New Addition To The Family

After watching the recent UFC with several friends (who didn't spill wine this time), I came to the conclusion my brown sofa was getting lonely. Sure it has a rattan to it's left but that's like putting a cat and a dog together... sure they can get along over time but there is an unstated yet understood resentment by the rattan. I have been thinking about getting a loveseat (still don't understand why they named it that unless you have to be "in love" to sit that close together) but knew I wasn't going to 1) find one that matches the sofa 2) find money under my pillow to replace both with something new and 3) find something as comfortable as the sofa. So I have had it in my mind to get something for awhile. I've been keeping my eye on the furniture section on Craigslist for one and on Saturday... it pops up. I didn't catch it until Sunday morning and I sent off an email. I find out that 2 other people plan to pick it up and she will sell it to the first one there when she got home from work on Monday at 5:30pm. I told her that I'll be waiting there for her. hahaha And that I did. I took a break from the newsletter, waited there, paid her, put it on my Rodeo by myself and set it up in the house where it is in the picture. Then, I got back to work. Sure it isn't the same color as the other one but it's as soft, fits the earth-tone motif and only cost $25. hahaha Btw, if you look closely you can see my collection of remote controls and a bowl of jellybeans.

Nice To Have Some Choices

District Judge Michael Caperton of Kentucky has been getting a lot of attention recently for his use of alternative sentencing when it comes to drug and alcohol offenders. Instead of going to jail or rehab, a convicted person has been given the option of going to church. This raises several different issues that I can stand behind both sides on:

I do believe in separation of church and state. And even though this judge has used the phrase "worship services," there's likely only so many facilities for worship in a Kentucky town. Also, isn't it saying that correctional institutions and therapy are worthless? You also can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I remember myself as a child going to Catholic church and how I'd fidget in my seat just thinking of what I'd do when I got out of there. The other odd thing about this is that the sentencing isn't mandatory. So, you get the choice of mandatory jail, mandatory rehab or voluntary church-going? What would you pick?

On the other side, I see a nation of ours that fills their jails with people possessing, selling and using substances that our government has deemed illegal (and not so illegal in other states.) A lot of money goes into housing these people while their productivity in society is cut to nil. These people lose homes, possessions and jobs while in the pokey. There is also the idea out there that if you send someone to jail for a petty crime that they will learn from and associate with people who have done far worse.

If anything, it is good to see someone trying something different even if I'm unsure of the possible results. It makes people that accept the status quo think a little outside the box.

Blame The Man That Writes The Instruction Manual

I find it amazing how busy computer technical support sites can be. Rooms full of cubicles with a reference manual to thumb through on each desk and a supervisor within shouting distance. As much as I dislike having to call for help here and there, it is always my first option in fixing a problem. But, what I find interesting is a little line of text usually next to the service phone number which reads: For troubleshooting tips, go to our Web site at www.ineedhelp.com. My computer is in pieces on the floor and they want to rub it in that I can't log on right now to get help. Bastards!

Educating Ranma: More Stories From The World Of Japanese Animation

Ok, take a father and son who study martial arts. Watch them train in China and each fall in Jusenkyo's cursed pools. Whenever the father (Gendo) gets hit by cold water, he turns into a giant panda. When the son (Ranma) gets hit by cold water, he becomes that redhead girl in the photo. Yes, hot water will turn them back. Complicate this story with a promise Gendo Saotome made to his longtime friend Soun Tendo that his son will marry one of his 3 daughters. Forever emasculated by this curse, Ranma is forced into an engagement with tomboy Akane even though they can't stand each other. Now living with the Tendo family, the Saotome's only wish is to become normal again. Can they or will Akane kill Ranma first?

This is the basis for Rumiko Takahashi's classic animated series Ranma 1/2. All 161 episodes of this series ran in Japan from 1989 to 1992 including films, straight to video episodes and specials. The series is highly rewarding even though it takes some time to deal with seeing female Ranma's chest (but then again it's a guy... or a girl... or well, deep down it's a guy.) Only someone like female manga writer Rumiko Takahashi (responsible for the popular Inuyasha series now running on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim) can take a crazy idea like gender confusion and create a love story.

So, How Much For That He-Man Action Figure?

Usually, when you plan to move, you sell what you don't want to hassle with packing in a garage sale. Sometime after settling in (and of course finding out that the sofa doesn't match the existing chandelier, your area rugs don't fit new areas and your garage is smaller than you thought) another garage sale happens. If a child is moving off to college and they'd like to get rid of some things that they can't take with them, there's a garage sale. You discover you can fit two cars in the garage if you organize better (and get rid of 3 extra rakes as well as lawn mower and weed-whacker since you've gone to desert landscape.) Heck, there are tons of reasons to have a garage sale. Sometimes you don't get rid of everything the first weekend.

But, it seems that someone in the Las Vegas legislature has put forward an idea to limit people to 2 a year and anyone holding a yard/garage sale would have to register it. I can see only two good reasons to do that: your neighbor has one each weekend causing traffic problems or it would somehow force you to take down your sale signs when it's done so people aren't looking for your house the next weekend. For all the good it could do, who would run this? How many state/local employees would our taxes have to pay to sit near a phone or fax machine collecting your information? How many do you pay to check records to see if they've gone over the magic #2? How much staff do you hire to look for people not reporting their garage sales? Seems like a whole new section of government would have to be set up for this. Would you have to pay a registration fee for your yard sale to fund a department like this? Would fines for going over pay for these salaries?

Seems to me that there are better ways to solve this. I even have a few impromptu solutions of my own. If a house is having a sale each week, they should be asked for a business license for their home address (zoning restrictions would prohibit a store set up in a residential area so that would keep that from happening.) If people are leaving up signs way too long, any police car with downtime can pick it up and drop a nice little ticket for littering at their doorstep. Anything would be better than finding a way to get into my pocket.

Home Is Where The... Well... Where The Home Is

With the recent rise in concern about illegal immigration in the United States, I am finding an appalling side effect. Defending the border is important. At least $10 billion a year is spent on schooling, hospitals and medical care for more than 8 million illegal immigrants according to the Center for Immigration Studies. That amount of money affects the education and medical costs of all immigrants and citizens which is not going to abate. The Minuteman Project has brought a lot of these thoughts to the public forum but with it has come racial tensions that don't belong there. There has been a recent rise in angst directed at the Hispanic community. "Go back to where you belong! Go back home!" When I hear something like this it makes my skin crawl. Sounds a lot like something out of the Civil Rights era. If home is where you hang your hat, is home where some of your family came from generations ago? How many generations do you have to live here to call it home? It is silly and obnoxious. I feel that there are a lot of uneducated citizens that are all too willing to lump immigrants, naturalized citizens and citizens into the same category as illegal immigrants. Let's just use this as a platform for racial bias, shall we?

Just A Rasp In The Wind

I have been thinking. The more Bruce Springsteen keeps recording, the more he starts to sound like Bob Dylan. Even now the mumbling raspy whispery voice is becoming less and less understandable. And you have to say that both are creative storytellers when it comes to songwriting. It just scares me to think that this is happening and they haven't found a cure.

