rogue

rogue is coming very soon. i'm busy as a beaver, painting up a storm. click on my art blog link (to the right) to see previous work, some of which will appear @ the rogue.

amazing race all stars

so, tonight came by and watched the first episode of amazing race all stars.

we picked teams, each of us picking two squads:
mike - rob & amber, kandice & dustin (beauty queens)
heather - charla & mirna, ozwald & danny
ed - kandice & dustin, eric & danielle

so, we're fifteen minutes in. we'll see if one of my teams gets eliminated the first night, like last time.

death for swindlers!

uhhh, i'm not a fan of the death penalty, so i generally think that any time it is being exercised that it's wrong.

i came across this story on the bbc and thought, holy cow. death penalty for running a scam. c r a z y.


and then i saw this story about youtube & mexican drug cartels. even crazier.

and a link for annthrope

check check check check check it out

interested in reading something funny i wrote?

back from the dead

no, not me. our laptop. it seems that after i posted my last blog entry last thursday night, our computer decided to take a dump on me. not exactly sure what happened, but somehow our o.s. got messed up. so, it wasn't working very well out all. at first, i could still do most things, slowly, but later it wouldn't let me on the internet. so, i knew trouble was a brewin'.

thankfully, i've got a buddy who is a bit of a mac guru. that used to be scott, but south carolina is a long way to take the computer. my buddy mark helped me get it all fixed up and working snappy. we ran several different programs to fix the hard drive, and when it was all said and done we still had to reinstall everything.

but it's working!

survivor fiji

heads up, tonight is the debut of survivor fiji. if any of you fresno folks want to get together to watch it, give me a call. and, if you want to put together a pool i'm game for it. i'll also be watching csi (please remove liev schreiber). and, we'll be recording earl, office & scrubs.

something else to watch out for is the debut of the next round of amazing race on sunday. it's all stars.

coca = good

i saw this article while riding the bus in the bee, and figured i'd try and find it online when i got home.

the article, which is about hugo chavez, president of venezuala offering to buy coca products from bolivia. pretty interesting idea, and something that could actually help to cut back on production of cocaine. the coca plant can be used for many legal substances, and has deep cultural significance in bolivia.

i've said before that i like chavez (or at least i thought i did, i can't find a blog post about it). there may be things where i would quibble with him, but this is another example of positive ways to help a country. it doesn't just have to be about funding "wars" and overthrowing governments (i'm not pointing any fingers here, don't get testy uncle sam). here's some other proposals, "Among his foreign aid programs is a promised refinery for Nicaragua, cut-rate fuels for Ecuador and continuing bond purchases from Argentina."

pretty good stuff.

now them's some cheap tickets

hey, i've only got a little soft spot in my heart for metal, but this make me excited.

so, about the tower

interested in reading an article about the tower district that doesn't really say all that much? got to love the bee.

hoaxes

so, clink on this link to see massachusett's hoax bomb law. section b is particularly interesting.

basically, if i leave something, and someone "reasonably" believes it to be a threat, i'm going to get arrested as a bomb threat. can't say i agree with that.

here's another perspective.

"To us, they're so obviously not suspicious," said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart. "They're not suspicious devices or packages. We don't consider them dangerous." that's a different take from law enforcement.

two more perspectives
san fran


or

new york

your memories are wrong

last night, adam and kasey and i were chatting about a whole lot of things. somehow, our discussion went to fashion fair mall, and the location of one of the bathrooms. you see, there was a particular restroom that was located downstairs, next to orange julius, in front of where santa hangs out (when he's there).

anyhow, we all remember the restroom. but, do the restrooms still exist? or were they moved? two of us remembered it one way. one of us said that they were no longer there.

it didn't get heated, but a bet was placed. at first, it was just about honor. but, @ the prodding of someone (ok, me), the bet needed to be worth something. $10 seemed like a fitting amount. and i was dispatched to provide a definitive answer (i don't work too far from there).

here we go:

approaching the area. i see the sign for restrooms, pointing towards the location. looks good for someone


d'oh! this is the view from santa's spot. i see starbucks, i can see security spot, and no restroom.


a closer shot that illustrates much the same. no restroom in between santa & starbucks


sign that explains where the restroom went


the view from the other side


adam, you owe kasey $10. we should have known better than to doubt a woman about knowledge of a mall (i know, stereotype, & i'm just kidding).

wha? what's going on?

got to looooove over reactions from idiots. hmmm, somebody puts up lite brights in a several large cities. then, someone thinks they're a bomb, despite the fact that they are freakin lite brights. and then, they artist responsible gets arrested. oh yeah, how about this quote, "The company said that they have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia." two weeks! way to notice those dangerous bombs. and now the mass. attorney general is involved. sheesh. the devices had parts consistant with an improvised electronic device (ied). except for that explosive part. so, it had l.e.d. lights, some wires, a circuit board. if i left a computer under a bridge, would they think that was a bomb too? oh, it also pisses me off that they keep referring to this as a hoax. it wasn't a hoax. there were no bomb threat call ins, it wasn't supposed to be thought of as a bomb. it is guerrilla marketing. not pretend bombs.

cause, you know, aqua teen hunger force is the real problem in society. kinda like bush focusing on excessive corporate payoffs instead of, you know, that war. and surprise, the "businessman" that couldn't run a baseball team sides with business. (okay, i think businesses should decide how they payout people, not the government too. but still. hey, how about that whole, war's over, we won deal?)


(getting annoyed. need to breathe. think happy thoughts. motorcycle. smile.)

yep, that's about it.

not too much to say. just putting up a little post to let you all know that i'm still alive. teaching, track, and motorcycle riding is about what i've been up to.

thursday night is art hop, for those interested in checking out art. some of my paintings will be up again @ tower mosaic, although i'm probably going to only be there for a little bit. i'm only sorta showing (they had a little space, needed a few pieces, so i left 3). i will be going over to studio itz because chuck mcnally is getting married. i'll tell you the story later if you want to know. also, i'm sure i'll head over to the club jinnaka area, and maybe even broadway studios. haven't been there in quite a while.

two wheels good, four wheels bad

something new lives in my garage

and it meets air standards

quick music hit

so, as i'm taking care of some business around the residence today, i decided to throw on some music. first, i needed to record the final countdown on my phone. yep, that's my new ringtone.

but what would i listen to after? well, i saw an album i'd downloaded from emusic this month but hadn't listened to yet. gotta put that on.

aesop rock - labor days.

this album is amazing. if i remember correctly, it's his first full length. i'll be picking up the other albums he has on emusic as soon as my monthly downloads recharge. freaking amazing. well, that is, if you like hip hop. if you care about vocal wordsmiths, you need to check out aesop. if you're concerned with getting jiggy or being a studio gangster, leave it alone.

i should also point out that heather has been wanting to get one of his later albums for a while, because she was exposed to one of his songs via m2 and really liked it. i did, too, but she gets to be the purveyor of cool for this one.

stupid music meme

frankly, i'm not a fan of memes. usually, when i see several blogs taking them on, i tend to read but ignore. so, when adam put up his little musical history, i didn't really even give it a thought for my blog. then heather did it. then jay. then lefty. and not only did he do it, but he also called me out by name.

now, i'm no michael j fox in back the future, going stupid everytime someone calls me chicken. but, i like music. so, screw it, here we go:
if i were to describe my musical tastes throughout the years with one word it would be schizophrenic.
when i was a child, i listened to music like a child. i think i listened to oldies. but, i do remember that my step dad had styx on vinyl, and so we would always rock out to mr. roboto and look @ the bizarre photos on the album sleeve.
really, i don't remember too much music, until about fifth or sixth grade. what happened then? well, frankly, my brother had impeccable music taste. and, i, of course, got to listen to what he was listening to. so, he listened to the local college radio station and i listened to the local college radio station. so, i remember walking to school, listening to mix tapes on my walkman. songs like blister in the sun (which i loved to recount with glee when my friends in high school finally caught on to that song), bands like suicidal tendencies, and a fair bit of reggae. there was other stuff as well.

it's also @ this time that i was exposed to a few things. the first was the beastie boys. license to ill began their illustrious career that i've loved.
the next thing that came into my life around this time was metal. now, guns n roses was the introduction, and they aren't the hardest of metal, but they opened the door. within a year (junior high), metallica would kick that door wiiiide open for me.

