Feed me, Seymour...

The Wife and I took advantage of a rare sunny day in the City and took a walk today to the Conservatory of Flowers in the park. It reopened a few years ago, and I loved that the renovations kept the older style in mind.

The special exhibit currently on display features carnivorous plants, which was a lot of fun to look at, but unfortunately, none of them were actively feeding when we were there. I guess it's not like the zoo...bummer.

It's warm (they keep it tropical and moist in there), and it's hard to take a bad picture. Nice afternoon.

No business like Shoah business...

Finished My Holocaust, a satirical novel by Tova Reich about selling the memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Reich skewers everybody, leading up to the final battle to determine whose tragedy wins Worst Genocide Ever. Like other novel-length satires I have read, I thought the story petered out at the end, but this is a fast, funny (in a cringing sort of way) read and worth the trip. I'll go B.

Bless me, Father. I ate a lizard.

I just finished A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr., yet another in my recent string of post-apocalyptic novels (not sure that says healthy things about where my mind is these days?). In three acts, the book covers almost one thousand years of "history" after an all-out nuclear (or, as our President would say, "nukular") war almost wipes out humanity. On its surface, the book follows the canonization of Saint Leibowitz, a pre-war scientist whose work to preserve knowledge becomes increasingly mythologized over the centuries, leading to his eventual sainthood. On a deeper level, I think this book is about the seemingly inevitable, cyclical nature of humanity, both in its ability to grow and destroy itself, and I also think this book is about how the distance of time can create Gods from regular people.

That latter theme is one I wrestled with for a long time. When I was growing up, I got into regular arguments with my father about attending his church, an institution that was preaching absolute faith in what could, to my mind, at best be described as allegorical stories and fables. I remember asking him if, a thousand years from now and under the right circumstances, people will be worshipping the Lorax, and if entire holidays will be built around where you can and cannot eat green eggs and ham? Looking back, maybe that wasn't a very fair question, but I was thirteen, and fairness (to others) wasn't very high on my to-do list.

This book was slow at times, but the payoff was worth it. I have decided not to read the "sequel," as I worry it would only detract from my enjoyment of this novel and my respect for the author. Solid A.

Overheard on the train

On the train, going home last night:

"Oh, come on. Let me guess, she has some winning lottery tickets in her purse, too?

- Unidentified, bitter man behind me, speaking after a very attractive woman, wearing very little and carrying a big pizza box, got on the train and asked someone if this train stops at such-and-such street, because that's where her boyfriend lives.

Paying people to rub me

Over the weekend, The Wife and I took advantage of the nice weather to head up to Sonoma for some sun, wine, food, and relaxation. As part of our daytrip, we went to a spa; we have been to this particular spot a couple times before, and have enjoyed our past visits. On this particular occasion, however, several events occurred that gave me pause; I would love to hear any thoughts/ideas on how to handle such things:

• The Talkative Masseuse: the woman who did my massage would not stop talking. On top of that, it wasn't just chatter; she wanted to have an active conversation about her belief that human society has gone too far, and all of our backs would be better if we still squatted and sat on logs, and how I should quit my job if I can't get a better chair in my office. Ugh. Instead of asking her to stop talking, I took the passive route, reducing my responses to monosyllabic grunts, which did seem to slow her down, if not stop her altogether.
  
  
• Overexposed: it is inescapable that, during a massage, there will be parts of your body not normally shown to strangers that will be, if not outright exposed, at best very thinly veiled. I am not sure what this says about my self-esteem and/or modesty, but when there's a lot of Brendon showing, I normally feel sorry for the masseuse, rather than self-conscious. This time, based on both the breeze and the lack of fabric I was feeling, there were definite draping issues. I didn't adjust the sheet, and neither did she; I wondered if it was one of those situations where adjusting the sheet would only have served to call more attention to it, and embarrass both of us, and if we both ignored it, we could both pretend not to notice it? Tough call.
  
  
• Tipping: I always get a little anxious about tipping a masseuse, in part because I am not sure how to calculate the tip. Are you tipping based on time, based on what type of therapy you choose, or is it supposed to be a straight percentage of the overall cost, like a waiter? I have always gone the waiter route, say 15%-20% of the total cost of the treatment before tax, and it looks like most tipping guides agree with me. Given that no waiter has ever rubbed me, I figured it would be more, but that again may say more about me than the industry norms.
  

I should note that none of what is described above was really unpleasant or bad enough to make me reconsider going back; in fairness, I should also say that the massage itself was one of the best I have ever received, and I guess the chatter was worth the lack of pain today. Next time: bring the iPod.

TK421, why aren't you in my closet?

When your spouse tells you that you will be attending a wedding for one of his/her co-workers, I imagine your response is similar to mine: ugh. But when The Wife told me that we will be attending the upcoming wedding of a particular co-worker, I may have actually giggled with delight. Here's why:


This particular co-worker is marrying a nice young man...who happens to belong to the Golden Gate Garrison of the 501st Legion (the fighting 501st!), the self-billed "definitive Imperial costuming organization." I have been told that, although there may not be any Stormtroopers at the actual wedding (which there should be, if this is going to be a recognized union within the Empire), I can expect to see at least a small attachment make an appearance at the reception. You know what this means: pictures of me with Stormtroopers. Even as I am typing this, I am giggling again.

