my left foot - day 8

Thursday morning - into week #2. I am settled into a routine now, each day able to do more and more around the house. I am still instructed to put NO weight on the foot, and to keep it elevated (that part is easy, since it starts throbbing 30 seconds after it's lowered).

Yesterday, I not only hobbled downstairs to my computer room to send a fax, but also had Ben drive me around the neighborhood on a couple of chores. Still, when I got back home after a 1 hour outing, I was wiped out and went to bed.

Here's how the dressing looks now, after Tuesday's doctor visit:
It gets changed again next Wednesday, when the stitches come out.

I am still continually aware of discomfort, but the level of pain is greatly reduced, and my Vicodin consumption is down to one-A-day (generally in the late afternoon).

I think that, today, I will start working on the taxes - I placed a pile of papers within reach two weeks ago, but have not had the will to dig in until now. I guess that's a sign of growing boredom with reading, web surfing, and applying ice.

Current events time! I read this on the web this morning. So, according to the specific language of the Constitution, John McCain cannot be President. Of course, it would be preposterous to disqualify him on this basis, but I'm sure that the same folks who argue that we should never adjust our interpretation of the Constitution based on modern realities ("there is no Right to Privacy in the Constitution" -- Scalia) would argue that "the Constitution's words are very clear on this point, so McCain is out." Hypocrites.

my left foot - the big unveiling!

Just got home from my first post-op exam, and I am wiped out.

That being said, my doctor was pleased with how things are progressing, and answered all my questions about what to expect for the next week. It was actually somewhat simple: more of the same.

I asked why I was given a general anesthesia, instead of the local that was planned. As I understand it, once the operation was underway and I was very lightly sedated, I was in obvious discomfort as they were manipulating things and they decided to put me all the way out. Of course, I have no recollection whatsoever of any of this.

The actual procedure I had was a 'Lapidus bunionectomy with an Akin osteotomy of the large toe'. I have no idea what that means.

At any rate, they removed the dressing, took x-rays, cleaned up and checked everything out, cleaned the external fixation apparatus with alcohol, applied a new dressing, and then made modifications to my boot, to accommodate the large bulge of the external torture device.

Naturally, during this entire process, I was taking pictures, and here you go:

Unwrapping the dressing:


My first glimpse of the external fixation (i.e. torture) device:


Feel free to bypass this one:


Dr. Gentile (a heck of a nice guy) seems pleased with his handiwork (or is that 'footwork'):

Here I am, with crutches and 'the boot'. Time to hop back into bed:

my left foot - day 5

Ah, Dr. Vicodin worked wonders last night - slept great and woke up physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Now for the exciting news. Last night, I was complaining about the restrictiveness of the dressing, and Karen removed the outer layer, a compression stocking, revealing the very tips of my toes for the very first time. It felt wonderful, just having the skin come in contact with the cool air.

In this morning's light, I got a closer look and, behold, the big toe is clearly NO LONGER behind the 2nd toe:
How encouraging.

Now, just to tamp down your mounting joy, let me remind you that the Fascist Dictatorship is still in effect. Let's stay on task, people.

the day without pain meds

Well, I had the best intentions, and lasted most of the day, but now, at 5 pm, it's down the hatch for Dr. Vicodin.

my left foot - day 4

Sunday morning.

Today, I actually washed my hair and body, and changed my clothes, all by myself -- a genuine mood-elevator. To celebrate, I wheeled myself over to the piano and played for about a half-hour, until the lowered foot began to throb. Back to bed and ice.

Looking forward to my first post-op doctor appointment, Tuesday morning, when the temporary splint and dressing will be changed. Will I have the courage to look at the naked truth? Stay tuned.

Now, about Ralph Nader. Being the charitable individual that I am, I can only interpret this move as his ploy to inject a discussion of corporatism and corruption into the presidential conversation, rather than a bold-faced ego-driven insistence of relevance (which we've come to expect from Bush, and are quite able to get beyond).

I am trying to get thru today with no meds - haven't taken any since last night before bed. So far, so good - no bad pain, and no withdrawal issues.

Stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

my left foot - start of day 3

Progress is happening fast.

Last night, I slept for one uninterrupted 5 hour stretch. During part of the night, I could sleep on my side, instead of back only.

Last night, I was actually hungry for the first time, and used the crutches for the first time to navigate both to the bathroom and the kitchen, where I assembled my own bowl of cereal and milk, and got it over to the TV room couch - my first destination Beyond Bed and Bath.

I suppose the hours of icing have paid off, since the obvious swollen feeling is much reduced.

Finally, the constipation that everyone said would be a byproduct of the painkillers has, ahem, been surmounted. Took almost 3 days.

Today, more practice with crutches - maybe even a brief appearance outside (the sunrise now flooding the living room suggests a BEAUTIFUL day ahead), and general testing of my limits, which I will no doubt reach and exceed.

I can safely say that my low point was Thursday night, when the pain and nausea were peaking.

And, the final sweetness, it appears that Hillary is beginning to accept that she's not going to win First Prize and is rebuilding the bridges that Bill and her misguided campaign staff had torched. It's sort of sad - the Womens Movement has been waiting a long time for this campaign, but other events have overtaken her historical ascent.

my left foot - day 2

Friday 6:30 am.

Spent a pretty comfortable night. I think I have a pain-killer routine that is working well.

This morning, I managed to get to the bathroom, brush teeth, change my clothes for the first time since Wednesday, begin the ice-under-the-knee routine, drink a chilled can of Slim-fast ('cappuccino delight'), find my digital camera, take a photo of my bandaged foot, and transfer it to my laptop, all without assistance.

Hope to get some reading done today, with a little less mental fog than yesterday.

Here's how it looks - no doubt what is under the bandages is too gruesome to look at. This dressing gets changed next Tuesday.

falling into the rhythm

As predicted, I didn't move from bed all day, except for periodic trips to the bathroom. Haven't felt like eating, although Karen came home at noon and made me a great sandwich: veggie burger on a bagel, with mustard, onions, and salsa. I'm still full from that.

I've been taking my narcotics regularly, and am getting a sense of how much and how often does the job. My foot feels quite swollen, but I am icing it for 20 minutes out of EVERY hour, and keeping it elevated.

Haven't done much reading today -- spent most of the last 2 hours largely snoozing and listening to the radio, so I should be awake for a while now.

It does ache, but it's not horrible, except when it's time to pop another pill, which, now that I think about it, will be here again shortly.

The oddest thing is how much my world has shrunk into this room, after spending those days in Wisconsin, walking along frozen suburban streets, in a galaxy far, far away.

my left foot - the first 12 hours

It's 3:30 am Thursday. I am wide awake, having had a couple of solid sleep periods since 11 pm.

At one point last night, I was feeling quite miserable, and Karen helped me understand that this means that narcotics are necessary. An hour later, my color and attitude were restored, and I actually was hungry enough to eat some scrambled eggs and toast - the first substantial food since Wednesday night.

A half-hour ago, I successfully got myself into the bathroom to pee, and back to bed. I am treating this as a major accomplishment, although it was the third time I've done it. Somehow it seems more amazing, knowing that everyone else in the house is sleeping.

