Flu Blog Day 1...

I know text only is a little boring - but believe me, you don't want pictures.

I think I finally came down with whatever Jake had in Disneyland and Rachel had when we got back. It is no fun. I woke up tasting my dinner at about 3:00 this morning. I barely made it to the bathroom. And I was amazed at how much I threw up. The process of throwing up, of course made me jerk my neck and heave my whole body, and that flared up my shoulder which had been getting much better lately up until that point. So then I took my pain medication. And it came right back up. So I just went to bed. Got up again at 4:50 or so. Same thing, and again, I was amazed at how much there was in me to come out- I thought the first one emptied me out and I only had little sips of ice water between the two purge events.

I sort of lounged about until Rachel and Jake left for work and school. Then I took care of some work tasks that needed to be done and changed my voicemail message. Then went to sleep. Woke up at 11:30 to find that Price Is Right was on from 10-11, and from 10-11 only.

You just can't be home sick and not watch Price Is Right, can you? Isn't it part of the healing process? That, 7-up, and a cold wet wasch cloth on your face? I'll make sure I set an alarm for tomorrow.

Fortunately I was able to tune in to Napolean Dynamite that had started at 11:15. And I was able to keep my Vicodin/Acetominophen down. I took two because I thought I was going to throw them right back up. But they stayed down. It's helping with the shoulder as well as the flu aches.

Emboldened, I sucked down a little strawberry milkshake. So far, so good.

I've got a sales call at 2:30 and then my afternoon looks like a great big nap. Or maybe a little Playstation 2 first until my eyes get heavy.

Jake was sick for three or four days. Rachel was pretty sick for about a week. But she had to go in to work. I am hoping to kick this out a little quicker.

My mistake...

It is an Arco on 4th Street, not an Exxon.

Are you kidding me?

Exxon just had record earnings. Not just for Exxon - for any company in the history of the world. I stopped for gas tonight, inserted my card at the pump and I was stunned to see a message on the display that said "This machine charges 45 cents for this transaction, do you agree to this charge?"

Hell no, I don't agree. I then looked more closely at the pump and saw the above signs that said "Debit Card Only" and "35 cent charge." The only way this sort of thing can be stopped is if people refuse to pay it. Why does the sign on the machine say 35 cents and then the screen says 45 cents? Who makes this money? And why can't I just use my credit card? Does Exxon really need another 45 cents? Their price gouging and profits are obscene already.

This is the first I've seen of this at gas pumps. Exxon on 4th Street in Santa Rosa. Have you seen them anywhere else?

Please, don't ever pay it. Walk in and pay cash or use your credit card. Or drive to the next station. If consumers refuse to pay, they will have to remove this ridiculous fee. Tell others to do the same. If you don't, before long, they will be charging $2.00 like they do at the ATM. If you pull a $20 bill, that's 10% right off the top and probably another 10% from your bank on your next statement. And it all started with them offering us the "convenience and security of ATM transactions."

Aside from that, we had a nice dinner at Rachel's parents' house and went to see Matador. It was pretty funny, but I'd wait to NetFlix the DVD. nothing visually spectacular or anything. Oh, there was a scary preview for a disturbing film called "Night Watch."

More Shocking Photos Witheld

REUTERS
2/24/06
Hidden Valley Lake, CA

In a development reminiscent of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Reuters has learned that there are more damning photos of Eric Soderstrom consuming Starbucks coffee. One photo is said to show Soderstrom not just holding, but actually drinking from a Starbucks cup. Another is rumored to show him drinking the coffee while reading People Magazine.

The ACLU is seeking to obtain copies of these photos through a FOIA request. Soderstrom has vowed to withold the photos saying, 'Look, the damage is done. Releasing whatever additional photos that may or may not exist would only embolden our enemies.'

Why I hate Starbucks (And you should too)

There are dozens of websites dedicated to this very topic (Click Text). Chief among them is probably www.ihatestarbucks.com.

Here are just a few reasons why I hate Starbucks.

First, it is bad coffee. I'm something of a coffee expert having consumed more in college and in the early days of my career than anyone I know personally. In college, it wasn't how many cups I'd had that day, it was how many POTS!

In my home town, where we had two cafes back when good coffee was just catching on, Starbucks bought the Pizza Hut building and converted it. Why? Well, for one thing, it was located right between the two cafes downtown. It was a small town back then, and I am confident that both cafes were getting by, but not thriving. Starbucks, giant that they are could open their doors and run at a loss until either or both local cafes went under.

Fine, if you believe in free markets, this is just peachy with you, I guess. But shouldn't there be regulation of monopolistic practices? No, OK. Then you might as well hop on over to The Cato Institute.

In Petaluma, they did the same thing - opening up right across the street from Deaf Dog. Deaf Dog printed up these great bumper stickers that read, 'Friends don't let friends go to Starbucks.' Deaf Dog is fighting the good fight and winning, or at least battling to a draw. I think the location is key to their ongoing success - there are a lot of coffee drinkers in Petaluma and both businesses are busy. There are also a lot of socially conscious younger people in Petaluma. And also plenty of ignorant yuppies picking up their coffee on their way to shopping the overpriced 'antique' and boutique stores.