I got so exicited that I had a fleeting thought about building my own costume and enlisting...but that dream lasted about five minutes. Check out this site for instructions on building your own Stormtrooper suit. The short version: this is a long, expensive, time-consuming and potentially dangerous process that requires a LOT of money and a LOT of commitment. Of the voluminous materials needed to build a suit of armor, the only one I own is "the dream," and even that can get expensive.

UPDATE (5-21-07): The 501st made an appearance at the Bay To Breakers 12K yesterday, and a local station posted some footage of them (and others) here. Very cool!

All the way home

I would be shocked if I am the first person to bring this up, but apparently introductions may be in order.



Please meet...



You two have a lot in common, and should be making a lot of money together. Discuss.

Fun in the snow

This time last weekend, we were in snowy Lake Tahoe for a weekend getaway that almost didn't let us get away (see what I did there?). We stayed at the Montbleu, one of the casinos built about 2" over the Nevada state line, and had a very nice time. It was a good trip; we had some spa time, some poker time, and some us time. All very needed, and all very fun.

My better half ruled the poker tables; she monied in a tournament, and then took down a couple locals at a cash game, netting us enough money to almost pay off the whole trip. The cash game was a step up for us; we played $1-$2 No Limit, a style of poker we play in the tournaments, but there is a HUGE difference between throwing tournament chips into the pot and throwing actual money in there. We played for a couple hours; she almost tripled her buy in, and I walked away with $14 more than I sat down with. Both wins, right? Right? By the way, we didn't play at the CalNeva; I took this pic in memory of any number of law school discussions about venue that always took place at the CalNeva. Nothing like a good venue joke.

The only stressful part was when, Saturday night, an "unexpected Spring storm" blew in, bringing a nice coat of snow with it (you can see it blowing in the pic if you look closely). When we woke up Sunday morning to leave, we were told by the front desk to just put our chains on, and we'd be fine getting home. When I mentioned that we don't own chains, the lady asked me, "Well, you have four wheel drive, right?" When I explained that our Mini Cooper has four tires, but not much more than that, we were told to "drive very slowly." Done and done. By the time we left, the chain controls were off, and we got home without incident, but covered with salt and sand. Worth it.

We'll be back, Tahoe...but next time, several months into summer.

King of Cliched Plot Twists

I really need to exercise my new-found freedom to stop reading books. For whatever reason, I made it to the final page of The King of Colored Town, by Darryl Wimberley. If this book is not made into a movie, shown on Hallmark, Lifetime, Oxygen, or some other sappy channel with a predominantly pink webpage, I will be shocked.

Wimberley, a screenwriter, takes the reader on an overwrought, treacly journey where every cliche from every other book about America's segregated past is visible forty pages before it arrives: the poor young Black girl who overcomes incredible odds, the troubled young Black man who loves her but shares a terrible secret with our heroine, the hard-working teachers who help her, the spoiled rich white kids who hate her, etc., etc. Even the inevitable rape scene, at the hands of malicious men who think she is "uppity," not only occurs exactly where you would expect it to happen, but it takes a physical toll on the main character that, in what I am sure the author meant to be irony, robs the main character of her ability to take advantage of the scholarship you knew she would be offered.

This is a lazy, predictable book that pushes well past the boundaries of reality in an attempt to tell a story that I am sure was meant to be heart-warming and/or life affirming, but just comes off to me as a desperate attempt to carve out some chick lit dollars, both in books and eventually on screen. Ugh. D-

Big Book Roundup

Haven't talked about what I have been reading for a while, so here are some quicky reviews of the last few titles that have accompanied me on the train:



Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Beautifully written, great characters, and an amazing historical backdrop. Recommended. Solid A









English, August, by Upamanyu Chatterjee. Billed as the Indian Catcher in the Rye, I liked this book for the laziness of the main character, but more for the way he grew up towards the end. A good read for your own shiftless summer. Solid B








Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher. Fun fantasy book set in a world where everybody can conjure spirits, and therefore using magic is the norm. I like the author from his Dresden series, and so far this doesn't disappoint. B+








Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris. Awesome! A fantastic read, insightful and intelligent...everything I wanted from the Dawkins book, without any of the smugness or arrogance. Has changed the way I think and talk about my faith and my feelings about organized religion. Highly recommended. A+

Learn from me, gentle readers

Something we probably all know (and if you didn't before, now you do): you are entitled, once per year, to a free copy of your credit report.

Something I learned today, that you may already know, but if you did not, learn from my mistake: FreeCreditReport.com is a commercial site that will give you a "free" copy of your credit report, but only after you sign up for a yearly membership @ $12.95/month. (in all fairness, you do have the option of cancelling your yearly membership during the first month and you will pay nothing; however, in order to cancel your membership, you have to search diligently through the website's FAQ section for the 800 number [which is 1-877-481-6826, if you need it], call said 800 number, wait on hold, and then talk to a customer service rep who will read through some binder filled with information you already know in an attempt to talk you out of cancelling your membership. Ugh.)

