esrosedotblog

MAINTENANCE

After a great new groundbreaking three way walk this morning, it was time to do some maintenance. A hair cut.

What about the walk?

Booker gets to choose. Unless he doesn't. And today, he went straight up Baristo and on past Sunrise. We went past the library, the drive to the community swimming pool, then on past the semi-pro ball field which actually has a team these past few summers (The Palm Springs Power--mostly college stars). Then on past the theater that shows all the art films and finally, to the high school complex. We turned right along Farrell and crossed Ramon (not one car on a Sunday morning) and went to the Mesquite golf course where I used to bike through.

Today, we walked through. Very nice.

Then to Sunrise, headed north, then west on Baristo and home.

The time was just about the traditional hour and fifteen minutes for a Sunday walk.

It was cool. We left at 6AM, a little late for summer, but no problem. Just a little damp on the back of my neck. 78 degrees.

Home and off in the Jeep to fill the gas tank for the selling process. Tomorrow he will get new shoes on the front and the brakes checked. Spiffy. A smog check and then he will get an airing on CraigsList.

I am glad to have a friend do all this for me. He will get 10%.

The Jeep is in good condition and, for its age, low milage. The problem will be the stick shift. We will have to find someone who loves it like I did.

Then home, the back of my neck dried off, I cut my hair.

It takes about 20 minutes to do. I need to go slow and go over it many times to be sure not to leave small patches.

Then a shower and on with the day for which nothing but a movie is planned.

Labels: automobiles, hair, life

INGENIOUS

Resistance by old timers?

Sign up Andy Griffith.

This is going out on four major cable stations: CNN, Weather Channel, Lifetime, and Hallmark.

Labels: Administration Obama

BIG BOY BIG HEART

Today's film was the Uruguayan

Gigante (2009)

So obscure that it is not on IMDb.

A lovely story about a shy man who, as a security guard, sees a woman who he is attracted to.

Spying becomes stalking.

There are a few side issues but mostly it stays with this man as he slowly moves to "make a move". Will he or won't he?

It is Marty in the 21st century. Well, not really, but close.

I liked it a lot.

I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: film

CLEANING UP

The aftermath of selling the house and getting all moved is not quite over.

We used financing to cover our purchase of the new Volvo, well, the 2008 Volvo, so I paid it off today.

I went to a new branch of the bank that gave us financing.

I was the first person the guy had who did this thing.

It was OK. He was quite honest about his situation. He called for help and got it.

We got a form. I wrote the check. He sent both off to the final payoff department which I already knew about.

You have to confirm the exact payoff amount and they are the ones to handle it and the check.

I didn't want to send a check that big in the mail and so this was a nice alternative.

I also short circuited the process so it is highly unlikely that I am going to end up with a balance of five dollars or something fucking annoying like that.

Left to go is the sale of the Jeep so that we will become a one car family.

This is a bit harder. We came out here in the Cherokee and it is one of the family. I was going to run it into the ground but actually, the auto actuaries counsel, this is the time to sell it.

I has fairly low milage for a 13 year old auto, 77,000, and is in good shape so it commands a bit of a premium in the used car market.

It also has the high shocks and four wheel drive. We thought we would need this for desert driving. We used it once. But it will help the resale for the same specious reasons. The buyer will think that s/he can go cross country which they can. They just will not. I bet.

The same friend who helped us sell the 1984 Chrysler Le Baron, Town and Country Mark Cross Edition, will help with this.

So it isn't over until it is over but it is mostly over.

Labels: automobiles

SEXY RAYS

One of the best displays at the Long Beach Aquarium is the manta ray pool where you can sit and pet the rays as they swim by.

It is not as though the rays are made to do this. They have plenty of space. But they swim to the maze and then go by slowly and sort of dip in and out of the water like a dog that is reaching her neck up to be scratched.

It feels good for the humans too.

Now, more ray news.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying mobula ray soaring high off the Mexican shore

These are big cousins of the ones that I saw, I think. Still, the same fun thing going on. Pretty spectacular.

They say that it is all about sex. Having pet a lot of manta rays in my time I can accept that. It is a very sensual, bonding experience.

Labels: fun, nature

RAYS

This today in the NYT:

What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D

This is not a problem for people here although it is quite amazing how many people don't go outside much. Even in winter!

We have plenty of sun. I take supplements with my calcium which CNN reported this morning will give me 30% more heart attacks but not if I also take calcium from my diet. Go figure.

And I take regular vitamin pills. Don't lecture me about this. I know that I have a good diet and the pills are redundant but it makes me feel "better" if I take them meaning better than you.

Back to the Vitamin D.

Here is the big nugget in this story. It feeds an old hobby horse of mine.

The rising incidence of Type 1 diabetes may be due, in part, to the current practice of protecting the young from sun exposure. When newborn infants in Finland were given 2,000 international units a day, Type 1 diabetes fell by 88 percent, Dr. Holick said.

To say nothing of the chemicals that they are slathering on baby skin. I have always been against this. My kids didn't get it. Neither did I.

I will still not use sunblock except to protect the yellow color in my tattoo but I don't do that anymore either as the yellow sort of ran out on its own.

There are lots of nuggets in here. Read it for yourself.

Labels: health

WITHDRAWAL

Today was a little weird.

They wired the money for the house on Overlook that is not ours any more. They couldn't do it yesterday because the deed was filed too late to get the money wired. Don't ask.

The main thing though is that I didn't get to go to the house to water, fill the fountain, check the sprinklers, see if the house burned down or any of that.

I have been doing that for the month plus since we moved. Every day.

At first, it was a couple of times a day because we were also moving shit over that didn't move with the movers or something like that.

So there is a little of phantom leg syndrome. When your leg is cut off and it still itches. You scratch, they say. Nothing there. Today, no house. An itch.

I did get a call from the brokers about a trivial question on the thermostats. They were handing off the keys.

I asked if there was a special ritual for that among brokers. You know, like the Masons or something.

They said "no".

I suspect the humor, if any, didn't carry.

Labels: condo

ROAD WARRIOR

Today's movie was Jason Reitman's

Up In the Air (2009) with George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

This is Clooney's picture but he is buoyed up by these two women.