In that scandalous photo of me that's making the rounds on the internet (I read that yesterday, for a brief period, it was downloaded more than Paris Hilton and Harry Potter combined!) you can clearly see me holding a McDonald's fries and a Super Gigantic Windy Caramel Machiatti (or whatever the heck they call it- it's just some syrup added to crappy coffe and milk).

But you can't see what is written on the cup.



That cup had layers, man. Layers, I'm telling you. As does my hatred of Starbucks.

I removed the "Java Jacket" meant to prevent an accidental burning form their molten cup of crap. This revealed a cup with a message. And underneath that cup? Another cup - with the same message. Inside that cup, of course, was the afforementioned molten cup of crap they pass off as coffee.

The message itself is just another large cup of molten crap when read in the context of the medium of the cup itself.



It reads:

The Way I See It #60

Republican President Teddy Roosevelt said in 1907: 'The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.' He placed only morality higher as a guiding principle. A United States President who adopts these as guiding principles globally will lead our nation to further prosperity and peace.

--Mike Fay
Wildlife Conservation Society Conservationist and National Geographic Conservation Fellow.

Take a moment to read that again, if you need to. It's a message about the conservation of our natural resources, you know, things like trees, water, and energy. The message is delivered not once but twice - on two cups for one cup of coffee. The message itself was then obscured by a Java Jacket.

And it was bad coffee!!!!! This one cup of coffee (and I use the term loosely here and throughout) wasted trees (two cups and a java jacket), water (I assume they used fresh water, but they may have use reclaimed water from the bathrooms next to the kiosk), labor (some poor kid had to make and serve this thing and I had to earn the money to buy it), and energy (electricity, I assume, but it was so hot, they may have used nuclear fission). Add to that the garbage produced topped off with a plastic lid.

I like this post and the fun I had with the picture. But I feel guilty that even one nickel of my hard earned money went to supporting Starbucks. Please, help me. If even one of you who reads this post now hates Starbucks, do me a favor and get your coffee somewhere else. Preferably Peet's (Try the Garuda Blend).

Then post a comment telling me about it so I can feel a little better.

Are you sitting down? Shocking, Scandalous Photos!!!

So by looking at me, you might not be able to tell that I almost never eat fast food. And I hate McDonald's as a corporation. Evil grows in the shadows of the Golden Arches.

And if you've talked to me for more than half an hour you know not only that I hate Starbucks, but you also know why I hate Starbucks, and you also know why you should hate Starbucks too.

And I also like to make my sister say, "No fucking way!!!" every once in a while.

Here you go, sis.



Hey, I was on vacation. And since I made a point of letting go of all things political and progressive and whatnot, and I spent a week embracing all things Disney, I thought, "why not?" and went ahead and did the unthinkable.

People have often asked me if I ever tried Starbucks coffee. I did once, about ten years ago. And let me tell you, it still sucks.

Tomorrow, if I have time, I'll post a fine example of why I hate Starbucks and why you should too.

Disneyland Wrap Up...

So it's taken me a while to get the Disneyland Trip wrap up post done. Sorry for the delay and all - it just took me a while to get back on top of things, and I had to do some photo consolidation.

Anyway - Jake bounced back from his illness on Thursday and we returned to the parks. Unfortunately, he was unable to remove the sword from the stone and was not declared the King of Disneyland. But it was good to see some color in his cheeks and a smile on his face again.

We spent a good portion of the day at California adventure. Jake and I went on California Screamin', and we were in the cars and all set to go when all of a sudden, the bars popped up and we were told there was a problem with the ride and it would be closed indefinitely. We left and Jake was bummed. But as we walked away, I think he learned a valuable lesson. There was a car stuck almost at the top of the coaster. The poor people that were stuck were escorted down - they had to walk down the maintenance walkways.



It could have been us.

My friend Mark at I3 pointed out that I shouldn't be riding coasters anyway with my shoulder and neck problems, so it was probably for the best anyway.

Not much else to report. Oh, except that I discovered that my old habit of falling for the wrong sort of woman has not gone away, but has been lying dormant since I found Rachel. I was strangely attracted to Cruella DeVille.



Thursday night was mellow - we ate leftover Buca in the King's room and chatted.

Friday, we went back to Disneyland and spent most of the day letting Dre enjoy the more kid friendly attractions. Jake was great about it and went on Dumbo and such. And, of course, there was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which I always enjoy because my Dad used to love it. I think it was the only ride he went on when we were younger.







We saw Goofy in Toon Town. I like Goofy.









We watched the parade. It was pretty spectacular. Mickey and Minnie at the end.



What's the deal with them, anyway? I mean, they are obviously a couple. But they maintain separate residences. At least Mickey has his own pad in Toon Town. But I wonder if California courts would consider it a common law marriage since they have lived together for 50 years at Disneyland.

