Why do we have to go through this every year?


Most industrialized countries have rail systems that are far better than ours and even at that, there are those in congress who don't care if it gets worse of disappears entirely. Every year Amtrak must go hat-in-hand begging for adequate subsidies to keep operating and improve the system. They have improved the system over the years but it almost takes a superhuman effort to do so.

Now the fiscal 2005 appropriations fight has begun, with Amtrak and the Administration repearing their fiscal 2004 requests--$1.8 bllion and $900 million, respectively. What is new is the early intensity of Chairman Istook's attempt to shut down Amtrak. (Mr. Istook is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcomittee on Transportion.)

I will never understand the attitude of some people in congress in regards to Amtrak. Some say it is no good and should be scrapped, or at least replaced by something else. What pray tell! If these same politicians would go to France or Germany or Italy, or Spain, or Japan, they would see what a well funded rail system can do. But no, we limp along with an underfunded system, with a relatively slow system (except for the Northeast Corridor) and with equipment that is too heavy and cumbersome to operate efficiently and on railbeds shared with even heavier freight trains which take their toll on the infrastructure and interfere with passenger service scheduling.

For more information about high speed rail including plans for the State of California click here.

TGIF


In retirement that has no meaning as everyday is Friday or Monday, or Saturday, or whatever. In fact, if it weren't for the myriad clocks and calendars that I have in strategic places in the apartment, I might forget what day of the week it is and miss an important, or not so important, engagement or event. Ah, the pitfalls of a life of leisure...Ha!!

Well, the Civil Rights movement of the 21st Century has been thrust upon us by the State Supreme Court of Massachusetts and same-sex marriage is popping up in a lot of places. The one place that really surprised me is the county in Oregon (can't think of its name or how to spell it) where the city of Portland is located. Oregon has been infamous for being the home of Lou Mabon and his ultra-conservative religious wackos known at the Oregon Citizens Alliance, or OCA. Lou must be having a conniption-fit about now. I wonder if Lou and his group realize that there has not been a Gay Apocalypse as a result of all these marriages.

Two things of note in all this. There has been no rush by Congress to start proceedings for a constitutional amendment to bar same sex marriages and some high profile Republicans have come out against that also.
I think Bush will go down in flames on this one.

Boresville

Oh please, won't somebody bring back Whoopi Golberg, or Johnny Carson, or David Letterman as MC for the Academy Awards. Billy Crystal, never my favorite, was the worst he has ever been last night. Even the film clips from the Bob Hope days were funnier than Billy Crystal and they did not really show him telling jokes which made Crystal's efforts even more pathetic. Also, having Lord of the Rings win so many Oscars did not help either. Tonight's Amiercan Idol special with all of the losers in the initial auditions should be funny.

Rich White Republican Name


Found an interesting website posted on another blog. It is a name generator and...

My Rich White Republican Name is Dwight "Taxes are Theft" Edwards.
Take Rich White Republican Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Now why doesn't someone come up with one of these sites for Democrats?

Virile German

Here is a funny story out of Berlin.

----------

A German woman took her male neighbor to court for noise pollution after he repeatedly kept her awake through half the night and had at least one four-hour sex session, a court spokeswoman said Friday.

"Four hours of sex noises. What was I supposed to think? It was nothing but groaning and banging," the woman told the judge, a Bild newspaper report said.

The woman told Berlin magistrates that her 25-year old neighbor Andreas G. was disturbing the peace by keeping her awake early in the morning. Andreas said his 26-year old neighbor had complained in the past, calling at five in the afternoon, but that he had not felt obliged to respond. "I can have as much sex as loud as I want then," he said.

The judge dropped the case on learning that the man had since moved out of the apartment.

----------

Anyway, moving right along. The skies have cleared here over California and after two days of very heavy rain, thunder and lightning and hail, we appear to be in a drying period although Monday looks like it might be wet. It felt good to get outside yesterday and go downtown shopping. I did a lot of walking, more walking than buying, so that was even better.

Now I think I am ready to start my big scanning project. I will start with my slides. These will be easiest since they are categorized by subject and with transparences, what you see is what you get, so there is not guessing who or what is in the picture. The negatives, both color as well as B&W, are another matter, but first things first. I need to get a routine going and now.

Tuesday is Super Tuesday and I will vote but mostly NO on the various ballot propositions. Since I am registered as a Democrat I will be voting for John Kerry but I can live with any Democrat who can take on Bush and defeat him in November.

Now this is interesting


CAMBODIA - Feb 21, 2004

Upon watching televised news reports about thousands of gay and lesbian couples becoming officially wed in San Francisco, Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk, said on Friday that homosexuals should be allowed to marry.

King Sihanouk stated that Cambodia became a liberal democracy in 1993 and therefore it should allow same sex couples to register their unions.

The King, while only a constitutional monarch without executive power in the current government, continues to hold moral authority in Cambodia and is highly respected by its people.

He also said that transvestites and transexuals, who are much less visible in Cambodian society than in neighboring Thailand, should be better-accepted in Cambodian society as they currently suffer from discrimination and misunderstanding.

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

If the Massachusetts State Supreme Court, Mayor Daley of Chicago, one of the counties in New Mexico, Mayor Newsom of San Francisco, and the King of Cambodia can get it right, why can't Bush get it right?

Where did you get those pants?


A Chinese woman unhappy with the trousers she had stolen from a shop may have erred when she took them back to be shortened.

"The woman found the pair of trousers too long for her, and hearing from others that the store alters any clothes they sell free of charge, she went there," the China Daily said on Tuesday, quoting the Yangtze Evening Post.

"But the store discovered the trousers were a missing pair and held her until she confessed to her theft."

The newspaper did not say where or when she was caught.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ah, the sweet mysteries of life. Well, I am still here but not accomplishing a whole lot. I have yet to get started on the scanning and archiving of my slides going back a number of years but at least I have set up the folders for them.

I have a number of books to read but have yet to finish the one I started over a month ago. It is interesting but unforunately extended periods of reading tends to put me to sleep and/or I just can't sit for long periods. Either my butt gets sore or I just get restless and did to get up and walk around. This has been a problem for many years. One thing I absolutely cannot do is read in bed. If there were ever an effective sleeping pill for me it would be that.

Ralph Nader...go home! I think that guy should just shut up or at least stay out of the presidential race. He muddied up the waters so much four years ago that we now have a mess on our hands and his re-entry into things could duplicate the situation once again. One friend thinks not as people would be less likely to vote for him this time. I hope my friend is right.

Should be getting a new fridge sometime today. The property management company has finally agreed that my old fifties era fridge is inadequate so their appliance supplier is scheduled to call me this morning with an ETA. Yippee...!

Thank you Mayor Daley


Another big city mayor steps up to the plate and says what is right.
You can read the article by clicking here.

Good thoughts


There are some very good letters to the editor in this morning's SF Chronicle. Here is a sampling of what was written and printed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

With our economic troubles, job losses, the war in Iraq and its consequential loss of lives, a huge deficit, world terrorism and U.S. intelligence agencies' serious deficiencies, it is truly frightening to know that same-sex marriage heads the president's priorities.

----------

The question of same-sex marriage is not a question of religion, tradition or popular opinion. It is a fundamental human and civil right. The fact that the president does not see that, or would speak out against equality, is a disgrace.

----------

Whenever I hear President Bush and other wowsers prattle on about "the sanctity of marriage," I think of the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, married eight times, Larry King, married seven times, and Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, married three times. Now that's a lot of sanctity.

----------

And to this last writer's thoughts, I might add what about all of the domestic violence and broken homes that occurr which we never hear about in our daily lives?

Bush is such an idiot!

Life is Dangerous


You are not safe anywhere it seems as pointed out in this article from London.

Important Issues


Isn't it sad when so many people have to focus on who can or cannot get married and why or why not when there are so many far more important things to take care of in this country and in the world. I fear that the 2004 presidential campaign is going to focus on this and other non-issues instead of the economy especially the exportation of jobs to other countries as well as our relationship with other countries. In other campaigns we have heard the question, "Are you better off now than in ____ ? (fill in the year) This time the answer should be a resounding NO and not whether Bill & Steve, or Jane & Sally, got married. If they are in a loving and committed relationship, great. Let them live their lives in happiness and free from government intervention.

As for outsourcing of jobs, I heard one guest on the Lou Dobbs program recently say that it is a necessary part of business survival. Well, how damn short sighted can you get? If they ship so many jobs overseas that result in so much unemployment in this country or else just low paying job being the only possibility, then how the hell are those businesses going to survive when so few people in this country can afford their products or services? My god, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

I think America is starting to wake up and I hope the Democrats lay it on Mr Bush and his buddies very heavily in this matter. Congress can create a level playing field but will it is the question.

Syrup Slick Leaves Drivers in a Jam

Or so said the headline and here is the text of this story.

----------

BERLIN (Reuters) - A truck carrying raspberry syrup to a jam factory sprang a leak that left a 25-mile sticky trail on a highway, German police said on Tuesday.


