Thursday, July 31, 2008
HEATH'S CLIFF
I said some time ago that the canonization of Heath Ledger was premature and wrong.
He died of a self inflicted overdose of prescription drugs. That doesn't mean that he should have had them. It means that they are usually prescribed.
It was a soup of tranqs, sleeping pills, and other medications.
This does not make Ledger a bad person. It only makes him an addict. A person with a disease that is treatable.
It was not an accident. It was not homicide. It was self inflicted.
I don't know about his Batman performance. I admire the makeup.
But I think he has a lot of attention because he is dead. How many people went to see a dead man walking?
Now that I have said my piece again, listen to this guy who has the same ideas only better put. I suspect that he, too, is a sober refugee from the drug and alcohol wars.
Also, let's not forget this man left a baby and a family and many friends behind. That doesn't make him a bad person but does show how his personal values had crumbled in the mists of his addictions.
Sad. Sorry. And nothing to elevate or reward here.
Labels: alcohol, cults, culture
ON OTHER POLITICAL FRONTS
Study Finds Young People Remain Apathetic About Office Politics
Labels: culture
BLACK EYE
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Gordon Park's
a black private eye film which set off the explosion of so called blaxploitation films in the 70s.
It is a perfectly good film with some special perks. One is that Gordon Parks is a master still photographer and his skill shows throughout. Another is the music by Isaac Hayes.
There is not one 'set' in the film. It is all on location in NYC. Very convincing and quite fascinating to watch.
The story is genré stuff and I am sure that this film is in the Best list because of its niche.
I liked it well enough and will give it a generous 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
OLYMPIC GREATS
This is a wonderful set of monologues.
Of special interest is John Carlos who is a counsellor at Palm Springs High School. A neighbor.
Greg Louganis. A gay role model.
And Mark Spitz still hasn't gotten over himself.
Bruce Jenner has had a facelift.
Labels: sports
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
MILE HIGH TECH
Obama's convention crowd: Biggest phone bank ever
Enter the 75,000 people who will have to come hours early for Obama's acceptance speech to get through security, most carrying cell phones. As they settle in their seats, campaign aides will be on stage asking them to text message their friends and use call sheets to get people to register. "There will be a lot of idle time. We put idle people to work," Hildebrand said.
Labels: Barack Obama, politics
ON THE BRINK
This is my favorite Karl Rove picture.
Now we get closer to it really happening. Maybe.
I remember the first time I wrote about this slug. He wasn't very well known.
I like to think that I was an early shit detector. Actually, he exposed himself.
It was way back in the first Bush administration when we began to realize that things just might not turn out like the bushies said they would.
They started with the big lie and, today, we reap the results.
It is a sad business.
Rove is still out of custody. Bush is still in.
But their legacy is in tatters.
So, nearly is ours.
Labels: bush. bushies
GALACTIC ROAD TRIP
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was John Carpenter's
with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen.
I saw this when it came around. It is a great film.
Jeff Bridges is an amazing actor. Here he is an alien who takes possession of a human body so that he can get to his departure point before he dies.
His adoption of the human form is funny and painful to watch. Totally absorbing.
Karen Allen manages to balance the action and not be upstaged. She holds her own.
The premise is carried out with great skill and the road trip involved to get Bridges to his jumping off place is generic but special because he is the one doing it.
I liked it. I could easily see it again. A Jeff Bridges film fest? Could be sometime. This would definitely be in it.
That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
ON THE ATTACK
Clear, simple, tough message.
On a bus in Missouri.
Back on the trail with a hard core approach. If the bastards are going negative, then he will toughen up.
Obama: McCain thinks nation on the 'right track'
Labels: Barack Obama
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
MY POWER COMPANY WANTS ME TO GET MARRIED
PG & E gives $250,000 to defeat gay marriage ban Proposition 8
Well, it isn't really my power company. Mine is Southern California Edison. But I bet they want me to get married too. I am a customer, after all. And I will be living with my husband to be and we definitely use power. Although he turns out the lights more than I do. Most of the time.
It is amazing to me how they are somehow linking this to business interests.
Who would have thought?
Labels: gay marriage
TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
Report: Obama Vacationing In Hawaii In August
Some more details are emerging on Barack Obama's upcoming August vacation, which a hot microphone caught him discussing with British Conservative Party leader David Cameron over the weekend. Obama will spend a week in Hawaii during the middle of August, spending most of the time with his grandmother and other family members but also making time for at least one fundraiser.
If you read Dreams From My Father you will get how important the grandmas are and what they mean to him. Very nice.
Labels: Barack Obama
UNION MADE
Heavy union, AFL-CIO effort to counter smears about Obama.
We wonder why and how these rumors stay alive. It is because no one takes them seriously. They are so outrageous and transparent that we believe no one would believe them.
But people do believe them because they are reinforced over and over again. Friends telling friends is pretty powerful stuff.
So is this.
Labels: Barack Obama, politics
YES WE FELT IT
The emails from back east have started. LA had a 5-ish earthquake today.
Did we feel it?
Yup.
Not a sharp, shock. Just a gentle roll. Lasted about 5 seconds. Lunch time.
Made my milk ripple.
Franklin felt it first. Then us. Always the way.
No we don't worry about earthquakes. We just roll with them when they happen. Every three or four months. Not a big deal.
Labels: nature
AMERICAN MISS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
a satirical look at the world of regional beauty contests.
I know.
It seems to be a used up reservoir of mock potential. But they keep it fresh in this film.
I think mostly because of Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon. Michael Kidd, the choreographer is, well, the choreographer for the events and he is very good.
They do not exaggerate the situation. The girls are pretty. Some of them are talented. I found myself rooting for them even when they were dorks.
The film is wise enough to stay on the edge of the satire and away from full frontal nastiness. It has a good heart.
Most of the time.
I have never heard of this film. I missed it entirely.
It is a bit dated but still quite entertaining and the people are great to watch.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5. Good to see once.
Labels: best films
TRIFECTA
I guess that Obama is going to be all Presidential in the US of A now.