My foot is constantly painful - I am aware of the ache at every moment. However, my bed is surrounded by many books, remotes, snacks, electronic devices, and my trusty water bottle and drugs. I can visualize the next 24 hours pretty easily.

Time for a sip of water and, perhaps, lights out again.

Last night, before turning in herself, Karen said she wasn't sure I'd really go thru with the surgery, when I was trying to make the final decision, last week. Nobody could be more surprised than me.

post-op time

The last thing I remember is being wheeled into the OR, looking up at the ceiling, just like in the movies.

Then, I was waking up, with my foot wrapped up. Elapsed time, over three hours.

Karen walked in and helped with the discharge steps - instructions, paperwork, getting dressed, and into the car. She had spoken briefly with the surgeon, asking him if, in his opinion, this was really necessary. "Sure," he said, "his foot was really deformed".

Finally, we got home, into the house, and, thankfully, I dropped onto the bed.

I managed to arrange pillows so that I was reasonably comfortable (the drugs from the surgery were still in effect), and settled in for at least 24 hours of uninterrupted inaction. Within the first 10 minutes, the following happened:

1) I turned on the little TV, which had been all set up, only to discover that someone had removed the plug-in antenna. No reception. Dylan had to be called, to ask where he had relocated the antenna. The question 'why' was not asked.

2) Karen went back outside to finish unloading her car, and (ready?) actually locked herself out of the house. I had to hobble over to the door, to let her in.

It's kinda funny, when you think about it.

It's 8 pm now, and I am on my first oxycodone. It's beginning to hurt.

The cats have come by to visit me - in fact, Sasha is here in bed with me. I ate a couple of dried apricots - first food in 24 hours.

I am feeling pain. Just 8 weeks to go.

I'd like to take a photo of my bandaged foot, but Ben has apparently taken my camera, which, the other day, I had placed within easy reach of the bed.

I see a pattern developing.

happy B-Day to me

No, not birthday, it's BUNION Day! I leave for the surgery center in less than an hour.

Have been busy preparing my recovery station in the living room - undoubtedly I will forget something critical and end up hopping around gracelessly to find some essential accessory.

Will post photos eventually, but I suspect they will not be for the squeamish!

actually heard over the dinner table

So, my brother and I got into a rather heated 'discussion' about Inheritance Taxes (believe it or not), and things degenerated to the point where this phrase was actually directed to me:

"Maybe you should move to Russia."

So, it's come to that.

happy birthday to Mom

94 today. Everyone at her facility is stopping by to congratulate her - she is beaming with the attention. At lunch, we had a large sheet-cake prepared and served everyone a piece.

It was pretty good cake, too - thanks, Costco!

It was a raging blizzard this morning, with several inches of new snow on the ground, covering up all the ice from yesterday. Travel tomorrow ought to be OK - glad I'm not flying today.

Expected to be damn cold here tonight and tomorrow. What an odd place to live (unless you like cheese).

say it ain't so, Hillary

So, the Clinton campaign is apparently lobbying for the awarding of delegates from the Michigan and Florida voting, despite the clear statement from the Party that no delegates would be seated from those states.

This is wrong on so many levels. The whole point of purging our nation of the incalculable damage of the Bush regime, was to restore an atmosphere where laws and rules are no longer bent or discarded for political expediency.

If the 300 delegates from those two states are awarded to Clinton, and she goes on to win the nomination largely due to this margin, her candidacy is forever tainted, and the stain will haunt her history as the stain of the 2000 coup must surely haunt the Bush family (I intentionally didn't mention W by name, since he's incapable of being haunted by anything he's ever done that was unlawful, sleazy, or incompetent).

This truly stinks. It is a bad move, that may produce a short-term victory, at an ultimately great cost.

a death in the family

Yesterday, as I was sitting in my mother's overheated room, looking out over impossible piles of snow, a call came thru from Karen, in Portland.

She had just heard that my Uncle, who lived in Hawaii for many years, had died. This was mom's first cousin, with whom she had a lifelong relationship. He was a truly remarkable fellow, and here's his obit from the Honolulu Advertiser.

I corresponded with him irregularly over the years, and visited with him whenever we went to Hawaii. We knew he was declining and sinking fast, but it still came as a shock. These things always do.

oh, brother, where art thou?

In my brother's house. He picked me up at the airport (air temp: 10 degrees), and we chatted about this and that (mostly our medical problems) on the drive up to Mequon.

We sat around the kitchen table, chatting with Ellen, and a political ad for Obama came on (remember, the Wisconsin primary is next Tuesday). I mentioned that I had just changed my party affiliation from Green to Democrat, so that I could vote in the Oregon primary, and that I would certainly vote for Obama.

Ellen casually mentioned that she's a Democrat, but that Allen (with whom I share a considerable number of genes), is a Republican.

I am shocked, but, in retrospect, statements he's made over the past couple of years gave me pause. I fear my brother is among the brain-washed, and here's the capper:

He said to me: "Don't you know that Obama is a secret Muslim, and that the Muslims are behind his candidacy so they can take over?"

WTF?

Can it be that my dense brother has been drinking the kool-aid of Internet smears? It is apparently so.

Restraining my rage and disgust, I firmly let loose with a rant, asking if he's been watching Fox News. He then asked me, would I ever consider voting for Hillary and I said, of course, if she is the Democratic nominee. He was incredulous, and listed several unflattering adjectives that are commonly used to disparage the Clintons, most of which perfectly suit the Bush crime family.

I gave my stock answer, that the future of the Supreme Court demands that a Democrat take the White House in 2008, and nothing else matters.

I retired up to my room, and, with Google assisting, immediately found two websites that convincingly debunk the Obama/Muslim smear. I emailed them to Allen, but I sense that it may be judicious to avoid politics for the next couple of days.

Big snow-storm expected Saturday night and Sunday, but things should be tidied up by the time I need to head back to Portland Tuesday afternoon. For the moment, though, I feel storm warnings here in my brother's house.

on the ground in Minneapolis

...waiting for my flight to Milwaukee.

In Portland, wifi is free, which is great, as I was able to check my mail and respond to two current clients and one potential client, while sipping my pre-flight coffee.

Here in Minneapolis, it's costing me $5 for one hour of access. I needed to get online to respond to some last-minute matters, but not only do I not have a full hour before my next flight boards, but I was able to finish my business in about 15 minutes.

At least it's tax-deductible!

Therefore, so as not to waste my money, I am posting this here, to waste *your* time. Life just isn't fair.

the wedding

I mentioned yesterday that, last night, I was to play piano for a wedding at the Jewish home, where I accompany the chorus. It was a wonderful evening, with the Bride's and Groom's extended families (i.e. children and grandchildren) all taking part.

The chorus sang several numbers before and during the ceremony (including "Making Whoopee"), and I played a bunch of old songs afterwards, while many folks danced. Three local TV stations sent cameramen to film it - we watched two of the reports on the 10:00 pm news. Here's a little story that The Oregonian carried.

Ruth and Frank were cute and just glowing last night, and the spirits of the entire place were soaring. It was an amazing evening.

Off to the airport in an hour. Tomorrow, I'll be playing the piano at my mother's facility in Milwaukee!

Beautiful sunrise this morning - the eastern sky is on fire. I sure hate to leave Portland.