"We think the truck lost around a ton of syrup," a police spokesman in the Bavarian town of Schwabach said. Police said improper loading had caused a steel container to break. After stopping the truck and plugging the container, police sent the driver on his way to Aachen, 280 miles down the road.

The fire department cleaned up the slick, causing disruption to motorists, police said.

Another morning...


More rain and wind so I guess I will stay indoors today although I need to go to the post office briefly. Yesterday I was kept indoors by the heavy rains in the morning and being a semi-holiday I could not go to the post office.

UPS showed up early (right after lunch) with my new scanner so I spent all afternoon trying to figure out the various functions. It was not the easiest task as the printed instructions covered only the basics and then barely. Even the on-line documentation, Q&A, and troubleshooting guide left something to be desired. The hardest part was just trying to scan a photo. Well, duh, that is why I bought it but everytime I tried I received an error message that it could not detect a camera. Well, duh, I should have read the set-up instructions a little closer. It seems that I had to go to a command labeled "source" and tell the software to look for a scanner and not a camera. That solved that problem but then trying to get it to save the photos in a location I could find easily turned out to be a chore. I finally solved all the apparent problems and even managed to scan a few slides. This was one of the important functions for me as I have a huge number of slides and film strips going back many years which I want to archive on DVD so I can clear out my closets. This will be a big chore but now I have the tools with which to do it.

Super Tuesday is rapidly approaching but if John Kerry wins today in Wisconsin it would just be a formality that he would be the nominee. John Dean was my first choice but I can live with any Democrat so long as they can beat Bush this fall. Another four years of that nitwit would just be too much!

And one more thing...


It appears that some politicians might be waking up to the fact that American companies are outsourcing our future to other countries. If you haven't watched Lou Dobbs on CNN (7 PM PT) each weeknight recently then checkout the excellent article by Adam Sparks recently printed in the San Francisco Chronicle. At the rate this country is going no one is going to have a job or else it will be so low paying that he or she will not be able to buy whatever is available thus driving the remaining few businesses out of business.

Dirty campaign ahead

This year, probably like no other in modern times, will have a very dirty campaign for the presidency and George "low life" Bush will do anything to try to defeat his opponent. He is a very dangerous and deceitful man who has no place in the White House but he will try to make it seem like everyone else's opinions are wrong and dangerous. His henchman will lie to back him up too.

I bring this up today as John Kerry has won in two more primaries or caucases (Nevada and Washington D.C.) so his progress towards being nominated by the Democratic party in August seems unstoppable at this point. I only hope that momentum can keep going and derail anything that Bush & Co. throws at him. The country cannot stand another four years of that man. Fortunately John Kerry knows what to expect as exemplified by his statement today: "With George Bush's bad record -- with his lack of vision -- he has no choice but to resort to attack politics." And attack he will so American politics will be taken to a new low by at least one man anyway. Let us hope that Kerry is able to take the high road throughout the campaign and I have confidence that he will.

You better hang on tight because its going to be bumpy road ahead.

Let them eat cake.


BERLIN (Reuters) - Teachers in a German school were treated in hospital after gobbling up an anonymously donated chocolate cake, unaware it was laced with hashish, authorities said on Thursday.
Some 10 teachers from the school in the northern town of Lueneburg were treated for nausea and dizziness after sharing a cake left at the door to their staff room, a police spokesman said.

"They thought it was food poisoning, but the doctors quickly recognized the problem," the spokesman said. "They showed all the classic signs of people under the influence of drugs."

The spokesman said the teachers had not suspected anything because it was customary for them to buy cakes from the schoolchildren as part of a fund-raising project.

Blood tests and a sample of an uneaten slice of cake revealed it had been doctored with hashish. The teachers were later discharged and police said they had not yet identified who was responsible for the prank.

Stupidity prevails

Now some people are just plain stupid. I have seen people, pedestrians "challenge" streetcars by walking in front of moving ones that were close at hand but this stunt takes the cake and this person is damned lucky to have gotten out of this alive.

----------

"A woman who climbed aboard the coupler connecting two Muni Metro cars on the N-Judah line Thursday fell beneath the train and was dragged for about two blocks, Muni officials said.

Witnesses said the woman, whose name has not been released, climbed on the coupler at about 4:20 p.m., just after the eastbound train emerged from the Sunset Tunnel, said Muni spokeswoman Maggie Lynch. It was not clear if the woman was trying to ride the train between cars or to cross between cars.

When the train surged forward, traveling about 10 mph, she fell beneath the cars. Passengers inside alerted the operator, who stopped the train. But by then it had dragged the woman down Duboce Avenue from Noe Street to Church Street. Lynch said the woman was not run over by the wheels of the train.

The woman, who was conscious and breathing when freed, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Hospital officials would not release details of her condition."

----------

Where was that person when brains were handed out?

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

The above map, if it appears, shows the countries I have visited in red. (I live in the U.S.)

Interesting Idea

If the far right wingers want to protect heterosexual marriage all they have to do is make divorce illegal, or so says a correspondent in Washington. Sounds like another good idea that won't fly.

Thought for the Day

You know you are getting old when most everyone you know thinks that the song "Unchained Melody" (Righteous Brothers recording) is from the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" when in reality their recording pre-dates the movie and the song dates back to at least the mid-fifties. When I first heard it in approximately 1955, Al Hibler had a big hit with it and simultaneously with that there was a good instrumental version by either Percy Faith or Andre Kostelanetz and his orchestra, or both.

Here we go again

The Massachusetts State Supreme Court has done the right thing to rule that anything less than full marriage rights for gay men and woman is unconstitutional but once again, here come the bigots and all sorts of ignorant people who fear the unknown. They are now trying to rally the State of Massachusetts to pass a constitutional amendment to outlaw marriage except between one man and one woman. Good grief, gay marriage does not threaten heterosexual marriage as it does not make it illegal. It only blesses the unions that now exist. Give me a break! What are these people afraid of. Considering all of the heterosexual divorces and domestic violence and broken homes, what is so damn sacred about marriage anyway?

Uh-oh

This could be bad timing as the decision today by the Massachusetts State Supreme Court in favor of gay marriage could cause considerable difficulty for John Kerry who is now the leading Democratic candidate nomination for president. Several months ago they gave indication that they were moving in this direction but if there are no right wing extremists on that court intent on derailing Kerry's presidential bid, then this certainly in a case of very bad timing. Could they not have put this decision off for one year? Although all major candidates seem to have similar opinions regarding gay marriage and/or civil unions, Kerry will need to be extremely careful in what he says during the next several months.

Missing CD

Oh where , or where is my CA state CD from Tubro Tax? It was supposed mailed nearly a month ago and it has not arrived. I am ready to start work on my 2003 taxes but can't really proceed without that disc and its forms being available.

Well, John Kerry rolls right along. It should be interesting to see if this continues. I can support him even though initially I supported John Dean. I have heard some suggestions that the Democrats should nominate Kerry and Edwards for the ticket in November. Sounds like a good idea to me. Bush and his wolves would have a field day but then it would also give them lots of opportunity to insert their collective foot into mouth.

Now that someone is once again slated to be executed at San Quentin, protesters are out once again. Do these do-gooders really think that any of the people on death row ever showed any compassion towards their victims? Of course, we could look at as trying to extend the torture of a life of confinement in prison vs. being released from it by death. Who knows. It is an exercise in futility to say the least.

Well, I got lucky this winter in that my usual mid-winter cold and/or bout with a bronchial cough occurred after returning from vacation instead of before as it did last year. Still, it is very frustrating as no over-the-counter medicine works on this cough and since I failed to make a note of what was prescribed for me in Bangkok last year I have no information for my doctor as to what works. I just know it did and very swiftly too.

Aha...so someone did tip off Martha Stewart!

Aha...so there were no WMDs!

Aha...so the truth eventually comes out...praise the lord and pass the ammunition.

Such madness

If anyone has ever wondered why much of the world cannot get along with the extremists in the Muslim world, you need only look once again to the ridiculous scene being played out in the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where 244 people were killed in a stampede. Why? Just to throw stones at a pillars representing the devil? How utterly ignorant and stupid! Why not a statue of George Bush? heh heh That would make more sense. No, really, each year this happens. It is an exercise in futility and each year people get crushed to death in the process and for what? It hasn't improved world conditions. Why don't they do something positive for a change?

Also in the news today is a report about another suicide bombing in Iraq in which 56 people were killed. Won't this killing ever stop? And all of this from the beginning of time has been over control and/or ownership of land. Well, we don't own this planet. We just live here and should be caretakers of it but NO, some people have the idea that they can draw lines in the sand and say this is mine and that is yours. Until this attitude stops, there will always be wars. When I read about these violent acts, I just want to go out and strangle such idiots. Hmm...

Then there are news stories about odd happenings such as the following. (One of two I read today from Arkansas.)