Life In The Fastlane

I had quite an unusual thought strike me today. There was a lot of press covering the 89th Indianapolis 500. Race enthusiasts might not have noticed but there was a whirlwind of buzz going on about 23 year-old rookie driver Danika Patrick. Some could say it is the controversy of some people not wanting to compete with a 100 pound driver. But most would say that journalists were circling the driver because she adds beauty to a sport that gets less attention than NASCAR. I was eating lunch and watching the race with a crowd of people. People would pop in every so often to ask how "she" was doing. You could hear mutterings of "Go Danika." Most of them were only watching her (which wasn't hard to believe after she led on 19 laps.) Yes, she finished in 4th but today something amazing happened. This sport has found its postergirl... maybe even their own Tiger Woods.

Gotta Be Hercules

Enjoyed a night at home watching The Aviator last night. It is actually rather funny to see all the weird little tangets that connect from the film. You see, my father became the head tennis pro at the Desert Inn Hotel & Casino in 1973. Howard Hughes would spend the last years of his life in his room atop the Desert Inn Hotel until his death in 1976. I wonder if he was able to see the courts where I grew up from his room. Years later, my mother would go to work for Summa Corporation (which was a consolidation of most of Hughes' holdings in Las Vegas.) Mom took another step later by working for Hughes Aviation which would propel her into the world of private planes and airplane hangars which would lead her to currently managing an private air center. So, after watching the movie, I started thinking about all the odd ways that this man has touched by life. I knew most of the history from growing up here in town but they did a great job on the film. A must for anyone interested in the history of aviation and film.

Power Of The People

The U.S. Constitution is an amazing document. It has led us through over 200 years of our republic even with some minor adjustments along the way. But, I've long wondered about the change brought on by the 17th amendment which changed the way Senators are elected. Prior its passage, the Senate was elected by state legislatures which gave a balance in Congress with state and people's concerns being addressed. The 17th amendment was passed in 1913 to end problems they had since 1787 with states being deadlocked in their electing a Senator. But, essentially made them another Representative with a bit more voice (each state with 2 members.) Growing up, I always heard that there were 3 branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial which each had checks and balances. But, when you think about it, the executive and legislative branches are hired by popular vote. Seems a little weighted. The judicial branch is made up of people put forward by the executive branch and voted on (or sometimes not) by the legislative branch. So, popular vote seems to take away from some of the checks that were in place by our Forefathers which included state legislature's power to appoint or remove a U.S. Senator. I just find it interesting to be aware of such things but there are actually some people that would like to repeal the amendment. I can't say I'm there yet but the concept does make my head hurt. That's sometimes good.

A Mini Voyage Into The World Of Robotech

July of 1999, a large alien spacecraft bursts through hyperspace and enters Earth's atmosphere, crashing on Macross Island in the South Pacific. Seeing this as a bigger threat than the current wars occupying our planet, a cease-fire is called and an official investigation is launched into a possible hostile alien threat. Macross Island becomes a bustling community of scientists researching the remains of the craft and much is learned about what would be called Robotechnology. As a better way of understanding what they have, the craft is repaired and rebuilt using what has been learned over the next few years. A permanent base on Mars is constructed in 2001 and the United Earth Government is formed in 2005.

In 2009, the official relaunch of the SDF-1 (the alien craft) is scheduled with a purpose of defending the planet, finding out more about the technology, discovering what shot at the original ship and learing where it came from. Luck would have it that the relaunch would be timed well with the arrival of the Zentraedi who wish to finish the job of destroying the SDF-1. An immense beam is fired from the SDF-1 as the Zentraedi are detected on the radar (a trap which was laid by the original alien craft's occupants) and the first Robotech War begins.

-- This is the beginning to what many believe to be the penultimate Japanese animation series ever created, Robotech, which first aired in the United States in 1985. It has possibly stood the test of time not only for Top Gun-ish fighting scenes or sci-fi elements but the human drama created which can only be likened to a soap opera. It is a rewarding series if you find yourself with the time to watch it.

If Only Computers Came With Condoms

As we know, it is a crazy world when it comes to computers. Heck, I know someone that called me in a panic once because his computer said it "performed an illegal function" and wanted to report the error. He was expecting police at his door. Just recently, a virus was found that would lock away your text files, photos and spreadsheets with an encryption key and leave you a ransom note for $200 to get them back. There is also spyware that comes embedded in some free programs out there that people decide to install for one reason or another. With all these risks out there, it makes it difficult to know what kind of files are out there that you can trust. There aren't many. One of the most interesting new sites out there is Clean Software. The site gives great information about most non-malicious free software out there, links to download and a section for comments. Of course, there are no absolutes but this is a step in the right direction. Many people seem to get computers because everyone has one and they only know that clicking things makes things happen. Nice to know that maybe the next thing you install won't be the last before reformatting.

this is a test of the ooops is doesn't work system

This was only a test...

But it seems Blogger is finally allowing me to get back on. Very weird. All I can say is that I think they found my comments from Jenn's blog and decided to mess with someone else.

Free Beer On Stage

The crowd was restless. The atmosphere electric...wait, no it wasn't but the tatoo fairy had been busy. It was nearing midnight as I gathered myself to the stage at the House Of Blues to perform. Several beers had already passed me by and I was feeling good. I chose to sing INXS' "New Sensation." Why? Well, in truth, the band really doesn't have a big list of songs they could do (about 120) but I knew energy was important. Ballads are for when places just open, when they are about to close or when you have someone giving you doe eyes all night. In a packed house that can fit 400 people, it's not a place to test out new material. This was my first time going up on stage with a band since my own broke up in 1997. I'd like to believe I did great. The people danced as if it was the last song. I heard it sounded great but... I couldn't hear myself sing. Usually they put monitors on the stage to help the performers keep pace and adjust to the music but that luxury wasn't available. I'll find out. My friend Mike filmed a few seconds of it with his camera. So, a few more beers later, I'm at home and thinking that I could have done a better job on "Proud Mary" or "Just Like Heaven." Oh well! Need sleep.

The First Use Of The Eraser?

According to recent reports, a 12th century parchment that was used as a prayerbook by a Christian monk may have more value than the $2 million it cost an anonymous private collector back in 1998. It seems that the dried animal skins that it was written on was actually originally used in the 10th century to copy some long-lost writings of Archimedes. Much of this was discovered at The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center which used highly focused x-rays to make the iron in the previous author's ink writings to glow. Why is this important? Archimedes (who lived from about 287 B.C. to 212 B.C.) is considered one of the 3 greatest mathematicians of all time -- inventing integral calculus, creating Archimedes' Principle (which states that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid -- explaining the buoyancy of ships) and being the closest at his time to approximate pi. They have uncovered 80% of the text already but it would be interesting to see what else he may have had on his mind. But, something about the whole thing has me slightly rattled. Even if Archimedes' theories and works weren't popular until much later, why were the writings being "erased" and reused for something else? Was it just so hard to find writing material that this monk cleaned up a 200 year-old text or have a lot more writings been innocently "lost"?