Obama Discusses Housing Crisis With Treasury Chief.
In this same article he is seen talking to Paulsen, also Bernanke the head of the Federal Reserve and as a special little side dish, met with the new Pakistani Prime MInister who was visiting DC yesterday.
This morning in the NYT, that lame Bob Herbert said that Obama needed to go on the offensive.
Keeerist1
A week all over the map and then the summit economic meeting yesterday. What does he think Obama has been doing?
No word that McCain has called anyone about anything. Just spouted off the top of his head. A dangerous place to be.
Labels: Barack Obama
MORE RUMORS—NO HILL
Obama-Clinton Ticket Is Seen as Unlikely
What a relief!
Labels: Barack Obama, Democrats
Monday, July 28, 2008
RUMORS FLY
It won't be long until there is a double named ticket in the Democratic Party.
The Veep nominee will be picked.
I read that they are vetting Hillary. Well, they have to, don't they.
And, by the way, what ever happened to her?
Never mind.
Today, there is this.
Kaine Very Very High on VP Shortlist
Kaine is good for the ticket. He is a Catholic. He is an ex-missionary. He speaks spanish. He is governor of a battleground state that Obama really wants to win.
I love rumors.
Labels: Barack Obama
REBEL YELL
I love rebels who leave the mother ship and start their own colony.
Such is cuil. A group of ex-googlers who have started their own search engine.
The lawsuits are sure to follow.
I suppose we pronounce it 'cool', huh? A little too cute maybe.
I have bookmarked it. Passed my first test.
Having just searched 'brain freeze' for John who got one of those ice-headache things I tried it again on cuil.
Try it.
First, Google.
Second, cuil.
How appropriate. Cool, cold, freeze, cuil.
I like the design of the cuil page. I like the pictures.
They both threw up the Wikipedia page. I suppose I could have gone there first but I don't usually.
Anyway, interesting.
Labels: internet
Sunday, July 27, 2008
INTERESTING STUFF
There is a lot of interesting stuff today.
Frank Rich proposes a theory of Obama as the 'acting President' and, as a result, confirming that he does, indeed, act presidentially. A closed circle.
How Obama Became Acting President
A recent technical study shows that the days of the so called "Wilder Effect" are over. This is the situation when a voter says he will vote for a black or a woman but actually does not. S/he is afraid of seeming racist.
No More Wilder Effect, Never a Whitman Effect
McCain releases a scurrilous ad accusing Obama of neglecting to visit injured troops so he could go to the gym. Footage shown is of Obama playing basketball with the troops in Kuwait. What is up with these bastards?
Labels: Barack Obama, criminal morons, McCain, politics
LUCKY SEVENS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Stanley Donen's
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)
This is an enduring example of MGM musicals at their best.
The focus here is on dance as well as music. Very nicely done.
There are no spots that lag. Everything moves along quickly.
It is a little politically incorrect but, since it is a period piece, pioneers and all, it is not noticeably offensive. Not to me anyway, but I am a guy.
Howard Keel stars. He was a Palm Springs fixture when we were first here. A nice guy or so he seemed from a distance.
I saw this when it first came around and remembered a lot of it. I enjoyed it and I don't need to see it again.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
KEEPING THE INITIATIVE
This, just after the big trip:
Obama to Meet With Rubin, Volcker, Buffett on Economic Plans
These guys are heavy hitters and old hands in the government. Buffet is on Obama's side. Very nice. The foxy grandpa.
I like the summary of the trip.
He is controlling the frame of the debate. The McCain's are in all reaction mode. Snapping at his heels with little dip shit stuff.
It is very difficult to keep the initiative after a major effort like the international success.
He seems to be doing it just about right.
How is this for looking Presidential?
Labels: Barack Obama
Saturday, July 26, 2008
BULLETIN FROM THE MARRIAGE WARS
Calif. ban's wording change may help it fail
The Secretary of State is an independent office not related to the Governor. But still, the entire State apparatus seems bent on stopping this initiative.
Good.
Thank you.
Labels: gay marriage
THE ORIGINAL
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was George Lucas'
Of course I had seen it before but, as I recall, I was stoned for most of it. It was better this time.
It is hard to respond to a classic. It moved a lot faster than I remembered. Well, that is all in the perception, eh? Grass slows one down a bit.
I could do without all the weird characters and monsters and shit. I am probably the only person who can't stand Chewbacca. The rug.
It is fun to see the youthful stars and to see Alec Guiness one last time. Harrison Ford. Not that good. Still playing the same character in the Indiana Jones films. Mark Hamill. An ingenue. What ever happened to him? 193 credits in IMDb. Almost all B films and obscure teevee. He did OK. Just not a star kind of star. Carrie Fisher. Got to write tell-all books about her troubled life.
These are sideshows.
The movie itself? It is sure better than Star Trek which I had to watch the other day. But it isn't really a great movie. It has vast expanses of film which are rather tiresome.
Net, net? I enjoyed it but I have finished seeing it. Straight or bent.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
An interesting perspective: How an obsession with special effects killed Star Wars
I have never gone to another film in the franchise. The mere thought gives me a headache.
Labels: best films
CHRISTIAN BALLS
Gene Robinson, the 'gay bishop', was disinvited to the world conference. So he went anyway.
Labels: christist watch, gay life, gay rights
GRASS ROOTS
I am really impressed with this. I had no idea the depth to which they were going at the local level. I knew it was extensive. Not this deep.
Obama Volunteers Share the Power of Personal Stories
This is so much like the man. The political and personal merge. Beautifully.
Labels: Barack Obama, politics
LOADED UP
So, finally, after two duds, we have a drier that, apparently, works OK.
I want to say "apparently" because I am still a bit gun shy about the process.
What are the odds of that? Two lemons in a row from a line of appliances where lemons are said not to exist?
Not that we feel singled out or anything.
Our first drier, the highest tech model you could get, had a burp when the load was finished. It couldn't sense where the drum was to stop its spin so it 'felt' its way and missed. A grinding noise. The drum misaligned with the door. It had to be opened manually.