To sum up, the park looked fantastic. Even the castle had a face lift and was the best I've ever seen it.



Tinkerbell was everywhere, and since Rachel has been on something of a Tink kick lately anyway, she really enjoyed that.



And we had a great time travelling with our neighbors, and the trip brought us closer together as families.



Tony says next year we go to Mexico. I am all for that.

Buca Di Beppo...

...which means, 'Joe's Basement.' (link)

Oh, it was special tonight. It's been great every time I've been there, no matter what state I am in. And I'm refering to "state" in the geographic sense, not a state of inebriation or emotional state.

We called ahead tonight for reservations. We couldn't get The Pope's table because we are only six (you need twelve). But we asked for, and got...



...the kitchen table.



I've been to a bunch of these, and it was the first time for the King family. This was the first time I got lucky enough to get the kitchen table. You need to ask for it. You should probably ask when making your reservation. It was an amazing experience, and I'm going to ask for it from now on. I mean, the food is always great, and the service is always top notch, and I would gladly settle for a regular table at Buca Di Beppo over any toher Italian restaraunt I've been to. (Someday I'll blog about how much the Olive Garden sucks.) But the kitchen table is just amazing. You get to watch these amazing chefs work. And the wait staff shows you and describes every dish they take out to other tables.

On the walk over, Tony mentioned he was hoping for lasagna, which isn't on the regular menu. Tonight, it was the special. Lucky us. Nine layers! It was awesome. We also got the garlic bread with mozarella, a salad, Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Tortellini with Romano cream sauce. Oh, and Dre got a side of spaghetti with meat sauce. We washed it all down with a liter and a half of their house red.



Everything was amazing, and it makes me want to get a pasta machine and really learn how to cook it properly. My pasta is always overcooked. And al dente is just so much better. It will take some practice, but I will get it. The parmigiana dishes were crispy - like fried chicken crispy. The lasagna was incredible. To give you some perspective on that picture, that lasagna in the middle on top is about a foot and a half long. It all had a texture almost like cheesecake, but the pasta was firm. The garlic bread was, oh this is hard to admit, well, it was better than mine. It comes in a round pan with chunks of garlic. I will try that one at home and see if I can make it. The tortellini had peas mixed in. Nice touch.

Unfortunately, Jakers was not ready for a big meal. He had maybe two bites of the tortellini. He was hanging his head a bit. But he didn't get sick. Rachel took him back to the hotel between dinner and dessert. I hope he feels better tomorrow.

For dessert, Tony had me try something new. Two things, actually. I've never had tiramisu before - whenever it's been available, I've opted for something else. But they ordered it tonight and I tried it and loved it. And they assured me it was really good tiramisu. I brought some back to Rachel.

Then there was the lemoncello. I'm generally up on my cocktails, but I had never heard of this. The Kings have a family recipe and promised me some from their private batch when we get home. It is basically 150 proof lemon liquer. It's made strong vodka or grain alcohol, sugar, and thick skinned lemons. It is served ice cold in a shot glass. And you sip it. I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try. It gives you smiley pains like too sweet lemonade and it burns your nostrils like a vodka shot. And it is also somehow a little refreshing. I'd love to try some on a really hot afternoon.

Here's what I look like after a great meal and a shot of lemoncello...



I did a little more shopping today and got a really inexpensive Everlast warm up suit. I'm gonna need it on Friday as the temp is supposed to dip in to the mid 50s. That's the high. It was 81 when we first got here. Yeah, go ahead and keep believing there's no such thing as global warming. I also went back to the Shoe Blowout Magnum Discount Super Crazy Store and got my sandals for Summer. And while I was there, I looked for some workout shoes becuse Rachel and I are going to live on the treadmill when we get home. I tried on these Adidas because I really like that Run D.M.C. song. But they were too narrow - even the size 13s. I told the guy that I don't care what they look like since I am working out in the house. I just want something comfortable with traction and good ankle support and I want them to be cheap. He takes me over to this pair of shoes on clearance and says, "Well, there's these." They were blue with orange trim. Much like this post. So I took them.

I also got a couple of updates on outstanding issues. First, I learned that if you lose a multi-day day hopper pass, you are generally SOL. The lady said, "I'm sorry, but they are just like cash if you lose them." I replied, "Sure, they are just like cash, except that they all have unique idntifying numbers and a bar code that you can match to the rest of our tickets and tie to my credit card purchase." I got through to a supervisor who fed me the same story. I was honest and said I was really upset. Together our families spent over $700 for our tickets, and my kid is just 13 and made a mistake. I told him that if any other place treated us like this we would never go there again. But I know I will come back to Disneyland some day. I will just be grumpy about it. He gave me a break and signed me up for a two day pass at the one day rate for Anaheim residents. I'm gonna complain a little more tomorrow and see if I can't do any better.

I also got through to the Sheriff's Department in Sacramento and they have my duffle bag. Hooray! I can pick it up Saturday when we return. And I called the animal hospital and the dogs are doing fine. Cody got the big snip today and he is recovering nicely. Hopefully this will adjust his attitude for the better. And I hope this adventure will help them get more comfortable with strangers.