Physics For The Inner Chef

I love cooking. I only talk about it every so often. I have to give credit to two people who made it enjoyable. Above all is Mom who I spent a lot of time watching cook for the 4 of us kids. I was lucky enough to be her third hand when she would need someone to stir or make sure something didn't burn. You learn a lot from this. I still don't know how to cook half of what I love of hers but it is kind of difficult doing that when she cooked for 5 to 6 people and I don't. The other person that stoked my interests was Mr. Alton Brown who hosts Good Eats on The Food Network. I know, there are a lot of chefs out there and a lot of them make it look fun. But, watching Emeril and Wolfgang, I find that I don't understand why they throw items in a dish. Alton attacks food with a scientific eye. He shows how certain molecules react in a dish, why searing one side of a steak might not seal in moisture and egg whites are nature's glue all with a kick of humor and history. Cooking has always seemed like such an arcane art until I first caught the show. Bam! Kick it up a notch! But, I actually feel that I'm walking away with an education after every episode. If you haven't seen an episode yet do try.

Coming To Terms

It was 1993 when I started working at the big green building in Las Vegas. The use of the Internet was limited to the early adopters and would turn the corner shortly with the release of Windows 95. Since one of our bosses at work was working on a new system for scheduling shifts on his computer, he would ask me a lot of questions. It seems that I should have pushed friendlier verbiage more. Currently, when someone fills up a cart with baggage and unloads those bags into storage bins it has commonly been called "downloading." For anyone without a computer, it can be accepted easily.

There are actually two definitions for "downloading": 1) to unload or 2) to transfer from a server or host computer to one's own computer.

What this means is that to give baggage from your cart to a bin would be downloading but at the same time receiving them from a bin could fit. Hence the reason why, several people that I work with (who are very very very late adopters of computer science) have trouble understanding that you can give something and not be uploading or downloading something without taking it. It amazes me to think that terminology can stifle and stymie one's education.

Thank U 4 Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf

Even as a journalist, I have my gripes about the media. Somewhere it has been forgotten that getting news out to the populace isn't about pushing an agenda or getting a story out first (right or wrong.) There are times when I'm reporting (especially the Michael Jackson trial) that I find it difficult to constantly weigh the content but I try. Maybe it is my conscience and that when things are in doubt, I want to show both sides. Thankfully, I don't have to report on political matters during wartime. I don't have to worry about giving away the location of the military force I'm embedded in by saying the wrong things via satellite. I don't even have to worry about my country's soldiers as I use an unconfirmed report from a 'reliable' source to tell a nation of Islamic faithful that our military representatives are flushing a holy book they would die for down toilets. I wouldn't even have to feel remorse if the country that our soldiers helped achieve freedom turned around and slaughtered our men for such sacrilege. Even though, I still would. Thank God, Allah, Yaweh, Jesus, Buddha and Zeus that I'm only a music journalist and that there is never a bad time to run a story about a band getting back together.

Mastering Reality

I like to watch a lot of different types of reality television programs. I just tend to pick a lot of the unusual ones like The Biggest Loser, House Of Dreams, Trading Spaces, The Ultimate Fighter, While You Were Out, The Mansion, The Complex and The Swan. But one thing that I've started to do for the last few years has been to watch the Survivor finale. Why? Well, it's kind of like watching the cliffnotes version of the show and not having to get wrapped up in it. What I find interesting about the shows in this list that I do watch is that they are all shows with a goal of bettering themselves. Losing weight, putting a roof over their heads, decorating a room in that home, getting a dream job, home improvement/decor, home improvement/decor, home improvement/decor and the ultimate makeover. Am I addicted, not really. I just like good stories and several of these shows give me tips on things that I can actually do around the house. (Well, some of them.) Sure the shows are a certain amount of sensationalism and scripting but it is about the entertainment factor after all. Would I ever go on a show like those. Yes. I would have loved to have tried out for Rockstar: INXS (coming soon.) I'd love to send a tape in for Survivor but I also know that a month away from my newsletter, website and blog (and income that pays for all of them) might be a little too much for me. Even worse, it could be during football season.

Congrats, Tracy!

Went to my friend Tracy's graduation party yesterday. (Yes, I've been going to a lot of parties recently.) It astounds me to see how she has grown up. I remember when she lived with me back in 1996 or 1997-ish and her self esteem was nil but she was a hard worker. She wanted better things for herself and didn't know how to go about them. Her relationships weren't generally good for her as she depended on those to prove her existence. It was with her marriage to Jason that I could see something different in how she valued herself. She would work while he finished schooling and then started school herself culminating in her new degree. She also has a beautiful baby daughter named Sonja (of course, I forget the camera this time.) I can't tell you how proud I am of her but to me she is already one of the best success stories I've ever witnessed. I've got to find more time to spend with their family.


Meaningless definition for the day:

"Potsie" scheme: Any get rich quick method promoted with an infomercial starring Anson Williams.

Hi Uncle Martin, I'm 3!

These were the sage words trusted to me by the beautiful little girl on the left who was celebrating her birthday tonight. We had Connor and Olivia's birthday at Ricardo's Mexican restaurant. Not only did all of our local family members make it out but so did all of my brother-in-law's family. I don't know how we fit into this little room. Got lots of hugs and tickled the hell out of Connor.

I did what I normally do, I brainstormed as I went through 5 different stores thinking about what two children this age would enjoy playing with, not hurt themselves or their surroundings with and would prove possibly educational. Well, the educational thing didn't work out. I looked for books but I think they are still too young for Judy Blume or R.L. Stein (although the absolutely love books and even cry if they can't find certain ones.) So I went with 2 plastic children's golf caddy sets and little Koosh-like balls that glow in changing colors when you press on them. Some day, I'm sure they'll get to try out the golf sets but I noticed they really enjoyed the balls and did their best to pull them back from the other children at the party. Overall, had a great time and got to spend the night with my family which always reminds me of how much I love them.

King Of The Road

Most friends of mine will be able to attest to my dislike of highways. You can tell when I ask for surface street directions even if you are quite a ways away. But, then I bought my house in the northwest section of Las Vegas about 2 years ago. For about a year, I would still take surface streets to work. I changed to an earlier shift and decided to attempt using US 95 and Interstate 15. I was pretty shocked at how easy it was. I still had my fear of traffic and have actually been late to work a few more times than when I lived less than 5 miles from work. Roadwork has been a major concern in Las Vegas and I've even started watching the news on TV before heading out just for any extra information about tie-ups. All good... yet, I have now developed an attitude on the road. From the picture you see posted, you can see there is a lane on the far right that is for cars that break down or bicyclists. I absolutely lose it when people decide that they are too important to follow the flow of traffic and stay in real lanes. I was in heavy traffic a few days ago and we were at a literal crawl. Some brain surgeons decided to use the breakdown/bicycle lane and then push their way back in line further ahead. After 15 minutes of this, I decided to straddle the lane which kept both lanes from progressing and received a lot of honking from the people who do not know what patience is. Further up the road there were signs in that lane much to my delight. But I wonder, why do we let these idiots back in the regular lane after they just passed everyone that was being patient?