An examination of the outplacement business as well as a meditation on life on the business road, Reitman constructs a beautifully rendered film which hurts deep inside because so many people are engaged in this kind of duplicitous horseshit. Kidding themselves that they have a life when, in fact, it is air.

There is even some time to examine the inspirational speaker business. Not management training, I would have to say, with a bit of a cringe. One man, stands up and motivates.

No interaction.

Whew. That was close.

The thing about this (spoiler) is that there is no happy ending to this saga. It is nice to see the Clooney guy begin to see his fallacy but then, well, to what end?

Reitman has done three films. Thank You For Smoking, Juno and now this one. I am renting Smoking. I missed it somehow.

I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5. I would not mind seeing it again. It is very smooth.

Labels: films

SLO MO LIGHTNIN'

It is hard to see the numbers but this is about two seconds of real time slowed down to, well a long time. Note the one flash holds all the time whilst the others dance.

God's fireworks.

We have mostly heat lightning here but when there has been a real electrical storm we could not see it. We were too close to the mountains where the action was/is.

Now, since we are out in the valley some, I expect to see me some lightnin' shows. This is the time of year for it.

We came here in July and there were some really loud thundercrackers the first year. Dry ones. The noisest. No wet to absorb the sound.

Thanks to Dave for the movies.

Labels: nature

FINAL ADVENTURE

I have made several "farewell tours" of the old house.

This morning I tried it one more time.

I went in the yard and started to walk to the back. I realized there were waves in the pool!

I went to look.

There in the water was a small rabbit, swimming for all he was worth.

This has never happened before.

I think what has happened is that with the dog gone, the rabbits have claimed the grass in the back. It is lush and tasty. Even our dogs have liked it.

But there was this bunny swimming like mad. He had moved from grass to pool and that was a huge mistake.

I went to get the net and lifted him out. It was no trouble. I was able to do it so that he couldn't leap out of it. He stayed in the net until I gently laid it on the ground.

We had a moment of eye contact before he took off. I got it. He got it. Whatever it is. We were bonded.

I bet he will be a lot more careful in the future. Or I hope he is. He will not have me to bail him out. But I think by the looks he will not pass that way again.

I had gotten there just in time.

My farewell tour had a mission to it and it left me with a huge lump in my throat.

This is the kind of experience that we had week after week and month after month at this place.

Close to life. The birds. The hawks. My owl. The coyotes. Now, rabbits. Never before. Probably never again if they are smart. A new dog is coming.

Labels: life

FINALLY DONE

The deed transferred to the new owner today.

In California, that means the property is sold and not before.

That would be the "escrow process". Up until now the sign said "In Escrow". A kind of limbo. Nervous making. Actually, it is not much different. Just different.

So this sign went up today. Fucking "SOLD"!

It won't last long because, like us, the buyer does not want to have an ad for a real estate broker sticking up in front of his new house.

We are extremely grateful.

The real estate market here is a wilderness. We had a first buyer who was a flash in the pan. They lasted a week.

Then this guy. We were wary. Once burned.

Our broker says that we are very lucky. This kind of purchase is rare. Mostly short sales and foreclosures. But, evidently, he loves this house as much as we did and he has stuck with it. It is a fifty year old gem. A bit creaky but with a huge yard for his dog and a great view. The silence. The birds in the fountain.

I still love it, actually. It has always been hard for me to leave a house. This one is particularly hard for the outside stuff. There is a lot of energy put into it all. My lime tree. I am going before the first really big harvest.

Oh well.

I have already checked all the utilities and shit. He has already arranged for the new services and he has also been in touch with our gardener and the pool man who we like very much. Happy that he will keep them.

One of the dumbest things that people do when they buy here is to change all the services. I don't know why. Maybe it is because real estate agents drive it. In any case it is dumb.

Our guys know the history and where all the bodies are buried.

Labels: condo

LIGHTENING UP

We are beginning to see the softening of the rhetoric when it comes to sentencing for drug use.

For too long, we have been filling prisons with disproportionate sentences.

The softening of marijuana laws has already occurred even to the point that, in California, we will be voting whether to simply legalize it. Oakland has already allotted acreage for pot farming.

This may not get by the Feds but, certainly, this would never have been possible up to now.

The politicians have had a "made for demagoguery" issue with drugs. Now, it is less than ideal and there is more rational discourse on the subject.

One disparity which is notorious is that between conviction for dry white cocaine use and the use of crack.

The former, notably, usually involves white defendants. The latter, black. So there is a racial component to the issue.

Today that changed.

Closer to Sentencing Sanity

I have a friend now serving up to six years for crack possession. It is hard time.

No. He shouldn't have had it. He is an addict. Nothing is more natural than an addict to have possession. Unless he is sober. But the sobriety with crack is shaky at best. It is a pernicious drug which is very, very hard to shake.

If he had powder cocaine he might have walked. Or been sent to rehab.

I think it is notable that national partisan politics were not engaged with this bill today.

There has been a lot of progress in our time.

Labels: drugs

THINGS HITTING OTHER THINGS

As usual, best results on the big screen.

Love the sound effects.

Labels: fun

INCHES

We expect that our house will be sold tomorrow, the recording of the deed.

I have kept quiet about this since the last time we had a false alarm but we have moved through all the phases of the escrow process and it appears to be complete.

I went to fill the fountain and do some watering today and asked our broker if I should act as though this was for the last time.

He said "yes".

So I did.

It was a bit teary and sad but I am glad to have the process nearly over.

I know. It isn't over until the deed is recorded and we have the money.

Hoping for tomorrow.

Labels: condo

SPECS

I went to the eye doctor last week and he gave me a new prescription.

I decided not to wait too long to get it filled and so, today, I got my new glasses.

A revelation.

I hadn't realized how far "behind" I was on my eyesight.

I also got the same progressive prescription in brown polarized sunglasses (Carrera) which not only look good but see good too.

The last sunglass prescription I got was only farsighted which was a mistake. I didn't use them as often and so did not get into the routine of putting them on and off with the regulars.

These are sooooo good, I think that they will work.

See?

I got another comment this time about cataracts.