but, at the same time i was also listening in to eazy e's first album. and the cure. and run dmc. but, metallica stuck with me through it all. i listened to other metal, and kept up with other musical genres as well, but metal was my "go to" guy. soon, i fell in love with a band out of nyc. i challenge anyone to not get amped up by the opening drums on anthrax's song "indians." anthrax, be musical innovators, created rap rock. if anyone tells you different, slap them. you could try and make a case for run dmc's walk this way, but really, that song is more a demonstration on how hip hop was sampling everything at the time, particularly rock. yes, they played it together, but it just wasn't the same. anthrax hooked up with public enemy, another favorite of mine (love politically charged music). they not only did a song together, but they went on tour together (it came to fresno but i couldn't go).

so, through high school i listened to mostly rap and metal, and some other random stuff that doesn't stick out. i wasn't really a fan of some of the big bands @ the time (nirvana, soundgarden). i did like stp though. it's also @ this time that i transitioned a bit from metal towards hardcore music. lots of the same energy, a little less noodlin about on the guitar, imho.

and then college. college is what you make of it. or something like that. anyway, in college, i started to listen to a whole bunch of other stuff. i still loved the beasties and they still weren't disappointing. but, i also started to listen to bands like the allman brothers and the greatful dead (thanks steve). i went to a few allman shows, but jerry garcia passed on before i could hit a dead show.

i also really fell in love with a little band called rage against the machine. now, when their first album came out, i didn't hate it, but just wasn't into it. whatever i was into at the time seemed more important. but by their second album i was sold. (i was very excited when rage & beasties were going to tour. then stupid mike d had to go and break his shoulder just before the tour. postponed. then rage broke up. dag nabbit.)

now, i'm not saying that my musical expansion stopped with rage. but, frankly, i've lost steam for this list. so, here's where i throw out some names of bands/acts that i enjoy:
hip hop: outkast, common, talib kweli, ice cube, jurassic five, dj qbert, dj shadow, krs one, tribe called quest, the coup, dead prez, the roots
rock: sublime, nofx, unwritten law, p.o.d., radiohead, sometime sunday, the smiths
etc: johnny cash, david allen coe, elvis, ozomotli, christina aguilara

when i look at most of those names, i see how a lot of them are big moments in my musical life. but, as i said, i've lost steam. i want to talk abou thow i got into them all, or what was going on or what each piece led to, but meh.

and, my musical library keeps growing. lately, i've been digging on astronautalis, sufjan stevens, derek webb, barzin, and rademacher. it's definately more on the indie tip.

has it been that long?

wow, i can't believe that i haven't posted since sunday. oh well. here's a brief one. i actually had wanted to post some of this the other day, but blogger was having fits and wouldn't let me.

it looks like ronaldo is headed for ac milan. the last real match i saw, he finally looked fit again.

now that it's official, there are finally stories about claudio reyna & the new jersey red bulls

this has me the most excited, gooch may be headed to chelski. score another one for us soccer!

i hope to have a more proper post either tonight or tomorrow.

new blog

umm, yeah, one can't have enough blogs can one? i've started a new blog that will just catalog my art, as well as tell where it can be seen. sadly, blogger is screwing with me today and didn't want to let me upload a photo yet. this is pretty bad as the blog will mainly be photos & description of my art. you can come visit, although it doesn't got much yet...

bulldogs, which bulldogs?

wow, it seems like so long since i've posted something new. wednesday was the last post. i'm not sure why, but i just haven't put up anything new.

today, i was reading on the bee's website and saw this article. it deals with the dilemma that the big local university is having to consider because one of the major gangs in fresno uses their logo. of course, there probably isn't any real solution. some suggested altering the logo, perhaps to "soften" it a little. but, it's not like the gangsters are going to change their name because the bulldog is smiling now or something. and, i doubt they picked up the name because of the menacing bulldog logo. it's more of an affiliation with fresno. [for those that don't know, the bulldogs (gang) are an offshoot of f14. The f was for fresno. the 14 is for n, the 14th letter of the alphabet. n refers to nuestra familia, as well as north (in spanish, too). nuestra familia is a gang that began in california prisons. (but, i think i've seen in other recent articles that the gang is now it's own entity. i don't know.)] i can remember bulldogs being associated with the gang as far back as the late 80's. now, i don't know exactly when it all happened, but i know they've been using the same for quite some time. some of my earliest memories of bulldogs athletics were in the early 80's, with the NIT victory, but i know they had the mascot before then.

the only thing that they could really do would be to change their mascot entirely. but, that wouldn't get rid of the gangsters. and, i doubt the university would be willing to change their mascot due to the cost and "branding" that they've worked hard to establish. yet, one wonders why they wouldn't if they really felt that it was a problem. many universities have changed their mascots completely because they were using terms deemed offensive (st john's redmen is an example, they're now the red storm). not that bulldogs is offensive, but if the university really wanted to distance themselves from the gang, a mascot change could be an easy step. the article mentions other universities, like unlv, who's logos were co-opted by gangs. basically, the response has been, "what can you do?" and really, that's the dilemma. if you change your mascot/logo/name, gangs still might use it. are you going to change every time it happens?

i know that eliminating the gang would be a solution. and, the police are trying to do that. but, eliminating gangs is a very difficult proposition. here's an article originally from the ap that talks about trying to do that very thing in los angeles.

what other solutions might be out there?

astronautalis - music to check out

my buddy brian recommended the group astronautalis to me the other day. so, i picked up an album off of emusic. i am really enjoying it. it's sorta indie sounding, mix of hip hop & indie style music. i have a later album of theirs, but will soon be downloading their first release.

not a member of emusic and want to be? let me send you an invite, we'll both get more songs.

you want to do what to the eagles?

so, during the nfl games the other day, we saw something quite funny. it reminded us of something we saw during one of the college conference championships. i recommend you start the video & pause it @ 1 second in.




fortunately, sara & woody also saw it, and we got to text back and forth, also recalling the west f'in virginia sweatshirt (mentioned earlier) that we saw while watching football @ their place.

and fox has apologized.

24 with an l all for adultery

so, i saw this story and it bothered me. i realize that many of our laws are societal norms that we have formalized, but this is going too far. although i believe that adultery is wrong, to criminalize the act is lunacy. And, for it to be challenged in court, and the 2nd highest court in michigan upheld it, sheesh.

more footy news

edgar "the pitbull" davids, dutch international, may be headed to the usa asap. lloks like he may be headed to dallas.


i remember not too long ago people talking about the possiblity of luring ronaldo to mls. it didn't seem very likely, and it was before the new structure that allows for 2 major signings per team. but, now, maybe. the linked article throws out some big names that could possibly end up in the mls. we'll have to wait and see.

claudio's coming home

saw earlier today on the espn screen crawler that former u.s. national team captain claudio reyna is joining the new york red bulls.

a lunch review - thaiphoon

the other day, i was talking to a friend about thai food. he was wanting to try it out, and i said we should have some thai food for lunch on saturday (before watching football). so, a couple of us went out for lunch. we first walked over to million elephant cafe. i knew that they had stopped serving lunch on weekdays, but thought that maybe they might have a weekend lunch. nope. but that's alright. so, we headed down olive towards thaiphoon.

now, i actually had wanted to go to thaiphoon, but figured that i'd check on million elephant because it's a little closer. i am glad that it worked out and we we able to make a first visit to thaiphoon.

we started out with the appetizer sampler plate (2 spring roles, 2 shrimp, 2 cheese crab crab dealies- i can't remember the actual name of the last one) served with a plum sauce. i think it was for $7. all the parts were good, but the crab won ton-ish thing stole the show. fantastic. i could eat those all night at a party. or, i'd definately have just that appetizer on its own.

all the meals came with a complimentary pepper soup. cabbage, chicken, and a little other stuff. delicious but spicy. not spicy hot, or overbearing, but definately had some kick from the pepper. but the taste was good. what made it even better was that we didn't even know we were going to have it. a pleasant surprise.

for entrees, we ordered a curry noodle w/beef, a pad thai w/shrimp, and a fried rice w/beef, broccoli, & snow peas. i think we all ordered medium (none of us wanted to weep right away from ordering some crazy spicy dish.)
-the curry noodle - came with a coconut curry sauce. it was mildly spicy, but did provide a bit of warmth on the tongue. overall, i think this was the best dish of the three. the beef was nice and lean, and worked well with the noodle.
-the pad thai - good, shrimp wasn't overcooked. the person that ordered it thought it was spicy, but the other two of us that it was fine. in fact, i think it could have used a little more kick. but, the combination of flavors was nice.
- the fried rice w/beef, etc. - i think this was the weakest link of the meal. it tasted fine, but it just didn't stand out. it really could have used more heat to it. my buddy that ordered it tried two of the different hot sauces on the table, and felt it was best with the really spicy one. i tasted the dish as well and thought it was good, but it just didn't stand out.

overall, we really enjoyed the food. everything tasted good and we were all happy with what we had ordered. i think we would recommend the spicier rice though. the portion sizes excellent as well. at first, i thought it looked a little small, but as we dished it all out it was actually quite a bit of food. we also had two sodas and a beer. i didn't ask, but it looks like they don't have their full liquor license and just had beer and wine to offer. i also appreciated the decor. very clean looking, with nice etched glass. i'll definately go back, and would love to have dinner there with some friends.