Gradual Curveball

I was always the type that avoided showing my report card to my parents especially from Jr. High on. This was because I was an unmotivated student but we've talked about that before. For years, we have all used the A, B, C, D and F grading scale for an understanding of class performances. Some people have started to believe that we pressure children too much for getting a B instead of an A or even a C instead of a B. Pressure at this early of a formative stage in a child's life could lead to horrible diseases... like acne. Ok, I don't know why people are worried about pressure on students but the people who are have decided to make changes. According to Ohio's Akron Beacon Journal, their city will be adopting a more strict guideline for elementary school grades (A = 100% to 93%, B = 92% to 85%, C = 84% to 77%, D = 76 to 69% and an F = below 68%.) What does that mean for children that are already struggling with our school systems? Stress, confusion and a job at the quickie-mart. As a way to relieve some of that grade stress, some people have decided to change their grading system even more radically. Florida's Palm Beach Post reports that along with the normal Palm Beach County elementary school report cards will be a number 1, 2 or 3 next to their grade. "Under the formula, a 1 means the student is working a year or more below grade level, a 2 indicates the student is working less than a year below grade level, and a 3 means they are working at or above grade level." Many reasons for these changes are blamed on the grade-level expectations placed on teachers by the No Child Left Behind Act. I have even heard reports of changes that have brought about triangles, squares and circles as actual grades (yes, triangles just kind of look like A's, don't they?) Princeton professors are actually required to give a maximum of 35% of all their students an A. I've heard of grading on a curve but what if you really do have 50% of all the students in a class scoring amazingly high equal scores throughout the semester? (Ok, yes... I'd check for cheating, too.) All this makes me wonder, if we are so worried about how we critique and define our students, why do we still give pre-schoolers and kindergarteners report cards that say E for excellent, S for satisfactory and U for unsatisfactory? Why not start the kids off right and get them used to one way of being judged and throughout their academic career? Yes, I'm still confused with how a D could be below satisfactory and not quite failing but least I had something to judge my lack of progress by. When it all comes down to it, aren't we a little too preoccupied with evaluating performance on paper and not enough with the actual time a teacher can spend "teaching"?

Yes, They Really Do Deserve A Day Of Their Own

Celebrated Mother's Day a day early and went to an early dinner (never been fond of buffets but it really was the company that mattered) with my mother, father, sister-in-law, two brothers and grandparents. Was hoping to see my sister, brother-in-law and the twins but Corey's grandfather passed away so they had to leave town for the viewing earlier that day. A little bit prior to dinner, I popped a surprise of Willie Nelson tickets on Mom to which I could actually hear a bubbling of excitement in her voice. I picked up an extra ticket for my brother Michael (who came into town for Mom and it wouldn't be right for him to come out here only to have me drag her off to a concert.) I actually remember promising to take Mom to one of his concerts and this just worked out. The show was phenomenal (ok, it wouldn't have hurt if the lady behind us didn't spend the whole show talking to someone further back about how many of his shows she's gone to.) Heard a great new song that could be titled "Superman" but we'll see. I also got to check out my little brother's smooth moves with the women-folk to which I can only say that a mohawk can get you a lot of positive attention from women that are top heavy. We all had a great time and I left with a Dixie flag signed by Willie as well as a feeling that I did good. My mother has struggled with a lot in her life and a lot of that was raising us after her divorce. If anyone is deserving of her license plate "SIRVIVE," it is her. She has raised 4 children that have backbones, consciences and great health. Thank you, Mom. For all you gave and continue to give, I can only hope to brighten your days some.

It's A Question Of Time

Waxing philisophical: You are rapidly aging and will not live another week. How are you going to spend those 168 hours?

Me, I would take my first day and go into work only to quit, destroy all my dirty magazines, give away my adult videos, clean files from my computer and remove anything else embarrassing. I'd probably take each day and have only my favorite food from my favorite restaurants. Day two, I would take some risks like skydiving and maybe look for a fight with someone bigger than me (they'd really have to be an asshole though... I have standards.) I'd spend day 3 figuring out how to pass on my website and newsletter as well as start stopping in and seeing the people that mean the most to me. Day 4 and 5 would be spent just visiting people and leaving good lasting memories. My last two days would be with my family but nowhere would I say anything about about my condition. I would want their last moments with me to be just as normal as ever. I internalize things well and I don't think they'd notice unless I broke down. Ok, maybe the last few days with them would also be so they can help me wipe myself.

Siete De Mayo

So this is what my Cinco De Mayo comes down to. It's not a bad thing. Roberto's is pretty much the best fast food Mexican in town (nearly 20 different locations) and this is under a 1/8 mile away from the house. The place was packed but it always is in there. It doesn't take much to entice me to eat Mexican food... above all, I prefer it. What I found funny in the newspaper were the announcements for the holiday celebrations. They were all slated for May 7th. Yes, Cinco De Mayo is being moved from Thursday to Saturday. I can understand that you can get more people out on the weekend but come on! If they just had one little party, I'd feel a little better about it. Although, it isn't my holiday to complain about (I'll reserve that rant if they move St. Patrick's Day.)

Play Nicely, Little DVD

Recent endorsement has come out for the new ClearPlay product which axes out excessive violence, nudity and language from currently 1000 popular DVD titles. Essentially, you will put a code on your new DVD player that will allow controlling of content.

I personally see this product in two ways. Sure, it's great if Billy is at home unattended and going through the family movie collection. You care about what images your children see when you aren't there. But, society has leaned on televisions too much as a babysitter and what the hell is Billy doing at home without supervision? Let's blame it on the content out there! Let's make 9 1/2 Weeks 8 1/2 minutes long! Sadly, we can't. New movies come out each Tuesday that might not be added to the ClearPlay software. What about obscure discs that aren't in print anymore? How many porn films are in that 1000 titles? Any chance Billy will find those? DVD burning software is out there. If you copied that movie (yes, it's not exactly legal unless you own the original) that you rented, would that be caught by the product? Burning software out there can even compress things differently to fit on consumer discs so it wouldn't be an exact replica. How far are we willing to go to try to control our children from a distance? Anyone buy those fancy new TVs just for a V-chip? It seems to me that this is just a manufactured crutch for woefully inadequate parental standards.

Sleep Writing Or Plagiarism?