I have "lost a line" on the chart because of them in the left eye.

My sight is OK but I can, for the first time, feel a bit of the difference.

I am not afraid of the procedure. It is safe enough. I just don't want to get it if I don't need it.

My GP Doc says that a lot of people stabilize and don't progress very fast if at all and it is good to wait until it is really needed. But not too much needed.

I will try to find the fine line.

I hope I can see it coming.

Labels: health

GREEN POWER

Usually algae are a pain in the ass.

They are out there now, in my fountain, creating a scum that I will have to knock back with bleach which will, in turn, turn off the humming birds who like to drink there.

Algae is ubiquitous and thrives on less than perfect conditions.

It loves certain pollutants and will grow when other stuff falters.

So now, something positive for algae to do.

Exploring Algae as Fuel

I sort of majored in microbiology when I went to school. Well, food processing with the microbes thrown in.

So I am interested in this.

The obvious problem is that algae is so un-dense that it would take a lot before you would have enough to get a good burn. For one thing, it takes a lot of water to get it going. And then it has to be suspended. It isn't like the corn thing which is inefficient enough.

It is interesting though. At this point, I think that anything that offers even a dim possiblity should get a shot at solving the CO2 problem. Algae eats CO2 incidentally.

Actually, it will probably be here long after we are.

Labels: ecology, global warming

SHOWCASE

Today's movie was the gentle and somehow more adult high school musical

Bandslam (2009)

Ever since Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland hollered "hey kids let's put on a show", they have been grinding out movies based on the same theme. The show, the loves, the new talents. Maybe a discovery.

This film is one of the latest of the genré and it is quite satisfying.

The geek kid is reminiscent of John Cusack at the same age. The girls are restrained. Not bombshells.

Lisa Kudrow is the mom and a good thing too.

Refreshingly, there is not one four letter word in this entire film. None of that stuff is missed.

The music is pretty good and the story is actually engaging as far as it goes.

No one is harmed in the making of this movie. I like that too.

I am a sucker for this kind of film. I see them all. Like Mickey and Judy and all the rest, there is a big piece of me that wants to put on a show. I got to do this for many years.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy the movie.

I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

ACCOUNTABLE

Dan Choi, former officer in the US Army is one of the most outspoken gay men working for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Harry Reid is the Majority Leader of the US Senate.

This tape was made at the recent Netroots Nation convention of progressive bloggers and their supporters.

Labels: gay history, gay liberation, gay military, gay politics, gay rights

WHAT DO MEN WANT?

Today's movie was John Krasinski's (debut) take on David Foster Wallace's short story collection

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (2009)

This started as a staged reading and still has that quality. There is a slight dramatic stitch together but this is frail compared to the actual interviews.

This poses as het-speak for the most part but it applies as realistically to homo-situations as well. It is mostly along the lines of the "men are shits" school of thinking but with a good deal of insight into why and how this "shits" thing works. The bottom line seems to be cowardice.

Actually, there is a sort of greek chorus of two waiters who follow the female interviewer asking the opposite question of "what do women want". They are clearly gay and this adds a bit of ironic dash to the proceedings. My guess is that most people will miss this entirely.

Some of the acting here is great. Some is stilted.

Some of the segments are riveting. Others are drifty. There is a segment which is more about a father/son situation than about a boy/girl thing. It is, perhaps, the best part of the entire film. I can see Krasinski rationalizing to himself about how to put it into the mix. Oddly it does not disturb the piece at all. It is just a separate and equal look at male alienation.

David Foster Wallace is/was a near cult figure. He killed himself. Depression. Life long.

He taught at Pamona College right near here on the 10. A neighbor.

I have tried to read his stuff but it was difficult. Depressing. Imagine.

I rented this because there were divergent reviews and it was clearly a chance to see/hear his work in a medium that might be easier to take.

I liked it. I wouldn't need to see it again. Or, for that matter, read any David Foster Wallace.

This is the kind of film that I relish. Someone took a risk. It has mixed results. I write more about it than I would write about a slick Hollywood production. I will think about this work longer too. This is the kind of thing that needs support to be seen and distributed. Very good for the film world to have this kind of work.

I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5. For trying very hard for a new approach to what is basically old cliché material. It is experimental and it wins more than it loses.

Labels: films

MATT HARDING THE DANCING MAN

This showed up again today on APOD and it was as thrilling to see, now, as it was for the first time a year or more ago.

I have watched this video more than any other, anywhere, even porn clips!

This is the world that I want to live in.

Even if these moments are evanescent.

They are the glue that holds the universe together.

Watch the unalloyed pleasure in Harding's face. Watch the other people. It bears a lot of scrutiny. And rewards in kind.

Labels: culture, dancing, fun

FAMILY SEAT

I did much of my political activity in District 10, MA.

Capturing the Cape

I still have a lot of family living in the District.

It looks like they all need to rise up and defend the seat in the House of Representatives.

Gary Studds was my man.

Now we have a slimmer lead than in those days.

Get going guys.

Labels: Democrats, politics

HERO

Daniel Schorr, Journalist, Dies at 93

It seems that Schorr has been with me my entire life.

As a kid, I saw him on NBC and then, through the years, as he gravitated from sharp reporting to his status as a practicing sage on public radio, I admired his work and heard him tell a kind of truth that we heard nowhere else.

If anyone is responsible for my lefty sentiments, he would be high on the list.

And yet, he was not a political guru. He reported. Truly.

You could draw your own conclusions.

He never conformed to the burnished, glossy, talking head personalities that later dominated the news cycle. The vacuous Ted Baxters of the media.

A little bit shlumpy and relentlessly NY Jewish, Schorr defied the template that was laid out for new guys and dominated the scene on his own terms.

He lived beyond 90! A hero. I hope he did it with all his wits about him and, if not, that he was happy in his final days.

Labels: heroes

STORIES

Today's film was

Paris (2008)

with Juliette Binoche and Romain Duris as brother and sister in a critical time in the brother's life as he faces a serious heart problem.

This is an "anthology" picture along the lines of such films as Grand Hotel, in which many stories center on a theme, in this case, Paris, and the reflection of the convalescent Duris. He sees people from his balcony coming and going and imagines that they have interesting lives. We get to see those lives.