A guy came. He couldn't figure it out. A one time problem he said.
Wrong. It happened again.
Then another repair guy. He found a sensor not working. A part was ordered. We got an email telling us that the part was backordered.
This is when John went back to the store (which also runs the service) and they agreed enough was, indeed, enough. They ordered us a new drier.
When that one came, two weeks later, it worked for about ten minutes and stopped. No power. Yet another service guy says that this one has a faulty control board. A part was ordered.
This time, the store, Pacific Sales, is on our side and happens to have another drier in the warehouse.
They sent us that one yesterday.
This one seems to work just fine. No glitches. No power loss.
We did seven or eight loads.
When it works, it is a joy to behold.
The seven loads? That is how much laundry had backed up.
We had gotten pretty good at air drying sheets and whites. Some stuff is OK outside. Others not.
I know. This is a very high end problem. There are people who are still washing their clothing on rocks in streams. Putting them out on the higher rocks to dry.
It is surely a 21st century saga in a runaway materialistic world. But, for a few weeks, it was our world and we got a chance to see what it is like to be less fortunate. I don't want to get soppy about it but it does one good to get a shot of reality once in awhile.
It is a little humbling to realize that we can get nervous over a pair of gym shorts that we have to wear a second or even third round.
Time to get real.
Labels: appliances, culture, lfe
Friday, July 25, 2008
TOPSY TURVY
This is one of those days that I simply cannot hold on to my normal routine.
This is grooming day for Franklin. Take him in at 9 then wait for a phone call anytime between 90 and 120 minutes that he is done.
Then, by coincidence, this is the day that the guys come to do the bimonthly washing of the windows. Bimonthly. Does that mean every two months? If so, that is what they are doing. If not, well, figure it out.
They were late.
I had to call the owner twice about it. "Are they coming"?
I discovered later that he is in Hawaii. I was calling at 830AM and there is a three hour difference.
The guys told me.
Yikes. He didn't tell me where he was. Such is the downside of carrying a cell phone.
At the same time I took Franklin in and the window guys came, the third drier arrived!
They took out Number Two with the blown circuit board and left an entirely new one which so far is WORKING! It has churned out four loads already. Not a hitch.
Then, time to go get Franklin.
Then a call from Europe where our friends are summering! We were here. All together. Very nice.
But by the end of the morning, I was ready for my routine to resume.
A good day if not a standard one.
Labels: routine
Thursday, July 24, 2008
MORE PETTY BULLSHIT FROM THE BUSHIES
But then that is their whole thing:
Obama Berlin Speech: US Foreign Service Workers Instructed Not To Attend
Labels: bush. bushies
THE BEST THAT THEY CAN DO
Another playground jibe from the McCains.
"While Barack Obama took a premature victory lap today in the heart of Berlin, proclaiming himself a 'citizen of the world,' John McCain continued to make his case to the American citizens who will decide this election. Barack Obama offered eloquent praise for this country, but the contrast is clear. John McCain has dedicated his life to serving, improving and protecting America. Barack Obama spent an afternoon talking about it."
This is so petty. Small.
Labels: McCain
THE SPEECH
I have been getting cranked up all week over the speech that Obama was to give in Berlin.
I was able to see it on line and it was pretty good.
Maybe excellent.
Maybe way excellent.
I am never a good judge of these things.
The crowd assembled long before he got started of course. It was huge. I have read 100,000 to 200,000. Big enough.
They were a 'nice' crowd. No rowdies. No peaceniks. Nothing that would 'look bad'. Let's face it, his remarks not-withstanding, this was a political speech.
He just didn't mention McCain or the bushies. But they were in there.
The weather was beautiful and it was about 720 PM when he came on. The light was just right.
He came in from a huge open area behind the monument, along a sky-blue walkway. I bet he walked over a hundred yards. The cheers went up and up and over. He was all alone. No introductions. Just Obama.
For all the talk about the site, the Brandenberg Gate is at the other end of the mall in the Teirgarten where he spoke and the crowd reached all the way up to it. It was there.
His words were simple. He built on the themes of the Berlin airlift and the alliance that brought food and comfort to the West Berliners who were holding their dream of freedom alive.
He wove this image of coming together with the image of the wall that had fallen and the walls that we, together, need to take down if we are to survive.
He repeated 'at this moment' as a cadence.
At this moment we must come together to defeat terrorism and wipe it out, we must end the war in Iraq, we must feed the hungry and disadvantage, we must rout out the remnants of despotism, we must save the planet from ourselves.
He took the transAtlantic alliance and coupled it with the larger world alliance. He focused on the European Union as a model.
It was a neat piece of work.
He said that he came as a citizen of America and a citizen of the world. Not a candidate.
Well, the candidate did very well nonetheless.
I do not know what it will do to his bona fides and his numbers for those who feel him unprepared for the world stage and the security of the country but he sure preached pretty well to this choir member.
I am looking for a video and I will plug it in here when I find one.
Labels: Barack Obama
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
VAST SPACES
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)
This is the second movie made off the teevee show which I couldn't stand. I watched a part of an early episode and bailed.
I am going against the grain here but things apparently got no better and, based on present evidence, the films aren't any better than the teevee.
Oddly, this is the second film not the first which somehow failed to make the 'Best' cut.
I suppose I missed a lot because I am not in tune with the Trek tropes. I find the whole Klingon thing very annoying. Amusingly, in this film, we have Kirstie Alley joining Leonard Nimoy as a Klinger. A scientologist Klingon who can't act.
The highlight of this one is Ricardo Montalban as Kahn, the villain. Very camp, over the top. A peroxide mullet.
I remember the young Ricardo who was a staple in the MGM musicals. Young and full of pep. Here, he is old and still full of pep. Always enlivening the proceedings. And look at those pecs. We wondered if they are real. When he leaned over, they sagged a bit.
These are minor amusements in a vast spacial vacuum of plot. A lot of soaring. A lot of piloting. A lot of William Shatner. Another bit of space. Did I mention that he is in it?
There are some space battles but they are listless. They emulate sea battles with none of the human element. Flashes of light don't make it somehow.