-x-x-x-x-x-

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - For the second time since December, cell doors at the Arkansas prison housing the state's death row inmates were accidentally unlocked, prison officials said on Thursday.

No one left their cells when a guard unlocked 26 doors on death row at Varner prison, about 70 miles southeast of Little Rock, for three minutes on Wednesday.

"They (the prisoners) sat there. They didn't move. But the death row inmates are the best behaved inmates in prison," said Dina Tyler, spokeswoman for the Arkansas prison system.

In December, an electrical fault opened all doors in a cellblock housing violent prisoners such as murderers and rapists. Dozens of inmates ventured into a corridor and one of them was killed.

An inmate is expected to be charged with the killing within days, Tyler said.

The guard responsible for the latest death row incident has been fired.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The other story from Arkansas was about a lawyer mailing a poisonous snake to someone whom he had been feuding with.

My favorite "oops" story of all time (so far anyway) is about the person who boarded an airliner thinking it was going to Oakland California only to end up in Aukland, New Zealand. How did that person even get past the check-out counter is beyond me but it was an interesting story anyway.

Oh well, I have only one thing to say in closing.

GO PATRIOTS

San Francisco, California

Well, I am back home having arrived Wednesday morning after a long two days of flights and layovers. First there was the one hour flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok followed by a nearly eight hour layover in Bangkok which was then followed by a seven hour flight up to Tokyo (Narita) which was followed by an eight hour layover there which was followed by an eight hour flight back to SF. Whew! Are you following all of this? We were fortunate in that we had some very strong tailwinds which pushed our ground speed up to 699 mph at times and got us into SFO about a half hour early despite having left Tokyo and half hour late.

Trying to stay awake at Narita was an effort which was only partially successful. That is, each time I started to doze off and fall of one of the seats in the lounge, I got up and walked around for awhile. Time out for an early lunch plus some strong coffee in the afternoon also helped a bit. But guess what! Once on the plan bound for SFO I could not get to sleep.

Since returning home I am rested but have developed a sore throat and a first class headache. Last night I was running a very slight fever but that is gone this morning. I wish th headache would go away too.

The journey to Bangkok and Chiang Mai was enjoyable once again. It was a pleasure to meet up with Rick in BKK once again and to meet new friends. One of them, Pin, was a correspondent prior to travelling there. Note was another person I met and that was a chance meeting one night at The Balcony Restaurant and Bar. Then in Chiang Mai it was nice to see Jack once again and to meet Vor and Note at the Chez Nous Bar. Also, in Chiang Mai, my guide Ray was very helpful with many matters. There are a lot of ex-pats in Thailand and I spotted Stuart, the former owner of N' Touch (SF) at the Chez Nous Bar one night and saw Rich (formerly of OG Magazine) during the Sunday event known as "walking street" in Chiang Mai.

One unexpected event occurred and that was when I went to the Freeman Dance Arena, one of the two most popular dance venues in Bangkok, and it was raided by the police. There is apparently a problem in the country with drugs and this is one method the authorities believe will decrease usage but I doubt that they catch many people with or using drugs in these places. The bigger problem seems to be with the PM Thaksin's "new social order" which somehow wants to transform the country into something it is not. Tourism is and has been very important there for a number of years and to curtail nightlife is the wrong way to go. As it has already been suggested by people there, enforce the laws already on the books, don't make it impossible for people who are obeying the law to enjoy a night out. Why is, anyway, that so many government entities, no matter where they are located, just want to throw more laws at a problem instead of enforcing laws already on the books?

Now there is a proposal to close all bars and nightclubs at midnight. Well, that will do no good. It has been pointed out in the Bangkok Post that this will only result in "private parties" where people might be as likely or more likely to get drunk and/or use drugs. In the U.S. in the early 20th Century, prohibition did not work and it only resulted in what were known as "speakeasies", or clandestine night clubs out of view from the authorities.

If they want to prevent underage people from entering places where alcohol is served, they need only enforce current laws or close down the place if they don't comply. Actually, the authorities in Thailand have set themselves up on this problem by having two different age minimums. There is a slightly lower age minimun for people working in the clubs then there is for being a customer. Thus the "kids" who work there cannot hang around (legally anyway) after they are off duty to enjoy the place as a customer. Why can't they just "card" the youngest looking ones? If there is a problem with fake IDs then hit the person with the fake ID with a harsh penalty. Don't make the nightclub owners or the honest patrons pay for the crimes of others. The uniform closing time law will be critical to the nightlife of Bangkok and other cities so events during the coming year could prove to be crucial to this portion of the tourist industry.

Where will I go on my next vacation? Good question! I am so tired from these long flights to and from Thailand that I do not want to consider anymore long flights just now.

So that is the state of things for now.

Friday 23 Jan. 2004

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Just time enough to dash off a few lines this morning from Chiang Mai. I have four days remaining in my vacation and I have been so busy that I think I will need a vacation from the vacation. Actually, I do, and it is known as retirement which started this month but then there are other things that need to be done once I return home.

Anyway, the weather here in Chiang Mai is wonderful and actually a little on the cool side early in the morning (below 60F that is) and the days are not overly hot at this time of year. I have been on the go everyday and Ray has been a wonderful guide and friend.

Prior to this I was in Bangkok for a week. Now that was "wild". Ha! So crowded, busy and congested but nevertheless I enjoyed myself there.

Well, the meter is running on this computer at the Internet shop so I will break this off for now. More after I return to that sleepy little city known as San Francisco.

The night before

My first full week of retirement has concluded and now I am set to take off for Thailand for seventeen days. I will be glad to get someplace where it is warmer and a chance to meet some new people and see new scenery. This time I am not plagued by a fever which I was the previous time so hopefully these flights will not cause a problem for my Eustachian tube and sinuses. So until late January there will probably be no postings on this site.

Busy week

A friend was telling me that his New Year's resolution is to mainly ignore world events, politics, sociological changes etc, because he doesn't agree with most of what is happening and I tend to agree. This country's politicians suck and in many other countries the same situation exists. They are only in there to get what they can get and to hell with the man in the street.

There are many wonderful people on this planet but they are not the one's in control of things. It is the CEOs of Halliburton, Enron, Bechtel, and others who have their fingers in the pie and they aren't about to let go unless forced to do so. This country has been hailed by its super patriots as a country of laws and not men. Ha! Of course, what they mean, is that we do not have to yield to force to accomplish things. We have laws in place to take care of difference of opinion. Well, those laws, my friends, are meaning less and less with each passing year. For example, California passes some strict privacy and anti-spam laws only to have the federal government usurp those laws with weaker ones which take precedence. Some right wing extremists have suggested in anger, that California should not be a part of the country. Well, I agree with them in that notion. We should secede as much of this country is out of line with basic human values and needs. Perhaps Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and a handful of other states in the northest should secede also. The only alternative would be forcibly remove George Bush and his henchman from office and that is against the law.

I am a registered Democrat who can and has voted Republican but even now the Democrats are in big trouble as they self-destruct by attacking each other (especially Howard Dean) instead of stating their positions on the issues. Sometimes I think that if NASA wanted to start a manned colony on Mars, I might like to volunteer to be one of the first to populate it. That is how discouraging life get here at times but not all the time of course.

I just retired this month after working for the same firm for 21 years and 3 months. Despite some of the frustrations of the workplace, it was the people who made it pleasant (most times anyway) and made it possible for me to continue working there for that period of time. I am appreciative of that and have many memories to take with me.

Now I start of whole new chapter in my life and have more of a chance to learn more about myself and the world. To begin that new chapter I will be heading to Thailand for a few weeks. It will be my second visit there. The first time (last year) I became ill just before leaving SF and had to go to the hospital for treatment and some medications. That cleared up the problem but whatever bug I had picked up at home left me in a difficult position for several days in that I had a severe cough and could not talk too well due to hoarseness. There was also a ear pressure problem. Hopefully this time I can avoid any such difficulties and so far so good.

I'll be back on or about the 28th of January.

Bee-yoo-tee-full day

After considerable rain during the past two weeks, yesterday and today have been gorgeous if a tad chilly but then, hey, it's January, not July. This gave me a chance to take one of my favorite urban walks. That is, from Pacific Bell Park along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building. Sometimes I continue north to the Fisherman's Wharf area but today I stopped in the Ferry Building to explore the many new stores which have opened there in recent months. I also stopped at Peet's Coffee for a Caffe Mocha which tasted especially good following the walk in the cool air. While walking along the waterfront I shot some still scenes and some video. The video will be added to a project I am working on involving a collection of Municipal Railway scenes. I sure hope the weather is like this a week from now when I leave here for Thailand.

Looks like NASA succeeded with its latest mission to Mars. I can't wait to see the collection of photos they are receiving. I hope they are in color.

Yesterday I finally got around to seeing Mystic River. I agree with critic Jan Wahl that it is heavy and you need a good dose of comedy or other light material afterwards to pull your mood up. It is very well done but the story is a downer to say the least. The cast is excellent too.