(this is also being posted on my fresno famous blog.)

a post for heather & sara

you two should read this. i'm not saying no one else should read it, but i think heather might appreciate it. and sara, well she asked me about it one time, so i thought she might like to read it as well.

quick hit

i see on the fuego website that fuego is supposed to be playing the armenian national team next wednesday (jan 17) @ chuckchansi park. anyone want to go? i do.

beckham, my darling, i love you.

you may or may not have heard, one of the most recognizable people in the world is coming to los angeles, to play for my favorite team. beckham is joining the galaxy, for the next five years. and, he actually turned down a contract w/real madrid (my international favs) to come to the states. why?
"There are so many great sports in America," the former Manchester United star said. "There are so many kids that play baseball, American football, basketball. But soccer is huge all around the world apart from America, so that's where I want to make a difference with the kids."

pretty cool. wants to come to the u.s. to raise the profile of the game. sweet. he'll be here in august.

sadly, the fuego (our local side) aren't playing the galaxy this year. unless, they run into them in the u.s. open cup.

another new hat?

that's right, i got another hat today. it's a summer version of the homburg, or godfather, hat. it's a straw/wicker type weave, that'll be great for track meets and pool parties.

heather says that it's a bernie mac or cedric the entertainer hat. and that's her showing it off.

when does it come out?

my heart is filled with lust.



hot stuff.

we win

new data is coming out, and hybrids are worth it.

what i did this weekend

this weekend i took a class (like jay commented recently, i'm a classy guy). the class i took was a motorcycle safety course. it started friday night @ 6 and finished up sunday @ noon. it wasn't through obviously. four and a half hours on friday night, and then from 7 to noon on saturday and sunday. the class was fairly enjoyable, and by the end i felt pretty comfortable on the bike i was riding. the class is for beginners, which i am, and teaches all the necessary skills to be a safe rider. it also tests you on those skills, and if you pass, you don't have to take the driving portion of the dmv test.

in the test portion of the day, there are four sections. each section is graded, and you can miss a total of 20 points and still pass. umm, yeah. i missed 19. which isn't really as bad as it sounds. in the first two sections i was perfect. in the third section i missed 4. but that fourth section, that one almost killed me. well, it would have failed me had i already not done so well. max deduction, 15. basically, it was a turning deal @ speed. you had to get up to a speed, slow using both brakes, enter the turn @ a safe speed. you couldn't go outside of some lines, or decelerate after your initial slow down. well, i did fine, but should have slowed a little more before entering the turn. i got outside of the lines, and in an effort to try and recover, what did i do? decelerate. as soon as i did it i knew i was screwed. but, again, since i had done so well on the previous sections i still managed to pass my test. now i just need to go and take the written test and i'll have my motorcycle certification.

this weekend was my first opportunity to wear what i got with Xmas money. yep, i wore my helmet. i had also bought some gloves, but one of the seams was coming out the first time i wore them, so i went to exchange them. unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they didn't have my pair in stock. so, i found some others. i'm not as excited about the look, but i actually prefer the overall fit. although i like the new gloves, i was slightly saddened because they're a different company than i had, and i was planning to buy a jacket from the original brand. it's not some sort of obsessive/compulsive deal, but i do like matching brands. but, it's not like the new gloves or the jacket that i wanted had obtrusive labels, etc., so it won't be a huge deal that they're not the same. maybe you noticed i said had wanted. that's right, i bought a jacket while exchanging gloves. while in the shop, i figured i'd look @ coats, mainly to see if the one i wanted was on sale. it wasn't, but it was a lot less than i thought it was. fortunately, heather was there with me, so i asked if it would be cool to shell out for the coat right now (nothing better than coming home after a big purchase and having to explain spending a chunk o' change unexpectedly). she was fine with it, so i found the right size and made it happen. this was actually a little harder than it sounded. i'm sort of in between sizes. one size it too tight with the liner in. but fits well without the liner. the next size up fits good with the liner in, and has a little looseness with it out. so, i went with the larger one, because in cooler months i want to have a liner in, as well as layers underneath. the smaller wouldn't have afforded this (unless i lost some weight, which i'd love to do but there's no guarantee). but, the place i bought it from has an awesome return policy. they'll let you return anything, for any reason, for a year, assuming you don't screw it up. so, if i somehow need that smaller jacket, i can return the old one without any sort of restocking fee and get the newer, proper size.

man, i'm impressed with technology these days. the gloves have kevlar on the palm, carbon fiber on the knuckles for protection. the coat, it's got freakin' titanium in the sleves (forearm, elbow caps, and shoulders). these aren't some wimpy inserts. they're hard core protection. which, i'm happy with because everyone that rides tells me that eventually you will take a spill. at least i'll have protection. the coat is approved to higher, tougher european standards.

so, now i'm only a little ways away from rejoining the world of motor vehicles.

btw, i'm wearing the coat right now. want to break it in a bit so it's comfortable when i ride.

so, that's most of what i did this weekend. i also watched ewoks:the battle for endor with heather, nick, kendall, kasey and potter. and a little bit of football.

rogue 2007

i changed my rogue link to the right, so i thought i'd put their snazzy banner here again.

unexpected blossoms on the flower

last night was a very good night for me. first of all, it was the end of a term that i was teaching. so, i knew i would be finishing up my current night class. i didn't mind teaching nights, but i know i prefer to sit at home at night and watch tv with my wife.
the next thing that had me excited was my impending art show. i always enjoy art shows, but this one would be different. it was my first group show, as well as first show without serving wine. these both bring different dynamics. for a solo show, i know that if people come in, they're only seeing my stuff, and i don't have to feel like i'm rushing them, or stopping them from seeing other artists. with the wine, i usually hang out near the wine because i know people will go there. it's an automatic entrance for me to say, hey, i'm the artist, would you like some wine? do you have any questions? so, i knew this would be a different challenge.
so, as the night went on, i tried to force myself to interject myself into people's conversations to let them know that, yes, this was my work and i'd be happy to answer any questions. you may not know this, but this isn't the easiest thing for me to do. i love talking to, and meeting new people, i just hate having to introduce myself. i prefer someone else to say, "hey, this is ed, blah blu ble blah blah." then, i'll talk all night or whatever. but, i just tend to stand @ the edge of the crowd if i've got to introduce myself.
fortunately, i introduced myself to the right two people. within a few seconds, i had answered a question or two, and then they hit me with the good stuff. "i'd like to buy that piece."



sold! this is a piece titled drip. it's oil on wood, i think it's 6" 18" (i should know the dimensions but whatever).

this is my newest piece, and frankly, i wouldn't have thought it would sold before pieces that i enjoy more, and maybe think are better. but it did. so, this was the first unexpected blossom.

the next blossom came later in the evening. after my show, i went to work. the class finished up well, i entered my grades and what not, and was out. next on the agenda was a little show @ tokyo garden. every month, rademacher and a few other bands play. so, i try to check it out, i love live music. anyway, the show had some problems and i came home before rademacher actually went on. i figured i'd check my email one last time on the night while watching some kimmel. booyah! blossom number 2.
i've mentioned it before, i'll be teaching this semester @ the university i attended, and i was pretty excited about this. but, i thought i may only have one or possible two classes. in my email was a lovely little notice, four classes! three of them are two unit courses, and the other is a 4 unit. so, i've got some work scheduled between now and mid-june. and, it looks like only one will interfere with my job as an assistant track coach.

good stuff to go to sleep to.

the cows are freezin

real quick post i hope to get back to later:
the national guard is dropping off food for cattle in eastern colorado. this immediately makes me think of hurricane katrina and the slow response of the government for people.
my next thought is, these are privately owned animals that are insured against loss, although frequently not insured for blizzard. is it the proper role of the government to step in here? where is the line (we protect homes in fires, they are property.)

feel free to comment, if you like, before i make this into a more comprehensive and thought out post. i admit i want to get it up before it is no longer timely.

a little plug for me

here's the email flyer we've sent out regarding the upcoming art hop. i'm pasting it here because, well, i'm one of the artists. 7 pieces showing (2 brand new, 1 redone, 4 favorites i'd like to sell).

