somebody told me today that there once was a cross-eyed teacher who could not control his pupils. Hmmmm....

Bye y'all

A pocketful of dust and one note

After an absence of one year or more, I returned to the gym this week. Am slightly sore but not as much as I expected to be. Of course, I did not try to lift or push the same weight loads as when I left but I will work up to that and hopefully beyond in the coming months.

Clipboards

I can certainly agree wholeheartedly with the letter to a local newspaper:

"Over the years I have often complained about the panhandlers and homeless intruding on my space and asking me for money, sometimes aggressively. Now I would give anything to see them instead of those clipboard-wielding touts that harass me sometimes several times throughout my walk down Fillmore Street, shoving their clipboards and their opinions at me. At least the homeless really need the money."

And this reminds me that it was so pleasant during my recent visit to Boston not to see newspapers and other trash all over the streets and not to to be panhandled at every turn. Only once in seven days was I panhandled. In SF once in 24 hours would be a welcome relief and minor miracle.

Aaron Pekin as Mayor

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID (even if only for a short time).

Shocker, more of the same, when the next batch of loons take power and implement more of the same lunacy that makes SF a laughing stock to the world, the same clowns that ushered the new set of lunatics in will authentically be puzzled as to why things remain as screwed up as they are, whats that about the definition of insanity being when one tries the same thing over and over again, yet expects a different result, sums up SF to a T.

The above comments are reader comments from SF Gate this morning and I agree 1000%.

Pathetic country that we live in...

When I get up in the morning and read stories like this "9 dead in Connecticut workplace shooting" and "Masked gunman shoots 8 at party", I just want to head for the hills for the rest of my life. When I was growing up in the forties and fifties headlines like that were rare if at all. What has happened to the USA? Of course part of the answer here is the same as in Mexico, Brazil, and other countries - DRUGS, the curse of mankind. Everyone either wants to get high or get rich quickly, or both. I am so tired of it all!

Inconsiderate 25-something neighbors...

The “kids” who live near me are hopeless. I am not even sure those roaming around here at the moment live here. Anyway, the noise has been unbearable at times and is about to push me over the edge. So, unless something changes I will HAVE to move but I can’t really afford it. That is, the higher rent, so I will have to compromise and cut way back on everything by seeking out a compatible roommate. I don’t want to do that but it may be necessary to save my sanity.

STOP - THIEF

Oh great...now someone has stolen the key to the building from the USPS lock box out front. Now they will have to re-key the entire building. I wonder how long that will take? Know what? This neighborhood sucks!

Things that go bump in the night...

Well, in this case it was more like "tap tap tap tap". I could not not tell where this sound originated but it sounded like upstairs or next to me, either of which would have been good guesses for unexplained noises. Apparently this was not the case and I need to talk with the resident building manager now as I saw her standing in the courtyard about six o'clock this morning (I could not get back to sleep.) and I heard several male voices and other sounds. When I looked out the second time I saw what appeared to be fireman taking something (or someone???) out. All I could see was the bottom of black pants with some florescent green markings near the bottom. I never heard any sirens or two way radios so this is a mystery at the moment

This building is such that unidentified sounds are liable to originate anywhere at any time of the day or night. The ghost of Sally Stanford??? Well, her SF bordello did occupy this site until it was torn down in the fifties. Was that an unhappy event for her and how did the current owner's late husband come to acquire the property?

More San Francisco follies

Recently there has been discussions about cell phone towers in the city vis-a-vis health concerns. Well, I for one, am sick and tired of these NIMBYs especially when nothing has been proved one way or the other.

I especially liked some of the comments made on the SF Gate website regarding this matter.

Comments such as:

"You gotta love Bugaboo Nation. They won't get their kids vaccinated but they're worried about cell phone towers."

"Glad I don't live in SF with all the nutcases. They complain when they can't get cell service but then become NIMBY's when the cell phone companies try to install new antennas. And let's not forget there have been no studies showing any harmful links between cell phone radiation and personal health."

"Do you really need another reason to convince visitors and conventioneers to go elsewhere?"

I am really ready to go somewhere else to get away from some of these people.

Oh no...