This coming week, my first in retirement, will be a busy one with a visit to the Asian Art Museum, a retirement dinner party, the innauguration of Gavin Newsom as mayor, and La Boheme at the Opera House on Saturday night plus miscellaneous other appointments. Also, I must start my final preparations for my journey to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I hope I can take my small suitcase this time. I always over pack but perhaps this time I will get it right.

Because of these activities it would be nice for the weather to remain as it is today.

Hello 2004

This new year is starting off very, very wet here in San Francisco with lots of snow up in the mountains. That is great for skiers and for the spring run-off so in that sense it is good. It is inconvenient for us city folks who want to shop or play or whatever but we are such wimps. Jeesh...

As each year begins there are always new laws that take effect in the city or state or even nationally but even China has its own new laws going into effect at the same time but some of these are a bit amusing. Read on...

-x-x-x-x-x-

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is ringing in the New Year by banning television advertising for sanitary towels, hemorrhoid ointments and other items deemed unappetizing during meal times, the China Daily said on Wednesday.

"A new regulation ... will prevent the broadcasting of advertisements for products such as sanitary napkins and medicine for hemorrhoids and athlete's foot during dinner time, as some viewers may consider them to be offensive," the newspaper said.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which unveiled the restrictions in September, has already set up a hotline for viewers to report violations.

The new rules, which take effect on New Year's Day, also limit the number of ads allowed to interrupt television programs.

In 2000, a viewer in Xi'an sued a pay-cable television station for cutting excessively into a hugely popular soap opera to flash commercials. A local court awarded him $87.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Here at home this is a long weekend for many. For me, this is the first non-holiday day of my retirement. Wheee.......
Now what do I do? Ha! Oh yes, I have to go out into the rain (yuck) to do some errands. (Your poor boy you. Ed.) Then when I return home I will have time for a lot of reading and watching a video or some such thing. I guess I could sleep too buy why waste the time?

Anyway, I hope y'all have a great day and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Goodbye 2003

As we approach the end of another year I have had a chance to reflect back not only on the past year but my life in general. Earlier this week the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article entitled Passages 2003 in which it listed the people who have departed this world during the year. Many of the names I was not familiar with...many were...and here I would just like to list those who touched me in some way during my lifetime. They are (with date of death) as follows:

April 1 - Leslie Cheung
June 11 - David Brinkley
June 12 - Gregory Peck
June 29 - Katharine Hepburn
July 27 - Bob Hope
Sept. 11 - John Ritter
Sept. 12 - Johnny Cash
Oct. 29 - Franco Corelli
Oct. 30 - Franco Bonisolli
Nov. 9 - Art Carney
Dec. 8 - Hans Hotter

Life will not see the same without them.

In closing I wish each and every one of you a very Happy, Properous, and Healthy New Year.

Final week, or, final 19 hours...

Now begins the second short week in a row and my final week with the firm. Then it is on to a permanent vacation, more or less. With this cold rainy weather here in SF I am really looking forward to my journey to Thailand in January.

Still no new hires at work and they have even deleted the two open positions from the firm's HR website page. I wonder what is going on?

Went to another holiday party last night at a friend's apartment and now Wednesday night it is the big one - New Year's Eve. It looks as if the rain may go away or at least decrease considerably by then. Actually, I don't care what happens once I reach my destination as long as I can stay dry on the way there.

San Francisco's new mayor, Gavin Newsom, takes office on the 8th of January. His transition team is in place and apparently rather large despite the city's large deficit. Could they all be volunteers????

Morning after

The day after Christmas was a quiet day as I only ventured out twice. The first time going to Trader Joe's for some wine and other goodies and then to Cala Foods for food items that I regularly buy.

Last night a friend came over and we watched a movie that neither of us would go to the theater to see: Finding Nemo. Yes, it was a kids movie but there was enough in it to interest adults too and since my friend is studying animation it was natural that he should watch it. In fact, the evening started with his own animation whose features looked every bit as good as the Disney/Pixar film. And that comment was not influenced by the wine we were drinking.

Speaking of wine, however, after the film we went out to our favorite local pub where we both switched to beer for several more hours so this morning I am feeling a bit groggy. I guess one might call it a hangover. Now I must prepare for New Year's Eve which will be something special this time since the 31st of January is my last day of work prior to retirement.

No plans today although I hope I can catch the Metropolitan Opera Broadcast somewhere on Internet radio, perhaps KING-FM from Seattle. Today's performance features Berlioz' Benvenuto Cellini which I have never heard in its entirety. Then there is another party to attend on Sunday evening but that one will probably involve less consumption of alcohol than last night.

It is very chilly here in SF. It is 42F/5C on my patio deck at 9:30 AM and my heater has been working overtime last night and this morning.

I need something to keep me warm today. I wonder what I should do...

Merry ??? Christmas

Well, not for everyone. In fact, I will probably be haunted by what I saw today upon leaving the office at 12 noon. Upon reaching the street level I found a couple of fire trucks, several police cars and a couple of ambulances near the corner of Drumm & Sacramento with lots of yellow police tape blocking off the streets in the area. Everyone seemed to be looking up and I did not see what they were looking at, but then I did. There was a man dangling from the outside of the (approximately) 14th floor balcony of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. He seemed to be moving somewhat but I could not tell exactly how he was suspending himself there. I do not know how long he had been there but I watched in hopes the fire and police personnel could get him down safely. That was not to be as he finally let go or lost his grip and fell to the sidewalk. That was a sickening sound when he hit. Someone described it as sounding like smashing a large watermelon.

As a result of this situation I could not catch my # 1 bus in its usual location so I sought out an alternate route. By that time however they were running the new ETBs under battery power from wired territory through some unwired streets and then over to Sacramento Street and the regular route. I did not try to catch one, opting instead to catch something on Sutter Street.

It has been a somber afternoon for me as a result of those images. The sound too, of his body hitting the pavement will be something I will long remember. I hope I don't have any nightmares tonight as a result of this.

Tomorrow is another day and I will be joining friends in Oakland for Christmass dinner. I look forward to this and need this to get my mind off of today's events.

Christmas in the City

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the apartment building
Not a creature was stirring, except the noisy neighbors upstairs;
The stockings were in the laundry basket in hopes that the
maid would soon be there...

..when out on the patio deck there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the drapes and turned on the light...

...When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but the neighbor's cat and a racoon in a standoff on the fence...

-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, not as romantic or fanciful as the Major Henry Livingston Jr./Clement Clarke Moore poem but something I can relate to anyway.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night"

Where were you when...

In this case I was at work (11:14 AM) removing something from a cabinet when a co-worker mentioned that we were having an earthquake. I would have never noticed but for her remark. I stood up and heard a creaking sound from our roll down cage and then I felt a very slight rolling motion. I could have overlooked that completely. It was very minor here in SF. Not so minor in Paso Robles but then not major by any stretch of the word either.

Tonight I decided to watch the Raider/Packer game. Bad idea! It is the 4th quarter and it is 34 to 7 Green Bay. Oh well, at least the 49ers won on the road yesterday, their first road win this season.

Good question!

Is there really anything to write about at this time? Well, at least we are only a couple of days away from the pagan holiday hijacked by the Christians now known as Christmas. After that we can get back to normal, whatever that is. For me it won't exactly be normal as I will only have two-and-a-half days left at work and then I retire but don't get ready to put me in a wheel chair and push me over to Laguna Honda hospital. I certainly can't predict what my health will be like five or ten years from now but right now is the perfect time to retire so I can enjoy and extended vacation.

At work in recent years I have become known as "Mr. World Traveler". Since 1998 I have been in France three times, one time in the U.K. (a brief stay in London), and I have been in Italy, Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, and Thailand, and I am scheduled to return to Thailand soon for my second visit. Where will I go next? Good question! I want to return to Paris but I really should go back to London as my previous visit was far too short and there are some things I would like to see there and I would like to visit a friend in York.

Being a rail fan the London Transport Museum would be high on my list. I also need to explore the Underground lines and outlying areas. I can just enjoy walking around a city to see what it and its architecture and life styles are. I don't need to go to touristy sites all the time. They are usually too crowded and overpriced anyway. First, back to BKK and Chiang Mai. After that I can start thinking about the next journey.

Ciao!

Dumb and dumber?

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian who called police to report thieves were trying to break into his home and steal his cannabis plants wound up getting arrested himself.
Police called to a house in Adelaide, capital of the state of South Australia just after midnight discovered four men trying to steal the plants, which were being grown in two rooms there.

They arrested the men -- and the 23-year-old homeowner, who was later charged with illegally growing 16 cannabis plants.

"He was calling from underneath his bed," a police spokesman told Reuters. "I don't know what he was thinking. Perhaps he was smoking too much of his own product."

On the lighter side


This out of London...

After a year of rumors, lawsuits and tabloid intrusions, the British royal family is dealing with another scandal after a Sunday newspaper revealed that a servant has starred in a gay porn film.