However, AnnualCreditReport.com is where you can get an actually free report, once per year, without buying anything (or, in my case, without nervously staring at a calendar).

Hope that helps someone.

One Shining Moment

Some thoughts on last night's NCAA Championship game...

• The game itself was fun and fast-paced, a welcome relief after last year's buzz killer of a snoozefest. Congrats to the Gators; I assume the starting five will all go pro, which is good, as I am tired of seeing skanky Joakim Noah on my television.
  
• I also assume/hope that Greg Oden goes pro, as I cannot deal with the verbal masturbation of every announcer every time Oden steps on the floor. Enough, already!
  
• Was sorry my Colonels didn't make the cut for the "One Shining Moment" montage at the end. Apparently the guys in the editing room had just come from a strip club, and so made sure to include plenty of the dance teams and that Oregon cheerleader's ass. Maybe EKU should have played in g-strings?
  
• Was also sorry that, once again, I got owned in my bracket pool. I realize this sounds like a lie, but when I first put together my brackets, I had so many 1 and 2 seeds going deep that I said to myself, "That never happens," and went back in and picked a lot of upsets. Not to be.
  
• On a somewhat unrelated topic, did everybody see the commercial for Transformers, coming out this summer? That looks like good, brain-dead fun; I'll go see it so you don't have to.
  

Good tournament, and once again, I go into my sports cocoon, only to reemerge next November when college basketball returns. Enjoy your stock cars and football, America!

Sprung

Ah, Spring...that time of the year here in The City when I can leave my windows open 24 hours a day...and hear the car alarms down the street. When it is still light out when I leave work...meaning I get a better view of exactly what is in (and coming out of) the smelly pseudohippie's hair as he shakes his head back and forth on the train. When baseball is just around the corner...which means more time at the train station, getting slowed down by idiots coming to see the Giants, and who have obviously never been on transit before, let alone experienced the magic of an escalator. It's not a f--king ride, morons...keep moving.

Bitterness is in the air...

Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky

Last week, we went to Kentucky to spend some time with the family, as well as take in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The post below has links to some video I took; here are some pictures.

This is us at the games in Rupp Arena. When I bought the seats, I was not told that all of the seating in the upper deck of Rupp consists of bleachers...metal, no-backed bleachers. Not fun. We were crammed in together, and by Saturday, my back was killing me. Great games, but I would definitely think twice about going again in the future.

This is of me, rubbing Daniel Boone's foot for good luck at my alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University. I was very disappointed that they did not play in Lexington in the first round, but I was able to make the drive down to Richmond to see the old haunts, take some fun pics, and even buy a couple t-shirts. As we were driving past the arena, a bus pulled up, and out came the basketball team. As they had lost to North Carolina the night before, there was not a lot of fanfare, so I decided not to go say hi. Probably for the best; they looked pretty dejected, which I hope was from many hours on a bus, and not from their very respectable play against UNC.

Lots of good friends, family, and basketball. I even got to eat at a Bob Evans again...you just can't get those biscuits in California. Great trip!

NCAA vids

If you head over to my YouTube channel, you can see several new videos I have posted from my recent trip to Lexington, Kentucky, one of the host cities for the NCAA tournament. As my brackets are no longer worth the paper they are printed on, these videos and the remaining games will have to be enough to entertain you.

This video highlights one of the more fascinating things I saw at the games.



The Texas A&M Aggies did not have cheerleaders; instead, they have Yell Leaders, these vaguely Mormon-ish looking guys who give hand signals to the crowd to tell them what "yell" is next. You can read more about it here, but take it from me, as funny as it is to read about people in the "humping it" position is, it is a thousand times funnier to see hundreds of people actually doing it. Priceless.

Cat Touch Fever

We have two cats; one is 12 years old, the other is 7. When the younger one was a kitten, he would sleep nicely with the other cat, and she seemed to tolerate him. As he got older and more feisty, she kept her distance.

Over the past year or so, the younger one has calmed down a little, and I think they are starting to tolerate each other again. Now and then, if I come into a room quietly, I will see them sleeping near each other, but not touching. Because they are starting to accept each other, and because it is pretty chilly here 11 months out of 12, I have this theory that they lie next to each other for warmth, but only when we are not around to see them. Yes, I give them that much credit.

Over the weekend, I walked very quietly into the back bedroom, and took this picture:

The gray, older cat is at the top of the picture, and the younger one is that lump under the bed spread.

I finally cracked the case: my cats are Orthodox!

Big Dance, Take Two

With a last-second shot, my Eastern Kentucky University Colonels won the OVC Championship game, and advanced to their second NCAA Tournament in the past three years. Congratulations, Colonels, and good luck in the Big Dance!








ps. I know EKU will do well, if only because of their improved mascot.
Would you be afraid to play ball with this guy?