This is ridiculous! How many more enemies are we going to create by acts such as this in an unwindable war to begin with? Won't the USA ever learn?

Dumb Ass Smart Meters

I don't want any electric meter so connected to P.G. & E. or any other utility that it can tell the company when to turn power on or off in my residence. That is something like Big Brother telling me what I can or cannot do. To hell with P.G. & E. and their freakin Smart Meters.

Quiet 4th

Although some of the rowdies apparently returned in the wee hours of this morning I did not hear them but I did hear some familiar voices around 8:30 AM.

Today was a rather quiet day all around. Went to the 11 AM Eucharistic Service at Grace Cathedral again. The Rodgers electronic organ in the gallery sounds great, probably a lot better than the gallery division of the pipe organ. The organ restoration project is supposed to be completed by late this fall.

It was quiet at home today which was a blessing after the very noisy Friday and Saturday which almost had me calling my shrink for help. LOL

Now I am hearing the noise of the fireworks from the Bay. All week the weathermen and women have been predicting a fog free 4th. Ha! At 6 PM a cold wind was blowing and bringing in the fog as usual. As for those weather people - they are all herby FIRED.

What should I do tomorrow? The kitchen and bathroom floors need mopping. Yuck...
I have been putting that off too long so if it is a chilly windy day perhaps I can get myself moving and do that.

Noisy Neighbors

How does one deal with young neighbors who are very noisy and act like the whole building is theirs? Their playpen so to speak. From the sounds of things they either must be crazy or drunk or both. Certainly no normal person could make this much noise and sound the way they do. This has gotten to be a ghetto on Nob Hill as the only thing the owners care about it getting their money. The owners don't seem to give a damn about anything else so it seems that these immature adults can make all the noise they want as long as they don't destroy things or hurt somebody. Their screaming and loud talking however leads me to believe there could be trouble ahead. I am not even sure that the culprits live here. It almost seems like they might be friends of people who do. One big question in my mind is this. With all the changes in tenants recently why do the noisy ones end up on my side of the building and next door to me. I sure do not hear such noise coming from units in the front of the building.

Is there some sinister plot by S.C. Properties Management to either drive me crazy or drive me out of the building, or both. I have been here 17 years and because of rent control I am not paying "market rent". Perhaps the very rich person who owns the building has decided that she doesn't have enough money and would like to get me out so that she can have even more.

Well, frankly I would like to move, oh gawd, how I would like to but I cannot afford it. If I could I would be gone so fast that all you would see would be a blur.
----------------------------
Footnote to the above: As I write this at 11:00 PM, the perps just left. I wonder if they will return when the bars close and be just as noisy???????

Foreigners - STAY HOME

Why are foreign nationals suddenly going to other countries to cause problems? First we have the Brit and the Aussie who joined the Red Shirts in Bangkok to deliver incendiary speeches from the Red Shirts' stage during the riots there. Now we have a Swiss National in Singapore vandalizing subway train cars. The graffiti is also reminiscent of what we would see in the NYC in the 60's and 70's. Don't these people have anything productive and positive to do?

California Voters

Let's us not screw this one up. Vote NO on Proposition 16 tomorrow. The misinformation on this proposition is mind boggling but if you want to give P.G. & E. even more power, then you would vote yes as passage of this proposition would be make it more difficult for other energy companies to do business here.

Uncertain future

What lies ahead for Thailand? Will they be able to meet the future peacefully or not? If I had never gone there ten years ago and on other occasions and gotten to know people there, the country's problem would just be a minor blip to me on the six o'clock news but now I know people, very nice people, who just want to live their lives in a peaceful manner, have a job, and not have to worry about politics, wars, or whatever. Now Thailand is on the verge of a very unstable future. I am saddened by recent events but also angered as none of this need to have happened. I can only hope that a solution will be found before it is too late.

What would YOUR government do about this?

Somehow I don't think your government, or mine, would act with such restraint for such a long period of time.

Troubles in USA

If anyone wonders what is wrong with the USA, all they have to do is watch Judge Judy on TV for awhile to see how stupid some people are in this country.

Sadness and anger...