According to The People, as well as appearing in the film, which was never released, Steve Kaye is keen to sell to the highest bidder his stories of orgies and drug taking at the palace.

He claims that security is slack at Buckingham Palace, and that poorly paid servants often organize parties involving drugs and sex, despite senior royals being in attendance.

The 25-year-old Kaye, who works part time in a clothes shop, was due to work at Sandringham Palace on Christmas day serving Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites), the tabloid claims, although it is thought the revelations will lead to him being fired.

Sources told the newspaper that the footman's porn film, shot nearly four years ago, was too hardcore for the U.K. market. His participation in the film, however, could have posed a blackmail threat, the newspaper reported.

The royal family has not commented on the incident, which rounds off another difficult year that included conspiracy theories over the death of Princess Diana, lawsuits from her butler Paul Burrell and a "comedy terrorist" gate-crashing at Prince William's birthday party. The family was tainted further by rumors of gay rape within Buckingham Palace, while servants of Prince Charles were criticized for their handling of the problem.

However, the story that gained most coverage was one that could not be mentioned in U.K. press for legal reasons, and linked a senior royal with a servant.

-----------

I am beginning to think that Buckingham Palace must be a very interesting place to live. You almost need a score card to keep up with the events there these days.

Crazy World

The practice of a growing number of U.S. busineses to export jobs to other countries ("outsourcing") is the most despicable practice in a long time. People complain about the economy not recovering fast enough and that there are not enough jobs yet these rich bastards at the top keep sending these jobs (not theirs of course) to countries where they can pay lower wages. Then a few months down the road they lay off thousands of workers in the U.S. Is it no wonder that many people in this country cannot afford goods and services? Is it no wonder that the economy remains sluggish? It doesn't take rocket science to realize that but short term greed by the CEO's of many companies in the U.S. is contributing to the problem. What we need are a number of corporate meltdowns in quick succession and then, just maybe these selfish, self-serving bastards might change their mind. Unfortunately it is going to take an act of congress to get changes made but then that is not going to happen because they are just a corrupt. Is it no wonder why families murder there own? The gross incivility amongst a great many American is rapidly bringing this country down. I just hope we aren't exporting our mental, emotional, and social problems to other countries too.

Xmas music

Another reason I dislike this season (Are there others?) is the horrible sappy music one hears on the radio all the time. There are very few popular Christmas songs that I have ever liked and at the risk of being boiled in oil I will say that my favorite is "The Little Drummer Boy" with "Winter Wonderland" being second. My favorite of the religious carols is "Once in Royal David's City". For my taste that is the most beautiful but of course there is the majestic "Adeste Fideles" or "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" to rouse the spirit. To be fair however, I can lay part of the blame for my dislike of pop Christmas music on the atrocious arrangements and they get worse year by year.

Monday after

Well, I survived the firm's Christmas party on Saturday night, this year held at the Omni Hotel. My digestive system almost didn't but that is another story. Anyway, I spent much of the evening drinking white wine (never found the hard liquor bar) and telling people about my retirement at the end of this month. Some had heard rumors and some were genuinely surprised.

Now if we can only get one or two very competent people hired prior to my departure so that I can start the training but I am not gong to hold my breath on that one as I have only 9 full days remaining here, then it is Hasta la vista baby. I have told my superiors, however, that I can make myself available for training after the first provided, of course, I am not off to Borneo or somewhere else. Ha!

Christmas shopping occupied much of my time over the weekend and I have completed that but I need an appropriately sized box for one of the items. Guess I will check out the UPS store during my lunch hour. If that does not work I will have to return to MBE on Saturday morning.

I hope this week goes smoothly and quickly as the next two weeks will be only 2-1/2 work days long each.

Cheers...

Problems...problems...but we got a new mayor and D.A.

Gavin Newsom is going to have his hands full with the problems including those radicals who want a free ride on the Muni to heaven knows what else. Mark Morford writes about this in today's Chronicle.

Blog, blog, whose gotta blog

NEWS FLASH! Today's race for mayor in San Francisco results in tie vote to be decided by the California Supreme Court.

Also, Angela Alioto pulls Gavin Newsom's hair out.

Golden Gate Bridge Directors buy new stealth cars so they do not have to pay $5 bridge toll.

Retired Mayor Willie Brown to become caretaker of Michael's amusement park.

George Bush to retire and raise turkeys. (He has lots of experience there.)

Dick Cheney to buy tie factory to help ailing business.

Michael Dukakis rejected as Dean's campaign manager.

-30-

If you can't beat them...


BERLIN (Reuters) - A German vicar inadvertently supplied his parish with dozens of hard core porn films in an unsuccessful bid to teach people about the life of Christ. Frithjof Schwesig, vicar in the southwestern town of Lampoldshausen, had ordered 300 copies of a video film portraying the life of Christ as told by the gospel according to Luke.

"In a first batch 20 to 30 videos were distributed and we immediately got a reaction from five to seven people saying we must have given them the wrong film," he said. "It was a real porn film. Within an hour our staff had collected all the videos. Really, all were withdrawn."

Schwesig said there had been a mistake at the Munich video copying plant and his staff established in a viewing session that night that 200 of the videos were pornographic.

Undaunted, Schwesig said he was pressing ahead with the life of Christ video campaign.

"It's extremely successful," he said.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Yeah, I bet it was successful. heh heh heh

Favorite Letter to the Editor

This one made my day. Read on...

Priestly humor
Editor -- A brief e-mail from a priest friend greeted me Wednesday morning: "The consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop of the New Hampshire Diocese of the Episcopal Church is an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, and his wife Anne Boleyn, and his wife Jane Seymour, and his wife Anne of Cleves, and his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on traditional Christian marriage.''

Fr. LARRY N. LORENZONI, S.D.B.

San Francisco

No decision

I watched the debate between mayoral candidates Newsom and Gonzales on TV last night and still do not know who to vote for. Early on I favored Newsom but at the same time I am bothered by the fact that he was appointed to the Board of Stuporvisors by Willie Brown whom I despise. Matt Gonzales seems like a nice chap and has some nice ideas but I fear he is too naive to be effective. With Newsom I fear that all of the most extreme liberal nut cases who want something for nothing will hound him till his dying day, or last day in office, whichever comes first. Once again it is not easy to vote in San Francisco.

Nothing special

This week is starting out like all other weeks except that I learned that my co-worker is leaving the firm next week and that the firm is moving to new space in late 2004. That is probably enough news in the office for this week but it won't be.

I am really ticked off about the plans of devlopers for thousands of acres near Lake Tahoe. They would create a city bigger than Truckee, California which has remained relatively stable in it population over a number of years. So why does the area need a city that is bigger than Truckee other than trying to make a huge hunk of money? The rape of this planet has got to stop.

Apparently Placer County officials are willing to go along with this plan so I can only assume that they only see dollar signs dancing in front of their eyes. They are blind to the tremendous amount of harm that this project will do to the Sierra Nevada region.

We have trash TV, trashy movies, unhealthy food, trashy music, dishonest CEOs, dishonest government, oh, the list goes on and on, and we are creating an uninhabitable planet for future generations. I wonder where and when the next big asteroid collision will occur. Sometimes I think that this planet needs to start all over again.

Monday blahs

I am paying for the four day weekend today. The amount of work greeting me and my co-worker this morning was equal to a month's worth of paper work. Yikes! Doesn't anyone on the tax staff believe in taking national and firm holidays?

Well, if you want a good laugh checkout the Cosmic Goat blogspot.

This should take your mind off your worries...maybe.

Here is one of my favorite Letters to the Editor today.

Editor -- Napoleon went to Moscow, Hitler went to Paris and LBJ went to Vietnam. Looks like President Bush is right on schedule.

RONALD O. RICHARDS
Los Angeles

Day after

I survived turkey day despite what one co-worker said would happen. hahaha

I had a nice dinner with a friend in Vallejo and then joined another friend for brunch Friday morning.

I finally got started with Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. It has only been sitting here on my desk for two weeks now. But like his other book Angels and Demons, it is difficult to put down once you get started.

Today? Don't know yet although I was thinking of going to the Metreon to see Mystic River. I also need to do a little Christmas shopping (yuck) but fortunately I do not have much to buy and I did get some ideas when I was in Vallejo on Thanksgiving.

Did you ever wonder where certain expressions come from and why? For some reason "cute as a bug in a rug" was on my mind this morning and on the surface that makes no sense at all. What bug is cute especially when in a rug? hahaha This almost defies logic or is it that I just need another cup of coffee.

I had to keep the TV turned off yesterday as there was too much news about Bush's trip to Iraq which was just another photo op and a way to buy votes in November. Such as idiot we don't we four more years of.

It is time for all of the turkeys of this world to head for the hills or else be eaten.

Tomorrow is a day to give thanks. What do I have to be thankful for? Well, good health, a job, a good place to live, good friends, and I can be thankful I am not like the politicians who are screwing up the world and this country, or at least I hope I'm not.