Tower Mosaic Art Hop
Starts: Jan 4 2007 - 5:00pm
Ends: Jan 4 2007 - 8:00pm
Location: Tower Mosiac, 1040 N. Fulton, Fresno
free!

Event details: TOWER MOSAIC ART HOP
1040 N. Fulton - In the Tower District
South of Olive between Alhambra and Elizabeth
(You’ll find us in the storefront above the Babylon Billiards Club)
Join us for our Art Hop Reception on January 4th, 5 to 8 PM
Enjoy wonderful refreshments, great conversation and live jazz!
Featuring local favorites - “The Rich Severson Trio�?

This month we are exhibiting the art of:

Adam Longatti – Landscape Artist
Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, Adam Longatti’s paintings reflect both the unique beauty and often gritty reality of life in the San Joaquin Valley landscape. The majority of his work deals with the loss of agrarian values and regional history to the impact of suburban growth on the landscape. His works reveal the aesthetic of a specific place in time yet hints to underlying forces of change.

Edward Stewart – Abstract Artist
Edward is a Fresno artist working in an abstract expressionist style. He seeks to inspire thought and emotional reflection through the depths of color and shape. His art is inspired by his life and religious experience. Edward studied art at Fresno Pacific College under Robin Dolarian and has exhibited locally for several years. He is currently preparing a show for the upcoming Rogue Festival.

Christy Cole – Visual Artist
Christy Cole is most at home with nature-based subjects and invites viewers to share her unique viewpoints. Her media of choice are graphite pencils, acrylic paints and, more recently, watercolor. Ms. Cole has garnered much acclaim for her work and has won top awards at the Fresno Fair. Her business, Round Rose Creative, caters to clients throughout California who seek custom murals and other commissioned work. She also teaches art and other subjects through F.U.S.D. and Fresno Adult School. Christy resides with her little boy and a multitude of pets in Fresno.

Marcos Dorado - Figurative Artist
This month Marcos will exhibit a stunning series of portraits of famous guitarists!

Marcos’ work represents the human figure in graphite or charcoal on canvas. He also works on paper and wood. Exhibits include Gallery 402 (NYC), Tojo Gallery (Chicago), Mission Cultural Center (San Francisco) and at the Sundaram Gallery in Santa Barbara. His art is also found in private collections around the country and he enjoys a continuous flow of commissioned portraits and nude drawings. Marcos recently received a commission for the portraits of four NBA players include Sam Cassel of the Los Angeles Clippers.

thoughts on a sunday morning

first of all, thank you to everyone who came over to watch the ufc matches last night. i had a great time. and, i'm glad some of you stuck around because i think we had about as good a time playing catch phrase.

thanks to adam & eleanore for hanging out with heather, who didn't want to watch the fight.

overall, i thought the ufc package was pretty good. i wouldn't say that i am some sort of huge fan, but if there are compelling match ups, i'm interested. i've watched the ufc reality show, and the matches usually seem to go the distance there. and, i've watched a few of the ppv's in the last 4 or so years. in the ppv's, it seems like either the fights have been: boring, with little action; or stopped too early. last night's ppv was neither. lots of first round ko's and tko's. i think we were all a bit surprised to see all of the first round finishes. this is especially true since many of us had watched the ppv that featured ortiz/shamrock & orlofsky/some guy. that ppv was filled with drawn out matches and the quick stop in the ortiz match.

as for the main event, i thought it was enjoyable and it was the result i had expected. however, i do think that the ref was wrong to stop it when he did. ortiz had been in a worse position in the first round and it wasn't stopped. in the third round, yes, liddel was pounding away, but tito was blocking. and, when it was stopped, liddel seemed to be tiring and ortiz was about to make a move. so why stop it there? liddel was dominant, and i think he would have still won, but i also think that ortiz was prepared to go to the fourth or even fifth rounds. had it gone five, ortiz may have been able to submit liddel.

like i said, it was a good match. i hope we all had a good time watching.

so, right now, i'm watching football. sadly, my beloved rams were eliminated from a playoff spot, but they're still playing well today. i'm also loving that the cowboys are getting punked at home right now. the savior of football, romo, has looked very pedestrian. as much as i enjoy watching football, i have really enjoyed watching it while also monitoring my fantasy team. unfortunately, i had a really poor showing in my first fantasy playoff game, and was dispatched to the consolation bracket. it really stinks because i would have won the semifinal game, and would be up big in the championship right now (thank you steven jackson). instead, i am playing for 5th place. dang. oh well. that's how it happens.

finally, tonight is new years. i hope we all have a good, safe time.

newsflash

saddam hussein is dead. i guess we don't have to worry about any more 9/11 style terrorist attacks. what's that you say? hussein had nothing to do with 9/11? huh.

well, at least this will stop the war in iraq. right?

deyoung before new years

so, we enjoyed our time with justin in town from seattle. not that we haven't also enjoyed seeing other out of towners (johnsons, widlunds) or other in towners we haven't seen as frequently (portelas, castros, fosters) or the ones we see often (adam, woodys). we finished our whirlwind Xmas week with two road trips. the first was to bakersfield to meet up with the johnsons. we had some super grub, even if we arrived way late. hey, things happen. but it was good to see scott & malisa, as well as emily, although her appearance for us was brief. just a bit between bath & bed. we also got to see our chums the woody w/little georgia, the ogdens (damn, i should know their child's name, i know we got an announcement and other stuff like that. i admit, my bad) and julie. sadly, no dana. but we did see doug. yep, doug is still as tall as he was, although malisa couldn't believe it.

today, we rolled up to sf to see the deyoung museum. nice drive, went up through gilroy & hit up the outlets. got some new golf shoes (great deal, and i purchased my current pair over 6 yrs ago, they're pretty beat). we then hit the city. the museum was really nice. it's brand spankin new, so i think this may explain the large crowds. it's really big, and lots of nice stuff.

after the museum, we went down haight street and found some nice little place for dinner. we walked around a few streets and headed home.

(for some reason, blogger's not wanting me to upload photos right now. i'll try again tomorrow. the post will be a lot more comprehensive with photos & explanations.)

liddel ortiz 2

saturday dec 30 liddel vs ortiz 2. watch the iceman lay a beating on ortiz

uncensored Xmas song

it seems that nbc actually has a youtube account, and they posted the uncensored version of this song. don't watch it if you're going to take offense to a euphemism.

hello neighbor

for those of you aficionados of stuffonmycat.com, check this out.

soup there it is

some may remember a great sketch on snl called omeletville. well timberlake was on snl again last weekend, and delivered this hit. also watch the boy band spoof they do after about Xmas

it's not comfy, but it looks sweet.