I tired melodramatic plot. Shatner's bastard son shows up. They bond.
I think I looked at my watch about ten times. That is not a good sign. But I did watch the whole thing even though I didn't like it.
That makes it a 2 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
REPAIR CYCLE
We have four bikes and they all need service.
Some more than others.
They stay out in the weather and the weather here is very bad for tires.
I have to get them all ready for guests in October. I know it is a little early but that is my thing. Get it done now even if it doesn't have to be done 'now'.
So, I am on a one-bike-at-a-time plan. The first one went in today.
A hundred bucks for the full deal including 'slime' in the tires. It slows leaks.
When I bought these bikes they promised lifetime tuneups. The lifetime is still in effect but the tune up now costs 20 bucks. There was a change in ownership and the records 'got lost'. Uh huh.
They are all old fashioned Schwinns incidentally. The kind with a coaster brake. No gears. Great bikes. Great ride.
Labels: repairs
FLOOD DAMAGE
The torrential rains we had Sunday (an inch in half an hour) drowned out the control panel for the front sprinklers.
So we got a new one today.
It's a Hunter XC.
This one has provisions for the new sensors which you put in your soil. They detect moisture levels and automatically call for water when needed rather than an arbitrary schedule.
Most of our stuff is drip irrigation on a very small scale so it wouldn't be that advantageous. But it might be fun at the toy-gadget level. Another thing to break down.
Labels: garden
COVER ART
Here comes Vanity Fair the publishing 'sister' of The New Yorker producing its own campaign cover.
Labels: McCain
TWEETY
A lot of lefty bloggers don't like Chris Matthews. Hence the nickname.
They should watch this tape.
Labels: Barack Obama, politics
DAY TWO
He sure generates a lot of excitement.
I love watching the troops and workers going after him. (At about 1:53)
Labels: Barack Obama
THE LIVING DEAD
I love ghost towns.
John and I have never missed an opportunity to visit one.
There are a lot of them in the west. Some within a few hours of where we live.
But the ones that we have visited in the USA have nothing on these 'top ten' ghost towns. Fascinating. I would like to see them all.
Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan Daily Dish
PRESIDENTIAL
All of Obama's interviews since his trip to the Middle East have had the distinct flavor of pronouncements. Positive assertion. Confident policy statements.
This morning he stated flatly that it was time for political and structural solutions in Iraq with an end to the military involvement. He is framing the debate. Setting the pace. And basically, it seems to me, establishing the transition government before our eyes.
He has hired 300 foreign policy staffers to McCain's 20-30.
He seems fearless. Can people not like that?
Obama Not Afraid To Engage GOP On Foreign Policy
Labels: Barack Obama
APOD
Matt Harding's video made it onto the Astronomy Photo of the Day, run by NASA in the best quality version I have seen. It has so many millions of views now in so many places that it cannot be counted. Metastasized.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Labels: APO
Monday, July 21, 2008
SHADY
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As the wedding approaches, we are giving some hard looks at how we look out back. Neat and orderly or messy and in need of fixing?
We decided a couple of weeks ago to replace the eleven year old sun shades across the back sliders. They were all soft with use and beginning to have horizontal rents that would soon be tears. They wouldn't last another year.
Those are now in.
Same color. Same size. These are more anchored. Down at the little corners.
You have to unbuckle them to get out. Or in.
I wonder who will be the first one to go through the shade. They won't rip down. He will bounce off.
My money is on Franklin. But maybe not. He didn't like going under them when they were loose at the corner.As in all 'improvements', this one has led to another new one. We are also getting suncloth shades for the skylights. They will be like a big bag. Drawstring.
I wonder who is going to put them up and take them down.
But they are needed. The heat load of the skylight is pretty high. It is too late to save the faded rug. But it was old anyway.
DRIER AND DRIER
I haven't written very much about our drier trials.
When we got our new Fisher & Paykel washer and drier we were very happy with their operation.
Then the drier began to malfunction when it unlocked.
We had two repair visits. The first inconclusive and the second ending with a new part ordered. A week later we learned that the part had been back ordered.
So we went back to Pacific Sales who sold it to us. After some running around, they ordered us a new drier.
It arrived Friday and almost immediately went dead. No power.
Today, we had another repair man sent on an emergency call by Pacific Sales. He says that this one's control panel is blown and needs a new one.
We had been afraid that somehow it was our power source but he said "no way".
Now, we are at another impasse. Pacific Sales has told us that if this one is bust they have yet another one in the warehouse and will send it to us. We will see.
In the meantime we are limping in the laundry department. We have learned how to dry outdoors which is relatively easy even in humid weather. But it doesn't fluff. Or soften. A lot of stuff wrinkles.
The likelihood of our getting two defective driers in a row are like a million to one. They say. They don't even have malfunctions.
Are we a drier trouble magnet?
We don't have this kind of thing very often. If ever.
Now we do.
Another challenge to our equanimity.
As life troubles go, this is fairly mild on the horrendous scale. But it is annoying.
Labels: appliances
O'BOMBER
I am not much of a basketball fan. Or player.
I can't even dribble the ball.
I would be the kid in the upper left—the team gofer. A jock sniffer.
But I am impressed with Obama's swisher in the tape below. On his first try.
That led to finding this.
Barack "The Senator" Obama in Hoopedia, a wikipedia for basketball fans.
I may take up the sport.
I am rapidly becoming a basketball fan.
Labels: Barack Obama
Sunday, July 20, 2008
EXPECTATIONS
Bonus Quote of the Day"Could I mention the presence of my friend, Congressman Steve Pearce, who I believe will be joining me in the United States Senate?"
-- Sen. John McCain, quoted by Politico, apparently planning to still be in the Senate next year.
Labels: McCain
ESCAPE ARTISTS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Billy Wilder's
with William Holden as the con-man anti-hero in a prisoner of war camp during WWII. Type casting. He is perfect.
An ensemble cast performs the prison camp follies, mostly comedy, with a bit of who-done-it thrown in when a spy seems to be reporting camp and barracks secrets back to the camp commander played with gusto by Otto Preminger.