And...suddenly I lost interest

In the end, it only took one line:

"Don't worry...there are tons of celebrities to rob other than Mick Jagger."



And with that one line, I am probably done. I enjoyed The Knights of Prosperity, not only for its goofball humor, but also out of respect for a show whose limited premise basically required it to be a "one and done" single season series: a gang of losers, longing for the sweet life, plan to rob Mick Jagger. They set up the heist, various hijinx ensue, and 20ish episodes later, you wrap things up and call it a night. Right?

Wrong. I guess I tried to forget that television is a business, and no channel is likely to invest in a show that doesn't have some (albeit remote) hope to make it to the coveted 100 episodes necessary for syndication (read: free money). When the above line was uttered, my fantasy bubble was popped, and now I fear the remaining episodes will be a sad parade of cameos, as various B-listers shuffle through, wondering how to find Isaac and the lido deck.

Too bad; you were a lot of fun while I thought you were coming to an abrupt end.

Physical and emotional pain

That is what I feel every time I watch Adult Swim.

Many years ago, a good friend and I sat in my living room in Auburn, Alabama, and talked about creating a cable television channel that would show all of our favorite shows from the 70s and 80s, predominantly cartoons we grew up watching. Little did we know that, while we merely talked about The Damn Channel, one state over in the heart of Hotlanta, people were apparently having the same conversation. One difference is that they went one step further and talked about not only showing great cartoons, but making their own. Of course, the main difference is that they then went to Ted Turner and asked for large bags of cash to actually make it happen.

Now, every time I watch Adult Swim, as much as I enjoy it, at the same time, I also think, "Why am I not making this show?"

Damn.

Fun in Sin City

Back from a long weekend in Vegas; once again, we had a fantastic time. Here's a video I shot of the view from our hotel room:



The food highlight was Mix, situated on the 64th floor of the Mandalay Bay. The food was great, but it was not the best meal I have ever had, and I am not sure it was worth the price. I think we were paying for the ambience more than the food. On the entertainment front, we saw The Producers, "starring" David Hasselhoff. I will give him credit; he went for it, and the show was more entertaining because of it. I took a small ironic pleasure in the idea that The Hoff may end up alienating some of his German fans by playing a gay Hitler. As far as gaming went, I managed to play hours of poker every day, and was pleased with how I did. I played in five tournaments; I made the final table in three of them, and won one of them. In addition to the money, they gave me a souvenir chip that says "First Place" on it; that may have to be my card protector at our next home game. In addition to the tournaments, I sat down at three different cash games and played for a couple hours each time. When you add up the money I won, minus all of the buy-ins, I ended up losing $30 over three days and probably 12+ hours of play. Not bad at all.

Our trip to Vegas inadvertently overlapped with the NBA All Star game; fortunately, we were not exposed to any of the ugliness that we heard about, both through the media and word-of-mouth from cabbies and hotel workers (apparently the casinos are still very good at suppressing news that may have a negative effect on tourism). The short version of what we heard seemed to go like this:

• If you live in Las Vegas, made money due to the game being in town, BUT didn't have to be anywhere near the actual game/city/people, then you probably loved the event.

• If you live in Las Vegas, tried to make money on the game, AND had to actually be there to do so, you probably hated the event (and, according to three separate cab drivers, probably made less money than you would during a typical weekend without the influx of people).

What I know is that there were an extra 300,000 people in the city over and above the normal amount of tourists (which, given that it was a holiday weekend and Chinese New Year...Gung Hay Fat Choy, by the way...is already a lot), so it was hard to get a hotel room, a cab, and dinner reservations. Good thing we planned ahead.

As usual, we had a great time, and as usual, it is good to get out of Vegas after a couple days. That way, in a couple months, I'll be ready to go back.

The funk of forty thousand years...

What a fantastic weekend for left-of-center entertainment! On Friday, I finished World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks. If you read this blog with any regularity (or if you just scroll down a little), you will see that I have been hitting the philosophy and heavy literature pretty hard of late, and I think when you add that in to my job stress, I was working my way into a pretty dark place. So to lighten the load a little, I read a book about a zombie war. The end result? This was, hands down, one of the most fun reads I have had in a long time. I tore through this book like Zack through the Army at Yonkers (inside [the book] joke), and I loved every minute of it. The oral history angle is a good one; a great way to make the book global, and yet personal, all at the same time. On top of that, add in the sci-fi zombie angle, as well as the alternate history what-would-the-world-look-like-afterwards angle, and you end up with an exciting, interesting, and (surprisingly) thoughtful book. If you like any of the above themes, I recommend this book highly. After I finished, I found a cheap copy on eBay and mailed it directly to my brother. Others must know. Solid A.

Then last night, we went to see Pan's Labyrinth, the latest film from Guillermo del Toro. I really liked this movie; it interweaves a fantastical fairy tale within a painfully realistic story of survival and hate. I thought the visuals were amazing, if often grotesque, and I was pleasantly surprised that I recognized more Spanish words than I thought I would. I would recommend seeing this movie on the big screen, for the imagery, the sound, and because it makes it easier to read the subtitles. See this film!