"Furniture is no longer aesthetics' stepchild,"

quite an interesting quote. justin and adam may find particular interest in this article. e may find interst as well, because it's about her hood, you know, mijamies.

searching for terms and Xmas gifts

wow, i've been getting a ton of hits for this phrase lately: chicken pot chicken pot chicken pot pie. i guess a lot of david cross fans are looking for stuff on him. nothing here to see. that is, unless you watch the video of him & johnny marr spoofing the bofa u2 rip off.

hopefully an art update soon, other than my rogue links that i included.

today, i did some Xmas shopping. no, i probably didn't get you that gift your heart has been desiring. but, i did buy some stuff for myself. heather's parents, as well as one set of her grandparents, gave us $ to buy our gifts, and then we have to bring them over for Xmas all wrapped up. so, i had been thinking about what i wanted, pricing some stuff, and finally went out an made a purchase. i'm wearing it right now. can you guess what it is?

rogue 2007

hey, i've got some upcoming shows. the first will be january @ tower mosaic for art hop. at least one new piece.

the next will be:


i've also added a link in my sidebar for the rogue festival, right under my fresno famous blog link.

nfl picks week 15

ummm, well, no more picks. frankly, i'm tired of doing it. i was picking somewhere around 50%, but that's not why i'm giving it up. i'm bored, and don't want to do it this week. so there.

and, since no one really ever commented, i doubt that anyone actually cared who i was picking.

some quick thoughts

today, i happened to catch part of the 40 greatest metal songs on vh1 classic rock. pretty dang good special. made me want to throw on some anthrax. or to get a few marilyn manson songs.

then, i was checking out some on demand and i noticed that they currently have all 5 rocky movies in the free movie section. dang i love rocky 3. i didn't have time to watch any today, but i think i'll be tuning in tomorrow.

oh, and i got to take a nap today. it was awesome.

quick pick

seattle is a 10 point favorite tonight. i think they'll beat sf, but not by that much. i pick sf & the points

shheeeesssssh.

so, last night was i ranting to heather about how my students never read directions. they turn in assignments that bare very little ressemblance to what i have asked them to complete. for one of my more recent assignments, i worked through the diretions several times at home, making sure that it was completely clear what i wanted and did not want.

surprise! a significant portion of my classes still just did whatever they thought they should do. i was so frustrated that i kept scratching my head and i had a headache.

which brings us to today. i was speaking to a co-worker (ok, it was my mom, but still, she's a coworker) about the hours that i get paid for compared to the amount of time i actually work. yeah, it's the complaint of every teacher. i know. i know. anyway, i was complaining about how i'm supposed to do more work than they actually pay me for, and that is why i hadn't done some of the more administrative tasks. she pointed out that i was supposed to be getting paid for two more hours than i had thought.

you see, my last teaching assignment was for one class. this worked out to eleven hours a week. so, when i was given two classes during this term, i just doubled that eleven to twenty two hours. it all made sense. but, the school, in it's infinite wisdom actually gives you more hours because they know you've got more work to do. i trotted down to the administrative assistant's office to verify that i was supposed to be working twenty four. yep. twenty four.

fortunately, there has only been one pay period that should have reflected this amount. and, it was only one week. so, i screwed myself out of two hours, i'll live with it. and, in my defense, they hadn't returned my copy of my updated contract that stated how many hours i was supposed to work.

of course, i did sign the freakin contract that said exactly how many hours i was supposed to work and get paid for. read the directions. read the details. after all, it's what you expect from you class.

Merry Xmash

heather was telling me about jay's scrubs/charlie brown mash up. here's a link for some more.

flyer - dec 15th event

here's the flyer for the event i thought was last week. but it's really this week. and, it's a benefit for food not bombs.

"damn, the boys won"*

congrats to heather. she picked the winners of the amazing race. my team finished 4th (booted last week). mike's team, well they were out a while ago.



*this is what the 2nd place team said as they were running up to the finish line.

i'll punch you in the ear

something to plan on
what are you doing dec 30th?
if you're in fresno, i think i'll be watching
this

want to come?

and, the next day is new years eve.

this may sum it up

toothpastefordinner.com

bad news

well this is a real kick in the pants. or, maybe a blow to the ego.

nfl picks week 14

crap. last week was bad. i went 6-10. the rams lost terribly. my fantasy team lost terribly. let's hope week 14 is a reversal of trends.

game-----------------------------me-------------sg----------sg's wife
Steelers (-7.5) vs Browns------browns-------browns-------browns
Ravens (+3) vs CHIEFS----------chiefs-------ravens-------chiefs
Falcons (-3) vs BUCS-----------falcons------falcons------falcons
Vikings (+1.5) vs LIONS--------vikings------vikings------vikings
Titans (+1.5) vs TEXANS--------titans-------titans-------titans
Saints (+6.5) vs COWBOYS-----saints-------saints-------cowboys
Bills (+3.5) vs JETS---------------jets---------bills--------bills
JAGS (+1.5) vs Colts--------------colts--------jags---------jags
REDSKINS (+1) vs Eagles-------eagles-------redskins-----eagles
Giants (+3) vs PANTHERS-----giants-------giants-------giants
BENGALS (-11) vs Raiders-----bengals------bengals------bengals
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs Pats-----patriots-----dolphins-----patriots
49ERS (-4) vs Packers----------49ers--------49ers--------49ers
Seahawks (-3.5) vs CARDS-----seahawks----seahawks---seahawks
CHARGERS (-7) vs Broncos----chargers-----chargers-----broncos
Bears (-6) vs RAMS-------------bears---------bears-------bears

last week----------------------6-10-------------9-7-----------8-8
season------------------------93-99-------------92-95-6-------96-90-6
so, i hate picking against the rams. but, frankly, their special teams are terrible. guess what, the bears score frequently on special teams. that's not good.

want to come along?

hey hey, if you're interested, post art hop show @ tokyo. usually kicks off around ten. i get there a little bit after because i work until 10:20ish.

tomorrow night- people vs. john lennon @ tower theater.
tomorrow night - there's a show @ starline. i'm thinking about going after the movie.

quick pick

just to throw it out there, before i do my actual football picks, there's a thursday night game. my paper has pittsburgh as a 7.5 point fav over cleveland. i'm taking cleveland and the points.

full picks tomorrow.

scary mary

i saw this trailer and was frightened. this seems like a great one to hide under a blanket while watching on the couch.

"chicken pot chick pot chicken pot pie"

so, on the old show just shoot me there was a reoccuring character that frequently said that line. he was elliot's brother who had fallen out of a tree or something like that, and was then mentally challenged. the character was also my introduction to the hilarity of david cross.

well, here's one better. or worse. i'm not sure.


breaking news - crap. i just learned that not only did jason schmidt sign with the evil that is the dodgers, jt snow is retiring, and it doesn't look like klinsmann will be the next u.s. soccer coach. crap.

video mash up

so, i didn't see one of these movies, and i thought the other was a piece of crap. warning, this vid contains some swear words.

you were always on my mind

i didn't forget about you. i know, i haven't posted anything new in five days. hey, i've been a little busy. and a little tired. i also went out of town briefly and visited some people.

i know, these are just excuses. but, i assure you that i wouldn't take you out of my links because you didn't update in a week. now, if you wait two months in between updates, yeah, you're getting pulled.

i've thought about things to discuss here, i just haven't gotten around to it. my daily bus ride home for work provides time to read the newspaper. weird, reading a physical newspaper again. but, on the bus, they're half price, so i've been trying to get one. something to read while listen to music. there have been a few stories that i wanted to talk about in the past few days, but now i've gotten rid of those papers and i don't remember what they were. have no fear, i read the paper today. i saw these great stories (since i read them in an actual newspaper there are no links):

- a guy in clovis burned down his house. he had 650 Xmas lights all plugged into the same exterior outlet. the outlet shorted and started a fire.

- madison, wi apologized to a blind rape victim. five years ago, a lady alleged that an intruder raperd her at knife point. the police didn't believe it, and even charged her with lying. dna has recently connected the case to a sex offender. the city apologized and is offering her 35k. uhhh, was her story that shaky that they didn't believe her word, even though they had dna evidence? what, she's not credible at determining whether or not she was raped because she couldnt' see the attacker?

- your congress is hard at work. sorta. they are trying to get out of dodge before passing a bunch of spending bills. so, if you had some sort of federal funding pledged, you're probably not going to get it. but, they are actually working to repair your habeas corpus rights. now, i could theoretically disappear for saying this, but the decider (and the last congress) allowed laws to pass that said you, yes you, could be detained indefinately without access to courts or even being charged. hopefully they'll decide to return the rights given to us in the constitution of the freakin united states.

- they captured a half ton croc in indonesia. uhhhh, half ton? 1000 friggin lbs? yikes. why am i not surprised that this ginormous croc had 2 hands, a leg and a pair of shorts in it's stomach?

- speaking of animal stories, a lady in nipomo got bit by a bat. that bat came into her house via a Xmas tree that she bought @ a tree lot. it had been spray painted white (or flocked, whatever you want to call it) @ the tree lot, and it bit her while she was decorating. at first she thought that she scratched her self on the needles, but saw the bat chilling out on her wall the next morning.

oooh, i remembered one of the other stories. the ny police shooting. the injured people say that they never had any weapons, the alleged 4th person that the police claim had a gun doesn't exist, and they say the uncover officers never identified themselves. surprise! we'll keep watching this story, but this sure seems very similar to what i predicted would be said.