It is a pretty good movie. A series of sketches, really. It was a play that was adapted and it has that quality of exposition that marks theatrical adaptations. I actually like it. Clear plot. Concise delivery.
I saw it when it came out and I enjoyed both viewings. I wouldn't mind seeing it again sometime.
That would make it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
TORRENTS
We had a downpour this morning that was tropical and intense.
Part of the hurricane that is breaking itself up south of here.
We get the remnants. Very humid air—monsoonal—and showers—torrential.
Water got over the slider sill and into the kitchen. The outside drains just didn't take it away fast enough.
It didn't help that our gutters are clogged as usual with leaf and carob bean and the water poured right into the least drained space.
So I pushed it out to the other drain. John dished it out of the kitchen. We have a dustpan that is a perfect water scoop.
There was also some water got into the living room and we can't figure that one out at all. Up through the foundation? Not through the skylight.
A mystery.
In any case, all is sort of dry now or drying out. There is some wet carpet that may miss the mildew stage. Or not.
All a nice Sunday morning surprise.
We did take our usual walk at 5 AM but it was so muggy we cut about 20 minutes off it.
Such is life. Some detours. Some surprises.
But we were able to rise to the occasion.
Labels: weather
VERY BALLSY VERY GOOD
Obama's first and hard hitting interview since he went to Afghanistan.
Obama: Now Is The Time For Iraq Withdrawal
A good beginning. This is tight, succinct and takes the critics on.
His answer to the last question is very good. Last two questions, really.
He is headed to Iraq with Maliki having already stated he agrees with Obama's withdrawal timetable. Even though the bushies shoved him into 'denying' he said what he said three times.
We will see what more can be found out when they meet face to face.
I like that Obama is framing this trip as prep for his inevitable Presidency. Not some little fact finding trip. This is building a foundation!
Labels: Barack Obama
Saturday, July 19, 2008
NOW THIS
The trip is going pretty well, I would say.
It is freaking the GOoPers out.
Major WH Blunder: Emails al-Maliki Story to Reporters
I liked the comment of the Republican advisor (anonymous) who says "We're Fucked".
At the bottom of this there is a vote. "Could this trip have started out any better"?
Yes
No
Only if he dragged Bin Laden out of his cave
I voted for the cave. But it is going to be a long trip.
Labels: Barack Obama, bushies, Iraq
TRAVELLER
So he is in Afghanistan. I like that he is planning to listen and won't be talking a lot.
I hope that there aren't any photo-ops.
I read that he has visited the troops at each stop and played some basketball. Went as close to Bora Bora and Bin Laden territory as they would take him.
Taking Hagel and Reed along, making this a Congressional visit, is genius. They are 'witnesses' of what goes on and can act as confirmation.
This must drive the Republicans and McCain nuts. They are sure taking their shots at him.
The Ambassadors in both countries are with him too. Must irk the bushies.
Labels: Barack Obama
THE FIRST STAR
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was the original version of
The second version with Garland and the third version with Streisand are not in the 'Best' list.
I think the reason is that this original play is built on a different foundation. It is as much about Norman Maine—Frederic March—as the new star who marries him, played by Janet Gaynor (a little old for the role).
Another thing is that there is more 'real' Hollywood in this one. There are many shots in familiar locales. The realities of the business seem more stark.
And then there is the three strip Technicolor. The photography is stunning even in this moderately restored version. Quite breathtaking in many ways.
There is a good supporting cast. In one of those coincidences of the 'Best' series, we had Andy Devine and Chris-Pin Martin who were in Stagecoach which I saw yesterday and Adolph Menjou who I saw a few days ago. He was playing a producer again inStagedoor.
This movie was pretty good. I am glad that I saw it but I wouldn't want to see it or its re-makes ever again.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
CHANGING TIMES
Acceptance of Gay People in Military Grows Dramatically
An astonishing 75% says 'yes' that gays who come out in the military should be allowed to stay.
More astonishing is that a majority of evangelical white christians say yes and 82% of white catholics.
What a change.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was a fiasco.
I remember walking out of Dave's graduation at Harvard over the policy when Colin Powell was speaking there.
We blame Bill Clinton for caving. He was the Commander in Chief and he blew it.
Not a good beginning.
There are many gay men and women in the military. There were when I was in the Army in the 50's.
The reason that San Francisco became the 'gay capitol' of the USA was that so many military men and women were separated there and they decided to stay in the permissive environment.
I remember a straight guy I knew telling me that he never, ever lacked for sex in the Navy during the 'big war' because there were so many sailors inclined to do the honors.
A lot of lines were crossed then.
And now.
The torture of gay people in the services who are found out is excruciating. Or was. Today, I am told, that most unit commanders will not file charges on the issue.
But it should still be changed.
No one should have to hide.
Recently, the Pentagon, itself, issued a report that said homos did not affect unit cohesion. They must have had some real cases to examine.
The real heroes are the ones who stand up to be counted.
Today, we even have Canadian sailors getting married. See the item below.
Labels: gay military, gay politics, gay rights
Friday, July 18, 2008
HAPPY FIELDS
The Field Poll is one of the most accurate on and in California.
Today, they weigh in on the gay marriage initiative.
We won't break out the confetti and streamers but it surely looks good at this point. A margin of nine points is formidable. This is also a strong trend away from earlier polls that showed the results more balanced or slightly negative.
I think that there is a big difference between a poll that asks whether I approve of some social issue and a poll that points to a specific proposition on a ballot.
People in this state are souring on propositions in general. Many have fared badly in recent times particularly those that mess with people's private lives.
We are doing our part. We will be standing up married just before the vote. Let anyone vote against that!
Labels: gay marriage
HEARTS OF GOLD
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was John Ford's first sound western
I had never seen it.
I am amazed at its sophistication. There was never a dull moment.
The young John Wayne begins his career playing an outlaw with a heart of gold. Mesmerizing. You can see the star quality immediately. His opening shot is kickass. Ford must have had love at first sight.