The whole enterprise is very pleasing and enjoyable. This is not a great movie but a very good one. A movie movie.

There is not one part of it that I did not identify with in some way even though we see relatively small slices of character's lives. The parts that we do see are vivid and clear in very short bursts of action and talk.

I love both of these principal actors. To see them together was a very special treat.

I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

CLEANUP

We have chosen Friday as the day to clean house.

John has the dry and I have the wet.

We will do it every two weeks.

For years, we have had someone in to clean. Except for the one year in the apartment before we came here.

Now, here we are back to doing it ourselves.

It is fine. The space is not large and it is really built for easy accessibility.

I have all the cleaning materials our housecleaner used.

The most amazing is the odd shaped toilet cleaning bottle. That stuff just comes out of the spout and eats all the dirt.

Hi tech.

All in all, a good opening act. Both of us did good.

Labels: housekeeping

ART UP

The last of the paintings were hung yesterday.

Two young, strong friends came. They also have some carpentry skills.

They helped put up the big stuff. The big panels. Artwork on doors. Sam Earle.

This is the first time since Boston that we have properly displayed several works.

This is because our house didn't have the requisite high ceilings and this stuff wants to be high.

The new home has very high ceilings. Eleven feet! Clerestory windows. Great light.

The paintings look great. You can really see them.

The big "christ" painting especially.

I was a little worried about earthquake risk putting them up so high.

The guys made them very secure.

This is a real final step in getting moved in.

We feel very comfortable but this is putting the frosting on the cake so to speak.

Labels: art

POTBOILER

Today's film was Pedro Almodovar's latest

Broken Embraces (2009)

This is a rambly, wonderful film with a lot of ins and outs and ups and downs. It is sad, it is funny, it is kind of informative as an inside story of movie making.

There is a movie within a movie.

I liked it a lot.

There is not a whole hell of a lot to say about the plot as it needs to be experienced directly.

Besides, it would sound like soap opera which the film is not.

Almodovar's production values astound. Great shots. Some helicopter stuff. The art work in a guy's mansion is stupendous.

Wonderful.

I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5 since, when they are again available on DVD, I will have a festival of all his work.

For some reason they have withdrawn rental rights for a period of time. I suspect a box coming soon.

Here is Almodovar showing Penelope Cruz (fantastic) how to lie on the floor and the other guy how to check her out for injuries. You will see when you see the film.

Labels: films

WHATTA DAY!!

But it ended OK.

This morning I found that the email situation was still not resolved.

I got back on the chat line with a customer service rep who found the actual problem. I bought a new cable connection at the new house without buying into the earthlink at that location. When I terminated cable service at the old address, so went earthlink.

I could have gone back to the cable and gotten the basic earthlink like I had or buy a direct feed for a small monthly fee which has 100 mb more oomph than the basic. More pictures, maybe movies and ten fucking addresses. What am I going to do with those?

That consumed my gym time. No gym. But I got 'er done.

I did have a few minutes so I decided to scrub down one of our throw rugs, the one at the front door. It is a favorite dog rug and filthy. So I took some light soap and water and scrubbed it, hosed it down and have let it dry all day.

Then it was a normal Thursday with a friend over for some work together at 8. OK. It took a little more time.

Then, the buyer of our house asked for a list of services we used, the cost and a comment about how each did their job. It took an hour or more. Lunch was late.

I went over to the old house and watered and filled the fountain and decided to remove the poinsettia that I have been nurturing since Christmas. There is a perfect location over here so I uprooted it, nicely, and brought it over here and transplanted it.

The new pot even has a watering tube in it and rich humus.

Whoever lived here last or before were gardeners. The plantings out front are really wonderful. Good size flowering trees, four kinds. Very nice.

Booker helped.

We had some guys come hang pictures at 3 PM.

Meanwhile, I got a letter from my equity loan bank with some papers which I thought we had already signed but safer than sorry I took them over to the escrow office.

We are now projected to close escrow on the house with the deed transferred (and money in the bank) by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Then, I made chili for dinner and goddam it but I didn't have the spice pack that I use and had to go "around the corner" to the big Ralphs' to get it. And where do they put this kind of thing? Not with spices but in the area for boxed dinners and pasta and shit.

But I found it and went to checkout.

The big Ralphs' has do-it-yourself checkout which I won't do but there is always a guy there to help you and actually do it for you and no one, but no one, lined up to check themselves out. It is just another express line. I bet they take the things out. I won't do it.

Never

I don't see anyone else doing it either. It is bullshit.

By that time, it is time to make dinner which is what I am doing and then I got some computer time. Quietly reading the latest upset on the blogs.

A good day. Unplanned but a lot was in it. Good.

Labels: computer, condo, gay life

BACK TO MAIL

So it was not a technical flaw in the email.

Earthlink deactivates the account when you move.

We moved.

Actually we closed the old account and they missed that there was a new one in parallel. Machines can only do so much. So I am back in business.

But, somewhere along the line we lost John's password and he doesn't have it and now I am having trouble getting him back up.

I will probably have to go back to the on-line service which is chat!

The guy was very good. He even sold me 100MB more of storage which I don't need.

But I am back in business and he got me there nicely. Now to do the other half.

And any mail that came while I was down? Gone. Into the ether.

Labels: computer

ADDICTIVE ROAD TRIP

Today's movie was the extreme indie film

Fix (2008)

A videographer and his girl friend pick up the video guy's brother from a hearing. The judge says to get into rehab in eight hours or do time.

The film is what the video brother takes while trying to get together $5000 for the rehab.

A road movie. With many characters. In LA. From the Hollywood hills to Watts.

The addict brother is a charmer, of course. A con artist.

They work the people he knows who, of course, are also conning him.

The film is very smooth. The concept works. The trip is fascinating as is the portrayal of the addict. The director, Tao Ruspol, plays the role.

If you are interested in new film maker's work, as I do, this is a good one to see. It is very innovative without losing the feel of a traditional film.

I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 since I would not mind seeing it again. Well, no. I guess a 3. No maybe a 4. Do you want me to look at it again? Sure. 90 minutes and there are some good parts I would like to see again.