That's it for tonight. We meet at 9:00 AM in the lobby for a long day at the parks. We plan to ride some coasters and take in some shows. I really hope Jake is up to it.

Meanwhile, back at the Justice League...

...Aquaman and the Wonder Teens are...

OK, I don't know where to go with that.

Anyway - It's about 7:00. We've got 7:30 reservations at Bucca Di Beppo. So when I return, I will be feeling very full and very lazy. And I will have a big tub o' leftovers for tomorrow. Jake's back among the living after sleeping most of the day. No fever. And he's got his smile back. So I think maybe it was something, or some combination of things he ate. The neighbors had a nice day shopping and bopping around Downtown Disney. I got my nap in. Rachel did some laundry, so I've got undies for the rest of the week. I was really dreading the idea of going commando at Disneyland. There would just be something WRONG about that.

We just did a round of cocktails. The margaritas were just so-so yesterday. So today I decided to do Tequila Sunrises. No grenadine at the mini-mart, so I substituted Hawaiian Punch and an orange slice. It works in a pinch.

More later, if I am not too full and too lazy.

Dre says, "I've never been to Bucca Di Beppo's and I hope I have a good dinner."

Rachel says, "OK, we gotta go."

B-bye.

Greetings from near the happiest place on Earth...

Yesterday was a bit of a drag. We still had fun, but not nearly as much as we had the first day. Everyone was tired and got grumpy. The soundtrack for the day would have to include the Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Nobody got what they wanted. But we all got what we needed. Which was rest.

We skipped the park and went and did a little shopping in the neighborhood. Rachel and Eva went to Target to get me some undies and shorts and T-shirts. Tony and I took the kids to the little strip mall. We browsed the Sporting Goods store. And a Brand Name outlet store that was filled with knock off Ambercrombie and Fitch stuff. they had Dickies stuff, too, but they weren't as cheap as Wal-Mart. I've got some Doc Marten sandals on hold at the Giaganticly Massive Shoe Blowout Warehouse. Fifty bucks. That's about 60% off. I'm going to go bcak to pick those up. We decided to get Valentine's Day cards for our dear wives. We went to a Walgreen's, but it was just a pharmacy. They suggested walking up to Von's. We decided we would walk up there, get the cards, and pick up some grub.

It turned in to a mini Bataan Death March through a slightly sketchy neighborhood. But we made it. Got some hot dogs and veggie burgers, tequila, and Margarita mix. And the cards.

We were supposed to get on the shuttle and spend the day at Downtown Disney and get the girls their shopping fix and get souveneirs out of the way. That's what they wanted to do. But since everyone was so grumpy, we opted for a little down time in the room and then a little cookout by the pool. Oh, andMargaritas.

It was a lot colder yesterday - high 50s, low 60s with a big bunch of wind. And we couldn't get the patio heater lit. I grilled up the dogs and veggie burgers and heated up a can of chili right on the grill. The kids played basketball while we sat around sipping Margaritas and chatting. Then the kids and wives went upstairs and Tony and I took a hot tub. That was nice.

Then we got showered up and went over to Downtown Disney. It was hopping. Lots of couples there for Valentine's Day. And Social Distortion was playing at the House of Blues. We got a bunch of gifts and trinkets at the Disney Store. Picked up some cigars, but didn't smoke them. There was this great musician playing electric violin throughout the night. Oh, and I found this really cool thing - I used to love my Zippo, but they are lousy for ligting cigars. The Zippo Juice ruins the taste. This place had a butane lighter insert that fits in Zippos. Clever that.



And we ate at Naples. Yummy Itallian, a little pricey, smallish portions that were surprisingly filling. Great service from a very friendly waitress.



A really nice guy came around making baloon animals. Dre got a Teddy Bear hugging a flower. Jake got a parrot on his shoulder.















And despite our grumpiness, we managed smiles for a family picture.




Jake got sick in the middle of the night. We ate breakfast and then all met up to head over to the park. Jake got violently ill and threw up in the bushes. Poor guy. I'm not sure if it's something he ate or if he caught a little flu bug. He doesn't have a fever. The Kings went off to shop and will come back later to see how we're doing. Jake is sleeping. I'm going to go pick up my sandals and then take a nap with Rachel. We are hoping for a late rally, but we will probably put off our next park visit until tomorrow.

My New Favorite Thing...

No show socks...
I love wearing shoes with no socks. But it makes my feet stink, and then my shoes stink. I recently discovered "no show" socks. I love them. No more worrying about the little Champion logo clashing with what I'm wearing. And no worries about matching the socks to the outfit. I also like that they take up less than half the space of short socks, and 1/5 of the space of regular tube socks. Easier to pack and less space in the laundry.

Greetings from the happiest place on Earth...

Note: I'm under doctor's orders - no typing this week. And I'm also shunning politics and anything heavy this week. I am not even going to write anything about any quail hunting accidents I couldn't help but hear about.