My Left Foot - the saga begins

Among all the things you know about me, you probably don't know that Karen has been making fun of my deformed left foot for years.

When I was a little kid, I remember hearing my grandmother complaining incessantly about her bunions. I always thought that was such a funny-sounding word.

It stopped being funny about 15 years ago.

About a month ago, I looked at the calendar, and realized I have a window where I can get it corrected and deal with the 6-8 weeks of general discomfort, inactivity, and restricted mobility.

Tomorrow, I fly to Wisconsin for my mom's 94th birthday. I return to Portland next Tuesday night, weather permitting.

Wednesday afternoon, I'm getting a bunionectomy. The surgical method is called 'external fixation', which means that there will be screws protruding thru the skin, attached to an external metal device that resembles a medieval torture accessory, but is supposed to permit me to walk in two weeks. The alternative is to have all the screws internal, but that requires no weight-bearing for 6-8 weeks, and I think that would drive me nuts.

It will be the end of March before everything is healed.

It's going to be a long stretch, but presents ample opportunity to solicit pity.

Today, I spent hours driving around to pick up my X-rays at the podiatrist, get an EKG, get my blood tested, get a handicapped parking permit from DMV, meet with the surgeon to answer my final questions and clarify what to expect once I'm post-op, and pick up Vicodin and Oxycodyn prescriptions.

I have set up our living room as my temporary bedroom, with the fold-out couch, a little TV and stereo (both with remotes), my laptop, a rolling office-chair (for navigating to the bathroom), and a nice stack of books. Here is the stack of books (the one under 'River Town' is 'The Old Curiosity Shop', by Charles Dickens):

In the freezer, are 6 packages of frozen peas and corn, since I have to (ready for this?) ice my foot for 20 minutes out of every waking hour, for at least the first week. In the bathroom are the two vials of narcotics (one ominously marked 'for severe pain').

Upstairs is my mostly-packed suitcase. Four days in frozen Wisconsin, hanging around Mom and her cronies, and a long day of travel on Tuesday, and then, once I get back home Tuesday night, a few hours to make the final plans and get some sleep, before heading into surgery. It's going to be a whirlwind, between this moment, and when I arrive back home Wednesday afternoon, and sink into bed for a few days.

In the meantime, I am playing piano this evening at the Jewish Old Folks home, where two of the members of the chorus (that I accompany every week) are getting married tonight. Last month, the 88 year-old bride was in the hospital, and, last week, the 90 year-old groom had a heart-attack. When they announced their engagement last November (and intent to get married on Valentines Day), everybody said "what are you waiting for?".

Finally, you didn't think you'd get away from this without having to see the 'before' photo, right? Bye-bye, bunion.

Pretty weird, eh?

Visited the Multnomah County board of elections today

And I changed my party affiliation from 'Green' to 'Democratic'. I've been a Green since 2000, but, this year, I kinda want to vote in the Oregon Democratic primary, in May.

I asked the election guy if he's seen a lot of activity like this, and he said 'I sure have!'

Haven't heard any news from Maryland, Virginia and DC today. Wonder how things are going there? If Barack makes a clean sweep today, we have some authentic momentum going on.

If Hillary manages to pull out victories, more power to her. However, I have to say that recent Clinton campaign tactics are mighty disturbing. Anyone disagree?

Fox News despicable-stunt-of-the-day

this. You have to admire shamelessness like this.

SuperDuper Tuesday bottom line

As one of the blogs proclaimed, "the only thing that was settled on Tuesday is that Mitt Romney is indeed a LOSER."

I was excited when I saw the headline:

'Grateful Dead reunite for concert in support of Obama'.

Unfortunately, the 2nd word in the copy, 'surviving', dashed all my hopes. Damn, Jerry's still dead.

Should be an interesting evening, especially with the California polling all over the place. Plus, since CA has eschewed electronic voting machines (yea!), the public is being 'warned' that the results won't be fully 'tabulated', as we have come to expect, at 8:04 pm, as can so easily be done with Diebold machines (heck, they're so advanced you know the outcome BEFORE the polls close!).

Meanwhile, compare and contrast two headlines I see on 'My Yahoo" this morning:

"Tipping point" on horizon for Greenland ice

Spears' father retained as conservator

it's not easy being godless

Yes, Jesus is Love. Seems like a case-study in Abnormal Psychology 101.

On the other end of the religious spectrum, however, there is hope. Last night, I was part of a huge crowd at the wonderful Bagdad Theater, to see Jim Wallis, the left-wing evangelical, who is out spreading the good news in his new book.

It's not often I find myself in a crowd of people wearing large crucifixes (and not being nervous), but this was a sympathetic group, and the message, that the Christian Right is ebbing and the evangelical movement now shifting to issues of poverty, environmental sanity, and social justice, is encouraging.

I was invited to the talk by a friend who is a left-wing evangelical. Being a McMenamin facility, I was able to enjoy a pint of beer during the talk, which was refreshingly ironic, too.

It's great to think that POF (People of Faith) will bond together to reject the right-wing politics to which they have been associated for the past 25 years, and take us into a new Age where the true message of You-Know-Who will spread across the public landscape.

As a Jewish agnostic cynic, I say 'bring it on'.

two hardboiled eggs

Last night, I found myself wandering around my local Fred Meyer while Karen was doing some banking. We really didn't have anything major on the shopping list (but, of course, while there, picked up a few things).

In the deli/produce section, I amused myself (!) by reading the labels on various processed foods, marveling at the distance they had traveled and the plastic packaging in which they traveled, when my eyes landed on what I propose to be the most successful product-that-should-not-exist.

It was a bunch of plastic containers, each securely cradling two hard-boiled eggs, for 99 cents, from Minnesota. Having now reached the final 3rd of the "Omnivore's Dilemma", I cannot look at something like this without mentally tabulating all the petroleum that went into it.

In the following summary, the letter P stands for 'petroleum'.

First of all, there is P to grow the corn that fed the chickens who laid the eggs, not to mention the P expended in transporting the corn to the chickens. The eggs are transported to the processing-plant (more P), where they are cooked (P) and packaged (P, unless the electricity came from coal) into the plastic containers (that were made elsewhere out of P and transported to the packaging plant using P). Finally, the packaged eggs were distributed around the country (P) to my local store, where they can be sold for 99 cents (with everyone along the entire supply-line making enough of a profit to justify the effort).

How can this be? Simple. As Michael Pollan makes clear, society is hiding the costs of cheap food, which explains how you can get a delicious (?) spicy-chicken burrito at your local Taco Bell for $1.29.

I can't look at food now, without thinking about all that went into bringing it before me. I especially can't look at beef, but that's another part of the story.

Friday night Letterman Top Ten

In case you missed it:

Top Ten Rejected Titles For The George W. Bush Movie Top Ten

"Jackass 3" "The Lyin' King" "The Departed As Of January 20th, 2009" "Stop Or My Vice President Will Shoot" "Dial M For Moron" "Das Boob" "When Sally Met Cheney's Daughter" "White Men Can't Govern" "The Nightmare Before Hillary" "Raging Bull****"

Dennis is out

Just saw his announcement. Maybe it's for the best, at this point.