When I used to write tons of poetry, I remember one morning waking up with a song in my head. Most of my music was metrical and was written with the idea of music but this one stood out. I called it "Embers" and felt it was my best work. It was only later that I found out that I'd just been dreaming about an obscure favorite song of mine called "Burning Flame" by Vitamin Z. Of course, I was embarrassed as all hell and thankful that I never tried to publish it. As bad as I felt, I found out later this happened to another famous singer/songwriter named Robert Palmer. He woke up one morning with a song in his head and jotted it down the best he could remember. He didn't remember it that accurately though. After recording it in the studio and sending it to his record label did he find out where he got the inspiration for the song "Some Guys Have All The Luck." Rod Stewart's version hadn't been released yet but Palmer believes that Stewart might have been in a nearby studio and he picked up on it that way. Palmer did release his version and rightly credited Stewart. How many times have you woken up with something in your head that you thought was original but was just a rehashed memory of something you overheard? Do you dream musically?

I Don't Like, I Don't Like... I Do Like Mondays

In all actuality, I get one day off a week: Tuesdays. So why do I give up my other day off, Monday? Back about 8 years or more ago (I forget sometimes,) I started writing music news for friends which grew into something much bigger. Instead of accidentally rewriting some of the same articles in what would be the 80's Nuts Newsletter, I decided that I would dedicate one day to all my research. There was a time in my life that I cast it all aside for a few months and found that it was a greater part of me than I imagined. So I moved the day to Monday so I can focus on it better. Then a little over a year ago, I began recording that news for radio (www.80sairwaves.com) in a 2 minute weekday segment called the 80's Nuts Update. It became a bit more work than I expected but it is a great challenge. But for all the things that I could be doing with that one day a week, I'm happy in knowing that what started out as fun has become a quest for knowledge that hundreds of people and many radio stations have joined.

Michelle, Corey, Connor and Olivia

I felt like a family photo moment. This is my sister, he husband Corey and the twins Connor and Olivia. The photo is nearly 2 years old but I need to get some new photos. Sure, you can get away with looking cute picking your nose at 1 1/2 but when you get older they say that you are immature or have a coke habit.

Quotes Of The Day - 4/30/05

"Real love can't be bought
It is wild and it can't be caught."

-- from "Guilt Is A Useless Emotion" by New Order


"I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights, so it looks like I'm the only one moving."

-- from Steven Wright


"People who hate others only hate them selfs."

-- written on a bathroom stall at an undisclosed Las Vegas hotel

Shooting The Shit: Just A Gag Reflex

I'm not allowed to plant new grass after May 1st according to Southern Nevada water restrictions. Easy to understand because we have major water issues. So today I got down and dirty with the seed and steer manure. Now, my neighbor Sal has talked to me about manure (which he calls "the stinky stuff") and that the more it smells the stronger and better for your lawn it is. This stuff was downright ripe. Several times I had to step away and get a good breath of air. You see, I've always had this issue with the smell of crap. I vividly remember my times cleaning up after our dogs as a wee lad. I'd feel the acid building up in my throat and the near urge to vomit when I got a good whiff (which is pretty unavoidable.) This carried over into my adult life when changing children's diapers. Changing a baby is difficult because (while breathing out of only your mouth) you are trying to do it as quick as possible before the smell hits you but then they wiggle around wanting to play as your eyes tear up. Thankfully, I haven't dated anyone with a baby in years. Yet, this does bring up today's question: What smell makes you retch?

Lost In Conversation

I do a lot of talking in my day job. What I've noticed over the course of nearly 12 years of repetition: Human language doesn't evolve... it de-evolves. How many times today have you approached someone with a "How's it going?" and got the same response back? Was that a conversation or a mishandled greeting? Does anyone ever say "Good morning!" anymore? I've noticed that most people just say "'Morning" instead. I've deduced further that if you slur the phrase "I'm horny" just right, it sounds like "'Morning." Think you could get away with it? But, it does go to show you that people pay a lot less attention to what other people say in passing. We are often cutting down common phrases that show a reaching out to someone. Where are all the missing words, letters and phrases going that save us so much time? When did "What's up?" and "What's new?" become "'Sup?" and "'Sup?" So many real chances to connect with an actual human being are being lost in our normal conversation that it does seem that life truely is a series of greetings and farewells.

Tastes Of An 80s Nut

I get a lot of questions from people visiting 80's Music Central ranging from "Who did this song?" to "How old was so-and-so when she released her first album?" But usually ones that I can't answer for everyone because of space available are "Who is your favorite 80's band?" and "What's your favorite song?" I've decided to take this moment to talk to you about the New Zealand band the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience. Yes, the name does sound like a bad take on the Jimi Hendrix Experience and should not be confused. This is probably one of the oddest bands that I've ever heard (right up there with Ween and the Butthole Surfers.) I found them at a college record shop due to a very existential cover to The Size Of Food (which used heat sensing photography of people scattered around on the ground.) It took several listens of the album for it to sink in and it forced me to look into more of their work. That's when I discovered a gem of a song called "I Like Rain." An overly catchy hook based around a cheesy keyboard riff sucked me in. I doubt anyone else will every find the same enjoyment out of the song as I do but it has become something more than special to me. After finding what I could from the band, I sent a friend of mine that was visiting the area to record stores in search of anything I didn't have. Expensive as hell but I got everything that I needed and was shocked to hear most stores looked at him strangely when he asked about the band. I could hope that everyone gets a chance to hear some of their music but I wish for something bigger that everyone finds music that means just as much to them as these mean to me.

Will The Real Pantry Please Open Up?

I felt really bad about putting up a generic picture of the pantry because... I'm jut not that organized. This is how it really looks and yes there are tons of things that I didn't list and at some point I'll organize it better. The fascade is lifted.

This Pack-Rat Went Shopping

I don't know when it happened but I discovered that I'm not only a pack-rat of memorabilia but I do the same with my pantry. This isn't a picture of it but it's very similar. I have 9 bags of Red Vine licorice, 5 bottles of Heinz garlic flavored ketchup, 10 bottles of Arizona blueberry-flavored Ice Tea, 2 boxes of green tea, 10 bags of pasta, 8 cans of chili, 5 cans of chicken noodle soup, 4 cans of cream of mushroom soup, a massive tupperware container of brown rice, 5 bottles of spaghetti sauce, 6 bags of taco seasoning, 4 bottles of mustard, 5 boxes of brownies (each containing 8), 5 cans of pork and beans, 4 huge cans of refried beans, 8 cans of refried beans, 15 cans of tuna (in water... oil is gross), 7 boxes of macaroni and cheese and... well I'm not going to keep going but you get the idea. I'm not going to starve if I get trapped in my own home. But, I wonder what has happened to me or am I just thinking that it's better to have food in storage than to wonder where my next meal is. I can see an intervention coming and there is no way I'm letting them into my pantry.

Jabotch

I don't know why but I'm not a huge milk drinker. I love to cook and tend to buy a quart every time the date expires just so I could make macaroni and cheese, gravy, scrambled eggs, alfredo sauce, instant pudding and once in a very blue moon cereal. My only issue is that I usually buy the milk and don't open it until it's almost past the Sell By date. It is pretty amazing how many cartons of milk were in the case at the store that are set to expire tomorrow. Anyhow, I don't like letting it go to waste when it gets close to going bad so I usually chug the remainder. One of the earliest memories I have of my youngest brother Michael was him calling stuff 'jabotch.' How did he know about botulism back then?