So we're here. We've had a few mishaps, but this is the best trip I've ever had to Disneyland.

We came down with our neighbors. Tony got the idea of staying at a hotel near the airport the night before. It was a great idea. We drove an hour, ate some dinner, drove another half hour and checked in. Had a few pops by the pool and turned iin early. Then it was just a couple of freeway exits to the airport. Go there in plenty of time.

Flying is definitely the way to go. I enoy the family time and the drive, but now that I've flown, I'd much rather have more family time at the destination.

We had a little luggage screw up. Yeah, Rachel used my suitcase that has just never been the same since TSA forced it closed with my laptop power cord hanging out about a year or so ago. And sure enough, it popped open sendng her unmetionables and mentionables all over the place. In my rush to get it packed up and closed again, and with everyone filing off of the shuttle, we left my duffel bag on the bus. So if I'm wearing the same shorts in all of the pictures, that's the reason for it. I made a Target run for a swimsuit, undies and T-shirts. (Remind me to tell you abot the differece - well, one difference anyway - between Target and Wal-Mart.) Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that the Trav-L-Bar is in the duffel bag. I called the airport, and so far it hasn't been turned in, but I remain hopeful.

Yesterday we swam and had a few more pops by the pool. The hot tub here has one jet that is perfect for my shoulder.


Today we got up and out and took a shuttle over to the park. We got there as the park was opening. It's neat to notice the little differences between now and the last time we were here. It's the 50th anniversary celebration, and there are signs everywhere. It's also Tinkerbell overload. She is everywhere. Haven't seen her tattooed on anyone's midriff yet, but I am nearly certain I will before the week is up.

We started off with a few autographs at the entrance. Then worked our way up Main Street.

This always makes me cry a little...

I'm just a sucker for it. It's this great mix of art and the real world and fantasy, and a little history, no, not history, but nostalgia, I guess. They've been standing there through so much of our nation's history, and when you stand here before them, none of that history matters - it really eases you out of the real world and in to the park. It's beautiful here. There is nothing to worry about and so much to see. It makes me feel like a kid again.

That is until I see some little kid run up and hug the Mickey character and I realize I will never remember what that feels like.

Then we hit Adventure Land - Jungle Boat and Indiana Jones, and the kids and womin folk did the tree house. Then Mint Juleps in New Orleans Square (I remember Chris Nagle telling me about those when I was 14 or 15 and I always get one when I'm here). Then - Arrrghh! - Pirates. Then it gets a bit fuzzy because of the Pirate buzz and we were getting a little hungry and a little grumpy.

I improvised my physical therapy exercises in line. That was a good use of time, but I looked pretty silly.

We ate Mexican Food in the park. It was pretty good. And we did the shooting gallery - lucky Tony had some quarters as all of the machines were empty. There was a fantastic fiddle player there as well. He was a lot of fun and got all of the kids (except ours who are just a little too old and therefore a little too cool for it) doing the chicken dance and the hokey pokey.

Let's see, what else? Oh, I took this picture again. And I got a bunch of kids to help make it run sideways. then I stepped out and watched all of these little kids running around getting dizzy.

And we did Star Tours. The kids went on Splash Mountain (no flashing). And we did Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Oh - this is neat. There was a park employee who taught me something new. When you go up over the peak, you see a mountain goat chewing on some dynamite. Try staring at it for as lonng as you can as you go over the top and down the slope. It really intensifies the turn and makes your right lung descend in to your left front pocket.

I think it was about then that we went back to the hotel for a swim and a few pops. Pops by the pool might be the strongest theme of this trip. It's great to just sit around the table with friends talking.

Oh, and I don't think there is anyone left in Vancouver, B.C. except for our pal Keith McDonald at KRP Communications. The rest are all here, it seems. I'm not sure what that's aboot, eh?

Anyway - then we went back to the park. We hit the California Adventure right before closing and caught the last Muppet 3-D show. It's a hoot. Makes me laugh out loud.

We walked around Downtown Disney and decided we would go back there tomorrow on our non-Park day. Lots of neat stuff. Social Distortion is playing the House Of Blues. I guess they are a little bluesy. But the shows are sold out. And it's Valentine's Day so I expect everything will be crowded. But we'll see.

Then we went to find or spot.

It's still there, of course. But they have bricked it over. Just for grins and to make Rachel happy, I got down on my knee again for her.

Oh, and she said "yes" again.

Then it was about time for fireworks show.
It was UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Without question, the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Now, there's something to be said for the experience of watching fireworks from our deck with friends on the 4th of July. But as far as actual fireworks displays go, this one is amazing. They've jazzed it up a bit for the 50th. Lots of neat shapes - some Mickey's, and some hearts, and Dre saw a 50, but I missed it. I shot most of it on video with the digital camera. It doesn't do the show any justice, but it's still fun to watch. Tink flys out again. And it goes off in two places. It's hard to know where you are supposed to be looking and I frequently was looking at the castle and heard a boom behind me and vice versa. Oh, and they had these gargantuan fireballs and you could feel the heat froom them. I want to see them again and just enjoy them instead of trying to film it. Maybe Friday. Oh, and they have the biggest pin wheels I have ever seen. The show lasts about 20 minutes (precisely 19 minutes 20 seconds according to a man with a garbage can and broom). The fireworks alone are probably worth the price of admission and left us wondering how they make money some days.