Somehow, I just can't put it down.

Labels: films

EARTHLINK TROUBLE

The Earthlink email system is fucked up somehow. It started yesterday afternoon and persists to noon today. They can't read our certification and passwords. Or something.

Anyway, my mail will not go out or come in and, I hear, that anything sent is bouncing back.

I suppose that patience is in order.

Labels: internet

PERPETUAL MOTION MACHINE

Labels: fun

WATCH THE BIRDY!

Love the music.

Labels: fun, music

A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE?

For several weeks, the stock market has opened high on a day and then, by the end of the day, collapsed into the red.

Now, for a few days, the trend has reversed. We start with futures in the cellar, open low and then, by the end of the day, end up in the green!

I have to feel good about this but my brain tells me that the market is still a stew that can be either too hot or too cold but not just right. No more money into it than I already have thanks.

Labels: market

SOUTHERN GOP GOTHIC

The Family Values Party

Words fail me.

These are the people who are against abortion for any reason, sex education other than abstinence, gay rights, gay marriage, gays in the military and gays in any way shape or form.

Granted, this is Faulkner country and there is a lot of inbreeding but these people dance on the national stage.

You know, I don't care what they do as long as they don't flaunt it. Ha!

Labels: christist watch, hypocrites

EVERYONE INTO THE POOL

John decided to go to the pool today. It is just across the street.

I have been thinking about it.

We have guests coming in August so I have figured that sooner or later I would have to go and check it out.

So, after he left, I put on my new bathing suit. I haven't worn a suit in the pool, except for some guests, for thirteen years.

It was OK.

The pool is really nice. Nice temperature. Not chloriney. Five feet at the deep end.

There are lounges in the shade and in the sun. There are restrooms for which we have a key. They are clean as a whistle. Well, no one uses them.

There was no one there but us. There is hardly anyone there any time.

I tried the spa. To my surprise, it was HOT.

Usually public spas are not hot enough but this one has to be over 102, the public limit. Obviously someone has tweaked this as it is pretty close to the temps that we had at the old place.

But a 110 degree afternoon is not a time to sit in the spa. There is a timer for the bubbles.

I have seen the pool man. He must know what he is doing.

Another good thing about this place. Yaaay!

Labels: condo, home

GOOGLED OUT

Google has changed their "image" format.

I am not sure what the advantages are. All I know is that it took me ten minutes to figure the fucker out.

There is an added step.

Don't worry about it. I have it down.

I am just venting.

Some improvements aren't.

I suppose change is good. Evolution. If the new system doesn't work, they will shit can it.

The images do look cleaner somehow and load very quickly.

Labels: blogging, computer

DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL

Booker has adapted very nicely to the new place.

We quit taking him back to the old house because it seemed to be confusing for him. It is hard to tell because it is hot and so staying inside while I go do some work isn't a sign of anything about regret, necessarily. It might just be that it is too fucking hot to go outside with me and he has never been fond of being around the hose anyway.

In any case, we have quit taking him over there. Actually, I don't much like going every day to water and check it out either. I am done.

Adapting to the new place has involved Booker's knowing where his turf is. He has gotten pretty good at that. It is diminished in size from the big yard but that doesn't seem to bother him. Maybe he was looking to downsize too.

He hasn't yet settled down on an all night sleeping place. He goes almost everywhere except his own bed in our room. Same bed, new corner. No dice. We have tried to get him in it and he will not go. Stay.

He sleeps by the front door, the slider in front and on the living room rug. Sometimes in the alcove just outside our bedroom.

I see these as guarding positions. We aren't settled. The campfire is just enough to keep us warm and he is going to watch the perimeters for us.

At first, he reverted to some old behaviors. Nothing serious. Just little things.

He has had a little return of his original separation anxiety but we have been working on it and, now, he seems OK. We went for an hour the other day to sign escrow papers. John had to go take the Volvo in for a minor problem while I had a Meeting. He has been fine.

One thing though. When we return there are dog prints on our bed.

Today, we went to the community pool for the first time. See above.

He can't go there. No problem, the pool sort of freaked him out anyway at the other house.

Today we went one at a time. No particular reason. John went, then me. I came home first.

When I got back there were bed prints.

We are OK with this. If it makes him feel better we are willing to give him some slack as long as he doesn't get into the bed with us or while we are around.

I know. It is kind of wussy to leave it like this. And he sort of knows that we know that he did it too. Dads can tell this kind of thing.

I know. Some people let their dogs into bed and it all works out. We have never done that and are not likely to relent.

But we will live with the ambiguity. If lying on our bed makes his stay alone better and happier so be it.

He won't tell and we won't ask.

Labels: Booker

LEGAL SIDETRACK

The latest court tests over gay marriage contain the kernel of change that could end up being precedent breaking. There could be a whole new paradigm for evaluating the constitutionality of the question.

Looking for Time Bombs and Tea Leaves on Gay Marriage

This is all a bit "read the fine print" for us as laymen but for lawyers, particularly advocacy lawyers it is a big foot in the door.

It has already impacted the California marriage case.

We do live in interesting times.

Thank you Justice Ginsberg.

Labels: gay marriage

WAITING IT OUT

The clock is ticking on the final days of the escrow process.

So far, nothing has happened to dim the probability that we have actually sold the house.

But, it is not over until it is over and we have the money and the deed is recorded.

That could actually happen this week but I am not pinning my hope and happiness on it.

I will admit that it has all gone very well up to now and there is no reason to expect otherwise at this point.

This morning is the "walk through" to confirm that we, indeed, have taken out all the stuff that we said we would. Some things are being left for the buyer, what he said he would want and a few gifts.

Nothing spectacular. Just living things. Easter eggs.

Next thing after this is for the paperwork to finish and the moneys to transfer and that will be it. Recording of the deed.

I will be happy when it is over. Right now it seems a bit impossible and perhaps unreal but I am sure that someone will stick a pin in me when it is over and I will recover.

I am a bit upset over leaving the house uncared for. The daily watering of the front garden and the fountain.