Claire Trevor is a whore with a heart of gold.
Everyone has a heart of gold. And there are the best collection of character actors you could find. Ford was always very lucky with his picks. Or talented at casting. Or both.
Andy Devine, Donald Meek, John Caradine, and others. One of the best is the blustery Berten Churchill as an absconding banker. He is Mr. Bluster and more. Very funny. Very good. A blowhard of the classic kind.
The linked 'review' has a great unpacking of the film's structure. Something I was totally unaware of as we watched, of course, but interesting. These classics get a lot of attention from the real film nuts.
I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5. Once is enough for one of these oldies but I wouldn't walk if it got served up again.
Labels: best films
DID ANYONE TELL BUSH?
The new Poet Laureate of the USofA is an out lesbian.
Kay Ryan, Outsider With Sly Style, Named Poet Laureate
Won't it be great when we don't have to point about anything like this. We are almost there but not quite.
Labels: gay life
Thursday, July 17, 2008
HARD TO BE GREEN
They are changing the whole system of recycled trash here in Palm Springs.
Up to now, we were the ones to segregate the containers from the paper from the plastic bags.
Now, we all get a big ugly blue container and throw everything into that container.
"They" now do the segregating.
The thing is, apparently, that these barrels will be loaded into the truck with a motorized conveyor. No lifting.
How come I think that this whole thing is based on less work for the trash men or some insurance company/workman's comp issue?
Anyway.
We got our barrel. I threw everything in. I set it out. And then 'they' didn't pick it up.
Until I called. And called again. An left a message.
The guy came last night and took the trash.
He had to manually upend this fucking heavy barrel into his barrel onto the truck.
If that didn't give him a work related injury, nothing will.
He tells me that they just 'forgot' to come down our drive.
OK.
We will try it again next week.
Another improvement that isn't.
NO SHOWS
I just want to note that I will not be watching two of the NYTimes Best 1176 films.
The first is Shrek which I actually saw and felt woozy throughout.
I didn't really like any of it.
I did stay for the whole thing and that would make it a 2.
I am certainly not going to watch it again.
The second is Shoah (1985)
I just can't stand any more holocaust horrors.
I have been watching this stuff for over 60 years.
I know it happened. I am still horrified at it. I am past the point of conversion to any other point of view that it was totally evil. I don't need any more to send me along that line of thinking.
The film is also 9 1/2 hours long.
Enough already.
There is some point at which we have to thing 'exploitation' for the sake of money, prestige, reputation. What? If it helps the victims to get this all out, great. Mission accomplished.
I think that these are the only two films that I skipped. There may be other but they would have been some time ago. I have been at this for a couple of years.
We are in the S's. There are a lot of them. The most popular title initial.
Labels: best films
COMMON PLACE
Gail Collins has a great article on gay marriage in todays NYT:
You remember Mitt Romney don't you? He's the one who said he didn't want Massachusetts becoming the 'Las Vegas of gay marriage". What a fucking jerk.
Now MA has passed or is passing the limitation of out of state marriagees. Despite Mitt's warning. Did I say that he was a jerk?
After four years, same-sex marriage has also begun to feel normal in Massachusetts. It’s not something that comes up in conversation much anymore. There is no greater force against bigotry than the moment when something becomes so routine that you stop noticing it.Well, I hope that 'they' don't stop noticing my gay marriage in October!
After that it can become commonplace.
Labels: gay marriage
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
PERSON A PERSON B
We went and got our marriage license this morning.
$68.00. Cash, check or debit card. Or, being Southern California, dinero.
Picture ID.
You fill out a work sheet and then they call you to a window.
We had Ms. Romero. She typed up the data. Not much. Simple. Parents. Place of birth. All that. They want to know what our parents citizenship is. We are, after all, a border state.
Showed our picture ID.
Signed the form. Took an oath that everything was true.
Ms. Romero was great. Jolly. Interested. Very engaged. (So are we).
My fianceé and I hugged a little and held hands. No one minds any of this here.
It is very freed up.
The other thing is that no one batted an eyelash about its being special in anyway. No "Ohhhhh gay men getting married!!!" shit.
She did ask who was doing the ceremony and commented that more of the work is going to the Palm Springs deputies than they get at the Indio courthouse.
We could get married there on a Saturday. They even have a little place for it outside. A bower.
Now we have to get married in 90 days. We will.
The certificate gets filled out. At least one witness. We will have two.
Then four weeks later we can get a certificate.
Of course it is a done deal on the instant of "I now pronounce you.........". Just not a certificate for four weeks.
It was a trek. All the way down valley. But it was well worth it.
A glow that will last a while.
Labels: gay marriage
POLL UP
Three national newspaper polls (NYT, Reuters and WaPo) show Obama up 6,7 and 8 percent ahead of McCain.
It is way too early for this but still..................
I watch the daily Gallup (4-6 points ahead) and Rasmussen (4 points ahead) and change my mood accordingly.
I know that it isn't good for me to follow things this closely.
The last time with Kerry I got sick over it.
I'm not kidding.
So, Easy Does It is the slogan to follow here.
Oh.
I forgot to mention Quinnipiac gives Obama 9 points. A university not a newspaper but, what the hell. It's 9 points.
Labels: Barack Obama, polls
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
WAR MOVES
Today's film was
with the superb Ryan Phillipe as an Army non-com who is stop-lossed back to Iraq after an extremely traumatic tour.
We also have Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as friends of Phillipe. Equally fucked up from the war.
This is not an anti-war movie per se. It accepts that the war is there. It is a human story of a man who is torn between loyalty to his unit and his men and his own revulsion at what this particular war has done to him and his charges. No war front. No discernible sides. Everyone has a weapon. Urban fighting. Civilians in the crossfire.
The war scenes that set the story up are stirring and quite disturbing. The director of this film, Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) believes in showing rather than telling. The use of hand held and the videos of the troops themselves combine with great story telling power.
They are also the stuff of flashbacks that Phillipe and his men experience after they are back home, soon to be sent back to the war.
The film is very moving. I could see it again.