On Air America the other evening, Rachel Maddow proposed her ideal Democratic ticket: Obama/Webb. I like it. Webb brings military and anti-Iraq credibility, and can assure the southern, White males that that uppity blank man will be closely watched.

I am truly disgusted at Bill Clinton's recent antics, trashing Obama. If they feel this is necessary, they do not deserve our vote. I say, no more Clintons and no more Bushes. A pox on both houses.

I'm shocked...shocked...

Nobody could ever have predicted that they would lie about Iraq.

Monica.

movie reviews

Within the past 48 hours, I have seen "Charlie Wilson's War" and "There Will Be Blood".

"Charlie" was pretty straightforward, with the always-professional Tom Hanks delivering yet another great performance. Philip Seymour Hoffman, though, steals the show. Julia Roberts was OK, but odd. Nicely shot - effective sequences - sobering lesson. Curiously, there was no mention of Osama bin Laden, who, I believe, was part of the covert army that the CIA funded, to frustrate the Russians. Seems like an opportunity lost. Recommended.

"Blood" was the first film in MANY years, where I considered walking out, well into the 2nd hour. It's got many spectacular scenes, with splendid cinematography and editing. However, I kept being aware of the mechanics: oooh, an amazing dolly shot; wow, what odd lightling; hey, incredible use of sound; etc. The problem, for me, was that the protagonist was so unrelentingly unlikeable - so evil, so selfish, so greedy, so unprincipled. We get the message in the first half-hour, and, after a while, I felt I had seen enough.

Is "Blood" the 'masterpiece' that the hype promises? Is the ending brilliant or stupid? What really happened to 'Paul'? I don't know, and, frankly, my dear, I don't give a hoot.

If you are a film-lover, you will probably end up seeing "Blood". My only suggestion: be sure to fully empty your bladder before it starts - it's a long journey to get to the bowling alley.

an evening with the gov

Our friend, Sandy, is the head of the Campaign for Equal Justice, and Karen made a nice donation last year. So, we got invited to the annual 'Thank You, big Donors' reception, at the Governor's residence in Salem.

There was an armed guard outside the gates with a clipboard, to screen out the riff-raff. Amazingly enough, we passed. We walked in, and tiptoed around the corner, heading for the goodies, when we ran right into the Governor, who turned to greet us.

We actually spent several minutes chatting about Karen's work, my work, upstate New York (he had been to the Adirondacks), and Enron - he was charming, relaxed (drinking a beer), and seemed pleased to have opened the mansion to such a distinguished crowd (everyone other than us, that is).

I had my camera in my pocket, just in case, and Karen had the nerve to ask if a photo would be OK. He went to put down the beer - we said, "it's OK" and he said "my staff would never forgive me." Here 'tis:


Everyone was gathered around the hors d'oervres table, and the living room was empty. Karen asked the Gov if he would like me to play the piano, and he smiled and led me into the living room, to an amazing Steinway. I sat down to play, Karen brought me a glass of wine, and the crowd moved into the room. I played for about an hour, and it was great fun. Plus, I didn't have to make conversation with a bunch of seriously-connected bigwigs!

As we were getting ready to leave, a distinguished gent came up to me, and asked "haven't we met before?" and introduced himself. I gently replied that he was most likely mistaken.

We don't go to these types of functions very often.

one year left for Bush

and we all seem ready to just let it happen, so that we can be cleanly rid of him.

After all, what can happen in just 1 year? Here's a list, to refresh your memory.

It's the [Stupid] Economy

Just heard a report on NPR about the Writers Strike, and how it's leading to the cancellation of the Golden Globe awards ceremony is affecting the Hollywood economy.

The subsidiary businesses, that exist because of shows like the Golden Globes, are suffering. These include limo drivers, waiters in expensive restaurants, caterers, fashion writers, tuxedo rentals, etc. etc. etc. The inevitable conclusion is this:

There are many niche businesses in our economy, that have come into existence due to their support of other businesses, providing a livelihood for countless individuals and families, leading to the inescapable conclusion that these dependencies demand that the originating institution or belief MUST be perpetuated, no matter how ultimately silly or worthless.

Other examples come to mind - notably every business related to cars. This was especially evident driving along any LA freeway, last week. We can't lessen the dependency on private cars without devastating all these family businesses.

Another major example: military bases, that have become the primary employer (and, hence, economic engine) for towns across America. We can't trim back the military without
devastating these towns.

Heck, look at the entire Military/Industrial/Educational complex.

We have evolved a system on interlinking dependencies, and the Awards Shows (i.e. federal subsidies) simply must go on and on, or people will lose their jobs.

I guess it would be Evil Socialism to stop the spending on Bombs and devote a portion of the savings to providing a safety-net for those individuals (not corporations) who no longer have a reason to go to work.

Ultimately, we are all caterers, serving the Economic Monster that is kept lubricated (literally) by petroleum. And, one of these days, the Oil awards show is going to be cancelled.

Everybody seems to love politicians who get emotional these days - so why not?

"President Bush had tears in his eyes during an hour-long tour of Israel's Holocaust memorial Friday and told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz to halt the killing, the memorial's chairman said."

Appalling on so many levels.

I [heart] Dennis

Kucinich has filed to have the NH ballots hand-counted. I love it.

This will be a VERY interesting project, as long as the 'chain-of-custody' for the ballots is firmly established as being sound.

Why is this a good idea? For one thing, we have yet another instance of "gosh, the polling was wrong again. These things happen." We have heard this before.

But wait, there's more. As posted on the Brad Blog this morning:

Analysts at the Election Defense Alliance (EDA) have confirmed that based on the official results on the New Hampshire Secretary of state web site, there is a remarkable relationship between Obama and Clinton votes, when you look at votes tabulated by op-scan v. votes tabulated by hand:

Clinton Optical scan 91,717 52.95%
Obama Optical scan 81,495 47.05%

Clinton Hand-counted 20,889 47.05%
Obama Hand-counted 23,509 52.95%

The percentages appear to be swapped. That seems highly unusual, to say the least.

'Highly unusual', indeed.

[UPDATE: the contrarian view]

ever hear of 'the Jerusalem syndrome'?

if not, read this, then read this. For a guy whose already a naricissist psychopath, this is not a good sign.

on a serious note

not

always wrong

As the only person to lose money in Real Estate in the 1990's (it's a long story), and, as someone who has consistenly backed presidential candidates who either didn't get the nomination or lost, let me comment on New Hampshire.

I think the pre-vote polls were correct (Obama ahead in a blow-out), but I really believe that the final 24 hour commotion over HRC's 'emotional' moment changed everything.

I think she came off as very sympathetic and was perceived as speaking honestly. That, coupled with the natural tendency for NH voters to look at the Media and say "you can't tell ME what I'm going to do", overruled the Obama polling from two days before.

Also, even though Edwards is my current guy, I think he made a major mistake in the way he reacted to that story. He came off as mean and macho, sorry to say.

Some people are suggesting that the voting was rigged. This I cannot believe.

So, the Media got exactly what it wanted:

* a surprise - fodder for 'The Situation Room'
* a slowdown in Obama momentum
* a major slap in the face for Romney
* a minor smack-down of Huck
* an opportunity to insist that Edwards (who is eager to take on Big Media) is irrelevant

Why, oh why, do the Democrats snipe at each other, when the points that need to be made again and again is that the Republicans, since the Age of St. Ronnie, have ruined this country financially, that the W Administration is filled with criminals and incompetents, and that a Democrat MUST be elected in 2008, to prevent the Supreme Court from turning into the Star Chamber?