...that is what I feel regarding the on-going violence and lawlessness in Bangkok. What used to be one of my favorite cities to visit each winter is now under the influence of mob rule by the poor and uneducated from the northern provinces of Thailand. The saddest part of this is that this lawless band does not even realize what they are doing to the country and of course they don't care as they are being paid by Thaksin Shinawatra to carry out his dastardly deeds. They are also taking advantage of the King's age and poor health. In the past he would have spoken out and his moral authority would have put and end to this squabbling but now he is too ill to do so.

There is one big question on my mind regarding this sad state of affairs. Why haven't the ring leaders and others who disobey the law, been arrested and put in jail? Don't these acts constitute treason?

Hopeless case?

I have visited Bangkok and other cities in Thailand many times during the past ten years or so and have enjoyed every minute of it. Now, unfortunately, I cannot return due to the increasing social and political instability. Most of that is due to one man who does not even live there any longer and that person is Thaksin Shinawatra, a former Prime Minister, who is one of the richest people from that country, and one of the most corrupt. Now he directs his minions from the safety of another country.

I have hope that the situation will improve but each morning when I get up and read the news and go on-line, it seems that it has only gotten worse overnight. I now have friends there, Thai citizens as well as ex-pats from the USA, and I worry about them although I am sure they will know how to stay out of harm's way but I will miss them.

This also leaves me without a vacation spot in the midst of winter here at home. It was so nice to go to a warm climate for a few weeks and to be with people I know but that seems to have come to an end.

So sad, so sad...

Damn Tea Party

There were several excellent letters to the editor in the SF Chronicle this morning. This is my favorite:

"The disconnect between Tea Party slogans and reality is stunning ("Don't believe smears, come see for yourself," Open Forum, April 15).

They speak of cutting "liberty-squelching, job-killing taxes." What does that mean? Tax rates on income, capital gains, estates are at historic lows. What would they cut?

They embrace "conservative" principles and freedom. Yet government can dictate who can marry and what a woman can do with her body?

They rail about "government-run" health care. How is it government-run? Because everyone is required to buy health insurance? We're already required to buy car insurance. How are those mandates different?

They hate the bank bailout. Me too. But imagine how hard it would be to get a mortgage if the government let AIG, Citi and BofA fail.

Don't bail out the auto companies! But didn't that save jobs, not kill jobs? Besides, aren't conservatives the ones who scream "Buy American"?

Government spending is "out of control." I agree. Cut our obscene defense budget. But that's un-American!

Get real, Tea Partiers. You can't have it both ways. And until Sarah Palin stops sticking her gun in my face, you still look like an angry mob."

Voice Mail

It would be great if various businesses would get away from automated phone menus. There are too many times that I go around in circles trying to get to the right person. For example: Today I tried dialing Verizon customer service regarding re-setting my voice mail password. When it didn't work I ended up in an endless loop going no where so at the end of the message I quickly dialed several zeros and actually go connected with a live person who helped me with my problem several times in the earlier process I was continually referred to the previous number that I had dialed. Yesterday I had the same problem with Dell technical support. Each time I had to re-enter my express service code and start all over again. In the end I got disconnected and had to start all over again this morning. Fortunately, in both cases, the problems have been resolved but...
I HATE AUTOMATED VOICE MAIL IN WHICH IT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH A LIVE PERSON.
That is not good customer service at all. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Dreary Weather

The rainy season here on the West Coast generally winds down and ends in April however today seems more like January. It has been raining all day and the temperature is 48° resulting in a totally boring day. We are supposed to have sunny skies Tuesday through Friday but more rain next weekend. Bummer...

The SF Giants are currently under rain delay for their game against the Atlanta Braves. There was to be a reunion of players from the past including Barry Bonds but I guess they will all now go their separate ways the public won't get to see any of them.

And to make things worse, I am hungry. It is too early to eat dinner so what to do...

And to make things worse (part 2) there aren't any interesting movies in the cinemas and I don't have any DVDs of interest right now and this apartment is getting colder by the minute. Oh well, I least I can turn up the heat. Wish I could turn off the rain.