Are you there, God? [part two]

Finished The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, last week, and have to say that, overall, I was disappointed. I thought that he made some interesting points (given both my current and past careers, I found the discussion of religion as a form of child abuse very interesting), and additionally argued well for the acceptance of atheists as normal, healthy people, rather than wicked heathens who should be outcasts.

But what struck me throughout the book, and really turned me off, was the smugness with which the author made many of his points. It seems odd to try and make the point that atheists are not all intellectual snobs, looking down their noses at religious people as ignorant, but then basically prove that same point by looking down his nose at religious people and portray them as ignorant (or worse). I guess I was hoping for a more clear-cut "here is why I am an atheist and why atheism is okay" book, rather than a manifesto. To be fair, Dawkins makes it clear early in the book that he is out to convert, so I was not necessarily surprised by the tone of the book. However, part of what I dislike about religion is its attempt to make me a believer; trying to make that aspect of religion work for the anti-religious comes off as insincere and ugly.

I'll give this book a nice, agnostic C.

(btw, if you look to the right, you will see that, with my next book, I have decided to take a little break from philosophy and heavy literature, and read something that is just fun. I'm only a few pages in, but so far, so good!)

Laettner for three...

Received our 2007 NCAA tournament tickets in the mail today; this picture is the view we will have during the first and second rounds in Lexington.


Not exactly courtside, but right in the middle and definitely worth the price. They may not let me in if they read that subject line, but that's pretty unlikely.

Maybe the birds did it!

I finished The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers, and I think the nicest thing I can say about the book is that it was written very well. Did I care about any of the characters? Not really. Did I relate to any of them? Again, not especially. Did the plot explore any topics I find fascinating? Nope. So why keep going? Because the writing was that good. I think a good comparison would be this: imagine sitting at a dinner party, listening to a not-terribly interesting story, but the storyteller is James Earl Jones. With a voice like that, I would listen to a reading of the phone book for a little while.

Same with this book. I finished it about a week ago, and I already would be hard pressed to remember large portions of the plot, but what I do remember is enjoying the voice. I will certainly look at other works by this author, but I wouldn't necessarily give this book a strong recommendation. I'll go B-.

The geeks are in charge

I loved it when Lost did this, and I love that Heroes is doing it as well.


This sort of subliminal advertising, that requires me to actively seek out the ad, rather than passively sit back and be fed images of sexy women and alcohol and such, is, I'm a little embarrassed to admit, just good geeky fun.

Balk

balk /bawk/ v. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on [ex. The horse balked at the jump]

Something I am going to try to be better about, now and into the future (call it a resolution, if you must), is give myself permission to stop reading a book if I am just struggling to get through it. Usually, once I start, I feel like I have to see it through to the end, find out if it gets better, etc. No more; if I am bored or uninterested, I am going to start stopping.


Case in point: Snow, by Orhan Pamuk. I got about half way through this book, and I realized that I had been reading it for about two weeks. If you read this site, you know I have a lot of reading time on my commute, and usually finish a book in a week, sometimes faster. I realized part of the pacing problem: I just truly didn't care. The writing style was somewhat engaging, but the story just put me into a stupor, and I further realized that I had no interest in how the story continued, let alone ended.

If you finished this book, and think I am missing out, let me know. As for me, I have a growing pile of books from the library that I want to read, and it is time to allow myself to move on.

Sunday, Yummy Sunday

What a weekend! Started it off by coming in 4th place in an online freeroll poker tournament (started with 1,800 players!). Best $7 I earned (that's right, earned!) this weekend. True, it was also the only $7 I earned this weekend, but that's beside the point.

Sunday, we tried a fun dim sum place for lunch before doing some shopping (they have fun pictures of some of their menu items here). We've heard really good things about this place, and it was good, but we've had better. The salty pepper fish was pretty amazing, but I am not sure I would go back (the wait was pretty long, although to be fair, we went at the height of the yum cha rush).

BTW, in case you were wondering, I think even Bono would punch me for that title.

The 2006 Esqys

Last year, I made a list of some of the highlights of the year, and thought I would continue the tradition. Like last year, I am favored to win every category, and I must remind everybody...please, no wagering.

Best trip (non-family) = the Mini Takes the States Road Rally. Fun trip, fun people, fun to not be at work for a whole week. Check out my archives for the full story.

Best trip (family) = Thanksgiving in Colorado with the Gilberts. Great to see everybody again, and need to do that more often.

Best book I read this year = The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Beautifully simple book about the love between a father and a son...told against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic nightmare. If my father were still alive, I would have shared this book with him.

Best new habit = getting more assertive at work. As I continue to learn the law and the various court procedures, I am trying to become a better advocate for my clients. I am getting better at believing in myself and standing my ground when I think I am right. More and more often, I am.