I am also thankful that I am now only 35 days away from New Years and other events.

Waisting time...spending money?!?

Dull day in the office and even during my lunch so I have been staring at the Brookstone store website for the past fifteen minutes thinking about their products and wondering what I could use and/or afford. Actually, nothing in either category.

This is day two of my co-worker's vacation and so far it has continued to be rather slow which is good in some ways but time does drag. There is something about this three day work week which seems more difficult than the usual five days. I talked with someone else who also has no inspiration to do anything this week.

Thursday I will be joining my friend Richard in Vallejo for dinner. It will also give me a chance to see his new computer and help with some things that he has not been able to solve so far. Then last night Bob from Oakland called to invite me to his place for Christmas dinner so that covers both major holidays. This has become a tradition to be at his place at Christmastime with a "cast of thousands", or, the "usual suspects".

One thing I will NOT do this weekend is go to Union Square on Friday. That place will be a madhouse as a cast of thousands descends upon the area to begin the Christmas shopping season. I might go through the area and head over to the Metreon to see Mystic River which has received some good reviews.

So that is the scoop from here for now.

-30-

Marriage vs. Civil Unions

Question: Do gay people really want to get married and have to endure all the legal hassles of a marriage gone sour? Also, whose to say that gay marriages will be any more successful than straight ones?

From my observations and experiences of many years, I find that gay unions of any sort are, for the most part, rather fleeting. Those that lasted (that I am familiar with) were open relationships, one of which ended in one of the partner's death shortly after he picked up two strangers and took them home with him.

I am against the religious bigots trying to block same sex marriages however I really question whether or not it would be a good thing for gay people to marry. For those truly loving and committed individuals who enter into such an arrangement it is great but since so many relationships start when the partners are very young and not ready mentally or emotionally for such a comitted union, the end results may be similar to what the heterosexual world suffers.

I personally prefer the word union but be it a union or marriage, let's keep the goverment and bigots out of our lives!

Morning indigestion

RANGAMATI, Bangladesh (Reuters) - A python killed and half-swallowed a woman in southeastern Bangladesh, police said Friday.

Basanti Tripura, 38, was collecting fruit with a friend in a forest when she was attacked Tuesday, a police official said. She was swallowed up to her waist.

The python, believed to have been more than 10 feet long, was killed and the body retrieved, the official said.

Brrr...cold morning with breeze = even colder

Rain had been predicted but it feels more like snow right now. Ha!

Symphony tonight and opera tonight will occupy much of my time this weekend. Then there is the 49er/Packer game Sunday morning from Green Bay. Both teams are equal in the standings (5 & 5) but Green Bay has won most if not all games at home against SF in recent years. It will be a cold day in Green Bay! Well, I guess that is the only way that they can keep all that cheese from melting. ha ha ha

In his first few days in office our new governor has succeeded in terminating the increase in car taxes but now the legislature is scrambling to find ways to replace those lost funds. Hey guys, how about the bloated prison budget? That would be a good place to start. The prison industry has a virtual stranglehold on this state and we are not any safer for it.

Well, that is my rant for Friday. Hope everyone has a warm and enjoyable weekend.

Bay State leads the way - for now

I do not understand nor will I ever understand the fear expressed by heterosexuals over gay marriage or even civil unions. They seem to think it is some sort of threat to heterosexual marriage that will somehow weaken it. HOW? The only threat to marriage is from the partners involved in said marriage, not from outside forces. Heterosexuals seem very insecure in this area and I guess this is evidenced best by the high divorce rate.

Then we have those who take some sort of high moral stand stating that it a sacred institution between a man and a woman (or in the case of early Mormons, women). If they want to believe that, fine, just don't tell gay men and women they can't marry.

As for the homophobes who say that people are not born gay, that they chose to be that way, I ask, can you change? If you are straight, can you change? No, of course not, that is the way you were born. You did not decide to become hetersexual.

As for the ultra-conservatives who claim they have changed homosexuals through prayer and therapy, I say they have scared very insecure homosexuals who caved in to pressure from parents, friends, and church members who are rabidly anti-gay. They did not change. They just supressed their desires and activities to win approval of those they fear. Unfortunately this may have grave consequences for them and others somewhere down the road.

When will the human race wake up? When will the human race stop hating? When will the human race stop wars? When will...

"Imagine" there's no heaven...no hell...no countries...nothing to kill or die for...living in peace...and the world will be as one...no posessions...no need for greed or hunger...sharing all the world...and the world will live as one."

"I don't want to live in Washington and sit in a room with a bunch of jerks I don't know."

-- Comedian-talk show host DENNIS MILLER telling The Philadelphia Inquirer why he passed when California Republicans tried to get him to run for the Senate.
----------
I think I would agree with that. The biggest jerk is that one now in London talking with another jerk. Ah, Tony something or other...

Can You Believe This?


BERLIN (Reuters) - Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti, 68, said on Sunday he would marry the mother of his infant daughter in December and he wanted to have another child after the baby girl's twin brother died in the womb in January.

"We lost Alice's twin brother and if I knew another pregnancy would go smoothly I would say I want another baby immediately," he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Pavarotti, one of the world's top tenors who is credited with bringing opera to the masses, said he and his ex-secretary Nicoletta Mantovani, 34, planned to wed on December 13 in Modena, northern Italy. Pavarotti also has three daughters from his ex-wife.

----------

Me thinks he should retire - from everything.

Sore muscles?

I will find out tomorrow...probably more muscles than I knew I had. Ha! Richard and I went to Circuit City today to pick-up my new TV plus a new stand (assemble yourself). The 27" Panasonic weighs about 95 lbs. and the stand about 50. I just finished putting the stand together and things went amazing well. Now I must clear out the area around the old TV (old video tapes, etc.) plus move speakers further apart, etc.

Amazing poll on our mayoral run-off scheduled in a few weeks. The front runner for a long time has been Gavin Newsom who has led by substantial margins in all polls and was substantially ahead of Matt Gonzales in the November election but he did not recieve 50% of the vote + 1 so there is a run-off...BUT...the latest polls have Gonzales leading Newsom by 2% points. That is not much but a complete surprise to everyone. What happened? Perhaps that was just a fluke. Where was this poll taken anyway?

Well, Mr. Schwarzenegger takes office Monday morning in Sacramento. It will be a low key inauguration and apparently he will call a special session of the legislature the following day to repeal the car tax and fix some other problems he raised in his campaign. The next three years could be very interesting.

I wanted to go out to eat dinner tonight but I am so tired from putting together the new TV stand that I decided to eat at home which was not easy considering how little there is in the fridge. I won't say what I ate but suffice it to say, the total package was not exactly the most healthful meal I have ever eaten. Oh well, c'est la vie!

-30-

More ramblings

Strange, this Diet Coke I am drinking tastes more like beer. Is that a craving or is it some sort of chemical reaction to the tuna sandwich I just ate or the chocolate brownie I am now eating.

Glad to see that the Bloomingdale's project construction will finally get underway. This will really make that section of Market Street into a very dynamic area. I can hardly wait for it to open, especially the food court. heh heh heh

I am now making more plans for January 2004. I used to have a post New Year's gathering of friends on the first or second Sunday following New Year's Day but suspended it after a few years due to logistical problems of too much food in my small studio apartment. I think this time I will limit things to snacks, appetizers, that sort of thing, plus booze of course. BYOB might be the order of the day but my plans are still evolving.

Tonight I will attend my firm's Alumni Reception. It will be a first for me. There have been no general announcements about my retirement but it could leak out tonight. Since the general announcement will be made next week when our operations manager returns, this should not present too much of a problem. I just don't like news spreading via the gossip circuit. It can get distorted.

Now that I have broadband high speed internet cable, I can get busy and complete the uploading of photos from my recent vacation in Italy. Only the pictures from Venice remain but I may revise some other pages as well. Websites are always on-going projects anyway so I need to review the other pages to see where new material might be needed and/or old material deleted.

Wow

I now have high speed internet cable and I am impressed by its speed. So now I will terminate my old dial-up account with Earthlink once everyone has been notified of this change. Well, I think I will go surf some more.

Government Holiday

I am at home today, not because we have the day off, but because I am waiting for the cable guy (or gal?) from Comcast to arrive to install high speed internet cable. In the meantime I thought I would call the DMV to find out about my renewed driver's license which STILL has not arrived. It has been eight weeks. The say allow six weeks. Well, I am still waiting. I tried to call them this morning without realizing that this is a government and bank holiday so their usual sorry lazy staff gets an extra day off to boot. Well, piss on them. All I want is my driver's license or my $15 back. Unfortunately they have cashed my check so that probably won't happen. I am just wondering how many people I might have to talk with at DMV to get an answer about the ETA or whereabouts of my license.

In reference to Sunday football, with the Raiders losing once again, there was even less of interest on the local scene. The 49ers had the weekend off. They undoubtedly needed the rest too.

Oh, here's a weird news item.