I am seeing Red

This is getting so tiresome and I worry about my friends there. I would like to return to Chiang Mai in January but I am now wondering what shape the country of Thailand will be in by that time. These stubborn Red Shirts who only want one thing and that is the return of Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister. Well, my friends, that ain't gonna happen, so what would happen if the current P.M. dissolved parliament and actually did call for new elections as the Red Shirts have been demanding? Would they accept the outcome of that election? I doubt it. And then there if the matter of the frail and elderly King. How much longer will he last? I am hoping for the best however it is a very precarious situation to say the least.

By the way, if you want to get some good background on the Royal Family and Royal Succession and the problems involved, check out the articles at The Economist.

Impossible Airline

Airlines continue to make flying more and more difficult but Spirit Airlines has taken things to a new low with their charges and they don't even allow a camera to be carried on board. So, everyone be warned - DON'T FLY SPIRIT AIRLINES.

Caltrain ponders return to commute-only service

That would be sad if it comes to pass. They would lose additional riders and find it even more difficult to recover after the economy recovers. Also, what would Giants fans from the peninsula do on game days? And one other thing. The timing of this announcement is a little strange as only a few weeks ago they announced that they would begin a study to electrify the entire line from San Francisco to Gilroy. No need to that if they are only going to be part-time or non-existent.

See: Caltrain ponders return to commute-only service

Down in Flames

It was once thought that Archbishop Levada (and former Arch-Bishop of San Francisco), now Cardinal Levada and now right hand man to the Pope could be the first American Pope. Well, that whole regime is going down in flames. Not only has Ratzinger's actions, or lack thereof, made it difficult or impossible for another German Pope in the near future but for an American one as well.

The Church needs to turn to the East, the Far East, as there were one or two Asian Cardinals amongst the preferiti during the last election for Pope. The church needs to get away from Europe and I am not sure one of the arch-conservative Cardinals from Africa will fill the bill either.

Bad English

Here is a movie review written by a high school drop out. It says in part: Rocketing from one bobby-trapped and treacherous site to the next... I thought that was always "booby-trapped" unless British "bobby's" have somehow gotten into the war. Also, Spun by operatives with intersection agendas which I believe should read "intersecting agendas". Duh.... No wonder kids have such a problem with the English language these days.

One of the most irritating expressions these days by teens is "such and such is so fun". What ever happened to so much fun. This just grates on my nerves to no end.

Great Sale

Oh, I love this special for a messenger bag posted on ThinkGeek.com today. A messenger bag originally $49.99, now on sale for, gasp...$49.99. Sorry guys but that does not compute. hehehe

Mobile Home?

It gets so disgusting to walk around San Francisco these days when one encounters so many homeless people and their myriad belongings crammed into stolen shopping cards. About the only place they are not seen is on Nob Hill. Guess it is too difficult to push that stuff UP the hill. They do make a mess of flat areas of the city however as exhibited by this "train" of stuff on the otherwise lovely Embarcadero.

Progressive?

I wish some people in San Francisco would stop referring to progressive ideas or politics in this city as there is nothing progressive about any part of this city. It is a failed city which is going down the drain to obscurity. And we are also burdened with Aaron Peskin, a former city supervisor, who seems to be to San Francisco politics what Thaksin Shinawatra (the former PM of Thailand) is to Thai politics. Neither person knows when or how to let go and let the city (and the country) move forward.

Message to Linda

Yes, I can believe you are 70 years old. heh heh heh God how I hate some TV commercials.

"Smart Phones"?

I just need one that can complete calls as dialed and with good voice quality. I DO NOT need to surf the web/download apps and talk at the same time and my Verizon phone has done just that in California, Nevada, New York, Virginia, and D.C.

Buzz? I do not need a social networking app in my g-mail. That is private, or at least as private as things can be on the world wide web I guess. For social networking I will stick with Facebook, or Twitter if I can ever figure out how to use that site.

Windows 8? Those folks up in Redmond still don't get it. They need an OS that works well with few if any bugs before they decide to re-invent the wheel again.

I remember many years ago when the slogan for General Electric was "Quality is our Most Important Product". Well, that apparently does not currently apply to a lot of businesses in the USA. The bottom line seems to be the only important product for a number of companies these days.