Best new habit, runner up = paying off debt. We have been free of credit card debt for a few years now, but earlier this year I was able to pay off my undergraduate student loans, we are a couple payments away from paying off the car, and should be able to pay off the wife's student loans in the coming year. My law school debt will be hanging around for quite a while (emphasis on "quite"), but with those others out of the way, I think we can seriously begin looking at buying our own home in the near future. Yay, us!

Best continuing habit = running, but I'm not going as often as I need to. Hopefully this will be a continuing winner in years to come.

Best purchase (big) = our new car, an '06 Mini Cooper. Made driving fun again, and made parking less of a chore. Also exciting? I've never owned a new car before. Honestly, made (makes) me a little nervous.

Best purchase (smaller) = TiVo. Has revolutionized how I watch television, and I am proud to say, has worked out how I hoped: I watch fewer overall hours of television, and can't remember the last commercial I saw. Fantastic!

Best videogame = Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. Playing video games in my 30s? Check. Playing a game where I get to re-live my favorite movies of all time? Check. Both of those, but doing it as lego characters? Check. All of the above, and the wife likes to play it with me? Come on...that's almost too many positives for one game!

2006 was a positive year for me, and I hope it was good for you as well. Good luck to all of us in the coming year!

Mochitsuki!

This morning, we woke up very early (esp. for a Saturday!) and drove to San Jose to take part in a Japanese new year custom called mochitsuki, which involves steaming rice, pounding into a paste, and then forming it into little disc-shaped rolls to be eaten on New Year's Day. It was a lot of fun to see everybody, share a traditional custom, and beat the hell out of some unsuspecting rice. Good times.

Here's me, showing some rice who's boss.



This one shows our friends pounding their mochi...and yes, in case you wondered, the double entendres were pretty much an all-day event.





We got to see our good friends, drank sake, took out some aggression on some rice, and went home with way too many mochi. What's not to love?

On the comeback trail...

If you are a regular reader (I'm speaking to both of you here), you know my sorrow at getting kicked off my favorite online poker site due to recent legislation which attempts to ban US players from making deposits to certain online gaming sites.

So I am trying to get back in the old-fashioned way...by winning free money!


This morning (I'm embarrassed to admit how long I played), I monied in my second freeroll, making it to the final table and coming in 8th out of 1,800 players. I now have a mighty $5 of other people in my account, and am pleased that I am once again playing poker with free money.

WSOP, here I come!

Shootings and tigers and earthquakes...oh my!

Busy day in my neighborhood; came home to see on the news that a tiger "attacked" a volunteer at the zoo down the street. While I was watching that, at least six cop cars and three ambulances went screaming past us to a house one block up where a cop and suspect both died in a gun battle. While I was watching the local news to learn about the shooting, a small earthquake hit, shaking us up but causing no damage.

No locust swarms or frogs yet, but I'm keeping an umbrella handy just in case.

One dozen and counting

The better half and I celebrated twelve years of being married this weekend with a fun "vacation" downtown. We relaxed, had a fantastic dinner, and then retired for the evening. We even had fun breakfast this morning, and did not order our eggs poached.

Happy anniversary to us!

Everybody Wang Chung...

Finished American Psycho, and as weird as it sounds, I enjoyed this book. It is harrowing, disgusting, pornographically violent, and all the same, it was fun to read. Watching as Patrick slowly spirals into his personal hell, which may or may not exist outside of his own mind, you get a real snapshot of the superficial 80s in all their New Wave glamour. The details of the narrative, especially about the clothing, are meticulous, and one of the main reasons this book works so effectively as satire. The concept that the characters have everything going for them on the surface, but are so utterly empty and alone, is driven home perfectly.

This book is not for the squeamish; I consider myself fairly desensitized by now, but a couple of the scenes made my stomach turn. Also a tricky book to read on the train; definitely one of those books that gets so graphic, you start to wonder if anyone is reading over your shoulder, and if so, what they must think of you. I give this book a solid A, and recommend it if you want to see how satire is done.

Now, in a rare double bill, I have to share that after finishing Psycho, I thought I would give Ellis's first book, Less Than Zero, a try. It is such a fast read, I didn't even have time to put it in the sidebar. Maybe it was because I had just finished Psycho, and was expecting bigger things, but I really didn't care for this book. The other maybe? I think Zero was the author's warm up to Psycho, and the latter is in my opinion the vastly superior book. There are several shared themes: too much money, too many drugs, too much sex, and so much of everything that none of it means anything to anyone. All of the characters in Zero were bored, and I got very bored reading about their "poor little rich kids" lives. I will say I liked the book better than the movie, but that is (a) pretty normal, and (b) still not saying much. D.

Envying the fictional

Every time I log on to Gmail, I see this picture, advertising their new phone-compatible email program.

This fictional person leads a very rich, full fictional life. Where is his spam promising low interest rates and cheap prescription drugs?

I hope he has fun at his fictional BBQ. I wouldn't mind getting invited to a fictional BBQ.

Out of this world!