-x-x-x-x-x-

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Waiter, there is something worse than a fly in my soup.
A California woman who found a condom in her bowl of clam chowder has sued the upscale restaurant that served it to her -- saying she has suffered depression and anxiety from the shocking discovery.

But an attorney for McCormick & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant in Irvine, California, says the eatery has no idea how the condom got into Laila Sultan's food.

Sultan, 48, and her three companions are suing the restaurant for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a case that is expected to go to trial early next year.

"I thought it was calamari or shrimp or something so I chewed one more," Sultan told local KCAL-TV on Monday. "It felt rubbery. I told my friends, 'My God, there's something in my mouth.'"

Sultan said she spit the offending object into a napkin and at first thought it was a latex glove. Then her friend realized what it was.

"I said, 'Oh, my God' and ran into the bathroom with another friend of mine and I started throwing up," she said. "I threw up everything I ate there, every single thing, I threw up in the bathroom."

But Patrick Stark, an attorney for McCormick & Schmicks, told the Los Angeles Times that its staff had no idea how the condom got into the chowder, adding: "It's as big a mystery to us as it is to anybody else."

"We are going to argue at trial there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the restaurant was the source of the condom," he told the paper. "Either it came from (the four women) or it was thrown in as a practical joke by another patron at the restaurant."
-x-x-x-x-x-

I don't know what to say about that one.

Sunday blahs

No football, or at least none of any interest. No baseball. Can't stand basketball. Know little about hockey. Don't care about golf. So what is a guy to do on a Sunday afternoon in which it threatens to rain? (Don't answer that!)

Sunday night is always the most depressing night of the week since I have to go back to work on Monday morning but not for much longer. Yipee!

Just discovered recently that I have 12 more channels of TV programs than I had previously and Comcast did not tell me about it in my monthly statement. I was channel surfing one night and could not find CNN and discovered it had been bumped from 50 up to 56. So I continued to explore and found that I now have the Animal Planet channel, History Channel, Halmark, ESPN II (have always had ESPN), Cartoon Network, Fox News (barf - I prefer CNN), Court Television (whoopee), and the Travel Channel. There are a few others plus others have been moved to accomodate the additions to the SF lineup. I wonder why I wasn't sent a notice with my monthly bill. Oh, and thinking of Comcast, they are scheduled to be out here on Tuesday to install high speep internet cable. I hope this works. A previous attempt at DSL through my ISP Earthlink failed because the wiring in this building (built in the early 60s) could not handle it.

And I still do not have my renewed driver's license. It has been eight weeks since mailing in the renewal. They say you need to allow six weeks so if the license is not in tomorrows mail I will be calling them once again. Unfortunately their flunky clerks sound so disinterested in their job that it makes it very difficult to get anywhere with them. If all else fails, I will contact "7 on your side" in an effort to find out what is going on.

So brothers and sisters, that is it from this corner of San Francisco for now.

Not ill that I know of.

Since at least one person thinks I am sick because of what I posted on the 4th of November, I need to update this. A CT scan was taken of my chest on the 4th in an effort to rule out anything significant. It was taken because of a spot in a regular x-ray a few weeks earlier which the radiologist and my doctor felt needed closer examination. I am now waiting for the results.

I feel fine actually. I got over the cold I picked up because of the sudden change in weather from Florence (mid sixites) to Venice (mid fifties with a strong cold wind off the Adriatic). The hot weather in San Francisco when I returned also helped to dry out my sinuses so now I am feeling in tip top condition once again. And...it is Saturday night...so...

Well, it has been raining off and on this afternoon but as I write this the rain has stopped. I think it is going to be a grand night for something. Let's party...

What is going on?

Having been feeling some indigestion lately without the usual heartburn. It is just an uncomfortable feeling in the chest area plus a lot of noise emanating from the lower part of the rib cage. A cat scan is due on Thursday due to recent abnormal x-ray but that "spot" did not necessarily represent anything serious. "Artifact" was the word used in the radiologist's report so it is a mystery at the moment. Since then I have probably begun to worry and now I am feeling dizzy or lightheaded. The lack of a meeting with my supervisor and my co-worker regarding an end of the year event has also been troublesome as I wanted to get this out of the way ASAP. Now I do not know when that will take place. It was supposed to have been last Friday but was postponed to yesterday but still I have heard nothing. So I guess concern over what could be minor health problems combined with lack of progress in discussions at work are starting to take their toll. I need a vacation! Ha!

And now I learn that a friend in Bangkok is going to Iraq of all places. Is he nuts or something? I thought he was studying at a university in BKK but now he apparently has a job with a television network or some such thing in BKK. What in the world is going on here?

Fish Breath

Well, here is a new one.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A former Belgian ambulance driver put his first aid skills to good use by reviving one of his pond fish with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a newspaper said Tuesday.
Leo Van Aert was so happy about having saved the life of his cherished koi he wants to name it after one of his grandchildren, the Gazet Van Antwerpen said.

Van Aert, 57, was hosting a party at his home near the Belgian port of Antwerp when his wife noticed the koi -- a spotted Japanese carp -- floating on the surface of the garden pond.

Van Aert said the 60-cm (24-inch) long fish was "acting funny," swimming and jumping frantically before stopping dead in the water.

He figured the koi had had a heart attack and took it out of the water to try to resuscitate it, giving it heart massages before joining lips with the fish.

"After 15 minutes, the fish started to move again so I put him in the pond...but when he fell over again I again applied mouth-to-mouth and heart massages," he said. "That's when the fish recovered."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that takes real dedication to one's job and to one's pet fish.

Election Day

Actually, that is tomorrow and I have not even studied the voter handbook yet. Somehow I cannot get enthused over politicians who are less than honest or over ballot propositions that either aren't what they seem or will be declared unconstitutional by this or that court. So why bother to vote? I might but it won't be easy.

Rude behavior continued

A correspondent in Australia reminded me this morning about the people (usually women too) who will take an escalator and step off and STOP. What do these people expect those behind them to do? Jump over them? Oh, I am sure if you bumped into such a person and he or she fell down you would get sued for this or that.

I still haven't quite got used to headset cell phones which are so small that you have to look for them to see them. With so many crazies running around the streets of San Francisco talking to themselves, I am never sure who is nuts and who isn't, no matter how they are dressed.

Friday at last. SF Symphony tonight with the featured work being a Chopin Piano Concerto (Horacio Guttierez) and tomorrow night I will see Verdi's Don Carlos once again with a cast that is very uneven. Only the mezzo was a stand-out on opening night. A correspondent told me one time that Verdi put the "grand" in Grand Opera but I am afraid that this cast takes it out. It is one of my favorite operas too. Grrr...

On this day before Halloween, the SF Chronicle had a list of Scary thoughts. My favorites: Being Owen Pochman, Working for George Steinbrenner, and (you must understand SF politics to get this one) Having Chris Daly house sit.

Customer Relations

Why are some people even in business of serving the public? Why is it that I can walk into a store I have never been in and be greeted by a worker and/or owner in a friendly manner whereas in another store I am treated to minimal service? That is, I am sold whatever I am buying with a minimum of talk. No hellos, no thank yous, no good-byes. Just some sort of grunt from the person behind the counter. That is certainly what I experienced a short time ago at a convenience store on the lobby level of Embarcadero Center #4. I just went in to buy a lottery ticket and a candy bar and the woman made it seem like I was disturbing her. I would not have gone in there however my usual choice (Eastern Newsstand) in EC #3 is waiting for delivery of a new lotto machine so I could not buy a ticket there.

While I am on the subject, the really offensive greeting is the one "Is there something you want" uttered in a disdainful voice. Yes, you shit head, I want to buy (whatever it is I am holding). These type of people clearly need professional help for their attitudes if they intend to stay in retail sales.

Pet peeve

I thought I was the only one with this problem until a neighbor complained about it to me this morning. This is the matter of people who do not look where they are going (as pedestrians) and either expect YOU to move out of THEIR way of seem surprised or angry that there was a near collision. What really gets me is the person who will walk out of a doorway looking to the left but walking to the right forcing you to do some fancy footwork in order to avoid a collision. I sure hope these people don't drive like they walk! Related to that is the one in which a group of people will stop in the middle of a sidewalk to chat leaving no room on either side to pass. Hellooooooooo...there are other people out here folks.

Sunny & Hot in San Francisco

Herb Caen always used to remark about how the tourists would freeze in short at Fishmerman's Wharf in July but then after Labor Day when many returned home it would warm up for the local people. Well, such as has been the case during much of September and October which are traditionally the best months of the year here. Today is it is 72F in the shade on my patio deck and probably at least 80 in the sun.

Last night's opera, while well sung, used a new modern production from Germany again in which a very ordinary house looked like something from 1950 to some, or from the 1930s to others. It was certainly not what Rossini had in mind when he wrote the The Barber of Seville especially the Vespa motor scooter used to transport the Barber into town. The heat in the opera house did not help matters either. I will never forgive them for not installing air conditioniing when they had a chance a few years ago. They continually used the lame excuse that the couldn't do it but would never explain why. I could live with "we don't have the funds" but to make a statement such as we can't do it, is beyond belief. Most theaters of any size, including many of the remaining movie palaces in this city have AC. Why not the opera house?????????