I have written notes. I have offered to walk through and point out little nits and nats that might save the buyer some time and trouble.

We will see.

When it turns over it is turned and that is it. We give them the keys and walk away.

What happens to the fountain and the little birds that depend on it for water is up to someone else.

There is a bit of pain there. The last giving up.

I know it may seem trivial. Not to me.

IN AND OUT

Today's movie was

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

which is so preposterous that it is believable, well, acceptable, for about an hour and then the idea gets tedious.

Because of a genetic problem, of all things, Eric Bana is lost in involuntary time travel. He could drop in any minute and then disappear, always without his clothes but has enough time in one place, with one person to have a romance with Rachel McAdams and even marry her.

The difficulties of ending up somewhere naked where you don't know what or where you are is tough enough but it is really hard to have continuity in a relationship that you have at various ages and times in each person's life.

When you watch this film, you cannot, for one minute, think about what is going on. If you do, you will probably end up in a time warp and just end the movie so you can do something else.

It is weird. The movie isn't terrible. But it is not good either.

It is too long.

It has about four characters too many.

He has about three too many tough entries.

I am glad I saw it. I like Eric Bana and the two of them together do pretty well.

But look. This kind of thing just wouldn't work. No matter what.

I will give it a 2 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

GO AHEAD JUMP

Today's movie was Luc Besson's

B13 (2004)

This is a martial arts film with the difference that the action is based on parkour, the off the wall, over the fence, through the transom, out the window street gymnastics that have become so popular on YouTube. A good sequence of tricks, properly edited, is quite astounding. It is all in the editing, for as the stunts themselves are quite good, they need to be sewed together in a series of tricks to make them look incredible.

While flying into a toilet and through the drain may be rather impressive, it is far more impressive when you see the guy 20 feet in the air taking the jump and then snip hit the toilet and then snip see him come out the bottom and drop another 20 feet snip somersault and out a window in the same sequence.

I saw this before. It is pretty good actually. A lot of action much of it fatal and most of it parkour. There are two heroes in this although the main guy David Belle is the more spectacular. Mostly to look at.

I liked it enough to give it a 4 last time. This time, a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

BEYOND RACE BUT NOT OUT OF IT

I have just finished David Remnick's fine biography

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama

Remnick takes a sideway's view of the life we have already heard so much about from Obama's equally fine memoirs and from several other biographies and analyses of the remarkable election that made him President.

It is so early in the game. Did Obama waste his first year? I do not think so. Gary Wills in the sited review does. Remnick does not do that kind of analysis. He tells the story. He lets us draw our own conclusions.

What he does focus on is the remarkable story that Obama has to tell as well as the many friends and associates who were around him from the very beginning. Some of them are still close and involved.

As an unrepentant and still faithful fan of Obama, I enjoyed the book very much. I learned a lot. Not one thing changes my opinion of the man. I never thought that he was/is a savior nor did he promise to be. His brand of change and hope was universal and in the implementing of it there are many people who see a difference from their dream and his reality.

This is OK. I think that it is all needed.

We can understand from this book why and how Obama became a conciliator and a man of the middle. More than a pragmatist, he is a fixer and a leader of change as it is understood by the people he works with.

The jibe that he is "just" a community organizer fails to see the point that this is the point. He is an organizer and a facilitator for the abilities and goals of the people who follow him.

He is not an ideologue which disappoints many of my friends on the left. He disdains the negative thus enraging his enemies on the right.

The book is easy to read. It has the great style of the man who edits The New Yorker for his day job. He is a reporter par excellence.

Get it. I think that it will be in paperback quite soon. Not yet.

Labels: Administration Obama, Barack Obama

WALKABILITY

I just measured our Walk Score in the new home.

We got a score of 82. Very high walkability.

The walk score of the old place is 35. Not so good.

The score is based on nearby amenities. Parks, stores, schools. Stuff like that.

We can easily walk to two movie theaters, a big public park that includes a ball park, a swimming pool, the main library and so on.

There is a fairly good sized shopping center across from the park.

In the other direction we have the same. Hotels, Inns. There are no "motels" in Palm Springs.

We can walk to two movie theaters. One wide distribution, the other more art films.

Pretty good, huh?

I do need to point out that the old location was highly walkable in another sense than is meant in this score. We had small trails to walk, hills with great views and suburban like neighborhoods. Lots of grass.

The main focus of our walks is Booker's twice daily perambulations. He likes it all. We do have desert here but he doesn't favor it. I think that the environment here is a lot more interesting for him although we already notice that there are a lot less bones to find. People keep their garbage cleaned up, there are no restaurants nearby and the gardeners don't throw their lunch leftovers into the bushes. Although Booker is still searching for it.

Labels: condo

COMPLETION

So, John got the garage clear enough today that we can park the new Volvo inside.

This is a real bonus in the summer heat as it will not have to sit outside baking itself and roasting us when we crawl into the hot interior.

And, it takes it out of the running to be messed with although we think that this is as low crime a spot as we had in The Mesa.

There are stories of small breakins but they seem to be old and somewhat legendary events. History.

In any case, the car is inside.

It fits pretty well although I have no illusions about it taking some practice to bring it in. Slow and easy is the watchword.

We made marks on the wall to estimate when enough is enough. Touching a table we left in the front and a foot clearance to walk around the back.

Labels: condo

WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS

Charles Blow on Obama's prospects:

The president has yet to jolt the economy into recovery, he’s made some unpopular decisions and circumstances have not always favored him. But a presidency is a never-ending series of choices. Seasons change, winds switch directions, bad times don’t last always.

In November, voters will blow off some steam, and the dust will settle. Obama will have survived it all, and not in as bad a position as many claim. As another ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday said: "The president’s solace may be his comparison to Ronald Reagan — the last president to take office in the midst of a recessionary gale. In an ABC/Post poll at about his year-and-a-half mark, and with unemployment then at 9.8 percent, Reagan’s approval rating was 49-47 percent — almost precisely the same as Obama’s now." Reagan went on to a second term and to become the gold standard of the G.O.P.