[I tried to think of the cheesiest title possible for this post, the one that would make Ellis cringe the most, and I believe I picked a winner]

I finished Lunar Park, by Bret Easton Ellis, and I was impressed. This is the first Ellis book I have read, and based on the publicity I have heard about him, the mix of praise and disgust, I am not sure what I expected, but "tender" was not high on the list.

On the surface, this is a horror story, a pseudo-autobiographical account of events that the author claims happened in his life. If you choose to believe that these events actually happened, I am guessing you also loved that horrible Johnny Depp movie. If, like me, you choose to see the "events" of this book more as either drug/alcohol induced nightmares, and/or simple theatrical devices used by the author to show us his own inner deterioration as the rift between himself and his estranged father eats at him over the years, then I think this is an easier book to digest (pun somewhat intended), and is much more interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were stretches where I thought it could have been tighter (the first chapter was useful to me, but I can understand how critics would see it as self-indulgent), but overall, I was impressed that the author used the underlying horror story as a lesson about connecting with his own son in a way that he did not connect with his father. The final chapter is touching, and there is a genuine sadness there, even if it is hidden behind fictional characters and blood-soaked monsters. I want to read American Psycho so I understand some of the portions of this book that refer to the earlier work, and based on the author's writing style, I think I will enjoy reading it. I'll give this book a solid B.

Thanksgiving Day Race

Here's another video from my trip, that for some reason I can't embed on the blog (?). Not sure what I like more: my mom's laughter when I make fun of my brother's bald head (which is in the middle of the screen in the back, wearing a cool headband/earmuff combo), or my uncle's attempt to hide behind my mom and not be on camera. Probably a tie.

The Slide

Same park, same niece, but different adult and apparatus. Notice the lack of injury this time. Lesson learned.

The Tire Swing

My niece, enjoying the tire swing at a local elementary school. What I didn't record was her dismount shortly after this, when we had played too long and she got very dizzy, which resulted in her losing her balance, falling, and hitting her head. Worst. Uncle. Ever.

Turkey Day in Colorado

Just got back from a Thanksgiving visit to see the family in Colorado. Although it meant once again abandoning our normal Turkey Day ritual of staying home and in pajamas all day, I am really glad we went. The airport both ways was (amazingly) easy to navigate, in part because we went out on Tuesday and came back Friday night. Both ways, the airport was almost empty, and getting a rental car was simple (although I am so sick of the hard sell at the counter: just give me what I reserved, and stop trying to sell me expensive insurance and upgrades I don't want. Is that so much to ask for?).

The trip was hosted locally by my grandparents, and included seeing almost all of the (immediate) members of my mom's side of the family, including my mom, my brother and his family, and a surprise visit by special guest star Uncle Bob. My brother's three kids were the stars of the show; they are all adorable, well behaved, and a lot of fun to be around. Hard to believe they are related to me.

On Thanksgiving Day, we all went downtown in the freezing cold (it was below 30 degrees, so I am not exaggerating here) for the Thanksgiving Day Run, a four mile event that wound its way through the Fort. My brother actually ran, while my Mom, Uncle Bob, and I walked it. I felt a little better about eating several plates of food later that day...a little.

Speaking of food, no trip is complete without making sure that my dietary tourism is complete. We hit the two big spots on my itinerary, which are admittedly on opposite ends of the culinary spectrum, but both great stops for me: Bisetti's, a local favorite for decades and a must-visit on any trip to see the grandparents; and Fazoli's, that most-missed fast-food favorite of mine that hasn't quite expanded out to me, but is working its way West. Someday...[sigh]...

Great time, great trip, and wonderful to see the family again. Need to do that more often.

Daddy Dearest

I finished The King of Kings County, by Whitney Terrell. The story covers a span of several decades, and manages to stay true to the characters in a realistic manner as human beings, not two-dimensional characters. I hate it in a movie when we see the character as a child, and then twenty years later as an adult, and they are wearing the same glasses and clothing so we know who they are (I think of this as "The Big Change," although that might not be fair to said movie). Heavy-handed visual cues like that pander to the audience, making a paternalistic assumption that we are too dumb to otherwise follow a story. In this book, the characters didn't just get older, they grew up, and did so in a thoughtful and well-planned manner.

I liked this book; I doubt I would have picked it up unless it had been recommended to me, but having read it, I not only enjoyed the story itself, but I enjoyed the writing enough that I will probably take a look at Terrell's other works. I seem to be on a kick recently, reading books told in the first person by authors writing about themselves, talking about their difficult relationships with their respective fathers (see sidebar for my current book). You don't have to be Freud to figure out why I have been reading this type of book recently, but it also helps that they are well-written and, realistically, don't resolve neatly or cleanly. I'll give this book a solid B.

My Xmas bonus

I went on a trip to the Central Valley today to visit four different clients; made for a long day, but glad I was able to see all of them in one big swing. At my third stop, my seven year-old client asked me where I worked; when I said Oakland, she said, "Wow, that's a long drive." She's right; probably 1.5 hours without traffic. When the visit was over, she excused herself while I talked to the foster mom, and when she came back, she gave me this apple "in case you get hungry."