Obama's legislative record in Illinois

good stuff

FOX News - the Ministry of Truth

slime

Meanwhile, it's finally a real primary. I fear that Edwards has been steamrolled by Obama-ecstasy, and Clinton a victim of 'been there - done that' syndrome. Short of a surprising tally for Richardson or Kuchinich (seems unlikely), the Barak bandwagon has left the station.

What worries me is what I fantasized about yesterday. This is too much like Bobby Kennedy in 1968, where new political enthusiasts are inflamed by hope - the environment where a crackpot with a gun determines that the parade must be cancelled.

When the public pendulum swings into euphoria, it never takes long for the tragedy to appear. Pakistan comes to mind. Hope I'm wrong, but the patterns of history and human behavior are well-established, and 'tis the season for martyrs.

another dot to connect

hmmmm - I've been seeing Sybil Edmonds' name popping up in various places the past few days, but this is the best explanation of why this story may be significant.

what does it all mean?

IMHO, it means that 'the public' is

1) revolting against 'the Media' having annointed Hillary as 'the inevitable one', months ago
2) accepting Obama as a New Face who is NEITHER a Bush nor a Clinton

Plus, it means that 'the Media' is

1) as always, making sure that any voice that discusses Class Warfare and Corporate Greed (Edwards, Kucinich) is silenced
2) lazy

Scenarios:

Obama is killed by a 'lone gunman' white supremicist.

Public outrage ensues.

Bush declares martial law, and McCain agrees that cancelling the elections is a 'wise move in these troubled times'.

James Baker III heads the commission on the assassination of Obama - says "we'll never know what really happened".

Bush is declared Supreme Leader.

30 years go by. Fox News is on all channels.

Supreme Leader dies at the age of 94, and the Reconciliation Commission (headed by James Baker VI) advises everyone to forget about the Re-Education Camps, which is easy, since, by now, most of them are under water and there are other things to worry about.


It could just be my imagination...

Happy Monday

both Karen and I sent John Edwards some cash today

As disappointing as it was, that Dennis was excluded from the ABC debate (I just sent them an angry comment about that), I have to say that Edwards was great, as are all the Democratic candidates.

We watched both debates, and there was a lot of muttering during the Republican segment. It was (not really) amusing how the name 'George W Bush' was strangely absent then - all the Republicans say they want to be agents of 'change', but nobody wants to identify who we so desperately want change from.

I really hope Edwards does well. They are all good, but I missed Dennis there, to make things even more interesting.

Huckabee/Obama '08

I am amused this morning, seeing all the hype about these two, when it's absolutely clear to me (not that I've ever been wrong before) that, next November, the choice will be Clinton vs. McCain.

The Media machine and Power Establishment settled on these candidates months ago, and it's almost time for us frivolous potential 'voters' (how quaint) to get in line.

The final straw here is ABC's edict that Dennis be excluded from the upcoming New Hampshire debate. The fantasy that the public airwaves are lent to media companies as a courtesy, as long as they operate in the 'public interest' (how quaint), died long ago.

Last night on Bill Moyers' show, both Ron Paul and Dennis received a solid 20 minutes each, and it was so damn refreshing. I think Ron is absolutely correct in his catalog of what's wrong - it's just his remedies that I find unsettling.

Dennis seemed tired - it was not a great appearance, despite his making some very good points, as always. I think he is realizing that his endorsement of Obama in Iowa, due to its unique convoluted caucus procedures, is perceived by most as a bad, inauthentic move.

I am confused by the media meme that Edwards' 2nd place finish in Iowa means he is finished. We like Edwards - heck, you gotta love a candidate who is willing to bring up what, ultimately, is the central question of our times, the successful Class Warfare that the Rich are currently winning.

Finally, I bring up the following with great hesitancy. This morning, I had a premonition of Michelle Obama wearing a black mourning veil. Sorry, but there it was. The national joy in such an admitted triumph has so often, in many times and places, been transformed into shock by the events of three seconds. I fear.

Last night, while Karen was at her dance class, I had the house to myself for a couple of hours. I turned on the light at the piano, and had a wonderful hour playing old tunes, loud and fast and loose. This makes me happy. You?

Silly me

I thought it was the TERRORISTS that we should be most afraid of.

Apparently not (view the trailer).

Iowa numbers

Lots of analysis going on this morning. You can't take away from Obama the stunning margin of victory. However, one of my favorite blogs, Hoffmania, put up this interesting little table:

Total Voter Turnout (approximate) 356,000

Percentage of total vote
24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)

Think about it, looking at the totality of votes cast last night, in both parties. The Democrat who came in 3rd (being treated in the mainstream press today as a 'major defeat') still managed to pull in almost twice as many votes as the Republican winner.

the Bhutto assassination - another angle

This from Capitol Hill Blue, not exactly a non-partisan source. Still, one wonders...

back home - happy new year!

8 am on Jan 1. A cold morning in Portland.

We returned from LA yesterday afternoon. Had a pretty good time, visiting family and doing sight-seeing.

In the course of three hours, we wandered among the celebrity graves at the Hollywood Forever cemetery (seeing Rudolph Valentino, Peter Lorre, CB DeMille, John Huston, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Mel Blanc, many others, and the main goals: Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone) and then, a short time later, browsing the VAST music/film offerings at Amoeba music, where, oddly, I happened to encounter films that related to many of the stars we had just visited. It was spooky.

Then, in the next hour, we had a fabulously relaxing round of drinks and snacks at the 'Cat and Fiddle' pub's wonderfully calming courtyard. Ah, Hollywood.

Did many other things, too - will write more if I feel like it. Now, I need to go thru a stack of mail, feed the dog, make some coffee, and be happy that 2007 is History.

that's it - Ron Paul definitely does not get my vote

My flirtation with Ron Paul lasted about 7.5 seconds, and, I have to admit, his recent statements about fascism were most endearing.

However, it is now revealed that Ron is yet another Republican Presidential candidate who simply feels that the Theory of Evolution is just a theory, and that the Science has holes.

Um, that's Dr. Ron Paul, the annointed oracle of common sense.

Um, that makes 6 of the 11 Republican candidates (including Alan Keyes, who, after all, was included in the recent debate) rejecting the notion that Evolution provides a mechanism for explaining that things can change over 4.5 billion years. Of course, there's still some debate about that last item, too.

Heading for the airport in an hour, for 6 days in LA with Karen's family. The boys are coming, too. In fact, this was the first morning in a long time, when there were 4 humans waking up in this house (if only we could get them to wake up).

Ron Paul

Don't know what to make of this phenom.

He is clearly connecting with many young idealists, and his statements about creeping fascism and government abuses are timely and correct.

Still, there's something disturbing about the 'reduce government', libertarian strain, that I just can't accept. If he bolts the Republican party and runs as an Independent, I think he will be very successful.

Here's what worries me - the Supreme Court has gone past the tipping-point into very bad territory, and the next nominee, from the next president, will either restore some balance, or seal the doom of the American Experiment. To me, this is the chief reason why a Republican must NOT be permitted to win the White House next year.