-another story coming back to me now was that the new president of mexico is taking a pay cut, and will cut salaries to most of his cabinet. that had been a pledge of his opposition, but he decided to also do it. that's cool. also, hugo chavez was re-elected in venezuela


i hope that's enough for the moment. i'm going to take a nap. and maybe i'll have a another post this afternoon.

a video for heather

do you know who this is?

more aids thoughts

i saw this and thought it was a good connection to my previous post about world aids day.

sit ins may work where bombs don't

keep your eye on this story in the coming days, weeks, months. hezbollah is staging a sit in. can their peaceful protest topple the government of lebanon? and, if it does, how will the u.s. respond?

football picks week 13

game---------------------------------me------------sg--------------sg's wife
BENGALS (-3) vs Ravens---------ravens---------bengals--------bengals
Vikings (+9)vs BEARS------------vikings--------vikings----------bears
STEELERS (-7)vs Buccaneers----steelers-------steelers---------bucs
Cardinals (+6.5)vs RAMS----------cardinals------cardinals-----rams
TITANS (+7.5)vs Colts-------------colts----------cardinals-------colts
DOLPHINS (PK)vs Jags------------dolphins-------dolphins-----jags
49ers (+7)vs SAINTS---------------saints---------49ers----------49ers
Falcons (+1)vs REDSKINS---------falcons--------falcons---------redskins
BROWNS (+5)vs Chiefs------------chiefs---------browns----------browns
Jets (-1)vs PACKERS----------------packers--------jets-----------jets
PATRIOTS (-13.5)vs Lions----------patriots-------patriots------patriots
BILLS (+6)vs Chargers-------------chargers-------bills------------chargers
Cowboys (-3.5)vs GIANTS---------cowboys--------cowboys------giants
Texans (+3)vs RAIDERS------------texans---------texans---------raiders
BRONCOS (-3)vs Seahawks--------broncos--------broncos-------seahawks
Panthers (-3)vs EAGLES------------eagles---------panthers------eagles

last week-----------------------------10-6-----------12-4-------------11-5
season--------------------------------87-89----------84-87-6-------88-82-6

that's right folks. my blog goes from thinking about world aids day to sports picks. also, the cinci/balt game was already played, but, being an honest guy, i tell you that i would have picked the ravens. and the points were in their favor. but they already lost it for me.

World Aids Day

today is a special day. it's not Xmas, it's not thanksgiving. today is world aids day.

what was your fist memory relating to aids? was it magic johnson admitting that he was hiv + and everyone was worried how this would affect his basketball career?

i don't think that magic was the first time i thought of it, but it probably was one of the things that did open my eyes to the disease. i also remember being in junior high and high school and having such stupid ideas about the disease. seeing signs that joked about aids and homosexuality and thinking they were funny. or hearing about rock stars that i "followed" wearing shirts that mocked the disease. it's not a perspective that i held on to very long, and for that i'm glad.

maybe when we were all being exposed to it, we all had stupid ideas. there was so much misinformation. no one really knew how big it would get. was it a flash in the pan or would this disease stick around and change everything. sadly, it seems like it's more of the latter and less of the former. relatively soon, it'll be the 3rd leading cause of death in the world.

we have to keep learning, and changing our preception of this disease. we have to keep fighting it. those that are infected need treatment. the rest of us, we need education and prevention. we also need empathy for the growing world populus that will pass away from this preventable fate.

i don't know exactly what to do. but, hey, why not check out product red, or one.org?

(tumbleweed blows by as you look @ this page)

it's going to be slow posting over the next few days. i'm adjusting to my new teaching assigments that requires me to get up around 6am. it's a bit of an adjustment. and, today and tomorrow (and perhaps more) i'm subbing for another class right after my morning class. then, throw in my night class, i'm swamped. and tired. so, i don't think i'll be blogging or commenting much until wednesday or thursday. anything that shows will probably be brief.

new york police shooting

i was going to post a link to this story and make a joke about how it showed why you should avoid strip clubs. but, as i read the story, it just pissed me off. i'm sure there are a lot more details to come, but right now the new york police seem to be covering their butts. police fire 50 times, killing one man, injuring two others. the police thought the men might have a gun. they didn't.

now, i'm not saying it's cut and dry. the men did run their car into an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. but, the police aren't saying, at least not yet, that they ever identified themselves as police. they were in plain clothes, investigating a strip club. the men, who were shot, were at the club.

the vatican, and common sense

cha cha cha changes
the vatican may be making some changes. no, they're not ditching the cool hats. but, they may allow you to wear a hat, of sorts. the vatican may soon approve the use of condoms. it seems that they are responding to the global aids crisis.

and, since the commercial is on right now, i will voice my displeasure with common for doing a gap ad. i realize that every artist wants to sell, get their message out, and what not. but in my book, doing a gap ad = selling out. common, you were ghetto fab. you were a purveyor of urban chic. now, you're shilling for conformity wear. great.

happy thanksgiving

football picks week 12

oooh, early edition of picks because of the thanksgiving day games

game-------------------------------me----------------sg--------------sg's wife
LIONS (+2.5)vs Dolphins--------dolphins---------lions------------dolphins
COWBOYS (-11)vs Bucs---------cowboys----------cowboys----------bucs
CHIEFS (+1)vs Broncos----------chiefs-----------chiefs-----------broncos
Texans (+6)vs JETS----------------jets-------------texans-----------jets
RAVENS (-3)vs Steelers---------ravens-----------ravens-----------ravens
BILLS (+3)vs Jags-----------------jags-------------bills------------bills
Bengals (-3)vs BROWNS----------bengals--------bengals----------bengals
Cards (+6.5)vs VIKES-------------cards------------cards------------cards
Niners (+6)vs RAMS-------------niners-----------niners-----------niners
Saints (+3)vs FALCONS----------saints-----------saints-----------saints
Panthers (-4.5)vs REDSKINS-----panthers-------panthers---------panthers
Raiders (+13)vs CHARGERS-------chargers------raiders----------raiders
PATRIOTS (-3)vs Bears-----------patriots---------patriots---------patriots
TITANS (+2)vs Giants-------------giants-----------titans-----------giants
Eagles (+9)vs COLTS---------------colts------------eagles-----------eagles
SEAHAWKS (-9)vs Packers--------seahawks-------seahawks-------seahawks

last week-----------------------------10-6-------------8-7-1--------------8-7-1
season-------------------------------77-83------------71-83-6------------77-77-6

david cross & johnny marr cover BofA ripoff song

thanks to stereogum & boing boing who both brought this to my attention.

some stuff for the woody's & johnsons

i saw this baby gear and first thought of the woody's. they've got a fresh bun out of the oven, and may need to stock up on new toys. btw, i love those shirts. we've got to get you two the gear we bought for her.

but, scott has always been one for gadgets, so i thought that he'd also like this stuff. not that malissa wouldn't but more that scott is the tech type.

champions league - match day 5

this morning, i scrolled through the guide to see who would be playing in uefa champions league. what did i see for the first match? my brother's fav team, celtic, would be taking on manchester united. each team is leading their respectives leagues, and manchester is leading the group in the champions league.

the air was electic in the east end of glasgow. celtic park was rocking. the red devils of manchester united were visiting, and both sides seemed ready for a great match.
-the first half was dominated by manchester. their passes were crisper, they seemed more organized on the offensive end, and their stars were shining. celtic, however, seemed a step slow in the back, confused on offense, and with the exception of lennon, their stars were invisible. yet, @ the midway point, it was tied @ nil.
-celtic seemed much more lively during the second half. manchester still looked sharp. both sides had moments of sloppiness, but they also had flashes of brilliance. guys like christiano ronaldo, who i dislike, looked great. giggs had a nice free kick @ one point. rooney, who was good in the first half, disappeared in the second.
-in the 80th minute, there was a terrible call against manchester. it set up a set piece about 25 yards out. nakamura buried it in the back of the net. upper corner. van der sar didn't have a chance.
-in the 83rd minute, it seemed that saha was offsides. he was alone in the box, and just stopped. the keeper came out and blocked a weak little attempt. saha though he was off, and didn't even try. play until the whistle moron. you would have equalized it.
-in the 86th minute, a pretty bad call went against celtic. not as bad as the one against united, but still a bad one. free kick about 20 yards out. deflected. with a hand, just inside the box. yellow card to celtic. penalty kick. saha shoots to lower corner. great save by celtic's keeper, boruc. really, he started going the wrong way (or maybe was faking the wrong way) and then dove back and knocked the shot away.
-a few minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle, and celtic park echoed with songs of their supporters. celtic moves ahead of manchester in their group. tied on points, but leading with the tie breaker. celtic may not end up winning the group, but they are through to the next stage.