Soon Obama should get a magnificent gift: the beginning of Republican jockeying to challenge him in 2012. The list of current suspects is littered with characters, including Palin, the Tea Party Princess. A Gallup report released on Friday found that Palin is the "best known and most positively rated of five possible contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination." That alone speaks volumes about the vacuousness of the Republican Party. Palin is all cheer and no leader.

A magnificent gift. The GOoPer primary. I can't wait. Palin and Newt and Mitt and Huck and all the gang. All after each other!

Jesus!

Labels: Administration Obama

I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE, I JUST CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU DID

This is a critical distinction that has often come up when dealing with gay slurs.

Labels: bigotry

RESISTANCE

Today's film was Ole Christian Madsen's film

Flammen & Citronen / Flame and Citron (2009)

These two heroes of the Danish Resistance during WWII work their way through far more complicated paths than the normal genré film of this type would show. Killing costs psychically and the complex web of friends and enemies is not clear. Betrayal, double agentry and the like, create confusion and paranoia.

The story is, sometimes, almost too complex to follow but gets clarified as we go. In a way, the director has created the same "fog of war" that these guys are experiencing.

They say this is the biggest Danish film ever made. I believe it. Some scenes are filled with chaotic action with hundreds of people running hither and yon. This is especially true when the rebellion begins in the streets.

We never see the overall picture. Always from the perspective of the two assassins. Or people who may be lying to them or, perhaps, actually telling the truth. We are left, as they are, to decide. We do have the perspective of history but it doesn't help a lot in the moment.

I liked it a lot. It would be worth seeing again just to unravel some of the puzzles although, I suspect, that they are never really answered for us any more than the people in the action.

I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

HERO

I really really admire this guy.

Kenneth Feinberg: More Delicate Diplomacy for the Overseer of the Compensation Fund

He goes where others fear to tread.

He says that, if you cannot feel and take the pain of these people, you should not be doing his job. You have to face the tragic consequences of an event that has made them true victims.

The anger, the sadness, the grief. All of it.

And then to be fair with the money. And to trust the people too.

Kenneth Feinberg. What a guy.

Labels: Administration Obama, heroes

THE LAST BOX

John unpacked the last carton today.

That means that everything we brought is somewhere in the new home.

Some additional culling of books may be required but we did fairly well in editing the mass of possessions that we brought over.

Everything has a place and fits in rather nicely.

We also had the very last load of stuff go to the second hand place. The big stuff.

They came with their truck. The leather chairs, the big teevee and dvd player. The vcr/dvd machine.

I walked through this afternoon and it is truly empty. Well, except for the guest bedroom which we left intact as most of the stuff is built in.

Even the guest sheets. It was our only queen bed.

Done is done.

The buyer is gaining on his escrow work very well. They are supposed to have financing today and they want to close next week.

When we went to the escrow agent (we are done with our part), she expressed doubt about an early close.

In any case, it would seem that we are on the last lap.

But no applause until the deed is recorded and we have the money. There could always be a last lap accident or something.

Labels: condo

FAMILY DRAMA

Today's film was Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2008)

You will see shit in this film that you have never seen before. Situations, I mean.

In many respects, it is completely original. In others, traditional family soap suds.

The performances are quite good. Robin Wright Penn is the star and she turns in a bravura performance as she unspools and rewinds her life for us to see.

We also have Alan Arkin in a straight role. Very good. Keanu Reeves, so happy to see him again. He is very good. And Winona Ryder who I always welcome and wonder why she has not been able to get past the attractive crazy roles. Well, she does excel. Shirley Knight is Keanu's mom and Penn's neighbor. I love her.

I guess what is new and different in this film is the realization that everything is from Pippa Lee's point of view and, at some point, we realize, or I do, that it could all be bullshit. But then I realize that it is not. She is being as honest with herself and us as she can be.

The early life stuff is hilarious/tragic as the speed addicted Mom runs the house with a frantic hand.

The young adult lost child life is most striking. The adult, trophy wife life is the one we are in now. And about to leave.

Some of the film is rough to "get". I wasn't enthralled with Pippa's kids at all. A distraction.

I would not mind seeing this again. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

IN THE MIDDLE

I haven't checked in with comments on my man Obama for awhile.

We are in the middle of his first term. He is not in the middle of working the agenda that he ran on. He has completed almost every item that he promised.

And yet, he is not as wildly popular as the day he was elected.

He is in the middle of the polls and, some show, going below 50% depending on how you ask the questions.

What's up?

Obama Pushes Through Agenda Despite Political Risks

The fact is that he has not pleased both sides of the political spectrum.

On the right, we know what the complaints are.

On the left, he is criticized for passing weak and ineffective reform. He is getting it from both sides.

Me?

He is still OK in my book. Courageous and forthright. Doing the job that I hoped he would do.

I guess that puts me in the center of the liberal camp, not as big a lefty as I thought I was.

What I do know is that all this will change.

There is already an uptick in the approval rates for certain issues like the Affordable Care Act.

Time will tell.

He may get belted with the congressional elections but I know that he will prevail.

Look what he has done with a bunch of recalcitrant GOoPers who are bent on destruction and whining lefties who want him to go for broke against all odds.

This is similar to Clinton. And we ended up loving him.

Labels: Administration Obama

ONE CAR FAMILY

The one car experiment is going really well.

Our goal is to live with one car. Definitely not the norm in Southern California.

But we have put in our time as a three car family. Then we sold Woody, the 1984 Chrysler Le Baron because we have no place to store him at the condo.

It wasn't as hard as we thought it would be.

Then the idea was that we would, as soon as we could, get a new vehicle and that would be the one car for us. We would sell the Jeep.

The timing for this advanced with the totaling of the Sebring Convertible for which we are getting a pretty good recompense.

We bought the Volvo XC70 station wagon and, since we have had it, almost two weeks, have been "pretending" that we only have one car.

So far, so good. Just a bit more communication of plans and making plans.

The Jeep will go on the block in a couple of weeks when my "used car" man comes back from vacation. He is the Craigslist expert and all. We will give him some money to do the work in selling it.

It is in good shape and does not have a lot of miles for a 13 year old Cherokee. 79,000. A guy at the gym who is into this stuff says it is worth 4-5000 sight unseen. He would even buy it or trade it himself. A backup.