NFL Draft Begins... Somewhere A Pig Gets Its Last Meal

The weekend NFL draft marathon started at 9am (Pacific Standard Time) and won't end until late tomorrow. Of course, this means that I'll have it running in the living room and bedroom televisions (in case I need to check something on the computer.) So far, the surprise of the draft would be the Detroit Lions taking wide-out Mike Williams. The reason it is a surprise is that the team has taken a wide receiver in the first round of the draft 3 years in a row (Charles Rogers and Roy Williams.) I'm not a Lions fan but just found that interesting. Actually, it'd be interesting to hear from you about how you think your team drafted.

Fashion No-No's A La Martin

I thought I'd take today to discuss one of my biggest fashion pet peeves: earrings. I know that a young woman takes a large step in their lives when they get their ears pierced (unless it's already been done for you.) I have no problem with ear piercing. I have a problem with overbearing earrings. I was going to put more than one photo up but this is a great example. Long stringy earrings are only good for one thing: brushing dandruff off your shoulders. Sure, they make you look at the neckline but they also make your ear look long and misshapen. I have a bigger issue with big hoop earrings. Someone is going to snag that thing on something and rip your ear off. If the long stringy earrings make your ears look deformed... big hoops go the extra mile. If I were a true prick, I could see myself throwing things through the hoops in a crowded restaurant. Alas, I'm not and everyone has a right to dress how they want. Some man out there may have a fetish for seeing bicycle tassels and bracelets hanging from someone's ear but I'll hold off.

The Name Game

I don't currently have any pets. Not that I don't want them but I do know that they require a lot of attention and will probably pass away before I do (yes, I'm sappy like that.) Anyhow... as a child I had a lot of pets. I notice that most pets do not keep their names long especially female ones. Nicknames developed that pretty much took over. Our cat Shasta became Momma after having kittens. Puddles became Pudsy after awhile (probably because it really was creating puddles and we didn't want to admit to it in public.) I wonder how many other things that we give names to are changed by us over time.

Smoke And Mirrors

In the profession that pays my bills, I deal with a lot of people. I find one thing rather interesting: There are people younger than myself that I envision as being older than me. I don't know how it happens. Maybe it's done with mirrors. It isn't a visual thing but an overall view of the person as a whole. Now, if I want to get psychological about it...maybe, it could be an inferiority complex. How many times have you come across an attractive person of the opposite gender and lost your sense of self? Do you shy away or pull back? Do you feel subservience overtake you? Are the next words coming out of your mouth going to sound like baby talk? Some also like to look at a confrontation as this as a confidence collision. Someone will lose, they always do. But, there will always be people that are younger than myself that for some reason will seem older and more mature. How I keep from talking with marbles in my mouth is another thing entirely.

Looking Back With Nostalgia

Ok, this has been on my mind for the last day or so: Are the eldest children the most nostalgic? Essentially, does a child that has been in the family longer than their siblings tend to remember the "good old days" more than the others? I do think that I'm in that category being the oldest of 4 children. I think about the early mornings getting up on weekends, stopping by Winchell's Donuts to pick up a dozen and head to Dad's tennis pro shop where I'd try to watch cartoons on a really small television. I remember when we were tired we would sleep under clothing racks so people would hardly notice we were there. (I wonder if I talked in my sleep back then too.) Anyhow, I do think some of those types of memories that are stuck in my head are precious but maybe I tend to dwell on them a bit more than my siblings. Where does nostalgia fall with your siblings?

Oh, Brother, There Art Thou

I'm pretty lucky. I have a pretty big family and all of us are pretty healthy. No drug addiction, no deep dark secrets and/or mental iss... well maybe some issues. Today is actually my brother Matthew's 31st birthday. We'll be gathering for dinner in just minutes at a place called Grape Street (a restaurant that serves various wines.) I wish that I had been there more for both my brothers and sister. Looking back, I remember the extreme freedom of moving out after high school. I think when you become an adult you become slightly selfish with your time and energy. I just wish I was there for them more back then but now my siblings are all productive adults. I'm immensely proud of them all and their accomplishments and wouldn't have things any other way. I cherish that I have what I do with them and that we haven't had more adversity... but when that time comes, I know that we can handle it. Happy Birthday, Matt.

BTW, his biggest birthday present will come just a few months from now when he'll become a father. That's when the toment will begin. B)

I Think I See Your Problem Here, Keep Your Hands Off That 2

So my day off was rather interesting. Gotta remember to have quarters on me when I take a bus to AutoZone. Anyhow, I picked up the new plug wires that I would need. Replacing the first plug went alright. I also discovered that the same hold that the socket has on a plug upon removal, it also has a negative effect when putting in a plug and it usually takes the socket in with it. So I had to ease in the plug. Second one wouldn't come out. I tried pushing in more to get the socket on better. No luck. I moved on to the next one and it went alright. I went back to the second plug and tried again. Instead of grabbing, it was squishy. My next door neighbor came home and I stole a moment from him. I've seen him tearing engines and transmissions apart. He noticed something that I didn't. The little rubber boot on the end of the spark plug wire came off and was stuck in there and I had no way to get to it. So I put everything back together and drove to Checker Auto Parts. They were also stunned and right before I left they remembered that they sell a oil gasket pick. That did the trick. I removed the airhose and took care of the front two plugs. And then I see that I don't have enough room to reach the last plug with a 10 inch extension. I drove to Lowes and picked up a 6 inch extension which also proved fruitless. I was able to jam it in only so far but not luck (and removal was a pain in the ass.) So, I called it a night. The plugs were in pretty bad condition and I know I need to get the other one out. I have picked up a universal joint for the socket extension and plan to use it shortly. But, the car is running much much better. But, I do know why people are paid for this job: they have the right tools and they take a lot less time to do it without breaking wires.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Weak, Your Hanging Chads

Hard to believe but there are a lot of people out there that believe the Civil Rights movement only got them a lease. I happen to work with one of them -- really nice guy. Sadly, someone has put it into the heads of many African American men and women that there is a deadline coming and that "white America" will decide to not let them keep their voting rights in 2007. My big problem with that is: Wouldn't that upset the 42 black members of the House Of Representatives and 1 black member of the Senate? Wouldn't you hear more outcry from them or the NAACP? Do you think that they would be effective members of Congress if they weren't able to share equal rights with their peers as well as constituents? But, I do think there are a lot of people out there that would like to tell black voters that one party is trying to remove their voice from the public forum. But, I think Chicken Little screaming, "The sky is falling," is more believable. Why? Because, I know a lot of Caucasians that would be right there kicking in doors if civil rights were cast aside. I'd be one of them.