next up on the tube, a chance to watch my favorite internation team, real madrid. real is taking lyonnaise tonight. real is playing in front of their home crowd, and i hope they don't disappoint.
-eleven minutes in, and lyon is up 1 to nil. i think last time i wastched these two sides play, lyon was victorious. crap. am i bad luck?
-eighteen minutes in, and real looks sloppy. their not stringing together any passes, the defense looks too relaxed, and they could be in for some problems tonight.
-thirty minutes in, and i'm distracted by reading blogs. lyon has a corner kick, real gives up too much space and the keeper doesn't make a great effort either. 2-0 lyon.
-38th minute, real is still giving a poor showing. they've got a corner, it swings out to van nistelrooy, who heads it back across, and diarra buries a header in the back of the net. 2-1. pretty nice goal, especially since diarra also took a high boot to the head on the play and still finished.
-the first ten minutes of the 2nd half have been pretty good. lots of action, both teams working hard. real madrid has come out fired up, trying to equalize. so, lyon is having to match intesity on the defensive end.
-60th minute, some great touches by van nistelrooy and raul, but robinho blows the shot.
-82nd minute, not much has been happening lately. cross into the lyon box, raul hits a great header that beats the keeper, but hits the post. the ricochet goes right to van nistelrooy, who puts it home. all even @ 2-2.
-87th minute. van nistelrooy fouled hard at the edge of the box. well, maybe it wasn't a foul. some contact. but, real madrid is awarded a penalty shot. ruud missed one from the spot on match day 4. and...this one is blocked. good save keeper. wow, back to back matches that i've watched had a keeper save on a pk, at the end of the game.
-91st minute, some pushing & shoving after a foul. yellows awarded to players on each team.
-and it finishes that way after 3 minutes of stoppage time. 2-2.
if able, i'll watch chelski play tomorrow.

you're kidding right?

a formula for beer goggles. really, you're trying to figure out why people may seem more attractive after a few drinks?

bausch & lomb funded the study. i wonder if they're going to make glasses to either give you perma beer goggles or if they've got lenses to make sure no matter how many you still are seeing with good judgment

UPDATE: check out these

let me tell you

a notice to those who advocate for abortion
i don't advise moving to nicaragua any time soon if you want an abortion.
or other parts in central america.
and maybe some of south america, too.

but, if you want to re-enact lolita, talk to this guy.

football picks week 11

ahhh, my weekly post on my nfl picks. while i make these picks, i'm watching red dawn, hoping that the wolverine war cry will bring good karma to michigan, pushing them over ohio st.

game-------------------------------------me----------------sg-------------sg's wife
CHIEFS (-9.5)vs Raiders--------------chiefs------------chiefs---------chiefs
COWBOYS (+1)vs Colts---------------colts-------------cowboys--------cowboys
Bengals (+3)vs SAINTS----------------bengals-----------bengals--------saints
BROWNS (+3)vs Steelers-------------steelers----------browns---------steelers
Titans (+13)vs EAGLES---------------titans------------titans---------titans
RAVENS (-4)vs FALCONS------------ravens------------ravens---------ravens
Rams (+6.5)vs PANTHERS-----------rams--------------rams-----------rams
Bills (+2.5)vs TEXANS-----------------bills-------------bills----------bills
PACKERS (+6)vs Patriots------------patriots----------packers--------packers
Redskins (+3)vs BUCS----------------redskins----------redskins-------bucs
JETS (+7)vs Bears----------------------bears-------------jets-----------jets
NINERS (+3.5)vs Seahawks----------seahawks----------niners---------niners
DOLPHINS (-3)vs Vikings------------dolphins----------dolphins-------dolphins
Lions (+2)vs CARDS-------------------lions-------------lions----------cards
BRONCOS (-2.5)vs Chargers----------chargers----------broncos--------broncos
JAGS (-3.5)vs Giants-------------------giants------------jags-----------giants

last week--------------------------------6-10--------------7-9------------9-7
season----------------------------------67-77-------------63-76-5--------69-70-5

question

will thursday reclaim it's role from wednesday? i think it just may. most of the reason for the long ago switch are gone. and, it seems like a lot of good stuff happens around fresno on thursdays.

what do you, of whom the tradition was started with, think? do you hold on to tradition or allow it to develop, perhaps evolve?

what do you, of whom continue the tradition this day, think?

i hope you took a picture

"We were absolutely horrified. That's life I suppose."

yes it is. dang funny stuff. rare bird shows up in england. promptly eaten by another bird. bird watching sorts horrified.

welcome back

tom & sam widlund have moved back into my links section. you'll find their blogs under wid (tom) and lund (sam).

what's up with me

a little update on what's keeping me busy

currently, i am:
-working on 3 paintings. it looks like my next show will be january. group show. hopefully by that show, i will have 6 new pieces.
-i am waiting on word on whether or not i will be an artist in the rogue festival. they should have let me know by now, but i hear that they're behind schedule on stuff.
-finishing up my current teaching assignment. term ends next wednesday.
-working on my application for a full time faculty position (where i want to be).

i am getting ready to:
-teach english. not sure how, but i'm qualified (various class credits). i will be teaching english in the next five week term. starts monday after thanksgiving. sadly, this screws my new year plans for seattle. it looks like we have a break around the Xmas holiday, but start back jan 1. wha?
- watch michigan vs ohio state on saturday. hey, 1 vs 2. huge game. may disappoint. i always like watching a key matchup in season.

what's in the distance:
-ps3. yeah, it comes out this week. but, i'm not one for standing in line overnight. if they happen to still have them in stock on saturday, i might get one. if not, i can wait. i've waited this long.
-motorcycle training course - at some point i'm taking this weekend course. then i'll have my motorcycle license. that, plus more $ making = motorcycle. then, i get to crash, lose my leg, marry paul mccartney, get divorced, and be set for the rest of life. (i know, i know, that's crass.)

so, before this you did that

so, this current round of survivor was supposed to stir up all sorts of controversy and discussion because they started with tribes based on racial lines.

i know survivor, and reality tv in general, continues to change. they're trying to make it better, more interesting. unfortunately it seems like it is all falling apart, de-evolving. do you remember the first two or three seasons of the real world (which was the first "modern" reality show)? it was good. it was about the interaction between people. i'd say survivor has generally held up to that as well. but, as real world continued on, it became more about typecasting, people who just want to be on tv, and less about the real show. i fear that survivor has done the same.

here's a link, which talks about 4 of the current contestants. and check out my pick ozzy (4th down).

a site for heather

i'm sure others will appreciate this as well, but i thought heather might dig it the most. click on the store icon to see most of the pictures (do not buy anything though).

faux environmentalists

i knew it. prius owners, despite lacking the taste to buy an aesthetically pleasing vehicle, are also a bit hypocritical.

"In fact, Prius owners are particularly keen on SUVs. CNW says they’re more likely to own an SUV than drivers of hybrid Honda Accords or Civics. Prius owners, an especially affluent group, also are partial to luxury cars, with nearly one in five sharing garage space with upscale wheels. That love of SUVs and luxury liners drags down the fuel economy of the family fleet in Prius households to just 22.8mpg, according to CNW. That’s lower than the family fleet mileage of households where one car’s an Accord, Civic or even Toyota Corolla (which average 26.3mpg)."

well, i'd feel much more superior and self-righteous if this article actually included statistics of some sort, but oh well.