So we are headed for one car.

When I go away, as I will August 16 for three days to San Diego, John has suggested that he rent a cheap car to get around and that I take the Volvo.

Since I was planning to take the rental, I demurred for a moment and then accepted his kind offer.

This is what we did in Boston for years. We never had more than one car until we moved here in 1997. It was the Cherokee that brought us west.

Labels: automobiles

THE 70s FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Today's film was Karen Shakhnazarov's

Ischeznuvshaya imperiya / The Vanished Empire (2008)

in Russian.

An 18 year old Russian boy/man experiences the 70s just about the same way that the kids here did. Unsettled, counter-revolutionary, at loose in the world, young Sergey experiences romance, career, life.

In a set of vignettes we see much the same kind of thing that we have seen in Western films but with a twist.

Alienation is international.

This is a wonderful, charming film. The young man is irresistible even when he is behaving like an asshole.

The setting is unfamiliar. It is Russia. But the Beatles, the Stones and jeans leak through the borders. The blackmarket. The effect is the same.

The arc of the film is about loss. A lost culture, lost youth, lost love and underneath the story of the lost empire which Sergey's wonderful grandfather discovered and not so wonderful father (who we do not see) worked on as archeologists.

The entire film could be taken as an architectural dig.

But it is a lot of fun and quite enjoyable. I have never had a sense of "what it was like over there" and now I have a much better grasp. We are in it. We see it.

What a good movie. I would not mind seeing it again sometime.

That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

WHAT DOES ARGENTINA HAVE THAT WE DO NOT?

The legislators were smart enough to see through the bullshit of the usual catholic and evangelical rants. They saw that human rights are human rights. No exceptions.

Would that we could do the same in our "sophisticated, ultra civilized" culture.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

SUMMER IS HERE

Deep summer.

We will have our first 24 hours of air today.

Booker and I got out to pee, him not me, at 330AM and it was 87.

OK as far as it goes but not low enough to open the house.

We are into the hundred teens during the days. Dry. But hot.

This is about the normal summer pattern. Up to now it has been relatively cool but now, not.

It is OK. This is our February from back east. We stay indoors more and choose our outside time to be mostly in the shade and as early as possible.

Booker rebelled on the post dinner walk. I urged him on but we did cut it off earlier than normal which is earlier than the morning walk.

Soon, the sun will have set by the time we get out and that will make a big difference as our primary heat during the day is from ultra violet rays. There is no moisture in the air to hold the energy so, in shade, or after sundown there is a considerable drop in the heat we experience.

The UV rays mutate to IR rays when they hit the ground.

What keeps it at 87 is that the ground absorbs the heat and will not let it go readily.

As the summer proceeds, we have more ground heat and it builds up so that by the middle of July we are getting heat down and up. Up at night.

It is all a matter of physics.

The oven feel is OK, even sauna like.

It is when we get the infrequent moisture, the so-called monsoonal effects, that it gets bad. Hot humid air. That is the equivalent of a back east blizzard. We are really hunkered down.

Labels: desert, seasons

TOTAL SURPRISE

We heard from the AAA insurance today about the totaled Sebring.

We were floored.

After researching the Blue Book and the other evaluation sights we had decided that we would only get about a fifth of the cost of the replacement Volvo.

As it turns out, they are giving us about twice what we expected which is about a third of the Volvo cost.

Pleasant surprise.

We have been treated very well by AAA and heartily recommend them for all insurance.

They researched this. We sent in the repair records for two years. They looked up the value of the same car here in the desert. There are a lot of them. Very popular. I am sure that had an effect as well. The used market is pretty good for the convertible. It has a good record.

So its local value is higher.

We will have to take the title in and sign the car over to them. They will send it to a recycle, used parts place to cannibalize it. I am sure that has something to do with the settlement also.

Who knows?

We are happy to have anything turn out twice as well as expected.

Labels: Volvo

ANTICLIMACTIC

I spent most of the morning getting ready for us to take the escrow papers in for "approval". And notary.

At first, I thought we would have this done in a couple of days. It took a week and a half.

There is so much overlay by the tax guys that I had to send some of the forms back east to my accountant who fixed them up nicely. I found them very confusing.

I also had to work out whether to take a check (ten days to clear) or wire (you can use the money immediately). I am scared of wiring but am assured that it always works. No exception. So after a lot of working around with it, I set up a form to do the wire transfer.

We also had a home equity loan which has to be cleared and so I faxed them to freeze that account, destroyed the checks and filled out the form the escrow people wanted. But I had to talk to the bank and figure out the numbers and all. Fortunately we get VIP service. They can do the same thing. Get an answer on the first ring.

By the time we got to the escrow office, it was a breeze.

Having the papers checked is a little like having the teacher correct your paper but we did fine.

So we are one more step closer to the end of the process.

John went over today and fixed on receptacle that the bank inspector (another one) didn't like. The broker took a photo and now it is free and clear.

This is beginning to feel as though it will happen. The new guy is even getting mail at the new place. A FedEx today.

A good sign.

Labels: condo

AIR IN THE HAiR

I thought that I was indifferent to the fact that our new Volvo has a sunroof.

I didn't see me using it much.

But yesterday, I just got this itch to open it and it was great!

Air in my hair.

And it seems to pull the air in the windows, through the car and out the open top.

We try to keep the house and the car open as long and as much as we can. Heat notwithstanding.

Even now with the days in the hundreds, the nights are 80 max. So we open the house in the morning, same with the car.

Great.

One other thing.

A little more disturbing.

The Volvo keeps its headlights on whether it is night or not. It is one of those cars you see that wants you to know it is there. Lights.

This is another of those things that I always scoffed at but now that it is on my car, I have taken a turn in attitude.

I mean, Volvo's thing is safety, right?

So if they think it is safer to keep the lights on then, well, goddammit, we should keep the lights on.

The guy said that we could make an adjustment and turn them off but I don't think we will.

Not only are we driving this car that I always attributed to nerds and school teachers but we are keeping the lights on all the time.

It is a flashy bugger though. Not like the old boxy Volvo at all. That makes up for it.

Labels: Volvo