I am endlessly frustrated by reporting about the presidential race. Even NPR is totally deficient in discussing any substantive issue - I expect this to be gone from all other media reporting. Either the Media emphatically doesn't want any real debates about issues, or they are simply too lazy to report on anything other than popularity polling. I just don't get it.

Merry Christmas, all you Christians out there. To all of us humans living in the northern hemisphere, we are over the solstice hump, and the Sun will NOT be going away, once again. We can breathe a sigh of relief and, now, all we have to worry about is Greenland melting.

Off to LA tomorrow morning - as our little family does its share to contribute to the unsustainable lives our ingenious-but-flawed species has invented. Never have so many been so comfortable - never have society's slaves been so invisible.

there are no coincidences - part II

Isn't it funny how quickly the fire in the Executive Office building has become the non-story of the week, especially since, as reported in this article (scroll down to the 5:10 pm update):

"the fire raged mainly in the office of Mr. Cheney’s political director, Amy Whitelaw".

Nothing to see here - move along...

there are no coincidences

So, a copy of the Magna Carta sells at auction. Isn't it nice that the document that first proclaimed and guaranteed our basic civil liberties is so highly valued?

Let's take a closer look at the Reuters story. The document was purchased 'by the founder of a private equity firm'. Sounds reasonably innocent.

How much effort would it have been to mention the name of that 'private equity firm'? A very short trip to Google reveals:

who is that masked man?

I am reminded of how Hitler was determined to preserve relics of Judaism, for his planned museum to a 'vanished race'.

Just sayin'.

hey, watch this

this

take a P

out of EPA, and you get this

Meanwhile, this is a story that might have some longer term implications for Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. I wonder if it's a big topic of conversation at the truck stops this morning?

ok, geography hounds - try this

as heard on 'The World' (public radio) this afternoon, this geography quiz.

My final score: 374,201 (level 10). You are scored both on accuracy and response-speed.

currently circulating around the 'Net...

this video. do your part.

who says lawyers don't have a sense of humor?

hilarious, but will everyone get the joke?

morning in America

Something I haven't done in a while: walking outside with my camera after eating my cereal, and appreciating the beginning of a new day. From our side-yard, looking east:

And, a few more steps back, revealing the dim outline of Mt. Hood (you have to squint, but it's there, at the bottom of the clear spot on the left):

Not too much work pending today, so I will steal some time and get back to the pile of films that I now have checked out from the library.

Last week, at a used book sale, I chanced upon the autobiography of Josef von Sternberg, a director I was first exposed to in college. I didn't know that much about him personally, so the book was a revelation. First of all, I always thought he was one of the classic early German directors, and was astonished to hear that he grew up in New York, and was a Jew originally named 'Jo Sternberg' (a capricious distributor added the 'von' to give the impression of nobility and he liked it).

The other day, I watched one of his early silents: The Last Command', for which the star, Emil Jannings, apparently won the very first Best Actor award, in 1928. It was astonishing in its vision, composition, lighting and editing, with multi-layered characters and quirky title cards that were written by Herman Mankiewicz (who, of course, went on to write little films like 'Citizen Kane').

Waiting for pickup at the library is The Docks of New York, and already on the pile upstairs is The Blue Angel (which I saw, once, decades ago) and The Scarlet Empress (the film which I studied back in college).

This is what I do, when I get interested in a particular director: view as many of the films as possible, in sequence, if possible. The last director that captured my attentions in this manner is Werner Herzog, and in my VCR at this moment (only a tape was available) is a curiously-repellent film called 'Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen' (or, in English, 'Even Dwarfs Started Small'). I think I'll be done with Herzog after this one - it is truly bizarre.

Played piano for two musical programs tomorrow, so it was a busy day. On Thursday, I have the first rehearsal for another music program, to be given on December 23rd. The 22nd, 23rd, and 24th will be busy with several events and dinners with friends, and then, on Christmas morning, we (all 4 of us) fly to LA for a few days, returning to Portland on the 31st (so the boys can be with their friends on New Years Eve).

As a said earlier, not a whole lot of pending work for me, before we leave, so it's a great time to watch films and read, listening to the furnace burn oil to keep us warm, while the Washington DC circus goes on and on and on...

OK, I really do need to do a little programming today, so time for coffee!

most mysterious news story of the week

is there something more to this than meets the eye? the story, as written, has a certain Zen-like quality.

the White House sez...

they agree with the decision where the CIA destroyed the torture videotapes, because, had they come to light, it would have exposed the identities of the CIA agents involved, and this would be a serious security breach.

One word comes to mind: Plame.

It's (almost) laughable.

Meanwhile, GREAT news for Catholics (building a bridge to the 11th Century!).

actual good news

2 items today.

first of all, Keith Olbermann's rousing special comment last night.

second, and even more heartwarming, is the story that the California initiative to modify its electoral college winner-take-all practice (as done in virtually all states), will apparently NOT make it to the ballot.

This was a bald-faced GOP attempt to steal 2008 (their claims of 'it brings fairness into the system' might be respectable if they also advocated making this change in Texas, which routinely awards all its electoral votes to Republicans).

This was truly a sleazy, cynical political nastiness, with signature-gatherers fraudulently inducing passers-by to first sign a petition asking for more money for 'Childrens Cancer Research' (as if they really cared), and then slyly asking if the person would also sign this additional sheet for 'something about election reform'. Bastards.

Liar (earlier this week) and Incompetent (today)

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Harried homeowners seeking mortgage relief from a new Bush administration hotline Thursday had to contend with a bit of temporary misdirection from the president himself.

As he announced his plan to ease the mortgage crisis for consumers, President Bush accidentally gave out the wrong phone number for the new “Hope Now Hotline” set up by his administration.

Anyone who dialed 1-800-995-HOPE did not reach the mortgage hotline but instead contacted the Freedom Christian Academy — a Texas-based group that provides Christian education home schooling material.


Maybe he was actually intending to advocate a faith-based solution to the mortgage defaults...

today's humor

First, Andy Borowitz:

Kim Jong-Il Kicks Iran out of Axis of Evil
Nukeless Nation ‘Not Evil Enough,’ Says Korean Madman

One day after a National Intelligence Estimate revealed that Iran halted its nuclear arms program in 2003, North Korean president Kim Jong-Il ejected Iran from the Axis of Evil, calling them “not evil enough.”

A visibly furious Kim called a press conference in Pyongyang today to excoriate the Iranians as “evildoer wannabes” and “pussies.”

“I can’t tell you how many times Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looked me in the eye, told me he was developing nuclear weapons, and cackled like a madman,” Kim said. “That man does not deserve to cackle.”

Kim added that when Iran was admitted into the Axis of Evil in 2002, “they knew the rules: no nukes, no membership.”

The National Intelligence Estimate, Kim said, showed that Iran was not holding up their end of the bargain: “They said they were enriching uranium and all the while they were going all Libya on my ass.”

In the first step towards formally removing Iran from the evil organization, the North Korean strongman said he was “un-inviting” Mr. Ahmadinejad from the Axis of Evil’s winter golf outing in Scottsdale, Arizona. In a terse statement from Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president said he would agree not to attend the outing but wanted his deposit back.