I mean, do they actually lose money on slow days like this? There's still the $5.00 waters and tons of shops. But they are running everything full tilt but are nowhere near capacity as far as attendance goes. It was President's Day, but it was still pretty slow - nowhere near as crowded as a typical weekday in the Summer. And the rest of the week should be even less crowded. Maybe they make just a little money on days like today and just a ton of money on busy days.

I've got to get some sleep now. We're sleeping in a little and then meeting for breakfast downstairs. I need to buy some shorts and maybe a pair of jeans.

Here's a picture of me and Jake just happy to be together and hanging out at the happiest place on Earth.

Goodnight for now. More tomorrow or the next day.

Cartoon Protesters Direct Anger at U.S.

By NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer

QALAT, Afghanistan - Police killed four people Wednesday as Afghans enraged over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad marched on a U.S. military base in a volatile southern province, directing their anger not against Europe but America.

The U.S. base was targeted because the United States "is the leader of Europe and the leading infidel in the world," said Sher Mohammed, a 40-year-old farmer who suffered a gunshot wound while taking part in the demonstration in the city of Qalat.
"They are all the enemy of Islam. They are occupiers in our country and must be driven out," Mohammed said.
Seriously primed. When does the bombing start?

How's this?

I've been playing around with color schemes and fonts to see what I like best. Any preferences? I kind of like the dark blue background and green letters. I'm not sure why I like this color scheme so much.

But then I kind of like the orange as well.

I think the serifs make it easier to read.

And I think this is too big.

Any thoughts? Preferences? Suggestions?

It was cheaper than joining a gym...

...and we WILL use them.

A big truck came to our house a while back. Great deal at Costco.com on exercise equipment.

I once lost 46 pounds while on a project in Chicago for three months. How? Well, for one thing, I lived in a hotel, had a crazy project that kept me busy, and had nothing else to do with my spare time. Well, OK, it was Chicago and there was lots to do. So I guess I also made it a priority.

One night, I think it was Cinco De Mayo, everyone was going for drinks after work. I said I was going to the gym first and I would meet up with everybody. Dave Craigmile, the project manager who I had a ton of respect for, said, "Why? You're just going to die old and fat anyway." That really motivated me to prove him wrong. Although lately,it looks like he may have been right. I am out to prove him wrong again.

Incidentally, Dave was, and probably still is, wicked good at Foosball. I spent like two months on that project trying to impress him with my speech recognition expertise to no avail. It wasn't until I slipped a couple past him that he showed me even a hint of respect. Then we got along fine.

It helped to have the equipment right down the hall. I brought my book and a water bottle to the gym and I worked up to at least an hour of cardio every day split between an elliptical and a recumbent bike. Sometimes I went twice a day. And wore a plastic sweat suit. I was serious.

We had a bike already, but it hurts Rachel's back. That's why we got a treadmill as well.

So we are making this a priority and all. We are getting older and I think we will get a lot more out of next Summer if we start getting in shape now.

I was worthless in helping put them together because of my shoulder. So it fell to Rachel to don my Geek Goggles and Git Er Done.

And we now have this gigantic pile of cardboard and metal packaging in the garage. I am trying to break it down and get as much as I can in to the recyclling each week. I might just have to borrow someone's truck for a dump run, though, as I think it will take months to get rid of it all.

Anyway - I'm just getting used to it now. I might post my weight and then progress over time. Mabe I'll even post a picture of me in a Speedo monthly. If you are squeamish, you might want to wait a few months before checkiing back.

I'll post a picture of where we've got it set up. It's pretty nice to be on the equipment and look out at our view.

Mind Control...

Look in to my eyes...You will throw the ball for me...and then give me treats.

Early Valentine's Day Present...

I got a Super Geek Pen - The Fisher Space Pen Q-4. It is glorious. I'm trying to get my life organized with a Day Timer. But I don't want to give up my Palm pilot, so I got a Day Timer that holds my palm pilot as well. But it is hard to get the stylus out when the Pilot is "docked" in my Day Timer. This pen has a stylus built in along with red and black pens and a mechanical pencil.

The realy amazing thing is the engineering. It has "red" "black" "0.7mm" and "Stylus" writen on the barrel. Youjust hold the pen with the device name you want facing up, push the button, and it pops right out. Push another button to retract and select another.

Super Geeky.

And she got it engraved with my name so you can't steal mine.

U.S. says Iran, Syria incite cartoon protests

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused U.S. adversaries Iran and Syria on Wednesday of inciting Muslim anger against the West over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that have sparked deadly protests.

President George W. Bush said governments should stop the violence that has erupted over the cartoons, including attacks on Western embassies in parts of the Muslim world. At least 10 people have been killed in protests in Afghanistan alone.

"Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes and the world ought to call them on it," Rice said at a joint news conference with Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

She said nothing justified the violence that had resulted from the cartoons and appealed to governments to urge calm.

"There are governments that have used this opportunity to incite violence," she added, referring to Syria and Iran.

Rice took a more pointed jab at Iran and said it had "not even hidden its hand in this."

The United States is on a collision course with Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons program and was instrumental in getting the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency last Saturday to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

Oh, we are definitely being primed.

Two killed as Afghans stage new protests over cartoons

By Robert Birsel

KABUL (Reuters) - At least two more Afghans were killed and 16 wounded on Wednesday in fresh protests against cartoons depicting Islam's most revered prophet that have enraged Muslims around the world.

Tens of thousands of Muslims have demonstrated in the Middle East, Asia and Africa over the drawings, first published in Denmark, then Norway and then several other European countries. At least eight people have died in related violence.

Six have died in Afghanistan alone, where protesters have turned their wrath on local authorities after their attempts to target Western institutions were thwarted...

If this were taken out of a book written by Robert Anton Wilson (like the little midget running around altering signs in public places and causing riots or something) or maybe Thomas Pynchon, I would find it amusing, enjoyable, but far-fetched fiction. But this is from frigging Reuters and it is happening right now. Over a bunch of cartoons.

I'm not sure how this is affecting American's perceptions of the muslim world, but it can't be good. I bet you could find some tin-foil hat web sites that say it was planned to prime us to bomb Iran next. I don't think it was planned, so no tin foil hat for me. But I do think we are being primed because of it.

And the sad thing is that I bet a lot of people are outraged by the muslim response. And that people think only muslims behave this way. To those of you that think that way, don't forget about Pat Robertson and the Christian Fundamentalists who assasinate doctors and firebomb abortion clinics. The cause may be different, but the violence is the same. And hate never did conquer hate.

We can't control how they react, but we can control our reaction to theirs.

(afterthought...)

I wonder if Thomas Pynchon ever Googles himself. Mr. Pynchon, if you do, and you happen to come across this page, please post a comment or e-mail me. And publish something, would ya? It's been a while since I've read a good story about Were-Beavers.

It just occured to me...

...that it might not be the wisest thing to advertise a trip to Disneyland on a blog. What if some internet savvy burglars are out there? And what if they were somehow able to analyze the content and photos of this blog and determine where I live?

If you are an internet savvy burglar, please know that we have friends staying here in our absence to take are of the dogs. Big dogs. And a lot of my neighbors are cops or sheriffs or CHP. And we have gates, a burglar alarm, private security, and did I mention the big dogs?

But then, I guess if you were casing the joint, you'd know all this already.

Anablog...

No, not a blog about Ana. The power was out, so I kicked it old school with an analog blog - that's a notepad and pen - so it's an anablog. My phrase. Use it freely the next time you find yourself with something to say and no internet access.

Note: It's difficult to imagine, but when looking at most of the pictures that follow, you have to remember that it is PITCH black dark except for my light goggles until I get the lantern set up. Everything looks normal because of the flash on the digital camera, but I assure you, it was dark, and our efforts impressive.

Here's where I begin dicating my anablog:

The power went out today. And not in a kind way. Brownout, then on a little, then off hard, brown in, brownout, brown in, then off hard for good. You know, the sort of power outage that sensitive computer equipment just loves. This all happened around 3:30 or four o'clock right after I clicked send on an important e-mail.

Even though I'm a responsible adult now, whenever the power goes out my first thought is still always, "Did I pay the bill?"

I waited a few minutes. Then I gave up, flipped the switches on my power strips, and called it a day.

I went upstairs and then out front to see if it was my house or the whole street. This is a tough thing to deduce in the daytime. I knew my neighbor was home sick with the flu so I went next door to check if she had power, still with the paranoid thought, "did I pay the bill?" Her power was out too, thus confirming my status as a responsible adult. So there, parents.

I checked on Jake's homework and gave him a couple of chores to do and lay down with an ice pack and took a little nap. Physical therapy was pretty intense yesterday, what with the whole traction machine and all, and I was feeling pretty sore. And besides, any excuse for a nap is good enough for me.

Rachel got home from work just as I was drifting off to sleep and asked what I was doing. I explained that my shoulder hurt, I was tired, the power was out so I couldn't work, and I was going to take a nap.

She woke me up as it was getting dark, a little freaked out. "The power still out, I don't know what we're going to have for dinner, all I could find is the little flashlight, but I lit candles and I'm wearing your light goggles... oh and Scrubs is on tonight..." Something like that.

Oh, and it's Jake's birthday today. I lay back savoring the warmth of the covers contrasted with the still cold ice pack on my neck, planning my next 10 or so moves.

Step 1 -- Grab the four-cell flashlight that I keep by my bed.

Step 2 -- Step out onto the patio to fire up the grill.

Step 2 sub-step b -- "Honey, where's the long lighter you used for the candles?" It seems the last ham bake clogged the grill ignitor.