Re: Highrises

This city could drive me to drinking and probably already has. The latest move by some members of the Board of Stupidvisors is a good example as reported in this morning's SF Chronicle.

"Again, another short-sighted, reactionary measure from the Board of Supervisors to "fix" a problem that isn't a problem. And due to the lack of voters in June's election, this will probably pass as a result of an ill informed public and left wing progressives. (Who wouldn't vote to save SUNLIGHT?!?) It seems many don't realize that these buildings may only cast small slivers of shadows on certain parks at certain times during the year (like in the winter), and they'd be stopped with this ballot measure. SF should be encouraging smart development like Transbay Terminal and Hunters Point, which would create more jobs and grow our tax base. This is also a power grab by the Board of Supervisors. I'd rather let PLANNING decisions be left to the professionals at the Planning Department and Planning Commission. Don't politicize the development process even further by giving more power over the the Board."

Sometimes I think some residents would return the city to the log cabin days of past centuries. San Francisco Progressives are NOT progressive, they are ill-informed and backwards in a lot of their thinking, if they think at all.

Vacation & Security

Well, my most recent flights to and from Thailand were no different than any other however Homeland Security at SFO has resumed, after a one year layoff, of giving me an extra screening upon return. My friends who travel through LAX say they have never had that experience even when traveling to and from Thailand. The screener at SFO this time implied that it had something to do with a person traveling alone to that country. Not sure what that meant but after a number of trips there they know, or should know that I do not bring back illegal substances, weapons, or contraband of any sort. It gets frustrating and somewhat discouraging. Maybe that is what they are trying to do...discourage me from traveling there. Well, Thailand is officially one of our Allies and since I can be stubborn, I am not going to let someone who thinks they are not a friendly country, stop me from vacationing there.

Sad end to this vacation however. My friend Richard who was very ill with cancer, took a sudden turn for the worse and I had to cut my time short by one week but still did not make it back to the USA in time. I returned to San Francisco the evening of January 19th but he died (in his sleep) that morning.

Now it is time to make some changes in my symphony and opera subscriptions. I need to reduce my expenses so I may terminate one subscription and cut back on the other. I just don't know yet as I need to examine all of my options. Also, I am very tired of the maniacs who populate Van Ness Avenue after dark especially on the weekends which makes travel home after a concert or the opera very unpleasant at times. Even if I manage to catch the #47 or 49 bus, passengers can be unruly. While I am physically able to walk home, that is becoming less and less of an option with all the crazies out there. Even the short walk from California and Van Ness home can be unpleasant. Because of this I am going to have to switch to matinee performances if I continue to attend the symphony or opera.

What I would like to do is live near Columbus Circle or Lincoln Center in New York City and be close to all the concerts and operas without the hassle of SF's temper tantrums. That ain't gonna happen unless I win the lottery as I could never afford NYC rents.

At least they weren't people...

This is an unusual method of venting one's frustrations.

A belated Happy New Year

Question: Do you know any flibbertigibbets?

Well, I am still here but barely. That is, after logging onto this site for the first time in awhile, I am preparing to take off on what has become my annual winter vacation in Thailand. This time it will be only for two weeks and one city (Chiang Mai) instead of three weeks in two or more cities.

In recent months my duties as caregiver for a friend who is seriously ill with cancer has taken up a lot of time and I have not been able to focus on this site. He is slowly getting weaker, or so it seems, and is taking a lot of different medications now in addition to his chemotherapy treatments. I alternate for a week or two with his three siblings.

So now I will get to see some of my friends in Chiang Mai for the first time in several years plus one or more ex-pats from San Francisco who live there now. I am battling my mid-winter cough here however. It took last winter off but when present sounds a lot worse than it is.. The only thing that will knock it out is warmer weather which is what I am sure headed for on Monday. The problem is the 9+ hours of flight time on chilly airplanes. Hope that does not exacerbate the problem.

As I prepare for this trip I wonder how the new security regulations, if any, will impact me. I guess outbound from the U.S. won't be too much different but the return could get interesting. Just hope I will have access to the rest room during that final hour of flight. After all, when you gotta go, you gotta go.