As for who would take Iran’s place in the Axis of Evil, Kim said there was no shortage of candidates: “Right now we’re looking at Venezuela, Syria, and Rupert Murdoch.”


And now, for Hannukah, there's this:

It's sort of fascinating to me...

How, one by one, the Media annoints a white guy as the 'Republican front-runner', only to discover that, as the weeks go by, the new guy is exposed as either a raging hypocrite or, more frequently, shallow.

First Mitt Romney - he was the fresh, energetic, handsome guy who would rescue the GOP - now revealed as a pandering glamour-boy with no scruples.

Next Rudy - he was the strong-on-leadership-9/11 candidate, now revealed as thoroughly corrupt and mean, to boot.

Next Fred Thompson - he was the 'charismatic' plain-speaking, just-us-folks Everyman, now revealed as dense and mostly disinterested.

So who comes riding into the lead? Huckabee, currently vaulting into the front-runner slot, a God-fearing speaks-his-mind Man of God, who has God on his side, and benefits from the advice of God, and did I mention God? Now, not only are the vultures pouncing on the unpleasant facts of his actual record, but today, it is revealed that Huck was asked yesterday to comment about the uproar over the Iran NIE, and that topic was news to Mikey.

One by one, they are all exposed as hopeless hacks, no better than the shameful W they are hoping to succeed (so to speak).

Who's left? John McCain, who, I'm beginning to feel, may actually come out on top, since nobody cares enough to attack him (for now).

And now a word about political dynasties.

Yes, it's bizarre how some families have made political office the family business, but it's always been that way, and, I think, goes back to our species' acceptance of hereditary tribal chiefs. It was thus a hundred-thousand years ago, it was thus in every human society.

This tendency has frequently brought us leaders-with-familiar-names who rose to the demands of the times and performed great service (think Franklin Roosevelt). On the other hand, we have the obvious W, finally fulfilling the promise that was unfulfilled by his less-than-brilliant ancestor, Franklin Pierce (did you know that Barbara Bush was a Pierce?).

Would Bush be where he is today if his last name wasn't Bush? Probably not.

Would Hillary be where she is today if her last name wasn't Clinton? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Would Gordon Smith be where he is today if his last name wasn't Smith (yes, the same Joseph Smith who founded Mormonism)? Maybe not, but the fact that the other side of his family is the (mostly Democratic) Udalls, there's the family business again.

Let's all admit that we love our dynasties, and we cede to them the prerogative to rule over us. I'm not sure whether that's simple laziness, mass hypnosis, or that inbred instinct to recognize the familiar and reject anyone whose last name has more than two syllables and/or an uncomfortable number of consonants, sort of like 'Kucinich'.

Just sayin'.

ha ha - Kucinich saw a UFO!

hmmm - if this is true, then why did the Media make such a big deal about it?

Silly me - Dennis is always the 'joke' candidate - I forgot what The Memo said.

How could anybody possibly take this guy seriously.

Andy Borowitz piece today - har har...

Huckabee Chooses Jesus as Running Mate
Move to Shore Up Evangelical Base

In a bold move that could dramatically alter the playing field of the 2008 G.O.P. presidential race, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee today named Jesus Christ as his vice-presidential running mate.

Governor Huckabee has made an increasing number of comments about his relationship with Jesus in recent debates, but few Republican insiders expected him to announce that he was anointing Christ as his vice-presidential pick.

“This could be huge for Huckabee,” said Stenson Partridge, a veteran G.O.P. consultant. “Among Republican voters, Jesus Christ is even more popular than Ronald Reagan.”

The Reverend Pat Robertson, a supporter of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, said he was “blindsided” by the news of Huckabee’s decision: “I talked to Jesus last night and He didn’t mention anything about it.”

At a raucous Huckabee rally in Davenport, Iowa today, supporters of the former Arkansas governor could be seen holding signs reading “HUCKABEE/CHRIST ’08.”

It is “highly unorthodox” for a presidential candidate to select a vice presidential running mate who is a prominent figure in the Holy Bible, says Davis Logsdon, dean of the School of Divinity at the University of Minnesota.

But according to Mr. Logsdon, if the Huckabee-Christ ticket makes it all the way to the White House, it could be historic in more ways than one: “If Huckabee is elected and then something happens to him while in office, we would be looking at our first Jewish president.”

just saw 'Into The Wild'

We read the book years ago, and, since it was a miserable day of rain and wind (more coming tonight), and since we had other chores in the area, we went to an early-afternoon matinee.

Wonderful film, heartbreaking. Amazing photography and performances by all the actors. Sean Penn is turning into quite the craftsman. Plenty to think about.

While in the theater, my cell phone vibrated. On the way to the car, I checked my message - it was from Joe and Shirley, sitting on Poipu Beach, drinking a mai tai at Brenneke's, my unchanging standard of Heaven on Earth. A bit different from a dark and stormy night in Portland. Enjoy, guys!

bible, bible, bible, bible....

Is anyone else out there dumbfounded that time at the last Republican 'debate' was spent on asking the doofuses if they believe that the Bible is 'the word of God'? The only thing worse than that question was the predictable parade of responses that were so patently pandering to the Christianistsas.

I wouldn't mind so much if the logical follow-up occurred (after each old-White-guy had had his say), with the moderator then holding up a Koran and asking 'what do you say to the millions of folks who believe that THIS book is also the Word of God'?

Oh, Lord (so to speak), how I yearn for the day when a presidential candidate is not afraid to say "I respect people of faith, and the strength they derrive from the Bible's message, but, frankly, I suspect that much of organized religion is a major con job, and that believers are SUCKERS."

Yeah, in my dreams.

What passes for political debate in the MSM is utterly pathetic. How can the Professionals in that business look at themselves in the mirror? Why can't everyone perform their work with total integrity and committment to honest quality, like programmers?

By the way, have you rented 'Jesus Camp' yet? You should.

Currently re-reading (3rd time): 'Live From Golgotha,' Gore Vidal's HILARIOUS send-up of religion, advertising, and time-travel sci-fi.

Next book on the pile: 'The Assault on Reason', by Al Gore. I suspect that it will further fuel my indignation (ya think?).

sorry for the Gloom and Doom

Looking over recent posts, I see that I have tended to emphasize the pessimistic side of Life on Earth.

I was going to offer a few encouraging words, to project faith in the Human Spirit to overcome challenges.

History, however, suggests that we are, indeed, screwed. Sorry.

But cheer up, holiday spending appears to be on track.

it all depends on who gets to write History

yikes - can he possibly get away with this?

Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking. As we are deluged with Christmas advertising, which propagates the illusion of endless First World prosperity, let's read together the first sentence:

Unless the international community agrees to cut carbon emissions by half over the next generation, climate change is likely to cause large-scale human and economic setbacks and irreversible ecological catastrophes, a U.N. report said on Tuesday.

But hey, Obama said something critical about Hillary.

goodbye kitties

The last 2 of our 4 kittens just left. Two of them were picked up yesterday, from our craigslist ad.

We've had these kittens for just under 2 months, and it has been a real kick watching them born and develop into minitature cats, full of energy and playfulness.