That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Monday, July 14, 2008
JERK OFF
From Politico:
Question for the Day: McCain and the Internet"Where does he get his porn?" conservative talk show host Michael Smerconish asked me in an interview just now. "That’s what I want to know."
USELESS ABSURDITY
Terrorist Watch List Hits One Million Names
Or is it ludicrous?
Idiotic?
How about criminally moronic.
Labels: criminal morons
ANOTHER HERO
'World's oldest blogger' dies in Australia at 108
I only want to get to 90, a modest goal, but I wouldn't mind 100 if I could still blog.
That is the test.
To hell with driving.
I think that it is funny that John McCain still can't quite get 'on' the net.
That is ON! Fucking ON, he can't get.
Fogie. Geezer.
I wouldn't want to read his blog anyway.
Labels: blog, blogging, McCain
TIRED SATIRE
I suppose that I have to comment on this even if I would rather not.
The left wing blog world is not very happy with The New Yorker today because of the satirical cover entitled "The Politics of Hate" in which the Obamas are pictured with every nasty right wing rumor and innuendo that has been said about them.
Some people think that this is wounding with friendly fire.
I think their desire was to defuse all the shit that is flying around by piling it all up in one place. A sort of exposure to the air.
I am not sure of the effect they wanted but I don't think they got the response they expected.
General condemnation seems to be the norm.
I, myself, don't take it all that badly.
I am one who thinks that you air the shit to get it out there and over.
I sort of like the message but not the medium.
George S. Kaufman said that 'satire is what closes on Saturday night'.
It has limited reach and appeal.
I am not too sure that the general public will take the message here.
But then I have long underestimated the intelligence of the American public.
Perhaps The New Yorker editors are right. Perhaps this will be curative.
Time will tell. In the meantime, there will be a furor over it and then the furor will die and we will move on to the next outrage.
The question is whether the Obama campaign can continue their progress without spending time on this.
My guess is that they can and that they will.
He is about to take the world tour.
He will get a lot of positive press. That press will undercut many of the niggling ignorant canards about him. Little by little.
There is some argument that the magazine has never done this to other politicians. Wrong.
The January 27 2007 cover showed Bush as Nero fiddling while flames are bursting behind him. On October 29, Dick Cheney was a nasty jack-o-lantern. And in that year alone, I count at least 15 'in your face' political covers. A disabled vet unable to get up the steps at Walter Reed. A bunch of paper airplanes and tanks made of IRS 1040 forms.
Nothing as 'offensive' as the Obama cover but certainly political and not nice.
I am sure that Dick Cheney isn't happy about his one week of New Yorker fame.
Labels: Barack Obama, politics
THE THEATAH!
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
with Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers. Also appearing in smaller roles are Eve Arden, Ann Miller and Lucille Ball. Grady Sutton and Franklin Pangborn make the scene as well as Adolph Menjou as a predacious producer.
Most of the film is fast joke fun with a script by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.
There is some corny stuff near the end but we survive it and the jokes come back.
This would be worth seeing again for the jokes which are pretty good. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5. I enjoyed it.
Labels: best films
FRIENDS OF BARACK
I love background.
In Obama's Circle, Chicago Remains The Tie That Binds
Labels: Barack Obama
GOOD PRESS
Obama does the NYTimes Op Ed today:
He takes the initiative of Maliki's willingness to set a withdrawal schedule. As though Maliki is working from the Obama playbook.
Labels: Barack Obama
Sunday, July 13, 2008
HOMOPHOBE
From Daily Kos:
Oh really?This is based on the interview in the NYT today in which McCain talks about his belief that he is today's Teddy Roosevelt.Mr. McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter, said flatly that he opposed allowing gay couples to adopt. "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption," he said.
Do you think McCain came to this conclusion during his affair with Cindy, or after he left his wife and three children to marry her?
Keerist!
I won't link it. You can go looking for it for yourself. Go NYT>National>Politics>Bullshit.
Labels: McCain
DIABOLICAL
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was the psychological thriller
with Dorothy McGuire as an hysterical mute woman who nurses a tyrannical matriarch played by Ethel Barrymore.
The plot sort of winds itself up out of nothing. You can sort of see the holes but it moves so fast you don't mind. Well, I didn't.
It is also a "who done it". Someone is killing maimed women. McGuire qualifies as a victim.
There are enough suspects and plenty of thrills in an old victorian mansion, with a spiral staircase, in the middle of a very long thunder storm.
It is quite entertaining and only mildly scary. A bit camp but it lets you in on it and winks an eye.
Barrymore got an Oscar nomination for her performance but it is Maguire who manages to get to us without one word of speech throughout.
I liked it and wouldn't want to see it again. I know who did it.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
Saturday, July 12, 2008
HILARIOUS. PAYBACK
Won't the christers ever learn?
They banned the gay bishop, Gene Robinson, from a once a decade world meeting to avoid having the gay bishop the focus of attention.
So guess what?
He is not only the focus of attention but he is using it to wring out every bit of support for his cause that he can.
Gay US bishop fights exclusion from meeting
The thing about this is that he is emphatically not the only gay bishop. He is the only gay bishop who is out.
There are a lot of homos running around under those robes and priestly garments.
They never, ever learn. Repression has a rebound effect.
Robinson sought accomodation. Now he seeks redress. He is a brave man.
A hero.
Labels: christist watch, gay rights, heroes
CRIMINAL MORONS
Sometimes when I think it can't get worse I get surprised.
"Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."
Words cannot describe.
Labels: bush. bushies, criminal morons
DeBAKEY
My partner John would probably not be alive today without the work of this man who invented the pump driving the heart/lung machine as well as the techniques of the coronary bypass.
There is more but those two things are enough.
I hear that he was an arrogant bastard workaholic who never let anyone, less himself, off the hook.
A tireless worker for better heart health.
Michael DeBakey, Rebuilder of Hearts, Dies at 99
Thanks Mike.
AP MOVES TO THE CENTER
The lefty blogs think that the Associated Press favors John McCain and writes puff pieces about him while they say nasty things about Obama.