Had brunch with Donn at The Village Cafe this morning. It was the first opportunity I had to talk with him since returning from Italy. After that I stopped at Cala foods to pick up some necessities for the next few days. Now my laundry is in the dryer in the apartment's laundry downstairs and I have the fan running in the living room which is the only way I can get any air circulation in the apartment.

Next on the agenda? Sort through, re-size, and add more photos from Italy to my website. I think this would be a good time to do that so I will sign off for now.

Ciao!

What a difference a few hours make. At lunch today it seemed rather cool and not what I expected. Upon leaving the office at 5:30 PM it was rather warm...too much so for the jacket I was wearing.

Well, now I have done it. Comcast Cable has started offering high speed cable internet service in my area so I have ordered it. I hope this works. I could not get DSL into the apartment so that ended in failure apparently due to faulty wiring or some interference with the signal. I hope the cable deal will be successful as there would be no other choice in this building which is suprising for a building constructed in the early 1960s.

On what may or may not be a related matter, I am receiving an inordinate amount of
interference on AM radio in this apartment which is strongest in the kitchen area but even now effects my clock radio in the bedroom. It is next to impossible to listen to 50,000 watt KCBS at times as a result. Somehow I need to locate the source and/or report this to the FCC.

So ends my first week back at work following my vacation in Italy. It went by fast as there a ton of paperwork left over from the previous weeks. We made significant progress so I feel good about that.

Now, the month is almost over and then begins the home stretch. There are a number of things to do and to look forward to during the next two months. I expect there will be obligatory parties but mainly I am just looking forward to the time off and setting my own schedule.

After my flights to Thailand in January I should have sufficient frequent flyer miles for a free international flight. I already have enough for a domestic flight (pre-Italy) but Italy combined with Thailand should really push it up there. If so, I would like to return to London. I was only there two days in 1999 on the way to Paris so I only saw the bare essentials.

Oh, there are so many places I would like to go. I will have the time but I'm not sure about the money right now. High on my list is Portland, Oregon as well as Seattle, Washington, and a return to Vanouver, B.C. I have not been there since sometime in the late eighties.

Soon we will have a new governor so things could get interesting in Sacramento. I'm not sure Arnold or anyone else can fix things however. The state is too obligated to spend money on certain programs due to the approval of a number of ballot measures in recent years and there is little or no wiggle room in the budget the governor.

The is considerable controversy recently about the underperforming BART extension to the airport. This does not surprise me as large groups or families with lots of luggage are going to use some sort of door-to-door van or taxi service, not rapid transit. The other problem stems from the fact that the two destinations in the same vicinity (SFO & Millbrae) leave some people confused. We can thank Quentin Kopp for this mess. The better and less costly alternative would have been to build the Sky Train so that it connected with the Millbrae BART/Caltrain station. But NO, Quentin wanted to go into the airport. He said it would be a one-seat ride as well as other things. Well, it isn't for those living along the Richmond line and the Bay Point Line, or those on the Fremont line south of Bay Fair Station. They must transfer most times unless the get lucky and some trains are being run past Daly City Station. Those runs are not part of the regular schedule however. One curiosity though. When I returned from Italy, there was a Bay Point train on one track in addition to the Pleasanton train I boarded which was run express all the way to Daly City. (I assume the Bay Point train made all stops.)
Clearly BART officials have got to re-think how they handle the scheduling of trains to SFO and to Millbrae.

Back with who knows what.

Yes, I was on vacation in Italy for two weeks. Rome, Florence, and Venice to be precise. There were interesting sites to visit and I am glad that I got to see them but it has left me rather exhausted to say the least. I think that my digestive system is getting back to normal after eating too much bland and/or greasy food. Italian chefs should go back to culinary school but in France. It wasn't soo much what was served as it was the presentation and they need to learn to incorporate green vegetables into their menus. Greasy friend potatoes just don't get it.

Rome is a fascinating city but the traffic and the way some people drive, especially taxi drivers, was too much. I did not know if we would make from the airport into the hotel in one piece or not. Rome's two subway lines are overly crowded and the trains look like NYC in the sixties with their graffiti. Graffiti, however, seems to rampant in the big cities.

Florence is smaller and easily walkable if you stay at a hotel in the central part of the city. The Duomo is very impressive as is its campanile. We climbed its 400+ stairs without any apparent cardiovascular problems other than getting a little winded.

Pisa, an hour train ride from Florence, is well worth the time to see its cathedral and its campanile, popularly known as the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". That church was one of the most spectacular and beautiful we visited.

Venice is a magical city and one which we felt might disappear if we closed our eyes but Brigadoon or the Flying Dutchman it is not. The central city is very user friendly. That is, you walk and you walk and you walk, but without the hassles of cars, buses, trucks, scooters, and motorcyles getting in your way. There is the water bus system (vaporetto) which traverses a number of routes up and down the Grand Canal and other waterways connecting floating dock "bus stops" with many points of interest around the city and outlying islands. Since we had taken the train up from Rome via Florence we arrived at the Venezia Santa Lucia terminal where we took the #82 boat to the San Marco vaporetto stop which was the closest to our hotel. Upon departure we took the Alilaguna boat from the same stop to the airport which involved a very relaxed ride of an hours duration. Soon I hope to have some photos posted at my photo website.

Returning to work on Monday was easy until I saw how much was leftover from the previous two weeks of hell. My co-worker welcomed me back to hell also. October 15th produced it usual flurry of tax department activity but then other matters came down which only made matters worse for her. With any luck we might get back to normal by the end of the week or early next week.

A friend in the U.K. complained about the way the baseball playoffs went and that the people of California elected a retarded chimp for governor. I agree. Yah...!

Back in the U.S.A.

Oh, where have I been? Well, on vacation in Italy where I walked and walked and walked and climbed stairs by the dozens in Rome, Florence, and Venice. It was a great adventure and I am glad that I saw the historical sights of those cities including the Vatican which brings me to the latest excellent column by Mark Morford in today's SF Chronicle. In a related event, I am reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons which involves a plot by the Illuminati (a group which may or may not have ever existed) to destroy the church. It is fiction however one can wonder sometimes about some events such as the untimely death of Pope John Paul I who died within a month of being elected Pope.

So now I have hundreds of photos to review and file away somewhere. I also have lots of other post-vacation duties to catch up on, and yes, I may even make some comments about the cities I visited in subsequents blogs. I need to get organized first and back to a normal routine.

Until then...

Don't do that, part 2

If you are still considering voting for Arnold Schwarzenegger, perhaps you should read
Joan Ryan's Column in today's Chronicle. Mark Morford's column from the Friday Chronicle is worth reading too. (See entry for 10/3/03 below). I voted early yesterday as I am leaving for Rome in the morning. My absentee ballot got lost in the mail so I went to the elections department at City Hall. I was surprised by the number of people voting at that time. I wonder what it will be like on Tuesday. Anyway, I hope most people get out to vote on Tuesday and do the right thing - TERMINATE THE TERMINATOR/b>.

Hasta la vista baby.

Don't do that

If anyone in this state is having a problem with Gray Davis and is considering Arnold for governor, I wish they would read Mark Morford's column in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle. He lays it on the line about what a disaster it would be to elect such a person. I think the best bet would be a NO vote from everyone but I am worried that not enough voters feel that way and chaos will reign as a result.

TGIF?

I suppose I could say I am glad that it is Friday except that I am taking the day off so perhaps it should be TGIT. Anyway, I have a zillion and one things to do this weekend in preparation for a vacation in Italy. I will be going to Rome on Monday to pick up my red hat, or so I have told some co-workers. Some give me a blank stare. Those who are Catholic sort of laugh a little. I guess they are not sure if it is appropriate or not.

I have been disenfranchised, sort of. Several weeks ago I applied for an absentee ballot but it did not arrive. I called the elections department this week and they assured me it was mailed on the 8th of September and to the correct address but for some reason I never received it. So now I will go to City Hall and cast my ballot early for this stupid recall election that rich boy Daryl Issa started. It is nothing but a case of sour grapes which is costing the state millions of dollars. There is no reason to recall Gov. Davis. Disagreeing with his policies is handled at the ballot box at election time, not by calling a special election to throw him out. If he has committed some sort of crime it would be different. Seems to me that the word malfeasance was always a requirement for recalls in the past. Does anyone know what that word means? I have looked it up and I still am confused.

I feel very tired tonight. My body has apparently been fighting off some sort of cold or flu bug and so far has done a good job at it but is has left me feeling tired so I think I will try to catch some extra snoozes tonight. I am not sleepy at the moment so this will present a problem as I hate to go to bed and just stare at the ceiling. Oh well...c'est la vie.