Step 3 -- Grab the light goggles for the treacherous mission downstairs. Mission goal: Retrieve Coleman lantern.

Step 4 -- Retrieve lantern. Notice Rachel swooning at the sheer magnitude of manly man she married. The look on her face says, "Wow, I know he can cook, and he's a computer geek, and he's top 10 in the Good Lovin' Department, but I often forget how good he is in a crisis. What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good maaa-an (a mighty mighty good man)."

Or perhaps she was just hungry.

Step 5 -- Recall mental picture of refrigerator contents in order to retrieve the maximum number of required food items with minimum loss of cold air.

Step 6 -- Slap that flank steak I started marinating yesterday on the grill -- upper rack to slow cook.

Step 7 -- Retrieve propane cylinder from shelf in garage.

Step 8 -- Retrieve red the emergency duffel bag from closet by front door which contains, among other things, emergency whistle, emergency blankets, battery-operated radio, first-aid kit, several mag light flashlights in a variety of sizes, batteries, a deck of cards, and most important of all tonight -- 2 sets of mantles for the Coleman lantern. I'm glad there were two sets.

(Remember, it's completely dark)

Step 9 -- Assemble the lantern and install the mantles. And here's where things get ugly. It seems there's been some advances in mantle technology since I last camped. The familiar drawstrings have been replaced with strange wire contraptions. I was puzzled. I did what any man would do, I forged ahead. I looped the wires around the gas jets, replaced the globe, screwed on the top, turned the gas on full for three... two... one...Hit it! Ignition -- POOF! Then flareup. Then smoke -- a lot of smoke. Then mantles falling. Abort! Abort! Abort!

Because I was baffled by the new mantles, I forgot two key things:

1.) You need to burn mantles before you use them.

2.) RTFM! The directions were printed on the plastic bag the mantles came in, and they are really quite simple to install. In fact it is a vast improvement over drawstrings since you no longer need to touch the mantles all. All you have to do is loop one end of the wire over the other and you're good to go.

I tried to impress upon Jake just how serious a mistake this could've been. "Son, do you remember when I had you read Jack London's To Build a Fire? Well fortunately, no one is going to die tonight. But if I hadn't bought two sets of mantles, we'd be eating dinner by flashlight. Let this be a lesson to you, son. Buy two of everything... no wait, scratch that -- the lesson is... I mean, the lessons are, be careful and read the directions."

Step 9 sub-step b -- Get the lantern working right this time, with the added pressure of knowing that if I screw up this time, Jake will spend his birthday playing shadow puppets and I will suffer a temporary loss of affection from the woman I love.

Step 10 -- Flip the steak.

Step 11 -- Prep the vegetables.

From here on, it was smooth sailing. We had shelter and water from the get-go. We now had light, fire (the grill), and food. I would have built a fire but it was really nice out today and the house is still really warm because I left the drapes open. In fact the sliders are open as I write this and it's still 75 in here.

Anyway, everything was set all I needed now was my wok and a cocktail. I turned the vegetable prep over to Rachel and went downstairs to get the Grey Goose and a Red Bull.

Yikes! That scared me. The power just came back on and my appliances are really grumpy when they wake up.

I'm going to give it a few minutes to make sure it's on for good. And then fire up the laptop and dictate what I've anablogged so far and then try to land this post.

Or maybe Scrubs is on. Dial 767-1111... "At the tone, Pacific Standard Time will be 10:41 and 10 seconds... beep." Nope. And it doesn't even matter that I don't have TiVo.

(Pitch black - think The Stranger: Darkness warshed over the Dude - darker'n a black steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night. There was no bottom.)

Someday I will post about the God of Cooking, Alton Brown. Notice how I am cutting this flank steak...

I am cutting against the grain at a 45 degree bias. If you cut it with the grain to make it look pretty, you will chew each piece for half an hour and then barely choke it down. This way, it is a tender delicious portion you can cut with a fork.

Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner together by lantern light. Then Jake opened his presents and had a piece of cake.




This was one of those times where parents often overlook how great their kids are. It didn't occur to me at the time, but if it was my birthday, I would be good and pissed off that I got an amp and a CD in the middle of a power outage and I couldn't use either. He's a good kid, that Jake. Oh, and his report card came home today and he got a little over the B average we require. So he is on for wrestling and we can relax and enjoy our trip to Disneyland next week.

Oh, I almost forgot. In that picture of the grill above, notice the four lights off to the right. That would be the lights on a house on the next block. It seems the power outage was limited to our block. Word on the street is - and this is coming from a couple of 9 year old girls, so it has to be true - that too many birds landed on a wire and brought it down. I'll try to confirm this tomorrow. But, come on, too many birds? I think the lines should be able to handle all the birds in Glenn's picture and be OK. Then there's the 40 or so homes being built on our street. My money is on contractor screw up or PG&E's lack of maintenance - despite their cute little commercials these days that would lead you to believe they actually cared and did a good job around here.

But whatever, it's on now. Thank you Mr. Edison.