BTW: The NAACP and the U.S. Department of Justice both addressed the issue in 1998 and both stated that the 15th amendment prohibits discrimination in voting. It is a basic right, regardless of race, and is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

I Think I See Your Problem Here, Keep Your Hands Off That

So I leave the house last night (Tuesday night) to go get food. I came back and my garage door was open (I know I saw it shutting as I left.) My neighbor saw the error and was outside watching to make sure everything was alright and to scare away the one neighbor that walked by the garage a few times looking in. So I shut it the best I could so I could deal with it the next day. Meanwhile the car is losing power and after thinking that it's clogged fuel injectors, I had moved on to changing the spark plugs. So I leave for work this morning...

I drove home on the way back and felt the familiar issues with the car and decided to pick up some plugs for it and other accessories. I get a call when I get back from the garage door company and they say they will come out at 7pm (even though they close at 5pm.) I'm pretty impressed. So, I figure that I have enough time to change the plugs, grab a drink, clean a show or two off my Tivo and then watch the guy fix the garage door. This is not to be. In my attempt to pull one of the plug wires, the metal part that connects to the plug separates from the wire (pushing it back in didn't work.) I then find out my socket extention isn't long enough to reach the spark plug. So I wrapped up everything, cleaned up and waited for the garage door guy. He found out that my problem was the grooves on the sides of the doors that control the wires. The grooves were so worn down that the wires were catching on themselves. Wound up costing me about $100 ($30 service call, $60 parts and $10 tip I felt he deserved for doing overtime.) So, I then think... aha! I have time to run over to Lowes and pick up an extention, drop light and bulb. I do this and get back only to find that I really did screw up pulling that wire out and will probably need a new wire. The car died several times driving over to Lowes so I've decided that I'm going to have to call in sick tomorrow and get this crap figured out because I don't have another way to go about it. Watch me fix the wire issues, put in the new plugs and it winds up being a coil. I think I know why I have other people fix my car: so I don't feel like an idiot when I screw something up and make it worse.

My Own Hand-Drawn Asylum - Part 2

I may have discarded my comic book collection after high school but the stories always stayed with me. I found myself waiting for animated series for Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Batman, Superman, Justice League and Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law (had to put that one in here because it came out on DVD today.) Yes, the child inside the man...thankfully it's not to the Neverland Ranch extreme. But somewhere along the line, I noticed that it was Robotech (a Japanese anime sci-fi space adventure series) that really made an impression on me. I found myself collecting all 15 or so DVDs. That's when things too a turn. I noticed that the Japanese actually write endings to their shows. People die. These aren't just cartoons... where the Smurfs are always happy, Daphne never gets intimate with Fred and no one ever punishes the cheaters in the Laff-O-Lympics. I noticed that several other series I liked were originally from Japan: Voltron, Transformers and G-Force (a.k.a. - Gatchaman or Battle Of The Planets.) So my investigation into anime began and remains to this day. I actually have well over a couple hundred of the DVDs now and acquire more each week. There are always a few that aren't great but there are some gems out there like Ai Yori Aoshi, Inuyasha, Gundam Seed, Ranma 1/2, Neon Genesis Evangelion and many others. Of course, the market for these series is growing immensely as manga (Japanese comics) are getting snatched up by people interested in a decent story. So yes, I am not only obsessed with knowing all I can about 80's music.

My Own Hand-Drawn Asylum - Part 1

As some of you may know, I grew up with the sport of tennis on my shoulders. The school bus would drop me off at the courts on weekdays and weekends were spent at the tennis shop where I'd pretty much play matches or find ways to entertain myself. One of my earliest escapes from the mundane was when I woke up as early as I could to catch cartoons. I'd get up as early as they'd start (sometimes sleep in my sleeping bag in the living room so I'd be ready in the morning) which was usually around 6am. I knew just which channels had my Scooby Doo, Johnny Quest, Superfriends, Robotech, Voltron and many others. I also knew just when to turn the channel to avoid watching the Smurfs, Snorks and Littles. During summer vacations we'd usually go on tennis trips (play tournaments in other cities while bringing a bunch of other kids along.) This of course was also a bit of torture but I found ways to pass the time stuck in the car/van/RV by reading comic books. Then again, I think that back then 50 to 75 cents was a cheap way to silence a child for a few hours. Something about the stories sucked me in. I would wind up not eating lunch at junior high school just so I could use the money to walk next door to buy the latest comics. This lasted until close to the end of high school when I looked at the stack and saw "obsession" written all over it. Didn't make diddly squat selling them but it was a need to prove something to myself. Oddly enough, none of my family ever shared those same interests but I do think it helped define my need to escape reality and search for a good story.

No, That's Not The NFL Draft I Feel

I've decided that one of my next home projects is going to be properly sealing the area around my windows. One of the negative points of having a house that was built in 1983 and customized my the owner as it was being built is I have some weird-ass windows. The one in my bedroom measures 70 1/2 inches wide and 58 inches high and is essentially the old 2 glass windows side by side with one that slides left to open. Most of the windows in my house are this big. Meaning that 2 to 3 average-sized humans could be thrown through it at the same time. Kinda makes you feel vulnerable and is probably why I bought blinds as soon as I could. But, I also notice that they are really drafty (especially with the wind we've been having) and I can hear birds landing and grabbing things in the back yard from my bedroom. My problem with fixing it is three-fold: the standard window insulation might not be enough, the windows may not even open to attempt it and if sealed well might not solve the problem. Thought about getting a specialist in the house to test for air leaks to try to weatherproof the house better also. Oh well, another project on my growing to-do list.

Swallow This

While we still hear about positives of new diet drinks that taste just like the original (praise Splenda) and how large amounts of caffeine can be bad for the body. I tend to lean to diet drinks for the silly notion that I'd rather put calories in my body through food than drink. I also have been told to cut my caffeine for several reasons including a neat little eye twitch that I get here and there (just not as bad as South Park's Tweek.) So I tend to like diet drinks like Diet 7-up, caffeine Free Diet Coke and several other variants. But, I'd like you to look in your local 7-11's, AM/PM's and Stop 'N Slop's (ok, I made that one up but any type of convenience store) and see how many items you can find that don't have calories and caffeine. There are hardly any but usually if there is a demand, there is a market but not if there is one whole shelf dedicated to just Coke or Pepsi. Sales stats have shown that Diet Coke is outselling Coke yet... there are more spots for Coke. Vending machines do the same thing. 3 buttons for the original and one for the diet version. Makes me think that either they don't know their public or that they know what they want the public to consume and are limiting the availability of the options.