(of course, i'm sure i'll succumb (again) some day and purchase some stupid vehicle that gets terrible gas mileage, like a 64 nova wagon.)

saturday night live

so, i watched saturday night live last night, after catching some mediocre ufc fights. there were actually some decent sketches, and i thought christina aguilara sung well. especially the number she did with tony bennett.

here's a good one with amy poller as britney spears.

as usual, there were also some real stinkers. but, adam sandberg did some funny stuff.

elton john wants to rid you of your religion

so, in this story, sir elton john talks about how organized religion should be banned. now, i didn't really want to talk about the article. i just wanted you all to see the picture of elton that the bbc used with it.





sir elton dracula

heather wants to know why he can't just "fall asleep" in his car like george michael?

week 10 football picks

here i go again on my own...

game-----------------------------------ed--------------sg----------sg's wife------
Chiefs (EVEN)vs DOLPHINS----chiefs----------chiefs--------dolphins
Texans (+10.5)vs JAGS------------texans----------texans--------texans
BENGALS (+1)vs Chargers-------bengals---------bengals-------chargers
Ravens (-7.5)vs TITANS----------ravens----------ravens--------ravens
Browns (+7)vs FALCONS--------falcons---------browns--------falcons
Packers (+5.5)vs VIKINGS-------packers---------packers-------vikings
Saints (+4.5)vs STEELERS-------saints----------saints--------saints
COLTS (-12.5)vs Bills------------bills-------------colts---------bills
Jets (+10.5)vs PATRIOTS--------jets------------patriots------patriots
EAGLES (-7)vs Redskins--------redskins--------eagles--------eagles
Broncos (-9)vs RAIDERS--------broncos---------broncos-------raiders
LIONS (-6)vs Niners-------------lions-----------lions---------niners
PANTHERS(-9.5)vs Bucs--------bucs------------panthers------panthers
Rams (+3)vs SEAHAWKS------rams------------rams----------seahawks
CARDS (+7)vs Cowboys--------cards-----------cards---------cowboys
GIANTS (EVEN)vs Bears-------bears-----------giants--------giants

last week------------------------3-11------------4-10--------------5-9
season--------------------------61-67-----------56-67-6----------60-63-5

last week killed me. btw, the simpsons' picks aren't getting included because they're not posting them in time. it's friday @ 3 (west coasst). you have to have them up by now.

thank you fx

it's always sunny in philadelphia, one of my favorite shows, will be back for a third season.

and, i found out that the main character is from philly. tim didn't think any of their accents were true. of course, he lives in la now, so maybe it's faded.

gender story version 2.0h

not too long ago, i posted a story discussing gender issues relating to a male cross dresser, who had not had any gender reassignment surgery but still used the women's restroom.

today, on boing boing, i saw this
"The New York Times ran a story this week about New York City's plan to permit people to change the gender on their birth certificates even if they haven’t had sex reassignment surgery. The move comes after much advocacy by transgender groups who believe that gender has to do with much more than anatomy. For many transgendered people, in fact, anatomy is itself a mixed bag. This new move allows individuals to decide for themselves whether they are male or female."

here's the link to the story

i really find this to be quite interesting. it's not genetics, it's not science, it's not surgery that define gender.

from the article, "Transgender advocates consider the New York proposal an overdue bulwark against discrimination that recognizes an emerging shift away from viewing gender as simply the sum of one’s physical parts. But some psychiatrists and doctors are skeptical of the move, saying sexual self-definition should stop at rewriting medical history."

so, really what is gender then? it's not roles decided by society, it's not the sum of your physical parts, it's not your genetics. is gender solely defined by the individual now?

but, i do disagree with this statement, "Joann Prinzivalli, 52, a lawyer for the New York Transgender Rights Organization, a man who has lived as a woman since 2000, without surgery, said the changes amount to progress, a move away from American culture’s misguided fixation on genitals as the basis for one’s gender identity."

it's not just here. as evidenced by my previous post about italy, there's some doubt about what defines gender there as well. and, i'd venture that most of latin america, and africa might be even more "misguided".

chicago immolation

is this peaceful protest? it's definately a statement.

"it was a thumpin"

damn straight it was. i know that 6 out of 10 say it was the war, and that's definately a big part, but to me it also seems like a reversal of the alleged mandate given in the republican revolution of like, 94. everyone seems fed up of their alleged moral imperatives, inability to actually follow through, and getting caught doing everything they rail against.

i'm glad that society can change, that there is no guarantee that the status quo will be maintained. of course, the cynic in me believes that the dems are just as much the status quo, but still.

hey, we've got the fist ever female speaker of the house. that's a good change. and, it looks like we'll actually have checks and balances again. that is, if the courts aren't just in someone's pocket, too.

in fresno, we elected not only the first ever hmong city councilman (the first in ca. even), but he's also the first asian american on the fresno city council. that's crazy to me. it was also nice that the two candidates ran a "gentlemenly" campaign. no crap talk, just issues for the neighborhood affected. and, i also really appreciated getting a letter from mr. xiong explaining why he wasn't declaring his political affiliation. the issues of the district, the city, aren't about democrat or republican. they are about looking out for the needs of all those in your district. maybe the more partisan council members will take note.

arrrrrrggggghhhh

i can't believe it. i forgot the simpson's treehouse of horror was on last sunday. damn. damn. damn. i totally forgot that it was a new episode. and, i missed it because i was watching a football game that was pissing me off. didn't even record it.

the red balloon

wow. as a kid, i saw a movie over and over in school. i don't know why they showed it, but it seems like i saw the red balloon about once a year. now, if you have the time, you too can see it, on youtube. the link will take you to part one. from there you have access to 3 other segments. it's about 34 minutes total.

feel free to discuss what you think this movie is about.

mash it up

well, this post ain't really about mash ups. in fact, it's really a post for heather, who likes the smiths, and jay, who likes modest mouse. (okay, okay, i know a lot of you also may like those bands, too. i do.)

johnny marr joined modest mouse (or here). they're doing shows. and finishing up an album.

in other news

doogie howser came out recently. i guess that he was trying to keep up with all the pub that lance bass got. what? few cared about that? well, at least neil patrick harris is funny (that's a critique on lance bass, not on either of these guy's sexuality).

congratulations

congrats to the woody's on the birth of georgia jane woody. 7 lbs, 10 oz. 20 inches.

football picks week 9

games-----------------------------me-------------sg-----------sg's wife
RAMS (-3) vs Chiefs-----------chiefs---------rams----------chiefs
Bengals (+3) vs RAVENS------bengals--------bengals-------ravens
GIANTS (-13) vs Texans-------giants---------giants--------giants
Titans (+10) vs JAGS----------titans---------titans--------titans
BUCS (+1) vs Saints------------saints---------bucs----------saints
Packers (+3)vs BILLS---------packers--------packers-------packers
LIONS (+5) vs Falcons--------falcons--------lions---------falcons
BEARS (-13.5) vs Dolphins-----bears---------bears----------bears
Cowboys (-3) vs REDSKINS----cowboys-------cowboys-----cowboys
49ERS (+5.5) vs Vikings--------vikings--------49ers----------vikings
CHARGERS (-12.5) vs Browns--chargers-----chargers------browns
Broncos (+2) vs STEELERS-----broncos-------broncos-------steelers
SEAHAWKS (-8) vs Raiders-----raiders-------seahawks------seahawks
PATRIOTS (-2.5) vs Colts---------pats----------pats----------pats

last week----------------------------5-9------------6-8--------------7-7
season------------------------------58-56---------52-57-5-----------56-53-5

what to do

sometimes i come across stories and i'm not always sure what to do with them. do i keep it to myself? do i put it up here?

with that in mind, i saw this story about ted haggard, head of the national association of evangelicals. a man in colorado is accusing him of being gay, and of having homosexual relations with him. haggard has stepped down from his position as well as his pastorate, awaiting the matter to be further investigated.

i'm not posting this here because i want to say, "gotcha!" i think i'm posting this so we can see haggard as a human, who struggles with a lot of issues in life. and, if it's true, i hope that he carries on in life with a lot more grace towards those he has vehemently opposed.

i realize that some may see this story, and add him too the list of hypocritical Xians out there. if that's your response, i understand. others will say, this guy has always been a jerk, and i'm not surprised. hey, i don't know the guy, and all we can usually know is from the public personna out there. and all i know is that if these allegations are true, mr. haggard needs to do some explaining.

so, finally, i'm wondering, if you found out something about a person you believed in, their ideas, writings, whatnot, did something that compromised their message, how do you handle that? (not that i followed haggard at all.) do you throw out what they've done? or does it just taint the work? or, do you just carry on?