I know I probably earn a fraction of the money the corporate law types make, but how many of them get apples? A nice ending to a long day.

Are you there, God? No, really...are you there?

I finished The Eternal Footman, by James Morrow, and by doing so, I also finished what the author refers to as The Godhead Trilogy, three related and yet separate novels which explore how the world would react if the dead body of God, all two miles of Him, fell from the sky and landed in the Atlantic Ocean. I would absolutely recommend these books (especially Towing Jehovah, the first book in the series) to anybody, whether or not you are religious or believe in God. The concept of God dying plays with everybody's beliefs: if you believe in God, but He died, would your belief change, strengthen, or weaken? If you did not believe in God, would His death change your mind? And maybe most importantly, would the concrete knowledge that there was a God, but He is now dead, change how we interact with each other?

These books are fantastic, as novels, as satire, and as explorations of the reader's beliefs through the actions of the characters. A+ for all three books, no question.

Goodbye, dear friend

With the passage of the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act, several internet poker sites are either suspending play for US players, or simply restricting new deposits. My favorite site, Hollywood Poker, stopped all real money play for US players last week, and gave us two days to cash out. So with the passage of this bill comes the close of something I probably spent too much time doing anyway. I am not sure whether to thank the Republicans, or hope they all get run out of office...oh, wait a minute...

Come on, Dems...bring back my hobby!

(ps. as to the post below; it turns out that a lot of people knew that they would be getting thrown off of the site, but rather than cashing out, were instead playing in real money games and sort of "burning off their money," i.e. playing really badly in the hopes of either hitting big or going out in a blaze of glory. I played several smaller tournaments right before the US players got cut out, and monied in several, adding close to $40 to the total cash out check I will get in the mail soon. Again, given that I never put a dollar into the site, getting a check for a few hundred bucks of other peoples' money should be something I am excited about, but I think I would rather keep playing...)

Roller Coaster

That's how I would describe my poker of late; up, down, and a lot of sideways. I won two freerolls in two weeks (beat out 389 players in the first one, 494 in the second, pictured above), but have been getting owned in the sit-and-go tournaments, which are single-table, ten players, winner take all. I think the problem is that I usually play very low-stakes games, and therefore people have little to lose, and luck is more of a factor than it should be: people don't respect a healthy bet, people chase hands till the end, and, quite frankly, people do absolutely idiotic things and occasionally get rewarded for it. Luck has to be part of the game, otherwise it wouldn't be fun, and I have certainly gotten lucky my fair share of times. However, as ironic as this sounds, I think I need to play in games where there is a little more at stake to cut down on the "luck" factor.

I'm sure my wife is thrilled to read that.

Fortunate Son

I finished The Greatest Man In Cedar Hole, by Stephanie Doyon, last week. I liked this book a lot; I thought that the characters were interesting, the plot was a little predictable but still fun, and the author's writing style was light and easy to follow. Not the Greatest Book In My Library, but definitely enjoyable.

I particularly enjoyed the subplot about Spud's business; without giving too much away, I will share that he gets involved in a get-rich-quick scheme that actually gets him fairly rich, fairly quick. I thought the author handled this very well; it must be very tricky to allow the reader to see just enough of what is going on without giving too much away, and to do it in a way that seems plausible to the characters as well. Nicely done; I'll go B+ and recommend this book.

Sweeping the clouds away

Had a great time last night; was on "the list" for an event put on by the JCCCNC, an organization in which a good friend of ours is very active. The event was called Asian Americans on Broadway: Opening Doors; the show consisted of half a dozen Broadway vets singing show tunes from shows they have performed in, as well as telling stories about the difficulties involved in getting roles. It was an entertaining evening; Michael K. Lee has a voice that could stop a truck (a good skill, since he mentioned leaving for Korea soon to do Miss Saigon...remember to duck and cover, Michael!), and Christine Toy Johnson's story of how the poster art for the show She Loves Me was changed from a blonde to a brunette when she starred in it was a crowd pleaser. When I met Christine in the lobby later, I told her I remembered her role on Oz; she seemed pleased and surprised, all at the same time. I loved Hazel Anne Raymundo's rendition of "The More You Ruv Someone" from Avenue Q, and I especially liked that the crowd enjoyed it as well.

But there is no question that, for me, the highlight of the evening was watching and later meeting Alan Muraoka, seen here with my beautiful wife. If you don't have kids (or, in the alternative, if you aren't a big geek like me), you may not know that Alan is a regular on Sesame Street; he is the current proprietor of the store that used to be run by Mr. Hooper. Alan was not only gracious enough to pose for a photo (I played the "my nephews and niece are big fans" card, allowing me not to embarrass myself further with the "I was sad when Mr. Hooper died, even though I'm a grown man" or "I have a Sesame Street tattoo, even though I'm a grown man...do you want to see it?" cards. That would have been pretty pitiful), he is sending autographed cast photos to said nephews and niece, thus finally assuring I will not win the "Worst Uncle Ever" award again this year. I was running out of room on my metaphorical mantle.

A great evening...a "magic carpet ride," if you will...