Submitted For Your Approval: Game Time

Since we did the link thing yesterday, I figured that it couldn't hurt to put a game up here. It's amazing how hard it gets after the first level. You just need to guide the little blue ball (yes, very funny programmer there) through the white area to the goal without touching the black. They also mention to turn up the volume on this one. Here's the link:

http://www.terminal-insanity.com/z1g/steadyhand.swf

This Is Only A Test

Found an interesting test called the Monday test and it's actually Monday so, why not give it a go. Monday Test

Las Vegas May Not Be As Sinful After All

Having never read Frank Miller's graphic novels, I went into the new film Sin City only seeing the trailers and some behind-the-scenes extras on a DVD at Best Buy. The cinematography is sharp, crisp and stands out from the use of black and white film (with hints of color at appropriate times.) If anything, the way the flashes of color pull your eyes across the screen really makes you feel you are being coerced into the stories. Black and white seems to befit a Sin City world full of grays. The film also utilizes narration in ways that I have yet to see on screen where even the narrator shifts from one character to another in one sequence. The acting was strong for this film although I do think that Michael Madsen could have sounded less stiff (as if he were reading a teleprompter.) Major kudos for Mickey Rourke's portrayal of Marv. Beautiful women (Alba, Gugino, Dawson, King, Murphey and many more) abound in the film with tons of imperfect men. This is a genre-busting film that firmly portrays the underbelly of civilized man. Not a film for the dainty, as this could definitely be filed as a horror film (the dead bodies become difficult to count) with sharp wit, well-directed action sequences and touching moments. For the first time in my life, I'm upset that I didn't go right back in to see the movie again.

Not a date movie but this is a hardcore adult rollercoaster waiting to happen.

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Carbohydrates

I have fond memories growing up of an elderly lady that would come by my father's work and would take us children with her to go feed the ducks. She would go to stores and pick up old bread that wouldn't normally be sold, tear it up in pieces and throw them towards the pond the ducks had staked out. During this time, I found the joy of scrunching up slices of bread into a little dough ball and eating it. I think it even tasted better. Something weird about taking it from the soft fluffy (Wonder white bread) risen slice and creating a tough and knobby mass. It just seemed to taste better that way. Anyhow, I don't think I've done that in decades. You have people cutting bread products out of their meals as they lower their carbohydrate intakes. Just reminding me that not only do ducks get to crap wherever they want, they don't think about diets.

Raving Madness

I got to thinking recently that I call this an area for my "rants" but I really don't hate that many things. Sure, I dislike a lot of veggies but I won't be the first to ban them from the planet. By the way, don't expect to see a blog about broccoli. I do hate purposeful misinformation, corruption, hate crimes and violence against women which I believe most people do. Those will always be there and I can expect myself to talk about them sometimes. The word "rant" means to speak or write in an angry or violent manner. It also means to rave - which is to express with extravagance. It could have probably solved a lot of problems if had I called it Gruntings Of An 80's Nut because on those off-days where you don't feel like writing you could just type "Ugg ugg grrah ungh."

Toad The Wet Sprocket - 5 Live

I've never been a big live album person. I remember hearing a lot about Toad The Wet Sprocket when I was listening to KUNV's Rock Avenue and even caught the video for "Is It For Me" on Night Tracks. But it would be their follow-up single, "All I Want," that would propel the group to stardom. 5 Live was a 5-track EP that was used to promote their most successful album Fear. The EP contains some of their early singles as well as a few album tracks from Fear recorded live in 1991 the old Anaconda Theatre in Isla Vista, California and the Wiskey A Go-Go in Hollywood. The precision guitarwork on "One Little Girl" alone made this collection my favorite live recording and the other tracks are great. This is a must have.

I Before E And Sometimes III: What's In A Name

I'm definitely one of those confused sorts when it comes to my name but I pretty much answer to anything. I was born Martin E Hennessy. My father was Martin Edwin Hennessy. To keep me from being a 'junior,' my mother decided to give me a letter for a middle name which changes it just enough to not be an exact match. But of course, I'd always be a 'junior' to the family. I would be called Marty because everyone called Dad that and of course 'junior' would follow often.

My father is probably one of the most amiable and personable people you will ever meet. Hence, he knows a lot of people through his profession and he is held in high respect in the community. Yet, the name 'Marty' became an albatross as well as a long shadow. When I entered High School, I decided to make my break from it. Everyone I was introduced to since then would only know me as Martin. It was exhilarating to feel like I had a personality and reputation of my own.

I would break away even more during this time with early BBS chat areas (around 1986) and develop different handles or screennames. This carried over into my passion for writing in which I took the name Varlet Graves (the early meaning behind which was being a mischievous servant of the graves). I would later throw the variant of Marten before Varlet Graves... which even later evolved into Marten Thomas Graves (M.T. Graves... just sounded spooky.) After I stopped my poetry and short story writing, I would just use the name Marten among friends (thinking there was less of a chance they'd try to shorten the spelling of that to Marty.)

While I had the pseudonym going for me in writing, I had to distinguish myself on paper also. For the longest time, I just wanted to change my name. A talk with my father's mother about our family history changed that slightly. My father was named after my grandfather's brother who had died as a child from lead poisoning. In my mind, that meant there weren't just two of us... I was a third but just not in the standard sense. So I opened my bank account (which I still have) as Martin E Hennessy III. That still exists on a lot of my paperwork which helped when I moved in with my father for several years. Mail was easier to separate and less weird bills wound up in his name or mine. But until recently, I have stopped using III on any paperwork other than bank statements.

It seems that it took several attempts at finding my own identity away from a name to find out that I was me all along and that my name is important to me. I still just go by Martin and will even smile when I see a Marten here or there. But seeing as I've used so many in some of my writing and site work, I figured that it would be good to clarify and finally get down in writing. I think I'm just one step happier in my own skin than I was back then.

At Least The Editorials Section Tells You What To Expect

I don't know why but this just ticked me off today:

I'm watching the news on CNN and the anchor introduces coverage of Ashley Smith's press conference where she received over $70,000 in rewards for helping apprehend Brian Nichols. "My life is testimony that God can use us even in the midst of tragedy and miracles do happen," said Smith. She would also continue to mention that her faith helped her through the situation and closed saying, "I would just like to say thank you all very much. I'm very honored and God bless you all." Upon returning from the conference, the female anchor tosses in a quick quip about how she feels like she has just left church. They then go into a biography on Smith.

I am not defending Smith's talking about her faith here but a news anchor should be held to a higher standard. If you are going to report "news" on a "news channel", learn what reporting is and what an editorial is. This just has me pissed off at not just the network but the way the media likes to throw a little jab in here and there but still claim themselves as a credible source for information.

Smells Of Home

Speaking of Mom, tonight I decided to attempt a recipie variation. Everyone knows how picky I am. But, there are times that I wished I sat in the kitchen when Mom was making dinner so I could not have to go without later in life. 15 years later - I'm missing her spaghetti, french toast, ultra-flat pancakes (she figured out recently that it was a crepe) and meatloaf. Spaghetti was always interesting for me because I loathe green bell peppers. Mom would either chop them really long and pull them out of the sauce later or chop them so small that I wouldn't notice. (This is the same woman that tricked me into believing that liver was just a really bland steak that needed ketchup -- figured that out when I was 22.) Anyhow, I've always knew something was missing from making spaghetti and tonight threw big slices of the bell peppers in. Of course, I yanked them out after cooking. I realized two things... I only needed half of the bell peppers because it is a very strong flavor and that it really does remind me of home. Now for the other recipies.