I read the AP wire all the time as my home page and I use the AP Yahoo sites for fuller run downs. I don't feel too much alienation really.
I did notice the other day they airbrushed one stupid comment from McCain about killing Iranians by shipping them cigarettes. Even I caught that one.
But this is minor stuff and today, no one will be able to deny, they have a really great piece of analysis on Obama which jibes with my recent impression. He is becoming a happy warrior in the old Democratic tradition!
Analysis: Obama revels in contrasts with McCain.
Labels: Barack Obama, McCain
BLUE BALLS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Elia Kazan's
or is it the William Inge film directed by Elia Kazan? Auteur, auteur!
Whichever, a powerful collaboration.
Sexual repression, neurotic fixations and the stock market crash all come together to frustrate Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood from having sex.
Well, they have sex eventually. Just not with each other.
I know that this sounds absurd but it is not that way on the screen and it was very shocking in its time.
I did not see it the first time around. I don't know why.
Warren Beatty is in his first film and is great to watch. Wood is OK. Restrained.
The show stopper here is Pat Hingle who made a specialty of playing Inge characters to the hilt. He does not mind letting it roar. Very enjoyable to see. A real actor.
I liked this film a lot. I wouldn't want to see it again. It is not so much dated as just a bit too melodramatic for my taste.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
SUN BATH
Franklin is hard to figure out sometimes.
He is not normally a sun dog.
He doesn't like to walk when the sun is very strong. Just the early morning and after sundown (which is early for us as we are up against the mountain).
But in the last several months he has been making an exception.
He goes for a sun bath. Ten minutes lying in the direct sun and then inside for a body rub on the rug or living room furniture. A lot of grunting and heavy breathing.
I suppose that is like us.
We still go into the hot tub even though it is summer. We sometimes lie in the sun even though we mostly seek the shade.
As he ages, Franklin develops new tricks. Forget the old dog/new tricks paradigm. He is a bundle of newly minted quirks.
Labels: Franklin
Friday, July 11, 2008
FANTASY WORLD
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was John Schlesinger's
This film about a young man who fantasizes a life apart from his provincial, Yorkshire, reality is very good. Amazingly, it does not date. Even though its theme of modernism could be very 60's, it still reads today.
It is very funny. And sad.
The final scenes where Billy decides on whether to stay where he is or go to London is very suspenseful. Drawn out just to the last bit of anxiety can be spent.
Tom Courtenay is Billy. His 'muse' to get out of his Yorkshire rut is Julie Christie in her first film.
There is a lot going on with the jokes and all.
I would like to see it again to get it all down. But I probably won't take the initiative.
It is very very British.
That is not a bad thing. But it does make me a bit provincial, doesn't it?
That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
LIGHTNING BUGS
I got up in the middle of the night—a routine maintenance procedure—and noticed that there were blue flashes all around.
Heat lightning.
No thunder.
We are in a monsoon. Not a full bore one. The comfort index is only slightly above the desired max of 60 degrees. This is blowback from a storm in the Baja.
We haven't seen the real thing so far this summer.
A monsoon involves deep sweeps of air over the waters of either gulf and a heavy 80-ish comfort index. Warm soup.
Nevertheless, the lights flashing are not all that fun for Franklin.
He was sleeping hard when I got up but later he was doing a walkaround and saw the flashes.
Not OK.
There was no whining or coming to get us.
It will stay this way, they say, through Monday with some more flashes at night even if it bugs Franklin.
Labels: nature
Thursday, July 10, 2008
MR. STRAIGHT TALK
UPDATE: I thought about this some more and then, when I saw it on CNN this morning, I thought that perhaps McCain misunderstood the question—that the reporter was asking if he used Viagra. Or something.
And he froze. Indignant and frozen.
The inability of GOoPers to talk straight about sexual matters is almost tragic.
Here is a guy, a serial womanizer, who, at 42, married a 24 year old millionairess (ditching his wife who had an auto accident while he was in Nam. He said 'she wasn't the same') and he can only gulp when asked about it.
I don't care whether or not John McCain uses Viagra to get it up for his youngish wife or any other sexual partner. I don't even care whether he gets it free under Medicare or his superior health care insurance from the Senate.
What I do care about is that we have another repressed old man with inhibitions that prevent him from even answering a fair question that involves reproduction rights as well as equal rights to insured care for women under the Medicare system.
It is this kind of off the cuff shit that shows us who these people are and is also the reason the 'new' McCain team is cutting down on access to the so-far softballing press.
Labels: McCain
GATE GATE?
The plot thickens about the Brandenberg Gate speech, if any.
Report: Bush Officials Not Happy About Possible Obama Speech At Brandenburg Gate
Who would be surprised if the bushies didn't use the back channels to apply pro-McCain pressure?
Not me?
But I am a bushparanoic.
Labels: criminal morons, McCain
GRAMM CRACKER
Phil Gramm was an asshole when he was a Senator.
He is still an asshole as McCain's economic advisor.
McCain Advisor: America's a "Nation of Whiners"
Here is the very very quick and, I think, effectively mocking answer: "America already has one Doctor Phil".
Labels: McCain
ANTS IN THE PANTS
It's summer and we have ants in the house.
It happens every year.
They are the little ones. The Argentinians.
They are the ones that have a monstrous ant colony. One connects to the other. It is said that we sit on a single colony that reaches from here to Orange County.
A guy at UC at Riverside is the world expert on them.
When we moved here we had them all year long. A few, then more, then way more. Into fucking everything. Cereal, dog food, the trash. I once found a line going under the back slider up the bed, across the sheets, down to the floor and into the closet.
Up until recently, there was little defense. Then Terminix paid for the UCR guy to give them a consult and they have put together an arsenal of effective treatment.
The treatment is now available commercially with a two sided ®Raid ant traps.
Terminix was here the other day and they put down a different repellent. I put in the traps.
The ants are receding. In just a few days.
Of course, we are probably poisoning the entire world to get rid of the ants. Everything has consequences beyond the immediate objective.
One step at a time. We will work on the consequences next.
Labels: nature