We hope that Edie, the mom, will not be too upset. She seemed OK last night, with only half a brood around. It was really sad to see them go, but our furniture was on the verge of immanent destruction.

Now we are back to one middle-aged dog and two adult cats. First the boys grew up and moved out, and now this. Life is just one loss after another.

T + 3

We survived the Day, working pretty continuously from 8 am until chow-time. Everything went off perfectly - Karen now feels she is the Master (Mistress?) of Turkey-Roasting.

A couple of the guests reported, the next day, that it was the best Thanksgiving dinner they had ever had.

There are still a few leftovers, and we are just beginning to deal with the turkey stock. All in all, worth the efforts, and we even emerged with a much-cleaner house than it was before.

Yesterday was a magnificent pre-Winter day - sunny but cool. We spent many hours raking and cleaning up the yards and beds. Our compost-pile is loaded with leaves and clippings, and ready for the long snooze until next Spring.

Life here, in the waning days of the Age of Petroleum and Abundance, is pretty good. I will miss this.

Next up: Hannukah and Ben's 21st Birthday!

chilling

no, not the incessant cold rain of the past three days, but this.

here we go...

first this, then oil, and then it's 1929 all over again!

We'll be able to tell our grandchildren (in a creaky voice), "why I remember when there was such a word as 'petro-dollar'", and they'll look at us with puzzlement.

Oops, I read this 5 minutes after reading the above.

tick...tick...tick...

Have you tried OpenDNS?

My geek-friend Dave told me about this last night, surprised that I had not yet heard about it.

Today, I reconfigured my DSL Router to hit their IP addresses for DNS and, by George, it really does noticeably improve Web browsing. Incredible.

T minus 4 and counting

We spent most of the morning moving furniture around, polishing wood, washing windows, setting up tables and chairs, and finalizing the menu and shopping list, in anticipation of 15 people coming for dinner on Thursday.

The stuffing will be corn-bread based, with sausage, tequila-soaked raisins, etc. There will be green beans, the usual cakes and pies, a mountain of mashed potatoes, dry-cured turkey of course, and a couple of cranberry relishes, including the old stand-by: the famous NPR relish, that I've made every year since about 1979.

Karen is genuinely into the ritual of Thanksgiving dinner, and it pleases her to get underway with all the preparations. I am ready for a nap, but I still have to polish more wood, give the dog a bath, and do the grocery shopping this afternoon.

In 30 years, how unbelievable it will seem, that people devoted this much time (and had the opportunity and choices) to plan a meal like this, not to mention simply driving to the store and loading up on all the goodies you can think of.

Unfortunately, I see global catastrophe and human misery in our future - I have no confidence that the powers-that-be will rise to the challenge of managing and minimizing the Transition that is surely coming our way.

Of course, I could be wrong. Wouldn't that be great?

I need a drink

of water

republican bastards - the beat goes on

positively Rovian

this is cool

saw a reference to this site on the CBS Evening News.

Incredibly enough, it told me that Dennis reflects 90% of my views, more than any other candidate.

I was surprised that it actually worked.

Gore Vidal endorses Dennis

yea! As everyone here knows, Vidal is my candidate for the greatest American writer of these times (Vonnegut comes in 2nd).

Republican 'survey'

I received this fund-raising solicitation from the National RNC, in the guise of a survey. It was full of pseudo-official bullshit, like the words 'Official Document' and 'Process Immediately'. All the questions have the choices 'Yes', 'No', or 'Undecided' and I am transcribing them VERBATIM:

1. Do you feel voters in Oregon's 1st District support making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent?

2. Do you support the House Democrats' "slow-bleed" strategy to "choke-off" funding for our troops in Iraq, leading to their withdrawal and a perception of American defeat?

3. Should Republicans continue fighting for full implementation of a ballistic missle defense system?

4. Do voters in Oregon's 1st District agree with the Nancy Pelosi Democrat Magority's decision to impose massive tax hikes on the American people?

5. Do you think that House Republicans should continue to push for pro-growth ploicies that create jobs and oppose tax increases that would add a burden to working families and set back our economy?

6. Do you support Congressional Republicans' efforts to decrease domestic government spending in order to reduce the national deficit?

7. Do you support the Democrats' efforts to give federal government bureaucrats complete control of your health care costs and choices?

8. Should Republicans in Congress make expansion of Veterans' benefits a priority?

9. Do you support maintaining anti-terrorism laws that give law enforcement and intelligence agencies the far-reaching powers to track, detain and prosecute terrorists and their accomplices?

10. Should Republicans in the House of Representatives make securing our nation's borders and enforcing our nation's immigration laws, including combating the hiring of illegal workers and ending the "catch and release" policy a top priority?

11. Do you think House Republicans should continue fighting for comprehensive education reform to ensure that every child in America receives a first-rate education?

12. Do you agree that winning back a Republican Mahority in the House of Representatives is essential to stopping the Nancy Pelosi Democrats from raising our taxes, destroying our economy and endangering our homeland?


Who says there are no jobs available for Psych majors?

just saw 'Michael Clayton'

Great film - tense and intelligent, with effective cinematography, a tight script, and believable acting. George Clooney knows what he's doing. Recommended.

amusing video

Al Gore on '30 Rock'. I've never seen the show, but if this is an example of the writing and acting, I should tune in.

cute kitten photos...

...will NOT be posted here, until I get you to look at this. I had heard about this book a few weeks ago and got it from our library.

Just finished it a couple of days ago, and its effect is still reverberating.

Considering how much time I've been spending the past few months, actively contacting government people to advocate emissions controls, CO2 caps, etc, the arguments advanced by these guys makes all that effort seem misdirected.

The basic argument, to over-simplify, is that Global Climate change is coming and it can't be stopped by current legislative efforts. Rather than visualize humanity retreating to a simpler life and scaled-back economy, the best action would be to accept the inevitability and harness traditional human cleverness (sic) to think and innovate our way into dealing with the changes and ADAPT.

I guess that's easy to say, from someone who lives 400 feet above sea-level. If I were a Floridian or a Pakistani, or a New Yorker, the vision of a 30-foot rise in sea-level might be more difficult to adapt to.

In Holland, they are building floating cities. Think about it.

Now, about the kittens: they are almost a month old, beginning to eat kitty kibble and using the litter-box. They will be ready to find new homes in a couple of weeks. They are truly adorable, and I WILL post some photos soon.

WTF (i.e. HR 1955)??

Just heard about this outrage. Goodbye, human rights in America.

The lights are going out.

no place like home

We are back in sunny, mild Portland, after a week cruising around the Caribbean, sampling the sun, heat, humidity, rain, jungles, caves, third-world sights, and endless buffets, that constitute a Caribbean cruise.

Had a couple of highlights, which I hope to write about at some point. Today, we spent time cleaning the house (our standards are a bit higher than teen-agers), doing laundry (load #3 going now), food shopping, and communing with the animals, who seem pleased to have us back.

Quick shout-out to Joe and Shirley, who met us at the Tampa airport for a too-quick drink and a few laughs, before we resumed our 20-hour travel day, arriving home around 10:30 pm PDT. Here's Joe's post about the visit, complete with photo of the 4 of us.

Just to tantalize you, here is a page describing the cave we visited in Belize. It was truly astonishing.